Recipes Anyone?

I am always desperate for new recipes. I love to cook for my family and sometimes I just run out of ideas. My solution...a recipe swap! If you are interested comment here or e-mail me. I think it would be fun to have everyone contribute a recipe for each category, I will compile them all and send everyone who shared their ideas a copy of all of the recipes. Just a fun idea to help friends make life easier!! The categories will be: Main Dishes & Casseroles, Cakes, Cookies, Candies, Desserts, Salads, Appetizers & Breads. You don't have to have one for every single category just a few of your favorites!

P.S. remember the pay it forward post from forever ago? Ok maybe you don't remember but I didn't forget and I know what I am going to do so Ricki, Michelle and Whitney I will be paying you a visit in the near future!!

Leapin' Lizard!!

This darn lizard has been living on our roof for months now! He keeps revealing himself when we get visitors. This picture doesn't show how vibrantly orange he is and how large he is. It is very fast and he hangs out at the front entry. I have never seen a lizard of this size down here other than someones pet, but he gives people a scare when they knock at the front door. Anyone have any idea what kind of reptile this is? I hope it isn't man eating or poisonous!

Special...Special...Special...

Book a photo session now through the month of September and receive $25 off of your sitting fee! Refer a friend and receive and additional $10! Call 862-2940 to book your session today!!

First Day of School!

Summer has so quickly come and gone! I can't believe that school is back in session already. I think Baylie and Cam are excited to get back to their friends, but honestly, I have enjoyed the freedom of summer. What I can't believe even more than that is how quickly my babies are growing up! I feel like they are just a couple of years away from walking out the door into their own lives, college, marriage.... I remember so vividly being their ages! I am so proud of them both. They both get good grades, they never cause me any grief, other than the usual stuff, but neither of them have ever been in trouble in school. I took Cam on his first day, walked in with him and had to hurry back to the car. I fought the tears so he wouldn't see me cry, I cried all the way to work, and throughout the day had a lump in my throat. The time where I get to be with my kids every day is just flying by! I love being their mom and I am so grateful for two pretty spectacular kiddlings!

13 Years!

Marty and I celebrated our 13th anniversay on the 22nd. I have been trying of a clever way to blog about it and I am a dud. I couldn't come up with anything that someone hasn't already done. So I decided to have Baylie take some photographs of us. If you didn't know she is very talented and she has shown me up a few times with her creativity. So she took these, I edited them a little and I LOVE them. Marty and I didn't have a fancy wedding and really have no photos of the whole event so I was so pleased with how these turned out. There were a few more I would have liked to have posted but I was having some issues...it was taking too long, I'm impatient I guess!

The wind was also blowing about 95 mph this day, it's not a fan I promise!!

My cute little nephews

We just made a trip to Wyoming. I got some really cute pictures of my niece and nephews and just thought I would share. Keep checking back there will be more coming!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom!! I love you!!

Maturation...

The funniest conversation happened between Cam and I. A couple of weeks ago his class got to watch the famous 'maturation video'. Cameron was so excited because rumor has it you get a free stick of deodorant. He was very clear about not having either parent attend, that is just embarrassing. Anyway, we are driving in the car and he says to me, "Mom I need to talk to you about something." Now when Cam wants to have a serious one on one conversation you know it has taken him some time to think about it and get the courage up to talk. He is my kid that I worry keeps too much inside and just doesn't talk to us about much. So when he said I need to talk to you, I am thinking great, what is tormenting my poor kid now. Back to my story.... when he brought home the handout about what the boys learn in their video I was astounded. The boys lesson is much more explicit than the girls by far!! So Cameron says, "You know how in that video they said sometimes there might be something that you get excited about and it will cause blood to flow 'down there' and you might get an erection?" I reply with a puzzled, "Yeah?#$%#$!" "Well I have had some really good Christmases, and I have been really excited about presents that I have gotten and that has NEVER happened to me. What are they talking about?" I know I should have been more honest with him and explained it, but he is still so immature and so innocent, I just said, "Dude, I have no idea! Maybe your dad knows!" They say that we aren't educating our kids young enough about sex and maturation....I disagree. My guy has no clue and I think it kind of made him a little confused and I don't think he was quite ready for that. Anyway, I had to fight back the giggles. He was so serious. When Marty tried to explain it all to him he was so grossed out. My kids now know all there is to know about the birds and the bees now, and Cameron has the best smelling pits on the block! Everyday I just feel older and older!!

Some things are just sad...

