What I'm Working On - July 28th, 2010

I didn't get a whole lot more done on my cross stitch this week. Joseph had his 4 month check up at the doctor on Friday with shots and so he has needed a little extra care. Between that and Free Kitty Litter Fiasco 2010, not a lot of time to work on it. I think it's coming along nicely and is quickly becoming one of my favorite cross stitches that I've done.

I FINALLY finished 4 Blondes. I have to say that the next 2 novellas were MUCH better than the second one..not that it took much. Over all, I have to say that it was just an ok book. I'm moving on into something a little more intense:
I love John Grisham. We went to the same college, you know! This is his first work of nonfiction about a man wrongfully charged with murder in a small Oklahoma town. I've only read just a smidgen. So far it's interesting, but kind of dry. I think at this point so early in the book, it's so much background and facts. I'm sure it will speed up and feel more "Grisham-y."

Here's my bargain shopping haul this week:
Add to that a box of Kotex, 2 Dove chocolate bars, and 3 packs of Orbit gum for right around 30. A little more than last week, but notice the BIG box of diapers. I think the diapers and ziploc bags make up almost half of what I spent.

Joseph started eating rice cereal this week:
I don't know that he QUITE likes it, but he puts up with it. It makes his dad cringe....he HATES messy food. I think I got almost 4 Tbsp of milk + cereal down down him yesterday...well, not "down" him, at least TO his mouth. Maybe 1/2 of that actually got swallowed. :)

Kitty Litter Fiasco 2010

This is the culprit...."World's Best Cat Litter." It was free after rebate and with my new found money saving craze, how could I go wrong. Free cat litter? Sign me up! We do have an automatic litter box so I do have to be careful about litter but it said right on their website that it was highly recommended for self-cleaning litter boxes. Great. So, I buy a bag. After a little transistioning, I WAS noticing that the litter stayed cleaner....it was definitely smellier and my cat (who is a hussy anyway) pooped outside the box a couple times. No big deal. So, we go out of town for a few days. I came home to a very smelly back room. So, I went back to the old litter, but the smell was still there. I washed the mat that was under the litter box...not much help. Michael starting finding items that they had peed on....first the manual for the treadmill...then a suitcase. Hooches. So, we cleaned out the room to clean the carpet. Probably should have just ripped the carpet up and put down laminate like we've been talking about, but it was Sunday and we are going out of town next weekend and it's hard to get all this done around Joseph's schedule. So anyway, the good thing is that we got to get the office/gym cleaned out:

The bad news is all the crap that was in there is now in the bedroom:


We did clear a path to get into bed since we have so much to go through and get organized, it's gonna take a while to get everything back where it should be. I started on the closet in the office this morning. Why not since we are cleaning everything else out....but have you ever tried to clean out a closet while trying not to wake a baby from his nap? I got all the "quiet" stuff done, now waiting on him to wake up and have an independent play moment to finish.

All this because of "Free" kitty litter.....

Monday Monday

It's another Monday! I know what you're thinking...."you're a stay at home mom...what's the difference between Monday and any other day?" Well, I have found a way to make Monday a "true" Monday even if I no longer have a 9-5 job. I take Sundays off. Now, I still cook and do things that MUST be done...like if I have no clean clothes or Michael doesn't have any uniforms clean, then I'll do some laundry..that sort of thing. I leave Sundays as a day for Michael, Joseph and I to spend together as a family, usually going to church and having lunch out, and for bargain shopping (more to come on this week's haul on Wednesday). Yesterday wasn't "quite" a day off since we had "free kitty litter fiasco 2010." I'll get into that tomorrow. Anyway, it never ceases to amaze me how messy this house can get when I just take ONE day of not cleaning/straightening/etc. WOW!

It's already 1 PM and I haven't done much of anything today either. I ended up taking a nap while Joseph took his morning nap so productivity = 0! I can't help it, I was exhausted...I blame Free Kitty Litter Fiasco 2010. And then I had to run some errands after he woke up. I had to take back the steam cleaner to Kroger (Free Kitty Litter Fiasco 2010) and then I decided to get my car washed. It was so nasty. I couldn't take it anymore. It was filled with dog hair, horse hair, shavings, grass, leaves, grime, dirt, and general yuckiness. I haven't had it washed since before Joseph was born! Those guys earned their money today! Let me tell you! Then we got back and Joseph had to eat and is now taking a nap. Whew!

Anyway, I should probably get down to business if I'm going to make a dent in this mess before Michael gets home...because once he gets home, it's back to taking care of Free Kitty Litter Fiasco 2010. Stay tuned....

