Addicted to the Net?

I saw a cool post on a friend's blog this morning, so I'm copying her idea for today. (Thanks for the inspiration, Leslie!) I don't know what I would do without my computer. I don't so much "surf" the internet, but I definitely could not live without my e-mail. How addicted are you to the internet? Me - - - 54%. (See, Frank, I'm not as bad off as you may think!)

You Are 54% Addicted to the Internet

You're somewhat addicted to the internet - but who isn't?You can keep it under check, and you're by no means a hermit.

You can take your own quiz here.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do . . .

Let's hear it for SOE! Today was Spirit Day at Emily's school. Every Wednesday, students are encouraged to wear their spirit wear to school, and classrooms compete to see which class can demonstrate the most school spirit. I really like it, because I don't have to worry about what Emily is going to wear on Wednesdays! Here she is all decked out . . .

Go SOE Express!

First Day of School!

The girls went back to school today, and while I'm excited to have a little more time to myself now to run errands and get things done around the house, I'm not all that happy about having to get up so much earlier every morning! Today has been the longest day EVER!

Emily enjoyed her first day of 1st Grade in Mrs. Hagler's class. Her favorite part of today: "meeting new people."

Carly also enjoyed her 1st day as a Kangaroo in her Preschool (4 yr. olds) class. Her favorite part of today: "playing on the playground!"

I can't believe how quickly our girls are growing up!

Long time, no post . . .

I warned you . . . this month has been super busy! The last week or so has been exceptionally hectic with Frank out of town on business, PTO work to be done, end of summer visits to the pool, visiting Little Noni before she goes back to Maryland, Carly's preschool Parent Orientation Night and Meet the Teacher Day, Carly's first soccer practice, and Emily's elementary school Meet & Greet! I'm hoping once the girls start school next week, I can catch my breath and spend a little more time writing on my blog, but until then here are some pics from the last couple of weeks . . .

Recipe of the Week

Tonight I tried a new recipe from one of my cookbooks, Edible Heirlooms, and it was super yummy! Below is the recipe (with a couple of slight modifications*) if you'd like to try it for yourself. Suggested side items for this tasty dish: garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans. Enjoy!

Chicken with Lemon-Basil Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons packed lemon zest

1/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons chilled butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Saute about 5 minutes per side or until brown and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Add lemon juice, garlic, and lemon zest to skillet. Stir over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add wine and chicken broth and boil until sauce is reduced. Add butter and stir to combine. Simmer 1 minute. Mix basil into sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

* The original recipe calls for 1 cup of white wine, but I only used 1/4 cup and substituted chicken broth for the remaining 3/4 cup of wine. The original recipe also called for 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried. I only had about a 1/4 cup fresh basil on hand, and I thought it was just enough. I wouldn't recommend using dried basil. I just don't think it would taste as good.

The Tooth Fairy

Emily lost a bottom tooth today! She was hoping she could hold out on losing it for a couple more weeks, since she really wanted it to come out on the first day of school. (Apparently, it's a big deal when you lose a tooth while you're at school - - - you get to sign your name on a big tooth in the nurse's office or something.) I guess the tooth fairy will be making a visit tonight. I wonder what the going rate is for a tooth these days?

Just a Few Reasons Why I Love Frank . . .

• He buys me flowers even though it's not my birthday, Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day.
• He takes the time to write me the sweetest notes.
• He makes an awesome Eggs Benedict for breakfast!
• He loves me even when I'm not that loveable.

Thank you for the beautiful flowers, honey! I love you so much!

Carly's Favorites

Color: Red

Food: Cereal

Drink: Milk

Book: Franklin Has a Sleepover

Toy: Fuse Beads

Place: The Mall

Animal: Kangaroo (because she'll be in the Kangaroos class at preschool this year!)

Game: Operation

Thing to do: Play soccer (even though she hasn't started practice yet!)

Thing to wear: My fuschia rhinestone t-shirt with my Lucky Brand denim capris

Emily's Favorites

Color(s): Aqua and Turquoise

Food: Pasta

Drink: Bottled Water

Book: Chocolatina

Toy: My Doodle Doll

Place: School

Animal: Monkey

Game: Bingo

Thing to do: Dance

Thing to wear: My pink butterfly shirt with my brown pants

Rrribbit! Rrribbit!

This morning we went to the "Froggy Pool," which is one of our neighborhood pools that's only a few blocks from our house. Emily and Carly call it the Froggy Pool, because there's a really big painted frog that sits in the middle of the baby pool. Its tongue is actually a slide that little ones can sit on and then slide down into the water. It's really quite cute! However, since Emily can swim and Carly is learning to, we can now spend all of our time in the big people part of the pool. Today Emily mastered the art of turning forward and backward flips in the water, and Carly spent most of her time leaping from the side of the pool into my arms or Frank's arms. And, after a lot of encouragement (and a couple of failed attempts,) Emily finally jumped off of the diving board for the first time --- yea!

"Little Noni" Comes for a Visit

Our family has been pretty busy lately, and I'm afraid to say writing on my blog has taken a bit of a back seat to other matters. It looks like the month of August is going to be more than a little hectic, so my writing may be sporadic for the next four weeks. Frank has a lot of business travel planned. He just got back last night from a short trip to Los Angeles. He'll also be making trips to Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City before the end of the month. We really don't like it when he's not home with us!

Yesterday, the girls and I drove out to Katy to see my grandmother (Carly's and Emily's great-grandmother,) aka "Little Noni."


It amazes me that, at 87 years old, she's still able to get on a plane and fly down here from Maryland to see us. My cousin, Mike, flew down here with her, so it was really nice to visit with him, too. He leaves to go back to Maryland tomorrow, but Little Noni will be staying here in Texas for a few weeks with my parents.