Brie and I went to Ulta today and she got a free gift bag of makeup, which she quickly applied on the way home.  Here are some good pictures of her sparkly face.

I made this last night, and it was very yummy and nutritious.  I served it with a small slice of toasted foccacia...  I got the recipe from  Epicurious but have written in my changes.  I enjoy changing up recipes based on what is in season and what I have in the house, so they always turn out a bit differently...

 

broccoli rabe and red bell pepper frittata

Ingredients

8 large eggs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup (packed) shredded sharp provolone cheese  - I used 1/2 C. feta cheese and 1/2 C. parmesan (I had both in the freezer)

I try to take a hint from my friend Julie and find as many free activities to do with Brie as possible.  The less we shop or do things in general that cost money, the better.  It seems like with school and work keeping me busy most of the time, the free time I do have with Brie is often spent running errands, doing grocery shopping, or in general being grumpy because I'm stressed.  That is not good parenthood to me, and I don't seriously know how people have dual parent working households and still find time for quality time with their kids.  I am in awe of those people, because I know that I couldn't do it.  I can't WAIT to be done with school in May so I can work my two days a week and have the rest of the time with Brie.  Even today sitting outside pushing her in the swing in the back yard I was thinking how I would love to make a treehouse with her, but then thinking "am I crazy?  I have no time!"  Maybe in a few weeks after the semester eases up a bit.  Anyway, this all started out by talking about free activities.  We really love going to the park or playing outside (especially when the weather's like this - on the news this morning it said low 70's for AZ and snow for the midwest.  And that's why we live here!)... recently bike riding has been great.  Brie finally grew into her bike seat and helmet we got last yar.  A couple of days ago we made cookies together - that is hard for me because I don't like to make a mess, but these were really easy to make and Brie helped me mix and put them on the cookie sheets.  I've been enjoying this blog lately, and got the recipe from her...  I put in the edits that I made.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies
Cooking Light

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted - I used walnuts
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips - I used dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

Amazing, I actually got an "I had fun yesterday" out of Josh on Sunday!  :)  Saturday and Sunday both were pretty busy with fun things to do together this weekend... Sunday got a bit "long" for all of us, I think, but I was still glad that we were able to do everything we did over the weekend.  The weather was absolutely perfect (even a bit hot on Sat when we were all overdressed!) and it was great to have some fun outdoors.  Saturday we kicked off the fun with a visit to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, what I hear is a wonderful place to visit for Native American artifacts.  I personally haven't ever visited, and Brie is still a bit young, but we went for the Hoop Dancing Championships and some enjoyable music and Indian Fry Bread.  We were all wearing a bit too much so we were a bit hot sitting in the sun, but it was quite fun and Brie learned how to roll down a grassy hill, which she did quite a few times once she got bored with the music.  We went from there directly to lunch at the Duck and Decanter, which is a pretty awesome shop/restaurant/bar in Phoenix that my friend Melanie introduced me to.  We had a great lunch out on their patio and then headed home for a NAP.  After that, we all went out for a bike ride and then fun in the park  (Brie's favorite thing to say is "Go to the park!").  What fun!  On Sunday we went to our church for the annual meeting, followed directly by Ainsley's birthday party at the McCormick Railroad Park, where Brie got to play with the other kids, eat yummy food, help Ainsley open some presents ("help"), ride on the carousel, and have an overall rousing great time.  From THERE we went directly to Brie's school for an open house complete with arts & crafts, indoor jumping castles, cotton candy (mom's personal favorite), balloon animals (Brie was suprisingly upset that she didn't get one herself) and more.  Whew.  Mom and dad were quite drained by then, so we headed home for a nap (it was about 4:30 by now) and Brie decided that she wasn't interested in napping.  It must have been too late!  So, the day concluded with playing around the house and mom and dad getting decidedly testy (well, let's be honest...) until bedtime rolled around.  And then, we were all off to work and school today.  Parents just never catch a break, do they??? :)