Monday, September 24, 2012

I Have a Problem...

saying 'no.'  I am a yes man.  I say 'yes' all too often when I really wish I could say hexy naw.  It's really annoying.  Do you have a friend that is too nice and smiley and seems to love life a little too much?  That's me.  But sometimes it sucks and said friend gets herself in a bind that she's too scared to confront and say no.  So, here I am stuck.
Blardy blar.......

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Thirty One Giveaway

Check out From Mrs. to Mama!  She's doing an awesome giveaway-$25 toward a 31 purchase!  

Let Me Tell You About My Day....and A CHILI RECIPE!!

Hey guys.  It's just about 4 o'clock 1 a.m. (the day got away from me) and I am calling it quits.  I don't think my brain can handle much more.   ***If you want to skip my rant and go straight to the recipe, scroll down.... :)

It started out great.  BoBo slept in until 11.  He is the perfect child.  This morning was really nice and he was in a pretty good mood.  My hubby let me know that they were going to lunch around 1 and I should meet them there.  No prob.  Got the babe all strapped in and off we went.  When we got there, I decided to not take my purse in, but just Brody's diaper bag...locked the car and went inside.  Food was good and Brody was the smiliest baby eatin' his pinto beans, green beans, corn bread, fried apples, tilapia, hush puppies, mac and cheese, french fries, etc. (a shmorgasboard of everyone's plates). We are walking out to our cars and....where are my keys? Oh!  They are in my purse that was locked in the car!  Awesome!  After about 15 minutes of Brian's dad and bro-in-law trying to open the door with a coat hanger and pliers, we all knew it was no use.  There was a spare key back at my house.  Well...I know you mama's jaws are going to drop and I was freaking out the entire time, but we drove back to the to the shop (family-owned) from the restaurant in my father-in-law's car...which didn't have a car seat.  So Brian and I took turns holding him in the back seat.  I was on edge the whole time, praying my FIL wouldn't do anything crazy.  Brodster loved it and was soooo squirmy!  We went to Brian's parents house to get a spare car seat and then I got in Brian's car, drove home to get the spare key, then back to where my car was to get my purse out of the back seat.  I had to go to the bank to deposit a check and when I went to get my bank card it was MIA.  Lawd have mercy!  Not to mention, by this point Brody was crying because he was sooo tired and ready for his nap.  So I had to get him out and haul him inside to see if they could deposit it anyway.  Luckily, they could!  Phew!  The lady gave him a grape sucker.  This was Brody's very first sucker and he didn't realize that the stick was where you were supposed to hold it.  Oh, and purple drool was on the overflow.  And he kept trying to play the drums with my chest.  So...as soon as we walked outside, I threw the sucker on the ground (litterbug), sat Brody in may lap and baby wiped him down.  When I put him back in the car seat, he was P.O.'d!!!  He cried the whole way home and I finally took a sigh of relief when I walked in the door.  I took him straight to his crib and he slept for about 3 hours.  I have been so forgetful lately, you'd think I'd have pregnancy brain.  I DON'T!  Trust me!  I checked! ha!

So....since you have stuck it out this far, I'd thought I would throw in a SUPER QUICK (I'm talking 15 minutes) chili recipe that everyone seems to like....so I think it may be a winner for you too!  I usually wait until fall to make this and my husband asks for it almost every week.  The pictures below are from last week and I made it again tonight!  YUM!

 DISCLAIMER: When I made this last week, I just started taking pictures on a whim to add to this here blog without realizing that I didn't have all of the correct ingredients!  Sorry!  The ing. listed below are what I always use.  Since it was our first pot of chili for the season, I didn't realize that I didn't have all I needed.

Feeds 6-8.  Serving Size:  a big 'ol bowl :)
Ingredients:
1 lb. of meat of your choice (we use ground turkey because it's less fat, but ground beef is great too!)
1 package of McCormick Mild Chili seasoning
1 package of McCormick Hot Chili seasoning (but I only use a little bit (about 2 Tablespoons), so there will be some left over for the next few times.)
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of Del Monte Zesty Chili-Style Diced Tomatoes
About 1 cup of water (or more if you are letting it simmer for a long time)

Toppings of choice-I like Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream and Oyster Crackers

Directions:

**So this can be made all in one pot or the cooked meat can be transferred to the crock pot where the other ingredients are added to it.  Your choice.  I chose one pot. :)

Brown your meat in a large stock pot. ** If using ground beef, drain excess grease.

Add all of your Mild Seasoning and 2 T of the Hot.  Stir to incorporate.






Add your two cans of pinto beans, juice and all.  Stir.

SUPPOSED TO BE PINTO BEANS!!
**You can do this step while the meat is browning to go quicker.  Dump the contents of your 2 diced tomato cans in a bowl (if you have a hand held blender) or food processor.  You are just pureeing your tomatoes until they are liquified.  The flavor is incorporated as the base of the soup.  If you like chunky tomatoes in your soup, then I suggest only pureeing one can.
 


