KathyMcCloy

31 + 676

Today... I am 31.
 31 YEARS OLD.
HOLY SHHHH-NIKES.

It doesn't bother me to tell people how old I am. I don't think it ever will. I think it's funny when women lie about their age. I'm proud of my 31 years on this planet and there isn't one single year that I would be willing to give away, so... I'm 31...

31.

On the other hand, I CAN NOT BELIEVE that I'm 31. It seriously feels like yesterday that I was blogging about turning the big 3-0. In the last few years I have really discovered the true meaning of "time flies".  I think when you live life to it's absolute fullest, really live in the moment that you are in...  not worrying about six months from now, or regretting anything from the day before, you can be comfortable with the number of candles on your birthday cake.  Knowing that you aren't wasting a single second makes the minutes, days, weeks, months, years that pass... okay.  Man, being a level five AND 31 sure makes me deep and philosophical, huh?

Now, why 676?  Well, this is my 676th blog post at www.kathymccloy.typepad.com...

and my last.

I thought it would be fitting to end this blog on my birthday.  I don't know why I feel all weird and sad about it.  Sometimes change is tricky... but oohhhh how it's going to be worth it!  So don't be sad my people... come back here on TUESDAY to find my BRAND SPANKIN' NEW BLOG.

And for my last photo on my very first blog's 676th and final post? 
My family.
Uncut. Uncensored. Unedited (check out my 30 year old wrinkles). 
Christmas morning 2008.  Me in my 30 year old glory, Otey being a good sport even though he'd rather get a root canal than get his photo taken, and my boys in their matching Christmas jammies that they are going to kill me for some day.

Talk to you soon...

BRAND SPANKIN' NEW BLOG & WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There could be some funny stuff going on around here until the first of next week. I am getting ready to launch my BRAND NEW BLOG (can you tell I'm excited?) and my BRAND NEW WEBSITE (if you couldn't before... can you now?) so there's lots of computer geeky stuff happening and my current website and/or blog will be up and down. As of right now, my plan is to launch all things new in my world on TUESDAY! YEAHHH!!!! Finally, after months of work... TUESDAY! I had hoped I would be done so I could launch it on my b-day... you know... happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy BIRTHday dear Kathyyyy, happy birthday to me. But alas, I'm not going to be done. Soooo now I'm shooting for TUESDAY (I'm still excited if you were wondering). And because I'm so FREAKING excited and I want you to be EXCITED too... plan on a super fun giveaway on launch day! WHOO! HOOO!
YA!
YAAAAA!

WHOOO - HOOOO!

Off to bed... it's 1:48 AM. How can anyone be such a dork on such little sleep? Good night.
**one more tiny whoo-hoo**

Added 9:53AM...  Thanks for the early B-day wishes... I actually have two more days (my b-day is Friday the 13th).  I can understand the confusion since I just sang Happy Birthday to myself.  Dork, I know.

Cole

CUTEY. PATOOTIE. Need I say more?

This is Cole. Cole is the second grandson (after Cooper, before Grady and Jasper) on Otey's side of the family. They have FOUR grandson's under the age of three! Can you even imagine how much fun those four boys are going to have on the ranch a few years from now?  Anywho, we went to Licking a couple of weeks ago to celebrate a bunch of birthdays, and so I could shoot newborn photos of our newest nephew Jasper (we have four now, two on my side, two on Otey's). Cole is Jasper's proud big brother so of course he had to be included in the photo shoot.  He is such a sweet kid.  Cooper not seeing his cousins all of the time is the worst thing about living so far away from our families.  They pick right up where they left off with no problem, but it would be great to see them every few days instead of every other month.  I guess absences makes the heart grow fonder.

You know those BIG changes to the blog I keep telling you about?  Well, they are coming soon... very soon.  You know what else is coming soon... MY BIRTHDAY!  Only four more days of being the big 3-0.  Geesh... now I'm not going to be just a level five, I'm going to be a 31 year old level five.

Grady (aka... BOB)

I've mentioned on my blog before that Grady REALLY likes eating table food. But I'm not sure that you really understand how much he enjoys it.

Have you seen the movie What About Bob? If not, you should rent it.. it's a scream, but that's beside the point. There's a scene in the movie where Bob (Bill Murray) is eating dinner and he goes on and on and on about how great dinner is. He puts a bite in his mouth and says "ummmm, uuuuuummmmm, UM! This is delicious! um, um, UM!" With many more uummmms to follow.

That's Grady.
That's how much Grady likes table food.
No, not likes... LOVES.

 

 

He seriously "uuummmmmmmms" the entire time he is eating. I wish I had audio to share with you. This will have to do.

My cousin, Stormi

My cousin Stormi's wedding from WAY back in December. 

A year and a half ago, I introduced you to Stormi in this post.  As much as I like doing a little match makin'... I can't take any credit for this one.  She snagged Darrel all by herself! 

Congrats cuz.  I couldn't be happier for you!

 

If you know Stormi, her password is the name of her mare that she won everything on.  All lowercase.  Ha!  Crack that one Betsy.

diapers

Hola amigos! That's Hello friends for any of you that didn't take Spanish One three times in college. I like to say that I had three semesters of Spanish in college. So what if all three were the same class. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, burrito, chimichanga... are you impressed?  Anywho...

