Daddy Valentine

With Valentine's Day only a few hours away, I was lucky enough to stumble upon these fabulous photos from my past. They were all taken at the annual Father-Daughter-Valentine's-Dance hosted by the church I attended during my younger years in life. 

I'm guessing this first shot is from 1990. It was my first dance, and I was excited to wear my shiny, red flats. That was the year red became my favorite color after my Vacation Bible School teacher told me gray was "most definitely not a color". Way to smash a girl's hopes and dreams! I guess it all worked out in the end though, because I think red is just smashing!

My dad made the wise decision to shave the mustache, and once again I went with red! Gotta love those ribbon curls!

Either we were too poor to make me a new dress or I really enjoyed Christmas the year before.

The stash is back!  I couldn't find a formal shot from this year, but I do know this was the year that my dad and I were called up for one of the games. I had one minute to put makeup on my dad's face and make him pretty. Fortunately for him, that was probably the first time I ever touched makeup, so I don't even think I got past putting blush one one cheek. Oh, and yes, we lost.

And finally, sheer sleeves and my crafty DIY floral crown make me a real heartbreaker! Say "Cheese!"

Yesterday Morning

12:46am... get out of bed to snuggle my crying baby back to sleep
12:53am... lightly kick Dusty with my foot so he gets up to quiet our crying baby
12:54am... moderately kick Dusty with the same foot to remind him of the crying baby
12:55am... throw a pillow at snoring Dusty, yell in my raspy voice that Bentley needs some help getting back to sleep, and begin coughing like an old lady
1:07am... get myself out of bed to comfort a crying baby again, but not without giving in to the off-limits bottle of milk my Dr. so readily suggest we go cold turkey with
1:15am... startled out of my near-sleep to the sound of a burp, a cough, then a loud coo... someone was ready to play
1:42am... I make a mental note to take the crib toy out of Bentley's bed so it can't keep me up all night, but then I quickly erase the note reminding myself that the purpose of the toy is to buy me some time so he doesn't need me in the middle of the night
2:35am... hack something furious from the depths of my lungs and stumble around for some water to ease my parched throat
4:14am... another coughing episode
6:30am... MY alarm goes off, which it rarely does, then I silently thank Bentley for playing with my phone the day before and setting my alarm, otherwise Dusty would have overslept 2 hours instead of 1... kick Dusty and tell him he's way late for work
6:36am... Dusty kisses me on the head and says "babe, you should probably shower or take a bath today." I reply with a hiss "I've showered every day since I've been sick, thank you!" I can't help it that this stupid fever makes me sweat in my sleep.
6:40am... Dusty slams the door while rushing off to work waking both boys and giving me a good morning headache
6:42am... open the fridge door with 2 whining children at my feet and realize the milk is nearly gone... make a quick decision to give one kid the milk and one kid watered down heavy cream... still don't know which kid got what
6:45am... mentally prepare to venture out with my chest cold and my 2 wild boys to pick up milk at the grocery store later in the morning
7:01am... missing my coffee but knowing hot tea is better when I'm sick
7:14am... Fresh Beat Band
7:43am... more Fresh Beats
8:10am... shower and pretend I don't see Ryder eating bobbi pins from my bedside table or Bentley picking things out of the trashcan next to the toilet
8:55am... put B down for a morning nap even if he won't sleep because I can't go another minute chasing after both
9:21am... Ryder asks why he can't have milk
9:43am... Ryder asks why he can't have milk
10:01am... Ryder asks why he can't have milk
10:21am... Bentley is finally awake so I don't have to explain to Ryder anything else about milk
10:37am... get the boys dressed and wrangled out into the garage so I can load up the laundry and head off to get milk
11am... boys all buckled, a hint of makeup on my face so I don't look too dead, and we're ready to go... oops! the car died right there in the driveway... dead battery? no, gas tank empty... I haven't driven my car since last week...
11:03am... boys back into the garage, more crying for milk
11:07am... call Dusty... no answer
11:09am... call Dusty... no answer... leave a message
11:11am... call my mom... please help!
11:47am... Grannie shows up with milk!
11:53am... "Mommy, there's poop! Right there! Eeewwwww!"
11:55am... I find another poop pebble on the couch
11:57am... "Mommy, there's poop on Beddays bankie! Eeewwww!"
11:59am... more poop on the floor

... and I'm pooped!

Little Boys Need Sunshine and Fresh Air

My poor boys have been stuck inside all week since I've been sick with a 102 degree temp. If you know what it feels like to be sick with a fever, and if you know what it feels like to care for two rowdy boys who've been caged in for multiple days, then you can imagine what it feels like to deal with both at the same time.  I finally felt a little better today, so I let Bentley play in the 70 degree weather and enjoy the backyard all to himself (Ryder was at his gramma's today).  It was just what we both needed to get through the end of our crazy week!  I let him hit whatever he wanted with his bat (his favorite pastime), and he had full reign of the cozy coupe, the world's most beloved toy! He even helped me kill two wasps that were attacking my head. But probably his most favorite part about our sunny afternoon was playing in the tainted water in the trunk of his cozy coupe and licking it off his fingers. Hey, at least it wasn't the toilet again! 

