Happy Birthday Bubba

I’ll never forget the day, June 7th 2003. We (adam and i) were on our way to a wedding when I got the call. I was given news that would forever change our lives. “This is Kaiser calling for Brianne Taylor, we would like to inform you that your test results came back positive. You are pregnant.” GASP!

Mason Adam,                                                                                                           I didn’t know what life meant until I held you in my arms for the first time. I didn’t know such a little person could have such a big heart. Before you were born I thought I knew what love felt like, I thought I knew what love meant. That all changed when I looked into your eyes for the very first time. I never realized how much love I could experience for one person. You have forever changed me.

You are my first born, something so unique that can never be taken away. There will always be a special place in my heart just for you. You are the perfection behind my mistakes. You are the reason why I have become the person I am today. You are my shining star. Your unconditional love has taught me lessons I would have never learned if God hadn’t blessed me with you.

I know at times I push you hard and at times I forget you are still only a child. I only do this because I see big things in you and want you to succeed in every single thing you do. Your future is only as big as you dream, so please dream big; dreams do become reality. And if there is ever a time you get scared, just remember, I will be there 100% of the way cheering you on. It’s the least I can do for all that you’ve done for me. I will forever be grateful of you. I love you more then life itself.

Happy 6th Birthday Mason Adam!!!

1 years old2 years old  3 years old  4 years old 5 years old

Whole Chicken, Asparagus, & Red Potatoes

For tonight's dinner I switched things up a little. I normally stuff my chicken (and turkey) with apples, but my girlfriend Allison told me she stuffs hers with oranges. So oranges it is! And now if Adam complains I’ll blame it on her. :)

1 4lb chicken

1 can chicken broth (i like to use low sodium)

2 oranges, peeled and separated

red potatoes (however many you want), washed and pierced

1 bundle of asparagus, ends cut at diagonal

3 bay leaves

2 cloves of garlic

your choose of seasonings (i used italian, grinded garlic sea salt, and paprika)

~Discard the insides, then rinse and pat dry. Stuff one peeled and separated orange into body cavity, along with garlic. Rub chicken with your seasons. Pour broth into crock-pot along with other orange and bay leaves. Place your chicken on oranges. Toss in red potatoes and asparagus. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

What do you think?

Dr. Seuss on Budget Cuts

I am Sam,
Sam-I-Am,

Do you like budget cuts with a slam?

I do not like budget cuts with a slam,
I do not like them Sam-I-Am,

Would you, could you forego a raise?
Would you, could you work for praise?
I would not, could not forego a raise,
My creditors want money, they don't accept praise,

I do not like budget cuts with a slam,
I do not like them Sam-I-Am,

Would you, could you suggest a position to cut?
Would you, could you - we want YOUR in-put!
I would not, could not cut a soul,
That is not the way to plug this hole,

I do not like budget cuts with a slam,
I do not like them Sam-I-Am,

Would you, could you take a cut in pay?
Would you, could you work a little longer each day?
I would not, could not take a cut in pay, I already work 25 hours each day!

I do not like budget cuts with a slam,
I do not like them Sam-I-Am,

Would you, could you work for free?
We're short 102 million dollars you see, I would not, I could not work for free, I'm broke and tired, please let me be,

I do not like budget cuts with a slam,
I do not like them Sam-I-Am!

~Author Unknown

Beef/Turkey Enchilada’s

Surprise!! It’s NOT a Crock-Pot recipe!!

You can make this the night before, or in the morning before you leave for work, just don’t pour the last can of enchilada sauce on. Wait till you are ready to put it in the oven. That way they don’t get soggy throughout the day. Also, Adam isn’t a huge fan of ground turkey enchilada’s, but if I brown half beef and half turkey together he has no idea. :)

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey

1 can of diced tomatoes w/chili’s, drained

2 cans of enchilada sauce (or 1 large can, split in half)

chopped onion (just depends how much, if any, you want)

grated cheese (my theory: the more, the better)

6 wheat tortilla’s, small 8”

Brown meat and drain. If I’m using ground beef I normally rinse the meat off in a colander to get rid of any extra grease. Next put the meat back on the stove and cook on medium heat with diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook down till most of the sauce has been absorbed. Fill tortilla with meat mixture, add cheese, and roll. Place in deep baking dish. Repeat till meat mixture is gone. Pour other can of enchilada sauce over dish and top with more cheese. Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

*P.S. In the attempt to eat healthy, we’ve tasted numerous wheat tortillas. I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t care for Guerrero tortillas; they taste good, but don’t roll well for me (flour or wheat). And the Costco wheat brand taste like… BLEEP. So far the winner in our house is the wheat Mission tortillas.

