Smile and Mama With Me

My Superhero {Wordless Wednesday}

2012-01-11T06:15:00.000-08:00

Here's my little guy. Lately he's obsessed with putting his hood over his head only - no arms - then running fast and shouting for all to hear, "I'm a Superhero!" Here he has stopped for a brief moment, and even struck a tough guy pose.

It's Wordless Wednesday! I'm linking up with:

Surprise! What'cha Got Cookin'?

2012-01-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

Mama Kat's writing prompt that I chose this week was, 4.) Your significant others family is coming over in two hours..think about what’s in your kitchen. Now QUICK…what’s for dinner!?!

What's that you say? The in-laws are coming over for dinner in two hours? I got this in the bag, honey. This scenario is one excellent reason for meal planning, my friends. I always know what's for dinner and I've done all of this week's shopping last weekend so I'm stocked and ready to roll. Boo-yahhhh...as my daughter would say. (Oh, dear Lord.)

BUT....

What I had planned for tonight's dinner was Broccoli Cheese Soup in the crockpot. Here it is 2PM and I haven't started it. Funny thing about crock pots - they're slow cookers. So that idea is out. Instead, what I do is go to the handy-dandy interwebs and look up a recipe for broccoli cheese soup that doesn't require the crockpot. After all, I have all the ingredients! So that's actually what's for dinner tonight. I'm pulling out a ciabatta loaf I have from the freezer and calling it good.

Source: Food Network

There's always a chance that the in-laws come over on a night where a personal food preference or a food allergy leaves them hungry, or the amount of food I bought will feed our little crew but can't stretch quite far enough to feed a couple more mouths. Let's run with that to make it interesting.

In that case, I'm rifling through what's left of the meal plan for the week to see if anything else will work, or just go to the freezer. First though, I'll set out chips and salsa which I always have...or right now I have a wheel of brie and even crackers to go with it, score!

As for dinner, I'm still looking...I always have frozen chicken breasts - defrost, marinade and grill = done. Right now I have a 10lb. bag of potatoes calling my name and all the ingredients to make twice baked potatoes = done. I'm also trying to clean out my chest freezer in the garage because I plan on doing some MAJOR freezer meals this upcoming week so let's take out a ton of frozen broccoli and make a mean steamed broccoli = done. How can steamed broccoli be tasty, you ask? Why, with lots of salted butter, friend, lots of salted butter. That's what's for dinner in a pinch.

Or, let's be honest here, I might suggest they just pick up a pizza on their way out to the house.

Bon apettit!

Hot Tub Accidents: It Happens: Starting 2012 With A Bang

2012-01-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

I found myself with a little bit of extra time today because my kids went back to school today. Luckily, our school district had the foresight to make a call to all the parents on Saturday night to remind us. I was convinced, and told a number of people, that our kids started back to school on Tuesday because today is normally a holiday.

Imagine my delight when I found out my husband was also off today. Because it's a holiday. So we dropped the kids off at school and had a breakfast date and then went to an early movie. A fun way to start the new year, I say!

A much better start than slipping and falling on my bare arse and hand (ouch) while climbing out of the hot tub to stop my sleepy daughter from waking the rest of the kids in the house in the weeeeee hours of the morning on New Year's Day.

Source

It could have been so much worse. I could have hit my head. I could have broken that wrist I so gracefully used to try to stop my fall. But it makes everything so much worse when your clothes are nowhere to be seen and your robe is...over...there...just...out...of...reach. And there are well-meaning people in the hot tub looking down upon you, asking after your well-being. I mean, I did just fall out of the hot tub after all. But we moms, sometimes we have to get up even when we really don't want to. Even when our dignity is compromised. Even when it would be so much easier to lay there on the concrete slab and let someone put a robe over you so you can compose yourself with grace. But no, there's a child awake in the house who is surely going to start that siren cry at any moment. So scramble I do to grab that damn robe, tend to the kids and wrap up a wonderful New Years Eve.

Happy New Year to me. And to you!

Mama's 2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T16:50:00.001-08:00

My year in review? Wow, that's so hard, especially when I didn't start blogging until April. Alas, I did have a life before blog (LBB), but not as easily documented I suppose. Let's just jump right in, shall we?

January
January started off with a bang with a storm of snow enough to sled and play in on New Year's Day in Prescott, AZ.

And we ended the month with my daughter's 5th birthday held at her favorite park at her request, Sunset Park in Sedona, AZ.

February
February brought my first 5k run at the Sedona Marathon. Yep, I thought I was going to die and I didn't even run the entire thing. I paced myself, you know? A little bit of running. A little more walking. Wuss. Out of shape. All true statements. But I was proud that I did it. I'm proud that I didn't collapse and have the fire department cart me to the finish line. Am I doing it this February you're wondering? That'll be a no.

