Moms birthday a little late

Three weeks ago we had a birthday party for my Mom. My sister in law Michelle made this fantastic cake for her. I was so impressed by the skill it took for her to make not only a delicious cake but her artistic talent was just as impressive. I just had to put it on my blog, she is amazing.

One Smart Kid

I snapped a few pictures of Joey doing his homework last night because it just made me smile to myself, just watching him while he worked and talked out the problems to himself, spun around, fliped over, bent his knees, layed down, sat up, it was so cute. So I pretended to be reviewing some pictures on the camera but really I snapped some quick shots of him. This collage of poses was less than five minutes of homework time.



When Joey was in second grade his teacher told me something at SEP that struck me as funny. she said something that has changed the way we do things with Joey forever, she said that during lessons Joey is allowed to stand instead of sit and he sometimes skips around a little bit, and he sometimes just hops on one foot just in general he fidgets, but she had found that if she allowed him to fidget and move around he retained more of the information then when he was forced to sit. She said she thought it might be because it took all of his attention to try to sit still like the other children and he couldn't listen to the information being given.

I am dislexic and I made it through the entire school system without one person questioning why I failed time and time again I thought It was because I was just stupid. So needless to say I am so very grateful for the fact that one wonderful teacher let my little Joey break out of the mold and do things his way. He has done well ever sense that SEP because I have passed on this tip to his other teachers. Joey is a brilliant kid, he does very well in school. That is not something that seems to be logical according to the information I have been given on children like Joey who have been diagnosed with ADD. I attribute it to the fact that he has had teachers who are fantastic, not just good but truely fantastic. I love our school we have amazing teachers,and I love all teachers who break out of the mold, who are more interested in giving each child an education then just getting them to hold still and be quiet until the school day is at an end.

What's for Dinner?

This looks so good I am going to give it a try on Monday so I'll let you all know if it works out for us. Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorites when we eat out so I hope it turns out as well as it looks.

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients
2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
Kosher salt
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

Method
1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking.

2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.

3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.

5 Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

spring tree

This tree blooms for just a couple of weeks in the late spring. It is so spectacular when it does. It is so beautiful, I have to admit that it gives me just a little bit of anxiety to know that in a couple of weeks all of this beauty will just be gone and it will be a regular tree. It helps our family to remember all of the great and small blessings we are given. This tree is just another way we are reminded of our fathers love for us, and the beautiful earth we live in. I just thought I would share this beautiful spring tree with you.