tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31240396092691354772024-03-13T21:21:28.754-05:00A Mess Put Together NicelyMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-69455152348933363422013-04-12T10:17:00.002-05:002013-04-12T10:18:57.754-05:00Chocolate Banana MuffinsI try to do something special for each of the kids to make them feel good and to get at least one day started off well. My oldest son stops at the convenient store once a week for a chocolate muffin. Every Friday we leave a couple minutes early and he goes in to buy his muffin. $1.68 isn't bad, but I hate that I've been paying for something I could make on my own. Not to mention the fact that no matter what kind I make, it would still be healthier and better for him than that one he buys! So yesterday I asked him if he would like me to make him some so we didn't have to buy them. He was more than willing to let me make him some. He always has faith that I can do it. Even though I have made some stuff that wasn't even dog worthy. Talk about yuck!<br />
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So off I went to look for some chocolate muffins that might take the place of his Friday morning breakfast. Didn't take long to find a "healthy" muffin recipe that was chocolate on Pinterest. Usually those two words do NOT go together! I clicked the link and read the blog and looked over the recipe. Looked very good! It was sweetened with honey instead of sugar and had plenty of bananas in it to be qualified as a healthy muffin. Then it only had two tbs of oil! The perfect amount if you ask me. So I went to the grocery store yesterday and got everything I needed to make these muffins and got to work. Well, actually by the time everything was said and done I only had time to mix the batter then it was time to get kids and do our hectic routine of being busy till bedtime. So I covered it with plastic wrap and went. But when I got back I preheated the oven and baked them. I also prepared a not so healthy chocolate muffin recipe I found on allrecipes.com just in case these didn't turn out. Needless to say we have a lot of muffins to eat now!<br />
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The one of the left is the "healthy" muffin that I was proud to give to my kids for breakfast this morning. The one on the right is the regular chocolate muffin. Both are good by the way! The picture below this is the inside of them. I switched them around by accident though. SO the left one is the regular and the right one is the healthy. You can see that the healthy muffin has much more of a muffin like texture, but it's still moist and not so dry. The regular one actually has more of a cupcake taste and feel. Just doesn't have icing on it.<br />
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So if you want to make these take a look over here at <a href="http://tutti-dolci.com/2013/04/chocolate-banana-muffins/#comment-8304" target="_blank">Tutti Dolci</a> to find the recipe! When I made them, I substituted some of the flour with whole wheat. 1/2 a cup to be precise. ;) And if you mash up all your bananas and you find that you are a little bit short, just throw in some unsweetened applesauce to make up the difference and call it good. I had to. LOL You just never know if those 3 small bananas are going to be 1 1/2 cups or not. I had to use about a tbs of applesauce. And if you are like me and just a little shy of 1/3 cup of honey, don't fret, it's still good!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-86363887443844985612013-01-10T13:34:00.000-06:002013-01-10T13:35:18.736-06:00Pan De PolvoAfter searching for days I could not find a single recipe that made pan de polvo. A cookie that melts like dust(polvo) in your mouth. Only really tasty! I did find tons of recipes for a Mexican wedding cookie, which might be similar, but it's NOT the same thing! So I decided I would share my recipe.<br />
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Warning!!! These cookies are really not good for you. And they are totally addicting! The recipe makes a LOT and don't let their size fool you. These bite size cookies are too good to eat just one. I find myself sneaking in the kitchen to eat one, or two or three, all day long. And before you know it, I've eaten them all!<br />
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What you need... <br />
Shortening<br />
Flour<br />
Salt<br />
Ground Cinnamon<br />
Cinnamon Sticks<br />
Anise<br />
Water<br />
Sugar and Cinnamon mixture<br />
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First make a tea with the cinnamon sticks and anise seeds. What I do is put two sticks of cinnamon crushed up in about 1 and 1/4 cup of water and add about a teaspoon full of anise. Boil that for a little while to make a tea. I boil mine slowly then let it sit for a while to let the cinnamon flavor come out more. Once it's completely cool in the pan strain out all the cinnamon and anise and place in the fridge to get cold. You want the tea to be very cold for the recipe! It just works better, trust me on this one. <br />
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Sift the flour, salt and ground cinnamon into a large bowl. I use a wire whisk to mix it all upand evenly distribute the salt and cinnamon. I have no idea if this is actually necessary, but that's what I do. lol<br />
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Measure out your shortening and place into the bowl. This is the messy part... Use your hand to mix it all together really well.<br />
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Then add the cinnamon tea to the dough and use your hand to mix it up really well. <br />
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The next part is up to you! You can roll out the dough and use little tiny cookie cutters to make shapes. You can just make little balls and flatten them on the cookie sheet. You can use a cookie press... What ever you choose, it will all work out in the end. I like to roll it out and use the little cookie cutters. I love the way they look better. lol And you can make them to suit the season or holiday. Although, these are mostly eaten around the Christmas holidays around here.<br />
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Place the shapes(or what ever) on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. Time may vary. You want the cookie to be barely even turning brown on the bottom. If you over cook them they kind of taste burned with out looking burned.<br />
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As soon as they come out of the oven toss them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and coat them well. Then set them out to cool completely before storing. As good as these cookies are, they taste way better when they have cooled completely. Even better the next day!<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
6 cups of flour<br />
2 and 2/3 cups of vegetable shortening<br />
1 teaspoon of salt<br />
1 table spoon of cinnamon<br />
2 sticks of cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon anise seeds<br />
1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups water<br />
Cinnamon and sugar mixture(to desired taste) <br />
*I like a lot of cinnamon in mine that's why I added cinnamon to the dough.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-69846078499465493772013-01-09T15:03:00.000-06:002013-01-10T12:34:24.004-06:00Really Know???I think my husband and I are done with our relationship but neither one of us knows how to end it. I know he's done trying to meet the needs of others. All, if not most, of his energy goes into work, doing well and moving up. None of it is going into his home life anymore and even the kids see what an ass he is when he drinks(which is every night). Luckily the little ones are usually in bed before he's had more than one or two.<br />
Me... I don't want to let go because this is a life choice that I made and I intend to keep it going. Call it religion or what ever you want. I am a christian and do have christian values, but I made a promise to him and my kids(even the ones that weren't born yet) to be married and stay married for the rest of my life. I told my husband that before we got married and that was the reason that I didn't marry him the first time around. This is one thing that I feel so strongly about! So I keep hope that one day he will want to try again. And one day his desire for me will come back.<br />
Here's the bad part... my desire is gone now. My desire for him I mean. I think that after so much negativity from a person no matter what they look like(which I think my husband is good looking by the way) they can still become undesirable to you. So I've had fantasies about another person. No sex involved, just lust and kisses and hugging and cudeling. It's so hard for me though because that's NOT what I want. It's a contradiction to the values I have clung to all of my life. It's even sneaking into dreams now and it kind of scares me. I think that if this other person were here in town or even wanted to be a part of my life I might fail and go to him. And I just feel really sad knowing that it probably could be a possibility if everything was set in a way that it could even happen. Perhaps, that's why my mind has chosen this person?<br />
I used to feel so good about myself and pretty confident that I wasn't bad looking. Now, not so much. My husband only wants to give me a hug or to lay down with me when he's been drinking(and even then it's still few and far between). I just can't even make myself want to anymore though. That fact alone turns me off.<br />
All of that said... this weekend we are going to celebrate our 9th anniversary. It's actually during the week but I already know he won't try to get off work for it (he might not be able to if he tried anyways) so I'm planning a night and half day with just us(maybe just the day part though depends on if other people can take the kids for us). I'm trying to find people to watch the kids on Saturday night. If not my in-laws will watch them all for us on Sunday. I already have a place for lunch on Sunday for us to go and a place on Saturday for dinner if we can. Then on Sunday I have a movie picked out that he might like to see at the theatre. If I can get him to do more then we may do something after dinner on Saturday night.<br />
