I don't know why the site of all these ingredients makes me so happy. But it does. The greatest combo of colors and tastes - and may I add, one our of staple dinners. Chicken tacos, pork tacos, steak tacos... as long as there is Cotia (the white cheese) and Cilantro on it, I could care less what else is happening inside. If you have no idea what either of those items are...I feel sorry for the sad life you have lived up until now. Next time you are at the store - look them up, buy them, make some tacos or salsa or guac and dump on the love.
For all those reading this blog and could care less about diaper rashes and such, sorry for the boring blog entry and feel free to stop reading now. For all you moms out there - here is a trick of the trade I just discovered:
The Cashman has been rockin' a wicked case of diaper rash these last 2 weeks. So severe that I had several other moms try and diagnose it as thrush or a yeast infection... but when I looked online - the symptoms didn't fully match up - but regular butt creme wasn't doing a THING! It seemed to just get worse and worse. Changing a diaper on a 1 year old who doesn't want to stay put is hard enough. Add the rash, and your life is hell.
Then I got a killer tip. Give them a bath - clean all the destitine off, then take Mylanta, (yes - mylanta) and with a cotton ball, dab it on and blow it semi dry. Then generously apply some of the A&D diaper rash ointment on. What was turing into it's 3rd week of the diaper rash off all time, was almost completely gone in 2 days. Magic! Who knew. Maybe all you seasoned moms did. But just in case you didn't - I'm sharing the love.
About a month back, Ryan had a gig - and my brother and sister-in-law invited me to come out to dinner and use their babysitter for the night. Since it was so last minute, I decided to take the Cashman with me, and let Jack stay to play with his nieces and nephew under "the babysitter's" supervision.
My brother has 3 kids: 12, 9, and 6 and Jack adores everything about them. They are the best - they play and give Jack all the attention he could ever ask for. I didn't think he would be much trouble for the babysitter, since he is his niece's and nephew's shadow when he is around them - and they are great about keeping track of him and what he is up to.
Half way through the night, we get a phone call from the youngest daughter that the oldest boy is watching the new batman movie, The Dark Knight, and she is too scared to watch. Nothing big - the youngest just loves to call her mom and give her updates on what she is doing while her parents are on date night. We usually get 5 to 6 of these random phone calls, so I thought nothing of it.
A week goes by and suddenly Jack starts describing to me various scenes involving "the scary Joker" and "the good guy Batman". I know Jack knows who they are because of McDonald happymeal toys, but the details he starts describing over and over make me wonder. There is no way the babysitter would let him watch that movie, right? But over the course of this last month, I have been piecing together each little story he tells me, and tonight he described the exact scene of when the joker blows up the Maggie Gyllenhall and Batman saves Aaron Eckhart.
So at this point, I have pretty much come to the conclusions that I paid some babysitter to let Jack watch either the majority of Dark Knight, or maybe the entire thing.
I'm not too concerned though. I mean, Jack has been prepped for this kind of stuff. Like when Thomas the Tank Engine derails and the chocolate syrup isn't going to get to the icecream factory in time, or Dora has to say three times: "swiper no swipey!" to keep the fox from taking the magic key she needs to save a puppy, or when the mini monster trucks get all muddy and have to go through the carnival car wash so they can still do donuts...
Yeah it is just a natural progression to then have him see a man in a dark hooded outfit who talks in a raspy voice and is beating everyone up while someone with crazy clown makeup on his face is shooting people and blowing people up.
They just grow up so fast, don't they?
Every February, the girls in the family try to get together and make valentine sugar cookies. This year proved to be harder then usual to find a day that would work for everyone, so my mom and I decided to just do it ourselves before the holiday had passed us up. I was tending my cute little nieces on the same day, so it was fun to have them help add ingredients, turn the blender on and off (each getting equal turns of course!) and pretending that we didn't see them snitching the dough.
