i am mommy

I Might Have Been Called Spazz

So remember I told ya I was going to a playdate at mckmama's?

Yeah.  It was ok.

And when I say ok what I mean is...

...it was awesome.

(if you would be so kind as to allow my to embrace my inner 80's valley girl)

Like, totally awesome to the max dude.

We all had so much fun hanging out and chasing our kids around and fighting over Stellan and trying to casually peek into mckmama's pantry when no one was looking.

Oh.  Sorry.  Maybe that was just me.

Not only did she invite a bunch of moms and their kids over to her house but she prepared food for us.

It was, like, totally radical and tubular.  Like, really though.  It was tubular. 

Like. 

Really.

Audrey and Stellan were chillin' out.

Then Audrey tried to eat Stellan.

Like, No Audrey!  Gag me with a spoon!  You can't eat babies!  That would be like, a bummer to the max!

*No Stellans were harmed in the making of this blog post.

And you may have seen this already, but I did make a cake.

I shoulda put, "Dont Worry, Be Happy."

That would have fit so much better in my 80's theme. 

And then.  I did something that is 'Classic Amanda'. (were finger quotes invented in the 80's?)

I forgot to take a picture of the inside.

I did, however, get a picture of Jennifer taking a picture of the inside.

And then I begged her to send me the picture she was taking of the inside.

And then I threw on my Bart Simpson "Eat My Shorts" shorts and watched Valley Girl, Say Anything, Dirty Dancing, Karate Kid, Heathers, a documentary about New Kids on The Block, and the A-Team.

The 80's are alive and well my friend.  

Or not.

Detailed Instructions Here.

15 Reasons

I originally posted this in July of 2008.

I wanted to re-share it with you because I truly believe that it is essential that we, as wives, speak well of our husbands.  

I try so hard to not speak ill of my hubby.  Not because he is perfect and never gives me the opportunity, but because I love and respect him, and I respect the role that God has ordained my husband to hold in my life.

I am so blessed in this blogging community because so many of you are fantastic at uplifting and praising your spouses. 

I do not take that lightly and am continually impressed with your willful intent to edify.

So I encourage you... make a list of your own.  Keep it to yourself or blog it or write it in the sky...or better yet, share it with him.  You will be so happy you did!

And here is one of my favorite quotes...

"I wouldn't have missed loving you for anything"...

-Beth Moore, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things

15 Reasons I Love My Husband

1. My husband, Chad, is the best father I know.

2. He takes my future and the future of the family very seriously, and does everything in his power to provide for and protect us.

3. He is one of the HANDIEST men I know.  He can fix anything.  I kid you not.  Broken pipes?  He fixes it.  Garage door broken? He fixes it.  Need new drywall or a new deck or cement laid or a lawn mowed? He does it with the best of them.  And he fixes owies on little scraped knees pretty darn well too.

4. He is very handsome.  This really shouldn't be important to me, but I love that when I see him, I am delighted by his smile and physique and presence.

5. He is a fantastic cook and grill master (better then me by far!).

6. He is kind to everyone and a good listener. 

7. He is patient. 

8. He says he likes everything I cook.  Even when the kids take a bite and practically gag in their mouths and spit it out, he will eat whats on his plate, and then find a way compliment me on it. 

9. He supports me and all my crazy ideas.

 

10. He thinks a lot about who he is as a dad, and always tries to be better.

11. He is excited for when the kids get older and he gets to take them hunting and fishing and all that outdoorsy guy stuff. 

12. He is self sufficient... if I didn't clean, he would do it.  If I didn't do the laundry (which never happens in my house...HA!) he will just put in a load and do it.  No prompting necessary.

13. He loves his family- extended and all- and will do anything for them.

14. He doesn't say no when I say I want 10 kids.  He just works harder and tries to make it a financial possibility.

15. He knows the Lord, our God, and will be with me in Heaven.  Oh thank you Jesus.

Commenters Appreciation

You guys rock.

Like, if I were to embrace my inner 17 year old I would throw my rock-n-roll saluting hand up into the air and bow my head.Yeah, you are that cool.

I want to talk about four really neat ladies (I just wanted to feature four at a time) who have made such a positive impact on not only my blog, but in my life.

Their encouragement and support is to be commended, because I certainly do not make it easy for people to be in constant support of my crazy ideas and antics and off the wall humor.

I mean really, its not easy finding new ways to say, "Your kids are so cute"...

They find a way. So, not only am I going to feature them, I want to highlight a post of theirs that has either got me laughing hysterically, ripped my heart out only to mend it back together with the threads of hope and faith, or that I think was just plain super neat.

