The LaMay Bakery

Double Eff!

2012-02-10T10:39:00.000-06:00

Know why it's not Triple Eff? Because I keep forgetting about the fashion part of things so I haven't been taking pictures. Know what else? I discovered I'm not addicted to skirts+leggings+tall boots. Although, I do love them it's not the only thing I wear. SWEAR. It's just that I don't think jeans are that cute so when I wear them, quite often in the brisk winter of Colorado, it doesn't cross my mind to photograph such a moment. {sarcasm}

Another knowledge ball to drop on you: Remember that episode of Army Wives a LONG time ago when Pamela moved into the new, big house (before her and Chase split up?) Well, Roxy goes over and is all, "Oh my GAHH, matching dinnerware!!"

Is an eclectic collection of dishes a sign of poverty, or something? Because I prefer it that way. If I'm picking up things at Walmart, or Tarjay, I'll pick up a cute dinner plate, or cereal bowl. I like that none of my stuff matches. I thought you'd like to know...

Anyway, you foodies, sooo much food in this post. SO. MUCH.

I picked up a gorgeous pound of green beans and found the most fabulous recipe from The Pioneer Woman. If anything, you should add these as a side dish to your dinner because the aroma produced is so good I'd buy it in a candle. Fact.

Delish green beans

I paired the green beans with pasta with alfredo sauce (it's in the recipes list! Pee to the Ess, make this and you'll NEVER go back to jarred sauce). This is probably one of the most delicious meals. EVER.

I've talked a lot about apple butter, but I don't think I've ever actually shown you guys how I make it. It's a bit of a process, and nerve wracking if you're canning (sealing for longevity) it for the first time, but once you've done it you're golden :-) Under the recipes tab, dolls!

I'm not one to buy things if I'm able to accomplish them on my own. But, Gary really suggested I get an apple corer/peeler since apple butter is now a regular staple in our house. I recommend the crap out of this! It was only $15, so I was able to justify it ;-)

I also thoroughly enjoy my stainless steel stockpots! I got them, as a pair, for $30 at our PX a lightyear ago. Not only do they withstand use extremely well, you don't have to spend any appendages to get them!

I did forget to add the picture of this, but after the apples have done the boiling step, I rested a food mill on top of my other stockpot and ran the apple mixture, one ladle at a time, through that.

This time I opted to make caramel apple butter (under the Recipes tab I made a note of how to switch it from regular apple butter to caramel :-) ). Gary said it sounded too good to pass up!

You can get packs of mason jars, which have sooo many uses, at most grocery stores. I got a back of 12 for $11ish.

You can also pick up a canning kit, which includes this carrier thing. I know, I'm super precise. I don't know that there's a way around getting a canning kit, but I also haven't heavily considered it. I'm a very if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it type person :-)

You spend a couple hours doing the apple butter and canning and, for us, it lasts 2-3 months! The caramel apple butter is an enormo hit with my boys, but I have the tiniest preference toward regular apple butter; I feel like it has a lighter, more subtle, taste. But, I'd recommend either to a friend! And, now you can have a spread for sandwiches (or use it on waffles, biscuits, english muffins, a spoon...) that you know is healthy because you know every ingredient in it!

Baked Risotto with Asparagus, Spinach, and Parmesan

I grew up with 4 males in the house, so I grew up a meat and potatoes type girl. So, that's what I tend to cook. But, I bought this great cookbook that has a meatless section, so I try to cook from that a couple times a month to mix things up and to keep things, literally and figuratively, fresh.

Remember last week how I mentioned I found a great bulk store? Well, this recipe requires a cup of Arborio (risotto) rice, so I was able to get exactly what I needed AND it was organic. So, I was pretty happy about that :-)

I didn't have the correct ingredients to make my own bread, so I asked Gary to pick up some French bread to make garlic bread. But, I did make my own garlic spread. You guys, butter + garlic powder. That's it. Mix it up to your liking. BOOM.

Chicken Cacciatorre

I'll be adding this to the Recipes tab later today....swearsies. But, I'm trying to wrap this up to head out for a Tarjay date with an amiga, so I don't have time now!

My new crock pot! You don't, in my very humble opinion, need some fancy kitchen gadgets to make good meals. I got this at Walmart for $25 and it's bigger than my last one, hence the upgrade.

I served it atop pasta and it was TO. DIE. The kitchen smelled like I was from Italy all day. The boys couldn't get enough.

Tortillas

I needed tortillas for the chalupa recipe you'll see in a sec, but I had none. It felt like just another thing to add to my list, so I decided to see if I was able to make it myself. I was! They don't look perfect, but who cares? It's not like your belly has eyeballs.

Chalupas!

Not the ones you're envisioning.

Again, soon to come to the Recipes tab. Like, this afternoon, for those who need to make this sometime this weekend!

I always, ALWAYS add more cheese to dishes like this. Nothing has to be specific. Have fun with it. Anyway, I add more cheese because I come from a long line of cheese lovers. It's a genetic compulsion.

Vermicelli Pasta with Sausage

I've put this in the blog before, but I made it again in my new, totally Pioneerish Dutch Oven! I. was. pumped.

See how simple I am? Also? Either $30 or $40 at jcp.com.

Slow Cooker Casserole

This is THEE. PERFECT. cold weather meal. Nice and filling :-)

Again, I suck. It'll be up this afternoon!

It requires frozen vegetables. I'm not the hugest fan of canned or frozen veggies (not that I have anything against them). I just prefer everything be fresh.

OK, guys. Running off to get dressed and dash out the door! A lot of people have been asking how I fed J when he was a mini and how I made his baby food. Next week, loves! Plus all the Valentines treats I'm planning!

Deuces!

I'm going to miss days like this

2012-02-08T11:15:00.011-06:00

With all this moving 1,100 miles, getting situated, and the holidays we, inadvertently, pushed the possibility of a 4th deployment to the back-burner and focused on the changes that were right in front of us. Now, deployment isn't very far off and it's making me realize that we're at that place again.

The one where we make our Pre-Deployment Bucket List and give an extra hug everyday; the one where we slip in an extra 'I love you' and give that knowing look of, 'let's find our big-girl (& guy) undies'.

But, it's all part of the SOP for us and I'm sure the time will go by fast :-)

But, it makes these kind of Sunday mornings all the more meaningful:

I absolutely adore being able to look over at this hunk of handsome man while I cut my coupons. And, then look to my immediate right and see my favorite little man coloring me up some masterpieces.

And, then we can build forts and wear out daddy :-)

Deployment #4 here we come: Challenge Accepted.

Look, ma, a real boy!

2012-02-08T10:39:00.009-06:00

After last week's straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back-tear-fest-extravaganza, I was beyond elated the next morning when, picking up from his crib in the morning, smiled that smile where I knew we were headed right back on track.

But, it didn't mean I didn't stop imagining him as The Exorcist.

We (me and the hubster) spent the next few days mentally preparing for a throw-down with the boy at any moment, yet acting as normally as possible on the outside. So, I went on my usual solo Saturday morning outing (and got $130ish worth of stuff at Old Navy for $37...HOLLA!), came back and was that much closer to realizing our tough couple weeks were over and that we no longer had to anticipate massive implosion from the apple of our eye.

But, the day I really started liking him again (hey, you know the mantra: I'll always love you, but I don't have to like you...) was the following Monday when I took him to get his haircut.

We let his hair get a little longer because it looked uber cute on him, ~~and because it helped him have serious game with the Kindermusik chicks~~ , but it started getting to the point where it was looking pretty scraggly. I found a place specifically for kids and we headed right over.

Jake loved it from the get-go:

He put this truck down and, quite a few minutes later, another boy Jake's age came and tried to play with it so, naturally, Jake wanted it back. I said, "No, sir. We don't take things out of people's hands" He handed it right back, with a touch of sideeye for the other boy, and I almost cried. True Story.

This Jake's face when he's thinking, "Mama, I'm trying to smile, but I MUST. TOUCH. THE. SCISSORS."

Instantly, he's a 5 year old.

He did want to touch everything, but, otherwise, he handled everything like the complete champ I know my boy to be. It's not even his first hair-cutting experience, but at this age, where he wants to have his input in everything, I'm so proud that he went with the flow. So, we celebrated with his first-ever sucker and a date at Starbucks. Just what this mama needed :-) --->

(And yes, Uncle Kevin, he, voluntarily, stopped eating his chocolate chip cookie and opted for his milk instead....)

The home tour

2012-02-07T11:10:00.000-06:00

Finally, I get my shadoobie together, eh?? We've only lived here 4 months....

K, a couple things before we get down to it. We live in on-post housing. It's not big, it's not fancy. It's, as the numerous pieces of mail have pointed out, "for the convenience of the Army". That's just a douchetastic was of putting it, don't cha think??

Anyway, it's a littletiny space, for our littletiny family. It's intended to accommodate exactly what we need and nothing more. Thankfully, as an Army wife, I'm pretty rad at Tetris, so I figure out how to maximize things that can make us feel more like this is our home. Painting is out, for us, though. We have no idea how long we'll be here so I'm not going through the pain-in-the-tush ordeal of painting then having to paint it back. Ain't muh thang.

Secondly, I AM SO OVER OUR COUCHES. We've had them for pushing 5 years and I'm to the point where they make me want to punch a kitten. They limit the color palette, and thus my decorating capabilities, of our living room so much. And to think, when I first got the

m, while husband was deployed, everyone was pumped about them! Friends, fam', ME! But, ya know, they're still doing the job AND do not fall into the category of white-trash chic, so this mama's grateful :-)

So, between the small space and the less-than-desirable color scheme--I think we've still created something pretty homey, that doesn't make our guests run screaming into the other direction. Win!

So, here we go!

Kitchen:

I love, love, LOVE this accent in the kitchen! It's a wood cake stand, painted kelly green and, as you can see, holds our hand soap and lotion. It's little things like that that make my day!

KitchenAid stand mixer. BEST. THING. EVER.

This may seem a bit floopy to include pictures inside our cabinets, but these are soooo much roomier than our on-post housing's at Fort Campbell; the ones there were unbelievably shallow. So, YAY!

This is a view from the middle of our kitchen, and that door is to the basement. It's my big-girl-panties wall; with some prayers and inspirational words and "Love" in Chinese, it's a nice reminder :-)

Also? Recycle.

We recycle more than we just toss stuff so that's why it's out in the open. I should paint it, Transformers'-status or somethign...

Downstairs bathroom.

We're headed toward potty training, hence the potty!

The view of our livingroomdiningroom (because that's how compact it is!) from the front door.

View from the stairs. + some pine cone-Christmas décor on the coffee table (I may, or may not, have taken this picture at Christmastime...) :-)

One of the projects I had going while Gary was away training! Don't you love?? It's a typical bookcase, but I used contact paper on the back! It's usually advised to use wallpaper in a project like this, but I wasn't going to go through that headache! And, it's just so cute! I love how it's different without being overwhelmingly so.

It's nearest the front door, which is why you don't see it in the "aerial" pictures of the living room.

Probably the smartest thing EVER.

Here's the skinny: There was new carpet when we moved in. So, if there is the slightest thing wrong with it when we move out, they'll nickle and dime us TO DEATH. Fo' sho. I mean, I'm talking, charging like $1,500 should they find anything wrong with it. See? Douchetastic. So, we got those carpet protectors from Sam's Club and put one under J's seat. I still think I'm a genius for coming up with that plan! ;-)

Not sure if you could see if from the "aerial" view, but I framed the "L" for our last name with a frame bought from Etsy, and an 'L' from Michael's painted with bronze paint. Don't you love? Plus, it's a great way to compliment the couch-induced red in the living room. I strive to not look matchy-matchy!

The upstairs bathroom.

OH KAY, is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen, babies included?

Kidding.

Kinda.

I painted a hanging spice rack a deep blue, to match the shower curtain (because, IMHO, you need to match something so detailed at least a little!) and then added while polka dots, which didn't photograph well!

The boy's room!

His wall of art work :-)

For these, I just picked up some cheap, $5 frames at Walmart and painted them. I took the frames apart, though, because I wanted to be able to change up what's being framed the more he creates! He loves to color :-)

He LOVES numbers in a ridiculouscute kinda way, so I'm happy we get to practice counting with these all the time!

For the picture below, I picked up all these wall letters at Michaels, who would've guessed I'd be able to pick up all 26 at once?!, painted them, and hung them via mounting tape. That stuff can seriously hold! When I finished them and got them all hung my man, J-Bone, got the biggest kick out of them! I love how they add to his room!

Not to mention, the spectrum of decorating a boys room is significantly limited because, well, he's a boy, but also because this isn't our house! But, I still think we've done a lot with a little :-)

There are few things cuter than a monkey decal! Plusalso? They remove very easily!

This is our upstairs, hall closet. AGAIN. Literally twice as big as the one at Campbell.!

Family wall (it looks like it's just my tiny familia, but it's not!) between mine and J's room.

Where the magic happens....our room :-D

I knew I wanted to do our first initials next to our respective sides of the bed, but I needed it to be different. I had considered doing it whimsical and romantic, but, to me, that meant doing them in similar green colors to the rest of the room and I really didn't want it to look like I was obsessed with green! So, I didn't something a little different that pops, yet complements, in the room.

The door to the left of the clock is a big, awkward room. It's carpeted, with no indication that things should be hung inside. So, we turned it into my our shoe closet and office.

All the proof I have is of our shoes....sorry :-/ And, my hanging gym clothes.

The room is just awkward.

This is the room to the right of the clock. Again, a weird little space, so we hung a tension rod to make it Gary's military closet.

Gary got me this for last year's Mother's Day and I love it so, so much xo

Not really sure why I decided to include this pic at this point in the post, but here it is! This is the coat closet in the living room which also keeps some of Jake's toys. Grateful for any amount of space they'll give us!

And, finally, for the place I am sure I will catch my death: The Basement.

Basements are straight-up creep status.

At the time I took this picture, Santa had to drop the cardboard box off early ;-)

I'm no extreme couponer, but this is a stash I've built that works out quite nicely! It's literally like shopping in your house! Any time we need something we just run downstairs!

Left to right: hair spray, candles, 5 tubes toothpaste, a million bars of soap, probably 15 deodorants, 10ish hand sanitizers, contact solution, shave gel, razors.

12ish body lotions, 5 shampoos, 6-7 conditioners, J's body wash, Gary's shampoos.

Cheerios, 2 cans mac n cheese (there were a million cans when I first took the photo!), Healthy Choice soups, 2 dish soaps, 12 sponges.

Pasta, soda, juice, soda

I am wayyyy too excited about the folding station! Inside the cabinets I keep my laundry detergent and fabric softener and whatever else laundry-related. The little guy next to the dryer is our cloth diaper pail. You DO NOT want to keep something like that in your actual house!

J's play area while mama does laundry. Comes in pretty handy!

Although, I'm pretty sure I'll die here, I'm soo grateful for the space of the basement!

So, that's it, party people! That's the LaMay casa! And, the upside to not being able to do exactly what I want with the house is that it allows me to whittle down what I want the house we buy to look like. So, I'm pretty ecstatic about that! Either way, we've got a roof over our heads and that is something for which I'm so, so grateful.

I can't deal.

2012-02-02T13:24:00.003-06:00

For about the past week, Jake has been an unbelievable, quintessential two year old. And, today was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Even when he is constantly (read: CONSTANTLY) testing me and pushing me and battling me all. day. long., I always look forward to Kindermusik Thursdays. It's our, guaranteed, once-a-week date for me and the boy. It's where he and I go and dance our asses off for 45 minutes and then grab some lunch together. It always leaves me feeling so, so proud of him and empties my cup a little so that I don't implode.

Today was a shit sandwich.

A couple weeks ago he started doing this thing where, if told No or didn't get what he wanted, he'd swat the air to let us know he's mad and, beginning about a week ago, he started actually trying to slap us. Of course, this is squashed every single time. There's no way on God's green Earth I will ever raise a child that thinks that kind of behavior's acceptable. This is not my child. This is not who I've been raising.

I'm not really sure where he got that action from either. Obviously, it's not like Gary and I are rough with him. We verbalize what's wrong and what's right and never, ever reward bad behavior. I'm chocking it up to this year of two....which is seriously fucking up my day.

