Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I'm hungry.

I don't want to eat

especially since I got a good workout tonight

But still,

I'm hungry

And not overly tired.

So to curb my hunger

I am making homemade cheddar cheese crackers.

AKA

cheezits

at 11:15P

Don't ask me why. 

But I am.

And it's helping me not be hungry.

And if they come out good, 

my daughter is gonna think I'm the best mom ever.

I'm excited.

Let's hope it's not a fail!

Brookie the Flower Girl

So, twelve years ago, in the summer of 98, I was a young teen about ready to enter the world of high school. I was scared. I was awkward. I was out of place.

And one day that summer, in the midst of summer basketball games and summer school and everything else that summer is about, my HS basketball team took a trip to Huntington Beach.

It was there that I met Kianey. A sophomore on the team, born a year and 11 days earlier than me. (Imagine that, two Capricorns!) We were gym rats, boy crazy as ever, had so many similar views on life and love, and instantly bonded.

I remember our fall afternoons were spent running 3+ miles in the hills and gossiping about the most recent Cosmo magazine and what fun tips and tricks they provided. I remember lots of laughs and with those laughs came tears. We went through boyfriends, heartaches, friends, family but we were always there for each other. Non-judgmental and there. She was my best friend. She understood me. She got it.

She graduated in 2001 and I in 2002. We went our separate ways. She found herself in Texas for a few years and then Central California. I found myself in Hawaii. But we were still always there. We didn't have to talk every day. We didn't even have to talk every month. Hell, we could go months upon months without really talking. But we were still there. We could always pick up where we left off from. And when I finally moved back to CA two years ago, she was one person I was so glad to be within driving distance to again. 

She was one of the first people i called when I got engaged. She was one of the first picks for my wedding party. She was there to celebrate my pregnancy and the birth of my baby girl. She's my best friend and has taught me the meaning of true friendship. I love her.

So when she announced she was dating this really great guy, I told her, "OHMYGOD! You are going to marry him!" She would laugh coyly. I think she knew she would too. :) And one night when she called me at 1 in the morning, I just knew. He had proposed.

So imagine the tears that fell when she asked me to be her Matron of Honor and then when she asked my little girl to be her flower girl!!! I still get teary eyed thinking about it.

So we're in wedding mode. B included since this girl has a quarterback's arm and we need to work on her nicely dropping flower petals and not chucking them at guests :) We are so excited!

Timeouts for Brookie

Unfortunately the terrible two stage isn't looking too fun for us. Is it ever fun? Idk. But with lots of screaming, hitting, tantruming and just plain attitude, it's not looking fun.

Help!!

Soon!

I have so much to say. Now I just need to sit down and TYPE! Geez.

I've figured out a new scheduling of posts, new daily topics and so hopefully that will help in the regularity.

In the meantime, I've posted some photos and videos to our family blog at www.hapahughes.blogspot.com

It's a private blog mostly documenting Little Miss B and her life, so if you aren't on the list to read it, email me! And I'll get you on it ASAP. :)

Talk soon friends!

Thursday Thrift Store Finds

M's work has this fancy Keurig setup that, according to him, I just HAD to try because I would LOVE it. So when I went to visit him at work, he made me a fancy coffee and sat back and watched as my eyes (and tastebuds) lit up delight. I contemplated ways to smuggle the machine out of the office but decided that probably wasn't the way to go, so I became obsessed. I didn't just want, I needed one of those. But there were two problems: 1) we were still living with family and they would be less than thrilled to have me come home with yet another appliance and 2) these bad boys cost almost $100, not mentioning you need to buy the K-cups. I just could not comprehend spending that kind of money and so slowly, my dream started to fade. I was devastated and could still taste the aftertaste of that amazing coffee...How could I make this happen?!

So I scoured ads for months. The lowest I could find the single-cup Keurig was for $80. I love a good bargain but I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. I guess I was destined for a regular old coffee pot for the rest of my life. Until one day a few months ago, while scouring the local Goodwill for a bargain, I found a one for $40! I snatched that baby up and off into the sunset we went. We got home and it had everything and looked like it had been used once. Seriously. I gave it a thorough cleaning and began my love affairs with Cafe Mocha, Chai Latte and English Breakfast Black Tea. *sigh*

Just another amazing buy at our local Goodwill.

*Tip: Become familiar with your thrift stores. I find that our local Goodwills have a lot of brand new Target and Walmart items for Goodwill prices. Only catch is it's last season's wear or it's a messed up box. Seriously, how awesome is that?

Must-Have Monday

So I took a weekend to myself, relaxed, enjoyed my beautiful family, caught up on TV episodes (Grey's Anatomy, Season 6 -woot woot!) and movies and blog browsed. Because let's face it, there are a lot of damn blogs on my RSS Reader and my Google Reader and who has the time to read them all? Seriously. It's worse than my email. (Though I do admit, I am slightly compulsive about checking my email. It's a major OCD/pet peeve of mine to let them sit unread)

ANYWAYS...

