October 17 - Lunch and Dinner

Dinner:
"Grilled Marinated Flank Steak" recipe by Emeril Lagasse at http://foodnetwork.com
"Roasted Brussels Sprouts" recipe by Ina Garten at http://foodnetwork.com
"Cheesy Orzo" recipe by Rachel Ray at http://foodnetwork.com - I added chopped fresh parsley to the orzo.

Lunch: Fresh Spinach Salad with egg, bacon, red onion, and cherry tomatoes from our garden.

October 14 - Buffalo Wings

"Unbelievable Baked Buffalo Wings" recipe from WhoDat at food.com

Matt and I love these! This will be our "go to" wing recipe. I followed the recipe and then put them back in the oven after coating them with a butter and Frank's hot sauce (original) mix so they would not be so wet.

I served them with lots of celery, blue cheese dressing, and Frank's RedHot Thick Sauce for dipping.

Dan's Birthday, visit with family

We celebrated Dan's birthday this weekend and enjoyed a visit from Carrie, Tessa, Daniel, Tiffany, and Gracie (Daniel and Tiffany's Yorkie). Molly, Bjarne, and Emma joined us for brunch on Sunday. It was great to see everyone! Sophie especially enjoyed all of the extra attention. Tessa has grown into a young lady since I saw her last. I captured this shot of Tessa on our back porch.

What's Cooking at the Springer House?

Meatloaf with roasted garlic and rosemary potato wedges and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Jambalaya with Sausage, Ham and Chicken

I have been trying hard to cook all dinners at home in the last few weeks. These are a couple of successes from recent meals. The cherry tomatoes were especially good as they came from our backyard "flower bed" garden.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma celebrated her 4th birthday with a big party this afternoon. There were 20+ children, a bounce castle, and 2 ponies. It was a beautiful afternoon and everyone had a great time.

Visit with Emmy and the boys

Emily dropped by this morning with Bobby and Noah. Bobby got to play with Nana's toy selection and pick some cherry tomatoes with Nana. He liked to pick the green ones! While Noah took a short nap, Bobby played pizza party, cookies, and alphabet with Matty, Nana, and Mommy.

Sidewalk Chalk

Emma came for a play date on Sunday. She surprised us by coming in a "hula" outfit and then promptly changed into her Ariel dress - but, keeping her head piece and lei. She looked like a wild gypsy child. Emma has style!

She kept Matty busy. I was watching them play and saw Emma sit down and look directly into Matt's face. She then asked, "Matty, tell me about your feelings." How cute!

Noah

Emily asked me to do a cover for a book that Noah's daycare will be keeping for him. Here is what I designed. He is such a cute baby!

Easter 2011

The Hansen's invited us over to share in their family's traditional Easter brunch. Here are Jayla and Emma in their Easter masks.

Egg Hunt 2011

Emma and Uncle Matty had fun the Saturday before Easter hunting for eggs in our front yard.

Easter Egg Tree

Emma decorated Nana's Easter Egg Tree today. We had a busy day. Emma did not have pre-school today, so she came over for a play day. We started the morning by filling all of our plastic eggs with candy for the egg hunt this weekend. We had a visit to the pet and toy stores and a McDonald's lunch. After nap time, we watched Bambi while decorating the egg tree and then took a bubble bath. A fun and full day!

The Boss of the Sprinkles

Emma came over on Sunday for a morning play date with Nana and Matty. I made cupcakes and let Emma be "the boss of the sprinkles." Matty set her up with bowls of 3 different kinds of sprinkles and she got busy decorating the tops of the cupcakes. As you can see, she did sample her work.

Friday Evening Yogurt Snack

Emma stopped by on Friday while her Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a night out. She was hungry as soon as she walked in the door and enjoyed a snack of strawberry yogurt. I used my new camera lense on these shots too. I need the practice!