I Heart Antiquing

I can remember being in middle school and going antiquing with a friends mom and thinking it was the most terrible and boring thing ever. Store after store with old furinture and funny smells and absolutly no touching. The only up side was bailing out on the shopping to find ice cream. I don't know if it's coincidental or not, but where there are antiques, there is usually ice cream or some other form of sweets.

I'm still a fiend for anything sweet, but these days I'm just as pleased to do a little antiquing. Furniture isn't my thing so much as little trinkets and housewares and I'm pretty sure I could waste a few days browsing booth after booth in antique malls.

I stopped in a store in town in search of an old tin for a sappy anniversary gift for the husband and I accidently spent way too much money and bought way more than a tin. (Not to mention the fact I found the most amazing Christmas present for the girls that I'm pretty sure I'll be returning to get soon!)

I didn't have time to look around at everything they had in the three story floor but I think I pulled a pretty good haul for a "quick trip" in! I found an amazing bread box, which I happened to be in the market for, an egg beater, some old sewing needles, a Cream of Wheat print, an old Folgers tin (the one thing I intended to buy!), a cracker tin, and a gift to put up fpr Christmas for the husband.

Take a look...

Not too bad, huh?

Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake

After whipping up a batch of banana muffins I had one lone banana left sitting on the counter, looking sad. I almost threw it in the freezer to make something with when I had more, but I saw the bag of coconut and an idea came to me. Banana and coconut are good together, especially with caramel. I wonder what it would be like as a cake... 

Turns out it's amazing! Basing it off the classic pineapple upside down cake I used browned butter, brown sugar and coconut to make a sweet, chewy glaze surrounding the bananas.

 

Farewell Mac...

Blogging with no computer is hard!

Our MacBook was my first computer purchase and I must admit, it was love.

Was- as in past tense.

After taking much abuse from Andy and I, about a year ago it started being subjected to Amelia's wrath. What can I say? When a two year old loves to sing and dance along to YouTube videos, it's hard to say "no."

When Marinn came along, Amelia went through a period of acting out. As a result our poor MacBook was stripped of most of its keys, dropped, and then bathed in water and baby oil (aka wipe solution for cloth diapering)

Like a true friend, it held out as long as it could, but last week it finally succumbed to the baby oil and went quietly in its sleep.

As a stay at home mom the computer is my lifeline, my connection to the outside world, my only way to watch episodes of shows the kids cried through the night before. What would I do without my google access to determine just how bad it is when my child eats weird things? My place to escape my world and get caught up in someone else's as I read their blogs? My place to tell about what's going on in my world so I can (hopefully) laugh rather than cry when things happen (like my iPhone taking a dip in a very large soda.)?

As you can see, this was a very pressing matter. (Not to mention the fact Andy needed it for work.)

As much as I would like to splurge and get another Mac, our lifestyle now doesn't allow for such things. Instead we decided to go the route of a PC desktop.

This decision came with some challenges, namely accessing the information from the Mac and transferring it to the PC. According to the liar man from Best Buy all we had to do was purchase a handy little thing to make the hard drive an external hard drive and hook it to the new computer and copy everything over. Not the case. (We still haven't figured out how to do it, so if you're computer savvy please share!)

I'm excited to have a computer again but I'll be even more excited when my husband isn't sitting at it trying to figure things out and I can break it in a little with some blogging.

Typing and reading on a tiny little phone screen is next to impossible!

Four Years of Wedded Bliss

Today was Andy and I's fourth wedding anniversary. It seems like the longer we are together the sappier we get about such things because all I could think about today was my handsome husband and how great he is and how great the past four years have been (no such thing as hard times or disappointments today!)

I decided to dig out our wedding book and read through it while I attempted to make a version of our wedding cake to surprise Andy with (total fail, for the record.) As I read our vows I was reminded of why we didn't go the route of traditional vows and it made me giddy with excitement all over again that Andy chose me to embark on this crazy journey with him.

It's funny to think back at where we were in our lives then, never knowing this is where we would be today. It makes me excited to see where the next four years will take us.

Happy anniversary, Andy! I love you so very much.



I, Stephanie, take you, Andy to be my husband, my constant friend and partner, and my love.

I will work to create a bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us.

I vow to honor and respect you for all that you are and will become, taking pride in who we are, both separately and together.

I promise to challenge you, and to accept challenges from you.

Our home will be a sanctuary and a respite for us and for those whom we cherish.

Above all, I will give you my love freely and unconditionally.

I pledge this to you from the bottom of my heart, for all the days of our lives.

Cat-Calls Are No Form of Flattery

Seriously, who thought, "Maybe if I make loud hooping noises or deep throaty Mmm sounds I can get this girl to notice me?"

Notice you we do, but not in the manner you hoped for, sorry buddy.

I remember doing such silly things in high school to friends and thinking it was hilarious, but that is nothing like the manner of cat-calls I have been subjected to as of late or seen/heard others subjected to.

I do not see any way in which one would find it to be flattering for some random person to look you over and make a scene, letting you and anyone else within ear shot know what they'd like to do to/with you.

