Smoke gets in my eyes. And my pie.

Ever since my friend Vanessa brought this pie to a party a few weeks ago, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It was a.maz.ing. Truly. It’s got a bottom crust, then apples, then a crumb topping, then pecans, and THEN CARAMEL. HELLO! It’s the best of both worlds..pie and crisp! And then I found out it was from the Pioneer Woman. I have read her blog and made some of her recipes and was underwhelmed. I didn’t get why people were so gaga over her. Until now. Guess I should have been making her desserts instead of Cauliflower Soup!

So, not wanting to just make a pie and have it sit around for me to pick at for days on end, (although that didn’t stop me from making Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes last week…) I was waiting for another party I could take it to. Enter: Church Chili Cook-off. Perfect! I signed up to bring a pie and had been anxiously awaiting Oct. 30th for weeks. I would read the recipe practically every day in anticipation. Dorky? Sure. I’m not the only one who likes to just read recipes, am I??

Last week I bought all the ingredients and yesterday I started to make the hallowed pie. Starting with homemade pie crust. This pie is serious business, folks. You can’t use a frozen pie shell, no way Jose. So with the pie crusts chilling in the freezer I go about my business of peeling and slicing the apples. With my apple peeler/corer/slicer, of course. How anybody makes anything out of apples without one is beyond me. I put the whole thing together in my 9” pie plate and pop that sucker in the oven. I wait the 25 minutes and take the foil off of the crust and then hop in the shower while it finishes baking.

I know I don’t have much time so I quickly hack the hair off my legs and run some soap over my body and turn off the water. Derrick and the girls are downstairs. I hear the dreaded screeching of the smoke detector. I throw a towel on and run to the kitchen and there’s a little bit of smoke floating around from some juice dripping onto the oven floor. Nothing major. I fan the air around the smoke detector until it stops beeping. Time to get dressed!

But it starts beeping again.

So I fan around it again, but this time I can definitely smell more smoke and there’s a definite haze in the air. I tuck my towel back in and head back to the kitchen. Smoke is POURING out of the oven. Pouring. All I can think about is the smoke poisoning my poor pie is getting. The stupid towel won’t stay up so I just say screw it and let it fall and I run around the house like a mad woman opening every door and window I can, while trying to fan the air around the smoke detector to get the stupid thing to stop. Which it doesn’t. We changed the batteries in it just the night before (go figure) so it was working on all 9 volts. At this point I’m coughing and my eyes are burning and I’m hoping I never have to experience death by fire. Especially naked.

I turned off the oven and took out my pie, which still had a good 15 minutes of baking time left. I ditched the nuts and just poured on the caramel and hoped it didn’t taste too smoky.

And then I found my towel again.

I know what’s next on my shopping list: a deep dish pie plate. And now I need to make this pie again…a redemption pie.

Sure hope my neighbors enjoyed the show!

For you poor deprived folks

After reading how people didn’t know any Halloween songs, I had to take action. So, for your viewing pleasure, and auditory discomfort, I present to you not one but TWO Halloween songs: Halloween Cat, and I’m a Mean Old Witch.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-y goodness

Last night for family night we carved our pumpkins. I think they turned out cute! I love carving pumpkins and don’t even mind the mess. Summer didn’t really want to touch the guts, but she sat in her chair and happily watched. And Hannah bounced away in her bouncy seat and didn’t seem to mind too much that we were kind of ignoring her. We obviously used stencils for the big ones but they didn’t fit on the little ones so I just free handed the girls’ initials. I thought they looked so awesome on our porch last night.

Then today, to stave off some boredom while we’re trapped inside because it’s so blasted windy, we cut and pasted a little paper jack-o-lantern. I’m glad I took this picture when I did because not one minute after poor Jack was ripped in half. RIP Jack.

We’ve been singing Halloween songs non-stop and practicing our “trick or treat!” We are ready for Halloween to come!

Comparisons

So I’ve been meaning to do this ever since Summer was born. Well, almost 2 years later I’m finally getting around to it! I scanned in all of our baby pictures to see how we compare to each other. I’ll tell you what—those pictures they take immediately after birth are far from cute. I think they take them a lot sooner than they did when we were babies, because Derrick and I don’t look nearly as horrible as Summer and Hannah. Rude? Probably. Truth? Absolutely. Onto the pictures! First up: Derrick! He said he looks like a chunky old man. And he’s right.

