THE LONGEST LIST YOU'LL EVER KNOW

So I'm aware that I haven't been the best blogger lately, but "me" time has been quite scarce in my house. Less than a week until Cash-man is 1 1/2 years old..18 whole months..and whoever coined the phrase "terrible 2's" must'nt have had a quick child like mine. We've been well into the "terrible 2's" since he first turned a year old, and if you're thinking that your 6 month old is "terrible" because he/she squeals occasionally & makes silly faces, please..think again. He's decorated my throw pillows with crayons, bled twice, and smeared S'mores Poptart into the carpet..all in one week. He destroyed a real string of pearls, and single handedly drank an entire can of Dr. Pepper that was sitting on the coffee table within one bathroom break of me gone. My newest experience with his "18 month" antics, is something I like to call "The Moment of Ominous Silence." If you've had a kid this age, laugh because you relate perfectly to what I'm about to describe.. If your child is under the age of 18 months, run for cover. Or try to train him/her to remain in the "swaddle" blanket until the age of 2. Or a cage. Anyway, back to the "The Moment of Ominous Silence." I've found that Cash is rather independent these days. He'll play in his room most of the time, and has even mastered how to stick a movie of his choice in his VCR (yes, VCR. Don't hate.) My quiet time normally would come during nap time, and that. is. ALL, but due to his new found independence, I've been attempting to venture off on my Kindle, shop online, etc. while he's in his room playing. While Cash plays independently, he talks to himself all the while. Useless jabber that I couldn't fathom trying to translate into a language that you or I could understand.. I blame this on his astounding mixture of ethnicity's. But lately.. I've been able to tell he's "up to something " whenever the house becomes completely silent. Yes, you guessed it.. "The Moment of Ominous Silence." Most mothers may think to listen for a scream to warn them that something is wrong, but I listen for "The Moment of Ominous Silence." "DA DA DA DA UHHH OHHHH BALL YAAAYYY DA DA UHH OHHH DA" ...... *crickets* It's at that very moment that I bookmark my Kindle, and run to each room frantically until I find the little rascal. He typically stares up at me with some variation of this face:

...which makes it difficult to be mad, even when my brand new BCBG wedges have a mixture of Red crayon & Apple Juice all over them.

Beware of "The Moment of Ominous Silence." You've been warned.

On a lighter note, I think he inherited my brains, because he's mastered that contraption called the "potty." He knows that Mama won't let him off until he "goes", so why not make it easier by refueling while you sit?

Lord help us.. We've added a couple of new words to our vocabulary as well. Cash now says Uhh Ohh, Wow, Bad.. and my very favorite PLEASE! (Said like "PEEEEASE!") He YELLS please every time he wants a bite, and even says it to himself when he's feeding himself. (Peeeeeasee?!?!" take a bite.. Peaasseeee?! takes a bite..) I'm blown away at the rate at which he's growing, and as much as I miss him being a week old, I'm so excited to watch him grow before our eyes. Here's what you've missed.. A few photos from Kemah, and some of Easter pictures with Cash's favorite photographer, Mrs. Tonya at Lasting Memories Photography. Check her out on Facebook!

Although I just wasted your life away with various Cash facts, nothing I'm about to say has anything to do with the content up above. I've been complimented on my blog's organization & ease of reading, but I've failed you this time. My mind is a scattered collage lately, and I have nothing consistent to say. So I'm putting my thoughts into the form of a list, because it's the only way for me to properly voice what I'm thinking.

1. I LOVELOVE anything to do with this Royal Wedding. I think it's the most fabulous realistic fairytale, and I want to snatch up every single magazine with them on the cover. And how 'bout that ring?!?! DYING. I wish my engagement ring looked like that. Oh wait, mine's non existent. Although television time has been rather slim & I've lost track of most of my shows, I'm NOT missing their big day's coverage! I'm sure I could convince J to watch it with me, but first I'd have to explain to him who Prince William & Kate Middleton are.. PS. Am I the only one that thinks that Kate Middleton & good ol' LC aka Lauren Conrad look strangely alike? Here's proof.. Just sayin'..

 

2. Here's what I think of when I think of Easter: Jesus, Easter Eggs, bunnies, Crawfish & Seersucker..duh. Easter outfits are bought (at least for Mama & Cash) and we will both be sporting a classic, Seersucker look. I could attempt to get J to match us, but I don't even have the energy to go there.. It just depends on the day with him. Or, time of the month.

3. I'm having some serious emotional issues over the fact that Cash is about to be 18 months old. In fact, it didn't even hit me this bad whenever he turned one.. Something about my baby being as close to age 2 as he is age 1 makes me cringe a bit :/ I've been loving on him extra lately for this exact reason.

