2011 is a blank page

We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Thats my inspiration for 2011. There's going to be mistakes, bad days, and falling back into old habits. Its only natural. But I refuse to not learn from my mistakes.
2011 I will break a 25 year old habit of not telling my mom that I love her. We always used the excuse that we knew and just never had to say it. Well, that just doesn't cut it anymore. I now realize how utterly silly it is, especially considering that when my dad passed away he and my mom had had an argument. Life is insanely short and unpredictable, and I don't want to leave this world (or have someone else leave this world) with any kind of doubt as to how I feel about them. Maye thats what 2010 set out to teach me?

I have lots of goals for the new year, most of them silly like losing the rest of this weight, staying organized, etc etc. I'm at peace with those goals, and I'm not going to stress. I'm not going to freak out when my house isn't spotless. I'm not dirty by any means, but I think spending quality time with my kids is more important than sparkling floors. I'm going to let go of old grudges against former friends and relatives. I'm going to step away from the computer more often. And the phone too. Send more snail mail instead of email. Perhaps take a picture every day.

Lastly, I'm hoping that we'll be able to drive up to Arlington to see my father's grave on New Years. What better a way to kick off the new year, new habits, and a new perspective on life; than visiting the past?

A true "blue" Christmas

I admit that I've been a tad bit depressed lately; what with it being Brigid's first Christmas, and our second Christmas away from my family. Its been a year and almost 2 months since we left, and the lack of deployment has been a double edged sword. On the one hand, having my best friend home with us instead of deployed is the greatest gift I've ever received. On the other, it meant delaying our trip back to CA for at least a few months. My heart breaks a little every time I think about my mom watching my kids grow up via pictures and sketchy Skype sessions. Every time I look at my daughter and think of all the emotions that my mom must have had while raising me, it makes me cry knowing that she hasn't even been able to meet Brigid. Hold her. Love on her. See those gorgeously sloppy baby grins.
I admit that having been sad, I take things way more personally than I probably should. Comments about pictures being blurry, or a little boy running around naked. Rationally I know that they are probably in jest, and nothing to take offense to; but it gets under my skin after a while. I don't say anything because of the above rationalization.
A third admission, is that I truly have an amazing husband who loves me and would do anything to protect me and make me happy. I was sad this morning, and he stood up for me. Not everyone can say the same about their spouse.

I am sad though, that the situation happened at all, and that in essence I ruined Christmas for my entire family. Mom, I don't know if you'll ever read this, but I am truly sorry for this morning. I'm not sorry that Sean stood up for me, I'm sorry that he felt the need to. I hope that you, dad, and the kids were able to salvage some of your day.
I'm sorry for my family as well, for having to put up with me before and after this whole thing happened.
As for me, I'm done. Done with today, done with a lot of things.

I know these things for sure:
I love my husband (and he loves me back)
I love my kids (and they love me as long as I feed them ;-) )
I love my mom (and dad and sibs).

Peace.

3 recipes, 2 yumtastic and 1 to tweak

First, the yummy egg white quiche. Its from Better Homes and Garden's Breast Cancer cookbook, I just substituted 1 cup of egg whites for the eggs.

1 pie crust (I used Pillsbury ready made, 100 cals per 0.125 crust)
1 cup egg white (or 4 eggs for full fat/cal version)
1.5 cups milk
.25 cup sliced green onion
.25 tsp salt (oops, I forgot this one. Still turned out though)
0.125 tsp black pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
1.5 cups low fat cheese (cheddar, jack, etc)
1 tbsp flour

As quoted from cookbook:

Prepare and roll out pastry for single-crust pie. Line a 9" pie plate with pastry. Trim; crimp edge as desired. Line un-pricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake in 450* oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4-5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry (yeah I forgot this step too; the second baking that is) Remove from oven and reduce heat to 325*

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together eggs, milk, green onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In a small bowl toss together the cheese and flour. Add to egg mixture; mix well.

Pour egg mixture into hot, baked pastry shell. Bake in the 325* oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil prevent over-browning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Adrienne's Cheesecake Bars (as copied from ASA)

1/2 cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mix
1 egg
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using fork or pasty blender. Stir in 1 egg until mixture is crumbly. Gently spoon 3 cups crumb mixture into pan; press into bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes.
In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 eggs and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour over cookie crust. Spoon remaining crumb mixture over cream cheese.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.


