Hey ya'll! Time for a life update... We recently (last week recently, that is) got back from a week long family trip/vacation to CANADA! We did so much while we were there, and had a tight schedule throughout our trip. I think it's my mother's fault for instilling in me that the definition of "vacation" is food, sleep, lay out, repeat. This was NOT one of those trips, aside from the food part of course. We had a plan from the time we woke up in the morning until late each night, but I'm glad we were able to fit in so much fun. And for the record, this was not the big "proposal" trip. In fact, J thought it was humorous that I even thought it may be, saying "Do you REALLY think I'd make it that obvious?" Anyway, back to the trip. A large amount of J's family lives in Canada, and our sole purpose of the trip was to see his gorgeous cousin Christine get married. Seen here:
I'd like to brag on my child real quick. This was Cash's FIRST plane ride, and I was a nervous wreck as we prepared to tackle our 2 hr 45 minute flight. Needless to say, although he had some pre flight jitters...
He did AMAZING. As in, I felt like it was someone else's child sitting in the seat. He slept most of the way there, and stayed up wide eyed on the way home. He didn't make a peep and loooved gazing out of the window. It didn't hurt that our tiny plane had flat touch-screen televisions on the back of EVERY seat, equipped with hundreds of tv shows. So he sat on his first plane ride, with his headphones in watching Little Bear, and my heart was full!
PS, If you're wondering where Cash got the adorable airplane shirt, look no further! My old friend Keri Murphy makes fabulous tees and made this one at such short notice. (As in, like 2 days notice!) She's always so sweet with my particular ways, and made the shirt EXACTLY how I designed it for her! J thinks I'm crazy because Cash a shirt for almost every occassion, but now that he saw how much he loved airplanes, it was totally worth it ;)
Aside from the wedding, we also visited Chinese markets, numerous family BBQ's, Caribanna Parade, the Harbor, Downtown Toronto and a 3 story "Galleria" style mall that I could pretty much live in. Here are a few of the MANY pictures taken on our trip. My future sister-in-law Tracy is responsible for 99% of these shots. She took over 600 pictures! Amazing.
I couldn't sum up our Canada trip without giving a special shout out to J's brother/our trusty hired on driver of the week Leon, aka "Van Man"
To be honest, I don't do well post-vacation. It takes me more than it probably should to get unpacked and back to the jist of things. One blessing was that I DID clean our house spotless before we left, so it felt nice to come home to cleanliness. I guess that contributing to this "lack of norm" is the fact that Cash took my phone for a swim in the toilet as we headed out of the door to leave for Canada. I knew it'd be a million dollars a text to use it there, so I turned my phone off for the week long trip (RELAXATION!) and decided to turn it on when I got home. Of course, it was long gone. We ordered a new Blackberry the night we came in, and it is STILL not in. My 93 year old has a cell phone. An Emergency Cricket phone, but a cell phone nonetheless. I feel like one of the Golden Girls. Definitely still Blanche though...
I'd also like to formally present myself with a Mom of the Year Award, for feeding my not yet 2 year old child a Cheesy Gordita Crunch for supper last night. Yes, guilty. I feel like this is totally reasonable, because Cash came back from Canada a whole new "man." I really have no idea how to describe it, but he's been acting so different. He's slowly learning & of course making up new words by the minute, and he's all of a sudden wanting to "play" with me a lot more. For a while, he wanted nothing to do with me, and would be very content playing alone with his toys, but now he's all about having Mama join in, too. Last night, we all three made a HUGE "fort" in the living room out of bar stools draped in a blanket, and I swear we played in it for an hour. When me or J would try to nonchalantly "escape" to go do other things, Cash would walk out and pull us back in to play. Maybe he really DOES love us? ;)
Guess who opens up their very own business in 3 days? THIS CHICK RIGHT HEREEEEEE! My Cheer Sign Ups are Friday, and I'm just feeling very humbled. I can't believe it's finally here, and I'm so excited to see the outcome. If I only have 8 girls show up, that's 8 whole girls who are willing to put their trust in me & that makes me smile :) The studio is looking as divalicious as ever, and I'm busy setting up alllll week. Can't wait to report back & let ya'll know how it goes!
This is a short blog, but again, sign ups are around the corner & I'm COMPLETELY head-over-heels overwhelmed. So to end it, here's 6 things I'm obsessing over right now, as well as two yummy recipes! Enjoy!
1. NEWBORN BABIES... Not just ANY newborn babies, but the perfectly adorable ones that make me wish I had one of my own!
2. KNOWING FALL IS AROUND THE CORNER! Yum.
3. GARDENIAS... They have such a Southern charm about them. My Nana & Papa have a "secret" plant that is blooming them right now, although they aren't in season. They are the very best smell & are the signature scent of my childhood.
4. MY NEW CAST IRON SKILLET! An early birthday present from my Dad. I really can't believe that he even remembered that I lost mine, because I only mentioned it once in casual conversation. I can't wait to whip up some fried chicken, cornbread & biscuits in this bad boy!
5. MY FRESH, CLEAN SHEETS! Ahhhh
6. ...and lastly, that FUR is back "IN" for Fall. LOVELOVE!
This recipe is one of those that I advertise as a "Home Alone" meal. I doubt that your hubby or kids would enjoy it (I know mine wouldn't!) but I made the entire portion and ate it for lunch leftovers the next day. It's creamy & amazing, and I love me a cold pasta! Cash & I like to take lunch to the park sometimes, and this one is always perfect for that. Enjoy!
CREAMY AVOCADO & LIME PASTA
NEED:
- 1 1/2cup dry shell pasta or short pasta of your choice
- 1 ripe avocado
- handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2Tbsp lime juice
- 3Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1tsp garlic paste
- salt & pepper
- Tony's Chacheres
- chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno for garnish
STEPS:
1.Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well, set aside to cool.
2.Peel avocado and remove the pit. Put it in a food processor together with chopped cilantro, lime juice, mayonnaise and garlic paste. Blend it until it’s creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add Tony's Chachere's if you think you can't have a meal without it. (Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in a refrigerator if you have time.)
3.Transfer the avocado sauce to a medium sized bowl. Add cooked pasta and toss them well. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno on top.
* I added half of a jalapeno into the food processor with everything, but I like things a little on the spicy side.
This next recipe is one you should DEFINITELY try to squeeze in within those last few days of the Summer. It's AMAZING and is so so easy to assemble. No baking = perfect for us busy mama's. For some reason, icebox cakes also remind me of my childhood. We always had them growing up! Try this out.. YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
CHOCOLATE-MINT ICEBOX CAKE
NEED:
1 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon mint extract
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
STEPS:
1.Make the mint cream: With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar, and mint extract until stiff peaks form.
2.Line a serving platter with two sheets of wax paper side by side. Assemble the cake: Spread each wafer with about 1/2 tablespoon mint cream, forming stacks. Lay stacks horizontally along seam of paper, pressing gently to form a log. With small spatula or knife, cover log with remaining mint cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
3.To serve, gently remove wax paper from underneath cake (holding cake in place with a metal spatula, if necessary), and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Slice cake diagonally with a serrated knife.
Above is a picture of my new pear collection. My sweet Nana & Papa gave us a million of fresh pears from their trees in their yard. They are as sweet as can be, but I'm getting tired of just peeling & eating them. If anyone has any suggestions for yummy pear dessert recipes, I'd love you forever!
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