Miss Personality

I am so far behind in my blogging--it's not even funny. I have many posts swimming around in my head but they are just going to have to wait.

This weekend Lucy got to visit with her Grandmother and Granddaddy. She was Miss Personality as always. My birthday is in about 2 weeks and Mom and Dad W. gave me and Lucy matching aprons. Lucy looks super cute in hers!! I am envisioning many cookie baking dates in our future. I love my little helper!

 

Lucy just started "posing" for the camera. Let me tell ya, it couldn't be cheesy-er. Haha! Here's the new pose. What do ya think???

She like squints one eye and gives a silly grin. What a little ham!

 

She seriously makes me laugh all day long with the things she does. Love this girlie!!

A Day at the Zoo

Life has been pretty crazy around here. I have been horrible about updating my blog. Can't promise it will get better anytime soon.....but we can always hope. :)

Last week the weather was beautiful. Spring came for an early visit--but sadly, decided not to stay long. While it was here we took advantage of the warm days. Where better to enjoy the outdoors (while entertaining Lucy to the fullest) but the ZOO!

Lucy was fascinated by the polar bear. When he came up close she would yell, "Oh My!" 

And when you're 14 months old, life doesn't get any better than meerkats. 

There were tigers and monkeys and camels and elephants.....

And piggy back rides on Daddy.....

We had tons of fun. 

Can't wait for more Spring days at the zoo!

Wild Child

I officially have a wild child.

Remember when your baby just stayed in the same place and life was peaceful and you got lots done? Obviously this is not my life anymore. :) Miss Lucy--whom I have lovingly (or maybe not so lovingly) named the Tasmanian Devil has been tearing through the house at lightning speeds (walking is MUCH faster than crawling!), destroying everything in sight!! She seriously runs around pulling toys from all places and making messes I never knew were possible. I cannot clean up fast enough! But, what's the point? Until she goes to bed it will just happen over and over and over and over........you get the picture. :) So if you happen to visit me during the day you might have to step over a few toys to get through the door. Next place we live will require a playroom. I might go out of my mind without one. :) But seriously, I love my kiddo. I am so thankful to have a sweet baby girl to make messes everywhere. And a baby to make noises too. Story-time! Today in the car I had music playing. It was a new album I had just downloaded and I was enjoying listening. Was enjoying. You see, Miss Lucy has inherited her Daddy's ability to sing. She loves to sing. She hums to herself all day long and will sing along with me or any music she hears. She imitates the way of singing too....like when we had the Irish Tenors playing she sang opera style. Not. Even. Kidding. So as soon as my new music came on she had to sing at the top of her lungs the whole time. Carey and I just looked at each other and realized we may never have peace. Ha! =) 

Never a dull moment in this house. 

In other news, Valentine's Day was this week (not that this is news to any of you). Lucy got a Winnie the Pooh and Piglet from her Valentine (a.k.a.--Daddy). :) Here she is enjoying her new friend. 

Sick Girlie

Well, Lucy made it 14 weeks and 3 days before getting her FIRST fever. Pretty impressive. She's only had a slight runny nose one other time in her life. But, this week her little body caught a bug. We knew something was up when she started fussing at night. Then her nose started running...a lot. THEN, she got a fever. Amazingly, it's barely phased her. Lucy just wanted to "pl-ay!" At least, that's what she told me. I ask her if she wants to rest and before I can finish the question she sweetly says, "No." She finally decided to take a nap at 2pm. Usually she can't wait to take her morning nap but not today. She's been playing like an energetic wild child since 7am. Mommy needs rest so Lucy must!! Is there caffeine in antibiotics? I'm thinking maybe. :)

We took Lucy to the doctor yesterday and she has an ear infection. She was pretty pathetic all day. She just had this sick look on her face and would give me sad little whimpers. But even at the doctor she made a point to say hi to everyone in the waiting room and converse with the front desk ladies. Haha! Such a sweetie. I am so thankful so a happy baby even wen she's not feeling well. Her antibiotic should be kicking in and hopefully she'll be all better soon. (She's acting much better already, hence the "wild child" comment.) 

