Thank you, thank you...thank you very much!

No words needed!

Now go vote!

I have been very busy...

Check out what has kept me away for sooo long!
Paste this to your browser...

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=370743&altf=Dpoops&altl=Nvssbz

Sunday Sweetness

I just love that boy of mine...

School Daze...

Ok, ...you are assigned to read a book to your mom, dad, siblings, other adult friends/relatives and have them sign the signature area....

I am not sure...signing the form by the reader as mom and dad cuts the mustard..

What do you think?

Another Connor Moment...

Connor's grandpa is currently in the hospital after suffering a stroke...obviously he is very concerned...I ran into one of  Connor's teachers today and she shared this story with me...After asking how my dad was doing she told me Connor explained to her that his grandpa's brain fell and he was in the hospital, his teacher said she would pray for him...then Connor turned to her with his arms and fingers spread (spirit fingers!) and said "You've got to get down on your knees and pray for him!"...Well that about did her in....Where does he come up with this stuff?

E's 1st Birthday!

Connor's cousin E, turns one and she knows it!

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Weeeeeee It's spring!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Connor's pre-k4 class had it all figured out!

Welcome to Camp Connor!

Connor and his cousins Meghan and Quinn

 enjoying a romp in the snow in our homemade 1/2 pipe!...

Well until they began to fight for attention...


all's better now:)

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Jules

 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Finally, we got some snow.....

time to dust off the sled and hit the hills until you're 

so exhausted you melt into the couch...

yeah, nothing beats sledding

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Jules

Connor's in the Dog House

No, Jules & I did not put Connor in there.
He crawled in there all by himself.
Then his two big sisters locked the door.
Those naughty girls!

Connor & the Great Cranberry Bread Debacle

When Connor was 2 1/2 - 3 years old, about 3 years ago, Jules volunteered her services to Hailey's elementary school to make mini loaves of various types of bread to be sold around Christmas time as a fund raiser. Of course when Julie volunteers her time, my time is usually involved, especially when it comes to cooking - and all kinds of cooking, too, not just the volunteer kind. (P. S. I don't mind this one little bit!)

Connor has been a "helper" from day one, and though he is still under the impression that his "helping" is always needed, necessary - and always wanted - his mommy and I, among other family members and close friends, beg to differ (just wait for the story from Uncle P and Auntie B, OH, and then there's the one from MentalM).

Jules and I had just gotten through making a bazillion lemon-poppy seed loaves and were moving on to the cranberry-orange loaves. We had all the ingredients set up on the counter next to the Kitchen Aid. Connor said he was going to pull up a chair so he could see what was going on. We said ok. That was our first mistake. Connor then asked if he could have a glass of cranberry juice. We got him one. That was our second mistake. We had just finished adding all the ingredients to the bowl and the good old Kitchen Aid was whirling away. All we had left to add were the dried cranberries. Connor asked what we were doing and, of course, we replied that we were adding the cranberries to our bread dough. That was our third mistake. Connor took a big sip of his cranberry juice......and spat it in our batter! "CONNOR!!! OH MY GOD!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!", one of us, probably both of us yelled. Connor then told us, and very indignantly if that's possible for a 2 1/2 - 3 year old to do, "Mommy! You said you was adding the cwanbewwy's an' I added mine, too!" We did tell him that, and technically we didn't tell him not to add his own... O. Dear. GOD!

Surviving the Connor Chronicles without laughing yourself silly seems to be an impossibility to all who adore him! I will not go in to what we did with that batch of dough......

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xoxoauntiexoxox

A Connor Moment...

Grandma Micki reminded us of a "Connor Moment"...

Age: 4/5 years old

Place:   Grandparents home in FL

Situation:   -Connor drinking juice at the kitchen counter

-Connor spills the drink...

Outcome: -Connor looks at his Grandparents (head half cocked) and says...

"WELCOME-TO-MY-WORLD!"

Do you have a Connor Moment?...Do Share.........

Anna the Great!

Here's to my cousin Anna,

She recently skinned her knee,

I wish I was there to help in her care, 

Instead all I can do is to wish that she get's her WII!

Happy Birthday Pretty Girl

oxox

Connor, Hailey, Auntie Jules and Uncle Andy!!!

Spice, Spice Baby.......

My daughter and pals went to see the Spice Girls last night.......they had a blast!

Who has it better than them....

He may not be in the room ...but he leaves his mark...

Can you find it?

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jules

Connor Floats...

Connor experiences his 1st root beer float @ our fav joint BJ's...

