Cheesy Chimiladas

What oh what, do you ask, is a Chimilada? A Chimilada is my own brainchild- it is what would happen if a crispy delicious Chimichanga and a saucy, succulent Enchilada had a love child.

I love to cook, but I'm not one to crave foods very often, even when I'm pregnant...but I do crave "tastes"...I will crave the tastes of different herbs and spices combined together, and then I go look for recipes that will fulfill my needs...this usually results in my finding 4 or 5 different recipes that I like bits and pieces of, so I put the bits and pieces together. Sometimes its just okay, sometimes its a disaster...and then there are nights like tonight when I hit it out of the park...

My husband isn't a big fan of Mexican food and he said, "Wow, this is actually REALLY good." (I'm not surprised he was surprised, when I'm on my weird taste craving kicks dinner in our house can be really interesting.)  When my husband says something is good, I know I have a keeper!

So- here for your viewing pleasure (and possibly your tasting pleasure) I give you Mexican 'a la Brittany- the Cheesy Chimilada!

For the filling you will need:
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 to 1 onion chopped (onion can be put in to your taste)
2/3 cup salsa or picante sauce
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I use Colby Jack)

 Put the onion and ground beef into a fry pan, cook until the meat is browned.

 

Then, add the salsa, cumin, oregano, and salt. Simmer until most of the liquid has cooked away. 

 Remove from heat, then add the cheese.

 

 Stir until the meat becomes a cheesy, gloppy mess (ie the cheese is evenly distributed throughout the mix)

Heat oven to 475 degrees

 Warm six 8 inch tortillas in the microwave (to make them more pliable). Butter one side of the tortilla.
 Place it butter side down on a small cookie sheet. Spoon on the filling and wrap, leaving the seam side down (Yes, your hands will get buttery or margerine-y depending on what you use, life and cooking are messy...you'll be fine!) See the wrapping steps below:

tuck and roll!

You're the master of the burrito wrap!

Once all 6 are wrapped, place in the heated oven and bake for 10-13 minutes (check at 10 minute mark, some ovens heat faster than others, I know in mine they are done after 9 minutes or so) You want the tortillas to be crispy to the touch and lightly browned.

See the brown, crsipy edges?

For the sauce:

In a blender blend:

1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

 Then add:

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp Cumin

2 tsp sugar

3-5 tsp Chili Powder (to taste, I find that 3 heaping tsp fulls is plenty)

2 tsp onion powder

Blend again- taste test to see if you need to adjust the spices

 Then put into sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes

Once the filled tortillas are crisped up, spoon the sauce over the top and then cover with cheese. Don't use all the sauce! You will need it for plating! I usually find that I use about half to sauce for this part- By the way, this part turns a Chimichanga into a Chimilada...so if you don't want to use the sauce, you can always just top it with salsa, sour cream, guac, etc. and be done with dinner for the night....but why not take that next step into the realm of deliciousness? 

 Put the Chimiladas back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spoon a "nest" of sauce onto the plate and place the Chimilada over the top and voila!

You can at this point add guacamole (I wish we'd had avocados- I so would have made some!), sour cream, olives, etc...whatever your general Mexican fare toppings may be in your house...and then enjoy. This would go great with a traditional beans and rice combo- or you can have it like we did, with a lovely green salad (with cucumbers and pears! Yummy!)

Jeff actually said that it tasted like I'd put refried beans into the tortillas, I didn't, but that was about the consistency of the meat after the way it had been cooked. It was PERFECT to feed the cravings I was having tonight.

Hugs, deliciousness, and cooking adventures until next time darlings!

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I have a deep love for Greek food...

Don't ask me why...

Gyro night when I was growing up was always silly. My dad always made the most amazing Steak Gyros, and it was one of the few recipes he didn't allow us in the kitchen to watch him make.

In hindsight, it was likely because he knew he would get complaints as we watched him massacre beloved cucumbers and throw them into a bowl of yogurt as he made Tzatziki (to be honest, cucumbers had an almost holy status in our house growing up. We usually only got them in the summer when we had them in the garden or when they were super cheap at the store...we would have much rather eaten them doused in vinegar, salt and pepper than in a mixture with yogurt. When I figured out what was in Tzatziki when I was older, I figured he had the attitude of what we didn't know wouldn't kill us...)

