Vacation Overload.

Fresh off vacation, I have so much on my mind. Seriously, SO much to post and talk about. But where to find the time now? We are still adjusting to being home and to time changes. And add in the fact that my husband and I jumped off the deep end and rescued a black lab. I'm screwed. Hopefully I'll get my thoughts in here and there! :)

Hawaii 2010

So we've been busy. Between life and ev

Beer Can Chicken

A few weeks ago, I rented some cookbooks from the library and among them had a recipe for "Beer Butt Chicken." 

Now tell me that the title "Beer Butt Chicken" wouldn't catch your eye. Seriously.

So my mom became obsessed and wanted to try it. I was less than thrilled. I'm not sure why. I cook with a lot of Chicken and I love me some Beer, but just couldn't grasp my head around the whole Beer Butt thing. Not good for visuals here. I just wasn't sold, even though there were some great reviews on All Recipes.

But with  ourvacation looming in a few days, I didn't want to go grocery shopping or de-thaw a huge roast that would result in a days and days of leftovers. So I pulled out and defrosted the chicken, popped open a can of beer and figured I'd give it my best shot. And here's what I did. 

Beer Can Chicken 

(Sorry, I just cannot call it Beer Butt Chicken. ) ;)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs)

kosher salt

one (12 oz) can of light flavored beer 

minced garlic

paprika

black pepper

1 quarter of an onion

1 cup butter

Directions:

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and got to work. First I made sure the chicken cavity was cleared. And thank god it was because I HATE cleaning out the cavity of giblets or whatever the hell they are called. Ok, rant over...next.

Because my beer was in a bottle, I emptied an 12 oz can of Iced Tea I had sitting around and measured and poured 6 oz of beer back into the aluminum can. I used Hefeweizen beer. I wasn't picky. It was all we had. (NOTE: make sure your can is open)

Then I placed the can into chicken cavity, which let's be honest here, was not my favorite part. And placed the chicken in a 9 x 13 Pyrex pan and I poured the remaining beer at the bottom of the pan. 

Then I lathered up my chicken with 1 cup of butter and kosher salt, black pepper, paprika and minced garlic to taste from the jar. MMM, MMM, MMM. It looked yummy. And weird. M thought they it was alive when he opened up the stove to take it out because let's face it, it's kinda weird.

ANYWAYS

I then took a quarter of an onion and placed it in hole where the neck of the chicken is, to keep the beer fumes in. This was based on some reviews I read and I'm not sure I would do this again.

Then I placed it on the lowest rack in my oven and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours or 15 mins per lb.

I opened it up a couple time and basted the outside, but totally not necessary.

Notes: This came out delicious. I would totally do this again. My seasoning on the chicken was amazing, the skin was perfect and the meat was totally juicy as promised. Seasoning wise, I just did what worked for us and what we usually do. Delicious but totally negotiable for your individual taste. Next time though, I will definitely remember to include my seasoning IN the beer can as well, as I read that this helps add even more amazing flavoring. And I will most likely discard the onion in the neck. Just to see if it made a difference or not. And be sure to use caution when taking the chicken off it's beer. It was super hot, even after 30+ mins out of the own. And don't drink the beer. Just, don't.

Definitely another tried recipe added to the cookbook :)

Fingerpainting

I'm lucky to be a stay-at-home mommy. I know others aren't as fortunate and I also know that being a SAHM isn't cut out for everyone.

But one of my favorite things is to experience new things and play with my daughter. Nothing warms my heart more.

So a few weeks ago when I noticed Melissa & Doug fingerpaints for like $5, I picked them up and thought what an awesome idea for when Little Miss B is a little older.

But did you know fingerpainting is GREAT for toddlers and their developmental skills? 

So who cares if the little one gets a little dirty! ;)

So I stripped down little Miss B and let her go to town. And boy, did she absolutely LOVE it.  She's constantly asking to paint. 

It doesn't have to be anything fancy or structured. Just good ol' easy play with the little one. Let them drive right in and make sure you get washable paint, so when you're done, you just wash then down and you're good to go.

A fun, easy way to spend a good hour or two in the late afternoon :)

Disclaimer: I am currently  in no way affiliated with any of these companies, blogs, organizations or sites, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post

Stove Popped Popcorn

I pretty much love popcorn. It's yummy. And so easy to make. And I passed this love along to my daughter as well. I'd really just stick a bag in the microwave, heat it up for a few minutes and voila! It'd be ready. 

