Salsa Chicken

Today wasn't all that exciting of a day, so really nothing much to post about.  It started with church and ended with John working late at the library while I watched a couple of movies with Johnny on Netflix Instant Queue (I love this!).  We watched  An American Tail: Fievel Goes West and Matilda.  Johnny was definitely enthralled with the first movie and the second movie he watched chunks of it while he played with toys.  Bonus: mommy enjoyed movies she loved from her childhood! 

 ***

For dinner we had Salsa Chicken in the slow cooker.  This is one of our regular slow cooker meals because it is so darn easy to make, provides enough for multiple meals, and is so versatile for several different meal ideas.  

Salsa Chicken

chicken breasts - enough to feed your family (we usually do 2 & it is enough for two dinners)

salsa - enough to cover the chicken

1/2 - 1 packet of taco seasoning; depending on # of chicken breasts (I suggest low-sodium, or you can make your own taco seasoning really really easily from spices in your kitchen)

1) Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker (5 quart is preferable) so they are laying side by side and not on top of each other - we usually defrost the chicken first, but I'm sure you could leave it frozen and it would turn out just fine.

2) Sprinkle taco seasoning over the tops of the chicken breasts (we use 1/2 packet for 2 breasts, so use a whole packet if you do more)

3) Cover  the chicken breasts with enough salsa to cover the tops (not very much)

4) Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH 2-3 hrs or LOW 5-6 hrs.  (The longer it cooks, the easier to shred; don't worry about cooking it too long)

5) After chicken is done cooking, remove chicken with as much of the salsa on top as possible.

6)  Shred the chicken with 2 forks, incorporating salsa into mixture.

7) Enjoy! 

We use this shredded chicken for tacos (like tonight - just buy the little corn tortillas and fry them in a little bit of olive oil to make them into a shell), nachos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, wraps, or pretty much any other recipe that you can use shredded chicken with a little bit of flavor.  Super easy to make and we love it - my favorite part is that I only need 3 ingredients and can cook once in the slow cooker and use the meat for 2 separate easy dinners.  This shredded chicken does very well in a container in the refrigerator for a week.  If you try this recipe out, let me know how your family enjoyed it! :)  

Also, one last note:  I did not come up with this recipe on my own - it was posted on CafeMom and I got the recipe like a year or so ago.  I have no idea who the person was that posted this recipe, but if they happen to stumble upon my blog and want to claim it, feel free to give a shout out in the comments. :)

Fever

Johnny hasn't felt well yesterday or today.  Yesterday he had a fever and was a bit more tired than usual, but mostly himself.  It was only a slight fever during the day and I thought it might be attributed to his two year molars emerging (he's been drooling a lot lately and sticking his fingers in his mouth and chewing on them).  

This was my baby boy yesterday - quite the little handful as usual:

 

Last night when we went to bed his fever was higher than it had been, so we ended up giving him some children's tylenol to help him sleep and hopefully break his fever.  In the middle of the night I woke up to check on him and when I felt his forehead it was sweaty but cool, so he had broken his fever.  We let him have a sippy cup with water in it last night since he was really thirsty from the fever, and this morning when he woke up he didn't have a fever but was acting a little lethargic.  We thought he might be getting sick and not feeling well but he ended up throwing up water and then was fine.  I think he might have had too much water too quickly (he had been guzzling water since he woke up).  Once he threw the water up, he was totally fine.  

We kept an eye on him all morning to make sure he was actually okay, and he did fine.  For most of the morning he sat on a chair in the living room with towels (just in case he decided to throw up again) and watched cartoons.  He chewed on his fingers some but mostly just ate some crackers and had some pedialyte throughout the day. 

 

The fever hasn't returned and he hasn't thrown up since, so we're hoping it was all associated with molars and that he is feeling better.  He has certainly been acting himself today, which is good. :)

Notice the whale he is clutching while sleeping?  That is the same whale he has carried around for months and became re-obsessed with since he watched "Free Willy" two nights ago.  He will fight you if you try to take it out of his hand, even in deep sleep.  So darn adorable. :)

Flashback Friday: Wild Mane

I am participating in Flashback Friday again this week - if you would like to participate or visit the host of this awesome weekly event, please go on over to Christopher & Tia. :)

 

The theme for this week was any photo in black & white.  The picture above is Johnny back in October 2009, so only a few months ago.  I cropped the photo so as to not have a naked picture of my child on the internet - that is definitely not right.  The reason I posted this picture is so you can check out all that hair!!!  Trust me, even since October, this kid has grown a ton more hair.  It is curly when dry, but when he is in the bath, his hair gets straight and long.  We like to have fun with his hair and we totally love to make mohawks and Alfalfa-esque hairdos. :)  

We haven't always had a baby with tons of hair.  When I was pregnant, I hoped that I would have a baby with tons of wild hair that I could make into a mohawk and kiss his little fuzzy head.  That isn't exactly what I got.  When he was first born, he did have hair (not a lot, but some) but then it fell out.  There was also an incident with my mom and a cradle cap brush on the front part of his hair and then an incidental loss of hair in that exact same spot the next day so that he looked like a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.  My mom will claim that this isn't so, but whatever.  It's my story, and I'm sticking to it!  Up until he was almost a year and a half old, he had pretty much a very light dusting of hair on his head, except for a thin little line that looked like a mohawk down the center of his head.  People would ask me if I cut his hair that way - to which I would respond, "nope, God has a sense of humor".  Because of course, He does.  How else can you explain giving a pitiful little mohawk that you can't do anything with it to a child of a mother that prayed for mohawk-worthy hair when she was pregnant?!  You can't.  

