I am on a mission

A friend of mine told me about Johnson & Johnson's new bath wash, Honey Apple.

It smells so YUMMY, seriously. I want to eat little Pumpkin once she's out of the bath!

The only bad thing...THERE ISN'T A LOTION to match!! I hate covering up that delicious smell with lavender....such a shame.

My mission, Ladies, is to find a matching lotion and wash in a yummy smell. If you know of any great baby products with this criteria, please please let me know about it!

What a weekend!

Thursday night Scot and I had date night. This is one thing I miss from the pre-baby days. We had tons of dates. I took those dates for granted. Now I cherish the alone time we have together. Even if it's just going out to eat and having a few drinks. Which is absolutely what we did. We missed our movie and spent our time talking. It was so nice.

We spent the day Friday as a family. We went to Academy for shoes for Scot, the 99 cent store for things we just couldn't live with out (basically junk haha), and the Farmers Market for a honey dew melon and blueberries. It was a very enjoyable day to say the least.

Saturday Pumpkin and I went to Little Elm to spend the day with Tina, Candace, and Carter (Pumpkin's boyfriend). I had such a good time!!! We just sat around and talked, had a few drinks, ate chex-mix (the best! I will share the recipe one day soon), and had roast for dinner. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-L-Y perfect day! They are such great ladies, I love them!

Today was the MOST important day of the weekend, though. Janie's (one of my best friends) sister graduated from high school. Haltom High School class of 2010! It was a wonderful ceremony. Pumpkin did great, except towards the end. People were hooting an hollering and it scared the heavens out of her. We are pretty loud around her, Roxie barks all of the time, but she is still a jumpy baby. It broke my heart how scared she got!! Poor little girl. Congratulations Stacey Pathammavong!!!!

While I'm blogging, here is a picture of Pumpkin...she was thuroughly enjoying her peas. Yum!

I've been M.I.A.

And I apologize!

Tuesday my best friend, Erica, came into town from Sanger, Tx (a good 45 mins from me) and brought her two adorable kids, Ayden-3 and Alyvia-4 months. It was nice to be able to talk to her and let the girls play together....Not that they actually PLAY...they just kind of lay there with the occassional face punch.

Here are a few photos from the day.

Our girls are litterally our mini-mes. And we love them to death!! During lunch Ayden was playing with my dog Roxie, he said, "Hey look!" and this is what we saw:

He climbed onto her and was on her like a horse! Roxie just stood there and let him (she's such a good dog, and a Great Dane if you couldn't tell.). He basically wore her out!

On Wednesday I babysat for a friend of mine. She has 3 kids, two of which I was watching. Gracie-3 and Tanner-4 are adorable and the best kids. They love Pumpkin! They both held her and were so helpful with feeding her. We also got to go to the park (Lord was it hot!) and have a picnic lunch! I really enjoyed myself, and absolutely wore Pumpkin out in the process.

Playing with camo bandaids, trying to look like their Daddy!

Friday Follow @ the Trendy Treehouse

Go on over and join the blog hop!

If you're a new follower, don't be shy! Leave me a comment so I can follow you back.

Follow Me Back Tuesday!

Join in on the blog hop over at Boobies Babies and A Blog. And if you're a new follower, don't be shy! I love comments, leave me some love!

Shutter Love Tuesdays!!

Today is my first Tuesday to enter at the Trendy Treehouse! The Theme is Nature!

I call this "Stuck"

Banana cake with chocolate frosting: Part 2

This part is the easiest! After the 2 days are up you need to frost the cake. You can make your own chocolate frosting, or take the easy route and use a premade frosting. Regardless of your choice the cake will be delicious!

Frost and enjoy. Oh and pass the recipe on ;)

The art of pancake making

Do you remember waking up on Saturday mornings? The smell of pancakes, syrup, bacon, and eggs invading your nose. That is why I love Saturday mornings.

As most of you know, if not every single one of you, pancakes are not hard to master. Actually, it's VERY simple to make a great tasting pancake. You have to have patience, though. Because turning the pancake prematurely can be absolutely disasterous!

First all you need is a recipe, or even a box of pancake mix. A box is easy, but now making them from scratch can be easier, and possibly even cheaper.

1 cup flour (I sift mine)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil (if you want added fat)
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another.
2. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are mixed well.

Well that was easy enough!

When it comes to cooking those lovely pancakes there is one cardinal rule. Let the bubbles rise. I mean it. No bubbles, no flippy.

NOW FLIP

And enjoy ;)

Banana cake with chocolate frosting: Part 1

When I was 19 weeks pregnant Scot and I made a trip to his mom's house in New Iberia, LA. It just happened to be her Mother-in-law's 79th (I think) birthday. Her tradition is to make a banana cake with chocolate frosting. Now, I've never heard of such a thing. But seeing as I was pregnant and couldn't turn down cake of any kind, I tried it.

Imagine heaven in cake form. IT.WAS.THE.BEST.CAKE.EVER. And that is not an exageration. I think I teared up with joy as I ate this cake.

With that being said it is very easy. And as always there will be pictures. The catch? This is a two part recipe/post. "Why," you ask? After baking the cake and assembleing, you have to let it set 2 days before you ice it. Yes, it's worth the wait.

Here is my sous-chef!

