The cutest words to my ears....

This is one of my most favorite videos. I promise it'll make you smile too! I can't stop laughing....now if only I had that much enthusiasm "making the bed"...ha ha.


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SHVsdWldzBsZ3g1sSKQ9AQ?feat=directlink

Coming up daiseys!

Well if you haven't had your dose of "Insane Mommy" this week here's a little bit more of me. I just LOVE this cake - I completed this tonight for my fianl cake class. Yes, I completed all four courses - not bad for someone who'd never baked a cake before.....Mr. Man still bakes the cookies....

Stay tuned - I've got a great recipe I will be posting soon!

The Par-tay!

Few words are needed. They came. We laughed. We enjoyed. Wow. Still coming off the high of yesterday! What a party! There were no tears this year, however, there was lots of squealing and laughter. Too fun. Thank you friends for sharing in on what was such a special day for the girls. I can't imagine what "The Magic Kingdom" is going to be like.......

Note: Yes, I made the princess cakes....

Happy Birthday My Precious Babes!

I still can't believe you are four years old. OMG - how did that happen?!?! I never imagined that I'd be wonderng where the time went or how we could stop time. I know I've said it before, but I wish we could just slow it down for a minute! Honest to G-d, I am so glad that I am no longer working!! I love every minute that we spend together and love listening to you girls as you shatter about laughing and asking "silly" questions...

I made a very special birthday dinner on Tuesday, however, we're celebrating their birthday tomorrow with a big party! Code for food, friends, presents, and of course cake! Mommyy made all the cakes (four!!!). They are so cute and I know the chickies will love them. Everything these days is "Cinda-brella" - you can see where this is going! I will post pictures, but after the party....Here are a few pictures of the chickies for those of you who need your "fix". They are the cutests in the land, and as sweet as pie! Enjoy.......

9 and still going strong.....

We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary May 27th. Wow. It seems like yesterday we were bed hopping "sneaking" around trying to keep our relationship a secret. Funny - I think we both were subconsciously aware of the age difference. AND, rightfully so. He was a mere 26 when we started dating - he seemed sooo young! He was young. He still IS young! Well, babe - I hope you know it is no longer a secret how crazy I am for you! You are all I need. You are all I want. You have made my life so much more than complete. Here's to many, many more baby! I love you.

YES, I made the cake!!!!

Where does the time go??

The girls will be turning 4 years old in just a matter of days and I honestly don't know where the time has gone. Part of me is really sad, but at the same time so happy for all they have accomplished in their short little lives. They are little girls now and with very big expressions and big vocabularies. They are so happy and such sweet little girls - most of the time. :)

They like structure and they like to "help" although, as we all know sometimes it would be easier to do ourselves. BUT, I let them help as it gives them a sense of accomplishment, and builds self esteem. Plus, we all have responsibilities and chores to do daily in our house!

I was hesitant to sign them up for the million activities that were available to them, however, I finally conceded. Instead of signing them up for one of those quasi gymnastics classes I signed them up for an Olympic training school for gymnasts! Might as well prepare them for their future. ha ha. Their coaches are past Russian Olympic Gold Medalists and are awesome. No more than six kids per class, luckily there have been no more than four in the girls class! The chicks are gaining so much confidence with each passing week. They can scale, straddle jump, pike somersault, lunge, and are working on somersaults on the beam. AND we will be starting pre-school in the fall. I can honestly say we're ready!

A typical day in our house:

• Chicks get up. 7:30-8:30am - they have always been great sleepers!
  
• Go to the potty AND wash the hands


• Come kiss mommy and daddy! Nothing sweeter than waking-up with those piercing black eyes starring at me!!!


• Make their bed - have been doing this since they moved into their twin beds at 3 years old!


• Get dressed - put jammies away
  
• Brush their teeth- as they chant "we don't want holes in our teeth"!


• Girls set and clear the table after dinner - daddy cleans up. :)
  
• We spend one day a week at Costco circling the food carts - we call it "lunch"!
• No week is complete w/out a trip to Target or Kohl's!
• Gymnastic class Tuesday
  
• Library - Thursday


• Mommy is walking 5 days a week minimum of 2 miles and so are the chicks
  
• Girls load and unload the dishwasher. Unfortunately, for them - they can only put away the silverware and Tupperware. Everything else to high. So they stack everything on the counter and we put away
  
• They LOVE to help with the wash. I do have to keep an eye that the "reds" aren't going in with the "whites"!
• They insist on helping fold clothes. If you see me and I'm a wrinkled mess, you know why!
  
• Washing the car is their favorite thing although, I have to keep an eye - they usually water the flowers to their death....:)


• They put ALL their toys away before bed. - They know if they don't MOMMY will handle the situation. No amnesty....
  
