Puddin' Cake

A while ago I wanted to make some kind of dessert to bring over to my mom and Oma's house... but I didn't want to measure or bake. I wanted easy. So I did some research and found Ice Box Cakes and made an Eclair one. I don't have the recipe anymore since it was insanely easy, but the other night I was in the mood for something sweet and made it again from memory.

For Lovie's sake, we call it Puddin' Cake.

You'll need:
1 box of graham crackers
1 box of vanilla instant pudding- the kind you add milk too and let chill.
1 container cool whip
2 cups milk (or however much the pudding package says!!)

What to do:

• In a 9x12ish pan or dish, put one layer of graham crackers to cover the entire bottom. Use whole pieces as much as possible and cover the whole bottom in one layer.
• Add the milk to the pudding mix and wisk till it thickens a bit (couple minutes).
• Add half the container of cool whip (I used the Lite version) and wisk in.
• Pour some of the pudding mixture atop the graham crackers and spread to cover all crackers.
• Add another layer of graham crackers atop the pudding.
• Pour more pudding mixture atop and spread.
• Add another layer of crackers.
• Pour the rest of the pudding mixture atop and spread.
• Add a final layer of crackers.
• Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight.
• The next day you can eat as is (my husband and daughter love it like this) or frost the top with chocolate frosting, cut, and enjoy chilled with some milk or coffee.

 It's sooo easy and really very tasty.

The Builder

hooking it up with The Paper Mama's photo challenge

Thing I've learned this week.

After 5 years of marriage (in vearly {very+early} June), 12 years together (in mid June), and 2+ years of motherhood, I'm finally becoming domesticated. Or something.

I know how to cook but I don't do it very often outside of weekend breakfasts (which I RULE I will admit). But over the weekend I had to cook something. So I made an awesome pork dish with some mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. It was freaking awesome. And so were the leftovers. Mmmm.

Then last night... I made the eafatastiest (easiest+fastest+tastiest) dessert consisting of cool whip, vanilla pudding, and graham crackers. I cannot wait to dive into it tonight (I'll post more about it later).

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By now, we all know I've succumbed to the Pink Princess crap because of the outcome when I do succumb to it. Well now, Lovie is insisting on wearing her "Red Shoes" with every outfit. I stopped her yesterday from wearing Red with the Pink, but I'm not sure I can do it again.

Psst, I adore that outfit above. The sweater dress (Old Navy) was one I was eyeing last year and she's had it since September but she hasn't worn it much. Not sure why, really. But I freaking adore it. And paired with her jean jeggings and Red shoes?! I LOVE IT. But pairing the Red Shoes with her pink crap?? Ick. But you know what? If it makes her happy, so be it! Because her happiness is mine.

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There are moments in all of our lives when we experience tough times. I don't think anyone is exempt from that. And often during those tough times there's a lot of waiting: Waiting to finish school... to become an adult... to get married... to get that BFP.

Waiting can be the hardest part.

But when you have to sit by- day after day after day- and watch someone you love wither away to nothing...all while all you can do is watch and wait? That's beyond being the hardest part. It's downright cruel. It downright makes you really question so much. Oh so much. I would imagine.

A friend of mine has been doing this exact thing for too fucking long- Waiting. Waiting and watching as her mom, a mere 50-something, wastes away to nothing while ALS (Lou Gehrig's) disease takes her life away. It's disgusting that something like this exists. Disgusting.

My friend was told a couple days ago that her mom would finally find peace in the next couple of days. Her mom would find peace and maybe, after more time trying to finally and officially mourn the loss of her beloved mother, my friend could find some peace.

But she's still waiting.
Please, PLEASE pray for PEACE for these people.

Princess

Every weekday morning is the same: I open the door to her bedroom and smile as her head of curls lay resting on her bed, her body curled in a funny position or her butt sticking up in the air. She's the air I breath, my sweet Lovie.

I turn off the sound machine and push open her closet door to let the yellow closet light seep into the room.

"Morning sweet girl!"

If she doesn't stir, which she normally doesn't (it's 5:30 in the morning after all!), I go to her and rub her head, feeling the beads of curls on my hand. This morning, however, she popped right up and said, "I wear pink princess dress!"

"You wanna wear the pink princess dress today?" I asked, smiling as I noticed how her hair was all crazified (as it usually is in the morning), her binky hanging from the side of her mouth like a cigarette, one eye still shut while the other eye tried to open.

"Yes! I wear pink princess!"

"Okay sweet baby, you can wear the pink princess dress," I say as I reach for the fugly pink tutu skirt thing I got her for Valentine's Day.

"Mama, ithinkimaybereadyto throw da binky in da garbage."

I paused for a moment to reflect on our discussion last night as I gave her the binky before bed- the only time she uses it- and remembered how I said that the binky was getting old and soon it would be time to throw it in the garbage and then there would be no more binky. And when I saw the panic on her face, I quickly added that it was totally OK for this to happen because binky's are for babies and she's such a big girl now- in a really upbeat tone.

"You want to throw the binky the in the garbage?" I ask, wondering if I heard her correctly.

"Yes."

"OK honey, if you're ready to throw the binky in the garbage, we can do that."  She just sat there in her crib in her yellow sleeper one piece footed jammies, her hair in every crazy direction, her eyes being rubbed open, her binky still dangling like one would a cigarette. "You can throw it in the garbage but then that's it; we don't don't have any more binkies."

