If it's snowing outside, you can go for a boat ride inside!

Mackenna and Madisyn had a play date this Sunday, and Mackenna got to show her friend all the toys in her new playroom. They had a blast! It's hard to believe they are this big already. 

Winter Wonderland

I was up early this morning, per usual on Monday mornings, and glanced out the window just in time to notice the sunrise through the trees. The foot of snow that we got yesterday was the kind that sticks to the trees and looks beautiful. 

Enjoy these shots that I got with my Canon!

Mongolian Beef

It is a snowy Sunday up here in Maine, and Ben spent most of the afternoon out plowing driveways. I spent that time searching for a new recipe to enjoy tonight. I stumbled across this Mongolian Beef recipe, and paired it with jasmine rice and toasted broccoli for our own homemade 'beef and broccoli' dinner. Ben cooked it, and us girls enjoyed it. It was delicious with strong flavors and fresh ingredients. A hit tonight, and I am guessing it'll be even better for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients

• 4 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 c. soy sauce
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. brown sugar (packed)
• 2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 Lb. flank steaks
• ½ c. cornstarch
• 3 large green onions

Instructions

• Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.
• Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.
• After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

Soure: www.favfamilyrecipes.com

New Camp Progress...

Coming along VERY nicely. Great work Dad! 

Looking for a place to vacation this year? 

Information to our rental listing: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3521030

Share with friends and family!

Happy Saturday!

Ben and I have been camp shopping/ snow tubing all day- and my mom sent me this photo of Princess Mackenna, reading to her subjects. I think it's safe to say she is having fun!

Master Bedroom Makeover

We've been here for 3 1/2 years, and I've been slowly doing some updates to the house, in the event that we don't find a house we would like to move to this Spring/ Summer. (We plan on re-listing our house on the market in April.)

Our master bedroom has always been my least favorite room. I liked it for a few months, but after a while the dark colors started to get old. I always envisioned a room that was bright, white, and peaceful. No colors at all. And that is what we did. I love the simplicity of it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Valentines Day!

Sunday Fun Day!

This past weekend, Ben and I had a rare weekend where we didn't have plans to go anywhere, and hadn't committed to do anything. We decided to plan a family day with Mackenna on Sunday. I called it, appropriately, Sunday Fun Day. I'd like to keep it as a weekly tradition, although I know it won't always be possible. I'll post every Sunday Fun Day on here. I know M won't remember these days, but I hope she can look back and reflect on all the fun she had. I believe the best thing you can give your kids is time with them. And this, was a good time.

This Sunday was filled with a lunch outing, a Children's Museum afternoon, and a family shopping stop. 

All ready to go!

After battling traffic of crowds of kids heading to Disney On Ice... 

we made it downtown Portland! (Thank you, downtown work parking spot.)

Daddy picked the lunch spot, Bingas Wingas.

Playing at The Childrens Museum!

Up in the fire truck- she loved it!

Big kid and little kid.

What day is complete without Renys?

Daddy's Lil Helper

A few weeks back, Jenn and I took our 3rd Annual IKEA trip, and brought home some hard-to-put-together items for Ben to assemble. Oh, the joys of a handy husband. This year he got off easy, having a helper around and all! Here they are, putting together our new master bedroom dresser set.

Screwing in the brackets.

Thats my girl, always time for a photo, no matter how hard she's working!

Nemo the Noreaster

Friday brought the Greater Portland area a 'wicked' big storm! We briefly lost power for a few hours yesterday, but over all we've just enjoyed being snowed in. It was the first time Mackenna really got to play in the snow, and test out her snow gear. It was pretty windy, so we didn't stay out for too long, but she loved the snow.

Ben out plowing.

Devestated to find the snow was 3 ft high on our deck! 

Eating with gloves on because our house was so chilly.

Come on mom, I'm ready to go out and play! 

Love this smile! 

Hmm, what does this taste like?

I can't pick which photos to add to the blog, I love them all! 

Tuna Melt Sunday

Ben and I have a lot of favorite foods in common, but none do we make as often and love as much as tuna melts. A few years ago, Ben perfected his version of a tuna melt. It is just delicious. Perfectly grilled, yet soft and buttery. We serve it just like the beautiful photo below, open faced. The Italian bread makes it. Or the cheese. Or the tomato. Mmmm.

In fact it's so good, that we have it for dinner almost every Sunday night. Hence the name of the blog title. I hope this is a recipe Mackenna enjoys as much as we do. So far, she loves it.

Ingredients

• One loaf of Italian bread, cut lengthwise into two halves.
• Butter
• 3 cans of solid white tuna
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbs minced onions
• Mayonnaise to desired consistency
• One tomato, thinly sliced
• Red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
• 6 slices of provolone
• Parsley for topping

Pre- heat a large skillet to medium high heat
Pre- heat oven to high broil

Directions

• Butter insides of bread, and lightly toast in the hot skillet.
• Meanwhile, prepare tuna fish with mayo and spices.
• Once the bread is toasted from the skillet, transfer bread to a cookie sheet that has been covered with tin foil.
• Spread tuna fish evenly on top of each toasted bread.
• Add tomato in a single layer across, and onion if desired.
• Salt and pepper tomato/ onion slices.
• Top with cheese slices, overlapping each other.

Throw in the broiler until cheese is melted and becomes golden, roughly 5 minutes

Viola! The most delicious tuna melt you will ever have. We serve it with Campbells tomato soup.

Stella's Shower

While Abby and Jared were home for Christmas break, we had a baby shower for their expectant girl, pre-named Stella, at The Pinecrest Inn in Gorham. It was the perfect venue and beautifully decorated by Laura of livesmilecelebrate.blogspot.com

They got LOTS of good grabs for little Stella, and Mackenna was excited to be a part of her first official shower. Lots of delicious food and people to gawk at her; what wouldn't she love ;) ?

The glowing parents- to- be.

I love Auntie Abby, and melons!

Janessa, Abby and Jared

Decorations, in an appropriate ABC theme for the librarian mom-to-be.

Jenn and I never would miss the opportunity for a posed photo. 

The crowd:

Some family group shots (Thanks Jenn!)

Dad came to pick up Mackenna halfway through the shower. Saying good- bye to Aunt Annie.

Getting ready to write in Stella's "Alphabet Book"

Looking forward to meeting you in April, little niece.