What you need:
Two 8 in round cake pans (you want layers!)
1 box of Pillsbury Golden Butter Yellow cake mix (or plain old yellow cake mix) and whatever ingredients it calls for
Sugar (there is no measurment, I'll explain later)
1 banana (per cake layer. For example, if you want to make a 4 layer cake, the bottom, 2nd layer, and 3rd layer will need 1 banana each.)
1 stick of butter (per cake layer. For example, if you want to make a 4 layer cake, the bottom, 2nd layer, and 3rd layer will need 1 stick of butter each.If you're watching you weight, this cake is not for you! haha.)

You need to grease and flour your pans, this is essential to your cakes coming out perfect!

Mix your cake mix and ingredients together. Btw, if the recipes calls for 1/3 cup oil, increase it to a 1/2 cup instead. It makes for a moister cake!

Use a whisk and mix the ingredients just until they're blended together. Lumps ARE OK. I repeat, LUMPS ARE OK!

Now pour that yummy batter into your pans. (Yes the batter matches my counters...sigh)

And pop them in the oven (bake according to the back of your box! Set a timer for the smallest amount allowed. 34 mins in my case. You don't want to over cook the cake. It worked out perfectly for me)

Now, while the cakes are still warm, you'll want to transfer one to a plate or cake stand, which ever! Level the top of the cake and set it aside. Slice up your bananas, length wise or into round slices, whichever you prefer. Lay those slices on top of the bottom layer. Stack if you have to!

Once you finish the bananas, you'll want to put pats of butter all over the top of the bananas. And then sprinkle sugar on top of the butter. Use your judgement on how much.

Place the top layer on top and you are done!

Cover the cake and let it set for 2 days. IT'S WORTH IT.

Wine is fine

And when I say wine, I mean Arbor Mist, because I can't drink REAL wine.

Last night my best friend Janie came over to hang out. We drank some wine, made some pizza, and watched "My Best Friend's Girl". I miss nights like this!

I used the same recipe that I posted a few days back, except I used bacon and a white sauce. And I bought another crust, this time thick! I have to say that I'm becoming a real fan of making my own pizza. It's cheaper and more delicious in my opinion. And obviously you can put how ever many toppings you want on it. I think this will definitely be on our weekly menu.

Hello Friday!!!

Boy, have I been waiting to see you again!! I'm participating in the Friday Follow from the Trendy Treehouse, and you should too!

To any of my new followers, leave me a comment with your blog link and I'll be sure to follow you back!

Pumpkin Laughed!!!!

What makes a friend?

For about four months now I have been questioning this. All through my life I have had friends, not hoards of them. But the kind of friends that you keep for a life time. Most of the people I call friends I have known for 5 or more years.

I have been through a lot with my friends. Elementary school, middle school, high school, graduating! A lot of big milestones.

I try to be the best friend possible. I am there for anyone who needs me. If you're drunk at a bar and need someone to pick you up, I'm there. I've done that, because that is what friends do. Your boyfriend cheated on you. I'll drop everything to be by your side and comfort you and tell you I'll kick his ass and be there for you. I've done that, because that is what friends do. You just want to veg out on a friday night and stuff your face with honey grams and cream cheese frosting. You better believe I'm down and will be there in a minute. I've done that, because that is what friends do.

While I try to be the best friend possible, maybe I set my friend standards too high. I think if I am capable of doing these things, it should be possible for other people to do the same. I mean that's what people want right? To get in return what they give? So why is it that at the end of the day I feel defeated and friendless?

Why is it that I make it to birthday parties, going away parties, any kind of important get together, but if it's for me it can't be done. Texts are ignored. Believe it or not that hurts. I think that 16 years of being friends means something. Infact I used to call you my best friend.

When is it time to end a friendship? When it's one sided? When you text and text and never get a response? When you have a baby and never hear from them again? Maybe when you ask them to be involved in the most important day of your life, and ask them an important question involving your family, and then they disappear? I can't distinguish when to cut the strings. I so badly want to be involved in my friends lives that it hurts me when that feeling isn't returned. Maybe I'm too sensitive.

While I have friendships I question, I know that I have a few wonderful friends. And I love and cherish what we have.

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart

Pumpkin is 5 months old today. Part of me wants to cry because she is getting so big. The other part of me wants to jump for joy at the things she is doing and the things to come. How conflicting!

A year ago Scot and I had just found out that we were expecting. I would sit and day dream about the gender, what our baby would look like. Now I wonder if she will graduate highschool and go to college! I guess a mother's mind never stops! But what a joy it is to be a mother to this wonderful little girl. She has made my life so much happier.

Chicken and vegatable pizza

I have never been a huge pizza fan. While I was pregnant, though, I couldn't get enough of the stuff. And since giving birth, I still enjoy it. Thursday Pumpkin and I went to visit friends of mine, Tina and Candace and their son Carter. Candace had made basically the same pizza and it was so good. Of course I wanted to make my own pizza!

The ingredients:
Breast meat of a rotisseri chicken, chopped
pizza crust (I used an already made pizza crust in the pasta isle at wal-mart)
pizza sauce (I bet this would be SO good with a white sauce)
1/2 can of artichokes, drained, rinsed, and chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 roma tomato, sliced
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 tsp olive oil
a handful of fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (follow your pizza crust directions!)
2. in a med saute pan, saute mushrooms, atrichokes, and zucchini. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Saute for about 5-7 mins.
3. Using the 1 tsp olive oil, brush the pizza crust. I also sprinkled garlic powder on top. Spread on pizza sauce (however much you like). Add the tomato slices ontop across the pizza crust and the rest of the toppings. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Lower the oven temp. to 425 and bake pizza for 10 mins. Set oven to broil and cook for another 5 mins.