Link Love

I think I may post a collection of links every now and then that have been inspiring me, challenging me or that have just made me laugh. Here goes…

• Back to the Basics series starting on Simple Mom (first post in the series here)– I have a post that I’ve been ruminating on (sorry, my Animal Science background bubbles up into my speech every now & then) that sort of addresses this in my own life and talks about some changes I’ve been making ‘round these parts.
  
• Heroe’s salute – I have a sister in the Army, a brother-in-law in the Marines and a good friend who served a term in the Air National Guard. All three have been deployed at least once in the past eight or so years. I also have a grandfather who served in World War II and both Anthony’s father & paternal grandfather served in the military. Needless to say, we are mindful of the sacrifices our military make/have made for our freedom & our protection. But, the video that Karen Russell links to in this post is still a good reminder that “freedom don’t come free.” Her post is also worthy of your time to read it – her husband has a very good point (no disrespect to Michael Jackson or his family).
  
• On a lighter note (unless you’re talking about caloric weight), I happened upon an older recipe post on Pioneer Woman’s blog for blackberry cobbler that I will be making very soon. I rarely see recipes online where I think, “I have to make this NOW!” but this is one of those. I love, love, love my mom’s blackberry cobbler, but bless her heart, she’s just not good at handing down recipes. It would probably go something like this…
  Her: Well, you need a good bit of blackberries
  Me: How much is a good bit?
  Her: Oh, about two cups, I think. Then, you’ll need some flour and sugar.
  Me: Um, how much?
  Her: Hmm… Maybe a cup of flour and ¾ cup of sugar. I don’t really know. I just put more in the bowl until it looks like enough.
  Me: Well, okay then.
  
• Could you put all the states in the right place on a U.S. map? Here’s a neat little game where you can test your knowledge of U.S. Geography. The best I could do was 96% right & an average of 5 miles off. It’s also a good way to goof off when you’re procrastinating at doing something (I won’t tell you how many times I played it before I got that score). If you play it, come back & tell me your top score (unless you stomp mine & then, well, spare me the humiliation).

And, a picture just because I've been posting too much lately without one...

She was 'helping' plant some flowers.

In Case You Need a Baby Fix

One of the blogs I follow is Grimsaburger. Her baby girl, Nuala, is 6 weeks old and completely adorable. She posted a video today of her 'talking' during a diaper change. If you need a baby fix, you should definitely watch the video. If you are dead set on not having any more children, you should stay far, far away. I'm serious, folks. This video could potentially change your mind & make you want to have a baby right now. Or.... maybe it just has that affect on me.

Either way, click here to see it.

PS22 chorus

If you haven't seen any of the youtube videos of the PS22 chorus (PS22 is a public school in NYC) you are really missing out. Here is my favorite that I've seen so far...



They've been featured on several shows - The Bonnie Hunt show, Nightline (last night), and others.

If watching these videos doesn't fill you up with emotions & give you chills, I think you might want to check your pulse :)

Cloth Diaper Related

Simple Mom has been doing a series this week on cloth diapering, including some of the basics, videos on how to put them on & wash them, and much more. Even for someone who has been doing the cloth diapering thing for over a year, I learned a thing or two.

If you are curious about cloth diapering or have looked into it but been overwhelmed by the overload of information on the internet, I highly recommend taking a look at her posts.

Also, for this weekend only, she's giving away some sweet prizes. So, go throw your name in the hat & maybe you'll win some of the cute diapers she's giving away.

I'm a Messy Cook

I am definitely NOT one of those cooks who can whip up something delicious and leave the kitchen sparkling clean. Nope, not me. This is a lot closer to what my kitchen looks like every time I bake...

Notice the weird shape of the powdered sugar on the flour?
This is where the rest of it was...

Someone has to lick the icing bowl clean...

The finished product...
(lighting is a little off - the icing was actually white)

This was by far the best from scratch cake I've ever made. Of course, I've only made two (that I can remember). One when I was a preteen (chocolate w/ chocolate icing) that was absolutely horrible. And, one for Anthony's birthday the year before last (red velvet at his request) that was probably just as bad as the first one. I think we may have just eaten one piece each & thrown the rest away.

The recipe for this cake is from Pioneer Woman. It's called a Strawberry Shortcake Cake. Anthony & I practically polished the whole thing off ourselves within a few days (I think Wesley & my father-in-law had one piece each). Yum!

Anyhow, just tryin' to keep it real around her.

Uh-oh Someone Got In Trouble

Look what came home with Ella's gram (a daily sheet from daycare where they record what she eats, when she sleeps, etc.) today...

Yes, our sweet, chubby cheeked little girlie actually bit one of her "friends" today. I was a little shocked when they told me this afternoon. She's never bit any of us at home, except for once when I was fishing around in her mouth for new teeth - couldn't blame her for that one, though.

Wesley went through the biting stage quickly & with very few incidents. Let's hope it's the same for Ella.

Edited to Add: I talked to her teacher the next day and found out the poor little girl that Ella bit had just moved up to that class. It was her first day. What a horrible initiation! I saw the bruise on her tiny little arm. Yes, a bruise! I almost starting crying for her.

Don't Trust A Girl Left Alone With A Package of Oreos

Earlier this evening I was on the phone with my sister-in-law while finishing up dinner. Ella was in the living room playing with a nearly empty package of Oreos. She was shaking it like a maraca, making lots of noise. It got quiet for a minute, so I went in to check on her. When I saw her I started laughing so hard I couldn't even explain to Lynsey what she had done.

Luckily there were only two in the package. She had already eaten one when I got in there. She quickly stuffed the second in her mouth & devoured it, too. Then, she tried to wash it down with some milk (her momma taught her well). Alas, the glass was empty (thank goodness for that). That next to last picture is her excited face. She scrunches up her nose when she's really happy or excited - so cute!

After cleaning her up & eating dinner she went straight into the pack 'n' play so she didn't create any more mischief.

































In my defense, I usually don't leave packages of food lying around in her reach. She's getting in three teeth at the same time. We had a rough night last night. She woke up after being in bed for maybe 45 minutes and thought it was party time. I think we both passed out on the couch around 11:30.