Pepper Ring Fried Eggs

If there is one thing I love, its peppers. I could eat them on or with anything. I saw this recipe and just HAD to try it out. Delish!

You can really cook your egg inside any way you want, scramble it before pouring if you don't like yolk.

INGREDIENTS:

Eggs

Bell Peppers-any kind

Oil or Grease for frying

Salt/Pepper to taste.

Heat your oil on medium-low heat. Slice your bell pepper to desired thickness, trying to keep it as even as possible. Fry the peppers a couple minutes on both sides. Crack your egg or pour from a cup into your pepper rings and cook to your liking. You can flip it if you want, or cover with a lid to get the yolk the way you like it. 

Super Easy.

Super Yummy.

Enjoy!

:-)

Too Sick To Clean

Haha!! I love this idea! Why didn't I think of this?

Today I woke up feeling pretty icky. Flu-ish. I don't have any "get well" cards handy, unfortunately, so what did I do instead? Cleaned like a psycho just in case my condition worsened. Yep. In my defense, I would really hate it if I got even more sick and felt I had to clean the house after the little tornado I call a child gets through with it. 

I am really craving some chicken noodle soup today, but my husband doesn't love soup. Instead, I am going to give little mini chicken pot pies a try today. That might help me feel better! Stay tuned for the recipe! ;-)

Fully Loaded Guacamole

What could be better on fajita or taco night then a freshly made bowl of guacamole?! Nothing! That's what! Oh how I wanted to eat the whole bowl all by myself before the husband got home. I mean, It WAS right before dinner time. That might have been ok. 

There is no other way to eat guacamole. Make it fresh! It's SOooo much better. 

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients:

4 Avocados- Halved and pits removed.

2 tbsp fresh Cilantro -Give or take**

1 Tomato

1/2 Onion or 1/4 Red Onion- Finely Diced

1tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Jalapeno- Seeded and Ribs removed- Finely Diced

1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp Lime Juice (half lime)

Salt and Pepper to taste.

**I say give or take on the Cilantro because it has a strong flavor. I don't put too much in mine.

Directions:

Slightly mash your avocado's in a medium sized mixing bowl, just enough to break them up a bit. Chop up your cilantro and toss that in the bowl. Cut your tomato to preferred size and toss that in. Now add in your onion, garlic, jalapeno, oil, lime juice and salt and pepper. Mix gently but enough to really incorporate everything together. 

Serve with tortilla or pita chips or refrigerate asap. 

****

Other Possible Additions:

BACON-Who knew?! 

Black Olives

Feta Cheese

Corn

Green Onions

Etc...

The list literally goes on and on and on...

ENJOY!

Family Chore Chart

Unfortunately I do not have step by step pictures as this is an older project of mine.

I absolutely love this. My kids aren't quite big enough for this one yet, but I will make myself one in the future. I made this one for my sister and her beautiful little family. 

Super easy to do. I bought the wood piece at Hobby Lobby along with some cute stencils and colorful card stock. Picked up some small hooks, and got to work! (I already had paint)

I first painted the whole thing, then I stenciled on the letters and gave them a "shadowed" look, hand painted the small ones, and put my hooks on. This MAYBE took me one day to complete. Super cute gift!

Spinach & Pepper Jack Stuffed Pork Chops

We absolutely loved this recipe. I rolled mine, but you can fillet them and leave three sides on like a "pocket"and stuff them that way as well. I did not have that option as I took mine off of the bone and they were pretty small. The cheese would stay in much better if you fillet a "pocket"into your chops.

Ingredients:

4 Pork Chops

2 Cups Fresh Spinach

2-4 oz Pepper Jack Cheese

1 Egg- Beaten

1 Container French's French Fried Onions-crushed

Season to taste. 

*I rubbed mine down with barbecue maple rub before stuffing*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. 