So I caught up skimmed through some blogs that were desperate need of being read. And the blog post  named "More Monograms Please" by seventhirtythree : a creative blog, of course, caught my eye.

So I clicked on it, and OHMYGOSH.

HOW cute are THESE?!

Photo courtesy of Lakeside Collection
And for $4.95? It's cute AND a bargain.

Now I need to decide if I want to buy this or make it. Because if I buy Little Miss B one, any other kid or kids that may come along will surely need one as well.

Oh the decisions.

And my sweet husband, when you read this, you will be happy to know, I did not buy it. Yet. I'm still 'contemplating' :)

Conflict

I apologize for the lack and inconsistency of posts this week. I've been simmering in some crap that would make for a great blog, but unfortunately, even though this is my "safe haven," I can't positively say it won't get back to those that are also knee deep in crap. And I really don't want to take that road right now and be the person flinging the crap, if ya know what I mean.

And since this has been on my mind and taking a toll on me, some of my relationships and let's face it, my sanity, I really don't wanna drag this blog to *that* place right now.

So hopefully I'll be able to post some good posts next week. Rejuvenated. Refreshed. Renewed. 

Until then...

Vinyl Fun

I'm trying to get caught up with all my projects around the house. Which, of course, is hard when there are so many adorable Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and DIY projects there. Add to that, that the weather had dropped considerably and I want to knit and crochet some cute sweaters, scarves and hats...it's really just a recipe for disaster. And possible divorce since M will roll his eyes and possibly kill me if I bring home more projects to do :)

So, there's been a lot of catching up going on and my first project to do was my vinyl house decorations.

A couple months ago, right after we moved into the house we're in now, a friend of mine mentioned how she found a great vinyl company with some great ideas for home decoration. Of course, I jumped on the opportunity. Only problem was, 1) I loved a lot of the stuff, 2) I didn't want our house to feel like a living lecture and 3) our house is small. This was gonna be hard.

So I narrowed down my options to 4 since there was a great buy 1, get 1 free offer going on. I ended up with a giraffe growth chart for Little Miss B, a fun family plaque that says "Family, Forever and Always" and the following two:

Photo courtesy of Money Saving Madness and Uppercase Living

Photo courtesy of My Trendy Tykes and Uppercase Living

So far I've completed 3 of the 4, with 2 of them up in the house.  I can't wait to show the results so far!

9 years later...

Photo courtesy of Ridgewood Camera Club

Nine years ago today, I was a senior in high school going through my daily routine when my mom came into the bathroom as I brushed my teeth. 

"Heather, I don't know what's going on, but come watch this."

Confused and a tad irritated, I went out to the family room where the local morning news was on. I frowned as I watched a plume of smoke come from the 1st World Trade Center, a building I had never heard nor given any thought to before.

"What is this?" I asked, confused.

"It's New York. A plane hit the building," she explained.

I stood there and watched for a few moments. Confused. Everyone was confused. There was speculation and reports that it was a small commuter plan. There was speculation it was a huge Boeing plane. Everyone was wondering why.

And as I turned to go finish getting ready, we horridly watched this:

photo courtesy of Pics Digger

The 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower. 

I'll never forget that image in my mind. The plane, at full speed, hitting the 2nd tower with a full explosion. 

I continued on in my daily morning activities and remember as I drove to school, listening to the radio trying to piece everything together. I got to the school parking lot and an old friend I had parted ways with rushed over. 

"Oh my gosh Heather! Did you hear what happened?" she asked. We chatted for a few minutes, trying to make sense of it. Nothing was making sense. But we were bonded in this moment.

The rest of the day was a blur. Lots of watching of the news. Two more planes crashing. Buildings falling. Rumors of a planes headed for Los Angeles. And loss...so much loss.

I'll never forget that day. 

Close to 3000 souls lost. 

6000+ people injured. 

Everyone changed.

Never forget.

Thursday Thrift Store Finds

When summer rolled around, I was convinced M and I needed a pair of bikes and a rad trailer for little Miss B to enjoy our summer. So we picked up this sweet pink cruiser for myself, a mountain bike for M since he wanted to mountain biking with his friend and this sweet trailer for Little Miss B

Photo courtesy of Google Shopping

Overall, it's been a fun summer. We ride when we can and love to pack up dinner or lunch, ride around our local regional park a few times or along the Santa Ana River and pick a fun playground to let Miss B be her monkey self on and swing on like this:

But not always is she keen on her cool little bike trailer. Infact, the ride can be pretty much miserable for both her and I if she decides. So I convinced myself after a few rides, that we needed options and a bike seat could help. IMMENSELY. One that attached to my bike so her nosy little self could be upright and aware and apart of everything; not cooped up in her trainer at ground level. M wasn't completely onboard, as usual with all my marvelous ideas. But he usually comes around. 

