The Zoo

We ended up in Lubbock last minute this summer as we both decided traveling to Utah to live in my cousins basement with one car and Christopher may prove to be too difficult among other things.  So Lubbock or BUST!  Lubbock's activities are limited so we planned to go to the Amarillo zoo with any friends that stayed behind for the summer.  It is just under a two hour drive north, but I was excited to be doing something, and Bryan was excited to go to a zoo for the first time, and Christopher didn't know what was going on.  

  

We had a great day, I researched hamburger joints along the old route 66 and decided on a hamburger/gelatoria which did not prove to be the best choice but an experience none the less.  Not everyone could make it, but we were so glad the Cullimore's were up for the adventure, especially since James is so good to Christopher.

 It was a fun day trip, and we are glad we had a chance to go before the busy school year started.

Not many pictures, and my Photoshop is down, but it's better then nothing.

Precious moments...

Moments that happened today 9.01.10...

I am going to be watching a friend's baby two morning a week, and the poor little guy has not been away from mom and dad very much and was having a hard time of it.  I decided to go on a walk to the park, and then to feed the ducks which worked out really well except... Christopher who usually walks saw that baby getting a ride in the stroller and decided he needed one too.  Not wanting to have a two year old tantrum on my hands, I put him in one of those wire frame strollers where you clip the car seat in, but I had no car seat, he just sat in the storage compartment and so I had baby James in the stroller pushing with the left hand and Christopher riding low in the other stroller dragging it behind me with the right hand.  The trip was worth it and everyone was happy, so when baby James was having a hard time later back at the house I put him in the stroller again.  I pushed him around while pretending to chase Christopher, both were happy again.  Christopher must have been feeling the love because he reached into the stroller and patted James and then gave him a kiss on the cheek!  I have to ask for my kisses, but I think he knew the little guy was missing his mama and needed extra love.  

Event two...Christopher occasionally will pull his diaper off and sit on the toilet more for fun I think because he never does anything.  Well, today he went into the bathroom pulled his diaper off, I saw this so I sat him on the toilet and he actually tinkled!!!  He was so happy, just as pleased as he could be.  I hope I can always remember that look.

I need moments like these.

The Joys of Parenthood

This morning I had to, I mean had to take a shower, so I locked the car door and the door leading out to the garage so Christopher could not escape like he did last time. (After my shower it was a little too quiet and Christopher had opened the car, found the garage door opener, and let himself and the two dogs out to roam the neighborhood.)  I noticed from the shower that Christopher was running around with a box of crackers which meant he pulled a barstool over to the counter so he could climb up and reach into the top shelf to find these particular crackers, but oh well, at least he wasn't running wild outside.  By the time I am out of my shower Christopher has dumped the cracker box on my bed and is sharing them with Bono, (the dog).

Just a couple of minutes ago I thought Christopher was chasing the dogs around out back but then to my surprise, he comes running into the office with now an empty box of Cream of Wheat!  EMPTY, it was not that way earlier, I prepare myself for the worst and walk down the hall and see evidence that he has been there and then I turn the corner to the kitchen where he has now made his way and is playing in the cream of wheat like it's a sandbox.  This stuff is everywhere, on the counter, in every grove of the flooring, on toys, and now all over me as I am wrestling with Christopher, because someone just earned themselves an early nap time!

This happens all the time, it may not be Cream of Wheat, that was a first, but the other day it was granola he was throwing around the room while jumping on the bed feeding the dogs, or the bag of pretzels that I am still finding traces of four months later, really I am, I just cleaned some up from in between my sofa cushions, to dog food, or comet sprinkled all over the kitchen floor!  The list can go on and it does.  Just the other day Christopher was playing in the car, he LOVES playing in there I have no idea why, but he insists poor Bono has to stay in the car with him so, I gave in and would just go and check on him every couple of minutes, because that is just what you have to do with Christopher, and I noticed he had grabbed a couple water bottles and was lining them up on our dashboard and having a grand time.  Well, that should have been my first clue to intervene, but I left him and checked on him again to see no more bottles lined up on the dash.  Hmmmm, I go over to the car and open the doors and Christopher seems awfully wet, and then I see it, the water that is now dripping out of the car and onto my feet and a wet dog.  I called Bryan out and he counted 8 full water bottles had now been emptied in the car.  We sent Christopher inside so we could clean up and I went to go check on him, because, that's just what you have to do with Christopher, and he is now dancing to music in our room shaking the bottle he must have escaped with all over our bed and carpet!

