Hola! How's everyone been? Things have been a tad hectic in the Ng-Chee + 1 household, but what's new?!?! To start, my sweet, sweet "baby's father" got me a couple of fab gifts each week leading up to Mother's Day. One of those gifts, was a brand new spectacular Blackberry with the cutest Stormified blinged out case ever. If anyone knows me, they know two things: 1) I usually sport the most ancient phones in the world. I'm talking flip-open-pull-up-antenna old.. & 2) I'm prone to accidents when it comes to electronics (see previous Kindle post...R.I.P) Leave it to me to take care of my new gift for one week before I shoot a 3 pointer straight into a cup of water. Yes, it took a dive. I don't know what possessed me to TOSS my phone onto my nightstand, especially when it was a clear shot to dunk into the water. A part of me was so devastated, because I had finally (yes, I'm a grandma and it took awhile) gotten the hang of my new phone, and was in love.. but the other part of me was slightly proud of myself for making such a tough shot, especially since I threw it with my right hand. Three pointerrrr, nothin' but net. Why can't I be normal? Why did this song have to play through my head when my brand new phone was submerged in a pool of ice water?
"...and that's how I beat Shaq..." Don't laugh, you know you love it.. Anyway, my Mother's Day went well, thanks for asking :)) Here's a pic of me & my boo on "Mama's Day"
We had lunch at PF Changs, then headed to the mall so J could watch me throw a diva-fit. I may or may not have forced a store clerk at a Forever 21 to "find me a maxi dress from the back" because they had it in shipment, just not on the store floor.. J & Cash just walked around the store and pouted the whole time, but it wasn't Daddy Day, or Son Day.. and guess what? Got the dress ;) Moving on.. The day after Mother's Day, I got pretty brave & finally decided to tackle the painting of my Bedroom Accent Wall. This was something that I put off for a month of living here, because I was scared to death of the concept. With a little help from my calm & collected "more mature" younger sister, we taped off the bedroom. Here's Lex in action..
After it was taped off, she chunked deuce & left me stranded with no help..just like sisters do. I had the choice to either 1) Look at the lime green tape stripes overnight in anguish or 2) Do da damn thang! And I did.. and it was fabulous. Here's an after shot of our Accent Wall. I'm in love every single time I walk in!
I may have gotten brave the next day & painted our awful front door from a U-G-L-Y maroon to a crisp black. Yes, I'm gothic. Kidding, I just like clean colors that are timeless. Black is one. Not to mention Christmas wreaths would've been VERY limited on a maroon door. P.S. If you're going to go for the whole "WELL I'M JUST GONNA PAINT MY FRONT DOOR RED & CALL MYSELF ELIZABETH ARDEN" look, PUH-LEEZ go with a bright cherry red, not a downplayed washed out maroon like these people did. Anyway, no before picture..but here's the final product!
Sorry for the blurry shot.. There's a storm out, and I know you would prefer I not die just so you could see my door. Now I've just got to pick up this Forsythia Wreath that I'm dying over for Spring & I'll be one happy camper!
TIME FOR A CASH UPDATE! He's saying new words all the time.. Here's a quick vid of him saying "Please & Thank you." He's been quite the b-r-a-t lately, but I guess it helps that he has manners. My mom takes pride in telling me that everyone always complimented on our manners growing up. I STILL say Ma'am to anyone at least 10 years older than me.. J's mom is from South America & it kind of weirds her out.. I know it's a Southern thing, and it makes her feel like we're not close. Here I go rambling again..
I'll back door his sweetness by showing you his attitude in the bath tub the other night. These were LITERALLY four shots in a row.. I promise he's not Bi-Polar, just my child..
I've yet to highlight a "Hot Mess of the Week" lately, and after seeing this on the News yesterday, it HAD to be done.. so the Award goes to...
Kerry. Isn't she cute? She gives her 8 year old daughter Brittany BOTOX INJECTIONS to "keep up with the other pageant girls." She claims that it gets rid of the "wrinkles and lines" in her daughters face. There are videos released of the eight year old with bruises & puffy cheeks, and ice packs for cooling. She admits that it hurts her but that it "makes her feel pretty, beautiful, and all those nice words." Here's a thought, Kerry. How about you work on teaching your daughter proper nutrition & healthy body image so that she doesn't end up looking just like YOU. 1) You are overweight 2) You have an awful complexion 3) Call me shallow, but your butterfly wrist tattoos are tacky, BOTH of your hair is in a freakin' slick ballerina bun and your hoop earrings are an awkward size. Get it together, because YOU are her mother. You can live through her all you want while she's young & cute, but kids grow up..and they grow up to depict the way their mama's are. Loser.
