Remember Me?

Hi.

It's been awhile...

Why are you looking at me that way?

Do you not remember me?

It's ME...you know...the one addicted to Starbucks and McDonalds Frappes? the one who pooped out on  P90X? the one who ignores laundry until it reaches monstrous heights? changer of poopy diapers?  (the one that can use the word POOP twice, no wait, now THREE times in one paragraph?)  the one who is scared of butterflies, birds and anything else that flies but will charge a goat if it so much as nibbles my baby girl? the one who drops her cell phone down the garbage disposal?

Come on...you remember...it's ME!!

Whew...I knew you get there sooner or later...

Sorry I haven't been around much...between zoo visits and goat nibbles, camera shooting and washing the same load of laundry 3 times b/c I've forgotten and it's gotten all moldy...well, I haven't had the gumption to write much...

But I have missed you my friends...and I'm back for at least today...

And I'm here to tell you that I'm in a rut...a cooking rut...

Have you ever been there?  eating the saaaaaaaaaaaaame things over and over and over and over every week?  My pocket book can only handle so much of begging to go to Molly Woo's and Panera...and Panera's pushin' it for little girls who don't like soup and parents who won't shell out moneys for PBJ sandwiches that we could have easily made at home...

That said...I ventured into unknown territory last night with a most delicious, most yummy, most ahhhhhhhhhh dish that I've had in awhile...

White Chicken Chili...

and here's the thing...I don't really like chili...what is up with that?

But, I made it...and some homemade guacamole on the side and I was in heaven...I'm scolding myself because NOW, knowing how good it was, I should have taken pictures and given y'all the recipe...bummer!  i promise...PROMISE...to do it the next time I make it...

which might be tomorrow...and maybe 3 more times next week...YUMMMMMMM

Anyhoo...I have another recipe that I like to whip out that's fairly easy and semi-nutrious...in that it has asperagus in it...and basically, anything with asperagus has GOT to be good for you..come on now!

So, if you are in a rut like me and need something new, easy, fresh and inexpensive...you can continue to scroll down and watch it "unfold"...OR you can just skip it altogether and head out to your nearest Panera for some chicken paninis and broccoli cheddar soup...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....the choice is yours!

First you start with MEAT: 

I have no idea what kind of meat to get..i just get whatever is on sale...if it "looks" like steak meat, then I get it...

Cut it all up in thin strips like you would for a strogonoff or something...or ifyou have small children and you're going to have to cut it up for them anyway, just whack away at it until all the pieces are bite sized...it makes it look like you have more anyway! 

Stir-fry that up in your pan with a little olive oil and just wait for it to finish cooking..In the meantime, pull out that yummy asperagus and chop it into bite size pieces as well...

When the meat is done, just add the asperagus...and keep stirring...

While all that is doing it's thing, open up your packages of beef ramen noodles and make them fit into your pot of boiling water...I say make because if you try to lay all three in there, they aren't going to fit...I just break 'em and smash 'em and stuff 'em in there...

If you like the flavored noodle bit, you can add the little packet...but, I'm a little freakish on all that sodium for the kiddos, so we just skip out on those packages altogether...

Okay...so while that's all simmerin' and boilin' get yourself a bowl and crack open the hoisin sauce...I just use the whole jar cuz I like me some brown sauce...but, if you don't, then just use about 2/3 of the jar...mix it with about 1/4 cup of water and about 1/2 of one of the seasoning packets (if you want to)  Mix that all together and dump it into the beef and asperagus...

Cook it until it gets all nice and bubbly...not bouble'...just bubbly...turn off the heat and get ready to serve...

Hope you enjoy it as much as I we do...

Clover can be good for one thing...but you didn't hear it from me!

I came outside to see what the girls were up to after cleaning up after dinner...

I saw them doing this...

What is it in little girls that gives them such a desire to pick a bouquet of flowers?

And what is it in my mommy heart that just melts when I see it?

And then daddy comes by on the tractor and they jump over to the next batch of "beautiful" clover!

