Fits & Starts

Start Again?

2014-03-19T21:06:00.001-05:00

Maybe I'll start up again...should I? A lot has changed with these two cuties going full speed!

Time For a Fit...

2012-08-20T21:06:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a break from blogging. I love the diary-like stability of sharing our life in pictures, but we are in a new and exciting stage of life: Stuart finished grad school!!! For the first time since Corgan was born and for the first time in our new house, the thought of grad school is no longer part of our life. For the next month, I'm going to enjoy my family, and my hubby, and not worry about having to tick out a daily blog. I will be back with a vengeance later in September!

Foodie Tuesday: Pulled Pork Sandwich Pizza

2012-08-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

A few Fridays ago, I posted a recipe for Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches. When we made it, we made extra to freeze for later. Now is later, so here we go...

Pulled Pork Sandwich Pizza

Leftover Pulled Pork

chopped onion

dill relish

barbeque sauce

Pillsbury pizza dough

mozzarella cheese

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or coat it in butter, then lay out your pizza dough. Using the tines of a fork, pierce the dough a bunch of times so that the crust doesn't puff all up. Pre-bake it at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes (check the directions on the tube), and remove from the oven.

Add all your fixin's (barbeque sauce instead of pizza sauce, mozzarella, onion, and pulled pork). Don't add the dill relish until after it cooks.

You can see it comes out beautifully! (We cooked it according to the tube instructions.)

Before you eat it, add some dill relish on top. This looks a little weird, but trust me, it's soooo good. We even had leftovers of the leftovers so we took lunches to work.

Stuart's Photo Dump

2012-08-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

No, this is not a guest blog from the hubby, and no, this is not a disturbing reference. Stuart blew up my email inbox when he sent me a whole bunch of pictures he had taken on his phone. I picked a few of the gems to share with you all:

Here is one of Baby Girl when we had first moved into the house. How tiny?!? Plus, it's way too obvious how big her head is! When she was born her height and weight were in the 28th percentile, but her head was in the 50th. She still has a large head in proportion to her body, but look at this head!! (Love her to death though.)

I wanted to post this one to embarrass my mom. In the small thumbnail that was in the email it looked my mom was trying to eat Corgan's head, now that I've uploaded it to my blog, I realize that it is me trying to eat Corgan's head. Oh, well. It's still funny.

Here is the real gem, though. Don't ask.

Corgan's New (Old) Toy

2012-08-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

I was going through my photos last night and found these from when my mom got Corgan a new toy. I had completely forgotten to blog about these so I'm doing that now.

The parents had just returned from their trip to Yosemite, and they brought back a great toy for Corgan. They bought a set of stacking blocks that had a whole bunch of nature pictures and facts all over them. There are little frogs and butterflies and bugs, and she loves them! Looking at the pictures, though, I can't help but notice how tiny she was. It was only a couple of months ago, but she was so short and her face was so round. It's always a treat to go back and check out pictures of my baby child. (Oh, and a cute video follows.)

Broom!!!

2012-08-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

I posted a picture the other day on Facebook that had Corgan 'sweeping' my kitchen. It was cute the first time, but now it's just flipping adorable!!! First thing she says when she gets downstairs in the morning: "Broom!!!" First thing she says when she is finished with breakfast: "Broom!!!" First thing she says when she gets home from day care: "Broom!!!" First thing she says anytime she sees the pantry door: "Broom!!!" First thing she says after dinner: "Broom!!!" Do you get the idea?

BROOM!!!!

Trip to the Container Store

2012-08-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

The other day Corgan and I ran some errands and one of them was to The Container Store. Stuart and I laughingly call this place 'my church.' (His is Best Buy, in case you were wondering.) I had no idea that Corgan would enjoy it as much as I do, but she found a great toy! Who knew that dorm room trash cans could be so fun!

Here is one of my favorite videos of her EVER!!!

Foodie Friday: One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

2012-08-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

This recipe is amazing! I found it at another "Mom Blog," and we tried it the next day. It is sooo easy, and soooo nummy.

One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

Bananas!!!

Start by freezing any bananas that you have. Bananas that were getting ripe (but not brown-skinned) worked really well for us.

