Back to Work

Well, February break is officially over and I'm not too sad about it.  Felt good to be back at work today; especially nice to see my good friend and colleague back at the desk beside me as she returned from her maternity leave.  The kids had a special performace today too, from Johnny the"K", so it wasn't too bad.  I had a little extra time since I missed my first graders.  And,  I got a lot of nice compliments on my new hair.  Made for a good morning.

This past week I decided it would be fun to bake and decorate some sugar cookies.  Well, I refrigerated the dough, and boy was it hard to work with when I finally got around to it.  It was so crumbly that I basically had to repair the dough chunk by chunk.  Took me ages to roll it out!  And then, it took ages for me to ice them!  This was my third time messing around with royal icing and I feel like I finally have the consistency down! It was fun and relaxing once I got going.  I just didn't realize how LONG it would take.  I guess it got faster as I got better.  But I feel bad eating them! Took me so long, they should be on display in a museum!  They are good though. And I'm dying for spring to get here.

Piped edges!

Flooding!

Not bad!

So tonight I'm cooking Baked Rigatoni with Spinach, Ricotta and Fontina.  Here's the recipe if you feel like something quick and easy!

1 lb. rigatoni

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed

2 cups ricotta

5 tablespoons grated parmesan

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

6 oz. fontina, grated

1.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Oil a 9x13 baking dish.  

2.  In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni about 12 mins.  Drain.  Place pasta in prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.  

3.  Squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach.  Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of parmesan, the nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Stir in half the fontina.

4.  Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta.  Top with the remaining fontina and parmesan.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the top.  Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  

Serve with a delicately flavored white wine and YUM.  There ya have it.

And the Gift Certificate Goes to...

Lucky # 3!  Enjoy shopping at CSN Stores!


julep@comcast.net "I deserve this gift certificate because i am in the process of doing over my kitchen after 43 yrs of marriage and could use some new things for it. I saw some really nice spice racks that would work fine for me and a couple key racks that i sure could use."


Congrats Judy!  I will send you an email with your gift certificate code!  Thanks for playing, everyone!

More Cars?

Some of Aidan's cars

Let's face it, little Aidan has an obsession with cars.  He is your typical little two-year-old little boy, who lays down on the floor with a Matchbox or Hot Wheels in hand, watching every little move of those tiny wheels. And just like when his daddy was a small boy, Aidan can recognize most makes on the road.  "There's a Chevy, Mommy!"  We get that one quite a bit!

Another thing Aidan loves to do, is watch YouTube videos.  Some of his favorite searches are "car crash", "car in the mud," "car in the water," "monster trucks" etc. When snuggled up with Grandad watching YouTube videos, they love to yell out, "Ohhhhhhh, that's gotta hurt!"  It's pretty funny.  They go as far as naming the various people in the videos, pretending it's Mommy, Aunty Kathy, cousins Liam, Tommy, etc.  I guess that makes it more fun?!

YouTubing

Well, look what those two found on the YouTube last weekend, while surfing together in the big chair in Tiverton.  Two of Aidan's favorites.....the Disney CARS movie and new toys from CARS 2, which I didn't even know is coming out this summer!  HELLO?  Where have I been?  The movie looks awesome enough for it to be Aidan's first trip to the theater! Thank goodness for clueing us in, Toy Fair 2011. All these new toys will be out just in time for Aidan's 3rd birthday!  We really don't have enough toy cars in this house.  We'll certainly be needing a Finn McMissile.

A Year in the Traverse

Annie's Traverse in the showroom at Muzi!

Annie on the go!

Magic Beans helps us prepare for Disney!

Disney World, Here We Come!

My Traverse in FL!

So March 3rd, 2011 marks my one year ChevyTraversary!  I've been so lucky to take part in so many wonderful and exciting adventures in my Chevy Traverse!  My LTZ has already hit 14 states and I'd like to say thank you to my New England Chevy Dealers and my dear friend, Randy Altman; because without them, I'd still be driving a crappy import!  The Traverse has been amazing in this crazy New England winter and Chris and I both can't get over how well it handled in all the snow.  The Traverse is perfect for our family.  It is such a comfortable ride-in particular, those seats!  I love the length of the seats for my long legs and Chris loves the headrest-says it's actually in the perfect spot and he uses it all the time.  And did I ever mention the heated seats, as well as the air conditioned seats!?  Best seats ever. The leather remains in perfect condition and I just love the entire interior of the car. Bluetooth and OnStar have been life changing this past year.  Don't know what I'd do without those fancy features because I use them every single day and I'm a better and safer driver because of them!

Mommy and Owen chillin' in those comfy seats!

