Bad blogger! I have no news (there is a medical thing with Tessa but I don’t want to put it out there yet…I think I need resolution before I open myself up to internet advice - not because I don’t adore your input but because my anxiety level is high and I’m not googling so more information/input probably would be bad for my psyche right now…but before anyone else worries she is fine).  I even haven’t taken photos in days.

I met up with some other blogger friends/adoptive moms and didn’t take my camera.  Did you hear me?  It isn’t just that I didn’t take photos - I didn’t even take my camera with me.  It didn’t even occur to me until I had been on the road for 20 minutes.  Tessa has been sick (just a cold - nothing to do with above) which means she is whiny, crabby, doesn’t know what she wants, and just all around high maintenance just like her momma when she is sick.  We’ve wiped her nose so many times that she has little scabs on and under it.  Poor thing!  But I was so frazzled from dealing with Tessa that the camera didn’t even cross my mind.  It was awesome to see Carla and Melany - even if our meeting was too short.

We went to another couple’s house to watch the Super Bowl.  Tessa was darling in a Steeler’s jersey (she didn’t want anyone to forget where her true loyalties lie).  Sabrina and our friends’ little girl had a ball running around.  Many photo opportunities of cuteness and fun - but again didn’t even take the camera.

Now Sabrina is catching Tessa’s cold so I am surrounded by copious amounts of snot and whine.  I can’t wait until next year when Sabrina goes to pre-school and brings home even more germs to share!  Other than snot, all is well in our house.  Hope the same is true in yours.

Sabrina would like to know if you can tell what color sucker she received after sitting still for her hair cut yesterday? (The answer is blue…she teeth and lips were very blue but it didn’t completely translate to film.)

And #2 becomes Dora’s latest disciple. (She is standing in front of the TV here watching Dora.)

I ordered some super cheap dress up items for the girls last week.  (From here. Wings for $1.50, tutus for $2, pirate hats for $1.75)  They arrived today.  Sabrina was in heaven.  Tessa was somewhat dubious.

Where was this fun stuff when we were kids?

I haven’t contributed to Mouthwatering Mondays in awhile…and I’m not sure that this dish would qualify as mouthwatering.  It certainly isn’t pretty.  But it was good and had some good for you things in there so I thought I would share.   And it is less of a recipe and more of an idea.

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1/2 cup white, 1/2 cup red quinoa (measurement prior to cooking…cook according to package directions)

1 box frozen, chopped spinach defrosted and excess water squeezed out

1 small bag frozen corn, cooked

Sliced carrots, lightly steamed (not pictured because I forgot them)

Terryaki-ish sauce (I used light soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, chicken broth, black pepper, and corn corn starch - cook until thickened)

Throw it all together and you have a pretty nutritious dinner that your children will turn their noses up at if they are anything like mine.  If you aren’t familiar with quinoa, click here or here for more information.

I have been stuck in the house since Thursday - and I only left then to go to the doctor.  I am hoping things have settled down out there so I can get Tessa to her 18 month check up tomorrow.  Those in the north rolling your eyes - yes, 4 inches of snow and 1/2″ of ice have kept us in all weekend.  But remember, there is NO snow removal and no salt here so it stays on the road until it melts and it hasn’t been above freezing.   Tomorrow afternoon it is supposed to be in the 40’s but hoping it gets warm enough in the morning that we can get to the pediatrician.  I’m getting stir crazy!

There is a thick layer of ice over everything.  Our 50 lb dog doesn’t even sink in the yard - he can walk on top of the icy snow.

And having nothing to do with anything - Sabrina loves her new Princess and the Frog dress.  I picked up a few items on clearance at Target while my MIL was in town (including 2 matching Christmas dresses for next year for $4.50 each).  This one was an instant hit with Sabrina.  She ranks her clothing based on the twirl factor (how well she can twirl in it).

We mock with love but we just can’t stop laughing when Nashville cancels school at the prediction of snow.  Earlier this month, they closed school for 2 days and we ended up getting 1/2 an inch of snow.  So when they called off school for Friday before a flake had fallen, we chuckled.  We woke up Friday morning to our normal brown and green January landscape.  Steve left for work.  Then around 10:30 am it started.  A real snow storm.  Up north this amount of snow wouldn’t close schools most likely but without plows and salt, it closed down the entire area.  It took Steve over 2 hours to get home (23 miles).  The mall closed.  Area businesses closed.  A friend’s son hurt himself and she found that all medical clinics in our town were closed and she would have to take him to the hospital 15 miles north or hope he would be okay until everyone reopened.  It also brought out the entire neighborhood to play.  Parents and kids - there were no fewer than a 15 people playing in front of our house yesterday afternoon. It was quite exciting.  Sabrina had a ball.

Tessa was pouting that she didn’t get to go out and play.  (I don’t have boots for her and she has a runny nose.)

I snapped these with my phone while browsing Valentine’s Day cards at the pharmacy today.  (Filling my prescription for yet another antibiotic.  Yep. Strep. Again.  The doctor was impressed with how swollen and “beefy” my tonsils and throat looked.  He positively swooned over the number of pustules in my throat. Sexy, no?)

For the guy who wants to make it REALLY clear that the “L” word is not in play yet:

For the woman who will scare the bejeesus out of the guy above…she’s pushing for the “L” word to make an appearance and wants to start marking firsts together  (really if your first “holiday” together is Valentine’s Day that means you weren’t together 6 weeks ago at Christmas so quiet down that biological clock honey):

Sorry for the unintended hiatus.  And I’m only checking in now so that people don’t think I’m trapped under something heavy.  First we had family in town and now I’m sick.  I have strep again (or still?).  Doctor tomorrow.

I have things I want to rant talk about (anyone want to guess which non profit whose name has been in the news regarding Haiti that I might want to rant about?).  I have a project I’m being drawn into which excites and scares me (exciting because it is something I care about…scary because it is something where failure is not an option and my brain cells are pretty scarce these days).  I could share how I turned some of my recipes gluten free for my MIL’s visit…but not sure that is particularly relevant to many of my readers - but I was pretty impressed by how painless it was.  And I should really take some photos of my cute kiddos.  So blogging will resume.  Soonish.

***Remember back in the day when you would get a test pattern instead of infomercials if you turned the TV on in the middle of the night?

Sorry for the absence…Grandma is here.  We’ve been having fun playing with her.

That’s Church released a statement from the families of the women running the orphanage in Haiti - one women and the children are safely back in Pittsburgh with the other woman soon to follow.  Thank you to everyone who got involved - even if just through spreading the word and praying.