Anyway, Lucy has added a couple of new words/phrases to her vocab this week. Now when she says, "bye-bye" she adds "see-a-layuh." (see you later). =) While running errands I told her we were going to Costco (which happens to be one of her favorite places because she gets to hold the Costco card and acts like it's the coolest thing in the world). She immediately got excited and yelled "COS-CO!!"  She cracks me up. 

That's about it here. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I'll be enjoying it from home taking care of my sick babe....or rather, chasing my wild child. *tired sigh* =)

On My Bookshelf...and Other Happenings.

Guess what!? We're only 9 days into February and I FINISHED a book! I am thrilled about this since January was not the best month as far as reading goes. I actually finished the book yesterday. Even better. :) I read Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers.

I am a big Rivers fan. She writes good Christian fiction. A lot of the Christian books out there are full of fluff. But Francine Rivers rises above the rest in my opinion. Sometimes there are fluffy parts though....I am moving on to "deeper" reading for my next book. Not sure I can handle another Rivers book right now. :) Anyway, I enjoy the history she weaves into her writng. Her books are easy to read and enjoyable. Her Daughter's Dream was no exception. This book is the sequel to Her Mother's Hope which I read over Christmas.

So now I have completed what was really one big book separated in to 2 still really big books. :) I'll admit it wasn't my favorite story of her's. It didn't come close to Reedeming Love and the Mark of the Lion Trilogy. Nevertheless, still great books.  
The story is about 4 generations of women and walls that often are built up between people we love. Rivers takes you through each of their lives and struggles to reconcile the hurt between them. I particularly liked the history. The books started back in the early 1900's and ended present day. I won't go into more details... you can read the books for yourself. It's worth you time! You can easily find them at the library too. =)

What's next? Carey and I are reading the C. S. Lewis novella The Dark Tower at the moment. (I needed something "deeper," remember?) It is a continuation of his Space Trilogy, which I loved (and definitely recommend!!) The novella is not terribly long. I hope to finish by the end of the month and re-cap it for you!

On to other things...Lucy is getting into everything and has gotten super fast. This mommy is tired! Haha. Welcome to life, right? Thankful for coffee. :) She daily amazes me with new words. She says "flower" which sounds like "flou-w." Only occasionaly does she add the "-er." I about fell over in shock yesterday when she brought me her Pocahontas book--which we had only read a few time--and said as clear as day, "Meeko!" (Meeko is the racoon from Pocahontas and the story is mostly about him.) I was shocked! She has said it a few more times so I know it wasn't a fluke. When did my little baby get so big??
Lucy is a little under the weather right now. She has a runny nose and is getting 2 big molars. Poor girlie. Freezing teps outside are not helping! I can't wait for spring so we can take walks and play in the park!!
That's what we've been up to lately. Happy Wednesday!

Snow Day 4

If you haven't heard--we got lots of snow. (That comment was sarcastic, by the way.) =) All 3 of us spent the day inside, warm and cozy while we watched the blizzard outside. Gotta admit...I want to be on the beach. We're getting cabin fever. Spring, come quickly! Since we're stuck with nothing to do--okay, lots to do (like organizing the storage closet) but who wants to actually do that?--I've been dreaming of a Florida Keys vacation. You have no idea how badly I want to be on that vacation right now! It probably won't happen for sometime. Like our 7th anniversary. We always said maybe we'd do something grand on our 5th. WELL, 5 years is only 1 year away. Not sure it's going to happen then. Wow, time flies. Anyway....I am dreaming of a convertible car driving through the keys with big sunglasses, cute sundresses, salty sea air and pina-coladas. *Sigh* Someday. :) 

What did we do on our snow day? We played Wii and some Super Nintendo (my personal fav). Lucy likes playing too. But sometimes she gets the controller confused with a cell phone. She randomly holds it to her ear and says, "Hello." Which sounds more like, "Ha-woah." Here are pics of some Daddy/Daughter Nintendo time. 

She was playing Star Wars. Actually killed some bad guys.

"Hello!"