Can you see where I get my love for babies with hair?? Check me out! Check out my ‘do! Unfortunately, all those cowlicks are still causing me problems.

Next, Summer: Look how puffy, and those red eyes. A face only a mother could love….after a few hours. Or days.

And last but not least, Hannah: A little better than Summer’s picture, but not by much. I’m happy to say Hannah has gotten cuter with age.

I found a picture of beautiful baby moi at 5 1/2 weeks so I found one of the girls to compare us all. What do you think? Can you tell who is who?

     

I wonder what our boys will look like…if we ever have one!

SWF ISO SWM

The other night I was chatting with some friends about our college days and talking with a friend whose daughter is now at BYU and in the dating scene. It got me thinking about how I met Derrick and some of the crazy ways people meet each other, and just how funny relationships at BYU are in general.

My roommate met not one guy, but THREE online. She only really dated one, but hung out with the other a lot. One of them looked like Jerry Seinfeld’s twin, and we called him Jerry because of it. The second one was actually a really cool guy and even though they only dated one semester before he left on his mission, he was my favorite of her boyfriends that year. (She had quite a few.) The third one was an absolute douche.

Then my friend and I were walking home one night back to the dorms and were crossing the basketball courts at DT when a guy yelled down to us. Somehow we started talking to them and they decided to come down and talk to us face to face. My friend dated one of them for awhile before he left on his mission. When he came home from his mission, I think he thought she was waiting for him, and she definitely wasn’t, and he was kind of heart broken.

One night, it was really late and my roommates and I went to Denny’s (because that’s like the only place open at 2 am). We were driving home and hit a red light. My one roommate started talking to the guy in the car next to us and he wound up following us home. She made out with him, then never saw the guy again.

My one friend dated this guy for like 5 months before he kissed her. Who waits that long? And why?? And then when it happened, she said it was kind of awful. I think they only kissed like one or two times after that too. He was super smart, and pretty good looking, but kind of a wiener in the affection department. He would up marrying his ex, just like I thought he would. I could tell he was never really over her to begin with.

It was right before Christmas one year, and my roommate was at a guys’ apartment watching Pearl Harbor with a guy she really liked. She said she was putting herself out there to have her hand held (you know the move ladies…the hand flop!) but he just wasn’t biting. So she drove home totally bummed out and then got a call from a friend she knew from one of her classes. Turns out he was leaving to go on his mission and wanted to “say goodbye.” So, she pretty much met up with him and helped him “feast before the famine.”

Freshman year, my roommate and I were really good friends with this one guy in our ward. He once admitted that he wasn’t a very good kisser and needed some tips. So he and my roommate drove up to Rock Canyon Park one night and they made out, purely as an “instructional session”. I’m pretty sure they’re still friends today, from what I get from Facebook.

Oh! How can I forget this one? My poor roommate. She was dating this guy from her class and it was around Christmastime, because there was mistletoe in our apartment. She wasn’t super into him, and kept telling me over and over. Probably because he had a huge nose, and when he kissed her HIS NOSE POKED HER IN THE EYE!! He kept trying to get her under the mistletoe and it was pretty funny watching her try to avoid it. She claimed she was sick, dry lips, blah blah blah. She finally dumped him. He cried, and this is what he told her after she told him she just wasn’t feeling it with him: “Guys are microwaves-quick to heat up and cool down. Girls are crock pots, slow to heat up and cool down. I’m a microwave and you’re a crock pot that was never plugged in.” What a weirdo. He did somehow have a black market copy of Harry Potter that we all watched before it was released…that was his only redemption.

Aren’t those so random? BYU is definitely an interesting place. But I loved it. I had the time of my life. And if you haven’t guessed by now, all those stories were about me. :)

RSVP etiquette

Reader beware, rant ahead.

