I haven't partied like this since I was in college!!!

Of course I mean of the Grown Up persuasion... This Saturday was so busy full of parties, parties, parties. (That was my echo again)

It all started with our SAIC annual party (by annual I mean whichever year they feel like it.) I got asked to help for the preparations. We had cute scrapbook pages describing each item and the were set out so people could bid on them and I spent TWO days creating all of them:

We had a lot of fun AND yours truley one a door prize: A Garmin GPS and the new one at that AND I won the Terreme Salon gift cart valued at $100... with only a small bid. I will be accepting applications for me to accompany you to any event were you may need a good luck charm of course for a small fee, the application process will be beginning in February.

This is Gold Lessons with Pro at The Ledges

This is H'ville Community Chorus The King and I concert

Tickets to the Space and Rocket Center

Huntsville Havoc Box Seat Tickets

Mary Kay Basket

Vera Bradley Basket

Terrame Salon and Spa Gift Card 

Longaberger Basket and Bath Set

Huntsville Community Chorus Presents "Hollywood Hillbillies"

kk&Co Free Boarding and Grooming

Next came my cousins wife Kristin's baby shower, it was at 10 am on Saturday, 

so after splashing cold water on my blood shot eyes and gargling with salt water because for some reason I had a sore throat, I was dressed and quickly out the door at 9:25 (we were supposed to be there at 9:30) but we made it. I didn't get to see a lot of what she got but from what I did see she is very blessed to have so many thoughtful friends and family that love her.

The table was so beautiful and the food was divine, the hostesses did a very wonderful job, it was a very special welcome for baby Burnett.

12pm we left went to my moms house to spend time with my sister before she had to go back and at 3 it was WILLIAM'S BIG DAY!

Williams first birthday:

And finally, yes there was another event to top the day off. Birthday dinner at Aunt Linda's. It was Moms, Kristin, Haley, William, and MY birthday. We had a wonderful spaghetti bake and of course cake and ice cream. I was so tired at the end of the night, needless to say that is the reason this post is a day late.

Happy First Birthday Shower Birthday!!!

Return of the SCOOONES

I am slightly obsessed with perfecting my scones. I have replaced the All Purpose flour with Self Rising (and eliminated the baking soda and baking powder and slat.) It worked but Stuey could tell, so I went back (there are no cutting corners in baking, if you want it done right.)

I made cinnamon ones Saturday and Sunday I made Blueberry, I must say they were very good while warm but the blueberry's almost made them a little soggy once they cooled down.

Jack watched on while daddy was riding, if you blow the picture up you can see the powder sugar on his lips (I may or may not have given him a little taste of powder sugar. (HUSH MOM I KNOW... I KNOW but he LOOOVED IT)


He is so pretty, look how long his hair is getting. I didn't realize until I looked at this pic.

Yummy scones, Jack and I packed some up for Aunt Haley and Uncle John and cousins. William is turning one and we thought we could provide breakfast for the week, so they could get the house ready for Saturday.

THIS is what I discovered as I was baking... You let your husband buy the paper towels you eventually pay with overly tacky decor on them...

Books with a Friend

Jack loves books, he loves his story time and loves his Grandmother to read to him (I am pretty sure she does the voices for each character.)

But just like a purse is better with a purse bag, a book is better with a book friend. Aunt Annie started our trend she has contributed 2 and I bought him the others. Such a cute idea and he loves to hold the little critters while we are reading.

Bunco Baby

Last night Laurie a lady from my work graciously hosted a Birthday Bunco Party. It was so much fun and Jack got to go. Here are some pics from the night:

Here is everyone Loser face:

Heather

Dawn

AND Jack

Here is Jack's winner face

BUNCO!!!

Conqueror of a Starbucks Classic

Stuart isn't much of a sweet eater but as you know already he does have a few weaknesses, one of which is Starbucks Blueberry Scones. I had never tried scones until the other day when I tried the vanilla ones and I must say they are delectable. (especially bc they are mini and they sell them in 3's so you don't feel as bad when the treat is so tiny. That means the calories are tiny as well.)


