I Am Not a Gardener. . .

. . .So, imagine my surprise when I peaked outside and saw this.

Yep, that's a rose blooming in late October.  I'm guessing the monsoons we've been having encouraged this little beauty to grace us with her presence.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Cora's Many Faces

Why It Takes So Long to Load the Dishwasher

Cooking That Does Not Involve Near Trips to the Emergency Room

(Edited to add: I have scoured the internet for a link for this recipe with no luck.  To get this recipe, I suggest jumping in your time machine and going to the news stand to pick up the magazine that came out October 16. Or e mail me.  You know, whatever!)

I really don't know why I've been inspired to write so many (inspiring) posts about cooking.  But, here goes another fabulous and tasty culinary adventure.

For some reason, the arrival of fall always creates cravings for comfort food.  (Thus, the need for tasty baked potato soup.) I found a recipe in my People magazine recently. . . you know, cuz I read it for the recipes. . .for shepherd's pie. And, being the epicurean that I am (!), I, of course, wanted to try it out. I mean, what's not to love?! Meat, good! Peas and carrots, good!  Mashed potatoes, good!  (Anybody else thinking of Joey eating Rachel's authentic English trifle? hee hee!)

So, I started with some lovely ground turkey (to make it healthier on account of the 6 tablespoons of butter I used in the rest of the recipe).  Here is the strange looking meat with the carrots and onions. See the stick of butter that I used very nearly all of?!









Next, I got to make a roux. Oui, mon ami! I did say roux.  Can you tell that watching a ridiculous amount of Top Chef is finally paying off?!  And, you know, yadda yadda yadda, throw some other stuff in.  Top with mashed potatoes, and you have such.

Bake for such 'n such amount of time, and voila!

Yummy, bubbly, delicious shepherd's pie.

Top with cheese, and enjoy!

(No noses were harmed in the making of this meal.)

Does It Qualify as a Day-Trip?

Sometimes John's work schedule causes him to be away overnight.  Yesterday was one of those occasions. John had to be in College Station to work on one of the facilities out there.  So, Cora and I decided to pack ourselves up and venture out to meet him yesterday afternoon.  Thanks to TomTom, we had a pretty easy trip, despite the fact that TomTom insisted that the hotel I was looking for was in the middle of an intersection.  And, when I proceeded through the intersection looking desperately for this invisible hotel, it kept telling me to "Turn around when possible."  After having thoroughly studied that intersection, I'm pretty sure there is no hotel lurking in the shadows!  I have TomTom preset to James the automated Brit, so even though he insisted the hotel was where it was not, at least he was polite and refined while doing so!

Anywho,  we decided to go cuh-razy with John's per diem and went to Haiku Sushi & Hibachi Grill.  (We ate at the hibachi grill for those of you who were wondering.  Fish = GROSS  Raw fish = I think I just threw up in my mouth a little!)  We were a little worried about how Cora would react with all the knife flinging and fire and such.  Turns out she loved it.  Then, we were worried about her getting any crazy ideas about knife flinging and fire and such.  In fact, our server commented on how she was the first baby he'd ever seen that did not freak out with all of the hubbub at the grill.  So, I think it's a really good thing she's too short to reach the knives and fire and such at our house - at least for now!)

After dinner, John drove me around his old stomping grounds. I wanted to get Cora some new Aggie gear, but it was a little too late and all the bookstores were closed.  We ended up at the mall because we thought Cora might enjoy some of those coin operated rides.  Turns out that's a big, fat NO.  We put her in one and started it, and she pretty much insisted on getting out any way she could.  Fortunately, there was this fabulous play area that was very soft and cushy.  She amused herself there quite nicely for the next half hour when she discovered that she could step on and off of the slightly raised up path.  She still has a lot of trouble with steps, so she was pretty proud of being able to get off and on of the path without our help.  After she had sufficiently tired herself out, we all went to the hotel for bed.

After our idyllic afternoon, I think we were all ready for some rest in a comfy, soft hotel bed/pack n play.  But, alas, at midnight something went dreadfully wrong.  Cora woke up crying, and after an hour and a half of both of us trying we could not get her to go back to sleep.  And, since we were in a fairly full hotel coupled with the fact that John had to get up at 4:00, I decided just to pack Cora up and go home.  After gathering all our gear, and purchasing a $3 Dr. Pepper (!) from the hotel, we headed for our own beds.  Yep, we drove home at 2 a.m. Believe you, me, I was praying the whole time!  But, God is good!!  We saw no animals.  We encountered few cars - all going the opposite direction.  Thank you, Jesus!  The funny thing is I don't think Cora slept at all during the ride. She played with one of her electronic toys the whole way.  I was so worried that she wasn't going to sleep when we got home, but thankfully, she went right down.  I guess she just wanted something familiar.  (Of course, the motrin I gave her when we got home may have helped to inspire her sudden sleepiness.  What, give a well child motrin just to make her sleep? Who would do that?  No, not me!!)