  

(No photos on this computer; resorting to Facebook albums - best I could find of mohawk)

At around one and a half years, Johnny started to grow lots of hair and the longer it got, the curlier it got.  Now it is just a big wild mane that is a pain in the butt to rid of shampoo.  Johnny is a curl-twirler too and derives immense comfort from twirling his little locks when he is tired or upset.  That comfort, combined with our deep love of his curls, is the reason we have yet to give him his first haircut.  He is now two and a half, and his hair has a life of its own.  We know we should get it cut and we know that time is drawing near, but we stubbornly want it to stay cute and curly forever.  But alas, his hair has decided it is going to continue growing (why exactly it has decided to be difficult is beyond me), which means it gets longer and less curly as time goes on.  I had curls when I was his age too and then my hair went straight after being cut, so I'm pretty confident that after we cut his hair, he'll have straight hair too.  He won't look like my baby anymore; he'll look like a big boy.  I'm just not sure I'm ready for that yet.  Johnny's curls are the inspiration for the name of my blog too - what will be the point of that name after we cut his darling little curls off?

How exactly is one supposed to get the courage to start snipping away at the baby hair?  I honestly need some answers, because I'm quite tempted to let him have long hair and be a hippie child forever.  Which really wouldn't bother me, but I'm sure that certain family members of mine (ahem, my brother) will end up shaving my child's head in his sleep unbeknownst to me.  Well, until the next morning, which would be swiftly followed with a good tongue-lashing on said brother.  But, I digress.  Any mommys out there have any advice? 

Paninis & "Free Willy"

As I mentioned in a previous post, my wonderful husband bought me a Cuisinart Griddler Jr. for my birthday:

 

Yep, that is my beautiful grill/panini maker combo.  I can already tell you I am going to get a lot of use out of this brilliant kitchen gadget. :)  We made BLTs on foccacia bread and they were delicious!  We have wonderful plans to make panini sandwiches, since we love them so much and they are so easy to make at home now.  I will likely be posting panini recipes here and there when we find truly tasty ones.  

>Click here for photo origin<

Tonight we had a family movie night with Johnny and decided to watch Free Willy on Netflix Instant Watch on our computer.  It was definitely a great choice considering Johnny loves loves loves whales and has carried around little plastic whales obsessively on occasion.  I think his love of whales started with Finding Nemo.  Neither John nor myself had watched Free Willy  since we were a lot younger, but thought it would be fun to watch it again.  Johnny was mesmerized by Willy in the movie; he would pretty much get distracted and talk or play with toys during the parts that Willy wasn't in the movie, but once Willy was on the screen, it was complete and utter silence and a look of awe from my adorable little boy.  He would laugh when Willy would splash people, get concerned when he thought Willy was sad, and was just all around really awed by the movie.  Toward the end of the movie, Johnny was getting very sleepy, but he fought it until he saw Willy reunited with his mama and then his little eyes drifted close and he entered dreamland.  Maybe Johnny will be a marine biologist when he grows up?  That would be cool with me. :)  (As long as he specializes in whales, not sharks, because sharks are ridiculously scary - my dad had me watch Jaws at a young age to insure that I would gain a good & healthy fear of sharks, one he also shares.)

Eucerin Creme - My Hero

 

Winter is not our friend in this house.  For one, we're not big fans of the cold and snow.  Our hatred, however, stems in large part from what it does to our skin.  I am cursed with extra-sensitive skin, I married a guy with sensitive skin, and we produced a sensitive-skinned baby who also suffers from eczema.  For most of the year, my skin only suffers from products with too many chemicals or too much chlorine, etc.  Come winter, however, my hands get raw and chapped and they burn.  My poor baby boy has eczema flare-ups behind his knees, on the insides of his elbows, his cheeks, and random other little patches of skin on his legs or torso.  The only thing that brings relief to our skin ailments and helps them to heal faster is Eucerin Creme.  The Eucerin lotion is fine too, but the Eucerin Creme does a better job since it is thicker and doesn't soak into the skin too quickly.  In our household, Eucerin Creme is heralded as a hero, a healer, and a friend.  It comes and goes by the tub and leaves smiling people in its wake.  We love you Eucerin Creme and we would be lost without you.  (I was not paid to say this, nor have I ever even been asked to say nice things by anyone who works for Eucerin - I just decided to pay my dear friend some love since I have been spending quite a lot of time slathering it onto myself and my child the past few days.)

