swag king

It's 3AM. I'm wide awake and my heart is well, broken.

My sweet dear friends Danny and Nicole whom I cherish more than some of my own family has lost a brother, Peter.

Our friends are not supposed to get their wings so young. We are supposed to grow old together and attend each others funerals with walkers, wheel chairs and polyester pants I tell you.

I always looked up to him. I thought he was the coolest big brother there ever was. Even his friends were super cool. Maybe it was just the fact the were "older", nah. I mean how could one person radiate so much coolness is a mystery to me.

He always pulled the hottest hoes too. Well except that cougar phase he went through... I'll just leave that at that.

I remember the first time Brad met him.

We were at Hooters in Mesquite of all places and he was at a table full of hot ass girls. He was wearing a white furry fedora before the GAP sold em' if you know what I mean.

See swag.

I was so happy to see him. And Brad says to me, "You know this guy?!" In a very serious and shocked tone. He'd only met a handful of my friends and Jeff Sparks was there too with his girl friend and we totally ended up on a double date that night. Stranger things have happened trust me.

So, Peter Hall and Jeff Sparks both in one night. I bet Brad was thinking oh my Lordy who else is she gonna surprise me with. Never a dull moment I tell ya.

His smile was contagious. His eyes sparkled. He was tender, sweet and funny. Half the time completely full of shit too and you never knew if he was completely fucking with you or not.

And I loved that about him.

I will always cherish the last time we hung out just a few months ago at Jayla Bears birthday party. Dancing like drunk pre-teens who clearly needed a chaperone. I will cherish that short video no matter how embarrassing.

Just one last time I'd love to hear him say, "Hey, What's Up, Abra?!" with one of his heart warming hugs and smiles. He had such a way about him, charming to say the least.

Until we will meet again Peter, one day...

Do the pelvic rest, alright, alright y'all !!!

I guess the "sex rest" just wasn't enough.

Can you sense my sarcasm?

So, now onto pelvic rest which is just another fancy word for bed rest I do believe.

I started spotting again yesterday.

Maybe I just over did it on the walking.

I wasn't near as upset as I thought I'd be. It was more anger, I was pissed. It's not supposed to be like this.

But I will do whatever it takes to keep my beloved lil' kidney bean safe...

Me and my Gusser's are all cozy and laid up today. I've watched Columbiana so far which was just a spinoff of La Femme Nikita and of The Professional.

Still good but not as good. All I'm gonna say with my most awesome movie review...

225 days to go.

feed me

Nothing taste good. Everything I loved before disgusts me, even Grimaldi's pizza. And the guac at Chipotle and my own cooking most nights.

My beloved Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend coffee tasted like hot dog weiners this morning. I can't even enjoy my cup of joe anymore.

And I'm so hungry.

Last week I ate a whole pineapple for dinner. And just last night ice cream at Braums because well my spaghetti and meat sauce was DISGUSTING!

Weirdly a few items have caught me and my tasters by surprise. Those honey bbq wings at PhD in Dallas over on Davis St. And the Pea Salad at the Cotton Gin in Crandall. Now that's good! I could not get enough...

But...

I'm super thankful my tatses are so outta whack! Because I got to hear the sweetest sound of my life yesterday. My baby's beating heart. Music to my ears. I can't even begin to explain the relief and just pure joy those few seconds brought me.

Our baby is measuring right on time, 7 weeks and 4 days. A whole half inch long with a strong heartbeat.
226 days to go.

Borracho Beans

I'm 6 weeks prego. And the morning sickness has started.

I had forgotten what it was like to feel like you have a hangover all day for an entire week straight. Small frequent meals are key and lot's of water with an occasional coke on ice of course.

I have been keeping this pregnancy a secret for a few weeks from most everyone.

And boy is it hard this week, especially from my work family.

I love me a pot of beans, pinto beans or charro beans. They are even called barracho beans or bean soup in Texas. My brother makes the best beans in the world hands down. I crave them especially lately, something about the warm comforting spicyness. Cilantro, onion, bacon, garlic, jalepeno, tomato just a few of my all time fave things and put all together WOW!

I order a No. 6 with a side of borracho beans and flour tortillas. The boss man gives me the look. Second time in 2 weeks I have ordered the beans.

He KNOWS!

And comments a few seconds later. Wait are you PREGNANT?!

HA! He nailed it and I high fived him.

I'm so glad I don't have to keep that secret anymore.

Everyone is so happy and congratulating.

I am so blessed and happier than I can even begin to explain right now...

baby

Friday, October 5th I went in for my annual "lady part" exam.  I have been off birth control for over a year, we haven't been not, not trying to get pregnant if you know what I mean.