Lent…

Well today is Ash Wednesday, meaning Lent starts today. And even though I’m not a baptized Catholic, or even a practicing Catholic; I still participate in Lent. I know this sounds strange, and I’m sure I’ll piss some devote Catholic off, but I don’t think it offends God (cause we all know i’ve done a LOT worse). He actually is probably happy that I’m attempting to be involved with the church.

Anyways… So for Lent there are a few rules that are suppose to be followed. Now since I’m not Catholic, I go off the information I’ve gotten from my mom and grandma over the years. This year I goggled Lent rules and pretty much got the same list.

1. You must fast (1 large meal or 2 small meals, if necessary) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

2. No meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and any other Friday during Lent.

3. Prayer

4. Lenten sacrifice

Last year I didn’t follow the daily prayer, partially because I didn’t know about it. So this year I’ve printed up a morning prayer to leave on my nightstand. As for my Lenten sacrifice, ONLINE SHOPPING. Laugh all you want, but online shopping is my vice. Just ask Bennie, my UPS driver. What is your Lenten sacrifice?

Pork Tenderloin Roast

Yup, you guessed it… ANOTHER dinner in my handy dandy Crock-Pot. Tonight’s dinner is a pork roast with vegetables. Eat up!

 

Pork Tenderloin Roast:

1-2 lbs pork roast (i used pork sirloin tip roast from costco)

2 cans – cream of celery soap (cream of mushroom is good too)

2 handfuls of baby carrots

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 small onion, wedged

5 potatoes, washed and cubed (i like more potatoes since they are my favorite)

favorite season (to rub on your meat, LOL. sorry couldn’t resist)

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Pork's internal temperature should be right about 160 degrees. Serve with some warm bread or just a salad if your watching your carbohydrate intake. If your really hungry, serve both! :)

Cody Brandon

My Cody Bear,

I can’t believe four years ago today you were coming out of my belly. Where have these years gone? I’m searching to find the words to describe how much I love  you and my heartaches. There will never be enough words in the dictionary to explain or describe how much I love you. I thank God every day for blessing me with you. My world would never have been complete without you in it.

Your strong willed personality tests me everyday and reminds me so very much of myself. At times you push me to my limits and I don’t know what to do. God knew you would be the key to teaching me patience. I think this is why he gave you your smile. If there is one thing in this world that can make something better, it’s your smile. It truly is a ray of sunshine on a dark day.

I love you Cody Brandon. For being the Dennis the Menace you are, the twinkle in your eye, your two blonde streaks I call horns, the dimple where God reached down and touched you. I love you for your silliness that makes me laugh, the nights you want to snuggle, never letting me leave for work without a hug, and your radiant smile.

Happy 4th Birthday Cody Brandon! Mommy loves you FOREVER!

 

February 13th, 2006 @ 6:01pm Weighed 7.12lbs Measured 20in

1st Birthday Party : Baby Einstein Theme

2nd Birthday Party : Barnyard Theme (with G’gma Taylor)

3rd Birthday Party : Superhero Theme (he loves Buzz Lightyear)

The smile that melts me…

Friday Randomness

All the random thoughts floating around in my head…

* Can I please get more time in the day? Even if it’s only an hour or two, I’ll take anything. PLEASE! I’m asking nicely.

* I really hope the kids bathroom gets finished this weekend. I can’t stand when a weekend project turns into a 3 weekend project.

* I hope Cody’s fire truck cake turns out as cute as the picture.

* Do I really have to run tomorrow? YES! Suck it up, you slacker! (That’s me yelling at myself in my head)

* What would posses someone to become a luge slider? Going more then 90 mph on a fiberglass sled isn’t appealing to me. And here is why.

* Can mamabargains.com be anymore jammed today? Baby Girl really needs a pair of squeakers shoes. I swear!

* Valentine’s Day is over-rated.

* Guns are for protection and hunting. Not just because your having a bad day. I have bad days all the time, thank goodness I don’t own a gun. What is wrong with people? 

* Knock on wood the boys don’t get Baby Girls pink eye.

* YAY, I have Monday off for Presidents’ Day. And it’s paid!

* Why did my hand mixer have to take a dump on me while making buttercream frosting? Man, I wish I had a KitchenAid.

* Tax lady is coming Sunday, fingers crossed she has good news. Baby Girl could use a new pair of shoes. J/K ~ kinda ;)

* The boys are going to have so much fun at Disney on Ice this weekend.