(picture to follow)




Weight Watcher's Black Bean Mexican Style Casserole


This one came out a bit bland, and was really not a hit with my family. I topped it with sour cream and salsa, but it still needs (deserves) more of a kick.


Ingredients: 
1 spray olive oil cooking spray
2 lbs uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
3 cups fat free sour cream
2 cups shredded reduced fat mexican style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies
2 tsp cumin seeds (I used ground cumin, was all I had)
0.5 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas, cut into 2 inch strips
1 cup salsa 




Preheat oven to 350*, coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray (13x9 pan works just fine)
Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1" pieces.
Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.
Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared pan, overlapping pieces to cover surgace. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.






***any tips to help this recipe out would be awesome!**

Nonsense

So many days of blog posts written in my head, but never put into type. Its probably going to be a bunch of nonsense (hence the title) so bear with me.
One post was going to be a tribute to the inventor of OxiClean. No joke, he or she is a house wife's best friend. Especially when said house wife has a toddler.
Sean and I were in the shower, Brigid was in her bouncy seat, and Liam was in his room with the baby gate across the door. Apparently, he had to poop. We get out of the shower and discover a neatly placed row of Liam logs on top of the baby gate. No I didn't get a picture. Gross.
At first I thought that was the extent of the nastiness, and all I had to do was lysol the gate. Not my luck! I found a giant ball of Liam poo buried under a pile of toys. Can I puke yet? Oh, and the kicker was the claw marks I found in the carpet where he had been trying to clean it up and instead ground it deeper into the carpet fibers.
OxiClean to the rescue!!! Stifling my gag reflex, I scrubbed that carpet with a scrub brush, OxiClean, and warm water. Looks brand new! The toys, yeah those were bleached. So gross, words cannot even do it justice.

Another post was going to be about my dear inlaws. Ok, one inlaw in particular. He had the audacity to call and leave us a voicemail saying that his car didn't run and that he had to figure something out by the next day or he'd lose his job (thus starting a chain of events that lead downhill for his marriage and his children). Come to find out, he lied. Not just a little lie either. His car works fine. His brothers had seen him driving it. He simply wanted a new one. Oh, and not just any new one, a $14,000 pick up. Sean talked to him, and he wanted us to co-sign on this truck. First of all, he was offered a car for free. It simply needed a head gasket ($500 fix). He didn't want that. He also didn't want a $6000 car, because he thinks that its just going to break. So the man child can't afford $500 to fix a free car, but seems to think that he can afford the down payment, monthly payment, and insurance on a $14000 vehicle. And he wants my husband's credit attached. I think not. The kicker, he tells another brother that no one loves him because they wouldn't give him money. Eff you too Shane. Love has nothing to do with money. Money that no one has to give.

Lets see, there was another one that was going to be posted.... oh yeah my new favorite tortellini recipe. I'll post that separately since it has a picture and all that. I'm really glad that my pumpkin muffin and granola bar recipes are such a hit. I feel accomplished :)
My last thought for this present moment? I'm practically giddy that we now have a treadmill at home. Yes its old. But it works, and I don't have to take the kids out in freezing temps (literally) to get my cardio in. No more excuses, just a fitter, healthier me. Woohoo!

FB is being stupid

    Will repost later.

Recipes and Advertising

For those who were wondering, I get a lot of my recipes (or ideas for recipes) from Photina and her blog "Whats Cooking at Our House" 
She has contributed to my biweekly meal plans more than once, and I have yet to find something listed that my family won't eat.
Hope you don't mind my shameless advertising P!

