The good, the weird, and the awesome.

Well, I've decided to face it.

I'm quite sure we will be under an "Excessive Heat Warning" until October.

Oh well. I guess that's life in Missouri.

In other news...

The Good:
-I'm job searching and may have found one. Trying not to get my hopes up too high though...
-Mister Man is only weeks away from finishing his 1st year at Chiropractic school!! Wahoo!!
-Bubs thinks it's really fun to eat my cell phone. And anything else he can reach and pick up. (is this really a good thing?)
-We're less than 1 month away from visiting Utah. WAHOO!!

Wow. I'm bored of reading my own writing. How bout this story to weirden things up?

The Weird:
We called to have pest control come bug spray our apartment. So they came. While I was in the shower. With my bedroom door open. With the bathroom door open. With Bubs sitting outside the bathroom. I heard a man's voice say something loud, then nothing. Thankfully he never came in our room and he was gone when I got out. But it was a very awkward, uncomfortable, weird, and scary few minutes for me.

Oh, another way more cool thing happened today!!

The Awesome:
I was in the grocery store with Bubs and he spit his binky out. Go figure. He always does. Anyway, I didn't notice for awhile, and when I finally did it was nowhere to be seen. Now, binky's cost like 2 bucks a pop, and we've already replaced one set, so I didn't want to have to spend another $4-5 on yet another set. So I said a simple little prayer as I was retracing our steps. Nothing. I gave up and was getting some potatoes when Bubs dropped the piece of paper he was chewing on. As I was coming up from picking it up I looked behind me and there on the floor was the binky looking right at me! We had walked by that section at least 3 times and I'd scoured the floor to no avail. The binky seriously came out of nowhere. It was quite amazing. Definitely a little tender mercy and example of how amazing God is!

And the other cool thing that happened was the job opportunity. But I'm not going to say anything more about it until I know for sure. But, I will say, I am grateful for friends who think of me!

The ants come marching...

So, 10 days later I'm back.

I'm not really sure what happened. 

Although I think I may have melted.

But I'm back now. I just ate a grape fruit bar popsicle and now I have my chips, so I think I'll be okay. At least until I go outside again. It's currently 97 degrees, 48% humidity and heat index of 110. What the.

I think I'll stay in now. With my chips. And ice water. Will someone please come save me before I single handed-ly consume the entire 24 oz. bag of chips in 24 hours!?

Anyway, I guess I don't have much to show for being gone for 10 days. I can't even think of anything really incredibly exciting. Especially at this moment. Usually I write the best blog posts at 10:30 pm. In my head. Then I forget them the next morning.  

All I can think about is ants. 

I really, really, really, hate ants. 

and fruit flies.

I hate ants even more when I have to see them in my house.

And most when I see them in bed.

And more than most when they bite my bare bum in bed! 

And really that's not a story that should be told through cyber space. But it's a ridiculously funny story if you talk to my face. 

Anyway, I also really hate when ants look like this:

Let's zoom in a little, shall we?

And a little more. Look at their greedy little faces!!

These guys seriously appeared out of thin air. In about 5 minutes. Literally.

There were no ants. 

Okay, maybe a few...like 3, running around the floor.

Then I put out the poison. 

"Oh, the poison for Kusco? The poison specially designed to kill Kusco? Kusco's poison?"

Suddenly, a bajillion ants came marching 1,129,343,598 by 1,248,209,357!!! 

I think they're planning on taking over our home. Maybe eating our baby. But little do they know that the delicious drink they're gorging themselves on is ANT KILLER!!!!!! *cue electric guitar*

I hope they die a fast, miserable death. And never come back.

However, as we speak, there are more and more ants. In fact, I think they've doubled since I started this post. They're actually climbing on top of each other to get to the poison. Oh geez.

P.S. my mom secretly likes seeing the ants gathered in little circles like that... shhhh

oh, and Bubs is teething. Again. I can't see any on the top, but I see more white, swollen gums on the bottom. We think they might be the canine's, but that's not supposed to happen for at least another 6 months. So weird. I'll keep ya posted. Much love!

Delicious Veggie Wraps!

I've been in a cooking funk lately. I haven't really felt like making the old, normal, stand by recipes. Haven't really felt like cooking at all, actually. Much less grocery shopping. Or meal planning. Or really anything. Carry-out pizza, cereal, or ice cream with break n bake cookies have sounded most appealing for dinner. 

But I realized this was not good.

Nor healthy.

Nor budget friendly.