On a cutting board, fillet your pork chops. Cut a "pocket" to stuff or fillet all the way to one end for the roll. Place your spinach on/in the pork chop first. Then crumble your pepper jack and add that. If you made the pocket cut, you can try covering the opening with a bit more spinach to keep the cheese in better as it cooks. Roll your pork chop if you cut it the long way. 

Dip each stuffed pork chop into your egg and fully cover with your fried onion crumbles and place on a sprayed/greased baking sheet. 

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

** Keep in mind, you can coat these with any kind of breading you choose and also switch out the cheese for your favorite kind as well! I'm just super duper obsessed with french fried onions. 

YUMM-alicious! 

Serve hot and enjoy! 

Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Red Potatoes

These are so quick to prepare and will impress anyone. (Yes, even your really picky husband!) Chop, coat and bake. It doesn't get any easier than this. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb Red Potatoes (or baby reds)

3 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

3 tsp Garlic powder

(Can use 1 tbsp Minced Garlic instead)

Salt/Pepper to taste.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425

Cut your potatoes into cubes, approximately 1 inch pieces. In a large bowl, add your olive oil, and minced garlic. (If using) Mix the potatoes around in the bowl until evenly coated with oil. 

On a baking sheet or pan, spread the potatoes out and season them with your garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

Bake potatoes for 25 minutes or until they soft. Take them out, flip them with a spatula and sprinkle on your parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 more minutes. Serve hot.

Double Banana & Blackberry Smoothie

What's better than a banana in your smoothie?

Two Bananas!

This was one delicious, vitamin packed lunch for me. 

I always put spinach and an avocado into my smoothies to pack in some extra vitamins.

Ingredients:

2 Bananas

1 Avocado (cut and scooped out)

1 C. Blackberries

1 C. Plain nonfat yogurt

1 C Juice-any kind

2 C Spinach

1 C. Ice- unless you are using frozen fruit

Liquify all ingredients in your blender and off you go! So delish!

Churro Cheesecake Bars

Is it bad that I instantly chowed down on two of these right after I took this picture? 

No, my friends, it's not. They are THAT good. 

My Mom has a recipe almost dead on to these delicious squares of heaven and they are always a hit.

Enough jibber jabber! Start baking them! ;-)

Ingredients:

• 2 8oz Cans of Crescent Rolls
• 2 8oz Packages Cream Cheese- Softened
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 C. Sugar- Divided
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 9x13  Baking Dish

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease your baking dish and unroll one can of crescents. Place on bottom of baking dish, pinching the seams together. 
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, 1/2 C. Sugar, vanilla and your egg.
4. Blend (with a blender/stand mixer) until smooth. It would be hard to mix by hand.
5. Spoon cream cheese mixture onto your bottom layer of crescents as shown, and spread around to cover the bottom. 
6. Unroll your second can of crescents and place on top of cream cheese mixture, again pressing the seams closed. 
7. Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.
8. Melt 2 tbsp butter across the top of your bars.
9. Mix remaining 1/2 C. sugar with your cinnamon.
10. Sprinkle (or pour) your cinnamon sugar evenly over the top.
11. Let sit until cool, slice, serve and enjoy!

Or you can just shovel one into your mouth right after you snap a picture of it like I did. I have no self control...it's not my fault.

Hope you Enjoy this recipe! Follow me on Pinterest and Facebook to see what I come up with next! :-)

Blackened Tilapia with Andouille Sauce

I am really picky with fish. I wasn't raised on it or any other seafood for that matter. We have a restaurant here in TN by the river that has the BEST blackened tilapia I have ever had in my life. It is set on top of garlic mashed potatoes and smothered in a creamy sauce just like you see here. The problem is, I have no idea what's in that sauce. I bought the fish fillets and hoped for the best. This was AMAZING! I had no idea I was capable of creating such a great sauce. My husband loved it and he gets pickier every day. Definitely blog worthy.

