Monday List of Wonderful Things

Geeeeeezzzzzzzz.  I suck at blogging.  I am super duper busy at work and I don't really know where I find time to brush my teeth, much less "blog."  But anyway, here's a look at what wonderful things we've been up to. 

Wonderful Thing #1: I made a KILLER roasted chicken, with lemons and LOTS of real butter.  See? Nobody needs to know I trussed it up with sewing thread instead of butcher's twine.

Wonderful Thing #2 - Mia and I shared a red velvet cupcake at the mall.  It was dee-lightful. 

Wonderful Thing #3 - I have been preparing for Husker football.  THROW THE BONES!!!

Wonderful Thing #4 - I have discovered the best way to make sweet potatoes.  Peel them, cube them (in equal size pieces), toss them in olive oil and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bake for about an hour at 350. Trust me. 

Wonderful Thing #5 - When I ask Mia what her name is, she says "Mimi Talman."  I think she may be called Mimi her whole life instead of Mia.  That's pretty darn cute.  Also, her new favorite thing is cowboys.  We rode the carousel at the mall and the whole time she said..." Whoo Hoo....Ride em cowboy!" 

Not everything is peachy and happy.  This summer has been BRUTAL with weather.  This winter better be worth it, Dallas...that's all I have to say. 

UN-WONDERFUL THING #1 - 109 degrees.  More than once this summer.  Really? 

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Monday List of Wonderful Things

See that?  I switched it up.  Just when you thought you knew me....

1.  I got Lasik eye surgery on Friday morning.  My eyes are still a little bloody-looking but I CAN SEE!! With no glasses.  No contacts and it was immediate results.  Surgery took about a half hour and when they made me sit up, I could see.  Seriously, it was like a Christmas miracle.  It's a whole new world for me. Plus, I got a $200 coupon to get new Maui Jim sunglasses with my surgery.  The pair I picked out cost $235.  I feel super cool.  But seriously, there are people who pay $235 for sunglasses? I could barely feel okay to pay $35 for sunglasses. Those must be the type of people who must have been affected by the recession...cause they are stupid.

2.  I am watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey.  I like this season very much.  It was shot during Christmas time and for one hour, it makes me forget that it's been 100+ degrees for 45 days straight in Dallas with no rain.  Barf.  Also, RIP anything growing in my yard and my house foundation. 

3.  I bought a surprise gift for my sister-in-law B at Anthropologie this weekend.  If I hadn't dropped my phone in the toilet on Thursday morning, I would have texted her a picture of them.  But instead, let's see if she reads the blog...HERE is what's coming to you in the mail! THESE (except all with the letter "M")

4.  Anthropologie is my favorite store at the moment.  Us hippies are pretty particular about our overpriced "quirky" and "unique" things.  This place does it best, I think.

5.  We are going to a 2 year old birthday this Saturday with Mia's buddy Brooks.  It's a pool party and so Mia and I went shopping this weekend and got him a remote control truck.  I love shopping for boys. Although, I'm SURE Mia would also love a remote control truck. She left the store with a blue ball.

6.  I made pretty awesome bruschetta tonight. 

LIST OF 1 NOT SO WONDERFUL THING

1.  Mia is not napping well at all anymore.  We have had 2 days in a row of her staying in her crib and refusing to nap. We have had a schedule of taking a nap right after lunch since she was about a year when we went from a two nap day, to a one nap day.  She has NEVER not taken a nap and unless she is sick, she always goes down easy.  Now, after lunch she is her usual tired self so I rock her, sing a few songs and lay her down and within 5 minutes, she is jumping up and down, yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!.......", singing songs, crying, laughing, playing with her stuffed hippo, playing the "drum" on the sides of her crib, I mean, just goes CRAZY!  Then after doing this for 2 hours, I finally give up and take her out.  THEN, she falls asleep at like 6:30pm, wakes up at 7:45pm and doesn't get back to sleep until 10pm.  Not good for business, for anyone.  Let's hope this is a short phase.

Eat.

Fantastic.  Watch it.

EAT

"Going to the Tops"...a gardner's enemy

So, I don't pretend to be a real gardener.  Mostly because it's been 107 for the last month here and NOT ONLY is it too hot to water my garden every day, but it's too darn hot to grow anything either.  PLUS, our city put a 2 day "landscaping" watering rule now since we're in this drought mess and I want to be at least a little compliant with that.  But not really.

Anyway, I gave up on my garden and I'm not really that sad.  Well, I am sad cause I was so excited for my garden.  I'm pretty passionate about my family eating "good food", meaning food that won't sit in my cupboard for months on end and not rot.  If it doesn't "rot" when it's not frozen, then it's not real food.  So yes, that means no hamburger helper.  My garden was a manifestation of that, I think.

I pulled my carrots the other night because a) I've been randomly pulling carrots this summer to check them (I'm an antsy person) and b) It was my last hope of getting anything other than 3 tomatoes all summer.

Here is what they looked like after I pulled them. 

Beautiful, right?  Wow, those carrots are gonna big, juicy orange suckers.  I just know it.  Or...Not.  Here is what the bottom looks like:

Tiny little slivers of carrot that don't even warrant picking.  Ugh.  They don't even taste good either.  This is what my mom calls "going all to the top."  Where the tops are lush, green and beautiful but the actual "vegetable" is small and sickly looking.  Here is a textbook case of that.  I think maybe I'll try new seeds next year.  Maybe that would help.

Peach Shortcakes

First of all...The Real Housewives of New York fight way too much and the whole "blonde side v. the brunette side" isn't working for me.  I watch the show to live vicariously through very rich women who regularly get botox, buy Jimmy Choos and plan their day around lunch dates with their girlfriends.  If I wanted to see fights, I'd watch Jerry Springer...like my dad.

Anyway, my mama (or nana as she's called in our house) visited us for 10 days and they went by FAST!  I can't believe she already went home.  One of the things that she made while she was here was THIS!

A beautiful, peach shortcake made out of the most delicious peaches, homemade shortcake and *ahem* 8montholdcannedwhippedcream.  There I said it.  Hey, it still tasted very good and we didn't really care.  Is it good that canned whipped cream can last that long in your fridge?  No.  Is canned whipped cream good, period?  No.  But, I'm not above it.  So on my dessert it went. 

Anyway, it's one of the things that I love about my mom and "women from the farm in the Midwest" in general, I guess.  No, Southern women do not count because they all think they're better than everyone else and I'm not gonna help feed that. Gotta be from the Midwest.  Anyway, one of the things that I love about my mom is how she can just whip this up.  It's like, oh...we have these great peaches, let's do shortcakes, we have Bisquick.  I would NEVER think to make shortcakes with Bisquick. Pancakes?  Yes.  Biscuits?  Maybe.  But shortcakes?  I would never think to do it and I'm glad my mama was around to think of it. 

In other news, RIP my garden.  I've given up and I'm not going to stress about it anymore.  We have had about 30 straight days over 100 degrees with no rain and I'm fighting to keep ANYTHING alive in my yard.  I'm not going to stress over tomato plants that aren't bearing any tomatoes, bell peppers that I never eat (not planting those next year) and baby carrots that are all "going to the top."  That's a gardening term (taught to me by my mom) when the tops of the plan get full and lush but the actual vegetable at the bottom is small and bitter.  Happens to carrots and radishes, I think.  Needless to say, my poor garden isn't getting watered anymore and I'm gonna pull all of the plants in a few days and just accept it. 

But, I'm happy.  Know why?  Cause I ate this AGAIN for dessert tonight.  Thanks mama! ( I mean Nana).