100th post - a celebration of my Man!

In honor of my 100th post, I'd like to tell you a little ditti about a guy named T-Bone.
I don't talk about T-Bone in much detail.

But lately, I'm feeling so blessed and want to put it down in black and white.

We just celebrated our marriage of 13 years.

WOW!  Hard to believe that 13 years have passed.
Our celebration was a some great indian food and a quaint walk afterward.
A night of celebration wouldn't be complete without a trip to Target and Home Goods.
I mean, who doesn't hit a few retail stores as part of a romantic date night?

Looking back at our lives, I feel so lucky to have him as my hubby.
At 10 years, we renewed our vows.

You should try it!

It really re-creates the romance we felt in the beginning.
You know what I'm talking about.
As time goes - so does that lovin' feeling.
I mean - really....how can it stay all touchy, feely when you're raising kids and all the chaois that comes with that.
It takes effort.
Commitment.

Renewing our vows kept our hearts close and connected.
It brought some romance into the picture...
Planning the date.

Inviting close friends and family.

Finding the right setting.

Shopping for a new dress.

and the best part....

including the kids.
You can read more about that here.

I digress....now back to our lives today.
T-Bone makes me laugh and smile.
He's smart and sexy.
He's always on my side, protecting me and supporting me...
and putting up with me.

T-Bone works from home, like I do.
That was an adjustment for me.
He creates nutritional consumer packaged goods (products sold at retail).
He's an ideas man.
A great marketer.
A researcher.
An awesome spreadsheet maker.
A wonderful provider.
In addition to his grade "A" work ethic, he's an awesome husband and dad!

I am so blessed.
I feel so loved.

(not the most romantic kiss but good enough for the camera)

We look a little stiff....but I just love the girls reaction.

I thank God everyday for him.
He's the greatest husband!
I love you, T-Bone!

Camp Cre8

It's funny how even though I realize that I'm not good at crafty things, my daughter had to give me a blunt reminder today.

Both of my girls went to Camp Cre8 where Nancy and Kristy have some adorable crafts for the girls to make.  You can check out their posts here and here.  These two ladies are brilliantly crafty and I'm proud to call them my friends.

On the ride home, Sweet Cheeks says "Mom, you should start a camp like this sometime."

I paused and looked at her with a mischevious grin as if to say "are you kidding me?  I'm not crafty."

She quickly figured out what my grin meant.

Then, she said "well, maybe you could do some type of cooking camp for kids."

I paused and, again, looked at her with a questionable grin.

Oh, yeah, she said.  You're not a good cook, either.

So, we left it at that.

Mom's not the greatest at everything....but she still tries her best and keeps a smile on her face!

Here's some of the cute stuff they made...

She did not want her picture taken.

Oh, well....mama needs her picture.

Great crafting by great Ladies.

Thanks, Kristy and Nancy.

You've made this summer camp a blast and a half.

2010 Recital

The girls had their busy recital weekend and performed beautifully.

I really was amazed as I watched them on stage.

Both smiled from ear to ear.

They did some serious bootie shakin' and keep the beat.

So proud!

Here are their gorgeous ballet outfits.

Sugar Nugget (L) performed to Sleeping Beauty while

Sweet Cheeks (R) performed to Bach Orchestral Suite.

And, then there was tap performed by Sweet Cheeks.

I absolutely loved these outfits....

and it was my favorite dance of hers.

Get ready for Jail House Rock.

And, if you ever see me dancing, it'll definitely be my personal favorite....jazz.

Jazz hands!

Sweet Cheeks performed to My Doggy ate my Homework.

They had folders and stools as props.

Super cute dance!

Sugar Nugget danced to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.

Grandma E came to visit from AZ.

And, Papa and Shirlie M were here to watch, too.

Next year will be even busier with both girls joining in JTR (jazz tap rep), which is the performing/competing group.

Sweet Cheeks will take 6 classes of dance and

Sugar Nugget will take 3.

Hey, why not?

I was a dancer so I'm glad they're enjoying it, too.

crEATe Recipe Share: Parmesean Crusted Chicken

I'm following Nancy's great idea for her crEATe recipe share idea and here we go.