Anyway, so we're at Kindermusik and any passing breeze that doesn't suit his fancy, he's pissed. I take him out of the group for a few minutes, in our own little corner, and talk with him. He tries to slap me. Again and again and again. I, of course, am letting him know this is not acceptable. I'm giving him the stern mama voice and the look that ......that really means shit at this age. And, because why wouldn't this happen, some mom in the group is, like, watching as we go through this. I don't care where we are on planet Earth. If this kid of mine needs a talking to, he's going to get it. Disciplining will always take priority over the thoughts of those who may be watching.

We left there, I burst into tears, and cried all the way home. I just can't deal. Even thinking about all this now, my tears are coming. Needless to say, we didn't grab lunch.

Which brings me to next point, if you're going to judge someone's parenting, don't. Anyone who may judge the fact that I'm not letting my two year old become a tyrant---by talking to him and stopping inappropriate actions in their tracks---hasn't lived in this house the past couple weeks. They haven't plastered a smile on so they don't go batshitcrazy; They aren't at the end of their rope---which makes it so much easier to judge someone else when you feel fine; They haven't battled a toddler, with whom rationalization isn't a possibility, day in and day out. But, know what gets me the most? Although some get it, most people are not in my situation. They aren't a few months into living in a new area, with no solid friend base, with zero family around, and with a husband who can't just take a day off if need be. And, I don't really give a shit if it sounds like I'm saying 'woe is me'. I am wildly jealous of my friends who get to live near familiar surroundings. Is it their fault Gary and I are where we are? Absolutely not. Should they utilize the good aspects of their surroundings? Of course. It's just so completely difficult to feel like I'm on an island sometimes. I would, without hesitation, give my left arm to have my mom live ANYWHERE in the state of Colorado. I need a break.

A short time ago, I commented on a blog about sleep training and said that I showed Jake his crib at a month old. Again, I was without any family around, Gary was away training, and I had a one-month old I could not make happy. I was losing it because I, as a first time mom, thought I was doing wrong by him somehow, instead of just knowing that that's how it goes with a newborn sometimes. Someone commented after me and implied how horrible I was for doing so. I didn't want to look like an idiot for engaging someone behind a computer screen, so I bowed out. But, I wanted so badly to ask, "Who the fuck are you to judge me?" I was, literally, alone, could not be on the phone with my mom constantly, and didn't know what I was doing "wrong".

Of course, I never let him go without the essentials; Of course, I'd never, ever let him cry for any extended periods. But, I needed to lay him down for a bit so I could leave the room and regroup. Because, ya know, my situation isn't a terribly common one (although, I'm not in any way insinuating I stand alone in this "club") we all do what we have to to get by. There's not one ounce of shame in that. And, wouldn't you know it? One of the times I laid him down to take a breather he fell asleep. For two hours. And, I was a completely different woman after that. A nice shower, some clean laundry and a kid who was nowhere near ruined because I recognized that I needed to regroup.

My point is that this shit is hard. It's like adding insult to injury being here alone. I love Colorado. I love seeing different part of the country because of where the Army sends us. But, in times like these, where the lady at the Starbucks drive thru (because I still wanted my lunch) holds my hand for a sec and says, "I hope you're ok" and the gate guard letting me on post says, after seeing my wet eyes and tear-stained cheeks, with genuine care, "I hope you have a great day" I just wish I could drive over to my mom's house, drop off Jake, and take a second to get out of this seventh circle of Hell.

I know it'll pass and I know it'll be ok. But, it's really hard to just feel like I'm down and Jake just won't stop kicking. I'm dying to enjoy him again. It feels like it's been eternity since our usual good days. These days don't come often, but when they do...holy shit. It just makes me feel nervous and anxious, as opposed to the usually confident, about Gary leaving for training in a little bit and then a deployment a little bit after that.

So, if you ever consider judging another mom who isn't calm, cool, and collected, don't even dare. You never know what their day's been like.

Double Eff.

2012-01-27T08:41:00.000-06:00

Some new recipes, yo! It's been forever, so I'm sure you're all aching for some new foods, yes? ;-)

First up: Manicotti

Combine 1 container (16 ounces) ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 tblsp's grated parmesan cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and 1/2 tsp minced garlic in large bowl

Stuff mixture into uncooked manicotti shells, using narrow rubber spatula. Place filled shells in 13 x 9 baking dish. Preheat oven to 375

**I can't lie to you guys, the smallest rubber spatula I have is still too big. God graced me with fingers for such an occasion.

Cook 1 lb ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring to separate. Drain excess fat. Stir in 1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce and 2 cups water (mixture will be thin). Pour sauce over filled manicotti shells.

Cover with foil; bake 1 hour or until sauce has thickened and shells are tender.

Voila!

We went all Italian up in here! It was a pretty superfabulous pairing of the garlic breadsticks (and the green beans because such is the rule: a fruit with breakfast and a veggie with din din) with this meal, but I think next time I'll make garlic bread...where I make the bread and the garlic sauce. Stay tuned.

The Italian extravaganza continues: Fettuccine alla carbonara

minus the fettuccini, plus little squirly pasta. I think it's called Rotini?

Anywho.

While your 16 oz package of dried fettucini (or whatever pasta you want, really) is boiling away, slice 4 oz proscuitto, and finely chop enough onion for two tblsp's

As I mentioned up yonder, there's always a veggie with dinner, so I'm steaming broccoli. I get this going at the beginning of the prep and let it steam, on low heat, until I'm ready to serve so that it's outta the way. Make it a KISS operation, amiright?!

I've never cooked with wine before, so I had no idea where to find it. In our grocery store, for those not in the know like muhself, it's over there by the olive oils and maybe even the apple cider vinegar. Or, you could just completely tapout and ask someone right out of the gate. I recommend the latter if you're shopping with small children.

((I forgot to take a picture of cooking the 8 slices of bacon. I'm sure you can imagine such a feat ;-) But, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp and drain well on paper towels. Coarsely crumble the bacon and set aside ))

Back to the present: In a medium saucepan, cook onion in 3/4 c hot butter over medium heat for 4 minutes or until tender. Add prosciutto. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add 1/3 c dry white wine.

Return saucepan to heat and bring mixture to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon, 1/2 c whipping cream, and 1/2 c milk; bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 c parmesan and 1 tblsp parsley (I didn't have parsley and this crap was still off the heezy, yo). Immediately pour sauce over pasta, stirring gently to coat. It's important to do it gently or the pasta might begin to tear. Evenly distribute another 1/4 parmesan amongst each plate served. Pepper to taste.

BAM--->

This dish was sooo good! Initially, when I poured the sauce, I was worried because, like other sauces, this carbonara sauce didn't coat like you'd anticipate; it seems as though it was almost absorbed by the pasta....with still wicked amounts of taste! Gary put it in the Top Five Dinner Rotation.

We get all official and shit.

And, lastly, Hamburger Cheese bake

Brown 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 c chopped onion.

I got this recipe from my allrecipes.com dinner spinner app, and it didn't say to drain the meat after browning; maybe they just forgot? Either way, I drained it and everyone survived.

And, bring a pot to boiling for 1lb pasta, whatever shape your little heart desires. Then, cook accordingly.

Return meat/onion mixture to the pan and add 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce, 1 tsp white sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine 1 8oz container cottage cheese, 1/3 c chopped green onion, 1/3 c chopped green bell pepper (my store didn't have green onion so I just doubled on the bell pepper), 1/4 c sour cream, and 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened.

Spread half the pasta in the bottom of a greased, 12 x 8 pan

Top with half the meat mixture

Top that with all the cheese mixture.

Then again with remaining pasta, then top with remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese--the recipe calls for 1/4 c parmesan, but I love parmesan in a bad way so I added it to our liking.

Bake, in a preheated oven, at 350 for 30 minutes. (I baked 25 minutes). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!!

The thing about this meal? You have to like the taste of cream cheese, as it's very apparent. That not one of our favorite flavors in the known universe, but we wouldn't have known unless we tried!

Deep, I am.

I'm a turd burglar, so I forgot the veggies I keep raving about, but gimme some slack! We JUST got back from California where my madre cooked everything I ate. Or In N Out did. Either way, this girl was taken care of!

If you don't know the incredible taste sensation that is In N Out run to your google box.

This is why we'll have leftovers right up until the zombie apocalypse.

Plusalso?? I found a natural bulk store last weekend that I swear on Bart Simpson has me giddy as a schoolgirl. So, guess what's happening soon? Homemade breads, homemade vanilla extract, homemade teas... You guys? OBSESSED. I could've dropped a paycheck in there. But, I probably won't. Oh, and the employees are deliciously hipster. The one with unintentional dreads referred to me as "Man" in his reply. As in, "Yeah, Man, the vanilla beans are in the corner"

Outstanding.

BEST. DAY. EVER.

2012-01-22T21:16:00.004-06:00

Last week, Jake had his first Kindermusik class of the semester and the experience, again, blew my face off with the awesome.

Jake, I love him to pieces, but sometimes this year of twoness can be a bit much. It was a few days of feeling like all I said to him was, "No, sir!" and, "No, sir...we don't pull Max's tail", and, "No, sir... we only color on paper" Ya know, the uje.

So, I was needing to pull out the reserves of really enjoying my boy again. Like, whoa.

We got to class early because we're still, relatively, new to the area. But, Jake? He's pumped from the word Go. I open the door to pull him out of his car seat and he's smiling like he's in on some joke. And, I? Was pretty ok with it. Totes.

He holds my hand as we walk up the sidewalk to the Kindermusik building and, as soon as we get inside the door, he's off like 3 foot rocket. He sees the teacher-- high-fives her real quick, sees the receptionist--throws her a spastically happy nod. Ya know. THE UJE.

He, literally, sprints back to the actual room where all the Kindermusikin' will be taking place and is, inordinately, thrilled about the big, colored squares that are used for kids' playrooms. They have those little bumpies on them so Jake exploded confetti all over the place. I mean, this kid was thisclose to roundhouse-kickin' his excitement all over town.

Miss Lisa puts out some toys for Jake, and the other kid/mama duo that got there early, so Jake takes a break from sprinting back and forth across his multi-colored wonderland, like he's on Baby Gap Crack, to take a look at these toys bestowed up on him. This is when my pride hit the ceiling.

The other little boy, who's much smaller than J--as most kids are, was playing with some weird learn-to-connect-stuff-to-other-stuff type toy, but Jake wanted it because obviously. All things are his. He's two. Anyway, he wanted to see it so Jake, my sweet little boy, walks up to him, very calmly, and tries to take it from him ever-so-gently. Not at all in the realm of, "GIVE IT TO ME! IT'S MINE! THIS. IS. SPARTA.!!!!" He was sweet and gentle and completely accommodating when I took the weird connector thing out of his hand and explained that we don't take things from other people's hands. For a brief moment, I considered ripping the chest of my shirt, like a bag of chips, beating my chest, and asserting my dominance in parenting. But, other people might've not taken that well. Psss, you know how 'others' can be...

More kids filtered into the room and Jake, who's not a daycare-goer or a sibling, acted like he's known these people his whole life. Other people want to play with the same toys he was? Ain't no thang. People in "his" space? The more the merrier. He was happy, and sweet, and completely fine with abundance of change around him. I fell so much deeper in love with him. I, literally, had tears in my eyes, and the biggest smile evah strapped to my cranium. It was intense happiness.

So, we spent our 45 minutes singing songs, and reading books, and learning that keys are wickedawesome instruments. It was fabulous. I'm pretty positive I imploded small puppies inside my heart.

We skipped out of there with irritating amounts of happiness, picked up a few things, and had lunch together, where he sat next to me like some big boy who's way too cool for school. It was the greatest day to ever exist. He should've asked for a pony. As for me? I cannot wait for next week's class!

But, one last interesting thing happened:

Whenever we were singing a song, or clapping in unison, or patting our thighs (to make the train sounds. Doiy), Jake needed to run around the room to participate. Doing so in my lap was too mainstream. But, the boy picked up a straggler along the way. Some little blonde girl, Sophia, followed him every place he went. I almost put this as my status on Fbeezy:

We just left Jake's first Kindermusik class of the semester and some little girl, with obviously impeccable taste, developed quite the crush on my boy and wouldn't leave his side.

So, I had to cut a bitch.

But, ya know, other people... ;-)

The point is: He got game.

Anatomy of change.

2012-01-16T09:20:00.001-06:00

I briefly mentioned, in this post, that I had gotten sick while in California due to the fun of traveling. The complete story is that for a good 5ish days, Jake would wake up every single hour from about 10:30pm-5:30am, with wanting to begin our days around 6am. So, I caught a little something from traveling such a distance that was ridiculously extended by my body not being able to repair itself with sleep.

I was getting stabby.

He'd wake, from the pack n' play, in the most uber irritating way known to motherkind; he'd whimper and cry a bit in such a way that you're wondering if they'll work it out themselves or really need to be picked up and tended to. As I've mentioned, about 73 times, we're sleepers so this was not cool. All I could think was, at least if J were a newborn he'd be needing something. In those instances, though? I had no idea what the shit he wanted. To appease any curiosity, it wasn't just from being in a new place and we did find a solution. THANK YOU, JESUS.

A couple days into being sick, supa annoying especially since I'm never sick more than 24 hours, it was New Year's Eve and, short of projectile vomiting all over town, I was not going to miss a chance to date my husband on such a holiday! So, as my nausea and lightheadedness (I hope that's a real word) continued, my brother got me some Ginger Ale and my mom fed me oranges for the vitamin C. It was a joint effort to keep me from dying. At least, I was sure I was impending on my last few hours...

Although I felt like someone was stepping on my face, the subsiding of the other symptoms made me feel beyond elated! Hallelujah! I will, indeed, live to see my 27th birthday! That's totally a normal thought.

My dressed up husband and I headed out to dinner, feelin' pretty fly, obviously. I love to get dressed and look cute. I mean, how much of a go-getter do you feel like in your jammies when your hair's in a messy bun? NO DICE. So, I had the opportunity to get dressed up AND go out as just husband and wife, not mama and daddy. Yet, when I still felt off, I realized the changes motherhood has incurred:

I now believe...

*All clothing should have elastic.

As I sat at dinner with my husband, in my cute, pale-pink dress, brown leather jacket, brown leggings, and my boots, all I could think was "GAH! Being dressed up is such a pain in the ass!" It just doesn't seem functional. I mean, my hair's down AND curled so that's obviously some sort of hazard, I can't sit in my most-preferred unfeminine way, and I can't just wipe my hands down the thighs of my lounge pants should some sort of mess occur. It's really just illogical.

Now, now...not that I'm going to become that mama, who goes out in pajamas and doesn't bother to run a brush through her hair or shower, but, hey, I'm still going to stand by all those feelings. I just won't show it. I'm a jedi like that.

*Going out to eat is a presidential occasion.

We don't eat out much. I mean, eating here is so much healthier and, not to mention, less expensive--which my rational self thoroughly enjoys. Why eat out when I cook a wide range of foods at home, usually in some sort of elastic? See previous bullet point.

But, sometimes we do eat out and it goes like this: "Holy shit! Somebody else is going to clean up after little, ol' moi??" OKAY. Jake, feel free to sneeze with a mouthful of food, or dishes for our pre-meal bread? Sure, they're not going in my dishwasher. Of course, I don't mind when these things happen at home, I'm a stay-at-home-mama and I absolutely adore it, but the smallest of shortcuts feels like an epically, fabulous WIN.

*Cartoon characters almost become real people

I think Gary and I have at least one convo a day about Dora, and we know that Pablo from Backyardigans is a worrier.

Legit.

*Phone calls are for the freakin' birds.
If our conversation can't be carried on via text, it ain't happenin'. I have a pretty rad two year old who's always wanting to count, or read, or mirror me, or a number of other activities that are immeasurably exciting, so they take priority. And, I love it. Totes :-)

*Naps were designed for unbelievably large amounts of productivity.
When J was little, and Gary was deployed, I'd workout during his nap with my yoga and/or pilates DVDs; I'd get ready for our afternoon outing, so I don't have to look like I believe all the things in bullet point #1. Now, as Jake's older, I'll make his applesauce, or blog, or plan meals. Naps are God's gift; they're your 25th hour.

I think, above all else, motherhood has shown me that happiness is relative. I have friends who are also SAHMS and they don't dig it as much as I do. That's totally fine. Because you're not a nerd like me who loves to plan the menu for her boys, or gets a kick out of making her own laundry detergent....there ain't nothing wrong with that! To each their own. Totes magotes. I was told recently, by someone I just super adore, that "...motherhood fits you. It's like you were born for it". I want nothing more than for that to resonate within my little Jake. Him and his daddy completely do it for me xo

But, if there's a way to make elasticized clothing not only cute, but socially-acceptable I just might implode from happiness.

