Sisters

Mimi came to Memphis today for shopping and lunch...and, of course, to visit her girls. We started out at TJ Maxx - I hear that TJ Maxx rocks. Savannah found these hats and wanted to try them on. I tried to get a pic with both of them looking at the camera, but no luck.




Then lunch at Jason's deli...got ice cream?




When we got home, Savy decided to play "beauty shop" with Scarlett. Scarlett seemed to like having her hair brushed. Savannah kept saying, "Be still, Miss Scarlett, we've got to get your hair done."





Then she had to accessorize.



Is that not the cutest little bunny you've ever seen?

Then Scarlett made a break for it.

We had another gorgeous day today! Savy's been on a bubble kick lately, so I got out her bubble maker today. She and Vita had a ball chasing bubbles.




I love this serious look...she's concentrating so hard.



Flowers on one of our trees...this new camera is awesome!


The strawberry plant Savannah picked out this morning at Home Depot


We ate our lunch outside today...Savy always loves it when we eat on the porch.




I'm so proud of Scarlett! We started "Ferberizing" her on Monday, and she's doing pretty good so far sleeping in her crib. She even took a nap in her crib this afternoon...amazing! She's also eating some real food now. She ate half a jar of pears two days in a row, and today she ate half a jar of turkey and sweet potatoes. And she LOVES the Baby Mum-Mums anytime. I knew she'd eat when she was ready.

Something New

I'm getting pretty tired of all my chicken recipes, so I tried a new recipe tonight. The sauce reminds me of something from the old Kalo's Tavern in Oxford...the best redneck-Greek restaurant ever. I was so upset when that place closed!

Chicken Gyros with Yogurt Dill Sauce


Ingredients

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 Large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into small strips
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
3-4 pita bread rounds or pita pockets, heated

Stir together yogurt, 2 tablespoons dill, garlic, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl. To prepare the dill (yes, fresh does make a difference), I just discarded the large stems and chopped it up in my mini food-processor. And, yes, the garlic was minced with my brand new garlic press!

Place chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle with oregano and 1 teaspoon dill, and toss to coat.

Heat 1 tablespooon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through and brown. Transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, add onions, and saute until they begin to brown. Return the chicken to the skillet, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and stir until heated.

Heat the pita bread (I used pita pockets) and top or stuff with chicken and sauce. I rate this an 8. Jon rated it a 6, but only because he didn't like the pita bread. The sauce would also make a great dip for fried mushrooms or fried pickles. It's a good thing this is a fairly guilt-free dish, because Jon brought me a peach cobbler sundae from Sheridan's tonight - YUM!

Circus

My Saturdays to work are becoming father/daughter days for Savy and Jon. Savy has been wanting to go to a real circus for a long time, so when the circus came to town this weekend, Jon took her. She loved it, and it has given her LOTS of "pretend-play" material.









Savy had a great time! I think she really enjoys going places with her daddy...and the fact that she doesn't have to share his attention with her baby sis for a few hours.


I'm exhausted today! Scarlett hasn't been sleeping well for a week now, and last night it was really bad. She's stopped sleeping in her Amby bed, and last night she wouldn't even sleep in the bed with me. Now that she's moving around on her own, I can't risk falling asleep while she's still awake in our bed because she could roll off. I finally gave up and put her in her crib...that made her very angry, but at least she was safe. She alternated naps and crying for the rest of the night. On a positive note, Scarlett is eating better - thanks to Suzie for telling me about the Baby Mum-Mums! And she ate half a container of pureed pears last night. She still refuses to let me put her down for a even a few minutes. I swear, this is the most willful and stubborn baby in the world! If she keeps it up, she's really going to be a pill when she's older.

I'm getting so spoiled with Granny Ruth here this week. She has kept Savannah and Scarlett occupied every day. I'm not going to know what to do when she goes home tomorrow! The girls have loved having her here.

Everyone piled up on Granny Ruth for a nap





Our birds from last year are back. Don't misunderstand, I love birds...I put out seed, put up birdhouses, and maintain the birdbath all year. But I just don't want them building nests on the speakers on our patio. Last year these house finches built a nest before I realized what they were up to, and I didn't have the heart to tear it down. We had to move our grill (due to the bird poop) and we couldn't use the stereo out there for fear of scrambling the bird eggs. I caught them early this year and decided to put a stop to it before they put too much effort into it. I really wanted a plastic owl or rubber snake to scare them off, but I couldn't find one. So I improvised.



