food fotos

Tonight I made pecan crusted salmon with a mixed green salad topped with a homemade vinegarette.  Both recipes I found on ohsheglows.com.   This is easily one of the best meals I've ever made.  Even Travis called me from work to tell me how much he loved it.  

Adapted from Dreena Burton’s Eat Drink & Be Vegan ‘Back-to-Basics’ dressing.

 Dressing Ingredients:
2.5 tablespoons balsamic, white, or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or regular mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 minced clove of garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions: Toss all ingredients into a bowl and whisk! Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing.

** I did not have the apple cider vinegar and I forgot to add the EVOO and it still turned out sweet and tangy.  This dressing is better than store bought. and so simple to make.  Definitely something to keep on hand when you want to impress your special someone**
  

                                             My own Salad creation
In a large bowl add Spring Mix in the bag salad mix, 1 mini can of mandarin oranges (drained and rinsed), a handful of blackberries, feta cheese, 1/2 of an avocado chopped, and chopped pecans.  I just eyeballed the amount of each ingredient.  Add dressing- toss and plate.

Here is the recipe for the salmon.  


1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.  Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.


Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.
 
**I baked ours for 20 minutes**

'nastics

Today Cade asked me if he could go to a 'nastics class.   Being the cool mom I am, I told him I would look up a place and see what I could find.  Well there happens to be a place just up the road called Woodlands Gymnastics.  They offer free trial classes for toddlers... how perfect.   So we went at 5:30 for the "twinkle stars" class.  Cade had 15 minutes of warm-up/stretching, followed by 15 minutes of gymnastics.  

Cade did great!  I sat and watched him from the viewing deck.  He completed all the activities with a smile on his face and a pep in his step.  

For some reason I can't upload a video to my blog.

Check back later for it....

We will most likely enroll him in a class that meets once a week and pray that there will be some boys in the class too.

Cade is in need of some boy time! It seems as though all of his friends are girls.... which is fine but he needs some guy time.   All this wanting to dress up, sing Carrie Underwood, and listen to the P-I-N-K color song over and over again has me a bit worried.   :)

So friends with boys please have us over sometime.   Friends with girls please hide the dress up clothes.

5 things about Cade

1. Well, the potty fairy has come and gone. She brought Cade a cool blue pool with a slide like he requested. He has been dry since we started with one or two minor accidents. So I'm really proud of him. He still isn't telling us he has to go but he is much more willing to go....so yay Cade.

2. Today we went to Subway for lunch. We're in line paying and he looks at the people behind the counter and says, "they're stuck back there." He just couldn't figure out how they were going to get "unstuck" from behind the counter. He has said this once before at Frost bakery....too cute.

3. Cade is addicted to iPod apps. He constantly wants a new game. Today I found him in the App Store selecting a red, face monster game. Ummm, thank goodness he doesn't know the password. I need to find him a new hobby....

4. I taught Cade his or as he says "not mine, yours" phone number. I had him in the tub the other day and wrote down the numbers using the washable crayons. I had him point and say the numbers to me. I told him those were the numbers to call mama on the phone. So I started to sing them and he repeated them back. Such a proud Mom this week.

5. Cade moved his bedtime up to 730. I love it. I don't love 630 in the morning...but this morning we used it to our advantage and took a walk with the dogs.

potty fairy

Yesterday we headed over to Amanda's for some pool time fun! Cade is hoping to get a pool with a slide at the end of the week..... it all depends on how his potty training goes.

With the help of my good friends, Susan and Kristine I have reintroduced potty training to Cade. The past 2 nights one or the other has called and pretended to be the Potty Fairy. They use their own, unique Fairy-ish type voice and somehow create magic over the phone line.

This morning I filled Cade's bathroom with balloons and wrote a note from the Potty Fairy.

He has been dry all day. ALL DAY. That's pottying every hour from 7am to 8pm. Tomorrow I'm going to try to go a little longer but I'm so proud of him. I hope this is the end of pull ups and the beginning of big boy pants!

Tomorrow he will wake up to find ribbon curls and another note. Maybe he'll even be dry over night. Let's hope!

Ten things

1. Summer has officially started for me!

2. This past weekend Cade and I rode up to Austin with my parents (yes it was a long drive, but I don't remember complaining about it). Saturday evening Maxie preformed in a dance recital. She did an amazing job! She has grown up so fast and her dancing has really improved since last year!