Last night we had to take poor Cameron off of the Red Dirt Boys tournament baseball team. Little league started about 3 weeks ago and from game one there has been drama. I have never witnessed such horrible sportsmanship in any sporting event, and the sad thing is that it isn't the kids it's the parents. Cameron's team won their first game and the coach of the other team took his kids out of the dugout and told them not to shake our team's hands. The coach of the other team is a dad to one of the kids on the traveling team. It is just unbelievable to me that adults act this way and that the kids are the ones that suffer because of their choices. When we talked to Cameron about our decision he was absolutely heartbroken. He loves the tournament team. We paid the expense of the travel, the tournament and Cam wouldn't get to play a whole lot, but he was enjoying it. We never complained one time about how little playing time he had. So to top it all off the same dad who has created the stress, teamed up with one of the mother's of another player and together (they are on the little league board together) they were going to protest the game that they lost and bend the rules and work their hardest to make Marty and our other coaches look bad. This lady has said some terrible things about Cameron and his abilities and importance to the traveling team. This mother is the wife of the coach. It is so sad. Anyway, we aren't willing to take the chance of having Cam's confidence and loyalty to something he loves so much be taken from him so we took him off of the team. I just wanted to share our sad story, not for sympathy, but to remind ourselves that winning isn't everything, and that these kids should be able to play together to build friendships with each other and memories to take with them the rest of their lives. It's too bad that ego's of coaches, moms and dads interfere with that. Anyway just wanted to share.

Me, by Baylie...

I am not as fond at being in front of the camera as I am behind it, but Baylie needed to be able to download some pictures of me for some assignment for school. For one time and lots of editing, I allowed her one chance to get a decent shot of my mug without breaking the camera. She actually did a great job and I edited a few wrinkles and ugly spots. So.....thanks for looking I guess!

The other photo is of her and her friends that she needed for the same assignment. We did a shoot of the three of them a couple of weeks ago. Aughhhhh to be young and sooooo beautiful again!

I added this final one just because my daughter never takes a bad picture! My friend Michelle was my inspiration.... I promise I didn't totally copy you Michelle, the wind picked up and blew her hair but the white back drop and all, I give you full credit!!

Just a couple new pics of the kiddos!

Found a new location and of course my kids had to be my guinea pigs! Just thought I would share, thanks for looking!!

GARLIC

As all of you Twilight lovers are aware, the movie is now out on DVD. Baylie read the books and loved the movie so I bought it for her. Cameron was dying to see it. I watched and thought it was a little on the cheesy side and figured what harm could it do to let him watch. Honestly I thought he would watch a little bit and then be off doing something else. He watched the whole thing and afterwards didn't say one word. That night Marty ended up in Cameron's bed and Cam slept with me because the vampires kind of freaked him out. When I woke up the next morning there were plastic cereal bowls around my bed and on the nightstand with cloves of garlic in each one! I'm not sure where he learned that garlic would save us from the vampires but for the last week he will not go to bed without his garlic! Oh what would we ever do without that kid?

When did I lose it?

Over the weekend I decided that I deserved a couple items of clothing for myself for spring. Now keep in mind, I hardly ever shop for myself, and when I do, it is usually not much. I am also unsure of what the style is right now. I want to look nice, but my age nice...you follow me? I have always enjoyed buying skinny clothes in Baylie's size more than buying things for myself. Anyway, I found a cute, or what I thought was cute, black skirt. Nothing exciting, just a black, casual skirt from Old Navy. With it I purchased a casual plain white t-shirt. Saturday night we planned dinner with our friends Galen and Tiffanee, so I decided to wear my new outfit. When my sweet daughter sees me she has a look on her face like what is that woman wearing? I ask her, "Bay does this look ok?" She says "Ummmmm....." any conversation that a teenager starts with the sound ummmm stands for no. "Ummmm, it is very you, I guess it looks fine, I don't know about the white shirt. Oh and the necklace has some white beads, I would never wear white beads with a white shirt. But it's fine." Let me tell you the necklace had 3 white beads the rest were black and silver, apparently the white ones ruined the whole outfit. Then she proceeds to come out with some of her jewelry that would "look way better".

I remember when I was younger and thinking my mom was clueless and I vowed that I would always know what was in style and I would always fit in with my kids. I would always understand them. How does it happen? I am outdated, and I don't want to fit in with that girl or her friends!!!! She is a very good kid, I am so proud of her, but those 13 year olds are from another planet. I hope she knows that when I was a teen, I totally had it going on. I had big bangs, banana clips, and two pairs of matching scrunch socks for every outfit. My blue mascara and my over sized ENUF shirts were to die for!! I would have posted some pictures, but you all know what I'm talking about!! We are the generation that invented cool!

Needless to say, I wore my skirt to dinner and I was self conscious the whole time. Tiffanee is young and always looks to cute. I wondered the whole time what she was thinking about what I was wearing. When we came home, I put on my tennis shoes with my skirt and asked Cam if I looked ok. Without a second thought he said, "Mom you always look hot!" I love that kid. Until he turns 13 and heads off to Mars I am going to just enjoy how normal and sweet he is right now! As for Baylie, I guess I will just keep buying her size, I am going to make Tiffanee go shopping with me and I am gonna get my 'totally rad' back!

Ok so now there are three winners....

Thanks for pulling through for me Ricki!! So Michelle, Whitney and Ricki....woo hooo! I don't think I need your adresses... I know where to find you!! P.S. Ricki you can buy something if you want, but you have a whole year to get it to them :)!

This is your last chance...

