Conversations

Conversation with a 3 year old.

Preston- Mommy can I have a popsicle?
Mommy-Yes you can as soon as Im finished.
Preston-Mommy you need to bust a move into that kitchen cause I need a popsicle.

Not sure where bust a move came from but Im noticing a lot of new words coming from his mouth since we are going to the gym daycare, cant wait to see what he learns in school!?!?!

Striving

For some reason lately things are getting busy around here or maybe its me, maybe I feel that Preston is growing up and doesn't need me as much as he did as a baby and now I have time to do things that I enjoy. Either way its a struggle. A desire to be needed and a desire for a bit of freedom.

I have been doing things for myself lately and enjoying it, such as I'm still going to the gym 5 days a week in training for a marathon. However I just found out that the marathon is the same day that we are also going to the circus with other families from the moms club that I belong to. Still trying to work that one out with marathon in morning and circus around lunch time. I may have to run as fast as my feet will let me and meet everyone at the circus, stinky and all. Maybe the smell of the elephants will distract everyone from smelling me.

I am on a new committee for the city that we live in, its called community development and its on Wednesday night. It will meet once a month and we will help plan, develop, and discuss what we would like to see the next 10 years for our community. I'm looking forward to this one, I had to call the mayors office last year to be put on a list and they just now called to ask me to join them.

I'm attending a free self defense class offered by our local police next week. We live in a very safe area however you can never be too careful and I just love attending things that our local area offers. I think its important to support local restaurants, city offerings and community events. Especially in todays economy. I think we are lucky that they still offer things for us to do and care about bringing the community together. Eat local people ,you will find out that for the most part the food is actually better than some of the larger chains.

I was offered an opportunity for a chance at a job with wonderful hours however it was going to be a drive and wasn't worth the cost of putting Preston in daycare. It would of been a great job, great hours but just too far. There will be other opportunities. Nice to think that maybe just maybe I still have it, even after being out of the game (work) for 4 years as stay at home mom.

Lots of yard work that I have already started on. Working in my flower garden already. The perimeter of our entire house has some type of flower garden/ ornamental grass/work needed. Mulch has been ordered and will delivered soon to our driveway so that will be a job in itself trying to get that spread out.

Moms club still meeting each week and I'm looking forward to us moving our indoor stuff to local parks now that the weather has changed.

Spring cleaning-started, hate it, have much to do, wish I could hire it out, need warmer weather so I can clean the carpets so they can dry out fast, who started spring cleaning-I bet it was molly maids or some other type of home cleaning service trying to make more money and making everyone feel that this must be done.

Striving is today's word, that sums up everything going on in my life. Transformers-that would be Preston word lately, he loves transformers. I have had to convert 3 of them already this morning while writing this post. Do those things have to be so hard to convert, they come with page long instructions.

Just Peachy

Because peaches sound springy to me..don't ask, you should just go buy them and make this:

Peach Crisp With Maple Cream Sauce

1 cup flour
½ c. sugar
½ firmly packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. (one stick) butter, cut into bits
5-6 cups, peeled, sliced fresh peaches
Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
2 T. maple syrup
*Maple cream Sauce, for serving (see ingredients to make this below)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in
medium bowl. Cut in butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture is the
consistency of coarse meal. Place peaches in 9-inch square baking pan or smaller
baking dish. Gently mix in lemon juice, rind and maple syrup. Top with crumb
mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake about 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake
20 to 30 minutes more or until top is crisp and brown. You might want to broil for
a couple of minutes to ensure good color. Serve warm with maple cream sauce.

*Maple Cream Sauce
1 ½ cups whipping cream
5 T. maple syrup
3 T. light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in heavy sauce pan; cook over moderate heat, stirring
constantly until thickened and reduced by 1/3, approximately 20 minutes. Chill.
Drizzle generously over Peach Crisp.

Spring YIPEEE!!!!

Hello Spring at my front doorsteps, bring on the mulch.

Efforts down the drain

Today hasn't started off too well. In fact its already full of disappointments. First off I didn't win the HGTV dream home and after entering online everyday throughout the contest I fully believe that I should of won it. For goodness sakes I already dreamed of myself cooking in the fantastic kitchen. What a let down.
Second, I didn't get the job I wanted. Our local town had a great position available that I was more than qualified for and after waiting months to see if I would get it I found out today that they moved someone in house. Basically they moved someone from another city position into that position so I had no chance whatsoever.
Third, Preston and I are off schedule since returning from our trip so it throws my entire day off and feels odd. We are used to getting up, eating breakfast and being at the gym by 10am. That obviously didn't happen today.
I think I'm just going back to bed.

Dear Taz,

You have been such a great friend and the best dog. Anytime I saw a dog on a sign, tv or a stuffed animal I would name that dog Taz because you were my favorite. You never ran away when I wanted to be near you, you played with me, let me lay down on top of you and were always so sweet. I will never forget you, I hope they have lots of treats in heaven for you.

I love you~Preston

Today is Three Day.