Sweet Potato Bread & Pineapple Butter

I made this yesterday because
1) Joseph was taking such a good nap
2) I had 2 sweet potatoes on my counter that needed using
3) I was sick and tired of eating sandwiches and microwaved foods while Michael was out of town.

It is very yummy....
This is from a recipe I've had marked in my 2010 Taste of Home cookbook. Here's how you make it:
You need:
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I was generous with the cinnamon)
1 tsp nutmeg (couldn't find my nutmeg and I'm not a big fan anyway, so I left it out....hence the being generous with the cinnamon)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c mashed sweet potatoes (I used 2 medium sweet potatoes for the mashing)
1/2 c canola oil
1/3 c water

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, water, and potatoes. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened.
Transfer to a greased 9x5 loaf pan (I used a 8.5") Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine took about 60 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Now for the butter:
1 stick softened butter (I used salted bc that's all I had, but I think it would have been better unsalted)
1-8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained.

Stir butter and pineapple together and serve on bread. If you are serving it after refrigerating it, you will need to let it warm a bit...it's a mess to try to spread cold with all those pineapple chunks. I learned that this morning when I had it for breakfast. I found this was best with warm bread so that the butter just starts to melt into the bread. YUMMY! Try it, you'll like it! It would probably also be great to stir in some chopped nuts, like pecans. Maybe next time.

Shelby really wanted some:I gave him a tiny piece thinking he wouldn't like it, but he LOVED it and followed me around for the longest time wanting more. When I took him out to go potty later, he came back in and stopped by the counter where the bread was sitting like, "There's the treat I want...not those ol Milk Bones!"

BBQ Pizza

I've been on a real pizza kick lately. What can I say? It's easy and always a hit. I made this one a while back when I had some barbeque left over from back home. It's so hard to find good barbeque. Anyway, Here's what you need:

1 pizza crust (have I posted my crust recipe yet? If not, I will soon)
2 Tbsp corn meal
1/4 lb pork barbeque
1/4 c BBQ sauce + a little more for drizzling
1/2 to 3/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Sprinkle crust with cornmeal.
Spread 1/4 cup or so BBQ sauce on the crust.
Distribute meat evenly over sauce
Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with a little more sauce.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy! It may sound weird, but I promise you, it's yummy!

I almost forgot....

I almost forgot to tell you Joseph's new development of the week: he can put his feet in his mouth. Exciting...I know! He's been trying to get his foot in his mouth since he started grabbing his feet last week. Sadly, I don't really have a good picture of it yet. However, this past Sunday was also his first trip to the big church in Frankfort. Here is a pic of Michael and him hustling to the door....we were a bit late. He was awesome at church though. I think he likes the music.
Didn't he look adorable in his church clothes? (This is not a hyperlink by the way, so don't click on it....blogger and I aren't getting along today!)

What I'm working on - July 21, 2010

I'm back! YAY! What do I mean by that, you ask? Well, blogger has been a pill lately and has not been letting me upload pics. I just can't post a blog entry with no pictures! Well, after some troubleshooting and downloading Firefox as a browser, I'm back to uploading pictures!

So, here is my on-going cross stitch:
I bet you can tell what it is now....or at least get a general idea!

I have found a new hobby: bargain shopping. I love it. I think it's so fun to get things for really cheap or free or in some cases MAKE a little money by BUYING something. Here is my haul this week:
Grand total: $21 including tax! I'm stocked on facewash for the next year, I think. :)

I'm still reading 4 Blondes. I really liked the first "novella" but the second one was a bit dull and hard to read, and I struggled to get through it. That is what was taking so long. I hope the next one is better or I may just put the book down completely!

Ok, now that blogger and I are playing nice again, I will be posting a recipe very soon. Joseph is wanting a bit of attention right now, so it will have to wait.

What I'm Working On - 7/15/10

I know I'm a day late posting my "What I'm Working On" Update. I spent the past few days in TN at my parents' house. It was fabulous and I'm so glad that my mom and dad got to spend so much time with Joseph. Since I don't have nearly as many resposibilities when I'm there, I got quite a bit of cross stitching done: I bet you can kinda tell what it is now!

I finished Ya-Yas in Bloom. LOVED IT! Mom had bought me this book at a yard sale:

I like a lot of Janet Evanovich's work. This was no exception, but, like a lot of her stuff, it had me rolling my eyes from time to time. It was a quick little read.