I am not a neglectful parent, I am blaming this all on Christopher, he is fast!  When it is too quiet, I am in trouble, when he is laughing, I am in trouble, and it just takes a second.

*I wanted to document some of this so one day when Christopher and his wife come to me worn out and stressed out I can pull out the list so they can see just some of the joys of parenthood.

To Clean, or no to clean...

To clean or not to clean - that is the question:

Bryan has the day off from work and school, and has taken Christopher to the Science Spectrum Museum and has left me home all alone...hmmmm what to do.  Do I go eat bonbons and turn on a little Martha, or pick up the ever growing piles of junk around the house.

To watch Martha, to sit, to sit, perchance to dream of cleaning, Ay, there's the rub.

The rub indeed, if I sit I will just think about how much I should be cleaning the entire time, but you know, I think I might just chance it.     

Barbie and Friends go to the Gym

A couple days a week I drag myself to the gym if I am lucky. Every time I am impressed and happy I at least make it through the front doors and up the stairs and onto the treadmill. I slowly increase the speed as I check out whats on TV that is going to preoccupy my mind and keep me from walking back down the stairs and through the front door, when out of the corner of my eye I see her...

Yes, we have all seen her at one time, that girl with the perfect body, great outfit, beautiful hair, working out at the gym making everyone wonder why we even try. To make myself feel better I tell myself she only looks like that because she probably has not had a kid yet, and then I remember, I never looked like her even before my bundle of joy.

Evil thoughts then come to me, why am I here, why do I try, and then I secretly wish pregnancy on her, twins even. Let's just see how well her abdominal wall holds up after that, among other things! I complain to my husband about her later that night, but I drag myself to the gym the next day because the plate of dessert I inhaled the night before is not magically going anywhere these days except down, down into my booty.

Well once again I am through the doors and up the stairs when I see her... Barbie, and she has a friend with her just as spectacular. Where do these people come from, and how am I suppose to focus on my Golden Girls when I have Barbie and Midge running next to me.

I finish my less then stellar jog/walk and decided to make up wasted time and do some serious damage on the dreaded stair climber. Fully engrossed in Martha, but who do you suppose gets on the other stair climber, she does, and not only that but she has to kick it up a notch by doing it backwards! I finish my 10 min. level 4 stair climb, satisfied with my work out and ready to go home. Barbie seems to have complete her workout as well but on my way down the stairs who heads in for a class! What, my full work out was just her warm up! I walk down the stairs almost tripping over my shoes, not because they are the size of ski's, but the 10 minutes on the darn stair master did me in and Midge is now beginning her workout with the personal trainer.

I throw my hands up and go pick up Christopher to head home, I think I need an ice-cream.

"If I Never Knew Your Name" by: Neil Baby

Oh Neil, what if I never did know your name? I am feeling inspired, I have Neil Diamond pumping through my veins and I just can't hold back, "Play it Now, Play it Now, Play it Now my Baby!"

When asked my favorite band I would typically not think of Neil baby but now I am seriously reconsidering this question. Maybe not number 1 but top 5.

I did not grow up listening to the Diamond but was introduced to Neil's Greatest Hits back in my early high school years when my sister in law Jean had given the CD to my dad for Christmas. I learned every song and would sing them at the top of my lungs while dancing on our fireplace hearth, which often doubled as my stage, "brotha's, I said brotha's, now you got yourself two good hands, and when your brotha is trouble n' you got to reach out your one hand for him, cause that's what it's there for, and when your heart is trouble n' you gotta reach out your other good hand, reach it out to the man up there, cause that's what he's there for"

Oh, the power and energy this mans voice carries. Nothing like the music of today where the computer takes over and smooths everything out into a nice clean package. Listening to Neil you can detect the quivers the imperfections which then translates to perfection.