But... I have had that baby fever for a while now. For about 2 years I begged and pleaded and he finally gave in or well I gave in to him. I'm not really sure at this point.

Ideally I didn't want to officially start trying until January after our NYE trip to Walt Disney World. But you can't plan everything.

So, I walked out of the doctors office with a bag full of prenatal vitamin samples and an info sheet on what to and not to do while trying to concieve and after conception.

I also left with confirmation from my sweet lady part doctor that I was in fact ovulating or about to within the next day or two.

A cold front had blew in that weekend, and it was gray outside and raining.

Perfect baby making weather it was.

Shit just got real.

It is starting...

I forgot to lock the front door this morning while I took the monsters to school.

And.

I forgot to brush my teeth.

I call this placenta head.

It's awful. And very real.

I once forgot my sweet brother-in-laws name.

I was hugely pregnant with Leighton, during our first Christmas dinner together as a family way back in 2002. I'm standing in the Turkey line at 1111 Redman Lane. I can even recall what I was wearing.  I was looking right at him. And yes, I forgot his name. I really did.

My mind just went blank.

He knew it to, I think we finally settled on "hey you" get outta my way I need food kind of convo. Poor Josh, I bet he was wondering what in the hell his brother had gotten himself into.

237 more days...

unrefined

Email.

It is a perfectly appropriate super easy way to communicate with teachers. No lost notes, no awkward phone conversations etc.  So, I get an email from my sweet Natalie's 2nd grade teacher.  Not a big deal.

But...

Someone is having a birthday next week and are bringing cupcakes to share with the class.

I panic.

A million excuses are running through my head to avoid going to school and work THAT day.

I have been avoiding birthday parties all summer.  I mean I hate birthday's as it is, so don't take it personally. They are full of disappointment anyways. I categorize them right up there with Christmas, my least favorite holiday. Like ever.

But honestly I could not even begin to deal with my girls disappointment when everyone else was having cake and ice cream.   The last thing I wanna do is drag my kid to a party where everyone is stuffing there faces with food and drink she can't have. Maybe she would handle it fine. Maybe it's really me that has the issue. But whatever.

Anxiously I lay in bed late one night googling a gluten free and vegan bakery in Dallas.  Did I mention I am indeed the worst non-conventional baker that there ever was? Yep, I am awful. But I can make a mean streusel but only because it's mostly oats ha!

I came across a bakery called unrefined. I check out their website and sure enough they are corn free too. I woke up the Mr. and told him all about my findings and that I was going to visit that bakery tomorrow matter of fact. It was even located in Lakewood, not far from us.

I was giddy. I was hopeful. I was gonna get my girl a cupcake that was egg, wheat and corn free and it was going to taste good and be pretty. And she was going to eat cupcakes like everyone else in her class.

See the girl can have dairy and animal products all day long, it's the egg. Vegan is a safe code as well as gluten free category for us. She doesn't have celiac disease or anything like that, just an allergy to wheat and corn and a bunch of other great foods.

I walked into the bakery, it was easy to find. The curb appeal was pretty dang adorable too. I was greeted with confidence.

I ordered up an egg free vanilla cupcake in it's own little brown box with a lid, a loaf of egg free pumpkin bread and a egg free pizza crust. Are you sick of reading "egg free" yet? Me either.

Wish I'd taken more photos but I was too dang excited. There were not cases of baked goods, they keep everything in the back except a small display case on the counter. I hear they have coffee and smoothies too but I was too distracted to even take notice.

I sampled a piece of incredibly soft yeasty bread while I was there. The girl is used to frozen rice flour based bread and well toast and grilled cheese is the extent of her sliced goodness. I'll have to save that purchase for another day. The Mr. may ban me from this bakery, gotta play it cool on the checkbook my first trip.

As I was leaving I told the lady I loved her. I left with tears in my eyes. True story.

I couldn't wait to share the goodies with my family when I got home. I could barely contain my excitement.

The pumpkin bread was delicious, not as good as my mine of course but for what it's lacking you'd never know it.

The pizza crust was crispy and satisfying and best of all I didn't have to venture out for pizza night clear across town. Or fail miserably and make a mess of my kitchen not to mention spend a gazillion dollars on ingredients I was just going to mess up anyways.

Did I mention they were dairy free too? Well, they are mostly anyways.

It's Doughnuts with Dad at school later this week. Fried dough, I think I can handle.

Maybe, just maybe I am cursed.

I'm not one to complain about the small stuff. I like to think I'm pretty laid back and tend to just roll with it if you will.

But lately, this shit has really added up. Or maybe I'm just starting to take notice in all the lameness lately. Today alone has me wondering about all that bad karma that may be finally catching up with me. Slowly but surely.

