She Works Hard For Her Money & A Recipe

Long time no blog!

Did I ever mention that I have a full time job?  The kind outside of being a mom?

I do.

And it has been keeping me very busy lately.

I've been away from this blog for several days now.

The verdict?

I missed it.

A lot.

I don't even know if many people read this little slice of Blogland but I've missed it.

So I'm back.

With a recipe!

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting.

A-Yum.

So so so easy.

 So, here's what you'll need.

Yes, (for those of you who know how much I love to bake) I do bake with box mixes at times.

For shame.

:)

1 Stick of butter

4 Cups of confectioner's sugar

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Milk

Creamy Peanut Butter

 The oil and eggs in the picture?

For the brownies.

 I love this brand. Good stuff.

So, you'll want to get out your mixer, AKA "too noisy", and mix 1 stick of room temperature butter with the whisk attachment.

Add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and mix again until creamy.

Add 4 cups confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time, getting the consistancy creamy

between each cup addition.

After about the 3rd cup of sugar, you'll want to add some milk because your frosting will be quite dry.

Add a little dash of milk at a time while mixing so it becomes creamy again.

Too runny? Add more confectioner's sugar.

Too dry? Add more milk.

Easy.

That's your basic Buttercream Recipe.

What I love about this is you can build on this.

For these brownies I simply added tablespoon fulls of creamy peanut butter to taste.

Dude.

So good.

 See?

Happy Monday!

Decompression & Link Love

So, the short of it is that I called Hubs and asked if he could take over

G's bedtime routine when he got home from work so I could

escape to the bedroom and decompress.

Cut to Hubs coming home, saying the perfect, "Hon, I've got this. You go."

Hubs rocks my world.

Commence blog stalking.

I headed over to Shauna's blog. Totally what I needed!

I'm in.

Can you believe that this stuff is edible?!

I have to have this. I think I would have been a much less picky eater as a child if my mother would've put this on meatloaf and tomatoes.

For a long time my hair looked like this.

Maybe once I lose 30 pounds or so I'll cut it again.
I did like it like that.

I luuuuuurve this site.

I find so much inspiration here.

The colors, emotions, angles, locations...All right up my alley.

This blog always puts a smile on my face. So non-bloggy.

Like a good book, I can't put it down.

I love this sweater.

I'm a sucker for sweaters.

That's all for now. I really like this idea, Cherish!

It really makes me think about things that make me happy.

Things that fill me up.

Things that inspire me that I would want to share.

Thank you!

Head over to Cherish's blog for some more link love!



Puke, Laundry, and Blog Love

 Change of plans today.

I have a pukey little boy on my hands.

He seems better now, though.

Coloring.

Eating Goldfish with Ketchup.

Watching TV.

Destroying the house.

 I'm glad he's feeling better!

 I've got work to do. A Mama's work is never done.

 Oh. Wait. I can't do the laundry! There's a cat on the clothes.

That's from Hubs.

When I ask for his help with something and there is a cat in his lap his response is

always "I can't, babe. I have a cat on my lap". :)

It's kind of difficult day to fill up the soul.

It's dark.

It's cold.

It's rainy.

The freezy kind.

I'm feeling empty and overwhelmed.

I tried to fill up with a piece of chocolate cake.

Why - again - do I do that to myself?

Maybe you can help fill me up!

I would love for you to leave a comment with something happy.

A little sunshine and love from Blogland.

Would you do that for me?

Pretty please?

Happy Thursday!

In Pictures

Here are a few things that I captured along the way today.

 Breakfast Hubs made for me.

 Yes, I will be dusting my car tomorrow. Eeeesh.

 Tired Cassie

 Tired Hubs

 Not so tired G.

Pullin' out all the stops for bedtime.

Happy Wednesday!

Virtual Coffee - Sass, Junk Food, and Rocks

It's Tuesday, which means it's time for some Virtual Coffee!

Today I am enjoying a huuuuuuuge Diet Coke.

Huge.