March
March brought an exciting move. We moved about an hour away and into our new house. We are now closer to my husband's family and hoping mine will someday be closer too. This is sunset in our neighborhood the evening we moved, March 1st, 2011. I pulled over at one of the wide spots in the road and snapped this picture because I couldn't believe the orange tinge to it. I didn't know then that I would have a million chances to capture beautiful sunsets from our back patio.

This is what we woke up to on March 2nd, 2011. A welcome home snowstorm!

One more? March also brought a trip to Laguna Beach, CA where Maddi was the flower girl in my cousin's wedding. Beautiful wedding. Beautiful Flower Girl. Ham of a brother.

April
April found me quitting my job to do some freelancing work and pursue my dreams. It also brought Jameson's 3rd birthday, decked out Toy Story style. Here, he's helping me make the cake he picked out.

May
May is a busy month in our house. Mother's Day, my birthday, our wedding anniversary, school year ends, Memorial Day.

Here, our daughter is excited to graduate preschool. Ms. Thang, if you will.

June
By now, summer was in full swing. Something happened in June, I just don't know what. My parents had a wedding anniversary and my sister had a birthday.

July
We're back on the map in July! July is also busy around here what with the 4th of July, my husband's birthday, his parent's wedding anniversary and a new nephew born this year.

August
Our summer is winding down here as school starts the beginning of August. Wha-Wha-Whattt? Yepperoni. We're back to the grindstone and I blogged about that first day of kindergarten.

September
September started Maddi in soccer which was an interesting adventure.

September also meant Friday Night Lights and football in general.

October
October meant Fall Break, blogging about A Week in my Life, and Halloween.

November
Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day Parade and Thanksgiving at my parent's house!

December
Is an explanation necessary? As soon as the decorations went up the kids went crazy wanting to know, "When is Christmas?" So I made an advent calendar and we counted every single day. December was full of Christmas spirit, fun and wonderment.

'Twas the Night Before...

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

{Book Review} The Magic Room

2011-12-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot of reading this month, so how about some book reviews? Tonight's is The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow. As it says on the cover, it's "a story about the love we wish for our daughters". I was immediately drawn in, simply from the cover.

Source: Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
You may not have heard of Fowler, Michigan, much less Becker's Bridal. But for the thousands of women who have stepped inside, Becker's is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives-moments that speak to us all. Housed in a former bank, the boutique owners transformed the vault into a "magic room," with soft church lighting, a circular pedestal, and mirrors that make lifelong dreams come true.

Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of memorable women on the brink of commitment. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time. In The Girls from Ames, beloved author Jeffrey Zaslow used friendships to explore the emotional lives of women. In The Magic Room, he turns his perceptive eye to weddings and weaves together secrets, memories and family tales to explore the hopes and dreams we have for our daughters.

*************
My Review
Yes, immediately I was drawn in. One night I stayed up till 4AM just reading and getting all misty-eyed meeting these brides and reading about them.

There are eight brides featured in this book and their stories are sure to delight, make you smile, make your cry, make you cringe, make you remember, make you think about the future. I know I did. I have a daughter. Someday she'll probably get married. Who will she marry? How many frogs will she kiss before the right one comes along? What is her story between now and then? And then after? Certainly questions I can't answer now, but I am so looking forward to learning the answers.

First line:
"It's 9:20 a.m. on a Tuesday in July, and Shelley Becker Mueller, owner of Becker's Bridal, stands at the store's back door jiggling her key in the lock."

Favorite quote:

"When Becker's Bridal hosts their 'Blowout Sample Sale,' Shelly and Alyssa never know who will show up, or what secrets they carry with them...there are always families who've arrived here with a lifetime of bittersweet memories." p. 208

I suppose that quote sums this whole book up into a tight little nutshell. That's exactly what it's about - we get a sneak peek into a handful of bride's lives and how they arrived at "the magic room", all from the perspective of the Becker family who has owned the store for more than 70 years.

Dislike moment:
Oh come on, I don't know what to call it. In essence, the part I didn't like.
While I liked all the Becker family women, Alyssa, the youngest, now possibly the next heiress to the store, made me a little crazy with her whole deal. She is 24. She works at a bridal store. Her boyfriend won't commit yet (he works at the bridal store in the back office). Uncomfortable? He is not ready. She has this to say near the end when she is trying on gowns for fun after hours. "A part of Alyssa, though, wonders if her time will ever come. After she gets out of the wedding gown, she plants herself in a comfortable chair on the sales floor, exhales, then tells Mona with mock exasperation: 'Maybe my mom and I will be the last two spinsters in Fowler. We'll just live our sad little lives, and keep selling wedding gowns to everyone else.'" p. 242

To me, that just smacks of yuck and desperation and passive aggressiveness.

