Sabrina is very proud of her pretty new hair cut.

And Tessa won’t cooperate for photo ops with momma but I liked this one.

Now I’m off to have margaritas dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

We left the house today for the first time in a week.  Sabrina attended her dance class and Tessa hung out complaining that she didn’t want to be in her stroller.  We still have a few coughs and a couple of runny noses but I think we can call everyone mostly well again.  Phew.  Can I put them in a bubble for the rest of flu season?

It is amazing.  The child has a load of toys but the second I got this infant gym out to price for the consignment sale, Sabrina was enchanted.  She played with it until I put it in the car.  Like a month to a flame, this child is attracted to things that aren’t hers.  It doesn’t matter how many toys she has to play with, she would rather play with anything else (usually whatever her sister has).

Honestly, my birthday didn’t make me feel old.  It is just a day. Sure the number 37 seems impossibly high when in my head I’m still 23 but it is just a number.  Other things have been conspiring to make me feel old lately.

• The therapist who evaluated Tessa last week wasn’t just younger than me – she was YOUNG.  I would put her at 25 and only because she had a masters degree – otherwise I would have said 22.  When did professionals become kids?
• My nephew is 15 1/2 (the 1/2 is important because now he can get a permit to drive a car).  I’ve had some email/messenger conversations with him in the past week that have driven home the fact that he is nearing adulthood.  When did that happen?
• As some of my old friends approach 40, they are considering “What next?” because they will be facing an empty nest as children go off to college.  As I approach 40, I will be considering “What next?” because my children will be going off to kindergarten.  I also remember a woman who was 40ish who started working in my office after her children went off to school.  I remember feeling rather sorry for her – she was bright but had no ambition.  I couldn’t believe she had interrupted her life to stay home and wipe noses and butts.  I was 25 and that was my perception.  Irony is a bitch.
• I clearly remember my mother being the age that I am now.  That is just weird because she was always “old” (sorry mom).
• All of a sudden, I find myself holding things with small print a little further away from my face.
• Without meaning to, I find myself going on a 5 minute rant about how the kids in our neighborhood play in the street instead of their yards.  Next thing you know, I’ll be chasing them out of my yard while wearing my housecoat and brandishing a broom.
• The kids who are seniors in high school this year are showing off their “Class of ’10 Rocks” spirit which makes me clearly recall sitting in pep rallies proudly chanting “S-S-S-E-N-I-I-I-O-R! S-E-N-I-O-R SENIORS SENIORS SENIORS!”.  Then I realize that no matter how clearly I remember it, it was 20 years ago that I was a senior proudly displaying my Class of ’90 enthusiasm.
• I find myself telling my husband as he drools over cool new phones that I just don’t understand why he needs his phone to do anything but make and receive phone calls.  He has a camera to take photos, an MP3 player to listen to music, a video camera to capture videos, and a computer to surf the web.  Why does he need his phone to do those things too?
• When I heard Patrick Swayze died (how sad is that?), it was mentioned that Dirty Dancing came out in 1987.  I was thinking how much I love that movie and then it hit me: how is it possible that was 22 years ago?
• When I read People magazine, I’ve never heard of 60% of the “celebrities”.

Answer: Bread it and cover it in sauce.

We’ve been going to the Farmer’s Market every week to pick up fresh goodies.  Zucchini, squash, and eggplant are always abundant.  I buy them and cook them for Steve and Sabrina but I’m not a fan.  I decided make them palatable.

Eggplant, Zucchini and Squash Parm

1 small eggplant

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Favorite spaghetti sauce

Olive Oil

Slice the veggies rather thick.  Mix together the egg and milk in a bowl.  Mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on a plate.

Dip the veggie in the egg wash and then the bread crumb mixture.  Lather. Rinse. Repeat.  Allow them to dry for 20 minutes before cooking.

Make your sauce (or pour it out of a jar – what ever is your preference).  I used italian sausage in my sauce this night because I didn’t want to take any chances on actually tasting the eggplant or zucchini.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a saute pan on med-med high.  Cook the slices until golden and they have a little give so you know the veggies are done inside.  Put them on a plate and cover in sauce and sprinkle a little fresh Parmesan on top (the grated Kraft stuff is best for the breading though).  I have to say it was damn good.

**Side note: The plates apparently aren’t microwave safe for leftovers.

I finally got around to finishing a craft I started in January.

Look at me being ahead of the game and painting the ornaments I’ve been wanting to do for the girls!  I finally found the big clear balls I wanted – even if it is June.