Three names I go by:
Mommy , Heather, Hey you

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
Nurse, Financial Analyst, Mom

Three places I have lived:
Nashville TN, Knoxville TN, Ohio

Three TV shows I watch:
Big Love, Nip Tuck, House

Three places I have been:
Vegas-Hoover Dam/ St. Louis -Arch/ New Mexico

Three places I want to go:
Hawaii, Canada, Paris

Three of my favorite foods:
Pizza, country ham, soup

Things I am looking foward to:
kids growing up, growing old with hubby, traveling

Three pets you have owned:
Kodak -dog, KJ-dog, fish in college

Three favorite drinks:
Coke, tea, coffee

I have been out of the gym for quite some time so this week I started going back, only this time Ive been taking Preston with me and putting him in the daycare.
Today was day 3...
Preston is doing great, no crying
Heather is crying from the pain

Is this my child???

Just when I thought I knew my kid he goes and surprises me....

Preston has never strayed far from any of us, he hasn't spent time away from us with someone else, he plays well with others but just as long as one of us is near. In preparation for t-ball and preschool this year we have been trying to find ways to push him gently from the nest.

Yesterday I went to our local gym and put him in the daycare area, just as suspected he cried however it was for only 5 minutes. Today we went again and nothing, nada, no tears, no whining, no crying......Surely this isn't my kid, someone must of switched him with another child in the daycare. My kid doesn't stay with anyone let alone 2 complete strangers. He was even playing, laughing and having a good time. I'm in shock right now...total shock.

Mushy lovey stuff

When I was in high school we had to make a collage for one of my classes. I cut out pictures from magazines that I enjoyed to do, liked or just wanted. One of those pictures was a wedding ring and band that I thought was absolutely beautiful. Several years ago my husband put almost the exact ring and band on my hand when we got married. I still have the picture of the ring in a box of old mementos here in our house but I can now just look at my hand instead. Happy Valentines Day!

Dear Tornado like winds,

I would like to begin by thanking you for ripping off the top of my 2 person swing that my husband bought me a few years ago. Id also like to give a shout out to you for knocking over our grill. Next time you want to visit please feel free to knock off some siding on the house so that we can atleast have that replaced. I got to tell you that shaking our house and keeping all of us all night and the fact that Preston slept in our bed because the wind was so loud was so much fun. Thanks wind now go away.

Since we have been sick at the Bolin house, Preston and I have spent the past week trying to sit and relax and get better . I dont think that Preston understood the meaning of either of those two things. Instead he has been running around the house with dinosaurs, trucks, transformers, my kitchen whisk, and anything else that he can find. It got so bad that I gave in and let him watch Transformers over and over just so the boy would lay down and sit still. Its much easier to wipe the snot from his face when he isnt running. Not only does he know Transformers from beginning to end and can correct you if you quote it wrong but he said the following to me this morning as I was wiping my own snot and sneezing. "Mommy Im not going to shoot you up today because you dont feel good but as soon as you do then Im going to go all autobot on you". I couldn't be prouder!!

Cold in more places than one

The Bolin household this week has been full of cold germs, used tissues, medicine in every room, and a refrigerator full of OJ. Having the cold is no fun but laying around in our pj's most of the day, taking naps without feeling guilty, climbing into bed at night around 8pm, and just taking an easy has been pretty nice. Its been really cold outside and we still have snow on the ground so I'm sure we aren't missing anything by staying in. I will be glad when our colds go away as well as the snow and low temps.

On a different note I signed up Preston for preschool this week. I think he will love it however the love will take a while to surface. I have such a good feeling about this place and I know that Preston will be safe, secure, learn, and grow while he is there. After looking at 5 different preschool facilities I took my aunts advice and went with the one that I felt the most comfortable with and knew right away that it was the one. I know we aren't picking out colleges here but this is the first step in Preston gaining his independence. I dont know if you have noticed or not but Preston is attached at the hip, leg, arm, and every other body part to us.

Gotta get back to blowing my nose. Have a good one!

This is for toys not boys

Happy Birthday Aunt Jen Jen and Aunt Tara, just what you have always wanted .....a boy in a box!

We are eating snow cream YUMMY!

Thats Ohio weather for ya

The view from inside looking out the sliding glass doors to the back deck. Brrr....

One more year closer to gray hair

Today is my Birthday and any age after 21 SUCKS!!!
I woke up with one more wrinkle, 5 more pounds, an extra love handle, a new dimple on my butt-dimples are cute on faces not on the butt, a new creaky sound in my step, a stray hair coming out of my chin, I think I lost 10 feet of my eye distance, any children that I talk my husband into having now will be considered high risk, and a strong desire to stay in bed and do nothing.