To learn more about this book and the brides (or share your own story), visit the author's website at MagicRoomBook.com. You can also join the growing discussion on this book by visiting The Magic Room book discussion on BlogHer.

Find me on Goodreads!

Disclaimer: This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A Crafting Flop and a Crafting Succcess {RWOP}

2011-12-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

Mmmmkay. I'm back with another offering from some of my recent Pinterest pins. I had some flops this week which I'm really sad about, but I guess you can't win 'em all, eh?

First off, a serious flop. This is the original I was using as my muse.

From Etsy seller AlexandraNoel

Go ahead, that link above will take you right to her Etsy shop so you can buy one instead of crafting one if you're so inclined. I should have done that in the first place.

Things started off strong. Here, I have my supplies prepared.

Getting right down to business, I tied a knot in the back and started rolling that hunk of yarn around the wreath form. It took me about an hour to get this far.

Nice holes in that foam, you say? My son thought it was made for poking in pencils months ago.

By this point my back was killing me. I was obsessively scooching the yarn together so the white space didn't show. I was exhausted. Yet I forged on for nearly half the wreath before I decided that was quite enough. My eyes hurt. So I set all my supplies aside and decided I'd continue another day.

Time passed. At least a week. And still the yarn sat there attached to the form with the scissors sitting tauntingly next to it. Tauntingly to whom? Oh, certainly not to me. I forgot about the project altogether. No. Tauntingly to my son. Why would scissors be sitting next to this thing but for cutting?

This is how I found it a few days later. Severed. All that hard work.

Some crafty divine goddess would laugh in my face for feeling defeat. Pick it up, tie it off and begin where it once ended. That's what she would say, I just know it. But at that moment, and even still today, I didn't want to hear it. It still sits like that, severed. Though I bundled it up and threw it back in its craft bag so I don't have to look at it every day. I'll save it for another day when I feel up to tackling that thing again.

Lessons Learned a.k.a. Tips For Next Time a.k.a. I Learned the Hard Way So You Don't Have To

It takes a LONG time to wrap a standard size wreath form, unless you are a super-human crafting goddess. Next time? I'm going with the mini-wreath form. Start small and perfect it.
Keep crafting materials out of the reach of children. Their curiousity cannot be curbed and they love to "help".

OK, enough with the Debbie Downer 'tude. How about a success? This was super easy and super delicious.

BBQ Chicken in Crockpot

Courtesy of this pin. Originally posted by Stick A Fork In It. Go on, go visit.

I mean S-U-P-E-R easy.

Frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot. Got some BBQ sauce on hand? And vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic powder? You're golden. Stir it up and pour over chicken and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Click here to jump to the original recipe.

We went down to the courthouse to look at the lights and came home well after normal dinner time. Instead of grabbing food on the way home or trying to throw something together when we got home - open crockpot and dinner's done! The kids asked for seconds, even. This is going in the "thumbs up" pile.

Linking up with the Real Women of Pinterest.

HappiTaps Review: Great Stocking Stuffer for Toddler!

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I was graced with the HappiTapps Beary Happi Bear gadget and FREE iPhone app, touted as, "your loveable huggable smartphone friend". Or, more accurately, my kids were.

Normally, I don't let my kids anywhere near my iPhone. Occassionally though, we let them play with my husband's iPod Touch. Since it's not an everyday occurence that they get this privilege, it is a really special occassion for them. So when I broke out the soft, cushy HappiTaps Beary Happi bear, slid it over my iPhone so they could hold onto it safely and showed them the app they could play with, they were over the moon with excitement.

Both kiddos - Figuring it out together

He really loved this lil' thing!

The best quip came from my daughter. "Ewwwww, he ate a bug!" This was a good lesson on what bears eat.

Feeding time!

The kids sat next to each other and watched the other one feed the bear, put him to sleep, play peekaboo, sing and listen as the bear told them stories. There are other activities available for download (in app) but there is plenty to keep the kiddos busy with the free version.

The worst part of all? Listening to the one who wasn't playing at the moment whine about it being their turn! My personal recommendation is this is great for kids 4 and under. There's even a "Toddler Mode" that you can choose and it will shuffle through all the activities automatically.
Take a look-see at this YouTube video, it's under one minute in length and gives you a good overview of what it's all about.

You can purchase your very own HappiTaps Beary Happi bear for $19.99 from the website HappiTaps.com and download the app for FREE from the same website or the iTunes app store (search "Beary Happi").

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Infantino HappiTaps and received a HappiTaps Beary Happi Bear to facilitate my review and to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Menu Plan Monday: What's For Dinner?

