The "Perfect" Life

I was watching a 20/20 or something a few months ago and they were talking about how Social Media actually causes "us" to be depressed.  Seeing our friends updates of their vacations, fun activities, good news and all around "perfect" lives makes us feel bad about ourselves and wish we had what they have.  Now I will say, some folks post their doom and gloom on Facebook but for the most of the folks, we share happy things, funny stuff and maybe a prayer request from time to time when something is wrong with us or a loved one.  I have put a lot of thought into this and think about it outside of the social media realm into conversations I have with friends, what I share on my blog and so on. 

A conversation that particularly stuck with me was with a dear friend who has 2 children-I think her youngest is one-and we were discussing the struggles with adding the second child into the family.  She is an extremely honest person and doesn't sugar coat things.  I appreciated her sincerity very much!  But she also made the comment "Well, you will probably have it all under control since you stay at home and you are probably way better at all of this than me."  I assured her that I am no better of a mother than her and I could see all of the things she was describing as struggles in my house as well.  Some of our struggles would be different of course but nonetheless, it would be just as difficult. 

I am a mostly glass half full kind of person but I have my days like everyone else...I just choose not to blog on my bad days.  Not so everyone thinks my life is perfect but because I am probably too emotionally or physically exhausted to blog about my dramas of the day.  Besides, no one really wants to read doom and gloom anyway, right?! 

I guess I just wanted to have a post where I let out the secret that my life isn't perfect.  It is in fact perfect for me but there are struggles in this Beaver House--I know I can almost hear all of you gasping you are so shocked.  I will be 8 months pregnant next week which means I am very blessed but also very tired from lack of sleep, lots of heartburn, uncomfortable a lot of the time and literally gaining a pound a day.  I have a 2 year old who is smart, funny, beautiful, the most cherished thing in my life but also is a 2 year old!  She is strong willed, throws fits from time to time, pees in the floor, and asks to eat all day long.  I love my hubs with all of my heart and know he is the "perfect" person for me to spend my life with but yet after 4 years of pleading he still puts wet towels in the laundry basket with clothes and its disgusting.  He leaves trails of his stuff all over then asks why the house looks messy and he does not lift the seat to pee!!  Then there is Oscar.  My sweet precious puppy dog who could do no wrong.  He has single handedly eaten the majority of my underwear, socks & Paige's stuffed animals.  He has eaten pounds of raw meat I lay out to defrost to prepare for dinner and he barks at sprinklers in the middle of the night.  I sometimes wear sweatpants until 3 in the afternoon and if I don't feel like cooking dinner, I just don't. 

So if you ever feel bad because everyone around you seems to have the perfect lives, children, marriage, career, etc., remember we are all merely human.  No one's life is completely perfect and if they tell you it is they are lying!  How we handle our bad days and situations is what makes us who we are though.  Learn from mistakes and don't let a wet towel ruin your entire day.  Baby pee can be cleaned up easily and well, you can always buy more underwear.  Then at the end of the day, put some lip gloss on, grab your baby/hubs or bestie, smile and take a photo to put out on the internet to show everyone what a perfect day you had! HA!

P.S. I am almost to 200 posts on this blog!!!!  WOW!

Crafty Love

So I have posted on this blog about some of my baby quilts (I think)!  Tyler's mommy taught me how to make some darling little quilts a couple years ago and it has been my favorite gift to give ever since!  I love experimenting with fabrics, colors, patterns and of course finding really soft stuff babies will love!  Its so fun picking fabrics for friends and trying to come up with something they will just LOVE!  There is nothing I love more than homemade gifts! 
Anyway, no one has ever sent me a picture of their little darling wrapped up in the blanket I made for them until today!!!  So if I have made your bundle of joy a blankie, please know I would LOVE to see a photo of them all wrapped up or playing in it!!  The blankets are just so much cuter with a perfect little baby laying with it! 
This is Delaney all cozy in her beautiful bed and tucked in tight with her blankie made with love by yours truly!! :)

So glad she shared this photo with me!! 