Dinner and a movie are all thing that we just fall back on on the time. I don't feel the desire to be more creative than that unfortunately. But I do feel like I need to get him out of the house and out with just us two for a while. That time may decide our fate. I am going with the best attitude and looking forward to a good time at least. But deep down inside I know that he could turn that time into a fight and it will just all be over. I think I just need this, I need to know him again and I need to really see how he is with me. It might, just maybe, make up my mind on us.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-6723966395239780162012-11-18T21:23:00.000-06:002013-01-10T12:34:45.469-06:00WaitingI try my best to ignore the negative responses my husband tells me. I just don't think about it anymore because I don't want to cry every day. He says he's done and wants to leave. Yet he's still here all the time and still calls and talks to me when he's at work. Then he comes home late one night and wakes me up. Mind you he's been out drinking, not just out working. So he comes home way later than he said he would and he wakes me up and wants to hold me. I told him to stop being an ass hole and let me sleep. He tells asks if I've found a job yet. I mean really?! He does it just to get a rise from me. But he doesn't get what he wants from it anymore like he used to. So he's trying more often and coming up with other ways of talking about a divorce. I can only take so much of him talking to me like that though. If he wants to then he just needs to do it and stop dragging shit on. But if he doesn't, he needs to stop being an ass and acting like this!<br />
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So I wait... wait, wait, wait until he does one thing or another. Or, until he drags me down to nothing. I'm lost. I want to sleep more often so I can dream of happier times. But that's not fair to my kids. So I get up and I take care of them and we do things and stay busy. Sometimes I think that staying busy is about the only thing that keeps me going these days.</div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-19460622578377397472012-11-13T00:35:00.000-06:002013-01-10T12:35:06.157-06:00I FeelBlah... blah, blah, blah... blah blah blah blah!<br />
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It's hard to imagine a time that I was just over the moon for someone. The weird thing is, I'm not sure I was ever there with my husband. I really do love him. But I think that affection isn't the kind of love that two married people should feel. I love him like a friend and like the father of my children that he is. But am I IN love with him. I don't know. These are things that pop up in my head when he talks about wanting a divorce. How can he still love me, like he claims to, yet want to leave? He doesn't want me physically anymore, unless he's drunk. Which every single night that he is home(and then some), he is drinking. We can talk nicely on the phone and he can sound like he just wants to be home and with me and the kids. Then he comes home and half way here I talk to him and he's in a pissy mood and bitches about everything and is mad at me by the time he walks in the door. This is the way it happens even when I don't talk to him on the way home. The last time he talked about leaving we talked about it and he decided to wait it out and see what happens. Then we have a nice night in bed(if you know what I mean) and the next day it's back to normal. Before I knew it he was already talking about wanting to leave again. Saying stuff like find a job before I get home, or pack you shit... There's other little subtle things he says here and there too, but you get the idea. It's a roller coaster and all I can do is ride it and hope he comes to a stop in a suitable place for all of us. Yes, I love my husband. I am here to stay and make it work to the best of my ability. I believe that when you make the commitment of marriage you can not just say never mind when it gets tough. With all of my heart I believe that I must hang in there and try my best to help him get to a place that he is happy. Honestly, I am happy where I am. I love my husband. I love my kids. I love that I get to stay at home with them while they are young. I like being so busy running from here to there and back again every week day after school. No matter how much I complain about how busy our schedule is, I like it. Of course that is a supporting factor of why we should work it out. But really, it goes further than that. Maybe it's a religious belief and maybe it's old fashioned, but I don't take marriage vows lightly. I said "I do." I mean to keep that promise. I just have no idea how to help someone that doesn't want help. And here we are again, he's told me to really think about it and said he will do the same. He sees divorce as inevitable. Though I feel like he just wants it to be. Like he doesn't want to put forth the effort to make it work. And it's been going on a long long time. Almost like he's trying to make it my idea, my fault, make it be me that leaves. Looking back, I wonder if that's why he was like he was with his ex? To make her leave him. I am finding that he wants a lot of recognition and wants to look good a lot more. That wasn't anything I used to see in him though. Maybe it was there and I just didn't see it. Maybe it's something new. I don't know, and I think I'm to tired to try to work though it in my head. That's not how real things get figured out anyways.<br />
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Oh wow, I got way off track from what I was going to talk about. Sorry about that. I tend to ramble and forget this isn't diary, it's a blog. Now back to our regularly scheduled rambling...<br />
One summer when I was 17 I remember meeting a boy that was sweet as sweet can be. He was pretty good looking too I guess. But what I remember the most was how he treated me. Details of that night can't all be explained. It was almost half my lifetime ago after all.<br />
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We were driving down the main drive in a town near by. All 6 (maybe 5, I can't remember really) of us in the jeep I was the oldest one there. That I do know! The driver was 16, I was 17 and the others were younger. We had left the lake and were in search of someone to buy us some beer. The first mistake of the night! lol We went to several different places while my step sister would get out and ask people to buy us some. When told no we left and went to the next place. Nervous as can be we pulled over to let a cop pass us to make sure he wasn't following us. Then we pressed on down the road. Second mistake of the night. We finally found a guy to buy us some! He bought some for himself and some for us and we followed him home to get them from him so that he wouldn't get caught. And he didn't. I couldn't tell you a thing about what the man looked like or what color his truck was, just that he drove a truck. Anyways, the girls decide they were hungry so we go back to that same store so they can get a burrito. Their mistake was eating a gas station burrito. They weren't half as good then as they are now, and they still aren't that great! When they got back and we were going to start driving off, we got busted. They had been following us the whole time! They made us all get out of the jeep and poor out our beer. The unopened ones too. I have to hand it to them though, they did the right thing by having us poor it out. They could have just kept it for themselves you know. <i>Maybe cops were even better people then too. Either that, or small town cops are better than city cops.</i> I was so scared! Everyone else was too, but I think I was the only one who showed it. My sister sat down and asked the cop if she could finnish eating her burrito. Her BF <i>(they had the same name and she was our step sister now)</i> copped a squat next to her in the parking lot on the ground. I stood there scared to death that those two girls were going to piss the cops off and get us in big trouble! The damn cop looked right in my eyes and said, your the oldest, you are the only one that could be tried as an adult. Holy crap! I had never done anything like that before in my life and I got caught the one time I did. And with all younger kids than I was. I had only wanted to go swimming and have some fun with friends that day. I hadn't intended on there being any alcohol involved. I was the goodie, goodie two-shoes of the bunch so to say. I was in tears after that. We were supposed to be going to Mexico to visit my mom only a month after that(or less, I don't remember). I was so scared that I would be put on probation and have to come back up there and not be able to go to Mexico at all! I hadn't seen my mother in a long time! It had probably been almost 2 years by that time.<br />
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One of the boys with us put his arms around me and let me cry on his shoulder. He even hugged me to try to make me feel better. Of course, it didn't work. I was still scared shitless! But it was really nice having someone there to comfort me. After scaring us into believing that a van was coming to pick us up and letting the girls talk shit and me cry for a while, they let us go. They had done their job and I guess they didn't think I needed all that on my shoulders. I was probably the only reason they didn't take us in and call our parents! So, off we went and we headed right back to our little bitty home town and far away from there. Well, it took like 30 minutes to get there, so it was far enough.<br />