2011-12-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's cold, cloudy, foggy, grey and snowing as I type this and all I can think about cooking is warm, cozy, put-some-meat-on-those-bones food this week. So, in that spirit, here is my menu plan for this week. *Subject to getting thrown out the window at a moment's notice.*

Monday - Chicken & Dumplings - The most serious of all comfort foods. This recipe is from Rachael Ray and is delicious. It makes several appearances at our house over the fall and winter months. Tonight I'm mixing green onions into the biscuit dough.

Source

Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese (in the crockpot) - #2 on the list of serious comfort foods.

Wednesday - Steak (or chicken) and baked potatoes with all the fixin's.

Thursday - Cheese Enchiladas with Mama's homemade Hatch green enchilada sauce. Kids will have quesadillas and black beans. I plan to have this all prepped and ready that morning because it is Holiday Program Night at my daughter's school!

Friday - Ginger Chicken, potstickers, rice - and about four pieces of coconut shrimp from the freezer.

Saturday - Carne Adovada - I need to post this recipe, it's delish.

Sunday - Pizza and salad.

What's for dinner at your house this week? If you're stumped, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the linky where you'll find you won't be stumped for long!

Decorating the Christmas Tree {Memories Captured}

2011-12-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

There's a lot going on here this week, but today I'm home with a sick daughter so I thought I would do a little creating while we're vegging and watching movies on the couch. This photo is busy, eh? And so are my two kids, so it's just about right then. I got this idea from Galit Breen of These Little Waves who pinned it on Pinterest.

I actually made a few of these. The above is a bit more generalized. I also made separate photos for each kid that were more personalized which I'll put in small frames and then save in their baby books. I would love to do this every year as their likes, interests and personalities evolve.

A few more shots from the night we decorated our Christmas tree. For the last three years Maddi has worn the holiday headband when we decorate and I think it's adorable because before she came along I used to wear it. (Though now that I'm looking at that strip, I see she took it off, but it is in the top picture). I'll be looking for a holiday tie or something equally adorable for JMan to start wearing for decorating purposes.

Linking up with Galit and Alison for Memories Captured.

And since I did indeed create the top photo from a Pinterest pin, I am linking up with the Real Women of Pinterest also! I promise my next Pinterest post won't be so weak. :D

When Is Christmas? Advent Calendar Time! {Mama Kat's Writing Workshop}

2011-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

A favorite question around here begins with, "When is...?" Insert any holiday, birthday, big trip, small trip or next meal or snack and that is the story of my life. Probably a very similar story to lots of moms out there. A never ending countdown to the next biggest thing when all I want to do is relish that tomorrow is Friday, nothing more.

Never before have I done an Advent Calendar with the kids, but I have been stricken with the craft bug lately, thanks to Pinterest (mwah). So when I saw Mama Kat's writing prompt, 3). The first of December is upon us! Describe an Advent Calendar or a special way you count down days until Christmas (past or present). (Inspired by Classy Chaos).

What did I do next? Well, I went to Pinterest and started looking for advent calendar ideas, of course, and found the most perfect one for me to try from the lovely ladies at eighteen25. It didn't look terribly complicated, or require wrapping 25 individual items. Score! The next day I went to my local craft store and stocked up on supplies. I think out the door I spent $15 to make this calendar. That price is a testament to my craft beginnings - I didn't even have Mod Podge (or know how to use it or what it was), or ribbon, or brads, or anything really.

Down to business now. Supplies gathered. Before this picture I typed out the words "...days until Christmas" in a fancy font and attached red shiny rhinestones to the dot on the i's (instead of brads).

Then I went on YouTube to see exactly how to do Mod Podge. Good thing I did. I was imagining something like paper mache - where one brushes the liquid over the TOP of the paper (which apparently you can do, but not for this project). If you want to know how to Mod Podge, here's the video I watched:

Going for it now. Yeah, that's Mod Podge right over the price tag of the clipboard and everything. I'm crazy like that.

And then...I combined a few steps here. My paper is adhered to the board now, and while I'm waiting for that to dry a little, I tied my bow. A bow-maker, I am not.

A few more steps combined for the below picture. I trimmed off the excess paper, used my Fiskars paper cutter that I had from my days of scrapbooking to trim down the red and the white paper and stuck those on with more Mod Podge. I also used sandpaper to rough up (sand down?) the edges of the Santa paper. I don't know why. Because the girl in the video did it, I guess. I don't think that's necessary, but it did clean up the edges a bit since I was hacking at the paper with scissors instead of something called a craft knife.

Well, that's pretty much it! I printed the days out, trimmed them up and clipped them on the board. Snagged a plate holder and ta-dah! Displayed!