Yes, that is Mox the fox (borrowed from Savy's gang of Starfall characters) guarding our patio speakers. It worked too...those birds haven't been back under the patio!

Today was a beautiful day. Granny Ruth took Savy and Scarlett outside for some fresh air this afternoon.




And I went for a run this afternoon...perfect weather for it. Granny Ruth treated us to dinner at El Nopal tonight. We sure are going to miss her tomorrow.

Jon went to Glen Allan yesterday to pick up Granny Ruth. They got here this afternoon, and she's going to be spending the week with us. Savy couldn't wait for them to get here! Since we didn't make it there for Christmas last year (new baby and all that), Granny Ruth had presents to deliver. Savy had to put on this little dress-up costume from Aunt Lesa immediately...she was so excited to get her very own pair of heels too!




Lately, Savy's started kind of "freezing up" when she poses for a picture. Her smiles are so funny...kinda reminds me of some of the little girls on "Toddlers and Tiaras."

This one makes me laugh... not gonna win any pageants with that!



Better...


This one's cute.


FYI: I know it looks like she is wearing makeup in these photos, but she is not.

Savy and Granny Ruth


Savy and Granny Ruth watching Peter Pan and eating popcorn.

We baked chocolate-chocolate chip muffins tonight....so yummy. These are Savy's favorite.




Scarlett usually throws a fit while I'm cooking, but tonight she was perfectly content to sit on the island and play with the onions.







A few cooking-related things I've learned recently....

1. I've known for some time there is a tool called a garlic press. Only yesterday did I learn that a garlic PRESS is actually used to MINCE garlic. All this time I've been mincing garlic by hand....argh!

2. I finally know the secret to making perfect pancakes!!!!!! There is nothing you can't learn on YouTube!

3. You don't need dirt to grow an onion.



4. Last week when I was refilling my flour and cornmeal bins, I got distracted and put white cornmeal in the flour bin by mistake. I figured this out yesterday. That is probably why that last batch of blueberry muffins I made tasted so weird.

The Real Reason I Went To The Liquor Store...

both recipes I cooked for dinner tonight called for white wine. Come on, you guys know I'm still breastfeeding Scarlett...surely you don't think I'd be drinking!

Chicken Piccata
and
Roasted Garlic and New Potatoes



These were ok, but not something I'll make again. Jon gave it a 7 or 8 rating on the scale; I'd give it a 5. It is quite a bit of work, and it was good... but not great. It's not exactly on the "healthy" menu either.

So, today I was standing in the local liquor store all depressed because I didn't get carded for the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc I was purchasing. Five years ago (at age 30) I would have most certainly been asked for my ID if purchasing alcohol - or even trying to get into a casino for that matter - but not today. So (while I was waiting for my change) I was sulking about how I'll probably start finding gray hair any day and I should probably decide right now if I'm going to color my hair or not and also thinking about switching to the anti-wrinkle products from Paula's Choice when my phone rang. It was my long lost BFF Dawn!

A little history...Dawn was like the sister I never had in high school...loved, loved, loved her to death and spent more time at her house than my own. Then she just up and disappeared...well, there's a little more to it than that, but I won't go into details. Anyway, she was gone - just like that - and I missed her TERRIBLY! I have wondered for years what happened and how she's been and all that stuff. She finally got on Facebook not too long ago, and we sent a few messages back and forth. And today she called me and we talked for an hour and it was so awesome to hear her voice! I can't even put it into words...it's like I've just been waiting all these years to talk to her again, and now that I have, everything feels better....does that make any sense? We are going to get together soon asap....how great is that?

The weather was beautiful today! Scarlett got her first ride in the jogging stroller.



We bought this around the time Savy was born, and we have used the heck out of it. I really wish we had a double jog stroller now. Scarlett LOVED the walk, and it was a looooong one. It reminded me of when Savy was just a baby, and I'd put her in this same stroller and walk her all over the neighborhood...it was the only way I could get her to take a nap. Scarlett stayed awake the whole time and just looked at everything and enjoyed the wind in her hair.

The day started out dreary, but the sun came out around lunch. Savy couldn't wait to get out and play with her sand table.











She may look sweet, but don't let her fool you. Scarlett had 3 really good nights....went to sleep without a fuss and slept all night. Well, that's a sure sign that we're in for a couple of very BAD nights.