Say What You Need to Say

Dinner was just so good tonight, I just have to share with you. I am sorry, I didn't take any pictures - you'll have to use your imagination. Anyway, I had a package of frozen whole chicken legs and a bag of dried black beans. I have never cooked black beans before, so I did a "quick soak" and then after put them in a pot with some chopped bell pepper, onion and garlic, then added chicken stock and a little spoon full of bacon grease (don't be hatin'). I let that simmer for a couple of hours on the stove this afternoon (oh and it smelled sooooo good!). Then when the chicken was thawed, I put it in a big skillet with some garlic salt and lemon pepper and browned it. Then I tossed in a can of Rotel (chopped tomatoes and green chilies), a can of corn and 2 cups of the black beans. I covered that and let it simmer until the chicken was done. Meanwhile, I sauteed about 1/2 cup of chopped onion in some coconut oil, then when it was soft I poured in a cup of uncooked rice. I stirred that until the rice was coated in the oil and started to brown a little. Then I added 2 cups of chicken broth and brought it to a boil. I covered that and lowered the heat all the way down and let it simmer until it was done (about 10 minutes or so). Served the chicken and the corn/beans/tomatoes over the rice and added a little sprinkle of cumin over the top - YUM! All of it was based off of a couple of recipes I found on Allrecipes - I so love that site! So if you have a chance to try it, do!

Next time I will use boneless chicken though.

We had a pretty rough morning this morning. Port decided to start fussing at about 5:30am, and when he still hadn't stopped 20 minutes later I just got up with him. That makes for such a long day. He didn't nap well either. He slept for about 2 hours, but he woke up a couple times during and fussed. By his bed time tonight he was exhausted. I don't know if he's getting hot in the night or what. Our air conditioner isn't running as much due to the lower night time outdoor temps, and at times it gets pretty stuffy in here. But it hasn't really been that much warmer in the house.

This afternoon I caught a cute "conversation" between the boys. This went on for about 5 minutes.



Finally, a little Kiddo speak for you...

Tonight just before bed I told Kiddo he needed to go wash his face and go potty. I asked him, "do you have any clean washcloths in the bathroom?"

His reply, "Go Fish".

What a comedian!

Until,
D :)

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Regulars!!

I am so glad this week is coming to a close. I have had more than my fair share of cruddy things happening this week. The boys have been at each other’s throats, and I am tired of reminding, negotiating and flat out yelling. My patience has been worn thin this week and I am done.

Beyond that, things have been good. We are finally, finally getting some desperately needed rain! Yahoo!! This has been one of the driest summers we have seen in a long time - the drought is so severe that our lakes and rivers are at alarmingly low levels. Everything that should be green is dead, communities are under strict watering restrictions and I feel terribly guilty every time I turn on a faucet. However, we are now getting some sweet, wet, wonderful rain and our temps are dropping as well. Say it with me now, Hallelujah!

I haven’t had a chance to mention yet that I did start my fall garden a couple of weeks ago. The only thing left from the spring is my cucumber vines - which, after not producing anything worth mentioning this summer, are now going gang-busters! I pulled everything else over the course of the summer as the heat cooked it all to a crisp. Two weeks ago, the morning of my Kiddo’s birthday party, I ventured out and did my first fall planting. That morning I planted (from seed) fall tomatoes (both small and large varieties), bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, brussel sprouts, peas, green beans, black beans and lima beans. I did have a few black bean and lima bean bushes that I had planted in July and they are just now starting to flower again. Since that late August planting I now have tiny sprouts of the jalapeños, peas, both kinds of tomatoes and all the bean varieties.

On September 2nd I planted two hills of zucchini, and the plants are already a couple of inches tall. In my containers I planted parsley, mint and more basil. My rosemary and basil from the spring is still going strong. In the next couple weeks I will start the greens; broccoli, spinach and lettuce, as well as carrots, onions and garlic. I think that will be enough for my first fall garden as I am still trying to determine what I can and can’t grow. I went out in the rain today to check on things and I saw the most beautiful, big earth worm wiggling around in the garden. It is so neat to see nature working her magic. There is no sign of the brussel sprouts or the bells, but I am still holding out hope.

The boys and I all got out in the rain this morning to check out a new “farmer’s market” in our area. Sprouts is a market sort of between Whole Foods and maybe Trader Joe’s (oh how I wish we had those here!) and has an amazing selection of local fruits and veggies (organic and otherwise), meat and dry goods, vitamins and health food; all at really low prices. I was very pleased with the selection, despite the small size of the store. The place was PACKED. I wish I had been there during a slower time because I missed a lot of the store just trying to get around people. I totally missed the meat section, and am now kicking myself for forgetting to check out the Pork Sirloin Roast and Chops they advertised at $1.49 a pound. I did score great buys on strawberries, grapes and pears, as well as some Hansen's Natural Soda at only $1.50 a 6 pack! They have a huge selection of vitamins and natural products, and I was able to pick up some Oregano Oil capsules at a very reasonable price. (more on my need for that at a later time)

Anyway, at check out, I was distracted by the boys and the commotion of all the customers around us, and when I got to the car and loaded up the boys and goods (in the rain) I paused only briefly to look at my receipt as we were pulling out of the parking lot. Still visualizing the receipt in my head as I drove, it soon occurred to me that the bottle of Oregano Oil had not rung up. I checked; it was in the bag, but some how the scanner missed it.

