The Miller Experience

Baby Prep Mode & Facebook Takes Over

2012-01-22T09:23:00.003-06:00

So, I'm sure some of you (if there are any of you actually left reading) are wondering where I've been. I have to admit, Facebook has taken over a little bit with my sharing of The Miller Experience. It's just easier to post a quick pic or write a little something to share. But then I realize I have readers here who are not on Facebook or are not my "friends" and those people are not seeing what we are up to. So I thought I'd do a little update for you. We are in full Baby Prep Mode around these parts: teeny, tiny baby clothes washing; cleaning out closets & making room for baby things to come out of the attic; signing all consent forms at the hospital and making sure we're registered & ready to go there; talking a lot about Baby Ford to Ty so we can get him as prepared as possible; stocking up on diapers & wipes; thinking about what's going to go in the hospital bag and making lists of things we need to get done before his arrival. We had one last ultrasound on Thursday to get an estimate on Baby Boy's weight and see if he's in position, ready for his eviction. He's measuring a little on the small side (say what!?) so we'd like for him to stay put for at least another 2 weeks. Then, if he cooperates with our plan, he will be served his eviction papers around the 7th of February. For once, I'm hoping he doesn't decide to break his lease early & come on his own. (There will be a hefty fine for that!) I like the idea of having all my ducks in a row (quite literally) and having everyone taken care of for the day we know he will be evicted. Only time will tell if Mr. Ford is going to go along with our little scheme. So until then, here is the latest "pic of him" from last week. See you all soon....as a mother to FOUR children....scary.

Fiesta Baby!

2011-12-29T10:53:00.003-06:00

The Name Game

2011-11-17T16:30:00.001-06:00

Oh, baby names...how I loathe thee. I don't like looking through all of those books. I despise how the enormous weight of giving another human being THEIR NAME, the one they will have for the REST OF THEIR LIFE, presses down on my shoulders. I don't appreciate how everyone has a story about someone they knew with this name or that and how that absolutely should never be the name we choose for our child. Blah Blah Blah. Names. Ugh! For all 3 of our previous children I have felt very strongly that I absolutely could not pick a name for a human being I had never laid eyes on. For that reason, we have never named our babies before they were born. We always waited until the last minute in the hospital when the "birth certificate Lady" was knocking down our door saying, "We really need to get this filled out & taken care of" to finally choose THE NAME. Each time we went into the hospital with a list of names we thought we would choose from. And each time we decided none of the names on our list actually fit. So we pulled some random something out of the air that seemed to fit just right, and we went with it. I remember the weight of the pen as I was filling out the oh so official birth certificate form and thinking, "I'm not sure I can do this!" So, with this pregnancy, we of course, have started our list. The list that always consists of names we like but will not choose. I stored it on my iphone so I could reference it often and add/delete names conveniently. But a series of events has changed our course. And changed it drastically. A few weeks ago I heard a name. It was a name I never hear and it instantly struck a chord. It was as if I immediately knew, when I heard it, this would be our son's name. I sort of kept it quiet & mulled it over for a little while, not even telling my husband. And the more I thought about it, the more I knew this was his name. There were so many things I just really liked about it and the style of it seemed to fit in perfectly with all of our names, like the very last piece of a puzzle you're finishing. So I talked it over with Marty and after making me sweat for days, not knowing what he really thought about it, he finally admitted he liked it and said, "Let's do it." So, folks, this is monumental. For the first time ever, we have chosen a name for our baby BEFORE he is born.

And

without

further

ado....

Ty would like to announce his baby brother's name....

...and just in case you can't understand

exactly what he is saying,

here it is...officially:

Thankful...

2011-11-07T07:41:00.002-06:00

I've been doing 30 Days of Thanksgiving on Facebook where each morning for 30 days in November, I post something I'm thankful for. Today I thought I'd change it up a bit by sending my Facebook friends here to read a short post about being thankful. I once saw a quote that said,

"If you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today, what would you have?"

Wow. Sobering. That quote certainly made me take a look at what I was thanking God for throughout my days. To be honest, it also overwhelmed me. I started thinking of everything I would want to wake up to the next morning and how I would need to thank God for ALL of those things and how could I possibly even fit everything in?? But that's not really what it's about. God knows our hearts and He knows I am thankful for everything He has given me. That also doesn't mean I don't need to be constantly thanking Him. And the thing is, I've realized, even in the midst of not so ideal situations there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. So in light of that, I give you these things I AM thankful for:

I am thankful for dirty diapers & temper tantrums because that means I have been blessed with a healthy toddler.

I am thankful for slammed doors & rolled eyes because that means I get to be the mother to 2 expressive girls.

I am thankful for back aches, swollen feet & weight gain because that means I get to "assist" God in creating another miracle to join our family.

I am thankful for not-so-fun evenings at our dinner table with children who "don't WAAAANNNA eat" the food I've prepared because that means we have food on our table.

I am thankful for the inconvenience of having a huge roach crawling across our floor because that means we have a home & walls to protect us from most of those nasty things.

I am thankful for car troubles because that means our family is blessed with not one, but two vehicles to drive.

I am thankful for late evenings doing dinner, bath & bed with the kids alone because that means my husband has a job.

I am thankful for the piles & piles of laundry we have constantly building up in our house because that means we have more than enough clothes.

Don't misunderstand me. I do not always have a thankful attitude for these things. I am working on remembering that the small inconveniences I have on a regular basis all stem from other things that I have been GIVEN. And

"to whom much is given, much is expected." {Luke 12:48}

So I am trying to keep that in mind during this Season of Thanksgiving.

I Heart Halloween - 2011

2011-11-01T10:15:00.005-05:00

I heart Halloween. Like I really, really heart it. At the very last minute yesterday I decided to have some finger foods for the kids to enjoy before heading out to trick-or-treat. And because of my slight obsession with the whimsy of Halloween & also a teensy bit of insanity I suffer from, I could not just make any old snacks. They needed to be "appropriate" for the occasion.

"Mouths Full of Teeth" & "Bandaids"

"Q-Tips with Wax"

"Mummies"

"Veggie Skeleton"

"Sick Pumpkin"

After our snacks we headed out to take a few pictures.

Then it was off to trick-or-treat.

My Dad's birthday is Halloween so he spends it doing this every year. He's a trooper!

Practicing the art of the trick-or-treat...

And I think he got it...or at least he got that he was supposed to be getting candy. That's all that really matters, right?

It's a...

2011-09-27T15:12:00.003-05:00

Keepin' It Real

2011-09-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I'm 19 weeks pregnant. 19 weeks! How is that even possible? I feel like I still have a ways to go, but I am shocked at how fast HALF of this entire pregnancy has gone by. I fear that everything this time around is going to feel like it's moving at mach speed. Since we know (at least in OUR plan) this will be the last bambino for us, it's like I want to hold on to every single moment. And I realize that is going to make everything seem like it's zooming by once the baby is here and having his/her first milestones. So I will try my best to cherish it all, even the sleep-deprived nights and the frustrating "baby won't stop crying and I can't figure out what's wrong" moments. Next week is our "big" 20 week ultrasound. Marty & I had considered, from the beginning of this pregnancy, not finding out the gender. It was a really fun thought....for about 4 months. Now that the time has come and we know that next week we could find out if we're having another son or another daughter, we're pretty much crumbling. Honestly just the thought of having to get out our baby clothes from the attic, washing them, putting them away, setting up a nursery, etc. all AFTER the baby is here and WHILE also taking care of 3 other little ones is enough to put me over the edge with stress. So I think we're going to take a peek and find out what's going on in there so we can plan and I can feel more relaxed about bringing a FOURTH child into our already hectic house. I know all you "Gender Waiters" are going to be disappointed in me. What can I say? I just don't have it in me. Plus I have this irrational fear that I feel so strongly this baby is a girl and if, at the time of delivery, a boy was born I would not know how to handle that. So there you have it. Love it or hate it. We're just "Gender Finder Outers." Let's see...names. We have growing lists of names for both genders, but if you know us and our history, you can bank on the fact that we will name this baby something that is not on "the list." And we definitely won't name the baby until after he/she (totally a she, by the way) is here. What else? Umm, the nausea I had for weeks is now pretty much gone. It rears its ugly head every once in a while, but for the most part it stays away. It's getting harder to pick up Ty and put him in his bed or car seat. The kid weighs over 32 pounds. Pretty soon, he's going to have to start climbing into those things on his own. Luckily he got an early start on practicing his climbing skills, since he has climbed on everything since he could move, so he should be good to go. I've got some really horrible veins on the back of one of my legs and if I'm on my feet a lot they flare up, get really red & start throbbing & burning. Super fun. So babe, if you're reading this and you come home to a not so clean house, dinner's not ready, laundry's not done, your son is running around with poop in his diaper, and I'm lying on the couch with my feet up, it's not in the name of bon-bon eating mmmk?? Here I am at 19 weeks (well technically 1 day shy of, but same thing). I feel like you can already see a difference from the picture of me at 16 weeks. Scary. And since we're "keepin' it real" you like my chaos of a bedroom? Thought you might.

Sixteen Weeks

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000-05:00

Ty's First Day of Preschool

2011-08-22T09:55:00.002-05:00

My "baby" boy started preschool this morning! That is why I actually have the time to sit & post on my blog. Normally this time would be filled with diaper changes, car & train playing, wiping sticky hands & a messy mouth, picking up a trail of Cheerios all around the house, and doing the Yo Gabba Gabba dances with my boy. But not today. Today he is in his classroom at his new school and, I have a feeling, loving every minute of it. He loves to be around other kids and really loves learning, so I think he's going to do great in school. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Breakfast before the big day.

All ready to go with my back pack & lunch box!

This boy literally is always happy. He makes me smile.

"Look at this Mom!"

Joining right in for the prayer before class starts.

The Neglect of The Blog

2011-08-08T16:51:00.003-05:00

Wow, so this poor blog of mine has gone so neglected the last few weeks. We have had quite a bit going on since I last checked in. Truth be told, the chore of going back to try and update everything that has been happening with cute pictures and all became so daunting as more time went by that I have just avoided it altogether. So, in an effort to break the silence here and maybe salvage what readers I have left, I am going to attempt an update. I will probably forget to include some things and there's no way it will all be in order of occurrence. Also, I'm not going to include pictures. How you like them apples!? Just can't do it. Not now at least. I may come back and show pictures of our different adventures at some point to add some visual interest to this here blog, but for now, if I'm going to update, this is the only way I'm going to be able to do it. Don't stop reading. There are many interesting things I have to tell you. And I promise to start using pictures again if you just stick with me. Since I have no pictures and I don't have a particular order I'm going to follow, let's go with bullet points. Here we go!