Lessons Learned a.k.a. Tips For Next Time a.k.a. I Learned the Hard Way So You Don't Have To

A craft knife would probably be very useful to cut the edges of the paper.or
Buy 8.5 x 11" scrapbook paper.
Scoot the paper up to the top - underneath the clippy thing on the board - mine looks short and weird.
Buy cardstock (for the red and the white paper) like the nice ladies at eighteen25 said in their instructions. Sturdy.
Consider buying one of those roll-y brushes that the girl used in the YouTube video. Quite handy to get all the air bubbles out, I imagine. I tried to do the same thing with a can of green beans. The effect was not the same.

Happy December 1st! 24 more days until Christmas!

Do you do an Advent Calendar? I showed you mine, now show me yours!

The Kids Learn About Composting

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

RemembeRed asked: This week, I’m asking you to take us into the moment your favorite photograph of yourself was taken, to show us who you were then and what the photograph means–in 300 words.

Today I'm sharing a photograph that is definitly NOT my favorite of me, but I'm in it.

This is one of those "day in the life" type photos. I took the kids outside to mess around in my garden. As you can see, it was time to weed out the long gone zucchinni plants, turn the soil and help me plant a winter batch of garlic.

What this photograph means to me? Love, fun, memory makers.

I taught the kids about composting. That it's good for the soil and the plants. I know it sunk in a little bit because Maddi told my mom at Thanksgiving that we put food in our garden and it was "good for the world".

As I look at this photo now, I cringe at those veins on my forehead, the wrinkles. But all those self-criticisms fade quickly as I get back to the root of the photo. That's me and my kids and we're making memories right there.

Movie Collection - Holiday Style

2011-11-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas starts on December 1st and it's a good thing, because when I went to pull my favorite holiday movies from our DVD collection I came up with a whopping four. Yes, that's right, we have four holiday inspired movies in our house. I searched high and low to scrape these together. I know we had A Christmas Story - my favorite Christmas movie ever - and I couldn't find it. Couldn't find it last year either. I truly loathe buying something that I know we already have and simply can't find, but this might be one of those times when I just have to bite the bullet...or turn to ABC Family for my holiday movie fix instead!

A sad holiday movie collection

What are your favorite holiday movies?

This post was prompted by Melissa from Adventuroo whose father has fallen ill. I'm sure she would enjoy a visit and a thoughtful comment or two over at her space to let her know you're thinking of her.

Something To Be Thankful For {Capture the Everyday}

2011-11-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

The prompt this week at Capture the Everyday was: Something You're Thankful For.

Family - Thanksgiving 2011

We're piled on the bed at my parents' house watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Love me some family. Immediate and extended. Near and far. I feel like I hit the jackpot with my hubs. And I think the odds are not in one's favor of winning the lottery twice, but I feel like I did with the kiddos. For that I am thankful.

Capture the Everyday is about getting you to capture those everyday moments in your life! Each Tuesday, Melissa will issue a simple challenge to capture something that’s a part of your daily life. You can post just a picture or add some words to go along with it. You’ll have a week to get it done and then she’ll issue another. It’s a quick, easy way to start capturing those little parts of life we sometimes take for granted.

Also linking up to Maxabella Loves this week.

Tell me, what or whom do you have to be thankful for today? Happy Thanksgiving!

#KidsTalkinTurkey

2011-11-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up with the girls over at VlogTalk this week for their special holiday linky #KidsTalkinTurkey!

Here's my video of the kids telling me what they know about Thanksgiving and also what they are thankful for. It is kind of long - 8 minutes of cuteness - but they had a lot to be thankful for. Promise the next one won't be so long. Listen in!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoy time with family and friends, think of what you're thankful for, watch football, maybe PLAY a little football - hint, hint familia - and think of others on this day.

On Bended Knee {Mama Kat's Writing Workshop}

2011-11-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

For Mama Kat's writing workshop (last) week, I chose prompt #3: Married? Tell us the story of how the question was popped.

My then boyfriend (hey, I don't want to ruin the ending) planned a trip for us to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was Spring Break 2001, he was in his junior year at Arizona State University. I was very, very excited!

Source

I wasn't one of those gals that analyzed his every move and was expecting an engagement ring at every single opportunity. That just wasn't me. I was happy and content and I suppose my biological clock wasn't ticking (loudly) yet. Though, I'll admit, I did have my fair share of pages ripped from issues of Modern Bride magazines of my favorite rings, dresses, shoes, etc. It just wasn't consuming my every single thought at that time.

Going on a Spring Break vacation to Mexico, to me, meant exactly that.

I had absolutely no inkling that I was about to become an engaged woman. He was cool as a cucumber. He didn't act weird, sketchy or twitchy like a man about to become engaged...or hiding a secret in his pocket. I wasn't suspicious at all when we took a stroll on the beach to watch the sun set. I also didn't think it odd that he wanted to take a picture of me in this exact spot.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

He took this picture and then we sat down in the sand to watch the sun set over the ocean. And drink some White Russians.