It all started one Saturday morning innocently enough.

Just last week... A quick Starbucks run inside a Tom Thumb turned out to be the worst half hour and 2 coffees of my life. We'll except that one coffee shop in Forney, Lazy J's. I have given that place quite a few chances and to be honest I can make a better cup of Joe at the Shell down the street. The kinda joint you walk out of smelling like a freaking fried burrito straight outta the Texas State Fair kinda fried smelly. Ew.

And the lameness continues...

Starbucks changed their gold rewards. No more free talls with a pound of coffee purchase and they have started charging for soy!

See lame. Pretty much the whole reason I even go.

I ordered a scentsy sugar scented room spray.

I got sugar cookie.

The Mr. ordered a caesar salad and gets a regular side salad.

Argues with me then the cute cashier.

And.

Gives up. Can't argue with stupid.

I sold something on FTE today, and the lady shorts me a dollar. And of course I notice after the fact.

See what I mean by it all adding up?

And a few more incidents I don't care to even mention because if you know me. Well then you know already.

Maybe I just expect too much from people? Nah...

But my girl did get picked for cheer captain this week. I'm so proud of her! I have so much to be thankful for. And the weather is pretty fabulous too.

This curse crap or bad karma or whatever the hell this is needs to get the f on already...

Fall Fever

Finally! School started...

I thought I'd be super happy but I'm not sure what's worse.

Summer or school.

Even the costs is debatable.

We are so busy. All the dang time. I feel like I'm just barely squeezing in the fun stuff.

And I may die if my kids ask me to sign one more binder or piece of paper for school.

Or bring home one more t-shirt, book order or fundraiser form to beg and plead me to buy.

Keeping up with Natalie's food stock at daycare and school plus lunches and cheer is wearing me out. Feel like I need to constantly just bring Costco everywhere with me.

Trust me I would to.

I know it's not easy for her. Like at all. I never paid attention to how everything in life is rewarded or revolved with or around food before. It's like a sickness really.

I dread class parties and everything and anything classroom related that deals with food. There are certain things I just can't or haven't found replacements for her yet.

I long for Thanksgiving break. Cooler weather and our trip to one of my favorite places to see some of my favorite people!

And you bet your ass I'll be stocking up on some Abita root beer!

revelation

The past few weeks I have been carpooling with my dear husband. His commute is awful like an hour each way and horrible traffic. And conveniently I'm on his route to and from. This isn’t new for us at times we have been a one vehicle family and well you just gotta make it work.

We have 3 cars at the moment and all are working fine. So that's not it at all.

Well until I sell my 2001 Tahoe. Anyone? Anyone?

It's just that I can save an extra $140 a week in gas by not driving. That's a whopping $480 a month or $5,760 annually. I don't know about you but that's a nice vaca...

And I love vacationing. It's essential, otherwise I may kill a certain someone I married almost 9 years ago.

But...

He gets to work at the ass crack of dawn and well I'm more of a banker's hours kinda of gal. To be honest I don't mind working 8AM-6PM, I LOVE my job and get tons done. I mean I can walk to some pretty fabulous lunch spots or ride the trolley if I need to run an errand. The trolley is completely free and air conditioned too. Of course you should always tip the cute little old senior conductors a buck or two. Well, at least I do. 

Here's the kicker. My girl has cheer practice at 6PM twice a week. In a far, far away remote small town in East Texas. It's a sickness really. Texas and small towns and their crazy football and cheer traditions. But we do it. Cause well we are Texans and that's what we do. So I have to drive those days.

Today is one of those days.

I accidentally overslept. Something about a cuddly 7 year old girl snuggling on a rainy summer morning had me hitting the snooze.

I had lunches to make. Kid's to get dressed, fed and a bajillion daily meds and vitamins to be dispersed. A dog to feed and water.

I was also referee for all the bickering and fighting between my offspring this am.

I couldn't find anything cute to wear. I was hot too. Seriously, need a ceiling fan installed in my closet.

I had to get gas for I was way past the you have 20 miles till' you run out mark.

Didn't have time to make coffee. So I ran by Starbuck's it was across the street from the gas station.

The new kid made my triple tall non-fat no whip white chocolate mocha into a mocha. And it sucked. And he spilled it on me as he handed it to me through the drive thru. His arm was shaking like he had like 10 too many espresso shots.

He was cute though and his first day, apparently. So I was nice.

Dropped off my kiddo's and of course there was a crap ton of construction and traffic, unusual for my commute.

I had to stop and pick up a 12 pack of Diet Coke for the office. I didn't want to be the one who's fault it was to be out. Trust me. We all have a major Diet Coke addiction at the office. I’m guilty.