Here she is in her ballet dress and her trophy.
maxie's first dance recital.

Macey did an awesome dance to this song, Storm by Lifehouse.

3. Keep your fingers crossed about a pre-k position that just opened up! It would be perfect for me!

4. Cade is going to be visited by the potty fairy. She is going to take away the pull ups and leave a wrapped gift for him to open if he's dry. I hate to be like this but he will just stand there looking at me and tell me he just peed in his pull up. ahhhh so frustrating.

5. If you haven't driven through the town of Roundtop, you need to. My Dad decided to take a "short cut" through Roundtop on our way to Austin. I would have loved to have stopped to take some pictures but of course that didn't happen.

6. Travis has been gone since Thursday working on his Dad's roof at the farm. The guy that designed the farm house had a real clever way of building it. He basically threw up some boards, found whatever kind of fastener and pieced it together. That might be good with other types of structures but not a house. Travis has spent probably 30 hrs working on tearing down the old roof and puttin the new one on.

7. I'm still doing my green smoothies. I've increased my elliptical/treadmill time and added more YOGA to my weekly schedule. I'm definitely feeling better and I can tell a difference. =)

8. I can't believe LOST is over. Actually I'm kind of glad.... I will finally know how it ends.

9. For some reason I keep thinking about Papa lately. I really wish I could go out to the ranch and clean up the place.... I haven't been out there in over a year, if not longer. The song House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert reminds me of him and his house.

10. The potty fairy is coming.

TOT

We'll see if I can get a full TEN on Tuesday...

1. I am still drinking my GREEN smoothies- usually two a day. I just upgraded in my greens to Kale.

2. I'm starting to do more YOGA. I just had my first one on one with Summer @ Dr Yezak. office. I could actually feel my muscles this morning.

3. I'm up to 50 minutes on the elliptical which is 4 miles for me. I need some good work out music to keep me going.

4. Only 3 more Mondays until school is done for the year!

5. Travis is turning 33 next week! Saturday I'm throwing him a party out at Sam and Charlie's house. I figure that would be the perfect place since the all the toys for the BIG boys are out there! Can't wait!

6. Cade is still potty training. Today Travis put him in underwear and apparently he was dry most of the morning until I got home. Then he had an accident.... boo. I hate to force it but I wish there was just a button to push to make him just go on the potty! So my thought is just let me use the pull ups until he is ready. I've heard that one day it happens...

7. Thursday will our 4th wedding anniversary.

8. Travis and I need a vacation. I want to go to the hill country and just be with him like old times.

9. Why do I hate laundry so much. I guess I don't hate doing it; I hate putting it away. I can finally see my dresser.....

10. Wondering who will be next friend to say she is pregnant! Will it be you? ;)

Since I haven't updated in forever I give you:

My top 5 On Thursday

1. I started seeing a nutritionist at Dr. Yezak's office last week. She has me on a green smoothie plan and mostly raw diet. You may be wonding what a green smoothie is? Great question. A green smoothie gets it's name from the green vegetables that you add to your smoothie. For instance: spinach, kale, collard greens, etc... At first you may think that this would never EVER ever taste good....but it does. I make two a day and I haven't complained once.

Here is a basic recipe you can try yourself. 1-2 bananas, frozen strawberries, 1-2 tsp flaxseed (ground), tsp of raw honey (not from honey bear), frozen peaches, and 1-2 cups of fresh spinach. Blend it all up and enjoy! Surprisingly filling and oh so good! You can't even taste the spinach.

The other part of the plan is raw. Eating organic when possible. Eating greens, nuts, lentils. I'm slowly introducing myself to new things. I never thought much of almonds but that's been my number one snack all week. I also tried Ezekiel bread, which is a sprouted whole grain bread. I really enjoy the cinnamon raisin bread toasted. Even Travis enjoys it.

Next week I'll add Yoga to the mix and continue my sessions at the gym. Still looking for a partner....

2. We (as in Travis) moved the daybed into Cade's room. Hopefully he'll sleep there all night. He has the tendency to wake up around 3 a.m. Slam his door. Run across the living room. Open our door. Slam our door. Run to my side of the bed. Climb over me and fall instantly back to sleep....sometimes with his feet in my face.

