Supposed to be working out ...

But here I sit, looking at DESSERT recipes. Could I be anymore ridiculous?

My high school/college friend turned email/blog pal (hey, gotta do what you gotta do when you live a million miles away), Paula, sent me a random email a long time ago about Pioneer Woman. This woman is funny, brilliant with Photoshop, homeschools her kids (saint!), and can cook up a storm. I think I am going to make this "best ever" chocolate cake tomorrow night for my Father in Law (who loves pecans) with my sister's spaghetti (she uses sausage and hamburger - great idea, huh?!). Do yourself a favor and spend lots of time on PW's website. I have a crush on her and you will too.

Now, with the food business out of the way, a funny YouTube video sent to me by Nellers. It's the one where Ellen DeGeneres calls Gladys (from Austin), an 88 year old fit fire who "loves Jesus but drinks a little, too." The call is so funny! If you have a few minutes to watch, it will make coffee come out of your nose (that is, if you are drinking coffee this time of morning).

What else ... can I talk about while stalling on working out? What's that? Nothing is more important than my health/fitting into my bride's maid dress in May? Fine. Thanks for the buzz kill. Off to do lunges.

Tagged via Sara

Six Names I Go By

1. Mommy
   
2. Val
3. Valerie (only Wayne calls me this)
   
4. Seestor
5. Baby Girl (before Claire - she is the new baby girl, of course)
   
6. Honey
   

Three Things I am Wearing Right Now

1. Grey Sweatpants with "Jayhawk" across the bum
   
2. Pink Sweatshirt with "Kansas" on the front
   
3. Dark brown toe nail polish
   

Two Things I Want Very Badly at the Moment

1. A wedding ring. Mine was lost in Florida 2 years ago.
   
2. A cleaning lady. I find myself thinking this multiple times a day: "I JUST cleaned the bathroom ... do you (not me, everyone else, of course) really need to pee that badly?!"
   

Three Favorite Things I did Last Night

1. Played on my computer with the photos that I took earlier in the day.
   
2. Rocked Claire to sleep.
   
3. Scrapbooked.
   

Four Things I ate Today

1. Cheerios for breakfast
   
2. Cheerios for lunch
   
3. Cheerios for a mid-day snack
   
4. Pineapple pizza for dinner (and some M&M Premiums "Almond" - huge, overpriced mistake. Not that good).
   

Two People I last Talked to on the Phone

1. Mary Jo in Texas. She took my order for Claire's baptism gown.
   
2. Lindsay

Six Things I Plan to do Tomorrow

1. Take Caeden to an allergy appointment. He is really, really sick.
   
2. Pick up Dad from the airport.
   
3. Work out to "Cindy Crawford" DVD. Don't laugh! It is the best workout ever!
   
4. What Gray's Anatomy (which is recording now).
   
5. Go get some moisturizer. All three jars are empty, and I have exhausted all reserves.
   
6. Blow on Claire's toes and read "Tickle Monster" to Caeden.
   

Five Things I am Grateful for Today

1. Not to be dramatic, but I am grateful for health insurance and Wayne's job security.
   
2. A clean house/fresh sheets.
   
3. A spouse that doesn't mind that I don't cook every, single night.
   
4. The Internet.
   
5. That Caeden still has dimples on his hands. I know they won't be there much longer.
   

I tag...Paula, Whitney, Delise, & John.

Sneak Peak

It was 70 degrees today! So while Caeden dug in the dirt and hauled it all into the middle of the driveway, I took a few pictures of Claire for our Valentines that I am trying to get in the mail. This is one of my favorites.



And then there's Caeden. Does he aspire to be an Abercrombie model? Is that why he pulled his shirt up? And the gesturing...? All I can think of is "Y ... M .... C .... A!"

I could just eat him up. Crazy kid.

Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte

Yum. Last night I met some friends at Starbucks, where I promptly ordered my standard Grande Decaf - Black. (I have a weird thing about drinking calories - I try not to.)

Then wandered over to M. where she tells me about this amazing caffeine-free tea she is drinking. I took a sip.YUM. It takes like vanilla milk, except not. It's warm, sweet (but hardly), and so good. I had to get my very own.

I came home and did the math on the calories. 160. Not horrible, not great. But really worth it.

All about Etsy

My super stylish & amazingly vintage chic cousin, Nellie, has started an Etsy store. You can find her 70's & 80's stuff here: Nells Finders Keepers. I already scored the watermelon bowl; you need to be fast around here! She's the one who discovered the above card. My new favorite!