:::throws confetti:::

Our family photo shoot!

2012-01-12T08:05:00.000-06:00

My drive to get our family photos done was twofold: 1) I wanted photos of us for the Christmas cards. Which I never sent out. And, 2) We haven't had full-family photos since Jake was still on the boob.

A friend of mine recommended Allison Easterling and she is AMAZING!!! Not only did she understand the trials and tribulations of twoyearoldhood, she understood wardrobe malfunctions and how, as a mama, you don't always feel your sexiest. But, she was there for me, and for us, and will one million percent be hired again!! If you're in the Colorado Springs area...HIRE HER!!

She took a million, incredible quality photos, but here are my faves! Enjoy!

California, Part Tres: Jake's first trip to Knott's Berry Farm

2012-01-11T07:49:00.000-06:00

I realize a lot of people reading this are probably thinking, "WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT. is a berry farm??"

Well, my west-coast challenged friends, it's an amusement park that I've loved, nearly literally, my entire life! And, we made sure to get Jake one of my favorite tastes of California while we were there!

This is what passes for pictures with my son. Uncool, kid.

My 3 brothers and the husband...who all waited 2ish hours to ride an incredibly fast roller coaster!

Love these men!

Because we're totes awes, we did YMCA for the picture we got on the one and only Log Ride. Colin, my youngest brother who happens to be in front of me, underlined us ;-)

Love this kid! xo

Yep :-D

My parents offered to take Jake around the park so Gary and I could go have some fun, just the two of us, so I attacked that offer like it was my dying wish! It was soo fun to hangout as a couple again!

While Gary and I hung out with my brothers, sans child, I got this picture of Supreme Scream, a ride that drops from 30 stories high in 3 seconds. It ROCKED. MY. FACE. OFF.

California is just as pretty as it is expensive ;-)

A picture of the whole clan as soon as we got to the park! Colin's outreached hand is holding Woodstock, one of the staple characters of Knott's. Cute, right?!

It was such an amazing time! As much as I loved showing Jake something that I've loved for years, it was so, so fun to hangout with my husband and brothers and just, kind of, roam free. I'm sure the parents out there get it!

California, Part Dos

2012-01-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

Christmas!!!

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of child who's really starting to get it makes the holiday so, so worth it. xo

Oh, and apparently, you're not supposed to ask for things like vacuums and dutch ovens for Christmas. I didn't receive that memo ;-) I got them, along with some super cool things like a Nook and Julia Child's cookbook etc, and am uber excited about it! What can I say, I'm a wima. Wife + mama.

DUH.

Wake up! It's Christmas!

If that smile of pure joy and elation doesn't do it for you you might be dead inside.

No matter how old you are, on Christmas you have to wake up when it's dark out! It's a rule or something. Gary and I would still wake up early when it was just me and him!

The running joke about the boy is that he has hundreds of dollars in toys, but prefers things like straws and rubberbands. So, "Santa" brought him a pack of 100 straws in his stocking! haha :-)

How could the kid NOT have a Grinch-esque diaper is the actual question!

Don't you just want to chew on those thighs??

One of Colin's gifts was a Kinect, and one of those dance games, so here are our white boys gettin' down! Wait, I have a video of this. You all need to see it....

No matter what is happening, Spongebob takes priority.

Jake's face sums it up, such a great day!!

Hope you guys had a great holiday, too!

California, Part Uno

2012-01-09T08:10:00.000-06:00

Our trip to California was so supereffingamazing I cant even deal! Of course, I was so happy to see everyone, but I realized how much I miss being around my brothers all the time! And, seeing them with Jake? Melted me into a puddle.

Of course, within 12 hours of being there, my first brother attacked me in the hallway with his wrestling expertise and made me tap.

No biggie

My, in chronological order, second brother flew in from Minnesota, where he happens to be kicking ass as a sophomore in college and on the football field; kid's a beast. He flew in so that he could have some one-on-one time with Jake and drive with us out to the parents' house and we were sooo happy he came! I made sure to treat him right: cinnamon rolls and homemade cocoa for breakfast and comfort food, pizza pie meatloaf and alfredo pasta for dinner! The way to a man's heart, right? ;-)

We left the house by 7 on a Wednesday morning, completely ready to go!

Some of us were ready to go...

When we first talked about driving out to CA for Christmas, Gary said I wasn't allowed to drive because he's "...the dad, and that's what dads do"

Fair enough.

But, we did leave before the sun so Patrick took over during our first gas-up.

Also? We, collectively, hate New Mexico, as it is the state that never ends. But, I did have some great talks with my giant brother!

We were in Colorado that morning and in California that night. Marathon driving. I don't recommend it.

Once we got there, we hit the ground running1 Seeing people, going places. It was faboosh! I snapped these pics one evening after hanging out with a friend of mine, Gabby, whom I've known for 7 years! She's one of those friends, if you're lucky enough to have one like this, where it's always the same no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding and is Jake's godmother. I adore her! I'm so glad we got to hangout!

Oh, and here's a digression that might pay off! Right before we were due to leave for CA, a diamond fell out of my wedding band. I took it in, ASAP, to have it repaired. Zales wanted $300 to fix the one stone and $649 to fix the entire band because the stones were all coming loose. I guess it's not at all unheard of and happens because gold is soft, therefore not holding the stones as tightly. My parents told me to wait and that we'd go to a jewelry exchange in CA, so I did.

Thankfully, we were out with friends of the family one night who pointed me in the direction of a guy who does those types of repairs. He was in a hole-in-the-wall kiosk in the mall, but I immediately felt ok about him. He works right in front of you, doesn't use scare tactics to squeeze more cash out of you, and works on a first come, first serve basis. This guy replaced my stone AND tightened all the others, which he showed me were super loose, for $150!!! That's a 300% savings!! So, don't run right off to the jewelry stores, shop around!

But, I'm a simple girl and one of my favorite parts of the trip occurred while my mom and I were waiting for my ring to be finished (it took about an hour and a half!). We had Panda Express in the mall, and some Starbucks, but also did some shopping. One stop was GNC for my vitamins. I haven't stopped taking prenatals since I was pregnant because they're amazing for hair and skin (I also take fish oil, cod liver oil--both in pill form-, and coconut oil for those wondering. All amazing for you and all OK to take pregnant or not!).

Anyway, we walk into GNC and an annoyingly chipper employee bombards us. She said lots of irritating things, but she also said the obligatory, "LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!!!!"

Umm, Simmer Donna.

We eventually are ready to checkout and she sees my prenatals and exclaims, "CONGRATULATIONS!" I let her know I'm not pregnant, that I've just continued taking them since I was and she lets this gem out into the universe, "Oh, I hear PARENTALS are so good for you. I should start taking PARENTALS" The best part? She said "PARENTALS" about 7 times in our short exchange. Completely made my day.

Moving on...

Gary and I got to go to THREE MOVIES. And they were AT NIGHT! Big, big things in our life! Two of them (Sherlock Holmes and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) were with my brothers, don't worry the youngest brotha didn't watch the Dragon one!, and one (Mission Impossible) was on date night on New Year's Eve. You guys? We had a DATE NIGHT on NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!! We got dressed up and went out and it was AMAZEBALLS!!!! And, it secretly made me enjoy the night even more when I saw other tables at the restaurant with babies and ours was just us. Is that wrong? Because I don't care. I HAD A DATE NIGHT!!!!

We also got to meet up with Gary's aunts and cousins and it was so much fun! It's so great for them to see Jake. Because of Jake not being a reliable sleeper for a few days of the trip and traveling, I got sick, which never happens! So, I got to meet Gary's cousin's wife when I was mediocre. At best. My face felt enormo from some sort of sinus issue, was working on a pretty serious food baby, I had a terrible cough, and, because of all that, ended up with a cold sore. It was not a sexy situation. But still fun :-) Grateful for that time!

Well, loverfaces, I had to break up our CA trip into separate posts or else you'd go cross-eyed. So, hasta manana!

Electric Safari

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

The zoo in our area is uber awesome; not only does it give deep discounts for military, but it really knows how to do up the holidays right nice! Saturday night we took the nugget to Electric Safari because it's not really Christmastime until you get sensory overload from the amount of lights.

The area we drove through to get to the zoo gave us an "appetizer" of lights, so I had to snap some pictures from the truck. It was the best thing to see Jake really taking it all in:

Once we got to the zoo, we realized everyone had the exact same idea as us. So, I estimate we parked about 13 miles away from the front gates.

He's not super sure what to think about this cold situation!

Thankfully his mittens were all the distraction he needed ;-)

Mrs. Claus

I'm sooo glad we had taken the boy to see Santa already (with only one family ahead of us!) because Santa at the zoo was a 30-45 minute wait!

This is a frog that I think looks a lot like something else

Hippos!

I was super-pumped to see hippos! Obviously!

This is what passes for mama-son pictures these days! We got Jake one of those million dollar light-up zoo toys, because you're not really parents until you've bought something plastic that is worth 25% of what you paid, and so that limited any possible interest in moi! Normally, I just leave him because he's so much more active now and don't want to force him to take pictures with, ya know...the woman who gave him life. No biggie. Anyway, I needed just one!

Beggars: they ain't choosers.

Happy little guy <3

All in all, a superamazing night! And, to top it off, our last weekend in Colorado before we're at
In-N-Out
the parents' house in California!

Have a great day, peeps!

What a difference a year makes.

2011-12-17T23:13:00.000-06:00

As you guys know, I've got rainbows gushing out of me over the fact that the husband is home for this year's holidays! So thankful!

So, we both... together... at the same time... took our tiny squeeze to see Santa last weekend! It was so much better than taking taking Jake solo last year and telling Gary over the phone about it :-)

Last year, Jake and I met up with one of my very favorite people, Angie, and her kiddos for a Santa date and it was completely and totally amazeballs! It was the first time he met Santa and he kicked aces! I remember wanting to cry seeing his face absolutely light up when he saw the tree and all the pretties at the Santa set-up. Total bliss. Do kids just make the holidays incredible or what??

Rhetorical.

I had a bit of nerves that Jake might go all stranger danger on Santa because he's been very aware when he doesn't know someone lately. As in, if a total stranger starts talking to him when we're out, as they often do, he looks up at me with this expression as if to ask, "MOM. What is up with this person? They cool?" Not a terrible trait to possess, but I reallllly didn't want to be the parents who have the screaming kid, leaving all other Santa-see'ers to ask for deafness for Christmas.

We weren't :-)

2010

2011

Triple Eff!

2011-12-09T07:34:00.000-06:00

Food and Fashion Friday!

Happy Friday, love bugs!!

Here are the deets: I've been asked a lot about specifics on recipes that I don't provide links for, since they weren't found electronically, and the such, so here's my answer! The amazing Becca from here and here is going to give the bliggity-blog a face lift in the not too distant future, which will include a "Recipes" button near the top of the page. So, I'll make sure to go back through all the foody posts and get the recipes in there for ya! Even the recipes I got from my cookbooks and magazines will be typed up in there so I hope you enjoy! :-) I know it's easy to fall into a routine with cooking so I hope that'll make it easier to try new things!

First things first, OH. EM. GEE. it has been cold as genitalia here. The other night it got down to -4. This California girl finds that completely inappropro. So, we've been staying inside leaving me with only one blog-worthy ensemble:

Hi, I'm Samantha ::: Hi, Samantha ::: And, I have an obsession with boots + leggings + skirts

Otherwise, it's been a whole lot of jammies and only-cute-around-the-house clothing, and gym-wear. Sad day. But, listen, I'VE NEVER BEEN IN NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES. Oh, and Pee Ess, me and Brooke have decided when you go to the gym when it's all stupidcold out extra calories should be burned just for the magnificence that is you walking outside your warm casa.

That's legit.

Speaking of burning calories....FOOD!

Herb Cheese Twists:
This is from one of my cookbooks, so I'll be giving specifics on this recipe :-)

I made these because we eat a lot of leftovers in this house. I go grocery shopping twice a month and get ingredients for 4 meals each shopping trip. The meals really stretch so I try to add a little something the second time we have it so it doesn't get too boring. knowwhatimean??

You need one can of refrigerated biscuits, but, since I don't buy biscuits, I made some really quickly.

I haven't been able to find my biscuit cutters since the move (not that I've been risking life and limb to do so...) so I used one of our glasses :-)

Pat each biscuit into a 5 x 2 rectangle (or get it as close as you want...it really has no bearing on anything) and add a teaspoon of a parmesan mixture (2 tblsp's melted butter, 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon each of dried parsley flakes and dried basil leaves. Couple things: I doubled the mixture because I doubled the amount of biscuits and 2) I used 2 teaspoons oregano rather than the parsley and basil because that's what I had. And, I love oregano) to each biscuit.

Spread the parmesan mixture, then cut each biscuit in half and twist 3-4 times. Place on lightly-greased baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 400*

These are very, VERY good. My only suggestion is to double the parmesan mixture. I doubled it because I had double the biscuits, but, next time, I'll double it again because I'd want the twists to taste more of the parmesan mixture instead of a more biscuit:parmesan mixture ratio.

Yankee Pot Roast!

As I mentioned earlier, IT'S FREEZING HERE. So, I knew this was the perfect meal for cold weather. A nice, belly-filler. Not to mention, I'm surrounded by testosterone, so this is now dubbed "The man's meal"

You need one beef chuck pot roast, 2.5 lbs. Trim the fat and cut into serving size pieces, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cut up 3 baking potatoes, one medium onion-sliced, and 2 large carrots. The recipe also calls for 2 ribs celery, but I think celery is the antichrist so I leave that out. Toss into your slow cooker and season with oregano. Don't be afraid to be a little generous. Oregano isn't terribly overpowering.

Top with your cut-up roast. Then, pour 1/2 c beef broth over everything. Cook on low 8-9 hours, until beef is fork-tender.

Doesn't photograph especially well, but this roast made the house smell amazing!! Who cares if it's the black sheep of meals as long as it tastes great?!

Pizza Pie Meatloaf

This meal to me: "it's on like Donkey Kong"

It's so ridiculously flavorful I almost couldn't handle it. Fo sho. It's just so different and that's what I love; I love branching out and trying new stuff. Especially when it works out like this!

2 lbs ground beef, 1/2 c mozzarella, 1/2 c unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used a flavored breadcrumb and the food police didn't show up), 1/2 c tomato sauce (I used a pasta sauce I had on hand because I had forgotten tomato. No biggie), 1/4 c parmesan, 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tblsp oregano.

Stir with fork until blended.

Place meat mixture into round pizza pan, or pie plate like I did. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center and internal temp reads 160*. Drain fat.

Top with 1/2 c tomato (or pasta!) sauce, 1 c mozzarella, then 1 1/3 c french fried onions.

The meatloaf comes out stupidgood. The flavors are just outta this world!

I chose to pair it with green beans (I couldn't believe that was the first thing Jake reached for!) and alfredo pasta. Here's the alfredo sauce I make. But, be careful. Once you make this sauce you never go back to pre-made sauces. Evah.

Cinnamon rolls and homemade glaze!

These may have been Pinterest-inspired, but no matter where the desire arose it was embedded into my soul LIKE WHOA. I could not not make them. And, once I released the words, "I should make cinnamon rolls" like a flock of doves into the universe Gary needed them in his life. He's so deprived.

I've never worked with yeast; it scares me. All this rising and doubling business made me nervous for whatever reason. But, then I realized that's lame as Justin Bieber and headed to the kitchen.

I mixed the flour and yeast in my KitchenAid's mixer bowl because it was going to end up there anywho.

Milk, sugar, butter, salt
Remember to check the link for the specifics!

Combine the milk mixture with the flour/yeast mixture and add eggs.

Mix in the remaining flour. Have your husband do it, or otherwise capable man. That biatch is tough!

Shape into a ball on a lightly-floured surface.

I put it into a bowl, which had been lightly-greased with shortening, and covered with saran wrap. I'm not sure if that's exactly the correct way to do it, but it worked for me!

I forgot to include the picture of dividing the ball in two and allowing to rest, so just use that imagination!

Roll out each ball of dough and cover with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter.

Do not be on a diet the day you make this.

After you roll the flattened brown sugar-cinnamon-butter dough into a log, cut up and place in your baking pan! PRETTY! The four rejects you see in there are the ends of the two logs.