From here on out? A total blur! I admit, I can't remember his exact words, but I can assure you it was sweet, romantic and all that it should have been.

Some thoughts:

The quality of that picture is terrible - sorry bouts that!
The picture was taken by my hubs immediately before he popped the question. Notice my right hand is playing with my left hand's ring finger? Hmmmm....maybe subconsciously I knew what was coming. Still, here I was, clueless of what's to come.
After the fact, he told me that he carried the ring in his left pocket (in the box). No, I didn't notice the bulky box in his pocket. He probably made sure I walked on his right side. I sat in the middle seat in the plane with him on the aisle. Also, I was somewhat of a distressed flyer at that time. I wanted Valium. I wanted strong alcohol - even though our flight was at 7AM. I wanted something to take the edge off. So I was not exactly honing in on suspicious activity.
At that time in Puerto Vallarta, when you got into the terminal their security process consisted of red and green stoplights that everyone walked by. If it turned red, you had to stop and you got searched. Naturally, hubs was sweating bullets that he might have to empty his pockets right there in the airport. Lucky for him, we both pulled the green light. Still, I think that would have had its own romantic appeal. On bended knee in the Puerto Vallarta airport surrounded by security guards and tourists? *sigh*

Love you honey!

What is YOUR story?

{Capture the Everyday} The Look of Fall

2011-11-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

This week's Capture the Everyday assignment: Sign of Fall

We don't have a lot of big trees around here (yet) to make piles of big beautiful Fall leaves for the kids to jump into, but this is the look of Fall in my neck of the woods.

Fall 2011

I have an obsession with taking pictures from our back patio of this very view. Sunsets, rain, storms, long views, or just because. This blustery morning of fog and Fall rain made for a rather short view, but still beautiful to me.

Capture the Everyday is about getting you to capture those everyday moments in your life! Each Tuesday, Melissa will issue a simple challenge to capture something that’s a part of your daily life. You can post just a picture or add some words to go along with it. You’ll have a week to get it done and then she’ll issue another. It’s a quick, easy way to start capturing those little parts of life we sometimes take for granted.

{Review} Cholula Hot Sauce ~ The Flavorful Fire

2011-11-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

Imagine my excitement when I found out I was going to review Cholula Hot Sauce for my blog! See, I love me some Mexican food - hot and spicy is my style. I may have mentioned that fact here before, had tacos twice in one week on the meal plan or mentioned it yet again, so yes, it's a serious obssession of mine. I would love to make Mexican food over and over and over throughout the week...but variety is the spice of life, right?

The Cholula Hot Sauce arrived in the cutest little four pack - perfect for gift-giving or keeping all for yourself. The four pack included Chili Lime, Chili Garlic, Chipotle and Original.

You know how many restaurants have Cholula sitting on the table as a condiment? Yes, for a few days, we had the Cholula sitting on our dining room table or the kitchen island for easy grabbing whenever the mood, or the food, struck.
My husband immediately called "dibs" on the Chili Lime which is one of his favorite flavor combos. He doused many a dish - eggs, burritos, rice, soup - with the sauce and has given it a hearty thumbs up. I mixed it into a little bit of mayo and had a flavorful turkey sandwich - yum!

Another of his favorite flavors was the Chipotle. He also took that for a spin on all his favorite foods. Nice and spicy smokey in flavor.

The Chili Garlic was quite tasty. I used this one to spice up my homemade guacamole and it was perfection, really.

The Original is the classic and was my favorite. I popped some popcorn and even though I have a terrible addiction for butter and parmesan cheese on my popcorn, I sprinkled Cholula Original all over it one evening instead. Oh yeah! If you've never tried this before, you should give it a whirl.

Doesn't this Artichoke Cholula Cheese Bite recipe make you hungry?

You can visit Cholula's website or their Facebook page to find great recipe ideas and a $1 off coupon to get your very own bottle(s).

I know my husband and I are fans and those who like to add a little spice to their food will enjoy Cholula Hot Sauce, too.

Thanks to Cholula Hot Sauce for sending the products to review! All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

{Capture the Everyday} Collecting Post Cards

2011-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

What do I collect you ask? What don't I collect is more like it. Not really, I've cleaned up my act with the collecting (a little) as clutter makes my head spin.

When I was thinking about this prompt, my "stripe collection" popped into my head. It seems I have a thing for striped shirts. I don't purposely go shopping to buy stripes, it just happens.

