Finding the Joy -- 15 Months Edition

W,
15 Months! I almost died the other day looking through pictures within "Last 12 Months" and realized that didn't cover your lifespan.  You are such a fun little boy, and I can't wait to see what you keep bringing to our lives. May you always find a place in your life to step back for a bit and see what wonderful joys you've been blessed with.

If I had to guess... MLB pitcher -- You've got quite the arm and an unmatched love of balls.

You're happiest when... swinging. You've always liked it, but it seems that more than ever, that is where you love to be. 

You taught me... that I can be more patient than I ever imagined! 

Your belly loves... animal crackers? Sometimes. But only 1 or 2 and they have to be a little stale. Such a unique eater kiddo! And how could I forget-- Pirate's Booty Veggie flavored bites. They are honestly quite nasty and you will regret one day that you don't like cake or muffins or oreos or Dilly's own pistachio pudding (Yep, Capital D Dilly, we gave it a shot!) and instead choose these snacks. 

You're still working on... talking (like a normal 15 month old, I suppose!) I am so excited for the day you can tell me what you want specifically. I am so proud of your signing for "help" or "more" but sometimes I don't know just what it is that you need help with or more of. But you are patient with me and keep telling me "Buh" over and over. And that "buh?" Well, it could be any number of things. You want to get up on the couch; you want to sing "If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet;" you want to watch Moose; you want the pumpkins that are hanging around these days. If you can see it, you'll point to it and boom--we've understood each other. 

The photo that represents you... 

A boy and his ball

One of your feats... You ARE starting to say "Go" and we are having a blast singing "Bum, bum, bum, bum" -- Geaux Tigers! 

What I want you to know.. God loves us all so much no matter what! 

If all else fails... let's have a dance party.

New to you... You've managed to figure out how to climb on things -- your zebra, your cars, and much to my excitement, you are showing signs of using your feet to push the car yourself.
You are also pretty good with colors which totally amazes me. I often ask you to hand me a certain colored block or ball and you do it most of the time! 

A favorite day... We've had so much fun this past month. I love playing outside with you. I love our trips to the park. One of my favorite afternoons included breaking back out the backyard baby pool. You lost interest for a while there, but one afternoon earlier this week, you loved it and played in it with your ducks until I enticed you out with the swing. I love seeing how happy and comfortable you are in the water. 

Your jams are... "Moves Like Jagger," a dance party classic. And your moves? Well, yea like Jagger kid. You've also really liked Momma's rendition of "Down By the Bay" which you will soon enough notice differs from the original.  I can't keep all those animals straight! 

My heart melts when... you light up seeing pictures of your family. You love looking through the family photo books we've made and have really taken a liking to video chatting with your grandparents. You are a sweet boy, little guy. 

Piglet and Wyatt:

Wait, that's just Wyatt. Yep, it's much more fun to throw Piglet off and ask for him back only to throw him off again.

Yes, "more," Momma, more wrestling with my little picture friend here.

A little blurry. Maybe I'll recruit Daddy to help us this weekend. Managing to put Piglet back on the chair and take a picture of your squirmy self before you throw him off again is far too great a task for one parent. 

We love you W and always wish you enough!

And because I can and because you bring us so many smiles, I'm linking this up with a wonderful blog friend.  This week my joy is in you. It's in your smile. It's in your "happy feet." It's in your bringing me a book to read with you. And it even sneaks its happy head in through helping you through your frustrations.

Where I'm At

I just ended my title with a preposition. I'm aware.

Anywho, I don't find myself doing a lot of "journaling" type posts, but this one looks like it will be just that. This week has been one of "those" varieties, and I am praying that as our cool front rolls in tonight/tomorrow, my mood will cool down as well. I've just been so grumpy and frazzled and feeling not-so-put-together and just over it all.

Maybe it's this whole down to one nap thing. Maybe it's my little guy's realization that he can choose not to eat. Maybe it's Cowboy's later evenings at work. (I know Babe--this too shall pass.) It's just the perfect storm.

But I'm thinking that this one nap thing is really giving me a run, and maybe because several days this week, it's only been a little over an hour. Today was a bit longer, and I was able to get a bit more done. Supposedly this gets better. We'll see.

It's silly for my to complain, and I'm trying not to complain but just try to figure it all while I write this. Well, maybe not figure it out, but at least understand why my soul isn't settled.