Oh the dilemma! I'm not proud to say that I thought for a while about turning around and going back to pay for the bottle. I mean, it was raining, I would have to unload both boys and drag them through the crowded parking lot again and go through the lines again - I couldn't remember seeing a customer service desk anywhere. And honestly, if it had been a small, inexpensive item I may not have bothered. But, the oregano oil was almost the same price as the entire amount of the rest of my purchase, and I just knew I would never feel right about not going back. In reality, expensive or cheap, the guilt would have stayed with me. So back we went, and God smiled upon me as He presented me a relatively close-to-the-entrance parking space. I unloaded the boys and went back inside with the bottle to pay for it. I had to wait in line again, this time without the convenience of being able to set Port in a shopping cart. We paid for the pills and trekked back out in the rain to the car.

And you know, I would love to end this story saying something amazing happened to me after, perhaps as a result of my good deed, but it didn't. And that is ok, because I shouldn't be rewarded for my actions; I did what was only fair and right and I am glad I did. Next time I am faced with this dilemma it will be even easier to make the right decision.

And because today is September 11th, I am thankful for all those little annoyances and dilemmas, because it means that I am here, I am healthy and able, and I am free to go where I want when I want to. I am blessed to live in this messed up yet still lovely country of ours, and I am thankful for those brave enough to defend it for me.

May you all have an equally blessed weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Mess

I am trying to get back in the habit of blogging again so forgive me if the next few posts are rather, uh, boring. I just need to try to get back into doing this on a more regular basis - good, interesting post or not. I really just miss talking to you all.

So today was not entirely great either. After yesterday's all day scream fest, I was hoping today would be a bit more mellow. However, my promising morning quickly turned sour right after my first cup of coffee.

I've been having some trouble with Kiddo lately in matters related to the potty. For one, he has a problem with sitting down to do his business and being in there forever because he easily gets distracted from the task at hand. Add to that a curious 17 month old toddler who is discovering that if he reaches out to try to touch, uh, certain parts that he shares, he get squeals and giggles from his older brother. So of course, potty time is a fun time in my house for the boys, and I find myself either having to supervise the whole event, or wait endlessly for the "business" to get done. This morning, *sigh* the business got done I guess, and the sound of the door closing and the water being turned on didn't strike me as odd.

At first.

See, little Port is also now our Master Door Closer. You've got a door ajar? He's on the case. Left a drawer slightly open? Port is your man. He will close everything you touch as well as do a check on anything else that looks askew. So potty time often ends in a closed door at least once or twice.

When the door closed this morning, I just chalked it up to The Closer doing his duty and the Kiddo was still inside washing his hands.

Sadly, I was mistaken.

After a few minutes of listening as the water ran and then stopped and then ran again and stopped, I decided I better investigate. I certainly didn't like the fact that they were both in there with the door closed.

Now I have to give Kiddo props for at least trying to do something about this, but sadly it was no match for him.

The poopy had won this battle.

Kiddo is not the best wiper in the world yet. (and believe me, I know the possible future therapy this post may cause) He has months where things go well, and then suddenly he loses the ability to take care of himself. So recently we have been trying to once again reteach him proper technique. But I guess today was just to messy (sorry!) and he managed to get it everywhere. He said he got it on his hands so he was washing them, but somewhere in the "clean up" he bombed a towel, the toilet seat cover, the counter, the floor, his jammies and himself.

ugh

I didn't handle it well.

Being one of my more, uh, emotional days, I kind of flew off the handle. I managed to get Port out of there unscathed, but the clean up was more than I was mentally ready to handle.

After I scrubbed everything down (Kiddo included) and I was able to settle down a bit, we had a nice long talk and he is now under strict orders to call me when he does his business. We are starting over from scratch.

double ugh

The rest of the day was ok; my shower got scratched from the to-do when Port woke early from his nap. Then Kiddo had an accident when he couldn't get his Spiderman costume off in time to pee.

So our bathroom got a double cleaning today. Come on over!

Tomorrow is Friday, right?

I think we are going to hit up a new farmer's market tomorrow. I hope to score some super cheap fresh veggies, and maybe some sort of vitamin. Mommy needs an immune system boost.

Until,
D :)

Far Away

Oh my little bloggy blog, how I miss thee! I am so sorry to have neglected you this way over the past few months. I miss having you to unload on, to brain dump on and to sing high praises on! I miss being able to sit down several times a week and unload the good, the bad and the ugly. I miss my commenters and my visitors, and I miss just typing in general. Strange, no? Yes.

Ok, so with all that our of my system...

