Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

This is one of my all time favorite recipies!

Preheat oven to 425

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

(I use mini chips)

3-4 teaspoons orange zest

Whisk dry ingredients together

Add cream

Mix with wooden spoon or spatula

Here's the easiest part....use an ice cream scooper and scoop dough onto a baking sheet

Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar (if desired)

Bake 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Cool on rack or serve warm

Dinosaurs, Bears and Caves.....Oh My!

Claudia printed her name for the first time...... look at the bottom of the drawing.

It is printed like this: "C... d...l...a...u...i...a..."

She didn't like the the "d" being in the middle of her name so she changed it.

And for those of you who have difficulty interpreting preschool art, let me explain:

The dinosaur (small box, bottom left) is chasing the big bear (brown amoeba object) into a cave (brown circle, top right) which contains a bed (blue circle). Brown squiggles represent the grass.

Put On Your Thinking Cap....

Yesterday evening was the big birthday celebration for my nephew, Matthew. He turned 7.... an old guy. We also celebrated my sister's birthday too. She will be 29 (cough, cough) on Friday.

The point of this story, though, is not about yesterday's birthday celebration....mostly because I forgot my camera. It does, however, involve birthdays.

This story is about my niece, Jordan, who is very intelligent... you know...gifted... "special" as we like to say. She has the kind of thinking process that puts her in a different dimension of reality.....the kind, though, that has her regularly saying and doing things that make us shake our heads and question her sanity.

Last night was one of those instances. We were discussing half birthdays....as in, Claudia's birthday is September 16th and her 3 1/2 birthday was on March 16th. Jordan informed us that her 14 1/2 birthday was on March 3rd.

"Hmmm. Jordan, your birthday is August 31st. How can your half birthday have fallen on March 3rd?"

She looked at us with raised eyebrows as if we were all dumber than a box of rocks.

"Duhhh......." she began, talking slowly so us lesser beings could have time to process her brilliance, "February only has 28 days and my birthday is on August 31st, so I had to make up for the 3 missing days in February by adding them onto March".

After we all laughed hysterically at Jordan, my sister explained to her that adding numbers was not necessary..... just count ahead 6 months.

Again, the "box of rocks" look......as in, "Whatever, you people just don't get it, do you?"

But then again, what 14 year old girl (or 14 1/2 I should say) believes anything her mom says?

Intelligent and gifted.......we're starting to rethink that one.

Special? Definitely!

Giving Them The Bird

My kids were born with Brian's ornithology gene. They have a gift of identifying birds. On any given day they can identify what kind of bird is at our feeder.

William: "Look Mom. A goldfinch!"

Mommy: "What did you just call me?"

Claudia: "Where's the goldfish?"

Brian is the same way. We can be in any part of the country, and he knows his birds.

"Hey Sue, did you see that double breasted, yellow bellied, tripple tailed, rainbow crested sapsucker?".

He even know birds from all of his foreign travels- Chinese birds (Moo Shoo Speckled Falcon), German birds (Pileated Long Neck Pilsner), New Zealand aka Kiwi birds(North Island Brown Heavy Footed Moa), Costa Rican (Banana Bellied Orange Beaked Whistling Caw Caw) and Antarctic birds (Southern Royal Ice Crested Snow Petrel).

It's amazing. I can't even remember what breed(s) our dog is, but he can memorize a bird book in no time flat!

I'm grateful that our kids inherited his gift. Me, on the other hand, I am satisfied to continue using my unique way of identifying birds:

"You mulberry eating, purple staining, flying sack of shit! If you crap on my car one more time, I'm gonna bust your feathered A$$!".

25 Random Things About Brian

Brian's with his "Public Enemies" Convict Scruff

25. I once edged the whole yard using a hand shovel.

24. My wife says I should have pursued my master's degree in common sense (which means I need some, not that I have enough to warrant a higher degree).

23. I lock myself out of houses and cars regularly.

22. I took a college course in Costa Rica. The squirrel monkeys liked to sit on my shoulder in the open roof bathroom and groom me......when they weren't throwing mangoes at me.