Maybe our mornings need to change. We used to be able to eat a little cereal with some Jack's Big Music Show, head to the park, come home and eat breakfast, and take a nap (while Momma showered/read blogs/wrote posts/cleaned/etc.). Now he's sleeping a bit later and not taking that morning nap which is throwing us off. This summer we've had to get out early or we weren't going at all with the heat. I still feel like I want to squeeze it all in, but maybe with cooler temps we can go for park walks/runs later. I also need to think about getting up to shower before he wakes up, but that negates any exercise. I do plan on implementing some quiet time in his room/crib with low lights and some books. That way I can shower and get mostly dressed without dodging him or the toys brought in to entertain him in the bathroom. I could not shower and just be nasty from being outside and then shower during his afternoon nap, but it's cuts it close to be able to do some cleaning and dinner prep.

And then there are all of these other things I want to do -- like call my grandmothers (Hi JuJu and Weenie!), but my cell phone reception is complete crap inside the house so I have to sit in one spot, not good for this multi-tasker.
And I want to do more crafts but sometimes feel frivolous for spending $ on that.
And I want to make more yummy recipes (especially pumpkin!) but Lord knows my butt doesn't need that. Did I not just talk about having less time for exercising! And did I mention that being a SAHM makes me hungry. All.the.time!
And my hair won't grow, and I am totally regretting that I cut it, so on days when I don't want to blow dry and style or don't have time to, the solution is a stumpy little ponytail that looks ridiculous! Grow baby grow! And when my hair is crappy, well, so is my mood. Shallow, I know.

But this week maybe we just did too much. It was only an outing a day but it seemed like overload. I love getting together with the different groups of friends we've made, but sometimes we need to be here and just be.
And we also need to be here and be crafty. And be spiritual. And be dancers. And book-devourers. And backyard lovers.

So that's me tonight. This week. I realize these are such trivial matters and we will all be fine over here. I just need to evaluate where I am and where I want to be and pray for the grace that God takes me where He wants me to be. We know that's going to happen anyway. Maybe I should pray that I don't go kicking and screaming!

I apologize if this is all over the place. It's "where I'm at!"

Teaching -- It IS All It's Cracked Up To Be

The teaching profession gets so many knocks. You don't get paid enough; you've got all that grading. But as my husband often reminds me -- a 3 (sometimes) month summer and holidays??? Come on!  He also loves to point out that he's never been around a group of teachers without lots of complaining going on. That's fair.

Being a teacher is like being a parent (to 100+ kiddos), and you know that we parents LOVE to talk about our kids and daily adventures with them, so what do you expect?

I was looking through pictures (for that damn minestrone soup pic) and ran across pics from the classroom.  Right now, I'm missing:

My coworkers -- they know the power of a great margarita and don't mind playing dress up now and then! How 'bout it --twin day!

AND my students who did AMAZING things! Like, embrace my crazy Life of Pi survival day complete with blindfolded giant stuffed trout catching.

AND their talents! I was always amazed by the cleverness and creativity involved in their character posters.

And then there's the food! Students began taking my favorite extra credit A Tale of Two Cities assignment to new levels. Check out that wine cask spilling blood. There's also Lucy (so full of sunshine that Pollyanna!), Madame Defarge's knitting needle breadsticks, and the "heads" (marshmallows) victim to the guillotine.

And of course their minds willing to come together and their hearts willing to share! How about that birthday cake for their favorite crazy preggo teacher -- duck and all!

But there's always calling them on their bologna too. How about taking pics after they leave as evidence of their sloppiness. Come on kiddos! And the board when I had a sub as I knew there'd be a "you never told us that" moment.

Teaching -- the most challenging fun I could imagine in a career. I'll be back someday!

A Recipe A Day -- Wrapping It Up!

A friend of mine with an adorable son 5 days (I think) older than W brought this soup over for one of our first play dates and I loved it! We made it lots last winter, and although it's nowhere close to hearty soup weather around here, it's on my menu this week. Take that summer temps! (Btw readers, you really could play a drinking game with how much I talk about the heat around here. Sorry!) 


