HOUSE TOUR & TOAST FROM FRANCE..

Here I am.. at 1 am on a Tuesday night/Wednesday morning..house sprinkled with silence. Sometimes I drop a pen around this time, just to hear it drop. With an 18 month old hyper active child running around the house all day, it's very rare that I get to sit peacefully in this kind of silence.. I'd rather be asleep, but my insomnia has kicked in, so.. HERE'S TO ANOTHER LATE YET SOMEWHAT INFLUENTIAL BLOG! It's taken me a while to write this one tonight, because I keep walking into Cash's room to "make sure he's okay." I don't know if it's his Toddler bed or his need for Mama lately that has caused me to be so protective, but I have been..Mama Lion & Baby Simba status to the extreme.. Maybe it's the fact that he recently hit the milestone of 18 months old. It's amazing at scary all at the same time. He is growing so much and J & I are solely responsible for molding his little brain that is learning so much lately. Today, he cleaned his room for the first time, and I swear it brought tears to my eyes. I peeked through the doorway as he carefully put all of the little toys in the toy box, big toys in the corner of his room, dirty clothes in the hamper & books on the shelf. Remember that Aerosmith song, "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" ??? That's pretty much how I feel about him. I don't want to fall asleep at night sometimes because I end up missing him. Cheesy and a little obsessive/stalkerish? Yes. I know. But at least I'm owning it..He's my baby so SHUT IT! Just look at this sweet smile :)

 

Enough cheesy-ness for the night (I say this as I just flipped the channel to Lifetime Movie Network..aka the BEST network!) I ordered these bathing suits online a couple of days ago, and although it CLEARLY states 5-7 to ship AFTER it's been processed, I'm convinced they'll come in at any minute. Does anyone else get as excited as I do about receiving packages? I may be the worst. I spent a good 20 minutes today sitting by the window, waiting patiently..until I realized how stupid that was. So I grabbed a room, and convinced myself to "pretend sweep" as I steadily watched out of the window. I'm so cool.. trying to fool myself. I decided not to go with a print when ordering online, simply because I need to see a print IN PERSON to see if I really like it.. I ordered a solid black & solid white, in two different styles. I plan on getting a pretty, summer-y print at some point, but that's a DEFINITE "in store" purchase. Here's my new suits!!

LOVELOVE. Although the broad in the white one looks AWFUL in a bikini. Gross. ;) Now all I need is these perfection Tory Burch flats to go along with them. J, if you're out there.. these would make a PERFECT Mama's Day gift ;) Just sayin'!

 

ALERTALERTALERT! I can't go on with this blog without recognizing the loss of a dear friend of mine. We spent many nights together just catching up, and I am so sad to see her go. My sweet, sweet Kindle, has officially died. Her screen was severely cracked due to a tragic accident caused by a reckless toddler. She is survived by her proud owner, Me. :( If anyone has ANY information as to the cost of repair, PUH-LEEZ let me know! I know that Amazon has a warranty on them, but cracked screens are not covered. I'm somewhat dying without it..so someone please help. Quickly.

So, I officially love our new house.. and bringing directly across the street from the park DEFINITELY has its perks! Yesterday, we were sitting outside on the steps while J did some yardwork, and we saw some kids walking to the park. Cash pointed quickly and yelled "MY MY MY MY!" Someone tell this poor child that it's not HIS park! Although I can't blame him, when the trashiest people you've ever seen in your life go to the park to some cigarettes and let their kids run savage, I can't help but step out on the porch with my hand on my hip like "What are ya'll doing at OUR park?!" I'll need to get over that soon.. I'd hate for the neighbors' kids to be scared of me or something..

Anyway, even worse than the park visitors is the SPEED at which people drive down our street. I don't know if there's a reason why passerby's suddenly switch into Nascar mode when they hit are street, but it's getting to pretty ridiculous. Not to mention, we are right next to a PARK, where CHILDREN play. The other day I was checking the mail, and not only did a greaseball drive by in his truck extremely fast, but he honked at me & gave me a little whistle as he quickly drove by. Wow, you are so smooth. I found this website that sells signs for your yard/street corner that are 100% legal to put up. The website's statistics say that Motor Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for children 14 & under. Scary statistic :( Their signs read "DRIVE LIKE YOUR KIDS LIVE HERE" and at a cheap-o $9.99, I'm tempted to cop one. Although, this may increase my chances for receiving the #1 Worst Neighbor of the Year Award, with a complimentary house wrapped in toilet paper.. Oh well. If you're bold enough, here's the site!

www.drivelikeyourkidslivehere.com

 

I should also be in the running for "Most Random Blogger" award.. but whatevs. Random facts start...NOW! I think I found a basic idea for Cash's 2nd Birthday cake, with a fewer minor changes, of course..to ease my perfectionist habits... KA-POW!

 

I have a friend that just started designing custom & ADORABLE clothes for boys & girls. She made Cash the CUTEEEEST "boyish Easter" tshirt that he wore to a Crawfish boil last weekend. It turned out EXACTLY how I asked.. Her name is Keri Murphy, and I've known this girl for FOREVER. As in, since we showed up in the same dress on the first day of 1st grade type forever.. Anyway, find her on Facebook, and do business with her..She's fab! Here's the only shot I managed to get of Cash "chillin" before we headed out..

