Meatball Sub Recipe

So....boring title....but AMAZING sandwich:

Rachel Ray's Meatball Sub

The picture is not nearly as appetizing as it is in real life.  Toast some tasty sub rolls with some provolone or mozzarella and load that bad boy up. 

Plus its a great way to get some stretch from your ground beef since there is so much egg, breadcrumb, and onion in the meatballs themselves. 

Please try it.....you seriously will love it.

OH!! 
And the 5 minute marinara sauce...you can't beat that stuff...once you get it just right for your tastes....you will put it on everything.

Hey Girl (Ryan Gosling Edition)

So I know not everyone that comes by this little corner of the interwebs is a Latter-Day Saint like myself....but I just couldn't help myself!!! 

Seriously after a bad day I just look through this website.  I read them out loud to my husband and he listens politely and hates it quietly inside while I laugh my FREAKING GUTS OUT!!!

http://mormonheygirl.tumblr.com/

If you need any help deciphering the mormon jargin to get the joke...just give me a shout....I'll help :)

It's my freaking birthday!

That's right folks...the hubby did it right this year! We went to Tucson and spent a lovely evening at the El Conquistador!  We swam in the pool, watched the olympics in our cozy bed, and walked all over that place...like 5 miles...I'm not kidding)

Dinner at PF Changs (which Tyler hates, which makes this a significant point)

Shopping at 2 malls (which Tyler also hates and I didn't buy anything and he didn't complain ONCE)

Gelato (Alpencarmel= creme brulee burnt sugar and gianduia=chocolate/hazelnut  SOOO GOOOD)

Midnight trip to Taco Bell (nachos bell grande and cinnamon twists)

It was our first night away from our sweet baby who stayed with her grandma Curtis.  According to grandma she was great and as terrible as it sounds...Tyler and I were also great.  It was a much needed break for this momma.  I just wrapped up 13 months of non-stop baby due to breastfeeding so it was so nice to have some Tyler time :)

P.S.

The garden's a bust....more watering neccesary maybe? 

I got sprouts, so according to my intial post here, I'm not allowed to be mad.

ugh....

please excuse the pride

So hang in with me for a few paragraphs while I roll in my own glory....hahaha

As you can tell from my prior post I was anxiously anticipating the end of my breastfeeding experience.  (which by the way I realized boiled down to my irrational fear of not having a constant source of available nourishment) Anyway....

There are blogs and posts and forums and websites and experts dedicated to helping moms wean their children.  Tonight, I put my sweet baby in bed after her bath NO nursing and she fell asleep as soundly and quietly as ever. 

Here is where the pride comes in...haha...I think I did myself a huge favor by following the eat, play, sleep routine and only nursing her before sleeping when it was time for bed. I usually rocked her with her pacifier to lay her down (and I also realize how lucky I am she took a pacifier).

Who knows if it will work for the rest of my sweet peas, but in the meantime, I am SO excited it went so well, especially because I was SO prepared for it to go so badly. 

the end. sorry. i know this was awkward.  :)

Putting Melons to Good Use

So....this post is NOT about melons. Stop right here if you don't want to hear about mommy-hood in too much detail or are not interested in my breastfeeding habits :)

Today is the day I eliminated our mid-day nursing session and it totally threw me off.  I was so worried about how she would feel, if she would notice, if I needed to make up the bonding time in some other form, if I was getting her enough fluids and nutrition, but I realized I should think of myself just as much. 

i love breastfeeding.

It is one moment in my day where the two of us can sit quietly.  She snuggles up to me, I watch some of my recorded shows, and I can breathe.  I'm not cooking, cleaning, chasing, playing, teaching....I'm just taking care of my baby in the easiest most natural way. 

I'm not in a hurry to wean her and I'll probably keep my morning and night nursing for another month or so....ugh....but the thought of it literally makes me nervous and sad inside.

I'm not sure if it's the reality of her growing up, if it's my selfish relish of quiet, if it's the niavete of feeling like I'm giving her nourishment better than her beets, avocado, and apricots (my milk is basically water at this point)....I can't put a finger on the reason for my feelings and maybe that in itself is what is so unsettling. 

heck.  maybe it's all of that.

This is the first time in my time as a parent that I'm feeling anxiety about a choice.  And I hate it.  But at the same time I don't want to breastfeed for another 6 months...it has to happen somehow I suppose.

Boo hoo.

Girly Food

So, once again, Tyler had another arrangment for dinner(his work peeps), so you know what that means???

GIRLY FOOD

I whipped myself up a batch of the following:

- Cheese tortelinni

- Shrimp

- Red peppers

- Onions

- Tomatoes

- Spinach

- Olive oil and Parmesan Cheese sauce

- Sprinkle of chili flake, garlic, salt, and pepper

and it was flipping amazing. Period. The. End.

She loves digging

11.5 months old

Watchin my food breathe (it's not as horrible as it sounds...trust me)

I love to hang from the oven handle like a little kid when cookies are on the verge of done...

One of my favorite things in the world is to take the time to watch cookies 'breathe' in the oven.  Take a second and watch your cookies subtly inhale and exhale as they cook...it'll make you feel good.

Faith in my little seeds

I FINALLY DID IT!!! 

I've talked about planting a garden forever and I've been too lazy/conviced I couldn't do it all in one day to actually do it. 

 So, Friday night after the munchkin went to sleep I went out and started digging a trench to bury my boards.  Seeing my slow efforts, my hunky husband rolled up with the tractor and dug me some ditches in no time and nailed my boards together. 

Saturday morning, Mel and I rolled to Home Depot in our little white car and LOADED the trunk with fertilizer and soil...it was a stinky ride home.  Tyler picked up some chicken wire on his way home from work since I didn't have room in my car overrun with poo :)

When she went to bed that night and I unrolled chicken wire, went to town with the staple gun and even got to use my sewing skills with metal 'thread'.  (see below)

After my hardscape was complete I lugged 6 bags of 40 pound poo around my giant yard and mixed my perfect soil concoction.  Sunday morning (this morning) before the sun got too bright I went out to do my 'sowing' and planted watermelon, squash, bell peppers, and tomatoes. 

Some people think I'm crazy to do it all from seeds but to me it's about the processes.  If I get any kind of green to pop out of the grown in the next two weeks....I'm a freaking winner.  If I get any actual food from them...slap a gold medal on this chest!