I really thought I had a picture (and might) but haven't managed to find it, so I'll just pass along the recipe. I'll have to take one this week. But just for fun (and because I haven't done it in FOREVER, let's link it up too!) Stop by to visit Cole and check out what yummy treats you can add to your menus:

Beef and Cannelli Minestrone Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 rib celery, trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces lean (8 percent fat) ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• DIRECTIONS:
• In a Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and mix to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan
• 
  

Fun with Our Phone -- Beating the Heat

I thought I'd have to skip this week of linking up with Savanah and Erin, but I had a couple of cute pics of the kiddo that I know the fam will love to see and this afternoon offered the perfect opportunity to add more, so here we are...me linking up and loving my little guy's sweet face instead of dealing with emails and the stack of mail I have to go through--not to mention read up for our book study tomorrow.
At least he's stinking cute! Check him out. The grab your photos, load 'em up, and grab a button and link up!

Wood chips--the reason this kid loves the park

My little Tiger hanging with Momma

Kid dominates puzzles

This next one needs an introduction. If I had to give his thoughts for this one -- "Wait Mom, you're joking. Da Da didn't really wear this mustard yellow turtle neck right?" (Some of you know what I'm talking about!)

I got a much needed pedi on Saturday and a new babysitter came to hang out with W. I think everyone had a great time. I returned with diapers a new car for The Sheriff.

And then there's this. Kid was back in the saddle, well swimming pool. Plenty of sunshine around these parts for splashing, ducks, and drinking from the hosepipe!

Thanks for playing. If you want to comment about how cute he is, feel free. :) I kid. (Unless you're gonna do it! *sung in my best Nelly voice).

A Recipe a Day -- Sides

A while ago (more than two weeks as promised here) I said I'd make one recipe from each of the online storage houses (Pinterest, Google Reader, bookmarks, and Gmail labels) where it seems that I dump tons of recipes each day.

It has been more than two weeks; I've made ONE of the recipes. BUT, I am making this side again tonight, so that must count for something! Really, it doesn't, but it's a nice side dish (and again, one the kiddo loves, therefore a winner!)

Roasted Ranch Potatoes via Laa Loosh (and only 2 pts for your WW Peeps!)

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz red potatoes, washed and quartered
1 packet Ranch Dressing Dy Mix
Olive oil cooking spray
Salt to taste
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat over to 425 degrees.
2. Place potatoes in a large bowl and spray lightly with cooking spray. Add Ranch mix and salt, and toss well to coat potatoes evenly.
3. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and spread potatoes out evenly on sheet.
4. Bake until cooked through and edges turn dark brown (about 20-25 minutes). (If using cheese take out a few minutes early to add cheese and place back in until "Schmelty!)
Serve immediately.

Finding the Joy Friday

The weekend is finally here! And we'll have an action packed one over here complete with lots of football and even a trip to the County Fair. But before we jump in, I'm linking up with Erin today (who has wowed me with her shopping skills by the way!) to remember and be grateful for a few of my many blessings.

This week I'm FINDING THE JOY in:

*TOLERATING our lack of fall weather. I don't know why I check the 8 day forecast. Seeing temps in the mid 90s for the week is just depressing. Just tolerating is hard enough, so I am grateful for the grace the handle it. 

*the journey of parenthood. That might sound cheesy, but each day comes with its own smiles and its own challenges. I am so grateful God has trusted J and I with the responsibility of raising this little one.

*Chicken nuggets and fries! What am I -- 6? 

* Combining this post with my usual sometimes-gets-done Friday post.

Thanks again to  Nicole  for passing this along; it grounds me! 

TODAY:

Outside my window... it's still so hot. Can a girl just wear jeans already? I know I complain about this A LOT, but the heat is really wearing on me. 

I am wondering...  if the shift I'm volunteering at tonight will let me off a bit early. Doubtful.

I am wearing... gray shorts and a  Rice University t-shirt. W has loved pointing out the letters today while I sing "Lovely Letters" (That's for you Cowboy!). 

I am loving... Fall TV...somewhat. It's premier week, and I've got high expectations. Some shows are hitting them; others, not so much. Parenthood, for example. didn't wow me, nor did The Office. That being said, I do love the shows so they aren't going anywhere around here! And I love Jillian Michaels on The Doctor and still hope TBL manages to ger her back.

From the kitchen... Cannot wait to try Erin's Pizza Muffins! I had planned on it this weekend, but some other plans crept up, so we'll save them for next week some time. I am also loving Greek yogurt and have found some awesome prices lately. 

