pure torture

Good morning all! And a good morning it is. As I sit here typing this post, listening to Milo jibber-jab his way to sleep (hopefully), I am staring out the window at a beautiful view. Yes, the view is just of a backyard... but this is what it looks like:

bright & sunny with a light breeze

It's more than just a view. It's a feeling. A feeling of excitement. I always notice this feeling occurring around this time of year. Knowing that summer is just around the corner makes my insides all happy! What is more fun than outdoor gatherings with friends? Finally being able to bare the weather, shorts & tank tops, BBQs, pool days, lake days, sun, sun, & did I mention sun?


Last summer, Raymond & I planned an entire camping trip to the Guadalupe river. I'm talking skipping out on work Friday, 2 nights/3 days, 3 huge campsites, all new camping "gear", 2 Rubbermaid tubs of food, 3+ coolers of meat for grilling & beer for drinking, & about 20 people saying they're on the way. NOT. We had all those things, minus the people. Only 4 came to camp. Luckily, the next day a few people showed up to float with us, but then they headed straight home. Kinda crappy. BUT, being as awesome as we are (heh heh), the 4 of us made the best of it and had a blast! Needless to say, we had leftover meat in our freezer up until last weekend when I finally decided to throw it away.

 first night of trip, after a few too many games of BP

me & my honey after our arrival

As for this year, I will not be doing any planning (funny coming from somebody that wants to plan for a living, huh?). I will be sitting back, kicking my feet up, & watching the mayhem go down. Kidding, but I will be along for the ride & from what I hear, we've already got a camping trip at the State Park on Lake Austin in the works. Super excited! (I will definitely let you guys know how that goes.)

All this talk of sun, & in a few months I will be crying about how hot it is & how badly I can't wait for fall. Meh. Texas will be Texas & I will be... me.

Time to feed the monsters lunch & get ready for my doc's appointment!


PS: Milo never fell asleep. Uh oh!

sweet satisfaction

I am beginning to realize that a lot of my post are & will be about food. I constantly have cravings (no, there is no bun in the oven!), and will usually always find a way to satisfy them.

A craving I often get, is for a huge, crunchy chicken caesar salad. So, yesterday evening when I noticed a classmate chowing down on one, I immediately saw this meal in my near future. Unfortunately, I had already eaten dinner, & began questioning how guilty I would feel had I eaten two meals. Not cool.

Needless to say, this morning I made a pit-stop at the grocery store, where I picked up this pre-made salad:

romaine & iceburg mix, grilled chicken, shredded parmesean

Overall, it was pretty satisfying. The only thing wrong was that some of the lettuce was not crunchy enough for my personal taste.


My Aunt Amy (the twins' momma) has a friend that just popped out a baby. A whopping 10lb 8oz! All I've got to say is OUCH! Being the sweet lady that my aunt is, she planned to bake a pan of homemade mac n' cheese for the new family. Of course, I got in on the action and helped her make this bad boy. The pan was rather large... & set me up with a cheese craving for the next few hours.

they can't eat all of this... right?? ;-p

PS- I ended up munching on a string cheese to ax that cheese craving!


Moving past food (clearly, this is a difficult thing for me to do), my day pretty much consisted of the booger-eaters either attached to my legs, or whining/crying in my face. All. Day. Long. Meh, it was just "one of those days". I brushed it off, but was so ready to get them into their PJs and into bed.


Alas, I am going to kick up my feet & watch some trashy television! See ya'll in the AM!

avacado heaven

After lunch today, I decided that I must share what I had.

That's right, a turkey "sammich". But not just any turkey sandwich. I used: 


2 slices of Central Market honey whole wheat bread
1 tbs. Central Market Organics brand mayonnaise
1/2 of an avocado mushed with a fork
Thin shaved turkey breast
1 slice of HEB brand provolone cheese
1 handful of raw baby spinach


I like to mush my avocado to make it spreadable, insuring that there was some in every bite :)

Yes, I ate every bite! Yum!

i will never be the same

Just a rainy Tuesday morning. Or so I thought.

I had set my alarm for about 30 minutes earlier than usual this morning, knowing that I had to make a detour to Raymond's apartment on my way to work. Alarm goes off, and I peel myself out of my amazing bed and stumble into the restroom where I start the shower. 

After the water is warm enough, I slightly pull back the curtain and slip my first foot into the tub. Thank the heavens up above that I looked down, because when I did, I saw the most God-awful, disgusting, creepy, slithering creature I have ever seen. A 3+ inch, red & black centipede. YES, you read correctly. A centipede. SO SICK. (I was going to post a picture, but I cannot even bare to Google an image of this thing. You are more than welcome to check it out for yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you.) I have never seen one of these monsters in person, and I will be just fine without seeing another for the rest of my entire life. 