Ty turned 2 on June 23rd. So far 2 has treated us kindly. He has the occasional tantrum and 2-year-old moment, but for the most part he really is such a happy, flexible, funny little boy. We had a very small gathering for him on his birthday that was in the theme of All Things That Go. The boy loves him some cars, trucks, trains, planes, etc. I will definitely have to come back and share some photos from his celebration.
Reagan turned 6 on July 18th. Instead of a party for her, we went to Florida. We tagged along on a part of my sister's vacation with her family and we had a great time. The beach was gorgeous and the kids loved, loved it. We had a mini party the night of her birthday. We made her favorite food: STEAK. The girl is a straight up carnivore. We had presents & cake and then went to a go-cart track with all kinds of games & rides.
MacKenzie made the decision to be baptized! She started asking us questions about it a few months ago, so we have been talking about it with her. She said, "I want to do it!" And she was so excited to share it with her friends & family. It was a great morning watching my girl make such an awesome decision and then sharing fun time with family & friends over a delicious brunch at Dosey Doe. Woodlands Peeps, have you been there for breakfast?? If not, I suggest you run. Great atmosphere. Great food.
I had a birthday and turned 31, but who really cares about that?
Last but certainly not least on our list of most important occurrences over the past few weeks: We are expecting baby number 4! Yes, we may have certainly lost our minds. No, this was not necessarily a "planned" thing. Yes, we are excited and a little bit freaked about the idea of having 4 children. No, I have not been feeling well AT ALL the past 2 months or so. Yes, I am starting to get SOME relief, so hoping the yuckiness might be coming to an end.

So, that about wraps up our little update. Like I said, some major things going on. All very blog worthy. It's just that sitting upright in a chair in front of a computer screen when you feel like your head might explode or your stomach might just jump out of your throat is not the most pleasant of things. So, that's my lame excuse for leaving my blog so unattended. I will try to do a better job at giving you something interesting to read and hopefully some photos along the way too.

Dreary Day Food

2011-06-22T13:29:00.003-05:00

What does a wet, dreary day like this call for??

Why...

a...

warm...

delicious...

buttery...

grilled...

cheese, of course!

G.O.G.W.

2011-06-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

A few weekends ago, I was blessed to have the opportunity to spend 3 days away with some great girlfriends in Galveston. It was such a relaxing and rejuvenating time spent doing pretty much nothing but lying around, reading, chatting, sleeping, & eating. I took some pictures and so did my friend Ashley. I gave her mine to put with hers, so I'm going to send you over to her blog to see all the pics. I know. It's lazy blogging at its best. Click here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-24T09:09:00.000-05:00

1. Have you ever used Craigslist?

I have not, but I use a classifieds section on a local website to buy & sell stuff ALL THE TIME.

2. Can you sew?

Well, no I cannot. My husband bought me a very simple sewing machine for Christmas and my goal was to take a lesson or two so that I could do some basic sewing. I have yet to do that. I attempt to teach myself and, well....that didn't end so well. I couldn't even thread the bobbin whatever that even means.

3. Do you pour syrup on your pancakes or dip your pancakes in syrup?

I pour it on, but very little of it. My pancake motto: More Butter, Less Syrup

4. Rain storms: Love them or hate them?

Definitely depends on what I'm doing. Lying in bed in a cabin with a tin roof, watching a movie or reading a good book while drifting in & out of naps - Love them. Who am I kidding? Not you, I suppose. That NEVER happens. Trying to get my kids in & out of the car to run to Wal Mart to grab milk & diapers while it's pouring on us - Hate them. So I guess I hate them.

5. Do you like swimming?

Umm, not really I guess. I like laying out by a pool. I like dipping in and cooling off. But actually swimming....nah.

6. What kind of drink do you order at Sonic?

I'm not a big Sonic person. I don't eat there and I don't really go there just for a drink like a lot of people I know. I have tried a cherry limeade and it's alright...not sure what all the fuss is about. I definitely do not like real chunks of fruit coming up through my straw and surprising me when I'm expecting a liquid...blech!

7. Are you funny?

Hmm...I suppose that would be a question you to answer.

8. At what age will your kids get cell phones?

Interesting that this question would be asked. I just had a conversation with my 8 year old about it. She said a few of her friends had recently gotten cell phones and she was wondering when she would be able to get one. To which my response was, "Oh honey, I'm so sorry you don't have a cell phone yet and that you weren't the first of your friends to get one. Let's go to the AT&T store now and get you an iPhone!" RIIIIGHT! I told her it would be a very, very long time before she was able to get one. I'm thinking...14, 15 maybe?

9. What's your favorite vegetable?

Ha! Well isn't this a loaded question!? I am not a big vegetable eater. Some people label themselves a Vegetarian. I am a Carnivore. Love me some meat & potatoes. I will eat a select few veggies, and I guess I'd say my favorite is green beans.

10. Were you a Girl Scout?

I was a Brownie, but I don't have recollection of ever graduating to Girl Scout status, so I guess the answer is no.

For more Ten on Tuesday fun, click here.

It Happened Again

2011-05-19T11:19:00.006-05:00

It happened again. My baby girl started Kindergarten. I took a quick nap. And she was graduating when I woke up. Darn! How does that happen!?

My girl walking into school for her first day as a Kindergartener. I swear that backpack doesn't look nearly as big on her now.

Graduating today!

Her first day...

...and today.
In the words of John Mayer, "Stop this train. I want to get off and go home again. I can't take the speed it's moving in. I know I can't, but honestly won't someone stop this train."

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-17T09:45:00.006-05:00

This is a photo edition of ToT. Post a photo of each of the following:

1. Your favorite piece of furniture in your home.

Love, love, love my white chair. Always have. Always will.

2. Your favorite thing on your wall.

This clock I got at a really cool store in the Heights in Houston and I love the look of it. It's the first thing people see when they walk in my house.

3. Your bed as it looks right now.

No, I definitely do not always make my bed. But I try to make it as much as possible. It makes me happy to walk by my room and have my bed made.

5. Your pantry.

One of the few things I would change in my house if I could....the pantry. It's TOO SMALL. But we manage to pack quite a few things in it, regardless.

6. Your favorite piece of jewelry.

I adore this necklace and I wear it almost every day.

6. Your favorite book.

I am aware this seems like such a cliche answer, but the truth is I'm not much of a reader (just don't have the time) and this is certainly the book I read the most. Oh, in case you can't tell, it's my Bible. It's The Message translation. I love this translation of it. It's written in I-Can-Understand-What-It's-Saying-Because-It's-Written-How-I-Speak Language.

7. Your most comfortable shirt.

I'm sure most people will post a picture of some old raggedy t-shirt they've had since college. I'm not a t-shirt gal. And we all know my obsession with tanks. I love this tank right now. It's very soft and super stretchy.

8. Your messiest room.

Technically this isn't a room. It's a closet. But I truly keep every room in our house picked up most of the time. So this was the only thing messy at the moment. And it stays looking like this. It's our closet under our stairs and we use it to store shoes, jackets, the kids' backpacks, & boxes of other random things. The kids use this space on a daily basis because it's where they go to get their shoes & backpacks in the morning and where they put them away in the afternoon. They don't care much to keep it nice & tidy. And because I can just close the door, I don't worry much about it either.
Yikes. Did I really just post a picture of that train wreck on the internet for everyone to see??

9. Your house shoes.

If I'm in my house, you can pretty much guarantee I am barefoot.
Oh and if you're wondering why it looks like I don't have a nail on my left pinky toe, that's because I don't. I ripped it off the other day. Fun times.

10. Yourself.

Now you know since I'm a photographer and I see things differently than others, I couldn't just post a plain ole picture I snapped of myself. I took this not too long ago while I was laying on the trampoline in the backyard.

For more Ten on Tuesday, click here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-09T18:26:00.005-05:00

1. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Wow. This is a tough one. This is probably going to sound like the most cliche answer ever, but I think I'd choose Steel Magnolias. It is definitely one of my favorite movies and it makes me laugh & cry. So if I could choose only one, why not a movie that gives me both of those emotions? But I have to just state for the record, that I would be a very unhappy person if I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life. Very unhappy.

2. Let's say someone wrote a screenplay about you; what actor/actress would you choose to play you and why?

Hmm...another tough one. Well I would have to choose Charlize Theron for her beauty, Tina Fey for her sense of humor, & Heidi Klum for her body. What's that? Oh, this person is supposed to look & act like me? Oh, well in that case...I have no idea.

3. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theaters?

I feel quite certain that I had seen movies before this one but the first one that comes to mind is Ghost. I remember going with my babysitter and at a particular point in the movie, she said to me, "Come on. Let's go to the bathroom." "But I don't need to go the bathroom," I said. " It doesn't matter. Let's go to the bathroom!" I found out later in life that my Mom had seen the movie already and had instructed her to take me out of the theater when the ahem pottery scene came on.

4. Did you ever make out at the back of the movie theater in middle school/high school?

Heavens no!

5. Are you a Netflix-er, Blockbuster-er, or a Redbox-er? (Or none of the above)?

We are definitely Redbox-ers! I have the Redbox app on my phone so I can search what movies are available at which Redbox closest to me and we rent from them all the time! And we love it that they are now renting Bluerays!

6. Name one actor/actress who you would give anything to have a dinner date with.

To be honest there's no actor/actress that I would "give anything" to have dinner with. But if I could have dinner with one and NOT have to "give anything" I would probably choose Steve Martin. Love me some Steve Martin!

7. What's the worst movie you've ever seen?

Well the only movie I've ever walked out of the theater while the movie was still playing was Joe Dirt. So I guess I'd have to say that's the winner of the worst movie I've ever seen. I can assure you that'll be the only thing that movie will ever win.

8. Do you sneak snacks into the theater when you go?

I do bring one thing with me into the theater. Twizzlers. I can pay $4.50 for the tiniest bag of them at the theater or I can pay $2 for a huge bag from Wal Mart. It's a pretty obvious choice.

9. Movie theater popcorn: love or hate it?

Umm...neither really. I like it. I'll eat a few handfuls if someone next to me has some but I rarely get my own bucket. Twizzlers & a Mr. Pibb are about all I need to be happy during a movie.

10. What is the all-time best Disney movie in your opinion?

This one is easy. The Little Mermaid. Hands down. Best music!! I know every word of every song in that entire movie. I will say The Princess Frog gave it a run for it's money with the fantastic music it had too, but The Little Mermaid remained at the top of my list.

For more Ten on Tuesdays click here.

A Few Glimpses of Easter

2011-04-24T23:03:00.000-05:00

Tank-a-holic

2011-04-13T17:35:00.007-05:00

I have a problem. I. Am. Addicted. to tank tops. I love them, love them, love them.

I don't discriminate when it comes to tanks. I like colored ones.

I like white ones.

I like skinny straps.

I like thick straps.

Some with lace. Some without.
I just like them all. This is my collection of "casual tanks." I also have a hefty row of tanks that hang in my closet because they're my "fancy ones." I love tanks. And I have a problem. But hey, the first part is admitting I have a problem, right? I am on the path to recovery. Oh, who am I kidding. No I'm not. And I don't wanna be. I will continue to buy more tanks. Buy them in the Summer & buy them in the Winter. I can't help myself. I'm a tank-a-holic.

