Frog Man

I have been looking everywhere for a costume that Jase can wear to his party and for Halloween. Since y'all know his theme is "Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails" I have been looking for something to go along with that. Well finally I think I found something that will work. It's a frog costume from Old Navy. Pretty cute, right? It's just simple and basic--made of fleece. I think it will work just fine. And it's cheap. Can't beat that. I did find a snail costume (believe it or not) but it was fairly strange & bulky (it had a big shell on the back). And the puppy dog costumes I've seen around town are NOT cute at all! So I think my little Jones will be a little froggy this year.

FrankenJase

I think this picture of him is probably one of my favorite ones I've ever seen. Too bad the resolution isn't better on it, but whatever. I kind of screwed up my copy of Photoshop (long story) so I'm having some trouble editing photos the way I want to now. Dangit. Anyways, I thought he looked like a cute frankenstein. Hee hee. Perfect for Halloween!
Too cute! You can even see the "hippo" teeth. Ha ha ha! I think he maybe could use a haircut...
Oh, this is a picture of his super cool Britax cow seat (meant to post a pic of it a couple months ago). Isn't it fabulous? I love it. It's nice and soft, too. By the way, the red sock is the bo-bo hand. We use it to cover the bandage since he likes to teethe on it now. Oh man.
Aww...my little chubber cheek angel. I can't stand how much I love this boy! I love how peaceful his face is while he's sleeping.

Update II on Jase's Hand

This one is a pic from the 2nd day after he burned it. The white stuff is ointment.
You can see how the two biggest blisters (from day 1) morphed into a single, ginormous one. GAH.
This pic is from day 7 after the accident. He wouldn't open his fist, but the stuff you see is all the old skin that is all loose. Blech it just grosses me out and makes me feel so sad for his little baby hand.
My camera is still in my car so pics will have to wait (ok I posted pics since I wrote this, above). I have a picture from the 2nd day to post, but since then taking pics has been virtually impossibly bc Jase balls his hand up in a tight fist and refuses to open it. The good news is that the blister finally drained yesterday. Looks like there is some nice, new skin that formed underneath. The old blister skin is all wrinkly and gross like "raisin skin" on top. Eew! Anyways, we bandaged his hand up for the day (which was very tricky since now he is able to move and wiggle those chubby fingers) and he was crawling around putting weight on it. Yay! So we took the bandage off last night and he got his hand wet in the tub without any tears. We put him to bed w/o any bandages so it could breathe. This morning, we wrapped it up again (and put on some oinment to keep it from getting infected) and then we had to cover his entire hand with a sock b/c he is starting to teethe on the bandage! Gah! (I am worried he'll ingest some of the ointment). He was SUPER grumpy this morning but I don't think it had anything to do with his hand. I think it is those 2 front teeth trying to make an appearance. So the point of this little update is that his hand seems to be bothering him less and less, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait 'till it is all healed up!

Update on Jase's Hand

So far I am amazed that this child isn't crying all day long. He has already adapted his crawl so he can get around...he's just using his elbows (army crawling) and managing to scoot around fairly well. The hardest part of the day was putting his shirt on. Otherwise, he is doing pretty good and I am so happy about that. As long as we can keep it clean, it should heal up just fine.

Jase's First Traumatic Injury

Ok warning. The following pics are not for the squeamish. The crazy thing is that the pictures make it look LESS severe than it looks in person. So be glad you are not here to see it! I'm not really sure why I'm blogging about this anyways. I guess it was just so upsetting to me that I feel like I need to tell the world. So here's my story: We don't have a normal furnace like most people to heat our home--we have a free standing propane stove. (It looks like a small ceramic fireplace.) Roob put up a fire screen in front of it just yesterday to make sure once we turned the heater on that Jase wouldn't burn himself. I had just given Jase his bottle and I was a few steps away when all of a sudden I heard screaming! Sure enough, he had crawled over to the stove and put his left hand square on the screen. It burned the heck out of his hand. I started panicking like crazy. I tried submerging his tiny hand in ice water as much as I could, then I called my neighbors who came right over to help me. Jase got a blessing and started to calm down after that. My neighbors tended to him while I made the dreaded call to Roob and also the pediatrician. I ended up taking him there to get checked out (making sure it wasn't 3rd degree burn) and do you know this boy fell asleep in the car? It was amazing--but I was the one that cried the entire time (hahaha). It just tore my heart out to see this little boy suffering so much. I wanted it to be me instead of him. I don't know how all you moms handle it when your children get hurt. And burns!? Has to be one of the worst things! His poor hand is blistered on the palm and most of his fingers. It is super sad. The doctor wrapped his hand loosely in gauze and after that Jase did pretty good. When we got home I gave him another dose of Tylenol and by the grace of God he took a nice, long nap. The doc told me to take off the bandages at night so it can air out, but to put ointment on it and wrap it up for the day to try and keep it clean. The hard part was once he woke up from his nap he wanted to crawl around on the floor. Of course as soon as his hand touched the floor he started crying. I can't stand it! So I tried to entertain him with books and cartoons and whatever else kept him from crawling (like snacks in the high chair). We took the bandages off before bed tonight and that's when I snapped these pics. I wonder when the blisters will burst. Yikes. I just hope he's not in too much pain. So far, he seems to be asleep and for that I am forever grateful.