I haven't blogged about diapers.com in a really long time, sooo I thought today I would give you a little refresher on simplifying your life. Diapers.com is a website that delivers everything you need to take care of a baby right to your doorstep. Shipping is free for orders over $50.00 and as most of us know, that's like one box of wipes and one pack of diapers. But they have soooo much more than diapers! Strollers, highchairs, pacifiers, baby food, clothes, shoes, formula you name it, they have it. I'm telling you, EVERYTHING you need to take care of your little ankle bitter. Your order arrives in a giant cardboard box two days after you order.

If you've never ordered from diapers.com before, you can enter the code cooper1 and get $10 off of your first order! I'll receive a $1 credit to my account for referring you and you save $10 (and a trip to the annoying super store). Yippee!!!

Sidenote... if you are on facebook, I said a couple of days ago that I was wanting to go to IKEA.  Well, I get to go this weekend!  Otey is entered in a Bulls n' Broncs in Rockford, Illinois tomorrow night and IKEA (Chicago) is only 60 miles away.  Look out storage solutions... here I come!

Photos from Stormi's wedding later today.

Who you calling a Cootie Queen you Lint Licker?

Have you seen this commercial? It's completely ridiculous and filled with 4th grade humor. Okay. Maybe 2nd grade humor, but MAN I crack up OUTLOUD every time it's on.

You can't imagine how much enjoyment I get out of calling Otey a Lint Licker. I'm thinking Stinky McStink Face might be a good one to use too.

I'm sorry in advance if I meet you with my 3 year old parrot and you get called a Lint Licker.

Role Model.

That's me.

my dad. part IV

The summer before I started 5th grade my Dad took me shopping in Bloomington, Indiana for new school clothes. I was so excited when I found out that for some reason my Mom couldn't go and Dad was taking me. Why you ask? Because I just knew he'd sit on the bench outside each store and send me in with cash. Yes! Jackpot! Well, my Mom must have briefed him before we left, because for the first time ever, he followed me around the stores keeping a little closer eye on my selections. Now, the summer before 5th grade... I was 10 years old, and it was 1988. Yikes. Anyway I found a pair of acid washed tapered leg Guess jeans with the zippers at the bottom that I HAD TO HAVE. Come on 30ish girls out there... you know the ones... bright red triangle on the butt? The price tag said $52.00

You're wondering how I remember that? Well you're about to find out.

I begged and I pleaded. My Dad informed me that they sell jeans at "Tractor Supply" for $15.00 and I didn't need $52.00 jeans. We headed out of the store and as we walked he told me that he wanted me to have nice things, and that he could afford to buy me those jeans, but that he wanted me to REALLY understand what $52.00 was. We talked about how many hours a person who made minimum wage had to work to pay for those $52.00 jeans. He talked to me about how much he made when he and Mom first got married and what that $52.00 would have meant to them. When all was said and done, I got the jeans, but I also got a life lesson that still stays right in the front of my head on a daily basis. Anytime I want to buy something, I stop and think... "How many photoshoots will I have to shoot to buy that?"... "How many hours of editing does that translate to?"... "Do I REALLY want it that bad?"

Thanks Dad. Thanks for spoiling me, but not spoiling me rotten.
Oh, and thanks for sucking the joy out of senseless spending for me.

my dad. part III

My Dad started letting me drive everywhere we went together when I was late fourteen. His truck, my Mom's car, and our dually with a thirty eight foot long, eight foot wide horse trailer. He said he wanted to make sure that by the time I really had my license and could drive by myself, I would have a lot of experience under my belt. Smart.

Illegal.

But Smart.

This "real life driving" also included changing tires when we had blow outs. At the time, I was pretty sure that qualified as child abuse, but when I sat along the side of a six lane interstate just outside of Dallas, Texas as an eighteen year old with a blown out trailer tire, I was glad that all that "child abuse" had been inflicted upon me.

I was back on the road in 15 minutes.

That Dad of mine, smart.

my dad. part II

When I was a toddler/small child my Dad called me Booger Breath.
I'll let you come up with your own assumptions on that one.

Did I really just type that?

my dad. part I

My Dad is originally from New York, but he was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. All of his cousins and extended family still live in New York. Every four years we go up there for a HUGE (I'm talking HUUUGE) family reunion. Everyone in my Dad's family has like six kids, and then they have six kids, and then they have several kids, and the next thing you know... HUGE. Anyway, at those family gatherings EVERYONE calls my Dad "Herk" or "Herky". Like so much so, that when someone introduces me or my kids, they say "This is Herky's daughter, Kathy" or "This is Herk's grandson, Cooper". Why do they call him Herk? Here's the story...

When my Dad was a tiny little baby, we're talking like two days old, My Grandpa laid him in his crib on his back and stepped out of the room for just a second. In that second, my Grandma came in and flipped him over to his belly. When my Grandpa stepped back in, he proclaimed "This baby has flipped himself over! He's as strong as Hercules!"

And that's how it goes. Kind of, I might have switched Grandpa for Grandma... maybe he was the flipper not the proclaimer, but you get the point. Hercules became Herk which became Herky.

I changed my mind...

Random tidbits and stories about my Dad all day long...