I am loving this felt Valentine Envelope.

How sweet would a yearly love letter to your children be in this? I ordered 2 {Caeden & Claire}. Hopefully I'll get them before Valentine's Day.



Last, the beloved tutu. Haven't ordered this as my Etsy spending limit has been reached for awhile, but isn't this just cute?? I love the rose petals in it. I have some sort of strange need to get Claire a Tutu in every color! :)

Things I Learned This Weekend:

How to download cool (& free) photoshop actions to make pictures look awesome. Doesn't this picture of Claire look vintage? Exactly! That is the name of the action, Vintage. Now if only everything in my life was this straight forward.



Secondly, Caeden. He no longer knows how to smile. Instead, some sort of cheese-grinning monster lives in the crook of his mouth and rears it's ugly head whenever the camera appears.


Next: Claire is infatuated with balloons, just like her older brother. She especially loves the danger of the string, which has threatened to cut off the circulation in her hand a time or two.


The forth thing I learned this weekend is, apparently it is possible to become whatever it is you are wearing on your body. Have you ever seen a child look MORE like an owl? I rest my case.

5. Homemade chocolate chip cookies taste much better when you bake with the itty, bitty, mini chocolate chips instead of the normal ones. More chocolate per bite. Trust me on this.

6. Sleep can happen anywhere. Even on Claire's bedroom floor, using a towl (left over from bath time) as a blanket. No pillow. It doesn't take much to be comfortable when you are too exhausted to climb down the stairs for the 8th time that night. Screw it. I am taking up residence in her room. It's much cuter than mine, anyway.

7. The superbowl commericals did not disappoint! I loved the Pepsi ones, but missed the Audi one, and all the Dorito ones. Must see them after I am done blogging. The biggest hit for me? Learning about Hulu. That clever Alec Baldwin sucked me right in with his alien schick and now I am totally loving Hulu. Free t.v. anytime! I no longer have to compete with Wayne while he vies for Family Guy.

8. I am, indeed, a bargin shopper. Normally when I walk into a store, I go immediately to the full-priced clothing, finding tons. Next, head to the sale rack where I find absolutely nothing. Not so! Yesterday I got the kids much needed P.J's at babyGap. Normally 22.oo each...I got 4 pairs PLUS a new pair of sunglasses for Caeden for 34.00. That includes tax.

Yes, I know! It totally makes up for the {undisclosed amount} that I spent the very next minute at a baby boutique buying some new spring time Baby Lulu clothes for Claire.

Until tomorrow...

Our Night Out

Do you remember a while ago when I said I was annoyed because I was trying to figure out how to make a frame? It took 2 hours yesterday and an hour this morning, but I finally figured it out. Go Val!

***
Last night Linz & Jordan watched the kids so that Wayne and I could hit the town. It was cold outside, and later than usual for us to be out and about, so we thought we'd be wild and crazy and head to Cherry Creek and eat at Elway's Steakhouse. For a while we thought Elway's was a gimmick. We all know how Denver-ites love their #7. Elway is like a super star here in Denver, and we thought the restaurant would be gimmicky. Well, we quickly learned his restaurant is top notch (having just opened another one in the Ritz) and decided to give it a try.

Uhhh, YUM! We had (split the sides) filet, asparagus, salad, baked potato, and a wonderful bottle of wine (for which I am paying for this morning).

It was great to be out and about. Wonderful to talk to Wayne without simultaneously feeding Claire, keeping Caeden entertained, and woofing down food before it gets cold.

We flirted. We drank wine. We talked about our usual gamut of conversational topics, we held hands on the way home.

Thanks for letting us have such a nice night Linz and Jordan. We love you!

Totally All Over the Place Entry

****

Tutu picture added later. I must have a thing for color these days as I want all those stinkin' tutus for Claire's room!

****
Baskets of crayons, markers, glitter glue, and more.


To create this: a sweet little person named Henry (I kid you not, Paula!) who went to a volcano and stepped on some lava (but was a Doctor and knew how to fix himself).



So, that was this morning. Picture drawing, story telling, and volcano education.
This afternoon, I was (almost) thinking about making this with Caeden:

Rainbow Cake

Except. The recipe is kinda ... chemically laden (sprite instead of butter, etc.). The lady who made this cake is 25, on a diet, and has no kids. While the cake would be so fun, because Caeden loves to mix colors, the recipe is a bit ... skinny. Is that good for kids? Not that fat-laden desserts are any better. Sigh.

Anyway, take a look (the commentary is funny).