Bake, remember to adjust for your altitude--mine took way longer than the recipe said, and immediately remove from your pan because they'll keep cooking from the heat of the pan itself.

Then? ICE THOSE BAD BOYS.

I didn't use the icing suggestions under the cinnamon roll recipe link because I wanted it to be specific measurements so that they turned out perfectly! Other than that, choose whatever your little heart desires :-)

Then? pull out your old sweats and EAT.

Redemption.

2011-12-04T20:59:00.000-06:00

Remember this post about the boy waking up at night and me, actually, enjoying it? Well, I meant every single word. Really, I did. But, it went on a few nights and on day 3 my patience was starting to wear thin. I knew he wasn't doing it on purpose, and I knew he wanted his sleep just as badly as we did, which is what made it easier for my patience to last during 3 days of sicky-boy and 3 nights of interrupted sleep.

On that third day, he had woken up multiple times during the night crying. But, he'd always put himself back to sleep. Poor kid was going through something. He was fighting it hardcore. But, unfortunately, he couldn't fight it quietly and we began our day at 5:30 AM.

I was sad. Totes.

But, ya know...it's true that there's always a silver lining:

White roses are my very favorite :-)

My hubster? He's THEE MAN.

And, even though once we were up Jake was just fine, I kept busy because the lack of sleep could allow for things to become irritable real quick. Hence my latest triumph, from-scratch cinnamon rolls with homemade glaze!!---->

They'll be in the blog on Friday, loves :-)

As I made these cinnamon rolls, my little boy was running around in his feety jammies, playing with his cars, coming over for some love, all the while sounding Darth Vader-esque due to his labored breathing. Sickies aside, he sported that big smile and dimples and gave it the ol' college try!

So we rode the frick out of that.

We tentatively laid the boy down for nap at 10. A 10 am nap! Ludicrous. Ludicrous, I say! But, the silver lining kept on comin'....he was down for 3 hours and 45 minutes! I know. And, can I just say we deserved every single minute? Because it felt completely earned.

As the day wore on, we began realizing that, aside from the ungodly hour with which we began the day, this day was kicking all kinds of aces! So, post-nap we broke out the bathtub paints because that's how families party.

All it is, shaving cream and food coloring! Could not be easier!

I'm willing to bet there's nothing that can't be remedied by bathtub paints.

And, this little guy felt so much better the rest of the day :-)

And, that night he slept so incredibly soundly I, literally, don't think he even changed position the entire night. My little boy was back to normal.

Like a boss.

Priorities.

2011-12-01T07:43:00.000-06:00

Now that we're settled and the husband is back from training, I've been looking for a gym. Going to gym, with all my ladies and the amazing instructors, in Kentucky for so long was going to be a hard act to follow. I willed Colorado to bring it so I could feel as at home and as worked as I love to feel at the gym.

The Coloradoites brought it. Fo sho.

These people? Serious about their fitness. And, I freakin' love it. That I know of, they have 4 major gyms on post, a 24 hour fitness about 8.5 minutes from our house, and numerous Bally's all over town. I was in gym-Heaven. It was a gym-orgy. GYM. GYM. GYM.

24 hour fitness was going to be $40/month. Not too terrible, & only $5 more a month than in KY, especially with how amazeballs their facility is, but I called a gym on post just for funsies. FREE.

That's right, party people. FUH-REE! So, we checked out all the gyms on post and people actually use them! Like, A LOT of people. Whodathunkit?! Although maybe differing in their layout, they all have enormous basketball courts, racquetball courts, big cardio room, numerous weight rooms, free classes, and two levels. OH MY!

Anyway, so I gym-it-up on post. Moral of that story.

Today, I was uber looking forward to my evening workout. Jake is feeling much better since this post about him really liking breathing and kindasorta upset about not being able to, but he's still a bit of a snot-face. Literally. Snot. on. his. face. But, it's clear. So, bueno, right? Anyway, we grocery shopped and it took me an hour and a half. It was one of those trips where you needed a little bit of everything and your shopping cart overflows and you consider leaving your full-cart in the middle of the aisle and leaving the establishment and picking up take-out on your way, all the while convincing yourself it's reasonable to eat out for every meal every day.

Ya know, like that.

So, we get home, unload thirty-two hundred bags, need to dry the nighttime doublers for Jake's diapers, and have 25 pounds of laundry to fold. Ya know, the uje. Except it's not in any way, shape, or form. As Gary says, I needed to empty my cup before it overflowed. I wasn't going crazy or anything, but it was definitely nice to know that I was going to be able to do something other than the necessities later that evening.

Ya know that feeling of being in a new place (aka, the gym)? Where you swear that everyone there are lifelong friends and you're the only person who doesn't know everyone else? Yep, me a little. I have this Scrubs moment where it feels like I walk in and there's this flashing, neon sign that visually yells "I'M NEW HERE!!!", much like the thought bubbles above the heads of cartoon characters---if you needed further specifications.

I get to the cardio room and, as I'm about to be spurred further into getting my sweat on by some Outkast ('Hey Ya' still does it for me. Don't judge), Journey, and one Mr. Justin Timberlake, I think how fab' it is to be out, that I have 4 different TVs to choose from, and I kind of sink into this amazing workout.

I come home, made it just in time to see the boy put to bed.

As I go to wash my face, feeling all fab' and very un-overflowed, and that great soreness that follows a thorough, self-inflicted ass-kicking, I see a booger on my forehead. Next to a small, but noticeable on my fair skin, clump of mascara.

If that doesn't scream, "I have a two year old!", I don't know what will.

Embarrassment could have set in. Until I realized: being out > boogers on your forehead.

Night owls.

2011-11-29T09:53:00.003-06:00

We don't play outside too much lately because it's so freakin' chilly here! But, yesterday we did because we needed to get outside the casa; it was a decision that resonated throughout the rest of the night.

You guys have probably heard a time or two how we're sleepers in this house. When sleep issues arise, it might as well be armageddon because WHISKEY. TANGO FOXTROT. where'd our sleep go?!?

(maybe not that dramatic, but the alternative's no fun to talk about)

So, when Jake began waking up throughout last night it was a total shock. Until I opened the door to his room just enough to Grinch-slither my way in & saw him crying in his crib. He had a bit of a runny nose from playing outside and it freaked him out that he had trouble breathing.

I picked my giant boy out of his crib, cuddled him into my nook, and rocked him in the rocking chair. I wiped his nose and watched as his little eyes lost sight of me as he fell back asleep. There I sat, for some of the best minutes of my day, watching my boy, draped across me, sleeping soundly as if he were an ittybitty infant again. And, I felt the tears well up in my eyes.

My boy. He may be working on becoming a giant (91st percentile!), just like his daddy, but, I swear, I'll scoop that boy up and lay him across me when he's 10, and for as many years as he'll allow me.

So, last night, our 3 different wake-ups before our final early-morning wake-up, wasn't so bad. I got to have that moment; the moment that reminds you exactly what life is all about.

He'll always be my baby <3

We deal in pumpkin, yo.

2011-11-26T11:06:00.000-06:00

With how many pumpkin-inspired eats I've made lately you could swear I've lost a bet, or am supporting some sort of habit. I'm not. Swearsies.

But, GAH! I can't help but to want to flavor everything, within reason obviously, pumpkin. So, like a crack addict needing a fix, I took to google because google be my biatch.

First up? Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!

Since I got all these recipes online, I can actually link 'em up to you lovies, so no need for specifics, right? Anywho, mix the dry ingredients.

And, the wet

That's what she said.

Combine the two sets of ingredients, add chocolate chips----always a little more than the recipe says ;-) DUH.

Make sure to grease the muffin tins well; these came out so smoothly!

TO. DIE.

Gary, "These are slap yo' mama good!"

We're pretty gangsta for being so.....Irish

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Gary's adjective for these: life-changing.

He's right.

Pumpkin Waffles!

I needed to make another batch of waffles for my boys' breakfasts, so of course they had to be pumpkin! Although, the recipe I usually use needs to be doubled, this recipe got just as many without being doubled; maybe I'm just overdoing it on the original? But, they both taste awesomesauce, so run to the kitchen!

I just quarter them and store them in my loves, aka Pyrex containers, and they stay good!

Pumpkin scones!

Cutting in butter is the bane of my existence.

Combine wet with the dry ingredients...

Shape into a disc and cut into 6 equal wedges

They turned out enormously!

Gary just grunted at how good these were ;-)

And, lastly, pumpkin fudge!

You guys, can I just blow your minds a little bit? This recipe calls for evaporated milk, but I didn't have any so I took my own advice and put it in my google box! I made evaporated milk! Here, you can do it, too :-)

Leave on the counter to allow to cool

Cut into teenytiny pieces because whoa mama these fudge squares will satisfy even the most insane sweet tooth!

Good thing we have willpower, right?

2012 is going to kick serious ace

2011-11-22T10:21:00.002-06:00

If we're friends on Fbeezy, you know the husband came home...because I sang it from the rafters! And, it wasn't awkward at all.

The monthish that he was gone felt exactly like a monthish. Time dragged on exactly as it might, regardless of how busy we stayed. Lamesauce. Totes. But, it's over and I got to thinkin'....HE'S HOME THIS YEAR!!

Through the end of this year, and into next year, I think I'm going to be officially spoiled; I get the husband for this Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years---real life smooches for me this year!! Then, we head straight into the new year with the season of peace, aka my birthday! Then, husband's birthday. As far as we know we'll be in the same country AND under the same roof for all those extravaganzas and I plan for us to live the shadoobie out of it! Our little family of 3 all together...what a concept :-)

In the next few months, taking us into 2012, we get to find out if we can get to the baby-makin' when we'd hoped. Pee Ess, if another person I know gets pregnant I'm going to throw an adult-tantrum. It won't be cute.

Along the way, there have been a few "Holy crap, are we having a surprise baby?!". I never saw that happening, not that it'd be a big deal if it did, so it was a find-my-big-girl-undies kinda moment. But, it looks like we may have some say in when we add to Team LaMay. I think that's pretty rad.

But, OH EM GEE!! Isn't it totally different thinking about having TWO kids? That's double the amount I have now. And, I think the difference now is that I know exactly what I'm getting myself into....and I think it's pretty incredible :-) We're, like, really grown-ups now.

So, I plan to stay pretty blessed for a while. Ya know, no biggie. I get to make cute little Christmas goodies, that'll taste amazing; I get to decorate a tree WITH my husband (real trees are the only way to go. Sorry, but if you have a fake tree you may be a Nazi); I get to wear my adult-sized Christmas onesie because I'm just that cool; And, best of all, I get to drive cross-country with my familia, and have one of my 3 favorite brothers under my roof until we make it to California and are all under my parents' roof. Which comes after spending much time under In-N-Out's roof.

DOIY.

Jake.

2011-11-09T07:20:00.000-06:00

This kid? He's pretty much the cat's pajamas. I love him so much it borders on creepy, and the pride I feel in watching his everyday twoyearoldness just tickles me.

But, every once in a while, there's some sort of werewolf-esque thing that goes on and I stand there, with outreached arms, asking, "Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot??"

Last night was my first girls' night in Colorado and it was great! Had such a great time, with great mamas. YAY for adults! ;-) But, Jake had a bit of a hard time. First, contrary to what his solid-as-a-rock figure may indicate, he's got a healthy appetite and that's it; he eats fruits and veggies every day, appropriate portions, almost never on the junk food front, and everything is made by moi. But, yesterday? He ate every meal like he's never eaten a day in his life, so maybe growth spurt? But, that's also in conjunction with something new: babies. Our girls' day included smaller babies he's never been around, an infant and a 6 month old.

Aside from hearing them across a restaurant, he's never spent time around a newborn, let alone heard a newborn cry; I think it freaked him out. He'd burst into tears when he heard crying. Or when he dropped his sippy. Or when the stars, and the moon, and planets don't freakin' align.

This is not my child.

OK, at first, I could definitely appreciate that it was all new to him and he was in a situation that was unfamiliar. But, after a while, it felt like he was milking it. So, I had to use my stern mama voice to get him to simmer. It just felt like it kept happening and, in my head, I was like, "Hey. Chilll"

As we sat down to eat, total 180. It's like he finally adapted to the new sights, people much tinier than him, and the new sounds, babies. And, then I felt like a raging asshole.

Ya see, I know kids "act out" , or "different", or whatever adjective applies, for a reason. I know that Jake, & all his tear-bursts, had a reason for being, but it didn't make it any easier to digest. He's been around other kids plenty of times; there's never been an issue. Yesterday, he just seemed super sensitive, or maybe I was just super sensitive to him? I. DON'T. KNOW. Either way, I just couldn't seem to rectify the situation. And, it killed me, both in frustration and disappointment that I couldn't make him kosher.

So, as we got home I walked the tightrope between bursting into tears myself, all the cool kids were doing it..., and squeezing the stuffing clean out of him because I was proud that he did end up adapting to what was around him. I just feel bad when I get frustrated with him because I do know it comes from somewhere so my rationale goes like this:

"He's upset for some reason. There IS a reason"
"Are you not over it yet?"
"I don't know what the reason is, so tell me or learn to love it. Pretty please."
Face bashes wall.

I just feel bad that it gets frustrating sometimes. Is that lamesauce? I feel like it is, but I also feel like mamas out there would get me. Yes? Please say yes.

It's like, I have this pipe-dream that I love him so much so that means I never need to have a frustrated moment. It's just hard when he can't look at me and say, "Well, you wonderful mama of mine, I'm perplexed because I've never been near a crying newborn and haven't the faintest idea what's going on. Please resolve this situation"

In my internal monologues Jake's Doogie Howser. Or Stewie, with that kind of vocabulary at his age.

So, we came home, read a book, put the boy to bed, and reminded him I love him to the moon and back. Got a phone call from the hubster that made it all better, because he assured me it's normal to get frustrated, and it's definitely normal to feel bad about it.

And then, I watched Angry Beavers.

Because, obviously.

Put that in your google box and smoke it.

2011-11-07T08:31:00.000-06:00

With the holidays around the corner, I know people are setting budgets and hitting sales so I thought I'd throw some more money-saving techniques atcha!

Before I throw a zillion links your way let me preface them by saying, in my very humble opinion, you should only do what interests you. I mean, if you snatch up these suggestions, but you mega-loathe life while you're making (or whatever the case may be) them they're not helpful! I, personally, like doing this stuff so I hope it helps at least one person :-)

I know "couponing" isn't everyone's deal, so I hope that these, most likely, household scenarios help somebody out! Couponing isn't the the only way to save cash-money!

One of my best assets has been the interwebs. Fo' shizzle up the spat, that's where I get my intel and that's what's helped us to save so much. With small changes, that have become second-nature, we're really seeing a difference that makes me like this stuff even more! So, moral of the story: Light up your google box.

Homemade fingerpaints

I blogged about this not long ago, but this is a sure cure for, I don't know, when you're living in Colorado and it snows and you don't even consider driving somewhere unless applicable in sustaining the life of the short person in your care. But, that's just spit-ballin'. Either way, it's totally adorable when they end up like this:

Think I've lost my marbles for letting him go paint-crazy inside? Well, I'm not so loca; the recipe is here and contains dish soap so it's very easy clean up!

This is probably, hands down, what has helped save the most: from-scratch cooking. That bag, which perches atop our fridge, is a 10 lb bag of flour that has made it possible for me to make these tasty dishes---->

Monkey bread
(I'll email you the recipe if you like!)

Blueberry scones

Blueberry Waffles

In addition to all the other food pictures, I get AT LEAST 4 batches of waffles from that one 10 lb bag of flour, which is 44 waffles (the entire circular waffle) or 176 mini-waffles (waffles that had been quartered). I haven't done the math versus frozen, store-bought, but I'm fairly positive this wins.

The bag cost $5ish.

HAYOOO!!

Light, flaky biscuits

Pee Ess...I love feeding my boys this way because I know exactly what's traveling down their gullets; so much healthier!

Crust for my from-scratch apple pie (crust). This? TO. DIE. FOR. I have uber-luck on finding recipes online.

Google be my biatch

Cloth Wipe Solution

For all the madres and padres out there, this is cloth wipe solution (I make the first one). For those that are newbies to our bliggity-blog, we use cloth wipes with our cloth diapers; meaning, we spray this solution, which I make about once a month, onto cloth wipes, clean the fanny and wash them when we wash the cloth diapers. Never once have I had to run out to buy wipes, and that's what I prefer. I prefer to not be forced into needing more of something, ya feel me? If I'm running out of wipes I just wash the ones we've got.

