Lisa Leonard

when you were born my heart ached. we had so many questions and concerns.

after a couple months, you started to smile and my heart leaped. i hadn’t expected to fall so in love with you!

the first time you giggled, my heart sung. your belly laugh is music to my ears!

your daily determination makes my heart swell. you are such a brave little boy.

watching how others respond to you makes my heart melt. you show the world that life is a beautiful thing.

david, my heart is full.

oh it is so delicious. and the best part…it’s easy! but it tastes gourmet. i can’t remember where the original recipe came from, but i’ve changed it a bit. please make it. you won’t regret it.

blackberry wine cake

1 box white cake mix
1 small box raspberry jello mix
1 cup blackberry wine (manischevitz)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Mix well in a large bowl. Bake at 425 degrees 35-40 minutes.

blackberry wine glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup blackberry wine

heat over low heat until smooth. drizzle over cake and add can whole blackberries to center of bundt.

it’s even better the second day!!

for much of the world, friday means time to relax, catch your breath and play, but for many moms, it’s monday that means there will be some downtime. rainy day or not the boys are better and back to school. yay!!!

it was wonderful having a few slow days at home, but we are starting to get cabin fever (and there are no antibotics for that!!). it’s time for a break. the boys will be so glad to be back at school and i might catch coffee with a friend or run errands.

so to celebrate, you can take $10 off ANY order at lisaleonardonline.com today and tomorrow. Just enter code ‘TGIM’ at checkout. Enjoy!! xo

the weather finally cooled off again. it felt like summer for a good week or two. but we’ve had rain the last few days, which we desperately need. and it’s a good excuse to pull out my boots again.

see you tomorrow for something fun!! happy sunday.

the boys are feeling better today so we decided to venture out for lunch. on the way there they both fell asleep in the car (this after 14 hours of sleep last night). i began to wonder if our outing might be over-doing it.

but they both woke up and ate a good lunch at chili’s. steve and i shared fajitas–yum! david tried to fight us for the check, but we insisted on treating him.

by the end they perked up quite a bit and daddy had a couple of monkeys hanging on while we made our way to the car.

felt good to get out after being cooped up for a week. feels good to be getting healthy. hope your weekend is restful and fun!!

well after two doctor visits, david has bronchitis and matty has strep throat. it think it was awfully thoughtful of them to coordinate their illnesses for the same week! so we are taking it easy and stocking up on antibotics and taking lots of naps. not so bad really. i’ll be back soon with a fun post!!

david and i are sick with colds, and matty has a fever. yesterday, matty slept on the couch for a few hours and then under the coffee table for a while–but kept insisting he was fine. my mother’s intuition told me differently! so today we are taking it easy at home. it’s actually a welcome change from the daily rush. i’m soaking it up. have a great tuesday!!

we had so much fun! the highlight was a jedi master (aka daddy) who arrived to give a jedi demonstration and taught the kids how to handle a lightsaber. amazingly, no one got bonked on the head! we cut pillowcases up the middle to tie around the kids as a ‘padawan tunic’. pizza, cupcakes, presents and running around with friends made for a great day. happy birthday matty!

he turned 5 today. that’s just crazy. yesterday we made cupcakes and brought them to school. he polished off the leftovers in the car on the way home. (which i didn’t realize until we were a couple blocks from home–oh well!) saturday we’ll have a star wars party with pics to follow. happy birthday matty! i love you so, so much.

Thought you guys should know what an encouragement you are…

Hi, I’m Traci in Virginia (Traci Wren), one of your necklace winners. Thank you so much for making me a necklace. I cannot begin to tell you how moved I am by your generosity and the comments left by the readers of your blog. In the midst of all that has happened, I am taking a final class to receive my teaching license in VA through the University of Va. I was working (struggling) on a paper this weekend when my sister told me to read the comments on your blog. I was blown away. It is so amazing to see the power of the internet and strangers express such kindness to one another. Reading the comments, I was a mess–but I appreciated each and every one.
Before my husband passed away he told me to make a list of a few things I would want for my birthday and Christmas. (My birthday is 4 days after he passed–I turned 40). One of your necklaces was on the list. I bought it for myself and there is an initial for myself, my husband and my two children. I wear it everyday and have received so many compliments and inquiries.
Thank you again your kindness. I will think of my sweet husband everytime I wear it.

Matthias Fisher Leonard, age 4

thank you, thank you for your recipe ideas! i am so inspired. tonight we are having white chili for dinner–recipe courtesy of Heather. Here’s the scoop…

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

No kidding, this recipe is dump and heat, so it takes no more than 5 minutes! and it’s oh.so.good
In a large pot, empty:
a 48 oz. jar of Great Northern Beans-undrained (I use Randall brand),
1 jar of salsa (your favorite brand),
4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese;shredded,
chicken (I use 2 cans of chicken breast, drained, and break up the chunks with my fingers) or you can use some pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded.

Heat all ingredients over medium-high heat until cheese is melted completely. I never thin this out because it’s a great consistency as is, but you can always add a bit of water or broth if you’d like it thinner.
I serve with green onions and sour cream as condiments and also love to scoop this up with fritos!

I’ll let you know what the family thinks!

And winners for the kisses and hugs necklace!! I loved reading your comments. I seriously wish I could give each of you a necklace. I think we all agree, Traci in Virginia deserves a kiss and hug. So Traci, send me your address and we’ll get your necklace out. The other two winners were randomly chosen at random.org

Drum roll, please!!

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-01-12 00:33:43 UTC

And those numbers translate to…

Katherine who said
I need a kiss and hug to cheer me up. I’m just having one of those off weeks, know what I mean?

and Alicia Cornell who said
Sick kids, lots of extra laundry. But, I agree that my struggles are nothing compared to Traci in Virginia. Please give her one. And Traci, if you’re reading, my prayers are with you.
Blessings
Alicia

Yay winners! Send me your address and we’ll get your necklaces in the mail! Happy Monday!!

i’m trying to get better about taking a weekend and working less. I need to let my brain rest. This weekend I had two bridal showers and one great date. I also managed to squeeze in some chocolate chip pancakes, a couple loads of laundry and a few great conversations. So refreshing!!

These pics are of our sweet friend, Ashlynn learning to skate. Monday I’ll post the winners for the ‘Hugs & Kisses Necklace’. Hope you’re taking time to enjoy yourself!!

Now that the holidays are over, I need to start making regular dinners again. Steve was willing to eat takeout in December, but the man needs some good home cooking now! Matty’s offered to help, but most of the ingredients are plastic (it’s just as filling!). So I’m looking for some easy recipes. Emphasis on the easy!!

toast with jam. cool air. bright sun. warm scarf. giggling boys. puzzles on the floor. keyboard solos. avoiding dirty dishes. creating something beautiful instead.

what does your wednesday look like??