...the float won!

p.s. notice the action figure...WWE  tag-a-long....don't leave home with out it!

Connor Free Falling with Tom Petty!

Way to go Giants!

Connor enhanced the 1/2 time show by accompanying 

Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers

...He gives new meaning to the phrase "toe jam"

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Jules

A Leader is Born...

Earlier this week Connor's teacher, Mrs. D pulled me aside to let me know Connor would be receiving the "Attribute" award....So, as the week went on I pondered this and wondered how can one be an attribute??....After scoping the dictionary meanings (and there are many..)....I assumed this would be based on the  "characteristics" version .....yeikes....What could this mean???....Good Behavior/Bad Behavior, Follows  the Rules/Not ?  Fortunately, Connor received the Leadership Award..he was so proud (snack and all)...as was his mommy.......

I must say...I was a little frightened......good thing the school doesn't have a class clown award!!!!...he probably could have won that one too..hands, down!

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Jules

Just When I Thought it was Safe........

Day 4 ...........cough, cough..run to the loo, and yack....OMG!, Pullleeeeeeze tell me he can go to school tomorrow.......besides,  what do I have left to clean???.......Oh, forget clean, I have many a projects to organize......the question is ....."Can't I find something to clean instead?" 

To Be Continued.................................................

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Jules

ps...no ketchup with the food..... too soon...not pretty

What do you do when...

You're stuck in the house for 3 straight days with a sick kiddo besides wash and fold at least 10 loads of laundry, practice spelling words, make soup, finish homework, watch the Cartoon Network (the Road Runner still makes me giggle), play with action figures, and read books?...........You clean the fridge of course!

Oh my, I am in need of a cleaning intervention and some serious food shopping!

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jules

One day you're up.........

And, the next day you're down

Poor baby has strep....no fun

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Nurse Jules

What's on your bucket list?

Connor's on a play date so........ Andy and I took in a movie...how rare......We saw the Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and the great Jack Nicholson..funny, charming, and a tad sad...but it did get me thinking about what would be on my bucket list.....not in any particular order, here goes:

Enjoy the success of my children..........Make a complete stranger smile........Snorkle down under..........Edit a movie.........Write a hit song..........Play the blues on the piano....learn to meditate without laughing........convince others that the glass is 1/2 full........continue to find humor in everything.........never ever stop laughing...

What's on your bucket list?..........let us know

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jules

Tea Time with Jules

My sis, Tiana e-mailed and said it was high time I share some of my favorite recipies. The problem is I am really a throw and go kind of cook so putting the recipe on paper is quite challenging......however, I will do my best.

Many years ago we had a charming English tea sandwich place that served the most amazing chicken and arugula sandwich with a shallot vinaigarette that was to die for...unfortunately, they closed up shop before I could get the recipe sooooooo, after many attempts, I think I finally nailed it...well at least my sister thinks so.....

Chicken & Arugula Sandwich
w/Shallot Vinaigrette

For the shallot vinaigrette:
½ C extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
½ C. red wine vinegar
¼ C. Sherry wine vinegar
2 t. Dijon mustard
fresh coarse-ground pepper
dash kosher salt

Take 2 T. of the oil and place in skillet with the minced shallots. Sauté over low heat until slightly caramelized. Remove from pan into a blender, being sure to scrape the skillet well. Don’t rinse skillet and keep handy. Add the vinegars and Dijon mustard, pepper and salt to the blender. Put lid on and blend until frothy. With blender still running, add olive oil in a slow stream. Blend until well emulsified. Set aside.

For the chicken sandwiches:
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
¼ C. extra-virgin olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

1 bunch arugula, washed, dried and stems removed

4 - 4” French baguettes, split length-wise , brushed with EVOO and toasted

Put first five ingredients into a zip-loc bag. Try to marinate at least an hour. Heat grill to medium high and grill chicken until done, about 12 minutes on each side. Remove, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, slice breasts on an angle, against the grain, in about ¼” slices. Get skillet you sautéed shallots in. Cover the bottom with 4 T. of the shallot vinaigrette. Heat skillet to warm and toss in arugula. Only heat until arugula is coated w/vinaigrette and just warm. Divide arugula into 4 portions and spread on the 4 baguettes. Pour 4 T. sherry vinaigrette into skillet again and add the chicken slices and heat through, tossing to coat the slices. Put chicken slices on the baguettes. Drizzle shallot vinaigrette over the chicken. Close sandwich, cut in half and serve!

