4 months...

19.3 lbs.


27.5 in.

4 months today!

Totally worth it!

xo
Ralonda

change of plan...

Sleep deprivation is a cruel, cruel thing.


My plan, when I found out we were expecting,
and after the morning sickness dissipated and I could regain
my normal thinking, was to be a "greener" mom.

I mean, I was already somewhat "green" to begin with...
I just wanted to be "greener".


So, it was only natural for me to research
and start buying cloth diapers.

Only to be hit with the reality of the cost of these suckers.
WOW!
I was going to have to test them out before purchasing
the lot for baby Jude's diaper career.

Famous last words:
"I'll only use disposables for the first few months or so,
then I'll switch to cloth!"

ummm... yeah!

Then I discovered something...


Disposable diapers are different from what I remembered twelve years ago.

They're cloth like... soft!

Not as bulky as either.

They certainly fit in my purse better for a
quick errand away from the house...
and, if we do have an accident, I can just toss it!

In fact, today's disposable diapers ARE more earth friendly!

My husband likes the disposable diapers best!

My recent ad on Craigslist read:

"Sleep deprived mom decided not to go with cloth... I'm sticking with Pampers!"
"I barely have time to do my own laundry, let alone diapers too!"


I sold them to the first bidder!

xo
Ralonda

lets eat cake...

Spring is HERE!
Spring is HERE!!
Spring is HEEEERRRREEEE!!!

Lets all run out our front doors, breath in the
fresh air and do cart wheels in our fresh new grass...
that is, if you've got any yet!

In honor of this new season, where everything
is new again, lets eat cake!

In fact, lets eat some Vanilla Cake with,
are you ready for THIS?...
Key Lime Buttercream Frosting!

Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy... pass the fork right now!

If you're a fan of Key Lime Pie,
then you're gonna love this!

I couldn't stop licking my fingers on this one!

And the cake... I'm not gonna lie to ya.
Mine got a little too done... I think it's my oven or
my sleep deprivation (please note: I'll probably be blaming
all my mishaps on that for the next year... or twenty!)

Anyway, aside from a little well done, the cake is delicious.
Even the cake batter is to die for... not that I would know anything
about THAT. It's just something I heard. :)

You could totally make this cake for any occasion
and frost it with any flavor of frosting.

Now, go celebrate Spring and bake this cake NOW!


~Vanilla Cake~

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 cups CAKE flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk

~Beat sugar and butter at medium until creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
~Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.
~Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

~In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
~Add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and
ending with flour mixture.
~Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition.
(Batter will be thick.) Use immediately.

~Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees in 2 greased and floured 9-inch round
cake pans for 30 to 35 minutes, checking with a wooden pick for doneness.


~Key Lime Buttercream Frosting~

1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (32-oz) pkg. powdered sugar
4 to 5 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. Key lime zest
3 Tbsp. Key lime juice.

~Beat first three ingredients at medium speed until creamy.
~Beat in Key lime zest.
~Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk and Key lime juice,
beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.
~Beat in up to 2 Tbsp. additional milk for desired consistency.

Happy Spring...
and Happy Birthday to Amy!
xo
Ralonda

happy st. patrick's day...

As I reminisce about where we were

and what we were doing

last year for St. Patty's Day...

Visiting some dear friends that live in a suburb of Chicago.

I can't help but reflect on how our lives are so very different now...

It's all good.

Hope everyone had a fabulous day...
I even got to enjoy some beer THIS year
and wasn't nominated as the designated driver!
Well, that's because we stayed HOME! :)

xo
Ralonda

roasted garlic...

What does one do with a bunch of garlic?

Grab your knife and chop off some heads!

Find an old pan and coat it with olive oil.

Drizzle olive oil over the garlic.
Salt and pepper too.

Pop in a 375 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes.

While the garlic is filling your house with a fabulous aroma,
take a few pictures of something you love.

Then use the freshly roasted garlic in your mash taters
or spread it on some bread with butter... mmmmmm

You're welcome!
xo
Ralonda

parmesan oven fried zucchini...

Hello friends...
I realized it's been almost two weeks since my last post.
I bet you were wondering where I got off to.
Well, no where in particular really... I wish that were the case.
Time just flies, or rather the days just sort of run into each other,
when you're severely sleep deprived.
Anyway, I've got a few posts up my sleeve...
lets ignore the laundry and hope baby Jude cooperates
long enough for me to share.

This here is what I call, Parmesan Oven Fried Zucchini...

If you have zucchini lovers in your house, then you, like me,
are always trying to find new ways to cook it up.