Big Foot

2011-03-31T12:23:00.004-05:00

**Update: A friend of mine had the suggestion of taking a picture of my foot now so you can see the difference and then really feel sorry for me. So at the bottom of the post is my foot today. :)

Not to be confused with Bigfoot, the Sasquatch. Although I think I'd rather share a room with that Bigfoot than to ever have to encounter this one again. Behold...

Folks, this is not a joke. This is not some extraordinary Photoshop trickery. This is my foot. For reals. Oh and guess what, I had another one that matched this one. These were the feet that I had for the last 2 months of my pregnancy. 2 Months! These were the feet that I walked around on in the 100 degree heat for 4 hours at a ranch to accompany my Kindergartner on her very first field trip. These were the feet that I was unable to adorn in ANY shoe except one pair of black flip flops that are now so stretched out they fall immediately off my normal feet. These were the feet that I walked around malls, shopping centers, city streets, & the street I live on to try and kick start labor. These were the feet that made nurses get very concerned about what my blood pressure would be when they saw them. And oddly enough, it was always completely normal....low in fact. These were the feet that I stood on while photographing people & cooking meals for my family. These were the feet that I walked around on at the pools while taking my girls swimming. These were my feet even 3-4 weeks after Ty was born. Thankfully around that time they did start to go back to normal. But wow. Did I earn your sympathy? Good. I deserve it.

Nada

2011-03-30T14:59:00.002-05:00

Well, today I've got nada for you. Actually all week I've had nada for you. I just didn't have too many funny things for a Not Me Monday post & the Ten on Tuesday this week was all about what adventurous things you eat and cook with...that would have gone down as the most boring blog post ever, considering I eat & cook with nothing adventurous. So I had a nice run last week where I was posting almost daily, then I have weeks like this. Zilch. Nothing funny or clever or meaningful to say. So, since I wanted to give you guys at least something entertaining or interesting, I'll leave you with this picture to ponder over:

Hmm....what comes to mind for you? Never mind. Don't tell me. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what comes to mind when you see that picture. I can tell you what comes to my mind: "AAHHH!!" Seriously!? I was flipping through some old pictures on my computer yesterday and had the privilege of stumbling upon this one. Lucky me. This was me the morning that Ty was born. Before he was born. Not that that has a lot of relevance. I looked like this after he was born too. Wow. Can anyone say, "Swollen"? Don't get me wrong. I was also just hugely fat. I have always been one to use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, whenever. And I did just that. More so with Ty's pregnancy than I did with the girls'. And much to my surprise when I went to my doctor 9 months after I had Ty I had lost all of my baby weight. The fastest I have ever done it. With both of my previous pregnancies it had taken me a full year and I hadn't gained as much weight those times. So I'm not sure what happened, but it very well could've been that I was lugging around a mini football player as soon as he was born. Anyhoo, that's all I've got for you. Just thought you might enjoy that beauty of a picture I was so fortunate enough to enjoy yesterday. Oh and if you're really lucky, I might share with you the picture I have of my foot the day Ty was born. Now THAT is a sight to behold... You'll just have to come back tomorrow and see for yourself.

Laundry Rainbow

2011-03-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

What would I do without all this color in my life?

It sure would be boring around here...

Fun with Metering Modes

2011-03-24T11:35:00.003-05:00

I have a crutch when taking pictures. It's the stay-in-the-shade-or-shoot-on-cloudy-days crutch. I was recently inspired by MckMama's post on backlit photos to get out of my comfort zone & step into the light...literally. Sometimes situations just arise that require shooting in full sun. It's definitely not the most ideal situation but it CAN be done. I've honestly never played with the metering mode of my camera. It's always been set on evaluative metering, which just means the camera takes into account all the light around it in making decisions on what to do for you. All this time, I just needed to switch that over to a different mode (and of course set the correct manual settings) to get decent exposure in the sun. So I sat my boy out in the grass in the sun with not a cloud in the sky to try out the new method. I have to say, I'm pretty happy with it. I would still always prefer to be in nice open shade or to shoot on an overcast day, but push comes to shove and at least I can make something magical happen out of the camera!

Not too shabby. Thanks MckMama for the great info!

Hope

2011-03-23T12:18:00.005-05:00

I think there might be hope for me to be a famous songwriter after all. I mean, if these songwriters could do it...

I better run & start jotting down ideas before all this inspiration leaves me!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-22T07:40:00.000-05:00

1. What condiments are always, always in your fridge?

Always, always mustard & ketchup. Never, never mayonnaise. Blech! That stuff is "made by trolls." ; ) Oh & always, always ranch dressing. My kids will eat just about anything as long as they can dip it in ranch.

2. How do you like your steak cooked? Your burgers?

Steak - sitting in a pool of blood on the plate (or as my husband would say, "Moo'ing when I stick a fork in it.") Burgers - Medium well. I can take a tiny bit of pink, but NO red and I hate it if blood soaks in the bun. I mean, seriously...how gross is that!? "I'll take a medium rare hamburger patty & some blood-soaked bread please."

3. What's your favorite use for fresh tomatoes?

Wellll...typically I'm not much of a tomato eater. I love tomato sauce but I won't just eat the tomatoes. But BY FAR the best use of fresh tomatoes is biscuits with tomato gravy! (In case you're wondering, I am from the South & this IS a Southern dish.) You fry up some Mississippi sausage and, using the grease, make a brown gravy, add fresh diced tomatoes, salt & pepper, & simmer. Pour over freshly baked biscuits. Mmm.....

4. What's your go-to dinner when you haven't planned anything in advance and you don't feel like going out?

Sadly I usually resort to feeding the kids frozen chicken nuggets & fries. I do try to include some raw carrots or broccoli (dipped in ranch of course) & fruit so I feel a little better about myself as a mother. And Marty & I will eat whatever we scrounge up from the pantry/freezer. I'll eat cereal & he'll eat some sort of microwaveable burrito (Yummy!).

5. What's your favorite snack food lately?

For a salty snack I love Pita Chips with Sea Salt. For a sweet snack I can put down some dark chocolate covered almonds.

6. What's your favorite weekend breakfast to make at home?

Excuse me while I go off on a tangent here because I LOVE me some breakfast! I love all things breakfast; eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, waffles....you name it! We love breakfast so much around here that I, many times, will make it for dinner. I'll do breakfast tacos or chocolate chip waffles. The kids love it! But let me just go ahead and say, "You're Welcome" for this one because trust me...you'll be thanking me. This quick & easy recipe I make sometimes on weekends for breakfast is so delicious, you'll not only be having it for breakfast but for dessert and for a snack with afternoon coffee.

Cinnamon Pull-Aparts

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
3 regular (NOT jumbo) cans of buttermilk biscuits
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix together one-half cup of brown sugar & 3 Tablespoons of milk. Pour into bundt pan. Separate biscuits from cans & from each other. Place biscuits end on end (like they're standing on their sides, side by side all around the bundt pan). Melt 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar, & 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir until it all comes together & pour over biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Upend on large plate. Stand back. No, like really...get back. People will come swarming in to get their hands on this.

It's totally low fat & definitely on your diet plan.

**Thanks Mom for that one!**

7. What's your favorite thing to grill? How do you do it?

Probably my favorite thing we grill is a pork tenderloin. We lay out a package of bacon (each slice side by side) on some foil. Lay the tenderloin in the middle of the bacon. Slice the tenderloin down the middle length-wise. Smash up a package of softened cream cheese & chopped jalapenos in a bowl. Spread the mixture in the slice you made down the tenderloin. Wrap it up in the bacon. Use toothpicks to secure. Put it in the oven on broil for a few minutes until the bacon is cooked. Wrap up the tenderloin in the foil & stick it on the grill until it's cooked through. The result is a moist, tender pork with a creamy sauce with a bit of a kick. It's delish!

8. What's your favorite wine for under $10?

I've really been on a big white wine kick lately. I like red, but I haven't been drinking much red. So one of my favorite whites for under $10 is Cupcake Chardonnay (I may be off just a tad on the price. It might be $11.99 or something, but it's close to $10). I also like the Beringer Pinot Grigio. (I think this one is something absurd like $5.99!)

9. Give us your most delicious cocktail recipe.

I'm not much of a cocktail drinker. I have 3 small children to get up with in the mornings, remember? But I did make a white sangria once for a New Year's Eve party and it was so tasty and the hit of the party if I remember correctly. maybe I don't remember, but anyway...here's the link to the recipe: White Sangria

10. How do you like your eggs?

I really like eggs. oh, here we go again talking about breakfast...mmm I like them scrambled. I like them boiled (with salt & pepper). I like them fried. I'm not a big poached fan. If I had to choose a favorite I'd probably say scrambled with butter, salt & pepper, & a little shredded cheddar cheese thrown in at the end. Wrapped in a tortilla with crumbled up bacon will do too. Ok, ok enough about breakfast...

Want more Ten on Tuesdays? Click here.

Outfit Yourself!

2011-03-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

**The colored words are links to the stores**

Ok, so I've had lots of comments & questions about the clothes for our MckMama photo shoot, so I thought I'd "help a sister (or brother, I guess, if you're a guy and wondering how to dress your family for some pictures) out" and post some tips on clothing choices for pictures along with the info on exactly where I got everything you see on us! Tip #1: Start with one article of clothing and build around it. Trust me on this. Do not walk into a store & start looking at everything they have hanging up and try to envision it working together. Don't do it. You WILL get overwhelmed. Pick ONE thing you like for you or one of your children & start to build everything else around it. For instance, for this clothing group I started with my son's shirt.

It's just a simple grayish blue & white check button down. But it was the colors I wanted (more on color schemes later) and I knew he would look good in it. So that was my starting point. From there I figured he would wear jeans with it and I wanted a dark jean to contrast with his light shirt, so I knew we would have some dark denim going on. I then found the grayish blue dress & shirt that my girls have on. They did NOT match his shirt exactly...but close enough. I wanted everything to be coordinating, but not matching. Tip #2: Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. (For those of you with just boys, I know this can be hard. There's not much you can do to accessorize boys, but just be sure & accessorize yourself!) So for my girls I had Reagan wear tights under her dress just for another layer of color & the jacket over the top of her dress. MacKenzie had on white capri jeans & a dark denim jacket for some more contrast. Instead of me wearing just the grey dress I wanted to have more going on, so I used a simple white cotton shrug, belted (you can't really see the belt in this shot but it's super adorable and purple!) over the dress. Tip #3: Find things that coordinate within a color family, but don't match everything together exactly. I found my gray dress (which was not a blue-gray like the other clothes) at Francesca's, a very reasonable dress shop we have here where I live. And I saw a light blue shirt in the window of J Crew that I knew would work great for my husband. So all in all we had pale blue, a bluish grey, dark denim, slate grey, & white with a tiny splash of purple all working together to create a fun & interesting look.

For this next trip we're going to take down the lane of clothing choices, you're going to have to stick with me. It's quite a windy road with lots of stops, but as you can see the resulting look we have in this picture is SO worth it.

