About My Boys …

Life in a two girl/four boy house is hilarious.  One day I’m dealing with a drama queen who’s bawling her eyes out because a boy shoved a note in her locker, the next I’ve got a boy with a sliver the size of a small tree branch lodged in his arm from playing football outside.  Extremes, people, extremes. 

Today it’s all about my boys.

This first picture has done me in forever. It’s my Hubby cooking THE dinner, also known as Brinner. {As in THE ONLY DINNER HE COOKS}.  But he’s doing it with my baby in his arms. And my man is wearing an apron.  And I am clearly not cooking. I find the whole thing rather sexy.

Next up we have Big C.  His team is going to the championship game again this year and he has been playing like a madman. Except this year there’s something different.  My boy has arm muscles.  When on earth did that happen?

This brotherly bonding moment is brought to you by the Berry Smoothie at Costco.  Four stinking grams of fiber in that bad boy.  And they figured out how to share it AT THE SAME TIME without my help.  Parenting success? I say yes!

Here’s Owlie getting his haircut by my darling and talented friend Michelle.  I love this picture because even though he is sitting rather still, he is COMPLETELY terrified! You can see it in his eyes.

Another round of freezer paper T-shirt success. This time for RedDog and his best bud Chris.  They wanted matching BYU shirts for Twin Day at school. They loved it! I think I will be making many, many T-shirts.

And last, but certainly not least, I thought everyone would enjoy a shot of this:

I made him shave it all off. My strategy?  Convincing him that his six very long chin hairs were detracting from his arm muscles and his “fuzzstache” was catching the light in weird ways that made him look shiny.

Arm muscles and facial hair?  Seriously, someone has got to help me.

Oh How I Heart A Theme …

There is no hiding the fact the I get giddy when somebody carries off a theme to perfection.  If it’s clever, beautiful to look at, punny and fun, I am a SUCKER.  So when this birthday package arrived on my doorstep earlier this month, I pretty much soaked in its fabulousness for nearly an hour.

My friend Jennie Doezie is impressive in many ways. But her birthday gift – all about being “imPRESSED” by me took her creative status to new levels.

It all started when she was here visiting for Christmas and realized I was living in the Stone Age because I didn’t own a garlic press. I have used this new gift no less than twice a week since getting it. I am in love.

Next was quick dry nail polish in “Sonic Boom” for when I’m pressed for time.  I’ve used it and so has Hannie B. The color definitely says ‘Look at me!’ The presentation . . . yep, I die.

Chocolate to calm my soul.  As of this posting, this gift has been devoured by me and me alone. I’d like to publicly thank Trader Joes for blessing my life with this scrumptious treat.

I’m not usually under a lot of pressure, but that didn’t stop me from eating this monster candy bar.  I did share it with Owlie, though. Good times.

While Jennie was here we had panini sandwiches. I want to do better with my waffle iron though.  This book should help!

And my absolute favorite part of this package – these clever and hand screen printed cards designed by Jennie for me to give to friends when I take them meals or goodies.

I am still smiling when I look at these pictures.  Thanks Jennie,for making my birthday so special.  And thanks for sticking to a theme. You’ve proven that you’re a pro!

Cannot Get Enough Of …

This snack.  It’s been my lunch every day for the past week. It is healthy, packed with veggies and protein, has just the right amount of crunch and makes me happy to look at because it’s so colorful. And it also happens to be very, very tasty.

When I add in these chips from Costco {ooh, look, they contain QUINOA!} and a large glass of water, I feel pretty darn good about myself.

Here’s what you’ll need to make yourself a large batch of Cowboy Caviar:



1 can black beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can shoe peg corn
Drain and rinse the three cans of ingredients

Dice the following and add to the above:
2 bunches of green onions
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
3 Roma tomatoes
cilantro (optional, but essential in my opinion)
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing (Mix according to directions, do not use Zesty)

We love this with chips, but have found it is also really great on tacos, fajitas, burritos and enchiladas. Many recipes for Cowboy Caviar also include avocado, which I do LOVE. But I don’t usually include it in mine when I make it because I like this to last for about a week in the fridge and I can’t stand brown avocado. If I want avocado in mine, I’ll chop some up as I’m eating it and add it in.

YUM. You should make this if you have a party coming up. Or if you’re hungry. Or if you want to pretend you’re a cowboy? You can thank me later.

