Pasta Fresca

I am a huge fan of Noodles & Company's Pasta Fresca - penne pasta sauteed with roma tomatoes, baby spinach and a light balsamic sauce, topped with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan. Mmmmmm... The dish seemed simple enough to try to re-create at home, but my attempts just weren't working. I got online and found the actual recipe with instructions and made it for dinner the other night.

I heated up some jarred spaghetti sauce for the kids, figuring they wouldn't care for the new dish. But they all surprised me - they loved it! Everyone gobbled it up! And not a hint of cream soup in it anywhere! It cooked up very quickly, and will be even easier now that I have the sauce already made (you make a large batch of the sauce and use some every time you make the dish). Light, yet filling, and healthy - this is my new "go-to" meal! Oh, and it's totally Aldi-friendly! Score!

It's been a mild winter.

We work with what we have.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Hosted by Soulemama)




David's portrait of Mama...



Ho Ho Ho!

Earlier this month, Al and I took the kids to our adoption agency for their annual Cookies With Santa event. Last year was David's first Christmas with our family, but we missed seeing Santa due to a snow storm on the day of the event (and my instincts told me that taking David to see a mall Santa would just not go well at all). So this was David's first visit with Santa and his first chance to enjoy a tradition our family has grown very fond of.

David couldn't wait to show Santa his picture in the Sunny Ridge newsletter!

David was excited to meet Santa "in person" and had no trouble getting up on Santa's lap!



Santa gave each of the children a small gift to open.



Having a little chat with Rachel...

Santa gave Abbie a craft book for making little fairies (Santa knows how much Abbie loves to do crafts).

David spent a lot of time on Santa's lap, just taking in all the excitement.

We treasure this annual family tradition!

Rachel and the Bee

On Tuesday, Rachel competed in her school's annual spelling bee. This is Rachel's second bee. Last year, she made it to the top 10 (out of 30) spellers, to go on to the district bee. This year, Al and I were praying that she'd make it that far again. We didn't want her to be terribly disappointed if she didn't get to the district bee again. We needn't have worried - she rocked the bee!



Here is Rachel, spelling her "warmup" word. She chose the word "pulchritude" - Akeelah's winning word in one of our family's favorite movies, Akeelah and the Bee. (Pulchritude means beauty - it's from the Latin pulcher, meaning beautiful. Rachel likes knowing that!)



Spelling...

Patiently waiting for her next word. Notice all the empty chairs around her...

With some of the Top Ten group...

Rachel has every reason to be proud of her accomplishment. She worked hard to prepare for the bee, staying up late every night to practice new words.

On to the District Bee in January!

Four!

Can't quite believe our precious boy is four years old! This sweet, loving, energetic, joyful little boy has brought so much life into our home! None of us can imagine our family without him! He is a great blessing to every one of us!

Happy Birthday, dear little David! We love you!

Sixth Grade Chorus Concert

Last night, the 6th Grade Chorus at Harter Middle School performed a beautiful concert. Instead of the usual Holiday Concert that many ensembles present, the Chorus sang selections to honor our veterans on this Veterans Day.

Students were invited to bring in photos of family members who have served in the military. The photos were displayed on the walls leading into the concert.

Hannah brought in pictures of her Great Grandfather, Albert Skalski (my Grampie)...

...and of her Dad!

The 6th Grade Chorus. Hannah had a great spot, front and center. There are some advantages to being petite!

Sing "ooooooo"...

Sing "aaaaaah"...

Hannah's made some great friends in Chorus.

Her friend, Gracie, sang a lovely solo.

Hannah just loves her Chorus director, Mrs. Grant!

We're so proud of our lovely musician!



Like father...



...like daughter.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Hosted by Soulemama)

Happy Birthday, Ida May!

Happy Birthday to my cousin David's maternal grandmother, Ida May Fabyan! Ida was born on November 11, 1911 - that's 11/11/11! This dear, spunky lady is celebrating her 100th birthday today. She is so very special to our entire extended family, and we wanted to publicly celebrate her special day!





Telling stories...

David showing Ida how many blueberries he picked from her bushes...

We love you, Ida!