Latest Twilight Trailer

I know I am turning into a geek for this movie. Here's the link if you want to see the newest trailer: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/ecard_widget/

Frogs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

So here it is! Jase's 1st birthday invitation! It took me about 3 hrs to design it (I'm a little rusty), but overall I'm pretty happy with it. It has all the colors I'm doing for his party and contains his party theme (the old nursery rhyme about what little boys are made of). I thought it was a cute idea. I had them printed in matte finish at Costco in 5x7" size. They came out cute, but the border kind of got cropped off. Oh well. It was cheap. So I can't complain. Now I'm just hammering out the details of the party. Which is, mostly, food. I have some fun ideas that go along with the theme, but it is getting a bit ridiculous so I think I have to start simplifying or this party will cost me a million bucks! (If you're wondering what's up with the black boxes, I'm just blocking out personal info since this is on the internet.)Ok, below is my final sketch for what the cake is hopefully going to look like. I LOOOOVE the snail I drew, so I hope I can get my cake to look even half as cute as it is. The color is kind of off because I took this picture in the dark under some lamp light...so let me explain: The shell is going to be chocolate brown, the body will be lime green, and the polka dots will be lime green, aqua blue, and white. Cute, right? I am thinking to do the antennae with licorice and make eyeballs with big marshmallows. Then I can pipe some black pupils on them. My plan is to make the cake in this exact shape (laying down, not standing upright) and I'll decorate with buttercream. I will probably use like Betty Crocker's vanilla frosting (dyed green) for the body, and chocolate frosting for the shell as my base layer. I am also thinking of doing the shell in a 2 layer cake, while the rest of the snail body will be one layer. I hope that will turn out cute and not odd looking! We'll see!

Rigatoni with Shrimp (or Ckn) & Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce

Ingredients (recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentis)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil for cooking squash, plus 3 tablespoons for cooking shrimp
  
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon (I used Lawry's season salt to taste, I rarely measure salt)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon (just threw some in)
  
• 1 cup vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
  
• 1 pound rigatoni pasta
  
• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled (I just made chicken, but shrimp would be good!)
  
• 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk (I didn't have any, so I used cream)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used dried basil and just sprinkled it to taste)
  
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (oops, I forgot to use this!)

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic (mine started to burn, so I'd add garlic once the squash has cooked down some), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture (including the stock) to a blender or food processor and puree. Mmm. (Don't forget to taste your mixture to see if it needs more seasoning).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 13-14 minutes. Save about a cup of the pasta water, set aside for later. Then drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp (or chicken) with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper (I just used a McCormick Chicken seasoning). Cook until done.

In a large pot over low heat combine the pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk (or cream). Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add basil and cheese. Taste to see if you like the flavor! Add seasoning, if necessary. Once you like the sauce, add rigatoni and mix all together. Use pasta water to thin out the sauce to your liking. Just pour some in there (a little bit at a time) until it is how you like it. Stir until warm and serve. You can either put the shrimp (or chicken) on top of the pasta, or serve it on the side. You will NOT be disappointed.

O'Reilly BLASTS Barney Frank

YearBook Yourself

Tori, thank you for telling me about this website b/c it is the BEST laugh I'd had in a long time. This is hysterical! You can upload your pic and see what you would have looked like in the past. Here I am as the brainy librarian...

I look like my grandmother in this one! Holy smokes!!

I'd imagine my mom would have had this hairstyle...

I thought since everyone tells me I look like my dad, I'd see what I'd look like as a boy...hahahha I am dying!
So I did one more...I guess now we know a good hairstyle for me if I played on the other "team..." hahahahhaha

Photofunia

I came across this website called Photofunia that lets you take your own photos and make cool or funny images out of them. Check it out. Here's my baby in times square...

Here he is at the mall...

Yours truly on the cover of Vogue...
And my personal favorite, my hubby's mugshot...(ha!)

My Nephew's 1st Birthday

Saturday was my nephew's first birthday party!!! It was so cute! His mom is really into gnomes, so he had a little "gnome garden" theme. This is his cute mushroom cake--I loved it! There is a little gnome off to the right of the cake, and it's surrounded by fresh flowers. Very cute. They had the party at a cute park that had a toddler playground area. They also had a strawberry pinata for the children. Which, by the way, all the kids were scared of it being hit except Jase. Ha! What a change!
Here he is with the proud parents! (sorry Meredith about the pic of the back of your head!). Dad Nathan is helping him blow out the candle. (Nathan is my brother, for those of you that don't know).
Meredith had little red "gnome" party hats for all the kids. Here's Jase wearing his! Tee hee!
After I took these pictures my battery died (of course), so I plan on getting more pics from my mom later on. Oops!

