Loose Threads

I have a lot of things rolling around in my noggin, and not much of it is coherent...or maybe related? This is likely going to be a dumping post.

1. I am tired of hearing the word Ebola. I am tired of the fear mongering that the news stations are pandering. I am tired of the panic that others are succumbing to over this. Yes, it is scary stuff - it's unknown and that makes it more scary. Yes, you should be smart about washing your hands, etc. I personally do not think that we all need face masks to go outside our houses, and I live in the Dallas vicinity. I don't think that this is going to wipe out all of North America. I think it's damn impressive that this is the first time we've had to deal with Ebola here given the numerous travel that happens between those countries that are dealing with Ebola and the rest of the world. I think we should all be much more concerned with the flu and the number of people who choose to not receive the flu shot if they can.

2. I'm already tired of the early political ads here in the South. Beating me over the head with biased ads will not win my vote. Give me some actual information and then we can talk. This is exactly why I block certain "friends" on Facebook once the Presidential election machine starts up in earnest. I'm capable of having a discussion regarding why I have views and why I choose to vote the way I do. I don't respond well to someone shoving their views in my face while yelling "SEE?!?!? I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE JUST IGNORANT!"

3. On a much lighter note DH and I nailed down our Halloween costumes. My work is having a costume contest and so the 80's are coming back with a vengence on Friday! Full blown leggings, lace and leg warmers. DH is going to be Bob Ross...I'm assuming only the parents who are helping little trick-or-treaters will know who he is. I'd be surprised if anyone under the age of 30 knows who he is. Evie also got into the Halloween spirit by trying to eat the Bob Ross wig and licking the adhesive off the packaging for my fingerless gloves. My exact words were "Stop licking that! It was probably made in China and will kill you!" She paused, considered, and continued on her quest for the 1.5 seconds it took me to wrench the cellophane away from her.

4. Henry had a surgery a couple weeks ago and we were finally able to remove the Cone of Shame for good this week. He is a rare one indeed. Most cats do not grow fatty tumors, otherwise known as lipomas. But Henry did. He had a little extra jiggle in the booty area when he walked. So now he is both tumor and hair free in a large part of his right back half. Our magnificent vet assured us the fur will grow quickly but for now it's like seeing the man beneath the clothing - he's got such long hair that it's easy for use to forget how much of his hulking self is hair.

5. DH took the PE exam this past week. I'm so proud of him! He took classes and studied for months. Now it's sitting on pins and needles for the next 2 1/2 months waiting to see if he passed. I have every faith that he did! He's currently enjoying some time gaming, something he hasn't had a whole lot of free time for lately. Can I just say I do not understand the video game side of my man? It makes my head hurt to think of sitting in front of the TV for that long shooting at things, driving cars or saving Ellie.

6. I miss blogging. Which is ironic...since I'm blogging. But I miss the ease that the words used to flow off my fingertips with. The way my older posts were witty and funny. Well, at least to me. I have forgotten how the practice of writing makes you a better writer.

7. I am beyond ready for Fall. Yesterday was our Number One Niece's first birthday. When we got her invite a few months ago and saw the party would be at a park, I was really nervous about it being a nice day. I was hoping for no rain and nice temperatures. The 70's would have been nice. I need not have worried. It was 90 degrees. 90. Degrees. Is Fall ever coming?!?!? I'm ready for sweaters and boots and scarves and slouchy shirts and fleece lined leggings and a fire in the fireplace and hot chocolate. Do you hear me Mother Nature?!?! I'm done with this verrrrrry long Summer. Oh, but don't ice us in over Christmas. Please?

8. My father-in-law built us a kitchen table and it's a dream. It is a gorgeous family style farmhouse table that Henry is sure was designed just for him to lounge upon. He is constantly laying on it when we walk through the kitchen. Luckily there is a place nearby that sells unfinished chairs so we can stain whatever we pick to match the table. He doesn't build chairs anymore; which is understandable if you know how much work goes into constructing one, much less four.

Evie has just curled up with me and is slowly pushing my laptop onto the floor, so I'm going to wrap this up. Still have a few loose threads but there always are.

Shower Numero Uno

First of all, check out my breakfast of champions. I go back and forth about smoothies, some days I love them and then I hate them.  This one is a beautiful purple which makes me want to drink it for no other reason.

This one was made with a small can of pineapple juice, a handful of strawberries and blackberries each, a banana, a quarter cup of plain Greek yogurt (2% fat), a scoop of passion fruit Noosa yogurt and enough almond milk to make it smooth. I happened to have all of these things on hand, which is not the norm! I also don't typically drink my morning smoothie out of a beer mug but it was the only glass large enough to hold it all.

I'm going to need the energy because I have a ton of Thank You's to write. Why you ask? Because....

DH and I had our first shower this weekend. My wonderful sister-in-law, brother-in-law and mother-in-law to be and a close friend from work threw it for us. It was a couples shower which was so much fun! I am blessed enough to be having two showers, the one here and one in Yankeeland, which will be very different from each other. The night before my sister and mother-in-law and I made cupcakes and spent some time hanging out. We made the icing from scratch and it turned out pretty good. I also make the love bird fondant toppers using one of the Wilton's silicone molds.