In summary, I met only one of my objectives of this trip.  We did have a fun dinner as a family.  I am still waiting to check off

• take pictures of Cora at what could be her future alma mater
• get new gear for Cora at Loupot's (and if something ends up in the bag for me, so be it!)
• visit the really fun looking antiques shop I saw on the way to College Station

So, those will be the objectives for next time. . .if I'm brave enough to attempt this again!!

In the Punkin' Patch

After being inspired by friends and family, Cora and I decided to venture out to the punkin' patch.  It was a beautiful fall day. . .at least, it felt like fall where I am.  I hear tell that some people in some places have actual fall weather?! Wonder what that's like!

There is a beautiful, small church near our house that has a huge pumpkin patch/sale every year.  There were tons of pumpkins, and the people were fabulously nice.  The only problem is that Cora is way too busy to pose.  I tried to sit her down, but she was hotter than a hornet to have to be still.  Here is my favorite picture that I captured.

Yep, she's not even looking at the camera.  No, I do not have a single picture of her posing sweetly and smiling.  sigh  I played with the pic a little bit in picasa, and I like this one with the blurry background.

So, we all know by now that Cora is super busy all the time.  So, the best I could do was capture her at work.  Here she is hard at work arranging the pumpkins.

I did manage to get her to sit still momentarily using a wagon.

But, I still couldn't get her sweet face smiling on camera.  I'm seriously wondering how our Christmas pictures are going to be.  I hope our photographer has a bunch of tricks up his sleeve!

The Onset of Crankypants

Hey!

I want you to read me this book, please.

Uh, now!

Our little girl has been a little moody today.  The picture in the previous post was the only one I could get with her smiling.  The rest are as above.  I'm hoping it is because she is teething (and not because it is the onset of swine flu!!)  Vamos a ver!

A Little Puppy Love

I was in the mood to be a little crafty.  So, I peeked in my scrap box, and Eureka!  Or should I say Voila?!

Now she can advertise her affections for all to see.

I wonder if I can make an I ♥ Cora shirt for Penny.  She loves clothes! ; )

You'll notice the dummy x-box controller in the background of the picture.  After this incident, we decided Cora needed one of her own.  She hasn't yet figured out that when she pushes the buttons, it does not do anything to the tv - unlike when she plays with daddy's controller.  We'll see how long that lasts!

Her First Cinematic Endeavor

Please enjoy Cora's first documentary short feature.

I think the cinematography is amazing. . .although I don't recommend watching after eating a large or heavy meal!

Not Much To Report

Chicken nuggets and ketchup.  


With a side of mac n cheese.


It's just good stuff!  


I forgot what it's like to eat "kiddie" food.  


(Not that I have a sophisticated palate otherwise.)


Cora just made it look so tasty.


And. it. was. yummy.


What's your favorite "kiddie" food?

October 15th

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

These are the angel babies that have touched my life.

Benjamin

Emma

Gage

Taylor

Audrey

Cora Paige

Kayleigh

And, many unnamed, but much loved babies

No doubt you know of a family that has been touched by loss.  Please take a moment to pray for the families whose children live in heaven.

Heavenly Father,

Only you know how these losses fit in to your plan.

We will never understand.

But, we rest in your care.

Please comfort those who are grieving.

Give hope to those who are mourning.

Let your glory shine on even when your purpose is unclear.

Amen

And, We Buy Her Toys Why?!

I kid, I kid. . .sort of!  As we speak, Cora is entertaining herself with a plastic cutting board and two of my bracelets!

Mema and P-pa have their own stash of toys for when the grandkids come to visit.  Yet, it seemed that Cora had the most fun in Mema's kitchen with the tupperware! The last time we were at Mema and P-pa's, Cora crawled for the first time on this same kitchen floor.  This time, she was ready to explore.   And, boy, did she hit the mother lode!

She had a lot of fun getting out the plastic ware.  She even attempted to put some of it away. Yay!!  I love this picture of her levitating the tupperware dish.

See?!  Big brains!  Big brain power!!

ASU Homecoming, Part 1

This weekend, we packed up and went to Mema and P-pa's for ASU's homecoming.  We were so excited to go and celebrate with Mema because she was honored as a distinguished faculty member at the alumni dinner this year.  Way to go, Mema!  (Cora's Mema and P-pa are faculty and staff, respectively at ASU.)

After the dinner, Cora snuggled up next to her Alaska uncle with one of her favorite books, Good Night Sweet Butterflies.  Being that there is a slight (!) geographical distance between Uncle Scott and us, this is the first time Cora has seen him since March.  Little Missy took right to him like she sees him every day.  And, Uncle Scott is pretty good with girls since he's the father of Cora's oldest and youngest girl cousins!