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The night was only just beginning. You see, the cops hadn't thought to look under the jacket that was thrown in the back. It had covered up the other half of the beer we had gotten just enough so that they didn't see it. We were happy campers. But we didn't have anywhere to go. If we went up to the school(which is where everyone went at night to make out or smoke or what ever) then the town sherif might drive by and see us. Obviously we couldn't go home with the beer. So, we went to the only place that seemed like we wouldn't get caught. The cemetery right before you hit town! What a place to go to have a couple beers. But we did. And I got the last one because I was the most stressed about it all. I guess the crying helped out in more ways than one.<br />
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I got up and walked around a little bit until I got under the gazebo in the middle of the place. And for some reason I remember wishing that he would come up and sit with me there. No one had ever made me feel like I was cared about in the least. And I don't mean the family that has to make you feel like that either. No other guy had ever made me feel like he actually wanted to hear what I have to say either. He never did come up to me right there. But that was probably a good thing. In my head I knew we would probably never see each other again. He was just there visiting his dad, and I was just there visiting mine. Anyways, after we were done we ended up going out to his dads place. A big piece of land out in the country with a dirt road and a river running through it. Like most places up there, which is why I like it up there. Lots of trees, brush, rivers and dirt roads and a big open sky where you could see ALL the stars.<br />
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Everyone headed to the river, where the girls jumped in, and they all tried to get me to join them. I was just fine on the dry land. I didn't feel like stripping down, or like wearing wet cloths on a cool night. A fire was started after that and we all sat around talking. My step sister was off doing what she does/did with another guy. He and I were talking, about what Lord only knows. But we ended up going for a walk. I probably talked his head off! Poor guy. Had no idea what he had done with me/to me. I have some recollection of telling him about my mother being an alcoholic. So I'm sure I told him about other things she had done and how I felt about her. Although I don't remember what really was said. The bad part is that I don't remember if he was talking too, or if I did all the talking and he just listened and responded when appropriate. I feel like I probably talked his head off though, and I feel bad for that. Kind of with I had listened too. Usually that's all I did. I never really talked to anyone. We walked down the dirt road for a while then went off and climbed up a deer blind. From there you could see out over the trees and you could really see the moon and stars. It must have been a full moon that night because even though it was out in the middle of no where it was bright enough to see where you were walking. Even in the middle of the night we could easily avoid the cactus plants at least. We talked a little up there and looked at the moon and stars for a while before getting down and heading back. Nothing happened, no holding hands, no kiss, no more hugs even. Before I knew it we were back with the group. I remember being embarrassed when we came back because I thought someone would think we had gone off to have sex or something. Yes, I was still a virgin. And I had planned on staying that way for a while! I don't remember what else happened. But I do remember it being cold, and late, or early in the morning rather. The only ones still up were me, him and my sister. He brought out a couple of blankets for us to lay on and one to cover up with. So we were all huddled together on one big blanket and with one over us. And of course he was squished in the middle. What boy wouldn't love that right?! I remember thinking I need to stay close because I didn't know if she was close and if he would like her better. <i>Like it really mattered anyways. Nothing was going to happen with all of us there.</i> Then after a while we were all to tired and non of us could stay up any longer and we had probably run out of stuff to talk about. So we went in and laid down where ever there was room. After pretty much just a short nap we all got up and they took us home.<br />
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I was so sad at the thought of never seeing this boy again. Never getting to know him, never having kissed him, never going to even see him again. I was tired as hell so I didn't have to really hide much since it just looked like I was tired. Great disguise by the way! When ever you are sad or depressed, just stay up till 4AM then tell everyone you are dead dog tired. They will leave you alone for the most part. Unless of course it's kids we are talking about, the most you can hope for then is, "you should have gone to bed sooner" and then maybe a few minutes till they are back to ask for something else again. I got his address though. And I did write him a letter once, even sent a picture in it. But since we had only known each other for that one day, I sent one that was of me and some friends. I never got a reply though. I thought of him a lot that summer too. I don't know what I though happened. Or what I thought would happen. 15 years ago and I still remember him. He made a big impact in my life that night. And he will never know why.<br />
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I always set out to find someone that would make me feel like that again. I did find one other person that listened when I talked and held me and held the door for me and all that jazz. Unfortunately, that was also while I was on a vacation so it lead no where too. Anyways, I never did find anyone that might actually become something more, and that was like he was. So I lowered the bar. A few times I think. What can I say, you live you learn right? Maybe I am still learning...Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-89456875769606281802012-04-05T11:58:00.000-05:002013-01-10T13:45:34.808-06:00Yay for new adventures!I've never sewn much. In fact the most I have done is a pillow or two only using a straight stitch. My sister and I have decided to make things from old t-shirts. This requires a lot of sewing. LOL Anyways, I got a cool new sewing machine and decided to try it out. I did a little tooth fairy pillow. It's not even perfectly square, but it's pretty close. When looking for more ideas I ran across another blog that showed a tutorial for making yoga pants out of a shirt. Well, within a couple of hrs I had found a shirt, cut it up and sewn together the pants. But I horribly messed them up and didn't have a seam ripper so I started the whole process over again. I found and cut up a whole new shirt. Sewed it all up. The right way this time! Then found a second shirt to use a little of and made the waist band. I was totally amazed that I had actually made a pair of capri length yoga pants, all by myself! And the total time was under two hrs from the beginning of the first one that I messed up to the end of the second one that turned out alright. I just messed up the measurements for the inseam a little. <br />
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Maybe I'll add a pic after I have the second one done. lol<br />
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I found the tutorial here: <a href="http://kirapeasley.blogspot.com/2010/05/yoga-pants-from-old-t-shirts-tutorial.html">Kira's Sewing Projects</a>.<br />
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<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-24453035251238914472012-03-28T11:21:00.000-05:002013-01-10T12:35:34.878-06:00Inside<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I try to fill my life with things I love. But something is still missing. I've been taking pictures, doing yoga, going places(mostly local but still getting out). I surround myself with people I love. But still I feel an emptiness inside. I need a strong hand to love and care for me and to hold me tight. I need to feel like someone is taking care of me emotionally. Just like I have been taking care of those around me. I just want to lay down right now and give up on that. You would think being married that wouldn't be an issue. But when your husband works 2 weeks out of town and then is home for two weeks it seems like he's never there. When he's home it's for a good two weeks and he isn't even working. So it's not like he can't give his all to his family. Don't get me wrong, he dose things with us all. But instead of doing things with/for me, he spends his time and energy on figuring out what to do for himself. He likes to go to the shooting range, or shopping for accessories. He likes to go have a beer with his friend while waiting for his truck to have the oil change. He likes to sit on the couch and watch a movie while he drinks a few beers every night. If it's not that at night ten it's a few beers at his friends house instead. I'm getting sick of that crap. It's all pretty selfish to me and no matter how I tell him how I am feeling he just doesn't get it. Promises are made but not acted on. I've learned to not trust any of it anymore. Pretty sad indeed. In fact, I am beginning to no not even listen to it now. That used to be enough to make me feel like he still cared and wanted to make a change. But now it's just no help at all.<br />
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Mostly, I just want romance back in my life. Is that really so much to ask for? A walk on the beach at sunset(or sunrise, I don't care which). An arm around me with out it criticizing me. It would be incredibly lovely to have some on walk up to me with a smile and just want to hold me tight(not just want to have sex!).<br />