After he died, there was a little whole left in my heart where my dad, Gyro night, and Greek food should have been.

For years I have tried to duplicate his recipe- always getting close, but not all the way there.

Tonight, I am proud to say, that I think I have duplicated at least his famous Tzatziki...of course, as our Gyros were chicken, I still have to work on the steak...but the chicken was delightful. The only thing I would change would probably be to add less oregano (its a personal taste thing...too much oregano and dishes start to taste dirty and bitter to me.)

You can try the recipe yourselves and do it as written or add more or less oregano- its up to you!

For the meat (its a traditional Greek Lemon Chicken BTW):

Cube uncooked chicken (its easiest to do this after its been in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or when its still frozen in the middle as you're waiting for it to thaw.)

In a cup mix:
2 TBS oil (olive oil or vegetable oil will work for this one- the oil is basically to make frying easier)
2 TBS lemon juice
1TBS dijon mustard (1 TBS mustard powder would work as well, I like Dijon because it gives a little kick)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp apple cider or red wine vinegar (either will work- heck, try regular vinegar if that's all you have.)
(My rule of thumb with marinades is this: Adjust the sweet (sugar) to sour (vinegar) ratio until you have a mixture that you would use as a salad dressing. If I wouldn't eat it on its own, then I won't like it on my meat.)

Pour mixture over meat in a bag. Marinate 3 -24 hours, flipping back periodically to make sure that the marinade is evenly distributed.

Now you have two choices:
You can do what I did and put the chicken onto skewers and grill it on a grill pan or on your grill or you can spray a fry pan and pour the chicken mixture into it and fry the pieces. In both methods, you obviously want to cook the pieces until the juices run clear and there is no pink.

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 single serving portion of plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt (8 oz/ 1 cup)
1 clove of garlic minced as fine as you can get it
1/2 medium cucumber or 1 large pickling cucumber, peeled and deseeded, then diced small
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp vinegar (this will be to taste. Start with 1/2 tsp and add the other 1/2 if you feel you need more of that punch that the vinegar gives)
1 1/2 TBS oil (again vegetable or olive oil will work)
1/4 tsp of dill (okay, traditionally this would be mint- I personally find mint to be too pungent. Dill is a nice cooling substitute with a not overpowering, pleasant taste)
milk to thin

take cucumber dices, toss them in 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper- allow that mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients. This will seep some of the water out of the cucumbers and flavor them a bit, making your sauce less runny later on and more flavorful initially.

Mix the rest of the ingredients except for the remaining salt and pepper and the milk. Once the cucumbers have been added, add the salt and pepper to taste (meaning you may not need the rest of the 1/4 tsp of both) THEN thin the sauce using the milk. This way, if you manage to get it a little too salty, the milk will help to spread the salt flavor around and fix your boo boo!

For the Gyros:

Use a pita, put a bed of leafy greens (we used a spring mix), diced tomatoes (if ya dig 'em), chicken, and then Tzatziki (the less you use, the drier your Gyro will be...I almost wished I'd put more on mine, the Tzatziki was the bomb diggity!)

I wish my camera wasn't dead, because I would have taken pictures of the succulent deliciousness!

OPA!

Hugs and deliciousness until next time!

Motherhood

Its so hard to think that my little baby is 5 months old...
Everyone comments that she is so tiny, but I remember her when she was like this:

So tiny, so fragile, but she ended up being so strong.  I remember crying when the nurse in the NICU told me that I would likely have to leave her there alone for a whole week...She was off the oxygen much faster than they expected she would be, and she was discharged only 1 day after me (and could have technically been discharged with me, but since we hadn't had a chance to have her in my room overnight yet, the doc wanted us to have one night that we took care of her assisted by the nurses...)

With baby #2 on the way, of course I have my worries. Mostly because I love this little girl SO MUCH and I worry that she won't understand why I won't be able to pick her up right away when she wants to be held or that she will start to think that she doesn't matter...because she does...she matters more than words can say.