Snow-covered in Tiverton, R.I.

It's been an amazing year and I'm looking forward to another great year in my Chevy.  We're already contemplating a beach trip to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina in April...If you haven't already, please stay tuned at Annie's Traverse Travels to hear about our next big announcement, which will also be aired during the Academy Awards on February 27th on ABC.  It's so much fun to be able to share all these exciting opportunities with all of you.  I think I'll celebrate by taking the Traverse for a full-on detail!

Out of the Funk

My darling husband was a dote today, deciding to work from home so that I could get out of the house for some ME hours.  Got the hair did, had one eyebrow made into two, Aidan took a 4 hour nap (FEELING BETTER NOW!!) and then we all went out for an early dinner.  Home by 6:45pm with the bigger kids in bed and asleep by 7:15pm.  I feel human again.

What's Not to Love?

The New 'Do

Things That Make Me Happy This Week

Owen and Grandma

1.  I'm on vacation all week!

2.  Restful visits to Tiverton, RI involving Grandma's yummy cooking and Grandad's yummy wine.

3.  Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice NO PULP!  I really can't live without it.  And if it is EVER missing from my fridge in the morning, then fahgetabout it!

4.  Edamame

5.  My 2.7 year old is OUT OF DIAPERS!!!!  And we are loving the Toy Story Pull-Ups at bedtime!  "DO THE, bum, bum, POTTY DANCE!"

6.  The Boon Squirt!  Every mom needs one of these thingies.  I love mine!

7.  Reality T.V.  (Emily and Brad 4-Eva!)

8.  No one is puking or Devlining.  Just Go With It.  Still can't stop laughing out loud about that one.  Glad it wasn't referred to as a Stow!  Did I mention, I went to the MOVIES yesterday?

9.  Bedtime.  I love my bed.  Sleep.  I'm always grateful for sleep in my bed.

10.  The Snotsucker, by NoseFrida.  Say whaaaat?  You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.  Well, you can now!  You can even suck out their boogers with this nifty thing, which came recommended by many of my mommy friends.  LOVE IT!!!!

Doodle Bugs Around We Go Activity Center (Bright Starts)

Last week, we got a special delivery from Bright Starts!  They are letting Owen try out the Doodle Bugs Around We Go Activity Center, and boy, is it a big hit in this house.  He's not the only one who's loving it!

First off, guess who put it together?  Yup, that's right, ME!  One afternoon last week, Emily and Aidan helped me sort out the toy parts while Mommy put it together. Super easy instructions and it only took me about 40 minutes!   Now, if I had let Daddy do it, he'd probably get it done in 20!

We are loving the movable seat on the outside of the activity table.  Owen is able to move all the way around on his own already at 7 months!  He particularly LOVES the piano, as does Emily, especially when it's in song mode!  He is super comfortable in there and I think it's his new favorite place to be!  And when he starts walking, we can remove the seat, and Owen will still be able to enjoy the stand alone activity table!  Thank you so much, Bright Starts!

To Infinity AND Beyond!

Wow, what an amazing night we had at TD Garden!  It was opening night of Disney Pixar's Toy Story 3 On Ice!  We were kindly invited by Disney to attend a VIP Social Media Mixer!  Say what!?  What a nice surprise that was to see in my inbox a few weeks ago!

That infamous "pukebug" wouldn't stop the Stow party of 5...no siree!  Although Emily was still in recovery mode and we did pack a handy dandy barf bag, the show went on!  And we were all there, about 15 lbs. lighter!

The show must go on!

Unfortunately, my Chevy Traverse couldn't plow through the Boston traffic on 93 fast enough.  We missed the character meet and greet because it took us 2 hours to get in town and pick up Daddy.  But we made it!  Here I am VIPing and mixing it!

Boston bloggers with diva host - Laura Spencer - Disney's Social Media Manager

This was little Owen's 2nd time at a Disney on Ice show at the tender age of 7 months.  The kid gets around.

Can you spot Owen?

We had such an awesome time.  Toy Story 3 will captivate all the littles of Boston this week.  Couldn't get over the look in Aidan's eyes.  They never left the ice!

"This is great."

Pre-show shmoozing!

Sir, Yes Sir! (Mommy's favorite part!)

You've Got A Friend In Me!

Toys!

"Hey, I can dream, can't I?"

"Thanks, Mom!"

Thank you Disney On Ice!

Thanks to all who entered the contest to win tickets!  I can't wait to hear how the Rippberger family enjoyed the show!  If you are still looking to buy tickets, don’t forget to use the mentioned coupon code, MOMTOY at Ticketmaster!  