"OK."

Yeah, right!

Smiling, I sweep her out of the crib and she latches on, putting her head on my shoulder. She's gotten so big so fast that it's hard to believe that just three years ago she didn't exist.

"Mama I wanna wear da papull princess dress," she says as I lay her on the changing table.

"Oh I thought you wanted to wear the pink one."

"Papull."

I get the purple skirt down and bring both to her and ask her to choose.

"Dat one!" she giggles, pointing to the purple one.

"Alright lets get you in the purple dress," I say.

"Pink!"

"Honey, you picked the purple one, you can wear the pink one tomorrow."

"Oh."

"Which shoes do you want to wear?" I ask. "The brown or black ones? Or the boots?"

"No I wan' da red ones, peas."

"Sweetheart," I say bringing one of each shoe and boot for her to see (excluding the red ones- bad mama). "Which of these?"

"Dat one!" she says pointing to the black shoe. "Brown!"

I can't help but to chuckle.

My girl. The pink-loving fashionista.

I can't wait to see if she throws the binky away tonight. Ha!

1.) Capture what it’s like to spend a day or a moment talking with your kiddo. (inspired by Big Mama Cass)

WW: This is why I gave in to the fugly pink stuff.

This is the reaction I was fortunate to capture after she opened her Valentine's gift last week (Hint: part of the gift was the pink skirt which she's worn no less than 10 times since then). Her daddy had helped her put the thing on and I asked to see her in it and she turned around to walk toward me while I was snapping away just before my battery died.

Pure happiness.

My heart explodes with so much warmth and love.

linked to The Paper Mama

woot!

bring on the cuts and scratches!

just got my 20-Count BAND-AID –12 Pack order from kids.woot.com.

yours,
the Band-Aid Queen

Yesterday I cooked

and today I finally got my period. ThankGODalmighty! Maybe now the killer front and back cramps I've had the past several days will subside.

Onward to what I cooked. It was amazing.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Some friends tried it out and said it was awesome and other friends tried it out and kept saying how good it was and I was in the mood to cook which never really happens so I decided to give it a whirl. Those friends were all right. Fantastic. And easy. SCORE!

I followed the instructions and read the comments to follow even more instruction. So here's what I learned:

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze (I used more of all of the following to have extra nummy glaze.)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

not the prettiest picture, eh. go HERE to see what it looks like when taken the time to really take a pic.

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. You do not need to brown the pork prior to putting in crock pot though my husband says if he were to make this he'd brown it and toss it in the oven instead of making it in the crock but he's not a fan of the crock pot. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens, which will take several minutes (you want it thick so that you can see it's thicker). Remove any access juices in crock pot!! Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side. I highly recommend making this with mashed potatoes and maybe some greens- but definitely the potatoes to help soak up some of the amazing glaze.

Things I've learned this week.

Being able to stop off at the park on the way home from work and school when weather permits during the week, and not having to solely rely on doing things like this on the weekends, makes getting up BEFORE ANY OTHER HUMAN ON THE PLANET worth it.

throw that puppy in reverse: the reverse bucket list

1.  become a vegetarian/vegan. and give up burgers and steaks? screw that.
2.  wear a bikini. and give up burgers and steaks and french fries and cereal and chips and ice cream? screw that.

3.  run a marathon. and give up burgers and steaks and... you see a pattern? yeah, me too.
4.  weigh what i should for my height. see #'s 1-3 for proof.
5.  have my own TLC show. i just don't see it happening.
6.  be 16 and pregnant or a Teen Mom. i'm already too old, duh.

7.  wear matching outfits with the hubs and Lovie. just... no.
8.  pose in Playboy. ew. trust me.
9.  find the shows Happy Endings and Courgartown even a little funny. i've tried. i have. they suck ass.
10. get a Brazilian wax. hells to the no. i'd rather give up eating meat first.

3.) Create a reverse bucket list that names the top ten things you never want to do. (Inspired by The Hairpin)

PYHO: gifts

As expected, I got a big fat nothing yesterday for Valentine's Day. Womp-womp, wah!

No card, no flowers, no candy, no balloons, no steak and lobster dinner.

Instead, I came home with Lovie, tried taking some pictures of her in her dress (fail), cut leftover pizza in the shapes of hearts and warmed them, waited for the husband to come home with dinner (for us as Lovie generally cannot wait till we eat as we typically eat after she goes to bed).

When the pizza was done, Lovie didn't want any. Figures, eh? But as soon as Daddy got home and after she raced through the house to get to him so he could scoop her up and toss her in the air, she was all, "Look Daddy! Lookatda pizza hearts!" And she was all of sudden ready to eat.

So we all ate in the dining room last night- something we only really do on the weekends (eat dinner together) and when we have guests (eating in the dining room).

After dinner, Lovie opened up her present and was beyond excited with the pink tutu. She insisted she be able to wear it that instant. So Daddy put it on over her dress and she started dancing and twirling around, proclaiming, "I princess!" as her face exploded with happiness.

And then she started grabbing the tissue paper from the bag and started dancing with it and putting it over her head and laughing hysterically and bringing pieces of it to me and Daddy to play.

Princess Lovie is ... the greatest gift I could ever be blessed enough to receive- be it on her birthday, my birthday, Christmas, Valentine's day, etc. True friggin story. But capturing this moment with her Daddy on my phone?  That was icing on the cake and definitely made yesterday's Valentine's my best to date.