Pee Ess...again----> All I did was buy $6 (I think) packs of washcloths at Target. Total, I probably have about 30 wipes, which is more than plenty. And, I can't even remember the last time I bought the ingredients to make the cloth wipe solution up there. That's how long it lasts!

Diaper Rash Oinment!

aka, Vegetable oil. I had a coupon, which is why I got the more expensive kind, but this more than makes its money back because I pour into a bowl to apply to Jake's hiney, should he be a little irritated on his captain's quarters, and can continue using it to cook. No need to run out and buy Desitin, or baby powder. Jake had a nasty flare up of diaper rash, so I googled natural remedies and this was one that works amazingly! Just apply directly to the skin! But, if cloth diapering, make sure you put some sort of barrier between the veggie-oiled booty and the diaper (we use the cloth wipes)!

Laundry Detergent

Honest to Grilled Cheesus, the first container was a little more than 3/4 of the way full. I started using it on August 30th (I'm not some sort of freaky Rain Main; I wrote the starting date down to see how long it would last) and I still have a couple loads before I even open the second one. That's over two months ago. Holla!

As with anything that, ultimately, saves you bundles, you buy the products up front, but they last forevah! In the interest of honesty, this is one of my lesser favorite things to make; I have to grate 8 bars of soap (that's the only hard part!), which isn't the coolest thing in my life, but it's so worth it. I take 30 minutes out of my day, every however many months!, make the detergent and then it's done. You guys, I imagine the rest of the detergent will get us through the end of the year which means those two containers of laundry detergent will have lasted four months! Did you just choke on your Cheerios? Because I think that's cooler than the flip side of my pillow!

Oh, and this stuff really works. It was first tested when, while getting ready for a bath, Jake had a shadoobie-related incident on our bath mat. Washed it with this detergent and there was no residue or smell whatsoever! Oh, the triumphs of motherhood....

Fabric Softener

Wait until you finish the bottle you've got now, make this, and then pour it into your, now-empty, bottle. Voila!

As you can probably guess, we already have the vinegar in the recipe, which I use in multiple aspects of the house, so I had to buy the conditioner, at $.90. Basically? Paid $.90 for my fabric softener! Can you beat that??

Making this stuff takes up almost no time and lasts forever and saves you more than you know!

Furniture Dusting Spray

I got this one from Pinterest, so here it is:
*2 tsp olive oil
*1/2 tsp lemon essential oil (which can be found at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers)
*1/4 c vinegar
*1 3/4 c water

(I double the recipe)

This is a new addition to our casa and so worth it! It smells very clean and does an amazing job! Leaves no residue behind and looks like you spent a pretty penny on some expensive name-brand!

All-purpose Cleaner

Hang onto your socks because I plan to knock 'em off: This is a cleaner I use for everything, from the kitchen to the bath tub to spills on the carpet. IT. WORKS. AMAZING.

It's equal parts water and vinegar (I can get 2 cups of each into the bottle--oh and the bottles I use for my homemade sprays can be picked up at Walgreen for, like, $1.29), plus a packet of lemon Kool-Aid! I got the generic packet, at Walmart, for something like $.15. Why the addition of lemon Kool-Aid? From what I've read, it kind of acts as an equivalent to how OxiClean boosts your laundry detergent. You can even throw a packet into your dishwasher to clean it out!

I know, in this super-stellar economy, nobody really needs to watch their wallet, but I thought I'd post some stuff we do that might help someone else ;-) I think these are great ideas, dontmindifuhdo, so I wanted to make sure to pay it forward so, hopefully, everyone can have the holiday season just as they imagined it!

Quad Eff!

2011-11-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

Finally, amiright?!?

We've been here barely over a month, and in our new house about 3 weeks, and I think we've finally gotten into a swing-of-things!

:::finger guns:::

Gary's gone, so I don't cook as much because the meals are stretching that much further, but I think we've got some pretty effin' good things on this effin' post. Get it? Triple Eff

::: creepy winking :::

It has been so chilly here so I've developed a serious boots + leggings fetish! I adore this outfit. Uh-Door. Fo' shizzle. I have no idea why, but I feel very snow bunny in it. Although, I've never worn anything remotely like it when we've gone snowboarding. People? I don't have to have reasons; this is my blog ;-)

This little sweater is from Vanity; I completely recommend them! They've got some super cute stuff and give out coupons, and let you keep 'em!, like nobody's business. Normally, I wouldn't wear such a light color near my face, because I'm the definition of fair-skinned, but I dig it with the blue tank underneath.

I swoon for these boots. I got them at Target and, to quote Monica, 'they go with shirts, with dresses, with pants'. Name that episode. Go!

This may seem like an awkward picture for something that's supposed to display an outfit, but my favorite part of it is the big belt! And, I got to wear it with the boots. See? Fetish.

I'm trying to branch out with what I do with my 'do. I get compliments when it's just down, so I think that's why I tend to leave it, but it's getting too boring! So, here's another waterfall braid; I think I'm getting better at it!

Madre---stop looking at the background of the pictures to try to figure out our house. Wait for the house tour.

I love this little headband from Vanity! Definitely different, but it's good to shake it up, salsa-style.

Like I said, trying to do new stuff with my hair. If you can tell, I did two braids on either side of my face, just to try it. What do you think? Love it or leggo!?

FOOD!!!!

Sometimes I forget to take in-the-process-pictures, but G-unit loved this dinner. Baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies. It was really very flavorful, and healthy!

For the chicken, I place how ever many chicken breasts as my dish accommodates, season with salt and pepper, maybe a little oregano, and put a couple dollops of butter in there. I bake for, like, 2 hours, at 200*. Apparently, the cooking at such a high altitude, like the one we're in now, is supposed to be altered; I haven't really found an issue. Maybe it's because I tend to cook things slowly anyway? I've found that the slower something cooks, the better it tends to turn out. It comes out super juicy and very, very tasty.

The sweet potatoes are boiled, mashed, and mixed with some milk, some butter, and some brown sugar....not too much though! Sweet potatoes have amazing vitamins so I prefer to just add some flavor without drowning out the healthy aspects!

If I had to pick a favorite meal for the boy it'd be this: Salmon and sweet potatoes. He gobbled up the veggies, but I wouldn't say he loves them. Salmon is super amazing for brain and eye development, so I try to feed him some pretty frequently.

I marinated the salmon for about 6 hours and cooked it the same time I cooked the chicken (but in its own dish, obv), and cooked it for about as long. I did check it frequently, so as to not dry it out, but it turned out great! We got 3 meals for him out of one piece of salmon!

Homemade hot cocoa!

We had our first snow day, since we've been here, last week so I thought it fitting to make hot cocoa!

Salt, sugar, and unsweetened cocoa

Added to very little boiling water. I think it was 1/3 c boiling water, so I just put it in the microwave and then added it to the pot.

Add milk

Voila!

Hot cocoa that was rich, but not too rich, and a perfect way to stay inside and enjoy the falling snow :-)

And, our second snow-day inspired food: Pineapple chicken and sweet potatoes

3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped.
I prefer to keep the skins on, because of the great vitamins, but the recipe called for them to be peeled. Plus, it's not like sweet potatoes aren't amazing sans-skin!

Flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, onion powder and black pepper

That mixture coats each chicken breast. I used 4, the recipes says 6, but I think my slow cooker is on the smaller side. And, placed on top of the sweet potatoes

The sauce: condensed cream of chicken soup, pineapple juice, mushrooms, flour, and brown sugar

Poured onto the sweet potatoes and chicken in the slow cooker. It can be cooked on 'low' for 8-10 hours, or high for 3-4. I cooked on high for just under 3 hours because my slow cooker is a freakin' supernova.

You guys? So good. Like, I-just-salivated soo good. Jake absolutely adored it! It's nice and healthy and served atop white rice that, literally, took about 5 minutes to make. There's "WIN" all over this meal, ifidon'tsaysomuhself

And, because the snowy day means you need a warm desert in yo' belleh: homemade peanut butter cookies!

The great thing about cooking everything from scratch is that, on days when the weather doesn't permit or you just don't feel like getting out of your bum-clothes (chew on this: Home is a place where you can be ugly and enjoy it), you almost always have ingredients for something you'd like to whip up. I want to make biscuits and gravy on a day with icy roads? I have a 10lb bag of flour, so I'll just go whip some up! Plus, it's 3 million percent cheaper. That's math, yo.

I greased the baking sheets extra because, not only do things tend to stick to these sheets, it's the first time I've baked cookies at this altitude, so I wanted to play it safe. I'd like to say they turned out pretty perfect---->

Hope I came back to these posts with a bang! Oh, and if you'd like me to be more specific, on measurements and such, lemme know! I like to try new recipes all the time, so if there's something you want to try I'll be happy to help a sista out! That's not sexist. That's just reality.

Happy Friday! :-)

Boo at the Zoo!

2011-10-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

Our Halloween was this past Friday night because Gary had to leave for training that night :-( I really super like the ol' hubbaroonie. Like, a lot. So, that's why, even though we've been through too many deployments, it still sucks donkey kong when he's only going to be gone a month.

Now that the lame part of the story is out of the way....

I kept it under top-secret, swear on yo' mama's life, wraps what I wanted J to be this year. It was so cute and I was 1000% sure we wouldn't see anyone else in a costume like it. He was going to be one of the little guys from Despicable Me; complete with face paint and black, standing-straight-up hair. We still haven't even lived in our house a month, so I kept doing house stuff, thinking I'd gather the materials for his costume about a week and a half beforehand.

NOPE.

Do you know how super difficult it is to find a yellow, pullover, hooded sweatshirt in Jake's size? I looked online and all I found were $27 sweatshirts, which I would not spend that much on something that I was going to alter to where he was only able to wear it once. Fugetaboutit!

So, after realizing I needed much more time than I realized to make his costume, I had to throw in the towel and buy one; albeit something that's super presh and something he totally squealed over, it didn't really sit well that it was purchased. Oh well....ya live and ya learn! We still had a great time!

Before we get to the shizz-ton of pictures know this: Some were taken with my phone, some our camera; so some of them are of less-than-desirable quality. As if anybody cares, right?? I just won't add 'photographer' to my bucket list....

As much as I'm dying to show you guys the pics of the projects going on around the house I have to wait 'til they're finished. But, I'd like to think these pumpkins are an indicator of what's up. I'm sure that 99%, if not more, of my projects are Pinterest-inspired. I love Pinterest sooo much because I want our house to be full of quirky, cute, different décor; ya know, not so all-your-neighbors-have-the-same-thing-because-you-all-bought-it-at-Tarjet type thing.

Anywho, we went to Michael's and picked up some gold spray paint, and black puffy paint. That's all we bought for the pumpkins! I had ribbon on hand so it took me about 15 minutes to finish both pumpkins and I uber-love how they turned out! Gary actually asked if I put beads on the one pumpkin; nope! Just some designs I did with paint!

Below is reason 327 I really love to cloth diaper!!

For those that are curious, I bought this from Plump Diapers; go 'like' her on Fbeezy! The diapers are of great quality!! 'member the Spongebob diaper I showed you guys a ways back? Well, she made that one. They come super fast, are incredibly absorbent, and so, so soft. You'll love, I promise! Although we do have enough diapers for the boy as is, I'd love to have a diaper for each major holiday. They're too cute not to!

Boo at the Zoo!

Mapquest finally straightened her shadoobie out and we made it to the zoo!

::: does the sprinkler :::

It is called the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but we didn't realize just how far into the mountain we were going! We thought it was just near it or something. No way, Jose. We were pretty deep in there. Well deeper than I thought. I thought I saw Bear Grylls one time....

Anyways, we were up in there. It had been a little cool, but no biggie, at our house. But, since we were cliffhanging at this zoo, we totally froze off our katookus. We walk up and everyone's in parkas and mukluks and shit. Woops. Thank goodness the boy is getting that last molar in; it added to his insulation.

"Bob"!!!!!!

I didn't remember 'til we were leaving to snap a pic of the entrance. See the kid ready for a blizzard in the bottom right? COLD.

One of the many trick-or-treat tables. We had to get swag for Jake; he had no interest. We decided against bringing the stroller because this was a night for him, so we wanted to let him explore and do as he pleased, rather than make things easier on us. We did hold hands the whole time, but suffice it to say there are no pictures of us with any of the dressed up zoo people. The boy walked around, literally, shrieking the entire time. He couldn't handle the awesome!

They had limited animals out, but this giraffe mosh pit was, by far, my favearoonie!

Can you still believe we live here?! Me either!!

And Pee Ess: I could not get a picture of me and the boy to save our lives. I don't only want to be the picture-taker! That was a smidge frustrating, but it was all erased when, while walking around with daddy, Jake turned around and reached up for my hand. The kid should have asked for a Porsche when he turns 16; he so could have closed that deal.

So, off we walked, a trio of hand-holders :-)

His costume was such a mondo hit! EVERYWHERE we went it was, "Look! Spongebob!" and, "how cute!!". Le duh, people ;-) Jake kept rubbernecking at everyone commenting on his costume. I think he felt like a celebritot.

If you look really closely, you can see a pack of lions lounging on the rock

I am NOT a photographer.

We could have ridden up and down the mountain in the ski lifts, but that was a no-go with a mobile toddler!

Completely mesmerized by the carousel!

All in all, our night rocked our socks off! It was super lame to have to drop Gary off afterward, but ending on a note like that was pretty amazeballs. Jake had an absolutely amazing time and that's all we wanted <3

Have a great Halloween, you Halloweiners!

I'm totally Magellan.

2011-10-25T08:12:00.001-05:00

This place makes me giddy as if Trader Joe's and Old Navy spawned a love child.

This weekend we did more exploring because soon Gary leaves for training, which thrills me about as much as a fork to the retina.

Saturday I got my 'do did, or else, by the time Gary got back, it would have driven me outside my own noggin and I would have had to swear on Lady Gaga that I was about to get stabby, and it was as close to an out-of-body experience as I've had.

I picked a salon/spa in the area that uses the same products my stylist did in Kentucky and hoped for the best. I walked in and met Monique. Did you read that with the applicable satisfied exhalation? Because she's faboosh!

As me and my head-full of foils took a seat in the comfy leather chair, Monique came over and asked if I'd like a hand massage. Get on over here, sister! She laughed when I accepted because I'm pretty sure I did so as if she asked, "Would you like this pile of cash?"

So, she's massaging my hand/forearm and all I keep thinking is, "I so love her", "Wait...I love google, who brought me to you"

Then, she shampoos and gives me a scalp massage. For about the most glorious ten minutes I've ever known. My thoughts then? "She could be turning my hair Katy Perry pink and I wouldn't even carrrreeee"

I left there feeling like a hot tamale.

Jake had been a spectacular ball of fever, from the move catching up with him, and teething that last molar in. Believe me, this has been a joint effort. He woke up during the night, he didn't want to eat during the day, and wanted to hang on the couch all day. It was so hard to see my little man like that. So, Gary was as excited for me as I was for my appointment Saturday morning; he said, and I quote, "Go out, have fun. See a movie. Just enjoy yourself".

Can I marry him again?

I needed lemon essential oil (for my homemade furniture dusting spray! If I make my own cleaner, why not?!) so I went to Natural Grocers. Amazeballs. They were friendly, closer than Whole Foods, came recommended by my goddess, Monique, and were wildly cheaper than the aforementioned, Whole Foods.

I skipped out of there like I imagine Cinderella might skip.

Skipped myself to lunch and then more of something, but I can't remember. It was that. good.

Moving on from the best day in recorded history:

We went to our first on-post function, the pumpkin patch!

And, obviously, I should put a picture of fire trucks with that caption.

I got an automated phone call one afternoon about a pumpkin patch that was going to take place at the housing office. What are these people? Wizards? Automated phone call from housing. I dig it.

Ever the joiners, we headed on over!

There were caricatures

...and studly husband (singular)

....and free pumpkins!

We each got to take one home; sadly, one of them cracked on the way home, so now we only have two pumpkin-representatives of our family. But, you guys? I decorated them sooo cute! They're drying now, but will be on the front porch tomorrow morning for the neighbors to ~~admire~~ enjoy ;-)

Completely sacked out from the excitement!

The kid's a total trooper, though! There's so much new stuff going on, which is quickly becoming routine, and he handles it so well. Proud mama!

Oh, and I just thought I'd be a total turd burglar and show you more shots of where we live. We actually live here!

