The Transition Continues....

Last week was week two of the transition from work to home. And I have to say, last week was a huge improvement over the week before. Instead of taking the attitude that we had to do something out of the house every day, I just let the day take us where it wants. Refreshing concept, right?

Last week the weather was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outdoors. We took walks, hung out at the park, had a picnic in the backyard, planted corn and green beans with the help of my parents, and did a lot of swinging. And when I say a lot of swinging, it was more like a lot of pushing McKinley in the swing. That boy never grows tired of swinging! I may have just found the new arm workout. I'll keep you posted. 

I've been keeping longer hours at night to work on my blogs, check out Style My Way if you haven't already. It gets way more attention from me than this one, but I'm trying to remedy that. I'm networking, sending out tons of emails, reading up on other blogs that I love but don't get to read as frequently, and brain storming on my next business venture(s). And, I'm trying to find some me time in there as well. I've scheduled a few lunches and cocktails with friends, to bounce ideas off of and help me round out some of my thoughts, in hopes they don't think I'm crazy for dreaming. So far, I've had a lot of positive feedback. I've also been spending a lot of quality time with my parents, something I haven't done in a long time. It's been amazing!

My mom and are sewing up a storm. I've found yet another creative outlet, thanks to her, and I'm loving every minute. She's also been my sounding board for ideas, and so far, hasn't passed an ounce of judgement as I talk through things I've always thought about doing. If anything, she's trying to help me figure out the logistics of making some things possible, but also steering me down a different path if I happen to go astray! (Sometimes my dreams can go a little out of the stratosphere!)

I still find my fair share of challenges. I'm working on when to actually shower versus just shave the legs in the sink, which I find I do a lot. However, night showers are taking place of none at all. (That's a good thing!) I haven't worn real makeup in over a week, which is great for my pores, but not so great when you are a personal style blogger. I find that I hide behind large sunglasses to mask the fact that I'm simply wearing mascara. Though the application of makeup isn't terribly time consuming, I find that by the time I've actually gotten both of ready to rock n' roll, I just don't have the time to swipe on all the products I normally use. And I miss it. It's total vanity, but I just feel like I look like a better version of myself with some hint of color.

I'm still trying to find the art of Zen, but I'm just not one to sit and truly relax. I'm not itching to clean my house or do a load of laundry because I'm just not that person. I do feel guilty every now and then that I haven't picked up the mess off the kitchen table. And let's talk about that for second. How in the world does a kitchen table go from being completely clutter free to a total disaster area in less than 24 hours? It's like the missing sock when taking clothes out of the drying. But I digress....

I'm trying to be more patient when McKinley says he doesn't want to go anywhere and just let him do his thing at home. He truly is content with just rolling a garbage truck across the floor and I'm working at either joining him or just simply being in the room with him. I'm trying to come up with crafty things for us do to together, hands-on activities for him to do that stimulate the brain, reading more on a daily bases, and finding fun games that we can play. I do love that he loves being outside. I would much rather be outdoors as well and it helps us both burn off energy. And I can't wait for the weather to get warmer and the pool to open! I'm hoping to get there a lot more this summer. 

In the meantime, we're working together to make this some of the most memorable/quality time we can with each other. There are lots of hugs, snuggles, cuddles, kisses, tickles, and giggles which I love. But with those moments come tears, time-outs, frustration, and time apart. As the theme to the Facts of Life states, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life." And the fact is, I'm truly having the best time of my life!

The Transition

I became a lifeguard in the summer of 1991. I was 17. In addition to being a lifeguard that summer, I danced in the evenings and on my day off. I never held a job during the school year as my parents wanted me to focus on my grades and ballet. But every summer, I was a lifeguard. During college, same thing applied. No job during the school year, but I worked roughly six days week all summer long, and I attended summer school. The summer of my senior year in college, I worked six days a week as a guard, one evening a week  and every Saturday in retail. I had one day a week off.

At the age of 23, I moved to Kansas City and worked for Harold's as an assistant ladies manager, working my way to ladies manager. I worked weekends, holidays, nights, and days. I had two days off a week, but never in a row, and rarely on a weekend. In 1999 I decided I needed a change and interviewed for corporate America. In December of that year, I began working for Sprint North Supply. During my tenure in telecom, I worked at SNS, Sprint, Embarq, and eventually CenuryLink. In December of 2013, I celebrated my 14th service anniversary. On April 25, 2014, I walked out of CenturyLink as a result of downsizing. I'm officially a "stay at home mom"! For now, anyway.