....to be my friend :)!! Just kidding, but I would like to have one more comment on the pay it forward post otherwise my VERY BESTEST friends Whitney and Michelle will each get two great, awesome, beautiful somethins.... So be my friend!!! If no one posts by tomorrow afternoon then I will get to creating something great for Whitney and Michell!!

Take me out to the ball game!!!

Cameron is back to baseball again, already!! He plays little league and a tournament team as well. These little guys are some go getters!! Our first tournament over president's day weekend didn't go so well, but they play with so much heart. I have to say, watching this age play like they do is so much fun for me I just love it. Tournament ball is so competitive. We are hoping to take these boys to Cooperstown, NY next year. Anyhoo, there they are the Red Dirt Boys for '09.

Pay It Forward

I got this from my friend Michelle's blog, and I think it sounds way cute... and because I stalk her I am a winner!!! So copied right from her blog here it is:
The Rules
1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.
2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!I will leave a list of names who were the first 3 on my blog as soon as I receive them!I have no clue what it is I will make you, but I will make it good, promise!!

If you wouldn't mind....

So I have neglected my photography blog for the longest time and I have finally taken the time to update it, so if you don't mind taking a gander and give me some honest opinions. If you're into photography and editing and all that jazz, then your constructive criticism is always welcome, but I would also love some honest opinions.... lately I have been thinking about throwing in the towel, but then I get to playing around and I feel creative again. I finally got the real mccoy as far as photoshop goes and boy has it thrown me for a loop!! Anyway my blog address is petalsandpolkadotsphotography.blogspot.com. (thinking about changing the name there too, it's a little long and I get strange responses when I tell people, so advice is welcome in that area too!

Marty Update...

Marty is home now, has been since Saturday. His recovery has amazed me. He had an epidural in the hospital for a few days and since they removed it he hasn't had a need for any pain medication. We got the pathology report and they got all of the cancer in his colon and it didn't spread to any lymph nodes!!!! He will see an oncologist in a couple of weeks and we will know if he will have to go through chemotherapy, either way things look really good right now. I have to say this has been such a scary ordeal for us, but also a great blessing. We have never been closer as a couple or a family. I look forward to every minute I get to spend with him. It also has made him realize what I went through when I had the kids. He has a c-section type of incision and he keeps telling me he didn't take good enough care of me after I had them..... I LOVE to hear that!

We are also so thankful for all of our friends and family. We have had dinner brought to us every night, I can't thank all of you enough. Last night my kids were literally fighting over who got the last chicken puff, they were delicious. I hope that I get the chance to return the favor to all of you! We really appreciate all the love and support and we love every single one of you!!

Life is now back in session...

I absolutely love the holidays, sometimes I think I love it more than my kids even. This year for some reason got away from me. I didn't make any treats, I always felt like I was running a little behind, and then it was gone!! Anyway, now things are back in action, kids are back to school and back to work for me. We had a wonderful holiday so here it is in a nutshell:

Christmas Eve we spent with our good friends Cody and Debbie Clark and family. They are so great they always make us feel like we are part of their family. We did our usual thing, stayed up late wrapping, wrapping, wrapping. Cameron tried to wake us up at 1:30am, 3:30ish am, and finally we started our day at 5:30am!! Marty had our friend, Kurt, build me a sofa table. He is amazing with his woodworking skills, he and his wife are both incredibly talented! I also got a frame with a family picture, also from the Evans'. My kids made me some jewelry. Cam spent all of the money he had on his dad's present so he made me some large seashell barrettes with lots of wire- I will cherish them forever!! Poor Marty, Baylie and Cam bought him some Dolphins stuff, I just bought him the usual- clothes, underwear, chocolate, he is too hard to buy for. He wanted a new driver (golf club) but not going there, I tried, that's just not something you can't pick out for someone else. Baylie got a new camera, she is hogging all of the memory on our computer with her pictures! She was excited about her clothes. So was I, she didn't want to take anything back to exchange and I have actually seen her wearing it so maybe we're not on different planets just yet! Cam's favorite gift was his Boise State replica football helmet. That kid had a list a mile long and the helmet was not on there. So one afternoon, approx. Dec. 23rd we were driving home in the car and I asked both of my kids, "If you could choose just one thing on your list what would it be?" Cameron pipes up, "It wasn't on my list but I really love that helmet at Fanzz." So Marty runs there to pick it up, then you have to keep everything even between the kids so we frantically find more for Baylie. We ran in to say hi to Marty on Christmas Eve at the mall and Cameron wants to run down to Fanzz and look at the helmet again. When he came back he had a sad face, the helmet was gone, he wouldn't even be able to buy it after Christmas. Long story short, the look on his face was priceless when he opened it, and the man in the red hat was not getting credit for this one!!

For the new year, we will just play it day by day. Marty's surgery is now on the 14th instead of the 13th. As soon as we complete that hurdle we both have goals of losing weight, getting healthy and spending more time together as a couple and as a family, spending less money, and just feeling blessed with what we have and paying no attention to what we don't.

That said, Happy New Year. We truly are so lucky to have such beautiful kids, wonderful friends, we are employed and we have a roof to sleep under at night.