Stripe Happens

When I was younger I collected post cards like a fiend. I bugged everyone I knew and asked them to send me a post card from wherever they travelled...or from wherever they lived at the time...or...or free post cards they found in magazines or at the doctor's office or the free ones from budget hotels...you get the point. ANY post card. I proudly tacked them up on my bedroom wall (along with my Bop and Tiger Beat posters of New Kids on the Block, Corey Haim, Troy Aikman and the likes). I didn't collect a particular genre like cityscapes or food - I was happy with anything.

Deltiology - is the study and collection of post cards.

Once I moved away from home I took them all down and packed them in my cedar chest where they've remained for the past 15 years. I have continued to collect, just not as wildly. When we go somewhere new, fun or exciting I buy at least three postcards - one for each of the kids' baby books and one for me. If someone else is going somewhere and I remember I'll ask them to send me one.

I pulled a handful from my cedar chest this morning for this photo opportunity.

And from that pile (which is just a small sampling) I pulled a few favorites.

L to R:
1. Happy New Year from Around the World - from my junior high Japanese pen pal. Hi Masako!
2. Man ballerina, black and white - from a dear friend who supported my post card habit!
3. Hedgehog by Anne Geddes - loved the message on the back from another dear friend: "Nothing new here - just work and run around and never clean my house, oh well!"
4. This was a post card I picked up advertising a free lecture series at the college I attended, but I sent it home to my parents. I wrote very random blurbs all over the back between the lecture info, like "big hair-->" (pointing to the lecturer) and "I broke the zipper on my Guess jeans...AGAIN!" Freshman 15, anyone?

5. I was a HUGE Friends fan. This one was of Joey and Phoebe.

Phoebe, what do you think a good stage name for me would be? --Joey

Flame-boy. --Phoebe

6. The last one with the tortellini salad recipe on the front was from my vehicle service department reminding me I had a service appointment coming up. Ummmm, OK.

What do you collect? Snap a picture and head over to Adventuroo to link up and Capture the Everyday!

Free Tiny Prints Card Today

2011-11-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like a little FREE in their life?

Tiny Prints is (one of) my newest guilty pleasure and you can personalize a FREE card from Santa for the special kid(s) in your life on November 9, 2011 (TODAY!!) To get yours, go visit and "like" Tiny Prints on Facebook today. Click on Special Offers and the information will display. If you click "Send it to me first" it will be completely free, you won't have to pay for the .44 stamp!

You do have to enter your credit card information if you haven't ordered from them in the past but this card is truly free! I've done this several other times and it's always free and ships super quick.

Friday Flava Flave

2011-11-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm piping in this Friday with a super easy dinner for those busy weeknights when putting together a full-blown meal seems like climbing Mt. Everest. This is one of my favorite go-to meals because it is super easy, supery yummy and I always have these ingredients on hand. To me, it's total comfort food.

True, this particular night the enchilada sauce came from a can (hence the EASY, go-to nature of this recipe), but soon - very soon - I'm going to be posting cheese enchiladas where I MAKE the enchilada sauce from green chilies bought at the Hatch, New Mexico chili festival. Yes ma'am, you read that right. I can't wait to whip those up and share!

Green Chili Enchilada Casserole
Pile of corn tortillas
Big can of enchilada sauce, red or green, your choice
Lots of cheddar cheese - or colby, or co-jack, or whatever - just make sure there's lots of it
Green onions
Cilantro
Sour cream

Mmmmkay. Got your ingredients ready?

I put a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a square pan because you don't want the tortillas to stick to the pan and I like saucy enchiladas. You could also use a 9x13" pan for a large gathering or if you prefer your casserole thin. Toss down a layer of tortillas, overlapping where necessary to fit. Spoon or pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with a generous amount of cheese. You could throw in a layer of onions and cilantro here if you are so inclined - or wait till the end so each person can dress theirs to their liking. And repeat until your pan is full. Cook at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top with onions, cilantro and sour cream.

Serve with rice and beans, chips and guac. YUM!

Also, very easy to tweak to your preferences. Do you like chicken? Throw it in. Ground beef? Done. How about beans instead? Spread a thin layer or plop spoonfuls on top of the tortillas before saucing it.

I'm linking up with Foodie Friday today!

Post Halloween

2011-11-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to drop off a post about our Halloween and picture of the kiddos in their costumes. I thought they were equally adorable - my Sparkle Witch and T-Rex.

They had such a blast trick or treating! It only took one or two houses to instruct them how to go up to the door, actually say, "Trick or Treat" and then, "Thank you" and, "Goodbye". After that they were old pros!

Here they look slightly confused, right? This was house #1.

What freaked me out was after we were done for the night, hubby told me the figure that was shrouded in black (like the grim reaper kind of) standing by the sidewalk was an actual person, not just a prop. Hubs talked to him as I walked blissfully unaware right by him. Thankfully, he decided not to scare me the wee ones. Truthfully, that could have ruined Halloween for our kids, what with me screaming like a banshee and flailing my arms around and stomping my feet like an idiot. Oh yeah, that for sure would have happened. And me being scared would have scared the kids that much more. So, thanks grim reaper, for playing it cool. For these sweeties.