Happy Birthday John! :)

(August 2007)

First and foremost, today is John's birthday - Happy Birthday!!  John is an amazing husband and father.  Johnny and I love him so much, and we hope he is having a great birthday!  I am proud of my husband and how hard he works at school and work, and how many sacrifices he makes to be a loving husband and father.  I've grown up with John since I was twelve (though technically we've known each other since we were seven), and it is amazing to look back on the past eleven years and see how my adolescent male best friend turned into the man he is today - the man I love.  He is a good man who has big plans to try and make the world a better place through human rights and I love that he is filled with the light of Christ.  I can't wait to spend the rest of his birthdays with him!  And now that he is also twenty-three, he can stop calling me the "older woman".  I'm only 5 days older!!!!!!!  I love you, John, and I hope you enjoyed your birthday, even though you had to work.  You are my best friend - for now, and always.  :)

***

Johnny and I went on a playdate today while John was working.  We met up with Wemi and her boys again at an indoor play area (with dinosaurs) at a mall outside Denver.  It was the same indoor play area we played at when I first met Wemi after moving here.  Although this time, the drive on the freeway was a lot less adventurous - which is a good thing.  In my rush to get out the door on time this morning, however, I forgot to put my camera in my purse, so there are no pictures of our playdate.  We spent a total of 2 1/2 hours at the play area, with about twenty minutes or half an hour devoted to eating lunch.  Some other moms (from the Bowling MNO) - Jenny and Kristen - came halfway through the playdate with their little ones.  Johnny played really nicely even though it was really crowded.  He kept going up to the giant dinosaur climb-on toys and growling and talking to them - it was really cute.  :)  There were a couple of incidents: he fell off of one of the dinosaur toys because he was climbing up on top where you aren't supposed to with socks on; he used another little boys' head as leverage for climbing up something; and he made a five year old girl cry and throw a tantrum because he was staring at her plastic alligator toy.  Other than that, it was a really fun time and Johnny had a blast running around for a couple of hours.  He was also happy that he got some Panda Express chow mein noodles for lunch near the end too.  The most exciting part of the entire event, though, had to have been when we left and it took me half an hour to find my car in the cold.  Yep, I'm a dork.

 

 

For John's birthday dinner, I made spicy/mexican chicken drumsticks, per his request.  I got him a coconut creme pie for dessert, since that is his favorite.  Since I don't care for coconut creme pie and our plan to make chocolate fondue with fruit fell through on Valentine's Day, I also made that for dessert.  :)  John enjoyed his dinner and he said that he is enjoying his birthday as well...I just feel bad for him because he has had a lot of work and studying to do today.  

Mexican Drumsticks

   (as requested by Sasha)

Chicken drumsticks 

About 1/2 bottle of Ortega Taco Sauce

1 packet taco seasoning

{You can also make your own taco seasoning at home really easily or your own Ortega taco sauce which is mainly vinegar and chili sauce, etc.}

Preheat oven to 350*F.  

Arrange drumsticks on baking pan.

Sprinkle with seasoning mix - coat both sides well.

Bake 45 minutes - turn them over halfway through.

Remove from oven.

Place taco sauce in large mixing bowl. 

Add drumsticks and coat evenly.

{I find it is easier to pour sauce on each side and brush on evenly with grilling brush and then flip over and repeat.}

Replace on baking sheet.

Broil 4 minutes on each side or until crisp. 

{Don't skip the last step - it makes the drumsticks crispy and tasty rather than messy.}

Enjoy! 

Random

 

>Click here for photo origin<

Today I took some "me" time and went out with my friend Wemi (the mom from the zoo playdate earlier this week).  We met at the Cherry Creek Mall and went to the new movie Valentine's Day.  John was nice enough to not only watch Johnny for a couple of hours so I could go, but he also drove me to the mall and picked me up because of the snow.  :)  I love my husband.  The movie was really really good - I loved it!  All of the stories and characters were really well done and I think the movie did a great job of showing all facets of love, and realistic love at that.  The message of the movie could basically be characterized as "love comes in all packages and loving someone means loving them even when they aren't easy to love".  My favorite character/storyline in the movie was the one surrounding Julia Roberts.  When you see the movie, you will understand why - it is very touching.  All of the sub-plots were really wonderful, though.  I am really happy that I was able to go and watch this movie (the last time I went to a movie that wasn't the Princess & the Frog disaster outing was this last summer before we moved - for heaven's sake, I haven't even seen New Moon yet!) rather than waiting until it comes out on Netflix.  I wish I could have gone to the movies with John, but that isn't feasible right now since we have Johnny 24/7.  Once I got home I felt revitalized - very important when you are home with a two year old 24/7 and a great deal of that time is spent without your spouse.  I love my son dearly, but sometimes I just need some time to not have little hands grabbing at me or a small child throwing tantrums over something like mommy telling him not to climb precariously on top of furniture.  :)  

When I got home, Johnny was excited to see me and we played for a little bit before his nap.  Once it was time for nap, however, my sweet little boy turned into a monster.  He fought John and I for half an hour until he finally drifted off to sleep.  He is always a million times sweeter and more peaceful when he's asleep. Go figure.

