Tomato and Tortellini Soup

This is seriously one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, ya'll.  I'm not quite on the 'pick everything from the earth, dust it off and eat it' band wagon.  I still used canned items in my cooking, and it doesn't make me a terrible person.  It makes me sensible (in my opinion).  I believe in using fresh ingredients as often as I can and every once in awhile using some pre-made items.  I don't think me or my family will die from that.  My life is about balance and moderation.  I just can't quite veer off to the extreme side of cooking yet - I'm just not ready to make that change (kudos to those that do).  And I'm not sure I ever will.  I love goldfish crackers too much.  I can't help it.  Anyway, this is super easy recipe if you aren't offended by canned stewed tomatoes and pre-made tortellini.  Here it is!

Here's what's in it:
1 pkg sausage and cheese tortellini (I use Bertolli's brand)
3 cans of stewed or diced tomatoes (DON'T drain.  You can use plain tomatoes, but I like the Italian-style or the garlic and onion)
1/2 cup half n half
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dash of sea salt
Parmesan cheese

Optional Throw-ins:
Throw in about a tbsp of pre-made or homemade pesto - talk about some added flavor!
Fresh basil can add a serious depth to the sauce that you won't regret.
Use different types of tortellini, ravioli or just plain pasta for a vegetarian dish.
Add some sauteed veggies!  Veggies make everything better...kinda like bacon...oooooh...add some bacon too! :-)

Here's how to make it:
In a medium to large size saucepan, empty your 3 cans of tomato.  You will need a hand stick mixer for this next part, don't be scared, ok?  You basically want your tomatoes to be pureed completely except for a few surprise chunks.  Once pureed, add in your half n half, broth, Italian Seasoning and salt to taste.  Now turn your heat on to med/high so you can bring the tomatoes to a boil.  Once things are bubbly, add in the tortellini, cook for another 8-10 minutes and you are DONE.  How easy was that?  Have fun chowing down.  This is great served with a fresh loaf of Italian bread...served by an Italian man in an apron...or an Irish man in a kilt...whatever floats your boat.  (My boat stays afloat by an Irish man named Justin, my Highland Warrior.  So I'm going with that...)

Time is Fleeting...

Time is fleeting.  I've discovered this since I had my first child, Declan, on January 23, 2011.  He has changed my world in ways I never thought possible.  The cliche "you'll never understand until you become a parent" has poked it's bulbous nose into my life and sniffed out its unyielding truth.  Just the other day Justin was telling me about how there was a statistic done on marriage happiness and how it shows an obvious decline after each child until they reach the age of three years old.  Then, it slowly climbs upward until they leave the nest.  I don't disagree with this because obviously there is a lot of strain on a marriage when a child is born.  Lack of sleep and sex can make any man CRAZY, lol.  But, I think this can me true of individual happiness too.  After you have a baby, you will never be more nervous, more scared, more unsure of yourself and more in love with anything...ever.  That's got to be enough to weigh on you enough so that you will never quite be as 'blissful and worry free' as you were before babies.  Don't get me wrong, my kids bring me joys I will have never known if I hadn't had them.  But it's a different kind of joy than the kind I would have had if I'd been able to cross some more things off my bucket list before I had them.  So...when Declan was born I experienced something I'd never felt before.  And now, three years later he is teaching me new things daily and making me a better person.  A person with more patience, more love in her heart, more grey hairs on my head and deeper laugh lines.  I can't imagine a better kind of wrinkle than the ones that are from bringing laughter to your heart.  He is that for me.  I love him so much.  I know he's going to get older and one day he won't want me to cuddle him so much.  One day he won't want me to play with him.  One day he will be able to get his own snacks or make his own meal.  But for now I'll enjoy him being three years old...and I'll just apply my wrinkle cream more regularly.

This is Declan's personality EXACTLY.

 It was a little chilly outside...his teeth were chattering but he was a good sport.

Wanna see my T. Rex?  He will chomp you!

Valentine's Day - Sibling LOVE!

My kids are just too darn cute for words!  Not only have they gotten along since I brought Mairen home, but they just love each other in the purest way.  Mairen leans her head into Declan and squeals with delight when she sees him and he brushes her hair out of her face and says "Aw, I love you too, Punkin"...heart...melting...into a pool of sappiness.  This is all true.  I want to document all of these cute things before they start pulling each others hair, screaming at each other and doing the whole "he said, she said" thing.  I know this is bound to happen, my head is not too far up in the clouds to realize that this sweetness won't last forever (although I am always praying that it will).  But, for now I'm going to revel in the love that they have for each other.  It makes my heart happy.  And I hope it makes their hearts happy too. 

 I made this sign for the photo session!  I just adore it!  It is a quote from a song that is sung in the movie 'White Christmas'...I know you all have seen it.  It is a truthful quote because Declan is always saying how he is going to protect his sister.  I had two older sisters growing up so this brother/sister dynamic is new to me.  But, I had always envisioned that this is the way it would be...

 Love...