This is going to be a long week.

If we were together right now we'd be in the car headed to one of the millions of places that I need to be going this week. But that's okay. Girl time can be anywhere.

I splurged two nights ago and bought a waver for my hair.

I read about it on Cherish's blog and thought it would be fun.

Holy 80's Batman!

I am having so much fun with it!

It gives me BIG HAIR.

Crazy hair.

SASS.

Yesterday I waved my hair then put it up in messy pigtails.

Hubs liked it.

I got a much longer kiss than normal when he got home from work.

;)

Today I ate nothing but junk food.

Oh, and a small salad.

I feel so heavy and weighed down.

 I'm an emotional eater.

Why do I do that to myself?

Do you have a simple something that you can do over and over again that brings you joy?

G here can spend hours throwing rocks in water.

Then saying "ka plunk".

Over and over and over.

I love watching him do this. 

Life hasn't gotten to him.

He's not burdened or weighed down.

At this moment, he's only thinking about the awesome "ka plunk" sound the rock he just threw is going to make when it hits the water. 

He gets really excited when he finds a big rock. 

The bigger the rock, the bigger the "ka plunk".

I can't wait to teach him how to skip rocks. :)

There's not too much on my mind today.

I'm tired. 

Worn out.

In need of a break. 

Maybe I'll go throw some rocks into the water.  

Or wave my hair.

Or drink a smoothie. The good for you kind.

Happy Tuesday!

Head on over to Lucky Number 13 for more coffee talk! :)

****EDIT****

Because I love this picture of G, I'm linking up to Darcy's Sweet Shot Tuesday!

Head on over to see some other super sweet shots!

Craft Weekend - For The Birds

Craft weekend done on a Sunday. Posted on a Monday.

Weekends R is here are usually chill.

Movies, baking, maybe a walk, mainly just hanging out as a family.

It takes 4 hours to get her here so once she's here we rarely get in the car again to go anywhere.

Sunday was craft day.

I wanted to feed the hungry birds now that the weather is getting warmer.

Bagels, peanut butter, bird seed, and some string.

G even wanted to make one!

It was good.

 G can't go a craft day without tasting what we are creating.

 Apparently bird seed is "icky".

 Don't these curls just kill you? Just the one patch in the back. Eeeesh.

 Of course Mr. Frog was on hand for some action.

 Dude? What do you think about the birdie food you made?

 I think he liked it.

I. Am. Awesome.

Ahem.

Happy Monday!

Puffs, Light Bulbs, and Movie Night

Have you ever used these?

Puffs plus lotion AND Vicks.

Hubs said it right...It's right up there with Internet and Discovering Fire.

Truth.

I just used the very last of these.

I think I might cry.

Too late to ask Hubs to go to Wal-Mart to get more?

Probably.

Crapola.

It has been a busy week for me but I've also had a lot of down time in bed trying to

 recover from this dang cold. 

I don't like having a lot of time to think. Usually my mind starts reeling with the millions of things that I SHOULD be doing instead of laying in bed and feeling like a slug. Then I feel like a bad mom because Hubs has to take over. Man, it spirals quickly, doesn't it?

But this week, my thoughts have been pretty happy.

I had lunch with a fellow photographer. Boy did it feel good to spend some time with someone who shares my passion and is so intense and awesome about it! It was so refreshing and uplifting.

She was so open and helpful!

It was good. So good.

Since I sat on the couch more this week, I observed G more.

He has such an amazing spirit.

Oh to be 2.

To bust out random dance moves.

To sit perfectly still on the floor then JUMP UP and run back and forth from one end of the house to the other over and over 5 times then sit back down as though it never happened.

To say something nonsensical then throw your head back and laugh and slap your knee.

"I punny, Mommy! I makin' sense!" 

I saw many light bulbs go off this week.

I saw him GET IT as it was happening.

It's an amazing thing to witness.

Even the little things.

Getting over a fear.

Dude doesn't like to be messy. I tried bubbles once in the bath and it FREAKED him out.