Fresh Beat Dance

Not much going on here lately. We've just been doing our typical, daily routine with the boys which almost always includes a dance party. Our days just wouldn't be complete without The Fresh Beat Band!

Pupusas!

A few months back we tested Dusty for gluten intolerance by eliminating all gluten from his diet for a whole month. That meant that I had to cook meals free of anything gluten. It wasn't all that difficult, although I couldn't enjoy some of my indulgent favorites like cheesy potatoes (cream of chicken soup contains gluten) or french fried onions atop a big salad (this mostly upset Dusty). But this post isn't about gluten free cooking... or is it?
I bought a big bag of Masa Harina, or instant corn flour, which is gluten free. I wanted to use it to thicken chili, sauces, and soups while I cooked gluten free for that month. I only used maybe a total of one cup, so I've had this big bag of corn flour sitting in my cupboard waiting to be used. The other day I google searched recipes using masa, and pupusas caught my attention. My sister told me about them before, but I had no idea how easy they were to make! My sister-in-law Amber and my niece Colie came over yesterday, and we made us some pupusas! Even the kids had fun cooking with the corn flour dough... it's kinda like edible play-dough that keep kids entertained while you prepare their meal. Anyways, here's the super simple recipe (taken in part from Emeril) if you're in the mood to try it out. You will be pleasantly surprised!

photo taken from pupusa.org

DOUGH:
3 1/2 cups masa flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup cold water
olive oil for frying

FILLINGS:
cheese
beans
cooked, shredded meat
cooked peppers or other vegetable

Combine the flour, salt, and warm water in a bowl, and mix until a soft dough forms. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. Pour in cold water until dough becomes soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 16 golf ball sized pieces. Covering the dough as you work, form each dough ball into a bowl shape, fill with 2 Tbs. of your desired filling (we just did refried beans and cheese), and pinch dough closed. Carefully flatten each filled dough ball into a 4-inch round disc. Cook them for 3-4 minutes on a hot, oiled pan or griddle over med-high heat. Serve them right away (although they are still yummy reheated the next day) with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. They are delicioso!

Oh, and yes, we suspect Dusty is gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive in some way, although he has gone back to eating all things gluten. If you see him, tell him how very important his health is, and encourage him to take steps to living a long, healthy life!

Ta-Dah! Colors!

Ryder has become a little artist lately. We bought him an easel and paint set for Christmas, and I was surprised at how much he actually enjoys it. I set it up in the kitchen and blocked it off so B wouldn't disrupt the artist's mood.

As any great artist would, Ryder gets very into his work...

...he doesn't like to be bothered while he's creating a masterpiece.

Ahh, the finished product.  In the words of Ryder, "Ta-Dah! Colors!"

Pillowcase Dress for Baby Nella

You may have heard me refer to my tall, sweet blonde friend as "Beans". Her real name is Emily, but when I say that out loud I feel weird... so we'll stick with Beans for now.  Anyways, Beans recently had a pretty little fluffy-haired  baby girl named Nella. In the hussle and bussle of planning and throwing the baby shower last summer I never got around the making her a gift like I wanted to. I had originally planned on making a blanket, but I decided I'd try something new. I'm really a bad student of sewing when it comes to patterns since I can never stick to the plan, so I decided to go for something simple but cute... something that I could add to or take away from depending on my mood. So enters the pillowcase dress. They're all the rage these days, and they're pretty darn adorable if I do say so myself. And, if you know how to sew a simple stitch then they'll be really easy for you too. TaDa!

I didn't actually use a pillowcase for mine, although that's how the dresses are originally intended to be made (hence the name). I just took some fabric and eyeballed it (I guessed mine to be about 6 months) for the size. I think it was something like 15" X 26". Once I sewed it all together, it came out a little shorter then I wanted (I'm bad at hems and I tend to over do it), so I added the top pink strip. I think it makes it look even cuter... sometimes mistakes end up being just what you need to really pack the punch. If you don't believe me then study up on the life of George Washington Carver. (Ya, did you know that peanut butter was originally created as a healthy protein substitute for patients with no teeth? I didn't either!)

Anyways, here are some links to other, more organized individuals who actually took the time to detail the directions on their blog. Lord bless them!

http://sewlikemymom.com/easiest-pillowcase-dress-ever/

http://www.aestheticnest.com/2010/06/sewing-patriotic-pillowcase-dresses.html