Shoes!

When I was little, I loved playing dress up in my mom & grandma's shoes. If they couldn't find me, I was most likely in the closet raiding the pretty high heels. I'd put them on and come out to play. Then I grew up. I haven't changed all that much...other than my feet are now ginormously bigger than my mom or grandma's, therefore I no longer play in their shoes. Thing being, I still LOVE shoes. I still want to wear pretty shoes. I want to buy pretty shoes--far more than my hubby says is ok. I'm a shoe horse with an insatiable appetite for increasing my collection. I'll admit it. However, I have been on my very best behavior lately. I haven't bought a pair of shoes since...winter? Anyway, I'm being very good. You now know my feelings on shoes...well, some of them.

Having read the above, you'll get why my heart smiled when I saw this:

He is SO my child. By the way, when he pointed down at daddy's shoes, he said, "shoes." My baby loves shoes too.
He also likes to put on his own shoes now. Look very closely at the shoes in the picture below:
Oh, yes, they're on the wrong feet. He puts these shoes on (and takes them back off) several times a day. 9 out of 10 times, they're on the wrong feet. I'm really starting to believe that's the way he likes them.
My buddy is getting so big so fast. I love all of the cute things he's doing now, and I know it won't last forever. So, I'm trying to absorb it all and remember it while he's still doing these things. So far, every single stage with Eli has been our favorite. He becomes more and more fun/amazing every day. He keeps us laughing all the time. He's such a blessing to us!

Lingering thought of the day: Any ideas on where to find semi-formal maternity dresses? We have a Christmas party on December 11th that I think will be fairly fancy. I will be 8 months pregnant (and a barge). There's still time to think about it, but I thought I'd try to get some suggestions early to start looking...thanks!

Twice-Baked Potatoes

One of my favorite summer recipes (that I tweaked to make my own), is a summer comfort food. I like to make these every time we grill. They're such a nice side dish. They contribute a different texture to the meal than typical summer fare, such as salads, fruit, etc. Twice-baked potatoes are made in portion sized containers (aka potato skins).

I start by scrubbing the potatoes and poking holes in them with the tines of a fork. Then I bake them in the microwave--using the settings on that particular microwave. Once they've had a few minutes to cool, I cut them in half and scoop out their innards with a spoon.

The innards go, promptly, into a mixing bowl with some butter. I mix them until the potatoes are of a consistency slightly thicker than mashed potatoes. Once they're thoroughly mixed, I add shredded cheese--usually monterey jack, cheddar, or whatever else I may be feeling that day. While these cheeses are being mixed in, I preheat my oven to 450 degrees. I start with the butter and cheese first because they need to melt, and the potatoes are still hot.
Once the butter, potato, and cheese mix is ready, I add salt, pepper, sour cream, and bacon bits (only real bacon bits will do). I mix those then taste the concoction to see what I need more of...add it and repeat until I'm sufficiently happy with the mix.
Once mixed, the ingredients should all form a ball of sorts in the bottom of the bowl. They will be fairly thick. If content with the way things turned out, it's now safe to start spooning this into the potato skins. I just keep scooping until no filling remains.
Now it's time to add to the presentation. Layer some shredded cheese on top, then bacon bits on top of that.
Bake until the cheese on top is melted. Done! Serve and enjoy!
Helpful tip: These are also good to make in advance (earlier that day), then heat when needed. They just need to bake a little longer.

Lingering thought of the day: Eli helped me write this post by sitting on my lap and saying, "Mama, mama, see da cheese? Mmmmmmm." He's a very good helper/encourager!

Cookie Cutters

After Eli's past couple of haircuts, I decided to find and try somewhere that specializes in kids' cuts. It wasn't that he didn't do well...really he was quite the trooper. He sat still, didn't fuss, and only got mildly panicky when they used the buzzing trimmer. However, the faces of these poor employees when I brought in my 1 1/2 year old boy were enough to make me rethink. They looked a little afraid. So, when we moved to Lexington, I found a Cookie Cutters and decided to try it when Eli needed his next hair cut.

Then one morning, I went in to get Eli out of bed. This is what I found...
Pretty scary, huh? I am fairly certain it was fairly short (& tidy) the day before. How did this happen? Regardless, it was time to try out the new hair cut place.

We went into Cookie Cutters. We were greeted with smiles...not fear. There was a big Clifford slide inside for the little man to climb and slide on. When it was his turn, he got to pick which car he wanted to sit in for his haircut. Only the green sportscar would do. Once situated in his car of choice, he got to watch cartoons on his own personal tv screen.

