Category Archives: Pinteresting

domestically awesome

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Have to say, without bragging, that I like to think I am a pretty good mom…no, not an AMAZING mom…but I am definitely a better mom than say my own Mommy Dearest. Oh I have faults. So many. Just ask my kids. Still I think I have managed to shake off most of the bad from my mom’s nurturing…or lack thereof. I like to imagine that the next generation will be even better. I’m certain they will be watching my daughter Holly raising her own children.

Still I can’t help feel guilty sometimes…like when I lose my temper…or when I struggle with my own demons…or when I watch my daughter try to sew her ribbons onto her own pointe shoes…or when I realize that I rarely have ever taken any of my children grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping?

Yes, grocery shopping.

I selfishly guarded that as my “me” time. No, really. I certainly never had me time in the bathroom or anywhere else…not when I have been juggling, raising, caring and feeding these clowns all these years. But give me an hour once a week at Safeway…HEAVEN!!! Providing for my family and giving me some quality me-time to get lost in my own thoughts…what is not to love? But at the expense of my kids not learning the art of bargain grocery shopping, meal planning, label reading…whatever! I learned on my own, they could too. Apparently they have…some of them. I guess the mommy guilt is unnecessary as it is part of the whole growing up and becoming a grown-up.

But this weekend…this weekend was pretty awesome…pretty fun. Together Holly (a very busy mom) and myself (another busy mom – duh) planned some make ahead and freeze meals for the next 2-3 weeks…thanks to Pinterest…and recipes from here and here…and went shopping.

Yeah…together at a grocery store…without any kids…HEAVEN!!!

Yeah, we talked about the fact I rarely, if ever brought my kids grocery shopping. Guess I’m not so bad after all. At least she gets it. That’s a win for sure.

Spending around what we spend for a weekly grocery shopping trip, complete with a little couponing, we got a lot. I could say she got her savings skills from her mama but I’d be lying. Together we saved quite a bit.

We piled it all on the kitchen table…

and kitchen counter and got to work chopping and doing a little cooking and putting everything into freezer bags.

Of course there was wine. Some of the recipes called for it.

Two to three hours of prep work and we had this

and this

Two freezers full of enough meals to feed everyone under the Big Top and the Jacques Love Shack for the next 3 weeks or so…

AWESOME!!!

Of course we celebrated our domestic awesomeness the best way possible.

What can I say? We were hungry.

Seriously, a golden day with one of my clowns…priceless.

crafty as I want to be

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You say crafts I say “Meh!” I don’t see myself as a crafty-type person. Sure I love to take pictures. I have dozens and dozens of photo scrapbooks (last count 78). There is this blog. I love to paint walls. Truth is I get so much joy from putting blue tape all over the place before I put the paint all over the walls. I’m actually nearly done with my bannister project and having fun with that. It’s the painter’s tape I think…or perhaps it is the lacquer fumes. But that is about as crafty as I can get. I think of being crafty and I see yarns and ribbons and threads…bits of paper, modge-podge, sewing machines and crochet hooks. That is so not me.

Not.

At.

All.

You should have seen me last night sewing a simple hook and eye on one of Jodie’s competition costumes last night. Comical and sad all at the same time. At least it holds together her lyrical costume.

But Valentine’s Day is coming. Daniel has class parties to attend and exchange Valentines with 50 of his fellow students. Yes, fifty thanks to his Special Day Class, speech and his mainstream class. I cringe. Daniel rubs his hands with glee just thinking of all the sugary-sweet, ooey-gooey, chocolate-ly Valentine’s treats he will receive. I could have taken  the easy way out and bought a few boxes of those cheap-assed Sponge Bob Valentines at Walmart but…LAME! Only babies give those away my 10 year old tells me. They certainly won’t impress a certain girl.

That’s right fans of Daniel. There’s this girl… Our little man is growing up!

So now to get crafty but keep it cheap and simple.

Hello Pinterest!

So easy!

Get Daniel to pose with his outstretched fist.

Check.

Add a little message with Photoshop.

Check.

Order some 4 x 6 prints using a coupon so I only have to pay 7¢ per print.

Check.

Using sharp scissors cut a small slit at the top of the fist and the bottom of the fist in the picture.

Check.

Insert a tootsie pop and secure on the back with a little bit of tape.

Done!

Oh yeah! I am so crafty!

heaven in mah mouth

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Justifying once again the time I waste spend on Pinterest I had to try something different for breakfast.

Breakfast Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Maple Syrup

image from closetcooking.com

Y’all are either saying “Ew!” or you are reacting like I did saying out loud “I must try this!”. Trust me, try this. I mean, a perfectly golden brown toasty, buttery grilled cheese sandwich filled with ooey gooey melted cheese served for breakfast, smothered in maple syrup. What’s not to love about this?

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
  • 2 slices bread, day old
  • 2 ounces cheese, grated/shredded, room temperature
  • maple syrup to taste

Directions

  1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
  2. Completely butter one side of each slice of bread.
  3. Place one slice of bread in the pan, buttered side down, sprinkle on the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up
  4. Turn the heat down a notch and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.
  5. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2-4 minutes.
  6. Serve with maple syrup.

OMG!…get into mah mouth…NOW!

I invited Hazel in enjoying this new delicious breakfast treat because she is always hungry and because she just so happened to be at the Big Top when I decided to make this.

She declared it to be really sticky because when Mi-ma told her it was a breakfast grilled cheese sandwich she concluded that she must eat it the way she eats a lunch grilled cheese sandwich. She also declared it to be YUMMY after she had literally eaten every last bit and drop of maple syrup. As for me, well, it is a good thing that I run about 15 miles or so a week because that is heavenly delicious-ness I hope to have for breakfast sometime soon…again!

Check this week’s Focus 52 assignment for more, and better examples of leading lines.

If you aren’t already pinning things like crazy over on Pinterest and want to leave a comment with your email and I will gladly send you an invite.

 

 

for better things

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Found this today on Aimee‘s Pinterest. Had to “like” it…had to like it a lot. Then I found myself getting all melancholy and reflective…you know, thinking about things that have fallen apart lately and reminding myself it is okay. Better things, you know.

But I wasn’t done being inwardly reflective. No. Ten years ago, this very evening I had no clue as to how my life was going to change…how my family’s lives would be changing. I had plans. I had some pretty big plans…good plans for good things. They were being planned and it seemed that at the ages and stages our children were at the timing was right. Good things were going to happen, were coming our way in 2002 and beyond. Little did we know ten years ago tonight how different it would all end up…not all the good things, but better things.

I needed to be reminded of this today.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
~Marilyn Monroe

merry and bright wishes

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Looky here!

…another cool idea found on Pinterest. More proof from the files “doesn’t take much to make me happy” I managed to do something again that I pinned on Pinterest. Seriously, I do find myself pretty happy when I do manage to pull off an idea/project/recipe that I found on Pinterest; otherwise it would be just another mindless time-suck on the interwebs.

Another thing that makes me happy this time of year is the holiday greetings that come in the mail from near and from far. It is so much nicer than crap ads and bills don’t you think. I love catching up with extended family and friends and see how much our kids have grown, how much lives have changed in just one year. Honestly, for me, this is the best part of the year. To those who have sent their holiday greetings in the mail to the Big Top this year, THANK YOU truly from the bottom of my heart. Every greeting brightened our days and reminded us of the many people who have touched our lives through the years and how blessed we are by you all. Especially these days we ALL could use bright reminders like these.

Merry Christmas one and all!