This picture from Valentine's Day is so her...she is so happy, content and chill. She just loves to snuggle up in your lap and play with the keys on your keyboard with her hands and feet (buttons are her new "thing")...she loves to play with her hands and she loves bright colors and loud patterns...she is so gentle, so loving. Her biggest thrill in life is making new "friends" she smiles at everyone and makes their day better. Case and point- the nurse at my OBGYN's office is kind of a cranky pants- one smile from Faith and she is the most agreeable, kind person on the planet...she just LOVES, there is no expectation, just the hope that you'll smile back and say a kind word to her. Let her play with your hands and she's your friend for life!

I read a blog the other day that rang very true to me. I wish I could remember the link so you could read it too...the major gist was this- everyone seems to have this negative idea about parenting. You hear things like, "Sure, she's cute now, but just wait until she's older...then she won't be so cute." I hear that all the time! I kind of get sick of it. They go from loving my baby and smiling at her to accusing her of being a horrible terror in the future.

Motherhood isn't meant to be easy, I'm learning that it takes tough choices, tough times, and that it can be messy- I learned that the day she was born when I had to wait 6 hours to see her little face in person, I learned that even more when I thought I'd have to leave her behind at the hospital, I've learned that through sleepless nights and the gallons of spit-up that cover my wardrobe on a daily basis. I know only 5 months doesn't make me an expert but I do know a few things for certain:

I'm getting to know my daughter's spirit. She is so loving and kind that I believe that any bad behavior later on is going to come from a place of confusion or misunderstanding. I think in many ways she is like me, which makes my heart ache for her at times. I spent so much of my youth being in pain emotionally, but not saying a word because I was afraid of hurting the people around me or making them sad. Faith is a peaceful soul, she is an old soul. She wants so badly to be doing "big girl things" already- you should see her desperate attempts to crawl. Her little legs get going and it looks like she is trying to swim on the carpet, she just hasn't figured out yet that her arms need to be in on the action- but once she does, look out! She also tries to talk to me, I can see the frustration in her little face as she babbles and tries to get me to give her a toy or make her a bottle- sometimes I can't figure it out fast enough and that is when my little diva shows her "diva" side. I can tell that I am going to have to help guide her to see what is appropriate and when, I can tell that, like me, she is going to have a problem with patience and will have many lessons to learn along the way. I can tell that I am going to have to give her wings and let her fly a little sooner than I might like...but I also can already tell how smart she is. She gets such joy out of figuring things out herself. There is a snack tray (that has yet to be used) on her little Bumpo-esque activity chair. The snack tray has 2 removable cups...her favorite thing to do when she sits in the chair is to take the cups out and put them back in the holes...and of course, she has the biggest smiles when we're cheering her on or telling her that she did a good job when she's figured something new out.

I love her so much (in case I don't say that enough on this blog...) I've had friends and former teachers ask me how I like being a mom- I can honestly say I love it...

My overall reaction to the hard times we've had thus far can be summed up in one story. We were at church for the first time since she was born- we'd recently made the switch to formula and Faith spit up every ounce she'd just eaten (I swear, EVERY ounce) it was all over me and her. I whisked her to the bathroom, so wise, sage mothers from the ward had witnessed the catastrophe and followed me into the bathroom from the chapel. I grabbed paper towels (as the burp cloth was SOAKED) and began to clean her up, ignoring myself for last, I looked down at my sweet baby's face and chuckled, "Good job baby...nobody can say that you're not an overachiever." I said jovially, and laughing. The sage mothers that had followed me into the bathroom didn't quite get the reaction they'd expected apparently. They all laughed and one said, "All I can say is that when something like this happened with my first baby I cried and had my husband take me home. I was definitely not expecting to hear you laugh and joke with your baby about it."  I said, "Why not laugh- its pretty funny...look at me, I'm covered- this is sitcom worthy right here."  We all chuckled and they started cleaning me up while I finished wiping down my sweet baby (who was now asleep) with wipes out of the diaper bag...

