Why I Love Fall (Especially This Year)

I have always loved summer fading into fall,  but this year is especially great because of my daughter.  It seems that when you have little ones, it's like you get to live your childhood all over again, except this time you are watching from the sidelines.

So, I will break this down into two categories-why I love fall and why I love fall as a mom

I love fall because...
I don't have to run the air conditioner
When I walk outside, I do not suffocate in the heat
I can drink my hot tea out on the porch
It smells cleaner outside
I finally get to decorate the house for a holiday after a long spring and summer with no decorations
Pumpkins-cooking with them, decorating with them, carving them, everything about them!
Apple cider-nothing says "fall" like a hot cup of apple cider
Fall cleaning-it's like spring cleaning except in the fall
I get to start wearing sweatshirts
I love that Justin gets so excited about football season
The fact that we can return to our college in Boone for Homecoming (nothing compares to fall in Boone)

Why I love fall as a mom...
I can take Bella outside to play at any given time in the day, and we will not pass out from the heat
I can take her to the pumpkin patch and watch her little eyes light up as she says "Wow" and "Punkin"
I can dress her in footed pajamas again (which she may not love as much as I do)
I get to dress her up in a cute Halloween costume (she is a unicorn this year by the way) and watch her carry a candy bucket as big as she is around the neighborhood this year
I get to watch her scoop the guts out of a pumpkin for the first time this year (and probably cry because she doesn't like to get her hands dirty)

I could have listed a million reasons for loving the fall, but you get the picture.  The point of this blog is this:  Everyday, ordinary things become so much better when you look at them through the eyes of a child, and I am so happy to be able to do that this season! :-)

P.S.  I gets even better at Christmas!!!

Vegetarian Minestrone for Summer Days

It's a rainy summer day, and even in the summer, there is nothing better than the smell of homemade soup on the stove.  So, as a tribute to Fall coming so soon, here is my recipe for Vegetarian Minestrone.  It is great for fall and winter weather, but still light enough to eat in the summer.
Because this is my recipe, there aren't really an measurements to follow exactly.  So, you will have to follow this with an open mind and make changes according to your own tastes.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Vegetable stock
White wine (optional)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes
Dried thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano
2 bay leaves
A little bit of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper

Directions:
*Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and heat on medium high.  Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until soft.  Add salt and pepper at this time. 
*Add the garlic and zucchini and a little white wine.  (Adding wine is optional, but does result in a better flavor).  Let the wine cook down until it is almost gone then add the herbs.  I just sprinkle a little of each in then taste it later to see if I need more.  Add the bay leaves and crushed red pepper.
*Add in the diced tomatoes and vegetable stock.  You will have to use your best judgement on how much veggie stock to use.  I just add it until I have a soupy consistency.  It will cook down a little so you might want to add a little more than you think.
*Stir everything together and bring to a simmer.  Once it is simmering, turn it down to low and cover with a lid.
*I like to cook mine all day on low, but it is perfectly fine to eat after cooking for an hour or 2. 
*A little bit before you are going to eat, add in the white beans.  I don't add them in before because they tend to thicken the soup and I like to have a nice light soup.

Well, I hope that this turns out as good for you as it does for me.  I will certainly enjoy smelling this all day and listening to the rain fall....

Carrot Coconut Muffins

If you have kids that don't really like to eat their veggies, like I do, here is a great recipe that is delicious that they will eat for sure.  I got this recipe from an episode on the Food Network by Sandra Lee.  I just made them and they smell sooooo good...and of course I had to taste test one before breakfast in the morning and they taste just like they smell...delish!! :-)

Oil cooking spray

1 (19-ounce) box apple cinnamon muffin mix
4 (4-ounce) jars pureed carrot baby food
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Honey Butter, recipe follows

Directions

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
*Lightly spray a 12 cup (2 1/2-inch) muffin tray with oil cooking spray; set aside.
*Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
*Bake in preheated oven 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Honey Butter.

Honey Butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

*Combine butter and honey in a mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy. Serve with warm muffins.