But it never really had that quality taste to it. I dunno about you guys, but I'm a fan of movie popcorn. With some a lot of butter and salt. Yummy. So I wasn't too surprised when I started my healthier eating kick, to see NINE ingredients listed on the back of the microwave popcorn box. NINE. Disgusting. It's just supposed to be POPPED corn for goodness sake!

So one day while walking down the aisle of my local grocery store, I noticed it. Kernels. Popping kernels. For Stove Popped Popcorn. This couldn't be. It just couldn't be real!

So I bought two bags and started popping my own popcorn. And OMG, I was THRILLED to have it taste like some movie style popcorn. MMM, MMM, MMM

The first night I added real butter to it w/ lots of salt. And I was in heaven. One night I added Lawry's seasoned salt. Another night, garlic salt. Another night, furukake. You can see where this is going...

It was delicious. And the ONLY way to eat popcorn. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and throw the bagged popcorn away and buy this. Throw a little bit of oil in the pan, pop, toss with some olive oil and salt and HELLO, little taste of Heaven. *sigh* This is a snack to die for.

Crochet Toddler Earflap Beanie and Scarf

Photo Courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn

People (M) think I'm crazy for taking on this project but the minute I saw it, I envisioned Little Miss B in the cold, bundled up and  throwing snow. How cute right?

I was convinced she need one. In Southern California. You know, just in case, get a major snowstorm next week.

Since I had the yarn sitting around and the crochet hook I thought what the heck. And ended up crocheting this up in one night when it was like 90+ degrees outside. :)

The pattern comes from the Lion Brand Yarn website and is called the Speed Hook Earflap Hat and Scarf  (apologies if the website doesn't work, their website is finicky)

I read through the reviews and used a Q hook instead of an S, three different colored skeins of Vanna's Choice yarn (the patten calls for Microspun) and finished it within the night. Super easy. And fun for those with cold winters.

So cute. And hopefully practical soon ;)

Little Miss B is less than thrilled about it. I'm sure she'll grow to love it when her little ears and neck are cold ;)

Aloha!

Life is sweet right now and our first big family vacation together is amazing. Life doesn't get better than this.

More to come...




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Birthday M!

Photo courtesy of erasundar.wordpress.com 

A few years ago, my life was a roller coaster. Ups and downs. I didn't know where I was headed or where I really wanted to be. I just knew I wanted to be home and with my family.

And in entered M.  He soon became my home and gave me a family. And he has changed my life in so many ways it's unbelievable.

Our very 1st picture together...
seems like forever ago

He provides for our entire family, so that I fulfill my lifelong dream of staying home and raising our babies. He brings out the best in me, challenges me in more ways than I'd ever imagine and loves me unconditionally all the while. He's an AMAZING father, a loving and doting husband and an incredible, respectable man. And he puts up with all my quirkiness, bless his heart.

So, Happy 31st Birthday to the love my life. 

My heart, my soul, my sun, my moon, my everything.

My life is such a blessing because you are in it my love.

Our family is truly blessed by you.

White Chocolate, Almond, Cranberry Blondies

So, I follow a lot of blogs. And ummm, these, look delicious.

Photo courtesy of shazronnie.blogspot.com

Add this to my to-do list ;)

Stolen Innocence

A few months ago I posted about a book I had read for my book club; The 19th Wife. I loved the story of Ann Eliza Young and it sparked my interest into polygamy and the Fundamentalist LDS church. So naturally, I looked up some other books that followed suit and one of the ones that brought some interest for me was Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs.

So I headed over to the local library (have I mentioned how much I looooove the library lately?) and was thrilled to find it in the autobiography section. My thoughts? To be honest, I'm not really sure. First off, I'm mostly interested in the polygamy and FLDS beliefs and practices. So I was very intrigued by Elissa Wall's parent's polygamous marriage and the troubles they endured. But leading into her teenage marriage, I found myself slightly mortified. 14 years old and forced into marriage? Yikes.

I tried to stay as unbiased and nonjudgmental as possible. But I spent a lot of the book thinking, What is going on? And, while overall I didn't agree with what was going, I kinda felt like there were some holes in the story. 