I'd rather laugh than cry- that's my motto.

I read blogs of other mothers that have been parted from their sweet babies in this life and my heart aches. I cannot even fathom not seeing her happy, smiling face in the morning...hearing her scream and cry because she wants to fight nap time (even though we both know how much she really needs it), the smiling, knowing glances up in the wee hours of the morning as I feed her a small bottle to get her to sleep just a little bit longer... I read their stories and I am reminded to cherish every moment, to take a mental picture and store it if, heaven forbid, we end up being parted in this life too soon. I see news stories of parents who hurt their children, who are the cause to the end of their sweet, little lives, and my heart aches again- How? That is my only question... All I can do is wrap my sweet baby up in my arms, breathe her in, and pray that we will get lots of time together here on this earth.

I  know...I know...Right now, I only have the one- I don't  have the experience of many little rugrats running around my house and destroying everything in sight...but the honest to goodness truth is that I don't think my attitude will change. I LOVE being a mom...even on days when I'm getting cabin fever because we're here without a car, even on days when my little princess is being a holy terror because she's sick, or teething...in all the bad there is SO MUCH GOOD! So much to smile and laugh about...so why not choose laughter? Why not choose to not let yourself be overwhelmed and choose instead to just...be...

Be in the moment, be a mom- be the best darn mom you can be...show your little ones the kindness and love that they deserve.

I won't claim that I'm perfect at it...I have my moments- fortunately, my dear husband is there to take baby and tell me to go lay down for a minute...but it doesn't take long until I want her back in my arms, I want to smell her smell, to make her smile and hear her laugh...even hear her cry if she is in a "mood" and needs a little mamma love as opposed to daddy love.

I will admit it- YES I am overwhelmed at times, especially with the thought of having to do this with two under the age of two...but then I remind myself that I am not alone...

I have a wonderful husband, who is the most amazing father. Faith loves him so much- when he gets home she follows him with her gaze until he swoops her up and gives her a hug. She will reach out for him if she is sick of plain old mamma...and I can't wait to see another little one do the same thing.

I also have a loving Father in Heaven, who answers prayers and will never leave me without comfort or help. ..more importantly, it is the same Father in Heaven who blessed me with the opportunity to be a mother- something that only a few short years ago I believed would never happen for me. He trusts me enough to let me take care of some of his children, to raise them, to teach them right from wrong, to make them a part of my eternal family...I have friends that haven't been blessed with this opportunity, I see how it breaks their hearts to be single, or even married and waiting for the blessing of an adoption or to have infertility treatments work to grow their family, and the calling that I have been blessed with becomes all the more precious to me. I had once been told by a doctor that I would never be able to have children because of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and here I am lucky enough to be on the right medications to make it possible for my body to do what it needs to do so that I can help create life...this is a HUGE responsibility and blessing- one that much of the world takes so lightly...if every woman and man thought about the fact that not everyone is blessed with the ability to have their own children certain medical procedures that shall remain nameless wouldn't even exist... (of course, that is part of this life, agency- the right to choose...but in making a choice, perhaps this should be something they are reminded of...)

Being a mother is such a blessing. I have brief moments where I think of the "what if's"- I miss being on the stage and performing, but I also know that good things come to those that wait. I know that if I want those opportunities, the Lord will bless me at the right time to find the right place to share my talents again (outside of church...LOL)...in the meantime, I can be so grateful for them and the opportunities that my education will help afford for my family. I have a built in "at-home" career...I can be a mom and a voice-teacher/ local celebrity (once I find the right outlet! LOL). My education also gave me the experience and know-how I needed so that my husband and I can make the choice of homeschooling possible for our children, and a far less daunting thought for us...(before you nay-sayers get your panties in a twist, we WILL be giving them the option to go to high school, but with the current state of the public education system, we'd rather have a little more control over what they're learning earlier on, homeschooling will give us the ability to allow them to work ahead if they need to, or to focus more and stay behind in certain subjects if they need to, we also feel that they will have more creative outlets this way, as many public elementary schools are cutting P.E. and Music out to save their budgets. I have taken many education classes, and I can assure you that, for an aware parent, there are plenty of other socialization options for your children outside of being in a public school if you're willing to look for them.)

