It's Pocono Time

It's the weekend that we wait for every year. My entire family and I head to mountains for a weekend with life-long friends, in their beautiful house on their gorgeous, expansive piece of land. It's insane to think that this is the sixth time I've blogged about it--six years in a row now, and many more to come.

(2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 for a sampling from every year. For ALL Poconos posts 2008-present, click here.)

Growing up, my mom used to take my brothers and I down to the Poconos in Pennsylvania to visit her friend, who had two kids the same ages as we are. It was always a good time, and became an annual tradition, but was one that was hard to keep up with as all of us kids entered our teen and college years. But we picked it up again in 2007 and now I can't imagine letting it fall to the wayside again. All of us enjoy it THAT much. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we plan it months and months in advance and then eagerly anticipate it as it grows closer.

We hit the road on Thursday night after work and arrived shortly before 11:00 p.m. Contrary to past years, my mom was already there--she had been in New Jersey for work all week--and she and Susan were getting ready for bed when we got there. Funny, because typically we're up until 2:00 a.m. that first night, drinking wine/beer and catching up! We got settled and weren't too far behind them to get some rest.

In the morning, we woke up to less than ideal weather. It was very foggy--we could barely see the pond at the bottom of the hill--and damp. But after a pancake breakfast, we let the kids run wild outside, even though it may have resulted in some very dirty pajamas.

Tessa really loves the Poconos, too.

The kids were both up pretty early (Nora was at 6:15--YAWN) due to being in strange surroundings, so they were ready for naps before too long. We found Indie (one of Susan's dogs) in bed with Hunter at one point, which was sweet to see. She just wanted to snuggle!

When they woke up from their naps, we did something that we've never actually done before--we hit up a nearby outlet mall for the Memorial Day weekend sales! It was about 1/2 hour drive each way. Typically, when we're down there, we don't want to be spending time shopping when that's something we can do at home, but the weather was not cooperating and we needed to get out of the house and keep busy.

We spent a couple of hours at the outlets, and by the time we were done, the weather had dramatically improved, so we headed back "home" and soaked in the outdoors while also getting dinner ready (we grilled).

The kids played with the water table--which we had so brilliantly brought from home as a way to keep them busy--while dinner was being prepared and had a ball. Nora WILL NOT stop drinking the water table water, which could be related to our recent sippy cup battles (I'll have to post about that soon!). Oddly enough, though, Hunter was doing it too, so we eventually had to take the cups away. :)

After Nora was in bed, Hunter went down to the pond to fish with the boys. His daddy was sorely missed, that's for sure, but Uncle Ty and Uncle Mike did their best to help fill the void. Tyler brought a kid's fishing pole especially for Hunter and the little guy had a ball "catching fish" with the grown-ups.

It was actually Hunter's THIRD BIRTHDAY, too, so we held a small celebration with a cake that Kara quickly whipped up for him. Susan dug up some sprinkles and a random candle and it was low key, but it was perfection.

I remember having birthday celebrations just like this--at this exact same table--when I was growing up. There were times when I was in the Poconos for my birthday, too!

He was so excited to have everybody singing to him.

I love this pic of Hunter with his mommy. Too cute.

It wasn't long after cake that Hunter was in bed, and we adults sat out on the deck enjoying that wine and beer as we talked for hours. Good times with good (family and) friends.

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And so it begins

God, I love this time of year. It is amazing how far sunny, warm weather goes toward improving my mood on a daily basis.

It's not as difficult to get out of bed most mornings.

We sleep with the windows open and wake up to the sounds of birds chirping.

I kick off the covers and stretch in the cool, crisp air, inhaling it deeply through my nose.

It's glorious. And don't even get me started on how nice it has been to spend so much time outdoors. The finishing touches on our kitchen renovation have been pushed aside day after day as we find excuses to do things in the sun outside. Lawn mowing and garden planting, and trips to the farmer's market and gardening center.

Not to mention the summer clothes for toddler girls that I get to break out of the closet.

Love. it.

Last weekend, we had Hunter's birthday party, which was just a portion of a Saturday that was perfection. The weather, the agenda, the company we kept... perfection.

 

Hunter is THREE! (Well, not officially until tomorrow.) Check out the big guy blowing out his candle. Cuteness.

Nora was on the cupcakes like white on rice. Girlfriend has built-in radar that lets her know if dessert is within a 50 ft. radius. She's her mama's daughter, that's for sure. She ate this entire thing by herself.

At one point, Nora found the coloring table and crayons, and proceeded to spend a half an hour sitting there, testing out each of the colors with a little squiggly line on the paper. I really had no idea that she even enjoys coloring at this age (except for how she plays with sidewalk chalk). Whoops. Sorry for stifling your creativity, kid.

 

One of Hunter's gifts was a bubble machine...

 

...which led to several minutes of bubble chasing.

 

It was such a good day.

 

I'm hoping for much more of the same for this Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the long weekend with your families and friends. Here's hoping for time outdoors, colorful photos, lots of sunshine and laughs, and maybe a few beers.

 

It's the unofficial kickoff of summer, y'all. And I'm totally in my element.

 

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Panera's Macaroni and Cheese

In my younger years, I would only eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. With ketchup. There had to be ketchup on it. And I preferred the spirals or other fun shapes (they just tasted better).