This grouping started with Reagan's pale pink skirt (Remember Tip #1). I knew I wanted a sort of Anthropologie-esque look for these (without, of course, actually having to spend Anthropologie prices) so when I saw the skirt at Gap Kids and it really screamed that look, I knew we would begin our building with that. Actually let me back up. I saw the skirt & really loved it, but for some reason I walked out of the store without it. I went next door to Charming Charlie (If you're not from around here, it's a fantastic jewelry & accessory store. Cheap!) and started finding some great pale pink headbands. I also found the brown crochet head thingy that really spoke "vintage" to me. So I grabbed the headbands and ran back to Gap Kids to see if the accessories I had just gotten would match the skirt I had fallen in love with and left behind. Lo & behold, the accessories & the skirt were made for each other! I mean, truly meant to be. So that's when I grabbed the skirt & decided it would be my foundation. Oh, while I was in Charming Charlie I also grabbed an ivory flower made of lace & other fabrics. Since I was going for a vintage look I wanted my colors to be pale pinks & ivory (instead of white). The flower had a pin & a clip on the back so I knew we would be able to use it on some article of clothing or in someones hair (Tip #2...accessories!). The next step was finding something for MacKenzie that would be complimentary to Reagan's pink skirt but NOT match it (Tip #3). Here's another tip: You don't have to find everything for your kids in the same store. Sometimes they do have great groupings that work & you can do it (like in our previous outfits: everything for the kids was from Gap Kids), but especially for a more vintage look, things should be almost mismatched. So I went to a few stores looking (bringing the skirt with me each time) and I finally found an ivory dress with a tiny touch of pale pink in it at Old Navy. Lucky for me it also had a tiny bit of a faded blue-green color in it, and my son already had a shirt that was that color. Things were starting to come together! My next mission was to find an ivory (not white) shirt for Reagan to wear with her skirt. Boy, that was an undertaking. Everywhere I went the shirts were white. Finally an ivory shirt (the perfect ivory shirt I must add) was discovered at Target! (for $6, gotta love that.) Then it was on to finding something for my boy to wear with his shirt. Again ivory colored shorts for boys...not an easy find, but I finally found some at Old Navy. The scarf Reagan is wearing I literally saw at the last second as I was walking toward the check out line of Target one day. I immediately noticed the pale pink, ivory, & some light browns in it. It was the perfect combination of all the colors I had been building. So I grabbed it, not knowing who would wear it or how. Once I had all the kids covered I had them each try on their clothes and I began to pair different accessories with different clothes to see how they all worked the best. Here's something funny: These outfits were for the kids to have the pictures taken without me & Marty. But for some reason I thought, "You know, I love these outfits so much that I may want to jump in a few pictures with them if I can." So everything I have on is stuff I already had. I got my shirt at Marshall's last summer & it happened to be the perfect pale pink (AND had polka dots...so vintage!). Marty never changed from the first grouping we did. I knew he would not be terribly happy about having to change clothes and let's be honest. it's all about keeping the husband happy in these types of situations, right? so he stayed in what he had on and what do you know....it worked!

So bottom line, start with one thing you really love and build around it. Everything doesn't have to match exactly as long as it coordinates with the other stuff. And do some digging. If you have lots of time before you're getting your pictures taken, start looking early. Leave yourself plenty of time to browse around and find all the different things you need (not to mention being able to go in stores when they're having sales is key). I got that pink skirt from Gap Kids on a day you could take 40% off one item just for mentioning you were a Facebook friend. So because I started putting together my outfits way before the date of my shoot I had time to find all of the right things, try them on & get everything just how I wanted.

Thanks again to MckMama for getting some great shots of my family! We've only seen a few and so far I'm liking what I see....can't wait to see the rest!

Happy clothing hunting!

Pics with MckMama

2011-03-20T09:31:00.004-05:00

**Update** I've had so many comments/questions on our clothes for the photo shoot, so I'm working on a post about how I picked everything and where everything is from. Look for it tomorrow!

So, we had our pictures taken by MckMama yesterday and I didn't even stress out! Ok, maybe I did a little leading up to the shoot just making sure everything was ready and we all had the perfect clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. But the shoot itself was absolutely relaxed & enjoyable. She was great with the kids. Ty was a bit of a pill but that's to be expected with his age. My Mom & sister came to help and that was perfect. There is a sneak peek of a few pictures on her blog. And boy, MckMama sure doesn't play around with this whole blog thing. Just since she posted the preview of our pics late last night I've had almost 200 people visit my blog. Wow! If you found me through her, I'd love it if you'd say hello. Drop me a comment & introduce yourself. If you want to check out the pics click here. I can't wait to see all of them!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-14T14:53:00.007-05:00

1. What is your cleaning style like?

Umm....can one have a "cleaning style"? Maybe I'm unsure how to answer this because I'm not much of a cleaner. I do have a trend I like to follow if I can. On Fridays I spend most of the day doing all of the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, wiping down all surfaces in the kitchen & living room, sweeping & vacuuming. This way when the weekend comes I feel much more relaxed and feel like it's ok to just sit around with my family since I don't have those things to do.

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?

Definitely jewelry. I am a huge fan of white t-shirt & jeans with fun jewelry to kick it up a notch. My clothes usually don't have much going on. I'm not much for patterns, bright colors, etc. So I definitely spice up my outfits with big earrings, cute rings & fun necklaces.

3. Do you like stormy weather?

It's ok I guess. We had quite the storm where I live yesterday morning & I kept thinking, "Man, this would be such a perfect morning to lie in bed and do nothing." but of course, that's not an option for me with 3 little ones running around. Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not complaining. I guess I'm what I'm trying to say is, no. I don't like stormy weather because I can't lie in bed & do nothing and my kids & I go crazy when we're locked in the house. We like to be outside.

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?

Love some frozen lemonade on a hot day!

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?

I love sipping hot chocolate in the winter & I love a cup of coffee too.

6. Who is your favorite animated character?

For real? (off the subject of the animated character: this is the most random set of questions ever.) I really don't know that I have an answer to this. I'm not a big animated character fan I guess? I definitely don't want them on any of my kids' stuff. Nothing against them or the people who like that sort of thing. It's just not for me. You won't find any Winnie the Pooh blankets or Mickey Mouse t-shirts in my household.

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?

Funny. I used to throw everything in plastic bins & bowls in my bathroom cabinets until my husband brought out a huge mess of tangled necklaces & earrings for a bunch of people to see one time, and I vowed to never let it get to that point again. I now keep my jewelry in one of those hanging organizers with lots of different clear pockets.

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?

Umm...no. Nope. I'm not an animated character person and I'm not a theme person.

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows - if so, what is your favorite?

I really enjoy interior design TV shows. I don't have a lot of spare time to watch them though. I used to love Trading Spaces back in it's "glory days". I really like HGTV's Next Design Star. And I love anything Candice Olson does. Divine Design...goodness! She is good!

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking?

For some reason all I can think of when I read this question is when I went on a mission trip to Africa a few years ago. Sure, I've taken risks since then...probably pretty big ones too. But this one was just such a huge step of faith for me. I'd never been on a mission trip. I'd never been out of the US (besides tourist trips to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, that doesn't really count). It was literally one of those things God just said, "Go". And I went. And boy did it change my life forever. You can click here if you want to read more about it.

Want more Ten on Tuesday? Click here.

Not Me! Monday

2011-03-13T22:38:00.012-05:00

That's right, folks. You are not hallucinating. I am truly participating in Not Me! Monday for the first time in a looong time. Not sure what prompted me to jump back on this crazy ride, but I did. So buckle up...here we go. (Oh and apparently it's been so long since I've participated that MckMama, the host for Not Me! Monday, is no longer hosting it so there's no link to go read more of them. Sorry about that. You're just going to have to get by with me today.)

I have not been spending 20-30 minutes of Ty's nap time the past few days lying on my kids' trampoline in the sun so I can get a little color on my pasty white self. That would be completely silly and there are so many other productive things I could be doing with my time while Ty naps. So I most certainly have NOT been doing THAT.

I did not take pity on myself as Ty was eating Taco Bell the other day because I was thinking of how bad the next diaper I was going to have to change would be. That's just nasty. I would never have such thoughts, and especially not while I, myself, was eating. Blech.

I am in no way waiting on pins & needles for this evening to be here so I can park myself in front of the tv for The Bachelor Finale. Nope.

While we're on the ahem trash tv subject, I never ever watch: Real Housewives of _____, The Real World, Teen Mom, or Jersey Shore. I mean, come on. What kind of a person do you think I am?

I did not heat up leftover mashed potatoes, sprinkle them with shredded cheese & bacon bits & eat them for lunch yesterday. And they did not taste delicious.

My husband & I didn't take our kids to McDonald's for dinner last night & just sit and watch them eat so that when we left there we could pick up "real" food for OUR dinner. What kind of parents would that make us?

And last but certainly not least, I am not so excited beyond belief that THIS Saturday we are getting family pictures taken by the one & only MckMama! And I have definitely not been meticulously putting together our outfits & every perfect accessory for the past few weeks in preparation for said Saturday.

Adventures in Cookie-ing

2011-03-11T08:55:00.006-06:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at these decorated sugar cookies for some time, so when a friend asked me if I had a recipe for them I took that opportunity to jump in & offer to help. She wanted to make princess themed cookies for her daughter's 4th birthday party. So we gathered all the supplies, she came over & we got to work. Our adventure certainly wasn't without a few hiccups, but all in all I think the results are still cute. Here's what our adventure looked like:

First important ingredient needed for cookie baking with a friend in the evening when all children are tucked into bed:

I made the dough ahead of time & it chilled in the fridge for a few hours before we started to roll it out. You can use any sugar cookie dough you find. The one we used had a bit of lemon extract in it for a little something extra...yum!

When the dough was good & chilled we started rolling it out. As soon as we started to roll the dough became extremely sticky & was impossible to work with. We thought our adventure was about to come to a quick end. But all was saved with about a pound of flour. We floured the heck out of the dough and it began to cooperate.

Next step was to cut our shapes. We did crowns & castles to go with the princess theme.

We put them on parchment paper lined baking sheets & baked them for about 12 minutes.

Then we lined them all up on cooling racks to cool completely.

Now it was time for the icing. Royal Icing...how appropriate considering our theme.

When the icing was the right consistency we split it up & colored it.

Then we put it into squeeze bottles.

We used the squeeze bottles to "flood" the cookies. We basically drenched them in icing. It was super clean & neat and wasn't messy at all. Ahem...

This next step actually took place the next night. Yep, you heard me right. We had TWO nights of cookie baking. We let the cookies dry all night & the next night we made another batch of icing, leaving part of it white & coloring some pink & purple. Then we added details to the cookies.

They didn't turn out exactly how we had planned in our heads, but we did the best we could under the circumstances & I think they still turned out adorable!

Hopefully the birthday girl will love her princess cookies!