Is there a child out there that wouldn't have a blast with it?

Another One

You are probably getting sick of these layouts, but to be honest, playing with photoshop is the only interesting thing I have been doing. {You should see the house.}

I am trying to talk myself out of spending money. Do you ever get the itch to just buy something?
I walked into J.Crew last night and found 10 things I want: shirts, pants, & a cute cardigan (on sale!) but walked out with nothing and am STILL thinking about it all. I am about 4 years behind on fashion as my closet has this in it: skinny clothes from 5 years ago (the shirts are too short, the jeans too light, the styles are all wrong), pregnant clothes, losing weight from being pregnant but still can't get into my old size (but who cares cuz' the skinny clothes are ugly), and finally, a few little gems from our Key West trip (two years ago!!).

The other thing I want is some photoshop actions. They make your photographs look like candy. I want them. Bad.

I also have a shopping cart full of scrapbooking supplies just sitting there, as I loaded up the cart and then left the website.

So. Hide the credit card. And continue to play with photoshop. Boring?? Maybe, but definitely thrifty!

Had to Share

If the land of blogs and Facebook weren't enough ...

I present a directory of blogs: very easy and organized way of finding blogs that pertain ... to ...whatever.

And, Nie is back at her blog. Surviving and blogging. I cried when I saw that she had posted. What a miracle. For you that don't know the story, a beautiful couple were in a plane crash and survived. They suffered severe - so severe no one knew if they would survive - burns and injuries. They have 4 children, and while they recovered, Nie's sister posted updates on her blog - all the while taking care of her sister's children. The story is one of love and hope and miracles.

{8 Months} with Claire Bear

A Blessing.
Easy to Please. Gummy Smiles. Flirt.
Glows in presence of big brother.
Loves sippy cups, bath time & chewing on washcloths.
Sleeps sometimes. At different times. For different amounts of time.
Smells amazing.
Feels so soft.
Loves to have toes blown on.
Provider of joy.
Pure love.

Another Photoshop Lesson Completed

I'm starting to get the hang of Photoshop - having so much fun with it! This one is for Grandma. We can't wait to take you bowling. Maybe Caeden can show you a thing or two. ;)

Spring Fever

Dirty Jeans = Must have been a pretty nice day outside. How about 70 degrees!


Caeden dug up the dirt in my flower bed and professed that I was not allowed to touch it.

Lots of chalk-drawn roads for anything with wheels ...

And today? A high of 13 degrees and snow.

While Caeden was at school, I thought I would pretend to be Martha and make some homemade rice pudding with cherries in it. It turned out so good, and Caeden wouldn't even touch it. Maybe I should have made chocolate pudding ...? Making carnidas (again) for dinner. The house smells spicy and warm and my avocados are perfect for making some guac. It's nice to be home today nesting when it's so cold outside.



One last picture: my new camera strap. Should be here next week. Found it here on Etsy.

Keep the Ball Rolling

We went bowling on Saturday afternoon for a much needed "get out of the house" activity. We entered another world - a world where it is okay for kids to be loud, for parents to drink beer, for lots of fun and laughing - even when it's cold outside. Why had we not done this before??


Caeden loved every minute of it. He waited for an hour {with a cherry icee and popcorn} for a lane to open without so much as a peep of a complaint. Here he is rocking the blue bowling ball. Notice where he is in relation to the line. :)


Caeden would roll the ball and have time to: watch it for awhile, turn around and come talk to us, give someone a high 5 or a hug, look at the ceiling {disco ball}, take a drink of icee, and STILL have time to return to the lane to watch his ball hit some pins {bumpers are wonderful}. It was adorable and priceless and so much fun to watch.


Is it just me or have bowing balls actually become prettier?


Linz and Jordan joined us for the afternoon. We had so much fun - can't wait to do it again!

As an aside, the music is SO LOUD. I am not talking about being old and persnickity. I love loud music, but it was crazy loud and not good for Claire. So, I ordered some {pink} earphones for her to muffle the sound. That's how serious I am about going back. :)

School Card Ideas for Valentine's Day

Target has been on my "to do" list all week so that Caeden can pick out some Valentine cards for his school pals. Then I came across this site on Etsy that sells downloadable Valentines that can be printed as many times as you want. I love the animal graphics and the birds.


The same site has this hilarious card for sale.