Next, slice your bananas into circles, lay them out on a baking sheet, then put them in the freezer for about 4 hours. You can either bag them up for later, or move them to a blender.

Blend until smooth and enjoy! Eating right away is 'soft-serve' or you can put it back in the freezer to firm up a bit. We like ours more like regular ice cream, so we put it back into the freezer.

We topped ours with some chocolate sauce (yes, I know that is a second ingredient). It was quite tasty!

Foodie Wednesday: Lava Cakes

2012-08-08T06:30:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, my mom hosted a dinner party, and I helped cook some of the menu. One thing (I was shocked to find out) was Chocolate Lava Cakes. I am not a baker. I have never been a baker. Things burn around me. And now I have to make a crazy difficult dessert that I've never made before for a dinner party? What?!?

Chocolate Lava Cakes

(click the name to go to the original recipe at Food Network)

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins

4 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of nutmeg

12 oz semisweet chocolate

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

6 large eggs plus 6 egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

First, take out your frustrations on the chocolate. I love chef's knives, so I went to town chopping the chocolate into melt-able chunks.

Next, (I forgot to take pictures) preheat your oven to 400 degrees and butter eight (6 oz) ramekins. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar and set aside. Combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Melt everything together. This is a slow process, because you want to make sure you don't burn your chocolate. It's already bitter. Don't add 'scorched' to flavor profile as well.

Once the chocolate is melted, set the pan on a cool burner while you mix the other ingredients (flour, confectioner's sugar, eggs (and yolks), vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk until everything is good and creamy. Now add your chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and thoroughly combine. Slowly pour the final batter into each of the ramekins. Don't fill them all the way to the top. They will climb a little, so leave a little gap.

Bake the cakes for 12-14 minutes. This is where an oven light comes in handy. Watch these puppies like a hawk! You want cook them until the "tops are stiff and the edges darken." But just barely. Remove all the ramekins and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a small paring knife to loosen all the way around the edges of the ramekins. The butter and granulated sugar you put on at the beginning will help, but the knife is important. Transfer upside to your serving plates and dust with powdered sugar (I used a sifter, but you can also use a rice strainer).

Your end result should burst open perfectly and warm chocolate goo should come pouring out at you. I was so happy and relieved when these babies were done!

Foodie Tuesday: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

2012-08-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

And the last post from the Houston trip. This time I promise!!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

(This one was good, but plan on cooking it for up to 4 1/2 hours.)
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lb andouille sausage
4 lbs chicken thighs
1 Tbsp creole seasoning (mix found in spice aisle)
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp file powder
cooked white rice
hot sauce of choice

Since I had no idea what I was doing, I prepped all my ingredients before hand. I find that this makes it very easy to work on new recipes.

Start with a large Dutch oven (thank you, Mom!), and heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Cook your cut up andouille sausage in the oil until its well browned. Mine took 8 minutes. I followed the times of my recipe religiously, and all worked well. Take out the sausage and leave it on a paper towel to drain.

Next, brown your chicken thighs with skin on. Cook for 6 minutes (3 on each side) until browned. Remove the chicken, let it cool, the put it back in the fridge. The chicken is not fully cooked at this point, so don't leave it on the counter.

The most important part of a gumbo is the roux. This was first attempt at a roux so I followed the instructions verbatim. I've quoted them for this next part so I don't mess it up for you. "Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 20-25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate." Below is the progression of my roux.

I actually Googled some images of roux to see if I got the right look. The picture looks really light, but I promise it was dark enough. After this, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook them in the roux for 5 minutes. Add back in the sausage, then add the salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Slowly add the chicken stock while stirring. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered for an hour.

Add the chicken into the stock mixture and simmer for an addition 1 1/2 hours. Skim the chicken fat from the service as it rises. Once the cooking time if over, remove the mixture from the heat, and remove the chicken. Take the skin off and throw it away, then pull the chicken off the bone and shred it. Add the chicken back to pot. Stir in the green onions and file powder and remove the bay leaves. Serve over the cooked white rice and enjoy! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Foodie Monday: Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp & Grits

2012-08-06T06:30:00.001-05:00

I'm way backed up on recipes I want to share with you all, so this week is Foodie Week! Each day I'm going to post a recipe that we thought was a keeper. Hope you enjoy. We will return to your regular programming next Monday :)

I know I told you that I was done with posts about Houston, but I guess I lied. We were inspired by Stuart's musical menu plan about Smashing Pumpkins, so we decided to do a menu plan about the concert we were going to. We did a whole week of meals based on Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler. Talk about good eats!!!

