Strike a Pose

I laughed so hard when I discovered these shots on my computer.  My three and a half year old actually posing, on his own, for some Photo Booth shots:

Hey, it takes pictures!

Must pose with a favorite book.

Come join the Wordless Wednesday fun. (or almost wordless as the case may be)

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Confession: I love Korean Dramedies

It started innocently enough. We were scraping the bottom of what Netflix had to offer and I had some free time during naps. As embarrassed as I am to admit it, that innocent journey into the world of Korean dramedy has led to an almost 20 hour a week obsession. Apparently, it's my new part-time job. Just imagine what I could be getting done with that time...

I've watched enough series now to have figured out that they all pretty much follow the same formula. A formula which is also Awesome. The following are the basic requirements for making Korean dramedy magic:

-A good looking, elite business man will meet an average looking, quirky, lower class girl.  
-He is bored and dissatisfied with his life. Also, he's snobbish and kind of a jerk.
-She is usually sweet and spunky with many friends and yet is constantly being overlooked professionally and can't get ahead OR she just isn't that smart. Also, she is almost always the daughter of a single parent.

-The two of them become connected in some random, improbable way and then are thrown together continually. This leads to him thinking about her a lot. 
-She will never know who he is at first, though it seems that everyone else in the city does.
-They'll hate each other. 
-He's never met anyone like her, but he can't quite justify his obsession because of her lower class status.
-One of them eventually becomes lost in the woods, gets very ill or injured and the other has to rescue and/or nurse them back to health. This is when they realize how deeply they have come to care for each other. 
-Cheesy, overly dramatic theme music will swell at every possible opportunity. Theme music is often a mix of both English and Korean and the English part will get hopelessly stuck in your head. 

-There will be randomly and usually awkwardly inserted English into everyday conversation. Especially if the character is supposed to be cool. 
-He will risk losing his inheritance and/or position due to his being in love with the poor girl.
-Just at the moment when he has decided to risk it all and she has figured out that she loves him too a misunderstanding with occur that will throw everything for a loop. That, or the dude will get hit by a car, sink into a coma and then have amnesia.  

But my absolute favorite characteristic of the Korean dramedy is the lack of physical intimacy.  The climax of the series may be a single kiss.  You might see some dramatic hugging and hand holding or *gasp* a piggy back ride.  Anything more intimate is reserved for after marriage and is not shown. What is interesting about this is that I find the lack of intimacy just as satisfying or even more so than the over sexualized American dramedy.  This combined with the awesomeness above is what makes each series, however cheesy, highly enjoyable.

If you are scraping the bottom of the Netflix barrel, enjoy romantic drama/comedy and don't mind subtitles, definitely check one out.  Here are my favorites: Lie To Me, Playful Kiss, Tamra The Island, Boys Over Flowers, My Princess, Secret Garden and Winter Sonata. I'm currently watching Protect the Boss. Don't be surprised if you become obsessed, too.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

The Dreaded Food Allergy

See this kid?

He had an incident about a week ago. It all started with a fruit and nut bar sample at Costco. I didn't think much about trying the sample, seeing as Buddy has been exposed to about every nut under the sun. At almost 4, I naively thought we had escaped food allergies. Simply put: I was wrong.

We have now been ushered into the world of food allergies. After one bite of that bar, Buddy began to cry and complain that it wasn't going down to his tummy.  Twenty minutes later we were home, he was coughing, rubbing his eyes and saying that he no longer wanted to eat lunch, he only wanted to go to bed.  At that point, I discovered that his lips were swelling and that his eyes and entire face were beginning to break-out in hives.  This is when I reached for the Benadryl and called my doctor.  They strongly suggested that I go directly to the emergency room.  He wasn't in distress, so I packed up both children and we went to the closest KidsCare where I knew the pediatricians were good.  We were rushed to an exam room after one look from a nurse and a pediatrician. There, while they were monitoring his oxygen level, he threw up. This is when the doctor knew for certain that it was anaphylaxis and an epinephrine shot was ordered.  After the shot, we stayed for observation for an hour.  He responded to the shot fairly quickly and was almost back to normal by the time they released us.

I came home with the strict instructions to stay away from ALL nuts and to make an appointment with a pediatric allergy specialist. After making the appointment,  good old Google provided me with a photo of the food label that I needed. Our allergy doctor was pleased to have the list of ingredients since so many parents are unsure of what their child ate.

We did a skin prick test to see what in the ingredient list Buddy reacted to.  The culprit? Pistachio. The doctor recommends that we stay away from all tree nuts from here on out.  He didn't show a sensitivity to almond, but I guess it's better to stay on the safe side.  