Blogging Break

I'm taking the rest of the week off (sorry grandpa and grandma, I know how you love to see pictures of the kids...). I developed an all-over body rash similar to what I had while pregnant with Claire (no, I'm not prego) and it is taking it's toll on me. Went to an Allergy Doctor and had the test done where they prick your back with different kinds of allergens to see what gives a reaction, and I am not allergic to any foods/nuts/etc. Just the usual weeds and sage brush. So, no idea what is causing this flair up, but it makes sleeping and functioning difficult (itching which leads to bleeding).

All these gross details to tell you I am taking a break from my computer and will start again next week when I am (hopefully) functioning better.

My sweet husband took Caeden to school this afternoon and then went to the grocery store for me because he saw my list on the counter. What a great guy. I think I am in good hands.

Grandpa and Grandma - I promise lots of great pictures next week.

Breakfast of Champions

Pears, Corn & Butternut Squash for Claire. I stuck with decaf and a bowl of Amy's "instant" steel cut oats from Costco (OMG, they are so good! Steel cut oatmeal in 4 minutes. Yum!).


This girl loves to feed herself. She tolerated me feeding her for about a week, and then figured out how to grab the spoon. I have to keep multiples handy cuz' she doesn't like to give them back.


I remember this stage with Caeden, the huge messes for every meal time, the floor needing to be mopped each time ... and the funny sounds I make to get her to open her mouth... :)

P.S. I came across this yummy recipe for blueberry scones. I'm lovin' the breakfast theme.

For Lindsay

Claire has taken TWO naps today... So I have had time to be on a roll with Photoshop! :)
This one is for you (click on image to enlarge). I love you!

First Photoshop Project

Having relied on Wayne for ages for "all things computer," it feels great to learn something on my own. One thing I realize now is, there is A LOT I didn't know. And I still don't know. But, look what I did ... created my first scrapbook page entirely in Photoshop. A week ago I couldn't even figure out how to convert a picture to black and white.

Progress!

Annoyed No More

I am happy to report that I officially have (small) Photoshop skills. I am taking some online classes on it, and am having a blast! So far I can navigate my palette/tool bar (and actually know what they all do) and do some basic editing of photos. This is huge because the program is complex and not intuitive at all. I plan on doing a lesson a day and steadily make progress.

(Look at me with my fancy screen shot. I told you I have some skills!)

As you know, I am also training for a 1/2 marathon. I haven't ran in 3 days because 2 of them were my days off (now I know to split them up, oops) and the third day (last night) I was so stinkin' tired. I will not name names, but a certain 7 month old was up most of the night and took only 1 nap during the day. I was wiped out last night. I am just one of those people who NEEDS sleep. I need it, people. As soon as this certain-someone can read, I'll be sure to send her the memo.

Anyhoo, today is a new day, and I plan on running 3 miles. I can't even tell you how good it feels to be running again. My moods are better, I have more energy, and I feel good. I am just running in the basement as LifeTime Fitness seems to be a big bust as the infant care center is always full, making it nearly impossible to take the kids when I want to work out. The basement is working out much better, and I have always loved my treadmill...

So, 3 miles today.

Home Sick

Wayne is going to KC next week on business & I am trying to figure out a way to tag along. I am missing my dear friends & wanted to do some shopping (Curious Sofa, Nells Hill, Lauren Alexandra, & Standard). But, after taking into account: 1) What to do with Caeden 2) Do I want to spend the money on a plane ticket? ... I slowly slid out of the idea of going.

This afternoon, I got ambitious and proceeded to download some digital frames to play with in photoshop (thank you, Michelle, for the tutorial yesterday!). As I was checking out, I noticed my old information was still populated in the billing address field.


And BAM! I was homesick all over again. For my old house (which I was totally sick of at the time), for my old address (because I liked the "ring" of it), for my old friends (of course!), for all of it. It has been two years since we moved and I still get a lump in my throat when I think of the house we brought Caeden home to. When I think of the trees we planted in the back yard that grew big enough to support a swing. When I think of my neighbors & my best girlfriends that I could call for a run, a coffee, a workout, a scrapbook night. It's all gone.


What a depressing post. Sorry about that. I just needed to get it out.

Onto something wonderful today: I met an old girlfriend (from Gillette) that now lives down here for breakfast this morning. Her two beautiful children and Caeden had a blast together while we exchanged snipits of our lives over pancakes. It was wonderful and I am so happy we've reconnected. She's a wonderful spirit & so funny.

Anyway, the weather is gorgeous & will be all week. Caeden is playing outside and I am *waiting* for Claire to fall asleep. I have carnida meat in the crockpot -- so good on warm tortiallas with a squeeze of lime and some salsa, cheese, and homemade guac.