Monday: Hobo Dinners

inspired by "Aluminum" by BNL

Tuesday: Kung Pao Chicken

inspired by the line in "One Week" that says "Chikity China, the Chinese Chicken" by BNL

Wednesday: Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp and Grits

inspired by Blues Traveler's Louisiana influences

Thursday: Steak Fingers and Mac & Cheese
inspired by the line in "$1,000,000" about mac & cheese by BNL

Friday: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

inspired by Blues Traveler

Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp and Grits

1 cup grits (not instant)
4 cups stock (I used chicken, but it calls for shrimp)
4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon
1 pound shrimp
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup green onion
1/2 tsp cayenne

In one pot start heating your stock, in the other cook up your chopped bacon. Save the fat. I always love recipes that tell you to save the bacon fat.

Once your stock is boiling, whisk in your grits and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, and stir constantly. The recipe I followed said cook for 15 minutes, mine took about 25.

Cook your bacon until its good and crispy, then set aside on a paper towel to de-grease. Try not to eat too many of the tasty morsels before its time to add them to your recipe.

In the bacon grease, cook the half the scallions, the garlic, and the shrimp. You want the shrimpm to just turn pink. Add the lemon juice, rest of the green onions, and cayenne pepper to the shrimp mixture.

When the grits are done to the consistency you like, stir in ALL the cheese and butter. To serve, ladle some grits into a bowl, top with some of the shrimp mixture, and sprinkle some bacon on top. Enjoy!!!

Home With a Sick Corgan

2012-08-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

Corgan woke up yeseterday with a fever, so daycare was out of the question. We're still in summer mode at the office, so I took Corgan duty and got to spend the day with her. I had to go into the office for an early with meeting with my boss, but seeing as we jokingly call him 'The Baby Whisperer,' I brought Corgan along. She did great during the meeting, and then wanted to explore the campus and the office.

We took a little detour out onto the Jr. Kinder playground. It wasn't even 9 o'clock, so the temperature was actually reasonable, and all the equipment is just about her size. We toddled around outside for a bit, then went back inside to grab my things...

And then she found some books. What toddler doesn't want to read a Word Perfect 9 instruction manual?!?

We headed home shortly after that, and she took a turn for the worse. By the time she was ready for a nap, her temperature was up to 103.2. Not good. I gave her some Tylenol, and she slept for about an hour (which is more than usual), and woke up not like herself. This is a kiddo that is always waaaay too busy to cuddle. After her nap, she laid tummy to tummy with me on the comfy chair and watched 40 minutes of Sesame Street without flinching.

She perked up a little about 3:30, so I took the opportunity to run two errands. I had 8 almost overdue library books to return, and we were almost out of her soy milk. She took along her new bunny doll that one of her Nana's friend crocheted for her. She was quiet for a good long time, so I looked back while I was at a red light. What did I find?...

She had completely de-tailed the bunny!!! Little shreds of white, fluffy bunny tail were all over the back seat. It was oddly cute. Now the bunny has a little nubbin.

Running errands gave her a second wind, so she ran all around the house until bed time. She tried on mommy's shoes...

Caught up with some spiritual literature...

and even managed to fit in some light fiction.

She crashed out a little before her regular bed time without any fuss. Here's to a healthier day for her tomorrow, but I loved spending some good quality time with my Little One!

Stuart Broke His Elbow

2012-08-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

Well, not really, but it did make you open the post. He actually severely bruised his elbow and now has elbow bursitis. For those of you who don't know, Stuart is a martial artist. He has a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but he hasn't been able to practice in a few years due to his graduate degree. As his days in grad school quickly come to an end, he is getting more and more psyched about restarting work on his next belt. Sunday night he felt compelled to try breaking some bricks and instead the bricks broke him.