I tried it again this week.

Shaking.

Screaming.

Then...a dip of the finger.

Then a scoop of bubbles with his hand.

Then this.

Total submersion.

Loved every minute.

I wish I were that brave. 

R is here with us for the weekend and G is sooooo happy his Sissy is here with him.

Tonight was pizza dinner and Despicable Me. My mother came over.

G did pretty good. Didn't run around too much.

After the movie I declared it time for jammies. Dude marched right upstairs.

Came down for night nights then back upstairs for bed.

Well, he came down one more time for another round of kisses.

But then back upstairs without a peep.

Nice.

Tomorrow is craft day.

I love weekends.

Happy Saturday!

High Heels, Potty Training, and a Head Full of Snot

Hubs has been such a rock star this week.

Every single night after he has come home I have either had to get back to work or I've been

sick enough that I've needed to head to bed.

He hasn't once complained.

He totally jumps in, takes over G duty, picks up the house, does his chores in the morning,

& takes care of me.

I love my husband.

Love love love.

Love.

 Do your children constantly wear your shoes?

G looks so darn cute in these shoes but he would much prefer my high heels.

Oh yes. You heard me right.

And he totally rocks them.

 This is what G's hair looks like most of the time. Curly in the back, poker straight in the front.

And he's got this one weird patch of hair right in the middle that is a

different texture than the rest of his hair.

It's course and it is CONSTANTLY sticking out.

I cannot control it.

 See this bottom?

We will soon be entering the world of potty training.

I am looking forward to saving boat loads of cash soon.

I am not looking forward to the training.

Wish me luck!

This beauty will be visiting us tomorrow!

This is the last time we saw her. Right before the Snopocalypse.

G misses his Sissy!

Can't wait to see her, bake something, watch movies, and play.

Not really too much else on my mind right now.

This was kind of random but hey. My head is full of snot.

Literally.

Ick.

Happy Friday!

Sickies, Blogs, and Nakey Laps

I wish I were there.

But instead I've been at home, sick in bed. Boo.

Luckily, today was one of three days a week that G goes to a sitter's house for a few hours.

Unluckily, I still had to work.

I propped myself up best I could in bed and I tried my hardest not to sound too awful when the guys from work called me.

I am blessed to be able to do my work from home when needed.

I know this.

During my breaks I read this blog.

I love Meg.

I want to move into her house and have my family be adopted by her family.

She has 5 kids.

What's 4 more peeps?

It was warm today. 70 degrees.

I was stuck in bed. Boo.

BUT I did shut off the heater and open all the windows. That was nice.

Everything outside is kind of brown and muddy from the winter Snowpocolypse melting but the sun and the warm breeze felt delicious.

Apparently it felt good to G too. When it gets warm, he wants as little clothing on his body as possible.

I think little boys were really meant to be naked.

He thinks he's faster when he's naked. Right before bath time he likes to streak through the house as fast as possible. Hubs calls this the Nakey Lap. It's a thing of wonder. :)

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with this gal.

Isn't she beautiful?
I want her hair. :)

I'm super excited to be able to connect with another photographer face to face.

That is something that has been missing for me.

I hope I'm able to hide that I don't really know what I'm doing yet! Bah.

Happy Wednesday!

Virtual Coffee - Enchiladas and Diet Coke

Hello, friends.

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for some Virtual Coffee.

If we were really going to spend some time together, I'd suggest some Diet Coke instead.

I luuuuuurve Diet Coke.

I would also offer you some of Hub's Turkey Enchiladas.

Man, they're good. Or they're "diswishes", as G would say with gusto.

If we were together right now I'd tell you I've been thinking about hair lately.

My hair has been half way down my back, shaved off, and everywhere in between.

I've had fun with hair styles and colors over the years but due to stress, my hair has been thinning.

I feel I might need to cut it shorter.

But the idea of having it shorter...at the weight that I am right now...really makes

me feel uncomfortable.