Scuba Pocket

For some reason, Cooper has always said "Pocket" instead of "Grandpa". We really aren't sure why, because he can say Grandpa plain as day. You know how most kids call their Grandparents by their title, and than their name? You know, like... Grandpa McCloy, or Grandpa John? Well, not Coop. He lovingly refers to his Grandpas as Cowboy Pocket and Scuba Pocket. Well, today is Scuba Pocket's birthday (aka... my Dad).
I could sit here and type a mile long blog post about what a terrific Dad he is, or I could list the nine million things he has done for me in my life. But instead I will just tell you that 100% of the time, from the first moment I can remember to this very second, my Dad has ALWAYS put our family before everything else. It wasn't until just the past few years that he actually started doing things that he wanted to do. That would be scuba diving and traveling all over the world to do it. He recently went and dove the Dead Sea in Egypt. Isn't that crazy? My steel toe boot wearing, Carhartt sporting Dad, now lives most of his days in sandals and shorts. I tell him all of the time that he thinks he's Jimmy Buffett. It's just loads of fun to see him finally getting to enjoy things that are just for him.

I love you so much Dad.  Have a great birthday and soak up some of that Florida sunshine and heat for all of us stuck up here in the frozen tundra!

Treadmill

I want one. I have always wanted one. And now... since I found Shannon's AWESOME IDEA, I REALLY want one. If you're too lazy to click over and read about her AWESOME IDEA, let me give you the cliff notes version. She has a treadmill with her keyboard rigged up on it and her monitor mounted on the wall. She walks while she works.
OH.
MY.
GOSH.
Why did I not think of this?
I seriously spend like eight hours a day in front of the computer. My back and hips bother me from all the sitting. Not to mention the diameter of my hiney bothers me worse than the actual hurt. So, moral of this story... I'm in the market for a treadmill. I think I need one with kind of a wide moving band thingy because I am sort of a klutz and walking and editing at the same time could be dangerous. So. If you have a treadmill you want to sell, or better yet trade for a super way fun photo shoot... email me!

Sidenote... Shannon? The one with the AWSOME IDEA? She can make your boring old blogspot blog look totally fabulous. If you have a blogspot blog that needs some pizazz, check out her designs HERE.

A VERY rare altar shot from me. My cousin Stormi's big day...

Happy Number 3 Coop Diddy

It's official. The 2nd love of my life is 3. The poor little guy was sick for his birthday so we had a day of birthday fun locked up in the house. My WONDERFUL children decided to start the day out at 6 something AM, so the sun wasn't even up for the start of the festivities.

How about my little OCD kid lining up his presents before he opened them?  If you recall in the last post, they were in a neat little stack that his OCD Mom made. 

Remember those little foam pills that you drop into hot water and they morph into some fun shape?  Well the dinosaur ones that I got Coop for his birthday... not near as much fun as I remembered.  We started out with one in the jar (also a drinking glass at our house)...

 

Coop just had to dump all of them in, so we got a bigger bowl, and hours later we ended up with this...

There are a few little handicap dinosaurs in that bowl that despite all my coaxing, never turned into anything besides a little hunk of colored foam.  I discreetly scooped those out and pitched them while Cooper was distracted with something else.

BREAKFAST.  Party Pancakes.  I accidentally put on those trick candles that just keep re-lighting?  Really not so funny with a 3yr old.  I just grabbed a pack of candles out of the cabinet and figured out my error after watching sick little Cooper trying to blow them out.. over, and over, and over again.  I know.  Mom of the year.

I had no plan for his birthday cake.  I'll never EVER top the cake Shannon (my cousin in law) made for his first birthday.  Then for his second birthday I was all Martha Stewarty and made a little cupcake tower.   Heck, I didn't even bake it this year until after he opened his presents.  So, I grabbed a little food coloring out of the cabinet and some plastic dinosaur stuff that Cooper had in his toy basket, and whipped up dino-land.  Not so impressive to any of us that use the bathroom some place other than in a diaper, but man, Cooper thought I was the best Mom ever. Oh, and before I post these next photos...  Yes, he is wearing his pajamas.  No, I did not give him cake first thing in the morning.  Yes, I did let him wear his pajamas until after lunch.  Hey...  cut me some slack, he's sick.

Fork eating didn't last long.

Sidenote... How about that Superbowl?  HOLY COW.  If you want to read about my deep insights on last year's Super Bowl, be prepared to be blown away with my sports knowledge and click HERE.

47 minutes

In 46 minutes, my sweet little two year old will no longer be a two year old.

He will be three.

three.

Do you know what that means? That means that almost FOUR years ago Otey and I took the leap and decided to start a family. That means that it has been almost four years ago that we met Dr. Penney at Mid Missouri Reproductive and then made it real by telling him we were ready to take the leap. A few months later... after many 5am drives to Columbia, many tears, many dollars, and who knows how many shots... our first invitro attempt was a success. We were going to have a baby.

A baby that is about to turn three in 40 minutes.

I am constantly amazed at how being a mother consumes my life. What did I do before I had kids? I thought I was sooo busy. Oh wait, I know what I did... I slept, and I watched TV that wasn't animated, I left the house without a bag big enough to fit a Buick in, I slept (did I already say that?) and I didn't use words like poopy on a daily basis. I drove with the windows down, and skipped a meal when ever I felt like it.

Oh! 