Here is the set-up:

Here is the 'break:'

Another set-up:

Another 'break:'

Here is the aftermath:

Two days later he looks pretty much normal, but it felt nice for me to see that he can actually get hurt. In five years of marriage, and two years of dating, I've never really seen him get hurt. I know I shouldn't be so giddy about that, but knowing that your husband is actually human is a good thing.

Corgan's First Haircut

2012-07-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

Baby Girl has had her official first haircut :( She did great, and so did I. I didn't shed a tear, which I really thought I would. Corgan has never had much hair, and at 18 months, she still hasn't produced much. The only place on her head that has ever really grown hair is her forehead. Her bangs were insane! I kept trying to get her to let me use a bow, or a headband, but she wouldn't have it. Then I would try to sweep them to the side so that they weren't in her eyes, but she inherited my hair. It is so wispy and slinky that you can't get it to do what you want. Plus, she likes to slap her head and pull all her bangs forward. Goofy kid.

Here is the best 'before' pic I can find:

Here is the best video! That's her Grandma squishing her cheeks.

Here is a series of uber-cute pictures showing the final results. It's impossible to get her to stand still long enough to get a good picture.

And here is a picture of Stuart being...well...Stuart...

Trip to Houston: Ikea or Bust!

2012-07-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, last one about Houston, I promise. On our way out of the city, we stopped by Ikea. I had never been there, and some friends of our absolutely love the place. We had to go. Can I say weird? You walk through this huge maze of furniture and rooms and you don't see a single employee. As someone who worked retail management, that is just bizarre! Granted, you don't really need help at Ikea, but it's still weird.

While we were there I planned 'Number 2's' nursery (and no, we're not pregnant). We've known since we had Corgan that the second nursery would be a monkey theme, because that's what Stuart really wanted for the first one, but I vetoed it. I found the perfect brown/grey crib:

And then this dresser for the room. It's the same style as the crib, but we would get blue for the boy or keep the grey/brown for the girl:

And Dada would need a comfy chair to nap in:

The room would be painted white on bottom and a pale yellow on top, then our good friend offered to paint us a mural in the nursery. I'm thinking a big tree above the crib with a monkey hanging off of it. So cute!

We also found the desks that we are to get for the downstairs office:

I found the unit I'm going to put under our TV in the living room once we hang the TV:

Stuart found out that it was Haley, in Ikea, with the candlestick:

And, Stuart finally found his feet!

Trip to Houston: Barenaked Ladies Concert

2012-07-27T06:30:00.001-05:00

Our first date was 7 years ago, and I remember it sooooo well. Stuart picked me up at my apartment to go to dinner at Zio's and then to a Rampage hockey game. He was driving his blue, Scion TC, he walked me out to the car, opened the door, and let me in. He got in the driver's side and turned on the car. The music started, and I casually said, "Ooh. I love this song." He then squealed, gave me a huge hug, and said, "I love you!" Granted, the "I love you" was not a legitimate declaration of his feelings, but only a reaction to the fact that someone else in his generation loved the Barenaked Ladies.

We found out at that moment that we are both huge fans of this quirky, Canadian rock group. These people are awesome! What other band makes sure to record one song per album while 'in the buff?' What other band creates an entire song about aluminum? What other band could pull off the lyrics "Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon/ Cause that cartoon has got the boom anime babes/ that make me think the wrong thing?"

Fast forward 7 years, to our 5 year wedding anniversary, and you find us at a concert for Barenaked Ladies in The Woodlands, Houston! Woo hoo! Our trip planning began when we found the concert date and venue online. They never come to Texas, so we knew we had to go. Here lies the adventure that is BNL: Houston.

What concert is complete without a giant beer for each of us? You also get to see the freebee we picked up for Corgan. She calls is her 'Happy' because of the smiley face. Cuteness!

Here is a great shot of the uber-drunk lady who kept trying to get the crowd to stand up and dance. This is her during the first few songs of the first opening band (there were two before the real opening band). Then, mysteriously, she and her date/husband/friend disappeared before BNL took the stage. What's up with that?

Here is our view from the stage :) We were in the 16th row and right next to one of the jumbo-trons. Yes, that is Barenaked Ladies, and yes, they are wearing tennis whites. Did I not mention these guys rock?!?