Let me first disclose that I'm not a great cook, don't have my own recipe book, or really any recipes that my entire family loves.
It's either something the kids love or something T-Bone and I love.
Can't really get it all together for one big love food fest but still hoping that my kids will start trying out some new stuff, while loving it.

This yummy one is quite satisfying and a melt-in-your-mouth chicken recipe that you'll want to try.

I originally saw it on a Racheal Ray 30 Minute Meal show long ago.

You'll need...

4-6 lean boneless chicken breasts

(I sometimes use those yummy chicken tenders, too)

EVOO - extra virgin olive oil (I layer the bottom of my fry pan pretty well)

Shredded parmesean cheese

(a whole small tub or more if you're frying up a lot of chicken)

salt 'n peppa

Pour down your EVOO into your fry pan and get that pan heating up

Rinse off your chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel

In a bowl, mix together the whole tub of parmesean cheese, salt and peppa

Smash the cheese mixture onto both sides of chicken - you'll have to press down firmly

Lay chicken in hot pan and cook on first side for approx. 10-12 minutes or until golden brown

Important:  only turn chicken once

Cook other side approx. 10-12 minutes.

photo from www.epicurious.com

I usually prepare a side salad with feta, tomatoes and romaine, sauteed fresh (or frozen) green beans along with friendly mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!

Flashback Friday...it's me

Oh yeah, that's me in my training bra in 9th grade.

Prior to sun damage on my face and a dimple that didn't look like a wrinkle.

A freshman in high school.

Don't be jealous.

I was one foxy girl with a dream. To try out for the pom pom squad and make it.  And I did!  High school was a blast...minus the academics.

Remember the songs from the mid 70's?

Well, let me share a few of my favorites...

Do the Hustle

Night Fever

That's the Way (uh-huh uh-huh I like it)

Jive Talkin' by the Bee Gees

Right Back Where we Started From

(we're gonna get it right back to where we started from....love is good...love can be strong - we're gonna get it right back to where we started from)

The lyrics just rolled off my tongue as if I sang that song yesterday.

I feel my disco moves comin' back right now.

Left hand on my hip and right finger ready to point upward.
I loved dancing with the boys in the silky shirts.
Oh, sweet polyester blend of silkiness.
I miss you.

Funny how my eyeglass frames don't look a whole lot different than mine today.

Now, let me ask you.

Have you seen what the girls look like in 9th grade lately?

Was I just a R-E-A-L-L-Y slow bloomer?

Yes, I was!

Is it the hormones in the food that make today's girls look so much older?

Big difference between the girls of 2010 and the me of 1975.

Do share your favorite freshman pic soon and come back to tell me about it.

Come on....link up

My good friend, Nancy, at The Goat and The Kid is having a great Thursday link up.

Join on in with your favorite family recipe and link it up on her blog.

Enjoy!

Chocolate cake...with strange ingredient

Sugar Nugget brought home a recipe for Grandma's Thunder Cake about 3 weeks ago and has been wanting to make it ever since.  I like to bake....but don't ask me to bake a cake from scratch.  It's just not my thing.  I've been known to make cookies or banana bread from scratch, but not cake.  There's just nothing better than a box of Funfetti.  Moist.  Delicious.  Why mess with perfection?

But, when she wrote this on the white board, I knew it was time to put aside my own fears and bake the darn cake.

Off to the store we went with our list in hand.

"Pureed tomatoes" was an ingredient.  Odd, don't you think?
With all our ingredients and baking stuff ready to go, we begin...

You wanna see something really gross??

The first batch of wet ingredients ended up looking like this.

That's shortening all chunked up in pureed tomatoes, sugar, etc.

Need I remind you of the reason I avoid baking from scratch?

I re-read the directions and it said to blend each ingredient individually.
Ohhh.

Well, I didn't and it looked like up-chuck.  No lie.

Cream together, one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated (blend yolks in)
Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
(I used canned cut tomatoes and pureed them in the magic bullet)

Sift together:
2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all purpose)
1/2 cup dry cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix dry mix into creamy mixture.
Bake in two greased and floured 8 1/2" round pans at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Frost with chocolate butter cream frosting.
Top with strawberries.

The second batch was much better.

No wonder there are instructions.

My life would be much simpler if I read them once in a while.

Thunder cake with some vanilla ice cream = good!