We got some movies from the Library and watched a couple while Lucy was napping. We also did a little reading. Lots of reading to Miss Lu. It's her favorite activity these days. She'll bring you a "boo" (book) and sit right in your lap and look up at you with those big brown eyes. How can you say no?? We got some grown up reading in too. I have decided not to read the book previously posted: I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne du Maurier. I really enjoyed other books she has written like: Jamaica Inn, The Scapegoat, Frenchman's Creek, and Rebecca. I got about 6 chapters in to I'll Never Be Young Again and decided it wasn't worth my time. It's not worth yours either....trust me. Unlike her other books, there was no mystery and intrigue. It was actually pretty boring and the story line was odd (and not in a good way). Good thing I discovered this in plenty of time to still get a book in for February! I am re-reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It has been about 8 years since I've read it and I know I'll enjoy it more now. Definitely a book worth reading (and re-reading!). And my comments on Humility by C.J. Mahaney are coming. Just have a few chapters left! 

ANYway, we were able to venture out today for a while. Hooray! So thankful for our 4x4. We had lunch with my Daddy for his birthday! After Lucy wakes up from her much needed nap we are going to spend some time at the gym. We finally have gotten back into the habit of going and we're loving it. I get some "me" time while Lucy plays in the kiddo area. Carey is loving it too. I am attempting Zumba classes in the near future. Ha!! Will definitely have to post about that. I am going to look ridiculous I just know it. But I've heard it's tons of fun. SO, I'm going to give it a try.

That's what we've been up to lately. Happy Wednesday.

Here's another snow day pic. Love this kiddo! She's pretty much irresistible. 

Carrying on a conversation with Mommy. :)

On My Bookshelf...

I've been a horrible blogger this week. It has been crazy around here and I haven't have a few minutes to myself to sit down and write anything! Remember my resolution of reading at least 1 book every month this year?? Well, I am here to report that this month was an epic fail. Tomorrow is the last day of January and have I read a book? No. Not for lack of trying. I started a book at the beginning of the month that I couldn't get into for the life of me. By the time I decided not to read it the month was half way over. I am in the middle of Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney.

Not sure if this should even count. It is a very small book--though packed with great truth! Ok, I am counting it. =) I am going to do my best to finish by 11:59pm tomorrow. Ha! But I don't want to rush it. I want the truth to sink in and penetrate my heart. I will write my thoughts on this little book when it is complete. Stay tuned.

Anyway, my 2nd excuse for not reading is being a library fugitive. Yes, I owed them money. Sad but true. =) Happy to report as of yesterday I am payed up. So I will have all the books my little heart desires! February will be better. I have great plans for lots of reading! =) Starting this book when I'm finished with Humility. I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne Du Maurier. I like her books. They're different, mysterious and a little creepy. I've read many of her books but have never heard anything about this one. We'll see if it's good!

Well, I better get going. I plan on reading for an hour or so while Miss Lucy Lu naps! A great way to spend Sunday afternoon......

New Recipes

If you're anything like me when it comes to cooking, sometimes you just get in a "rut." Please tell me I'm not the only one!? =) I like the food I normally cook. It's flavorful, pretty healthy (for the most part!), and best of all-- CHEAP. I am a coupon-er, I go to 5 different stores to shop the "deals" and hate hate hate when our grocery bill gets above $50/wk. That doesn't include Lucy's formula.....so I guess groceries cost a little more. Anyway, overall that's pretty good!! :)

This week I decided to get out of my dinner rut and cook some amazing recipes I found. I totally splurged and spent way over our grocery budget! I was completely out of meat, so that did it. BUT, the meals have been incredible! I can definitely re-make these recipes again for much less and plan to put them on rotation.....all while sticking to my $50/wk. budget!

Mon. and Tues. we ate up some leftovers....so those days don't count. Here's what we had Wed, Thurs, and Fri. I have 3 more meals to try next week! I can hardly wait!

Before I give you the links to these fabulous recipes let me say: EVERY one of these meals gets 2 thumbs up from me and my hubby! Carey exclaimed, "This is excellent!" every meal. Bad news: I now will be held to a higher standard of cooking. HA! =)

Here's what we ate this week:

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh my. So good. 

