Target & Cupcakes

I will confess..... I have been to Target every single day except for Monday. I admit I have a problem. I just get in my car, drive and poof, I'm there in the parking lot of Target. I can't even remember the car ride. There are times when I get there and I completely black out and can't remember what I bought. Which usually means I forgot something I actually needed and have to go right back in after I load my car. I tell you this in case you hear that I have gone to rehab. Just know it's not for drugs or booze. It's for shopping! Damn those little red Target balls in the front! It's like they hypnotize me right before I go in and tell me I need that random heart shaped plate or that cute little wristlet wallet. Damn them, damn them, damn them!!!

Ok. Yesterday I made this recipe for salted chocolate cupcakes. First off, they were delicious!!! BUUUUUUT, I did make a mistake on the buttercream frosting. I am one of those people that cannot read recipes or books, for that matter, on an iPad or laptop. I actually need the print out. Call me old fashioned but I like my paper! The recipe calls for powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Well, I inverted the measurements and ended up with something that wasn't buttercream. Even with the mistake it was still delicious! I am determined to try these again (without the mistake) for a Superbowl party this weekend. At least the babe and hubby liked them ;)

(Notice that heart shaped plate!)

Have a good weekend!

I'm in a Gang

The title of this post is a little funny to me because it was kind of an inside joke between Chris and I this weekend.

But, as I was in Target today, I realized, I am in a gang and it's called "Motherhood!" I joined this gang September, 3rd 2012. I was initiated into this gang by a little thug named, Madeleine. She tried her best to break my spirit by her constant crying and constant feedings. There have been times where I thought for sure I wanted no part of this gang. Have you seen the way those thugs/kids act?!?! But, I am a proud member (most days :) )

There are millions of us in this gang and we have to stick together! So, when I was in Target I saw one of my fellow gang members on the verge of tears, all I wanted to do was give her a hug and a cocktail! Her little darling thug was throwing a fit in the middle of Target. Come on little thug, at Target?!?! They were in the middle of the toy aisle and the thug just threw a fit because she wanted a toy. The mom quickly put her in the basket and said, "No!" They then proceeded through out the store still shopping and the thug was letting it all out. Homegirl was going off!! People were staring and shaking their heads.

I will admit, before I was part of this gang I would have been the first one to roll my eyes and say to myself, "She needs to control that kid!!" I was that single person that thought, "If  I was a mother I would know how to handle my child." Ohhhhhhh how naive I was before this gang!

These little thugs have a mind of their own and sometimes they are passed the point of control. Poor lady, I bet all she wanted to do today was go to Target, get a Starbucks coffee, browse around, and maybe buy a little something for herself. Damn those thugs!!!

When they made it to the register I let her cut in front of me and I could just see the pure gratefulness in her eyes. I know it made her feel better and I know that it made me feel like I could help a fellow gang member. I also thanked my little thug for being on her best behavior while I browsed! Small victory for mommy! So, please be kind to my fellow members, we take beating everyday from those little thugs!

Enough about my gang....


Well, our whole purpose of going to Target was to get stuff so make these cupcakes. Morgan is doing some intense training today and I thought I'd make him some "Good Job," treats! They're in the oven right now so I will let you know how they turned out tomorrow :) I'm sure mine won't look as nice but hopefully they taste good!

Here's a cute little video that happened earlier today and I couldn't stop laughing!!! Enjoy

Yes, that's me laughing!

Time-out

Do you guys remember when we were young, and used to go to the bars every weekend and then we'd wake up the next morning with some random bruises, scratches, etc. You know, because we were too tipsy to walk in our 6 inch heels. Well, after my little "mommy escape," I noticed I have a random bruise on my hand and I somehow scraped my third toe on my left foot. How? Did I get in a bar fight and I didn't realize it? This is further proof that I am too old for that mess!!!

Yesterday was so much better! I could actually get some things done around here without a killer headache. Before our usual errands we went to the park so I could burn some energy out of Madeleine. Ever since she picked up a little boyfriend in the sandbox the other week, she has been hanging out there a little more frequently. Is she trolling for boys?!?!? UGH! There were a lot of kids in the sandbox and a lot of sand toys, which sometimes can be disastrous. Which brings us to a lesson we have been trying to teach her... SHARING! I get that she's young and she may not fully understand that concept but I figure the earlier we start the better we'll be off. Most kids are usually good about sharing with her but there are a few that won't, which usually means she throws a fit too. I've been trying to teach her to ask if she can play instead of just taking without asking.(I'm just waiting for the day that she throws a huge fit and I actually have to put her in a time-out in public.) But, it wasn't bad and everyone got a long.