After panicking for a solid 3 minutes, I put on my big girl britches (a towel) and grabbed a tennis shoe from my closet. Standing about as far away from the tub as possible, I pointed the shower head on the creepy-crawler, so that it couldn't climb anywhere while I decided how I'd go about this. I reached (still standing as far away as possible) into the tub with shoe in hand, and smacked it. DEAD! Victory is mine! Oh wait, no it's not. Now it's just twitching and freaking out. I had to whack the thing about 4 more times before it fully stopped moving. 

I grabbed a broom and dustpan, not even wanting to imagine myself sweeping it up. 3 feet was already too close for me. I dropped the dustpan into the shower and while holding the tiniest tip of the broom, brushed the centipede into the pan. I sucked up my fear and quickly walked out of the bathroom. My first notion was to toss it outside, but, all I could think of was the nearest spot to dump this thing (and I was not appropriately dressed), so the kitchen trash is where this beast was laid to rest.

I returned to the restroom, and after checking the entire shower for more insects, I found enough courage to get in. For the rest of the morning, and to this point, I find myself flinching, thinking I have a centipede crawling on my body.

Needless to say, the extra time I allotted myself this morning was taken up by an unplanned freak-out (and Austin drivers incapable of driving in the rain), I didn't make it to Raymond's house. Oh well! I'm alive and not being eaten by centipedes, so I am thankful! (Exaggeration at its finest)

Yes, I am a murderer, and under this circumstance, I am A-OK with it!

Let's hope the rest of this day doesn't have any more shocking moments!

over-indulging

Good Monday to you guys! I hope that you all had a fantastic weekend, I sure know I did.

I kicked off the weekend by doing something I don't do much of, sleeping in on Saturday until 11:30am (I didn't get off work until 1:30am Friday night). Saturday was such a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and after being in hibernation mode for a few months, I was ready to finally get some sun on my pale skin. After going through my drawer of swim suits (many of which I have had since the age of 14-- not sure if that is a good, or bad thing!), my sweetness of a boyfriend picked me up, & we headed out to the pool for some water volleyball. Of course though, by the time we had stopped to get gas, snacks, and adult-beverages, the clouds had moved in and the sprinkling began. No way Jose was I getting in that water with no sun. It's still March, and that water is still FUH-reezing! I found myself a nice lounge chair to kick back on, and made myself comfortable, waiting and praying the sun would return. Fortunately, the "men" were actually acting like men for once, and jumped into the frigid, where they played for my(their own) entertainment. Thankfully, the sun did come back, and I got about 30 minutes of quality sun-bathing time-- no, I still didn't get an ounce of color. Wah!

 there is my honey, creaming the other team

yes-- i am biased 

We decided that we wanted to have people over that night, so after the pool, Raymond & I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities. The one "indulgence" I could have done without, was the cleaning of Raymond's filth of an apartment. Yes, I am exaggerating a little, but not much. If the apartment get's cleaned, it's because I do it. He is lucky I love him so much! :-P About 2 hours later, it was complete, neat, and smelling fabuloso, literally (fabuloso is a toilet bowl cleaner). Finally, the fun could begin!

Picture this-- BBQ chicken, pork chops, & hot dogs on the grill, an entire fridge & cooler full of beer, UFC fights on TV, drums & guitars being beat and strummed, 7 guys, & myself. GREAT time... NOT! Lol! Don't worry, I do have girl friends (not nearly enough), but none could make it. I've come to the conclusion that Raymond's friends need girlfriends! I'm on it...

All jokes aside, me being the "dude" that I am, hanging with 7 guys is not an issue. I had a great time, and ate WAY too much. Oops!

After sleeping in again on Sunday, we woke up starving, with a craving for Crawfish! We decided to save the mudbugs for later, and picked up a couple movies and some tacos from our favorite Taqueria down the street. We plugged in movie #1- Jackass 3. After watching about 30 minutes of it, it got to a point (which I will NOT share with you) to where we had to turn it off. Thank goodness we got 2 movies! We immediately switched to movie #2- Faster, staring The Rock. While Raymond snored in my ear, I watched the entire thing, wondering when it was going to get good. Clearly, I would not recommend either.

After another hour of TV watching & cuddling, (hehe) I finally forced Raymond off the couch and into the shower, so we could get some dinner. To the Shack!! We got there just in time. After we sat down, the entire place filled up and people were standing by the door, waiting for tables to clear. Another bonus-- crawfish season is just beginning-- and the majority of ours were very large. I don't know if it was the craving or not, but Raymond and I both agreed that the crawfish was some of the best we had ever had. After 4 pounds (we easily could have put down a few more), we picked up a few Oreo McFurries from McD's, 2 scratch-offs, & planted ourselves on the couch for about an hour before we called it a night.

Needless to say, I did not want the weekend to come to an end, but all good things must. PLUS, I had this to look forward to this weekend:

kisses for my milo

finny & me doing a little dancing

What a wonderful weekend, & start to a wonderful week! 

woke up with a craving

So as I'm thinking of what to write today, one thing comes to mind-- mudbugs. Oh, yes! My most favorite, amazing, delish, tasty, awesome, perfect (ok, you get the point) treat! I could eat crawfish/shrimp/crab every single day. Yes, it's that serious. Raymond and I have been known to put down 7+ pounds of these babies when they're in season, which means they are much larger than what you're imagining.