Simmer Donna.

This is the day it "snowed".

I guess the area outside post got it a little more heavily, but Gary and I were so excited as we saw snow inch its way down the mountain!

It stayed like that a wee bit and then transformed into awesome:

Sunday we were supposed to go to the zoo. It's 15 minutes from our house. We drove around an hour because mapquest is a dirty biatch.

Either way, didn't hate being, unknowingly, lost with a drive like this!

So, we threw in the towel and ate instead. Obviously.

We ate, for the first time, at Texas Roadhouse and I had the salmon. It was life-changing. It's our new place. And, I could not be more pumped about it.

'Texas Roadhouse' is all bedazzled and glittered in my mind's eye.

Totes.

And, just because he's the coolest kid in town <3

Pee Ess...the projects around the house are just going swimmingly, dahling! Pics are coming pronto! Keep your panties on; it'll be worth it!

Happy Tuesday, friends :-)

The best-laid plans

2011-10-19T08:58:00.000-05:00

For quite some time, Gary and I have had a plan of when we'd like to put a bebeh in my belleh. Then, we came up on orders and our plan became contingent upon whether or not we'd have a 4th deployment.

FOURTH.

At the first house we lived on-post at Campbell, I was talking to my neighbor, whose husband was on his 5th deployment, when she said, "I don't even cry anymore; I'm just used to it"

I completely get where she's coming from, but I wouldn't say I feel the same. When he's gone, I still have those periodic lonely sobs at night; I still don't get used to him being gone on holidays; I still don't feel completely right.

I would, however, say that the sadness doesn't last anywhere as long as it did the first couple deployments. That feeling of sadness rooted in the pit of my stomach subsides much more easily not because I'm ok with him being gone, but because I've found a way to cope with it.

And, now, we've already been warned of deployment next year. And, not just one time frame where once we pass it, we feel the relief that we escaped another tour. There are, now, two time frames we have to try to dodge next year.

I couldn't help it, I immediately got teary-eyed when he told me.

It, kind of, blindsided me because I had, involuntarily, become very hopeful that we'd finished our last deployment. Campbell is one of the top-deploying posts in the Army, so I'd ~~thought~~ hoped we'd fly under the overseas radar.

And, now the question of baby-making has us going back and forth.

We planned Jake very shortly after Gary got back from his second deployment. Gary was here for the entire pregnancy and every prenatal appointment but one, the first 8 1/2 months of this life, to include first birthday, first Christmas, and second birthday. Those are absolutely huge accomplishments for the military family. And, for that we were beyond thankful.

Now, with two possible deployments looming over us, we're not sure how to tackle things. Do we get pregnant with the possibility of him leaving a few short weeks after the birth, or maybe miss the birth altogether? Or, do we get pregnant right before he deploys (rumor has it deployments are now only going to last 9-10 months) and have him miss my appointments and baby-kicks and talking to my belly and, again, possibly the birth?

So many of my friends live near their families. They need a babysitter? Done. They need a break? Done. Not to imply I have it so much worse because we're so far from family, but that mental cushion of having grandma just a neighborhood away would be nice some days.

And, the part that seems the most daunting is having two babies by myself. I've been through many deployments, I've been through a deployment with a baby, but the task of two during a deployment still seems so daunting. I suppose it's one of those things where you work it up terribly in your head and then you end up realizing what you're capable of.

My good friend, Amy, is an absolute hero to me. Her husband was deployed with mine and she had a 3 year old, and recovered from a c-section, all the while caring for her new (and wayyy too adorable for words) baby girl. She didn't have oodles of help. She didn't run home and throw her kids at someone else to raise. She's a total champion.

I've been relying on her a lot lately because we both had an unplanned c-section. We both know what recovery is like. Yet she still did it. To be honest, she kicked the crap out of it. She's reassured me that it can be done, and will be done, and everyone comes out the other side stronger and more capable because of it.

The last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy, I was on bedrest. No matter how healthily I maintained my pregnant self, pre-eclampsia still was able to sneak up on me. I was elliptical 3 days a week and prenatal yoga twice a week and it still didn't exempt me from such a diagnosis. What if it sneaks up again? What if I'm on bedrest, and I have a toddler? I know my family would come out to help, but they can't live here. Of course, extenuating circumstances would probably change that fact, now that I think about it.

I don't know, it just seems so scary to think about. I consider myself a strong person, and I thoroughly enjoy self-sufficiency (not that I don't mind help at all, I just like that I am able self-sufficient), but.....wow. Ya know?

But, I know thousands of military spouses do it everyday. I know it's doable because I've seen it, because there's no other option. I think about all my friends who've done it, and I'm in awe. People have called me strong and it just doesn't seem appropriate. I feel like I'm just doing what needs to be done. And, I guess that means I can do it again.

Because it's what needs to be done.

That time I extremely couponed.

2011-10-18T11:15:00.019-05:00

During our trip to Colorado, Gary and I became hooked on Extreme Couponing. We'd get to the hotels and see if we were able to find an episode; I mean, we weren't maniacal about it or anything...

But, there was one point,when Gary went out to get us some dinner, and, as he walked out the door, said, "Let me know how much she saves!" haha!

So, I started thinking about it. I think a general rule to life is to keep everything in moderation (I'm deep, yo), but these crazies kept saying, during their interviews within the show, "...everyone should be doing it" and, "it's too easy".

Challenge accepted.

To begin my new extreme lifestyle, I made a point to go to Walgreens every Sunday for 3 newspapers. For those wondering, NO. CLUE. why I chose 3. Why not all of them? Why not 7, or 2. I don't have a clue. Must be my new, extreme lifestyle. And, I made mental note to buy a printer once we arrived at our new casa.

Can't help it----> Digression: I've always lightly couponed; it wasn't something I was passionate about (h e double hockey sticks, I still wouldn't call it a 'passion'), or went out of my way to accomplish. But, what tickled my pickle is that someone asked me, "Do you coupon?", like it was some new, crazy fad. I told this to my madre so we could share the laugh. I mean, my mom, pretty much, invented "couponing".

I went into this knowing I had no plans to let this consume my life. There's no way I'm going to stress myself over something that is, more or less, a hobby.

So, here's what I do: I buy the arbitrary amount of 3 newspapers on Sundays; And, the other day, I went out and bought a $50 Canon printer at Walmart; Then, I signed up for some coupon sites online. And, lastly, I found a grocery store in the area that doubles coupons.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

It's worked out really well! I haven't saved 50%, or more, or anything on a bill yet, but the savings have definitely shown up! Let's just say, with the savings, I've paid for the printer more than a couple times!

Oh, and you'll see this when I post the pics of the new house, but I wasn't going to begin doing anything 'extremely' unless I had a place to store all the swag; Houston, we have a basement!

So, here we go--->
My first couponing venture was at our new commissary. And, to be honest, it was because I had coupons that were 'military coupon' as opposed to 'manufacturer coupon', hence the reason I started at a place where you won't, necessarily, find the best deals.

-My bill was: $129.35
-Coupon total: $45.54
-Items bought: 100
-Savings: 27%
-Making each item total: $1.29

I was especially excited about that category because I had coupons for things like TreSemme, which was $3.55 without coupon!

After I found the grocer that would double coupons (They'll double coupons up to $1, and it shows as 'bonus coupon' when you're at the register), I went for a small trip, to test the water.

-My bill was: $24.99
-Coupon total + doubled coupons + store card savings: $13.30
-Items bought: 17
-Savings: 35%
-Making each item total: $1.47

After I dipped my toe into the water of that store, I decided to really go. My first shopping trip at that store:

-My bill was: $119.21
-Coupon total + doubled coupons + store card savings: $47.48
-Items bought: 47
-Making each item total: $2.54

Not only did I save in-store, but this grocer has a pump where you can only fill your tank if you're a card member; you get $0.10 off per gallon for each $100 spent in store. I filled up, post-trip, and saved $0.20/gallon! Holla!

And, probably one of my favorite couponing trips thus far: Old Navy

Per the uje, Old Navy was having a pretty amazeballs sale and, since we're the perpetual Californians, we had to beef up our limited stock of warm weather clothing!

-My bill was: $59.01
-Coupon total + discounts: $48.88
-Items bought: 7
-Making each item total: $8.43

The thing I love most about saving this cash money is that it's not becoming a stressor, ya k now? Of just those trips alone, we saved $155.20! And, I was never stressed. Yes, I love saving money as much as the next Domestic Engineer, but I'm not going to, voluntarily, stress myself. I mean, we're so blessed to not be hanging on to our last dime, so we can keep this couponing deal supa cazh.

Oh, and you guys know I have enough hair to rival Mufasa....In mathematical terms, I have a shizz ton of conditioners and shampoos! Not to mention, deodorants, toothpaste, canned goods, soap, body wash... E.T.C.

Once all my home projects are finished up, you'll have all kinds of pics to delight your eyeballs, which will also include my coupon swag!

Get off the edge of those seats.

Ciao!

Colorado

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Time for a tour of our new digs!

Job one on the agenda was to find my hotspots around town:

So, remember how Whole Foods sucked big, fat toe? Well, we hit this Whole Foods and it was a completely different experience. The employees weren't a super far deviation from Nashville's, but I'll take any improvement! But, at least these customers were mildly friendly. It wasn't so "you suck at life" when we passed in the aisles which is always nice! ;-)

The next job was to admire this place!!

I love this place!!!

Our new 41A

We are further west!; Hardees is now back to being correctly named Carl's Jr!!

Oh, the happiness!!!

If we get an In-N-Out I'll wet myself.

This is the new post we get to call home!

Can't say I hate that someone cleans up after me! YAY for housekeeping!

Hello, my soldier

The commissary.

I'm about to blow the minds of my Army wife friends: We got here on Friday, which happened to be payday. We decided to go out exploring the next day, because we forgot it was payday weekend, and the commissary was one of our stops. You guys, this place was a ghost town. It was nowhere near Fort Campbell, in that I didn't have to drop the hammer because someone tried to body check me in the aisles. Of the people actually in the commissary, they were friendly! I know Campbell is a major Army post, but I'm still in awe! We toodled around town to find Tarjet etc., and NO ONE. I'm not ignoring the fact that this could be a complete fluke, but my belly tells me otherwise! If we had gone from Carson to Campbell I might have cried!

Our new PX

What a terrible view, eh?! It's roughly the same size as the one at Campbell, but it just seems....slower. Obvious, right? It's a smaller post. But, whatevs. It's the simple things :-)

Another reason I adore this PX (since I didn't say it before: I adore the PX), we snagged 1500 thread count, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets for $45! Swimmin' pools, movie stahs...

And, these are just some pics from around our lodging!

Wait, what's that, little mountain? You want to be snowboarded this winter??
Done and Done.

These clouds look rather ominous, no? Well, they aren't. It's not like the South; you don't have to go find yourself a Noah because a cloud pops into the sky. It's very calm, almost surreal to look up at those clouds. They're the kind you're sure you could sit on when you were a kid :-)

But, because we do know that we have some snow headed our way---->

The people are friendly, it's not all sardine status, and I'm back to loving being outside...

Fort Carson: I'd recommend it to a friend :-)

Lessons from the road.

2011-10-05T07:43:00.001-05:00

In two and a half days, we drove almost 17 hours.

We lost no one in the process; that is one monster of a win.

Let me paint you a picture: We stuffed both cars to the brim with the necessities (it's amazing how much crap piles up into that category when you'll arrive at your destination before your belongings) and did our best imitation of a convoy, with Gary leading.

Can I just tell you guys something? I just added up all our gas receipts because the Army said to. We drove TWO cars 1,100 miles, filled with almost 2.000 lbs worth of stuff. We spent $384. I'll wait while you digest that magnificence. I still don't think it could be true! Perhaps this is a true testament to properly maintaining your vehicles?!

The drive was great. Minus the spurts of construction that slowed time justthismuch, the weather held up well, traffic was minimal, and the sights were almost always amazing. Except for Kansas. We hate Kansas. More on that later.

I packed, what felt like, about 207 sandwiches, juice, chips, and, Jake's two great loves, White Cheddar Cheez-Its and multicolored Goldfish; this was to avoid spontaneous cardiac arrest induced by the grease from middle-of-nowhere diners.

So, all in all, we were very prepared. We've never PCSed before so I preferred to simplify what I could since I didn't understand the process in its entirety. But, there were still lessons to be learned---->

1) XM radio is a must.
But, then again, now I know every.single.song. within the country genre.
Test me.

Plusalso? Miranda Lambert is either hit or miss with me. Although, I feel like I'd like her in real life. Guys, I was in the car for multiple hours with my baby boy and the XM, I know which country stars would be my friends.

2) Cruise control is a gift from Jesus.
No elaboration necessary.

3) Like I told my friend, Donna, "Kansas is stupid. And ugly"
This state contains rampant amounts of nothing. Every mile we drove through that cursed land felt like we simply stood still. Not to mention the construction. Umm, really? For whom are you constructing? No one lives there.

4) No aspect of nature is fun when you're on a 500 mile stretch with rest stops every 90ish miles.
Seriously, Kansas. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!

5) The price of sanity.
I began traveling with Jake while Gary was deployed. Before I even began step one of any journey, I was going to make it as easy on myself as possible. As you guys know, we cloth diaper full-time, and (this part is a fun factoid--->) we have to wash every 3 days. Easy peasy. BUT. I know when to call a spade a spade. We save uber amounts of cash by cloth diapering, and cloth wiping, but there's no way I'm going to add 'wash diapers' to my list while we're away from home. We make smart, money-saving decisions, but whose sanity is priceless? THIS GIRL. I'm not going to make something more stressful to save a couple bucks. So, I got some disposable diapers, for dirt cheap, at yardsales and have been happy to check one thing off my list. And, to make this a win-win, we're still saving oodles even with taking a 2 week break from the cloth!

::: does the macarena :::

6) The value of life.
I saw a sign, in Kansas of course, which read,

"$10,000 fine for hitting workers
and a 4 year sentence"

My first thought: Does this happen enough, in the middle of nowhere, for us to see this sign multiple times??

My second thought: If I were one of the workers I'd like the sign to read,

"Refrain from hitting workers;
you could never afford the fine for hitting these biatches"

7) The greatness that is Spongebob
Whether Jake is reading one of his Spongebob books or not, he likes to walk around saying (slash maybe calling for?) "Bob". He and Mr. Squarepants are on the nicknamed-basis. At first, I was like, "Yep, buddy. Spongebob rocks", but after hour three of "Bob", I think to myself, "Man, Spongebob IS the man!"

8) The importance of non-verbal communication.
Gary and I had full conversations, about drivers around us and the number of kittens we'd like to dropkick if we had to drive another mile, via hand gestures. While driving. Not all of them friendly, but all of them covert.

I'd like to thank Ross from FRIENDS for providing me with an excellent gesture.

8) The duality of the license plate game.
This game both succeeds in keeping you alert while on the road and killing a piece of you because you are, in fact, playing alone.

9) I missed my calling.
I should have been a country singer.

10) The best part of a road trip.
Don't move to Kansas.

...and we went out with a bang

2011-10-04T07:23:00.000-05:00

Long time no see!!

Guys, I have, approximately, 3 million pictures between our last week in Kentucky to our first few days here at Fort Carson so I guess I'll try to be selective :-)

Our last weekend at Campbell was just amazing. That Saturday we went to the Butterfly Festival. The weather was perfect and it was the perfect distraction from the upcoming marathon of cleaning and floor-sleeping we had ahead of us!

On Monday, the movers came to take away our house. Naturally, Jake and I headed away from the chaos to, ya know, ~~hide~~ stay out of the way. First, we had brunch, because we're fancy up in here, at IHOP and then headed to the park:

We came home, after the movers had left, to get to work scrubbing the house for our housing inspection the following day. Ya know, make the house immaculately clean because that's the way they gave it to us.

::: FRIENDS Ross-style flip-off :::

The cleaning may have made me want to poke myself in the eye with a fork, but it did provide moments such as these:

I was scrubbing the fridge, and took the last shelf out to be cleaned in the sink, and this is where I found him! He hadn't even been in the room with me when I took the shelf out!

The next morning was my baby boy's birthday. The old man is TWO. It's insaneinthemembrane to say I have a TWO YEAR OLD; perhaps more insane to say my uterus aches for another ;-)

After our housing was inspected, we got to the hotel, to start celebrating our tiny man, and I got the last picture of a cute outfit I'd have for a while ;-) We only had so much room in our cars so I couldn't pack more! Either way, LA-OVE this dress!