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So, all of this having been said... I think I have a lot to work on for myself. I've let myself allow this emptiness to take over and affect my responsibilities. The house is a wreck! But I have NO motivation to change that. So instead, I go to the gym and forget about it. Or I sit at the computer and fill my time with meaningless games to occupy my brain. It's that or I lay on the couch and keep worrying about how things are not happening and then I just want to cry.<br />
First of all, I want a sitter for the kids for an entire day! Then I would spend all day with the music way up loud and I would clean the whole house, top to bottom. Then I could at least feel a little better. Then maybe the next week I could get someone to watch them for a few hours so I can go do some more stuff that makes me feel like me.<br />
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I think that might be a good starting point.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtJQhVl9_Dv28gHz7D76XXbbHvrQm9PAPZd_Lm-ptkuo1hOt1FyHliamA-r0LbwaDnhPJJsceSuBTQxCoqYUppznDKsl07QKlksbd6X71Fk3TJ3ZrHfLVvqTbtLMbvHlbt69EnQ4rg24/s1600/DSCF5451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-56093154665708253232011-10-15T23:02:00.000-05:002013-01-10T12:36:13.151-06:00Ready<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm ready to just be me. <br />
I'm ready to love myself and my kids.<br />
I'm ready to let go of the trash in my life.<br />
I'm ready to not worry about the ones who don't matter.<br />
I'm ready to let go of those that don't matter.<br />
I'm ready to admit that there are some that don't matter.<br />
I'm ready to go.<br />
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But I'm really scared to do it!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-58247395606059911702011-10-14T13:27:00.000-05:002013-01-10T12:36:50.290-06:00Back to the drawing boardSometimes we expect to much of a person. Sometimes that person just can't (or won't) live up to that expectation. I can't keep expecting great things when great things just don't happen. So what do I do, I lower my expectations. When the person tells me they will do something great, I listen. I hope it's true. But I do not hold my breath. Oh, I used to! I just learned it easier not to. So now when he tells me he wants to have a picnic in a park down town, I automatically assume he's making empty gestures. But when he also tells our 6 year old they will spend time together I get MAD. You might get away with messing with me, but NOT with my children. And I don't care if they are your children too. You don't mess with a mommas baby boy... All I have to say is that if he does not carry that one out I know what I am getting him for Christmas.<br />
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If you need to know a little more about my reasoning behind a big metal animal, I would look to the <a href="http://thebloggess.com/">Bloggess</a> and her awesome post about <a href="http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/">bath towels and a big metal chicken</a>s. Seriously, a good read by the way! But I like the big metal donkey because it actually says "hey Jack Ass" in a not so subtle silence. HaHa... <br />
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In other news... I want a trade. I want a man who can support me and still want want to take me on walks and/or picnics on the sea wall or the beach. Nice long, childless walks by the water are romantic early in the morning, at sunset or any other time of the day or night really. So if time isn't an issue why can't it happen? It doesn't 'cost anything, unless you want it to.<br />
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And now on to your regularly scheduled procrastination... cause I know if you had something better to do than to read my blog posts you would be doing it.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-46505083605881865932011-10-08T23:38:00.001-05:002013-01-10T12:37:58.666-06:00Getting awayI'm sitting here in the best cafe ever. I'm enjoying a falafel wrap with a side of baby carrots and some hummus. It's such a good and fresh taste. Well, because it is fresh. But I am alone. I'm ok with that though. I just don't like it so much because when I spend time alone and away from everyone and out of the house I end up thinking about how nice it would be to have someone with me that would really enjoy walking on the seawall. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-2604146325302678742011-09-30T08:40:00.000-05:002013-01-10T13:47:08.102-06:00<a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294753_2012030583768_1333885789_31766617_400778759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294753_2012030583768_1333885789_31766617_400778759_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>I started crocheting again! I made a few small pink ribbons for our city's art walk that happens today. And I also made a kerchief. Which, in case you don't know, is a triangle shaped piece that ties around your head kind of like a handkerchief would. I have finally discovered a way to pull my hair back with out pulling it into a pony tail! Woo Hoo!!! I'm also going to start making a few small pieces for a craft event at our local farmers market. I'm thinking things like coffee cozies, hats, pot holders and maybe some of these kerchiefs as well. And I'm going to print out some of my photos and see if any of them sell. Maybe framed? I'm not sure yet. I figured the $15 it costs for a table isn't much to worry about. I'm sure I'll sell at least that much worth. And if not, at least I had fun making it and I can say I participated.<br />
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Tonight I am going to be busy, busy, busy! And for the 4th time in a row, I will not be going to the Art Walk tonight. :( I'm so sad. I've never been able to go. And now I just have way to much going on tonight. Who would have known having so many kids would keep me this busy?! LOL We now have Tae Kwan Do, Running Club and Baseball going on all at once! And that's only 2 of the kids. Just wait until the other one is old enough to start sports. Which may possibly be next year. OMG, where did the time go?!<br />
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On a completely unrelated note... online forums and social media sights have spoiled me. HaHaHa... All I want to do is add little faces and stuff to everything I type. There should be "like" buttons on blogs too. So that you can just show you like a blog post and not have to comment on it.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-66614668730268987702011-09-19T22:17:00.001-05:002013-01-10T12:38:50.977-06:00LoveIs it really that hard? <br />
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Apparently so. We aren't fighting as much right now. And we are pretty much just doing the things we like to do. Only problem is unless it's something we both like/want then I'm on my own. Either he's out drinking and I'm at home with all the kids. Or I am taking an early morning to myself and back by the time the kids are getting up. If it's anything else I do without him I have at least one child with me at all times. <br />
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The real problem I have right now is that I don't feel in love anymore. I long for some romance. The real stuff. Not the stuff money can buy. His idea of a romantic date is a restaurant and a movie. Mine is a walk together under the moon and stars. Talking, or not... Of course food would be a good start and movies are fun sometimes. But nothing beats walking in the moonlight with a guy who is not only talking to you, but listening as well.<br />
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I experienced that once! It was amazing. The only thing wrong with that picture was that he and I were teens and didn't live anywhere near each other. Our paths just happened to cross that one time. Or night as it may be. Or have been. Whatever. And the nicest thing about that night was that I got to experience it with someone who did not try to get anything out of it. He didn't even try to hold my hand much less kiss me. I actually cried when I was about to head back home. But in silence, so that no one could see. <br />
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I think that boy made it almost impossible for any other guy I met after that. Eventually I gave up looking for someone to just talk to. <br />
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So here's my "what if" thought for now. What if we both had lived in the same little hick town that we met in? (we were both visiting at the time, if I remember correctly)<br />
Still not regretting my life thus far! Just wondering where I would be if... What my life would be like if...<br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-28351188526832562372011-07-25T13:03:00.001-05:002013-01-10T13:48:24.824-06:00I am such a water person<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Perhaps it's becasue I am a Pisces?! When I can, I like to get out and watch the sunrise. I decided this time would be down town. I love the marina, even though on really hot summer afternoons/evening, it smells bad when the shrimpers come in. LOL But this early in the morning, it sure was nice! <br />
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I love the reflections on the water. I only wish I could have a better camera to take really nice pictures of them!<br />
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Any one want to buy me one? No, I didn't think so. But it didn't hurt to ask, did it?!<br />
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This is the same boat from the other picture, just in a different setting on my cheap camera. ;)<br />
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Here's my favorite pick from today!<br />
I love the beach and a palm trees mean beach to me. :)</div>
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Sunsets on the bay are just as beautiful as they are out on the beach!</div>
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This was something new. I hadn't ever noticed this old pier. It's obviously no longer used. But the green mossy stuff all over makes it nice and colorful. And the bird was an added bonus, he didn't stay long though. I got a little to close for him.</div>