I love you Neil!

* I am having a difficult time trying to embed the song "If I Never Knew Your Name" from Youtube so I encourage a listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYcnaulw9Ms

Airlines and Pretzals

There are many reasons I should not even be writing this post, but for all of those same reasons, I think I must, for Christopher's sake.

I don't even know how to begin, do I write today's events chronologically or go from worst to worstest, that's how bad today has gone, that I have succumbed to making up words because none can describe. But taking queue from a favorite childhood book, I think the title sums of my feelings quite nicely: Alexander (scratch that an put Whitney) and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

I think I will start at the beginning when I realized late Saturday that I was leaving to visit my bro and his family on Tuesday the 20th and not Wednesday. Now this may not sound too bad, but I like to put things off until the last minute and this was taking an entire day out of my last minute plan, eliminating many things on a not so well written list and putting me into a down word spiral, if it were any other vacation no big deal but I will be out of here for over 4 months.

 Anyway, Monday happened that's about as much as I would like to get into right now, I will say that when I picked Bryan up all I could say was that I was a bad mom with a capital B and you know what other word starts with B, well I was one of those too.

 Jumping ahead again, 5:00 am Tuesday April 20th we wake up change and pull Christopher out of bed and head directly too the airport, things were looking good, so I thought. Pull up around 5:25 unload and get to Delta desk at 5:30 to find out they had just closed the gates 30 min prior to boarding, what AHHHHHH, can I say that again, AHHHHHHH. The airport security was nooo help, the Lubbock airport is the size of a thimble and no one was willing to take the two steps to the Delta desk to let them know we were there. The airline counter next to us who could go and let them know wouldn't leave their desk, and we were informed there were no phones to let them know anyone was at the front desk. I was there moments before they called boarding, I heard them, but was trapped on the other side. I finally marched over to the Southwest desk and the lady actually did something about it and paged them, hello any other moron at the airport, why did no one else offer that suggestion, I thank you Southwest. Finally a representative attended to us and our options were rebook or leave our luggage with Bryan and take our carry on and ship the rest later, we did that. I ran through security, stripping clothes shoes, and electronics making an absolute scene only to make it through security to have the plane doors shut on us missing our flight by seconds, seconds!

 Jumping ahead, I now have an extra couple hours to my day which to some may be a gift but anyone with a 2 year old knows the joy I was looking forward to. Jumping ahead once again, I now have the motivation to clean the kitchen, it has kind of been a tradition for the house to go to complete pot before every vacation leaving a huge mess for Bryan to attend to with any time off he may find. Well, that big mess was facing me and I was cursing because I was not suppose to be there to clean it. I got to work and worked and worked, looked up and Christopher had some how grabbed the bag of pretzels and dumped them, every last crumb and grain of salt every where. But that was not enough for him, he scattered them and crushed them everywhere. The toy box had been dumped and scattered the day before by you know who, left over laundry was out and shoes everywhere!

I swear, if I don't keep up on the house work for even one day, there is practically no getting on top of it, and now pretzels! I began sweeping, all the while, now this is gross even by my standards, but Christopher is chasing me pile to pile eating the pretzels, and when he wasn't doing that he was scattering the piles. Finally the little guy lost interest and disappeared, good, right? The next thing I know he is running in the house crying because what folks...he stepped in dog poop. I rush him back to the bathroom and come to find out he must have tried to clean it up himself because it was on his hands! Enough on that subject, so I go back to my pretzels later to have Christopher jump off the couch and land on a wooden toy box doing some damage to the face. The kid is fast! After lamenting to Bryan, he informed me that while he was blow drying his hair this morning Christopher stuck the toilet paper roll in the sink and clogged it as he turned the water on, right under Bryan's nose. Ahhhhhg, Back to pretzels, I think I get them mostly up only because Christopher has decided to dump the dog food into the water dish for the hundredth time, I will never know the obsession.  Well, that was just a couple hours worth of one day, but it was my Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

To Triathlon or Not to Triathlon

I went to the gym and saw a sign advertising a triathlon training for an upcoming race here in Lubbock and I thought to my self...I can do this, YES to triathlon.