I came up with this last week... and it was delicious.

I also came across this dipping sauce and thought it would be fun.

And it was!

Parmesan Oven Fried Zucchini

2 to 3 zucchini, halved and cut into slices
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

~Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

~Mix together in a shallow dish the salt, breadcrumbs,
Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.

~Coat the zucchini with the olive oil then with the breadcrumb mixture.

~Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.


Apricot Dipping Sauce


1/4 c. Apricot jelly or preserves
1 tablespoon water
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash Tabasco sauce

~Mix together all ingredients in a dipping bowl.


Enjoy!

Be back soon... promise!

xo
Ralonda

p dub's "spreads"...

Here's a little something for you to snack on...
because I like you.

These are Pioneer Woman's "Spreads".
She used to (and still does on occasion) make
them for her oldest brother.
This is the second batch I've made...
because they are crazy simple to make
and crazy simple to snack on with a glass of milk...
not that I would know anything about THAT!

On the second batch, I concluded that they would
be even more crazy yummy if they had a peanut-butter
layer under the chocolate... and I was right!
Oh boy, oh boy, was I right on that one!

Pioneer Woman's "Spreads"

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup margarine
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 to 8 ounces of chocolate chips

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Mix together brown sugar and margarine.
~Add egg and mix together.
~Add the flour, salt and vanilla and mix together.
~Spread the dough onto a cookie sheet to a
thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.
~Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly browned.
~Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.
~Return to oven for 1 minute.
~Remove from oven and spread the melted chips
evenly over the top.
~Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

But be sure to warn your hips and thighs first!

xo
Ralonda

austin valentine...

I know it's been nearly two weeks ago since Valentine's Day...
but I told you I would share all the mushy details, and
dog-gone-it, that's what I'm gonna do!
So here ya go... but don't say I didn't warn ya with all the mushiness...

Austin is about 3 1/2 hours from my doorstep...
and I had the fabulous idea to take the Mini Cooper
down for Valentine's weekend (yes, with baby in tow).
I bet you can sense right now just how mushy it was.

It was a fun little trip.
Baby Jude did wonderfully on the drive down.
We did stop at Dairy Queen for a quick romantic bite,
and to let Jude stretch his little legs.

We arrived Friday afternoon and
with almost no effort, we found our hotel... lol
Do you detect a hint of sarcasm here? You should.

We woke to a LOVELY cloudy, chilly Valentine's Day,
and neither of us had packed anything warm... because
a certain someone (I won't name names here... but it's
the only female on the trip.) looked up the weather and
it said it was going to be in the 70's. And JB said we needed
to pack light because we could only get "so much" in the Mini.
So, off to Old Navy we went! How enchanting!
After we purchased a few jackets, we headed towards Austin's
East Side, to pick up an old high school/college buddy of JB's.
Oh, did I forget to tell you that JB went to college in Austin?
Well, he did!

This is his shop.
After chit-chatting with JB's buddy's mom and sister
(they were also visiting), we piled in the Cooper and
headed here... a place that I've been dying to try.
And had I done more research on the place, I would've
known that the wait, on any given day, is 1 1/2 hours.
But that didn't bother us on that dreamy afternoon,
it just gave us more time to savor all the... umm... dreaminess
that was amidst in the air. lol

Later, back at our hotel, this sweet breathed bundle
dictated the rest of our bewitching evening.

lol... the reality of it was, we were so stuffed from eating at The Salt Lick
that neither of us had the energy to go to some "fancy" restaurant
that JB actually had reservations at. All I wanted to do was put on my
pj's, stretch out in the king size bed and snuggle with my two Valentine's.
Now that's romantic don't you agree?

And let me just say: It's really hard to be "romantic" with your sweetheart
when you have a two month old between you. Baby Jude doesn't care
what date the calendar said it is.
And I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not even sure that JB got a Valentine's kiss.

But I do know that we had a good time.
Here are a few random pictures that I
did manage to get... I'm also embarrassed
to say that I didn't get many.

I like this one of JB.

On Sunday (which was a much more beautiful day),
JB took me downtown so I could get some pics
of our state capitol...

And about 5 minutes after I took this picture
baby Jude spit up all over me!
Lovely it was, I tell ya! Just LOVELY!
So, that was pretty much it for me... the icing on
our Dreamy-Austin-Valentine-Get-Away-Cake.
I packed up my camera, wiped myself off and we
headed for home.

And I'm pretty sure this is what lil' guy thought of the whole escapade!

Next year, we'll probably just stay home!

xo
Ralonda