Random things about me

I got tagged for this on facebook and decided to post it here instead:
Random things about me:

1. I used to hate having strawberry blonde hair and now I love it and I’m glad that I have never colored it thanks to my mom who said no that I would some day regret it.
2. My husband says that my freckled skin feels different than non freckled skin… I don’t get it but as long as he likes touching my skin then I guess were good.
3. I would love to have another baby.
4. I can’t live without my flip flops.
5. I would love to open up a bakery some day.
6. I eat raw cookie dough and don’t care about the risk with raw eggs, it’s totally worth it.
7. My son has pee’d on my feet in the shower and laughs about it; he is the only one that is laughing.
8. My closet has clothes that range in 3 different sizes and depending upon the time of year I can wear all 3 sizes in one year.
9. I watch reruns of (the original and old) Beverly Hills 90210 and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
10. My husband laughs with me and at me at times and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
11. I love my family even more now that I live far away.
12. We bought 20 rolls of paper towels yesterday because they were really cheap and I go through a roll a week.
13. Every year I say that I’m going to run a marathon and never do…maybe I will actually do it this year.
14. Sometimes I get friend request from people on Face book and I can’t remember them.
15. I love candy!
16. I think men with accents are sexy such as Dr. Chase on House and Brooke Shields husband Shane from Lipstick Jungle.
17. I flirt sometimes to get what I want. Don’t feel bad for my husband he usually sends me off to flirt to see if we can get a discount on something.
18. I used to think 30 was old and now I’m in my 30’s and haven’t a clue as to what is old anymore.
19. I’m the complainer in our family and if a call needs to be made or someone needs to be told in person than I’m the one to do it because 9 out of 10 times I get things for complaining. My signature sentence is “I’m gonna need to speak to a manager”. We got free cable for the first 3 months because I complained about some difficulties we were having with our cable and I’ve gotten free water park passes for complaining about the water temperature. I try to do it in a lovingly way if there is such a thing.
20. I have had crow’s feet since high school, it’s a blue eye sensitivity to sun curse.
21. I cheat on my eye exams at the department of motor vehicles so that I don’t have to wear my glasses while driving.
22. I love to paint and would paint every room in my house a different color every 6 months if my husband would let me. Right now I just paint every 2-3 years.
23. When I go into a store to just browse I can find a million things I want to purchase, however when I go into the store with a gift card or money in hand I have a hard time finding items I want to purchase.
24. I have to drink something hot to start my day off whether it is tea, spiced tea or coffee and I’m addicted to Coke.
25. I’m jealous of people with great looking tan skin all year round.
26. I compare my kids to other kids.
27. I could eat anything that comes from a pig EVERYDAY. Bacon for breakfast, Pulled pork bbq for lunch and county ham & biscuits for dinner.
28. I have 5 earring holes in my ears but only wear one pair of earrings.
29. I have a belly button piercing that no longer has a belly ring in it. Belly button ring+kids=accident waiting to happen.
30. I have a tattoo and desperately want another one.
31. I get bored easily.
32. I want to snowboard sometime in my life
33. I love frozen grapes
34. I like to eat tabasco sauce on my doritos
35. My husband swears that the light fixture he is putting up for me is the last one he is going to do but that was 3 fans and 5 lights ago. Sucker!!!
36. I havent been on a date alone with my husband since we had our son almost 4 yrs ago and yet somehow it works for us and we dont feel as if we are missing out on anything. Thats what happens when you dont live near family that you can dump your kids upon.
37. I sing in the car
38. I cant sing
39. I miss my brother and sister
40. I want to live somewhere where the temp stays around 80 degrees all year long.
41. I love riding on my husbands Harley motorcycle.
42. I think my best feature is my blue eyes
43. I miss eating Maggie Moo cheesecake icecream with cherries mixed in.
44. I miss eating at Las Palmas with my girlfriends
45. I once drank green beer and my pee was green for days.

If life gives you limes...make margaritas or these yummy cupcakes.

This recipe is for my sister who is the only person that has limes in her fridge at all times and I do mean all times. Granted they are probably for her grown up drinks but Ive never met anyone else who always has limes on hand.
This recipe came from Food Network:

Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest
1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut flakes (3.5 ounces)

For the Frosting:
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped into small chucks
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1/4 cup sour cream
Finely grated key lime zest, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold the coconut into the cupcake batter.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner almost to the top with batter. A spring loaded 1/4 cup ice cream scoop works great for this and ensures the cupcakes are all the same size. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting. In a small heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, carefully and slowly melt the white chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, key lime juice, and sour cream and mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated.
Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a bit of grated key lime zest. Enjoy!

Old minus 1

Today Husband is your birthday and you were wrong when you said Id be the death of you, your still alive another year. I will work on it for next year though. Here are some good and bad things that I have noticed about you over the past year. I have to include the bad stuff as well otherwise you would get a big head.

• You have twisted your ankle twice, the same ankle, which can only mean that you are soon on your way to needing a walker.
• You have loved me another year
• I have loved you another year
• Our beautiful children are a year older
• You have worked really really hard over the past year
• You have one more nose hair than you did last year
• You have become sexier over the past year
• We still want to spend another year together and maybe even many more to come...the verdict is still out on that one.
• You are a year older but still the best husband and best father in the world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!