If any of you are seafood lovers, I am going to let you in on a not-so-known hole in the wall we love to eat at. Crawfish Shack. I would totally post a link, but they don't have a website or facebook page (redonkulous). Located on Wells Branch, this place is tucked away in a tiny corner-of-a-corner of a strip center. 

Raymond took me there when we first started dating, and we quickly became regulars. I'm talking, we were there once a week. Unfortunately we had to back off a little bit, as we noticed our bank accounts weren't as bountiful as they once were. Although, this is the one place that I will justify spending $50 on a meal for two. It is THAT good. 

The place is owned and ran by an amazingly friendly Phillipeno family. They're always there, and always provide us with great service and most importantly fantastic food! From the cajun fries to the crab legs(my fave!), every single bite is perfect.

Luckily for Raymond and me, it's only about a 3 minute drive-- meaning we can hop in the truck and satisfy our craving in no time! And let me tell ya, these cravings come often, and unexpectedly(ok, they're pretty expected). Uh oh... my mouth is starting to water...

the real deal from the Crawfish Shack

i took this sometime in 2010

Raymond and I have been talking for a couple years now about having our own crawfish broil. We probably would have already done it, if we had a place to do it. As soon as one of us (or the both of us.. hehe) gets a place with a back yard, it's on. And you're all invited! I'll keep ya posted!

snack attack

As of recently, I have been trying to come up with new lunch/snack ideas for the boys (milo & finn). An all-time favorite has been worn out. That's right folks, peanut butter toast is no longer good enough for the twinkies. It was a sad day for us all(me). Being the smart cookie that I am, I realized the lacking factor in this snack-- jelly. How could I forget the jelly? I never forget jelly on MY PB&J(s)! Plain.Jane.Rude.

Jelly these babies need, so jelly these babies will receive!! And not just any jelly... Smucker's Red Plum Jam, aka The Bomb Dot Com. I couldn't wait for these kiddos get a taste of what their SamSam slathers between her whole-wheat bread. Or so I thought. My, oh, my. There I go being forgetful once again. Munchkins should definitely not have the amount of sugar that is tucked away in that ooey-gooey goodness. Another sad moment here in baby-ville. Once again my brain goes to work... low & behold! ding ding ding! we've got a winner! Bananas (this s--- is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Gotta love a little Gwen). I proceeded to make the usual peanut butter toast on Central Market's honey whole wheat bread, but then in place of my precious jam, I mooshed a one inch(about) piece of banana and smeared that on top of the PB. Needless to say, it was delish and worked like a charm! Babies devoured it, saying "mmMMm" after every bite. You bet your britches I gave myself a pat on the back for that one. Have you ever tried to get two 16mo. old boys to eat? I'll stop there.

In the midst of my baby-eating feud, I noticed that I myself, have never had a peanut butter and banana sammich. My turn!!! I used half an Oroweat multi-grain sandwich thin, smeared on a little 365 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter (no added ingredients, just peanuts), and sliced up a little less than half a banana and placed on top-- I ate the rest of the banana while making the sandwich. The only thing I would change is the peanut butter, I like mine to be a touch sweeter, but this still fulfilled my craving. Here is the end result:

YUM!

Look out for a remixed version of this tasty treat soon! I've got a plan brewing already!

i got love for my peeps

In order for me to fully share my life with you, I figured it would help if you know who's who in my life, and what they look like! Here are my peeps:

Yours Truly

 My Raymond

the love of my life and boyfriend of 3+ years

Milo & Finn

twin cousins of mine that I watch every day & would die today for them if needed

 The Rents

the two up-most important people in my life & would be a lost soul without them

 my bubba Lucas

when I meet mutual friends of his this is what I hear:

"OH MY GOD! Lucas is your brother?!?! I LOVE HIM!"

that should sum it up for you

 Grandparents- "Pepa & Mema"

my mom's parents, you will never feel more accepted and loved than you will around them

 Aunt Amy & Uncle Gary

parents of the booger-eaters I take care of, characters to say the least

 Aunt Chris, Uncle Chad, & cousins Allison, Ryan, & Austin
Amazing-- & I'd take 20 years off each of them to describe their personalities!

e are the people in my day-to-day life, and who I will be referring to the most. LOVE THEM!

PS- Aren't they all just beautiful!? (Okay, I'll quit bragging)

anchors away

I have officially begun my blogging journey. Yay! There are many things that I want to learn and make a part of my life, and what better way to record those things than a blog? Here I will share my successes, failures, and my "what-the-heck was I thinking?!s" (hopefully there aren't too many of those!) with myself and family, and of course whoever else wants to read this! Hopefully I can share enough stories from beginning to end that not only myself, but others reading this, can learn great and valuable lessons!