INGREDIENTS:

For Andouille Sauce-

8 oz Andouille Sausage (or smoked sausage) , Casing removed & Chopped
1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning/ Creole
1 Small onion- Diced
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 C. Chicken Stock
1/2 C Diced Bell Pepper- any kind
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2  C. Milk **
Dash of onion powder & garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
*Add crab or shrimp if desired. ( I did not)

**You can use heavy cream

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute' onions, garlic and bell pepper. Add in seafood and cook. (If Using.) Chop sausage (casing removed) and toss that into your pan. With your spoon, break sausage into small pieces until. Once your seafood & sausage are cooked through, add chicken broth and deglaze your pan. (scrape that deliciousness off the bottom) Add seasonings. Salt, Pepper, Creole, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Prepare Fish.  See Below. 

 Once the sauce has simmered and peppers are softened, add in your milk or cream. If sauce is too thin for you, mix 2 tbsp of flour into 1/3 c. cold water and slowly pour into sauce a little at a time until you have reached your desired thickness. Now do a taste test. If it isn't spicy enough, feel free to add some hot sauce. I added a bit of sriracha to mine. If it is a bit too spicy, add a little brown sugar to even it out. 

For Fish-

4 Tilapia Fillets
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Creole
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (If you want it spicy, if not omit.)
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

In a small bowl, combine your spices. Rub fillets liberally on both sides until completely coated. Let the fish sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature before cooking. In a large pan or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the fish and cook for 3 minutes on each side. 

Place 1-2 pieces of fish on each plate, cover with sauce and enjoy! Serve with your favorite rice, potatoes or a side salad. 

**You can blacken your fish in the oven or the grill if you prefer. 

What Kidless People Take For Granted

Lets face it. Time FLIES! One day you are sitting on your mom’s lap eating cheetos, you take a nap, wake up drunk in a bar, go back to sleep and wake up from that hangover and there are screaming kids everywhere and your house is a damn mess. Yes, those are your children. 

But what some people (the kidless folk) may not understand is how much they take for granted. Life is great right? No worries! Well let me fill you in on a couple (million) things I took for granted before I had kids….shall we?

1.) SLEEP

We all know you don’t get any sleep when you have children. When we finally did learn how to get our first child to sleep through the night we were dumb enough to have another. I haven’t slept since… What year is it?  ZZzzzz

2.) APPEARANCE

It’s all fine and dandy until you blow up like a balloon and it explodes into parenthood. Stretch marks, bags under the eyes, maybe a little junk in the trunk that you don’t remember packin’? Yeah… that happens.

3.) EXITING YOUR HOME

What do you mean, Amanda? I’ll tell you! 

Kidless Person 1: “It looks like a lovely day, shall we go out for dinner?”

Kidless Person 2: “Why Yes! That’s a wonderful idea! Then we can go for a walk!”

***Said people leave house. 

NOW- People with children leaving the house…

Mom: “RAYLAN!!! I am going to tell you ONE MORE TIME! Put your shoes on!”

Raylan: “ Flip flops?”

Mom: “There is SNOW OUTSIDE! Your red shoes.”

Raylan: “Ok, I go find red shoes…..”

***10 minutes later***

Mom: “Raylan!? I know you are hiding in here somewhere! Are you pooping? Where are you!?

Raylan: “Tehehehehehehe….. I not in my closet!!!!!”

4.) YOUR TV

They're two they're four they're six they're eight

Shunting trucks and hauling freight

red and green and brown and blue

they're the really useful crew!!!!!

Ugh. Thomas the Tank Engine. I’d like to derail him somedays. (Don’t tell my child…)

5.) PEEING IN PRIVATE

Little fingers sliding under the door, tiny little knocks, super cute right? Yeah… until they learn how to open every door in your house. You will NEVER PEE ALONE AGAIN. 

Raylan: “Whatcha doin??????”

Me: “What’s it look like I’m doing?”