And I slept.

But 2 years, 364 days, 23 hours, and 35 minutes ago that changed. Everything in my world was totally flipped upside down and I wouldn't go back for a million dollars.

Our life stays so crazy. We are constantly packing and unpacking, driving and flying, coordinating travel schedules, picking up babysitters, rearranging work schedules, but I love every second of it. I LOVE that I am blessed with a job, and a support system of people around me that allow my children to be with me nearly 24/7. I get to soak up every little minute of life with them.

29 minutes to go.

I just got distracted by Saturday Night Live... the skit with Peyton Manning in the locker room dancing all crazy with the high school basketball coach... it nearly makes me pee my pant with laughter every time I see it.

17 minutes to go.

And for any of you who thought you might have a shot at Mom of the year? Forget about it. I just spent 30 minutes blowing up balloons and wrapping Coop's Birthday presents in construction paper which I decorated with hand drawn animals so that when he comes out of his room first thing in the morning... this is what he'll see. Okay. so I haven't baked him a cake yet, and I only wrapped his presents in colored construction paper because I didn't have any wrapping paper, and the hand draw pictures look like a 3rd grader did them, and the presents in those poorly wrapped packages are used movies I bought off of ebay, a $1.99 package of little pills that turn into tiny foam dinosaurs in water, AND a $3.99 Handy Manny puzzle that I just bought today.

Okay. I guess, the award is still up for grabs.

9 more minutes.

(yes mom... i got my new table, photos tomorrow when i have some light.  yes cody, pitch black house, off camera 580EXwizards). triggered with pocket

Einstein

Grady...
is mobile.
YIKES.

When we were still in Florida the first of the month he was getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. We all laughed and said "It won't be long until he's crawling."

When we got back to the frozen north country (aka... Iowa) I would lay him down on the floor and the poor little guy couldn't get his legs up under him on the hardwood floors because the blankets I had under him were scooting all over the place. Those blankets... they are essential in the protection of his little melon. The little guy has a VERY round butt. He rocks around like one of those blow up punching things we all had as kids and every once in awhile, he'll just fall over face first. So, you get the point... padding on the hardwood is a must.

Today I was cleaning like a pregnant woman in her third trimester (I don't know what got in to me) and Grady and Cooper were at the other end of our kitchen/dining/living room and I noticed that Cooper kept saying "No Grady! That's mine!" After about the third time, I went to evaluate the situation and Grady was off the blanket and all the way across the room. Now you're thinking... ahhh... Grady is crawling.  Nope.  My little Einstein has figured out that the super clean (I told you... I don't know what got in to me) hardwood floors were slick enough to slide on. And when I say slide on, I mean he sits on his little hiney, puts his hands on the floor between his legs, and scoots... yes he pulls himself with his hands and drags his butt and legs... he scoots... kind of like a dog that... that... well, you get the point.

I know I just posted this photo a few posts back, but I thought a visual might help you.

As soon as my kids are big enough to read,
I'm dead.

Links

I need your help (again). If you have a website or blog with a link to my site on it, please leave the Name of your site, and URL (web address) in a comment on this post. Even if you just "follow" me... if KathyMcCloy appears anywhere as a link on your blog or site... this applies to you. I'm working on a way to link back to all of you. Thanks!

I'm begging you.

Periodically I receive an email from a blog stalker that goes something like this...

"I saw you in the grocery store (at church... in Target... at a gas station) the other day but I felt funny coming up to talk to you when you don't know me. I didn't want to seem like a weirdo telling you that I read your blog everyday and I don't even know you."

Let me just go ahead and tell any of you that don't know me... PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU... stop me and introduce yourself. Allow me the opportunity to apologize for my personal appearance, for the act of wearing sweat pants in public, for my three year old who will probably be roaring at you like a T-Rex, for wiping baby spit-up with my shirt... for the love of Pete give me the opportunity to redeem myself! The funniest thing about this blog is that people who don't know me... know me.  I want the opportunity to know you! So step up! Be heard! And more importantly... please don't tell anyone what I look like in person.

Licking...

...Missouri that is.

Yep... Licking, Missouri.

Did I make you nervous?

That's where Otey grew up on his family's ranch.

Are you snickering?

I KNOW... Licking... I couldn't believe there was actually a town named LICKING. After almost seven years of being with Otey, I still enjoy a good Licking joke every now and then. All jokes aside... Licking, Missouri is located in central southern Missouri (just south of Rolla) and it is a beautiful place.  There isn't a whole lot to do in town (and I use the term "town" lightly).  The fine people of Licking were recently introduced to fast food with the addition of a Sonic.  The closest WalMart is 30 minutes away... and the closest mall?  An hour and a half.  Yikes.  Despite all of that, there is a FABULOUS salon in town (owned by my sister-in-law, Brandy).  And just a short fifteen minute drive away... down several miles of gravel road... one of the most peaceful places I know, Otey's family's ranch.