John wanted me to take a picture of his little foot poking out of our comforter (it reminds me of his little infant baby feet):

 

The Terrible Two looking quite peaceful in slumber:

 

After Johnny was down for a nap, John and I decided to watch a couple of our Netflix movies.  The first move was called Local Color - a small independent film that we both enjoyed.  A lot of the principles I learned in a philosophy of art class I took at GU seemed to be incorporated into this story about a seasoned artist teaching a young man interested in learning to paint (based on a true story).  The second movie we watched was Fireproof - this was our third time watching this profoundly amazing movie, starring Kirk Cameron.  If you haven't watched this movie, you need to do it as soon as possible.  I think this sort of movie is what our country needs in terms of teaching people what true love is and what makes a strong and lasting marriage.  Love is a decision, not a feeling.  Whether you are single, happily married, in a difficult marriage, divorced, or whatever, you can learn important things about love from this movie.  The budget for this movie was not very big, so some of the acting in the movie is not the greatest, but the dialogue and the messages in the movie are very profound.  John and I went and saw this movie on its opening night in movie theaters and we loved it.  We have watched it on Netflix twice since then, and we hope to own it on DVD at some point as well. 

I also got my birthday gift from John today in the mail!  He wasn't supposed to get me a gift for my birthday, but the stinker did it anyway.  Luckily it was something he wanted too.  He bought me a Cuisinart Griddler Junior - now I can grill indoors and make paninis!!!  John and I love paninis, but had no way to really make them at home; nor did we have any way to grill anything, so this is the perfect multipurpose kitchen gadget for us.  We are very excited to use it for the first time! :) 

 

The following are pictures of some clothes I got for Johnny today at Gymboree after the movie and while I was waiting for John to come pick me up.  They had some great sales going on and some even better sales racks with last season's clothes being cycling out.  The reason I am posting these pictures is for two reasons: 1) they are so stinkin' cute, and 2) I got amazing deals on them, and I am really excited about that. :)  They also have this really adorable newsboy-cap that I want to get Johnny at some point this spring!

 

(The top left is a really nice knit zip-up sweater, the top right is a long-sleeved polo shirt, and the bottom is a long-sleeved onesie with penguins.  All of these were 60% off.)

 

(Little underwear for when we potty train Johnny & an adorable shirt. Also on sale.)

This was a nursing cover that I got for free through Udder Covers a month ago and finally got in the mail (only had to pay for S&H).  A great deal for something that we will definitely get some use out of with future children. :)  I didn't have one with Johnny and I remember how awful it was trying to breastfeed Johnny and keep a receiving blanket up where it would cover us discreetly.  Once I learn to use my sewing machine, I hope to make some other ones for myself, since they wouldn't be hard to make.

 

Johnny being adorable:

*On Thursday, Johnny was playing with two of his scary-looking dragons.  He was having them talk to each other and they each had their own gibberish voice - one was deeper and one higher.  Each one was talking and growling at each other and he'd open and close their mouths every now and then too.  It was really cute, but the sweetest part was when I was trying to figure out what they were talking about and realized that he was kept calling the bigger one "mama" and the little one "baby" (pronounced "bebe").  :)

*This morning John was putting trying to put Johnny's shoes on him.  While John was untying the shoes,  Johnny kept lifting his little feet up in the air one at a time and saying "bye-bye. byeeeee."  in a sweet voice over and over again to his feet until they went into their respective shoes.   He likes to say "bye" to anybody if they walk away from him or if people in a movie are leaving (he also likes to shush people too now, thanks to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), but this was the first time that he ever said "bye" to his feet before they went into their shoes.  Too cute for his own good?  I think so. :)

*This evening Johnny was sitting on his daddy's lap, when all of a sudden he put his two pointer fingers up against both sides of his forehead (like horns) and started wiggling his fingers wildly.  It was so random and hilarious that John and I burst out laughing.  We have no idea where he learned this or anything.  He has never done this before, but now if you put your fingers up to your forehead, he'll do it and wiggle his fingers.  Unless you take a camera out in an attempt to take a picture of it...then he'll scream and be stubborn and not do it until the camera goes back in its case.  *sigh*  

  

Flashback Friday: Soccer Team Sweethearts

I am participating in Flashback Friday again after a few weeks break.  If you would like to participate or visit the host of this awesome weekly event, then go on over to Christopher & Tia. :)  Tia: I know this week's theme is supposed to be pets, but other than a hedgehog named Elmer and some cats that lived with my grandparents, I haven't had any other pets and I don't think I have any pictures of any pets.  So, I'm forced to go in a different direction.

The following picture is of John and me on a soccer field in the spring of 1994 (we were seven) - it was referenced in a previous blog post about our love story:

 

Long story short: John moved to the small town I grew up in at the beginning of seventh grade and that is when we first met (or so we thought).  We became best friends, then high school sweethearts, and eventually husband & wife.  Two weeks before our wedding, we were at his parents' house going through boxes stuffed with random photos when I came across the picture above.  It is the craziest feeling to come across your face in a photo from twelve years before in a place you would never expect to see it.  Back when we were seven, John ended up staying temporarily with his grandparents, mom, and little brother for a couple of months in the next town over while his dad went to Indonesia to get settled into a new job and find a house for all of them.  During those couple of months, John ended up joining a soccer team with his cousin (who grew up in the same town I did).  It was the very same soccer team I was on, which we hadn't known until we found this picture.  The craziest part for both of us wasn't that we were on a soccer team together when we were seven and didn't know it (though that was pretty crazy too), but rather that the only picture that John's mom had in this box of him on this soccer team was the photo above.  The photo that only had him and me on a soccer field.  No other kids - just us.  We think that is pretty darn crazy that we didn't even know we knew each other five years before we met in the seventh grade, but were also captured on film together.  It was a very uplifting photo to find two weeks before our wedding.  We were already more than confident that we were meant to be together, but this photo was kind of like a little bonus or gift from God that made us smile, and continues to make us smile when we look at it. :)