Raylan: “Tehehehehehe”

He didn't really care. He just likes to interrupt my 1 minute of privacy. :-)

6.) ALCOHOL

There are no all night bingers or LETS GET CRAZY moments anymore. Oh Captain, I miss you. 

The only all night binger you get to indulge in is a puking child that wakes you at bar close. 

7.) A CLEAN HOUSE

I mean sure, some people clean and clean and clean and it stays flippin’ fabulous. Not this girl. I do clean quite a bit, but five minutes later I walk in the living room to find out the tornado hit and our house will never look the same again. The carpet’s pink, the toy bin exploded and dog is full of spaghetti-o’s. Yep- time for a nap. 

8.) DRIVING

“Mommy, mom, momma, mommy, MOM, MOMMY, MAAAMAAAA! There’s a boat. Tehehehee”

Not only is there that, but now that I have two children I now have to make mental checklists and go through them as I am driving. All while the child screams in the back.

9.) A CLEAR MIND

About 15 minutes away from home, you go through the “Oh Shit! Did I forget something?!” list in your mind:

Both kids

Diaper Bag

Juice

bottles

formula

shoes

diapers

wipes

toys

ipad

I counted baby right?

they’re buckled

pacifier…WAIT

PACIFIER!!

Yep! Turning around!!!

10.) SHOWERING

I don’t know how many times it’s happened and that’s not important…

You change a stinky diaper. You wash your hands. You go about your day. Suddenly, you look at your child and say “DID YOU POOP?!” He looks shocked and says “No Mommy- I don’ have poops” You check him thinking he’s not telling you the truth. THEN you realize, it’s you. Leftovers from the last diaper change that somehow got onto your clothes. It’s ok. You can just jump in the shower. NOT! You have children. Hahahaha…. :-/

11.) NOT BURNING FOOD

They say when you get married, you suck at cooking and blah blah blah! No you don’t! You just have kids that MAKE you suck at cooking. They distract you and you burn things. ‘Nuf said.

12.) PEACEFUL SHOPPING

Not every time, not every day, but EVERYONE with children have had it happen. You are strolling along in your already-too-full-with-children-and-thier-junk cart until the little sprout that is forced to walk stops DEAD in his tracks. He looks up at you and you just know you should exit the building. But you don’t, and he falls to the ground a-kickin’ and a-screamin’! “I WANT A TOY- wahhhhhahhhahahhh!” 

I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever this happens to me, there’s always an old lady nearby who walks up and says “Oh what a doll! Haha! How adorable!” Are you kidding me Grandma?! I always try and come up with a fast line like “Well, its your lucky day. This is the clearance aisle and everything must go! 5.99 obo!” That usually makes them head into the other direction. Muahaha.

13.) MOVIE NIGHT

Let’s face it. My husband usually brings home movies he wants to watch, most including guns. We get five minutes into the movie and Raylan gets bored- to the toy room he goes. The first sound of gunfire goes off! Our house turns into WWIII. In comes Raylan with his shotgun in one hand and pistol in the other! “BAM BAM! BAM!” Five minutes later… I go to bed and watch Shrek. No point what so ever in watching big people movies. I guess that luxury is for the husbands. I’ll be in my fort. 

14.) FRIENDS 

I’m not saying they just up and disappear. I’m saying time flies after you have kids and it gets harder and harder to make and keep plans. If you’re one of the lucky ones, your friends bring over a bottle of wine after you put the kids to bed and you have a “picnic”. :-D

15.) MUSIC

Do I really need to explain this one? Ok, I will… There is no “They see me rollin’…they hatin’!” Its the wheels on the damn bus, and the ONLY thing that’s ridin’ dirty is the baby in the back seat who has bad timing.

CONCLUSION

There are so many more things I can add to this list, and will in time.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE having kids. They are my whole life. But I do daydream once in a great while what it might be like to go to a coffee shop and slowly sip on a mug of hot coffee instead of chugging it cold trying to chase a kid around the house who in turn is trying to kill the dog with the laundry basket. Just sayin’. Don’t take it for granted kidless people! ;-)

Bless This Damn Mess


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Avocado Baked Eggs

If you love avocados, you're gonna LOVE these!