Why is that?

Why do we hide behind our hair as much as we do?

Think about how you would feel if you cut all your hair off this second. When I think about that, suddenly, I feel like I wouldn't know how to stand, move my head, or present myself at all.

Isn't that odd?

If we were together right now (I told you those Enchiladas were awesome!) I would give you a list of awesome songs that uplift me and keep me going.

Mumford and Sons - Roll Away Your Stone

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

Sick Puppies - Rip Tide

Michael Franti - Hey Hey Hey

Ray LaMontagne - You Are The Best Thing

Fistful of Mercy - Father's Son

Mumford and Sons - The Cave

Jack Johnson - Constellations

I know, right?! Great stuff.

Well, it's time to get going. It's time to wind down for the night and rest my sleepy brain and heart.

Thanks for the talk. And the Diet Coke.

Okay, okay, I'll post Hub's Enchilada recipe soon.

I'll leave you with a picture of G.

Because he's just so darn cute.

Happy Tuesday!

Valentine's Day - Just Another Day, Magazine Hearts, and Ugly Patties

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was just another day for G and Mama at home.

Actually, I kinda felt like I sucked at being a mom today.

Ever have those days?

I literally sat down at the kitchen table today and said out loud, "I totally suck today".

It seemed like every other word out of my mouth was "no" and in response to that, nothing was making G happy today.

It's okay. We'll do better tomorrow.

We did do a few fun things today, though.

I got out an old magazine and cut up some hearts and we attached them to the bulletin board in his room.

  I may keep those up for awhile.

 On to a Valentine's gift for Hubs.

I didn't really want something too involved because these days I have a little helper with me.

Remember him? The one that likes to jump on bar stools?

 Here's what you'll need. I modified it as I went along.

4 cups confectioner's sugar

2 bags of candy melts (I got mine from Michael's)

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract

(I used mint instead because that's what I had on hand. Tasted just as good.)

Notice the candy molds? I wound up not using them. I'll explain later.

Notice the shortening? I didn't use that either. I'll explain later.

 Okay, so you'll want to get out your mixer, AKA "Too Noisy", and combine the confectioner's sugar, mint extract, and sweetened condensed milk.

Add the sugar a cup at a time.

It's done when you can roll a ball in your hands but it's "dry" and not sticky.

To achieve this, I had to add a dollop more of the sweetened condensed milk and mix some more.    Not sure why, but that's what did it for me.

Oh yes, and add some color based on the occasion.

Gel food coloring. And a little goes a long way!

 Man, he's cute.

Even when he has kind of expensive stuff in his hands and I know if I don't grab it, he's going to chuck it across the room at any second.

 Okay, back to it. So, once you have all your balls rolled, press them down onto wax paper so they are like thick discs.

I read that they need to dry out at room temperature for 2 hours, flipping them over after 1 hour.

Dude. I don't have that kind of time. I let them dry for an hour on one side then flipped them and popped them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. It worked great!

So the recipe that I read called for regular chocolate with shortening.

I just used candy melts but accidentally took the picture with some shortening.

So, if you use regular chocolate, melt the shortening with it.

If you use candy melts...no shortening.

Got it?

Good.

Here's where the molds DON'T come in. Bah.

As I pressed the filling down on the wax paper, I thought they looked super cool like that, all ugly and whatnot. So, I just went with that.

Once the candy melt chocolate was melted (in the microwave) I just dipped the filling in the chocolate. the filling held up nicely to the hot chocolate because they had been in the freezer before hand.

Once covered in chocolate, pop back in the freezer for a bit and viola!

Homemade Peppermint Patties.

Or...Homemade Mint Patties, sans the shortening and cutesie candy molds.

I love Macro Photography.

I don't have a Macro lens. But I did try this little trick of taking my 50mm lens off the camera, switching it around and holding it up to the camera body and taking a picture that way.

Instant Macro.

I think I need practice. And sleep. But I think it's a pretty snazzy idea. 

Happy Monday!