 ***

On another note: we made Eggplant Parmesan tonight and it was delicious! :)  We got the recipe from our friend Kate from A Kate Day - she used to work at The Scoop; an awesome ice cream shop that my cousin and his wife own back home.  She is a really creative person, so if you have some time, check out her blog. :)  (Click on the link to see the recipe for the Eggplant Parmesan)  The picture below is our meal from tonight - my only suggestion would be to cut the rinds off or peel ahead of time, since the rind can get a little too chewy.  Other than that, it was really delicious.  

 

One last thing: "Aye 'oo" = "I love you" in Johnny-speak. :)  It's his new favorite phrase to say to me, which is ridiculously adorable!

***

***Title credit goes to John - he was pretty excited about it too. :)

A Boy in a Box

Apparently it is better to drink juice sitting in a box.  All the cool kids are doing it.

 

Can't you tell that he is thrilled to have pictures taken of him?  Well, in case you can't guess it, he is most definitely not thrilled about it.  He was chilling in his box drinking juice as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be doing.  I thought that it would be innocent and simple enough to take a picture of him in the box.  I was wrong.  As soon as the camera came out, he started shrieking and screaming and yelling at me in his own language.  I'm guessing I broke some sort of rule that you don't take pictures or interfere with a boy and his box?  Who knew?

Can you see the pleading in his eyes?  He is whining to his dad to get me to stop taking pictures of him and leave him alone...yeesh.  I ended up putting the camera away after this picture and he immediately commenced with drinking juice in his box.  Message received: mommy is not welcome to communicate in any way with said boy when he is in said box.  

 ***

On another note, we ended up going out to Red Robin for a birthday lunch/dinner (we went at 3pm - that's right, it's not just old people).  We really hardly ever eat out and the only reason we decided to eat out was that we had signed up for the Red Robin mailing list a while ago and they sent us coupons for a free entree on our birthdays.  We each got a coupon and had to use them within the next week, so we decided to use them together.  Our meals ended up being free, so all we had to pay for was drinks, the boy's meal, and a tip.  That's an awesome deal! :)  John had the guacamole burger (his favorite) and I had the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Burger (my favorite).  If there is a restaurant that you like and eat at occasionally, you could save money by signing up for their newsletter/eclub or knowing when is the best time to eat there.  Some restaurants, like Red Robin, give out coupons on birthdays for free dinners or desserts.  They will also mail you other coupons or promotional offers throughout the year.  Other restaurants offer free meals to kids on certain days of the week.  If you haven't looked into deals like these before, then maybe you should - there are good deals to be had.  :)  Since John's birthday is on Monday, it was a combined birthday celebration - we both had a lot of fun too!  Johnny especially had a lot of fun drinking most of mommy's milkshake and eating chicken strips and fries.  The only bad part of the outing was that it started snowing really hard while we were at the restaurant.  Good ol' Denver and its random weather...

My Birthday & Ash Wednesday

Yep, today is my birthday and Ash Wednesday.  Which means a birthday filled with fasting (one meal) and abstaining from meat.  At first I was a little bummed about this (nothing but water and no cake - are you kidding me?!), but after reflecting on Lent I'm not bummed about it anymore.  Lent is about focusing deeply and solely on God and humility - not selfish things like whether or not I can have cake on my actual birthday.  I can celebrate my birthday tomorrow; it is more important that I focus on God as much as I can.  Jesus has made bigger sacrifices than I have made.  So, yeah, it isn't the most ideal day to share with one's birthday, but I'm not bummed about it.  :)  I actually really like Lent - the way it brings people together as a community and the way it connects us to God on a deeper level, is so immensely beautiful.  I am looking forward to growing spiritually this Lenten season. 

This morning, John had school, so when I woke up he wasn't here.  John had stuck a birthday card inside my laptop though and this morning when I opened it up to check my e-mail, it fell out.  He went with romantic for the Valentine's card and for this one, he went for fun.  :)  

The card itself said:

Laugh so hard that you go into silent laugh mode.

And you come dangerously close to falling out of your chair, but you don't.

Happy Birthday.

That Happy.

John wrote:

Dear Jessica,

You are the only person who makes me laugh that much.  

I love you more than anything else in the world.  

You are the cheese to my quesadilla. 

I hope you have a great birthday and I can't wait to be with you for your next 23 years.

Love,

Your Hubby

John, I love you too.  Even though you're a bit of a dork. ;)

Johnny was a little grumpy today, but he did tell me he loved me ("I 'ov oo") after a giggle-fest resulting from a certain little boy's stinky feet and mommy gagging from them (pretend gagging - they weren't really stinky).  :)  I love my little boy!

Since it was Ash Wednesday today, we could only have one actual meal and it had to be meatless.  We made a broccoli, cauliflower, and cheese soup in the slow cooker and some homemade french bread with Italian seasoning and Parmesan sprinkled on top before baking.  The soup was pretty good but the bread was delicious!  