I find great joy in making those people uncomfortable. Like the time I was loading my two year old into the car when I was honked and hollered at by a car full of high school boys... All they saw was my rear sticking out of the car, until I stood up and turned around exposing my 9 1/2 month pregnant belly (giving it a little rub for effect). The looks on their faces and the sound of their tires squealing as they hurried from the stop sign was great.

Then there was the incident from today. A man interrupted my quite walk with my girls to "my god" and "Mmm Mmm Mmm" at me. He said, "that gorgeous and two babies..." Gross, buddy. Clearly you have no manners if you think speaking to me like that, especially with my children present, is okay. Sarcastic me couldn't take it. "Well clearly my husband must agree with you, seeing as how there are two babies... I'll tell him you said so."

I've been accused of not being able to take a compliment (although, I think calling that a compliment is a stretch) and of being a prude. I think I'm just a woman. Not a piece of property, not something for oogling eyes, not someone to be talked to you as you see fit. I am a person deserving of respect.

Maybe I would have just let things slide by before, but there is something about being a mother of two girls that lights a fire under me when things like this happen.

I have two smart, caring, funny, independent, entertaining little girls who happen to be the most beautiful things I have ever laid eyes on.

I think they deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and to be seen and appreciated for all of their wonderful attributes. I have no control over other people and little over all the things they will be exposed to in their lifetimes, but I do know what their father and I show them will be just that.

Amelia was getting ready one morning when she went to look at her hair bow in the mirror.

"You look beautiful," I told her.

She responded, "No! I'm smart!"

I think we're off to a good start.

Who Has Peanuts?

While I was busy cooking in the kitchen Amelia came in and pulled a chair over to the counter to watch. After a few minutes of standing there she started asking questions in regular, curious two year old fashion.


"Who has peanuts?" she asked.

"I don't know" I responded, not looking up from my cooking. 

She continued asking over and over until I turned to her and said, 

"I don't know, do you have peanuts?"

She looked at me like I was crazy then grabbed 
herself and yelled, "NO! I have a beee-hind!"

"Oh, you mean a penis?" 

I couldn't hold back the laughter as she

 stood there looking so serious. 

(She was none too pleased with my laughter.)

About a week ago we had friends over for a visit and she barged in the bathroom while the two year old boy was standing using the restroom. Afterwards I had to clean up many messes and change many outfits as Amelia would sneak into the bathroom and attempt the impossible feat of standing to pee.

We had a talk about boys having penises and that is why they can stand. I didn't want to dwell too much on it since this curious girl always talks about such important, newly learned information at the worst times (like in the check out line at the grocery store.)

She retired to the boring old method of sitting and the problem was solved and not spoke of again.

Until yesterday...

After briefly explaining that everyone has "behinds" and that girls have vaginas and boys have penises she unloaded question after question:

Does daddy have a penis?
Does baby Winston have a penis?
Does Lucas (the dog) have a penis?
Does Marinn? No that's silly!

On and on she went. I think she gets the point but now she will most likely announce at the most awkward time that you have a penis/vagina. Sorry in advance. One thing is for sure, there is never a dull moment in our house!

Zucchini Bread

After our neighbor accidently cut down our grape vine the showed up at our door with a new grape vine and three of the largest zucchini I have ever seen. "A peace offering" they joked.

I whipped up zucchini bread and actually found a recipe that wasn't dry and flavorless. Good thing too because each one of these things made about 10 loafs! (I gave one to my sister after realizing that I already had a kitchen full of pears and apples and I would never use them all before they went bad.)

These keep well in the freezer and are easy gifts- which is what most of the 18 loafs I made will be!

Tiny Dancer

Amelia started dance class today. After weeks of anticipation it was finally here and she could hardly contain her enthusiasm as we got her ready for her class. She told me all about her tights and leotard as we put them on and she let me put her hair into a ponytail without a fight.  She tucked her dance shoes into the bag I made for her and stood at the door anxious to leave. I was more emotional than I expected when she told me in the car that I couldn't go to dance class that I could just drop her off. (We had discussed this prior to class but she was way too okay with it!) My baby isn't a baby anymore, she's a little girl. A very independent little girl.

I got to stand outside the class for the first few minutes and watch her as the class began. I had a nervous excitement for her as I watched her for the first time in a social situation like this without me by her side. I had a cheesy grin plastered on my face as she looked around uncertain of what she was doing, but not intimidated in the least.

The dance teacher was great with the girls, using nursery rhymes to associate the movements with the words of the songs and quickly changing from movement to movement to hold their attention. Amelia watched her wide-eyed as she took in everything she was saying.

I stood there looking through the window at this beautiful, confident little girl holding the bar and watching herself in the mirror and I couldn't help but be so filled with pride. My tiny dancer.

I retreated to the waiting room and waited until the class was over. When I came back to pick her up she ran to me grinning from ear to ear. She was so proud of herself for earning her treat from the teacher and so excited about her class. As we waited to talk to the teacher (she's only in the class on a trial basis because she's younger than the rest) she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "I missed you momma." The kid melts my heart.

Apple Chips

How did I make it to adulthood without ever having these sweet, crunchy treats?!

Thinly sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon and baked until crisp. So simple and so tasty!