sheesh

Isn't it still early May? It's been in the mid-80s all week. I didn't mind too much, since Peanut and I just holed up in our house with the curtains drawn and the air conditioning on. But today I had to plant some of our gardens. And scrub the front door and scrape all the paint / caulk off the trim, as Mister's planning on painting it tomorrow. It should go from really dirty taupe to cranberry. Whoa. Big difference. And if the trim goes from really dirty taupe to a nice cream, then it'll be even better. Add a new mailbox to that, and *presto-change-o* you have an instant face-lift.

We'll see if it all gets done tomorrow! I may even post a picture. But not a before. That's too depressing. :o)

The gardens look nice, though. Last year I balked at planting petunias, since everyone in our town plants them. They do very well in this climate, and turn into lush cascades of flowers. But I wanted to be original. I had the coolest looking gardens, but Mister asked why we didn't do the "overflowing flowers" like everyone else has. Turns out he just thinks those are great. So this year, we have tons of petunias planted. Gotta make him happy! But I added even more lavendar to my gardens. I love lavendar. And I planted an herb garden in a funky pot on my deck. I'm excited - walk out the dining room and grab some sun-warmed herbs for summer cookin? ::swoon::

Okay. Peanut's stirring and I should go rinse down the front door one more time. Talk to you later!

tackle it tuesday

Sheesh. Today's list is a little long, but hey...

• make another ring sling to send out
• package and mail the sling
  
• go shopping for quite a long list
• email somebody about something
• shower (hey when you've got a little one, it has to go on the list, otherwise it won't happen!)
• re-organize my fabric stash (I bought more)
• clean out basement closet (we're having a garage sale soon)
• work on editing video for my sister-in-law

Edited: We're teething today. Meltdown Mania. My normally perfect child (no joke, you think I'm kidding!) has had a very rough day. I don't know if I'll get out to run my errands...

Edited Again: Here's a picture of the latest ring sling that got sent out:

everyday design

so my design is cool. not fabulous, but i like it. it's simplistic.

BUT. everyday mommy is giving away a design for mother's day. i'm swooning. she does GREAT work. that would make me feel a little more like a grownup blogger, and not the baby blogger that i really still am... :)

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan for Week of May 7:
Monday:
breakfast - salsa eggs, bacon and fruit
lunch - leftover brats and pasta salad
dinner - tuna mac and broccoli

Tuesday:
breakfast - choc. chip pancakes, bacon, grapefruit
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - grilled chicken and pasta

Wednesday:
breakfast - scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, bacon
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - fish tacos

Thursday:
breakfast - oatmeal and grapefruit
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - gyros, homemade pitas, cuke salad

Friday:
breakfast - poached eggs on toast, bacon and fruit
lunch - leftovers
dinner - taking Mister out to celebrate the completion of his MBA

Saturday:
breakfast - omelets and coffeecake
lunch - ??
dinner - ??

Sunday:
breakfast - muffins
lunch - Mister is taking me out for brunch!
dinner - cheese & crackers, fruit, popcorn

pina colada pancakes and what-not

Hey, y'all! Missed me? I didn't realize that it had been almost a week since I'd posted last. It's been a little crazy around here. I broke a toe last week by dropping a colander on it. I know, I know. Who drops a colander on their toes, and who has a heavy enough one to do any damage? ME! Then the car was in the shop for a couple of days. Some of my non-SAHM friends just shrugged that off saying, "well, you're home anyway, why would it matter if the car is in the shop?"

Oh, but it does matter. You can't do the weekly library run, the grocery store run, etc. Peanut had developed a horribly red bottom due to the detergent I was washing her cloth diapers in, and so I was stuck at home without a way to go get her new detergent, or even some Huggies to hold her over... And my toe was broken, so even if I hadn't left the stroller in the car when we took the car in, I still couldn't have walked to the grocery store with her.

But. The foot is much better. The car is back. It's a bright sunny day, and her bottom is healed. Life is back to stable.

Last week, I had listed pina colada pancakes in my meal plan, and had been asked for the recipe. I waited this long to respond because there's only one slight problem when people ask me for recipes. I don't use recipes if I'm cooking. If I'm baking, I do, unless it's something like apple crisp where it's very flexible. So. Here's my pina colada pancake non-recipe:

Pina Colada Pancakes
pancake mix - the add water only type
canned pineapple - either the crushed or the tidbits
coconut - either sweetened or unsweetened works
coconut extract
water

Dump an appropriate amount of pancake mix into a bowl. I like the add-water-only type because if I'm out of eggs and milk, I can still make pancakes. Toss in some canned pineapple. If I'm making these for just Mister and I, then I use 1/2 a can and save the rest for another day. Make sure you put that nice pineapple juice in there, too, as that adds a touch more sweetness. Toss in some coconut. How much? I like to have that extra texture in every bite, so I use a good bit. Drizzle in a few drops of coconut extract. Add water until it's all at the proper consistency. Fry 'em up on a griddle and enjoy with maple syrup.

See what I mean? That's an awful recipe to follow if you like to measure out the 1/8 teaspoon salt when recipes call for that. This is a family trend - my Nana (great-grandmother) used to give people recipes with a "glop" of this or a "gurgle of oil..." My mom's the same way, but at least she will take the time to figure out a recipe before giving it to someone. Good luck following it - they really are the best pancakes I make. My repetoire consists of banana nut, apple, blueberry, pumpkin, multi grain, banana chocolate chip (another favorite), pina colada.... um... those are the regulars, but Mister loooooves my pina colada pancakes!

AI - top 6 - Bon Jovi style

What a fun night! I was only able to see the middle four contestants as I was finishing dinner during Phil and changing Peanut during Melinda... but here's some thoughts, anyway!

Phil - “Blaze of Glory” - Hmm. The recap looked really good. Wish I'd seen it. I voted for him anyway - 'cause I think he's been getting better and better lately...

Jordin - “Livin’ On A Prayer” - The Diana Ross look was kickin'. I thought she did better than the judges thought, but then again, I'm a Jordin fan. :o) I've had it in my head for the rest of the night, so it must have been pretty good!

LaKisha - “This Ain’t A Love Song” - Dude. Did she kiss Simon? Whoa. Points for that! I thought she was good - but I didn't think she was as great as the judges thought. But the audience loved it, so hey, I think she comes across in person better than on TV - I've thought that before with her.

Blake - “You Give Love A Bad Name” - Jaw drop. SO COOL. Glad he busted out the originality - he needed that to stay in the game. He's been so bland the last few weeks, so this was a fun surprise. Way cool. I voted a LOT for him tonight.

Chris - “Wanted: Dead or Alive” - Eh. Okay. Ever since Simon said he sings nasally, he's been really good about singing normally, which is better... but I don't think he'll make it much further.

Melinda - “Have A Nice Day” - Missed it. But really? I'm sure she was fabulous.

Who should go? - Chris. Probably LaKisha.

Best of the night? - Blake. Hard to say who was next 'cause I missed two! ARGH! Must have dinner ready before 7:00 next week.

my "first" Mother's Day

I was pregnant with Peanut last Mother's Day, but this will be my very first get-to-snuggle-a-baby on Mother's Day experience...

And in honor of that, 5 minutes for Mom is hosting some freakishly awesome contests. Don't know what all is on the agenda, but the iPod? :swoon:

Really. It's all in honor of me. Or the 2-point-something billion other moms out there....