Run, Lindsay, Run

2011-02-25T16:34:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow's the big day. I will run in my very first official race. I keep saying to people, "Oh, it' just a 10k." because so many people I know run half & full marathons. So the idea of a 10k to them is probably no big deal. But for me, who is most certainly NOT a runner, it is quite the big, huge deal. I'm not running to win (Ha! As if!) or to beat any particular time. My hope is just that I can finish the race (preferably BEFORE they close the race path), not have any injuries, not get run over by a car or a pack of other runners for that matter and not have made a fool of myself. :)

We shall see....

Ode to My Flip Flops

2011-02-16T09:29:00.003-06:00

Oh Flip Flops, how I have missed thee. We really got to be such great friends over the summer. It's been so long since we've seen each other that I almost lost my permanent tan lines that are a constant reminder of you.

I'm so glad we were able to reunite yesterday. And I'm hoping for much more time together coming up.

Love,

Ten On Tuesday

2011-02-07T19:57:00.007-06:00

As some of you may have noticed by my lack of participation last week, I'm probably not going to be a TOT participator every week. Sometimes the questions strike me and I feel like I could write answers that are remotely interesting and maybe a tad humorous and sometimes they don't. When I looked at this week's questions, I noticed that one of the questions asked about a subject that I literally was going to write an entire blog post about, so I figured I could join in this week. So here goes:

1. What’s your favorite kind of donut?

I'm definitely a classic glazed donut gal. There's just no beating that flaky, sugary goodness.
2. Do you use the snooze button?

Yes, Yes, Yes! I purposely set my alarm 10 minutes earlier than I actually need to get up JUST so I can snooze one time. Love me some snooze!
3. Do you write in cursive, print, or a combination of the two?

I tend to write mostly in print, but occasionally I'll write in cursive and usually when I do, I mix some print letters in because I can't remember how to write certain letters in cursive!
4. Tell us a joke.

Two snowmen are standing in a field. One says to the other, "Funny. I smell carrots too."
5. How many languages do you speak?

I know about 10 words in spanish. Does that count? Ok, I guess not. Then one.
6. Why did you start blogging?

I've always read blogs and been interested in them. I love the whole community of bloggers. I like to write and I enjoy taking pictures. I figured a blog would be a good place to share those things. I also wanted to document things my children did and since I'm the world's worst scrapbooker, baby-book-keeper, I thought a blog would be the next best thing.
7. Do you use bar soap or liquid body wash?

Bar Soap
8. Do you buy bottled water?

Not really. I use the water dispenser in my fridge. Occasionally my husband will go a little off the deep end, when they forecast a hurricane coming our way, and buy cases of bottled water. That usually lasts us until the next hurricane season.
9. What did you think of the Super Bowl Half Time Show?

Ok, I was going to write an entire post about this and ran out of time today. So this answer might be a little long-winded. I'll try to keep it short & sweet. Bottom line: When the "music" and I use this term loosely you make relies so heavily on studio technology & electronic voice-changers/tone correctors it just doesn't work live. It just doesn't. Fergie should never be allowed to sing outside of a studio. I did like the dancers with all of their light-up unitards, but again, I think it was just a distraction so we wouldn't notice how out of tune & awful the singing was. Blech, Blech, Blech.

10. How do you feel about Steve Carell leaving The Office?

I have to be honest and say that I didn't know he was leaving. I'm not a huge follower of the show, but I have watched many episodes and have laughed hysterically at every one. I'm not sure why I never started recording it. Just too many shows on that Recording List. But from what I have seen of it, I don't think it's going to work without him. He is the hub of the wheel for that show. It's just not gonna be the same.

Check out more TOT here.

Tuna A La Lindsay

2011-01-28T22:53:00.010-06:00

I have to preface this post with the following: (If you know me well, you already know this but for those of you who don't, this background information is important to note.) I don't eat seafood. At all. Like nothing, zero, nada, zilch. And to answer your question What's that? You didn't ask me a question? Well let me just save you the time because when people hear me say I don't eat seafood, inevitably, I get asked a question along these lines, "What about lobster or shrimp or crab!?" None of it. So today when I happened upon some tuna steaks at the grocery store for a pretty good price and bought them to cook for me & my hubby tonight, some may have thought an alien had come down & possessed my body. Clearly Lindsay Miller is not about to cook tuna. She has no idea HOW to cook tuna. And clearly she is not about to eat tuna. She does not EAT seafood. Well I truly don't have any idea what possessed me although I feel pretty strongly that it was not aliens to buy tuna steaks and cook them for dinner, but I did. I knew it would be an adventure...one worthy of documenting. So here you have it. Lindsay Miller cooks AND EATS tuna:

1. Find yourself some good-looking tuna. Although don't rely on me to tell you what is or is not "good-looking" tuna, because I honestly have no clue.

2. I used the following things to marinate my tuna:

3. And I also got some of these, but not for marinating. They're used later.

4. Drizzle your tuna steaks with a little olive oil.

5. Sprinkle with some of your favorite seasonings. I think you can pretty much use whatever you want, but I would not leave off the Lemon Pepper. It's key!

6. Pour in soy sauce for the tuna to soak in.

7. I marinated for a total of 30 minutes. According to the experts (ie my Mom) you don't want to marinate tuna in soy sauce for longer than that. I flipped the steaks over every 5 minutes during that time period. I'm sure that's probably a little overkill. I think the steaks probably would have been just fine being flipped once in the middle of the 30 minutes, but this was my first time so I wanted to make sure I was covering all my bases.

8. Get some Pam...
...and spray a grill pan really well. Of course you can cook these on an actual grill or just use a regular skillet, but I have a kick butt grill pan that my sister gave me for Christmas (Thanks Anna!) so I'm using that.

9. Heat your pan up really nice & hot...
...with a good high flame.

10. Place your tuna steaks on the grill pan. And whatever you do, do NOT move them once you place them down. You don't want to mess up the pretty grill lines. :)

11. Set a timer. I used the trusty iPhone because why not? I mean, it does everything else. It might as well time my tuna too. Sear at the high heat for 1.5 minutes.

12. Flip the steaks over and sear for 1.5 min on the other side. LOOK at those grill marks! Yeah!

13. Now here's where it gets a little fuzzy. I then turned down the fire, flipped the steaks back over and continued to cook them for 4 minutes on each side. I was really afraid of the tuna being pink. I know, I know! It's supposed to be pink. But this was my first time. I knew my mind would not let me eat a piece of fish that wasn't cooked all the way through. Maybe each time I make this, I can cook it a little less and ease my way into being a REAL tuna eater, but for now I prefer it COOKED. Little did I know my husband IS a real tuna eater and prefers his seared on the outside and basically raw on the inside. So, lesson learned. I'll put his steak on when mine has 3 minutes left. Sorry babe! Anyway, back to the cooking.

14. Cut your lemon.

15. As soon as you turn off your fire, squeeze the lemon over the steaks.

16. Take the tuna out of the pan, put it in a dish, and cover it with foil.

17. Let it sit for just a few minutes. I have no idea what this step is for. I just read it online. I'm guessing maybe it helps seal in all the flavor?

18. Serve with rice. Or whatever side dish you want. It's your dinner, not mine. Wait this IS my dinner. And that's why there's rice & nothing green on the plate.
That's all folks. And the verdict is....I LOVED it. It seriously was delicious. If I had known to cook my hubby's for .5 seconds he might have LOVED his, but I didn't, so he didn't. He said the flavor was great. It was just overcooked for his taste. So there you have it. Tuna A La Lindsay.

Ten On Tuesday

2011-01-18T08:41:00.007-06:00

I've been a long time reader of these Ten on Tuesday posts, but have yet to participate. So today I decided to contribute.

1. What’s your favorite color to paint your nails?

I don't like my fingernails to be painted. I almost always have my toenails painted and I tend to like a brownish red color for them. Right now I have a purple paint on my toenails which is totally out of the box for me.
2. Do you like to sneeze?

L. O. V. E. to sneeze. Love it.
3. How often do you fill up your car with gas?

It really depends on what I have going on during the week, but I'd say about once a week.
4. Were you named after anyone?

Yes, I was named after The Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner.
5. Have you made any good recipes lately?

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately, cooking the same old recipes I usually do. BUT I did try this chicken recipe a few months ago & it was a big hit!
6. What’s an easy money-saving tip that you use regularly?

Everything that I can buy in an off brand, I do. I believe there are only a very few things that require buying the name brand (and those things I won't bend on) but for the most part, the Great Value brand at Wal Mart is just as good.
7. Would you rather have a sore throat or an ear ache?

I've always said I'd rather be throwing up than have a sore throat. I really despise a sore throat. So, I'd definitely choose an ear ache.
8. Do you have any scars? What are they from?

I have a few chicken pox scars. I had the chicken pox twice. I guess if you get them as a very small baby, you can get them again. That's what happened to me. And apparently the older you are when you get them, the worse it can be. I had them again when I was around 10 I think. Bad, bad, bad. I also have a small scar on my hand from falling while carrying a glass jar of roly polies. The jar broke & cut my hand. Oh I also have 2 scars on my finger tips from where I sliced off the tip of my finger with a cucumber slicer thingy. Fun times.
9. What are you “known for” in your circle of friends/family?

I'm definitely known for being competitive. If there's a game or a way of making a game out of something, I'm in & I'm winning. Hands down. I'm also known for not being very affectionate. People (you know who you are) think it's funny to come up to me & give me big hugs because I won't initiate a hug.

10. How do you like to eat your pancakes?

Lots of butter (REAL butter. I don't believe in artificial butter.) & a very small amount of syrup.

If you want to participate or check out other Ten on Tuesday posts, visit the host here.

It Ain't No Joke

2011-01-14T11:31:00.004-06:00

I've always loved, loved the look of white or very light colored furniture. Photos like this...

and this...

...make me swoon. But white furniture is not for the faint of heart. It's a pain in my rear. I have 3 small children. Children who like to eat cookies & crackers & goldfish & pudding & jello and aren't necessarily the best at keeping all of that food in their mouths or on the spoon. I have white & light colored furniture in my living room and I could not love the look of it more. But whew! it sure is work to keep up with it. The good thing about my furniture is that it's all slipcovered. So every piece of upholstery can come off of the frame or cushion and be washed. That's key if you're going to have light furniture & kids in the same house. Yesterday I made the decision to take off the slipcover to my couch for the 3rd time since I've had it and launder it. Let me just say, it's a 2 day process. It takes a day to take it all off, wash it and hang each individual piece all over the house to dry a little. Then the next day while it's all a bit still damp, it's time to put everything back on. If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight, I have the perfect opportunity for you. Forget the workout videos & gym memberships. For FREE, I'll let you come over and put all the slipcovers back on my furniture! I'm not kidding, 1 cushion in and I was stripping off my jacket in a full-on sweat. It's not ladies' work. You have to put some serious muscle in it. But it's the price I pay for having the look I want in my living room. So if you've ever desired white furniture in your house but thought there was no way you could have it while your kids are still small, think again my friend. Just know what you're getting yourself into.

It...

Ain't...

No...