I got it back in '08 to pick Gary up on leave, from deployment #2, and I'm still not over it. I'm loyal to my clothes....

Obsessed with the balloons from his grandparents and uncles :-)

We took him to one of his favorite places, Chuck E. Cheese. He can't get enough. The squeals and shrieks and contagious laughter 'bout had me in tears if I hadn't been smiling so big!

After gorging on pizza and breadsticks, we went back to our hotel to let our bellies digest before cake and presents. You know I'm not overdoing it, on the food-front, with a toddler I'm about to drive 1,100 miles who rarely ever sees junk food!

Chuck E. Cheese wore out our tiny lad!

Jake the Tank.

If Dora doesn't have to rhyme, neither do I.

This was an $8 Spongebob card that sang when opened; the boy was absolutely infatuated. Even though he loved his other gifts, we could've just gotten him the card and got away with it!

We rarely ever pay full price for a book. We go to consignment shops and get books for no more than $3 (got one yesterday for $.50! ::: running man :::). BUT, we saw this book, during our last trip to Nashville, and were physically unable to resist. The book's pages are divided into thirds so that you can, basically, write your own Spongebob story. The awesome was almost too much for him the bear!

The very next day we began our trek to Colorado. We've driven cross-country, between Kentucky and California, numerous times, but it's a different feeling when you're leaving the home you've made for the past five years (6 for G-unit!). Can't say I didn't get a little teary on our drive out, but it's all happening exactly as it's meant :-)

The ride was smooth-sailing; we'd drive no more than 4 hours at a time, get gas every time we stopped, and would run around with Jake so we could all stretch out those gams! Peeps, we have this boiled down to a science!

We drove through a crap-ton of cities; unfortunately, I couldn't get pictures of all the sites! I suppose that's what happens when you're driving two separate cars, but we saw things like the St. Louis Arch and Busch Stadium and, hallo, an alpaca farm. I couldn't help but to laugh! I thought those were fictional, like glittery unicorn farts.

The drives seemed to go very quickly (although sleepy butt cheeks may have different to say...), but I'm so thankful we all made it in one piece!

Oh, and a lot of people have been asking where we're having J-Bone sleep...

The pack n' play of course!

That is, until he passes out in our bed and has to be transferred over.
I mean, why's he so tired? He just sat in the back....

Bon Voyage, Triple Eff

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, party people!

It's my last one of these posts for a while; I won't be able to cook for soooo long.

::: roundhouse kicks Moving in the jugular :::

Our house? Full to the brim with boxes. Everything is off the walls, everything that can be packed is packed, and we're all systems go. But, ummm, that also means kitchen stuff. Lame, right? Doiy. Of course it is.

We have food, obviously. And, I *do* cook, but, people?? It's causing me physical pain to not be able to use my dinnerspinner app, or breakout my heavy artillery (which common folk may refer to as kitchenware. Whatever.). Meals, albeit tasty, consist of inventive ways of cleaning out our fridge and cabinets. I like putting more thought into the meals. But, I have to make intelligent decisions, which means using up food rather than throwing it out because we can't take it with us.

I mean, it's like Picasso without his brush.

hahahaha!!!

:::finger guns and creepy winking:::

Anywho, I'll survive. You'll see why down below, but I definitely earned enough points with the males in our casa to last until I get to my new kitchen!

Can we just talk about this shirt? Definitely not for me; it's for J-Bone. I got it about 32 years ago on the first girls' day because it was from Target and it was, like, $4.50. WIN.

Anyway, you guys have seen how I dress. The only way I'd dress any girlier is if glitter exploded on me. I say this because we were at the commissary a couple weeks ago and a lady referred to Jake as "she". OK, I get that people are ra-tards once in a while, and his needing-a-haircut 'do may have thrown this lady off. Fine. I can deal. But, LOOK AT ME. The boy was in his LA shirt (Doyers, baby!) and tan cargo shorts. Can we just use our deductive reasoning skills and come to the conclusion that I'd dress any daughter o' mine more femininely, until she says she wants otherwise? Can we all just agree on that? I mean, I'd never be the mama that dresses her in pink from head to toe, but more girly than....cargo. shorts.

Anyway, that's my whole spheel on the boy. That picture up above is an indicator of rad little stuff I prefer him to wear. So, yeah, he's very much a 'he'.

As for moi, JCPenney is, more or less (except actually 'less'), sponsoring this post. The top down below makes me feel fab'. And, I didn't get a picture of the back because, per the uje, we were getting out the door and I didn't have time. But, this was for Angie's cookout, so I was happy to do so! Anyway, the back crisscrosses, at the top, and I heart that. I love little accents such as those.

Oh, and the top-----> $4.80.

JCP supplied this for $7.80 and OH. MY. GAWD. I love it. It's so retro to me and super comfy. This may have made me extra excited because I wore it to our Trader Joe's extravaganza.

Love by association.

Are you guys aware of the all the knowledge I drop? Promise...go watch how people push their shopping carts. IT IS how they drive. Science.

I should totally be a mobile shout-out on Cash Cab.

Ha!

And, 100% because of Pinterest, I tried out the waterfall braid for the first time! I think it went pretty well! Fine tune a few things and I'll sport this bad boy until my deathbed. Just kidding.

I'm a big fan.

Food!

For the first time in my 26 years, I made corned beef.

I was making it for corned beef hash. Gary and I both remember having it when we were kids. We only had it when we went camping, or else I may not have made it the whole 26 years, but I always remembered liking that very distinct taste.

My potato status as of now: I hope to never see one ever again.

Finished!

It was so, so good. Not something I intend to make any time soon, but very good! A hearty meal with a capital HEART.

Competely homemade apple pie.

I'll wait while you sop up that salivation.

~~All the time~~ Every once in a while, I will get an itch to make something like this. It'll just spring up on me while watching Spongebob, I'll make my declaration, and we'll keep moving on with our day.

They're used to me by now ;-)

I mean, HOMEMADE apple pie. I made the filling with apples that were peeled and cored by my, you guessed it, apple corer and peeler!

I also made the crust.

Usually I'll get the boxed mix to make a crust, but I realized I've got all the same stuff the box does and my stuff is FREEEEEE.

Plus, any crust recipe that calls for the food processor is a Weiner! in my book. For those of you who have cut-in butter, I'm totally looking at you.

I tore apart the apples and "seasoned" them with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I added more of the mixture because the apples seemed a little more tart to me so I had to tones those biatches down.

Hi, I'm Samantha and I have a crust problem.

They're good, really good. They're light, and flaky, and DE-LISH. But, they fall apart sooo easily. I always have to be very gentle and use my daily quota of swear words to get it done. So, if you have any suggestions on how to keep the taste, but make them a bit more sturdy, I'd love ya!

But, to be honest, who cares what it looks like when your husband, literally, uses the phrase "life-changing" to describe your pie.

And, that is NOT what she said.

Jake liked it, but wasn't in love with it. As many of you know, Jake doesn't have the biggest sweet tooth in town. He'd rather have real food. Whether it be fresh fruits and veggies, or goldfish, or actual meals, he skips the bad-for-you snacks and goes for closer-to-natural tasting stuff.

Proud mama right here!

::: raise the roof :::

Alright, loves, this is it! I won't be cooking for so long. At least it's not cold turkey, I s'pose.

But, you guys....COLORADO. NEXT. WEEK.

So, until then, I'll be playing Tetris. I mean, packing.
xo

Multitasking

2011-09-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I had a to-do list to tackle. So, I got after it. But, once I looked around our kitchen and playroom, I saw that I was accomplishing so many things at once. And, ever the diligent blogger, I thought I should document the festivities.

Had to bake the chicken, which was thawing in the fridge, for chicken salad.

...while making apple butter to be canned...

...and getting dinner into the crock pot...

...all the while feeding Jake snacks of organic crackers with parmesan artichoke dip.

Let's be real. With everything I was doing, h-e double hockey sticks to the YES I was going to feed him cracker bites as opposed to leaving him to his own devices. I was already making a mess, no need for two!

And, the boy? In between bites, he deemed it unnecessary to play with stuff I considered keeping for myself...

He'd rather play with the wheels of our desk chair.

Obviously.

Makin' some memories.

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

I swear on Toby Keith, someone up in here best know who Tim Riggins is.

This past weekend was all kinds of awesomesauce.

As it should be; it's one of our two last weekends here!

I know.

We kicked off the weekend with a cookout with a family I am creepily-wild about, the Richardsons. I mentioned one of my favorite people, Angie, a post or two ago and she belongs to said family. Her and I, and our shorts ones, had hungout a handful of times, but it was never a family extravaganza. Gary and I left their house Saturday night wishing we had been spending oodles of time with them, bordering on wearing-out-our-welcome amounts of time. They're just good people.

And, ya know how if you're going to a party, of some sort, you may sometimes be a little iffy since you won't know the rest of your hosts' friends (mostly because not everyone will talk to just about anyone like we will. Sorry, strangers)? We never felt that, and it was never necessary. There were two other families at this cookout and they were just as amazing as our hosts. It felt like we'd all known each other forevah.

Plusalso? Any group of people who can quote Family Guy are at the top of my list.

I think it's a testament to the time we had that I don't have one picture of Jaden, Angie's two year old, and Jake playing together, or the mouth-watering brisket we inhaled, or Jake crawling right into Angie's lap while we ate.

That, or I'm just lazy as f*ck.

Whichev.

But, we did have a stupendous (<---right?!?) time. It's hard to have anything but a 'Dear Diary..' time when your toddler instantly acts like he's at home in someone else's home.

OK, enough about my stalker-like tendencies.

Sunday was something for which my dear heart beat. Sunday was marked as 'Trader Joe's!!!!! <3' on the calendar. Mama don't play.

First, as is always a rule by which to abide, we ate at Red Robin because you NEVER get groceries, no matter how small the trip, while you're hungry! Fo' shizzle.

Ceiling fans: Jake's kryptonite.

In the same shopping center lives a Books-A-Million. I'm, kind of, a die-hard Borders fan; mostly because they're going out of business and I'm saving serious cash money feeding my reading addiction. However, a book store's a book store. Almost-totes. Plus, it gives me the warm-fuzzies since Jake loves to read. The first thing he does in the morning, after I lift him out of his crib, is grab the book he was read off his toy box the night before, at bedtime, and read while I get his breakfast ready. So, yeah, us + books = <3

We got him a book, as part of his birthday present!!, and me a couple books (which will soon become Gary's couple books):

The same Bro Montana that recommended I read Lone Survivor (by Marcus Luttrell---in case there's any way I haven't burned that into your subconscious---> run and go buy it. DO IT) also recommended Seal of Honor, which is about one of the four extraordinarily heroic men in/of the previously mentioned Lone Survivor. As SOON as I hit 'save now' on this post, I'm picking up that book and getting it on. And, then watching Mad Men. Guys, I just started this show and...whoa doggie, LOVE!

And, just like Christmas morning...

Umm, hai. I'm Trader Joe's and I'm DA BOMB.

Jake was practically asleep in the cart the entire trip. I, on the other hand, was skipping merrily throughout my kryptonite in manner very reminiscent of Mary Poppins.

Gahhh, what if that were true?!

Organic cracker assortment, Parmesan & Artichoke spread---the boy loves it!, organic butter, mini-Trader-Joe's-version Reese's (doiy), Organic Concorde Grape Juice, a protein drink, avocados (no grocery trip is complete with them).

OK, friends, I'm off to read about a courageous man and watch 1960s infidelity.

Deuces!

Triple Eff!

2011-09-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

Waddup, loverfaces?!

Happy Friday!

I'm only going to be able to ONE more of these posts before we move!!! Umm, hai, cooking withdrawals! Not to mention---> DRESSING WITHDRAWALS! Peeps, I'm going to be wearing less than spectacular clothing on our 18 hour drive to Colorado, which is....le duh. But, what's really putting the stick in my spokes? We'll be living out of a suit case for forever while waiting for our housing assignment at our new post so I'll have a very limited range of things to wear. Unexcited? Yes. However, I doubt I'll be attending any dinner parties during our travels so we should be good.....

While I can still break out the cute stuff!:

I have mad love for this vest! The only thing that sucks is that I had to snap this pic of moi because G-unit was at work and the entire vest went up with my arms! Holy Tragedy. Anywho, even if the picture isn't perfect, I freakin' adore this vest.

So, it became surprisingly chilly a week or two ago and this little crop-cardigan was about the extent outside my summer clothes I was willing to go. Hey, it had sleeves!

Isn't this necklace to die?! Well, not everyone may think so, but I think it's super cute without being too much. My kind of ratio.

Besides the color blue and totes adorbs necklaces, I harbor a major affinity for racerbacks.

I can't believe it hadn't dawned on me until, like, yesterday to get a picture of me in my zumba shirt! I only do zumba 5 days a week! [well, now I replaced two of those days with yoga, but you get the point...] Does anyone else feel very Joe Dirt about this picture?!

Moving on, children.

The food! The last time I did this post the food was lacking. This time? I'm pretty sure I've covered the food spectrum!

First up: Creamy Shrimp in Rice.

That's right, shrimp.

We're fancy-schmancy up in here.

Well, this'll probably be the only time I cook it, but whatevs.

Sauteing red pepper, onion, and garlic

Toss in some peas. You're supposed to use sugar snap peas, but I used regular peas because I'm gangsta.
It's actually all I had and I doubt my boys give a shadoobie what type of peas are in their meals!

Toss in the shrimp. The shrimp was, pretty much, perfection. At $8/lb, it better taste life-changing.

Mixed with some garlic Phili cooking creme and serve over rice.

You're welcome ;-)

*Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole---->

except it tasted nothing like Chicken Cordon Bleu. It's got the same stuff in it--chicken, ham, cheese...ya know, all the food groups. Tastes completely different, but still a really good dish!

Chicken, cooking creme, asparagus spears (cut), ham, and crushed Ritz crackers.

Layered in a greased pan and covered with swiss cheese.

So, you're supposed to serve it over rice. Woops.

*Mexican Taco Quiche
Ole!

I made this for dinner, even though it's intended for breakfast/brunch, because I don't play by anyone's rules. Not even my own. Family Guy with my food and fashion? Um, yes please!

This is a bowl full of eggs, salsa, milk, bell pepper, and Mexican-style cheese blend

....which would be poured atop this ground beef seasoned with taco mix

Isn't that the most beautiful crust you've ever seen in your life?! Crusts used to be my nemesis. Now, they're my biatch.

Gary couldn't get enough of this! Jake didn't feel real great the night I made it, so he didn't eat much. That wasn't a giant kick to my ego or anything ;-) But, glad one of my boys ate it up!

*Creamy Chicken with Broccoli

So, I got all these recipes off my allrecipes.com dinner spinner app and I'd like to lodge a formal complaint. How about we come up with a title that doesn't just list the ingredients! I need something inventive! I'll turn to Pinterest....

Broccoli, red pepper, garlic and chicken.

All tossed in a pot with pasta and cooking creme. Jake ate it like his mouth was going on sabbatical.

OK, dolls, did I make up for the last one of these I did?! Next week, I need to pull out the big guns, with it being my last of these posts for a while. I'm making more apple butter, but I doubt you guys want to see 27 jars full of the heavenly nectar again. I am, however, making an apple pie completely from scratch. That's right, no from-the-can filling. No store-bought crust. Holla!

I'll try my best to rock your faces clean off.
xo

The Gym Chronicles: Perv Edition

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I go to the gym to workout.

Shocking, I know.

But, I also go to laugh with my friends. Because we're hilarious. But, I won't get into that.

Digression stopped in its tracks! :::high fives self:::

Going to a gym on an Army post isn't unlike going to a civilian gym; there are some guys there who are so impressed with themselves they stare at their own magnificence in the mirror their entire workout; there are women who go just to say, literally, they went to the gym that day---workout, maybe not so much; and there are some people who go to impress perfect strangers.

Ya know, just a day in the life of the gym.

Before we get started on the wrong foot, there are no intentional implications that I think I'm the only one who actually gets a workout in, or that the majority of people don't go there to work on their fitness.

But, these people are boring to talk about.

There's this one guy I swear is always there when I'm there. Ladies, you've totally encountered this guy. He's the one who stares so hard, with no regard for the awkward meter, you swear you have a booger hanging out your nose. I'm pretty sure if he spoke, rather than just burned me with his retinas, he'd have a Russian accent. Maybe, ladies, you don't know that guy, but you get the gist.