Random Musings: Pre-Spring Edition …

• We had Colossal Donuts this weekend. They were huge and Owlie attacked them with vigor. Isn’t apple juice a great donut companion?
• The Hubby and I saw two {TWO!} movies this weekend. Both were from the comfort of our cozy couch while swaddled in blankets. Both were enjoyable. But please, do tell me why they have to go and completely ruin a movie with the F-bomb. Drives me nuts.
• The entire contents of our closet are strewn throughout our house.  It makes for quite an adventure when getting dressed in the morning.  I’m still searching for a pair of shoes I’ve misplaced. More on the closet later this week.
• The Hubby and I are two months in on a Couple’s Goal to invite a new family from our church over to dinner once a month. It has been a great way to stretch ourselves socially and I’m cooking good food too!
• This week Big C has basketball playoffs.  He’s so fun to watch.  But I get nervous because Hubby is the coach and he yells a lot.
• I had eight kids for a lot of hours on Friday.  I kept thinking “this is what it would be like if I had two sets of twins and eight kids total”. I collapsed in my bed EXHAUSTED that night – and these kids weren’t even hard to take care of AT ALL. I think I was only meant to have four kids.
• I have discovered the glory that is Rub n’ Buff.  I want turn everything in my darn life gold. It is a problem bordering on addiction. HELP. 
• Speaking of addiction, the Girl Scouts brought my cookies to the door on Saturday. I only ordered one box of Thin Mints and one box of Samoas. The boxes keep getting smaller. My family is bigger. The cookies are gone.
• I heard the most inspiring talk at church yesterday about the divinity of womanhood and respecting women. It really made me think about my sons and how they should be a positive influence in the lives of girls around them, my Hubby and how he respects me and treats me with love and even my daughter and how she dresses her God-given body in a time when the messages coming from society are telling her to give it all away. My spirit heard the words that were spoken and soaked them in.
• Rereading the first Hunger Games book starting today.  Gotta get ready for the movie!
• We have had NO WINTER. My tulips and daffodils are blooming. I miss snow. The Hubby got nice boots for Christmas and didn’t even put them on once. Boo.

And that’s about enough randomness for one day.  Happy Monday.

Mother & Child …

CONGRATULATIONS AUBREY! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE CUSTOM DESIGNED CUPCAKE TOPPERS! EMAIL ME AND WE’LL GET TO WORK!

If I had a million dollars, I would commission an artist to paint me a masterpiece of this moment.  I’d call it Mother & Child and I’d hang it on a wall in my home and forever in my heart.

It captures so much of what I love about my life with Owlie right now.

Him, still small enough to fit into my “pocket” – that tiny space my body creates just perfect for him to crawl into when I lay on my side, bend my knees slightly and outstretch my arms.

Me, my arm wrapped around his comforting warmth, my nose resting on the top of his head where I can drink in his delicious still-a-baby boy smell – coconut shampoo mixed with a day’s worth of playing and sunshine.

Him, cheeks rosy, pacifier securely in place, cherub fingers wrapped around mine, blanket pulled up to armpit level to keep all the heat until toes were toasty and warm.

Me, tired from a jam packed Saturday, chilling in a ratty sweatshirt, day two hair and minimal make up knowing the best thing I’m wearing is a smile and this boy at my side.

In this moment he came to me. He was injured and needed comfort. He said the words, “Mama, I nuggle you?” and it was all over. We were there on the couch together, side by side for nearly a half hour. And I memorized every second of it.

It is a masterpiece, this job of motherhood. This raising of little {and big} people.  Every stroke, every color, every shadow, every highlight, every crisp line and every blurry detail. The canvas is not without mistakes. But I really feel like the work I’m doing is turning into something beautiful to behold.

I feel so lucky to be one of the artists.

Little Picasso . . .

My boy Owlie has discovered that he loves to paint.  He wants to do it every day.  He’s got it down now. Water, paint, paper. Water, paint, paper.

I spread out the butcher paper the length of the counter and just roll a little more paper out once he’s gotten it so wet it’s turning into pulp.

Occasionally he asks me to contribute to his artwork. I’ll add a heart or a flower or a rainbow. He puts down the more dramatic strokes. When I guess what he’s made, he corrects me with a sweet “No mama, it a …” (fill in dog, truck, birdie).

His favorite color of paint? Black, of course.  No matter how I try to persuade him to try red, blue or purple, he goes back to black. He’s dark and moody like that.

It’s pretty sweet when he takes his picture and sticks it on the fridge with magnets. Then when his Daddy comes home he points out his masterpiece.

I’m pretty much in love with the fact that he wants to be creative.  But even more than that, I am head over heels for the way his little hand holds the brush.  I could stare at this picture for hours.

Which is why my bathrooms are disgusting and the laundry is half done. {That and the fact that it is supposed to be 70 degrees here today. In February!}

When Boredom Strikes …

My kids force me to do origami.