The 'opening' band was Blues Traveler, and they were amazing. Here is a pic of John Popper on the jumbo-tron. That man is crazy-good at the harmonica!

I heard their song 'Boomerang' for the first time at this concert and it made me cry. I already know that I'm going to use it as part of a High School graduation gift for Corgan. Here are some of the lyrics:

Despite the pretty dress and curls
You don’t throw like other girls
You follow through

But I’ll come on back
Cause I know
Though you meant to let me go
I could always be your boomerang
I’ll come on back
You will see
That all you said got through to me
And I would like to be your boomerang

If you don't get it, that's fine. It all makes sense to me, and I love the sentiment. I'm not sure I should be thinking about a high school graduation, though. Makes me feel old, and makes me feel like time is flying too fast. She's only 18 months!

Great shot of John Popper playing harmonica along with one of the Barenaked Ladies' songs. Talk about a great moment!

One of the best concerts I've ever been (not that there has been tons), and I would totally go see them again and again and again. So much fun!!!

Trip to Houston: Dinner at Jasper's

2012-07-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

On our second night, we went out for our official '5 year anniversary' dinner at Jasper's. This place was the coolest! It's a concept restaurant from Kent Rathbun (don't know who he is, but he must be good.) The decor was amazing, and since we had reservations we got to skip the 45 minutes line in less than 30 seconds. Pretty neat. We had a seat near the kitchen, which in this place is a good thing. Have you ever watched Kitchen Nightmares? This restaurant is NEVER going to be on that show! Everything was immaculate and people were working like a well oiled machine.

Here's a peak at some of the items on the menu. I'm fairly certain I would've ordered and eaten everything on the menu if I could've.

No dinner is complete without wine, so we ordered a bottle of Dona Paula Cabernet Sauvignon. Soooo good. Stuart did a wine tasting on it, and got pretty close to the description on the label. It was fun to watch the 'master' at work.

For the salad I ordered the tomato and asparagus salad. It has sliced tomato, fresh asparagus, red onion, blue cheese, and red onion, and it was drizzled with a roasted shallot and black pepper vinaigrette. It was one of those courses that ended way to soon.

We both ordered the special of the evening (even though the menu looked fantastic). It was a grilled fillet topped with two grilled jumbo shrimp on top of a crab cake with crawfish. On side side was some sweet corn crusted zucchini fries and the whole thing was drizzled with mushroom and wine sauce. I gained another 5 pounds just writing that description.

Even though we were way too full, we ordered dessert: a french silk pie with an Oreo crust. Our waiter even had the kitchen add 'Happy Anniversary' for us. So sweet!

We had such a great evening, and we were completely stuffed by the end of the night. Us wild and crazy kids then heading out to finish the rest of our anniversary evening: back to the hotel to watch 'Scrubs' on Netflix. All-in-all, a great evening!

Don't forget to head over to my sales page to buy some homemade glassware! Click here.

Trip to Houston: Buc-ee's

2012-07-25T06:30:00.001-05:00

On our way to Houston, Stuart insisted that we stop at Buc-ee's. What's the big deal, people? It's a gas station. Oh, wait....that was what I said BEFORE I visited Buc-ee's. Now, I'm a complete convert. OMG is this place cool!

First of all, it's completely huge! You can't tell from the highway, but this place is massive! The line in front of the store was so long that we parked on one of the side lots. Yes, we got to pick which side lot.

Inside, the place went on and on and on. This isn't supposed to be a picture of a stranger's backside. It's supposed to give you an idea of the size of the place. I'm standing in the middle and shooting towards one end. Freakin' huge!

We got to sample some of their famous Beaver Nuggets. No, they are not like Rocky Mountain Oysters, they are more like good Sugar Pops cereal. We picked up a bag for my Dad and a bag for Stuart's sister. Definitely sinful.

I've never seen a gas station that had so many prepared foods. They had a full deli counter, jerky station, fudge station, marinated whole chickens stuffed with rice, etc. It went on forever!!!!

Oh, you could buy your camo, hunting knives, 100-gallon crab boilers, deer guards for cars, home accessories, children's toys, and Buc-ee's paraphernalia.