Otey's family moved from Texas to Missouri when he was just a little older than Cooper.  Otey's Dad (Bill) is a cowboy.  ***Sidenote, he's going to be really embarrassed that I'm blogging about him.***  I don't mean he wears a cowboy hat and boots and goes to rodeos, or listens to country music, or rides a horse every now and then.  I mean he is a get up before sunrise, saddle your horses, doctor cattle, break colts, provide the world with yummy steaks kind of cowboy.  I've been raised around horses my entire life, and been around rodeo for well over a decade, but I really didn't GET it until the first time I went home with Otey.  We all rode across pastures to gather cattle... they branded and worked the cattle the way REAL cowboys have done it for years (minus the Pizza Hut carryout that Otey's Mom brought us for lunch).  Otey's younger brother Ben and his wife also live there in Licking and Ben works on the ranch with Bill.  They run 100's and 100's and 100's and 100's and (you get the point) head of cattle and raise a whole bunch of colts.  Otey's Mom would shoot me if I didn't take this chance to tell you that they have (in her words) "way to many horses" and there are always a bunch of really nice ones ready to sell if you're in the market for a new steed.

Anywho, we went home to Licking last weekend for Bill's surprise 60th Birthday party.  Otey's older brother Cody flew in from Atlanta and everything.  It was quite the event in the little town of Licking.  For those of you who know me well, this next part is going to be hard to believe...  On Saturday morning they were shipping cattle, and so I got up and went out just after sunrise (I KNOW... HOLY. COW.) to shoot some pictures just because I never just shoot to shoot anymore.  Anyway, the ranch is a beautiful place year around, but at sunrise, with a sprinkle of snow, and 12* freeze on the air... it was exceptionally picturesque that morning.  I wish that I wrote eloquently... I wish that I could better describe the "vibe" at Otey's parents house.  It is going to ba a wonderful place for my kids to grow up visiting.  It's the kind of place that makes a good kid.  example... Otey McCloy

And for those of you that are thinking that you are so impressed that I was braving the 12* weather to shoot for no reason?  I must admit... all these photos were shot out the window of the truck while I sat in a heated seat.  Hey... I never claimed to be a cowgirl.

OH!  Did you notice the Level Five hair?  Again, please remember that I was up JUST AFTER SUNRISE and since it was JUST AFTER SUNRISE... I  am pretty sure that I hadn't brushed my hair... okay... or my teeth yet.

Seriously, how cool is it that my kids have one Grandpa who's a scuba diver, and one Grandpa that is a real life cowboy?  I guess that's a fair trade since they also have a Mom who doesn't brush her hair or her teeth.

I leave you with this...

"Cowboy Grandpa" (that' what Coop calls him) & Super Duper Mini Cooper.

Help me... Help you... (name that movie)

I know. I have way too much time on my hands...

I have really enjoyed blogging again after my December blogging hiatus and I am stoked to keep the blogging ball rolling. So, in the words of The Spice Girls (yes... they have their own website) Tell me what you want what you really really want!

Also, I'm trying to sort out my travel schedule for this spring/summer. Now is your chance to help me! If you think you might possibly be interested in booking a session with me, please mark one of the cities I've listed or add your city to the list!

There are going to be some BIG changes around the old blog in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for all the excitement!

I fell off the wagon.

ebay.

Ohhhh ebay how I've missed you.

I used to be an ebay junkie.  Buy it... sell it... more importantly SHOP IT!  Well, I'm up to my old tricks... I've fallen off the wagon.

After my WONDERFUL two week vacation, I came back to Iowa ready to simplify.  I realized I am drowning in "stuff".  Too many clothes, too many toys, too many things... just too much STUFF.  So, I started rearranging furniture, cleaning out drawers, hauling clothes to the Goodwill, and sorting out stuff to sell on ebay.  My general rule... if it's worth more then $30 it's worth listing on ebay.  I only can list three or four things at a time because I'm not smart enough (or organized enough) to keep up with more than that.  Who bought what, who's paid, where to ship it.  The problem is, I get on daily to check on my auctions, and then I CAN NOT HELP MY SELF...

I.
MUST.
SHOP.

It's like an evil circle.  I feel the need to sell STUFF, because I have too much STUFF, and then I buy more STUFF.  What the heck?  I just bought Cooper a couple of DVD's that he doesn't have, and I just bought a HUGE lot of clothes for Cooper in the next size (WAY cheap).  Those were needed.  My almost three year old is walking around in capri length blue jeans and shirts that show enough belly to qualify him as a back up dancer for Brittany Spears.  I'm also in the market for a new laptop... I haven't found the one I want yet... guess I'll have to keep shopping!

Anyway, if you are the cowgirl type, I have recently listed some Two Bar West purses and handles.  Here's the LINK. 

One more thing!   It's time for the Bloggy Giveaways.  There are HUNDREDS of blogs listed on this site that are currently running FREE giveaways.  If you don't have your own blog, just scroll down past all the posting rules, and there is a giant numbered pink list of links to blogs so you can enter to win free stuff.  Who doesn't love free stuff?

 

Do I sound smarter?

Boy, that's a funny thing to title the blog post the day after I confessed my garlic mincing Chrissy moment to you.  Anyway...

So do I?

Sound smarter?

It's because I'm not blonde anymore. My super duper friend ERICA met me in Columbia, Missouri last weekend and brought me some intelligence in a bottle!  We took our husbands and kids to the ARC to swim for a few hours, and then we all had a yummy supper at Longhorn (my VERY favorite) and then we headed back to our hotel for Cooper and I to get our ears lowered. 