My routine over the last 17+ years has been to wake up, shower, get dressed, drive to work, work a full eight hour day (or more), drive home, and commence with the various evening activities that lie ahead. In my single days, especially in retail, it was coming home to a box of cereal, a gallon of milk, and whatever was TV. After I started dating my husband, it consisted of partying, rehearsals for shows, partying after rehearsal, performing in said show, partying after the show, and finding time to eat and sleep. After we got married, it was pretty much the same, with weddings and travel scattered in. Upon the arrival of McKinley, it's been making dinner, bathes, playing, bedtime rituals, and trying to sleep. Basically, my life has been wake up, hit the floor, and don't stop until your head hits the pillow. And I loved every minute of it.

This past week, things have been a little slower, a little trying, a little overwhelming. Monday was a challenge in getting McKinley and I fed, me showered and dressed, McKinley dressed, and getting us both out the door for an 11:00 doctor's appointment for him. We did it, but I was in a lather of sweat before we got there! The rest of the day played out nicely, but by bedtime I was exhausted. Tuesday, was slightly different. There was no shower, only breakfast, time to shave my legs, and getting us both dressed to attend Toddler Time at a local gym. From there we hit the grocery store, had lunch, came home for a nap (McKinley only), while I put away the perishable items and worked a little on my personal style blog. Wednesday found us in another hectic morning routine. Again, breakfast went off without a hitch, but it was a shower day for me as I had a dentist appointment. I got us both ready, but again I was a lather of sweat by the time the whole ordeal was over! (I'm beginning to wonder why I shower at all.) My dad saved the day by picking up McKinley for a local library story hour. I was planning on meeting my mom at the dentist for the transfer, but I now had some time to run a few errands before the appointment. Thanks dad! I'm not even sure what we did on Thursday but I'm pretty sure it didn't involve a shower. 

By Friday, I was frazzled. Joel was getting off early, and we planned to take the three of us to lunch at McKinley's favorite place, Fritz's. Fritz's is a local eatery designed around trains. A train track runs the perimeter of the restaurant and a train delivers your food to your table. McKinley has a blast every time! And, I was looking forward to the three of us having a fun family day on a Friday. That so did not happen! Instead, after I got showered, dressed, him dressed just as dada was to arrive home, McKinley announced he didn't want to go anywhere or do anything fun. He just wanted to play with his cars and trucks, run his mover over the yard, swing, and stay home all day. I was crushed. It was going to be Friday Family Funday. A rarity in this house. A day that revolved around all the things that McKinley loved to do and we didn't have to wait for Saturday or Sunday to do them. But he was adamant. Every time I mentioned it, he would yell no, "run away" which is his favorite thing to do when mad, and insisted on staying home. So stay home we did. I took off the cute outfit I had so thoroughly planned for the other blog, tried hard not to cry, and went out in the backyard to do all the other things McKinley wanted to do.

The rest of the day just went downhill. Joel came home, was fine with the change of plans, but by late afternoon was as frustrated as I was. McKinley was tired, refused to nap, and as a result, was a complete bear for the remainder of the day. I was irritable because my plans had been ruined, and Joel felt slighted for having a free day that was spent with a grumpy family. Friday Family Funday was a total flop!

I immediately went into self deprecation mode. I wasn't cut out for stay at home mom status. McKinley preferred staying with Meme and Granddaddy versus any time with Mama. I might as well start looking for a job, any job, because there was no point in trying to stick out the summer with him. And I stayed in this funk for the rest of the day. On the brink of tears every time I thought about how the events of the day went down. Saturday was amazing. We all went to the zoo and had a wonderful day. It totally made up for the flop of a Friday we had the day before. However, it was much the same on Sunday.

I have found that my son is completely content to stay at home and play. And why wouldn't he be. For the last three years, he has spent roughly four days a week at my parents house, aside from the occasional Friday I kept him home or the few vacations we took. He hasn't had the opportunity to stay at home, day in and day out, playing with his toys, in his house, in his room, and he's taking full advantage of this transition. I, however, am not taking full advantage of my transition. I'm the "still on the go" girl that I've been for the past 17+ years. I've never really had down time. There were a few Sunday's here and there that we would nap, pre-baby, but those were few and far between. I don't know what it's like to just get up, not shower, throw on whatever clothes I can find, or staying in my pajamas for the majority of the day, and just be. I constantly feel the need to be moving. To be on the go. Or, as I always tell Joel, "rest when I'm dead." 