So I found a book at the library "The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Well on a Budget."

I'm not really a complete idiot...

But I got some inspiration and motivation to once again meal plan, try new recipes, and eat healthy. 

So after grocery shopping, with a strict list, and only buying what we needed for the week, I've made a new recipe every night. 

Last night's was the winner so far. It's the perfect light and hearty, colorful, delicious, end of a hot summer day kind of meal. Easy too! And incredibly yummy! Here is the recipe...

But you should know first that I'm not good at measuring spices. 

I'm also not good at sticking to a recipe. 

I always add a little more of this, and a shake of that. 

So bear with me. 

And read my edits in italics.

Here's a picture.

Cheesy Veggie Wraps

adapted from "Complete Idiots Guide to Eating well..."

1/4 c. cottage cheese (low fat is great)

2 oz. cream cheese (1/3 less fat is great)

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

a shake of garlic powder (1/4 tsp?)

a grind of black pepper (1/4 tsp?)

a grind of sea salt (1/4 tsp?)

1 chicken breast half, sliced, cooked, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning.

1 c. spinach, washed and torn

1/4 c. shredded  sliced carrots

1/4 c. chopped celery. 

I do not like celery. So I opted for sliced cucumber. PERFECT!

sliced avocado

chopped tomato

tortillas

Basically you mix the cheeses and spices in a bowl. Cook up some tortillas, I like the uncooked ones from Costco. And then spread the cheesy stuff on the tortilla and top with an array of veggies. 

I'm kind of an avocado whore these days. I think avocado should go on everything and anything. It's particularly delish in this recipe because it adds nice, smooth, creamy texture. I also thought I would add grilled chicken to add some heartiness. It added good texture and flavor, but it can be omitted if you want. The cucumbers are so light and fresh and the tomatoes and carrots are vegetable staples. You could really use whatever veggies are in season at the time, as I don't think you can do wrong with this dish. 

As you can see from the italics, I don't really follow recipes and I make alot of my own changes. I think this time around my changes enhanced the meal and made it spectacular! Although the cheese spread base is what really makes the flavors pop.

Anyway, it really is a perfect summer meal. Especially served with fresh strawberries or watermelon.

As Mister Man said last night "wow, this is really colorful!" That's exactly the goal for cooking healthy. You want lots of colors! And this meal had it.

I'm done raving now. Please make it. And love it. And tell me how amazing it was. 

You can thank me in advance ;-)

The end.

short, random thoughts

Sometimes I have random thoughts in my mind all day. 

Today is one of those days.

Especially this morning. 

I wrote a blog post in my head, then kept it there. 

But here are some things I was thinking about...

I really miss the good ol' Danceworks Conservatory days. I grew up in that studio. I ate, drank, lived, breathed and slept dance. Well, not literally, but ya know. I just miss being there with all my girls, hanging out between classes, running to Minsky's, Applebee's and Walmart. I miss dancing. I miss my teachers. I miss the hallway naps during rehearsals. I miss it all. I loved it. Perhaps someday I'll think of lots of fun Danceworks stories to post here. 

Last night it was 90 degrees, 70% humidity, and heat index of 105 at 10:30 pm. That's ridiculous.

My baby really likes to talk. He likes it when I talk to him "ahh, ahhh. Oooh. Waaa"

And now I can't remember anything else I was thinking about blogging about this morning.

But I would like to go to the pool and get a tan.

I would also like to get my hair done more blonde, but I don't want to pay.

I would also like to find a way to make money.

And I am officially starting the P90x workout program today. 90 days of seriously intense home workouts. They say it's proven to be effective for gaining muscle and losing weight. I want to see if they're right.

And that's pretty much it.

Except for my kid's new trick. 

TA-DA!!!!!

Oh, and I guess I should prove that he really does have two teeth...

6 months stats!

Happy 6 month birthday to our sweet baby!!!!

We had a doctor's visit today, on his 1/2 birthday.
It went well.
This is what we learned:

Height: 25.5 inches
Weight: 15 lb 8 oz.
Head: 44 cm circumference

He is only in the 16th percentile for weight, which surprises me because I think he's a little chunkers. He's definitely not fat. Not really chubby either. Just a cute little chunkers.

We celebrated his half birthday and doctor's visit with his first shot. We decided to go ahead and start immunizing. I know it's a very controversial issue, and I know I have been wishy washy about the subject, but I believe it's for each family to decide. And we decided to do it. So, he got a Dtap shot today. We'll start slow and gradually progress. The nurse was fantastic and administered it incredibly fast. He didn't even make a peep. So far I haven't noticed anything weird, except maybe a little fever, but I'm not too terribly worried about that.