I love my 24/7 job. Friends can attest to the fact that I have a problem leaving Faith for even a few short hours to go to Relief Society activity...I don't want to miss a thing...all the prima donna roles that I could have on the stage, or awards that I can win would NEVER be able to hold a candle to those precious, extraordinary moments that you find yourself in during the day as a mother...you have to be looking for them, but I promise that once you do- you will see that there are too many to count...

Besides- who wouldn't want to see this face all day every day?

Lots of hugs and slobbery baby kisses until next time darlings!

When is an A-line not an A-Line or why I miss Molly and Sammy

So...

I did it! I went and chopped off about 6 inches of hair.

Let me preface this by saying that the stylist did a really good job cutting my hair. So far it looks like everything is even and blended well...there's just one little problem...

The haircut I left with wasn't REALLY the one that I had asked for.

See...its cute...I will tell you the story, because you're all dying to know...but first...let me show you the pictures I showed to the stylist...

Can you see why I'm a little disappointed?

photo credit and original stylist of this look here...if she wasn't in Utah I would have looked her up...*sigh* maybe someday on the way through Utah we can visit her and she can work her magic on my head. Check out the rest of her blog, she's really talented!

Our initial consultation seemed to go well, she seemed to understand what I wanted...but looking back I think she only heard one phrase...

I'd mentioned that I had been trying to grow my hair out and had been afraid to cut it but knew that I needed to because I had baby #2 on the way...I needed to get real with myself was I think the way I'd put it.

I think all she heard was "grow it out" and "afraid" and didn't hear the rest...I don't think she even looked at the picture. When I told her I wanted a "rooster tail" (the little spikey pieces at the top of the head) she said, "Wow, that's going to have to be pretty short." and then she just kept cutting (notice that the rooster tail is NOWHERE to be found in the cut that I got...). I'm also convinced that the stacked a-line I described is more of a stacked bob with a-line tendencies...another small disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, like I said, it really is a nice cut, just not the one I asked for. She spent a lot of time cutting it and getting it perfect (in her eyes)...A LOT...I was kind of surprised by how much, she was double and triple checking everything, which I really appreciated (because I am so particular about my hair) but that also ended up being a double edged sword in the end.

I don't think she had managed her time very well...she spent a lot of time on the haircut, and I was paying for a shampoo, cut and STYLE...well, apparently running some leave in conditioner and then blow drying the hair with a round brush counts as a style...I was really disappointed... 

I won't lie, I'm never very thrilled with the way that stylists style my hair, I'm very particular about how I like things. I think I've only ever had 2 stylists style my hair and had me not walking out of the salon itching to get home and fix it. Needless to say, I came home and immediately plugged in my straightener and found my teasing comb. (The after pictures of me above are pictures after I had fixed the styling.)

I think next time (if I decide I like the shorter hair thing) I will go ahead and try to wait to make an appointment at this salon  in town a friend recommended. I tried calling for an appointment but I would have had to wait two weeks...when I'm amped for a dramatic change haircut, I have to go with it before I change my mind...I didn't want to wait 2 weeks and then go in for what would basically be considered a trim...totally not worth the $35 it would have cost...Its too short to be turned into what I'd wanted in the first place...I'll just have to let it grow out and when its time to trim it up I will try the other place to see if I get better results.

Over all...the stylist I saw today did give a good haircut...I just wish it had been what I asked for...

Oh well, my hair grows fast, Its not like its a disaster, its just not what I'd been expecting...

C'est la vie...in a week I'll either love it or hate it...

Hugs and loves until next time darlings!

Adventures with Edibles

The little diva started solids on Sunday. As you can see...she was thrilled at the opportunity:

That's not to say we haven't had our ups and downs...We have learned, for example, that if she is already crying because she is hungry we don't necessarily have the best results when it comes to trying to feed her... Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Exhibit A...