Karen at Survivng Motherhood

Karen is truly my blog-mentor.  She is such a huge source of inspiration in my life.  She looks to Him for guidance and direction.  I am always looking for someone to give me good, sound Biblical advice.. and Karen comes through!

Karen's words often speak right to my heart... right to the situation that I need to work on.  Her post, "It Always Comes Back to Me," is exactly what I need to remind me about who I want to be as a mother!

Her heart is for the Lord.  (She is also an author and speaker... check out her books... I have one and ADORE it!)

Carma from Carma Sez

This girl makes me laugh.  She is witty.  I LOVE witty.

When I read this post, I laughed out loud and scared my sleeping baby.

And I encourage you to participate in Cheeseball Tuesday.  Seriously.  Taking your picture with a giant tub-o-cheesballs?  Who wouldn't want to do that?

Laura from The Bignells Family

I met Laura through her blog, but realized about 6 months later that Laura's mom is my Bible study leader!!!  So we have since met in person and I adore Laura and her children and her family and her blog!

She is a great writer with lots of fantastic pictures on her blog and I find myself totally identifying to everything she says... about 7 minutes after I met her I declared her to be my new BFF.

Her 10 Things I Will Miss... post is so right on.  Me too me too me too!!

And last but not least...

Tina from Fisher Five Family

I just met Tina at the mckbrunch, but fell in love with her hair (yes, its that good) and her big ole preggers belly.  She has since had the baby... a beautiful little angel named Sophie.

You can learn more about Tina here.  She is such a great supporter and bloggy friend... I am so lucky to have met her!

Having met so many great new bloggers in the last few weeks has really expanded the list of people to showcase... so if you are here often and being all sweet with your bad self, just wait!  I will be featuring you soon!

And just to let you know, I might even be seeing Laura and Tina today (yeah!) for a playdate with mckmama at her new house.  I am going out of town right after so might not be able to update my blog for a few days.  But I will try!

From My Kitchen...

...to my belly.

I should have said something very Martha Stewart-ish there such as...

"From my Kitchen... to yours."

or

"From my kitchen... to your table."

But I gotta keep it real.  When I cook, I eat.

Often the grazing I do on the food I prepare is a meal in itself.  But that doesn't stop me from sitting down and eating with the family as well.

Must I disclose every poor habit of mine?
                              

                                 

We have been in the throws of zucchini season around here... and therefore have attempted to consume it in a variety of ways. 

(and be warned, I am extremely ill equipped in the food styling department, so you my see the same strawberry a similarly cohesive design used more then once)

Zucchini Coffee Cake

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Chocolate Fudge Cake (also seen at Tasty Kitchen)

And one of my favorites...

Zucchini French Fries (sooooo yummy)

With the abundance of tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers (actually not so abundant this year) and onions, we have made LOTS of salsa.  I'm talking like five times a week.  Fresh every single night.

Thank you Magic Bullet.

And thank you pre-mixed store bought taco seasoning in the .69 packets.  I truly would be lost without you.

Just dump one packet of taco seasoning into container of sour cream, stir, and spread on a platter.  Top with veggies of choice (yes, I know that tomatoes are a fruit) and dig in!

                            

The following salad was served at Elizabeth's shower, and prepared by my very creative Mother-in-Law.  When she described it to me, I had my doubts.  I mean really.  I am a Midwestern girl. 

I likes my meat.    I likes my fruit.  

I do NOT like them combined.

I am wrong.  I love them combined.  At least, in this salad I do.

I had to make it.  Its uncomplicated design beckons novice chefs such as myself.

Ingredients:

Turkey

Cantelope

Honeydew Melon

                   

Serve with a dressing of equal parts french dressing and sour cream.

Feast on its deliciousness.

                                                          

The final picture is that of something my kids have enjoyed immensely.

It only took me about 20 minutes to make it all... I only messed up ONE pan, and used very handy and inexpensive ingredients.

It was beyond easy.

My kids love it and ask for it everyday.

And I happily oblige.

Play dough.

Apparently, every single mom that has ever lived knows about making play dough at home and how easy it is.

I'm a little slow.  This was my first time. 

I used Martha Stewart's recipe (although this one I have linked to is double the amounts of my recipe, not sure why) and found it to be so simple I would highly recommend it over store bought.  It even lasts longer and is organic, so I don't have to flip out if my kids eat some.

Not that they would do that.

How about you.. what wonderful yummy creative enticing appetizing handy practical and adaptable things have you made lately?