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

2 Eggs

Cheese

Sausage or Bacon

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Now, you can use as many avocados as you would like, 2 eggs per avocado. Simply slice your avocado in half and scoop out a little room for your egg. You may need to prop it up so it sits evenly and doesn't fall over- use rolled tinfoil for this. I baked mine in a mini loaf pan I have and it worked perfectly. 

Preheat oven to 400

Carefully crack your egg into your avocado over a plate- it will probably run over and you don't want that on your pan. You can also whisk it in a small mixing bowl if you aren't a yolk kind of person. Place filled avocado on your baking pan.  Season with a little salt/pepper (if using) and bake until ALMOST done (15-20 mins). This is when I added my precooked sausage and a dash of cheese. You can add whatever you want to them, or eat them as is. Continue cooking until done to your liking. Healthy breakfast with little work!

Enjoy! :-)

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Buns

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Buns

We LOVE breakfast. Sausage, egg and cheese anything to be precise. I got this idea from cheeseburger buns I saw on Pinterest. Pretty much the same concept except you stuff the buns with hamburger meat, bacon, and cheese. (I really want to try those too!) These were super cheesy, comforting and DELISH! 

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Bread:

2 C. Milk

3/4 C. White Sugar

1/2 C. (1 Stick) Butter

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 TSP Baking Soda

1/2 TSP Baking Powder

6 C. All Purpose Flour

1 (.25 oz) Package Active Dry Yeast

(If using self rising flour-omit the salt, baking soda and baking powder)

In a saucepan, heat milk until it bubbles, add butter and sugar and stir until melted. Let cool to room temp. Pour milk mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast packet. Let sit a minute. Whisk it together, then add 4 C. flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. (if using all purpose flour) Mix together well to combine.

Add remaining flour to bowl a half cup at a time stirring well until it all comes together. (If you have a stand mixer, do this in there) 

Once dough has come together, fold out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for about 5-10 minutes or until smooth.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat in oil, cover with a damp cloth or a sprayed piece of wax paper and let rise 1 hour. (Or until doubled in size)

****While dough is rising, cook the breakfast sausage & eggs.****

When the dough doubles in size, flatten and roll out into a rectangle. Cut dough (I use a pizza cutter) into 12 equal pieces. 

For the Breakfast Mixture

1 lb Jimmy Dean Sausage. (We use hot)

8 Large Eggs

1/2 C Milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown sausage in pan until done. Remove from pan and place onto a plate lined with paper towel (or just drain grease yourself and plate). In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Scramble eggs until light and fluffy and add your cooked sausage back into the pan and mix until combined. 

Putting It Together

You will need:

6-12 pieces Sliced Cheese (we use American Cheese)

1 Egg for the egg wash

*** If my dough looks a little thicker, its because it was. I only rolled out 8 dough pieces and they ended up being TOO "bready". You should roll out at least 10-12 for this recipe

Roll out one of your 12 pieces of dough, leaving it a little thicker in the middle and thinner towards the outside. Put 1/2-1 whole piece of cheese on dough round. Place in hand, add a spoonful of egg mixture. Pinch two sides together as seen above. Then the other two sides, and finally the corners. Twist it a little to ensure its closed and place twist side down onto a sprayed baking sheet.

Continue to do this with every dough round until they are all done and on your baking sheet. Now, cover with a damp towel again (2nd rise) and let rise until doubled. About 40 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375

Now whisk your egg in a small bowl and brush onto the tops of your buns. At this point, I usually sprinkle some garlic and creole seasoning on the tops to give it some extra flavor. You can use your own favorite seasoning or non at all, your choice. 

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until tops are browned. 

~*~*~ This does take quite some time. Making them the night before and reheating them in the oven in the morning works wonders. I also freeze mine and take one out here and there and bake (or microwave) for a quick breakfast.