I'm off to hunt down my lasagna recipe, so stay tuned. Will update this post when I find it. Its somewhere on this mess I call my workspace

Pumpkin Muffins :)

Ingredients:

1.5 c flour

1t baking powder

1c canned pumpkin

1/3c veg oil

2 large eggs

1t pumpkin pie spice

1.25c sugar

1/2t baking soda

1/2t salt

1t cinnamon

Mix flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the flour/baking soda into the other ingredients, stirring until just combined. Pour into greased muffin tins (or paper cups) and bake @ 350* for 25-30 minutes. Top with cinnamon and sugar or frosting of your choice (picture shows a modified cream cheese frosting)

Today's projects

I have a strong urge to completely sanitize this house. Sean is battling a cold right now, Liam was sick a couple of weeks ago, and of course there's the constant nagging in the back of my head that its never clean or good enough (no matter how many times he says it is). So hopefully I can find some peace in a sparkly clean house today.
I'm hoping that the mail is friendly today, and that both my SBX gift card (love Swagbucks!) and Sean's anniversary gift make their way here. I owe Melynda a giant latte, and my wedding anniversary is on the first. Not a whole lot of time Mr. Mailman!!

30DOM:7

A photo that makes you happy


Going to make me choose? Harsh!
Well, here's a couple that some of you may have never seen before. Part of my super secret project that everyone will see very very soon!

and of course, this phenomenal shot from Liam's birthday party <3

Homemade Granola Bars

A word of caution... they're still in the oven. Haven't tried them yet, though the batter/dough tasted pretty good =D
I made 3 different types, some with raisins, some with peanut butter and chocolate chips, and some with slivered almonds. Here's the basic recipe for all three:


Dry Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt

Liquids:

1/2 cup honey
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 veggie oil
2 tsp vanilla extract





Preheat oven to 350* and generously grease a 9 x 13 pan
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the  middle, and add the wet ingredients. Mix well with hands and then pat evenly into the greased pan.

Options:

I made 3 types of bars all in the same pan at one time. I used 1/2 cup chocolate and peanut butter chips for 1/3 of the pan, 1/2 cup raisins for the second 1/3 of the pan, and just under a 1/2 cup slivered almonds for the last 1/3. I spread them on top of the bar mixture, and so far it looks pretty good!

If you want all one flavor (and mixed in) simply use 3/4 cup of raisins/chips/almonds and mix in before spreading into pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bars begin to turn golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut while still warm. DO NOT wait until fully cooled, or they will be too hard to cut.

Makes 24 bars =)

Calories for how I made them:

Chocolate and peanut butter chip bars = 142 c each
Raisin bars = 128 c each
almond bars = 137 c each

30DOM:6

Day 6 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy


I started this entry days ago. Sadly I only got as far as the title and the "Day 6-...". A perfect example of my lack of concentration!
The thing that "tickles my fancy" today, is actually a news report that we watched last night on China, and how economically they are set to pass up the US, and how they already surpass us in early education. Did you know that Chinese students are learning English at the age of 2? That at 10 they are fluent? No offense to any teachers out there, but our education system just isn't cutting it! What do most American 2 year olds know best? Yo Gabba Gabba and Spongebob. Oh, and lets not forget Dora!  Lets be honest here. We're doing our country a great disservice, and it all starts with our kids.
After watching this segment and having a long heart to heart with my husband, we've come to the conclusion that we will not be sheep and allow our children to follow that same path. We want our kids to have better than we did as children. Better than we have now. Not easier, but better. My list for Santa this year is to bring Liam some preschool books, blocks, counters, and other various things. For me? The Spanish program that I took in middle school. I was darn near fluent, and I intend to pick it back up and then teach my children. When they are in middle school and high school, they can work on becoming trilingual while everyone else is just starting with a second language.
Don't get me wrong, we want our children to enjoy their childhood. Kids grow up fast enough as it is, but they are growing up in the wrong ways. Violence and sexuality are being learned so early on. Five year olds threatening to kill other children over a box of cereal! Parents, this is our fault. And its our job to pull them back in. Its our job to raise them right, and give them the positive opportunities that will help them in the future; in turn bringing our country back from the brink.
I could go on and on and on, but I haven't had my coffee yet, and I'm already struggling to form coherent thoughts let alone write them out for you to follow along. I can guarantee that there will be more on this in the future.

30DOM:5

Day 05 - your favorite quote




"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."


I have a lot of favorite quotes, but this is the one on my FB at the moment. People seem to just want the easy way  out of things, and they don't want anything to do with something that resembles work. I can understand being smart and not doing everything the hard way, but mostly it seems like people are just lazy. 