Friends, DH will have to limit me on how many of those molds I can buy. It was crazy easy to do and you don't need all the "tools" they recommend. I used my fingers to press the fondant in and they popped out without a problem. Check them out if you want people to think you're a decorating genius!

A friend took pictures for us while we opened gifts and it drove home the point that I take many more funny pictures than serious ones. A few for your viewing pleasure... (Please ignore my humidity inspired hair.)

I only cried twice but I'm confident that this will increase exponentially as we get closer to the wedding. Exponentially. Because I am my mother's daughter. And I cry at commercials. And Teen Mom reunions. And bad reenactments of true life situations on TLC.

Good gravy, I'm going to be a mess on the wedding day. Because I get to marry this guy.

Food, Food and More Food...and some football

This past weekend has been all about food. I kicked off the weekend with DH and his family at Cracker Barrel on Saturday morning. There is nothing like family and those biscuits put together! My SIL to be and I got to talk shower details and I'm so excited to officially be part of this family in a few months.

Saturday afternoon friends and I went to the Ft. Worth Food Truck Park. Y'all, if you don't have a food truck park nearby, get on a plane and get here ASAP. It's such a laid back, fun, family friendly place! They have a rotation of trucks and there is an actual bathroom (always a plus in my book!) and a cantina where you can get beer, wine, coffee. I had one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life - First Bite's egg rolls. They have some carne asada, corn, cheese, beans, spinach. I can't do the deliciousness justice. We finished up with Red Jet Sweets cupcakes. Yes, plural. You gotta problem with that???? I had a coconut comet there and bought a Kentucky for later - bourbon cake with caramel buttercream rolled in pecans. This was all paired with a Rahr and Sons Iron Thistle beer. I can't believe I'm going to say it, but it was better than Guinness.

Now we all know that Sunday was all about food. Even if the football was the reason for the food. Usually I watch some/all of the Superbowl. But this year the hockey gods smiled upon me and Sunday afternoon was the Penguins-Capitols game....and it was on HERE! After seeing my boys royally beat Ovechkin into the ice, I couldn't have cared about the Superbowl at all. So the food was where it was at for me this year. We hung out with friends and ate our hearts out. Chili, buffalo chicken dip, salsa and cream cheese, ham cheese ball, ranch dip, deviled eggs, cookies, cinnamon cream cheese ball and Mississippi Sin. What's that? What's Mississippi Sin? It's a little piece of heaven. I got the recipe from my friend YaYa and it will rock your face off. There are a ton of variations - I thought I lost her recipe and I tried finding it on Pinterest - but I love her version. It's got dried beef, pimento, green onion, sour cream, cheese and green chilis all mixed up and then baked in a hollowed out Hawaiian loaf of bread. If you want more particulars leave me a comment. In all fairness, don't make this when it's just you at home. You'll regret it after you eat every last bite.

Today continued this weekends food extravaganza. I tried a recipe from Pinterest for philly cheesesteak stuffed green peppers. They look good! Well, they look like the recipe picture so I'm hoping they taste as good too. The recipe came from Peace, Love and Low Carb. I also made Pioneer Woman's chicken spaghetti with a small adaptation - I subbed Velveeta for the shredded cheese and I didn't add cheese on the top. We'll have it for weeks to come! I forgot how much one recipe makes.

The best part of the spaghetti is that DH and I are taking it to some friends who recently had a baby. It's win-win: they get dinner and I get to snuggle a little muffin while sniffing her head. Everybody wins!

What did y'all eat this weekend? And why can't we have a Superbowl every sunday????

My Grandmother

Fourth of July makes me think of fireworks, hot dogs and The Star-Spangled Banner. I mean, it makes me think of other things too, but these are the first three that come to mind. My dad's mom, Grandma A, is what comes to mind next. She was a funny lady. Funny in habits, funny in how she said certain words, funny in what she ate - don't get me started on pickled eggs - but one area that she wasn't funny in was how proud she was of her grandchildren.

I was/am a singer. When I was in high school I sometimes would sing the National Anthem at basketball games. Now let me tell you, I only nailed it about half the time. I have no idea why they kept asking me to do it given my poor success rate. The problem for me is that I change key a lot when I sing. A Lot. So while I would sing the correct notes they would be in the wrong key. And I'd change multiple times through the course of this one song. I don't think any other song has ever given me the trouble The Star-Spangled Banner has.

Regardless of my pitchiness, my key changes or my plan bad days, I would go over to Grandma's before the game and sing it for her. Because she always told me how "bee-you-tee-full" I sounded, warts and all. I miss her during all the big moments of life, but especially on July 4th.

Thanks, Shell, for letting me pour my heart out.

Mustache Bash

It was a birthday weekend for DH! Long story short (and picture heavy) I threw him a 'Stache Bash. There were mustaches a plenty for everyone to wear, including a special one for the Birthday Man. There was tons of food, a variety of beer, Glazed Donut Muffins (thank you Pinterest) and one special game....I'll let the pictures tell the story.