If you're interested in the FLDS lifestyle, this book gives you some insight into it. It didn't have a bunch and centered a lot around Elissa Wall's life. Which was a skewed life as it was. But coming from her, I wasn't sure if she was really living the life, or had been questioning her faith her entire life.

Overall, good and fast read. Sad. But in some points, questionable. Definitelyot the 1st book I'd recommend. ;) 

Disclaimer: I am currently  in no way affiliated with any of these companies, blogs, organizations or sites, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post.

Vacation Time

Photo courtesy of comparenow.com

I'm packed.

I'm, finally, packed.

And let me just say now, that I wasn't afforded the luxury of four suitcases like the picture falsely claims. We instead are sharing ONE big suitcase and two carryons. Help me now.

ANYWAYS,

Today, we're going on vacation. We've taken quite a few roadtrips and small mini-vacays here and there, but today marks our first family-of-three vacation. Twelve days of pure family time and adventures. 

I'm excited. Scared. Overwhelmed. Anxiety-ridden. Happy. 

Just to name a few emotions. 

Why you ask? 

 If you are one of the priviledged to really know me, you will know the entire story of Hawai'i.

And you can sympathize with the overwhelming emotions.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, so I admit, I'm scared.

But I know M is there to support me

Photo courtesy of Hawaiimagazine.com

and I know how much fun this has the opportunity to be.

So,

today we fly back to our old home of Hawai'i for twelve days.

I still have blogs scheduled to post.

And I'm sure I'll pop in from time to time. Barring that I get internet of course since our condo over there doesn't have internet. (Dear lord, help me now)

Until then

Aloha!

Hehe, Cliche, I know! ;)

I know loss

Every year, October 9-15th mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, ending with International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day on Oct 15th. It's supposed to provide an opportunity for individuals, parents and families around the world to come together and remember the lives and deaths of all babies, no matter their gestation, length of life or how they passed away. 

I've gone back and forth for months on whether I was going to write about this. It's very personal, still fresh on my mind and is just sad. But when I put this blog together earlier this year, I struggled with what I wanted this blog to be able. I wanted it to be about me, and my journey as a mother, wife and most importantly, a woman. And this is part of it. So, this is our story.

It started during M's trip to Spain. I began cramping and spotting sporadically. It was an odd turn of events but besides being a minor inconvinience, it was nothing that alarmed me; I had a 18 month old I needed to care for in light of my husband's trip. So I carried on. Life carried on. M came home and everything was back to normal.

The day he arrived home and the following Monday, I spotted even more. How could this be? Was this a regular period? What was going on? I laid in bed contemplating what was going on with my body. I had been having immense hot flashes for the past week or two. Extremely fatigued. Lots of cramping. My breasts were feeling full and slightly aching, despite not breastfeeding for months. And I was irregularly cramping.

Something wasn't right. The last time I felt like this, I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant with Little Miss B. I was pregnant...with Little Miss B. Holy crap. I quickly counted the days since my last cycle. 6.5 weeks. Exactly the time we found about Little Miss B and started cramping and spotting with her. Exactly. To the Day.

I looked at M in disbelief. Could I be pregnant? I could barely get the word out of my mouth. I couldn't be. It just didn't seem real. We weren't trying. Infact, depending on the day, I wasn't even sure if I wanted more kids. Little Miss B was always enough for me. We were wide eyed, discussing my symptoms and what could be going on. We decided to wait and see. And we fell asleep.

On Tuesday morning, I woke up late. My body was sluggish and I was cramping. Definitely cramping. I got out of bed and watched in disbelief as blood gushed down my leg. It didn't stop. It wouldn't stop. Dark, bright red blood.

At this point, I didn't know what to think. I didn't even know if I was pregnant. It had been 6+ wks since my last period. Some people would later ask why I didn't call the Dr right away. But I didn't. I waited. I didn't believe or want to know if I was pregnant. I just wanted it to go away. I didn't know of any risks that my body could be facing and I wanted to believe it was just a period. 

I bled and cramped the entire day. Gushing dark red blood. I came to dread going to the bathroom. Or even standing up. I didn't want to know. It was just a period.

Then that afternoon, as I was talking to my husband, I had a letdown. A huge, letdown. How could this be? I wasn't breastfeeding anymore and it'd been months since my last letdown. It was an odd feeling and I knew, there was something going on. 

