Eileen Bakes :-)

I don't have any good/meaningful/insightful/inspirational songs to show you all. When I need therapy, I bake things. Last night over a glass of mediocre red wine (it's hit or miss at TJ's), I made pumpkin-oatmeal-raisin-chocolate-chip cookies. Sounds delicious right? KIND OF! I accidentally added double the amount of pumpkin (thanks a lot, wine), and forgot one of the cups of sugar, so they're not the BEST things I've ever made, but they're also not the worst :).

I also made a big batch of mom's burritos and got homesick. It's a good thing I didn't make rice-mess as well, otherwise I would have been a complete basket case!

Burritos
4 diced onions
4 cloves garlic
4 cups diced canned tomatoes
3(ish) lbs. ground beef or turkey
4 (ish) cans of black beans, drained
1/4 cup (ish) taco seasoning (3 packets maybe?- season to taste)
2 jalepenos, finely diced
tortillas
sprinkle cheese

Brown the meat- as it begins to cook add onions and garlic to saute. Add salt & pepper to taste. Once meat is cooked through, toss in the tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning and jalepenos. Simmer for about a half hour. Put a spoonful of filling into each tortilla with a sprinkle of cheese and roll up into little burritos. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!


Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Raisin-Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins

Cream together the sugar/butter/egg/vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients and slowly add to the wet ingredients. Mix in the pumpkin, raisins and chocolate chips. Drop in 2Tbs heaps onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10ish minutes.

The cookies WILL come out delicious if you obey and only put in ONE cup of pumpkin, and also don't forgot to put in 1 cup of brown sugar AND 1 cup of white sugar.

Happy Fall!

Lisa has a good songs too!

So if meghan gets to include her favorite song of the week, so do I. Cause I love this singer.

Her name is Ingrid Michaelson and she got noticed on MySpace by the Greys Anatomy Soundtrack people, and her first single "Keep Breathing" was on the season 3 soundtrack I believe.

Anyway, this song is off her newest album, called "Everybody" and its really cute.





Everybody

We have fallen down again tonight
in this world, its hard to get it right
trying to make your heart feel like a glove
what it needs is love, love, love

Everybody (everybody) wants to love
Everybody (everybody) wants to be loved
Love, oh, oh
Everybody (everybody) wants to love
Everybody (everybody) wants to be loved
Love, oh, oh

Happy is the heart that still feels pain
darkness drains and light will come again
swing open up your chest and let it in
just let the love love love begin

Everybody (everybody) wants to love
Everybody (everybody) wants to be loved
Love, oh, oh
Everybody (everybody) wants to love
Everybody (everybody) wants to be loved
Love, oh, oh

Oh everybody knows the love
everybody holds the love
everybody folds for love
Everybody feels the love
everybody steals the love
everybody heals with love :)

Just let the love, love, love begin

Everybody (everybody) wants to love
Everybody (everybody) wants to be loved
Love, oh oh
Love
just let the love love love begin

--Ingrid Michaelson

RUNNNNNNNNINGGGGGGG

Well, I ran my second marathon this weekend....the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. And Eileen ran her FIRST in Maine 2 weeks ago! Meghan has been running Half-Marathons like a champ and totally beasted her last one, ALMOST broke 2 hours!! WOOOO!!
Our next race all together is going to be the Newport Pie Run on Thanksgiving Day up in Rhode Island. Team Mimi will be sporting new team shirts and running skirts. We WILL run for pie (and wine....)
Someday maybe Lisa will run with us!!!


Newport Beach Half Marathon in January 2008, the last one we all ran together...


Brian, Kate and Dan before MCM 2009.

Steph, the best cheerleader ever!!

Kate and friend Gary and Brandon before Marine Corps Marathon 2009.

My Husband wrote a song about me...

Micheal Buble Always knows what to say....

I'm not surprised
Not everything lasts
Have broken my heart so many times
I stop keepin track.
Talk myself in
I talk myself out
I get all worked up
Than i let myself down.

I tried so very hard not to loose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought i thought of every possibility

And i now someday that it'll all turn out
You make me work so we can work to work it out
And i promise you ?kid? that I'll give so much more than i get
I just haven't met you yet

Mmmmm ....