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Same pier, different settings and getting the sunrise in this one. ;) Bonus! A bird flew by just at the right moment. I love it when that happens!</div>
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I love the reflection in this one. Looks like it was painted on!</div>
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I found a bench with standing water on the seat. Yes, I did just say standing. Hehehe... </div>
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Made for a really nice mirror though!</div>
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And one last pick... the sun behind some more palm trees. These were just planted this year though, so they aren't as pretty as the other ones.</div>
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On a side note. I wish people were like palm trees, growing prettier with age! Wouldn't that be nice?</div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-4960190487414333302011-07-23T23:21:00.000-05:002013-01-10T13:49:41.784-06:00One on OneSome times the kids just need you all to their selves. Kaleb, being the middle child, seems to need it more often than anyone else. I told him Thursday night that he and I could get out of the house for a little bit, just us! But My husband had made plans to go to the beach. We all love the beach and always have fun there. But as soon as Kaleb found out that was the plan he insisted that he was not going. He was going with me, for "our day." So Daddy took the other kids to the beach and Kaleb and I spent the afternoon together!<br />
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We started our afternoon with lunch. We went to one of my new favorite places, the <a href="http://urbanfarecafe.com/">Urban Fare Cafe</a>. I've been twice, but the place it's self is so inviting! Plus it's healthy food and great customer service. The first time we went there the owner brought the boys some cream puffs for free. That's one of my favorite deserts. mmm... They had already eaten so they were pretty much just along for the ride. lol This time when I walked in the lady taking my order recognized Kaleb from the last time! Aww... how sweet. I told her how he remembered the place by the cream puffs. And of course as he looked at the deserts available he pointed to the little chocolate cheese cake bites. YUM! I love cheese cake too. lol Any ways. As I was paying with the Living Social deal I got. I used the app from my phone. The guy looked at my phone and says, Buckler, where do I know that name from? Well, facebook of course. LOL He remembered my excitement about the new cucumber water they have available. I just found that kind of funny. Kaleb must have really enjoyed his pizza because he made a yummy sound every time he took a bite. ;) And I have to say that the Tai chicken wrap was pretty darn good too! I thanked the lady for recommending it to me. Anyways, two - for - two, they brought Kaleb some of those cream puffs again this time too! This time he shared one with me. And OMG they were really good! The cream inside was just right not to sweet and not too bland. And it was soft more like whipped cream than pudding(like I've usually had them). That's one lucky kid there!<br />
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I let him have the choice of either riding the surreys, or the paddle boats. And he chose the paddle boat since he hadn't done that before. I was proud of him though. He was so nervous about it! He didn't like the idea of such a small boat and being so close to the water. Either way we paid our $10 for half an hour and spent 15 minutes paddling my but off against the wind. The wind won. So I paddled a little more to go back to the doc and get off. Money well spent right there!<br />
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As we got off the Harbor Ferry had just landed and was about to cross the harbor again. So we took a ride over to North Beach. That was a boat Kaleb like better! We had to sit down until it took off. But as soon as it did he wanted to run downstairs and watch out the back of the boat! We watched a huge cargo ship leave the port as we stopped and waited. He seemed to like that part too. When we arived on North Beach we walked down to Dot'z, the ice cream shop. Hey, it's a really hot day, I deserved some ice cream after all that paddling! We took pictures in those boards that you stick your head through, and played hula hoop while there. Kaleb hadn't ever done it before. And now he wants to buy one for our house! lol Sounds like fun to me. :) He did pretty good for a 6 year olds first try. Then we walked back to the ferry doc and waited for it to land. This time it backed up to get out and going. Which made the waves splash the people in the back. Kaleb wanted to get splashed, so we did. It was refreshing. Sort of. About as refreshing as getting splashed with salt water can be. And that's how we ended our day. <br />
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I enjoyed every minute of it too. It was so nice to have him and not have the other kids picking on him. He's a pleasure to be around when he isn't screaming at them. ;)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-19525875029901854752011-05-26T02:54:00.000-05:002013-01-10T14:02:18.558-06:00Coconut Milk<a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225543_1695940081703_1333885789_31426789_5711375_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225543_1695940081703_1333885789_31426789_5711375_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Yum! I turned a coconut and the coconut water from inside of it, into some yummy coconut milk a while back!<br />
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It's not hard to get the water out of the coconut at all. And not quite as hard to open it as you may think. But getting the coconut meet off of the shell... ugh!!! That was a LOT of work! And my hands were really hurting after that. But I did it. It got done and I was able to put it all in the blender and make some milk out of it. It was really good milk too!<br />
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Oh man, was it good! I drank a glass that night before it even had a chance to get cold. LOL The rest of it was used for baking because the kids didn't really like it to much. I think it's becasue they expected a cow milk taste thought. I bet they would get used to drinking it after a while.<br />
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Want to know how I did it? I used a nail and hammered it in one of the eyes of the coconut. Then I took it out and listened to the suction breaking loose. lol Then I took a drill bit to open the hole a little more so I could poor out the water. Then to open it I held in in one hand and hit it with the hammer around the middle of the coconut, turned it a little in my hand and hit it again. I kept that up until it broke open. Then I pried out the coconut meet with a knife. I suggest you search for ways on doing that. ;) I have now used two ways out of 4 that I found. I put in about half of the coconut meet into the blender with all the coconut water. Then I blended it until it was nice and smooth! Then I took it out and strained it through several layers of cheese cloth. (there are bags made for this sort of thing, I just haven't bought one yet) Then I put the rest of the coconut meet into the blender and added the milk I had just strained. Now the fist time I made this, I used the whole coconut at once and had to add water to make my blender work(it's a cheep $10 one though). That time it tasted to watered down to me though, so I used the milk from the first half to make it thicker and more tasty. I liked it WAY better that way. After lots and lots of blending I got about 3 cups of coconut milk out of one small coconut. I used some of the left over pulp in some cookies and some of it I threw into a meatloaf that I happened to have been making on the same day. It's not sweet, so no one even knew the difference!<br />
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I need to look into more uses for the left over pulp though. I hate to just throw it all away. Seems like such a waist! If you have any ideas please leave me a comment.<br />
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I'll talk about a similar experience making almond milk next time!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-12859509964895247222011-05-23T10:21:00.004-05:002013-01-10T13:50:49.001-06:00My WeekendSo I think I'm going to try to keep this blog updated more often. We'll see how that goes. LOL<br />