Whenever I walk by this guy, my mind goes back and forth between how to get him to stop. The options I've come up with? Picking my ass, or picking my nose. Either way, something's gettin' picked.

Hey, he dishes out the awkward, I'd like to give it right back.

Of course, by the time I've finished making my mental pros-cons list for which route would be best he's outside my personal space and, let's face it, picking my ass for no reason would just be uncalled for.

Until we meet again, Russian gym perv.

Or, how about the guy who, as he does curls or pull-ups or something else bicep-related, looks down at his arms, looks back at you, and then back at his arms as if to say, "Look how impressive I am. These arms? Their mine!"

I've decided the look that guy should receive is the look of confusion I'd have if someone asked me to divide 8761 by 241.

Of course, none of these things need to be done by me; ladies, join in! Throw the awkward right back at 'em!

One day, I was at the gym with Annaleigh and Amy and some guy walks by, stares at Amy's butt so blatantly he didn't even care when everyone was looking at him, totally surprised by his lack of grace. Look, gym perv, I know Amy's butt is bongo-worthy, but, for serious?? Exercise some sort of stealth, puhlease!

So, Pervy Perversons, I think that's all we ladies ask. I know, I know. God put us here simply to be ogled by you, a stranger, but can you be less painfully obvious? Because the answer to your question is 'No".

Seriously, no thanks.

Really.

No.

The Great Move.

2011-09-12T20:52:00.007-05:00

Have you heard? We're moving.

And, it's coming up faster than you can say TraderJoe's.

It's hitting me an entirely different way now; just a couple weeks ago it felt like chaos for a 2-3 day stretch, which felt like 2-3 months. Now that the eternity of those 2-3 days is over, I'm realizing all the things I'm going to miss.

Please don't take offense to this, anyone. This is in no particular order.

*TRADER JOE'S

We've already made plans to go there ONE. LAST. TIME. Umm, does anything make you love something more like having it taken away?! When we go, I'll have to take pictures to chronicle our last trip there. Ya know, action shots of picking up organic products and freakin' tasty food. I'll blog those. Man, wouldn't that be the edge-of-your-seat post? HAYOOOO!!

*The friendlies!

As of now we're in the process of making final dates with those who make up our village. I'm thinking about my friend Angie, whom we're supposed to hang out with this weekend!, who I met at a birthday party and instantly loved her face right off. Or, my dear friend, Christian. This girl is the cat's pajamas and I've always considered her a good friend, even though we've hardly seen each other since we graduated college. Christian, I know you're reading this because you love me back--we can't let our upcoming date slip through the cracks! And, my Whitney. This girl is full of fabulousness. Totes. Stop going on vacays long enough for me to date you! ;-)

Not to leave out anyone else, it's just that you realize just how important the people you don't see as often are when you're about to move away from them! We love our huge lot of friends and are gonna miss the stuffing right outta ya! xo

*The zumba instructors!!!!

Gah! I have to leave them?!? This probably sounds all kinds of creeepystalkerish. But, this is how much I care: not. at. all. Their classes are so fun and the lights are off and there's strobes and stuff...

I doubt their level of awesome carries throughout the U.S.. No, I am not biased ;-)

*The atmosphere.

If it weren't for humidity that rivaled our Jamaican vacation, or bugs the size of small children, we'd totally set up shop in the good, ol' South. I like that you get a ton for your money out here; I like that I'm "honey" or "baby" or "sweetie"; I like that, more often than not, people are polite and courteous. I know, coming from California, people definitely had thoughts about us, but I think we really mesh well here.

*My stylist

Cristal, one of my favorite people on the planet, has done my hair for over 4.5 years! She's been a great friend, a great therapist, and someone who can bring me back from the dead when I was 7 weeks postpartum and my roots were hanging out by my ear lobes. She's hilarious and knows me and our souls just kind of go.

*Nashville, Bebeh!

Nashville houses the Grand Ole Opry, the unforgettable Opryland Hotel, The Parthenon, Red Robin (hallo!), Trader Joe's, MAC, Gigi's Cupcakes...... All of which we've visited multiple times and would have kissed Nashville right on the mouth for showing us such a good time. Perhaps we can squeeze in one more visit to Opryland?! As if things weren't getting busy enough with moving. C'mon, Samantha, get in the game.

But, we're also stoked about what Colorado has in store for us. Aspen, Rockies & Broncos games, wondering what kind of house we'll get (Fort Carson's on-post housing is sa-weeeet!), the new friends, etc etc etc....

Oh, and most importantly, creating more wee bebehs!!!! You guys, *I* have been the reason it got so hot in various parts of the U.S.; my baby fever is so off the charts my uterus is glowing. True Story.

Colorado: Just another place for to grow and conquer, amiright??

Haterade.

2011-09-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

Now, to begin...I don't like when my world isn't just all copasetic and tied up with a bow. We're laid-back people and just, kind of, handle things as they come, but, I swear, sometimes do you ever just feel like you walked through a douche parade?

Gary and I have been talking about this topic of opinions a little more often lately because we frequently come in contact with someone who seems to have nothing but negative things to say to us.

Not to imply everyone should dig us; not everyone is everyone else's cup o' tea. No biggie. But, what I mean are the people who seem to go out of their way to get their jab in on you.

For this specific person, it would, initially, really get to me. I'd feel hurt, or put off; wondering how in tarnation they got their panties in such a twist.

Then, I realized I'm awesome and they are not ;-)

The more we've gotten to know this person, the answer seems to lie in their dissatisfaction with themselves; their dissatisfaction with their choices. So, what happens? They bring out the douchery in droves and catapult it our way.

But, in our true give-people-a-chance fashion, we decided to give it a bit more thought before we finally reached the point of I'm-about-to-dish-it-back-to-get-you-to-back-off-where-I'll-make-you-cry-using-only-my-words.

[Not that we, necessarily, want to make anyone cry. It's just that everyone has their limit. Totes.]

Our conclusion? If people want to think of you as stupid, or fat, or ugly, or insensitive, or a douche, or...the list goes on....they'll find a way. So often, people who work really hard to think of another person in a given light are so upset about something within themselves that they project it onto their unsuspecting victim. They see something within you they wish they could call their own. If you think about it, it's actually kinda flattering, no?

Idle hands, people, idle hands...

The little jabs, the little passive-aggressive comments (wait....HOLY REDUNDANCY) are annoying as shit, but I really, reallllly try to rise above it, turn the other cheek because it honestly has nothing to do with us, really. But, isn't that the hardest thing in all the land? How do you get past it? We are human after all.

Personally, I hope for the papercut.

Just kidding.

Mostly.

These people must be uber-stressed. I can only imagine it's pretty difficult to spend so much time thinking about other people, as those people go on and live their lives.

So, we came to a pretty outstanding conclusion about our conclusion: If we don't have respect for the person, as in they're a passerby in Target or just a douche canoe in general, your opinion holds a big, ol' goose egg as far as we're concerned. That sounds simple, right? But, can we be honest that it's not always the easiest to live by that? Everyone cares, on some level, about what others think of them. But, when you realize no one worth their salt would incessantly try to knock you down from the peg upon which they assume you perch, that "stress" of having to prove who you are dissipates wicked fast.

Again, this all probably sounds pretty elementary, but it's not; it's something that definitely comes with time. We're no old geezers, but getting a little bit older really helps to just be ok with you. So, if someone thinks I'm unintelligent because I don't have a job that pays, that's fine. If someone thinks Gary's heartless because he's a soldier, have at it. If someone thinks I'm a spazzoid about the cleanliness of my house because I don't let it get all Hoarders in here, get on with your bad self. It's no skin off my nose. We still gotta go about our bitness regardless of what anyone else thinks, ya feel me? You just can't control what people think.

I totally just flashed on Pinky and the Brain, ya know....tryin' to rule the universe. 'Member that show?

I write how I think, people.

And, for fun, because you've endured a therapy session with me in blog form, you've earned this:

Triple Eff!

2011-09-02T09:06:00.000-05:00

[Food and Fashion Friday, to any newbies :-) WELCOME! Glad you're here!]

A preemptive apology: Dinners have been lasting a while around here, so I don't have as many food pictures as usual. I know. I'm sorry. But, hopefully, like me, you love clothes and don't mind takin' a gander! Next week, though? WHOA. It's going to get epic up in here. I've found some recipes that induce salivation just by reading the ingredients. So, hang in there with me, lovahs!

I want to say this is one of my favorite outfits of all time, but my nose would grow. I simply associated that fact that I finally got my hair did the day I wore this! Hallelujah! It was soooo needed. So, I just wanted something simple and cazh while I was stripped of the Cruella de Vil-esque look.

Plus....

I love the pattern on the back! Obviously I wore the tube top underneath because it's see-through in the back and, believe it or not, I do draw the line somewhere ;-)

Girls' day ensemble!

I planned my whole outfit around the next picture----->

The most amazing headband who ever lived.

Does everyone else personify things they love? Oh. Me either....

I loved it so much, I wore it again a few days later! Because curled-hair totalllly makes a difference, right?!

The belt is my very favorite part of this look. FAVE-OR-IT. I hadn't worn the dress in a long time, like months. And, the clock's tickin' as to how many more uses I can get out of it with moving to Colorado, ya know--real mild winters ;-) Anyway, hadn't worn it in months and it was a few inches too big. I won't even try to irritate women everywhere by complaining about that fact, but it looked very sloppy. So, threw the belt on and, I ~~think~~ hope, it made a real difference!

Old Navy is just amazing!

My itty-bitty (this week only!) food section:

This little numba is Chuckwagon Wild Rice and the simplicity to taste ratio astounds me. Astounds, I tell you.

Givin' the rice some color

Colored! Ground beef and BBQ sauce mixed in

Topped with shredded cheese.

You guys, this meal was made all in one pan and is SO. GOOD. I realize I should probably stop saying that because I wouldn't feature a dish on here that turned out to be a crap salad, but it was so good! I'll look up more adjectives....

The apple peeler and corer.
BEST. INVENTION. EVAH.

I estimate that I've made apple butter 6 billion times. Every single time, I've done the tedious task of peeling, coring, and dicing 4.5-5 pounds of apples. This is how much I love my boys. Apple shavings would go every which way, I'd have multiple cuts from trying to speed the process along, and it would, overall, be the biggest pain in the hiney one could imagine.

Gary suggested that if apple butter is going to remain a staple in Casa de LaMay that I should invest in the worthwhile gadget. I dropped a whopping $15 and the peeling/coring/dicing chore went from about an hour to about 15 minutes. For those keeping score, that's a Win. And, the apples end up looking like a slinky. Hello, double win!

Pumpkin butter.

No worries, you absolutely read that correctly.

My dear friend Kristen, in Germany---pertinent info, people, found this recipe on Pinterest and asked if I'd make it and report back as to where it ranked on my awesome-meter. PRETTY FREAKIN' HIGH.

Couldn't be easier to make. You toss ingredients in the pot, stir a few times, and let thicken. It's as close as you can get to pumpkin pie without being Thanksgiving. Gary's amazed, especially since that's his favorite pie. And, the boy? He got a treat of having the butter on his waffles the other morning and he ate those bad boys up with extra pizzazz. It's hanging out in mason jars in the fridge as we speak. So simple!

This girl's out fo' now, but I'll be back with some great recipes! Hope you enjoyed!

A day at the park.

2011-09-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

It has finally decided to cool off around these parts at a decent enough hour before J hits the sack, so we walked to the playground, which is on an island right in front of our house. In case you're wondering, my parents got Jake the shirt he's wearing the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! Someone actually asked if we named him "Bubba". No. No, we didn't.

Anyway, I love seeing my boys together. All is right in the world when you've got pictures like these...

The old lady dissed me on girls' day.

2011-08-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

She wasn't feeling the estrogen-love, I suppose.

Amy, Annaleigh, and I had another girls' day this past Sunday because Amy is being lame, and not at all making me jealous--nope, and leaving Army life. Her husband's contract is officially dunzo. So, before she leaves us, and never again gets to dazzle me with her ballet-inspired moves during zumba, we had to give her a proper sending-off.

Girls' day commenced with Buffalo Wild Wings. Obviously, amiright?!

Coincidentally, there were also a lot of bro dates goin' on. Ya know, a couple bromances.

But, that's neither here nor there.

After leaving BWW short a few hundred wings, we went over to the mall to see the The Help. (Ummm, bom dot com movie! Does everyone else adore Emma Stone in the same fashion as myself? She's a spunky ginger and I enjoy her. Apparently so does Jim Carrey? Anywho, LOVE!). Did it matter that we left a restaurant and I instantly considered getting popcorn? No. Don't judge. I just know a good thing when I see it.

The theater was only mildly packed. No sardine status that day. But, get this: These three old ladies came to sit next to us (not to sound rude, but, once you hit a certain age, do you have to, like, use a certain lotion or perfume or something?!), myself being on the end. The first of the grandma-trio heads to the seat right next to me, looks at me, and switches with one of the other ladies.

Samantha: Bringing people together since 1985.

And, I double appreciate Amy and Annaleigh finding such humor in getting punked by a grandma. Just outstanding.

I picked my ego up off the floor and continued great talks about how boobs get you out of tickets.

This really has been a PSA.

Amy, it's been great getting to know you over the last few months! You're faboosh! Plus, we totally laugh at the same things. So, you, clearly, have amazing taste. You will be missed! Best wishes!!

That time the Army made me want to dropkick a kitten.

2011-08-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

PCSing isn't exactly a dream. It, kind of, sucks big, hairy toe and I wish it would just quit. But, it won't, so I'll write about it. Here comes a crap-ton of cathartic writing, peeps...

I have been, and always will be, the anti-procrastinator. I don't have things on my plate that get left there. I don't ignore the cleaning, or the dishwasher, or the laundry, or the errand-running (as much as I'd like to sometimes). I get my shit done so I never have to think about it again. I don't like that cloud that looms over you when you lay your head down at night thinking of the stuff you put off today that needs to be fit into tomorrow. Ain't my thang.

And, not because I'm better or worse than anyone (I definitely don't have a fat-head about myself), it's because I've always expected much of myself. I hesitate to use the term perfectionist because that brings with it a context of stress that I don't think applies. I just want to knock stuff out in such a way that it doesn't need to be baggage I strap to my ankle (see what I did there? Totally gave you a ball and chain written-illustration. Hello, bucket list.). I prefer to avoid stress at all costs. Ironically, that probably sounds stressful, but I'm sure someone out there in my e-world gets it!

Everyone that we've had to work with for this PCSing deal does two things that are just the bees' knees: (1) They give directions in such a way [read: like we're PCSing extraordinaires] that is so devoid of detail I swear to Lady Gaga that they make a game out of how little they can say to their victims (2) They speak in code. It's like, "hey, you need form 9870KG taken to building 83bravo. Stand on your right leg, recite the alphabet backwards, and that's how many miles it'll take you to get to Colorado."

Great.

My to-do list can be a mile and a half long, I don't mind that; what I mind is NOT KNOWING what is on my to-do list. And, people? We're moving in less than a month. To a place that is 18 hours away. Where the only way we can get out of this Bermuda Triangle of an Army post is to complete things, which need to be done in succession, that don't really have a starting point right now. Oh yes...it's the dream.

BUTTTTT.

We got some answers the other day that, unbelievably, improved my day. Ya see, kids, all I want are answers. To-do list? Load it up. Just tell me what needs to be on it and I'll rock your face off with my super-human anti-procrastinating powers.

Fo' sho.

So, even though the Army almost gave me a stroke at the ripe ol' age of 26 maybe it's not so bad? I wrote a post not long ago that my problems entailed capturing pictures of Jake instead of staring at his awesomeness, whether or not to get dressed that day, whether or not we should eat out, etc. I call these my "problems" because, to me, problems are not having a roof over your head, having an incurable disease, not knowing from where your next meal would come. These are all things (except for maybe the disease thing...) for which the Army provides rectification. So, it presents a real quandary when this biatch [the Army's a chick in this scenario for all intents and purposes] is confusing the life right outta me, yet enables me to stay home with my boy, pick up ingredients for pretty tasty dinners, and gives me a place to rest the noggin at night.

But, ya know what? This is my cathartic post so I'm allowed to say that the Army is still a biatch sometimes.

And, for now, the kitten is safe.

But, we will overcome.

Because?

WE. ARE. LAMAYS.