The Parmesan French Bread we made (missing a huge chunk from the middle since we decided to eat before I thought to take a picture): 

 

(Seriously, it looked a lot yummier in person - my camera didn't really capture a good picture of it)

Tomorrow we will be going out to dinner and celebrating my birthday with some sort of dessert item, since we couldn't do any of that today.  Though it wasn't extremely exciting, it was a great birthday because I spent it with my two favorite guys.  :)  Wow, 23.  Seriously, I don't feel any different than 22...in fact, I don't think I've noticed any real difference between ages since 20?  I don't know.  I guess I'm getting old and all of that.  :)   

A Zoo Playdate

Johnny and I went on a playdate to the Denver Zoo with my friend Wemi and her adorable little boys Isaiah and Elias this morning.  It was the last free day at the Denver Zoo until late next fall, so it was the perfect time to go.  This was only our second time visiting the Denver Zoo and this time was a lot less crowded.  The reason that it was less crowded was that it was very cold outside.  It was sunny outside and very deceiving because it was actually really frigid rather than warm.  Luckily we had warm clothes and there are some indoor areas in the zoo where you can warm up periodically and look at animals.  It wasn't too crowded while we were there, but when I got to my car to leave, there was a line of cars waiting for my parking spot and lots more cars pulling into the parking lot.  It was a fun playdate and I'm glad that Johnny and I got out of the house for a few hours while John was at school.  

This was Johnny at the entrance to the zoo:

 

 In front of the zebras when Johnny was still okay being in his stroller:

 

Isaiah (left) and Elias (right) in their wagon in front of the zebras - aren't they cute?:

 

All three of the boys together:

 

The polar bear!:

 

This was after Johnny refused to stay in his stroller and wanted to run around doing whatever he wanted to do (this usually meant not following mommy and just randomly going every which way):

 

Johnny and Isaiah were chasing after a peacock:

 

Johnny wouldn't stop chasing the peacock, even after Isaiah stopped:

 

The giraffes weren't in their enclosure when we first got there, but they were out when we went by the enclosure again:

 

The boys in front of a Hippo statue (it was extremely difficult to get all three of them to look at the camera at the same time):

 

Inside the rhino and hippo enclosure (we were trying to stay warm):

 

Isaiah and Johnny were eating organic gummy bear snacks together while we watched the hippo and the rhino:

 

Johnny in front of the hippo enclosure:

 

The elephants were only out for a short time - probably because of the cold:

 

Wemi and Elias walking - Elias was super mellow until the very end and then he wanted out of the wagon and to run around (he's really cute):

 

The souvenirs that I bought Johnny before we left the zoo - all of these were things that were on sale and super affordable! :)  Isaiah and Elias ended up getting the same shirts too!

The playdate was really a lot of fun, even though it was super cold.  I'm glad to be home drinking hot tea now though too. :)  We will be doing an indoor playdate at a mall next week, so hopefully that will go well like today!  The best part of today hands down was when we were looking at some of the animals and Johnny would look at them with big eyes and say "wowwww!".  I love my son. :)

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike!

(My Uncle Mike & Johnny - 4th of July 2008)

Today is my uncle Mike's birthday! Happy Birthday!!!!  I hope you had a really great day - and got cake. :)  

My uncle Mike and my dad were best friends growing up during their middle and high school years, and that was how my dad met my mom and fell in love with her.  Yep, my parents were the cliche of the older brother's best friend falling in love with the younger sister (but they are still happily married 23 - almost 24 - years later). :)  My uncle sported a pretty cool white guy afro in high school (hee hee) and ended up joining the army with my dad on the buddy system after high school (what a joke - you go in with your buddy, but they don't keep you together).  My uncle eventually ended up in the air force and has been in air force reserves for a long time.  He was stationed in Kuwait when I was in high school and then he went and served in Iraq only a couple of years ago.  My uncle has been part of my life for as long as I can remember - there are tons of pictures of him playing with me as a baby or a toddler (which I really should have uploaded for this post, but I didn't).  As long as I can remember, he has been a positive influence in my life.  He is a really good person and cares a great deal about family and friends.  He is one of the most organized people I have ever met (and I tend to think of myself as organized) and we always have really genuine and interesting conversations when we see each other.  He lives a few hours away from family right now, but visits every couple of months or so - usually for reserves.  He has a very beautiful and very smart daughter - Vivien - and he is a terrific dad. :) He works for a prison as a corrections officer and I can tell that he genuinely tries to help influence the people that come through to change their lives.  Mike is really into outdoor activities: hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.  I grew up looking up to my uncle and being awed by how compassionate and intelligent he was, and I continue to be inspired by him.  I love him very much and I hope that he had a great birthday like he deserves.  I'm sure all of the family agrees that he is an awesome uncle/son/brother/dad/friend and we all send our love to him on his special day!! :)  

Looking forward to seeing you again soon!!  Love you & Happy Birthday!!! :)

***{And just in case you missed it, I posted another blog post before this one that has updates from the past week and a half - so be sure to check that one out too after you read this post.}***

Epic Fail

So...I made promises to blog consistently a week and a half ago...for anyone who isn't brand new to this blog, then I'm sure you've noticed.  Epic fail.  I broke my promise to my parents, and I'm not really all that sad about it (I love you though!).  I do feel sad that I didn't find time to blog in a week and a half, but I've just been busy.  No more promises: I'll blog when I blog, and hopefully it will be more frequent, but I can't always guarantee it. :) 

The following are some highlights of the past week and a half...