Enjoy! :-)

Arachnophobia!!!

My Fear Of Spiders Explained

I'd Post a Picture But I'm Too Scared To...

Let's face it! We are all afraid of something. Some people are afraid of snakes. Some are afraid of CLOWNS (Sabrina...hahaha). I am deathly afraid of spiders. Even just a picture of a spider can ruin my daily routine. My facebook peeps find this quite amusing. I am starting to think when any one given person on my facebook see's a picture of a spider, their first thought is "Oh this will scare the shit out of Amanda, and its going to be super entertaining to watch!" Not cool, guys! So here you have it, my list. No pictures - because honestly...just writing this creeps me out. 

1. They have 8 legs. Why do they need 8 legs? So they can be creepy, that's why.
2. They have way too many eyeballs. Why? So they can watch you, me and your uncles cousin all at the same damn time. I once danced with a spider. True story. I saw it, freaked out, moved to the right and then to the left and that damn thing followed me like it was getting into attack mode. Not cool. 
3. They JUMP. Not only do they jump, but they jump good. Did you ever see a spider on your ceiling and then look back up and it was gone? Yeah, it's probably in your hair. Or already in your ear eating your brain. Or- the ceiling fan threw it across the room. If you want to see my super ninja moves, put a spider by a ceiling fan. You never know where the hell they are going to fly. I'm OUT!
4. FANGS. Fangs and the fact that they enjoy blood. I don't think this needs an explanation. 
5. They are EVERYWHERE. I once got sent a picture that said something like "There is a spider within 8 feet of you at all times". WHY?! I do not want them in my house. I do not want them near my spouse. I do not want them near my fam, I do not LIKE them, Amanda I am!!
6. Babies. They have a billion babies. Those babies sprout little webs and fly through the air for miles and land right on your legs as you are trying to sun bathe. Some even think it's cool to carry 'said' babies on their backs so when you squish them they crawl up your legs and you die. Probably. 
7. Webs. Nothing ruins your day like a big ol' spider web to the face. Your spider dance will come out every time. Not only do you have to wash your face, but you should probably change your clothes too. Chances are, its on you, and he's planning his attack. 
8. They really can kill you. Some are deadly. What kinds? I don't know, I'm too scared to google them...so that's probably how I will die.
9. There are way too many different kinds. Some are very small, some are hairy, some are skinny, some are fat. There are colorful ones, there are HUGE ones. Honestly, did you ever see the huge ones? Ugh...
10. I have arachnophobia. That's reason enough.

What makes my fear of spiders worse is that I can't do anything if I see one. No joke! The bleach spray can only do so much. I am honestly too scared to step on it, squish it with a flyswatter, suck it up with a vacuum hose, you name it. I wish I could just grab my can of hairspray and a lighter and burn the damn thing. Apparently, thats unacceptable behavior, so I hide in a different room until my husband comes home to squish it. (Pea size or huge...doesn't matter)

My husband thinks it's hilarious to buy the fake ones and throw them at me on his way in the house. Not cool. Why? Because they end up under the couch and I always lose my phone. Where do I look first? Under the couch, only to get the piss scared out of me and dance around like a nut case. 

I will admit, I am now scared of changing the toilet paper rolls because someone sent me a picture of a really ugly spider hiding in one. (Thanks a lot, Michael!) ICK! Enough of this. Now I'm going to have the creepy crawlies all damn day. 

Why couldn't I just be afraid of clowns? At least they aren't hiding in your ceiling corners, well hopefully not. Hahaha. Are you looking Sabrina??

I had to. LOL!!!

