Almost, but not quiteCauliflower mashed potatoes

I tried to make "mashed potatoes" out of cauliflower tonight. Um, let's just say it didn't work out. The recipe said that I was supposed to just use the florets - but it turns out that I mis-read (i.e. didn't read) that part, so I used the stalk-part, too. Um, the texture was gross. The taste? Well, it was good.

Good thing I sort of knew I'd mess it up. (I bought TWO heads of cauliflower at the grocery store today.)

That Craig, he's one lucky man... I mean, two nights in a row of mashed cauliflower?!

Who says he ain't livin' like a king?

--

P.S. Anyone have a good lentil soup recipe?

Marriage Ref

I've been waiting for this show since before the Olympics started.

My thoughts:

Any show that Alec Baldwin is on I'm down with. I'm excited for the other future guests: Tina Fey, Larry David, Rick Gervais. Suh-weet.

I'm liking it. Funny.

You?

New venture: Introducing StatusWack

So, one day my sister and I were discussing the sheer craziness that we read daily on Facebook and the like.

She started emailing me the random status updates she would run across and thus StatusWack.com was born.

I mean, these are just too fun not to share.

So visit. Contribute. Laugh. Share. Enjoy.

Happy Friday.

Ferg Friday: Memory Lane

C. requested that this week's Ferg Friday be a little stroll down memory lane.

So, here you are. Below are photos of Ferg from her first week as part of our family. (Aug. 2007)

So cute.

I mean, really.

Hey, thanks!

Thanks to all of you who've helped me with the blog makeover and thanks for giving me your blog addresses to re-add to my blog roll. You all? You rock.

Random fact: the pictures on the header are of my lettuce and my geraniums that are currently blooming. (Just in case you were wondering.)

Thanks again, everyone! Have a great weekend.

Let's play: "Who's more popular?" Jay Leno or Toyota?

Owning a Toyota, let alone a Toyota mini van ain't too popular these days... for good reason.

...that said, those new Toyota Sienna, "swagger wagon" commercials are cleverly entertaining. (See here.) (Many-a-blogger are complaining about how un-cool the ads are, but I'm willing to say that those people don't have a sense of humor.)

Still, it ain't lookin' too promising that I'll buy a Toyota that may or may not have a gas pedal that may or may not stick.

And I would rather eat a live grasshopper than buy a mini van. Unless it was a VW Routan. Those are cool.

(Did I just type that?)

Disclaimer: I realize that it was only a handful of Toyotas that experienced the sticking-gas-pedal issue. But, um... that's a few too many. (Did you see the latest? Mr. Toyoda is sorry about the faulty accelerators. Ya think?) As I was saying... I'll have you know that my first car was a 1986 Toyota Corolla that I ended up selling for $500 in '99. That was a fabulous car. We (my family and I) have had nothing but great experiences with them. (My Mom has had four.)

Question: Is Toyota ever going to be able to rebound from this marketing/branding nightmare?

MexMo: Um, hello American?I think you know better.

When your license plate and/or tags have expired, you can always do this:

Turn your license plate over. You can't even read the, "California", right?

As seen in a local parking lot.

How's the top task bar looking?

Are the buttons still out of control?

(Wrapping on to the second line?)

Don't sell your crazy here.

So, I DVR The Little Couple on TLC. I think Dr. Jen is ridiculously adorable. I heart her.

Not the point of this post.

During the show there's always a commercial for that TLC show, "Toddlers and Tiaras."

Disclaimer: I've NEVER WATCHED THIS SHOW. Therefore, I'm sure you could accuse me of being judgmental. But, I ask you: do I really need to watch the show in order to know those mothers/grandmothers/guardians of those poor TODDLERS are awful?

Now that I have a daughter I can guarantee that I will never, ever, EVER do that to my child.

They spray-tan those children.
And dress them in mini, mini skirts and Britney Spears bare-belly shirts.
I think they glue fake eyelashes on them, too.
And, those little four-year-olds can sashay in a sexy (!!!) manner better than I EVER will.

Creepy.

Terrifying.

Where's Child Protective Services when you need them? (That poor baby. Below.)

More insanity (pictures) here.

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't stand the birds anymore. I blamed them for my blog loading so slowly.

So... off I go again, redesigning the 'ole blog.

It's late. I'm tired. I shall tweek more tomorrow.

Let me know what's looking weird on your computer. Right now the buttons on the top menu/link bar are driving me crazy... they're all in one line right now, but let me know if they end up taking up two lines on your mac or pc.

g'night.