I started this book yesterday:

I remember buying this book in college, but I can't remember if I really liked it or even read it through all the way. It is seperated into 4 novellas. So far it is very "Sex and the City"-esque, thus I am enjoying it immensely.

The munchkin has started grabbing his feet this week:

Michael has been out of town for work and hasn't seen him do this yet. Joseph has been so good about starting new things on weekends when Michael can witness them, but this time I was in TN when it happened. Michael should get home today, and since it's been almost a week since he's seen Joseph, I bet he won't want to take him eyes off of him. Babies change so quickly!


He has also started putting EVERYTHING in his mouth:

Teething maybe? The way he bites on things makes me think he is. Oh my, I'm not looking forward to teething. Don't ask me why, but it terrifies me.

Anyway, although I really enjoyed being back home for almost a week, it'll be nice to get back into my normal routine and see my husband again!

What I'm Working On - July 7th 2010

Here's an update on my cross stitch that I first showed ya'll last week. Joseph has actually gotten over the cross stitching waking him up for the most part and I've gotten a decent amount done in the past week: Still a long way to go....stay tuned.

I finished Along Came a Spider by James Patterson. I have to say I really enjoyed it. I tore through the last half of the book because I couldn't wait to see what happened. I had to keep stopping myself from skipping ahead....I'm bad about glancing at pages toward the back of the book. I'm taking a break from kidnapping/murder/crime and reading Ya-Yas in Bloom:

I LOVED the other 2 of the Ya-Ya books (Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) and I'm loving this one so far. I like the writing style. It's almost conversational. I also love how each chapter is a story in itself.

Joseph's new development this week was turning over. He was a bit slow in doing that. I think it's because he's hated being on his belly so much...so why flip? He is also wanting to sit up and stand, so I put together his ExerSaucer yesterday:

He's still a bit small for it. But I doubt that will be the case for long!

Daysie on the other hand:

She finds she is the perfect size for it!

The Great Buffalo Chase 2010

Michael, Joseph, and I competed in the Great Buffalo Chase 5K this weekend at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. This was our fourth time to be in the Chase. The only year we've missed since 2006 was when my ankle was broken in 2008. I just walked this year since I had Joseph with me and he is a bit young for a jogging stroller and I'm not in shape enough to attempt a 3 mile run yet. I have to say it was kind of nice to walk. I got to see a lot more of the scenery that way. Joseph was a good boy. He went to sleep after a couple of miles. I was moving on and still clocked a shade over 46 WALKING! Michael ran it in a little over 32, which is great considering he hasn't run a lick since February. He has now gotten the running bug again and wants to run a 5K in 25 minutes by the Black Cat Chase in October. We'll see how that goes. I would just like to run one completely by then. Check out the results from this race here.

Here are some snapshots from the day:


It was a cool 58 when we left the house! So, Joseph had on long sleeves.

I tried to take some pictures while walking, but I felt kinda dorky doing that and thus a lot of the pics are blurry from just throwing up the camera and taking the picture.

This is always one of my favorite races. It has really grown too! This year there were over 400 participants. In 2006, there were only about 150. Considering the Bluegrass 10,000 is the same day in Lexington and had 3500 runners, there was a whole lot of running going on this past Saturday in the Bluegrass!

I don't know when the next race will be for us. Probably after I get more able to run and we get a jogging stroller. Michael got his training run in this evening, but I was dealing with a fussy child and did not. At least he went to bed kinda early and I was able to get a workout in on the Wii. :)

"The Other White Meat" Pizza

I make a lot of pizza. I like to play around with the ingredients and stray from the usual red sauce and pepperoni. I find that when I'm in a pinch, I can always whip up a pizza of some sort. This is my all time favorite pizza. I call it "The Other White Meat" pizza because it has only pork and white cheese and white sauce. It's fantastic....try it, you'll like it. You will need:
1 pizza crust
sauce:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c heavy cream (or light cream)
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
Toppings:
6 slices thin sliced or shaved smoked ham
3 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 c mozzerella cheese, grated
Dried parsley (optional, I just like the little flecks of green)

In a small saucepan, melt butter with olive oil over med heat.
Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add cream and continue to cook for a few minutes or until slightly thickened. I like to get a whisk in there and whoop it a little. The sauce should coat a spoon at this point.
Take pan off the heat and stir in parmesan until melted.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread sauce on crust.
Sprinkle mozzerella evenly over sauce.
Cute each piece of ham into quarters and place over cheese.
Sprinkle with bacon.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness of crust).
ENJOY!