Monday, July 25, 2011

Firsts

This has proved to be a weekend of firsts. Some of the firsts were good firsts. Others are, well, not so great.  But, in the spirit of optimism, let us begin with the good firsts first.

1.  We finally took our boat out on the water for the first time this yesr. What have we been waiting for? Well, that's a good question that has no good answer. It was so much fun.

2.  It was Kendall's first boating experience. She was skeptical at first but warmed up by the time we were almost done. It might have something to do with her level of comfort. It was blazing hot and she was stuffed like a sausage in her life vest. She struggled to maneauver but eventually figured it out. She also voiced her concern anytime we sped up or the boat turned. She is the safety patrol. And she made sure she let Daddy know her dislike with a piercing "DADDY!"

3.  Avery discovered the sheer awesomeness of jumping off the side of the boat into a crisp lake for the first time. And how fun it is to float around in a life vest.

And on a total sidenote, every time I say "boat" or even think it, for that matter, I find my self calling it a bo-at like Dr. Doofenshmirtz does on Phineas and Ferb. Which by the way, if you have never seen it before, you must. It is on the Disney channel all the time. It is hilarious!

One first falls into a sort of neutral category and is a borderline extremely hilarious first. Backstory: I got my hair cut last week. I must have sparked some inspiration in Avery.

4. We had our very first self-haircutting situation. Avery decided that she needed mohawk bangs right in the middle of the front of her hair. I seriously almost wet my pants when I discovered her handy work. She promises never to do again, to herself, her sister or her dog.

Now, we head into the bad first.

5. Avery stepped on a bee and got her first bee sting on the bottom of her foot by her pinky toe. Owwie! She was a champ though. No stinger so we were good.
So that is that. There's never a dull moment. And in case you were wondering, I am almost ready to start painting the dresser project from this weekend. A boat ride sounded more fun than painting! I will totally show you when I'm done. Enjoy your day!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Weekend Inspirations: Borrowing Ideas from the Internets


This is happening to Kendall's dresser this weekend. I am making some minor adjustments, but the basic concept is there.



Leftover drawers from dresser project? Why yes, yes I do have some. Looks like she will have some under the bed storage!



Well, why not? Avery has suggested we use her foot and Kendall's hands. This is hilarious, if you ask me. And it makes me hungry for seafood.



Snacks are always needed for the little ladies when we go for a boat ride. Looks like this is what we are taking this time.



For real? Hearts in cupcakes? Seems tricky, doesn't it? Well, after you read the instructions, you will discover that it appears to be a simple process. Avery is beyond giddy for these little treats. I think I will need her little hands to help with the technicalities of this nugget of goodness.


So, there's what I found around the Internets this past week. Oh, the Internets: a glorious expanse of creative influence. What would we do without it?!?!


Thursday, July 21, 2011

Heat Dome, Shmeat Dome: How to Survive Summer Cabin Fever

1. Prepare an oasis. Ours was a sleeping bag opened on the living room floor covered with all the couch pillows and butterfly blanket. But before you even get started, get yourself in some comfy clothes. For Avery, this was a too small ballerina tutu/leotard ensemble and Kendall still sported the outfit picked out by her sister.

This type of oasis has it's own risks and benefits. Whilst you get to be all cuddled up in one comfy, cozy place, you will also be subjected to a few possible dangers residing in such close quarters. These include but are not limited to kicking, face-slaps, pinching, climbing, kneeing, nose-picking, flatulence, head-butts, and stinky feet. But the cuddling kind of trumps all the risks so I say, go for it.


2. Pop some popcorn and fill some cups with water. You must have sustenance working this hard.

3.  Turn on a movie. In our case, it was Tangled. And then repeat, repeat, repeat until you are singing all the songs in your sleep and quoting Flynn/Eugene. "You broke my smolder." And this movie has made it officially OK to say, "Mother knows best." Not that I ever would. Just like I would never say, "Because I said so" or "Because I'm the grown-up, that's why" or ever mumble curse words under my breath as I am calmly walking away from a hostile situation. Not me. I would NEVER do any of that. I would never need to because my kids are angels, all the time. Oh, sorry, I was day-dreaming. I'm back.

4. Surround yourself with books and book enhancing materials, i.e. a Leap Frog Tag.

Now this is where we start getting technical.


5. Make monster cookies. I cheat. I make them with a bag of chocolate chip cookie mix, peanut butter cookie mix, and two bags of M&M's candies. Why? Mostly because it's a lot of work to make monster cookies and this is just easier. This is also great to keep on hand, in the cupboard in case we ever get a craving. Fast, easy, cheap is the way to go. To do this, just dump all four bags in a bowl, add whatever each bag of cookie mix tells you to add, stir, bake, and devour. 


6.  Lounge. If you are two years old, feel free to remove your pants or skirt in this instance. And always, ALWAYS make sure your Curious George close by. 


