Finally. A Suitable Use for Binkies.

My kids don't take them the "conventional" way...

They work very well as toe separators for Claire's pedicures.

Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo

Jordan dragged me to the zoo again. It was actually pretty easy for him because it isn't scorching hot yet. Animals + scorching heat = my own personal hell. :) (too dramatic??)t

But it's fun to see Claire so excited about the animals, I admit!

Can I just say that Claire has the cutest profile ever?? I think she got a good nose, like my sister, Heather. Heather's the only one in my family who got the good nose. (but now, Michelle got hers fixed so it should rival Heather's :) ps. Claire loves to hang from all "monkey bars" she can find lol. P.p.s. Isn't her hair so CUTE???


I think this is Claire's favorite part of the zoo probably :) (Which is great bc during the scorching months, I could get the same happy-toddler results at the one at the mall INDOORS!)
A not-cute picture of Anya and me...just to say I was "there." Claire enjoys NOT walking, surprise surprise.

Love my little family!! (Even if it means going to the zoo every once in a while)

Obsessed.

Instead of exercising, I've been "crafting." I'm obsessed.

Headband for a friend, headbands for my nieces, bows for my other nieces... and I admit Claire has so many bows that the three floor to ceiling ribbon bearing hooks in her room filled with bows are completely overflowing, including a box of filled with smaller bows and clips. Yeah. Crazy. So now I make them mainly for other people's kids.

And I have been a little obsessed with appliqueing (is that how you spell it?)...from onesies to toddler shirts...I love it.

Also love making diaper cakes for baby showers. This one was for my friend Buffy's coming baby, Zeb :)

And what is going to make my crafting obsession even MORE prolific?? My brand new sewing machine!! (yeah, brand new, as you can tell, I haven't even really "opened" it) Btw. I should have had Jordan take all of these pictures. Most are from my phone, and therefore, are NOT good.

Introducing: The Absolute WORST Sound On the Planet

(Video of Claire in bed--it's bedtime. She doesn't seem to get that concept, and thinks it's time to whine and complain or something??? Don't ask me what time it is or you'll know I'm a pathetic mother.)

Lime Cupcakes

Another amazing recipe.

CUPCAKES•2 cups all purpose flour
•1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•2 1/2 cup sugar
•4 large eggs (I actually messed up and only put 2 eggs in...and they STILL turned out great! Weird.)
•5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I did less of this--like 2 Tbsp's because I filled the cupcakes with lime curd)
•2 tablespoons finely grated lime peel
•1/2 teaspoon neon-green food coloring
•1 1/2 cup buttermilk

FROSTING
•1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
•3 cups powdered sugar
•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
•1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1-2 Tbsp. lime juice

LIME CURD FILLING
Can I just say I LOVE LOVE LOVE lime curd? I really love lemon curd...had never had lime curd, and it is awesome. This recipe is so simple and SO good.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 eggs, beaten

Preparation

CUPCAKES
•Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 24 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner (an ice cream scoop is the perfect amount.)
•Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 25 minutes.(Mine always come out great at 18 minutes in my particular oven) Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

FROSTING
•Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.

LIME CURD1.Place the sugar, butter, lime juice, lime zest in the top of a double boiler; stir over medium-high heat until butter melts. Mix 2 tablespoons hot lime mixture into the eggs and stir to blend.
2.Reduce heat to medium until water simmers. Slowly whisk egg mixture into the lime mixture. (Be careful, if the liquid is too hot, the egg will cook...like imagine hard egg white floating around!) Cook over the double boiler until lime mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly and spoon into a clean, glass jar. Cover and refrigerate.

So, I stuffed the cooled cupcakes with this delicious lime curd. Then I frosted them and added a sliced, sugared lime slice on top. Yummy and cute!

Recipe is from Bon Apetit. I doubled it though. And I tweaked the frosting to suit my needs :) I like it much better with lime juice and not just lime zest in it. And I found the lime curd recipe here.

I'm jealous

Some of you will really think I'm a freak for blogging this. First off, Anya has an ear infection. Definitely not jealous of that. Poor little monkey. But I'm glad we know now why she's been so high-maintenance for the past week or so! If it's not one thing, it's another. I swear she's been sick her whole life. Next time, summer baby for SURE.

Anyway, she gets to have this DELICIOUS pink amoxicillan morning and night. Do any of you have fond memories of this bubble-gum flavored nectar of the gods? I surely do. And still LOVE it and think it's the best tasting medicine!

So I'm basically just jealous she gets to have it. I wish they would make Advil in this format, so every time I had a headache, I could have a syringe-full of bubble-gum goodness. Yummy.

OK, done with my weird post.

You Know You've Let Yourself Go When... (part 2)

So I laughed really hard when my sister posted this on her blog. Only problem, I said, is that it was way too shot. So here is MY continuation:

You know you've let yourself go when:

- You realize that your "nice" clothes (you know, "jeans" lol) really don't get too much wear and tear

- You get excited when these go on sale:

(this is because your "daily uniform" consists of sweatpants and t-shirts (although I try to wear "cute" sweatpants at least. I have two pair of these and LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are the best fitting ones ever. I want more but they're kind of expensive...)

-You can't wait for the weather to get warmer because then you'll actually shower and get ready more than twice a week

-Going to Walmart or Costco is the most exciting part of your day (even if that means struggling with the kids...at least you're out of the house!)

-"Poop" and "pee" and "potty" are words you use often...and NOT just with your kids

- Your 2-year old daughter puts lip gloss on more frequently than you do

-When people come by unannounced, the state of your house rather than the state of yourSELF is what you're most worried about

-You dress your kids in cute outfits but you stay in your sweats

-Your kid lives on a steady diet of chicken nuggets, ramen, and ketchup (but she did have some broccoli with her ramen today!)

-You NEVER go to the mall.

-You really feel like you are saving money at Kohl's

-Spending 20 bucks on clothing for your kids is OK but spending even 15 on clothing for yourself sends you on a personal guilt trip

-You can't remember if you brushed your teeth this morning

-You realize you miss that teeth brushing thing a lot in the morning

-When you didn't wear makeup today...why wash your face at all tonight?

-When you look in the mirror, you seem to bear a striking resemblance to one of those paparazzi pictures of Oprah without her "TV mask" on...

-Your idea of exercise (that you keep reassuring yourself with) is lifting a carseat and hauling children around

OK now that you all think/know I'm gross...I hope we can still be friends.