And he did. When I found this fantastic find at one of my favorite Children's Consignment store. I was literally on a mission to find Little Miss B shoes and was prepared to check out when my mom (who I happen to get all my bargain expertise from) pointed out a cool seat on the shelf up near the ceiling. With a double take I realized, WHOA! That's a bike seat! And with a price tag of $19.99. Double WHOA! Pack that up for us Sally! (Ok, the lady's name is not Sally, but you get the point)

With the prices for bike seats ranging anywhere from $40 - $125+, you can imagine the delight in my thriftiness. Seriously, awesome. Now here's hoping the Princess agrees! :)

Strawberry Sangria

photo courtesy of In Good Taste Blog

I've been craving sangria. Yummy, fruity, alcohol-y sangria. The Pioneer Woman's cookbook has a recipe that sounds pretty yummy so it's totally been on my mind. But when I headed to the grocery store to pick up all the ingredients, I realized it was totally going to break the budget. Yikes.

So I quickly picked up my iPhone and googled a comparable sangria with high hopes and came up with this: Strawberry Sangria.

It sounded yummy and the amount of alcohol was minimal. I could definitely work with this. So I picked up some 2 for $5 Pinot Grigio, Peach Schnapps (since I couldn't find Strawberry) for $9.99 and two cartons of fresh, ripe strawberries for $2.50. I doubled the recipe, used the sugar I had at home, twiddled my thumbs for a couple hours and voila. It was delicious. So much better than I expected and even M enjoyed all the yummy fruitiness. Yum.

Definitely recommended for a nice, light, fruity yumminess.

The Business of Being Born

A few nights ago, as M snapped away photos and edited some side business, I finally got the chance to watch a movie on my "to-watch" list: The Business of Being Born.

It was a documentary I had heard about two years ago when I was pregnant that discusses the birthing business in the United States. Someone had suggested that every woman, destined to be a mother or not, should watch it. Conveniently I didn't watch it...and ended up begging to be induced at 40 weeks and ended up on the table in the OR 20 hours later. Irony much?

Nonetheless, the movie was pretty intense and at times found myself on the verge of tears, clutching my stomach and reliving my c-section. It was a little dramatic and brutal.

Overall it made me think about giving birth and a lot about my expectations and thoughts on my 1st pregnancy/birth and what my expectations and thoughts are on the next births I may have. Would I change anything? Does my induction and c-section dictate my next births? Am I even interested in VBACs or HBACs as an alternative to how my birth went the 1st time around? Do I trust my OB-Gyn, who went through my pregnancy, labor and birth with me? Etc, etc. To say it was thought-provoking is to say the very least.

While I really enjoyed the movie and the idea of natural birth, homebirths, VBACs, HBACs, etc., I have to admit it was hard to not feel like the movie was a little ambiguous (and disappointing) at the end when the director Abbey Epstein ended up needing a c-section. Granted it was to no fault of her, it just felt like the movie worked up all this great information, gave me a great perspective on birth and how the woman's body is designed to work and then totally left the movie ambiguous at the end.

Do I regret my decisions in my 1st birth? No. If I could, would I change them? Knowing me, probably not. Does it change the situation for my future births? Maybe. Only time will tell. But every woman should definitely watch it. And probably BEFORE they give birth ;)

Thursday Thrift Store Finds

Last week I wrote about my new love with our local thrift stores.  And ever since this new addiction started I feel the need to hit them up weekly, which has proven to be an effective way to find lots of goodies. And a few weeks ago I found this:

It was so cute, perfect height for little Miss B, no scratches or damages and need I say it? PINK! A light pink. Perfect for her room which we are transitioning into a cute little playroom for her. I was sold immediately and started thinking of how cute it would be with the DIY kitchen I have SO been wanting M to make for B. The plan was coming to fruition and it was only $20. Can you believe that? $20!! 

So that was the plan. M build a DIY play kitchen, buy some fake food and we had a fridge ready to go. It never even dawned on me to check the label and see where it came from or who it was made by until saw the little pink fridge on Craigslist a few days ago listed as a Pottery Barn refrigerator with an identical kitchen set. WHAT?!

 I did a little research and found these PB sets were in the $400+ range. But I dug a little deeper and realized that even though it was similar to the PB kitchen, it indeed was not a PB kitchen. Until a similar KidKraft retro kitchen popped up and I realized that THAT was the set I was looking for. After a quick search on Amazon I found exactly what I was looking for: Kidkraft Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator in Pink. BINGO! Then I realized that the set was sold individually via Target.com with the kitchen for $80 and voila! We scored the entire set for less than $100, don't have to worry about building the DIY kitchen anymore and can focus our time in some new projects AND we have little Miss B's 1st 2010 Christmas gift.  WOOOOHOOOO!

Just another reason why I love our local Goodwills :)