Perfect Pesto

January 12, 20151 Comment

Peter and I got hungry for pesto pasta this weekend. I dug out this favorite recipe from Food Renegade (http://www.foodrenegade.com/almond-spinach-basil-pesto/). Its a delicious combination of basil, spinach and roasted almonds making a slightly healthier pesto.

I use Blue Diamond roasted almonds and skip the roasting part of the recipe. I also recruit little fingers to help pull the leaves off the stems of Basil. I double the recipe and throw a container in the refrigerator for later. Or you can get fancy like my mom and fill ice cube trays in the freezer so you can easily pop out a portion at a time for cooking.

But for me? I will eat this entire container of goodness well before it goes bad…

Finally getting to cute this beautiful stuff!

Little fingers do the best job harvesting the leaves. Sometimes they are shirtless though…

I make ours a little thicker to cut some of the oil calories. I also like the way it keeps it’s flavor in pasta. And eggs. And on toast. And with chicken. And on a spoon.

Voila! Tossed with angel hair pasta and rotisserie chicken!

Toilet Talk

January 9, 2015Leave a comment

A few years ago our bathroom toilet was making sputtering sounds every time it flushed. It wasn’t horrible during the day, but at night, it was super annoying and woke up the entire house when it caused the pipes to bang with each sputter.

I was dreading a plumbing bill so my mom suggested I go to the plumbing supply store and ask them to show me how to fix it. I was so not in the mood to be talked down to or confused so I put it off…until no one could sleep. I buckled. I snapped pictures of the inside of the tank and ventured out to be belittled.

To my shock, the guy I talked to was incredibly nice! He diagnosed the problem quickly and then got me the parts to fix it. He even went as far to do some of the assembly of the fill valve in the store and then give me step by step instructions on how to install it. A half hour of time and I had successfully installed the new part for $20 vs a $200 plumbing bill. I’ve also fixed 3 other toilets at my house and some of the rental houses.

This week, I walked in from taking out the trash to a loud, strange noise. I began to scour the house for the source and found water blasting out of the toilet area and quickly flooding the joint. I quickly turned off the water and realized that the supply line nut had cracked (it’s worth noting that this is not the same thing I fixed prior). I took the tag off the line, shuttled the kids to the plumbing supply store for new lines for all the toilets in the house. $8, a wrench and towel later, problem solved.

As I relayed the story to my mom, I realized how nice it is to know how to fix your house. Not only is it annoying to have to pay someone to fix issues, waiting around for them to show up (which is ALWAYS during nap time) is the part I have the hardest time swallowing.

So the lesson for today is; go to a small specialty store and ask for help when you have a problem…. And also to replace your supply lines if the nut is plastic. You’ll thank me when your house doesn’t flood.

Mom Moment

January 8, 20152 Comments

That moment where you accidentally text “hoes” instead of “how’s” to the baby sitter.

As in “Hi hoes!” instead of “Hi how’s it going?”.

Most concerning is that auto correct thinks you use the word hoes so frequently, that’s probably what you meant…

We Don’t Need No Stinking Training Wheels

December 30, 2014Leave a comment

So this happened this weekend…

Much to our amazement, she nailed it 5 minutes after the wheels came off! It was far less traumatic than I thought it would be. Peter gets all the credit – I wasn’t even brave enough to go to the park until I heard it was going well. She even mastered starting herself by the time we left the park. Next up, turning.

And of course the little guy had to be part of it. He decided that he too needed a push. Do you hear him say “Me two three TOO!!” Translation: say one two three and push me too! I also love his glide and look back. Such a ham.

More Christmas

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014Leave a comment

I want more Christmas. I want more nights snuggled on the couch, watching holiday movies. More cinnamon candles. More holiday parties. More Christmas cards. More excuses to make and eat a lot of sugar cookies. I’m not ready for it to be over!

And here’s why…we had a great Christmas season:

We visited Santa’s workshop

Rode the camels at Zoo Lights Someone insisted on going by herselfBraved the lines at the Train Park with our friends, the D family, for the 4th (we think…) year in a row!

(I swear those kids were happier than they look in the picture…apparently waiting for an hour to ride the train took it’s toll…)

Made some super awesome cookies for Santa. Note the difference in Baylor and Auggie’s decorating technique.

And celebrated with the whole family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

I know by the end of the week I’ll be ready to pack it all up and be ready to be done. But for now, I’m soaking up every last minute.

The Great Coloring Contest Scam

December 16, 20141 Comment

Each year at Peter’s firm’s Christmas party, they host a coloring contest. The contest is divided into age groups and there are first and second prizes for each group. And the prizes? They are stuffed animals the size of the contestants.

Last year, we left before the results were read. Baylor was convinced for months after that she had won and Peter was holding her over sized bear hostage.

The beauty of this party is that the parents can mingle a bit while the kids do arts, crafts, color and eat with some friendly elves. Little did we know that while we were eating, Baylor was working on a plan to make sure that either her or Auggie was going home with a stuffed animal.