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Inspired by the English tea place, my BFF Ann and I decided this would be a perfect theme for a baby shower we catered. We made several types of tea sandwiches....let me tell you it's not just cucumbers on white bread with a schmere of butter, Oh my, we worked our butts off...we had a selection of 6 different tiny sandwiches and, of course a "Tea" would not be complete with out a scone or two! Much to my dismay, I was in charge of making and baking one type of scone.

Now, normally the perfect scone is a lightly sweetened fluffy biscuit...mine were more like hockey pucks... they were so bad, I ended up hurling them into our backyard woods.

The rest of the tea shower was a big hit and fun was had by all. The next day as I sipped my tea, I looked out the kitchen window and discovered a dead raccoon in the yard...I think my scones played a major role in his meeting his maker...

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jules

Just for Shitz and Giggles!......

What do you make of a 6 year old who tells you he has a really big book on hold at the school library….then comes home the next day with the Bible? Further, he made it a point to show me that the last time it was checked out was in the year 2000! Oy!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

GIANTS...No mascot, no cheerleaders, nothing but fooball!


VS.


Green Bay...They've got issues

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jules

WWE and 6 year old boys!

Ok, I really don’t see the attraction….big men, I mean, really big men in tighty tap pants, yelling at each other, then slamming one another into the ropes or the floor…yea, that sounds like fun????? It looks a little something like this….



Connor at the ripe age of six is absolutely GAGA over it!...



If it’s not Monday Night Raw, (we DVR that), it’s Friday Night Smack Down and, if that’s not enough, we’ve got the Hulk and the American Gladiators! What is it with this sport/hoax/entertainment?

If this phase does not end soon, my TV room...especially, the
pillows may never be the same……

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jules

Junk Drawer update...

Better, No?

Cleaned up and ready for the new year...let's see how long this lasts!

WE NEED PICTURES, PEOPLE...SEE 1/11 POST!

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jules

Why do I have to go to school?

Oh come on...Connor is already trying to figure out how to skip school. He thinks since his sister has a day off for mid-terms he should have a day off! Come on, It's a gym day...and, they had a snow delay. Oh my this is going to be a very long journey.....

At five Connor was very much alive...In one week, the same week, Connor started kindergarten while Lauren started college…

Now he is six and he is clever, clever, I only wish he could stay six for ever and ever…For his Christmas pageant, Connor joined 4 other boys as Shining Stars…oh he was a star alright…video to come…in the meantime, here are a few pics that represent Connor’s enthusiasm…(which would explain the many phone calls that evening asking “who’s his agent?” and “when will the video go to you tube?”)

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jules

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner…

Growing up in a rather large Italian/Irish family, dinner was always interesting… On account that my mother was pregnant nearly every 2 years, we had a table in the shape of a large peanut to fit all of us and all of her…the indented part of the peanut shape fit her belly perfectly! During the week when called for dinner you came running or you were stuck in the middle of the table passing food and eating leftovers!

On weekends, we would spend Sundays at my grandparents home and visit with aunties and uncles and eat for ½ a day…the best part was looking for the secret stash of homemade wines, finding buckets of coins my grandfather tucked away and tormenting good old Uncle Tom…this guy was amazing….he came from Sicily one day and stayed a lifetime…we’re not even sure he was a true uncle or he just claimed to be. He was small in stature but when pushed came to shove, he threatened to take off his belt…of course we were all hoping he would because we were convinced his pants would fall to his ankles! AHHH the good ole days………

Today the tradition continues….there isn’t a Sunday that goes by that my kids don’t ask…”Is there Sunday dinner?”, or “Where is Sunday dinner?”. Between my cousin Ann and I we seem to generate enough food to feed an army…and believe me some Sundays we truly do feed an army…the word is out…not only family comes but friends come as well and we love it…the more the merrier. This past Sunday was the big Giant/Cowboy game…go Giants! After demolishing chili cheese dip with chips, 2 Kielbasa sausages with a cranberry mustard dipping sauce, several grilled tri-tip steaks, and homemade cheesy sausage bread…big hit! We still made a vat of spaghetti and meat sauce with tossed salad and garlic bread…I’m stuffed just writing about it…and guess what….nary a leftover was had!

We had better start thinking what to serve next Sunday……..perhaps the famous Italian roast beef….garlic/cheese infused, cooked to perfection, paper thin sliced, then served with beef au jus soaked on a hard roll….it’s messy but oh so good!

Until then…here is a recipe for the cheesy sausage bread…enjoy!



1 package sweet Italian sausage
1 package hot Italian sausage
1 package prepared pizza dough
1 package sliced provolone cheese
1 package shredded Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1t. Oregano
Salt and pepper

*Sometimes I add a layer of pepperoni and it sends it over the top!