Sorry for that rant, but does that NOT make you sick? Anyway, yesterday we were on a "Thunderstorm Watch" and I was so so so happy. I LOVE the rain, we've needed it for A WHILE, and it was a perfect opportunity to lounge around and watch movies. Yesterday afternoon, we went to Cash's photo shoot for the "Cutest Kid Contest" he was in. We had to hurry a bit, because the unexpected storm was on it's way..but it couldn't have gone any better! The photographer, Lacy, was so sweet & loving to Cash. He even threw a little fit when he had to tell her bye-bye! I could tell that she was just excited about the shoot as we were, and she had some amazing ideas. To my suprise, Cash was a NATURAL in front of the camera, and he brought the personality 100% as usual. I may put a wig on him, shoot in a couple Botox injections and put him in a pageant.. Seriously joking. Never. Anyway, I'll be sure & post his pictures on the blog FIRST THING when I receive them. We made it home just as the heavy rain began, and we've relaxed for the rest of the day. In fact, Cash took his pants off the minute he got home, and didn't put them back on again..just like he likes it. Speaking of, his backpack came in.. ADORABLE! He fills it with toys & wears it around the house like he's at school. So here's a pant-less backpack pic:
Yes, he's THAT cool. About as cool as his mother who is about to share a recipe that she read from a FICTION book. Yes I said fiction. As I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, I'm a devoted follower to a series of Culinary Mysteries by Joanne Fluke. Basically, they're made for old ladies like me.. Mystery stories following the life of a chick named "Hannah Swensen" who owns her own bakery & just so happens to find a dead body every other month. The books are filled with recipes (that I sometimes overlook, because they live in Minnesota and the food looks a bit too foreign/risky for me) but this last chapter had a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup that seemed SPECTACULAR, and I HAD to try it. It is so so sooo simple, (because were MOTHERS and don't want to spend 2309423 hrs in the kitchen!) I know everyone is devoted to their Grandma's Chicken Soup recipe, but just give it a try. It was a nice easy twist, and I love, loved it!
HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
NEED:
8 cups chicken broth or 2 quarts water (8 cups) and 8 chicken bouillon cubes
6 ½ cups uncooked wide egg noodles
2 cans (10 ¾ ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
Minced fresh parsley
STEPS:
1. Bring broth or water and bouillon to a boil in a large pot.
2. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender. Do not drain the noodles.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the two cans of condensed cream of chicken soup. Stir well.
4. Add the cubed chicken and stir.
5. Heat everything through, 5 to 10 minutes. When the soup is hot, remove it from the heat. Stir in the sour cream, sprinkle with fresh parsley and ladle into soup bowls. Serve immediately.
...and for dessert! I'm constantly looking for the "Next Best Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe. And to be very blunt (because this is my blog & I can do so!) there's no better cookie to me than just plain ol' store-bought cookie dough. However, I've heard some pretty heavy reviews for these "Vanilla Pudding Cookies" so I'm prepared to try them out. They seem easy, and anything with pudding is yummy! I've heard that they are the perfect texture and that they keep well. Does anyone else feel like cookies get "hard" waay too quickly? I read in one of my 1950's Etiquette books that my dad forced on me asa child, that if you put a slice of lemon in a Cookie jar, it will help keep the cookies moist. No clue if it's true, but I guess it's worth a shot. Seems like it'd get rid of the Cookie-smell if you ask me, which is NO good! Anyway, let me know how these cookies go for you.. just typing the recipe is making me HOOONNNGGGRRRRY!
VANILLA PUDDING COOKIES
NEED:
2 1/4 c (319 g) flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (237 g) butter, softened
3/4 c (106 g) brown sugar
1/4 c (50 g) granulated sugar
3.4 oz (96 g) pkg vanilla instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c (473 ml worth) semi-sweet chocolate chips
STEPS:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the pudding mix. Scrape the bowl again and add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition eggs. Add vanilla. Add half of the pre-mixed dry ingredients to the batter and mix just to combine. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining half, mixing until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Using a tablespoon-size scoop, portion the cookies into balls. Place 2 1/2" apart on prepared baking sheets and bake 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden and set. Let cookies cool on sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool fully.
Here's three things that I'm currently loving/hating this week in my ever evolving life!
LOVE:
1) STRAWBERRY DAQUIRIS:
As in, they're slowly replacing my twice a week glass of white wine..slowly. They're summery, sweet perfection! I make mine with Ciroc RedBerry because it's my very favorite vodka. Yumyumyum!
2) CANDLES...EVERYWHERE:
I've always been a candle freak (since I was little!) but lately I've been super obsessed with having them lit in the house, 24/7. I love walking in from outside & having the house smell good, and with an 19 month old toddler boy, that's not always easy to do. I have different fragrances for each room, but they all intertwine very well. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a fragrance-addict..or a pyromaniac.
3) CHOCOLATE COVERED BANANAS:
Definitely not for me..for Cash! He loves chocolate, but his love for bananas has decreased as he's gotten older. It used to be his only food group when he first starting eating "people food", but he slowly lost the acquired taste for them. He DOES love fruit (thank the Lord!) but I want to make sure he continues eating bananas because they have so much potassium. I made him a special Chocolate covered banana the other day, and he was HOOKED! He sat on the porch and ate it on the stick..I wish I had a pic! (rhymetime) I wouldn't make these for him all the time, but once every one or two weeks is fair. He deserves it for putting up with ME as his mama!
HATE:
1) PEOPLE THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND PUBLIC TANTRUMS:
I understand that you don't have a child, but quit looking at mine like he's possessed by the devil. I can't help that he throws things off of the shelves into the aisles.. He's a toddler, and he's got a strong arm. So what if he's crying because he can't have five coloring books?! Either look away, or buy them for him! I'm just waiting for the day that I go off on a stranger for not understanding the art of Public Tantrums. The other day, Cash was in the middle of a fit at the store, and a woman walked passed me, rubbed my shoulder and said "He's not bothering ANYONE. He's a kid, let him cry!" I thought it was so sweet and almost busted out crying in the aisle, because I'm a big baby and I love when people do kind gestures. Yay, me.
2) LAUNDRY. PERIOD.
..because it's stupid.
3. THE FACT THAT MY BABY IS NO LONGER A BABY. WAAAH :(
P.S Did anyone else try the "Cake Pops" from Starbucks!?? Shout out to Starbucks, because I can finally satisfy my craving for cake pops without destroying my kitchen! I tried the Rocky Road.. what is YOUR favorite flavor? And did ya'll know that they are ALL under 200 calories?! OMGLOVE.
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