just being

Today Isabella and I had a stay-home day...Lovey was busy working at "the cherry store" so we chose to just mellow out here at home.


I'll be working soon myself, ya know...yes indeedy! As a barista at my local Starbucks...ahh the glamorous life of a suddenly single mom. Good thing I look good in green.




I cleaned house while Isabella played...

Jasper looks perky because he just snarfed half a dozen burnt chicken nuggets out of the trash can...he thought I didn't notice, I'm learning to pick my battles with that beast.



Very busy shopping in between playing "horsey" with the broom...I had just swept up ten lbs. of black lab fur with said "horsey"


My mother's day daises Lovey and Granddaddy had Isabella give me on Sunday...Know what I love about daises? They're still so cheerful and fresh nearly a week later...


I am so grateful.


I hope you all have a lovely weekend...

XOXO
MC

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to all mommies everywhere!

Today we're appreciated and noted for our valiant efforts in poop wiping, sleepless nights, nursing, dressing, combing, bathing, disciplining....oh yeah, and that small matter of birthin' 'em to begin with :)

Much love and awe from yers truly.

Now, go prop your feet up and laugh at your husband while he changes a diaper.

Squishy men are the best men.

Well, Jet lag has waned and schedules are being re-established...things are starting to feel a little more normal. I miss Hawaii just a bit more than I thought I would...but a new squishy baby nephew to snuggle has definitely been an acceptable elixir for that malady. See that handsome studmuffin up there? He's my new man...too bad he's a total momma's boy...he cried after this picture...hey, I'm working my way in people...

Uhm...please try to overlook my brown roots showing through...been a little busy...Ms. Clairole and I definitely need to reconnect.

Isabella and I are happily nestled into my parents big ole house way out in the boonies...a huge contrast to our little suburb life we've lived the past 5 years. Being back at my parent's is more than a little surreal for me...the last time I lived here was when I was 18...right before I unfolded my still-wet wings and headed to the courthouse to sign myself away to a boy I barely knew. Yikes. Lets not go there...not until I've had at least two years of therapy...wait, make it three.

Monday I will go forth into the fray and begin my quest for a job...oh my. A job...pardon me while I rock back and forth and wring my hands a bit...I'll be leaving my little wienerschnitzel during the day to be a workin' woman...I cain't take it! I've stayed at home with her since she was just a little squirmy pink wad...I can't handle the thought of not being a stay at home momma...but she will be in Lovie's capable hands, so I've nothing to fear. Change is always scary, but I tell myself if I just take it one step at a time, things will start to feel less scary and more acceptable.

Bitterness? Oh yeah...I got some of that. Anger? How much do ya want...I've got a stockpile...Disappointment? Let me just go check my inventory, 'cause I believe that department is full to bursting. But such is life, my friends! I got my red-headed stinker-pants...and that's all that really matters.

And now, with my new-found sense of freedom, I will proceed to say how I really feel about things. Oh boy, this blogging thing? It's gonna be So. Much. More. Fun.

A day at a time.

Whew-whee but I'm in a funk! And not just any funk...a rotten-dead-skunk-funk. That's a stinky funk right there...

I try not to post too much doom-n-gloom on here...but truth is, that's just not real life...real life has it's own little dooms and glooms...and Lordy but I'm a'goin' through some right now...and I've never been much for faking it.

My mom has always told me to take things one day at a time..."don't borrow sorrow from tomorrow..." that was a big one growing up, she said it to me all of the time. Drove me nuts! Funny thing is...now it's my mantra.


There. I feel a little better now.

Truth is...this little stink pot is one of the only things gettin' me by...well, that and my momma...poor momma...I wonder how many phone calls a day she has been getting from me during the past few months? Poor momma.

Today was a discouraging day...reality can be a real stinker. And when someone hands you a giant stack O paperwork...and you realize that the past five years of your life have been reduced to the paperwork in your hands...you wanna kick some butt, that's all.

But then my little sugardoodle gives me her "toot-face"...

I gotta post pictures of the toot-face. It's a force to be reckoned with...it could win over a pms'ing snapping turtle who just stubbed her toe on the edge of a coffee table after hearing that her shell got towed 'cause she parked it in front of a hydrant.

...anywho, she gives me the toot-face and says "I WUV you mama-baby!" and I'll be darned if that doesn't make me feel better.

Stepping stones of comfort food.

In times of deep sorrow...I find immense peace in home made chocolate sauce. Never underestimate it's powers. It's like the nicotine patch for your soul, it doesn't cure anything...but it sure helps carry you through those hard times.

Whenever I'm stirring up a pan of chocolate sauce, I think about my mom. Standing at the old beige colored stove in our house, she would be stirring up a pan of chocolate sauce, usually at about 11:00 o'clock at night...then when it was done, we would pour it onto plates and eat it with our fingers.

Today was a bad day. In fact, it was a really bad day. Better yet, make that a monumental of horrid days. The kind of day that deserve their own little plaque that says: "Hey congratulations, ya big schmuck...you made it through this day...now, buck up, go to bed and get ready for tomorrow."

My life is about ready to take an entirely different turn, a scary, unfamiliar turn. A turn that makes me want to ruffle up my hair, rock back and forth, fiddle with my hands and mutter incoherently. This will reflect in my blog soon enough. But I'm not ready for all of that yet....so I'm going to show you pictures of cake instead.



It all starts here. The firm foundation known as angel food cake.



But we all know this is where it's at...the special sauce. Who knew butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla could yield such beauty.



I like to overdue things. It's who I am...ALWAYS add clear vanilla extract to your home made whipped cream. The angels in your angel food cake will sing your praises.



Oh yeah baby...



Oh man...get in my belly. Half of it got in my belly...the other half had to wait...Isabella announced she needed to poo-poo and I had better HURRY or it was going to "get out"

Chocolate sauce after a toddler poop? Still tastes amazing.

A series of photos I like to call The Suburban Food Chain

Predator attempts to give off an aura of innocence.


"iz a very nize day today...yehz?"


Predator begins stalking prey.


Predator goes in for the kill.


Like a good gentleman...predator cleans himself.


"Yehz..I triez to eatz de feeshy...and de pointz?"

Gentleman predator missed lip-licking memo, it seems.


I am happy to report that Phineas the fish narrowly escaped certain peril by the skin of his phins-er...fins. He lives to die another day.

A Pioneer Dinner

Tonight I felt frisky. So I broke out my new best friend:

It's Ree! From Pioneer Woman


We're practically bff's...



See? Ok...so I didn't get to actually go to a book signing...but my Aunty Gaye-Gaye did! This cookbook was my favorite Christmas present this year. I've already cooked my way through half the book. And gained a few lbs in the process...



Chicken Spaghetti...I was skeptical...but I made it last night and took it to my hubby on the ship...he engulfed an entire Rubbermaid container full in a matter of five minutes.



We're pinchin' pennies in this household...so for dinner tonight we had the leftover Chicken Spaghetti...but I needed some sides to zest it up a bit, ya know? Well...PW never fails. I made the Ceaser Salad that was featured in yesterday's PW Cooks post...BEST Ceaser salad I have had in a long time.



I also decided to make the rolls that were featured in the same post. Holy Moley. I wish I hadn't. They were the perfect balance of buttery goodness and flavorful rosemary. I burnt the heck-fire out of my hand pullin' 'em out of the over though. I said a real bad word. (Been watching too much DeadWood)



Good thing my hand felt better in time for me to eat some of these Apple Dumplings...Also featured on same post. Call me unimaginative...or it could be PW just really knows how to put one heck of a meal together ;-)

I'll tell you one thing, though...I got one happy Hubby tonight, that's for sure.