Mostly I'm relieved that tree nuts are fairly easy to avoid, but I'm a little sad because of my love for nuts.  Of course, I'm so thankful that it's not gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts or any number of things that would be harder to avoid.

I'm am a bit anxious because of what it means for us going forward. One bite of that bar and now I get to be "that" parent that has to tell every person under the sun that my son is allergic to tree nuts and cannot be exposed to them.  I need to carry an epi pen in my bag and another at home, just in case. Now, I have to read every food label for warnings about traces of tree nuts. Just some of the fun things that I'm sure many moms out there are familiar with. 

It threw us for a loop for a little while, but we are adjusting to the idea. I'm so glad my cute, little boy is safe and well and that now we know how to keep him that way. 

Here are a couple of allergy resources that I found to be helpful in our research on allergies and the different allergy tests that can be performed:
Food Allergy Testing - This is a great informational sheet on who should be tested, what tests are available and how they are interpreted.
Allergy Testing- A more in depth breakdown of the difference between skin tests and blood tests.
Anaphylaxis- What it is and how to identify it.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Party Preparations

One great thing about our new, larger house is the ability to actually have guests over. We already held the small family party for Jellybean's birthday, but this Saturday, I'm excited to host a real two year old birthday party and invite some of her little friends.
In preparation, I've been putting together a few things for the party.  Today I put together the gift bags and experimented with some chocolate cupcake toppers. 
The party is musically themed, so I drew a simple note on each bag

 and filled them with some musical goodies.

I decided that the cupcakes were going to need some musical notes as well. I experimented with free-handing some notes and treble clefs.

Sure, they say they are microwavable, but I prefer the old fashion method.

Make-shift double boiler

Mmmm, melted chocolate goodness

Melted chocolate ready for piping

Free-handed chocolate notes and clefs

chillin' in the fridge

The glue sticks were also chillin' in the fridge.  That's where I keep mine. Is that normal?

 I think these are going to be adorable on the top of each cupcake. Yum.

Tomorrow's task? Baking the cupcakes!

I've been a bit remiss in my posting this week.  Between party planning, discovery of a food allergy and about 20 hours spent watching Korean dramedies, there really hasn't been much time to blog.  I promise a future post on at least two of those excuses. 

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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The Rosie Sweet Home Sunday Round-up

Jellybean Turns Two

On Sunday, my little girl turned two!!

Here she is as a newborn:

One year ago:

And here she is now:

We opened a few presents after church. The vacuum was a hit:

Then we drove to my inlaws' for dinner.

Please, no more pictures!

I baked a "sunshine cake" for the occasion.

My attempt at a pretty cake.

Look at those pretty ringlets!

Delicious cake! Who needs a fork?

I had to snap a photo of Jellybean and her Great-Grandmother. She knit the beautiful sweater that Jellybean is wearing.

This was well after bedtime, but the photo op could not wait.

Here's a lot more about Jellybean.  She is two years old and I'm telling you now, here comes trouble...

- She absolutely must touch (or lick) EVERYTHING!
- I swear that she barely eats, but guzzles milk like crazy. A common phrase around the house: "Milk, milk, my milk, milk!"
- She likes to tease her older brother and I have even witnessed her do so until he cries.
- In her mind, every gift she receives automatically has a baby doll in it. 
-She absolutely must do everything by herself stating,"my turn" at every opportunity. (i.e. getting into her own car seat, "cooking" with me, "cleaning" with me, and even getting "dressed").
- I rue the day that she realized that the step stool from the bathroom is also useful for looking over and taking things off of kitchen counters, reaching light switches and even an easier way to climb onto the kitchen table.
 - If she sees a set of animals together (think three cats), she will dub them Mama, Dada and baby regardless of age or gender.
- When she takes off her shoes, she will put them neatly away with the socks tucked into them. I wish she was as tidy with her toys.
- She likes to choose what she wears and has very particular taste.- She says the following almost every morning to indicate what she wants me to carry out of the crib for her, "Owl, other owl, big owl, my bear." Though, with the addition of a new play kitchen the first thing she says in the morning is, "my kitchen!"
- She dances around like a maniac when she is excited and especially when she gets to put on underwear.  (think "She's a Maniac" from Flash Dance)
- She LOVES Caillou.  In fact, she is incapable of staying still unless she is watching that little bald boy on the TV. - I love to hear her sing along to songs on the TV and in the car. She'll also sing along to her favorite songs with me. (Lullaby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The ABC Song)
- She can often be caught raising her shoulders, a habit that we're pretty sure she learned from her Daddy.
- Wrestling with Robbie is a fun pastime.
- When Daddy comes home from work she'll whisper, "hide" as he's opening the door to come in. Hiding is one of her favorite things.
- She has decided that she loves her Grandpas and she especially adores her Papa B. I'm pretty sure it's because she can order him around.