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One thing I hear a lot from people in Corpus Christi is that they are board and there is nothing to do here. While there is certainly room for improvement in this town, there is plenty to do. You just have to get creative and look around for new things to do. Few people from here actually rent the paddle boats or <span jsid="text">surreys(4 wheel bikes with a roof top), or take the fairy from down </span><span jsid="text">town to North Beach. These are things that "tourists" do. We live here, so we don't need to do them. Boy is that the wrong way of looking at things!<br /><br />There are so many places around town that I have never been. And I've been living here for more than 15 years now. I am not going to say I am going to try them all, because lets face it, some of them are not my type of seen. I do not go to clubs or bars becasue I don't drink. I may have a fruity drink of some sort while hanging out with family or something, but that's few and </span><span jsid="text">far between! So naturally the down town area has always been a no-go for me. After all, it's for the night life and tourists. LOL<br /><br />This year, with out trying to set goals or anything, I have been finding more things to do and new</span><span jsid="text"> places to eat. Can I just say, Facebook is awesome! One of my inspirations for all this is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/40things">40 Things To Do In Corpus Christi 2010</a>. The title of the page says 2010, but they are still showing new and exciting things to do in Corpus for 2011!<br /><br />Back to my weekend now... On Friday we had planned to get up and go meat the in-laws on Saturday morning. Which is what we always do because they always want the boys to spend the night with them. So we planned on dropping off all the kids and heading down town to rent a bike</span><span jsid="text"> and ride them on the sea wall. Things rarely go as planned though.... But sometimes it makes </span><span jsid="text">things better like that! My SIL graduated last week so we meat the in-laws for lunch at <a href="http://www.laplaya.cc/">La Playa. </a>Then they invited us to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Which was a nice time since we don't really go to the movies anymore! After that it was already 5:00 PM and we had the baby with us since they only keep the ones that can get up on their own in the morning. lol So I </span><span jsid="text">was sure that our day was over and we didn't get to go do our fun date night. :'( I was all upset and almost in tears. lol Then instead of turning the way to go home, he kept going and we headed</span><span jsid="text"> down town to have some fun!<br />We stopped and parked on Shoreline Drive by the Seawall. First we walked down to to T-head and rented a paddle boat for $10 for a half hour. <a href="http://funtimerental.tripod.com/">Fun Time Rentals</a> is where we spent our money! We only made it for 15 minutes though. That's hard work to paddle so much and only go a few feet. lol But it was fun and Keegan was quite upset that it was time to get off! But he didn't have to do the foot work... So we walked back up tot he sea wall and rented a </span><span jsid="text">surrey from the same people as the paddle boats. Lots of fun! Not as hard to peddle as the boats, but not all that easy either. This time we kept it for the whole 30 minutes and we rode down towards the <a href="http://www.americanbankcenter.com/">American Bank Center</a> to check out what our little splash park looks like. Thinking we may go there tomorrow which is Christian's last day of school and last day to be an elementary student! Ugh... that's another story though. ;) So after that we were supposed to use a certificate I got a while back for the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Sheep-Bistro/143854782296">Black Sheep Bistro</a>. But it was already late and that would have taken to long </span><span jsid="text">to drive to since it's on the island and we were down town. So instead we went to the <a href="http://www.railroadseafood.com/home.cfm">Railroad Seafood Station</a> that's kind of hidden down town. It was all good food, but maybe a little higher priced than I would have liked. ;) Service was great too. Jason had been there with people from work, but I hadn't been there ever. Never even knew it was there! It sure is nice to find some new places around town! After that we headed home. It was late and little man was tired. So off to bed he went and Jason and I watched Little Fockers before we went to bed ourselves. What a nice day it was!!! I haven't had that much fun in a while.<br /><br /><span jsid="text"><br /><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229074_1722560507197_1333885789_31461933_5201357_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229074_1722560507197_1333885789_31461933_5201357_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 720px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 540px;" /></a><span jsid="text"><br /></span><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225314_1722559987184_1333885789_31461931_4619602_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225314_1722559987184_1333885789_31461931_4619602_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 720px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 540px;" /><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/246669_1722561747228_1333885789_31461940_4127394_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></span></span></span><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/247379_1722562027235_1333885789_31461942_2745978_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/247379_1722562027235_1333885789_31461942_2745978_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 720px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 540px;" /><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/246669_1722561747228_1333885789_31461940_4127394_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/246669_1722561747228_1333885789_31461940_4127394_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 540px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 720px;" /></a></span></span></span><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><span jsid="text"><a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250039_1722561547223_1333885789_31461939_3037905_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250039_1722561547223_1333885789_31461939_3037905_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 540px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 720px;" /></a></span></span></span><br />Since we didn't get to use our gift certificate to Black Sheep Bistro, we decided we would go have lunch there and have the in-laws meat us at the beach with the boys when we were done. Sunday comes... I went to a secret meeting (shhh... <a href="http://yarnbombing.com/">yarn bombing</a> coming to Corpus Christi soon) <span jsid="text">at Barns & Noble and Jason went to the office during that time. We met back up at home then decided to head on out to the island! On the way there I decide to look up the restaurant on my phone for the hours. No luck at all! The place closed at 2:00 on Sundays and it was already 1:50. We were not going to make it in time. :'( The certificate expires today(Monday) and guess what... they are closed on Mondays. >.< (more on that later though) We looked and looked on the main strip on the island. Couldn't find anything that looked open out there! I couldn't believe that the island didn't have many good places to eat. We found a little burger joint though. It was called the Island Burger Company. lol How original and unique! It's mainly a bar with a patio, and I must say the burgers were NOT good! Plus it took 45 minutes for us to get them!!! So service was not good either. And the prices for a plate were to much for burgers. I paid $13 for my plate, and Jason's was like 11 or 12 or something. So that place was a bust! The beach after wards made up for it though! The kids had a blast. Keegan proclaimed right away that he was scared of the water. That didn't last but 5 minutes though! After that I couldn't keep him out of the water and I had to do some major entertainment to keep him from trying to go deeper. LOL<br /><br />Now back to the Black Sheep Bistro... remember I had the groupon deal from back in December and it expires today, on the day that they are closed. Well, I decided to vent a little and post on their page that I was disappointed in myself for not making it over there before it expired. I have to say that so far I have very good customer service experiences with them and I haven't even been there yet! They told me that they would extend it for one more week so that I could come on in. :) That made me a happy camper! I have been looking at their <a href="http://www.blacksheepbistro.net/">menu online</a> for weeks now and seeing the pics of food they post on their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Black-Sheep-Bistro/143854782296">FB page</a> makes me want to go even more! So Now I need to find a sitter, or find someone to go with for lunch one day this week. I will report my findings later on that. ;)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-83251529510827122602011-05-05T23:05:00.002-05:002011-05-06T00:24:08.940-05:00I'm so bad at keeping up.<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So another year has come and gone and I'm still here. In the past couple of years I have changed so many things in my life to cut costs or be a little "greener." I've used cloth diapers, although I've gotten to where it's only part time now. But the little one is starting to learn to use the potty more, so that'll be gone soon any ways. I no longer use paper towels, paper plates or plastic cups. Even during the summer when I have all 5 kids here! I use free and clear laundry soap, biodegradable stuff when possible money wise. No more fabric softener(and I don't miss it at all). I use natural house hold cleaners like vinager and baking soda now too. I also use the no-poo method for washing my hair. The kids don't do that though and neither does my husband. Basically all it is is baking soda to wash my hair and a little vinager in some water to shampoo it. Works great and my hair looks 10 times better now! No fly aways which I always hate and it just looks healthier now. I used regular shampoo for a couple time in a row and I hated it! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, now my newest thing is to start eating healthier and find alternatives that I like better. I have started cooking at home every day now. Of course we do go out every so often still, and I still get that cheep crap from McDonald's every so often. The kdis love that stuff and sometimes I just don't have time to cook after a busy day(like tonight). </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I go to the farmers market now and get lots of locally organic grown stuff. It's only once a week though. But I have also been baking like mad lately! I started with what I know, cookies! LOL But now it's from scratch, not from a box mix. ;) Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, sugar cookie, and the latest... </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://weelicious.com/2010/08/16/sweet-beet-cookies/">sweet beet cookies</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">. Which were a hit with the little guy! I also enjoy making breads like pumpkin, zucchini, carrot cake... My oldest loves these for an after school snack! The hardest part of all of this is finding stuff that my 6 yr old likes. He likes cookies(but not the beet ones) and he likes the cakes and cheese cake I made, but not the breads at all, including muffins. :( He's such a picky eater. I am going to try some</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="itemreviewed"> <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Raspberry-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx">Zucchini Raspberry Cupcakes next.