What I need to do is take a cue from my son. I don't have to get up everyday and have an enormous day of activities planned. I don't have to shower and put on makeup to make it a productive day. What I need to do is just take everyday as it comes. Go with the flow. Be a little more laid back. And lay on the floor playing cars and trucks, or go in the backyard and swing him for hours. I need to transition my life into a much more relaxed state of mind, body, and spirit. And, if I don't shower for a couple of days, and the hair on my legs is long enough to braid, at least I can say I was able to cut it as a stay at home mom, for now.

Mom's Southern Cooking - Iron Skillet Fried Chicken

Easter Sunday in our house has always been a low key event. When I was younger, we would dress up for church, come home to change, and then relax. Or at least that's the way I remember it. Years later, we stopped attending church, kept to a very relaxed wardrobe, and spent the day enjoying family. This past Sunday was no different.

Our Sunday meal, which is always dinner, doesn't vary either. We serve up a traditional Southern cuisine and we don't spare a single calorie! And, since I am all about learning to cook the foods my mother's have cooked, I took on the task of whipping up mashed potatoes and iron skillet fried chicken. (When my mom makes friend chicken today, we go the healthier route by "frying" it in the oven. So let's take a walk on the calorie laden wild side and fry up some chicken!

Here is what you'll need: Chicken (we used chicken thighs, legs, and breast), Flour, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Black Pepper, a paper bag, and Crisco.

Add several heaping spoonfuls of flour, several shakes of Paprika, a shake of Cayenne Pepper and Garlic Powder, two pinches of salt, and several pinches of black pepper. No real measurements here! This is how my great-grandmother cooked!

 

That's three tablespoons of Crisco. You add more per batch.

 

Add your chicken to the flour mixture and shake to cover. Place your fattier pieces, like thighs and legs, in the bag first.

That's me shaking the chicken!

  

Place your Crisco in the pan and let it get really hot!

 

  

Add your chicken in batches. Again, fry the fattier pieces first.

Turn over as the sides become golden brown. Turn several times, and once all sides are fried, place the lid over the skillet and continue to cook. When I asked my mom how long to cook the chicken, she said "I don't know. I just cook the chicken." If you want to know it's done, make sure the juices run clear and your thermometer reads 165.

This is a traditional Southern spread! Fried chicken, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello salad, rolls (seen below) and gravy. All recipes are handed down from both sides of the family. My great grandmother's fried chicken and mashed potatoes (although I'm sure everyone makes them the same), my cousin Judy's jello salad which is amazing, my mom's own delived eggs, and my mom's cooked green beans with bacon.

 

And our sweet table was set in all the colors of Easter; pink, blue, and yellow! This was also complete with my great grandmother's (on my dad's side) darling blue glasses.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!

McKinley's Third Birthday

Over the weekend we celebrated McKinley's third birthday. I can't believe my baby is three! I mean, he's still a baby in so many ways, but at the same time he's such a big boy. He's making decisions, taking his coat off and hanging it on his little coat hook, learning to use the big boy potty, and generally talking a blue streak from the moment he wakes up! But in the next breath, he still wants to be cuddled, still wants to be carried, and still wants someone to lay down with him at night. I guess he will forever be my baby!

But, I digress. Back to the party! I took him to Party City weeks before his birthday so he could pick out the theme. See, making his own decisions. It was between CARS, Thomas, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse, and Planes. It was CARS hands down! I wasn't surprised. He loves cars, he loves trucks, he loves Mater and Lighting, so really it was a no brainer. (I knew I wanted to throw a CARS themed party after we spent time in Radiator Springs at California Adventure.) And with Mater being his favorite character from the movie, I knew I wanted to make him a 3D Mater cake. How I was going to execute that was a different story.

I searched the internet months prior for 3D Mater cake molds and let me tell you, they don't exist. We have a Lighting mold from the year I made Joel a Dale Jr cake for his birthday. There is nothing for Mater. My husband kept saying that I should just make a sheet cake and make the face of Mater on the flat surface. That I could do, but didn't want to do. I wanted McKinley to have a 3D cake. I continued my search for ideas up to the week of the party and I finally landed on a step by step instructional from Sugar Plums Adventure in Cake. This tutorial was a lifesaver!! 