I was born a blonde, and was still a blond until a few years back.  For some reason, the older I get the darker my hair gets.  I started highlighting my hair a few years back... you know... trying to hold on to my blonde.  But I finally have came to grips with the fact that I'm doomed to be a level five (that's the darkest blond/lightest brown for all of you that aren't friends with your stylist).  A boring old level five.

Poor Otey.  Six and a half years ago he married a skinny blonde, and now he has to go to bed every night with a chubby level five.

I can't believe I'm going to tell you this...

I could have titled this blog post... "Cooking with Chrissy Kathy".   Remember Chrissy?  Chrissy Snow from Three's Company?  Come to find out her full name was Christmas Snow.  Seriously... I'm not making that up.  I loved that show... Jack, Janet, Mr. Roper.  For a REAL walk down memory lane, watch THIS clip of Chrissy at her finest.  I laughed out loud.  ANYWAY, back to my blog post that has nothing to do with Three's Company except that I am sometimes as dumb as our old friend Chrissy.

Yesterday I decided to work on my wife of the year award and make Chicken Chili with Black Beans & Squash from Otey's Men's Health diet.  I tell you what, chopping and mincing, and dicing and slicing.  SUZY HOMEMAKER. BETTY CROCKER.  That's me.  If you're rolling your eyes... you haven't heard nothin' yet.

So, The recipe calls for two chopped garlic cloves.  Now is where the confusion begins.  A garlic CLOVE.  Is this a garlic CLOVE?    If you answered yes... you also can sometimes be as dumb as Chrissy.  When it came time to mince the garlic CLOVE... I peeled it kind of like a big flaky onion (this is the first time I've cooked with fresh garlic if you haven't figured that out yet) and then realized I didn't know what to do next.  Soooo.... me being the techy that I am, I went to the computer and Googled "mincing garlic cloves".  THIS handy-dandy "how to" site came up.  I looked at the photos (notice I said looked at the photos not read the instructions) and then headed back to the cutting board.  I squished, and peeled, and peeled some more.  Then I minced my little brain out.  I made the prettiest little minced pieces of garlic that you've ever seen.

Holy cow... I should forget this photography thing and write a cookbook or something.  I am wife of the year... oh ya... mince mince mince.  Wow.  That looks like a lot of garlic.  Why does my whole entire house stink like a $39 a night hotel lobby?  Who knows... I'll just scrape all this garlic in my handy dandy 4 INCH BY 4 INCH bowl and get the chicken ready. Okay.  Step 1. 

Coat a pot with nonstick spray and warm it over medium-high heat for 1 minute.  Add chicken and garlic, and saute until chicken is lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Hot pan... check.  Nonstick Spray... check.  Man, that looks like a lot of garlic.  DING! DING! DING! DING!  MAYBE ALL THOSE LITTLE PIECES ARE THE CLOVES. 

Once again, I call my cooking life line (I'm just going to keep this photo handy for all my cooking posts).

My Mom confirms my DING DING DING DING moment.  Those little pieces are the CLOVES!  And I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but she laughed at me!

So, in case you were wondering, I scooped a tablespoon of my perfectly minced garlic out of my 4 INCH BY 4 INCH bowl and added it to my pan with the chicken and continued on to make the YUMMIEST meal I've ever made!  They really should be more specific in the produce section with their labels.  Can you imagine what the chili would have tasted like if I'd added the ENTIRE bowl of garlic?  There were two BULBS of perfectly minced garlic in there.  THANK YOU LORD for my DING DING DING DING moment and a Mom who always has her cell phone on her.  One more time, let's review...

 

Have a great weekend.  We're headed to Otey's parent's ranch tomorrow afternoon.  I will actually be able to post now that my high tech inlaws have satellite internet!  Yahoo!

...you smell like a monkey, and you look like one too.

The one and only Monkey Monk is about to be THREE YEARS OLD.  What else does that mean?  My first born is about to be THREE YEARS OLD!  Ahhhh!!!  Where has time went?  Okay, I'm going to save the "boo-hoo-hoo my kid is getting ready to get his drivers license, kiss girls, and think I'm not cool anymore" for his actual birthday.  Let's get back to Monkey Monk. 
Monkey Monk goes EVERYWHERE with us.  Since Cooper was three weeks old, he has slept four nights with out that Monkey, and those night were not by choice.  There was a little incident where old Monkey-Monk jumped out of the truck at an O'Charlie's in Kansas City.  After hours of phone calls, Monkey was safely returned to us via overnight UPS.  Then there was the time that Grandma McCloy forgot to double check that Monkey got packed after Cooper spent the weekend at the ranch.  Actually, she did pack him... but you have to watch that Cooper.  Every once in awhile when you aren't looking he will "unpack" him for a few minutes of play time.  Once again, Monkey got an overnight ride via UPS.  We do have a back up Monkey.  He is the exact same stuffed animal, but even at a year old, Cooper could tell the difference.
After some figuring, I have determined that Monk has been to all of the yellow states in his short life.

Monkey has had a very full life so far.  Obviously nine hundred trips through the washing machine is a pretty good diet plan for a primate because he (unlike me) has got very thin with age.   He (just like me) is unfortunately starting to look a little rough around the edges.  Anymore, when we're at home Monkey stays in Cooper's bed, but this morning, I told him to go get him so that I could take his picture.  Here is the result.