~ to be finished later ~

30DOM:4

Day 04 - your favorite book


I think my all time favorite is Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I've had my own struggles with faith, this book sort of personifies that for me. I've come to accept that my beliefs don't fit with any one structured faith. I'm a Catholic without the pomp and grandeur. A Christian without being evangelical. What can I say, I'm complicated!

Step away from the cleaning supplies!

Ok, yes I've turned into somewhat of a clean freak. Somewhat! I haven't jumped off the edge of sanity into the land of Monk and his OCD. Not yet anyways =D
I spend way too much money on cleaning supplies however, and since I use them so often I was very happy when Jessica shared her recipe for a homemade cleaning solution. And yes, it does work quite well.
Mix together:

Half vinegar
Half water
Tea tree oil until you can smell it
Essential oil opt
One pump hand soap 

Oh and if you have a bug phobia like I do, it seems to deter the cockroaches. Worth its weight in gold just for that factor alone!
I have yet to use essential oils, but since I like the smell of tea tree oil (it smells clean to me) I'm in no rush to find it and buy it. The TT oil was $8 at walmart for a small jar, but a little goes a long way.

My next project is to perfect homemade laundry detergent. I may be a SAHM with no income of my own at the moment, but I refuse to be less than productive and I'll save money every chance I get. It makes me feel better and soothes my income lacking soul.

30DOM:3

Favorite TV Show...

My favorite non-kid's show would have to be Reba. Even though my kids are still very young, I've always been able to relate on some level to her character. Maybe its the thinly veiled sarcasm that is present in every episode? Or maybe its how she gives everything to everyone but still maintains her wit and personality. I sort of look up to the fictional Reba, except for you know, the whole divorced-mother-of-a-teenage-mom-who-lives-in-her-house-with-her-teenage-husband-and-daughter thing. Oh and the ex-husband's mistress turned wife thing. Not in my house sister!
Sean watches it with me sometimes (yes I do have a few seasons on DVD =D) and he'll start randomly laughing and saying that he sees me doing the same things or saying the same things in the future. I sometimes wonder if thats a good thing or not.... haha!

30DOM:2

Favorite Movie? Do I have one of those anymore? Hmmmm....it used to be The 5th Element with Bruce Willis, but I guess I've moved on. I love the original Karate Kid and the 3 Ninjas, various musicals (Rent anyone?), and the occasional chick flick. "Its Complicated" was cute, but I wouldn't classify any of those as my favorite. Guess I don't watch enough TV anymore.

To days of inspiration,

Playing hookey, making something

Out of nothing, the need

To express-

To communicate,

To going against the grain,

Going insane,

Going mad

To loving tension, no pension

To more than one dimension,

To starving for attention,

Hating convention, hating pretension,

Not to mention of course,

Hating dear old mom and dad

To riding your bike

Midday past the three piece suits-

To fruits- To no absolutes-

To Absolut- To choice-

To the Village Voice-

To any passing fad

To being an us- For once-

Instead of a them-

La Vie Boheme

La Vie Boheme

It goes by too quickly!

Time flies and it needs to slow down. Now. I insist!

Seriously though, where has the last two years gone? I remember that night in the hospital, hooked up to all those silly machines like it was yesterday. I remember the smell of the hospital, of brand new baby (something that was noticeably missing when B was born - I have no idea why). And now my tiny baby is no longer :( He's a big boy (literally and figuratively) who is learning how to count and say his alphabet. He's a big boy who feeds himself, undresses himself (we're working on getting dressed, but he'd much rather be naked), and uses the potty. He's a big boy who's learning how to use Daddy's tools and catches bugs to bring to mommy. I'm afraid if I blink he's going to be the big boy who is driving away to college. The big boy who is at the altar waiting for his bride, the future mother of my grandkids.