The recipe is super yummy, and makes about 5 dozen if you use a small/medium sized cookie cutter. They turned out really cute. My mom is quite the pro at her frosting magic. I am always trying to have her teach me her icing decorating tricks. I love it because, while I am so horrible at it, I am then forced to eat the cookie right after because it looks so bad. Yes, I am a big help.
In the end, I made some little cards for them, bagged them up and sent them on their way. It is a tradition I love - sugar cookies are one of my all time favorite treats, and I love the time spent with my mom just baking and gabbing. Below is the recipe if anyone else feels the need to spread some Valentine love:
Sugar Cookies
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shortening or butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
6 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 6 minutes.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Add sour cream and extracts. Mix dry ingredients together separately. Add slowly to wet ingredients. Roll out, cut, bake, frost, share and enjoy!
Frosting:
1/3 cup margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring (optional)
I just got word that my favorite magazine got the boot, and I am devastated. Not only had I just renewed my subscription, but I have saved every issue I have ever received and still refer back to each issue for decorating ideas and inspiration. It has been my decor bible for the last several years. DOMINO how can you leave me? We had such a good thing going. I feel so rejected and empty.
In the farewell letter from the editor, she said the following:
We started with a real idea—that style is for everyone—and tried to carry it out with stories that provide inspiration and empower you to act on it. From your tremendous response, we know that we were onto something. In this tough economy, however, we simply weren't able to get the advertising support we needed. As domino evolved, we never lost sight of our original democratic premise. Looking back at the manifesto we published in the premiere issue, the first tenet of domino is still the truest: Home should make you happy. We hope we have played a part in making this come true for you.
Oh domino, you will be missed.
I haven't seen anything is awkward in a long time.
If you didn't catch this interview last night with Dave Letterman and Joaquin Phoenix, take a looksey here. The best is when he sticks his chewing gum under Dave's desk. It is amazing.
This bike is officially on my wish list.
Check them out here - my friend Sean designed the website, it is amazing.
The bikes are so beautiful and I've been scheming for months on how I can get my hands on one.
6:53am Cash wakes for his bottle, drinks half of it - then throws up all over me. Nice.
7:45am Jack wakes up and declares: "Mom, I'm so happy", and then gives me a big hug. So cute.
9:31 am The first chance I've had to go wash out the throwup from my hair and Cash's earlier display of being "not so happy". Yes, I have been walking around for 2 hours smelling like throwup - so is the life of "mom".
9:52am My first sip of diet coke as I declare, "Coke, you make me so happy".
And so the day begins.
Today, while crossing the parking lot at Harmons, a man jumped out of his car while driving past, shoved this CD into my hands an began telling me some story about being from Chicago and now taking his CD to the people after "the man" would not record it.
I said "thanks" and continued to head to my car, as he chimed in that he was also asking $5 for it. I had yet to put my $2 in change back in my wallet and was forced to be honest and say, "all I have is $2" even though not only did I NOT want to buy his CD, but just 1 minute prior to this encounter, I had just passed up the holiday Recess Valentine heart in some sad efforts to save money (and added pounds).
The nice gentleman took the $2 right out of my hands and jumped back into his car. Ryan was having a good laugh since he had witnessed the entire thing from the car. This "please don't tell me you bought that guy's cd" kind of look was on his face as he put it in to play.
The next thing to happen made it all worth it though. After 10 seconds of listening, Jack yells from the back seat:
"Stop the music! You're making me sad with that noise!"
Looks like we are raising this little nugget right after all. Already a snob with his music choices. Oh Jack, you make us so proud.
So...if anyone wants, I have a free CD up for grabs.
Here is my latest project: a headboard for Jack's bed.
I have been on the lookout, on our trips to the DI, for a headboard for Jack-Attack's room for some time now. I wanted it to be something that I could paint and fix up a bit, but then when the Cashman was old enough to share a room with Jack, it wouldn't be hard to find another headboard that was not identical, but similar. Then with a little spray paint, they would match.
I found this one a few weeks back, and finally got a day this weekend of warm enough weather to doctor it up a bit. Jack wasn't all that impressed, but I was very happy to check this project off my mental to-do project list.
