Does Your Husband Dress Like This?

Seriously. Can you believe this shirt? Steve wears it all the time. In public. I'm not kidding, although I wish I was. He will proudly tell you that it is over 15 years old (obviously). Since Steve spends the majority of his waking moments in an Army uniform, I try not to tell him what to wear on the weekends. However, I think this shirt may be mysteriously vanishing in the very near future. If anyone knows where I can find a vintage Patagonia canvas shirt (in better condition than this one, of course), call me. Stat!

Meet Terri

This is my dear friend, Terri. We met almost two years ago, at a toddler music class at our local library. We had been sitting next to each other for many weeks, but for whatever reason, had kept to ourselves. Our boys had other plans though - - they loved to dance with each other and horse around every Tuesday, and finally one day, we struck up a conversation. The rest, as they say, is history.

Terri came into my life at a time when I had a new baby, hadn't quite adjusted to being a full-time, stay-at-home mother, and frankly, was feeling pretty blue. I like to think of it as divine intervention of some sort! Terri is always there for me, even though she is a busy, homeschooling mother of 3 boys, not to mention, an avid gardener, farmer (she raises goats and cows), and devoted wife to her beloved Stevan. She is wise beyond her years (I could almost be her mother, if you must know...I said almost) and has a heart as big as they come. I feel so very lucky to call her my friend.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today, my father is celebrating the 68th anniversary of his birth, on the beaches of St. Maarten in the northern Antilles. Dad, I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, and happy day! We love you and miss you more than you can possibly imagine. Happy, happy Birthday!

Chocolate Cream Pie

My sister-in-law Kasey's mother, Candy, makes the best chocolate cream pie in the world. After you eat a piece of it, you literally want to curl up into a ball and die from pure joy - - it is that good. Not only is she a wonderful cook, but she is also a wonderful person. She has always welcomed Steve, the boys and I into her family here in Idaho, and it means so much to us. One of my favorite memories is when Candy had made one of her delectable pies, and decorated the top with mini-chocolate chips. Camden wanted to pick all of the chocolate chips off the top of the entire pie and eat them, and Candy happily obliged, because that is just the kind of lady she is. We love you, Candy!

I do not have a copy of Candy's famous recipe, but I wanted to make a chocolate cream pie in the worst way yesterday, so I perused Epicurious to see what I could come up with. I settled on this recipe, and got to work. The recipe calls for a chocolate wafer cookie crust, but Candy uses a pastry crust for her pie, so I did the same. Personally, I prefer a pastry crust for a cream pie. I should tell you, making this pie is not like using a box of Jello pudding. It takes some effort, and some prep work. I promise you though, once you make a chocolate cream pie from scratch, you will never go back. The result was a rich, dense, chocolaty slice of yumminess. Not quite as good as Candy's pie, but I wasn't silly enough to expect to come close to her masterpiece. I feel the need to implore - - if you are going to go through all the trouble of making your chocolate cream filling from scratch, please, for the love of all things holy, don't spread Cool Whip over the top. Whip up some heavy cream and a bit of sugar, and do this right!

Life Is Good

Here we are, on the eve of yet another Friday, and I'm not quite sure where my week has gone. I had so many people tell me, when I was getting ready to become a stay-at-home mother, that the days would d-r-a-g by, that I would go insane with the boredom of it all. It has been nearly 2 1/2 years, and I can't say that I've been bored yet. Caring for two little boys, my husband, and taking care of my household keeps me busier than I could have ever imagined. Yes, it is challenging at times, but I feel so thankful that I am at home. If, for some reason, I found out I had to go back to work tomorrow, I think I would break out into a cold sweat. Now, I am off to spend some time with Steve, because it seems the boys are actually staying in bed tonight.

The Benefits of Having an Older Brother

Over the weekend, the boys and I were in the car at some point. As I approached a stop sign, Griffin exclaimed from the back seat, "Look, Mummy! An octagon!" I had to ask him to repeat himself because I couldn't really believe my ears. That's when Camden piped up and said, "He's telling you the stop sign is an octagon, Mummy. He learned that from me."

Smartypants.

The best part was when I relayed the story to Steve, and he said, "A stop sign is a hexagon, though." Then I reminded Steve that a stop sign is 8-sided, therefore it is in fact, an octagon. Clearly, the children get their brains from their mother.