Road Trip-Beaver Style

Its always so hard for me to write about trips on the blog, especially long ones because it is so overwhelming trying to talk about everything.  Someday-when I have a mini-laptop-maybe I will do daily posts and I won't be so overwhelmed!  Anyway, I will do my best to rehash our 8 day vacation to the Wild, Wild West!! 
Tyler's parents have fallen in love with the Jackson Hole area, which encompasses Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and who knows what else...but you get the point.  So they had a house rented for a month and we decided to crash their party for a week!  After checking out plane ticket prices and realizing we could travel around Europe for that kind of $$ we decided if we were going, it would be by Beaver SUV!!  This was a 21 hour commute from Beaver Mansion to Wild Wild West!  There was a 7+ month high maintenance momma, a beautiful, opinionated 2 year old girl and a daddy on a mission.  I always look on the bright side of things but I must admit, I was making bets with myself if Paige or I would have the first melt down in the car! 
The drive out started on a Friday at 5 and was loads of fun! We listened to music, Paige sang and we all chatted and munched on Dairy Queen!  We stopped just before Colorado to sleep and were off again the next morning to hit up Denver for some shopping and lunch!  I LOVE Denver--in fact, I love Colorado!  Beautiful weather, everyone is outdoors, stores all have out water bowls for their customers poochies and it reminds me so much of Europe! 

Daddy took a little too long in Starbucks so Paige decided to take a rest in the shade. 
Our next break was in Lander, WY and we fell in love with this sweet town!  I don't really know why?  We all just liked it.  I guess we were so happy to be out of the 115 degree weather that all it took was some cool air and we were happy campers (literally)! 
~A darling little coffee house we stumbled upon before zooming out of town!

We got back on the road the next morning and it was a breathtaking drive!  Our fave stop was actually so I could pee and we stumbled upon this beautiful stream/river?  Paige and her dad are obsessed with throwing rocks into water so they were uber impressed and entertained while I tried marking my territory on God's Country. 

 
 Before we knew it, we were in Jackson, WY!  We had a wonderful lunch at Sweetwater Cafe before meeting up with Tyler's parents!

We did lots of relaxing, eating, exploring, some shopping and just spending good quality time together!

 And of course...some monkeying around...

We then ventured into Yellowstone National Forest!!!  Somewhere I have always wanted to go!!  Paige LOVED the animals and the geyser's and so did we!!

 
 

 River flowing into Yellowstone Lake-GORGEOUS!!!

 (No animals were harmed-there is a strict policy to drive slow-this is their home and we were just visitors!)

We had a fantastic time and we so enjoyed the roadtrip!  We discussed baby names and family plans and even decided on some furniture for the house:)! 
I will leave you with one last photo...one of my all time favorites of Paige for some reason.  I so love when she looks this happy! 

"When you can do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."  George Washington Carver

Taco Bar

Paige and I decided to cook a special lunch for daddy today since he won't be here for dinner and since he eats pretty healthy, we decided to make one of his faves--suped up tacos!!  It is by far the most perfect meal when you have a) picky eaters b) children eaters c) health conscience d) people that just love all food.  This can be adapted to whatever you like and is also a fabulous option if you are feeding a lot of people but here is the basic concept of our taco bar...

Ingredients

1 -1.5 lbs of chicken breasts (I do 1.5 to have leftover for 2 lunches)

1 package taco seasoning (I use the lower sodium to make myself feel good)

Crockpot

For the bar:

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Shredded lettuce

Black Beans or Pinto Beans

Diced tomatoes

Jalepenos

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 small onion (we leave this out since Tyler hates)

Whole Wheat Low Fat Mission Tortillas

Regular white, delicious Mission Tortilla

Cook your chicken breasts whole in the crockpot with the taco seasoning--whatever you do-DO NOT add water to the crockpot!  All you need is the chicken and taco seasoning!  Seriously.  Chicken gets rubbery and nasty if you add too much liquid!  If your chicken is defrosted it only takes about 4 hours and if frozen about 6-7. 

When you have 30 minutes left on your chicken, go ahead and get the bar ingredients ready, make your side dishes and fire up a skillet to warm your tortillas!  You will also want to start cooking your bell peppers and onions in a skillet but it only takes about 10-12 minutes.  Just spray your pan with non-stick, cut your peppers and onions into strips and throw them in.  Put a lid on it and leave it on low-med low for about 5 minutes, stir, cover for another 5 minutes until your desired texture.  12 minutes was perfect for me!  Not too soggy but the crunch was gone! 