4. I'm happy to admit that I haven't eaten Fried Pickles from Hooters since I was pregnant. There, you heard it from me. I gave up my addiction. I remember picking them up to go at least twice a week with my best friend while in college, and it's not something I'm proud of. J went to the Gun Show the other day (Yes, he's a self proclaimed alpha-male. Who goes to SHOWS about GUNS?) and they "caught a beer" at Hooters afterwards. You can stop reading now if you think I'm ridiculous for allowing my man to eat at Hooters without me. Call me crazy, but I'll be the first to admit that Hooters has AMAZING food & I have no fear of J leaving me for a bleached haired, beer serving, Muffin-top sporting, 17 year old Hooters girl hostess. No big deal. Anyway, back to food. He brought me some fried pickles back to-go without my asking, because his lifelong goal is to feed me until I resemble this woman:

Kidding. He's no chubby chaser, he just aims to please. Anyway, they were good. Really good. And so my addiction resurfaces. Thankfully, I put on my thinking cap, and managed to make a pretty delicious version at home for when this craving returns. If you're a fellow fried pickle addict, here's the skinny:

 

HOOTERS REPLICA FRIED PICKLES

NEED:
- 2 eggs

- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- Dill pickle slices
- Vegetable Oil, Enough For Deep Frying
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- Tony's Chachere's Creole Seasoning

STEPS:

1. Heat oil (about 1/2 inch deep) in skillet until hot. (Test oil with one bread crumb. If it sizzles, it's hot enough)

2. In a shallow dish, beat together the egg and milk. Put the flour in a shallow dish, and season the bread crumbs with all seasoning & place in another dish.

3. Place the pickle slices on paper towels to dry slightly. Lightly coat each slice with flour; then dip into egg mixture and then coat with crumbs.

4. Carefully drop each slice into the heated oil and fry until golden brown on each side. Drain well on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt.

* The Spicy Ranch dipping sauce they serve with the pickles is just 1/2 Ranch dressing 1/2 Hooters Wing Sauce. I made a replica because they sell both at the grocery store. Take THAT, Hooters!

 

5. I'm totally DYING over this commercial. When I think of "White Girl Dancing At the Club".. this is the image I see, personified into a commercial for a soda. Someone please nominate this broad for President.

 

6. For the record, I am NOT pregnant. I do, however, have a gang of friends that are pregnant at the moment, so I'm constantly on the look out for new baby gear. We had a ton of "stuff" for Cash; some he worked well with, others he did not. No one can really predict how YOUR child will adapt to certain products out there, but here's a few that are slowly trying to make me hop on the baby train, again. (I assure you, I'm kidding. Not ANY TIME soon!)

 

GoPod Portable Stay and Play Center

How perfect is this for Mama's who will be taking constant trips to the ballpark this season!?? LOVELOVE! Not to mention, it only weighs 7 lbs! Move over, heavy-as-hell carrier!

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=537098&cmSource=Search

 

Baby Blanket® SPF 45+ Tender Scalp Sunblock Spray

Sun Block SCALP spray?? Why didn't I think of that!? It lasts for 80 minutes of sun protection for babies head and can be used for ages 6 months & up. Perfect for those baldies or babies who just won't deal with a sun hat.. AHH-MAZING! Must have..

 

www.babyblanketsuncare.com

Tie Chair

LOVELOVEEEEEELOVE! Is this NOT the cutest? Perfect for overnight stays away from home, or visits to friends house. You can customize the fabric, they work on almost all chairs & last from babies first "sit up" to age 2. Perfection!

 

www.tiechair.com

 

7. Pardon me if you don't think these are the cutest no-bake Easter cookies you've ever seen.. O.M.G. You can't get any more simple than these bad boys, and I'm almost positive they'd be the hit of the party ;)

BIRD'S NEST COOKIES

 

NEED:

- 1 pkg. Chocolate Chips

- 1/4 cup. Peanut Butter

- 1 can Chow Mein Noodles

- 1 bag of Robin's Eggs (malted Easter candies!)

 

STEPS:

1.Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat. The best way to do that is to stir it every minute until it is smooth.

2.Mix in the noodles and spoon into little "nests" onto wax paper.

3.Press two or three robin's eggs into the center of the cookie. The Cadbury Mini-Eggs work really well, but you can substitute with jelly beans, yogurt covered raisins, Jordan almonds, etc.

4.Refrigerate until hard.

 

 

8. That is all. I just couldn't leave this blog on #7.. 7 is an odd number. Ew.