Peek-a-Boo

Pizza Friday at Jessica and Paul's home. 

Noel, in his yellow slicker, playing peek-a-boo with Joseph.

Katie, watching Noel and Joseph.

Easter

                                      Easter  Bread

We were blest to have the four grandchildren and their parents over to celebrate Easter.  It was a wonderful day!

                                   Joseph, Clara, Noel and Patrick with Uncle Tristan.


Joseph and Noel (Nonna, too), love gnocchi. 

 Brendan and Nonna made homemade gnocchi, which is both a messy and some what dangerous chore.  (Recipe is here
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gnocchi-101335

 The main ingredients are  hot, riced potatoes and flour.  First, you risk getting burned removing the skin from the still, hot potatoes.  Then the muscles in your arm get a good workout  ricing said hot potatoes (which tend to fly out of the ricer and land on your skin). 

 After all the ricing, you get to Nonna's favorite ingredient....flour.  (note the sarcasm, here). 

 Nonna and flour are a dangerous combination. (kind of like Nonna and glitter).  We already had flour in every corner of the kitchen, due to Nonna making  the Easter bread pictured at the very top of this post.   Making the gnocchi just pushed Nonna over the limit in the flour department.  Kneading warm, sticking potatoes and flour...well it is a tactile experience everyone should experience. 

 After the dough is well-kneaded, you break off a small hunk and use your hands to work it into a snake or rope shape. 

 You cut little pieces off of your snake, 

and give them a push down the gnocchi board (which give the gnocchi fancy lines). 

 If you don't own an gnocchi board, than you can use a fork or create gnocchi without pretty little lines  on them. 

 All the while you are rolling, shaping and making pretty lines, you  pray that the whole lot of gnocchi don't disolve into a globby mess when you are cooking them in a pot of boiling water. 

This is another great opportunity to get burned.  as you cook and remove a few gnocchi at a time, while standing over the pot of boiling water, fishing them out with a ladle or spider utensil.


All in all, it is a good amount of work, the product of which is gobbled up in thirty seconds. That is ok, though, as Nonna loves seeing The Littles eating their favorite food.



I leave you with a photo of Clara in her Easter dress, and a few photos of Easter decorations.

                              Clara, six-months old

 

St. Patrick's Decorations

Nonna and Clara

                                                              

We are having a grand day today.  Here are some photos of our decorations. 

Photos of Patrick

Here are some photos of Patrick, our newest little.  I am in love with him already.

          Patrick with his daddy (my son Brendan). 

Dolly Day!

Today is Dolly Day Friday in blogland.  You can find the Dolly Day button to the right.  If you click on it, you will be taken to Little Jenny Wren's blog, who is the hostess for Dolly Day.

Today, I wanted to show some photos of my floppy or rag dolls.  The first photos are of Raggedy Ann and Andy.  These dolls are about 35 years old and well loved.  A cousin made them for my daughter, Katie. They are 18 inch dolls.

 I love the fact that the doll maker embroidered the trademark heart on the inside of the dolls.

The other rag doll that I have is Madeline, the French little one featured in many books.  Madeline is dressed in her summer outfit, not the traditional school girl uniform and hat. 

She has rosebuds on her little shoes, but I couldn't get a clear photo of them.

Next week, is St. Paddy's Day.  I hope to showcase one of  the dolls we bought from Jenny Wren, in her St. Paddy's outft.   Bye for now.

Photos of Patrick

We just got back from meeting Patrick, who is barely one day old.  Big brother Joseph was there, too.  Here are a few photos from our visit.

                                             Patrick and Nonna   
                                        

                                   
                                     Alana (Mom) and big brother, Joseph.

                                             

Patrick Allen

Patrick Allen has arrived.  8 lbs. 2 ozs.
This nonna is ecstatic.  We get to see him tomorrow morning.  I will take photos, for sure.