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></span></span> I'm hoping that the chocolate and the chocolate chips in them disguise the zucchini in it and make Kaleb like them. I'm always on the look out for something new to hide some veggies in! I'm also up to making some coconut milk soon. Jason said he likes that! And Christian has requested a pina colada(virgin of course) with some of it, which means now I need to get a pineapple again. Man, we have gone through more flour, milk, eggs, and fruits and veggies than ever before! But I am loving it all the way along!!!<br /><br />I'm also reading a lot up on healthier eating and alternatives to some things. It's so much fun trying out new recipes and what works for us all and what doesn't. If you have any tried and true stuff you think I might like, please don't hesitate to let me know about them! The almond milk I made today wasn't bad, a little watery, but not bad! I know to use more almonds next time though. ;) I'm looking forward to using them in my recipes too.<br /><br />I started a garden this year too. So much fun and so fun to see my 6yr olds face when he notices how much the plants have grown! I can't wait to get some stuff out of it! I know we will get tons of okra since I have like 10 of them. And I"ve got 14 corn plants, 4 cucumbers, 2 banana peppers(they aren't doing so well though), 2 garden beans(the rest didn't come up) and out of the 24 carrots I planted, I only have 5 of them. But I am learning and having fun along the way.<br /><br />I still have the lemon tree and we now have oranges producing on the other tree in our back yard! :) The lemons are wonderful!!! Not to sour, but just enough. They are pretty sweet ones. But the oranges, they are sour! I have no idea what kind they are but they are nice and juicy but a little to sour. But... when life gives you sour oranges, make orangeade! It's just like lemonade only made with oranges. I sweeten mine with some local, raw honey instead of sugar. Mmm... the perfect summer drink! Can't wait for all those little green balls in the tree to turn into some fruit!<br /><br /><br />Oh, one thing I had forgotten about, is the carrot salad I made the other day! Most people put raisins in theirs, but I never have done that. Some people even put mayonnaise in theirs. Yuck... sorry, I just don't like mayo that much. I like mine more natural I guess. I shred all the ingredients and toss it all together in a bowl! The one I made the other day was carrot, beet(left over from the cookies) and pineapple. The pineapple adds just enough sweetness. ;) That's it, nothing more than that is needed. If you leave it in the fridge over night is tastes even better the next day! I also like to make it with jicama, cucumber and carrot. On that one though, I add a little lime juice and a tiny bit of salt. Two totally different tastes, but both equally delicious.<br /><br />This blog attempt is totally random and pretty much just me rambling. LOL Sorry, I'll try harder next time. ;)<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="itemreviewed"></span></span></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-87291975792337526572010-10-14T09:07:00.003-05:002010-10-14T09:24:22.901-05:00Long time no see:) I'm happy to still be here though! Check out what I've been making for the past month or so on my other blog <a href="http://lissaluecreations.blogspot.com/">Lissa Lue Creations</a> or on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lissaluecreations">Facebook </a>page. The weather is cooling down so that means more hats! I have an order in for a hat and matching scarf too.<br /><br />Any ways I thought I would post some paintings my kids have done. They are not recent at all. But I just found this one that my oldest son did when he was in first grade. It's an awesome piece of abstract art! I've seen a face, a nursing mother, and two people standing next to each other and hugging. I love that you can see different things in it! The next one is the one my middle son did last year when he was 4 yrs old. I think it's just as awesome! I see a forest in the fall.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs902.snc4/71516_1419705015999_1333885789_30957741_636148_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 540px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs902.snc4/71516_1419705015999_1333885789_30957741_636148_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs762.snc4/66227_1419712176178_1333885789_30957746_8253013_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 576px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs762.snc4/66227_1419712176178_1333885789_30957746_8253013_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There is something about a child's art that is so pure and innocent that makes me love it more than others. I walk into my living room and smile because I know my kids made the art that hangs on my walls. I love all kinds of children's art. But of course, like most, I like my kids the best.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-88374458232492643882010-06-15T15:14:00.004-05:002010-06-15T15:17:29.454-05:00The Only Drawback...So I did 3 loads of laundry with the Soap Nuts. They were soft, and looked and smelled clean. The only thing I didn't like was that it didn't take the stains out of the kids cloths. I'll have to look into that some more, but I may have to get something else to add to it to make that work. :(<br />In the mean time... Does any one have any tips for that?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-51070766406058833102010-06-14T00:42:00.003-05:002010-06-14T00:56:16.884-05:00Soap NutsI was surprised to see it for sale at my local Farmers Market this Saturday! I've seen lots of people talk about using it online. The only reason I hadn't tried it was because I didn't want to pay for shipping. So of course I bought it. I got a little sample size to try out. For just a dollar you can't go wrong. LOL Any ways, I read that it works best with hot water to release the sudzy stuff in it. But I wash my cloths in cold water. So I decided to make it into a liquid. I boiled the 7 little nuts that were in the package in 4 cups of water. It was reduced to 1 1/3 cups. So I thought I would try it out as a cleaner too. I put some in a spray bottle and cleaned the bathroom with it tonight. I must say that I like using it! I heard that it could smell kind of bad, and I heard that it didn't have a sent. I found that with mine there is a sent to it. But I don't think it was a bad smell. IMO it's a lot better than bleach or Pinesol for sure! I might be the only one, but I kind of like the smell of it. It cleaned the mirror great too! No streaks at all. I like to use the Gerber flat diapers to clean glass though. I think that works way better than a paper towel or news paper. I'm excited to start my new journey of a chemical free, non toxic household. I'm going to do my first load of laundry with it next. :) I can't wait to see how that works out! It is supposed to leave your cloths softer than the free and clear stuff you buy from the stores. I've been using purex. But since I ran out and the store didn't have it when I went back I had to pick up what ever else was there. So I ended up with the store brand. It does not work near as well as the Purex as far as softness goes. :( The cleaning is fine. But my cloths do not feel as soft. Any ways... I am off to do some laundry now. Fun, fun... lol.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-70160160653061933692010-06-09T13:09:00.005-05:002010-06-09T13:18:46.153-05:00Car SeatsI totally stole this from a friend, who stole it from one of her friends, on Face Book. LOL But really it's so true. If we would all listen to manufactures more we would all be a little safer! State laws are just a minimum requirement after all.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Rather than taking our cues from state requirements how about from the car seat makers? The safest, most confining seat available for the height/weight of your child is what you should go with. First thing to check is, is a seat available that rear faces my child? If yes buy it, is a seat available that harnesses my child? If yes, buy it. State laws change and state laws take a bit of time to change. Eventually they'll get there but your consequences for choosing a booster with seat belt for a child that could still be harnessed and rear facing don't come from the state you live in, they come from hospital bed or grave your child occupies after the accident."</blockquote>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-31237671730820839892010-06-02T21:08:00.004-05:002010-06-02T23:31:35.249-05:00Does It Really Cost Less To Use Cloth?<p>Not for me!</p><br /><p>My cloth diaper stash is worth around $1,245. However some people are able to keep it cheaper using flats(which are the least expensive of all diapers). And PUL covers that either slip on, snap on or velcro on. Those people can get away with spending under $500 for the entire time they cloth diaper!<br /></p><br />Here is my break down on the cost of diapers for me.