For lunch (since we had to eat at Buc-ee's), we ordered on a computer screen and got our perfect hot dogs, chicken salad sandwich, homemade potato chips, and tater tots. Mmmmmm, healthy.

What a way to start a vacation!!!

Need new glassware? Buy some today! Click here.

Trip to Houston: Leaving the Baby

2012-07-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Stuart and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Houston. We bought concert tickets to one of our favorite bands, arranged for an amazingly sinful meal at a 4.5-star restaraunt, and met up with one of my middle school gal pals to go shopping. However, before all the out-of-town fun, we had to leave Baby Girl with her Grandma and Papa. Can I tell you how heart wrenching that is? This was the first time that we've left her for an extended length of time. She'd had a couple of sleepovers with them to get used to staying away from home, but we'd never gone out of town without her before.

We weren't even out of the sub-division before I looked at Stuart and said, "The guilt factor is setting in..." We put on our brave faces, and kept driving. Dad was true to his word, and we shortly had a picture of our Little One enjoying her morning snack:

My biggest concern was her naptime. She's been giving the daycare a tough time about going down for naps. She even skipped her nap completely once last week and 'read' instead. This is the picture that Dad took of her napping (without flash) to prove that she was out. Dad is a little goofy...

Mom got a few new toys for Corgan so that they had some fun things to do over the weekend. One of them was the water table that she is supposed to stand next to and play with. She insisted on getting in! She would never be satisfied without being in the water.

Dinner time was healthy :) Steamed carrots, bananas, chicken, and potatoes. Happily my parents got her to enjoy mashed potatoes, so I'm glad to add that into her diet. Hopefully it will help with her stool. (If you missed those blogs, you're lucky.)

On the second day I got this jewel of a photo titled 'Bed Head After Nap.' You could also call it 'Stink Eye' or 'Quit Taking So Many Dang Pictures!'

Of course there was tons of reading time...

And she loved it when Gigi and Ogi (my grandparents) came over for dinner. She loves it when Gigi gives her berzerts!

On the last day, the parents took her down to the park in their neighborhood. She had a blast! There were swings, and slides, and rocking bugs!

All in all, I don't know who was more tired; Corgan or my parents. They all had a great time, but I missed her like crazy. Check back in to read my blog this week, and I'll share all about our Houston trip. Stay tuned for Buc-ees' and Barenaked Ladies!

Foodie Friday: Chana Masala

2012-07-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

We love Indian food, but I used to be terrified to cook it. All the billions of spices tended to intimidate me a little bit. Then my good friend from middle school visited and she showed me how freakishly easy it was to cook. As long as you use a bunch of spices and warm them thoroughly before use, you're good to go.

Chana Masala (Chick Peas and Tomatoes)

(adapted from Post Punk Kitchen)

Spice blend:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

For everything else:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced in medium pieces
2 jalapenos, deseeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 lbs tomatoes, diced
Fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cans chickpeas

Juice of one lime

Chop everything first. This is how I cook almost anything, and if this is your first time cooking Indian food then its a must. Saute the onion in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, and while that's going you can mix together all your spices. Once your onions are starting to brown, add your jalapeno, garlic, and ginger. Saute until you can really smell the spice coming off of it. Add the cilantro and all the spices. Cook for about two minutes to really warm through the spices.

Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, season with salt, and mix well. Bring everything to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste it periodically to see if the spices are coming together well. Your tomatoes should almost completely break down before serving. Keep simmering until this happens. Right before you serve, add the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper until you're happy with the flavors. Serve over basmati rice and garnish with some fresh cilantro.

An OCD's Nightmare

2012-07-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that I'm borderline OCD. I like things neat and tidy, and I hate messes. Especially sticky, goopy ones. I am convinced that God gave me Corgan to help me get over that...and quick.

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time, but for some reason have never gotten around to it. I'm looking at the picture and video and asking myself, "Who is that kid?" Her face is thinning out, she has a neck now, and her bangs are practically covering her eyes all the time! I say again, "Who is that kid?!?" Anyway, back to the post...

This was when Corgan first insisted that she feed herself with her spoon. I couldn't help. She wouldn't let me. This was the result:

A New Toy

2012-07-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Today's post is a photo-montage of one of the best purchases we've made for Corgan: a tented ball pit! She looooooves it, and we love the giggles.