I rested and the next morning I woke up. Blood. Less. But still blood. The worst was seeming to pass. Thank God. I looked in the mirror. I was pale white. I had no energy. This was getting the best of me. I wasn't me. This wasn't normal I finally conceded. I got in touch with an RN in the family. She asked me my symptoms and told me it was time to call the doctor. It sounded like I had lost a lot of blood, could possibly be hemorrhaging and it was time to make sure I was ok. I dreaded making the call.

The OB/Gyn got me in later that afternoon.  The bleeding had started to subside. The dr assured me the bleeding was at it's end. He had no answers. Later that evening/early the next morning, about 3.5 days after it started, my bleeding finally ended.

He prescribed some tests and an ultrasound. I wouldn't get into have those for a couple days. I would go in and they would find nothing. Nothing. Nothing was there. My labs were back to normal. And my ultrasound offered nothing. There was nothing.

I would go back into my OB-Gyn feeling defeated. He assured me I wasn't. It's odd that this would be a period, he said. It's not consistent with your body and it just doesn't make sense. I can't say for sure but my best guess is this: You had implantation and your body, just didn't agree. My best medical guess is that you were pregnant. And you're not anymore.

It's hard to swallow news of something you lost that you didn't even know you had. And even worse, wanted. Up to this point, I wasn't even sure if I wanted any more kids. It just didn't make sense to me. It still doesn't. And add in the fact that there were never any "positive" pregnancy tests, how was I to ever know for sure? I wouldn't. I would never know for sure.

Some people may question whether I really was pregnant or not. Sometimes I do too. And that's ok. I can respect that question because sometimes people need cold hard facts and I don't have those. And some may diminish and cut down my feelings and what I went through. And that's ok too. I can respect that. Afterall my doctor's answer was only, at best, a "medical guess."

But I know the feeling of loss and the news that isn't such great news. And it took something as drastic as this, to prove to me that one day, I want to have another baby. I want to go through pregnancy again. I want to experience all the little glories of mommyhood and the year of firsts again. I want to experience all these things, that I didn't think I wanted to experience again.

I know loss. I look at friends that are pregnant. And I feel that ache. I look at friends and wonder if I would be showing that much. Would I be feeling the rolls and tumbles? Would it be a boy or would it be the 2nd little girl that I want?

Loss is a funny thing. And everyone sure does deal differently. But each day continues. The world doesn't stop. It keeps going. And that's all I can do. Keep going.

I know loss.

Photo courtesy of babyblakely.blogspot.com  

Domesticated Delight's Fun Giveaway

So, as you know from my post earlier this week, I'm a fan of Johnna over at Domesticated Delight.

And if you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should since she's offering a cute, creative giveaway with Summer over at SummerScraps. 

Seriously, how cute are those decorations? She definitely gave me inspiration to make something that would fit our normal home decor. But for now, y'all have to enter to win Johnna's giveaway!

Here's how 8 easy ways to enter. Be sure to comment on her blog each time you complete one of the 8 ways to enter!

1. Mandatory entry: Become a follower of Domesticated Delight

2. Mandatory: Become a follower of Summer Scraps

3. Heart SummersScraps Etsy shop

4. Like SummersScrap's Facebook page

5. Follow Johnna on Twitter here

6. Tweet 'I entered to #win Spooky or Wicked blocks at the Halloween #giveaway event hosted by @Johnna_Mama http://tinyurl.com/25ptkc4' (one per day please!)

7. Mention this giveaway on your blog (make sure to share the link!)

8. Visit this post and read the instructions on how to get an extra entry 

The giveaway ends on 10/18/10 at midnight so go, go, go! Hurry! And be sure to check out her other giveaways going on too! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I am currently  in no way affiliated with any of these companies, blogs, organizations or sites, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post.

Cardmaking

So, I'm a tweetaholic. It's a great outlet for me. I get random thoughts off my mind and I've gotten to follow and get to know some really cool people. One of them being Johnna. I started following her a few months when her baby boy was just born because 1) I'm a sucker for newborns, 2) she lived near me and I thought that was cool and 3) she kept it real. She also has a really cute blog that you should check out as well. 

Anyways, I started following Johnna's journey and soon saw her tweet an interest for other "Crafty Mommies."

