The 52 Project: a portrait of my children once a week and every week in 2014.
Happy Monday, friends! I was pleasantly surprised this morning to learn that Elliott didn’t have to go into work until 1pm. Why? Because the Superbowl (which we did not even watch) lasted from 12am-4am here in Sicily, and so every year many commands give everyone Monday morning off to sleep in. How sweet is life in the military in Europe? Sometimes pretty sweet.
Anyway, that made for a much better Monday morning that usual for all of us! Later, after Elliott left, I put the kids in the stroller and went to the playground in our town. Along the way we passed an abandoned lot filled with brilliant yellow flowers. They’re in bloom everywhere these days, and I love the shocking contrast of neon with the verdant greens, ripe oranges, and hazy blues of winter.
At the playground, Gil went down the slide head first, his signature move these days. I caught some hilarious moments on film, but this one was my favorite: the wild curls, the splayed fingers, the thrilled smile, the tenuous moment between anticipation and speed.
How was your weekend? Since our anniversary was last week, Elliott and I went out on Friday night. My sweet friend came to babysit for us (thank you, Shannon!), and we had the best time. I made reservations here, and our eyes were literally bigger than our stomachs so — maybe for the first time in my life — we actually had more sushi than we wanted to eat. Afterwards we walked to the Opera House and listened to this ridiculously amazing 24-year-old violinist play with the Catania symphony! The music was amazing, and Elliott and I both felt like we were in another world. Ten points for that date!
And now it’s nap time. I just want to sit here on the couch forever, but I need to make dinner for my little crew to eat before I teach my knitting class/course tonight. What are you having for dinner? Any yummy one-pot recipes to pass along?
Adorable pics of the kids, as usual. Love those wild curls on Gil! He looks like he’s LOVING life! It’s too early for dinner here…but how about lunch? Chili Burritos are in the oven. They’re very simple…brown some ground beef…add baked beans and cheese…fill burritos and bake at 350 for 10 minutes and serve with salsa.
That actually sounds really similar to what I tried to make for dinner, Alica… except I added chili powder as per the recipe and it was so SOOOO hot. The chili powder was some old stuff I bought at an Indian grocery store literally 6 years ago, but it was so powerful that both Gil and I were coughing, I had to open all the windows, and it was still too spicy to eat even after doubling the recipe! I’ll try to doctor it again tomorrow… and maybe just go safe with your recipe next time. :-P
It’s 1.5 pots (because you have to brown the meat first), but I just made this chili and it was a huge hit: https://iowagirleats.com/2014/01/13/crock-pot-sweet-potato-and-quinoa-turkey-chili/
I also made caprese pasta salad the other day and that was yummy too :)
Oops — “anonymous” was me — just didn’t fill out the form right :)
Mmmm I love Iowa Girl Eats’ recipes! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Love to see those grandchildren, zealously living life. (Well, most of the time, I know.) What a treat for your anniversary. Hard to believe it’s already been 4 years.
We had this last week: https://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/06/06/one-pan-chicken-alfredo/
Jorge said it was like a glorified mac n cheese, but hey, we’re not complaining! We steamed some broccoli and threw it in there- voila!
And wow, four years has flown by, hasn’t it??
Yummmmm! That looks delish! And I know very well that you have excellent taste in recipes. :-)
PS- Love Lena’s sweater! Did you make it?
Nope, sigh. I always have to say no! Her Auntie Eden bought it for her from Gap Kids. I pretty much wish I had an unlimited gift card to that store…
Such cute kiddos!! I hate those days when you just want to lounge around but you need to be a grown up and actually get things done. Boo ;) I love making soup for one pot meals. Rachael Ray has a ton of recipes. I love her French onion and chicken-chorizo-tortilla soups. Amazing. I also jazz up ramen with some fresh veg, greens, and a poached egg for a quick lunch or dinner. So warm and satisfying.
Wow, never thought of jazzing up ramen! I totally love that stuff. Also the soups idea is a great one! I haven’t been making that many soups lately, but I love them, and they’re great one-pot meals. Plus the fresh bread from the local bakeries around here is to die for, and it’s such a great compliment to a meal of soup!
These sweet babes! They are too much!