As they read the results for Auggie’s age group, I was stunned to see a very well colored picture held up. I was way too good for a two year old…I was even more surprised to hear them call Auggie’s name! Baylor accepted on his behalf as he was in the back of the room. She of course, selected the GIANT pink unicorn.

Next was Baylor’s age bracket. Second prize went to another kiddo and first place went to Baylor. She ran up, grabbed a more boy appropriate giant bear, ran back and said “We WON!! Now let’s get out out here”. Confused as I was to her rush, we complied and carefully walked down the stairs with our booty.

As I looked at the winning pages, I realized she had not only submitted more than on entry for herself, she had submitted two under Auggie’s name as well. When I asked her about it she said “Well, I did draw some for him. How else were we going to win?!”.

And I’ve never been prouder. Those don’t hate the player, hate the game life skills will carry her far in business and in life.

Meet Pinky Pie and Bear Bear

Chef Momma

November 24, 2014Leave a comment

Apparently, the word it out that I make some rockin’ good pancakes….

Halloween Recap

November 19, 2014Leave a comment

Better late than never, yes? Totally worth it when you see Auggie in his Olaf costume.

Trunk Or Treat was bigger and better than ever! We had the “party section” with an extra space for chairs, pizza and umm, we’ll call it juice.

It was 90 degrees so Olaf was not happening. Good thing his Fireman costume from last year still worked (with the hem ripped out anyway…). The C Family haunted truck!

It’s such a bummer no one was dressed as Elsa…

Too much juice

Actual Halloween was cooler…but still involved me cutting Olaf’s sleeves off

I always get really excited to carve pumpkins. Then the reality hits when we sit down to get to work and realize that the kids can’t use the knives. Thankfully B was happy to sort out the seeds for roasting.

If I was a nicer mom, I would let them draw something and then I would carve it. But how can they deny me when I have such talent?!

Day Trip to Flagstaff

October 23, 2014Leave a comment

Have you ever tried to keep a two-year-old still? If not, I’m sure you can imagine what fun it is.

Before our overnight to the hospital with Auggie, we had been planning a day trip to Flagstaff. I wanted to see the leaves changing and we wanted to get out in the cool air to hike. We decided that the cool air and forced rest (strapped in car seat, strapped in hiking pack, back to car seat) might be just what the Auggie boy needed.

Saturday morning we threw some stuff in the car and took off. That’s the best part about a day trip – light packing. We didn’t need as much which made getting out the door so much easier!

Excited to get there.

Perfect hiking weather.

Ready to go!

The destination: Red Mountain. The trail was 3 miles round trip and B walked the whole thing!

Counting tree rings

The trees changed from Pinons to Ponderosa Pines

B was really into the light layers. Notice she has two sweatshirts and a hat tied around her waist.

How could he pick just ONE stick?!

The trail winds through the a volcanic cinder cone. The gravel they are walking through was volcanic rock. Can you see them way up in the middle?This might be the best picture I’ve ever taken

This worked just fine on the way up. We didn’t think about how to get down….

We made it!

Exploring the Hoodoos

The hazards of baby wearing

Little different picture on the way home

We took the long way home through Sedona to catch a few more changing leaves. Totally worth the detour! Especially when a skeptical Peter declared “Slap a bumper sticker on the truck because I am a Leaf Peeper and I don’t care who knows it!”. Which was a hilarious way of saying that he was enjoying himself. I snort laughed for the next 2 miles.

As we pulled into Phoenix, we were welcomed home with one of the most amazing sunsets. A perfect end to a great day!

If you want to check it out, see the link below for directions. This was a fantastic hikes for kids – flat and lots of interesting things to keep them moving and exploring!

Red Mountain Trail #159

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

October 14, 2014Leave a comment

No not Christmas. Although that part is great too…

It’s PLANTING TIME!! Well, in Arizona any way. Now that the temperatures have dropped below 100 and the mornings and evenings are spectacular, we’ve been hard at work getting our yard back in shape. There’s been lots of trips to the nursery, much fertilizing and a whole bunch of trimming. I’m so excited for the results of our work.

I love this view at the back door

Two new tomato plants – a yellow grape and a red olive. I’ve never heard of olive so I’m excited to see what they’re like.

I see lots of pesto in our future. It smells heavenly.

And the lettuce table! I always get so excited to plant this guy. This year includes green leaf and two varieties of red leaf.

A new addition is rainbow Swiss Chard. Really excited for these guys to grow in.

Velvety Petunias

Oooh, the Meyer Lemon. Like a cross between an orange and a lemon. These little babies are going to make some amazing vinaigrette!

Something is blooming everywhere you look

At the risk of sounding like a crazy woman…I stalk the nursery for this color of Geranium. It’s a deep red and just gorgeous.

The Goon Room

A little of everything and nothing, all in one blog

Tag: humor