Well, 1) I'm crafty and 2) Mommy's my name so SIGN ME UP! We tweeted back and forth and figured out that she had a really fun idea to do 1) a monthly crafty club, where a group of mommies across the country craft and then post pictures and 2) a monthly cardmaking and trading party. Where we all make a bunch of homemade cards and send them out to everyone in our group. I was stoked, this was totally up my alley.

So I jumped on board. (If you are interested too, join our Facebook group or email me or Johnna and we'll get you onboard too!)

I'm still trying to perfect our first monthly craft, some Paper Mache Pumpkins which are causing me a headache, but my Fall-themed Birthday cards were a breeze and so much fun.

Here they are right before sending them out:

*sigh* I loved them. And had a hard time parting with them. But I'm looking forward to the ones that will be arriving in my mailbox soon. I'll be sure to get a picture and post about them soon. 

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

So if you really know me, you know I'm a huge Gleek.  L-) Like, Tuesdays consist of a serious date night; date with me, my couch and the DVR. Oh, yea. And M too ;)

And last week's Grilled Cheesus episode (10/5) was pretty deep, focusing on faith. But the song that stuck out to me the most was Chris Colfer's (Kurt) rendition of the Beetles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," paired with a montage of childhood memories.

Insert tears here. :(

I'm not sure what hit me the hardest. The beautiful memories of Kurt and his father. Or the music/lyrics. Or maybe just the memories of my own life.

Kurt and his father share a beautiful relationship. The father supports him and his lifestyle. Kurt looks out for the best of him and his father. And the day his father has a heart attack, they argue and fight over their differences.

I don't have a relationship with my father. And looking back, I've come to peace with realizing that I really never have. So this may have slightly hit a(n emotional) nerve with me. But moreso, it just flooded me with emotions and reminded me how quickly time can pass, with nothing but a memory in the end. Because really, that's all we're left with. What's your memory going to be?

My Love for Weber

Photo courtesy of Weber Grill Parts

A couple months ago, Myka and I became the proud owners of this bad-ass. 

With it being summer and us having a groovy patio to sit on while cooking. It seemed like a fabulous idea.

And boy was it ever. This thing is is a godsend and one of my favorite ways to cook.

And then,

Photo courtesy of Amazon

I borrowed this bad boy from the library. It doesn't get much better than that.

I didn't even KNOW Weber had a cookbook. Whoa. And do you know ALL the things you could do on a grill? Holy crap.

Needless to say, it's pure yumminess and to prove it, we recently scarfed up some yummy grilled ribeyes and lobster. It doesn't get better than this. 

Seriously, check it out. (Book AND Grill.) You're totally missing out.

Disclaimer: I am currently  in no way affiliated with any of these companies, blogs, organizations or sites, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post

Broccoli Cheese Soup

So with all this cold weather this week, I was looking for some comfort food. You know, warm fatty, no good foods. MMM, MMM, MMM. However, I'm on a strict food budget right to save up for our vacation next week so I had to work with what I had. I was already planning a yummy warm rot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy that night so what else could I do?

Photo courtesy of All Recipes

So I opened up the All Recipes Cookbook: Tried and True Top 300 Recipes I am borrowing from the library (Note to those that follow my blog: the library is amazing) and looked for something that could work. And low and behold, their Broccoli Cheese Soup sounded fantastic.

Only problem was

what I was REALLY craving

was Marie Callendar's Potato Cheese Soup

I just hadn't realized it yet

SO

this proved to be a huge problem in the end for me

So without further ado, here's the recipe:

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli

4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (1lb) loaf processed cheese food, cubed

2 cups milk

1 tbsp garlic powder

2/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10-15 mins

2. Reduce heat and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder

3. In small bowl, stir in cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

My Notes: This wasn't a fail. But isn't something I'm absolutely raving about. First off, I used fresh broccoli that I had in my fridge. And second of all, I had no idea what the hell processed cheese food was, was too lazy to google it and used 1lb of regular ol sharp cheddar cheese I had in the fridge instead. Apparently processed cheese food is Velveeta. Which I don't buy and I don't even know if I've ever even had. The cornstarch/water mix in step 3 didn't really turn out that great so the broth of the soup was pretty watery and the general consensus (which consisted of me, M and my mom) was that it good, not great and needed some salt.