We found this tool set on Craig's List for a great deal two weekends ago.  It came with a bunch of tools and this tool bench.  Johnny loves it! 

 

(Apparently it is not okay if I try to touch his tool bench.  Threat received.)

Super Bowl Sunday - John had to work, so it was just John and me.  I made spicy chicken drumsticks from scratch (recipe in future blog post) and baked football cupcakes.  Johnny ended up falling asleep about 30 seconds before kick-off and took his nap for pretty much the entire game.  I sort of watched the game as I did other stuff around the house, but wasn't really into it.  I was rooting for the New Orleans Saints, only because I felt like New Orleans as a city needed something uplifting like a Super Bowl victory.  Really, I wouldn't have cared who won in the end, but I was happy how it turned out.  The best part of the Super Bowl was after the game when Drew Brees was standing with his little boy and crying.  Hands down best moment - it was really neat to see him share that special moment with his son. :)

 

(Yummy!)

 

(Johnny devoured his cupcake in about 3 seconds.)

Last week we tried a different chicken pot pie recipe than the one we tried back in December.  I wanted something with a bit more crust and a little more traditional.  This one was a lot more work than the other one, since it was from scratch (we didn't use a purchased crust like the recipe called for but rather made a crust from scratch).  I liked this recipe; my only suggestion would be to skip the onions because they seem to be too overpowering for the entire dish.

 

Crust for Pot Pie

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t salt

2/3 cup shortening

8 T ice water

1. Mix 2 cups flour and salt with vegetable shortening.  Mix in 6-8 T ice water and stir until mixture forms a ball.  Divide ball in half.

2.  Using a rolling pin, roll one of the balls to fit the bottom and sides of 11 x 7 inch baking dish.  Roll out the other 1/2 of dough to form top crust.

3. Use this pie crust as directed for pot pie. 

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 lbs chicken pieces, skinned

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1 to 1 1/2 cups milk

3 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped (I'd skip this)

1 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and cauliflowers), thawed

1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 t dried parsley

1/2 t dried thyme

1 (9-inch) pie crust, at room temperature (or make your own)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1.  Combine chicken, broth, salt and pepper in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover; simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F).

2.  Remove chicken and let cool.  Pour remaining chicken broth mixture into large measuring cup.  let stand; spoon off fat.  Add enough milk to broth mixture to equal 2 1/2 cups.  Remove chicken from bones and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

3.  Melt butter in same saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and celery; cook and stir 3 minutes.  Stir in flour until well blended.  Gradually stir in broth mixture.  Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and boils.  Add chicken, vegetables, parsley and thyme.  Pour into deep 1 1/2 -quart casserole.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Roll out crust 1 inch larger than diameter of casserole on lightly floured surface.  Cut slits in crust to vent; place on top of casserole.  Roll edges and cut away extra dough; flute edges.  If desired, reroll scraps to cut into decorative designs; place on crust.  Brush with egg.  Bake about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

{Recipe from Favorite Brand Name Recipes: Best of the Best Chicken, p. 38}

This is my little grumpy boy one night before bedtime.  He was grumpy and not in the mood to have his picture taken.  But I did it anyway. :)

 

(Look at that adorable kid!)

Now, this next piece of information may make some of you squeamish, but if my husband can look at them without flinching and talk about them as if they are completely normal, then I don't really think it is that big of a deal. :)  Since we have been trying to live a more eco-friendly and natural lifestyle (making own laundry detergent, own deodorant, using vinegar & baking soda to clean, eating organic, switching to cloth paper towels, etc.), I have decided to extend that to other areas of our life as well.  Unfortunately when we had Johnny, we were too intimidated to use cloth diapers, but with our next child, we plan to use cloth diapers.  Disposable diapers are one of the leading contributors to landfills and they will be there for the next several thousand years.  This is also true for feminine hygiene products - disposable pads and tampons and the like.  I haven't really been feeling too great about contributing to this problem every month (and I'm not too hip on the irritants like bleach and chlorine that are in disposable diapers & feminine products), so I decided to research eco-friendly options.  

There are options like a Diva Cup, but I honestly didn't feel too comfortable with that option.  Instead, I felt drawn toward mama cloth - basically a reusable and washable cloth version of pads.  You can get them with wings, without wings, with velcro or snaps, for heavier periods, for lighter periods, organic fabric or regular fabric, all different designs.  After researching about mama cloth, hearing wonderful reviews from lots of other moms who use them, and knowing my own preferences, I decided to purchase some of them.  I ended up purchasing six of them from an etsy shop - Naturally Hip - and I felt good buying them from her since she is a mom who makes them handmade at home.  Once I learn to use my sewing machine at any sort of reasonable level, I hope to make my own mama cloth, but for now these are affordable and I'm saving tons of money in the long run by ditching the disposables.  :)

  

(Brand new & looking beautiful! :))

Valentine's Day was a really good day. :)  We went to mass in the morning and Johnny was a total brat, but he didn't care because he got a balloon from someone at the church (gee, thanks for rewarding my son who was misbehaving)!