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Remove sausages from casing, break meat apart, and cook until done. Roll dough on a floured surface into a rectangular shape…dough should be very thin. Assemble bread as follows…layer dough with provolone slices, add cooked sausage bits, next, layer of mozzarella, sprinkle parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. Then roll up bread from one end to the other…pinch the ends to seal and place on a cookie sheet with the seam down…I like to brush the top with egg whites and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes slice and eat!

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jules

What's in your junk drawer?

Or as we call it the McGuyver tool shed!

How does this happen? I just cleaned, organized and discarded the unnecessary and WHAM! It looks like a hurricane came through........GRRRRRRR.


Since it is the beginning of a new year, I will once again try to get this drawer in order...keeping it that way is the challenge! Perhaps I should keep a sign in/sign out sheet for all visitors...or better yet, I should install a videocam and catch them red handed!


You know, I could start a new I Spy craze just featuring junk drawers. Here is a partial list of items from my drawer: Nerf dart, toy gun, tape measure, Play Doh, sewing needles, calculator, double AA battery, earbuds, lotto cards, 5 rubber bands, and a Connor magnet...(way too easy)....(click on the photo to enlarge to find the items!) Can you find them?


Ah the fun.....Soooo, what is in your junk drawer? (And, I mean drawer...I don't care about your junk in the trunk!) The challenge is on...send in a photo of your junk drawer! The drawer with the best junk will win a brand spankin' new book by Stephanie Winston called Getting Organized...now we could all benefit from that!

E-mail me your photo (jmurra11@mac.com) or send me a link to your blog so I can access it....Don't forget to send your name and address (to my email address) so I know where to send the winner's book. I'll be posting the top 10 pictures, including the winner's picture, here on the Connor Chronicles. Here's to all us junk drawer junkies!!!!!

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jules

Reverse Psychology DOES NOT WORK!

Ok...So I made some cookies and the boy wanted one...or two, so I said yes, if you have some milk with them, too......he said no, I said yes...then I proceeded to say (my back was toward him) ..."Don't you dare drink the milk...it will make you big and strong...don't you dare drink it!" (I then made the mistake of turning around)...he had a gulp of milk in his mouth that would soon wind up in my face and all over the kitchen counter as we both burst into laughter.....hard to imagine that this was the same kid telling me how horrible his life was earlier today because he didn't have a playdate:)

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jules

England

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jules

Hailey Drives

When Connor was four he was much, much more…here @ the Head of the Charles regatta to watch his sister Lauren row, row, row the boat...




Big day today...Hailey got her license yea! Sister Lauren went back to school - boo-hoo!!

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jules

The Chronicles Begin....

Ok, since Connor is now six I thought I would catch you up @ lightening speed …

Connor at one, his life just begun a force to be reckon with, a character in the making, a love…




At two, Connor was nearly new with a puppy too…Lola, who would later earn the grand title of Loadla…after two years of eating for 2 (Bogart is our mature doggy) it was off to the fat farm in the hills of Maine…more on that at a later date.

Then Connor turned three and he was all about me, his brother (of which he has none) who lives far far away in a big, big, house and being the Pope in an earlier life. Seriously, one day as I worked on my computer, Connor showed me the prayer card we had for Pope John Paul and said “that was me when I was Papal”. Talk about giving me the heebeegeebees!



More to come...faa laa laa......

p.s. did I mention that A.A. Milne is one of my favorites...(thanks, mom:)

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jules

And so it begins again...

Hey there, this is Jules,

Everybody else is doing it so I said what the heck! Let's see if I have anything interesting to share. I'm calling this the Connor Chronicles, however, I would be remiss if I didn't share his sisters Lauren and Hailey as well...enjoy the ride....

Welcome to the wild world of Connor...my son....My surprise child after forty...but totally worth it.

Ah, where to begin...I had just celebrated my fortieth with my family, husband Andy, d
daughters Lauren and Hailey ages then 13 and 10...la, la, la...life was so easy, no babysitters needed, travel was a breeze and they listened when threaten. Screech! Out of the blue, seriously, it had been 10 years since I had a baby, I was 40 for crap's sake...I should be staring menopause or as my friend Lauren says...mentalpause (check out her blog) in my face! The two words that would alter our easy lives forever....."your pregnant" Nine months later...heeeellooooo Connor!

Here is a pic of him @ 1 day old....I should have known then that this would be an interesting journey....what baby smiles @ 1 day old??

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jules