Murphy's Hot Hamburger from Tasty Kitchen. Yeah, it was as good as it looks! (I used ground turkey and made sure to use olive oil.....had to add a little extra for the gravy since turkey doesn't have a lot of fat. Anyway, it turned out great. My hubby had lots of great things to say about this meal!) AND.....I maybe devoured it too. :)

Chicken Parmesan found on kevinandamanda.com. This was oh so yummy! I have never made this dish. We had it a lot growing up but I never really enjoyed it. BUT, when we were at Olive Garden a few weeks ago I got the Tour of Italy. Chicken Parm. was on the plate and it was so good! I knew right then I had to give it a try. Very glad I did!

Also.....I gave Lucy spaghetti for the first time last night. ......um, yeah. Let me just say we're not doing that again maybe ever. :) She was not a fan of the flavor and decided finger painting with marinara sauce was tons of fun. Also, rubbing the sauce through your hair is fun too. I was smart enough to undress her before eating, thankfully. She went straight to the bath after dinner. Here are some pics of the damage. Yuck.

Another Snow Day!

We got about 7 inches of snow yesterday. What does that mean? Carey took my 4WD 4Runner to work and I'm basically stuck. Again. :) I might venture out later to go to Hobby Lobby (only 1 mi. away), but I want to be safe. I have hair bows on the brain. Our niece, Baby K., will be arriving any day. So I need to finish her collection! :) Plus, Miss Lucy needs some new bows. I'm a little tired of the ones she has. I also want to get into making THESE. So cute! Ok, maybe we will go out later. :)

Anyway, in other news. I made the most amazing Tortilla Soup last night. Oh my. Thanks to Pioneer Woman for her amazing recipe! Carey LOVED it and of course I did too. There is not much left over. Tonight I am making THIS. Oh yes. If we die of heart attacks tomorrow, you will know why. =) I don't cook stuff like this a lot. But it's snowy and everyone needs some comfort food once and a while. Plus, I am going to use ground turkey. And oven fries are not that bad for you. I am using olive oil.... (can you see me justifying this meal!?)

I've been practicing with my new camera over the last few days. All of this aperture and ISO stuff confuses me. But I found some tutorials and I'm working on getting better. Here are some pics I've taken of Lucy while "practicing." She mostly just ignores me these days. I think someone has had enough picture taking. =)

Playing with saturation while editing.....

Another picture?

She's asking if she can take her bow off. I said no.

I cannot resist the faces she makes sometimes. :)

Playing with aperture.....

She's singing along to the ABC's on Baby Einstein. The kiddo cracks me up!

So that's what we've been up to. Tomorrow, I think a grilled cheese and tomato soup date at Nordstrom Cafe' is in order for me and my girlie. Our favorite place to lunch. Then some shopping--of course!! We're going to spend a gift card Lucy has to the Children's Place. I cannot believe how big she's getting! She's growing out of most of her 12 month clothes. (Ok, I know. It makes sense since she's 13 months.) I just can't believe we're in 18 month clothes now. Time flies! 

P.S. --Like the new blog look? I am trying to make it a little more chic. I'm making little changes every few days. =)

 

I Heart Starbucks

Starbucks. Yes, I love it. Working there for 2 years probably made it worse. I still mourn my 30% discount every time I go. Anyway, I have a little cutie who is her mama's daughter! She LOVES yummy coffee. My mother actually introduced Miss Lucy Lu to the wonder of this amazing liquid. Thanks. But, it was bound to happen sooner or later. In Lucy's case....much sooner. :) Now, I don't think Lu would like plain black coffee. I'm not even a big fan! But give her a Mocha--now that's a different story! She also thought Sbux Blueberry Scones were yummy. :) But who wouldn't? At 430 calories a pop, crusted with big clumps of sugar and filled with sweet and sour blueberries? Yeah, they're pretty good. Not so good for you.. BUT, Lucy could use the calories. She's such a tiny little peanut. I maybe helped her eat a little of the scone.....maybe.

Here are a few pics of our latest Starbucks date.

We let her lick the lid clean.....

And sip the last few drops from the cup....

Yep, it was yummy! Chocolate on the face to prove it....

Lucy was a happy camper!