I took most of her ideas but tailored them to my needs. I didn't make my cake nearly as big as hers. I didn't use fondant. I made homemade chocolate buttercream. Instead of wooden dowels and fondant, I used lollipop sticks covered in brown floral tape. I used floral wire wrapped in the same brown floral tape for the side view mirrors, but instead of fondant, I used papertowel cardboard and wrapped that in the brown floral tape as well. I didn't cut out tires from styrofoam. I used half of an Oreo per tire. Same thing for his radiator. I tried to use as many edible things as I could, and when that wasn't possible, things that around the house. 

There was a lot of piecing things together, freehand tracing, tears when I became frustrated, but most importantly, a lot of love went into making this cake! I wanted McKinley to have his favorite truck come to life in front of him, and when he saw Mater, the look on his face meant everything! He opened his mouth wide, grinned from ear to ear, and exclaimed that it was Mater. He told everyone about his cake, told the doctor at his three year well visit, and still talks about it almost a week later. I am simply overjoyed.

So without further ado, I give you my version of a 3D Mater cake!

I also made a version of a Lighting McQueen cookie. (At the last minute, I found actual CARS cookie cutters on eBay. Why hadn't I looked sooner....)

I also made red and chocolate covered cakepops! I loved the mini CARS lunchbox as the container.

 

 I truly had a blast planning this party! I tried to keep the theme throughout the party, giving drinks character's name and using some of McKinley's own CARS toys throughout the decor, while the movie played in the background in the den while kids played. 

 

But as long as McKinley had the best day ever, that's all the really matters to me! Happy Birthday, my sweet, baby boy!

From Andrea's Kitchen - Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

On Sunday I was going to make our standard weekend breakfast, cinnamon rolls. As you already know, I made Easy French Toast on Saturday, so Sunday was going to be cinnamon roll day. However, we were out of canned cinnamon rolls! HORRORS! Then I saw a can of pizza dough in the fridge door and thought, could I make my own cinnamon rolls from pizza dough? Turns out you can!

Here's what you need: a can of pizza dough, butter, sugar, and cinnamon!

I started out with the piece of pizza dough, but it was pretty thin, so I decided to knead it a little and then roll it out to a new length and thickness. Make sure you flour your board, dough, and rolling pin!

Melt two tablespoons of butter and pour it over the dough. Rub in all the butter, going all the way to the edges, to make sure all of the dough is covered in melted butter.

To the melted butter, add about 1/4 cup of sugar. Again make sure every inch of the dough is covered. It looks like a lot, but trust me, you need it!

Then I took the cinnamon can and shook a healthy amount of cinnamon all over the sugar and butter mixture. Looks delightful, huh? And it smells amazing!

After you have all three ingredients all over the dough, start rolling, I started at the back and just rolled the dough over each other until it was one big roll of dough. Make sure it's a tight roll. And pinch the ends to try and seal everything in.

This is what it should theoretically look like!

Start cutting the rolls into about one inch pieces. 

Then place the pieces into a grease cake pan. Place a towel over the pan and let them rise for about an hour. Once they have risen, preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 13-15 minutes.

 While the rolls were rising, I started thinking, "Uh, I need something to ice the cinnamon rolls." I started to panic a little and then I started thinking. Making a cinnamon roll icing isn't far from making a cupcake icing. So, here is what I came up with for a Cream Cheese Icing: soften cream cheese (I had some left over from cupcake frosting I made the night before), powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter.

 Add the soften cream cheese (I used four ounces) about a 1/2 cup of powered sugar, and two tablespoons of melted butter to a bowl. Mix on low to medium speed. Add a splash of vanilla and a big splash of milk once everything has been well combined. Mix again.

 I took a little taste test and it was a little heavy on the cream cheese so I added about another 1/4 cup or so of powered sugar and another splash of milk.

I had another test tester in the house and he approved!

Here is the end result! I will admit I over cooked them a little. They just weren't getting golden brown so I thought they needed more time. Turns out they were done about 3 minutes before I took the out of the oven. The bottoms were a little more done that I would have wanted, but the whole family (McKinley ate breakfast this time) loved them. Devoured them. Next time, I'm definitely going to stick to the baking time!

And there you have it! Homemade cinnamon rolls from a simple can of pizza dough! 

Happy Eats!

From Andrea's Kitchen - Easy French Toast

Saturday morning's are pretty typical for us. McKinley wakes up early so we wake up early. The three of us play for a couple of hours, or sometimes they play while I try to catch up on my DVR. (I'm not going to lie, sometimes I would rather just lay on the couch for about an hour before I start cooking breakfast and playing for the rest of the morning.)