View of Land's End... From Costco

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BLOGGER DELETED MY BLOG ROLL.

(Thanks for letting me know this, Kendra.)

So, if you're normally on my blog roll - PLEASE send me your blog URL.

How annoying.

How about a hot dog doughnut?

Did you see this article? Apparently a group of pediatricians in the States would like a hot dog and candy redesign in order to eliminate the possibility of little ones from choking.

I have a little one.

I don't want her to choke.

I get it.

But, let's mull this one over.

What shape would you like for your hot dog to be? Yes. I'd like for you to answer.

(Oddly, Craig and I saw a Mexican brand of salchichas (hot dogs) down here by the brand name of, "FUD" (pronounced, "food") that are actually FLAT and long. On the packaging it says something to the effect of, "easier for eating".  So, dear American friends, it's been done. In Mexico. And it's gross. Hot dogs should be, well, hot dogs.)

Yesss!!!!

Thank you, Anabelle!!!!

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Lila LunesAnd... the cupcake is 8 months old! Whoa.

My Cupcake is EIGHT MONTHS OLD. And cool.

(Take a moment. Gasp.)

Are you shocked? Eight months, you guys. EIGHT MONTHS. You've be reading about her since I was 12 weeks along... and now she's been on earth for eight months. Crazy, ain't it? 

So what's new this week?

First, I'll tell you what's not new this week: people telling me my kid looks just like her Daddy.

Senior Picture Pose

So everywhere we go strangers tell me (in English and Spanish) that Lila looks nothing like me. Everywhere.

It's especially worse when he's with us. Just this past week three people at the grocery store told me that Lila looks nothing like me and is a spitting image of Craig. Then, this past week at Craig's doctor's appointment (long, looong story) - the nurse who has seen me since my pregnancy days told me that the baby looks JUST LIKE her Daddy - not like me. At all. Not a bit.

I mean, I hear this everyday.

Does it bother me?

Nope. I just happen to think that Craig's the cutest man I've ever seen.

Moving on.

Dear Cherry Coke.

Dear can of Cherry Coke,
I love you.
I have missed you.
I live in Mexico and they don't sell you here. (I know, I know. A tragedy.)
However, I happened to find a lone can or two of you at my favorite Cabo grocer: C.C.C.
You tasted like heaven.
Sweet high fructose corn syrup plus artificial cherry flavor, I love you.
I am happy to pay the equivalent of $2.09 USD for you, per can.
It was a heavenly splurge.
And I love you.

Eternally yours,
kb

So cute.

It just so happens.

This is my 3,333rd post.

Cool.

Ferg Friday

Ferg loves the beach.

Ferg actually smiles.

Help a sista out.

I'm all about ways to help any working or stay-at-home Moms find ways to supplement their income.  I mean, let's face it, everyone's money tree is well, not blooming these days.

That said - my sister-in-law is now a Maddy Moo Creations consultant. Purses, diaper bags, accessories.

You can choose your own fabric and "build" what you like. (My first question? Does it have to have a boy/ribbon on it? (BLECH), she said: "Absolutely not!" Whew.)

Check out her website here. And, hey - it make be a good way for you to make extra moola, too. (Get it? Maddy Moo? "Moola"? HAHAHAHAHAAH.)

test

Just like old times

Ferg is quite happy at work today.

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MexMo: I had to read this one twice.

Bought rubber gloves at the store today for mopping...

...you'd think that I was using them for something else given that description.

(This is a result of Mexican products going that extra mile and including English on their packaging. They gave it the 'ole college try... yet it still sounds sexual, no?)

This is cute.

Bottle drying rack.

Land of Nod. $19.99 

See here.

Making the baby food... still...

Before I got pregnant I scoffed at the weirdos who made their own baby food.
Um, baby food is already made.
It's in jars.
Buy it.

Now, I've taken it upon myself to be on an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom crusade against added sugars and preservatives, at least until my Cupcake is a year old.  (Upon making it to one-year-old I'll be rewarding Lila with a cornucopia of twinkies, pringles and McDonald's french fries. It's the American way.)

Thus far, I steam, smoosh and freeze her some veggies once every 3-4 weeks. I've done sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and peas. (I can't find squash here!) She eats avocado, bagels, fruits and cereal, too.

This little drop-in-the-pan steamer makes the process so easy. It's awesome. It fits in small pans and large ones so I can either steam Lila a bit of food or a lot.

It's $16.99 on amazon. See here.

Every home should have a bottle of ___________.

Vinegar.

Frankly, I think distilled white vinegar is a treasure. To drink? No. To clean with? Yes.