Oh, did I mention I have been doing time-outs. Yeah, that's one of the funniest, most stressful things I have done. I have a time out chair, that may be a little too high for her. I put her in time-out the other day for throwing a toy at me, and she cried and squirmed on the chair so much that she fell off!!! Of course my first reaction was to laugh, grab my camera and then give up. That time-out sure didn't do anything. I have to work on my discipline face!!! A lot of times she'll laugh at me when I "get on to her." I'm pretty sure this is what my mom was talking about when she said "kids will test you!" Oh Granny........ She loves a good "I told you so!" <eye roll>

Last week when I went to Costco I grabbed a box of these to try and they're actually pretty good. They are great for a snack at the park. I would much rather give her fruit at the park but that means her hands get all sticky and she usually takes the fruit all over the playground which creeps me the f*** out! Germs!!!! So, I usually just pop them into her mouth and she's good to go.

Now, I must do a little bragging on this one bib that we have and IT'S THE BEST!!!! I got it as a gift from my Austin baby shower so I'm not exactly sure where she got it, but I'm sure they're easy to find. It's a bib that's made out of that rubber-silicon material and it catches the food that falls. And you can wash it like a dish and don't have to wash it in the washing machine. It's genius!!! It's fantastic for those kids that eat like hillbillies, like Madeleine. And it's even got a fake strand of pearls around it, haha. She's such a lady when she eats....NO, NOT AT ALL!! Here it is in action...

Morgan asked me the other day, "When will she start to eat a little more neatly?" HAHAHA
I have no idea, this kid has no table manners! She knows how to use a spoon and fork but still prefers her hands. She's kind of embarrassing..... Get it together sister!!!!

Well, that's all folks. See you tomorrow!

It's All a Blur.....

I will get to the "blur" part of my weekend but let me catch you up.

Friday was a pretty boring because Morgan had to stand duty all night. That meant that I could watch re-runs of old shows on Netflix and not be judged! My choice was The West Wing. I'm pretty sure I could watch that show 24/7. I might be the only one....

I did get this in the mail on Friday.....

It's from May Designs. Heather, over at Heatherbakes, showed us her's and I just had to copy! I had never heard of them and so grateful she shared with us! I will definitely be ordering more things. You can customize your own design and book. Go check them out. I can't wait to start meal planning next week in this.


Saturday, during the day, we had a birthday party. I hadn't seen Isla, the birthday girl, since she was 3 and boy has she grown up!! It was her 5th birthday party but I swear she looks more grown up :( Bernadette, her mom, took this picture of them and even Madeleine is looking like a big girl. It's like I blinked for just a second and she's almost 17 months going on 16 years old. (Have I mentioned she's a sassy little thing)

The most fantastic thing about kid parties are the incredible naps that come with them! She played hard at the party and slept hard!! It's a win, win.

So, Saturday I got a text from my friend Chris saying that he was in San Diego and I was all too eager to see him! Let me just say, Chris is one of the most fantastic, fabulous guys you will ever have the privilege of knowing! He is my sister-in-law, Janet's, best friend. And if you know her, you will know why they are best friends.

Well, Sunday I headed to San Diego to have brunch and catch up. Madeleine stayed at home with daddy. We went to The Tractor Room, in the Hillcrest area of San Diego, for Sunday funday. The food was Y-U-M and they serve the dishes out of cast iron skillets. I kind of felt like a pig eating out of a trough. OINK, OINK. And the whole group could have split 4 servings and all been satisfied. Now we know.

I thought I was being a pretty good, little girl and  only had one mimosa at brunch. Gooooo Me!
But, then I decided to tag along to one bar called Moe's. Oh, and they were serving bottom-less mimosas until 2pm. Well...... that's what got me in trouble.

I'll be honest, the only thing I was thinking in my head was, "Mommy is kid-free!!! Yipee!!!" Don't get me wrong I absolutely love my daughter but it has been a while since I've had "mommy time." It's also been a hot minute since I've been this drunk!! At least 2.5 -3 years!!!

When Chris and I get together, and are drinking, we tend to buy questionable footwear. One time we bought him leopard print, platform shoes, with goldfish in the heels. LOL!!!! This time we bought me, some rainbow bright Addidas shoes and leopard see through pants! Both items are too big for me but we just had to have them.

And, I rocked those shoes like nobody's business!! That's about the time that it got all blurry! I remember bits and pieces of things but I'm not going to get into all those details ;) Thankfully, Chris drove me back home. Have I mentioned he's THE BEST!!!!

Monday was pretty rough but thankfully Madeleine was on her best behavior and Morgan only worked a half day. Now that I have that all out of my system, I can go back to being mommy. That's always better than a mimosa-induced hangover.