<br /><br /><br /><br />I used disposable diapers for my two oldest kids. I bought one package of diapers a week, price being about $8 each package. That was for Luvs. So that means I spent $416 a year on diapers I threw away every time I used them. My boys potty trained at 3 yrs old. One a little before and one a little after. But it still averages out to 3. :) So that would mean I spent $1248 on each kid just to throw them away and never use them again. :( That means I spent $2496 on my two older kids diapers. Keegan was a different story though. I was a little better off financially and Luvs no longer worked for us. So we used Pampers. I didn't start using cloth diapers until he was 6 months old. So I used the same amount only this time I bought them in boxes and went trough a big box in 3 weeks. Each box cost me $35. I'll just say I went through 9 boxes before I started cloth diapering full time. That makes it $315 in disposable diapers for him. So my total disposable diaper costs were $2811 for all three kids.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My cloth journey started off a little rough. I spent money on the crappiest diapers I have ever seen! Probably about $150 after all the shipping costs. I got the majority of it back though. I traded things with people to get diapers and I sold off other things to get more diapers. But the diapers I have right now are my favorites ones! And they have mostly come from out of pocket money's.<br /><br /><br /><br />So I broke down what I have spent on cloth diapers so far.<br /><br />First off: I threw away about $50 on all the diapers I got at first and didn't like. I spent more but made most of the money back.<br /><br /><br /><br />I use <a href="http://hyenacart.com/BagshotRowBamboo/">BSRBs </a>now. That's what I have found to be the trimmest and most absorbent of all the rest. Plus I have always gotten the best fit around his chunky little thighs. LOL I have all sorts of them too. I have some AIOs, Hybrids, UF, and TIANs. I just love them all. Any ways, I now own 25 of them. Plenty to last through potty training! I got some used off of <a href="http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/index.php">Diaper Swapers</a>. And I got some new strait from Joyces <a href="http://hyenacart.com/index.php">hyenacart </a>store, <a href="http://hyenacart.com/BagshotRowBamboo/">Bagshot Row Bamboo</a>. All of them are made out of bamboo material so they are nice and absorbent, as well as soooooo soft. Any ways the way I am adding it up on here is going to be more than I actually spent on them. First of all when I buy just one from her it ends up being about $24 after shipping. So I am going to just round up and say I spent $25 per diaper. $25 @ 25 diapers is $625 total for those diapers.<br /><br /><br /><br />I bought flats to try out from Little Lions for 12.5 for the dozen. I'm just going to say I spent $25 after shipping and everything. (I got some preemie prefold seconds for using as doublers)<br /><br /><br /><br />I have 4 flips @ $17 each plus one extra insert @ $5 = about $75 with tax and free shipping.<br /><br /><br /><br />I bought 4 Thirsties Duo Wraps @ 13 each w/free shipping = lets say about $55 with tax.<br /><br /><br /><br />And I have bought 100% wool yarn to crochet my own woolies which I have probably spent less than $100 but lets just say that. ;)<br /><br /><br /><br />So that's: 625+25+75+55+100= $880<br /><br />I have spent $880 on what is in my stash ATM. But let us not forget that I still have a lot of accessories and diapers that I have gotten in trades. I still have prefolds, Wet bags, pail liner, snappis, and BG AIOs. I got all of the BG AIOs free with there coupon from last month. And I got them all from places with free shipping! So in a quest to find out a round about cost of my cloth diaper supply I looked up the cost of everything and went to add it all up. My husband does NOT want to look at this figure!!! ROFL<br /><br /><br /><br />BSRBs - $535<br /><br />Other Fitteds - $80<br /><br />BG AIOs - $100<br /><br />Flips - $75<br /><br />Thirsties Covers - $80<br /><br />Prefolds (1 doz) - $55<br /><br />LL Flats (1 doz) - $15<br /><br />Woolies - $100<br /><br />Inserts/Doublers - $30<br /><br />Wet Bags (1 lrg, 1 small) - $35<br /><br />Snappi - $20<br /><br />Pins - $5<br /><br />Snaps added to diapers - $115<br /><br /><br /><br />Grand total of $1,245 worth of cloth diapers. Which is about what you pay for one child's full diapering days in disposables. I will remind you that at least 80% of all my diapers are one size. That means that if/when we decide to have another baby, all I need is some smaller woolies, and PUL covers! Of course I'm not saying that I would just not buy any more cloth diapers. *blushing* Especially if we were to have a girl!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-56857339537294583862010-03-30T17:31:00.003-05:002010-03-30T17:36:21.935-05:00Summer Time Is Coming Again!It's a fun time of the year. But lets be more careful with our kids in the sun. Just in case you don't remember my blog about what happened to us last summer. Here's the link to that... <a href="http://amessputtogethernicely.blogspot.com/2009/07/warning-parenting-talk.html">Warning</a>. There are still scars on my little guy. And the small one on my foot. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.<br /><br /><br />Let's have some fun!!!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-34508340988201929652009-08-28T11:23:00.004-05:002009-08-28T12:33:15.955-05:00Photo GiftsSo I have tried out a few different sights for photo books. I've tried <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a>, <a href="http://www2.snapfish.com/">Snapfish </a>and <a href="http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=569642">ArtsCow</a>. Snapfish was the worst I think. Not that the photos weren't nice or anything. It's just the options that were given to create my book weren't as nice. And there were a lot less options than Shutterfly. I like a lot of layout options! I also like the option to make my own layout and decorate the page as much or as little as I want. That is why I like <a href="http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=569642">ArtsCow </a>the best.<br /><p></p><p>With <a href="http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=569642">ArtsCow </a>you have the option of choosing a premade layout or creating your own from scratch. You can also use the premade layout and customize it by moving things around or deleting or adding things you want. This creates an endless list of layouts for you to play round with! This is why I LOVE ArtsCow for photo gifts. The company is out of Hong Kong so it takes a bit longer to get here. But over all my photo book from them is a better quality. The pages are stitch bound. To me it makes it look better when the book is opened. The glued books from Snapfish and Shutterfly don't lay out as flat. Have you ever had a children's book fall part on you? I have. It was glued like that too. I have old books that were my mother's when she was a little girl, and they are stitch bound. All but one of them is still held together! Leading me to believe that the stitch binding is better quality in the long run as well. You can see the difference in the pictures below.</p>And least we forget. The prices are great! When you sign up there are tons of free things that you can get. That's how I got my first photo book and some Christmas ornaments! They have most, if not all, of things available at Snapfish and Shutterfly.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jzPePbmORKQuixTMNWAv3kyVOGyDUZSW9iFzxHly9VGrHi2FeuQSax5sHis66ff5wOGEDVAoMqmKIeChGcX3oYR4Hcbm_Sr8YB0LS478Qt3yVRruWigXd_0teWi6UqgmPHrVum4F8yg/s1600-h/DSCF8464.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375058862743229666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jzPePbmORKQuixTMNWAv3kyVOGyDUZSW9iFzxHly9VGrHi2FeuQSax5sHis66ff5wOGEDVAoMqmKIeChGcX3oYR4Hcbm_Sr8YB0LS478Qt3yVRruWigXd_0teWi6UqgmPHrVum4F8yg/s200/DSCF8464.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkj9lGdKljI01Cd1vicWl-jcqvp4vWrLWEcUmGVvoNQEYyAR87A9xyCCcSpQacPzIKhkS2PCsEmzT1ImuFNAUjweaqCOLhmtR2wQVwxEEXT5d5a5dUDfrhKFVP2mcfu05_Dcc0i02ULQ/s1600-h/DSCF8463.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375058851912602802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkj9lGdKljI01Cd1vicWl-jcqvp4vWrLWEcUmGVvoNQEYyAR87A9xyCCcSpQacPzIKhkS2PCsEmzT1ImuFNAUjweaqCOLhmtR2wQVwxEEXT5d5a5dUDfrhKFVP2mcfu05_Dcc0i02ULQ/s200/DSCF8463.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLqzuQVa7oBP7mXQaVgen1w0bIAKJh1S-JMCyGvTSARfnJeskqWm4c-d1XA2n4CYGRXOpEQsVqG94ZBha2ewuJyKbELGZX6fNGjLwWM_h78sM50IIB8PscRW3bmR8FIWUxC5f64Zif5Q/s1600-h/DSCF8462.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375058847475214722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLqzuQVa7oBP7mXQaVgen1w0bIAKJh1S-JMCyGvTSARfnJeskqWm4c-d1XA2n4CYGRXOpEQsVqG94ZBha2ewuJyKbELGZX6fNGjLwWM_h78sM50IIB8PscRW3bmR8FIWUxC5f64Zif5Q/s200/DSCF8462.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>Well, I hope you enjoyed my review. No giveaway this time. Unless you sign up with <a href="http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=569642">ArtsCow</a>. Then you'll get a bunch of stuff Free For Shipping! I just thought I would let you guys know about another place to get some good deals. As long as you don't mind waiting a little longer for it to get to you. If you are in a pinch and need it faster, then go with Shutterfly. Other wise, definitely go with <a href="http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=569642">ArtsCow</a>!</div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124039609269135477.post-68971956878220968812009-08-17T10:43:00.004-05:002009-08-17T10:49:17.575-05:00Glider Giveaway!I found another giveaway that I would love to win! It's for a nice, comfy glider and ottoman from <a href="http://storkcraft.com/default.aspx">Stork Craft</a>. Doesn't it look nice? Go take look! I looked around on there and they have a lot of nice things. If I had the money right now I would get the rocking horse for my little guys birthday.<br /><br /><a href="http://twoofakindworkingonafullhouse.blogspot.com/2009/07/stork-craft-tuscany-glider-and-ottoman.html">Go to Two Of A Kind Working On A Full House</a> blog spot to find out more about this giveawy.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067388168547487492noreply@blogger.com2