But now for more fun things!

This is how The Babe feels about his bouncy chair lately:

Our sweet little chunkers!

I thought this was such a funny sleeping face!

A couple weeks ago he joined us for date night:

Mini Golf!

We had SO much fun!!!

And The Babe was such a great handicap for me. :-)

Mister Man had quite a "fun" time trying to putt with little legs pushing on his hips.

We had a blast together! 

(and I lost by 1 hole)

Don't be fooled, he loves rice cereal!

We're still working on a love of avocados...

This guy is such a mover these days!

One morning he was just rolling around on the floor and backed himself up under the crib.

I didn't rescue him for a minute.

I think he got tired of waiting for me to save him.

Sweetest. Picture. Ever.

Shopping with Gammy and mom!

He's almost able to sit up alone, so I put him in a Costco cart.

Then I proceeded to drive all crazy and sweervy like.

He thought it was hilarious!

He also had a death grip on the bar in front and the bars behind.

It was the dang cutest thing ever!

Weeeee!

And of course, my dear sweet cousin Tiffany, sent this amazing tie!

Doesn't he look stellar?

Thank you soooo much!

the shirt was $1 at Goodwill!!

Here's what he can do:
-roll from stomach to back, both sides
-roll from back to stomach over his left shoulder
-he can do baby crunches
-almost sit up by himself
-grabs everything and puts it in his mouth
-opens mouth and gets real excited for rice cereal, and avocado (until it gets in his mouth)
-he's super good at eating solid food, opening, swallowing, etc.
-holds a sippy cup and brings it to his mouth to drink...still working on the drinking part
-nurses in about 10 minutes
-wiggles and scooches around everywhere
-transfers his binky from one hand to another, has put it in his mouth a couple times
-smiles all. the. freakin. time!!!
-giggles, babbles, and sings. alot.
-sleeps about 10-11 hours straight
-...still working on naps after a vacation
-starting to reach his arms out for people to hold him
-recognizes his name
-loves splashing and playing with his cup in the tub
-flirts with everyone. especially girls.
-grabs eyes, noses, chins, and mouths. loves when I "eat" his fingers
-kicks and swishes his feet all the time
-he has 2 teeth! got them at 5 months

I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting, but that's the gist of it! He is a super active, happy, smiley little guy! He's not terribly cuddly unless he's tired or sad. He absolutely loves his daddy. And he is such a joy to have in our home!!! Happy half birthday little man!! We sure love you tons!

Highly Addictive Substances

Ever heard of "Crack Fries?"

What about "Heroin Chicken?"

Those are a couple of delicious yummies that members of my family have discovered at local eateries. And trust me, the crack fries really are crack fries. They are highly addictive and may cause severe bouts of withdrawal when not consumed on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, Crack Fries can only be found at Freddys. 

Fortunate if you live near one.

Unfortunate if you are like me and do not.

...I have yet to try Heroin Chicken.

But, I found another highly addictive substance. 

One of which can be located at your local Costco Warehouse.

Oh, how I love thee Costco!

But please, heed to the following...

Warning: 

Once opened, you will be unable to control any stopping devices until the entire bag is consumed. Upon which you will have likely already purchased another bag, opened it, and resumed self-intoxication.

However, not to fret, this product contains 40% less fat which means you may consume 60% more.

And now, my friends, Ecstasy Chips!!

Please, oh please, try some today.

On a lighter note, here is how our 4th of July, 2011 went:

 Yes, we bought these. 

And ate them. 

And died in a pool of fatty, greasy, oily, sweet, deliciousness.

 And then further drowned ourselves in a sea of more amazingness:

After 120834589074 hours of being awake, he couldn't take any more.

Don't be fooled by his eyes.

He really was asleep.

...for about 30 minutes

(curse the vuvuzelas, loud music, and hot air)

I daresay, I have never seen so many people in my life.

And this was 30 minutes before the fireworks.

You know those pictures you see of wall to wall people filling the streets in NY?

I saw that.

But it was not a picture.

And it was not in NY.

And it was really fun to navigate a stroller through.

My boys. 

They make me happy.

(yes, he was wearing ear plugs)

Unfortunately, I was so entranced with the most spectacular firework show I've ever seen in my life, that I failed to take a single picture! I guess that means we'll be back next year. Thank you Fair St. Louis for being amazing!