I had a couple guys here working today on some sheetrock we are having repaired and they would not stop asking me about the lunch I was cooking!  They were both eyeing the food and asking about each little thing they saw!  I wish I would have had enough to serve them but I had no idea they were coming until early afternoon but I'm telling you as easy as this is, it smells up your entire house and is so delicious!  After 4 hours when you stir the chicken breasts, the meat just falls apart and it becomes the best shredded chicken ever!! 

As a side dish I just made one of those instant Spanish Rice packets, if it were dinner I probably would have made my own.  Also, tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole is a nice touch! 

Sorry--I didn't take any pics--I was scrambling around making sure everything was ready by 11:30 so I forgot pics:) 

Enjoy! 

Zuppa Toscana

I am a HUGE fan of endless soup and salad at Olive Garden.  And don't think I'm a delicate flower who eats soup and salad to be on a diet!  I can eat 6 bowls of the Zuppa Toscana, which is the potato/sausage/kale soup.  I always want to get the soup togo but one cup isn't enough and buying several cups of soup for one person is just ridiculous.  Thanks to my friend Nicole--I now have the most perfect  recipe for this soup.  In fact, it is identical, if not better than the actual Olive Garden creation itself!  I don't really love potato soup, its just too rich for me but this is more of a brothy soup with potatoes in it.  The Kale gives it such a great texture and wonderful vitamins!!!  I turned the AC down and whipped it up today since its not quite fall here yet, I had to create it in my house! 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1½ tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

¼ of a bunch of kale

1.Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2.In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3.Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4.Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

5.Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6.Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Buon appetito!

Here is where she found this wonderful recipe! 

http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana.html

(I also stole the above photo from this site as my photos are laughable)

Make. This. Soon.

So I didn't invent this sammy and I'm pretty sure the place I ate it the first time in college didn't either but it is pure awesomeness.  Isn't it funny sometimes things you have had in restaurants you forget you can easily make at your own house for a mere fraction of the cost and actually probably taste better??  I am big for recreating dishes I like at home but for some reason food I eat at little cutsie places I don't realize I can make at home...I'm not a cutsie kind of cook, I guess.  Anyway--these ingredients are simple and fresh but when combined together create a flavor implosion in your mouth!  Now before summer completely leaves us, make a yummy, fresh lunch! 

What you need:

Your fave wheat bread (or any bread obviously)

Cream Cheese (I used lowfat organic-only because of my newfound health kick)

1/2 an avocado

Sprouts

Turkey (I also try to dream up the vegetarian equivelant of meals I make because I am intrigued by coming up with fun veggie meals bc my awesome neighbors are vegi-heads and I always worry about what they eat--SOOO I think this would be almost as awesome with Cucumber slices!! Now go and make it Debbie!)

Unless you are using a delicious crusty bread, I suggest toasting your bread for texture--no one likes a full out mush sandwich.  Then slather on some cream chease on one side.  A good balance--if your bread is really thick, you will need a tad more cheese but if its a regular slice--you get the point. 

Then slice up your avocado and layer deli meat on the top and add sprouts and/or cucumber. 

I didn't have sprouts or cucumber today but this was still the best lunch I have had in awhile!  I even had to make another stop today for more avocados so I can make this again tomorrow!! 

*Kid-Friendly! Paige LOVED the cream cheese on her sammy!!! 

29 weeks!

Sheesh!  Our little nugget is baking away to perfection!  She has been on quite a few adventures recently!  I will blog in more detail about our GRAND adventure across the country all the way to Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana later (when I have more energy) but it was our last big hoorah before our little baby comes! 

Finally a photo I did not take myself! Only 7 months later...outside a really cool coffee shop in Lander, WY

I loved all of these quotes on the wall in a shop in Jackson Hole so I had Janet snap a pic...

Paige was real irritated she was not in the pic so she got herself out of her stroller and asked Nonny to take her photo in the same spot:)

At our checkup yesterday she was measuring exactly on schedule, her heart sounded like angels playing bells in perfect rhythm and I believe all of our blood work, shots and glucose test were great as well.  All of that took it out of me though, I kind of felt like I was going to have the baby last night!  I think I just got a little dehydrated from the no eat/drink rule for the test then got busy when I got home playing catch up that I just over did it. 