And then I realized it was Marie Callendar's Potato Cheese Soup I was craving. Not Broccoli Cheese Soup. DUH!! 

9 things I Love about Fall

The weather's been wacky.

Seriously wacky. 

Last week (9/27) we were dealing with this:

110 degrees. 

What's worse is that this is at almost 3P, 

we were at the pool 

and in the shade 

the thermometer said 115! 

115!! 

It was a little ridiculous. 

And definitely the reason why my electricity bill went up $20 last month. 

:( Ugh.

Anyhow, 

what this iPhone shot doesn't show 

is later in the week, 

the temps cooled drastically,

 there was some major muggy weather 

with thunder and lightning 

as a cold front came in and 

finally 

brought a STORM this past Monday. 

a storm.

REALLY?

And on Wednesday, my iPhone showed this:

SERIOUSLY?!

That's half of what the temp was last week.

That is insane.

We've been bundled in blankets

and sweats

all week.

And even though it's wacky

And SO odd for early October, 

I'll be honest

I LOVE IT!

Here's why:

Photo courtesy of Mallorca Diary 

 1. The cold rain

There is something so amazing about the sound of falling rain. And have you ever just taken a minute to smell the rain and see how it washes everything away. What? you ask. Well I grew up in Orange County, borderline to LA County, where we all have cars and smog infiltrates. But when the rain comes it washes it all away for beautifully clear skies. I love it.  And I emphasize cold because I lived in Hawaii for 6 years. There's a big difference in warm, humid rain and cold, freezing rain. Enough said.

Photo courtesy of About.com

2. The changing of the season

Let's face it, we're not the East Coast. We aren't blessed with the beautiful fall leaves magically changing colors and painting the scenery of beautiful yellows, reds, oranges and browns. But for a few weeks in the fall, we are blessed with a quick changing of the leaves. This weekend as we drove up towards the mountains away from the hustle and bustle it was beautiful. There's something magical about watching the seasons change in Spring and Fall.

3. Fun fall traditions

I have to admit. I'm new to this one. The only tradition I used to celebrate in the fall was getting dressed up for Halloween, drinking to a stupor and acting like a Girls Gone Wild girl down in Waikiki. (And by Girls Gone Wild, I mean I used to stay home and study Mom ;) )

Ok, maybe I wasn't that bad. But what did I know about fun fall traditions? That is until I became a mama. And now it's all about Fall family traditions. Trips to the pumpkin patch, raspberry, apple  and pumpkin picking, Trick-or-treating. These are the things I now look forward to in life as a mama. And what beautiful traditions they are.

4. Decorating the house 

I think I may have been an interior designer in another life. Infact, I definitely remember when I was in like the 2nd grade, I professed my love for designing and wanted to be just like the mom of my friend Graham, who was an interior designer. I was obsessed. And in some ways maybe that was my creative side coming to fruition. Whatever it was, it's stuck and as a result, one of my creative passions is I love decorating. I'm constantly stalking decorating blogs and looking for fun, spunky new ways to decorate our house. Just ask M. I stalk Craigslist like a crazed woman and convince myself that I NEED that antique dresser that I could refinish, would take up half our bedroom and that we definitely do NOT have a need for, nor do we have the room for. 

So I take pleasure in decorating in small bits. I'm trying to contain myself this year so that M doesn't think I'm crazy but I'm bursting at the seams. I want to decorate with beautiful fall wreaths, pumpkins, scarecrows, tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, etc. It's pretty pathetic. And I don't even care for lots of decorating for holidays. It's weird  and for now, I've settled for some bowls of cinnamon scented pinecones all around the house and pumpkins. But M better not turn his back or there WILL be a scarecrow out front. (Don't ask me why, I'm just obsessed with a scarecrow right now)

5. Fall Clothes

Fall clothes are awesome. Sweaters. Boots. Uggs. Scarves. Pashminas. Hats. Trench Coats. Pea Coats. Sweats. Sweatshirts. Jeans. I love it. There's nothing better to me than rolling out of bed, squeezing into pulling on my favorite jeans, throwing on a tshirt and accessorizing with a scarf and boots. Or just throwing on a sweatshirt and jeans and pulling my hair into a ponytail. I love it. It's so relaxing. And you know what's even cuter? Little GIRLS in fall clothing. Little Miss B is to DIE for in some jeans and a cute jacket and scarf.