Update on the HomeFront

Ahhhhhhhhh, now this is what summer is all about...me in my swing, my kids playin' outside...it's a good thing.

Yes, that IS a bit Martha Stewartesque, but I'm itchin' for school to be finished!

The Strawberries are bustin' out like crazy...bakin' pie #5 this evening...

Lookin' forward to some blueberries in the future...we shall see if we can catch before our baby birds, now all grown up, don't get to them first!

On the garden side of the house:  let's not forget these sweet little carrots that decided to sprout their heads...they came up a lot faster this year than last...could be due to Noah style flooding that has occurred along side the drippy, sweaty armpit style heat that we have endured...not sure, but maybe...

It definitely has had an effect on our asparagus...which we can't touch until NEXT year of the 3 year timing for these lovely vegetables...but, I have a feeling it WILL be worth it!

Same with the potatoes...completely overgrown...I'm envisioning bushels this year folks...bushels I tell you!

And, what is a garden without zucchini...the kind that will eventually just come out your ears until you are so tired of zucchini bread, zucchini stir fry, grilled zucchini, zucchini a la whatever else mom can come up with to cook with zucchini...

We have a first with sugar SNAP peas...the smaller ones are sugar DADDY peas...they apparantly don't grow as tall...and therefore, my Italian Stallion headed to Home Depot this weekend to contruct yet another level to the Hillbilly PVC pipe trellis that we have goin' on in the back yard...our neighbors L.O.V.E. us!!!

And, although I hate to admit...I'm actually quite fond of our little Buckeye Bush that has decided to bloom this year...fun...little buckeyes to squash in the fall...yippee!!

There is ONE thing that has put a damper on my beginnings of summer...and that my friends is CLOVER...last year it was the attack of the dandelions...but I have squashed them...like I will the little buckeyes:)...but, the clover...it is eating my backyard...

See all those arrows?  yeah, those are clumps of clover...

do you know what comes with clover? 

BEES

Do you know that I hate bees too?

They can stay back at my garden and they can make sure that I get yummy veggies and strawberries and everything else that I need for my garden, but they CANNOT play around my kiddos by the playset...

and THAT, my friends, is where my enemy, the CLOVER has taken up residence...

I will declare war once again...and I WILL win...

And...it's a good thing!!!

We interrupt this rainy weekend...

Have a great weekend!!! I know that we will!

It's not like we're not intellegent individuals...

Something happens when you put two regular SAHMs, who happen to be awesome friends, on a plane and send them away from their regular responsibilites and families in order to do something that they love:  take pictures!

AM and I went on a trip last weekend...and after I explain to you the following tale of our adventure, you may have an understanding as to my unbelievable amount of tiredness as I entered the week and began a photography job with Italian Stallion's work place.  (but, I'll get to that later)

We looked toward to last Friday with anticipation and excitement...our first "real" photography job for a wedding in Maryland.  IS said to me, "Awww, my girl is all grown up...heading off on her first business trip."
What he failed to understand perhaps is the "all grown up" part...

As I mentioned...something "happens" when AM and I get together and we don't have to think about changing diapers, who has their apple juice, mediating arguments over leapsters, monitoring the TV input for the day, making waffles and remembering to change the laundry over...

Put plain and simple...we get a little giddy...and that MAY be an understatement...

To begin:
At AM's house, as we were preparing to leave, doing the checklist in our heads over all the things that we needed...seeing as AM had forgotten her camera on her last job and I lack in the navigational department, we wanted to be as prepared as possible...we loaded up and headed on our way to the airport.

As we approached the exit ramp AM realized that she didn't have her license...Now, before you judge her harshly, she really had EVERYTHING else completely organized and ready...which I promptly took from her at this point and put into my bag (boarding passes, mapquests, etc etc)

After calling some people (mainly my darling Italian Stallion) we came to the conclusion that the photo id on the back of her Costco card was NOT going to get her validation to board the plane and that we needed to turn around and try to locate her license at home...or find her expired passport...b/c we were NOT going to even consider the option of sending me alone...we stick together, me and AM!