3. Tomorrow our dog Lucy has a play date with Zack the pug. Travis and I both noticed that she seemed to be depressed. She's always trying to get in the car and go with us wherever we are going. When we mention another dog's name she tilts her head and perks her ears.... So when I told my friend Mary about Lucy she was all for getting our dogs together. So hopefully this will get Lucy out her funk.

4. I only have 15 more teaching days of school this year!

5. Travis and are debt free! woo hooo!

So there you have it! 5 things on Thursday. good night.

Yes, I still blog.

TEN on TUESDAY....or almost Tuesday.

1.Cade is 3. Although I have no pictures to show of it. He is 3 and we had a fabulous party to celebrate his BIG day.

2,Our Dell laptop is busted again. I will never buy a Dell again. We have only had for a little over two years and we have already sent it in twice, only to have it break down again.

3. The quilt I have been working on is coming together. I have the borders left to sew and then probably some sewing to do by hand. I should be done by spring break. I'm making this quilt for my grandma. I don't think I've ever been so excited about giving something to someone....

4. This week we're going to see Kenny Chesney at the rodeo! Should be a great show!

5. I start volunteering this weekend at our church- Northside Christian Church. I just love our church!

6. I made the best bruch the other day for my mother in law. She works so much during the week that she never quite gets the chance to come down during the week....so I offered to make brunch so that she could come down to see Cade. I made Mixed Berry Galette- it was so yummy! You'll want to make two doughs when you make this dish! I also made a sausage, egg and cheese dish a recipe from a friend at school. The table was set with our "good" silverware and I even served our OJ in ourWaterford pitcher.... and she noticed! Can't wait to make the Galette for my parents-- they were both out of town this weekend and missed out. =(

7. A certain person in my life has been a little nicer lately and that makes my day a little better.

8. Loved that I got to spend Saturday on the couch with my husband. We watched Benjamin Button, which was really good. Cade took at trip to Conroe with Julia.

9. Say a little prayer for a precious, little toddler named Layla Grace. Go to laylagrace.org for more information.

10. Chacos Tacos with hubby in just a few.

the sweetest thing

Tonight after putting Cade down for the night I walked out of the room and stood by the door. A few minutes pass and then I hear the sweetest thing coming from his room.... he is saying his prayers all by himself. It was the most precious thing I heard all day.

The sweetest image flashes through my mind... two little hands and a bowed head.


He is the best.


rest well.

Cade has left the building

Oh thank God for mother in laws (and mothers). I have the day all to m self today... minus the sleeping grouchy pants in my bed (Travis). So far in my 38 minutes of being alone I have: successfully sewed 3 strips of fabric, ironed and pressed the pieces. I have flipped the channels and seen bits and pieces of shows without a goofy character or annoying music playing. I'm about to go to Kroger and get a few basic supplies and then let my day unfold from there.

peace and quite.... love it!

"It's not what you make, it's what you save."

I heard that on the radio this morning on my drive to work and loved it.

TOT

10. Cade calls his sunglasses- hey babies-- just like his dad
9. Cade is closer to 5 than he is birth-- thanks Travis for bringing that up.
8. Looks like I can start getting my resume. I'm officially looking for a full time teaching job.
7. I'm ready to see just how cold this artic blast is going to be.
6. Travis bought me a bible. Now I can stop whispering to travis that I don't have one every time the Pastor says to open YOUR bible.
5. Yay for Husbands that take off just becasue the weather is going to be REALLY cold tomorrow....we are still hoping the mayor will send home non-essential city employees so we don't have to burn our own time.
4. I want to know why dvd players never last..... argh.
3. Sometimes friends reveal more than you really want to know. TMI is TMI.
2. It's really taking me some time to think of ten things.
1. This morning at our staff meeting during our daily prayer, I looked over at Cade and he was praying with his hands together, head bowed and eyes closed... the sweetest image ever.

"I'm on the good list"-- Cade

Cade had a great Christmas.....once he had his juice cup and actually came to see what Santa had left. He eventually did wonder over to our front room and see that there were indeed toys left but it wasn't until he put his cup down that he actually saw what was there..... silly little boy!