One of my favorite people... My friend Sara who will have a sweet baby boy soon. I am so happy for her and her family and am praying for the safe arrival of their little guy. 

I am grateful... for The Sheriff's love. That little fellow can sure be sweet. 

I am thinking about... the pressure around these parts (TX I suppose) to put your little one in "school." I am torn about how I feel about this. I guess it will depend on what we can afford in terms of me continuing to stay home, if (when!) there is another baby, and what W's needs are. I am contemplating the "homeschool" idea for a sort of pre-school. We'll see. 

Sheriff... is learning how to use his legs (which finally reach) to push himself on his little cars which is super cute to watch. He's also in to jumping (or trying to) whether standing or on his bottom. Too cute! 

A picture thought I am sharing...

Love him. Miss him. Praying for him. 

Have a wonderful weekend and go link up and share your joy!

A Recipe A Day -- We're Back

I took a few days off to link up here and there, but here's another go-to meal that I often forget about but love it each time I break it back out.  Maybe that's why we like it so much; I haven't worn it out yet!

Italian Baked Pork Chops (via Men's Health) 


INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard (or Tobasco's spicy mustard for some kick!)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning,
4 pork center loin chops (6 ounces each) (I only use 2.)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil, and Italian seasoning. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of the chops with mustard mixture. Press parmesan into both sides of chops.

3. Place chops on prepared baking sheet. The original recipes suggests to bake about 10 minutes or until just cooked through. I've never had it done in that short amount of time. I'd say it's more like 15 minutes or so. 

ENJOY! 

That Bandwagon--I'm On It

Nope, no Erin Condren planners here. I'll take my $3.99 Walmart planner and $5.00 adorable Target binder and call it a day for "home management." I'm not a hater. Ok, maybe I am. I just don't see what the fuss is all about, and don't even get Cowboy started. He can't believe that I still use paper and pen in the first place. But I realize to each his own. 

I did manage to find myself getting a pretty pink box in the mail every month! 

I love sending mail; I love receiving it. (Sorry friends and family that I haven't been on my game about this.) So I finally jumped on the wagon and signed up for a Birchbox subscription. For 10 bucks a month I get to try different beauty products which is good for me because I'm not all about spending lots of money on these things otherwise, so I can try things out without paying a ton of money. 

Love the packaging! 

Apparently members receive different products, so this is my September collection. I won't go into detail but I received some hand sanitizer that smells like heaven, a perfume sample that may or may not smell like my grandma, some great overnight cream, and one of my favorite lip products I've ever met (and I've tried lots as I've got the planet's driest lips!). I think I'll be purchasing more when it runs out. 

My goodies!

 And in case I miss something as we are going through the day's collection of mostly crap, this little one is here to help me out.

Is that so?  

Yep, all good. 

Our new "old" friends

Last week we were so very blessed to spend some great, albeit hectic, time with Rachel and Oliver who are "real life" friends but current blogger friends as their zip code is well, quite different from ours!

BUT, they are coming back soon, and we are so excited!

Look how sweet this Momma and son duo are:

We took our teams over to one of The Sheriff's favorite hangouts -- The Tot Spot at The Children's Museum. It was hard to visit with both boys headed for different attention-grabbers, but we managed a few words here and there and a few more at lunch later. 

Wyatt was sure to climb through, on, or into whatever he could

and Oliver finally got the truck to himself for a half a second!

But the water brought them together it seems. You can only imagine what W is doing back there. He's got his "splash face" on and Oliver's head seems to be leaning back at he was just struck with a few sprinkles from The Sheriff's antics!

I can't wait to watch these two play together and catch up with Rachel on a more regular basis!

Fun With Our Phones Monday

I'm linking back up with Savanah and Erin today. It's been a while, so hopefully there is something good in the old iPhone, and yes, it's old. Hey Apple, can we get the new phones out soon? No I'm not getting the new one; that's a Cowboy privilege, BUT I get his old phone which is crazy better than mine!

(And before I forget: don't fret; your "Recipe A Day" isn't forgotten. I will finish my 7 days, but I just haven't linked up with these lovely ladies in a while and wanted to get back to it.)

(There are also lots of pics of the kiddo. I'm just warning you now.) And if you want to play, grab the pics in your phone, tell us about them, and then link up!