Have a great weekend.

XOXO

A Recipe for Fake Brushetta

I took a sick day yesterday and slept as much as I could. So, two posts today to keep things rolling...a recipe to share.

Now, I know some of you get to live in places where good tomatoes are not hard to find. Not the case for Denver (seafood also falls in this category now that I think about it). But, do you ever eat sun dried tomatoes? Oh sooo good. And easy - just pick up a jar in the produce section of the grocery store.

Fake Summer Brushetta (but better).

Baguette (I like Panera's baguette)
Herbed Goat Cheese (we are lucky enough to have Haystack Cheese close to us but here is a listing by state of the places that also carry it. It is the best ever and worth finding.)
Sun dried Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
*Balsamic Syrup (the secret ingredient)

So, basically you just toast the bread in the oven, slather on some goat cheese, a basil leaf, some sun dried tomatoes, and then drizzle it with balsamic syrup.

This stuff is so good that I had it for lunch today and dinner the other night. And I am thinking about it again for dinner tonight.

*1 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 C sugar -- boil until reduced by half. Should be thick and syrupy. {We also drizzle it over steak.}

Caeden and his Impeccable Timing

I was taking some pictures of Claire this morning cuz' while we had no where to go, the girl was looking cute in her brown crocheted hat...

When, at the top of the stairs, Caeden appears.
"What are you doing Mommy?"
"Just taking pictures."
"I want to be in some."
"Great!"


And so I got this funny one (Caeden looks like a honey and Claire looks totally annoyed).

And this fantastic one of Caeden and his beloved Monster Truck that Wayne got him at Target yesterday...

And then he was done. Off to do more important things ...

You know what Claire was thinking, right?

Yes, just another day at the Koop house. And you thought underwear around the house was as casual as it got around here.

C Bear

Hi Grandparents! Tried getting a picture of Caeden but he ran around in his underwear all day (and watched Scooby Doo. That's what you do when you're sick ... again).

Weekend Update

We had our first "night out" since Claire was born. We joined a wine club that meets once a month/rotating houses. It was so much fun to visit with everyone and try some new wines. The criteria:

This month's theme was 2005 Central Coast. We each bring 2 bottles at 15.00 or under & 1 bottle of anything that's 6.00 or under.

We brought a Sterling Pinot (I think??) and someone else brought the Sterling Cabernet (I really liked it). We only got 4 glasses into it when we learned Claire wasn't sleeping for Lindsay and Jordan. She just wasn't having it ... so we came home. She just wanted Mama, because I had her asleep in about 5 minutes, and then she slept through the night!

I got to dress up and sleep all night. Not to shabby, no?

Yesterday I was flipping through Real Simple Magazine, and came across a workout top that I had to share: Sports Bra

Running in a t-shirt is too cumbersome and hot -- and I am not brave/skinny enough to run in just a normal sports bra, so I loved this new style. The magazine shows it in the color navy, which I am parcial to - so I am on a hunt for it at Dicks or Sports Authority (ordering online, especially when we just got 5" of snow today would be wayyyy too easy).

And I just got an email from J.Crew with this cardigan:I am loving them these days. My sister is the queen of layering, and she talked me into a black dress (totally a summer time one - cotton, with spaghetti straps) with tights, and then a cardigan over it (wore it the other night) and now I want to wear cardigans with jeans, and shorts this summer. Plus, their prices (while still high) have come down a bit. Making one not such a huge deal, especially when you can wear it with so much.

Anyhoo, that's all I've got. Happy Monday!

Grandparents -- I didn't take a single picture of the kids this weekend. I will be better and try for some today.

Techno Zippo

I have been sitting at my computer for 45 minutes, determined to learn a lesson from my Photoshop book. But, first I need to check my bank balance ... and has anyone posted on Facebook lately? ... then email ... and blogs ...

So now it's time to go get Caeden from school and I haven't even OPENED the book. I seriously annoy myself. I am very annoyed, Valerie.

All I want to know is how to find things that I download (where in the world does my Mac put them?!) and use them and Photoshop together.
This awesome Polaroid template: Here
And this neat frame kit (to pretty up my blog): Here

My husband is the biggest techno wizard out there, yet I can't bring myself to ask him to help me as I am trying to bring new things to the table. You know, so in casual dinner conversation I can say, "So, I downloaded an awesome template that creates vintage Polaroid shots. Our family vacation shots look incredible." (While serving something totally yummy. You know, so he thinks I am the total package.)

Off to get Caeden.

And I am still annoyed.