Long story short, she found the license, we got to the airport gate just in time to grab a venti white chocolate mocha and board the plane...we DO have our priorities!

Upon arriving, listening to some schpeel about a hybrid car, which neither of us quite knew what the big deal was, they "upgraded" us to a corolla rental car...Now, if a corolla is an upgrade...let's just say that we weren't "workin' our wiles" to get anything extra at this point...in fact, I think between our giggles and our being completely flustered over the events so far in the day, they just wanted to get us to a car and AWAY from small enclosed areas where we could bother others with our loud talking and laughter snorts...

We had a our good friend "Beatrice" the Gps device who we deemed schitzophrenic due to her manly voice when telling us upon which roads to turn.  We made it to the rehearsal dinner and took a gazillion pictures to start off the evening...and then proceeded to stay up until midnight looking through them at the hotel and creating a slideshow for the next day.  We MADE ourselves lay down and go to sleep at midnight only for me realize at 12:30am that we had not gotten our boarding passes for the next day...I yelled over to AM over on her bed and asked her what we should do...and then I called down to the help desk and asked them...to which they directed us to come downstairs and print it out on the "print boarding passes here" sign next to the computer/printer in the lobby.  To my defense, Italian Stallion takes such good care of me that I don't need to be aware of all these little details and therefore, my mind was on other things that night...like, "hmmm I wonder what food they'll have at the reception AND should I curl my hair in the morning or put it up in a ponytail?"

Needless to say, we were exhausted starting our day photographing the wedding...but it was beautiful, and fun and we just had an all around great time...not to mention that we got some GREAT shots...(be sure to check into CTPhotoMemories Weddings on Monday morning for the first post)

We did make it back to the plane, after I downed a goblet of champagne and let AM and Beatrice get us back to the airport.  Once again, the giddiness set in on top of our over tiredness, which made us loud and a bit goofy...we went through all our pictures and oohed and ahhhed over them the entire trip home.  AM adopted the word FABULOUS and couldn't seem to stop using it..."oh this water is FABULOUS"  "FABULOUS, our ride is here"  "My feet don't feel so FABULOUS now"

She dropped me off at my car and I headed back to reality, savoring my little getaway...

only to receive another text from my dear friend as I entered my home, "I just got pulled over by a police officer who asked me if I had been drinking!"  Which was a bit ironic...but, that's just how it goes...

and thus ended our adventure...never a dull moment!!!
p.s. AM...notice that I did NOT post the FABULOUS picture of you...just know that I have it dear one!

Family Times

My brother and I don't get together all that often...with his family of 4 boys and living about 4 hours away, versus our family of 3 little girls...well, between soccer games, work, swim lessons, school, performances, etc etc etc...it's hard to try to carve out time to spend together...

When we usually get together our time is split in so many directions...between Grandma, Papa, Gram, Grandpa, Auntie, GG, Aunts and Uncles...don't get me wrong...we enjoy those times...it's just that we don't get a chance to BE with each other...

And so, when the opportunity came up for them to visit once again over Memorial Weekend...we grabbed it up in a heart beat! 

He and I reminiscence all the time, much to our spouses' amuzement and chagrin...we tend to "OVER do" it as we do all things...we are the type of people that give 110% into things and sometimes it's overwhelming for those around us...but, we're used to each other...and it just makes us laugh!

Here are a few pics from the day...I love you Don...you are an awesome brother...I couldn't ask for better!

Wedding Pics

http://www.ctphotomemoriesweddings.blogspot.com/

Those dear friends who are humoring me by visiting here today...please jump over to CTPhotoMemories to see the sneak peak of the wedding that AM and I did last Saturday.  She and I are on a plane and heading to D.C. today for wedding #2...

Would appreciate any constructive criticism or encouragement...pray for us tomorrow if we happen to pop into your head...we want to not only do a good job..no, an AWESOME job...but, we want to show Jesus in us too...it's a privilege to be there, to photograph their day and we want our presence to be something they smile about.