Joke.

a boy & his dinosaur hat

2011-01-13T15:23:00.003-06:00

Ty's First Official Haircut

2010-12-28T15:01:00.006-06:00

My poor boy could hardly see. His hair was in his eyes and he was starting to always try and look under the hair to see. So as much as I really wanted to keep his hair long, we just needed to finally get it trimmed.

So long hair in my eyes!

Waiting my turn

"Have we met? And what are those sharp things in your hand?"

He was SO good! He sat in the chair by himself and let her cut his hair like a big boy!

His treat when he was done. He looks a bit like he belongs in The Beatles.

Annoyed Santa

2010-12-12T10:52:00.001-06:00

The Setting for the Wedding...

2010-11-22T13:24:00.002-06:00

...we were in this past weekend

Gorgeous, right!?

Tractor Ty

2010-11-03T11:16:00.003-05:00

A Few Halloween Lessons

2010-11-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

I only like Hershey's Milk Chocolate in a S'More.

The only other thing worth eating in the Hershey's Miniatures bag is Mr. Goodbar.

My neighbor can carve a serious pumpkin. Seriously. The detail. The detail!

You should never let your child shovel pumpkin goo & seeds in his mouth straight out of the pumpkin.

Trust me on this.
You will pay for it for days after...

Last but certainly not least: You CAN get a baby who wants NOTHING on his head to wear a hot, itchy afro wig in 80 degree weather the ENTIRE time he's trick or treating IF you give him candy to distract him.

mmm...pumpkin

2010-10-29T22:48:00.002-05:00

Decor de Halloween

2010-10-22T08:13:00.004-05:00

I used to decorate for Fall when October came around. I had pumpkins and harvest things. More recently I've really enjoyed doing a Halloween decor for October and then switching over to Fall in November. It's more work that way, but it's fun and the kids really enjoy it. I've slowly accumulated all of the spooky things you'll see here over a span of years. I love adding to the collection each year. I hit up the best places for Halloween things the day after Halloween and stock up for next year. So if you're looking for me on Monday, November 1st, you can probably find me at Target or Home Goods. Here's a little of how we spook up our house.

Pumpkins, Neglect, & Other Ramblings

2010-10-19T14:02:00.002-05:00

Our home builder had a "Pick a Pumpkin" event in our neighborhood this past weekend. We took full advantage.

I've been neglecting this ole blog lately. Not sure I have a good reason or excuse. Just not feeling inspired to write anything and haven't taken many pictures lately. I'm hoping this will "break the seal" as they say and then many fun, creative posts will follow effortlessly. A girl can hope, right?

We went to the doctor for Ty's 15 month check-up this morning. I've been dreading this day and it's been on my mind for a year. I kid you not. The reason this one particular visit has had my stomach in knots is that this is the one where they give the "big" shots. The cocktail vaccination that has some people questioning the link between the shots and autism. Now, there has been no sure scientific proof that there is a link, but the bottom line is that doctor's just don't know what causes autism. And there are plenty of people with suspicions that the cocktail vaccination is too much for the babies' little under-developed systems to handle at the age of 15 months. I did vaccinate both of my girls on time with no problems. For whatever reason, this time around I just couldn't shake the idea that I would be choosing to go through with something that could potentially harm my baby boy. I know that has a lot to do with there just being more information and more talk about it now then there was when my girls were 15 months, but there was also just a nagging at me. The other side of this story is that my pediatrician is adamantly against delaying vaccinations. So I knew I would be fighting a losing battle if I went in today and said I didn't think I wanted to go through with them. Well, we all know God works in mysterious ways and He definitely did in this circumstance. My husband changed jobs a few weeks ago, so we are in between insurance companies during this transition. When the pediatrician's office called yesterday to confirm Ty's appointment I asked to speak to someone about how much the visit & the vaccines would cost us out of pocket with no insurance. She said they recommended we bring him in for his check-up just so they can do all the measurements etc and wait to get the vaccines at a later time when we are covered by insurance. It was as if God was saying to me, "I know you don't want to make this decision by yourself. I'll just make it for you." Thank you Lord! Truly, I feel such a peace about the fact that the decision was made for me and that it was to wait a little while. Not only will we be covered by insurance and not have to pay hundreds of dollars for the vaccines, but my boy's system will have more time to develop before having the shots! I love it when God dictates exactly what we should be doing. It just makes things so much easier!

Thats about all for now. Here's hoping for more exciting posts to come soon!

kissed by an angel

2010-08-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

Do you see what I see??

That's right...those are the very first freckles appearing on my baby boy's face. Looks like he will take after his sisters after all. Can't wait to see more of them pop up on his chubby little face!

Another one off to Kindergarten!

2010-08-23T18:44:00.004-05:00

I can't even believe I'm writing a blog post right now about how Reagan started Kindergarten today and how I am officially the mother of a Kindergartner & a 2nd Grader. 2nd Grader! But that is precisely the post I am writing right this very moment, whether I choose to be in denial about this or not. The girls both did remarkably well this morning being dropped off at school for their Big First Day, and they got in the car this afternoon beaming with pride and ready to tell me all their stories from the day. Here are a few pictures from the day and the preparation last night.

The Perfect Book for the Occasion

Breakfast & Sleepy-Eyed Children

A Little Sisterly Advice

Packing Up

The Brood

The Very Seemingly Empty Car On The Way Home

Calling Daddy to Tell Him All About Her Day

And if you're wondering why there are no pictures of MacKenzie walking into her class, well she's just way too cool for that. You didn't know that? Oh, ok...well now you do.

Friends

2010-08-16T08:34:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to visit our great friends who moved away a few years ago. We had all 3 of our pregnancies together. The only difference is their last one was twins! So they got a two-for-one deal! Our boys who are only weeks apart in age had never met, so I got them all matching PJ's to wear for our first night there. Here they are together. It was a little challenging to get a picture of all 3 of them, to say the least. And would you believe I did not take one more picture the rest of the weekend!? That's because we had such a blast and were off doing such fun things, I didn't want to be behind my camera. We miss you guys! And we were SO glad we got to come and spend the weekend with you all!

Ty's First Haircut

2010-08-16T08:11:00.004-05:00

Stuh-riiike!

2010-08-05T11:37:00.008-05:00

Since Reagan was turning the big 5 on her next birthday, we asked her what she wanted to do. She responded with, "I wanna go bowling!" Love that! So we took a few of her friends bowling and fun was had by all. I just wish I had a lane I could have bowled on. But this isn't about me, so moving on.

Check out that form!

Notice the lane Reagan was playing on. No, I did not request that we be given lane 23. That would be lame. Seriously. They just assigned us that lane. And so it continues...

"I love bowling!" - Ty

The Gang

The Fam. It's absolutely crazy how much my children look like their Dad. What's a girl gotta do to get some credit over here!?

The Cake. With fake glass slipper on top. Gotta love 5 year olds and their choice for cake.

Does it fit? Does it fit? Nope...no Cinderella here.

Games, Games, & More Games

Thank you to all who came to celebrate Reagan's 5th birthday with us. We had a blast. Oh and if you're looking for the easiest, most economical way to have a great, fun party, check out Main Event. Not kidding. It was VERY reasonably priced, and really a lot of fun. Not to mention the party host. Oh, the party host. She did EVERYTHING. Took the cake out of my hands as soon as I walked in the door. Got all the kids their bowling shoes and took care of their regular shoes. Lined up all of their shoes when they were done, so they could all change back. Took the presents to the party room. Served the drinks. Cut the pizza. Served the pizza. Gave out napkins. Took Ty to the bathroom & changed his diaper. Ha! Just checking to see if you're still reading. Cut the cake. Served the cake. Seriously everything short of wiping my kid's hiney. She did it. It. was. awesome. One of the few parties I've thrown for my kids where I can just sit back and ENJOY it.

Labor of Love

2010-07-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

a labor of love +

time for mom & dad to...

...do a mini room makeover

equals...

one...

very...

happy...

Birthday Girl!

The Children's Museum

2010-07-16T11:51:00.014-05:00

Yesterday we went to Houston to visit The Children's Museum. I hadn't been since they remodeled and I wanted to take the girls on an outing without the baby so I could focus just on them. We had so much fun! We were there for 4 hours and we were doing things the entire time! There were so many hands-on activities for the kids. They absolutely had a blast. And it was even more great because they got to go with their best gal friends from down the street. I took over 150 pictures, so consider yourself lucky I only put fifty-something in this post. :) We literally did so many things and I wanted the pictures to really be a representation of everything. So if you've got somewhere to be or something to do other than read my blog, you may want to come back at a later time. You've been warned.

4th of July Fun

2010-07-06T16:57:00.004-05:00

First Birthday Celebration

2010-06-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

One Year

2010-06-23T23:22:00.002-05:00

Well Folks, this is it. The day is here. I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my post. In fact, I feel quite certain you've all been on my blog, refreshing your browser every 5 minutes thinking any moment I could post. Alright, alright...it's actually almost midnight and I bet no one will even read this post tonight, but whatever. Ty is the big One Year today! I could bore you all by going on and on about how I just can't believe he's already a year old and how I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital, yada, yada, yada. But I won't. Ok, so maybe I just did but you know it had to be said. The truth is that yes, time sure does fly and of course I feel like it's just not right that he is one now, BUT I also can't remember what my life was like before he was in it. I truly, truly can't. He has brought such unbelievable joy to our family and we all have enjoyed getting to know him over the past year. He still remains to be the easiest baby on record. Always happy. Always flexible. Never cranky. That's just Ty. Just happy to be wherever he is, with whoever he's with. Love it. So without further ado, I present his One Year White Chair Picture And yes, I am completely aware I never posted an 11 month picture. Life was busy. What can I say. I think he fills out the chair quite nicely these days. If only he would keep his little behind in it for more than a millisecond! This picture of him from today is actually a miracle of God. Either that or my camera can snap a photo in less than a millisecond in order to capture him sitting in the chair, not climbing out of it.

Here's what he's up to:

He now runs. Not walks. Runs.
He shows no signs of a healthy level of fear of anything. Scary.
He has a whopping 5.75 teeth. The .75 is for the one that is soooo close to coming out of the gums that it may have actually popped through since I put him to bed a few hours ago, so we're counting it.
Some words he says now are: Dada, Mama, Bye Bye, Ba Ba (Bottle), oh and Hot dog. Seriously. Hot dog. It's his favorite food.
He can stand up from a sitting position in the middle of the room without any assistance. Even though his "sissies" like to give him lots of unnecessary assistance. Ahem.
He waves.
He dances. Oh yeah. Dances while standing up and dances while in the car seat. Awesome!
He is liking drinking milk from a sippy cup most of the time.
He eats anything and everything you put in front of him. And he usually shovels the food in like he's a prisoner and his food's about to get taken by a large man named Tiny that he shares a cell with.

To finish off today's special Birthday post, here's a picture of the Ty Man in his Birthday Shirt. He's saying, "Hey, did you hear!? I'm one today!"