Photo Courtesy of weathermenheatingandair.com

6. Fireplaces

There's something homely and romantic about fireplaces. The first Christmas M and I spent together we were newlyweds and spent a few days in Missouri visiting some of his family. It was like 15 degrees and snowed almost every day. And every night, we'd bundle up and cuddle in front of a beautiful fire. We haven't lit up our fireplace yet but I can hardly wait to.

Photo courtesy of www.beautifulcanvas.org

7. Warm Meals and Sweats

There's nothing better than a bowl of warm soup and cornbread in your sweats when it's cold out. Enough said.

8. Cuddling

I normally hate cuddling. It's too hot and sweaty for me. But in the cold, bundled up in the blankets. It's a little bit of awesomeness. 

and lastly,

9. Rosy Cheeks

I love that brisk cold air that takes your breath away, dries out your skin and gives you naturally rosy cheeks. So beautiful

So there you have it. 9 reasons why I love Fall/Cold Weather and why this week has been fantastic. I could probably keep going on and gone but I won't. And you can imagine the pure delight I have had this past week where our house hasn't gotten above 70 degrees. It's awesome.

Now if only it could stay this way. 

Monopoly Revisited

We've been playing this in the house lately. After this, you can imagine why ever bringing this game down again is a shock. And risk. And speaking of Risk, we haven't even attempted to bring that one down to play yet. 

But we are trying. M's determined to make me a good sport. I am determined to beat him. It's not always a win-win situation. But we're working on it...

Kinda. ;)

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I have to say.

These turned out pretty awesome.

I've been on a mission to cook more and eliminate a lot of 'junk' in our diet.

After watching Food Inc a few months ago, I've tried to be a little more conscientious of what I'm eating and also feeding my daughter and husband. Did you know that they think that a lot of what we eat puts tremendous stress and illness on our bodies? Yuck. It's hard and I'm definitely not perfect, but I'm trying to make small changes wherever I can. Some of the most obvious changes have been changes in my meat selections. I try to buy free range chicken and/or grassfed beef when I can. I only eat wild caught seafood and I made the switch back to regular fatty milk. I'm also trying to incorporate tons of fruits and veggies into our lifestyle while trying to eliminate canned goods, GMO and processed foods and anything with high fructose corn syrup. I'm also trying to avoid anything that said diet, low fat, etc, because let's face it, a lot of that shit doesn't work. So needless to say, it's hard and can be expensive. And discouraging.

So I make the changes where I can. And one of those places has been with my snacks. Let's face it, Little Miss B can be picky. The truth hurts sometimes but it's true. And it's a pain. So I have to find easy things for her to eat all the time without continuously giving her the SAME thing over and over again. Because, let's face it, you get tired of eating the same stuff over and over.

So last night a friend posted a recipe for some easy to make crackers. It seemed easy enough and pretty yummy until I realized I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. I hate that.

So I continued searching on All Recipes and decided maybe something like Graham Crackers might be good to make. Until I found the recipe for cheddar cheese crackers. Umm, hello? I didn't have to debate it long. It was 11P and I was making them.

And here's how it went:

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper (I didn't have this handy, but I added substituted cayenne pepper)
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 cup butter, chilled
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I added way more. I didn't measure but it had to be at least a cup!)
• 6 tablespoons cold water, or as needed (I ended up adding about 6.5 tbsps.)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, white pepper and mustard. Cut in butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in Cheddar cheese. Stir in water one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is able to hold together. Press the mixture into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle that is 16x12 inches. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 1x3 inch strips. Place the strips onto the prepared baking sheets spaced about 1 inch apart.

1. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden and crispy. Cool completely before storing.

My notes: I did everything as stated. BUT, when it got to rolling out my dough, I got lazy and some ended up a little thicker than 1/8 in thick. :( SO, when they cooked, some ended up being crispier (more like original cheezits) and others ended up being a little more dough-y, like biscuits.  Overall though, this was a total success. These things were like if a cheezit and a red lobster biscuit mated and had babies. NO joke. And did the pass the ultimate test of Little Miss B? Absolutely! She mowed these babies down! So simple and easy. And took less than an hour! Next time I'll be sure to make the dough thinner, but even if it's not as instructed, still...SO yummy!