 

 

AND... by total freak accident... check out these two. 

   February 7th, 2007  (just turned 1)              January 21st, 2009 (almost 3)

 

Monkeys a little thinner, and a little dingier, and my photo skills have improved a touch, but one thing is for sure...

my kid is still rotten.

So I lied...

This post isn't about Monkey-Monk turning three. Grady had a doctors appointment today and so Cooper spent the afternoon with the babysitter... and so did Monkey-Monk.  So, 3yr old birthday photos of the primate in question will have to happen tomorrow.
Back to little G-funk-a-dilly's appointment... THREE shots.  Yep.  My sweet little baby had to endure three stabs with a needle the size of a baseball bat.  Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating about the size of the needle, but dang... the poor little guy just looked at me like "What the heck, Mom?  I thought you were on MY team?"  I'm glad to report the little squirt is right on track.  27 inches and 16lbs (that translates to long and skinny to all my non-munchkin havin' readers).  I'm so thankful that Otey's genes seem to be prevailing in the "hiney" department.  I've made two SKINNY kids... who would have ever dreamed it?  People comment all of the time on Grady's size "Man, he's little, huh?".  Well, today he was officially labeled as 60% in height, and 25% in weight on that little line graph the doctor uses.  You know the one... it gives me scary flashbacks of pre-algebra in the 8th grade.  And in the 9th grade.  So math wasn't my strong subject.  Anyway, the Dr. says that's great because the weight percentages are compared to American babies only and being perfectly average in a country of chubby people isn't necessarily the best thing to be.  So for once in my life, I'm glad that my child is below average.  Man, that was hard to type.  Below average?  How about just perfect.

Now prepare yourself for some cuteness...

A level of cuteness that this blog has never experienced...

Cuteness in such abundance that it should be bottled and sold at auction...

Can you stand it?  Are you dying of cuteness overload?  This was just before we left for his assault with the baseball bat at the Dr's office.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I COULD EAT HIM WITH A SPOON.

Hush little baby...

...don't say a Word.  Mama's gunna buy you a...

... anything you want if you promise to stay this little and yummy and sweet and yummy.  Did I say yummy already?  I  PROMISE... this was not staged.  This is how I found him when I went in to check on him during his nap yesterday.  ***long sighhhh***  This is your introduction to Grady's Lion.  Our life is so crazy and my kids are always sleeping in a different bed, a different room, heck.. a different state, so I think it's important to have something that symbolizes bed time.  For Coop, it's his famous Monkey-Monk and for Grady... it's his Lion.  He doesn't have a name yet.  I'll leave that to him. 

Coming next... a "Monkey-Monk turns three" post.

Make it burn!

I just got back from the grocery store. Uneventful... that's what you're thinking. Let me back up...

My ever so handsome husband is on a diet. If you know Otey, you are thinking "on a diet? Why?" Well, I suppose he's decided he misses the days of size 30 jeans, and when he decides he's going to do something, he doesn't do it half way. He has been working out religiously (even on our beach vacation... I know... *finger down my throat gagging*) and he is on a very specific diet that tells you when to eat and what to eat. When we got back to town this evening I needed a few everyday normal grocery items, so I volunteered to pick up what he needed for his menu this week. Little did I know that this would entail a two page list printed out from Mens Health complete with little square check boxes. I must tell you right now that Otey offered to go and get everything since it was so much, but I insisted that I go.  I set out optimistically for the grocery store glad to escape the house, and have a few minutes to myself. I gathered my list, phone (in case of baby-breakdown at home) and Master Card and headed in to HyVee (that's the best grocery store EVER just in case you were wondering). I started down the first isle (vegetables/produce/bakery) pulled out Otey's list, and this is where it all got a little overwhelming. Specific numbers of fruits, certain kinds of lettuce, all grain pita bread, I kept having to circle back because there were so many things on the list, that I would accidentally skip by one. Still... I optimistically rolled on to isle number two, isle number three, stopped and asked the butcher for the two specific cuts of meat that were on the list. Now... where are the whole grain tortillas... not with the other tortillas... not with the health food... one can of stewed tomatoes... what IS a stewed tomato? Surely it's in the isle with all the canned vegetables... one can of black beans. Okay, here's the bean section... red beans, baked beans, white beans, pork and beans, beans and rice (call my Mom... "Is a black bean the same thing as a black eye pea?) AH-HA!  Last two cans, stick them in the cart. Okay, this isn't much fun anymore... wait, back to the frozen food section, I forgot the broccoli. Now on to foreign territory, THE HEALTH FOOD SECTION. Back and forth and up and down the isles in that tiny section for ten minutes and I FINALLY find the little energy bar that was on the list. I tried to call Otey in the middle of the energy bar search but he didn't answer (I'm sure he was saving Grady's life from his "loving" big brother) and so after I had located it and made my way back to the other end of the grocery store, he called and innocently said "Did you need something?" Me... "Nope, I couldn't find the energy bars but I located them." Him... "Good, can you please get a couple more flavors for me?" Me... "No problem." as I pant my fat hiney back to the other side of the grocery store (oh ya, make it burn) briskly walking past the skinny girl reading labels in the health food section *finger down my throat gagging*. Now, FINALLY I had EVERYTHING on the list. By this time, I was over the joy of a few minutes to myself as I realized that I had just spent more time in the grocery store then any other trip in the history of my grocery shopping years. NOW I know why this diet works so good... I must have walked two and a half miles just to locate everything on the dang grocery list! On to the check out counter... great...no line. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep about 100 more times. Your total is $200 and something (I think I blacked out for just a minute). I then recovered from hyperventilating and waded through the snow back to my car and loaded up a bunch of food that didn't sound very fun to eat. My husband is a stud. A stud for working out everyday, a stud for sticking to his diet, and MOST OF ALL, a stud for doing all his own grocery shopping last week!  I can tell you one thing, next week I'm wearing sweats and stretching before I head to HyVee.  I suppose it's like any other workout, next week will just get easier.  Happy Monday.