• Bedtime, dirty clothes in the hamper, teeth brushed, and jammies on
  
• Good behavior for the day calls for a reward of mommy reading a book before lights out and mega kisses from mommy and daddy!

Awesome little girls! Lucky me. Lucky us!!

For those inquiring about Mr. Man - still no news, he's headed BACK to NYC this weekend...going to swallow a camera so they can take pictures of his insides.....should be interesting. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for your concern. :)

The Who, why, what's...

It is so hard for me to believe we have been a family for three years. I don't know where the time has gone. I just want to freeze it for a moment so that I can savor every moment. The chicks are growing in leaps and bounds. I am constantly amazed with the things they say. They make me so laugh, but they make me so proud to be their mommy. They are going through the "who" stage now and as you can imagine, it's a riot! This is our conversation the other day in the car...

Abbey: "Mommy, who made the dishwasher"?

Me: "The dishwasher maker".

Abbey: Giggling.... "Mommy, did you make our house"?

Me: "Yes, your daddy and I helped design our home".

Abbey: "Mommy, who made the car"?!

Me: "The auto makers".

Abbey: "Mommy, who made the clouds"?

Me: "What"? I've known this one was eventually going to come up....

Abbey: "I said (pushing little thing...) who made the clouds"?

Me: "Um, well, G-d made the clouds - even though you can't see him"......oh dear this is tough.

Abbey: "What you saying mommy"?!?!

Me: Laughing! "Yeah, I know Abbey - it's a BIG story"! Thinking to myself...I think it's time to put the girls in synagouge. It's.Time!

We met with Rabbi Michael on Friday to discuss pre-school in the fall. It's a start......

What's cooking?

Dinner at our house these days are anything but bland. See below for one of "Insane Mommy's" many creations..... for a price I'll cook for you too and toss in a bennie or two! :)

Sunday's Menu:

Beef Wellington, buttered corn, fresh spring mix with home made sour cream and honey dressing.

Dessert: YES dessert shortbread cake with fresh strawberries AND whipped cream!

This meal is sure to impress your husband's boss - or your best friend! Total ecstasy! Serve with a gorgeous Cab and he'll buy you whatever you want!

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 filets mignon, 1-inch thick

2 sheets puff pastry - Peppridge Farm Puff Pastry

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

4 Tbsp. Mushroom Duxelles (recipe below)

1 egg +one table spoon water for egg wash

Preparation Beef Wellington:

This is so easy and does not require any real skill other than following directions. It does, however, involve some steps - which I've included a photo tutorial showing how to assemble. What could be easier?!

1. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. - takes about 40 minutes.

2. Filets are often irregular in shape, if yours are use a piece of kitchen twine to tie them into a round. - I did not have kitchen twine...should have checked my bedside table!

3. Season filets generously with salt and pepper. - I use kosher or sea salt and salt moderately - flavor is so much better than iodized salt.

4. Pre-heat a medium (10-inch) non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and swirl in pan to melt.

5. Cook filets on both sides for about 3 minutes until well-browned, then brown the edges. Note: Regularly check the internal temperature of the filets, they should not be cooked past 120F at the center.*** Allow filets to cool, then wrap in plastic and chill for at least a couple of hours. In the meantime make the duxelles*. (pronounced dook-SEHL, is a finely chopped (minced) mixture of mushrooms, or mushroom stems, onions, shallots and herbs sauteed in butter and reduced to a paste).

6. Heat oven to 400F. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water (egg wash).

7. Wrap the filets in puff pastry according to the steps below for Individual Beef Wellingtons. Brush with egg wash, and bake in center of oven until golden brown; about 30 minutes. ***Note: The filets are deliberately undercooked and then chilled to prevent them from overcooking in the final step. They should come out of the oven medium rare after the final baking.

Ingredients for Mushroom Duxelles:

1/2 lb.mushrooms (morels are great, but button mushrooms work)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; divided

3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot. Salt and pepper to taste1/2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves1/4 cup dry vermouth, sherry, or white wine - I used vermouth as I drank the white wine while prepping!

Preparation for mushroom duxelle:

1. Finely chop mushrooms in a food processor.

2. Scrape mushrooms out into a clean, cotton towel and wring out as much liquid as you can over the sink. I DID NOT DO THIS - and it turned out fine!

3. Heat a large (10-inch) non-stick skillet over a burner set between medium and medium-high.

4. Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to melt and avoid burning.

5. Add mushrooms, shallots, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and thyme.

6. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms appear dry and are beginning to brown; about 5 minutes.

7. Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter, and, when melted, the vermouth.

8. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vermouth has evaporated.

9. Remove from heat and cool.Note: Duxelles freeze well, so although this recipe produces more than you need for two wellingtons, you can save the remainder for future use.