Just to Prove I Actually Do the Things I Find on Pinterest...

No, granted, not as nicely presented as from the source of this recipe, but just as delicious, I am sure:  Neopolitan Rice Krispie© Treats made with regular Rice Krispies©, Cocoa Krispies©, regular marshmallows, and Strawberry Fluff© since I didn't have time to hunt down strawberry flavored marshmallows. Dee-lish and a great Easter treat! Plus, a bonus, I now have a surplus of Cocoa Krispies© that I guess I'll just have to eat.

The next thing I made for our after-Easter meal was this sunflower cake made of Peeps©. I just made a basic white cake mix and used canned chocolate frosting. I piped sunflower seeds in the center with a Wilton #12 tip and just made a ring of Peeps to form the flower petals. Simple, delicious, and a fun presentation for spring. Although, chocolate chips would have worked for the seeds, too....next time.







I'll be a great home-maker yet.

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Zip Storage Bag Painting

MonkeyBoy is getting harder to entertain these days, becoming quickly bored with the usual suspects (monster trucks and dump trucks), so I've been scouring the web, and by the web I'm mean Pinterest, for great toddler ideas to enhance cognitive development and curb the whinies. One such idea was this nifty one from *No one has more fun than the Adams'  blog:  Zip-Loc© Painting on windows.

I chose the basic yellow-and-blue-makes-green concept. He was entertained for about 30 seconds, but I did put the bag up right when the sun was glaring down on the poor kid. So maybe later this afternoon he'll have more fun being able to actually see what he's doing.

"I'm blind, mama!"

Well, on to the next....

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

I Like Creeping Out My Bestie

Wanted: Personal Assistant/Live-in Au Pair

My life feels more out-of-control and busy now than it did when I was commuting four hours a day to a 9-hour-a-day job I hated. I'm sitting here finishing up a crocheted celery bunch when it dawns on me how much I'm trying to accomplish:

Raise my son
Finish my website
Blog more than once every six months
Take down the wall paper in my diningroom
Paint said diningroom
Sand down the spackle and touch up paint the kitchen cabinets
Sand down and spray paint the baseboard heating covers for the bathroom we're remodeling
Remodel bathroom
Learn the guitar
Rake and mulch down 10 acres of leaves in the yard
Try to become an extreme couponer
Crochet a TON of play food for an inventory
Start my own company with said play food and crocheted wares
Develop a business strategy/marketing strategy
Develop website for said company
Laundry
Teach my son to STOP SCREECHING!
Playgroups
Doctor appointments
Knit a pair of 18th century women's mitts for a friend
Learn to knit
Sick husbands
Make breakfast, lunch, dinner every day
Become a piano virtuoso and teach my son
Make Easter dinner

and last, but not least, make my ass look like this:

© Lifeplusfitness.blogspot.com

Here's to wishing for my fairy godmother to show...

Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG

Facebook: Necessary Evil or just Evil?

Until about four or five days ago, I was a generic FB user. I wouldn't go on a lot; just post pics of my babe for my distant friends and family to see his progress, make a quirky comment or observation here and there, but that was it. Since Gardens of Time, that has all changed. I started playing this game when my son was just two or three months old, but I never posted my "progress" so as not to annoy everyone with constant posts. Now, it seems the evil programmers have made it in order to progress, you have to post to your wall in order to get Time Crystals.



I'm obsessed!!! My wall is just beggings for Time Crystals. This new portion of game play expires in one day. But those cursed programmers will find another reason for us to beg for Time Crystals, I'm sure.

I suck! I know! But maybe those that aren't hooked-lined-and-sinkered into Gardens of Time can just block my postings from this app, and please, please, please keep me as a friend for all the other wonderful musings I post.

Thank you, and I apologize for the inconvenience,
–TYG

Two-Week Countdown is On!

I cannot believe my son is 11 1/2 months old. My perfect, beautiful, not-so-small-anymore baby boy is going to be one year old in two weeks. Where did that year go? Thank goodness I live in an age where I was easily able to document every step of his development for the past twelve months with pictures, videos, and blogs, so when my moody fifteen-year-old wants nothing to do with me, I can reminisce when I used to be the center of his universe.