P.S.  I used Beechnut brand baby food and it worked great.  Also, the recipe actually calls for toasted coconut, but I didn't have time for all of that so I just put in non-toasted and it tasted just as good.

Enjoy!

Back to School!

Well, August is here and that means it's time to go back to school!  Technically, I started this process in March with online classes, but I actually get to go to campus this time and attend classes.  The prospect of starting school again now that I am 27 and have been out of school for 5 years was, at first, a little overwhelming.  I thought that since I had a bachelor's degree I was finished and I could go on with my life and start my career.  Word of advice people...if you want to have a career and actually use what you went to school for, don't get a degree in Psychology unless of course you plan to attend four more years of school to be a Psychologist, which I have no intention of doing.
So last year when we lived in Georgia, I had the bright idea that I was going to go back to school to become a nurse.  Because we are a military family and have the potential of moving from place to place throughout our lives, nursing seems to be the obvious choice for me since you can do that anywhere, not to mention the huge need for nurses right now.  So I began this journey in March of this year, and so far I have been sticking with it!
As I went to campus today to get my parking pass and books and all of that, I was reminded that I had absolutely made the right decision by going back to school.  Seeing all of the other students hurrying around getting their books and making sure their schedules were correct reminded me of being back at ASU, but this time I have a new respect for education. 
SO here is my speech about education...
I believe that being 18 years old and just coming out of high school is way too young to appreciate education.  I know that many would disagree with me on that (heck, I when I was 18 I would have disagreed with that), but now I am speaking from my own experiences.  Going off to college when you have been at home with the rules and boundaries for 18 years is hard for most people.  It is a what makes a lot of students flunk out and get into trouble.  I was lucky enough to squeeze by in four years and graduate bottom of the class which I can chuckle about now, but this was not a laughing matter when you are not the one paying for your school.  I had the potential to be a top student, but no one was there with me to hold my hand and make me go to class.  I know this is not the case for all students because I know plenty of my friends and peers that graduated with A's and knew exactly what they wanted to do when they graduated, and I raise my glass to them.  I think it just takes others a little bit more time to figure things out.
So here I am, back to school and I can't wait to start!  Now that I have this new respect for what I am doing, I have already started my school career with a 4.0 gpa, I have no intention of getting less than that.  Also, this would not be possible at all without the emotional and financial support of my wonderful husband- always pushing me to do what I want to do and doing whatever it takes to achieve my goals.  For this, I am truly grateful. By the way, Justin will have his Master's degree in October and I am so proud of him!
Well, now that I have written a novel on the subject I will end with this...best of luck to all of you back-to-schooler's and always strive to do your best because it most definitely matters in the long run!! :-)

In Need of New Scrapbooking Ideas

Yes that's right....I am a scrapper!  I started scrapbooking when Justin was in Iraq in 2007, and I love it!  I have pretty much been on top of every event that I can scrap until now.  It has taken me 15 months to try and put together my maternity book for when I was pregnant with Bella.  I have done other books during this time, but I can't seem to get this one finished.

For all of you scrappers out there, you know what "scrappers block" is right?  Well, I am having a bad case of scrappers block with my maternity book.  Yes I know I am a little behind on things considering I was pregnant 2 years ago, but hey, at least I am trying to get it done. 

Anyway, I need new ideas!  I feel like I have used very technique (within my ability and budget) that there is, and my books are starting to look the same.  For those of you that love to scrap, you know how hard it is to even think about completing a book when you are fresh out of ideas.  I would really like to get this maternity book completed by the time I go back to school (which gives me 10 days), but it is not looking good.

So, I am welcoming any ideas that you might have!  Keep in mind that the theme here is maternity/pregnancy.