I might have to wait
I'll never give up
I guess it's half time
And the other's half's luck
Wherever you are
Whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

I know that we can be so amazing
And baby your love is gonna change me
And now i can see every possibility

Hmmmmm ......

And somehow i know that will all turn out
And you make me work so we can work to work it out
And i promise you kid I'll give so much more than i get
I just haven't met you yet

They say alls fair
in love and war
But i don't need to fight it
?????????fied it
we'll be united

And i know that we can be so amazing
And ?peal? in your life is gonna change me
And now i can see every single possibility

Hmmm .....

And someday i know it'll all turn out
And I;ll work to work it out
Promise you kid I'll give more than I get
Than i get than i get han i get

Oh you know that will all turn out
And you make me work so we can work to work it out
And i promise you kid to give so much more than i get
Yeah i just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet
Oh promise you kid
To give so much more than i get

I said love love love love love love love .....
I just haven't met you yet
Love love love .....
I just haven't met you yet

Best For last....

I made you all wait this long...Now I feel this pressure, to write something profound. Well If I'm going to make it through this I'm going to have to make a numbered list. Maybe even an outline. I'm teaching my students paragraphs, but I myself can't stay on track long enough to complete a paragraph...

1. My name is Meghan.
A. Why are we introducing ourselves?
B. Who is reading this?
C. Isn't it just going to be us chatting with each other?
2. I'm a 3rd teacher in Kansas City.

A. Not a pilot
B. Not a doctor of people's feelings and ages.
C. Not a tap dancing drama queen aesthetics chair.
3. Unfortunately I'm the one left behind in KC.
A. I just can't get out.
B. Mom likes me.
1. I get yummy meals a lot.
2. It's nice to see her, she's lonely.
C. Hopefully I'll get out of here soon. I'm getting stir crazy.
4. Hobbies
A. Clearly I don't do many things that require time spent at a computer.
B. Dreaming about time spent with sisters.
C. Running.
D. Coffee with Friends.
E. Spending quality time with people that mean the most.

So that's all that I could conjure up during this fifteen minutes on my plan time. Love to all.
Life is Good, God is better and I love when we can see all the blessings in our life each day. Look around...I bet you'll find them too!

Eileen's First!

Hello, I am finally making my first post!

This is sister #2 (aka Eileen). Since Meghan is the last to post, I am stealing her love for number lists as I tell you a little about myself:

1) I live near Boston, MA (in Waltham to be exact, which is about 10 miles westof the city)

2) I just got married (in August, more on that later), and my new last name is Graham (and my husband's name is Matt)



3) For lack of a direction post-college-graduation, I decided to go to graduate school, and am now in my 5th year in a Ph.D program for Social/Developmental Psychology.

4) With any luck I'll be graduating in May 2010 (with a little less luck it will be August)

5) Among my favorite things to do are: snowboarding, wine-tasting, SINGING, playing the piano, running, baking new things (the current fall weather is causing me to produce many apple-inspired delicacies), traveling, and spending time with my fabulous family!

Lisa's First

I'm doing this instead of writing my paper for Expos.
On that note, I'm a sophomore at Kansas State university majoring in Theatre Performance and Minoring in Voice.
I'm hoping to someday work in theatre performing or directing, but recently i've been really interested in independent filmmaking.

My hobbies include the KSU Tap Dance Ensemble, being a barista at caribou coffee, and doing things at my sorority, Sigma Kappa. I'm hoping to this semester get elected to an executive office a serve for the full year, but who knows how my schedule will play out.

I'm not as interesting as katie, so I don't have anything to say...she should have gone last!
I had the best summer of my life this past one (2009) because I got to spend the first half working in my first professional theatre, and then I came home to my mom and sister with my two favorite coyne cousins, Mary and Joe. We had a great summer!!

Kate's First

Kate, a 2002 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, is currently living in Annapolis and working back at the Naval Academy! She is a Naval Flight Officer in the E-2C Hawkeye and while stationed in Point Mugu, CA she completed 3 deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Absolute FAVORITES include: Singing, fall weather (especially in Rhode Island!), skiing, the Red Sox, and FOOTBALL SEASON. GO NAVY!! GO CHIEFS!