He drove the car, watched the tv, and before we knew it, his hair was finished. He got a versatile cut that can be faux hawked or just a cute little boy cut. She "styled" it for him.

When we went to check out, she gave me a coupon book for my next few visits. Eli was given a balloon. The weight on the balloon was an American flag cookie cutter. How cute is that?
Overall, this was a fabulous experience. I plan to go back time and again with my little man. Why not? It's a place designed for little ones. We should take advantage of these perks for little people.

Lingering thought of the day: Awhile back, we went to a local orchard (not the aforementioned Reed Valley). In the main building, I found a horse shaped cookie cutter for sale. Living in Kentucky, I felt this was a must-have. My hubby told me I needed to wait until the next time we were there to see if I really wanted it or if it was an impulse buy. I still want the horse cookie cutter. I NEED that cookie cutter before the derby. We must go back. It will be mine.

Makin' Paula Deen Proud

Every summer, I have a few recipes that I can't resist. They're based on some well known favorites, but I've tweaked them to make them my own. So, I have no qualms about giving you my recipes.

The first item is typically zucchini with parmesan. There are many variations of this. All of them I've had are fabulous. It's one of my favorites. So, here's how I tweaked it to make it my own.

I start with two items: one zucchini and one yellow squash. I wash them and plop them onto a cutting board. When washing, scrub these puppies well. Remember, they did live on the dirt for the bulk of their lives.

Step two: Decapitate both items (and remove the rumpus).

Cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place them into a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Preheat the oven to 350ish degrees. This can also be done on the grill, but it's easier to keep up with them in the oven and ensure better results.
Next, cover the pieces in salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Add enough butter to make Paula Deen proud! Cover the dish and stick it in the oven. Check on it occasionally.
When the squash is no longer white (but a little see through), take it out. It should be squishy tender. Fish it out of the butter bath, and put it in a serving bowl. Ta da!
Now let me explain why I do it this way:

The two colors, as opposed to one, give it far more visual appeal.

I leave the skin on because it gives an added crunchy texture. Isn't that where most of the nutrients are anyway?

Why so much butter? It tastes good, and I love butter. Sad but true.

Why no cooking time? It depends on how much you're making AND I just take it out whenever it feels right to do so. Sorry, I know that makes matters difficult. Count on anywhere between 30-55 minutes.

Lingering thought of the day: There's a fair in town that looks like fun. It's about two miles from my house. Is it completely sad that I'm so scared of carnies that I just can't get us there? I can almost overlook this for the love of funnel cakes...but not quite.

A Berry Nice Adventure

My boys and I love to take day trips on weekends. We don't have to go far, but we like to travel to nearby towns and explore. These trips are some of our favorite adventures. This past Saturday we went to Reed Valley Orchard. It was 23 miles each way--driveway to driveway. This drive was so very enjoyable. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous! Sidenote: I never realized how many tobacco fields there are in Kentucky...

Anyway, we started out our Saturday at the farmer's market--like we do almost every Saturday. Every week we buy blueberries from the same vendor: Reed Valley Orchard. They have the most delicious, melt in your mouth blueberries I have ever tasted. We asked a few questions and discovered they have self-pick available on their orchard. So we decided our day trip for the week would be this particular orchard.

Reed Valley has options available for picking troughout spring, summer, and fall. Depending on what's in season, the options can be limitless. They have one big building with a bakery, shop, self-pick weigh in, and check out. This building has a huge wrap-around porch that's covered with rocking chairs and picnic tables. They make their guests feel so cozy and welcome--even in the crazy heat of July.
The Eli man helped himself to a rocking chair. He climbed on up and plopped himself down. Once settled in his chair, he looked at me, stuck out his hand and said, "juice." My poor guy was so thirsty! We walked down to the blueberry field, which was really very close. They keep it covered in netting to keep birds out, but it really adds a visual appeal as well. This is just a little of the berry area, but isn't it cute?
My boys roamed about throughout the rows and helped me pick. I am so blessed with these good looking guys in my life! They were so much fun!

Before we were there long at all, Eli discovered that while his dad was leaning in to pick, he could reach too. He picked and picked and ate and ate. He would pick off a cluster at a time, pick the berries off, and eat them. When his cluster ran out, he'd say, "PEEEEAAASSSSE!" There were more manners applied for berries than I've seen him use for anything else. The child LOVES berries!
We had such a good day! When we quit picking, with our bucket overflowing, we went to weigh in. We picked about six pounds of berries...though the picture below really doesn't do justice.