The Day Care Blues

Since I have decided to go back to school, I have been putting off the inevitable...daycare for Bella.   This summer I was fortunate enough to have all online classes so I could still do my duties as a stay at home mom.  However, now that I am in the science portion of my classes, taking them online is not an option.  So why is finding daycare a problem for me...well about 3 months ago Bella had to be enrolled in daycare so that I could take an 8 week nursing assistant course.  In the 8 weeks she was enrolled, she probably only actually went about half the time all the while we were paying a fortune.  Why was she only there half the time you ask?  She got every viral and bacterial disease they had to offer her.  First it was the norovirus, then it was bronchitis, then it was pink eye in both eyes.  For those of you that have your child in daycare, you know that they can't attend when they have these illnesses, but you still get to pay for it!  Now I do blame myself a little bit for this because she was very sheltered from germs and other kids for the first part of her life so of course she is going to get sick.  It was just very upsetting that I was trying to focus on school while she was sick all of the time.  Anyway, back to present...
Something else to vent about this morning...the military offers financial assistance for daycare, however, in order to see if you qualify you have to have the child enrolled in a daycare and then fill out the application for assistance.  Does this make sense to anyone else?  The whole point in finding out if you are eligible for assistance is so that you can decide on which daycare to take them to that you can afford.  Am I the only one that sees the problem here?  So now I am forced to find a sub par daycare because there is a chance that we don't qualify for assistance (it is based on rank). 
Anyway, I am just rambling now so I will end with this.  Why am I going through all of this stress and hassle?  Being a stay at home mom is the most important job in the world, that I will agree with.  However, as much as I love being able to be with my sweet child everyday, I am on the verge of insanity staying home everyday.  There are only so many loads of laundry, and you can only clean the house so much before you want to go crazy.  And, because you clean so much from sheer boredom, you become a complete freak about your husband walking in the kitchen with shoes on for fear of him leaving a speck of dirt on the floor.  You really can become a mental patient staying at home.  I know some of the older folks would say, "It is a blessing to be able to stay at home" and I am completely in agreement with that, but as for me, doing this makes me a more happy and stable person for my family. :-)

Fall Off the Bone Ribs

It's Sunday afternoon, which is our day for a "feast" as Justin (husband) calls it.  Today I am making spareribs!  If you are looking for the smokey flavored, chewing on the bone type ribs then this one is not for you.  This is the oven baked, ooey gooey, melt in your mouth type of ribs...doesn't really get much better.  I will probably do the smoked ribs soon, but not today...

What you need:
4 lb rack of pork spareribs
2 c chicken stock
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 to 1 whole white onion(depending on size) chopped however you want because it is just for flavor
3 large carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 tblsp dried thyme or a handful of fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we use Sweet Baby Rays unless we decided to make our own)

What to do:
Make sure you lay your ribs out at least 30 minutes before putting them in the oven and coat them generously with salt and pepper. 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Use a fairly large roast pan with lid because you need room for the veggies and the ribs and have room to cover them.
Pour the chicken stock in the pan and add the veggies and thyme.
Lay the ribs over the veggies and cover with the lid.
Bake for 2 hours or more depending on the size of your ribs.  Make sure you check them ever so often to make sure they are not over cooked.
When they get to the point when they are almost falling off the bone, take them out.
Add the bbq sauce and put them back in the oven, uncovered, to thicken up the sauce a bit (about 10 minutes)
You can discard the veggies or have them as a side dish.  As tasty as they are, they are filled with fat from the juices of the ribs. and I prefer not to eat them.
I can eat them right out of the oven, but if you have to have that "grilled" flavor, make sure you put them on the grill before they actually do start falling off the bone or you will have a huge mess.

Hope you enjoy this Sunday treat!

Welcome to my blog!

Hi all!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!  This is my first blogging experience so this might be a little rough for a while.  I set up my blog as a way to get out of the routine of everyday life and be able to share experiences and laugh with others.  I love seeing the humor and joy in life and hope that my everyday experiences will inspire, motivate and maybe even make someone laugh!  I will be posting all kinds of stuff including: cooking adventures and recipes, photos, funny stories, scrapbooking ideas and techiniques, new workout routines and much more!  My main goal here is to be able to swap information and form a network with other women, mothers and  friends.  Who out there (especially those of us with kids) doesn't need a little adult interaction once in a while??  That's what I thought!  So here we go...