This past Saturday morning wasn't all that different. However, when it came time for breakfast, I just wasn't satisfied with our normal meal.  I generally reserve Saturday's as cinnamon  roll day. I crack open a can and place them in the oven. I love how easy that breakfast is! But I wanted something different, so I decided to rummage through the cabinets, and the fridge, and decided to play around with a French toast recipe. One where I just grabbed ingredients, didn't follow a recipe, and it would give me a chance to use my new, favorite utensil. My griddle!

So what do you need for French toast? Most of you know, or already make your own, but here's what I think you need: eggs, bread, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.

In a pie dish, I added four eggs and a rather large splash of heavy cream. And when I say a small splash, I'm saying just pour until you feel comfortable.

To the eggs and cream, I added several teaspoons of sugar, a small splash of vanilla extract, a few dashes of nutmeg, and quiet a few shakes of cinnamon. 

I put the heat on about medium/high and added a couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Then I dunked the bread into that incredibly gorgeous mixture, both sides of course, and placed them in the center of the griddle.

So golden brown and delicious, no? I didn't do too much. I just placed them on the griddle, let them sit for about two minutes before I flipped, and just simply let them be. Don't mash or press. Just let them sizzle.

I piled all of them on one plate, buttering as I removed them, and then served them all at once.

For the finishing touches, I gave each one a shake of powdered sugar and a swipe with sugar-free syrup!

I was so proud of myself for just going for it and adding my own ingredients. I felt like I was throwing caution to the wind because I didn't use true measurements from someone else's recipe. And the guys loved them. Okay, Joel loved them. McKinley decided he wasn't eating that morning, and he didn't! Maybe next time!

Happy Eats!

Mom's Southern Cooking - Cooked Apples

One of my all time favorites sides is cooked apples! I love apple anything, but this sweet and tart recipe is simply wonderful! It combines all my favorite things; apples, butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon! Doesn't that sound unbelievable? 

I remember the first time I made these for my husband. He devoured them! They have become one of his most requested sides, but always feels bad for asking because he thinks they're time consuming. They really aren't. It just takes a little time to cook them down. 

Here's what you need: apples (I use Granny Smith so that I can sweeten them to my liking), butter, brown and granulated sugar, and cinnamon.

Wash and dry your apples. Then core and slice. If you don't have a handy apple corer like this, cut them the way you normally would.

Place all your apple slices in a large sauce pot and add several tablespoons of water. Apples are already water based so you only need a little to help the cook. Cover with a lid, but allow a little steam to escape. Cook on medium.

I mentioned earlier that you needed to cook the apples down. What I really meant was that you needed to cook the apples to death! Make them mushy as seen below! Stir to make sure there aren't huge chunks of uncooked apple. Then, add about a tablespoon of butter. Stir to combine.

 This is where the good stuff comes in! Not that butter isn't a good thing. Add several teaspoons of granulated sugar, several handfuls of brown sugar, and several dashes of cinnamon. Stir to combine. Taste to see if it's sweet enough. If not, add a little more of each sugar.

And that's it! You have cooked apples! Here is the finished dinner. We had a crockpot pot roast with new potatoes and carrots. So yummy and a perfect meal for the freezing temps and foot of snow we have on the ground!

Let me know if you make this dish! I love hearing your reviews.

Next up, my Grannie's Apple Dumplings. Talk about amazing!

Happy Eats!

Ugly Biscuit - In My Mom's Words

 When the morning biscuits were cut and resting on a pan blackened with age, my grandmother shaped the dough scraps into a small, flat cake.  And in a pre-dawn ritual that never varied, she whacked the cake three times with the butt of her rolling pin, creating a trio of crescent moons that rose into soft dimples when the bread baked.  The three whacks were my summer alarm clock, soon followed by the call of “breakfast” from my grandfather standing at the foot of the steps leading up to my bedroom.

One summer morning, long before sunrise, I thought I heard the three whacks of the rolling pin.  I decided to surprise my grandfather by getting up before he beckoned.  But when I made my way down the steps, I found the house still and without the faint odor of wood smoke from the kitchen stove.  This would be an even better surprise, I thought, rising before either of my grandparents, and so I sat down on the bottom step to wait.

 When I awoke the second time, my grandmother was gently shaking my arm.  I told her about hearing the three whacks of the rolling pin.  She laughed softly and said I hadn’t been dreaming.  What I had heard, she explained, were apples falling onto the tin roof.

Me at age three, my mom, and my great-grandmother