Cooking Is Not (Supposed To Be) a Contact Sport

It's no real secret that I've started a love affair with my crock pot. Over the past few months I have made many a tasty main dish through the magic of slow cooking. Before today, my idea of crock pot cooking was to combine some form of meat (beef, chicken or pork) and some form of liquid (cream of chicken soup, golden mushroom soup, barbecue sauce, salsa, stock, etc.) and allowing the crock pot to work it's tender magic. Today, I was adventurous. I blame it on the three hours of fall we had earlier this week that put me in the mood for soup. Through the miracle of the modern blog world, I came across this recipe for Baked Potato Soup. Despite the fact that it called for 5 pounds (!) of potatoes, peeled and diced, I decided to give it a try. Here it is in process.

Yum-ola! So far, so good. Everything is hunky-dory.

Then, because I was a rockstar with those five pounds of potatoes, my next thought was to make some home-made bread to take to our neighbor. And, you know, if there is a loaf in there for us to eat, we won't complain! So, I measured and heated and mixed and kneaded. Here is the bread ready to rise.

And, here is the mess of the kitchen after that episode.

Did I mention that I'm a horrible documentarian?! I looked over my pics from today's events and had to laugh at the stuff I remembered to document, and, of course, the stuff I forgot! However, I feel I have a valid excuse because somewhere in between the above and below pictures, it all went terribly wrong. . . (But, in the meantime, doesn't the finished product look yummy! Soup and homemade bread - the perfect meal for a perfect fall summer day!)

Notice the creamy smooth, texture?! The recipe called for using a potato masher or an immersion blender. I do not have an immersion blender, so I got out my masher and tried my best for a creamy consistency. When that effort deemed itself futile, I tried the hand mixer. Well, really, I just proved to myself that I need to listen to that inner voice that tells you a hand mixer and a large crock pot full of liquid should never meet. The only other choice was my blender. And, that's when it all hit the fan my nose. That's right, my peeps, I managed to drop the glass jar of the blender on my nose. And, yes, it is just as ridiculous and funny as it sounds!

See the photographic evidence. I have a bruised, swollen, and cut nose. I don't think it's broken, but it's definitely hard to disguise.

On to the obvious question. . . Will this affect your highly lucrative modeling career?!? ☺

Okay, okay, that's not the obvious question. How did I drop a blender on my nose? Well, you see, I tend to be a little bit anal analytical. I don't like having appliances out on my kitchen counters. So, the appliances live on the top shelf of my pantry. The top shelf that is above my head. The one I have to stand on tip toes to reach. The one that makes blender fetching a little precarious. Get the picture?

Yes, the glass jar broke.

Yes, my nose bled profusely.

Yes, I did have to explain what happened to the nurse on the helpline.

Yes, my blender will now live in one of my lower kitchen cabinets.

Yes, I will now be investing in an immersion blender.

Thank you, and good night!

P.S. Anyone who comments on how my nose doesn't look so bad will be my new BFF!

New Jammies!

Well, new jammies, besides mommy's nightgown!

Mema got Cora some festive pajamas. We are ready for Halloween in these cute things!

Her shirt says "A Little Trouble Brewing." John told me that it should say that on the pajama bottoms!

Little Missy is not near as compliant with picture taking as she used to be. I suppose that comes with her ease of mobility. I was trying to get a full length front picture of her, but she's too quick for me. You can see her other jammies hanging on the closet door. They say "Scary Cute." Love it!

Yia Yia's Birthday

We met Cora's grandparents this past Friday to celebrate Yia Yia's birthday. We at at the Saltgrass steakhouse that's right on the river (or spring, or water formation of some sort . . .) To prepare for the celebration, Cora got to try out the crayons again. She's not really sure what to think of them, but we did get some lines to paper - even if it did take my gentle ☺ encouragement. She looks like she's concentrating really hard or contemplating the crayons!

Little missy was not in the mood for pictures. She was more in the mood for dancing and running around the waiting room. But, at least everyone is smiling!

Here she is making "kissy face." It's the only one where she was looking at the camera!

After charming half the restaurant staff and some of the patrons (not to mention her grandparents!), little missy had had enough. She sacked out in the car and slept all the way home.

More Naptime Shenanigans

Cora was napping, or so I thought. . . When, suddenly, I hear the sound of static on the baby monitor. I turned on the video feed, and I see. . . sweet baby girl's belly at close range on the monitor!?!

Yep, that's our baby monitor lying in the crib. Tiny Might figured out how to take it off the wall. She was having a grand, old time playing with it for a while. Guess it's time to move the monitor up a bit higher!

Who cares about all the shenanigans!! How can you be mad at this sweet face?!

Cora's Lovey

Cora has many options to choose from. A cute blanket/bunny, tons (and I mean tons) of stuffed animals, baby blankets. What does she choose? Mommy's nightgown.

That's right, she's walking around with my (über-sexy! I might add) nightgown. Yesterday she even brought it to the guy who installed our security system. Yep, little missy left it right on top of his tool kit. Sigh