Bullet Points

2010-05-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

Again, I've got nothing cohesive to say, but a few little things, so bullet points here we go:

Today marks the first official day of summer for us. This morning at 8:56am I'm sitting at the kitchen table having coffee. The girls are sitting in the living room and MacKenzie says to me, "Mom, can we figure out something to do or somewhere to go since we have no one to play with." "Um, I'm sorry...what? You have each other to play with don't you?" Reagan pipes in, "Yeah, but me & MacKenzie don't really get along." Lord help me. It's going to be a long summer.
Ty is on the move. Like seriously on the move. People keep asking me if I'm losing weight and how I'm dropping pounds. It was sort of baffling to me at first because I'm not working out too regularly and I definitely don't have the healthiest diet on the planet. I think I've figured it out though. I am constantly chasing my 11 month old. All. Day. Long.
Ty is also overdue for his 11 month white chair picture. If I'm being totally honest I'm afraid. I'm afraid of how difficult it's going to be to sit him in a chair and get a picture of him. Did I mention he's on the move? Just the thought of the energy and sweat it's going to take to get him to sit his bottom down for 5 seconds is exhausting. Hey, maybe I'll lose a pound or two!
I leave in just over a week for Italy. I still can't believe it's actually happening. It's like it is too good to be true. Oh and get this: Marty was paying our water bill the other day and noticed a letter in the bill. The letter said they were going to be flushing out the main water supply and when they do there can be natural sediments in the water that discolor it. They suggest that you not do any laundry on the days they are flushing it because it could possibly ruin your clothes. The days they are flushing: June 1, 2, 3, & 4! As in the 4 days leading up to me leaving!! I leave on the 5th! How in the world am I supposed to not do ANY laundry for the 4 days leading up to leaving!? Not to mention the kids' clothes that are going to be piling up prior to me leaving town. If I don't do laundry for ONE day, it starts to get overwhelming. Imagine four. Then I'm out. Fun times at The Miller house while I'm gone.
I'm sitting here trying to come up with another bullet point so I can procrastinate going to the grocery store just a few more minutes, but I got nothin'. So I'm off to Wally World, my second home.

23

2010-05-13T11:45:00.007-05:00

I found this pillow cover in a corner in Pottery Barn recently. It was tucked into a basket that was on a shelf in the corner of the store. Everything on the shelf was on clearance, so as you can imagine it was a random array of items. I've been admiring the whole writing-on-a-pillow style for a while, so when I saw this I was intrigued. Especially when I saw the price tag. I thought, "How could I use this? Would it work on my couch? Why would I need a pillow that described the number 2 on it?" Then a thought occurred to me. 23. 23 is our number. Man, too bad this is on clearance and there's only a 2, 4, & 6 left. That sure would have been cool. Oh wait, there's one more buried under all of these other covers. What is it? What is it? It's a 3! It was a sign. I had to have them. They needed to be, belonged actually, in my house.

You see 23 has been "our number" for a while now. We didn't really choose 23. It sort of chose us. Marty & I were engaged on the 23rd of the month.

The Saturday that happened to be the perfect date for when we wanted to get married and our venues were available was the 23rd.

Our first born child entered this world on the 23rd. And she was born just after midnight, so she barely made it. Our third child also entered in on the 23rd with a little encouragement from us and the doctor. But hey, it just so happened that the 23rd was one of the days of the month that fell within the week my doctor was willing to induce labor. And I firmly believe had we not "encouraged" my second child to come when she did she would have come on the 23rd on her own. It was July and I was miserable. Too miserable to wait even a few more days for her to continue our tradition. Ladies, you understand.

When we built our house we chose our lot based on location and yard space, etc. We liked that we would have one of the bigger backyards and that it was on a small cul-de-sac off of the main road. The lots were numbered not by the address but by some system the builder had. So it was lot #3789 or something along those lines. After we began the building process I was looking at a paper that listed the addresses that would be assigned to the lots. I think you know where this is headed.

When I went to register Reagan for Kindergarten the other day, one of the papers read at the top, "Welcome Class of 2023!" Well of course. It is only appropriate that we would have a child that would graduate in 2023.

When you flip around my nifty pillows, they display the numbers. Fun, right? They are definitely a conversation piece. I love that we have "our number" represented in our home at all times now.

Now please don't tell me about that horrible Jim Carrey movie, The Number 23. I never saw it, but I heard it was about how the number 23 is some evil number. Whatever. I choose not to believe that because look at all it's brought our family!

Oh and since we're on the subject of 23, in 23 days I am leaving on a jet plane....

And I will be landing here...

Someone pinch me! I cannot believe it. My Mom is taking my sisters & I to Tuscany to have cooking lessons from Tuscan women! I will turn the big 3-0 while we're there. I can't think of a better place to turn 30! Ciao!

10 Months

2010-04-23T14:47:00.003-05:00

Today my baby boy turns 10 months old. And guess what...I never did post his 9 month picture! Dern it! I was doing so well with taking his picture on his EXACT birthday and getting them up on my blog on his EXACT birthday. Oh well. I did actually take his 9 month picture just a hair after he turned 9 months, just never posted it. I figure if I post the 9 month picture today along with his 10 month, I'm at least still posting on the 23rd, so it kind of makes up for it, right? Ok, whatever. I know I'm being completely ridiculous about it and you're thinking, "We don't really care. Just stop rambling and get to the picture." So without further ado, I present Ty's 9 Month AND 10 Month White Chair Pictures:

What he's up to:

The big one: He's basically walking. He only takes a few steps at a time before he falls, but he can definitely do it. He looks like the people in the Thriller video with his hands straight out in front of him and wobbling all over.
Another big one: He has TWO teeth! The two bottom teeth are out and ready for some food!
He eats anything and everything we will give him. He still loves him some Cheerios. He is also getting Goldfish, Cheese Crackers, Fresh Fruit, and he had his first try of Avocado and loved it.
He still hasn't quite mastered the sippy cup, but he's getting close.
He says "Mama" Yay! It is the sweetest thing in the world when I go to get him out of bed and he says, "Mama." Oh I melt!
He also says, "Baba" for his bottle.
He's still wearing his helmet and probably will be for another few months. Good thing it doesn't bother him a bit.

Until next time...which will be the very last white chair picture before he is a year old....sniff, sniff.

"Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwich"

2010-04-13T21:16:00.010-05:00

A few days ago I saw The Pioneer Woman on The View. She was talking about her new cookbook and had a variety of foods from the book for the hosts to try. It reminded me that I had seen a sandwich on her blog a while ago that I wanted to try out. It was Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich...a sandwich with beef & onions, Worcestershire & Tabasco. Totally up my husband's alley. When I visited The Pioneer Woman's blog this morning to get the recipe, I came across Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwich. And this particular sandwich happened to have ingredients I felt like might be a little more kid friendly. So I decided to make that one instead. Now, of course, The Pioneer Woman herself has step by step instructions along with incredible pictures of everything right on her blog. And I realize I could have just linked you to that, but what fun would that be for me? So I present to you, Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwich...Lindsay style.

Here's what you'll need:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Peppered Bacon, Cheese, Lemon Pepper, Buns, Wax paper

One more key ingredient

The first step for me at least is to thaw out the chicken. I put the soap dispenser on top so the entire package stays under the hot water and it thaws quicker.

After trimming all the fat off the chicken, place the breasts in between two pieces of wax paper.

With the flat side of a mallet, pound the chicken until it is a uniform thickness.

Coat both sides of chicken with Lemon Pepper.

The way I pound chicken, it can get a little messy. Pent up aggression, I'm taking out on the chicken, maybe? So I make sure and soak my counters in this when I'm done.
And, yes...I am completely plugging a Clorox product. Anything you guys want to send me for free now would be great. Go ahead...bring it!

Slice the bacon in half. It's actually really easy to do just straight in the package.

Oh and I forgot about one more key ingredient.

Yep, Cheerios....to keep the baby happy & content while you're frying up the bacon.

Fry the bacon.

Take the bacon out, when cooked, and drain the grease from the pan. The Pioneer Woman actually has a photo of her pouring the hot bacon grease out of the pan. Because I really didn't want to burn down our house for the reason of having the perfect Pouring-Bacon-Grease-Out-Of-A-Pan picture, I opted out of that picture. You'll just have to imagine it. Add 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease back to the pan and heat the pan until it's pretty hot. Add the chicken. You want the chicken to sizzle when you put it in.

Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on the first side. Until the edges are opaque & white (no longer pink). Flip the chicken over and add bacon to the top.

Add sliced cheese on top of the bacon. I used American for the girls and Cheddar for Marty & me.

Place top on pan and continue cooking chicken for at least 4 minutes on the second side and until cheese is good and melted.

Meanwhile, melt some butter.

Brush the melted butter on the buns and place in the oven on broil to toast.

Put chicken on bun and enjoy! You can add all kinds of your own twists to this recipe: Mushrooms, Grilled Onions, Condiments, Etc. Mmmm!!

The house sure smells like bacon after dinner. Good thing for these.

And more of these.

And evenings like this, so you can open all the doors.

The "Special Meeting"

2010-04-07T09:20:00.008-05:00

In my last post I wrote about a "special meeting" Marty & I were set to attend. If I'm being completely honest and I do always try to be on this blog I have been a little hesitant to write about it. Not because I'm ashamed or embarrassed, but because I had fear. Fear of what people would think. Fear of what people would say. Fear of not being able to answer questions we may get about why we are doing this. But I have come to a place of peace and comfort. That's not to say that the fear doesn't creep back in every once in a while. I've just learned to listen to the voice of God telling me not to fear. The meeting was an orientation to learn more about an organization called Arrow Child & Family Ministries. They are a ministry that places foster children in homes to be adopted. It was kind of funny when the speaker went around the room and asked each couple why they felt like they were there and our answer simply was, "We're not exactly sure. We just feel called to be here." And that's about as honest of an answer as we can give at this time. We're not exactly sure why we are pursuing this or where this is going to lead. We simply feel called to go to these meetings and learn more. I think one of my biggest fears in sharing this is, I was afraid if we shared this news and then in the end, we felt it wasn't God's plan for us to foster or adopt, what would people think of us? But I have come to realize that's not what this is about. It's not about what the end result is. It's about feeling a call from God and blindly following. And let me say, it's not easy. It hasn't been easy to just jump head first into this without having a clue where it's going to lead. But there is a peace about it. A peace that as long as God is guiding us, we will be where we need to be. The entire time I was sitting in that room Tuesday night listening to all of the information about the process of fostering & adopting I had fear after fear and doubt after doubt coming into my head.

"What am I doing here?"
"I'm not equipped to deal with these things."
"There's no way I could love a child that isn't my biological child, like I love mine."
"I don't have the patience to handle something like this."
"Why am I here again?"
"Do we really want to 'mess up' our family dynamic?"
"Why wouldn't we just have more children of our own if we can?"
"Am I putting my children in harm's way?"
"Are we even good enough parents to our children now to justify bringing more into our home?"