Another Giveaway!

Sometimes, I think I might need a personal secretary.  For example, maybe if I had a secretary sitting at an L shaped desk in our foyer, I wouldn't be forgetting about Kindergarten applications that are due tomorrow at the local charter school to be considered for their lottery.  Why would I be interested in the all day K program at the local charter school, instead of our wonderful public school in town?  Because it will save us $2850.  That's a lot of money to put toward a vacation in North Carolina.

Now, to the giveaway.  I was contacted today by CSN stores, asking me if I'd like to host a giveaway for a $40 gift certificate for one lucky reader here at Stowed Stuff.  When you check out their website, you will see that CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can purchase everything from cute cookware to chic lighting!  I went straight to baby and kids to see what was there.  I'm such a sucker.

Maybe you'd like this Parking Garage Playset by ALEX Toys:

or this adorable red skillet by Le Creuset:

Or this cute Dog Bed for the furry one in your life:

So many things to choose from, it's pretty ridiculous!

So here is what you have to do to be in the running for the $40 gift certificate-

1. Follow my blog, by clicking the "FOLLOW" tab.
2. Leave a comment here with your email address telling me why you deserve the gift certificate.
3. You must be a resident of Canada or the U.S.
4. Please, one comment per person.
5. Contest will end at 11:59pm (Eastern time) on February 27, 2011.

Winner will be chosen using random.org and posted here on February 28, 2011. Good Luck!!!

The All New Chevy Cruze

Be sure to stop in at your local New England Chevy Dealer for your chance to win the all new 2011 Chevy Cruze. The winner will be drawn on February 21st at 6pm. I LOVE THIS! Real time facebook status updates from the driver's seat!

Comment here if you took the test drive!  

And the Winner Is...

Thank you all so much for entering my giveaway!!!  It has been a fun week!  I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm!

Using random.org, we entered our range and it came up with a perfect little number for Annie Stow, it being my birthday and all!  Lucky #9 in my spreadsheet!  (Make sure you contact me in the next 24 hours so I can get the information to you, you lucky thing!)

The Rippberger Family said...

My son is obsessed with Toy Story- carries his Buzz and Woody dolls everywhere and would LOVE to see this! Thanks for the chance!

Congratulations to the Ribbberger family!  I really hope you have a fantastic time at the show and hope you can come back here to tell us all about it!  And be sure to become a fan of Annie's Traverse Travels on facebook if you haven't already!  So much more fun in store for everyone!!

Don't forget about the awesome coupon code MOMTOY when you order your tickets through ticketmaster!  Thanks for playing everyone!

Now, back to my regularly scheduled birthday!

Toy Story 3 On Ice Contest!

Anyone else have a toddler who is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear?  I do.  We're headed to Boston to see Toy Story 3 Disney On Ice at TD Garden on opening night, Friday, February 18th.  What a great way to kick off February vacation!  Would you like a chance to win tickets?  Here's how-

You can enter between February 3rd and February 9th (up until 5pm) to win your very own Family 4 Pack for opening night.  You will get one entry by leaving a comment below telling me your favorite Toy Story 3 character.

You'll get an extra entry for doing each of the following:

1.  Leave a comment on Annie's Traverse Travels underneath the Toy Story 3 poster. 

2.  Write about and link to this contest on your own blog and mention your post on Annie's Traverse Travels on Facebook.

3.  Write about the chance to win these Disney on Ice tickets on your Facebook page (using "@AnniesTraverseTravels").

I will announce the winner on  the evening of my birthday, February 9th, here on the blog and on Annie's Traverse Travels on Facebook.  Good luck and spread the word to all your friends.  Blog, share, and tweet away!

If you'd like to order discounted tickets through Ticketmaster, then checkout the information below:

4 TICKETS FOR $60!

OFFER VALID ON $20 AND $25 TICKETS

AT THE FOLLOWING VACATION WEEK PERFORMANCES:

Fri. FEB. 18 - 7:00 PM

Sat. FEB. 19 – 7:00PM

Sun. FEB. 20 – 12:00PM & 4:00PM

Mon. FEB. 21 – 11:00AM & 3:00PM

(Excludes Rinkside, VIP and Club seats. No double discounts. Cannot be used for prior purchases or group sales orders. Service charges, handling and facility fees may apply. Please note that prices reflected on Ticketmaster.com INCLUDE service charges and facility fees. Select “Price Details” on the purchase page to confirm discount price.)

CLICK HERE

Step 1: Choose your performance

Step 2: Under Advance or Promotion Ticket Selection, choose either $25 or $20 price level

Step 3: Enter code MOMTOY