Cupcakes

Hello all. I made cupcakes yesterday. I know, I know... Suzy homemaker. I decided to document the festivities and share it with you. First off, let me show you where all the action took place. In my awesome kitchen with stainless steal appliances, granite counter tops, two toned cabinets, and ebony stained real hardwood floors... ok... so I made all that stuff up. Here's where the REAL action took place...

Did you spot it?  The boxed cake mix on my counter?  That leads me to this... the introduction of my VERY favorite cookbook,  101 Things To Do With a Cake Mix.  I. LOVE. THIS. COOKBOOK.

I spotted it one day in a Cracker Barrel and mentioned to my Mom that "that was my kind of baking" and what do you know?  Santa must have over heard us because I got one the very next Christmas!  It's filled with easy recipes that all start with a cake mix and end with cookies, fancy cakes, brownies, and bars.  Now, this isn't the Pioneer Woman's Cooking Blog, so don't expect anything high class and fancy.  In fact, once I got started I was missing the key ingredient in the cupcakes I was planning on making so I ended up with a fairly run-of-the-mill chocolate dollar store version of what I set out to make.  And to top it all off, look at the ONLY cupcake papers I had in my house.

Yep. Halloween in January.  My poor kids... I'm going to be the crazy Mom in my pajamas running their lunch into them at 11:15.  You know the Mom... the one even as a 2nd grader that you thought was crazy.  Speaking of my kids... here is what was going down on the other end of our kitchen/dining/livingroom while I was honing my culinary kills (please excuse the toys, no excuses, that's just how we roll).

Did you notice my computer sitting on the livingroom floor?  Currently the only thing I'm working on is my cousin's wedding and it's just too chilly in my office basement so I lay there on my stomach (actually that's where I am this very second) and work.  

Coop's attention span it about  I----I  that long when it comes to anything except puzzles, he LOVES puzzles.  G-funk just hangs out in his exersaucer.  As long as I position him in the middle where he can see the length of the room either way (always able to see Cooper) he's as happy as could be.

Back to cooking... my only kitchen claim to fame?  Did I mention that I can skillfully crack an egg with one hand (and in this case shoot a photo of it also)?

 

The real reason I bake is because I LOVE kitchen gadgets, any gadgets really, but that is a different blog post.  Here's two current favorites...

1.  The best turner/spatula whatever you want to call it in the entire world.  It's very thin metal with a silicone covering  on it.  I LOVE it.  (thanks Mom)

 

2. This handy little gadget from Pampered Chef.  I actually have two of them so there is always one clean.  My sister-in-law Brandy got me one, and Sara (that you might remember from my post about Pampered Chef Stones ) also gave me one when I ordered from her last fall.  It is GREAT for cooking ground beef and it's made out of something (something isn't the TECHNICAL name) that doesn't scratch your non stick pans.  It's great for chopping anything, but now I couldn't live with out it when it's time to chop a big hunk of ground beef.  Love it.

 

So how are the cup cakes coming?  I had to make an emergency call to my cooking lifeline to discuss the merits of Bakers Chocolate.

 

Yes that's my iPhone.  Yes I still LOVE it.  Yes there will be an entire blog post coming soon devoted completely to my love affair with my iPhone.  Back to the cupcakes... what was that I said about Cooper's attention span I----I ?  I don't know where he got that from.

 

You're wondering why I took a photo of a matchstick?  I didn't have a toothpick.  You know for that whole stick in the toothpick and make sure the inside of the cake is done?  So I used the closest thing I had.  Hey, it's small... and made of wood... kind of the same?  And the finished product?

 

Lots of cupcakes!  And my favorite... the leftovers that wouldn't fit in the muffin pans.  I poured it in a Longaberger bowl and baked it when the cupcakes came out.  For some reason, that left over cake is always my favorite.  That little red bowl is actually discontinued, but there are other shapes and colors.  That plate is from Cowboy Living.  It's the Buckaroo Stoneware collection.   And because I can NEVER shoot a decent photo of my eldest child, here are some funny ones of him scarfing down a couple fresh out of the oven cupcakes.

I love that little Goober.  Go bake a cake, and have a great weekend!

and the winner is...

LEAH ROBINSON!!!  The 22nd person to comment!  Do you like my super technical way of "randomly" choosing a winner?  Shake up the numbers 1-25 for the 25 people who commented, lick my finger, and then reach in and pick a number.  Email me your shipping address Leah... "Mommy's Giant Blue Drink" is on the way!  I have a couple other little bitty contests coming up... stay tuned.