I never thought about the process of drinking beer wearing a mustache.

The incredible bendable stache!

Sisters who share everything, including the upper lip caterpillar.

J and I looking fierce in our 'staches, but not as fierce as T.

And then deuces started flying.

 
A fine looking group of 'stache wearing ladies.

DH's sister and her guy

My Texas Person demonstrating how to take a self-portrait without the neck strain look I always achieve.

And finally....Pin the Mustache on Burt Reynolds. DH's sister was named honorary Bandit for landing the stache right where it goes!

My only question - how the heck am I going to top this next year?!?!?

So Excited!

My lovely strong wonderful handsome sweet thoughtful DH has a birthday this weekend! It's a weekend of celebrating the fact that he was born and was raised to be who he is, because he's perfect for me.

Plans: Stache bash including some killer cupcakes and fake mustaches, a birthday surprise event, and a Dutch Apple Pie.

Pictures will follow next week. Lots of goofy pictures, probably. The best kind to celebrate.

Sprinkles and Spooks

I'm trying to keep up with this posting at least every other day thing...tonight I had high hopes of writing a pretty hefty post after going for a run. Then I remembered that I needed to finish some cookies for both a weekend Halloweeny party and for DH's co-workers.

I totally adore these bats. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm destined to have boys someday and I can make them a constant stream of batman themed cookies? Heavens, my possible future children are gonna be fatties.

The pumpkins were only a good idea in theory. I bought chocolate jimmies, or for you southerners "sprinkles" and was going to use them to emphasize the faces. That was only gonna be workable if I was going to place individual jimmies on the faces. This is the face I made when I realized the flaw in my plan!

On top of all of this my hands are stained grey and I tried to instigate a fight with DH because I'm tired and grumpy tonight. Luckily he deals with my particular brand of crazy well. Sigh. Maybe I should have gone running after all.

A Sailing We Will Go

There once was a boy named Joseph who was so cute that he just had to have cookies made for him. As his second birthday approached, there appeared a Captain's hat and striped invitations to go sailing with him.

But before the celebration could be had, there was baking to be done!

That fancy pants mixer came in very handy. Royal icing appeared as though out of thin air. The fondant, on the other hand, almost blew the motor to smithereens.

Life preserver cookies were requested as there would be so much laughing and happiness we would be in danger of floating away!

A very happy Captain greeted me with a request for a "red cookie" when I arrived bearing the fruits of my labor.

No sailing party is complete without a boat cake...yummy fudge icing!

But even more important than the cake or cookies are the presents! The Captain definitely needed the car he was given by friends. After all, he can't spend all his time on the boat...here he is waiting on Aunt Mean to get it unleashed from it's packing.

But once that super boy approved remote control car was free to zip, zip it did.

In the meantime the sweet First Mates helped Mama unwrap and clean up.

I'm relieved the Life Preservers were given the seal of approval - the Captain ate one before the party and started two more throughout the party - or else I would be stuck swabbing the decks.

A Year of Cookies

A little over one year ago I found a love. It's called "making sugar cookies" and I would quit work tomorrow to bake all day long if I could. Sorry, it's true. Well maybe I wouldn't quit flat out. I could become the baking audiologist - let me look in your ear and I'll give you a cookie. Not just any cookie but a beautiful handmade, i.e. slightly flawed, masterpiece.

There were Good Luck cookies

Then some 1st birthday classics

SEC football anyone?

Followed by Halloween sweets

Sweet Reagan's 2nd birthday

Some Christmas traditions never change even when the icing does

Super Bowl and a huge party with friends demanded edible football players

Sweet Valentine's Day with DH

St. Patty's Day requires shamrocks

Library Girl's bridal shower

Can you believe how far I've come in a year? This coming weekend is Little Monkey's 2nd birthday and the cookies will be very low key compared to other events, but I'm pretty sure they'll be really cute. A simple life preserver design - the un-iced cookies look like sad donuts, but I'm convinced that they will be Martha Stewart worthy in chicness and simplicity.

I've been struggling with whether I could actually turn this into a side business. So if y'all have any thoughts or ideas on that, please leave me a comment! I'm not sure if I can charge what I think I deserve because I'm not proven yet. There's a bakery in downtown Ft Worth of some renown who charge close to $3 a cookie. And personally I don't like their cookies enough to eat a whole one much less pay that amount. I feel like the dough is undercooked because of the thickness and the dough itself is sweet. The icing is slightly almond tasting which is never stated before you buy a cookie and it's very sweet. For me they just don't taste how I like a sugar cookie to taste. But the decorating is top notch. Even though I don't care for the cookie itself, I would pay the $3 for a well decorated cookie.

Consider this: to bake, ice and then detail roughly 100 middle to small sized cookies takes approximately 10 - 12 hours. The cost of basic supplies is not all that much (flour, sugar, butter, powdered sugar). The cost of speciality supplies depend on the cookie design (cookie cutter, icing colors, dusting powder, disco dust, sanding sugars and boxes/shipping supplies).

Would you pay $3 for a cookie? Do the math...that's $36 for a dozen. It sounds like a lot even to me, but maybe I need to adjust my mindset?