7.  Paint your nails. Miss Avery requested white nails with GIANT polka dots. 


8. Stay fabulous. Even though you are in the house, cut off from the outside world you still must put together fashionable duds. 

9. Ponder life's big questions. Or agonize on why the people at Oxford want to get rid of the Oxford comma. It's a travesty is what it is. I personally like the Oxford comma. I will not bore you with the specifics mostly because it is not that big of a deal but I like it, I use it, and I just demonstrated it in this here sentence. If the suspense is killing you, you can go read the story here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/06/30/137525211/going-going-and-gone-no-the-oxford-comma-is-safe-for-now

10. Do mindless research. I chose to spend my time on this glorious website my friend Kristin posted on her facebook: http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com/.  It's totally a blog in the voice of Suri Cruise, where she makes fun of her fellow celebritots. It is hilarious. And a huge waste of time. Perfect thing for a heat dome day. That, and facebook stalking. But you don't need an "appropriate" time to do that for it is acceptable ALL the time.




Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Unstuffed Peppers

When I was growing up and my mom made stuffed peppers, no one ever ate the pepper. Well, they might have eaten a bite or two but not the entire thing. And they took forever to cook. Like, literally, forever. AAAAAnd there was a lot of clean-up. So let's recap: uneaten peppers, an eternity of cooking, and loads of dishes. Sounds like this trifecta of waste needs an overhaul. Well, you are in luck, friends. I have just the thing you need: unstuffed peppers. They are the trifecta of awesomeness. Here is why: only one pepper for the entire dish, only 15 minutes until you are ready to eat, and only one pan to cook in. Too good to be true, you say? Nuh uh. Don't believe me? Well, check it out!


Here it is. These unstuffed peppers have everything a stuffed pepper has. First, there's, well, peppers. There's tomato sauce, rice, and ground meat of your choice. I add some onion, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes just to jazz things up, and a dashity dash of granulated garlic. It's simple, easy, and tasty.

The best part is it can get put together very quickly. An easy way to always be prepared for a last minute dinner is to buy your pepper whenever you see a good one or a good deal on one, chop it up, and freeze it. That way, you don't have to make a special trip to get a pepper. You probably have everything else in your kitchen.

As far as kid friendliness goes, Avery requests this and tacos on a daily basis. If it was up to her, we'd eat pancakes, unstuffed peppers, and tacos on a rotation day after day. If it were up to Kendall, we'd have pickles. And the occassional pancake. And lots of milk. Anyway, unstuffed peppers are good for all.

Unstuffed Peppers

Ingredients

1 lb of ground meat of your choice (I use turkey, but beef is just as delish)
1/2 an onion, diced
1 pepper, seeded and diced
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz each)
1 cup uncooked Minute rice
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

 Brown the ground meat until cooked and drain. Add onion and pepper, stirring for a few minutes until the onion begins to become translucent and the pepper softens. Add tomato sauce, rice, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Then eat, eat, eat.

P.S. We are in a massive heat dome...not a heat wave but a heat dome. We have not left the house in three days. I am reverting to my winter time tricks to keep the girls occupied and entertained. It really feels like winter being in the house so much, except there is more sunshine, less clothes, and tanner skin. But on a brighter note, we have been finding out all that our grill can do. We baked monster cookies and spinach dip bread bowls on it yesterday. I also discovered it can brown the heck out of a breaded pork chop and crisp it up right nice. I will share those recipes with you later this week. It doesn't like look we will get any relief for days and days...and days.

I also let the girls wear what ever they wanted since we aren't going anywhere. Here is what Avery picked out for Kendall:


She is dancing with her elbows, by the way. And she is sporting a coral colored shirt with a pink, yellow, and green skirt. Gorgeous! I love it. Oh, and see that monkey laying on the floor behind her? That is Kendall's new monkey courtesy of her Gma, aka, my mother. She loves it. It scares me. It's eyes are HUGE. I think they follow me.

And also, just one last observation about this here photo. Remember how I told you it was a billion degrees here and that our air conditioner has been on nonstop for days with no relief in sight? Yeah, I remember too. So why in the world are we all sitting her covered up in blankets? I mean, that blanket on the couch is being used as we speak by Miss Avery and I am also covered up. Seems a little off, doesn't it? My mom used to get so mad when I was younger and was covered up when the air conditioner was on. Hey, I get cold at 72 degrees, hot at 74. I need to find a land where we live in a perpetual 73 degrees of bliss. Alright. I will stop blabbering now. Stay cool peeps! Stacy, out.

P.S.S. My mom sure made a lot of appearances in this post. She's on the fast track to stardom!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

It is no secret that we are fans of all things breakfast here. So far, the girls aren't bored with the same 'ole buttermilk pancakes but I came across this amazing recipe for cinnamon roll pancakes. Knowing that cinnamon rolls are never frowned upon by anyone in my house, this seemed like a win-win situation. And what better day to make such a glorious breakfast than Sunday? So, while the little ladies slept in, I fired up the griddle.