But now that I'm all grown up and have expanded my horizons A LOT when it comes to food, I've definitely developed a deep appreciation for a good homemade macaroni and cheese. And I used to be intimidated by making it--the roux sounded complex, people--but now I've come to realize how much I was missing out. Now, I'm on a mission to try lots of different recipes for macaroni and cheese.

So, when I saw this one pop up on Annie's Eats a few weeks back, I put it on the short list of things to try--especially since I hadn't made any mac and cheese in a while. This one also got bonus points for being a stove-top recipe. I like it when I don't have to make it and THEN bake it. What can I say? I'm impatient sometimes. Especially on weeknights after work.

If it means anything to you, I guess this is Panera's mac and cheese recipe. I've only eaten at Panera a handful of times (I'm not a huge fan of it, honestly), and I've never tried their macaroni and cheese, so I can't vouch for how it compares. What I can say, however, is that it's really creamy, really cheesy, and really good. I mixed some peas in with Nora's and she gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow--the leftovers, too--so it definitely got two thumbs up from her.

If you're a Panera lover--and even if you aren't--give this one a try on a rainy (or sunny!) day. I don't think you'll be sorry.

Panera Macaroni and Cheese
(Source: As seen on Annie's Eats, originally from Panera)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. pasta shapes, such as shells
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 & 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1.5-2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. hot sauce
- 4 oz. white American cheese, finely chopped
- 8 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well. Return to the stockpot off the heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Stir in the flour and cook until light golden brown, whisking constantly, about 1.5 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Stir in the salt, mustard, and hot sauce. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat.

3. Stir in the cheese a handful at a time, mixing until fully melted before adding more. Once all the cheese has been added and the sauce is smooth, pour the sauce over the pasta in the stockpot. Mix well until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Closed

On Wednesday afternoon--during our lunch hour, actually--we vacuumed and we scrubbed. And then we walked out of this place for the very last time.

It was our first home together. It was the place we came home to the day we got married. In it, we decorated a nursery in preparation for a beautiful baby. And then we brought Nora home to this small, cozy space.

But honestly, it wasn't sad to leave it. We moved on with our lives--welcomed a new beginning, if you will--a long time ago. If you've been following this saga, you know that when we moved last summer, we weren't able to sell our old condo. We had to rent it out, which was fine, but not something that we really wanted to do. But eight months later, our friends/tenants moved out, and 18 days after that--on this past Thursday afternoon--the buyer signed the papers that made her the new owner.

We really couldn't have asked for it to work out any better, except if we had actually sold it last year! Otherwise, the timing seemed serendipitous. Needless to say, to get rid of this place is a huge relief--emotionally, physically, mentally and financially.

I almost can't even believe it's really over. I think it'll take me some time to process completely.

Celebration is in order!

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Dag Nabbit

When we moved into our house last August, it wasn't long before we noticed that we had a little furry friend that liked to frequent our "park-like" (as described by the seller's agent) backyard. It wasn't Tessa, of course; it was a cute little fuzzy bunny.

We spotted him (her? who knows) every once in a while, hopping along through our grass, near our bushes, under our trees. We saw him less during the winter months, but as the weather grew warmer again, the sightings increased. Then, within the last few days, it started to seem like this bunny was everywhere.


You know that saying, "multiply like rabbits"? Yeah, well... you know what's coming next, don't you?

There are multiple bunnies.

They look a lot like this guy (Credit: Wikipedia)

I woke up to a beautiful morning today, bright and sunny. I stumbled into the bathroom to get myself into the shower, and I took a few moments to look out over our backyard and admire how well the greenery has all filled in now. Immediately, I spotted our furry friend. And then a second bunny came out of nowhere and started chasing him. I continued getting ready to shower, then took another peek. Now, I saw one bunny hanging in the middle of the yard, and noticed some activity toward the back of the yard--TWO bunnies running around. 1 + 2 = THREE BUNNIES.

I quickly walked downstairs to alert Michael to the bunny baby boom, then went back upstairs to get my butt in the shower. It was getting late now.

But then I took one more look out the window and OH MY GOD THERE WERE FOUR BUNNIES.

We have a bunny infestation, y'all.

I like them as much as I can like a wild furry creature. I mean, out of all types of infestations to have, I'm happy to have bunnies, of all things. But, uh... what do we do?

A few weeks back, we were talking to our next door neighbor and somehow got on the subject of the wild little rabbit we had seen many times before. He actually said to us, "You guys have to be careful about your deck. A few years back, the previous owners had a problem with a bunch of bunnies living under there." At the time, we were all, "Oh, really?" and kind of brushed it off.

Apparently, bunnies find our deck (and our yard) to be quite a cozy home.

Michael did some research this morning and it seems that there isn't really an easy way to get rid of them. Some solutions involve moth balls, or predator urine. Which begs the question: where the hell do you buy predator urine? Plus, Tessa would have a BALL rolling around in that. Yum.

We're leaning toward trying out my mom's tender heart trap and then driving the bunny wayyyyy down the road to the country and setting him/her free. And then repeating that step into infinity until we somehow capture them all.

Gahhh. Let the adventure begin.

Has anyone ever had their yard overtaken by rabbits? How did you handle it? Any advice?

(Also, did you know that "dag nabbit" derives from "dang rabbit" from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons? You learn something new every day.)

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