 

And it didn't last long. He got pretty exhausted sitting posed like that, and decided to take a little cat nap.

 

FOOOOOOD TIME! Here's the best recipe for King Ranch Chicken that I've ever tasted. Do what you wish with it, but I'd suggest cooking it.. Oh, and let me know how it goes!

 

BEST KING RANCH CHICKEN

NEED:

- 1 cooked chicken (I buy it already cut into legs, thighs etc. and boil it!), shredded.

- 10 flour tortillas

- 1 onion, chopped (Ew, we hate onions. I just used Onion Powder!)

- 1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced

- 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

- can of cream of mushroom soup

- can of cream of chicken soup

- cup of chicken broth

- can of Ro-Tel tomatoes

- tsp. of chile powder

- tsp. of cumin

STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes, cumin and chile powder; blend until smooth.

3. Place a layer of chicken in a greased casserole dish.

4. Add layers of tortillas, onion, bell peppers, cheese and sauce.

5. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.

6. Bake uncovered for half an hour or until brown and bubbling.

 

..and I couldn't leave ya'll without a dessert recipe! Oh, Paula Deen..you've done it again. I swear I was once her in a past life. This French Toast Casserole is FABULOUS! Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or maybe I'm just fat.. But it's DEFINITELY perfect for a brunch! Lovelove..you will too.

 

PAULA'S FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

 

NEED:

- 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)

- 8 large eggs

- 2 cups half-and-half

- 1 cup milk

- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- Dash salt

- Praline Topping, (recipe follows)

- Maple syrup

STEPS:

1. Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly.

3. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices.

4.Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

*The next day.... preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

 

PRALINE TOPPING:

- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

- 1 cup packed light brown sugar

- 1 cup chopped pecans

- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

* Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

 

So for some odd reason, I feel like this will be the most exciting part of this blog for ya'll. I've got a ton of requests on pictures of the new house.. Let me start by saying that WE ARE NOT DONE!! We have only been in the new house for a couple of weeks, and I'm taking it room by room. I'm only posting pictures of projects that are complete, or at least close to being completed. This includes the living, dining & guest bath. Everything else is a construction site.. I don't know where my mind was when I forgot to get BEFORE shots of every room, but I didn't :( So what looks like a basic little ol' house to you, has really gone through some intensive paint, plumbing, electrical, and fixture work. Here's our little haven we call home.. so far!

(Pardon the one chair.. the other was in the "Man Cave" used as extra seating for gaming purposes.)

Feedback, feedback! Let me know if you like & what you'd change.. I'm fully open to suggestions. Fixing up & decorating a house is a LONG & tedious process!

Oh, and P.S. I entered Cash into a "Cutest Kids" contest that a local photographer was hosting. You know me, never one to pass up ANYTHING free, especially when I come equipped with a super cute kid. So I entered him. And he's had the most votes out of 150 other kids ever since.. The votes are VEDDDYY VEDDDYYY close, but at least I know that regardless of who wins, he's still the cutest in my book. On that note, if you'd like to vote for him (which if you're reading this, YOU SHOULD!) please visit Lacy Hampton Photography's FB page, "LIKE" her page, and then "LIKE" his picture.. he's Contestant #6! You HAVE to like her page before you like his picture in her "Cutest Kids" album or the vote won't count. Voting ends Thursday, so get to steppin'!

 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Lacy-Hampton-photography/142006385825604

 

I'll leave you with this totally pointless "finish the sentence" survey that is probably a waste of your life, but maybe you'll learn something about me, and then it won't be. Fact #1, I am the QUEEN of Run-On sentences. ;)

 

I AM......Cash's Mama.

I WANT......to be able to go to sleep at a decent hour.

I HAVE....more than I could ever asked for.

I WISH....I had a haircut.

I HATE.....hurting other people's feelings, unknowingly.

I FEAR....that Cash will never know how much I love him.

I HEAR...myself complain to J a little too much, yet he manages to deal with me anyway.

I SEARCH...for the perfect pair of white wedges.

I REGRET....that I didn't meet J sooner.

I LOVE.....Eggo Homestyle Waffles. Yum.

I ACHE....when I see the murder of a child on the news.

I ALWAYS....clean the house before I go to sleep. Or else I'll wake up mad.

I CAN'T....walk into a door without letting an old lady before me.

I TRY....not to be such a diva at times.

I AM NOT....the best cleaning lady in the world. But I can throw down in the kitchen ;)

I DANCE...ever time I hear music. It makes Cash laugh.

I SING...made up songs. At least three times a day.

I NEVER....remember what time my favorite TV shows come on, so I always catch reruns.

I CRY...when I watch the shows about babies being born.

I AM NOT ALWAYS...as nice to J as he deserves.

I LOSE...my mind. And cell phone...several times a day.

I AM GRATEFUL...for the most amazing, handsome, funny, charming, tough, real, gracious, man that would bend over backwards for me...and his MINI!

I NEED....nothing. I have all that I need.

I SHOULD....go to bed. Goodnight.