And… it hit me! I missed carpooling. Even though it seemed so awful at first. Really it wasn’t. I did all these things and more all by my lonesome before with no problem.

I needed him. It was like I had help, a clone of myself. And I could read and complain about his driving like always on the way. And I missed it today, I missed him. Yes! I missed him!

Thankful tomorrow is Wednesday and I get to ride with my guy. And hear all his smart ass funny as hell jokes. Be victim to his road rage and occasional boob grabs. Because, I love him.

Not So Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's late and me and my boy are up and in the kitchen baking.

Baking a chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe that is safe for the Nat monster. No egg or wheat flour. I was so hopeful.

He even poured me a glass of milk.

Love my boy. Just wish I had loved the cookies. They had so much promise. I mean look at that batter.

But... They were awful. Imagine a hard sandy greasy sweet brittle um yep.

Awful. I felt like I was 10 again baking that same chocolate chip cookie recipe out of my very cherished cookbook for the first time. A gift from my parents.

They did smell wonderful at least.

He ate one and didn't complain.

See, that's love.

It's our last week of sweet summer. Meet the teacher night is in a few days too. The boy could care less. But Natalie is wearing me out asking about it! Wish it was Thursday already...

We saw Madagascar 3 tonight too in 3D. Cutest movie eva! We met our friends Danny, Nicole and their sweet girl Jayla. Today was her 10th birthday!

Happy Birthday Jayla!

Another reminder that my son will be 10 in just 5 months, yikes!

We'll find a chocolate chip cookie recipe and get it right soon enough. I hope.

Beachy Beach

I'm homesick. And a tad hungover from too much cheap Chardonnay at the beach and hot!

So here I am bloggy blogging at 1:30 in the freaking am.

No matter the ac is set on 70 it's sweltering in my room even with the fan on.

Direct quote from my half awake husband, "Just take your shirt off"! Ha! So not falling for that one honey, gosh I love him.

I love Texas. But Galveston beaches are well how do I say this politely.

Gross!

I say this every time, yet I always forget how awful and gross and keep coming back.

It's like childbirth. How soon you forget...

There is dead fish littering the beaches here, something about low oxygen levels ummmmm... See I told you!

Gross.

My kids are happy though. And that's all that matters. Hell they are happy going to the "beach" at Cedar Creek Lake thank goodness I have a few more years until they will know the difference or even care!

We haven't been back since 2009, check out these pics from the past-y past!

The Mr. and I were so hungover in that family pic too. That was smart, hey let's go partying right before a road trip and not even sleep! Thank god my Dad drove that trip.

We are crazies! Lesson learned.

It's not so fun touring battleships in 106 humid Texas summer heat hungover ha!

And a certain someone can suck it!

Since when is it anyone's business how or what I spend my hard earned cash on? Oh that's right, no one ever!

I'm so thankful for parents who put up with my crazy brood and agreed to come on another fun trip with us! It wouldn't be near as much fun with anyone else!

And a shout out to my bestie for taking such good care of my Gusser's! I miss him and her!

Did I mention I was homesick?

Akward!

So, not to brag or anything. But... My name Abra, is pretty unique and unforgettable. And sometimes when I go places I lie and say my name is Amber. Or sometimes even April at restaurants or even Starbucks on occasion. I don't like repeating myself or spelling it out blah blah blah! And if I have to hear one more abracadabra joke I might whip out a white bunny and top hat, seriously. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my name. My Dad did an awesome job picking it that's for sure. But days like today I wish I'd of been an Amber or anything but Abra!

It started off as a very unusual morning. I was up cleaning and doing laundry at 5:30 AM on a freaking Saturday. I just couldn't sleep. Then me and the fam went running errands together in Mesquite. Went by Harbor Freight my least favorite store in the entire universe and they were sold out of what we needed. F! They had plenty in Richardson so off we went.

And a few other errands.

We had to hit up the bank. Ok not a big deal I'll wait in the car. But the Mr. forgot his wallet. I went in grabbed what little cash I had in our account since we are all cash now thanks to Dave Ramsey, yay!  I turned to leave and noticed him chatting up the customer service rep. Pretty little blonde thing she was and Brad's chatty with everyone, not unusual at all. He is one of those people who can strike up a convo with anyone and seem genuinely sincere and interested. He's so charismatic, well most of the time. So I go over. Then I get chatted up. Like she knew me. I felt very welcome and at ease in a bank which is odd. Normally everyone is all pissed off long lines whatever super quiet and all that jazz.

Again, very unusual. Something was awry I just couldn't pin point it just yet.

She asks for my ID. Because he forgot his wallet; again. We order some cute new Disney debit cards for discounts at the park when we go in December. It was free so why not.