He ended up getting quite a few things- a home depot work bench, a farm animal set, new wooden blocks, and a new bike. The Grandparents and the rest of the family did their part in spoiling him too... lots of clothes, books, a tricycle and hot wheels....even a remote control car that is supposedly safe (for the house). haha.

10 on Tuesday

1. Cade seriously needs a haircut!

2. We had a mini Christmas party at our house this morning. We baked and decorated sugar cookies and them we even constructed a gingerbread house!

3. My dad is doing well after his heart procedure this morning. His heart fell out of rhythm a few weeks ago. The doctors were able to shock back into rhythm with electrical pads... one shock did the trick. Thank the Lord.

4. I've almost got everything wrapped for Christmas. I need to still get stocking stuffers for Travis and one more little thing for Cade and then I'm done.

5. I love Christmas. I love the lights. I love the music-with exception to a few songs/performers. I love being with my family and I love, LOVE, Love my tree.

6. Travis and I are having a date night tonight. We're going all out..... beer and tunes after Cade goes down. Might be fun... and like old times.

7. This past weekend Cade and I went to Fredericksburg to see Gigi! We had fun looking at her tree, opening presents and touring downtown at night. The lights are so pretty on Main Street. I love the old town feel of Fredericksburg-- it feels like home to me!

8. I had dinner with my good friends Paul and Stuart while I was in Austin. We had some good laughs at the table- especially about "as seen on tv gifts". All I know is that I LOVE my Snuggie.

9. I'm going to be sad in 3 days when Christmas is over and my decorations will come down soon after.... boo.

10. Merry Christmas to my dear friends and family.

TOS ten on saturday

Ten On Saturday.

Well for start I actually captured Cade smiling in a picture and his face isn't squished together. So this one is going in our Christmas cards.
2. I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Monday. A whole 32 years.... geesh where is the time going. My family watched Cade so Travis and I could celebrate with Becky and Andrew at Cyclone Anayas.... Poinsetta Margaritas are so yummy!

3. Since turning 32 (yes, just in the last week) my eyesight has gone from 20/20 to 20/15. I went in for an exam on Thursday and had to get eye glasses for driving. I don't mind wearing them....but I'm not happy with the frames I picked out. I liked them in the store but now I just feel like I should be living in the 50s or have a bee hive. So I'm hoping in the next few months I'll either A) win the lottery and buy a pair of Kate Spade designer frames B) find a coupon for some cute-r frames that won't cost a fortune C) lose my glasses or that they happen to be destroyed by the 2 year monster living in my house or D) my eyes will self correct and I will no longer need eye ware.

4. I am spoiled. I have 2 snuggies and YES I'm wearing one now. My hands and arms are perfectly warm as I type away on my laptop.

5. Christmas is 13 days away. I still have so much to buy but I'm kind of in that place where I just want to say enough is enough.

6.Today I volunteered with our Church to deliver Angel Tree gifts. Wow, that was eye opening. It's so easy to take what you have for granted until you see how others are living. So glad I went.

7. Two weeks ago it snowed! Cade loved it! He ran inside and said MY HANDS ARE FREEZING. It was so cute!

8. I'm wanting the new Pioneer Woman's cookbook for Christmas. I love cookbooks and actually use them.

9. I'm planning on going to Austin on Saturday- Monday. Hopefully I can run out to Fredericksburg to see Grandma before heading home. I miss her!



10. Time for bed.... I was up before the sun today and I'm sure tomorrow is going to be an early one again....

Thankful for....

wanted to take the time to list a few things that I thankful for....

hugs - the kind that sneak up on you
friends- the ones you talk to daily or every once in awhile but it seems like it was just yesterday that you spoke
babies- Cade is such an amazing little boy. love him!
kisses- butterfly ones, eskimo ones- pecks- any and all
sunny days
chilly nights
putting up the Christmas tree even if it's November
Church
comfy shoes
My Sister and her family
Grandma
Travis-- love him and he loves me even when i'm in a mood
red birds
parents that have dinner at your place
new friends, old friends, computer friends, face to face friends, phone friends, once a week friends, daily friends, facebook friends and..... YOU.

what a girl wants

1. a brownie pan

I've always loved slicing into the pan and taking out the middle piece.

I don't really care for the crispy edges or rounded corners. I like the ewey gooey middle.

