Sunday, March 11, 2012

Spring Seedlings

I have been fighting the urge to move! Of course, I am not going to right now, but there is just something about moving that I love. It sure isn't the packing and actual MOVING part! It is the feeling of starting fresh. The feeling that everything can be new (even if it isn't). Maybe it is because Spring is around the corner and that always makes me want to clean and organize. I like change (for the most part). I like something different when I am bored with routine (which happens more than it should). I like to re-arrange, I do it often. Right now I want to get new furniture, change my curtains, buy new rugs, and paint! I can guarantee none of the above will happen any time soon! So....to curb the urge, I decided to buy seeds (you can see the connection, right? Right??). Every year at this time, I wish that my black thumb will turn green. Here they are:



I planted lavender, cilantro, rosemary, spearmint, sage (I think), cat grass (I will be sorry), basil, and some more lavender (did I mention that I LOVE lavender!!). I usually get so excited about the prospect of flavorful and wonderful-smelling herbs that I plant them way too soon, and then they die (enter black thumb). Hopefully that will not happen this year! I also got a few vegetable seeds, however I will wait to plant them in a few weeks. So, I hope all goes well and it curbs my desire to redecorate (or move!) and I can have a beautiful patio garden shortly!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

[My Superstar]

Another weekend flying by! Mason had basketball today, the game was to finish up the tournament from last weekend (and before we start another one next weekend!), then regular scheduled games tomorrow! However.....



Mason's team won the tournament!! Yay! This is the first basketball trophy Mason has ever gotten. It will fit nicely with all his baseball and football ones :) WAY TO GO, MASON!! (I wish his hair wasn't so sloppy!!)

In between flea marketing and spray painting a project today, I found time to make my homemade yogurt cups:



Every morning I eat toast and a yogurt cup. Chobani yogurt is, by far, the world's best yogurt! I love their unique flavors and the thick, creamy, greek yogurt is hard to beat. It puts all other yogurts to shame (they really should be embarrassed of themselves). But (and it's a BIG but), the cost of such indulgence is adding up. At $1.29 a cup, I can easily spend $10-15 a week on yogurt!! I compromised, since I know I won't go without Chobani yogurt. I bought a large container of the plain (still $5.24 ON SALE) and made my own. I can stretch it out to get about 7 cups of yogurt and that equals out to, roughly, .75 cents a cup. I did not include the toppings, though. This week it is homemade canned plums and peaches made from someone that I hope will teach me how to can!! I love the peaches, but the plums are to die for delicious!! It is a perfect mix of sweet, melt-in-your-mouth plums with tangy yogurt. YUM! I mixed in some Chia seeds and sliced almonds. The Chia seeds will soak up all the extra juices and make it extra creamy. I almost can't wait until morning! Of course, I have to counter the healthy food. I made chocolate covered strawberries today and Mason and I can't stop eating them!!

Kale. Kale. Kale. I was on a kick early this year, drinking Kale smoothies everyday. Then it went to every other day. Then it stopped. I had an entire (huge) bag of kale in my fridge that I didn't want to go bad, so I decided to add kale to every single dish that I made. Then I made a smoothie that, well, was a little "kale-chunky." That made me not want another one FOR A LONG TIME. I am going to be honest, I was Kaled-out. I stopped eating it for a couple of weeks and then I broke down and bought another (smaller) bunch. It sat in my fridge for a couple of days just begging to be eaten in some form. So, here is what I did:



Kale Crisps!!! OMGosh, run to the nearest kale-selling store and grab a bunch! It is soooo good, you will NOT be sorry!! Slice it off the rib(?), toss it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Let it bask in a 425 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes (until the edges are brown-black). Pull it out of the oven and crunch away. It takes on an entirely different taste, I couldn't believe it! You have to try it!

I will leave you today with the stunning beauty of my child on his way to take Baileigh outside:



Can you imagine what the neighbors think??

Saturday, March 03, 2012

File This: Saturday

Hello on this beautiful and very windy Saturday afternoon! It is very quiet right now, but that wasn't the case about 12 hours ago! Mason had a couple of friends over and one spent the night. One would think it would only be 11 year old little girls who giggle and carry on, but not so! We had some things to do today, so I woke them up to Cinnamon Roll pancakes! I saw this recipe posted the other day online and thought it sounded delish! The smell alone was enough to make you want to eat the entire recipe! I am not too big on pancakes, so I didn't plan to eat any, just make them for Mason and his friend. I try to avoid eating white flour whenever possible because we all know that white flour is the devil



and very unhealthy. However, I could NOT resist one (or two) of these pancakes! I ended up burning myself but it was all worth it when I heard, "Thanks, these were really good, I should stay here more often" from Mason's friend!! Just take a look:



I didn't get a chance to get an "after" photo because they were all gobbled up! This will definitely be a keeper!

Since Mason had friends over, he requests "party food". Pizza, chips, etc. I usually don't keep potato chips in the house because, well, I love potato chips! As Mason was snoozing on the couch this afternoon due to lack of sleep, I decided to grab a few handfuls of chips and check Facebook. This is what I found:

And this one I like to file under the, "Awww" category:



A potato chip heart!
Now this one, I like to file under the, "I swear I didn't alter this potato chip" category:



HOW COOL IS THIS!! A perfect "M":



Since I am apparently "filing" everything today, this goes under the, "REALLY??, REALLLLLY??" file:



It is a state-of-the-art ice cube maker. Info, in case you are interested. Apparently ice is a problem when drinking fine alcohol. Priced at $800, yep....$800. I have a better solution. If your party guests complain that their Scotch is a bit diluted, perhaps you could tell them, kindly, to drink it a little faster (or just pour in more alcohol!). Wow, I guess some people really have it rough...

Finally, have you seen the prices of frozen Blackberries?? Unreal. $4.50 for the generic, 3 serving bag? Blackberries are the foundation for my smoothies and oatmeal breakfasts, but not at that price. I was so bummed when I went shopping and saw that price tag, no thank you.