 

(Our new kitchen island is behind Johnny - better pictures to come soon!)

Johnny gave his best friend Gator a lot of loving on Valentine's Day too. :)  It was really cute.  And yes, we do plan to cut Johnny's curls soon - they are getting to be a little long.  :( 

 

(He was making Gator do acrobatics)

John was an amazing husband and surprised me with a bunch of little gifts!  I was genuinely surprised and I thought it was cute how romantic John was being for me yesterday. :)  He brought me a Starbucks Caramel Latte home, a rose, a Valentine's Starbucks mug, a really sweet card, Burt's Bees chapsticks, some candy, a rainbow assortment of Sharpie markers, and some cool pens (I love school supplies - my husband knows me so well!). 

 

(I love my husband.)

John has given me lots of cards and love letters throughout our years together.  I have them compiled in scrapbooks from our dating and engagement years.  Yesterday he gave me another really sweet card to add to my scrapbooks.  The card itself said:

For My Wonderful Wife

"You are the best part of the best years of my life."

If someone were to ask me

what a perfect day would be,

I wouldn't think of places 

that have lovely sights to see,

I wouldn't wish for sunny skies

or special things to do,

For I'd just want to have a day

that I could spend with you...

And if someone were to ask me

what would make a perfect life,

I'd simply say, "I have that," 

for I have you for my wife.

Happy Valentine's Day 

with all my love

What John wrote in the card was even sweeter:

To my best friend,

I love you with all of my heart.  You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I don't know where my life would be without you in it, but I know that there would be a void that only you could fill.  You are so beautiful, so smart, and so incredibly amazing.  You truly are the love of my life.  I can't wait to spend forever with you.  

Love, John

Sweet, huh?  I love my husband! :)  

Here is what the envelope to the card said:

 

(He's a dork, but I love him. :))

These were the Valentine's themed window clings we put on our patio window (I really didn't do all that much decorating for the holiday this year, which is kind of lame, but I just never really found the time):

 

Unfortunately, John got called into work at the last minute.  He left at 3pm so he could work from 4-8pm and didn't get home until after 8:30pm.  He initially was supposed to work during that time, but at his work, if you are calling in sick, then you have to find someone to switch shifts or take your shift for you.  A girl called in sick at the last minute on Saturday and John took her shift and the agreement was that they would just switch shifts rather than John taking her shift and her losing out on hours.  It was all nice and dandy until the girl called in sick on Valentine's Day too, only an hour before the shift started.  Needless to say, there was no one to fill that position, so John felt obligated to take it.  He felt really bad that he had to go into work on Valentine's Day, especially when we had plans to make dinner together.  It totally wasn't his fault and I wasn't upset or anything - a little disappointed, yes, but not upset.  I was aggravated with the girl, not my wonderful husband. 

For dinner, we had a pork roast in the slow cooker all day, and then we shredded it and cooked it with BBQ sauce.  This is what we normally do for BBQ pork sandwiches, but this time we used the shredded BBQ pork on pizza instead.  This BBQ Pork pizza was the first thing I ever cooked for John - it was back when we were dating and he loved it!  The saying that the "quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is incredibly true. :)  On that date, I made a BBQ Pork pizza with jalapenos, a spinach salad with honey mustard dressing, chocolate covered strawberries, and sparkling cider (the most random and eclectic menu, I realize).  I remember chopping up a jalapeno and having my eyes burned out of my skull when I accidentally touched my eyes.  I decided to recreate this meal for Valentine's Day - I succeeded with the pizza, but we bought the wrong chocolate for our fondue pot, so we weren't able to make chocolate covered strawberries (I was pretty bummed about that).  We'll probably do them later this week.  

Here is the finished pizza (my half doesn't have jalapenos - I don't do spicy) - very tasty, though a little odd-shaped:

  

 

BBQ Pork & Jalapeno Pizza

1. Cook a boneless shoulder pork roast (with all fat trimmed beforehand) in the slow cooker by itself for 5 - 6 hours on HIGH or 8 - 10 hrs on LOW .  Take out of slow cooker, shred, drain liquid out of slow cooker, return to slow cooker, add 1/2 bottle of favorite BBQ sauce to cover, and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.  Cook on HIGH for 1 hr or LOW 2 hrs. 

2.  At this point, you could use the BBQ pork for sandwiches (this is what we usually do - Johnny's favorite dinner).  For this though, you'll use enough to cover the pizza and put leftovers in the fridge for pork sandwiches as leftovers. :)

3.  Make a homemade pizza crust (we have one we really like, but I'll share that in another blog post) or buy one of the pre-made pizza crusts.

4.  Layer the BBQ shredded pork on the pizza crust. 

5.  Follow with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

6.  Top with sliced jalapenos (I recommend removing the seeds from the jalapeno before slicing - most of the heat is in the seeds).

7.  Bake for the normal time for your pizza crust recipe.

8. Enjoy!

***  

That was the past week and a half in an abridged version.  Again, I apologize for the lapse in blogging on my part.  I will try to do better.  :)  I hope everyone had a wonderful Super Bowl/Valentine's Day/President's Day!! Love to all!