Pour contents into soup.  Add water.  Stir.  Simmer on Low/Medium Heat until hot throughout.  If crock potting, then do low heat for a couple of hours and adjust your water.
 

While I am waiting for it to heat up, I do the few dishes I got dirty!

Add toppings and devour.   Even better the next day!

Little man's bowl of chili tonight: 



Happy Eating!


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Gettin' All DIY Up in Here

I really want to show you our bathroom and all the progress we have done on it so far, but I think it would ruin the big reveal.  Not that it's going to be like fancy shmancy DIY bloggers, but it's definitely a change from what it was.  I will show you a pic of the wall before we painted so you know that I wasn't lyin' when I said it was lime neon green.


ummmm...yeah


Those are some paint colors we were looking at.  I said, 'I wonder which one would look best with the yellow accent color and my redneck husband whipped out a can of yellow spray paint and sprayed it on the wall.  Gotta love him....


In the meantime, I have been spending a lot of my computer time looking at DIY blogs and pinterest.  There are so many that have inspired me, but one that I love that has really good ideas and easy craft creations was 320 Sycamore.  I have spent a lot of time going through her posts.  And then going to Lowe's.  And Wal-Mart.  And Goodwill.  Now, I wish it was yard sale season so I could scope out some awesome deals like she does.  Go check her out.


Here are a couple things that I have been up to.  Quick, inexpensive, decor ideas.


1.  Spray paint makes it all better.

After reading through Melissa's blog, I realized that spray paint can turn something extremely ugly to something that looks like it came from a magazine (sort of).  I was inspired by this post of hers and off to The Dollar General I went.  They had a lot of their spring/summer stuff on clearance, so I picked up a few tacky, redneck figurines and tried my hand at it.  I was actually really embarrassed checking out with these because I didn't want people to think I was putting them in my home as is.
My lovely woodland creatures:





And their cost:




I grabbed some spray paint primer and went to town.  And then some basic semi-gloss white.  I might get the Heirloom White color next time.  Perfect timing because after these guys, I ran out of paint.


Stupid bug decided to meet his death on the birdie tail, so I just scraped him off, waited for it to dry, sanded a little and sprayed some more.
Trying to decide if I like the flowers or not...It was only $2.50...Who cares!?

So much better!!!
I am using the owl for my fall decor, but the rabbits and bird are going to wait until springtime.  I am thinking of doing something like this.  

2.  Look around your yard!
As I was painting these dear creatures, I noticed an acorn on my blanket that had fallen from the tree.  I had just purchased some different sized vases to decorate around the house from Wal-Mart.  If you look in the fake flower/wreath form/craft area, you can find some super cheap ones.  I bought a couple bud vases and long skinny ones too.  AHA!  I shall collect these tiny acorns and put them in the vase!  This cost me about $1.25.


Voila!

3.  Buy some mums.

This flower just screams fall.  They are hardy and will last for a couple months (if you remember to water them...)  I didn't have any pots to put them in, so while I was perusing Wally World, I found some big, green plastic ones for $4.95.  And the mums were $4.95 each, so here we have a $10 project.  Now, I love the color green.  It's my favorite.  But I really wanted black because it's universal and I can use it throughout the seasons.  So...revert back to #1.  I spray painted it black.  Brian brought some flat black spray paint from work and I sprayed a couple coats. 

Next up--plant the mums.  Now, these pots were a little big for the $4.95 mums, so I put a few rocks on the bottom to take up space. 

I had some leftover soil from the spring, so I started to fill up the pot.

When I went over to the bag, look what I found on top!


I plan on keeping this and using it for my spring vignette.  yay!  Brian said, "You better Lysol the heck outta that thing before bringing it inside!"  yes, master...

Well, along with having two planters, I also had purchased a new utensil holder at Wal-Mart.  The one I bought was much wider than my old one, but it was a dark bronze color.  So guess what I did?  Spray painted it! HA!  So, now I had a white ceramic container waiting to be filled with mums and brought inside.  I tried to separate one of the mums and...it was hard.  And I'm not sure if the indoor mums will live.  But they sure look pretty now!


In my utensil holder.  This and my pots looked kinda puny, so I rummaged through my ribbon drawer...





Ahh...Much better! :)

Grab an awesome pitcher and water them suckers.

Then take a pretty picture with a sign you made (that was free to make!) and post it on Instagram.   **I used a technique similar to this.  


Follow me: @brodiddly

Hope you got inspired!  Have you done any fall projects yet?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Show & Tell: BABY TALK!



I am linking up with Beck over at From Mrs. to Mama (one of my favorite blogs) who asks different questions every week.  This is the first week I have done this.  I have wanted to do a bunch in the past, but I let time get away from me.  The babes is sleeping now, so I thought I'd fit this one in.  Alright.  Here we go!

1. Tell us your favorite baby names? 

BOYS-  Well, Brody of course!  The name I love to say every single day.  When trying to decide on his name, were actually considering Bodhi first (pronounced Bo-dee).  But see how I had to do that?  Explain how it was pronounced?  I didn't want him to be that guy.  'Roll call....Body? Bo-die? Bod-hee?'  Yeah....And Brian found out from somewhere (though the source is non-existant now) that one meaning of Brody was 'Little Surfer.'  He was hooked after that.....
If we have boys in the future, names that I love are:  Jack.  Max.  Jude.  Charlie.  Sam.  Jai (J-eye). <so probably not...   