21. I spent two winters in Antarctica doing research on lake geochemistry...yes, there are lakes in Antarctica.

20. I broke my nose in college (1989) and didn't have it "repaired" until 2000.

19. I like to talk ..... a lot. Sue says I have the ability to converse with a street sign.

18. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2001 and am still in pain.

17. As previously mentioned, I have dressed as a woman for parties. It was required!

16. I like to camp (unlike Sue, who believes that camping together will lead to a divorce).

15. I made dinner once for my wife.... pork tenderloin with a cherry reduction.

14. My middle name is Richard. Sue thinks it gives her the right to call me "Dick".

13. I was asked by my beautiful wife to co-author this blog. I have yet to do so (I'm only writing this post under duress).

12. I am artistically talented.

11. I am not impulsive...everything must have a plan.

10. I once ate cheeseburgers for 10 days in a row while on vacation when I was a teenager.

9. A coworker once programmed his cell phone voice dial to call me when he used the word "nematode".

8. My brain has a built-in GPS and I never get lost (Sue will probably argue this one).

7. I once ran a mile in 4:42.

6. My driver's license used to state that I had hazel eyes. My eyes are actually blue......hazel just sounded kind of cool.

5. Speaking of driver's licenses, I received mine on New Year's Eve, 1986. And promptly had my first "scrape" (it was NOT an accident!) that night....when it's car vs. concrete gas pump island, the car usually loses.

4. I've been attempting to finish the same novel for five years....in fact, I don't even know where the book is now.

3. I am a prison convict in the new Johnny Depp movie "Public Enemies", due out on July 1st. In my scenes I am right next to Stephen Dorff (Sue thinks he's tasty.......check it out for yourself).

2. I have also traveled to Europe (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

1. I am fluent in "toddler". "Dot un doe" (translated: vacuum) and mutz (translated: milk) are some of da fings that I wuv.

Happy Valentine's Day x 17

February 14, 1992

Dear William and Claudia,

This past Valentine's Day was the anniversary of my first date with Daddy. The date, which almost didn't happen, took place 17 years ago! I'll try to share as much with you as I can remember, but my memory is a bit fuzzy....

Mommy and Daddy were friends in college. We both belonged to a service organization called Alpha Phi Omega. We pledged at the same time but weren't really friends. Aunt Gayle was the first to become friends with Daddy. They hung out a lot together. One evening at an APO meeting, Aunt Gayle offered to help Daddy dress up as a girl for an annual party!

Daddy showed up the evening for the party at our apartment and Aunt Gayle did his make-up and Mommy ended up curling his hair with a curling iron. We had fun... Daddy didn't make the best looking woman (no offense, Brian) but we gave it our best shot!

Purdue 1991

Over the next year, Daddy, Aunt Gayle and Kathy started spending more time with Daddy and his handsome roommates. We went out for "pop" and studied a lot at the library (wink, wink).

Mommy wasn't really interested in Daddy (even though, to this day, he insists I was) and Daddy was juggling several girlfriends...... believe it or not.

Eventually things changed... I don't know what happened, but Mommy and Daddy started to like each other.

Valentine's Day was approaching and Daddy asked me if I wanted to go on a date. Guess what I told him? I said no! Can you believe it? I told Daddy that I already had plans with Kathy and wasn't available. Funny, huh?

After a few days, Kathy convinced me to change my mind and go out with Daddy. I called Daddy and we decided to get together for dinner. The only problem was that I waited too long to call him and all the nice (all 2 of them) restaurants were booked for Valentine's Day. Daddy ended up coming over to my house and we ate cheeseburgers together (That is why it is a tradition in our house to eat cheeseburgers on Valentine's Day). After our dinner, we went to an APO function and then out to a bar named Pete's.

We had a fun time together....

Our Baby

January 29, 2009 (7 weeks)

Tuesday morning we found out that our baby no longer had a heartbeat, had grown wings and left us to be with God. We are filled with grief, but grateful that our baby is in God's hands and surrounded with love.


A heartfelt thanks to all of our family and friends who have consoled us, prayed for us, supported us, and extended their love to us. We thank God for all of you and you are in our prayers daily.