First Birthday Theme

I have picked a simple theme for the party! Yay! But you'll have to wait until your invitation comes to see it so I don't spoil it. Heh heh. For those of you out of town, I'll post the digital version of the invite on my blog so you can see it. Thanks for your ideas about the party. (cool birthday book idea, tori). It will be mostly adults there, possibly a few kids, too. I plan on making fun finger foods for all of them. And a cool cake, of course. I also plan on doing the colors lime green, blue, white, chocolate brown (inspiration from cake on left). I wish I could make a cake like that one, but that might be a little too much cake for our crowd and a little over my skill level. Now I just have to buy the decorations! I also have to decide what kind of cake I'm going to make. I have a few options with the theme I picked. I just want it to be bright, colorful and fun for Jasey. And of course he'll get his very own "smash" cake. I CAN'T WAIT. Then again, I can, bc I don't want mybaby to grow up! But it is fun planning the party!

Jase's Upcoming Bday

It's about a month away so I just thought I'd see if anyone has a fabulous 1st birthday party idea. I'm open to anything. I have a lot to do!!!

The Walker/Car Thing

I mentioned this walker/car toy a few posts back and finally have pictures to show it. This is it in the "car" mode. He'll sit on it for a bit, but hasn't figured out how to scoot. Probably doesn't help that we have really thick carpet. But he sure looks adorable on it!
So this is a picture of the toy in "walker" mode. He doesn't really walk with it yet. He just stands there and sort of pushes it back and forth a little. Or he'll spin that red spinner at the top.

"Look at me, ma, I'm so big!"

Well hello there!

Surprisingly Good Meatloaf, of all things

I know you are thinking I must be crazy! Who eats meatloaf?!?? Sick, right? Not mine, baby! Don't knock it till you try it! And the sauce for the top is the best part. It is seriously good enough for me to put it here for you all to try. I was inspired after we ate it...

Ingredients:
2 beaten eggs
3/4 c. milk
2/3 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely diced onion
2 Tbsp. dried (or fresh) parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1.5 lbs ground beef (don't get the super lean kind...I get mine at Costco in bulk)

Sauce: ---just mix in a bowl and set aside for later---
1/2 c. ketchup (I prefer Heinz)
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients (except for the sauce's ingredients) in a bowl until well blended with the ground beef. Lightly press into a 8x4x2 loaf pan, or something similar. No need to grease it. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until internal temperature reads 160 degrees. Take out of oven and drain off excess fat. Then top meatloaf with sauce. Bake for 10 more minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving. Prepare yourself for yumminess!

Sweet Bubby Boy

Awww...don't you just want to squeeze the cute juice outta him?

Here they are....the hippo teeth! Ta da! Funny huh?

"And for my next trick, I'd like to kick the speed up just a tad."

Mom showing Jase the camera...

Sportin' his cool plaid sun hat!

Boating!

This is probably the last (or one of the very last) times we'll be out on the boat this year. It is getting too cold outside.
I finally got up on the wakeboard today and rode it out. This video is the first time I got up, so I'm not looking too sharp! I had to wear Roob's wetsuit b/c the water was stinkin' cold! The first time I jumped in, I came up squealing! But after I was in it a few minutes, it wasn't bad at all. I had such a blast wakeboarding. I am just sad that it's the end of the summer and I finally figured it out. Of course. My luck. So I kept going over and over until I was completely exhausted so I could get my fill. I think I was pretty dang good by the end of it all. I could cross the wake and get back over it. Oh yeah! Hope you enjoy the tiny clip courtesy of Roob's brother, Jerel....(He stayed the weekend with us. Good times!)

Little Video Clips

Angel, Fly On

I had a neat thing happen to me today. I sang the closing song at a funeral--which was a first for me. The man who passed away wasn't anyone I knew personally, so I was surprised to get a call from my local bishop asking me to sing. Wow. Of course I accepted. Apparently, the man who passed away (I am not going to put his name on here just in case the family would not want me to do so) had chosen this song to specifically be sung at his funeral. The song is an old Willie Nelson song entitled "Angel Flying too Close to the Ground." Fitting, since he was a pilot (it's a song about an angel who broke its wing, someone patched it up, hung around, fell in love, but knew the angel would fly away some day, and says "leave me if you need to but I'll remember"--sad, huh?).

I hadn't heard it before, so I learned it over the weekend and his wife was kind enough to get me a copy of the sheet music. I was planning on singing it acapela but Reuben ended up playing it on the guitar. It sounded so sweet and pretty. I loved it! I was afraid that I'd cry during the song (since I cried my eyes out listening to the cd...and I'm no good at funerals anyways) but I made it through okay. As soon as I started singing there were soooo many people just sobbing. In that moment, I felt blessed that I was able to do something for them that was special. It was so touching. During the last note of the song, I looked at his wife and she had tears in her eyes and mouthed "thank you, that was beautiful" to me. I smiled at her, sat down, and then burst into tears! :) It was so sweet. I think it meant everything to her that I would sing her late husband's favorite song. I really am grateful that I could share this gift at such a personal time for this family. I just feel so happy for some reason, so I wanted to write about it. Reuben played the best he ever played, and I sang it even better than we rehearsed. I think God was helping us out!