After running my mile, and having to talk to myself the entire time to keep going, I looked at the sign for the triathlon again and then looked closer... 555 meter swim, 17.6 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run, and I thought to myself...maybe, to triathlon.

End of the evening sitting on my bum I thought to myself...probably no, to triathlon.

Talking to my sister Sandra about the race and thought to myself...I could, to triathlon (she is always talking me into things).

Looked up the Buffalo Spring triathlon and saw this picture and the one above and thought to myself...I would need to wear what!!! Maybe, to triathlon.

Asked how much the training would cost, $455! and I thought to myself...NO, to triathlon!

I don't even own a bike, proper running shoes, or one of those hot spandex outfits/wet suit, NO, NO, NO, to triathlon!

Thank you

*Oh, and I can barley run a mile. Again, NO, to triathlon.

Day to Day

I have officially started my compost pile. I found an inexpensive bin form Home Depot but I would have had to order it so I went the route of finding a large plastic storage container and drilled a ton of holes and for under $20 I have my compost bin. I think this project will take a little longer then expected but it is a start.

I went to fill up the bin with my first little bit of leaves and veggie scraps and I came out to find Christopher had dumped the entire pile out, I guess it was my fault for not putting the lid on so I have learned my lesson.

As for my bread making skills, I never got around to my pita bread but I did make homemade Wheat Thins and Graham crackers, both turned out surprisingly well.

I went to Hobby Lobby today and found some cute little animal cookie cutters so I thought that would be fun to use next time.

I also made whole wheat bread today that almost ended up in the trash.I don't know what my problem is, but I always forget the salt and without it, I will not touch the bread. I had the loaves all formed and remembered I did it again so I tossed the dough back in the bowl and tossed some salt in so we will see how it comes out.

I just came back from pulling the bread out and it looks pretty darn good for my standards, and the smell, you can't beat it.

Anyway, Bryan and I will be celebrating our 6th anniversary on Saturday and I am at a loss as to what to do. I also would like to do something for friends and neighbors for Valentines but I am not sure what that will be either. I guess I just don't know much about anything!

Onto a better note, I think I may have caught up with all of my laundry! It has taken about two+ weeks since returning home from Christmas break but I think I may finally be on top of it.Happy day!

Dreams...

I have a dream of being an artisan bread maker, thanks to my new cookbook from my mom...Baking with Julia. I also have a dream of opening my own outdoor market/brunch shop where I would feature my best recipes discovered over the years.

Since I came home from Christmas break I have attempted bagels and focaccia bread. The bagels looked beautiful but where not anywhere as tasty as I would have liked and my focaccia, well, let's just say I will keep trying. I do have to say that bread covered in a little pizza sauce and cheese makes a world of difference, and I think I may have my first recipe for my future

market...Veggie pizza on focaccia!

I made a quick pizza sauce with crushed tomatoes and garlic smothered it on some focaccia then layered with grilled zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, mozzarella cheese then dotted with a little goat cheese. I have to say veggie pizza has never been up my alley but this was good. The focaccia not so much, but I will keep at it.

Not my bagels but hopefully this week...

For this week I will be making pita bread and maybe I will attempt another bagel recipe. I am convinced I will not be able to get away with my generic Walmart brand flour so I am on the hunt and will keep you updated.

I know this is the most exciting thing you have ever read, but the flour hunt is on!

A New Year

Per my moms request I am updating my blog...

Bryan and I had a nice long drive back from AZ to TX and I tried to get out of him what some family goals should be, I didn't get much except to write in our journals more. I suggested we start writing at least once a week and just discuss some of the highlights.

I have a wall going back to the bedrooms where I have made a shrine of Christoper and I have been trying to come up with some kind of project to put in between the frames and I came across this...

Resolution "Subway" Art

Now, I know journal writing will only take up one line so we better get our family whipped into shape by coming up with some more goals and so I can make my project, I need 2 boards.

