oh happy day!

Happy Birthday Avery!

5 years old

You are my sugary~sweet, funny~faced, smarty~pants, princess~diva~big~girl.

I love you so much!

lightbulb moment

I have figured out why I am not totally in love with the baking process.

Baking is a very precise and accurate skill, measurements and time are most important to ending the procedure with a successful final product.....and I am definitely a season and taste kind of girl.

When I cook, I like to throw in a little of this and little of that, taste, determine what may or may not be needed, and go from there.....I always tweak my recipes to suit my style and taste.....always.

Come to think of it, this is the way I approach all of my creative mediums, even hair.....I have a foundation that I start with and build as I go.

It is quite fulfilling to me.

Unfortunately, this style is not really conducive to baking, so I have never felt completely confident, and I really appreciate those who excel with baking skills.

I stress out trying to sift and pack the dry ingredients while keeping my liquids precise in my measuring cups. Double checking at eye level is painful when I have to remove a little excess because I poured at the wrong angle. I have to be so careful not to confuse the the baking powder with the baking soda or the different types of sugars.....it gets rough for me.

Yesterday, I conquered some more baking territory and made these really yummy king sized cupcakes for Avery's, post-early Thanksgiving dinner-family-birthday-mini-celebration (long story).

OK, so I used boxed mixes, but I still had to count eggs and measure liquids, my demise.....but I prevailed.

The cupcakes are so big and I made 4 different flavors....pink vanilla, rich chocolate fudge, lemon and apple cake with sautéed apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

Something for everyone, as we have specific requirements in our family!

My favorite part was decorating and adding my thing with the apple topping.....so there was a little bit of me in them!

chicken lasagna

hot, cheesy, bubbly, gooey, yummy goodness......mmmmm

• 8 ounces lasagna noodles
• 1 pound chicken, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook chicken, garlic powder, salt, oregano, basil and onion.
Stir in spaghetti sauce to let simmer.
In a deep casserole dish, layer the lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce, mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses.

Repeat layers twice.
Bake lasagna for 20 minutes covered at 375, and for 10 minutes uncovered.....until thoroughly heated and bubbly.

brilliant!

An easy way to get the kids organised and ready for the day.....

Free downloads of the days of the week tags are here.....enjoy!

a formal rant

Dear sweet littlest bean,

Please know that I am not at all fond of the antics this week.
I can say, without a doubt that I do not enjoy the 3 am parties that you have been throwing with your sister for the past few nights. I am all for a good party, but girl, I have to break it to you.....its not the time or place. A full night of sleep is a requirement for this mommy, besides that, your daddy and I invested in the most perfect, king sized, pillow top bed and I intend to get my monies worth, thank you very much.
So lets try to save the parties for daylight hours, OK?
I would also like to point out the tantrums, they are driving me absolutely crazy. I realize that there are things in life that are frustrating, especially for a 2 and half year old, but you jump head first into the fit without any attempt to figure out the situation.....or to give me a second to try to help you. Hypothetically speaking, a screaming, limbs flailing, snot running, red faced, high intensity, toddler melt down coupled with a sleep deprived, non-showered, dismal, less than patient mommy, makes for a not so fun day.
Am I right?!
Then, there is the mess factor.
You are the equivalent of a tornado hitting my house, the damage is done within moments and all of my efforts in keeping a clean home are blown away. I simply cannot keep pace with you.
Yet, I try......I try, oh so hard.
Yogurt painted all over the TV console, toothpaste smashed into your bedroom rug, eating peanut butter out of the jar with your hands, drawing with chap stick on the windows and back slider and sketching with my favorite eyeliner on the bathroom cabinet, all of these activities you conjured up yourself while I was off doing a quick load of laundry or making some sort of nutritional substance for you and your sister. Its not like I am plugged into a good TV show, gossiping on the phone or even taking the all elusive long, hot shower.
Do you remember when I set you and your sister up with the coloring books and crayons at the kitchen table, thinking that I could grab a few minutes upstairs to make beds and straighten up....only to come downstairs to find that you colored the whole side of my refrigerator with a thick, waxy layer of green crayon?!!

Yeah, not so fun for me.

a few additional bullet points:

• stripping oneself of all clothing before we have to leave the house


• refusing to eat what is prepared


• battling with siblings


• freaking out when I leave


• objecting to naps


• rejecting the potty

But with all of these inconvenient facets of our relationship, you know that you are my brightest ray of sunshine. You are always making me laugh with your craziness, even when I am at my crankiest. You are my most snugly snuggle bug and you love to cuddle on the couch with me and a book or your favorite show. You are so creative and artistic and you feel so proud when you finish your projects, you glow in our praise.....singing your songs and dancing your silly dances.

I adore that big cheesy smile that brings out the twinkle in your blue eyes, love to kiss those chunky, squishy cheeks and it melts my heart to hear that belly laugh permeate through the room.

So, littlest one, despite my rant, I wouldn't change you for anything.

Well it really wouldn't be so bad if you wanted to sleep all night again and not use my house as your personal artistic outlet.

With lots of love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday Cara!

Check out the pictures form Cara's surprise 30th birthday party.....we rocked it old school style at Mon Kou!!

the past few days in pictures

Tate's birthday bash.....

make your own party hat....princess-diva-girly style.....

her hair is getting so long......

scarrrryyyyy.....

muckling Daddy.....

girlies playing at the park.....

Avery and Tate checking out the animals at the zoo.....

cutest meerkats ever......

such a good sport......

bundled up and hanging out at the zoo....

Emmy at the playground....

love that smile......

lunch at Friendly's.....first official date???......

latest piece

Why I love my tattoos....

1. They allow me to express myself.
2. They are beautiful.
3. My tattoos tell a story.
4. Each is unique to a time, place and part of my life.
5. It is a process that has an uncertain ending.
6. My tattoos surprise people.
7. They are always a topic of conversation.
8. Tattoos are art.
9. I get excited each time I decide to get work done.
10. They are mine.
    

This rose was custom designed by my tattoo artist, Jay....who drew it freehand onto my arm and then tattooed me.

I love it!

dinner

Not too inspired to write a deep, thought provoking, interesting post, but I am in a cooking mood today....so this is what you get!

Chicken Parmesan with chicken thigh fillets

breaded, baked chicken thigh fillets with marinara sauce, parmesan and mozzarella

spaghetti squash

spaghetti

garlic bread