As one who hosts lots of events throughout the year, as well as attends, I rely heavily on Evites. They are, in my opinion, the easiest way to get word out about a party and get a head count of how many will be attending. They make it so easy to RSVP. Let me repeat:

EVITE MAKES IT EASY FOR YOU TO RSVP.

If you are reading this blog, chances are you had to CLICK on SOMETHING to get here, whether the actual link, or in your reader, or whatever. Based on the logic that you can click, there is no reason on God’s green Earth why you should read an Evite and not reply. NO REASON. NO REASON!!! I know for a fact they send out a reminder email a few days before the event to remind you. Do it then. Just do it.

If someone is going through the trouble to host an event and thought enough of you to be invited, the least you can do is return the courtesy and indicate whether or not you will be able to make it. You don’t know if you’ll be able to? Guess what? THERE IS A “MAYBE” OPTION!!

It’s the same repeat offenders, too. Drives me up the wall. Almost to the point where I want to stop inviting them to things altogether. And then there’s the people who don’t even READ the Evite. Yes, the sender of the Evite sees all. Who looked at it and when. So don’t think you’re hiding. You’re not. Do you just see the invitation in your inbox and decided, “Nah, I don’t like parties, I won’t even read it.” Am I the only who gets excited to see Evites? Woo! Party! And I’m invited! Sweet!

I’m in the process of throwing a baby shower with my good friend Linda for our good friend Jessica. We opted to do printed invitations, and I can already tell it’s going to be hell trying to figure out who is coming. So please, if you get an invite, RSVP to one of us. Email, call, text, facebook, whatever. Just throw us a freaking bone.

I’m a planner, so knowing something important such as, oh, HOW MANY PEOPLE TO FEED, is something I need to know. If you don’t RSVP and show up, don’t expect there to be anything for you to eat, or for you to sit. If you say you’re coming and you don’t, well then I probably just wasted my money and my time planning for you to be there.

I understand things come up, emergencies happen, kids get sick. But that’s no excuse for you to forget manners and be rude. If I invite you to something, we’re probably friends, and we probably communicate on a semi-regular basis. All it takes is a text. Really.

And to my Relief Society friends. I know a lot of planning goes on behind the scenes for activities. I’m not one of those planning gals, but I’ve been there and I know how much appreciated a response it. Whether it’s for a dinner, a trip, anything.

I can probably talk about this until I’m blue in the face and it still won’t phase some people. Until they are the ones sending the invitations and awaiting the response, they will never change.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels this way!

Rah, rah, rah-rah-rah!

Goooooo COUGARS!

Summer loooves to watch “booball” with her dad. And her dad just eats it up. Luckily for these girls they don’t know we kind of suck this year! Keep on cheering for the BYU blue!

LEAVE me alone!

Fall really is gorgeous here in Wisconsin. There is a teeny window where all the trees are changing and the landscape is absolutely beautiful. We even have our very own color changing tree in our backyard!Unfortunately, those leaves find their way to the ground. It was a matter of one day and the tree was almost empty. Last week we raked up Round 1 and played a little bit in them.  Even Summer tried to help.

Today we raked up the rest. Our leaves are so badass they broke one of our rakes. Guess they showed us who’s boss.

What sucks the most is that even though we raked up all of the leaves from our trees, it’s so blasted windy we’re going to get screwed by the neighbors’ trees that haven’t lost their leaves yet.

But just look at that broken rake. It’s now Summer-sized!!

Condiments

A new Woodman’s opened up by us this weekend so I took the girls today to check it out. It’s like a Food 4 Less for all you West coasters. It’s weird, because walking around I totally felt like a backwoods hick shopping for a hunting trip, but they have high end brands too. Totally weird.

Anyway, they have a pretty extensive ethnic section. Impressive enough that I might not have to make trips to the Asian market since I can find most of what I need there.

The majority of my fridge is composed of condiments. Not sure why. But if you need fish sauce or mango chuntney, I’m your girl. Still, not sure what I would ever use this for:

I’ll admit, I am super curious as to what it tastes like. Maybe next time I’ll take the plunge and buy it. I mean, I love curry, and who doesn’t like ketchup? Could be a win-win condiment situation!

2 months!

My sweet baby was 2 months old yesterday on 10-10-10!