Then. It happened.

She holds my ID. Like for a whole minute examining it. Never good.

And asks me where I'm from.

Mesquite of course I tell her.

I figure we went to the same high school or something and yet again I forgot another pretty face.

She asks who I dated in a nearby small town.

Oh shit!

For real? My stomach dropped.

Then the Mr. who's so charismatic busts out with. "Who didn't she date"! With a smirk the size of Texas on his handsome face!

What a jerk throwing me under the bus. I still love him anyways and feel awful for what's about to come next. I am thinking the worst.

So, I say the name I'm pretty much tagged with, with everyone from a certain small town not far from where I grew up. And yep. That's how she knows of me. Again with the unique unforgettable name. Damn it! I can't get away with anything.

I looked at her name tag and I knew exactly who she was. One of my ex fiances "ex's" before I earned that name tag. From like 12 years ago. Yep.

Akward!

We chatted a few more minutes ok gossiped and I admitted how I duck and run on occasion and that I haven't spoken to a certain someone we had in common since well 12 plus years ago. I tried to sound as cheery as possible but to be honest I really just wanted to grab my kids and run! She was extremely nice and pleasant at least.

See this happens more than I'd like to admit. Running into ex girlfriends or whomever from my past. And the Mr. is usually always with me. And he takes everything with a grain of salt and teases me about it. But I know it gets to him. And I hate that.

I need to move far far away...

Awesome Fluffy Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Any recipe with the name "Awesome" in the title is well ok in my book. And...

They are vegan.

Don't let the word "vegan" fool you. These are not to be categorized as a "healthy" recipe by any means and I am gonna go ahead and put this out there. Sugar is a food group in my house. Yep, guilty.

And we aren't vegan, in fact tonight we had bacon with our muffins. Yumo! And did you know it's only 1 point for a slice of bacon, yay! But when it comes to most things like baking or processed items like say ice cream vegan and gluten free is easiest to identify with. I'm still very new to all of this food allergy stuff. So gimme a break...

See the girl has food allergies. I have eliminated Corn, Wheat, Eggs, Nuts and Shrimp from our diets. I'm a southern girl and I'm pretty set in my ways of cooking. I learned from the best. So this was a complete shock to me. It has been a lifestyle change for sure. I mean how in the heck am I gonna make biscuits and gravy with rice flour, yikes! I failed miserably at pancakes a few weeks ago. I cried. I was defeated. I felt like a complete failure. I mean pancakes?! How the fuck can you mess up a fried piece of batter covered in syrup.

See I have been cooking and experimenting in the kitchen since I was maybe 7. My dear cousin Lisa taught me how to fry an egg. That was the first cooking lesson I can remember. Oh how I miss her. And my parents bought me my first cook book. I cannot tell you how many times I made that brownie and chocolate chip cookie recipe, the pages are covered in remnants of dough and batter. I still have that cook book too, 20 plus years later.

Tonight I made my first recipe from The Allergy-Free Cook Book for Kids. My awesome brother-in-law Josh picked it up for me from half priced books. I've had it a day and well I just couldn't wait to bake my girl something delish! She has flagged more than half the book of recipes she wants to try.

I feel awful and I can't begin to tell you how many tears I have shed for her. Or dropped the f bomb at Whole Foods reading labels to find a cracker that's gluten free to be made with corn or sesame seeds, another allergy. All of the foods and things she's grown to love well she had to say goodbye to. I'm doing my best to find and recreate the simple things she loved so dearly. And I'm dreading her starting school and feeling so left out when it comes to a classmates birthday or a special project that is food related in class.

I remember the day I told her. First thing out of her wailing tear filled eyes and mouth was "What? No more peanut butter? That means no more Reese's Pieces or PB Cups." It was pretty life shattering, I couldn't imagine life without Reese's PB Cups either!

Check out the recipe for the Awesome Fluffy Lemon Blueberry Muffins I made tonight.

1 1/2 cups lemonade ( I used Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade, my all time fave lemonade ever.)
1 cups sugar
1/4 vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups white rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen

Preheat oven to 350, Mix all ingredients until smooth. Then stir in blueberries gently. Lightly grease your muffin tins or use liners, fill half way. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm.

Makes 2 dozen.

Say Cheese.

Yep, we had family pictures taken. By a professional. Finally.

It's been 4 years. I have missed some really great "growing up" shots this I know. Unless you count the family pics in between with my fabulous in laws and husband's family, where I had the swine flu. I looked awful and cringe everytime I see them. For my boy is almost a 10 year old and well nearing that stage of tween, ugh. Double digits, YIKES! So, I'm still very thankful to have those swine flu pics... Well the ones that I'm not in. Like at all.