I don't know if I will count this next thought as a goal, but I have decided to make my own compost. Our poor yard is pretty sad and it doesn't help that we leave for a couple months over a year but maybe my extra loving care with my "black gold" will do the trick. I found myself throwing away so many veggie and fruit peels that I thought why not turn my trash into something worthwhile. We have plenty of dead leaves and dead lawn clippings there is no reason not to give this composting thing a try.

So, dad this one goes out to you...you have only ventured out here once so next time you feel like escaping AZ forget going some place exotic like Hawaii or lush like Oregon come visit Lubbock! I have ideas for our yard and can imagine all of the fun we can have...right? Sounds fun, keep telling yourself that.

According to Martha I can have my compost pile in just over 3 months time if I turn it, so I better get crack'n.

Just for fun

I was working on the computer and Christopher came in for a visit wearing Bryan's (yes my feet are large, but no they are actually Bryan's) shoes.

Here he is trying to figure it out

We had to drop Bryan off at school and Christopher insisted on bringing the shoes. At 17 months old Christopher can only say about 3-4 words but he can still find a way to make his will known or "insist" on something.

Buffalo Springs and a Picnic

I was starting to go crazy which seems to happen at least a couple times every semester,

and Between Bryan sensing this and me telling him, "I am going CRAZY" we decided to go on a little adventure. We headed over to a little place called Buffalo Springs about 15 minutes out and spent an afternoon checking out the sights and having a little picnic.

It's a funny little area, Lubbock is as flat as can be and that is all I have seen for the past year and a half...until the other day, we went down a hill...WHAT, I didn't know they even existed here.Buffalo Springs has a little camping area which would be a perfect "practice camping" site for Bryan and Christopher next year perhaps when mom is having another crazy moment.

Thanksgiving or Bust!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the last of the pie has been eaten up...thanks to me.

The dinner preparations began Wednesday

Oops!

But nothing that can't be fixed.

and I planned to photo document my steps but around 1:00 in the afternoon when my feet almost gave out on me and my eyes started tearing uncontrollably due to the onions I was cutting for the stuffing, and my nose running which caused me to take a minute to blow it which then caused a bloody nose, typical Whit, which then lead to me stuffing a sheet of paper towel up my nose, not pleasant, while blinded by onions in order to get back to chopping, let's just say it wasn't a pretty site and the pictures stopped.

(And for anyone reading this that participated in our dinner, I washed my hands, I washed my hands, I washed my hands, there was no actual blood drippage anywhere near the food, all was sanitary!) When the big day rolled around I was convinced I would have everything warm and on the table on time...yeah right!

Our little bird

The Turkey cooked in half the time I expected, I doubled the roll recipe (I used Afton's cousins) which started to overflow my Bosch so I just dumped half of it when I couldn't fit it in my largest bowl, and yes folks it still needed to double in size!

I started runnning around like a "Turkey" with my head cut off trying to cook the rolls and green beans, warm the spinach dip and stuffing while trying to make gravy which always takes longer then expected! It was crazy in the end and some of the food was cold but I think everything at least tasted pretty good, it had a nice flavor. I decided in order to entertain the way I would like, a double oven is a must and until then, cold food will always be my biggest nemesis!

Green beans, prier to cooking

There were no doors taken down this year to be used as our table (see Thanksgiving 08') and my last minute attempt to make Martha Stewart's hanging tissue paper puffs over my table never came to be...I made one and it looked ridiculous, never mind because the friends arrived and the festivities were underway ready or not. Our usually empty house filled with loving friends and the sounds and smells of the holidays.

Thank you everyone that came and helped make Thanksgiving 2009 a success, I love doing this and look forward to next year!

I love you!

I must take a moment and express my appreciation for my new found love...

MR. Clean

MAGIC ERASERS

This product will change your life. I first purchased the bathroom sponge and went to town on my tub, and miracles happened folks, miracles. The next purchase was the "Original" eraser and I went to work on my 1970's kitchen and a miracle happened again!

I used my new love in my sink and it took 10 years off at least. I even had rust marks on my laminate counter from letting a pot sit out too long and they came off with ease, even the red fruit juice stain...GONE!