I spend lots of time chasing and climbing after The Sheriff. This time? Chic-fil-a for free breakfast date and playtime.

Check out my mad chalk skills. Oh yea, and the cute kid in the middle showing off that he found the star.

You gotta love when dinner comes from these two!

And then I did it--hello Chic-fil-a drive-thru. If you haven't had one of their cookies and cream milkshakes, run there. Now. And yes, run don't drive. You'll need to burn off the calories.

Thanks iPhone for helping me capture an idea in a doc. office magazine!

And here he is again. Don't mind the grass which hasn't seen rain (outside of this weekend actually) in months! He loves chasing balls around and this Momma is one to help him wear himself out for a good night's rest.

He has no clue how hot it is (was) outside! (And thanks again Nanny, for his swing. He loves it more than ever these days.)

Speaking of swings....there's me. Or my shadow (pardon the bird legs!). Lately The Sheriff thinks it's hysterical for me to swing in the big kid swing next to the toddler one.

This is the face I get when I push him then ask if he wants Momma to swing "right there" (pointing to the other swing). 

And finally, the pic quality isn't great, but I love this one because it reminds me of how he's growing up and is so proud of each accomplishment. I just want to squeeze him! (And I do. Not hard. Promise. Just enough so that he knows he's loved.)

Finding the Joy

It's Friday y'all, and I'm so glad to link back up with Erin to think about the sweet blessings God has whispered into my life this week. It may sound cheesy; you can call me Pollyanna, BUT why blog/tweet/post if it's just to complain right?!?!

It's hitting the middle of September, and this week I'm FINDING THE JOY IN:

*An LSU victory last night. It was shaky there for a bit fellas, so let's clean it up and play like the #3 ranked team in the nation.

*My alma mater's (Louisiana Tech University's) game vs U of H Saturday night on ESPN 3! How 'bout them dawgs!

*Adjusting to a new schedule. It seems that The Sheriff wants the morning nap to be a goner, so it's a new start for both of us. Yes, it's stressful. Yes, Momma thinks he still might need it sometimes. Yes, I will totally miss him taking two naps. BUT, I am ready to embrace this new stage and set a new "routine" for us.

*A breezy morning. Speaking of this new "routine," W has been sleeping until almost 8 (hello blog reading time!) which is delaying our morning run to the park. However, temps are getting cooler (90s baby!) and we can actually go the parks later without fear of heat stroke.
This morning was gorgeous, and it was fun to watch W explore for a while instead of feeling like we've got to get back to cool off.

 Maybe it's Fall poking his little head around the corner. Now if the rest of him would come on out too. We are more than ready over here!

*The itch to craft it up. I've got my fingers crossed currently hoping that Cowboy will come home early so I can jet to Michaels and Hobby Lobby sans baby to pick up a few needed materials for my weekend crafting agenda. Stay tuned; I'll blog it all, promise.

Where's your joy this week?

A Recipe A Day -- For Those of You Getting This Thing Called Fall and a Guest Post

Do I win the award for longest blog post title ever? But really, I'm so jealous of the you jeans and scarf wearing mommas/bloggers out there! You get to wear jeans, pick apples, AND start yummy fall/winter menus. Be sure to add this spicy gem to your weekly menu. And even better--make it in the Crock Pot.  You can thank me later. 

You can also find me over at Natalie's blog home today while she is enjoying some final days of summer at the beach (lucky girl!) And we'll all be waiting to see how many teeth Nolan comes home with! After you jump on over to your local grocery for today's recipe ingredients, go check out how I keep my once a teacher-now-SAHM-self sane.


Spicy White Chicken Chili via Kholer Created (Yep, I said spicy!) 
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
2 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the garlic with oil in a sauce pan and throw in the chicken chopped in slices or pieces. Cook until done and set aside.
2. Add all of the rest of the ingredients with the cooked chicken/garlic into the crock pot and cook on low for at least 5 hours (6-8 hours preferred).
3. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

*The dish is SPICY which Cowboy loves, BUT I doctor it up a little to downplay the spice for my more sensitive palate.  If you want spicy, don't use the full can of jalapenos. If you want to take it further, omit the can completely.


*I've also added crunched tortilla chips while the chili was cooking to thicken it. AND we've found that eating the leftovers of this dish just might be better than the first time around!