Check out Melissa's blog here for a sneak peek. She posted a mini session special on FB. And well I jumped on it. We went to high school together and I have admired her work for going on 2 years now. I had tried to schedule another session back in early spring with another photographer. Just couldn't ever get the Mr. to make a commitment. Or something always got in the way, weather, front teeth (long story, another entry type of long story) you know the important stuff to make outdoor pictures happen. Just full of excuses I tell ya, as usual. Us Hamlin's put the pro in procrastinate that's for sure.

I had a little over a week to put together some outfits for the fam. I'm supa cheap and well didn't want to spend a crap ton of money, when we have perfectly cute stuff already. I thought I had it all figured out as I laid everything out and texted a pic to my bestie. Then, the genious that I am decided to go shopping a few hours before the shoot for all new outfits. Like I said, procrasinators! It was awful and stressful. I may or may not have even shed a few tears, I then realized why I hadn't done family pics in forevs, yep.

Thank goodness for awesome reassuring friends! And Bonnie Jean who did mine and Nat's hair. One thing I didn't have to worry about. Like at all. She is magical and Miss Natalie LOVED it. See, she hates it when I do her hair it always involves yelling and crying. I chose not to have a puffy red eyed girl that day. Again, so thankful for awesome friends.

I LOVE the smiles Melissa captured so much. She did a wonderful job. I'm a happy girl! And the location was pretty awesome too. Better believe this fall we will be seeing her again.

Not so Fun Fact: I forgot to wear my wedding ring. I kept telling myself grab your rings before leaving and I forgot. Damn it. Realized it as I arrived, the Mr. was pissed. He graciously hit my left hand as much as possible bless his heart.

I won wife of the year award for that alright.

Love this one...

And this one too.

Pucker Up.

And my all time fave photo of me and the Mr. Yep. Love his squishy face against mine.

Break-ups Suck

May 29th is when I started this entry. It stayed as a draft way longer than it should've. I have started quite a few entries and have been super distracted lately. Yep, I suck.

Wish I'd of published it sooner, reading it makes me a little sad.  But here goes...

We made popcorn tonight. And not the microwaveable controversial cancer causing kind either.

It was my first time.

I had thought about it for months and I finally remembered to buy the oil and kernels. They sat in my pantry for almost an entire month. Taunting my children with it's pretty buttery oil and neat kernels all bagged up nicely.

We LOVE popcorn! It's salty and light, THE perfect snack.
Natalie decided to pop some the other day. In the microwave, in a bowl.

Of course her daddy gave her permission.

Bless his heart, he had no idea. She couldn't contain her excitement for fresh non-microwaveable popcorn either! And damn near burned our house down.

We had a fun popcorn cooking lesson very soon after that "incident". Her brother and I were cracking up, I didn't realize I needed a lid so soon until a few popped me in the face. My kiddo's were rolling on the kitchen floor laughing at their momma that's for sure!

Popcorn was high on the request list almost every evening. They were in LOVE! Like the girl would be in tears if I didn't make it for her on a regular basis. Red flag right there, she was borderline OBSESSED! Like in that movie Fear with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. Well not quite but almost.

If only the relationship could've lasted. Turns out the girl is actually allergic to corn. Hence the whole being distracted thing lately. Yep, our lives have changed forevs.

Good bye sweet food friend.

Suck it May!

And hello summer!

Last day of school for the kiddo's, yay!

Goodbye 3rd and 1st grade!

Thought I'd be a little sad but I'm not. Like at all. So glad school is out!

Really looking forward to my daughter not harassing me about signing her binder. And snack money fights. And who gets to ride in the front seat on our way to school. Or being tardy. For the record it's only a few streets over, yeah I suck!

I'm sure there are lots of positive stuff to say about how much we are gonna miss school and all that crap. But I can't think of any. Nope.

Today was Surfin' into Summer out of dress code day at school. Which is HUGE!

My kids are rebels. As you can see...

Not a grass skirt or flowered lei of any sort here...

Bring on the craziness of summer! I'm ready. I think.

Gus

So, I work a little later than usual. No big deal.

I get home, cuddle with the Mr. and fall asleep. Ooops! A little cat nap never hurt nobody, I needed it bad.

I cooked dinner for my babies, Hamlin style and late as all get out.

See the boy usually feeds my sweet Gus dinner every night. And well that night he didn't.

And I'm glad. So glad I did.

My boy Gus is a black lab shepperd mix, he's 5. And not on the small side and will eat your face off. Not really. Well not if you are a friend or family anyways. I fill his bowl, and place it in the chair for him. Again, he's tall and I love him so yeah.