A new toy?

What could this be?

The pieces are coming together...

A thing of beauty! She's already having a ball!

The open top on the ball bit makes for a lot of fun...

Even the hubby likes it!!!

A Week Off?

2012-07-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

This week the church I work at has 'gone dark' for a summer break. Baby Girl is still in daycare in order to keep her schedule consistent and Stuart is still at work, which means I get a week to myself! Oh, the things I'm getting done and it's only been a day!!!

Items Done:

mow yard (front and back)

weed wack the back, overgrown corner of the yard

shopped for shelving

installed new shelving in downstairs bathroom

bought paint

took time to relax

removed some old shelving

re-installed old shelving in two closets

went clothes shopping (didn't buy anything)

pickup up Baby Girl and had a GREAT evening with her

did a 45 walk/jog on the treadmill

Still To Do:

paint downstairs bathroom

put down weed barrier in the back corner of the yard

make and cook freezer meals

try clothes shopping again :)

clean upstairs loft

clean out the litter pan

work on my wine bottle crafts

get a facial

keep running on treadmill

drive to Houston to see Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler in concert!!!

I know that vacations are supposed to be just that, but I love getting stuff done! This is how I relax and it feels great to be so productive. I look forward to getting back in the routine of things once the school year ramps up again, but in the meantime I am totally enjoying summer!

5 Years! (Re-Living the Proposal)

2012-07-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

Our engagement photo. (Sorry for the bad quality)

I'm still in shock that I have officially been married for 5 years. I guess when you marry your soul-mate, the time really flies. To make a loooooong story short, Stuart and I met while I was on a date with another guy. We had this one mutual friend who just knew we were meant for each other, so he kept putting us in situations where we could hang out. Not too long after we met, I arranged to get dumped by my boyfriend, so that Stuart would be clear to ask me out. Not too long after than, we went on our first date.

Next step: the proposal (a year later). I totally ruined it. It was summer, and in Texas that means hot. This makes me irritable. I had to take my car into the shop, and we had contractors at the house we were staying in. Pretty much a 'perfect storm' to put me in a bad mood. Well, it just so happened that I was trying to cut back on my coffee intake so I had switched to half-caf coffee. On a morning when I had to be up at 6:30 to get my car to the shop, there was no way on God's green Earth that I would be having half-caf. I went for the real stuff and made a cup of full-caf coffee. As my pot was brewing, Stuart stumbled sleepily into the kitchen, at 6:30 AM, on his day off. He looked at me quizzically, I asked him what he was doing up, and he mumbled, "I forgot to do the dishes..." And, yes, he did start doing the dishes in his pajamas. What I didn't know is that there was a diamond engagement ring in the half-calf coffee container. If you know me and my obsession with coffee, then you know how awesome a proposal this would've been. However, I, in my caffeine-desperate frenzy, ruined it.

Later that evening, in order to put me in a better mood after my crap-tacular day of car fixes and work, we went for a dress-up dinner at a local restaurant, then went for a drive under the stars. We drove out into the Texas Hill Country and opened the moon-roof. We spent about an hour driving around, talking, and enjoying each others' company and ended up in Boerne. This is a small town just north of us that is cute and quaint. We parked near main street and walked to the town square. There is a gorgeous, white gazebo in the middle of it, and yes, we danced. Partway through, Stuart 'noticed his shoe untied' and bent down to fix it. Next thing I know, there is a shiny bling thing staring up at me. I of course started to bawl like a baby and shouted "yes."

One short year later, we were married on 7/7/07 (that's a whole 'nother story!), and 5 years after that we are healthy, happy, and blessed with a fabulous Little Girl. Here's to many, many more years!!!

My Label Lifters Came In!!!

2012-07-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

I know I shouldn't be so excited, but my label lifters finally came in! Remember I told you that I was going to start crafting with our wine bottles. The first step with that is to get the labels off. These things are great! They act as a laminator for the labels and they come of beautifully. I used 50 lifters and only tore three labels :)

Next step? Using my new glass cutter and borrowed Dremel to start crafting! Here's my first attempt from the other night. I put a new, smaller votive in it after I took the picture, but this will give you an idea.