I love the outings with my boys! Now I just need to wash, freeze, store, and bake with these yummy little jewels!

Lingering thought of the day: If a berry will fall off the stem without any force, it's ripe and sweet. If the stem is mostly green (and lacking in pink), it's probably a good indication that the berry is ripe.

What's new with Eli?

It's been awhile since I've posted about what's new with Eli, and I thought it would be fun to tell what he's been up to so far this summer. He's been a busy little man...

1. He's decided he likes coffee, calamari, and black olives.

2. He begs for blueberries. The child cannot get enough of this fabulous "super food."

3. He thinks parmesan cheese is the best food ever and gets mad if restaurants don't have it in a shaker for him. He even begged me to put it on leftover Mexican food the other day--once I gave in (and dry heaved), he ate with gusto.

4. Eli learned how to "corn hole." I did not even know this game existed until we moved to Kentucky...I just thought it was a beanbag toss.
5. Eli's been learning to share--which is a really hard lesson. If he's feeling it, he's really good at it. If he's not, well...

6. He's learning to be gentle--with friends, pets, grown-ups, pretty much everybody and everything.

7. Eli's developing a friendship with Reagan. Watching them play together is so cute! I can't believe I don't have a better picture of them together.

8. Eli's still a part of the moving crew--though now he's helping unpack. He's unpacked boxes and boxes of clothes (as shown here) and some dishes (with only two being completely shattered). He really is a good helper and is learning to follow directions with more than one step.
9. The little man has endured many trips to the farmer's market--we bribe him through it with blueberries. :) But really, there's so much to see that he does really well.

10. When we get home from the farmer's market he helps me freeze the berries and make smoothies.

11. Eli has devoured many smoothies as of late. We have learned this goes best if he drinks them from a "big boy cup" while wearing a diaper. We tried smoothies fully clothed, but it didn't work very well... 12. The Eli man has a swimming pool on the back porch that he loves to "swim" in...every time the back door opens. He makes his escape and jumps in fully clothed with whatever he may be holding when this golden opportunity comes his way.

13. Eli likes to go to the mall and play in the play area. It is great fun on week days. However, on weekends it gets a little wild and woolly. By wild, I mean there are approximately 3 million kids in this enclosed space. By woolly, I mean there are big kids in there with full beards and pit hair. SO, we've learned that weekdays are best.

14. Little man has been playing Wii with his dad. It's way cute.

15. Really, he just likes to spend any time he can with his daddy--who he calls "Scott," "Dad-Scott," or more recently "Daddy." We've been working very hard on that. We practice all day while Daddy's at work.

16. Believe it or not, we did not pose him for this picture. May it also be noted that it should be considered a minor miracle that I caught it. The child moves very, very quickly. His daddy was actually trying to teach him how to play the drums with chop sticks.

17. Eli LOVES to make monkey noises.

18. Eli also likes to quack when he sees a duck, "nee" when he sees a horse, and moo when he sees a cow. There are other noises he makes, but those are the leading favorites right now.

19. Eli loves to throw balls. He's got a cannon of an arm on him too. He's also got good aim--think tennis ball in a citronella candle from a decent distance...

20. When he tries to catch, he squats like Yadi...after going to a Cards game. He loves to watch "ball" or play ball.

21. Eli's really big into home renovation right now. He likes to paint--or at least play in it.

22. He also likes to fling (or completely remove, if possible) these little doo-hickies that stop the door from mangling the wall.

23. If you're thinking these pictures are getting older as we progress, you'd be right.

24. Little man likes to help in whatever we're doing: pulling up a chair to help mom with the dishes, dry mopping the floor, pushing the shopping cart, whatever needs done really, he's quick to offer his assistance.

25. Eli has a few favorite things for bedtime: his blankie, paci (only at bedtime), and My Pal Scout. If any of these things are missing, things get a little tricky. However, I'm glad that he's formed these attachments (save the paci). He also likes goldfish or any other variety of crackers--he'll ask for either by name. Don't his feet look HUGE here?
26. Eli's in hog heaven here...

