Why I Like to Eat Crow Pie

I remember being a child free woman of the world. I remember being able to go and do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I also remember that while I was out doing all of that I would inevitably run into Mom's with kids who were a total mess, strung across the aisle of a store, dropping things, kid screaming, and I would think, "When I'm a mom, I will never be that way."

Let me run you down my checklist for today:

Awake with huge headache-check

Pull "cranky" card off of toddler mood stack-check

Run out of medicine for both myself and baby-check
Realize you forgot to put bills in the mail-check

Come to conclusion you will just have to fix messes next week-check

The last 2 weeks have been the same or worse than today. Don't misunderstand me, I am not complaining. My husband has been working 12+ hour days for 2 weeks because of a deadline, and Bless his soul, if he gets home before the baby has had a bath, he takes over when he hits the door. Violet has also managed to sleep through the night, every night, since coming down with croup. Plus, I get to be home with her every single day, and that is priceless.

But my point is this:

For these last couple of weeks, I have been that Mom I would see out and about. And I would love to go back in time and slap myself silly for being such a judgemental snob.

I wish I would have stopped and realized that the Mom I was so harshly judging had a sick kid, or was sick herself, and was probably out because she ran out of groceries and medicine and had no choice but to take her kids to the store. Maybe, just like me, both of the Grandma's were also sick, and her husband was at work, and all her friends with healthy kids were understandably avoiding her like the plague.

I had to run to Target the other day, and I was stopped in an aisle digging through my coupons and Violet was babbling away at me. She was getting a little loud, so I shushed her. Just then a very nice older gentleman approached us with Violet's hat in his hand and said, "You dropped this, I think that's what she was trying to tell you." I thanked him and he gave me a sweet, sympathetic smile and went back to his shopping.

That was my serving of crow pie.

I was so glad I was around him, instead of myself from the past. Old me would have given me and dirty look, or worse, just left the hat laying there.

So, today instead of feeling sorry for myself and my current conditions, I will repent for having been such a creep. And thank God, in all of His infinite wisdom, that he gave me a chance to see how wrong I was, and go forward with a changed heart.

My New Favorite Blog

Now that I spend my days wrangling a toddler, cleaning up after a toddler and feeding a toddler so she can stay healthy and busy and make more messes, that leaves little time to work like I used to. I have been on a mission to really tighten the financial belt around here and needed a little guidance, so I started going here.

Shellie, who runs the blog, is a SAHM of three little girls and knows a thing or two about stretching the dollar.

Plus, with a name like Frugal is the New Sexy, how can any of us go wrong. Cuz tan and slender are out of the running for me these days in the sexy column. Hey, I'll take what I can get.

Check her place out, she is also doing giveaways, as well as daily nuggets of bargain hunting, recipes and other handy household tips!

I am just holding out hope that she'll find a way for me to access bargain weight loss online!

Doting is an Art Form

You four know who you are.

And you know what you do.

We just want to say thanks for doing it so well.

Violet approves.

Sleepy Girls

This was supposed to be movie in bed before lunch.

It turned into nap before lunch.

Tim says we are cute.

I say he's biased.

Christmas Volume 1

Violet loves presents.

This was THE present for her this year, a little sparkly Tinkerbell jewelry box from her Auntie Kimmy. She hauled it everywhere for days and cried when I took it from her so she could eat and sleep. Go figure. Auntie Kimmy always called her "Mini-Kimmy". Guess she was right.
She also got this from her Mimi and PopPop.
She tinkles tunes on this about 17 times a day. And she chews on the mallet.
It is a "moist" toy.



This Tinkerbell rocking chair was from her Mamaw and Papa.
She thinks she is all grown now that she has her own chair.

She also got this from her Auntie Kimmy and Uncle Josh.

She is still working out the finer details of staying aboard this vessel.

But then again, so is Uncle Josh.

No major injuries to report from either party.

Hope you all had a wonderful, joyous and blessed Christmas!

Tub Time

She loves baths. The water, the toys, the splashing, the shrieking after dousing some unsuspecting adult.

It's a great time.

Unless you have an irrational fear of water.

Her Daddy taught her how to crash Elmo in his car.

Elmo has had several life threatening experiences in the tub with her.

In fact, we all have.

We can't even coax her out when all the water has drained away.

She just pulls at the plug, demanding it give her back the water it stole.

And she will gladly tell you why she wears a washrag on her head the whole time.

"It's a hat!!!"

That's what she tells us anyway.

Pretty (Salty) Bird

"I AM THE QUEEN OF THANKSGIVING, AND TURKEY, AND TURKEY GRAVY, AND SIDE DISHES, AND BRINING!!!!"

"Now, please pass me a gallon of water so I can wash down this salty turkey."

*frown*

Thanksgiving is a time of thankfulness(obviously), and family and overeating, and if you are us, a time of running around carting food, toddler and toddler accessories around town.

This year I decided to cook a turkey dinner just for us a week before the holiday so we could eat and relax. It was my first turkey ever.
I tell you this so you can fully embrace the knowledge that I was flying in the blind, relying only on Internet research and my own culinary skill...note that I did not say culinary common sense.

I decided to brine an 11 pound bird, using ingredients and timing for a 20 pound bird.

Already you may see the flaw in my preparation. It was the standard 5 day event one would expect of preparing Thanksgiving dinner, complete with thawing, making brine, placing the turkey in said brine and of course, slaving away in the kitchen beginning at the crack of dawn.

I made the whole spread: stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn(at husband's request), turkey gravy, and turkey. Oh, and I spooned jellied cranberry sauce right out of the can. By the time the rest of the food hit the table I was way too tired to put those cranberries in a bowl.

Little did I know what this gravy would taste like after all my thorough whisking.

I even made roux.
And here she is in all her glory!!!


Turned out lovely, and truth be told it was only the first inch of the turkey that was too salty for me to ingest. The rest was what the brine jar touted: succulent, moist and flavorful. But that gravy........pure brine, baby. It made the lining of your mouth pucker.




This fellow here, he loved it. I mean, he was beside himself.
I tease him that he salts his salt. He was in salty hog heaven.



The whole thing was actually very nice, except for the being in the kitchen all day.
Afterwards I called my Mom to tell her she needed to delegate more for holidays. She usually does the whole thing herself. That is crazy I tell you. Not for mere mortals.
But I'll do it again next year.
For them. And so I can see this again:

She never said a bad word about my 1st turkey.
But it turns out she likes cranberry sauce the best. Even if it was spooned right out of the can.