We had Monday off for President’s Day so I offered to take them to see a movie – IN THE THEATER.  And they declined.  It had more to do with the choice of shows than anything else, but I was still surprised. I was a little disappointed too because I knew it wouldn’t take long before boredom crept in.

While Big C. was checking his email/facebook, he secretly googled one of his favorite topics: “dollar bill origami”. Then there he was in my face insisting that we needed to make an elephant together.

Funny though because after I got online, previewed all the steps and started folding, he was nowhere to be found.  Hannie B. did show up with a dollar and we muddled our way through the valley and mountain folds together until twenty-one steps later we had a trunky little fellow who stood by himself and inquired about peanuts.

This is my second dollar bill transformation. My first was a heart.  Up next is either a butterfly or an owl. How about you? Have you tried your hand at origami? What do you do with bored kids?

PS. YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR CUSTOM DESIGNED CUPCAKE TOPPERS. ENTER HERE.

But They’re Stinky Little Cabbages …

DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT I OFFERED TO GIVE YOU A SET OF CUSTOM DESIGNED CUPCAKE TOPPERS YESTERDAY? YOU SHOULD REALLY ENTER TO WIN HERE.

Two food posts in one week might be a record for me, but I believe in sharing deliciousness with the world, so I hope you’ll bear with me.

As a kid I can only remember a few times when Brussels sprouts were on the menu.  Though I was intrigued by the fact that they resembled cute little cabbages, my mind couldn’t get past the smell for even a minute to consider actually eating them.

Now I am here in a humble and repentant fashion to swear that I will forever love and consume Brussels sprouts. And I have Pinterest to thank for my conversion.

The key to delicious Brussels sprouts {did you know there’s an s on the end of Brussel?} is to not overcook them. The sprouts of my youth had been cooked too long, releasing a sulfurous odor that made me gag.

This recipe changed all that.  The Brussels sprouts are shredded, then sautéed quickly in a pan until they are vibrant in color. The ingredient list is short and yummy – olive oil, garlic, sea salt, Brussels sprouts, brown sugar and toasted pecans. The result is a sweet, almost Asian flavor. And they are addictively yummy. The Hubby and I ate this whole platter by ourselves, which is great, because as an added bonus, Brussels sprouts are REALLY, REALLY good for you!

The original recipe can be found here. I’ve only altered it slightly by adding less brown sugar. I’d love to hear if you try this recipe.A few weeks ago I was strongly in the anti-Brussels sprouts camp.  Now I’m a believe and Brussels sprouts are permanently in my repertoire.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

12-14 large Brussels sprouts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch sea salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Slice each Brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of feathery Brussels sprout ribbons. Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large skillet and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the Brussels sprouts and continue sautéing for another 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

PS. Great health benefits of Brussels sprouts article written by my bestie’s aunt here.

For A Special Girl …

Recently I had the chance to make some cupcake toppers for a very special one year-old’s birthday party.

She’s got this head of irresistible curls, so I chose a vintage image that reminded me of her.  I used a color palette of deep pink and orange to highlight the orange creamsicle cupcakes that would be part of the celebration.

A large L for Lucy and a sweet scalloped edge completely the design. Hannie B. helped me hot glue the pieces to lollipop sticks and off they went to celebrate a darling girl who’s getting so big!

I really enjoy this kind of work. It is more like play for me!  It is so fun to create things that make someone else feel special and loved.

Would you like some custom designed cupcake toppers? Leave a comment telling me about your favorite birthday cake or cupcake and I’ll choose a winner THIS FRIDAY.

A Favorite Recipe …

I love Italian food.  It might just be my favorite kind of food. Except for Thai and Chinese and Chocolate and German. Never mind, I just like food.

When I’m in the mood for Italian at home I’ve got an arsenal of four or five recipes I can crank out almost from memory including a classic parmesan alfredo {with a delicious hint of nutmeg} , a red pepper and Italian sausage pasta {SIL Mindy we will forever owe you} and my mom’s traditional “meat sauce for pasta”.

If you currently consider spaghetti to be noodles topped with sauce poured from a jar, I challenge you to put down the Prego and make this sauce.  It is so easy and delicious. You will never go back to jar sauce again.

Why is it so good?  Maybe it’s the oregano. Or the garlic. I don’t know. But I love it. And my kids lick their plates clean.

Try it now. Thank me later.