* It’s going to be a good day when Adam gets his call back from PG&E for his 2nd test.

* Saturday should be a nice day for soccer practice. Practice outside, for an indoor league. Sure, whatever works.

* Everybody have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day Weekend!

10 on 10 ~ February 2010

I got this idea last month from Mel at Larson Lingo. I thought it would be a fun way to document our day with pictures. Enjoy!

 

Morning cartoons….

Don’t let this precious smile fool you!

It’s Cody’s birthday this week so he choose to take brownie bites. He wanted his initials the same way Bubba had last week. “C” is for Cody!

Baby Girl wanted to help…. eat them that is!! I went to scoop one and the next thing I knew she had a full uneaten mini cupcake in her mouth.

 

Cody is also celebrating Valentine’s Day in class tomorrow so he wanted to take “bubbas treat” to school. I tried to change his mind and gave him other ideas, but he’s a pretty stubborn strong willed kid.

Only 16 more school days till he’s back on track! Can you tell I like him in school?? :)

“It's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.” Geaux Saints! Super Bowl Champs 44!!

New Orleans Saints

WOW!! There were many "first's" this season for the New Orleans Saints. First time in franchise history this team started their season by going 13-0. First time winning the NFC Championship game, sending them to their first Super Bowl appearance. But the biggest first out of all… WINNING Super Bowl 44!!

I’ve been a Saints fan since I can remember, right around 6 or 7. I can’t actually remember if my Uncle Steve was stationed in Louisiana or if he was out visiting my mom’s side of the family there, but when he came back he brought me a New Orleans Saints shirt. Ever since then they have been the team I’ve cheered for.

I’ve stuck by them through the days when they were called the “Aints” and when fans wore brown paper bags over their heads because they were ashamed of them. As a child I would cut out newspaper articles of any game they won and post it on my tack board next to my bed. I’ve been a fan before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. I am NOT a front runner and I did NOT jump on the bandwagon this season. I AM a true and loyal “Who Dat” fan!

Who Dat Nation has risen. New Orleans Saints are no longer the “Aint’s”. They are Super Bowl Champions!! I now can cross this off of my “Things I Need to See Before I Die” list. Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?

(Picture by Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)

Yum, TREATS!

This past week was Mason’s last week before he tracked off for a WHOLE :( month. So since his class wouldn’t be in school to celebrate his Birthday or Valentine’s Day they did it early. Which then meant I had to make treats for two different days. I’m not the type of mother that is anti treats/sweets but I’m also not the type that allows my children to eat junk all day. Like most things in life (including my politics), I do my best to find a happy medium.

Instead of making the standard size cupcake I make mini cupcakes. This way it’s less sugar just by the cupcake being smaller. Which leads to even less sugar because you are using less frosting. And I’m sure, just like my kids, most kids only like to eat the frosting. Leaving a bunch of half eaten cupcakes at the end of a party for me to eat. Ugh, wasting is bad! :)

For their Valentines Day party I decided to make rice krispies treats. I colored them red and cut them into hearts using the Wilton heart shaped cookie cutter. Then I labeled red bags for each of the kids and there you go! Nothing fancy like I wanted to do, but who in their right mind doesn’t enjoy a rice krispie treat?

Of course my favorite part was the left-over scraps. YUMMY!

Quick and Simple Chicken "Chili"

Have I ever mentioned how much I heart my Crock-Pot? Will just in case I haven't or some how you missed it (which is what has happened, since i talk about my bff all the time)... I LOVE MY CROCK-POT! I make some of my best dinners in her! Seriously, what is there not to love about a Crock-Pot? You dump in whatever you like, set it on low and then go about your day. Eight hours later, VOILA, dinner! It can't get any easier then that. Will it could, but it would include some sort of fast food drive thru loaded with trans fat. GROSS!

Anyways... Last night I made a VERY simple chicken chili. Figured I would share it since  Adam and the kids seemed to love it. There was only enough left for Cody’s lunch today and a serving for myself for dinner tonight. :)

Crock-Pot Chicken "Chili"

4 boneless chicken breast

1 jar of chucky salsa (i like to use the southwest kind)

2 cans of black beans (low sodium, not drained)

1lb frozen corn

Pressed garlic

A couple hours into cooking I start to shred the chicken with a fork. If you’re not around to do this, you could always dice up the chicken beforehand. Top it off with some cheese when your ready to serve, throw some cornbread on a plate (no cornbread? eat it with a tortilla), and you got yourself dinner with very little prep time. Enjoy!