PVC Toys

Leon and I made these toys for the boys for Christmas. It was a lot of fun to do together. 

Baked Lemon Pasta

The Pioneer Woman's Lemon Pasta

Ingredients

* 1 pound Thin Spaghetti
* 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
* 2 cups Sour Cream
* ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
* Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
* Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
* Extra Lemon Juice

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

It was good. The lemon was a bit overwhelming. I think next time I'll use a bit more garlic, a tad less lemon, and I will definitly add more Parmesan cheese.

Bitter and Sweet!

Last night we took all the Christmas decorations down. I am always a little sad after Christmas is over. We made new memories as well as kept up old traditions. I have conflicting emotions being on the brink of a new year. The old year is gone. It is part of the past we put behind us (along with my 20's).

BUT a new year is beginning. Having the Christmas tree and decorations (clutter) out makes my home feel new again! This reminds me of all the things I want to do in 2010! It will be a great year!

I want to improve my garden this year (MORE TOMATOES!!!), work on knitting something really hard, learn a new skill (I have no idea what), explore with my kids, spend time with them. I have so many date nights planned for Leon and I now that his schedule will be winding down again. There are so many things we need to do, and many we want to do as well, in our homeschool. I want to get to know my neighbors more.

I hate making "New Year's Resolutions" because they seem so cliche'. But it is hard not to make new plans when you are on the start of something new. I do plan to exercise more and feed my family healthier. (Squirrel!)I want to learn more ways I can live frugally. I want to contribute to my community. I want to be SUPER MOM!

Overachievers UNITE!!!...AND CONQUER!!!