Christopher has taken up to coloring on things he shouldn't but never fear, Mr. Clean is here.

(Sing it)

Mr. Clean Mr.Clean

From one housewife to another, go pick these up today!

Thanksgiving Prep, are you up for it?

So Thanksgiving is around the corner and preparations have begun!

I love hosting dinners at my house besides the fact that I can't talk, I am painfully shy and cooped up in a house with a 16 month old doesn't give me much practice, but someday I will write a book. The book will be very short because I still will not get the timing down so the veggies will be cold and the meat under cooked and then I will always battle myself on trying to add one more unnecessary yet potentially tasty dish to the menu.

Enough said, I am trying it out again, THANKSGIVING 2010 !

Christopher took a great nap the other day, which had me locked up with the dogs in the computer room for three hours so needless to say, I have my Thanksgiving menu planned, shopping list started, timeline written, recipes researched, and saved all in my Thanksgiving file on the desktop. I am usually not crazy, I am just going to go ahead and blame this one on my mom and sisters who are crazy list makers, or planning events months in advance (Karen).

I am keeping the menu traditional, because I am not big on change and I don't want to throw anyone for a loop. Besides the best parts about Thanksgiving dinner are: #1 Rolls; #2 Potatoes; #3 Dessert; and #4 Stuffing.

I have the Turkey purchased today so it can properly defrost in the fridge so I don't accidentally give anyone food poisoning. I also spent the other morning up to my eyeballs in pie dough making and freezing 6 crusts for the big day. Now six pies are probably even more then I could eat but in my recipe hunt I read about a lady that always made extra dough for chicken (Turkey) pot pie in order to use up the left overs, geniu-u-u-s-s-s!

So here is the Menu:

(We will have to compare and see what actually happens on the big day)

Appetizer

Hot spinach artichoke dip (Houston's Recipe)

Lime Punch (Paula Deen)

Dinner

Turkey (Alton Browns brine recipe from 2009)

Rolls and jam (Recipe undecided)

Potatoes and gravy (Martha Stewart's moms recipe)

Sweet potatoes (these always scare me but a friend promises her recipe will make me wantingmore, so she gets to make it)

Southern Mac-n-cheese (for the kiddos, a friend is making this one)

Cranberry sauce (the jellied kind from a can, call it nasty but it is oh so good)

Stuffing (Not from a box folks, I purchased the bread today so we will see what comes of it)

Corn

Glazed carrots

Green bean bacon bundles (Paula Deen)

Dessert

Pumpkin Chiffon pie (Grandma Paul's recipe)

Pecan pie (I going with moms recipe this year, pat yourself on the back mom, it's ok)

Apple pie w/ ice cream (America's Test Kitchen, don't fail me now)

Mile high lemon meringue pie (Cooks country)

Whew, and that is it folks! I am not making everything, I have some very helpful friends but I am up for the challenge.

I am off, wish me luck!

*This is soo not interesting to anyone but maybe my great-great-grandkids will want to know where the Pumpkin Chiffon pie they eat comes from...

Jeans, ahhh

Oh how I hate freshly laundered jeans!

I hate that they show me that I really haven't lost any weight despite the fact that they were falling off prior to being washed.

Bulging pockets, tight thighs and the dreaded muffin top (the pooch hanging over the top of the jeans)

Oh how I hate freshly laundered jeans!

A cultural day out in Lubbock

Bryan's mom came in town this past weekend so we decided to take her to the Heritage Museum. Bryan and I had not been, so it was a perfect excuse to go, especially with the weather being so nice. The Heritage Museum is 16 acres of land where they have relocated or replicated old ranching homes for you to tour.

Christopher broke free from his stroller and headed for the plains of Lubbock.

Going, Going, Going

Caught!

Happy Family, there was no chance Christopher was going to cooperate.

Dad and Son

We had a fun time but Christopher was finished so we didn't quite see all of it, so maybe another day.

Grandma and Christopher posing in front of the cowboy with the chew in his cheek... only in Texas

Thank you for having us Heritage Museum, and thank you for being FREE!

This little boy had a long day... Is there anything as cute as a sleeping baby?