I mean, we are talking loads of them. Bombarding my brain. And every time they flew in, it was as if God was right there ready to just "poof" them into oblivion. With each thought that crept in, I kept hearing, "It will be ok. It will be ok. Move forward. It will be ok." So for now, we are choosing to move forward. We have no idea what the end of this journey looks like. There are so many possibly outcomes. We have decided to take the slow & steady path and continue taking the classes when we can. I'll certainly keep you posted on how it's going.

Bullet Points

2010-04-05T09:58:00.009-05:00

We've had too much going on the past few weeks to write a cohesive post, so they're comin' atcha as bullet points. Here we go:

Ty is so close to walking, it's crazy. He looks like Frankenstein when he lets go of the coffee table and tries to take a step. He's taken about 1.5 steps so far. We're thinking it won't be too much longer before he's full-on running. He's definitely keeping me on my toes lately. He's opening cabinets, trying to go up the stairs, pulling things off of tables. Lord help me.
Yesterday was Easter. I got the girls cute dresses from, where else, Target. We got all dressed up, loaded up in the car those of you with multiple children can appreciate just the effort that takes and headed to church. I was armed with my camera, ready to get some family pictures of everyone dressed in their Sunday Best. As we pulled into the parking lot of the church Reagan threw up. Nice. So much for pictures, Easter church and the egg hunt. I did manage to get 1 picture of the kids at home before we left and thank goodness I did. That pink dress of Reagan's didn't look nearly as cute with regurgitated toast on it.

Marty & I are going to a special meeting tomorrow night that I am very excited about. More on that later...
I love David Gray. Well, I mean I love his music. You know what I mean. Totally random, I know. But I was just thinking about how I used to listen to his music all the time and I've gone away from it for a while. I think I'll go back.
MacKenzie brought home her 2nd "All A's Honor Roll" Certificate. Go MacKenzie! Her teacher said she is such a great leader in the classroom. She really is one of the kindest people I know. I could stand to learn a thing or two from her.
We had a neighborhood Crawfish Boil/Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday and it was a blast. We've had such great weather here lately we thought it would be the perfect time to spend the afternoon outside getting to know our neighbors. Who knew Summer would come on that exact day. Whew! Alas, it was still a good time even in the heat, and I did not take one picture. It felt good.
I am singing at church this coming weekend for the first time in 2 years. I can't even believe it has been that long.
As much as I hate that Reagan missed school today because she's not feeling well, I was glad to cancel a doctor appointment and spend the day lazily around the house.
I've got about 6 loads of laundry to finish up, including the towels I used to clean up more throw up, so I'm going to go get started on those. I know. You don't have to say it. You wish you were me.

Life

2010-03-27T12:51:00.003-05:00

My Mom called me a few weeks ago and asked me if I had heard of the new Discovery Channel series called Life.

I had not. She said Oprah was narrating it and she had a segment on her show about it. She told me the images they captured on film were unbelievable and she thought my girls would love to watch and learn all about amazing creatures all over the world. So I set my DVR to record the entire series.

Right now as I type this, MacKenzie & Reagan sit completely captivated by this show. Their eyes have not left the TV screen and listening to their conversation with each other as they contemplate all that this show is teaching them is quite amusing. If you have young children, do yourself a favor. Go right now to your DVR and record this series!

You've only missed 2 of them so far and there are 11 in the series, so you've got 9 more coming. And although I am speaking of how my kiddos love watching this, I too, am loving it. It is beautiful and informative and really just fun to watch. The cinematography is breath-taking. If you have HD channels, I urge you to record it on the HD Discovery. Wow.

You. will. not. be. disappointed. Go now!

9 Months and a Few Firsts

2010-03-23T15:43:00.003-05:00

Ty is 9 months old today. And he's had a few "Firsts" on his 9 month birthday. He went for his first official swim in J-Pop & Cici's pool and loved every second of it. He also had his very first popsicle. I know when my sister reads this she is going to have a fit because she gave me such a hard time that my oldest didn't get her first popsicle until she was almost 2! So yes, Amanda, he is the third child and he is my baby boy and I do give him privileges that his older sisters did not get. There, I said it. Another "First" that I'm not so happy about is that he got his first boo boo. He fell outside and hit right above his eye on the corner of a lawn chair. He cried for 20 seconds and was over it. His eye did start to swell and he got a little scrape too. And one final "First" that I am exceptionally unhappy about: He will not have his picture taken in the white chair on his exact 9 month birthday. For the first time since he was born, we will miss taking his picture on the 23rd of the month. You see, I learned the hard way last time that I am unable to take his white chair pictures without another adult present. I can't put him on the white chair and back up to take the pictures without him trying to jump, climb or scoot off the chair. Right after I did his 8 month picture, he did a face plant onto the carpet and had a rug burn all over his nose. So, because of logistical details which would bore you to tears if I shared, so I won't I am unable to have someone else here while it's still daylight. Therefore his 9 month white chair picture will have to wait until tomorrow. As much as it pains me to break our perfect record, I feel quite certain that he won't look too much bigger tomorrow than he does today. Stay tuned...

Day 'O Fun

2010-03-18T10:48:00.011-05:00

Settle in y'all. Lots 'o pictures coming your way.

We started out our day yesterday with a mini photo session of the kiddos all dressed in their St. Patty's Day gear.

If you're wondering why my baby boy has his hand up in all of the pictures, it's because every time I take his helmet off, he does this now. Poor baby. He just rubs & rubs & rubs on his head.

We went to the. coolest. lunch. place. Seriously. If you're in the Houston area, you must check it out. It's called Little Matt's and it's in West University, my old stomping ground. It's as if you stepped back in time and are visiting the local market with a place to eat right next door. There's candy & icee's galore and it makes you want to tell the person behind the counter, "Just put it on my tab." It's one of those kinds of places. They have an adorable courtyard outside with bright, colorful picnic tables to relax and dine, and a room full of arcade games and TV's with free video games for the kids to play.

The "Wish Wall" where kids & adults alike write down wishes, roll them up and place them in small holes on this board made just for their dreams.

The "Dog Bar" featuring fresh water and a bucket full of free Milkbones for the pups.

Don't let this picture fool you. We were there pretty early for lunch. By the time we left, there wasn't a seat to be had!

My boy doing what he does best.

The entrance when we were leaving. People leave their strollers draped in their nice baby blankets outside the front door. And the basket on the bike. I mean really. It was like I had stepped into a scene in Pleasantville.

From there we went on to the Museum of Natural Science. As I suspected, MacKenzie was in. her. element. It was so fun to watch her and all the kids check everything out.

Woah. That's big.

Before the 3D Imax about Whales & Dolphins. As you can clearly see, my fashion-conscious daughters were not happy about having their picture taken with the nerdy 3D glasses.

Lots of finger pointing going on.

At the end of our museum trip, Maggie got all the kids their own geodes to crack open and see what was inside. It was so exciting to see it open up and discover what kind of crystal was on the inside.

We definitely had a "Day 'O Fun" yesterday and boy were we all exhausted to prove it. 2 out of my 3 little ones were racked out in the car on the way home and the other one and her Momma were not too far behind. Plus everyone slept until almost 9 this morning! Thank you Maggie for such a fun adventure. Something tells me it won't be long before we're back at the museum to see more exciting things.

"May Lower Your Cholesterol"

2010-03-12T09:51:00.006-06:00

A Boy...

..and his...

Candice y Chris

2010-03-09T11:43:00.003-06:00

The reason my husband and I had the chance about a week ago to spend some time on one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever laid eyes on, was because of a wedding. Two of my best friends from junior high & high school married each other. Their wedding was one of the most colorful, lively, relaxing, enjoyable & unique weddings I've ever been to. Here is just a small glimpse into our weekend:

8 Months

2010-02-23T10:20:00.003-06:00

Ty is 8 months old today! And on his Mommy & Daddy's 8 year anniversary. I'm already starting to brainstorm ideas for his First Birthday party. I can't believe it. It will be here before we know it.

Here's what the "Ty Man" is up to:

He is crawling all over the place. No more just putting him down in the middle of the living room with toys and walking away. No sir. He goes straight for the things he's not supposed to have and he is FAST.
He pulls up on just about anything that stands still. He gets the best "I'm so proud of myself" look when he does it. Usually when go in his room to get him up from naps or bedtime he's standing in his crib and gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees us.
I can already tell he's is "all boy" as they say. He bangs on everything. And I mean everything: the table, his highchair, his leg, his toys, my arm when I'm feeding him. The list goes on & on. I think we're going to start calling him "Bam Bam."
When we're eating around him, he opens his mouth like a bird and when we don't pay attention to what he's doing or don't give him the food he sees us eating, he gets angry and starts yelling at us. Watch out. He's going to be an eater.
He's still enjoying lots of baby food and his 4 bottles a day.
We're working on learning the sippy cup. He hasn't quite mastered it, but we're getting there.
Still no teeth for him. I can't believe it. With the amount of drooling & hand chewing going on, I would have sworn he would have some by now. You can definitely feel them under his gums. They just haven't quite popped through.

Until next time...

48 Hours and Counting

2010-02-22T14:55:00.004-06:00

In 48 hours I will be here...

seeking refuge from the sun under here...

snoozing away in a room like this...

with our own terrace overlooking the ocean just like this...

and dining here...
all with my husband and no "little people." Somebody pinch me!

Heartprints

2010-02-05T10:50:00.004-06:00

We have a book at our house called Heartprints. It's a book that focuses on doing kind deeds for others and when you do, you are leaving a "Heartprint." The other morning MacKenzie came bouncing down the stairs with the book in her hand. She said, "Mom, can I bring this book to school?" I asked her why. Her response,"Because it's a book about doing nice things and being nice to people. And some of the boys in my class haven't been being very nice." She wanted to take it to school and ask her teacher to read it to the class. I said, "Of course you can bring it to school. Just make sure you bring it back home." That afternoon she came home and said, "Mom, Mrs. Williamson wants to know if I can bring the book back with me tomorrow. She wants to read it to the class again." So she brought it back to school with her the next day. That afternoon she comes running off the bus with the biggest grin on her face. I asked how her day was. Through her huge smile she said, "Guess what!? All of the other 1st grade teachers read the book to their class too. AND now we have a brand new thing in our class. We each have a paper heart with our names on it. When our teachers catch us doing kind things for others, we get a stamp called a "Heartprint" on our heart, and when we get 10 stamps, we get a prize!" Leave it to MacKenzie to get an entire new program about doing kind deeds implemented at her school! She is such a kind, caring soul.

I Heart Hearts

2010-02-01T15:39:00.004-06:00

Not really. I actually do not heart hearts. However, my girls love them and in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I did a little crafting that involved hearts. Super simple. Super Inexpensive. Super cute!

Vintage inspired Valentine's Day Scrapbook Paper: $.59

Ready Made Valentine's Day Blank Canvases: $7

Scissors, Mod Podge, & A Pencil: in my craft drawers

Vintage Inspired "I Love You" Sign: $7.59

3 Bud Vases: on my desk

Conversation Hearts: $2

Styrofoam Heart Stakes: $3.50

Adorable Centerpieces: $5.50