Holy wow I've gotten ahead of myself. Here's some pictures of my big boy. I'm going to go enjoy watching him color on Handy Manny and try to forget the images of him being all grown up.

blog prompts and blackberry wine

I figured doing the 30 Days of Me would trigger my creative side. Toss in some blackberry wine and you're probably not going to get me to shut up!
Anyways, I just wanted to talk about how proud I am of our little boy. Liam will be 2 on Tuesday (09NOV), and we recently started really focusing on potty training. I never wanted to push him because I believe that its one of those things that you just don't rush. About 2 weeks ago, I asked Liam if he wanted to go use the potty. I was just putting the feelers out there, wasn't going to make him do it, except his response was "no potty" followed quickly by "diaper?"
Oh boy. If he can ask for a diaper, bring me his diapers when he wants/needs to be changed, and even try to wipe himself... I think its time. I answered his request with a very solid "no more diapers" and since we ran out of them we've stuck to it. We started being completely diaper free the middle of this past week. We went out to the mall on Thursday, I had plastic pants on him over his underwear and I took him to the restroom every 15-20 minutes. He never actually peed on the toilet there, but stayed dry for 6 hours! I rewarded him with a happy meal. Since then we've only had a handful of accidents (and its now Sunday, woohoo!), and he will get himself into the bathroom when he has to go. He may not always make it into the toilet (sometimes its on the bathroom rug) but you know what, he's trying.
We started off by having him sit on the toilet for 5 minutes every 15 minutes, he moved up to 5 minutes every 20 minutes by Friday, and Saturday we weren't really using the timer at all. We'd ask him when we remembered (maybe every half hour? 40 minutes?) and he had no accidents at all! Last night and today he's been sick so we haven't pushed him a bit, so he's been in cloth diapers since he first got sick. I still won't buy diapers.

30DOM:1

Favorite song I believe it is?

I posted the video in another post, but my all time favorite is Toby Keith's "Huckleberry". It is hands down my song for my husband. There's many many reasons for it, its just sweet and simple like we are. Ok, like our relationship is. Here's the lyrics:

Just off of the two-lane where the school bus used to stop 
Was a little wooden A-frame with a yellow tin roof top 
One day it was raining on this world 
She said ‘have you ever really, really ever kissed a girl?’ 

Baby I’ll be your Huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me 
If the storm gets wild and scary count on me to be right there 
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries 
We’ll grow up and we’ll get married 
I’m gonna be your Huckleberry 

Later on that summer we went to the county fair 
They had a brand new roller coaster and everyone was scared 
It was two bucks to experience the thrill 
She said ‘come on boy let’s get in line I’ll ride it if you will’ 

Baby I’ll be your Huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me 
If the ride gets wild and scary count on me to be right there 
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries 
We’ll grow up and we’ll get married 
I’m gonna be your Huckleberry 

Snuck off on a slow dance at the junior/senior prom 
Went lookin’ for some romance before I had to get her home 
Steamin’ up the windows of my car 
She said ‘until I get my wedding ring boy we can’t go that far’ 

Baby I’ll be your Huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me 
If the world gets wild and scary count on me to be right there 
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries 
We grew up and we got married 
Now look at those three little Huckleberries 

Toby Keith - Huckleberry

30 Days of Me

Since I lack the creativity to come up with interesting posts on my own, I figured I'd follow the herd and use these for blog prompts =) Stay tuned.....

Day 01 - your favorite song
Day 02 - your favorite movie
Day 03 - your favorite television program
Day 04 - your favorite book
Day 05 - your favorite quote
Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 - a photo of you taken recently
Day 12 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - a fanfic
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a YouTube video
Day 24 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - this month, in great detail
Day 28 - this year, in great detail
Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - whatever tickles your fancy

I promise I didn't forget you!

Its been a while eh? I've been meaning to jump back on here, but laziness and procrastination are my forte =D
I'll finish this one later when I can actually think of something worth blogging about.
PS: Photina, if you read this, I really need help making this thing look spiffy. Pweasssseee =)

Yup, its me

I stole my hubby's favorite username "O'Kelly". Apparently there's quite a few "Mrs. Kelly" out there in cyber space. Not surprising really.
Anyways, this is private, for now, if by chance you're reading this know that I'm not looking for any kind of comments, sympathy, or pity. Just need to get things out every now and again without the risk of judgement.
I'm not politically, grammatically, or socially correct. There will be TMI at some point, I can guarantee it.
You've been warned.