Funny of the appointment:  First of all, I have a new nurse.  I am one of those people that likes things to stay the same, unless said same is no good.  Kind of like an old lady, I have an old soul people.  So-Blanca--my old nurse who is slightly rough on the edges but whom I have grown to love over the past 4 years, went to the heart hospital so I now have Shannon.  A cute, bubbly blond with no sharp edges and is a huge ding-bat.  I mean that in a nice way.  But it was obvious as I watched her wandering the halls and calling patients by random names and all of these hormonal women are so confused, it was obvious it is going to take her some time.  I miss Blanca who always argues with me that the pee in my body cannot weigh 5 pounds and no she will not subtract that from my weight no matter how hard I beg or how much stuff out of my purse I offer her. 

So Shannon forgets to weigh me which of course I do not remind her but of course she remembers...we go to the scale, I sigh and she tells me I have a great weight and even on her best diet she could never weigh that and she isn't even 7 months pregnant.  A real sweetie, right?  Well, she accidentally makes a "0" look like an "8" so when Dr. Drill Sargent walks in he gives me a disgusted look, goes over to his seat, looks me up and down and says "Did you seriously gain 14 pounds in 5 weeks??!!" "Ummm, uhhh, well, no, I mean, ummm, no." "well, it says here you did.  How much do you weigh??" I tell him how much the scale said and I did not deduct my pee weight which was obviously uncomfortable but I really had only gained 5.5 pounds which for all other purposes we shall round down to 5.  Its not college folks-I make the rounding rules now.  "He says well that sounds much better but I will have to double check that." I felt like a convicted felon and could not be trusted. 

When the nurse comes bouncing back in all bubbly to poke some RhoGam into my arm, I give her a huge lecture on how we will never be friends if she cannot work on her penmanship.  Doctors can have pitiful writing but nurses cannot.  Critical things like weight should never be messed up, unless in my benefit.  I explained Dr. Drill Sargent takes weight very seriously and I have immense anxiety over our "weight chats" and I do not need her making it worse!  She giggles and pumps me full of drugs and sugar water.  And I miss Blanca.

But-now that all of our big trips are out of the way, I am going to try to focus on eating a little healthier the rest of this pregnancy.  I like to enjoy trips and food but we have had a LOT of trips this summer which means I have enjoyed myself tremendously but its time to start cooking at home and not getting in trouble anymore at the doc!  And don't worry if you are reading this and wondering if I have packed on 80 pounds....no-my doc just takes weight very serious for some reason and really wants his patients to gain 25-30 pounds.  No more. No less.  Seriously-I gained 32 with Paige and he gave me a lecture that the extra 2 was fat not baby weight!!  HA! 

*Evidence of why I get in trouble at the doc...

In other news, sorry that story kind of went on forever but I thought Paige and Baby No Name might like to read about it when they are having babies and dreading those scales:)...

We have been working through our list of to do's before baby comes and it is really coming along nicely!  I really need to stop procrastinating cleaning out the girls' room and getting it ready for TWO girls!  Although Baby No Name will not be sleeping in there for some time, we want it ready and make sure everything fits and move some toys to grandma's house so it doesn't feel so cluttered in there!  I am really ready to pack up summer clothes and all the 18-24 month stuff of Paige's so I can make room for her fall clothes and bring down the newborn bin from the attic for sissy!!  But I'm not sure it won't get hot again and Miss P might need her shorts a few more weeks yet. 

The three girls in Denver doing a little shopping!!!  Paige and I are DYING to meet you sweet girl!!  

The past week or two I am really starting to get anxious to meet my new girl.  Even Tyler keeps talking about what she might look like or act like and I'm all giddy to wrap my arms around her and let her meet our little family!  I feel like she will look exactly like Paige, I don't know why but I really can't picture her looking any other way!  But I am so curious about her personality!  Will she be loud and outgoing like Paige and I or a little more reserved and quiet??  She definitely loves Oscar and he loves her--its weird how dogs know there is a baby in your belly but both pregnancies he lays by my belly and both little girls knew he was there and will kick and punch at him the whole time.  I almost feel like I can feel them giggle as they play with him.  I can't ever stop smiling when she does that!  We are a family of dog lovers so I'm glad our new little bundle is no exception! 

I feel like I am leaving something I wanted in here out...but Paige is telling me she needs me to come with her to poop...that is obviously more important folks...until next time.