I thought everything got better with time...

Who thought fruit and flowers was a good theme for an anniversary gift?  What man wants either of those things?  Paper, not too hard, cloth, no biggie, leather, lots of options but fruit and flowers is just a little odd.  So, we ended up at Norman Love and bought all of the fruit chocolate flavors and don't worry I got some flowers.   Next year is wood, how did leather come before wood and fruit and flowers?  I think we are somehow regressing.

Ideas

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new things to prepare for dinner.  I check out cooking blogs, look at magazines, websites, etc. every week so I don't end up in a rut (unlike my wardrobe these days). Not to mention that cooking has become an outlet for me right now.  Here are a few easy things I have made recently:

Deconstructed spaghetti- I was planning on making a homemade tomato sauce but the day got away from me, so I roasted the tomatoes with dried parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Then I sautéed chopped onions and browned my ground beef (with salt, pepper, and garlic powder) and mixed them together.  I cooked some whole grain spiral noodles.  The layered it starting with noodles, then the meat mixture, the tomatoes, and some parmesan cheese on top.  It ended up being very light compared to regular spaghetti.

Asparagus roll-ups-  It's the chimi-churri sauce that makes this one.  Take some thin sliced top sirloin, lay it out and put 4-5 spears of asparagus in it with a slice of Brie.  Roll up the steak and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Cook at 350 for about 25 minutes.  To make the sauce (taken from an Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine) put a large hand full of fresh parsley, a few teaspoons of dried oregano, evoo, some red pepper flakes, a few splashes of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in the food processor.

Turkey burgers- This was inspired by the latest Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine but there wasn't a recipe, so I made one up!  I sliced an onion and threw it in a pan to caramelize.  I seasoned ground turkey with salt, pepper and garlic powder, made patties and threw them on the grill.   When they were done I threw some Brie on them and melted it.  I topped the burgers with the onion and slices of a granny smith apple.

Happy cooking!

Maybe I need a boat...

Recently I was in a conversation where someone stated "I am not an island" in reference to friendships/relationships.  Hearing that statement made me ask "Am I an island?".  At first I would probably answer"No way!" but then would come back with a more honest "Possibly...".
  
I was blessed  with a sweet baby, she is happy and absolutely delightful.  She is fearfully and wonderfully made and God thought she was exactly what I needed.  At six and a half months she still doesn't sleep through the night, likes to stay on her routine, knows exactly what she wants and tells you...I think you get the picture.  I have spent countless hours trying to figure out what I am doing wrong, how to get her to sleep better and be more flexible, and have concluded that she is who she is.

I am going to be thankful that I have a beautiful baby girl who I am going to spend lots of quality time with in the comfort of our little house, just the two of us (and the boy) and every once in a while I might be adventurous and row ashore...

Ramblings

I told a girl the other day that being a mom is way better than you imagine it will be. What I didn't tell her is that it is much harder too.

I never thought I would have a mom uniform, but I wear almost the same thing every day, shorts and a tank top.

A friend told me that it would take six months for life to feel normal again. I completely agree.

I wish the baby girl slept through the night, but when she does decide to I know I am going to miss our little middle of the night rendezvous.

I love the idea of going out to lunch with friends, shopping, and the like, but it rarely goes well.  Our best days are the ones that are uneventful.