She truly is a sweet, fiery, wonderful girl.  We love her!  Happy Birthday, Jellybean!!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Going Green

We went green for St Patty's Day this last week! I realized on Thursday that none of us had a scrap of green in our closets. I began to have elementary school related anxiety about my children being pinched by others more zealous in their holiday celebrations. So, we headed out to the store to remedy the situation. Then on the day, we held an impromptu photo session. D agreed to be the photographer despite his exasperated sighs. I had to bribe the children to stand still. I don't know why Buddy has a spoon, but hey, it's green, so who am I to complain.

Yep, that's one great spoon.

Apparently, Daddy is doing something that is both funny and disturbing.

Anything to keep from looking at the camera and smiling. Here you can see a hint of the orange leggings my little fashionista chose to go with her denim skirt and green shirt.

Look at that handsome kid! This photo was captured a split second before he pulled a face.

I hope all of your St. Patty's Day celebrations were a success!

Have a Happy Day!

 ~MJ

Come Embrace the Camera with the Anderson Crew!

Caught in the Act

"I think Jellybean got a hold of the camera." 

"How can you tell?"

I'm just glad my camera survived being dropped on the hardwood floor. It's tough keeping a camera away from a climbing two year old.

Joining in on Wordless Wednesday.  Come join in, too!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Weeknight Meal: Easy Baked Ziti

One of our favorite weeknight meals is Baked Ziti.  My husband spent two years in Italy. He claims to know Italian food and has given it his stamp of approval. I'll take that.

Baked Ziti is a grand departure from the pasta meals of my childhood.  I recall a few different pasta dishes: Lasagna (good and basic, but no real spice), Spaghetti with a meat sauce (spices from a store bought mix), Mac and Cheese (of course) and my personal favorite "Spiddle Diddles."  One of my older brothers claims that this last dish was invented when my mother was on food stamps. I haven't verified this claim, but it does kind of make sense.  Spiddle Diddles has three ingredients: Tomato juice, cooked elbow macaroni and a little pepper.  D refuses to eat it.  I craved it during at least one of my pregnancies and required it almost every day.  It's a little weird, I guess, but what's wrong with a little simplicity?

Anyway, Baked Ziti is fairly simple, uses good straightforward ingredients and still manages to be leaps and bounds above my childhood fare.

I got this recipe straight from America's Test Kitchen and have altered it only slightly. Definitely enjoy it with a green salad and some good crusty bread.

Skillet Baked Ziti
From America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 ts. red pepper flakes
table salt and ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 oz. Ziti (3 3/4 cups, I prefer ziti rigate)
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C minced fresh basil leaves
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

*Measure water & pasta before you begin cooking. Prep Parmesan & basil while pasta cooks.

1. Simmering the Ziti: Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes & 1/2 ts. salt in a 12-inch, oven safe skillet. Saute over medium-high heat until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add crushed tomatoes, water, Ziti & 1/2 ts. salt. Cover and cook, stirring often & adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until Ziti is almost tender (15 to 18 minutes or to package directions).

2. At this point, transfer pasta to an oven safe casserole dish if you didn't have an oven safe skillet.  Stir in cream, Parmesan & Basil. Season w/salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly. Transfer skillet (or casserole dish) to oven. Bake until cheese has melted & browned (about 10 minutes). 

Enjoy!

On a side note: while I was cooking my Ziti this last week, I started to smell something burning.  I couldn't figure it out until I went to put the pasta in the oven. This is what I discovered:

 

My husband had left one slice of left over pizza in the oven the day before. I guess it was keeping warm in there and when he turned off the oven, he promptly forgot it was there. I managed to turn it to charcoal in my 475 degree oven. I was NOT happy when I discovered this.   Yuck.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Signs of Spring

The snow is falling outside and all I can do is long for the Spring-like weather of last week. The weather was so mild that I donned my new shoes and went hunting for the signs of Spring in my garden.

My New Shoes!

It is so fun to see what is coming up in my garden this year.  We moved to our new house last Fall when most everything had died back for the year. I'm finding all kinds of little surprises coming up. 

Besides the tulips beginning to peek out, I'm finding lots of pretty early flowers that I don't recognize.

Some surprises that I do recognize and am happy to discover that I didn't kill when I cut it to the ground last Fall.

Glad to see I didn't kill you, Russian Sage!

Maybe I should have cut you back more, Vinca.

I even took a little time and began to Spring-up my new porch. Which seems a little silly right now with snow on the ground.

There's my front porch looking slightly Springy.

I also bought a little backyard friend. Meet my new solar powered owl from Target.

Hi, little owl!

It's time to say goodbye, Snow.  Go away and let us enjoy a little more of that Spring weather!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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