She is still so snuggly and little, and I absolutely love it. She still sleeps most of the day, and when she is awake she is content to look around and check things out. As long as she has her pacifier, or “fi-er”, as Summer calls it.

At her doctor’s appointment today she was 9 lb 13.5 oz (24%) and 22.25” (45%). She is skinnier and taller than Summer was at 2 months. Not sure where’s she’s getting her length, but I love it! She hated getting her shots today but has slept like a rock all afternoon since.

She goes to bed around between 7 and 8 pm and sleeps until around 2 or 3 and wakes up to eat, then sleeps until 5 or 6 to eat again. Then sometimes she’s sleep another good 3 hours and sometimes just one. We moved her out of our bedroom 2 weeks ago and it’s been bliss ever since for me. I think we’re all sleeping better. I mean, I love the girl, but I don’t need to hear her every peep and grunt.

She’s smiled at me just a handful of times, but it’s so adorable. I can’t wait until I get them on a regular basis. Baby smiles are Mom Currency for all the diaper changes and feedings and sleepless nights, and this mama needs a steady paycheck!

 

I’m most impressed with myself for keeping her alive and in one piece despite her sister’s best attempts at breaking her. Last week while at Wal-Mart, Hannah’s car seat was in the basket of the shopping cart and Summer was sitting up top. I turn my back for 2 seconds and Summer stood up and fell backwards into Hannah’s car seat. Poor Hannah started crying immediately, Summer was a little stunned, and the next day Hannah sported her first little black eye from taking an elbow to it. Poor thing.

It’s been a great two months with our sweet Hannah! I can’t stop kissing those cheeks and giving her little squeezes!

21 months!

Who is this sassy toddler, and where did my sweet little baby go???

Do I really have an almost 2 year old?? I can’t believe it.

Summer is such a sweet girl. Most of the time. She loves to give hugs and kisses and just be silly.

She talks all the time. All. the. time. And now she has started trying to sing, which is totally adorable. Tonight she went to bed singing “Once There Was a Snowman”, except the only part she was singing was “TALL, TALL, TALL!!” I don’t know how many words she’s saying these days, but it’s a lot.

She loves to tell anyone who will listen about her “sister Hannah!”

She loooooves buses, and will exclaim “BUS!” loudly whenever we see one.

We always have to visit the fish when we go to Wal-Mart. She always tells them “bye bye fish” when we leave.

We haven’t had watermelon in weeks, but every single day, at every single meal, she will ask for it and I will tell her we don’t have any and she will say “all gone.” Every day.

She loves to wear my shoes.

She loves to push the laundry basket full of toys around the house.

She can finally go up and down our stairs alone.

She loves to be outside and run around. “Ow-SIIIIIIIDE!”

She’s recently taken a strong attachment to her blanket and wants to carry drag it everywhere. It grosses me out. She throws a huge fit it we take it away and put it back in her crib where it belongs. Super annoying.

She’s got some of the best facial expressions, and gets really excited about pretty much anything.  She is such a fun addition to our family, a great big sister and a loving daughter. We sure do love our Summer bug! 

How did this make it past the marketing department?

I thought for sure this was a joke. Turns out, it’s not.

Announcement

Let’s first get it out of the way…no I’m NOT PREGNANT.

Ok then.

My friend Kara took newborn shots of Hannah when she was about a week old. I absolutely love them. I really wish I had them done with Summer instead of cheaping out and going to Penny’s. Oh well. Hannah did well during the shoot, only getting a little testy at the end. This was before I knew she would become a slave to the pacifier, or else I think things would have gone a little more smoothly. (Side note, I’m hating that damn thing. I forgot to take it to the grocery store one day and it was hell.)

Anyway. I received a CD of the images and set out to make my own birth announcement, like I did with Summer's. This time, however, I looked online at premade announcements and found one I liked online. So instead of paying them $1.15 per card, I copied it in Photoshop and had them printed at Sam’s for 38 cents each! I love, love, love it. And I’m pretty impressed with my skills, if I do say so myself.

Here are some of my other favorite shots.

I have lots of extras, so if you didn’t get one and want one, (and who wouldn’t??) just let me know.

Love this kid!