I noticed he seemed to be walking a bit funny the night before. I didn't stress about it.  Well last night he seemed to have a hard time putting weight on his hind legs. Didn't finish his dinner and laid in the grass.

Something was wrong.

My Gus never leaves dinner in his bowl.

I kneeled down with my boy and fed him the rest and gave him some ice, cause I love him.

Poor thing was miserable and in pain. He seemed delirious and kept pacing the yard away from me and would randomly lay down in the grass and whine.

Something was very wrong.

I was upset. And a little pissed off.

Me and the Mr. tried coaxing the poor thing inside to go to bed like a bajillion times. From various back doors. It was starting to rain and the wind was ridiculous. I sat outside kneeling by him tenderly petting his sweet face forever it seemed like. In Brad's big old dress shoes cause I'm scared of spiders and it was all I could find at that very second. I even took his bed outside to see if I could make him more comfortable. He wouldn't budge.

I dragged the Mr. outta bed because I couldn't stand it any longer. And we managed to get a sheet under my boy like a gurney. That damn dog is HEAVY! And we got him inside and in his bed, he seemed a bit calmer.

Did I mention I still had a sore upper back? And was not supposed to be lifting heavy ass dogs?!

We slept.

Then off to the vet first thing in the morning. And wouldn't you know it that little turd perked right up as soon as I got the leash out. His adrenaline kicked in full speed at the vet's office.

Seems he has either arthritis or a ruptured disc. He's on an anti-inflammatory pills, pain meds and muscle relaxers. He is to be confined so not to re-injure anything and walked on a leash for 2 weeks.

He is too dang young for this arthritis crap, but hey it's common in large breeds so whatever. Poor thing.

I guess the supplements will start soon enough for the old man to help.

Thinking I need to be confined to the laundry room and a leash too. My back is killing me! Dang 90 pound ball of fur will do that I guess.

Love my Gusser's and so glad my wonderful husband could be with me to help. There is no way I could have done it without him... Here's to a quick recovery for us both!

Louisiana

I love me some Louisiana!

It feels like home to me. I have been more times than I can count. And I fall in love with it more and more each visit.

The Fox Force Five graciously opened their home to us over graduation weekend. Did i mention how much I LOVE my husbands family? Well I do. Very much. And they have the cutest dogs eva. For reals.

It was Danny's big high school graduation celebration! I can't believe it, I swear he was just a sweet little boy and ring bearer in our wedding... And now all grown up, so proud of Dan Man!

We had a blast and ate entirely too much! Chargrilled oysters. Shrimp boil. Abita Strawberry lager. Beignets. Cafe au lait. And of course... Uncle Phil's master grill'n was not to be eaten lightly ha!

Toured the city with our fave Aunt Mary, Rachel and Danny. Had lunch at our fave Acme Oyster House. Went on a river boat ride, it was awesome. Had the best Fox tour guide. And so pretty, didn't see a gator or snake one, score. And we got to visit with our family we don't see often enough. Ryan even took sweet talky talky Natalie to the park to give us a tiny break, ahhhh love him!

The kiddo's had more fun than I could have wished for.

The long drive home wasn't ideal considering I was a lil' loopy and in more pain than a woman should ever be in except during childbirth. Note to self. My daughter is too big to carry across parking lots while wearing her life jacket. Meh. And a Honda Civic is fighting grounds for siblings who love each other so.

My husband spoiled me with mommas day gifts and the best BBQ in Louisiana. They even deep fried their dinner rolls for goodness sakes. Yum.

And we weren't even at the Texas State Fair.

Can't wait to go back even if it's to fill my hollow leg. Love me some Louisiana. And our sweet wonderful family. It just warms my heart.

Dress For Success

It was Dress For Success day at school today i.e. make parents scramble and try to be creative the night before day.

For reals. I know they send notes home but I never seem to get them. I wonder if my children like eat them on their way home to rid of any evidence. It feels like I'm always a step behind.

Leighton has always wanted to be a Lego Designer. He even googled real life ones and insisted they wore white shirts and name badges ummmmm...

I just picture some nerdy "gamer" type dude. Wearing what else but some snazzy Lego shirt with something completely "funny" on it. Like on the wall of some trendy teen store in the mall. I tried to get him to go with my idea but noooooo...

So, I went with what the boy wanted. And the kid made the coolest clip on name tag that spelled LEGO in what else but Legos. It was neat.

And I wish I had gotten a photo.

But I didn't, only one of my rock star Natalie.

She has never ever mentioned this before. Pretty sure she just wanted me to buy her a cute new outfit. It worked.