GIRLS-  I am really hoping to have a little girl one day.  I can't wait to make her cute headbands!  Names I love are:  Cadence.  Delaney.  Charlee.  Sam.  Ezra.--I love this name.  It was a man (also a book) in the Bible, but it just sounds feminine to me...  Juliet.  Sophie.  Molly.  Abbie.  

2. Show me your "dream" nursery {can be your baby's nursery or one that you love}

I love Brody's nursery and the little details of it.  Brian made the thatch roof and so many items were given to/made for him.  You can actually read a full 'Brody's Nursery' post here.









 I always considered having a mermaid themed room for my girl, but I also LOVE LOVE LOVE this gender neutral room.  I know I am hopping on the bandwagon because I have seen similar nurseries all over Pinterest.  Sue me.
my polyvore

source
YES PLEASE!  Put me in a room with chevron and I am a happy girl.  I don't know what it is, but I just love everything to do with that pattern.  Let's keep going--this post is getting long and that was just question 2!

3. How many children would you like to have? How far apart?

Oh brother!  Well, at least one! haha!  But seriously, my mission in life is to be a loving wife and mama.  I want a big family, but honestly I am scared that those dreams may not come into fruition because I am already 29 and don't want to put myself or my babies at risk.  I definitely plan on having another.  I don't see how I could love another little baby as much as Brody, but I know I will.  I have said I wanted lots of kids, but get discouraged by other moms with 2 or more kids that say, "Oh you just wait.  After two, you're done."  Who knows.  2 kids.  4 kids.  6 kids.  Whatever God provides is what I'll get!

4. Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?

Proverbs 22:6Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

This is a loaded question!  I think the most important thing we can do for our children is teach them.  Teach them to love God.  Teach them to love their spouse and family.  Teach them to love others.  And as parents, we lead by example.  We show our love for God by reading the Bible, praying, going to church, serving; we show our love of family by respecting our husbands/wives/children/grandparents; we show love and compassion toward others by offering smiles, help, 'please and thank yous,' and holding our tongue if we want to gossip or speak badly of someone.  It's up to us. So everything is important.  Watch yourself because they are watching you.  No pressure. :)

5. Show us your favorite newborn photo {can be your children or random}

 I have probably posted this picture a million times on this blog, but here is my favorite pic when Brody was just a couple days old and we were still in the hospital:




 I get teary eyed just looking at it.  He was so teeny and dependent and HUNGRY! hah!  That was also the first outfit he grew out of.  *sigh*

6.  Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent {and if you are a parent, did you stick to it}

 I think I am pretty lucky that I never went through that super overprotective first child phase.  Don't get me wrong, I freaked out in the beginning.  Lots of crying.  And naps.  And "I have no idea what I'm doing!"s.  I care that he is still rear-facing at one year.  I stand protectively by his side when he is honing his climbing skills while trying to get in his kiddo rocking chair.  

I didn't overload him with blankets and socks and a hat on a 70 degree day.  I could tell from the beginning that he was a hot natured baby and would sweat when I thought it was cool.  He watches Grey's Anatomy with me.  He thinks Izzy is hot.
I don't check on him during nap time and every night before bed and when I wake up before him.  He's fine.  And a light sleeper.  I would more likely wake him up than walk in on a slumbering baby.  
I let him get dirty outside and get into my 'safe' cabinets inside.  I walk into the kitchen and there are 10 spice containers on the floor.  He loves shaking the mustard seeds like maracas.  I say NO to important things and let everything else slide.  He's exploring.  He likes pulling DVDs off the shelf, crashing through laundry piles, and swatting at the springy door-stop for 20 minutes straight.  No harm, no foul.
I always thought I would be a strictly organic/no formula mom.  But that didn't happen.  And he is still alive!  I do try though.  It's just so dang expensive and I am the only person in a 30 mile radius that cares about organic anything, so it's hard when there's no support.  And formula.  Ain't no shame.    

Well, that's the end of it.  Short and sweet.  not.  Check back for Brody's birthday party post (finally) and his 13 month update!  Sheesh!

Pickles and mustard,


JESSICA






Thursday, September 6, 2012

I Cut My Hair.

Know what you do when your husband goes back to work after his lunch break, your baby is still sleeping, and you're bored?  You have that 'itch' to do something different.  Normally, it would be to continue working on our bathroom (cabinets done, just need to paint and set up new cabinets,etc!), but I had already showered and didn't want to get dirty.  I wanted to have bangs for a long time, but always too scared to do it.  I was thinking, "Maybe I'll get an appointment this weekend."  But I didn't want to wait.    So.  I grabbed my scissors.  I sectioned off  my hair and *snip.*




I still need a trim over all (It's been about a year---YIKES!), but my need for change has been subdued. For now.



Voila!