Victoria’s Meat Sauce for Pasta

2T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground beef

I medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove minced garlic

1 (14oz.) can whole tomatoes

1 (12oz.) can tomato puree

1/2 can water

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf, crumbled

Brown ground beef, garlic and onion in pan over medium heat.  Spoon off any excess fat. Pulse whole tomatoes (with liquid) in food processor or blender to a semi-chunky texture. Add tomatoes, puree and water to beef. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover sauce and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.

Serve over any type of pasta noodle. We prefer penne or spaghetti.

Declaring My Love …

Here I am wearing my favorite Valentine’s Day surprise.  I love it. I love it so much I could wear it every day because it’s super comfy.  And because I really love my Hubby a whole, whole lot. I wanted him to know it. So I made a shirt declaring it for everybody to see.

I’ve wanted to make a shirt like this every since I saw AmberLee’s shirt last year. But I was chicken to try freezer paper stenciling.  I’ve read the tutorials over and over online.  I think my biggest hang up was using an exacto knife to cut out my stencil.  It just didn’t sound like it would go well at all.

So I waited until I had another option.

Here’s how I did it:

First I found a great t-shirt at Target. I like this one because it had that baseball vibe, since my man is a baseballer.

Next I bugged my friend Ronalin to let me use her Silhouette Cameo cutter. It is a fine piece of machinery and I am super jealous that she has one – except not really, because she lets me use it whenever I want.

I quickly designed my shirt making sure to use a chunky font that would show up well on the shirt. It took a mere two minutes for the Silhouette to cut my freezer paper into this:

Freezer paper is a parchment paper that is backed with plastic. Butchers use it {used to use it?} to wrap meat.  You can occasionally find it in the tinfoil aisle of the grocery store. Or you can get lucky like me and have your mom give you some she found at a garage sale. If you’d like to get some check here. For this project, I wanted the shiny plastic side face down on the shirt.

Now it was time to iron.  When you iron freezer paper the plastic backing heats up and adheres to the shirt, creating a perfect bond for the stencil. Sidenote: do you have any idea how hard it is to iron with your left hand while photographing it with your right? Crazy.

Here’s my shirt after I ironed it.  At this point I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I am a serious dork. Before I could start painting, I slipped a piece of cardboard in between the shirt layers so the paint wouldn’t bleed through from the front to the back.

When painting the shirt I used a sponge brush and a dabbing technique so the paint didn’t get too thick and the brush didn’t separate the stencil from the shirt.  I used a gold paint from Martha Stewart’s craft paint line which is suitable for fabric. I found my paint for $2 at Michaels.

Here is the shirt after I finished painting it.  I let it dry for a few hours and then peeled the freezer paper right off. It was so easy to peel and the lines of my wording were perfectly crisp.  I sealed the paint by ironing it, but first I put a dishtowel over my design to protect the iron and the paint.

I love how this shirt turned out!  I will definitely be doing freezer paper stencil for future projects.  I can think of all sorts of cute t-shirts to make for Owlie this summer.

Are you gutsy {or crazy} enough to wear a shirt with your sweetheart’s name on it? Or do you think I’m a complete weirdo?

My Hubby absolutely loved this surprise.  He’s worth it.  And I’m going to wear it all the time.

So long Valentine’s Day. Can’t wait for next year.

Handmade Valentines …

If you’ve every been on steroids, you know that sleep is an illusive thing.  You want to sleep but lay in bed wondering why you just aren’t tired. Then it is four o’clock in the morning and suddenly you’re exhausted.  It is a little maddening.

While I was awake nights this week I decided to channel my mother {the Queen of beautiful handmade cards} by creating a Valentine for each of my loves.

There was a glittered and diamond card for a certain sweet girl I know. Wax paper wings too! {Card downloaded from here, all embellishments by me}

My main squeeze got a reminder that I think he’s hot stuff. {Design by me, graphic from The Graphics Fairy.}

My Lego loving RedDog had to have a card made of bricks. We created an actual heart of Legos after he saw the card. {Design by me, image via Googleimages.}

What else do you do on a Valentine for a boy name Owlie? {Design by me, image via Googleimages.}

Since we’re always teasing Big C about smelling like a teenager, I thought his Valentine was especially appropriate. {Design by me}

I also made cards for my parents since they joined us for our Valentine’s dinner.  My dad, who has a big heart, got this {graphic from The Graphics Fairy}. Inside it said “I Lub Dub You.” {hee hee, I think puns are AWESOME}:

And the Queen of cards got a Queen of Hearts {image from The Graphics Fairy, design by me}:

So that’s what I’ve been up to this week. With a little effort, a lot of glue stick and some glitter, I was able to put my sleepless nights to work for me.  I’m happy I made Valentines for my family.  It was fun and FREE.