A+

Sweet Cheeks had an assignment.  To give an 3 to 4 minute oral presentation in first person....might I add memorized - about a famous californian.  She could choose from any of the historians in her text book and would have to dress and act like that person.   After careful consideration, she chose Dorothea Lange who was a famous photographer.

With a beanie on her head and one of our antique cameras, she played the part well.

The highest score possible was 20 points.

Well, please let me brag.

My girl got 22 points.

That's right.

She got an A+.

I just love when my kids feel a sense of pride and accomplishment!

It's that time again

Our little fluffy puppy is in heat.
So, our white throw rug from the living room is now rolled up and in the garage.

She's got her panties on and ready for the day.

You may remember seeing her first model shoot here.

We plan on breeding her but have to wait for one more heat which

will come early next year.

Then, we'll have some cute pups.
You look quite cute in those panties, Carly.

Flashback Friday: 8 years ago

Well, to say that these pictures brought both smiles and tears to my eyes is an understatement.

Many emotions and memories came flooding back to me.

They were 2 years and 5 months in these pictures.

Ahhh, sweet baby moments are the best.

These girls are my life.

They keep me on my toes.

They make me laugh.

I love them so much!

We have another winner!

Another pageant has come and gone....and we have a winner.  Sweet Cheeks was crowned Princess of the regional NAM pageant.  She also scored some sweet prizes, like a medal for best smile, a medal for best personality (she does look super friendly on stage) and  $30 cash for best personality in the entire pageant, right on the spot.

We are so proud of her!

She got up on stage.

She worked it!

Big smiles!

Eye contact with the judges.

Her inner beauty shining through!

Great job, girl!

You will always be our princess!

Where's the fun? I'll tell you!

If you checked out my post here then you already know that exercise is not much fun for me.

But hold the phone - I think I've found the answer to enjoying myself while getting a workout.

Can you say Hip Hop Hustle??

What's the first thing that comes to your mind.

The 1970's Do The Hustle song?

The children's show called Hip Hop Harry?

It's a man dressed in a big bear costume with a rap outfit.

Disturbing, I know.

Well, this class was totally and completely fun!

This cool chick gave me the info and we checked it out together.

The music had a great beat.

It got my body moving.

I found my inner "sexy" and rolled with it.

(Sorry to the Ladies who had to watch.)

It brought back the Darlene of the 1970's and 80's when I was lovin' dancing, disco and the sweet moves I used on the dance flo.

From body rolls to the usual grapevine....

from shakin' your derrier to free style....

it's ALL good!

Oh, Disco Darlene....where are you?

Found....at the Hip Hop Hustle class - LBC.

That stands for Long Beach City in case you were wondering.

If you're here locally, you should try it.

Contact me if you want more details.

Let's boogie together!

Miscellany Monday

Here we go....

#1

Why can't I get a simple blog button to work on my blog?

I'm not a complete idiot.  I know how to work a computer.

You know - the basics seem pretty basic.

So, why can't I figure out these simple blog things?

Monday frustration will turn into good once I've had my coffee.

OMgoodness....it worked!
Don't quite know how but I like it!

#2

I'm having a bit of a mom funk lately.

Girls not getting along.

Realizing I'm not the greatest wife, mother, cook or housekeeper.
Nothing that a little coffee won't cure.
I think I need to switch to the real stuff....decaf ain't cuttin it anymore.

#3

#3 fixes #2 because Saturday was the B-E-S-T day I've had in a while.

Went out with this chick and did some damage while shopping.

I ended up with 4 dresses, a jean jacket, 2 pair of summer capris, 1 cardigan, 4 shirts, 1 adorable lightweight jacket, an outfit with leggings (yep - that's what I said) and 2 pairs of snazzy sandals!

I went W-A-Y out of my comfort zone and shopped for a some stuff that actually looks good on me!

#4
Went to a blues festival with some friends.
Thanks!
It was a good day.
I realized that my life now is much different that BC (before children).
No more just sitting enjoying the music and sipping on a beverage of choice.
My kids saw a lot of stuff that was out of the ordinary.
Lots of tattoos, tank tops, volumptous-ness, smokin' and tokin' kind a folks.
Yeah - that happens.

#5
Only 4 weeks until summer.
CANNOT WAIT for silly times and fun in the sun!

#6
I'm madly in love with my husband.

That makes for a great day!