Play Date

This morning Madeleine and I went over to our neighbor, Crystal's house for a little play date. Her daughter is 3.5 months old so it was more of a social thing for the mommies. This was the first time that Madeleine had ever been around a baby that little. She is used to the kids her age or bigger from the parks and playgrounds. She was pretty good. She tried to give the baby some toys which was really cute. However, she did happen to toss a little ball at the baby's head. Luckily, it was a soft ball and the baby didn't even flinch. Thank goodness Crystal understood. Seriously, someone should teach this chick some manners. ;)

The night before I made some "lemon brownies." They are not really brownies but the recipe called them brownies so I went with it. I've made them before and they are delicious! They're sweet with a little bit of tartness. I can't remember where I got the recipe, I just had it printed out with my other recipes.  Maybe Pinterest. (The picture is missing quite a bit of them because I took some over to Crystal's.) I cut them into bite size pieces so I feel better when I devour 4 in a row! LOL Mine came out thin because I used a 9x9 pan instead of an 8x8. Who cares they're delicious!!

Batter:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon glaze:
1 rounded cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
8 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/spray an 8x8 baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside.
Zest and juice 2 lemons; set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until combined

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins.(don't over cook, they can dry out) allow to cool before glazing.
When its cooled make the glaze by whisking the ingredients. Let it set and then cut into bars. 


Well, I'm off to clean this house and start our weekend. Have a great one!

Daddy's girl

Today was a typical day for us. I took Madeleine to the park and Target. While we were at the park, I'm pretty sure Madeleine picked up her first boyfriend! She was playing with two little girls in the sandbox. Then, this cute little boy comes over and Madeleine stands up and goes to him and starts grabbing his shirt buttons and trying to fix them (they were unbuttoned). She then, grabs his hand and tries to shake it (she's really into shaking hands right now but most of the kids are like "WTF!Step off me!"). After that he kept following her until we left. It was the cutest thing ever!!! Everyone at the sandbox was cracking up. My mom said, "She gets it from her mama." UGH, she's going to be a handful during high school!

Daddy on the other hand, did not find this story cute! Hahaha

Lately, Madeleine has been quite the little daddy's girl. She will definitely cry out more "dadas" rather than "mamas." Also, whenever she sees pictures of us, she will say in the sweetest, most loving voice, "dada, dada, dada!" She'll look at me in the picture and say nothing! I'll even ask her, "Madeleine, where is mama?" Her response, touches Morgan in the picture and says, "Dada." Uhhhhhh..... Am I just chop liver?!?!?!? Can you throw me a bone every now and then?!?! Geez, my feelings are taking a beating!

Don't get me wrong, she will 99.9% run to me when push comes to shove. But, I am glad that they are building a stronger bond since he missed out on the first year of her life. I'm just dreading the day when she's a full blown daddy's girl :(

Morgan ran to the store for me tonight and she kept running around saying this for at least 3 minutes!

Well, that's a wrap. I'm going to finish up some baking for a play date and then hit the sack!

Costco & Stuff

Today was sooooo much better than yesterday!!!!! Hallelujah! I was so exhausted yesterday that I was in bed by 9:00 and I fell asleep like a champ.Morgan told me I was snoring but I'm not buying it! ;)

The princess woke up in a much better mood. I had some concerns when she first woke up but she managed to get through breakfast without any meltdowns. So we were off to Costco, Ralph's, Target and Trader Joe's. These days I pretty much live at these stores. When I was 24, I never thought that I would get so excited to meal plan for the week, make a grocery list and then spend half a day buying supplies. But, at the still, young age of, 32, I LOVE IT!

My mom still doesn't know how I can go to Costco so much, but I do. And I go down every aisle (unless the gremlin is acting up)!! Our Costco is doing more organic things and they actually made a huge aisle of new organic products! I love it!!! I'll let you guys know what I like in the next few days.

Morgan and I have been talking about buying power toothbrushes. So, when I saw this deal at Costco, I couldn't resist. I used to get excited about purses..... LOL

About a week ago we went to this restaurant, Cafe Rae, and Morgan loved the highchair that they had. It was the IKEA Antilop highchair($25). I had seen it when Madeleine was 3 months old but we had already received a highchair off our registry. Well, daddy bear liked it so we had to order it. I wanted to go to IKEA, which is only 30 mins away, but Morgan would have rather chewed his arm off. He hates IKEA. So, we ordered it online and it came today. I felt like such a badass putting it together! (I only had to push the legs into the seat!)

The only thing I don't like is it's a little lower than our table. We have a pub-style table, which sits higher. But we have been wanting to build a farm table, so this may kick that into gear soon :)

Am I the only one that goes grocery shopping all day and then when I get home don't want to cook and just want to get take-out?!?! Well, I decided to cook :( Nothing exciting, just a recipe I found off Pinterest for Chicken and asparagus stir-fry. I've made it a few times and it's very tasty. I usually double the recipe because Morgan takes leftovers for lunch.Tonight, I made it with basmati rice.

Well that's all folks. I've got a hot date with Netflix!

P.S. Here is this little gem of Madeleine stuck on top of something she can't get down from. I did contemplate leaving her there for a few minutes :)