Who's the leader of the club that's made for you & me?

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

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We're going to Disney World!! T promised the girls that when we got our bonuses this year that we would take them on a "big" vacation. We finally decided that we were going to do the whole Disney World/Orlando thing, but originally we had talked about going in September or October - most likely around Columbus Day. Well, the more we talked about it, we realized that we had some scheduling conflicts the week the girls have spring vacation and we were going to both have to take some extra time off from work to accomodate. So, rather than spend spring vacation doing the same ol' things in sunny South County, we decided to bump our trip up! Arrangements have all been made and the best part is that the girls have absolutely NO idea that we are going! They think that they are going to be going to Boston to spend part of the week with B&E. They're not going to know until we get to the airport - I just love surprises!

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Now I just have to remember to go back and read this post on Miss Marta's blog re: all your great Disneyland/Disney World tips!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May love and laughter light your days,and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your worldwith joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!

-an old Irish blessing

image via flickr

Perfecting the Banana Cream Pie

Tomorrow is T's birthday which means tonight I will be making a banana cream pie. Sounds easy, right? Sure...if I bought a pre-made crust, some instant pudding, and a container of Cool Whip. But that would never do. It can only be made from scratch - just like his mom used to make when he was a little boy. And after many years of somewhat soupy and not-so-perfect pies, I think I've finally pretty much perfected it. The secret, my friends, is the love - oh, and lots and lots of stirring!

Perfect Pie Crust

1/3 cup & 1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening into flour. Add salt. Stir in water with fork just until mixture forms a round ball. Yields one 9-inch pie crust; double ingredients for 2 crusts. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown; prick with fork before baking to prevent bubbles and blisters.

Banana Cream Pie

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
2-3 large bananas
1 pint heavy whipping cream

Once pie crust has cooled to room temperature, peel and slice bananas and arrange in a layer approximately 1/2-inch thick on top of the pie crust. Set aside. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly (I usually add milk one cup at a time). Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils (make sure you stir continuously and that the mixture is really thick before you stop). Pour about 1/3 of the mixture into the bowl containing the egg yolks and mix well. Transfer egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the "pudding" mixture. Bring to a boil and stir for approximately one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour over bananas in pie crust and allow to cool slightly before refrigerating. Chill pie thoroughly (at least 2 hours) before covering with whipped cream and serving. (I usually chill the pie overnight and make the whipped cream the next day, just before serving).

Happy Birthday, baby! I love you with all of my heart!

Back from paradise

We've been back from Grand Cayman for almost two weeks now... hard to believe! We had such a wonderful, fun, relaxing time! Some highlights:

* swimming with stingrays at Stingray City
* a visit to Boatswain's Beach Turtle Farm
* eating a fabulous dinner at The Cracked Conch
* driving European style in our little Ignis
* sipping fruity drinks in the sun on Seven Mile Beach

Trying to decide on a destination for our next tropical getaway... Right now we're thinking about Curaçao, but we're open to recommendations if anyone out there has any!

Advice I need to follow a little more often...

Work has been extra stressful lately and I'm not always good at leaving all the craziness behind when I head home for the day... But it's almost Friday! And we're going snow tubing with G's 5th grade class tonight, so life ain't too bad!

Go Pats!!

N, T, B & E at the Pats/Jets game in September

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Hoping that our boys go all the way this year - only 2 more games to go! Go Pats!!!

Travel swap!

Pass it on... the incredibly talented and creative Kelly is hosting a "Wish I Was There... Travel Swap". The deadline for sign up is Monday, January 21st, so be sure to contact Kelly right away if you want to play along. And thanks Kelly for coming up with another great swap idea!

And speaking of travel, only 24 more days until my trip!

For Logan & Landon

I've been trying to decide all week what to send the new babies... Finally, I've decided that I'm going to resort to one of my favorite baby gifts of all time - these adorable "buddy blankets" from Bunnies by the Bay. They are so soft and have been a big hit with my niece Ella (she's got both Lilbit the pink bunny and Tadbit the green frog) and little Madden (we just sent him Skipit the dog). And while there are many, many places you can find these little guys, my favorite place to pick them up is Sandcastle Monogramming and Gifts on Balboa Island in Newport (California, not Rhode Island) because they will embroider them with the baby's name and birthdate for free. I think the personalization is a nice touch. Now I just have to decide between the dog, the frog, and the duck!

Double Trouble

It seems babies are everywhere lately! My cousin delivered twin boys on Friday. Welcome to the family, Logan and Landon! And congrats Krista, Justin, and Maddy - they're beautiful! Can't wait to meet them in April!

And the countdown begins!

Exactly one month from today, I will be sitting here on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman... sunning all of my troubles away!