27. Eli's been working on learning his letters. His favorites are (in this order): I, E, R.

28. If he wants to avoid saying please or thank you, he'll give his mega-watt grin to try to butter us up.

29. The little man makes me laugh constantly. He is so stinking funny!

30. Any time he's in trouble, he tries to change the subject to distract us. "See da ball?"

31. The worst disciplinary action, in Eli's mind, is for us to make him look at us. I know I'm not super-model gorgeous, but I didn't know we were that bad...

32. Eli is BUSY! He loves to explore his world, ask questions, and try new things. The child loves life, and I love that!

So far this summer's been fabulous. We've had so much fun already! My buddy's getting so big so fast. I'm sure there are about a million and one things I've forgotten to include here, but now I'll be able to focus on them a little at a time. Eli is such a blessing!

Lingering thought of the day: I'm so excited for the fam to get here for the weekend!

Dream House

When I was little, I dreamt of the newest Barbie Dream House. I had a Barbie house, and I loved it. They just kept coming out with new ones with really cool features. I even had a friend who had the Ghostbusters headquarters...and thought I needed one too. I wasn't a greedy child, though it's starting to sound like it. It turns out I just really liked houses, buildings, or structures made for dolls/action figures.

Then I grew up...and so did the buildings I liked. No longer did I long for houses for tiny little figures but for real people. It still holds true that I like houses and all the different cool features of them.

My hubby and I just bought a house, and I adore it. (Sidenote: Posts will follow sometime in the near future showing some of the cosmetic changes we've been making.) However, I still like to look at other houses and say, "Someday we could live there. Isn't it beautiful?" No matter how many houses we look at, one always remains our favorite. We took pictures when we located it so that maybe, just maybe we could build one quite similar.

Here's the front of our favorite house, which just happens to be for sale:

However, the part of this house we really like is the back. It overlooks a cute little pond. Look at the porch. How much fun would it be to decorate and entertain in the outdoor room beneath it?
We like that from the front it doesn't look very big, but it's deceivingly large. We really liked it. Then we looked up the listing online. Turns out we don't like the inside very much, so we'd have to make it up from scratch. It has a ballroom. Seriously, what in tarnation are we going to do with a ballroom? Maybe a ballpit for the kids to play in...but how many formal affairs that require a ballroom will we be hosting? Ummmm, maybe none?

Moving on along from that rant, there are many features inside that we're not so fond of and it turned out to be far more house than we initially thought. But we still love the look of it. Maybe somehow, someway we could use that...and at least keep that fabulous back porch and outdoor room.

For now, I'm very happy where I am. We love our little house (and that it's all on one level so we don't have to worry about the Eli monster taking a flying leap down any stairs). But it's ok for a girl to dream about the someday, right?

Lingering thought of the day: I want to start a cooking club...maybe even teach sewing lessons. Although random, it sounds like something I would really enjoy. Now how and with whom do I implement this? Do I really live in the right decade?

Grandma Gerry & PawPaw

When I found out I was expecting Eli (and not working was not an option), it was a major struggle to find someone to keep my newborn. Everywhere had a year long waiting list OR wouldn't take babies until they were two years old. We knew nearly no one. Then I heard that another teacher's mom babysat, but she probably wasn't going to take any new children. She was retired.

I asked her daughter (and my friend) if she thought her mom would be willing to keep Eli. She told me she'd ask. Her mom said she'd try it through the remainder of the school year--to give me time to find a full-time sitter for the next year.

Over the next few months, Eli & I fell madly in love with her (& her husband). She took such good care of my baby and loved on him all the time. He was being nurtured and cared for all day long. It left me able to go to work each day without a worry about him. They gave me total peace of mind--a gift that is nearly impossible to find when it comes to one's child(ren). They agreed to keep him the next school year as well.

Eli grew, played, and thrived in the environment they provided. He loved/loves them so much. He would stay everyday without tears--which is a big deal in the midst of the seperation anxiety age. Never once did I have to feel bad for leaving him. He was with them. They had taken us in and loved us as their own. Eli called them Grandma Gerry and PawPaw.

I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to let us know when we found the right babysitter/day-care center for our family, but I (oh me of little faith) never anticipated this couple He dropped right in our laps (and lives). They were absolutely perfect for us and our Eli. Never could I imagine how richly He'd bless us through them. The toughest part of leaving the Columbia area was leaving them. They had become so richly engrained in our lives (and a part of our little family).

This past Saturday I got a phone call from a friend telling me some bad news about Eli's babysitters. He had shoulder surgery on Monday, then she had a big stroke on Thursday. Those are just about all the details I know for now. Please keep these two in your prayers!