Robin at Pensieve challenged everyone to choose just 1 post from their blog as their favorite. Anyone who has been visiting me for awhile knows I find it impossible to make choices like that.  With me it is always “if this then that except on the second Thursday of the month…”.  Surprisingly, only 2 posts sprang to mind.  And only those who have been reading me for a long time would remember either of them.

The first one was published on May 2, 2006.  It was titled “Ways to pass time while waiting for international adoption”.

The second was published on May 26, 2007.  It was titled “Training to Foster”.

Neither contain any great news – they just make me laugh.  Obviously the news of our referral, news of Sabrina’s adoption being complete, news we were coming home from Antigua, actually hitting US soil with Sabrina, news that my pregnancy might actually take, and news of Tessa’s birth were all much more memorable events…but they were events, not just posts.  For sheer joy of blogging I like those two.  And when forced to choose 1 – I would pick training to foster.  Unfortunately, the comments from them were lost when I moved my blog to wordpress (for the first one) and when we stopped hosting our own sites (for the latter).

If you blog, can you choose just 1 post that is your absolute favorite?

What is it about baby clothes that turns otherwise logical, rational adults into high pitched cooing puddles?  After 2+ years as a mom, I am pretty good at avoiding really stupid clothing purchases for my children.**  But sometimes one sneaks by me.  At the consignment sale this spring, I remember picking up a sweater set and saying to Steve “Oh look how sweet! And it’s Talbot’s so it is nice quality…and it is only $5!”  I promptly put it in my must have pile of purchases.  What was my internal dialog – “Throw on some ballet flats and it will be perfect if she needs to run into the office for a quick meeting on casual Friday!”? Seriously, a sweater with butterfly appliques and capris.  For an infant.  I only put her in it to punish myself for the stupid purchase.

**If I am buying a gift for your child and am therefore not responsible for dressing said child or laundering said garment, I make no such promises.

You know that curse that all mothers utter at some point?  The one that goes “I hope some day you have a child just like you?”  Yeah well I have a feeling my mom’s curse and Steve’s mom’s curse joined forces.  Steve and I both admit to being somewhat devious mischievious in our younger years.  But neither of us got into Big Trouble because we understood the art of flying under the radar.  My sister was often in Big Trouble (hey Rus? I think you are still technically grounded) but I rarely was.  I was viewed as a good kid for the most part.

Sabrina already understands the art of flying under the radar.  She is an exceptionally good kid whose bad behavior is chalked up to being 2 and normal.  Tessa? Obviously there is a lot yet to be determined, but so far I’m a little scared. She is a little firecracker at 9 1/2 months old.  I have a feeling she is going to be a challenge.  Yesterday, she catapulted herself out of her exersaucer. I was reading a magazine and the next thing I knew, she was on the floor and crying.  She is fine but I can’t believe she escaped it.  Sabrina used it until she was at least 15 months old and never even tried to escape.   I have a feeling life will be interesting with these two.

Every year since I began this blog, I’ve proudly declared that my herbs were planted in their cute little pots.  In Pittsburgh, they were gorgeous and we used them often.  Since moving South? I’ve had to accept the death of my herbs well before their time.  Finally, last year someone told me to quit growing them in their cute little pots.  They can’t retain enough moisture in the pots because it is like living on the sun some days.  It makes perfect sense but it hadn’t occurred to me.  We had an azelea bush die last summer (not our fault…the people who do the planting when each house is built in this housing development should be flogged – badly planned, poorly done, over crowded, etc).  So I optimisticly put some herbs in that empty spot.  The selection of herbs at most nurseries around here is slim.  I did find some basil, oregano, cilantro, and flat leaf parsley.  We’ll see how they do.

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Send aspirin.  This cute face?  Looking all sweet, sucking on her fingers…don’t let her fool you.  She is the loudest little firecracker ever heard around these parts.  Sabrina was never a screamer.  Tessa is.  I call her Screaming Mimi often enough that Sabrina has picked up the nickname for her too.

I won’t post video because who wants to listen to that?  But this face shows the mischevious glint in her eye when she is getting geared up.  Be scared.  Be very scared.  And send ear plugs for Mother’s Day.

And this last photo I post just because it makes me laugh.  Sabrina looks like a little diva and Tessa looks like she is trying hard to not be forgotten.  Some days that isn’t far off…but Tessa is starting to fight for equal time and show some jealousy.