2. anything cupcake

especially cupcake liners.

not your plain grocery store kind.

but something extraordinary like the ones found at

http://www.fancyflours.com/

3. the snuggie

i can't tell you how many times I've wished that my comforter, blanket or throw would cover me up and keep the tops of my arms warm as I typed on my computer. And with all of the designer prints available, I'm sure there is one to suit everyone....well everyone with cold arms.

4. the roomba 560

buyhappier.com

if you have wood, tile or concrete floors this has to be the miracle device that could save your relationship with your significant other. I'm mean who wouldn't want to program a little iRobot to sweep your floors daily and want nothing in return. not even an "i noticed you swept, thanks."

sounds like a sweet deal to me.

5. a 12" skillet

a chef's must have.

6. oven mits

....we have one pair of mits....

that's not really getting the job done... I want to be able to open one of the two drawers where one might find an oven mit and actually find one....or many for that matter.

7. An Emergency Hammer

Because you never know when you might need it.

As an added bonus it has a built in knife that can cut through the strap of a seatbelt.

pretty handy if you ask me.

8. Jelly Roll

As in fabric.

super cute and trendy fabric.

9. A punch bowl

new or old works for me.

a ladle to match would be nice too.

10. A fun new OPI nail polish

ToT

1. Cade's imagination is really in bloom. For example, he pretends to hand you a coffee, let you take a sip and then puts the coffee down on the table for you.

2. Travis and I are going on a date on Sunday. Finally.

3. Cade is dressing up as the mail man this year. This was the only costume that wasn't too costume-y. He seems to not like anything different that the norm. So a blue shirt with a patch on it that says, US Postal and blue pants make it seem like an everyday outfit, instead of something special.

4. I learned to never put a whole chicken in the crock pot with a cup of liquid. The whole chicken fell apart and there were bones everywhere.... ick. So I tossed it. Next time I'll try adding just a bit of liquid and see where that leads me.

5. Last Saturday Cade and I went to the Ballunar Festival. It was great weather and a lot of fun. Thanks Becky for letting us tag along.

6. I love how Cade loves to listen to Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood on the iPod....and how he always wants me to sing with them....... so cute! Then of course there is Islands in the stream by Dolly Parton that he somehow knows the intro to.

7. I love the show Glee.

8. hulu.com is awesome!

9. I'm going to be making homemade brownies this weekend.... The recipe is from a local bakery out in Montgomery....they are famous for their pies but brownies top their list too.

10. I'm ready for my girls day out next Friday.

road trip

This past weekend- Cade and I loaded up and headed west to Fredericksburg. We had been planning this trip for months....it's become a tradition to head to Wildseed Farm this time of year. The pumpkins are gorgeous and the weather is always fantastic! Wildseed hosts a Monarch butterfly tag & release ceremony each October which draws in a huge crowd of people.

Here are few things I learned about Monarchs.

• a male monarch has two spots on the lower part of the wings, the female does not.
• a monarch butterfly travels thousands of miles south to Mexico when temperatures drop in the Northern US
• monarchs travel 25-30 miles a day.

Here are few pictures from our day at the Farm.

gigi & maxie

maxie, age 8

Cade sitting on a pumpkin. He loved talking on the "phone" or what is also know as a gourd.

Fun times at gigi's house.



My second cousin Erica and her little girl Blair, and her Mom Helen met us at Wildseed Farms. Helen lives in town and Erica leaves in Fulsner, TX (near Katy). I had told Erica about the butterfly exhibit several weeks ago and am so glad things worked out to where she could meet us out there. Once we connected we walked around and enjoyed the fresh air and the surroundings. We enjoyed lunch at the farm and then we headed back into to town to put the kids down for a nap.

While Cade napped and Maxie made cookies with Gigi, I headed downtown for some good old fashion fun-- shopping. Then I met Erica and Helen at Rather Sweet for a coffee and dessert-shortly after it was back to reality.... nap time is over way to quick these days!

When I made it back to Gigi's we loaded up and headed home to Buda. Somehow we got lucky and Travis #1 took over watching the kids and Stephanie and I went out on the town.... Buda's very own Italian Restaurant. It was pretty authentic and just what I needed after a long day in the sun!

This weekend the crew is heading down here for Travis' grandma's birthday. Hopefully I can sneak Maxie away for a little fall festival fun!