Before she only wanted to be an artist and a professional shopper like her Aunt Jenne. This weekend it was a dog trainer. Sadly she's allergic to most dogs and really only likes our Gusser's? That girl!

I was having an awful morning.

My upper back was killing me. It hurt to breathe. It was that bad. I write this as my muscle relaxers, pain meds and heating pad kick in. And i'm not a bit snoozy. Just my luck but I feel great so, score!

I left my car keys in my husband's car last night.

We don't have a spare at home.

He so nicely turned half way around on his very long commute to save me.

And my neighbor so kindly took my offspring to school. We were already late cause I couldn't find my dang car keys. Yep, awful morning.

My evening got better. The doctor prescribed drugs kicked in. I mean I could actually move like a normal person again without wanting to cry.

I got to snuggle and hold the most precious brand new chunky monkey baby boy tonight.

Had a nice dinner at home that I cooked and everyone liked, shocking I know.

And I got the best compliment. Well I think it was a compliment anyways.

That I was a stay at home mom. Ha! Me? Really? Need to win that lotto already...

Is that you Monday?!

I HATE mornings. No lie.

I fell asleep last night with the lights on. I was that tired.

And the alarm went off about 5 times, all the while I’m hitting snooze. But clearly awake and should just get out of bed.

The Mr. is so noisy. I cannot wait for him to leave, no lie.

My princess cheerfully crawls into my bed to snuggle with her momma. This makes me happy.

Except I’m pretty sure she didn’t wash her hair for like the 3^rd day in a row. Even though she swore she did.  Whatever.  

I do a load of laundry. If I don’t my children will either have to play hooky or wear dirty clothes. I am not that mom. Yet.

I need to go uniform shopping. But school’s almost out. Yep.

I’m out of white sugar. So I use brown sugar in my coffee, not the first or the last time I’m sure. And… I like it better anyways.

My mother would die if she knew I ran out of white sugar. Pretty sure it’s some depression era southern unspoken rule, I think from her momma.

I lay out their clothes, make toast, serve up some bananas and a glass of milk. Divvy up the daily asthma meds. Which at the moment is stopping me from pro-creating. I do not want another kid with asthma. Like ever. It scares me.

And I can’t decide who is to blame. Either it’s my awesome DNA or the culprit is indeed all the Mr.’s fault.

I go shower.

There is yelling and more yelling. I am screaming at them to knock it off. Classy right.

They are fighting over snack money. There are only 7 quarters on my nightstand. That their daddy so nicely scavenged for.

There is a war going on in my bedroom. I knew I should have just hidden that extra quarter.

I get out. And make them give me the change.

I then proceed to lecture them and tell them I’m going to give it to Natalie’s teacher’s room Mom for her  gift basket next week. Because well she deserves it.

I haven’t gotten a request from the boy’s class yet. I’m sure a letter was sent home.

He probably made a cool paper airplane with it.

I am lame and haven’t contributed to either yet.  It’s been a real busy week. And I never have cash, like never.

I then decide that well $1.75 sucks. So, I will be a rebel and not contribute at all.

And instead send them a Starbucks e-gift, for teacher appreciation week. I don’t need cash. And I can do it on my handy Starbucks app.

I ended up giving them the snack money anyways as we were walking out the door. Because I am weak. And I love them.

Awesome.

my happy hour

And no, not the alcohol induced fun happy hour.

Sure I like getting hammered on discounted overpriced drinks on a patio as much as the next girl.

But...

I'm talking about the happy hour I like to call, my lunch break.

It was amazing.

I went shopping.

Without kids or a nagging husband.

I scored free stuff with coupons at one of my favorite stores.

And enjoyed the best iced coffee of my life today.

And they got my name right. I was not April or even an Amber.

Yeah for being me.

buzzy day

Birthday shout out to my fabulous SIL Anita, today is her 50th birthday!

Happy Birthday Anita! WooHoo!

It's Friday. The start of another busy weekend of nonstop gotta get and go fun!

Started out right. Yep.

My boy and his best buddy ran over to me for the birthday twist this morning at assembly! I'm just gonna go ahead and keep telling myself he came over cause he wanted to shake it with his momma. And not set me up to beg and plead to let his buddy come over, yeah that couldn't have been it...

My sweet Natalie performed with her class this morning the cutest little baby bumble bee song and ea. kiddo had a cute bee fact. The girl has talked non-stop for 2 weeks about it. And she had her line down! Wish I had a video camera to catch it, hint hint Daddy!

Here's a look at the class song...

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Oh! It's yucky!
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!

I am so proud of my little bumblebee's performance, she did great! And it was hilarious, pretty sure I was giggling a wee bit louder than all the other parents too!

And check out her lil' stinger! Adorbs!

Her teach did an awesome job!