Good News All Over

I had no intention of posting anything until Monday (see yesterday's entry!), but was very happy to see this today. Pretty amazing stuff. And don't even get me started on Chesley Sullenberger...

My Brain Hurts

I have had the worst case of blogger's block, pretty much since Christmas. This week, I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the inversion. We've been trapped in a foggy, gloomy, cold-to-the-bone mess all week, and it makes me want to curl up into a ball and not move until summer. Steve has been away since last Friday, which also means I haven't been getting a lot of sleep (little boys who miss their Daddy seem to take forever to get to bed at night, and then they like to wake up at alternating times throughout the night, it seems). Steve returns from Hawaii tomorrow morning, so I'm going to take the weekend to try and get myself some vitamin D, organize my thoughts, and get back to regular blogging , come Monday. My apologies for being so incredibly boring these past few weeks.

Muffin Tin Monday (Theme: Royalty)

Today's theme is "Royalty", so I went to our bookshelf for a bit of inspiration, and found it in George and the Dragon:

The boys donned their crowns, and were ready to eat. We have a peanut butter and honey sandwich (shaped like a crown), a dragon's egg, cannon balls (malted milk balls), a cheese sword, and some trees from the Enchanted Forest. Last, but not least, we had to drink our milk from a Royal Tea Cup. This was a big hit with my little guys today! Midway through lunch, Griffin said, "Mummy! I need more tea, please!"


Head on over to Her Cup Overfloweth to see more Muffin Tins!

Sunday Sweetness

Yum. I love warm cinnamon buns on a lazy, chilly Sunday morning. They smell so good while they are baking, and taste so wonderful. The best part about fresh cinnamon buns is that they never taste the same, once they cool, so you really have to eat them all while they are warm. I made a batch for the boys this morning, but I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to measure, mix, and such. I went down to my pantry and grabbed this:

Love it. I am going to make sure that my pantry is never without a box or two from now on. Very inexpensive, quick, and delicious. While I'm sure that cinnamon buns from scratch aren't rocket science, I'm going to stick with these, thank you very much.

Right after I snapped this photo, I got one very sticky, very cinnamon-y kiss from my Griff. Good stuff.

The Binky Fairy

So I mentioned to Griffin a couple of days ago that the "Binky Fairy" would be visiting our home soon. I explained to him that he is a big boy now, and that a new baby will need his binkies, so it is time to get rid of them. Camden was way more addicted to his Binky than Griffin is, and this little scenario worked like a charm with Camden. I think he asked for his Binky (which he called "Big Red", by the way) once, and then moved on with his life. Alas, Griffin is not his brother. I don't know how many times over the past 48 hours the poor boy has asked, in his teeny-tiny little voice, "Mummy, is the Binky Lady coming to take my Binky today?" or, "Where are my Binkies? Can I have them?" I finally broke down today and reassured him that his beloved binkies were not going anywhere right now, and that he could chill. I think I will just have to resort to a stealth, unannounced, middle-of-the-night disposal of all binkies. The kid has them hidden all over the house though, so it may take a few months.

Steve Goes Skiing

Steve went on a little adventure yesterday, to Craters of the Moon National Monument. He spent 7 hours driving (round trip) for 2 hours of skiing, which would have made me a little crazy (because I am impatient like that), but for Steve it was a perfect day. He enjoys solitude, long drives, and loves cross-country skiing -- he did the 7 mile snow loop, and got some lovely photos.

Chilly!

Take a moment to read about Craters of the Moon...a really interesting place in Idaho.

Happy New Year!

I'm in a bit of denial that it is now 2009 ~ I'm still trying to figure out how 2008 sped by so quickly. I spent some time today, like a lot of people, thinking about the past year, and then I spend some time thinking about the past few years. I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, and I'm not necessarily making any this year. I am, however, going to try really hard to live my life differently. Okay, so I suppose that is a resolution of sorts. My thoughts are simple - - I plan to start putting some of the same effort toward caring for myself, in the manner that I care for my husband and children every day. I'm going to make an effort to explore my own interests. I'm going to try not to expect so much from myself. As far as self-care goes, the past couple of years have shown me that I am not getting any younger. I see it in the mirror, I feel it in my body, and I don't like it! Much to do. I'm looking forward to a happy, challenging, & healthful 2009, and I wish the same for you.