Sisters

 

My mother-in-law (second from left) and her sweet sisters.

We miss Aunt Neurice (far left) and Aunt Carol (far right)

who are on missions in heaven.

My mom on the left and her sister

Me, my mom and three of my five sisters

Little Miss.  No sisters!  I hope she has really good girlfriends.

A sister is someone who loves you from the heart,
No matter how much you argue you cannot be drawn apart.
She is a joy that cannot be taken away,
Once she enters your life, she is there to stay.
A friend who helps you through difficult times,
Her comforting words are worth much more than dimes.
A partner who fills your life with laughs and smile,
These memories last for miles and miles.
When she is by your side, the world is filled with life,
When she is not around, your days are full of strife.
A sister is a blessing, who fills your heart with love,
She flies with you in life with the beauty of a dove.
A companion to whom you can express your feelings,
She doesn’t let you get bored at family dealings.
Whether you are having your ups or downs,
She always helps you with a smile and never frowns.
With a sister you cannot have a grudge,
She is as sweet as chocolate and as smooth as fudge.
Having a sister is not just a trend,
It is knowing you can always turn to her, your best friend.

Anyone want pizza?

You may remember my story back on THIS POST (near the end of the post) about Pizzeria Bianca in Phoenix.   The restaurant that has won all kinds of awards and how we wanted to go there during Fall Break.  When we got there we learned about the 3 1/2 hour wait, etc.   We assume it must be really popular.  Needless to say, we did not wait 3 1/2 hours. 

A few days ago an article appeared in the Arizona Republic and we were excited to read about it:

“Pizzeria Bianco best in the nation, says 'Rachael Ray'” 

The March issue of Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine will announce next week that Chris Bianco's Pizzeria Bianco has been named the best pizza in America. The magazine hits the stands Monday, Feb. 15.

The magazine recruited Ed Levine and Adam Kuban from the blog Serious Eats (seriouseats.com) to crisscross the county in search of the best pizza. They created a March Madness-type bracket of 64 pizzerias, divided into regions.

"We're very grateful" for the recognition, Bianco said on Friday, Feb. 12.

What makes Bianco No. 1? Levine says, "Pizza is all about balance, texture, skill and taste." Bianco's, he says, is the "perfect blend." He also notes that Bianco "isn't trying to replicate Neapolitan pizza." Instead, "he's bringing his own artistry and craftsmanship."

Levine says "you can taste how much he cares." Ultimately, he believes, "Pizza isn't a job for Bianco. It's a calling."

Levine and Kuban placed Pizzeria Bianco, Arizona's only entry, in their South-Southwest bracket. In the first round, it defeated Russo's NY Coal-Fired Pizza from Houston. Next, it advanced against Antico Pizza Napoletana in Atlanta, and moved on to vanquish Dough Pizzeria Napoletana in San Antonio. It swept into the Final Four with a victory against another Atlanta contender, Verasano's Pizzeria.

The semifinal pitted Pizzeria Bianco against one of the country's most acclaimed pizza parlors, Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. The championship was secured by conquering New York's powerful Motorino, which had fought its way into the finals by overpowering Great Lake in Chicago. "We do our best not to let anyone down," Bianco said.

Wow!  The best pizza in America is right here in Phoenix!  Reservations for groups of 6-10 only.  I’d only go with a reservation (and when I’m not dieting!)

Let’s go!

Learnin’ early!

Little Miss learned at an early age how

to help her mommy with coupons!

Christmas Eve

Still catching up from the Holidays!

After our family Christmas party on Christmas Eve we came home and continued on with our own little family traditions. 

The kids get new pajamas to open every Christmas Eve.  This is a tradition I carried on from my mother.  We always looked forward to our new pajamas every Christmas Eve when I was growing up.  These pajamas were the only ones we would receive for the year.  When we were really young my mom always made all her girls (5 of us) matching pajamas.  My mom’s sister even got in on the matching action. 

My sister Cindy, cousin Sherlyn and me!

What fun memories come from these old pictures.

Little Mister’s new pajamas

Little Miss in her new pajamas.  She’s so tiny…her pants are too big!

Little Miss showing the gift she received from the cousins gift exchange. 

A collectible Madame Alexander doll.

Little Mister received this cool hummer truck from the cousins gift exchange.

All ready for Christmas morning surprises!

I like to pull the gifts out from behind the tree and spread them out so it looks like Santa dumped a load of goods.  Plus, I wrap every little thing I can….adding to the thrill. 

 

These two RipStik skate boards were the kids Santa gifts.  The one that can’t be seen very well is red.  Both of the kids know the truth about Santa’s visit.  So sad :(

Besides a Wii, this is the only other thing they really begged asked for.  I hesitated because I knew they would be difficult to ride…they only have two wheels on the bottom rather than the usual four wheels.  I surely couldn’t ride one of these crazy things!

To make a long story short, we have already returned them.  Little Miss chose a regular skateboard instead.  She loves it.

A couple of weeks ago Little Mister’s scooter was stolen at school.  So, he chose a new scooter instead of the RipStik. 

Just goes to show that I need to trust my judgment.  But, at Christmastime it’s so hard to say no to the top item on the Santa list.

Just before bed we set out cookies and milk for Santa.  They still like to do this….even though they know the Santa truth. 

A few years ago I made this cute tray (11x14) at a Super Saturday crafting day.  It’s one of my favorite Super Saturday crafts ever.

Filled with cookies and milk ready for Santa to come and have his snack. 

That’s it.  I think I’m done journaling the Holidays. 

Until next December.

What’s happening?

We got our van back.  It works great.  We didn’t have to pay any more chunks of change, thank goodness.  Whew!  

Uh oh, My mom received a marriage proposal on her second date.  Yes, really!   She’s still mulling it over and has a lot to consider.  We’ll see.  She wants to keep dating for a while.  It’s funny to watch two 74 yr. olds dating.  She’s even “giddy”.

I got released from my most favorite calling, R.S. Instructor.  I know, I know….we all can’t have our favorite callings forever! 

We got our first cauliflower out of our garden.  Yum.   There are six more growing very quickly.

Little Miss announced that she was “dating” so and so at school.  We had a long talk after that.

I planted new flowers in my front yard planters.  I hope they make it through June.

We canned 12 more quarts of chicken.

Big Mister is never home.

We devoted last Saturday to helping Big Mister’s mom and dad.  This was our Christmas gift to them.  We loved helping her organize her office/den area.  There’s nothing like having your computers hooked up, working, and the office organized how you want it!  It makes you feel like you can accomplish more in a day:)  Now if I can just do mine!

Little Miss and Little Mister are grounded from playing outside and with friends until Friday.  Too bad.   If they would just stop fighting, teasing, and start being more obedient (most of the time!)  This is the condensed version, obviously.

I tried a new vegetarian chili recipe.  It’s not a keeper. 

My kids think they need dessert every day.  They don’t consider bananas dessert.  Guess I need to be more creative with the fruits.

More to come….