I'm linking up with Four Plus an Angel and Sellabit Mum for Boo in the Blogosphere.

{Capture the Everyday} Halloween Closeup

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins on Sunday night and the kids loved it! They picked up the pieces and called themselves pumpkins.

Maddi designed both pumpkins herself by drawing different pumpkins on a piece of paper. Jae picked out his favorite (a happy one) and she picked out her favorite (a scary one) and the hubs drew the templates onto the pumpkins.

Belated Happy Halloween and Happy November! Only 23 more days until Thanksgiving and 54 days until Christmas!

{Capture the Everyday} Love

2011-10-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Remember the Week In My Life attempts that I made a few weeks ago? It was difficult, as I mentioned, because that was not truly what a normal week in our life looks like - it was Fall Break. But whatevs, it was really fun. And really exhausting. During that week, I met some wonderful bloggers, one of whom was the hostess Melissa from Adventuroo (big fan here).

She does this weekly thing called Capture the Everyday which in her words, is about getting you to capture those everyday moments in your life! Each Thursday, I’ll issue a simple challenge to capture something that’s a part of your daily life. You can post just a picture or add some words to go along with it. You’ll have a week to get it done and then I’ll issue another. It’s a quick, easy way to start capturing those little parts of life we sometimes take for granted.

This week's assignment: Love

I chose this recent photo of my two darlings playing and having a blast on these bouncy balls. This, to me, is love. These two together, huge smiles on their faces, their laughter ringing through the air, having fun (not fighting with each other - did you know? They do that, too). I love this moment because it's not staged, nor posed, nor directed. I caught it in the middle of them simply playing to have a good time.

This week, this day, this minute, this is love. Each one of these moments wipes away tons of the tough ones. Want to join in the Capture the Everyday fun? Go visit the linkup here.

Monday Meal Plan

2011-10-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here's my Monday Meal Plan - I feel so much more organized when I do this, even when I stray and make something nowhere near what I planned. I can always reference it and get right back on track! So, what's for dinner this week? Kind of an odd one for a few reasons with dietary restrictions and family members coming and going throughout the week, but this will work. Also, heavy on the carbs...and tacos, eh? Especially since the hubs is going low carb now. But I've got him covered with lots of meat, dairy and veggies. For the rest of the fam, this is our weekly meal plan:

Monday: Chicken Salsa Verde Tacos served with black beans and rice (click link for printable recipe)

Tuesday: One Pot Pasta with Tomatoes, White Beans and Pesto

Wednesday: Lemon Thyme Chicken Tenders served with pasta tossed with EVOO, lemon juice, lemon zest and thyme, and maybe a bright fruit salad or something - I try to avoid everything on the plate being the same color!

Thursday: Spanish Rice Tacos served with black beans

Friday: Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps (click link for printable recipe)

Saturday: Spicy Marinated Shrimp (click link for printable recipe) - Not sure about dinner yet, but I'm bringing this yummy app for a birthday party. This happens to be something the hubs can eat as it is low carb - and also a huge hit in general! This recipe comes from lowcarbfriends.com.

Sunday: Not sure if hubs is having a splurge day today or not. If he is? Pizza. If not? Maybe we'll have hamburgers. Rachael Ray just had a burger on her show last week(featured in the October issue of her magazine also) that sounded divine, called the Garlic Sherry Burgers with Stilton and Horseradish Sauce. I could go for that. Especially because you don't have to go outside and grill them.

What are you eating this week?

Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop #29

2011-10-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to week 29 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug! J-Man and MillerBug are back from vacation and we are ready to hop! Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful! We love you tons! Now what are you waiting for? Let's get to hopping! We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you! So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new! Let's continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you - nothing too tough though. So here we go!

1. Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game and The Advetures of J-Man and MillerBug. Leave us a comment and we will follow you back! (If you already follow us on GFC, we'd LOVE it if you would follow us on Facebook or Twitter.)

2. Follow our Guest Host who this weeks is Mandi from Smile and Mama with Me.

3. You don't have to post our button but we sure would like it if you did. Not only does it help our hop grow so we can all get new followers, but each week we will choose a guest co-host and to be considered you must have our button somewhere on your site! If you post our button and want to be considered for guest co-host, please email me at jmanandmillerbug@gmail.com to express your interest.

4. You can link up blogs, facebook, twitter accounts, whatever - just be sure to specify what each link is.

5. Hop around and find blogs that you enjoy. Be sure to tell them you are following them from Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop so they can follow you back!

6. Have fun!

Linky Code (All 3 hosts links are already added for this week):