To our Baby,

Even though you were with us for a very short time, we love you more than you can imagine. We know that you are now with Grandpa, all your great grandparents, your cousin, Miranda and all the other babies of our family members and friends that have also gone to heaven. They will love you and take care of you until Mommy and Daddy are with you again.


We would like to share the following prayer that mirrors our thoughts right now....



Dear God,

Please hold my unborn child in your ever-loving embrace.

Please let my child know that my love can't be erased.

Please bless me on this earth and help to ease the pain.

Please plant a seed within my baby's heart of sunshine, not of rain.

Please help the days get easier and the nights go quickly by.

Please hold my hand when I can't do anything- but cry.

Please increase my faith so I believe my baby is with You.

Please forgive me when my sadness makes me come completely unglued.

Please let my baby know that there will always be a place-

Within my heart, just for my baby, full of Divine Grace.

And, when You call me Home to Your Kingdom up above-

Please let me hold the baby- I never held... but, always loved.

Amen.

Ellen DuBois

Positive Pregnancy Tests January 2, 2009

My Family

Claudia drew a picture of her family.

(Dad, Mom, William, Claudia, and Baby due September 17, 2009)

One Word... Yeah, Right!

My friend from House of Blank, who has not updated her blog in the last 24 years, tagged me with this.... and because I am so compliant, I decided to change the rules... a little bit. No one word answers for me!

One Word (make me)

You can ONLY answer Yes or No! You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks!Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun (try and stop me).


Kissed anyone of your Facebook friends? Do family member count? How about "Spin the Bottle" in junior high?

Been arrested? Not recently


Kissed someone you didn't like? Yes, there's no need to elaborate.

Slept in until 5 PM? Nope, If I wake up after 5:00 a.m., it's a good day.

Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes, when I was pregnant with William.


Held a snake? Yes, Sebastian and Slinky (I'm an overachiever)


Ran a red light? Yes, but it was orange. I swear, Officer!


Been suspended from school? Nope.... no detentions either.

Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? No. I did smash up the front end while driving the behaviorally challenged kids to camp.


Been fired from a job? Kind of, more like "let go" because they wouldn't work around my high school softball schedule.


Sang karaoke? Never! Listening to this is almost as painful as listening to someone chew gum.


Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Does picking up dog poop in the yard count?


Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes, but it was tuna.


Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes, no calories.


Kissed in the rain? Yes, the kids.


Sang in the shower? Always, it blocks out the screams from the kids.


Sat on a rooftop? Yes, college apartments.


Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? Yes, Cancun 1988. I was the first to get thrown in a pool at a bar.


Broken a bone? Several. My leg in a few places when I was 14 and my toe when I was 38.


Shaved your head? No, but Brian shaved his head.... GROSS!


Blacked out from drinking? Can't seem to remember...


Played a prank on someone? Kathy, do you remember back in 1992 when I told you I tried the meal worm cake at Purdue's Bug Expo and then you tried it.... well, I really didn't eat it!


Felt like killing someone? Not today.


Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes, I'm mean.


Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? Do my hyper children count?


Been in a band? Just air guitar with William.


Shot a gun? Yes, an air gun in Michigan when I was in gradeschool. Oh, and the shotting gallery at Bass Pro Shop.


Donated Blood? No, but with all the blood tests I've had in the last 5 years, it has to be equivalent to several donations.


Eaten alligator meat? Yes


Eaten cheesecake? Yes (stupid question)


Still love someone you shouldn't? I still have feelings for the UPS guy ever since he carried all my Dell boxes into the house when I was pregnant with William. He probably would have set up the computer if I had asked him....


Think about the future? Yes, painting the house and buying a minivan....


Believe in love? It depends what kind of mood Brian's in....(just kidding, Bri)


Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes, when I'm forced to sleep with Brian.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!!!!

Some times after Christmas (I can't remember the date) we met my sister's family at the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Hammond, Indiana. Jean Shephard, the writer of the movie, "A Christmas Story" is from Hammond and the center created a display to showcase the movie! It was really cute! Here are a few pictures fom the display....

Matthew, William and Claudia

A Major Award

"The Cousins"