With starting solids, there are some perks. We went to the store with every intention of just buying a Bumpo chair so that I could feed Faith by myself (she's a little short for the high chair)...we had intended to buy the Bumpo but for $5 more we got a chair that is like a Bumpo but also comes with an activity table, a tray for snacks when she's older, and converts to booster seat for later on when the princess is ready to join us at the table. I wish we could have gotten pictures right after we put her into it, she had a huge smile on her face that said, "Look at me! I'm a big girl!" We did manage to catch the magic of her trepidation as she debated on whether or not to play with the toys on the activity table:

Gee dad, what is that crazy thing?

I don't know if I'm sure about this...should I touch it?

Say...this thing makes noises!

I LOVE IT!

Oh...imagine the possibilities!

The chair has become a huge success, and it seems to be one place I can sit her when she is being clingy that she will be happy for five minutes...hooray for progress and age appropriate toys!

Hugs and deliciousness until next time darlings!

Love is Spoken Here

I mentioned on Facebook that last week my little Faith started to notice other kids in the congregation at church. This week, she was the star of the show. I was called to be the ward choir director (big shocker) and one of my sopranos has three little girls.  As soon as my husband walked back into the chapel after making copies for me, they flocked around him. She studied them, cooed at them, and smiled...they couldn't get enough of each other.

After choir practice was over, they obediently went to a pew to sit with their mom and dad. We ended up sitting in the pew across from them and they continued to make funny faces at our little princess...I must say, she was most pleased with the attention.  I picked up the diva and took her to her adoring fans so that they could hold her. They were over the moon! I sat and chatted with their mom, who applauded my willingness to let her little girls hold my baby, she said as a first time mom she wouldn't have dared. I passed Faith along between the three little girls, and finally took her back to the pew and took my seat when it was clear that sacrament meeting was about to begin.

A young father sat behind us. I don't know him, but I do know that his wife was home today with their youngest, at least, that is what I gathered from conversations I'd heard. Sitting with him was his oldest- a little girl who couldn't have been more than four or five.  She didn't notice Faith at first, but Faith noticed her. She looked over my shoulder and gave her the old "I'm adorable, play with me!" smile.

Much to her father's chagrin (or so it seemed) she noticed the little diva (of course she did...that smile is electric, magic, and hypnotizing!) She exclaimed, "Oh look dad, look at the little baby!" Of course, by that point, noting the father's slight exasperation, I turned the princess around and proceeded to feed her, but this little girl wouldn't give up...and neither would Faith. After her bottle, she wriggled and wriggled and I finally had to put her over my shoulder again.

The little girl came closer, her dad started to get worked up, but I turned over my shoulder and gave him the "its okay, she isn't bothering me" look.  The little girl asked her name, I whispered it and her dad relayed the message, because the little girl hadn't heard. She giggled and said, "That's a funny name." I couldn't help but laugh. You could tell the poor guy was mortified! He whispered, "No, its not a funny name, its a pretty name. Its Faith, its a good name." The little girl continued to giggle for a bit, but then moved forward again and started to hug my back as she stroked Faith's little hand. Faith smiled and cooed softly.  Her dad was again, slightly mortified, "You don't have to hug everyone, back off a bit." I turned and acknowledged that she was fine.

For the next ten minutes or so the little girl stroked Faith's hand, hair, and shoulders and kept whispering, "I love you baby, I love you so much!" She finally asked if it was okay for her to kiss the baby.  I picked Faith up a little higher and let the little girl kiss her forehead.  She smiled and kept telling Faith how much she loved her...finally, she sat back and started to draw and be quiet and Faith went down for her nap.

I honestly, didn't listen to a thing the speakers had to say today...which is slightly sad because it was ward conference and our stake president was speaking along with our bishop...I just sat and dwelt on a single thought. "I love you baby, I love you so much."  I dwelt on the three little girls who eagerly took my baby into their arms to snuggle her...

We are told in the bible to be as a little child and come to Christ...maybe this is part of what that means.  These four little girls are the best example I have seen in a while of Christlike love...they had no expectations, they just wanted to smile, give hugs, and be near to a little person that still has that link to the other side and our Savior. They gave their love without being asked, they gave it wholeheartedly, and freely- and the funny thing is, that the parents were the ones trying to hold them back...