Last week was but a blur; head injuries and lots of editing and running around with the kids, and then we packed up the entire house, hitched the trailer to the back of the van and headed out to the outskirts of town. We met up with the Fry clan at a quaint little home on the Blanco River in Wimberly, TX for an extended weekend of R&R.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

So I had a whole different kind of post in mind, but this horrid day got away from me so I will leave you with some out-of-the-blue Kiddo speak...

Tonight, as I was cooking dinner:
Kiddo: "I'm gonna have a baby sister and when she is born she is going to have brown hair."
Me: "Oh really? And when is this going to happen?"
Kiddo: "It's gonna happen when Happy dies."
Me: "And when will that be?"
Kiddo: "When he's 61." (FYI, Happy just turned 60 about 3 weeks ago)

We had to have a long talk about Happy living a long long time. He was confused because apparently Happy told him that he was getting older and older and smaller and smaller and I guess in Kiddo's mind, a year is about all he had before he would be too small!

And sometime last week:

Kiddo: "When I am in college, I am going to marry Duchess. She lives in Paris. It is far, far away. It's right past Louisiana. Duchess has dark skin and brown eyes and curly brown hair. And she lives in Paris. But I love her and want to marry her, but she says we have to wait until college. We are going to have a little boy and his name will be Kiddo Jr. And he will have dark skin and dark curly hair just like Duchess. Duchess has a little brother too and his name is Port. And her Dad's name is Tyler (our dog's name). "

For the past week or so we have heard all about Duchess. I am not sure if she is someone he made up (the momma cat in the Aristocats is named Duchess and they live in Paris) or if he actually met a little girl in Sunday school that he likes. It is so cute when he talks about her though - he gets this dreamy eyed look and speaks in a sing-songy voice.

Ahh, young love!

Until,
D ;)

Head Over Feet

Well I am sort of starting to come up for air around here. I took a mental health day on Saturday and didn't do any work at all. It got to the point that I was just staring at the computer and zoning out anyway. So after a day of rest I felt much better - but of course was quickly reminded that there really is no time to rest from now until after the holidays!

So back to the grind...

lol! You know I love it!

Anyway, my poor little Port has had a traumatic couple of days. Sunday night I had the boys in the bath. Port loves baths - no matter what he's doing, if I even mention taking a bath he drops everything and makes a bee-line to the bathroom. He dances while the water flows into the tub and he screams if I don't get him undressed and in the water fast enough! So the boys were playing and Port had a cup that he was filling and pouring out over and over again. He would fill it up, hold it up higher than his head and pour it towards himself so the water flowed down his belly. I decided it was time to scrub, so I grabbed a washcloth and started on his face. When I put the washcloth to his face, he instinctively leaned forward into it; unfortunately, he was in mid pour with the cup of water and he put his face into the stream. The washcloth was over his eyes, nose and mouth and when it got soaked with the flowing water, he gasped and sucked water into his mouth and nose, practically drowning himself. It all happened so fast; he instantly started coughing and sputtering and flailing around in the tub - I had to grab hold of him quickly and pull him up because he kept trying to put his head down, which would put him right back into the water.

It scared. him. to death. And me too. I felt so bad for him. And he was done. Done with the bath, done with the water, done, done, done. I had to get him out and dry him off immediately. Poor little guy.

As if that wasn't dramatic enough, yesterday he fell off our back porch onto his head. Ugh. We were enjoying this amazing weather we've had the past few days and playing out in the back yard. Port can climb up onto our deck from the yard, but for some reason he hasn't figured out how to climb down. Never mind the fact that he climbs down from chairs, couches and beds...he just can't get in his head that all he has to do is turn around and back down.

But we had been outside all morning, and it was almost time for lunch and then a nap and so I was picking up things and bringing them into the house. Port had been playing in the dog water bowl and was completely soaked and covered in dirt. I walked into the house to set something on the counter and I guess he decided in that moment to step off the deck. He missed the step and went head first into a concrete step stone at the bottom of the steps. I heard him cry and I ran out there and scooped him up and ran into the house. Because he was such a mess, I took him to the tub and set him in there so I could get a good look at him. His nose was covered in blood. I tried not to freak as I wiped it up and in that discovered that it was only a tiny scratch on the side of his nose that was bleeding profusely. Breathing a sigh of relief, I checked his limbs and then in my soothing I brushed the hair back off his forehead. That was when I saw the gigantic scratch/indention in his head and the golf ball sized goose egg beginning to develop.

ugh!

So then I freaked out.

He is fine. I made him stay up a little longer than normal and then checked him every 30 minutes as he took his nap. I think he had a headache for the rest of the day, but a little dose of Tylenol seemed to take the edge off. Today the swelling is still there, though not as bad, and it doesn't appear to be bruising, yet. We shall see.
Here he is after I got him calmed down and out of his wet clothes. It's hard to see the goose egg - I had to use a flash. It actually looks a lot worse than that.

I was going to cut his hair this week, but I may hold off on that until his head heals. I wouldn't want a random stranger in the grocery store to call CPS on me! ;-)

Until,
D :)