So, in the past month, MonkeyBoy has grown in leaps and bounds, literally. On October 4th, he had enough of the brusied knees and took his first steps! Let's just say life hasn't been the same since for either of us! About a week ago, the crawling had offically stopped, and his feet became the preferred mode of transportation. Or mom's hip since he still loves to be carried. Being 27" tall does have it's limits.

On the weight front, however, it has been a painfully slow progress. I can only attribute his one-ounce-weight-gain for the past month to his added mobility and energy consumption plus, the unfortunate circumstance of a cold and double ear infection we've been fighting the last three weeks. The stronger antibiotics seem to be working, so hopefully it will be mostly cleared up just in time for our trip to Ohio next week to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

This will be MB's first trip to the Buckeye State. We've been prepping him, being sure he can spot on sight Brutus and properly give the Bronx Cheer to Michigan. We're so proud!




So far we have had the most wonderful Fall. Lots of time spent outside playing and taking walks, plus mama's been baking like crazy. For Halloween weekend this year, we had a ball at Uncle Buck's costume party dressed up like Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, R2D2, and my little handsome man was Han Solo. On Halloween night we decided to walk Nathaniel around Wakefield Mall in his pumpkin costume for trick-or-treat since his ears were still bothering him, and we didn't have to worry about the cold or traffic. He had the time of his life running around visiting all the stores! And, of course, he was the cutest pumpkin out there, if I do say so myself.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispie Treats

"Who's scruffy lookin'?" 

Well, we've picked pumpkins, visited horses, picked apples, leaf-peeped in NH, partied, went trick-or-treating, carved Jack-o-lanterns, played in the leaves, baked tons of treats...the only thing possibly left to do this harvest season is to have turkey, eat pumpkin pie, celebrate a special you-know-who's birthday, and watch the Macy's Parade, and welcome Santa to town!

 

Whew! I didn't think we'd get it all done!!!


Yankee Doodle Dandy,
– TYG


11.5 Months
18 lbs
27+"

"That was easy" [insert Staples ad here]

One year ago this weekend (yes, ONE year ago!!!), I was gigantic and pregnant celebrating the impending birth of MonkeyBoy at my baby shower.

Now look at him, driving farm tractors. How far they come in such short periods of time...


And I’m getting back to my svelte self.

Mama’s most favorite time of year is upon us, and I’m having the best time spending it with MB. We had the best day going to a harvest festival in Richmond. MB saw his first pumpkin patch and navigated his first corn maze. We had intentions of going to upstate NY to Sleepy Hollow this weekend, but alas, the weather is not cooperating, so we may need to scrap that for next year.

On the developmental front, MB has started giving signs back! He now knows airplane and light. Plus, we distinctly heard him say light, bird (but only once), and he tries really hard to say Kitty (kit! kit!). He's been stacking blocks, playing the xylophone, throwing Weebles, standing on his own, and has taken two steps. He's also relentlessly pointing at everything asking "s'at?".


MB's developed a fascination for sticks and dirt, like a typical boy, I suppose. He likes nothing better then finding a stick and flicking leaves around and digging dirt, covering himself from head to toe. His socialization has changed dramatically, too. He has always been indifferent towards other babies, but now he completely engages his "friends", trying to "hug" and "kiss" them, but without fine-turned motor control, this usually turns into a tackle and bite. Needless to say, mama has to stay on top of him during play time to prevent unintentional tears.


Well, we have an exciting October planned: lot's of pumpkin carving, hopefully a trip to Vermont to visit our friends' new baby, baking, and the big breast cancer walk. And let's not forget Halloween! We'll probably dress him up and walk around the neighborhood for a little bit. For convenience (and less emotional stress on MB and us), we purchased a slip-over pumpkin costume at a consignment event. Gotta love things that are cheap and easy. 


Uh...well...I meant inexpensive and simple. Although, depending on where you are in life, cheap and easy could be good, too...


Yankee Doodle Dandy,
–TYG