And this is what we got:


To say there were a hit is an understatement. They were hugely successful tasty disks of cinnamonly goodness topped with a luxuriously sweet icing. Were those enough descriptive words for you? I hope so because I don't know if I could have fit any more.


Kendall was beyond giddy at her breakfast.


Avery was all business.

These pancakes are a winner. It's a super easy way to get the taste of a cinnamon roll without having to make cinnamon rolls. I found the recipe at bakedbree.com. She took much prettier pictures than I did, but I am so not a photographer.

I dare you to make these pancakes. I double dog dare you. And if you accept this challenge, here is the recipe for you:

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing Drizzle

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons milk

To make the pancakes, combine all ingredients and cook on a preheated griddle or pan. I used my cookie scoop and it made 24 4" pancakes. Combine all the ingredients to make the icing drizzle and then drizzle it over the hot pancakes. If the icing seems too thick,just add a splash of milk.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Fish Sandwich, Pictures, and a List of Random Awesomeness

Today, I am going to give you a quick run-down of what in the world we have been up to since I obviously have not been on this blog FOREVER.

1.  First of all, we have been eating here. A lot, actually. But one thing I made recently that was a big, huge, ginormous hit with all my peeps were these fish sandwiches:

Pan Fried Tilapia Sandwich Recipe

I did not take any pictures mostly because they literally take 5 minutes to make. They were beyond amazing.

I used buns, not bread. I also used a yellow onion for the tartar sauce, not red. I also omitted the tomato from the tartar sauce because I did not have one. AAAAnd instead of the chili powder, I just used a pinch of cayenne pepper.

They are so scrumptiously delish. IT was a nice light, easy dinner. Here is the link to the full recipe:


Eat your fish! It's good for your brain...and heart...and taste buds.

2.  I got the girl's pictures taken this past week by a friend name Krista. She is a photographer by hobby but is amazing and talented beyond belief. She took approximately 300 pictures and has given me a little sampling of what she captured. So I will share with you!










I was, and still am, breathless at how incredibly beautiful these pictures are. Speechless is not something I am very often, but these left me in a wordless state. I think I will be covering every square inch of my house with these pictures because I am not going to be able to choose.

3.  I am addicted to pinterest. If you have never perused pinterest.com, I suggest you do, so long as you have time to waste. It is a glorious collection of all things creative and pretty that followers can add to. It is a great way to collect all the images found on the Internets that may be of inspiration and pin them up for later reference. If you haven't already opened up a new web page, I demand you do. What are you waiting for? Get sucked in like the rest of us!

4.  So, this blog is pretty G rated. Sometimes, I may push the envelope and get to the PG level, but for the most part, this is blog is non-offensive or inappropriate. But, my friends, I can also be PG13. A lot of the time, especially when my kids are in bed, I can be rated R for adult language and inappropriate content. Being a lover of language, I do appreciate all forms of adjectives, even the colorful ones. This leads me to a post on my friend, Kara's blog. If you are looking for something a little more, shall we say, grown-up, head over to her blog and read a post we wrote together and then stay for the entertainment and read the rest of her blog posts. But I do warn you, they are not for the faint at heart, the easily offended, or those who do not like swear words. Alright. All warnings aside, I hope you check it out and don't think too poorly of me after you do.

5. I am starting to read this book for a newly created, two person book club consisting of myself and my previously mentioned friend Kara. Trust me, with us two, other voices need not apply. We can and will overpower any other person and any conversation. I feel sorry for anyone who was ever in an undergrad class that contained the both of us.

 Product Details

6.  I have discovered the most awesome app on my phone. It is called ColorNote. It fulfills all my desires to write lists. If I don't write lists, I just keep reading my multiple lists over and over in my head. So what is better than having my lists right there at my fingertips so I can add to them or check off from them at whim?!?! Nothing is better, is what. I can make a grocery list in yellow. Then I can make the list of people I have to invite to the girls' birthday party as I think of them. Then there is the school supply list in purple, the list of supplies needed for the ladybug birthday party in red, and "random crap" in grey. It is glorious and ridiculous at the same time.

7.  I have always wanted these shoes:
Candie's Platform High Heels

I, unfortunately, do not wear heels. For one, I am already tall. Secondly, they aren't really all that functional in my backyard. And really, mostly, because they hurt.

But, don't fret. I found these little gems that are my suitable to my needs and glamorous lifestyle:
Product Image Mossimo Supply Co. Multi Wmn's Odell Glitter Ballet flat - 8.5

They are from Target. Tarjay. They are comfy. And sparkly. I dig 'em.

Alright. So that's what's what. Nothing too exciting or thrilling. We've been battling through way hot weather, rainy weather, a sick toddler while enjoying the swimming pool, experiencing T-ball, and going on mini adventures. But most importantly, I will be seeing Harry Potter tomorrow night and I am giddy with anticipation and saddened by the finality of it.

It was nice visiting with you again. I promise I won't take so long next time. Enjoy your summer, y'all!