Thank you Lindsey Rabon Photography for the precious photos!

Since when did I become an adult?

I say that while I'm drinking a glass of wine, so I am happy about being able to indulge in the occasional adult beverage.  Don't get me wrong being an adult has it's major pros.  Like drinking wine, sleeping in on Saturdays (before kids of course), buying your first car, taking a vacation, watching R-rated movies or facing the difficult decision of choosing to buy a strappy pair of shoes or some ankle boots to wear on a date night.  You obviously choose to buy BOTH pairs of shoes because being adult also means you have a job and make money and can afford both pairs.  See?  It's so much fun, right?  But, what about the easy childhood days of barefoot in the grass, spying on your neighbors on your bike with your neighborhood friends, nintendo games, eating an entire bag of Doritos (and NOT caring about the caloric intake) and freezing your BFF's underwear at a slumber party.  We all did it, and we all still couldn't wait to grow up to become doctors, lawyers, models, olympic athletes, or a professional member of the Babysitters Club (that was me, hands down).  As a child, you have the luxury of a imagination that is pure - a world of abandon at your fingertips.  What exactly happens to that as we grow up?  The real world smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks.  Right?  It's so easy for the world to get us down.  But, all I need to do is look into the eyes of my kids to see a little sparkle of my own inner child trying to shine brightly.  I do know that once you have your own children a little bit of that wonderment trickles into your logic-riddled brain.  It's just one of the very many joyous things that enter your life when you have a little one.  You are forced into their world with every dinosaur attack and tea party playdate.  It's one of the things that I enjoy watching in my children every day.  I love seeing how they play with such a free spirit and how they have no boundaries.  Everything is possible.  We could all take a few pointers from our children.  Now, I'm not saying we should go to the nearest candy store and have a tantrum over Twizzlers.  I love me some licorice, I can't deny it.  But, maybe we should shake awake our imaginations a little bit and tap into our inner-kid more often.  I'll try not to take things too seriously, believe in Santa and the mere idea that maybe I will someday have my very own professionally paid Babysitters Club member.  And I'll do it all with a glass of wine in my hand...

A Very Dragon Birthday Party!

My son, Declan, wanted Dragons for his 3rd birthday and Dragons is what he got!  And, just so you know there is NOTHING dragon related out there for invitations or decorations (unless you want babyish looking dragons or How to Train your Dragons).  I was looking for real, scary, fire-breathing, monster-like dragons.  I looked everywhere and zero, zilch!  So, I just made everything myself - that's what us mom's do right?  We had the party at a local church (so that I don't have to clean up any messes - whew!) and I whipped up some fun decorations using some cooped up crafting energy and dragon toys that my son already had.  Here's how it turned out!  

I used dragon flame fabric (1yd from Hobby Lobby draped over an Amazon box) with cupcakes and dragon on top.  I made the tissue poms and it cost me about $8 total.  I perched them atop some yellow buckets I already had sitting around the house.

 Here is the banner that I made using some super cool dragon font that my husband found.  I just made the font really big and printed it off, cut them out, rounded out the edges, hole punched the tops, thread some ribbon through and VOILA!  The perfect dragon birthday banner.  Cost: $0 (I used ribbon I already had, paper and cardstock that I already had as well).  The fabric garland cost approx. $12.  I used ribbon I already had, shredded the fabric and tied the top to the ribbon for a pretty...ahem...I mean, scary, backdrop. :-)

Different angle.  Bought some balloons too.  Cost: $10.  I'm not going to lie - I bought the cupcakes from a grocery store.  After making EVERYTHING else I just couldn't make myself dirty the kitchen again, ha!

I used a treasure chest for "Dragon Pearls" which were cake balls that I made.  Also, had some "Fire Roasted Smore Chex mix" (nom - got the recipe off Pinterest), Dragon Claws (Bugles)...also scattered about were my sons toy dragons.  I also used an orange frame I already had to put Declan's Halloween picture in.  He was a fire breathing RED dragon of course. :-)

Cupcake toppers were made by downloading some artwork from online (it was free).  Used my 2 inch round cutter to cut them out.  VOILA, cupcake toppers!  Also seen here are some "Dragon Eggs" (grapes) and "Dragon Scales and Dip".  Signs were made using the same dragon font on cardstock, then folded over to make a 'tent label'.

 I bought some plastic tablecloths from Party City to cover the tables.  Put out blowers (for 'fire' because whats a dragon party without some fire, right?) and put out toy dragons that we already had.  Cost: $15

More tissue poms.  Again, I made them because it's cheaper, but you can certainly buy them from Party City or Hobby Lobby. 

 Here is my baby boy, isn't he handsome?

 Blowing out the candle...

 Chowin down...

Declan wore his Triple Horned Night Dragon shirt (dubbed by him of course) and he had a BLAST!  I'm sure if he doesn't remember this party when he is 16 at least these pics will remind him of how crafty his mother was and how much she loved him by making all these party decorations.  When it's all said and done, his smile was worth it ALL.  My big 3 year old!