I get that there are social "norms" that must be observed, and kids need to learn personal boundaries- but maybe if we could take a lesson from these little girls, maybe if we could just love one another purely based on the fact that we are all children of God, that we all have our own personal and private connection to heaven and our father in heaven, maybe then- just maybe- this world would be the kind of world that Christ had hoped we would create using the gospel principles He taught.

I'm not sure this thought process makes sense to anyone but me, but I am so grateful for these four little girls who couldn't get enough of my baby. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother to such a loving little girl who couldn't have loved the attention more, and couldn't have been more loving in return. I learned so much today- I have often pondered the invitation to try to be as a little child and then come to Christ, and I think they taught me a part of how we do that. We do that by loving everyone around us in spite of flaws, differences, or what we may deem as their mistakes.  We should give our love freely in spite of religion, creed, or belief system ,because that is what a little child does, because that is what Christ does. They have faith enough to see the good in everyone in spite of how they may be different.

Lately I have been struggling a lot. It seems like I try to be loving, or understanding and it gets thrown back in my face by people who don't want to offer me the same courtesy.  It gets really hard to do this when some people's idea of tolerance is that I should agree with everything they say and do and admit that I am wrong to believe some of the things that I do.  This is not tolerance. Tolerance is accepting someone in spite of your differences, tolerance is saying that its okay to agree to disagree.  I've been faced a lot over the last week with this very dilemma- to the point that I've wondered why I even try any more.

Sadly, it seems we live in a world focused on hate...it seems like all anyone can do is focus on the things that make them different and the people that ridicule them for those differences. We forget that, in spite of hate, there is LOVE...so much love, if we would just open our hearts and minds to it...

Maybe if we did people would think a little more before saying offensive things when they find themselves offended...lest we forget that the Law of Moses came to an end with Christ- we shouldn't allow ourselves to have that "eye for an eye" mentality...What purpose does it serve? Does it undo anything? and really...Does it make anyone feel any better?...When we say mean or offensive things about any group of people, and they return the favor all that ends up happening is more hurt and offense...nothing is solved and true tolerance can never be reached, because there is always hate and indifference in the way of the love...because THAT is all that people focused on revenge can see...they don't truly see those that love them trying to at least help them understand a point of view so they can respectfully agree to disagree.

Well, after my own private sacrament lesson today, all I can say is I love you, and I will continue to love every single one of you because that is what Christ asked us to do...because that is how a little child would love...maybe I am just opening myself to disappointment or pain- but there is already too much hate and indifference in the world...I think I will continue to love, with hopes that I'm cool enough to start a new trend...

you can join me if you'd like...

Hugs and Loves until next time darlings.

Lazy Monday

We were going to go to Babies R Us today to get some oh so important Preggie Pops and possibly a few age appropriate toys for the Little Diva...

We were...but we decided that we needed a family lazy day...

Here's how it started...My awesome husband decided to see if he would have made much of a hairdresser...

Obviously...you can see that the Little Diva is THRILLED with the results, and the proud papa isn't ashamed of his hard work.

Our Princess also discovered the magic of the crinkle paper that makes up the wings of a butterfly toy that someone gave to us. She hasn't played much with anything before now, but she is starting to explore and wanting to learn how to do some things on her own...Watch her experience with the butterfly in the form of a  cheesy photo montage...

After literally MINUTES of fun with her butterfly toy, the little diva insisted that the daddy person show her how to play video games...my dear husband opted to oblige her...trust me, the wrath of the princess isn't something ANYONE in this house wants!

Eventually, we got a very tired, teething baby down for a much needed nap... My hunky husband and I took the rare opportunity to have a couple's photoshoot...we try not to do it too much, lest the rest of the world be incredibly jealous as they bask in our glory...but here it is for you to enjoy for a brief moment...try not to hate us and our fabulocity too much...

Yes...we're just that awesome...

Lazy days are the best...even if you only have them because you're too nauseous to go anywhere else...LOL

Hugs and lazy days until next time darlings!