If you can get over the whole, "I-just-dyed-Easter-eggs" smell - you'll love the fact that white vinegar removes ANY schmutz AT ALL on stainless steel pans. Go ahead. Try it. They'll be shinier, too.

And that was your Martha Moment.

P.S. I'd like for you to finish that sentence above. "Every home should have a bottle of ___________."
(This could be funny.)

I believe Ferg might have a slight case of the Mondays.

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Lila Lunes.Lesson learned.

It's been a big week.

• Lila's crawling EVERYWHERE.
• She has TWO TEETH. (One appeared in just ONE week!)
• The crib has been l.o.w.e.r.e.d and the bumper and mobile are GONE. (This made me very sad.)
• There's a lot of, "ma-ma-ma-ma" and "da-da-da-da" going on... 

When I was pregnant, I remember saying: "I'm totally going to take my baby with me everywhere. I will not be adjusting to her schedule; she'll be adjusting to mine."


It always drove me nuts when people had to be at home at exactly 1:00 p.m. so that there child could nap from 1:01 p.m. - 2:48 p.m. I mean, that's far too much scheduling. If I can't successfully live by a schedule how can I expect my 7-month-old to?

Scheduling STILL isn't for us. However, I'm all about a good routine. As is Lila.

Babies have an affinity for knowing what to expect. They like to know what happens after they wake up, what happens after lunch, after bath time, etc.

That said we break the routine every now and then... and we broke it in a big way on Sunday. See, we haven't been to the East Cape beach in over a YEAR so we packed up the house (I'm not kidding) and off we went.

Life before Lila was care-free and, well... simple. C. and I would pack up the car and bring with us a couple of towels or chairs, an umbrella, a cooler, a water-dish for Ferg some sunscreen and bam! We had a perfect afternoon listlessly lounging on the beaches of Los Cabos.

Um. Life has sort of changed.

Today Lila required toys, diapers, food, a spoon, wipes, sun hat, sunscreen, blankets, etc., etc. Her accouterments are vast. (Here she is in her sun tent with Ferg guarding, Thank you Gramma Jenna.)

And, given the fact that she constantly had her wet little hands in the sand, and then in her mouth - she did well.

She didn't nap, however.

At all.

She played.

What does that mean?
Lila was tough all day Sunday. I mean ALL DAY. She's not one of those babies who will just sleep anywhere. Nope. She needs to go, go, go! She doesn't want to miss a thing. I can't blame her. I'm the same way.

So what is my lesson at this point in my parenting career?
Routines are good. Deviations from routine are cool - however, just be comfortable knowing that you'll be dealing with the consequences later.

**NOTE: I love being Lila's mommy. I do. However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that yesterday at the beach I just wanted to close my eyes and float away...

It's amazing how many "me" days you have pre-baby and how few of them you have "post-baby".

Ahhh....

Someone told me this:

"The days seem to sometimes drag on...

...but the years will fly by."

Golden.

That's a golden adage. So true.

That said, life is going by FAR too quickly.

In ONE week, Lila has proceeded to sprout ANOTHER TOOTH. (Yep, we're at two bottom teeth.) She literally puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. Teething be crazy.

I love that belly.

It's a shame that look isn't so cute on a 30-year-old woman.

Ok, onward to the pics from this week. There are a ton.

This was pre-beach. I find this picture to be who-larious.

Here's Lila outside reading.

Please notice that the book is not exatly right-side up.

Please notice that Lila doesn't care.

(This book is from my friend, B. and it is hands-down, her absolute favorite book.)

Lila's new hat from, Dusty!

She loves it! (So do I. Thank you again.)

Crawling ain't easy.

See?

However, posing is easy.

(Notice the blurry right hand? This is because Lila is a blur. She's constantly moving.)

It was chilly this week in Cabo.

(I'm serious.)

More crawling.

(I feel like she looks like me here.)

It's very funny to have underpants on your head and edamame in your mouth.

We tried the pack-n-play outside in the courtyard this week.

It went over kind of well.

This face means: "Another spoonful please. I'm ready now."

Who me? A mess?

No.

I love this one for some reason.

On Daddy's lap.

My daughter and I.

This would be my second-favorite picture of the week.

And this would be my favorite picture of the week.

That Craig. He's one good Daddy.

Cute too, no?

love,

kb&lb

Um... we tried Cheerio's this week. Here's the very short video series. (Yes, there are 3.)

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

P.S. If the line spacing is wacky in this post, I blame blogger. The new tool bar is somewhat sketchy.