****Note to my facebook friends: This is not an excuse to post even MORE spider pictures. Jerks. LoL!!

What I Do For a "Living"

There are a lot of people in this world who don't agree what us stay-at-home moms do is actual "work". I hear it a lot, "oh, you don't work?" or "you don't have a job?". I would love to trade them places sometimes. I don't, however, get into any of the MOMMY WARS and fighting about it though. It isn't worth it. I have respect for what working mothers do just as much as I have respect for what stay-at-home mothers do. Each job is hard. I can assure you though, that staying at home and taking care of your children is a job of many different colors. What do I do? I'll tell you...

I am a NURSE

I am a Maid

I am a Teacher

I am an Artist

I am a Laundromat

I am a Baker

I am a Chef

I am a Coach

I am a Cheerleader

 

I am a Costume Designer

I am a Dog Groomer

I am a Driving Instructor

I am an Interior Decorator and Painter

I am a Photographer

I am an Architect 

I am a Pirate's Best Friend

A Cowboy's Mother

A Cowboys Wife

And I'm also Santa Claus

And the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jolly Old St. Nicholas...

You name it. 

I teach LOVE, RESPECT, and PATIENCE.

And that's only what I would put on my Resume.

I teach my children how to have responsibilities, how to love one another, and how to love life. I am so much more than some people think I am. I have so many talents. I don't get paid money for what I do, but I get paid in enough love to last me the rest of my life. It won't run out after I "retire", the government can't tax it or take any of it away. It's like a savings bond that keeps growing as we grow. 

Days Like These (Zzzz)

Oh what a rough night I had. A rough night indeed. Child number one went to sleep great and all was looking well for me. I cleaned up the kitchen, picked up the toys in the living room and quietly headed into the bedroom where my husband and (almost) 6 month old were asleep. I picked Greyson up, (the baby, not the husband) and put him in his bed in our room. I still have yet to make it a full night of him sleeping in his own room. I don't know why. I am pretty sure my husband is too afraid to ask me why he is in our room yet. No one messes with a Momma and her baby. 

Anyway, I did what I needed to do right before bed. I could feel the I don't want to's taking over my whole body. I didn't want to wash bottles, oooh how I hate washing bottles. I didn't want to clean the kitchen or pick up toys, but I forced my sleepy self to do it. I really don't like waking up in the morning and tripping over two trucks, stepping on five army men and sliding across the kitchen floor on two toy guns like they are ice skates. No one wants that. 

I get everything done, and quietly settle into my bed. "Wahhhh!". Oh good. His baby radar let him know that he was no longer in bed with his Daddy and that there was a storm headed right in my direction. 

I was sitting on the couch with him yesterday morning and usually check his gums every two days or so to see if there is any progress on his first teeth. Raylan (now 3 years old) got his first two at four months. I stick my pinky in there to feel, sure enough! TWO teeth. And I never even knew he was teething! What a good baby....right? 

Wrong. I wasn't prepared for cranky night time baby. He cried every hour at least, ate about three times which is A LOT more than usual, and he wouldn't let me put him in his bed. When I did sleep, I had one of those weird sleeps like my brain forgot to shut off. "I need to do this and that, make this, research some of this, and make sure to tell my husband this". It just kept replaying every time I closed my eyes. I laid there patting a baby's butt and feeling down right restless most of the night. 

I say goodbye to my husband as he leaves for work at 4:00 am and suddenly wake up to Raylan saying "Daddy isn't here right now. He went to the grocery store! He'll be right back! He is going to get me presents so we need to put up the Christmas tree!". I'm so tired I start wondering if it really is Christmas. What day is it? What month is it? Where am I? I need coffee. If there is one thing I know, it is once the three year old wakes up, your chance of ever falling back asleep just flew right out the window!

So here I sit drinking my coffee with an even worse case of the I don't want to's, hoping the coffee takes some of them away. Crazy part? I wouldn't trade it for the world. There will only be a couple more years like this. Sure it isn't fun when it happens. I feel like I have a hangover without getting to enjoy the drink first. BUT I know in short matter of time I'll be able to sleep like a baby and wake up well rested and drink my coffee in peace, and I am going to miss days like these. <3