Up tomorrow:  My favorite Valentine’s surprise. And then I promise I will close the book on Love Day until next year.

To Love & Be Loved …

Happy Valentine's Day!  My hope for today is that everyone, no matter what their situation, feels loved today.  God loves each of us. He wants us to love and be loved. You are loved. That is truth.

Today I wanted to share this letter my Grandmother Mable Carlson wrote eighty-one years ago when she was Mable Johnson.  It’s actually a journal entry my mom thought I’d enjoy and it is the sweetest, most genuine comment on love.  To read it made me smile from ear to ear.

August 11, 1931

Today marked the most perfect day I have lived – ever.

Gunnar C. Carlson has been my “pal” and “buddy” until now. he told me he loves me and only God knows how I love him – so “pal” and “buddy” are more than that. We talked about the future. Could I take good care of him? I’d love to try.  Would we ever quarrel? What could we quarrel about? Why wasn’t I down at the station to see him off to West Point? Other collegiates were there and all gave him gifts. I must not have been home and besides, I didn’t know him well.

Today we went to watch the progress of the tennis tournament on the new Riverside Courts. Sat in his cute Chevy sport model and visited with many friends. Gaiety and fun every minute. He’s a real buddy.

Tonight Mother and Dad played bridge with us. Then Kenny came so it change to Michigan; later bridge again and with this change came our luck.

At a lunch at the new Moline Lunch with the folks. Gunnar is charming and most of all – a gentleman.

When he said “I Love You” millions of tiny thrills ran up and down my spinal column.

It is now one forty-five and I can’t go to sleep.  I AM IN LOVE.

Isn’t it divine?  That she wondered if she could care for him well enough. That she believed they would never fight.  That she found it important that he was a gentleman.  That thrills ran up and down her spine at the words, “I Love You.” That this simple day was a perfect day to her.

New love is exciting.  And even though time goes by and life gets full of so much to do and be, I hope I can always remember the things that made me fall in love with my Hubby years ago.  This letter reminded me of that.

Last night the table was set and we enjoyed a lovely {if not slightly chaotic} dinner as a family with my parents joining us for our Love Feast. On the menu: Porcupine Meatballs, Baked Potatoes, Spinach Salad with fresh berries and Cherry Jello!

Tonight I am getting dolled up to go to a fancy Five Star restaurant with my sweetheart. I can’t remember the last time we actually had a date ON Valentine’s Day. I am looking forward to it.

Enjoy a few details from our Love Day Dinner.

Everybody got a handmade Valentine from me.  I’ll share them tomorrow – even though Valentine’s Day will be over. Being on steroids has made me a productive nighttime worker!

RedDog helped me stencil each napkin with a heart for a CubScout project.  We hid the cards underneath the napkins.

It was a lovely night.  Hope you have a great day today.

Sweet Valentines Minus The Candy …

Hannie B. made a gaggle of tiny Valentine’s cards using a small stamp set from Michael’s. We then attached a heart shaped ornament {upcycled from here} to each one.  Hannah had the clever idea to color a row of staples with a red Sharpie marker to give the cards an all over Valentine look.  Smart, that girl!

For RedDog, I’d like to say I came up with an original idea for a Valentine, but I didn’t have the time or brain power.  I found a free download of a darling Valentine here.  RedDog loved that it was arrows!  I loved the idea of adding in a pencil instead of candy since our school has outlawed candy this year.

I just happened to find some pencils at Target that were the perfect match for the arrow colors. 

And the biggest bonus is that they were mechanical pencils.  RedDog thought he’d died and gone to heaven.  Giving his classmates a mechanical pencil apparently ranks pretty high in his book.

 

So the Valentine’s are done.  And now I’m off to put the finishing touches on our dinner.  More on that plus a love letter you won’t want to miss tomorrow.

AAAAAAAAAACK!

My weekend consisted of:

Blowing, freezing cold wind.

Scrubbing throw up off the stairs.

Being pooped on.

Not falling asleep until 4:00 in the morning.

Basketball.

Church.

Brussel sprouts my kids hated but Hubby loved.

Downton Abbey. Super sigh.

And now I am a bit behind on the candy free Valentines I should be showing you because we’re having our Hearts Day Dinner TONIGHT so I can go on a hot date with my lover tomorrow.

I may get my junk together and post again this afternoon. Maybe not.  Sometimes real life {all those bodily functions – thanks Owlie} really gets in the way.  Hope you’re busy making preparations to show someone you love them.

PS. Speaking of Owlie, he loves his bath.  Can you tell?