So I searched on the internet and found a recipe and last night I conquered the SCONE ooone oooone oooone (that was an echo).

I will now quote Stuey

"It's better than Starbucks, it Whitneybucks."

"No, thank you!!!..... for the SCONES."

"Wow you have officially become domestic."
As if he didn't know that if you make posh mommy status that means you have superseded domesticity by a landslide. (Is domesticity a word???)

"Those are the BEST SCONES EVER!"

Note*** THAT IS SO NOT MY PLATE!!! I copied this pic bc I forgot to take a picture.

I could go on but I am sure your ready for the recipe:

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups weigh 9 oz)


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces (5 TBL weigh 70 g)

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup regular full-fat sour cream


• 1 large egg yolk


• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


• water, as needed

Directions

1. 
   

   1

   Preheat oven to 400 deg. F.


2. 
   

   2

   Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.


3. 
   

   3

   Using any method you prefer, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until flour resembles coarse meal, or use the following tip:.


4. 
   

   4

   The "grate" method: I grate a block of cold butter against the large holes of a box grater and weigh the butter ribbons to get the amount I need (1 TBL butter = 14 grams, so 5 TBL = 70 grams). Toss the butter ribbons with the flour mixture, and then use two knives to cut the flour-coated ribbons into 1/4-inch pieces.


5. 
   

   5

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg yolk and vanilla extract until blended. Add this to the flour-butter mixture and stir with a fork until dough forms a cohesive ball. Use a spatula to get the dry bits fully incorporated. (It may not seem to have enough liquid at first, but the dough will eventually come together.).


6. 
   

   6

   Place the sticky dough onto a parchment-lined (or ungreased) baking sheet and pat into a disk about 1-inch in height. Cut the dough into wedges but do not separate. Or scoop dough into a mini scone pan if available. (Yield will vary depending on how big you slice the wedges.).


7. 
   

   7

   Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.


8. 
   

   8

   PREPARE GLAZE WHILE SCONES ARE BAKING.


9. 
   

   9

   GLAZE:.


10. 
    

    10

    Place powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and add water one teaspoon at a time, mixing vigorously until smooth and runny.


11. 
    

    11

    Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of glaze over the hot scones. Brushing rather than drizzling gives a smoother appearance and requires less glaze.


12. 
    

    12

    Serve immediately. Store cooled scones in an airtight container.

AND not that it matters but here is the

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 mini scones 54g
Recipe makes 16 mini scones)
Calories 192
Calories from Fat 63
(32%)
Amount Per Serving
%DV
Total Fat 7.1g
10%
Saturated Fat 4.3g
21%
Monounsaturated Fat 1.9g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 28mg
9%
Sodium 166mg
6%
Potassium 40mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate 30.2g
10%
Dietary Fiber 0.4g
1%
Sugars 17.4g
Protein 2.3g 4%

Also I made Steaks, you have to try this.

Get cast iron skillet really hot and salt and pepper both sides, then cook 5 min (no more) on either side. SO yummy I will not cook them any other way.

Here are some recent pictures of our monkey:

This was taken before church Sunday, he is 4mo 3 weeks

Was NOT ready to wake up and eat, he fell back asleep while Stuey gave him his bottle:

MLK Day, he is modeling the outfit Mrs. Jeannie got him.

Happy Anniversary

So, I was thinking today... "Wow, my parents have been married a long time." I remembered that it was specifically 30 years (based on my sisters age of 28 sorry Annie.) What I couldn't remember was the date of their anniversary sooo

*This post is valid for up to a year :) *


Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

It's comforting to know that in today's world my parents know the meaning of their vows and have stuck through it "for better or for worse." I look up to them, and I know that Stuart and I will have a picture just like this 30 years from now.

A Quote From Our Favorite Movie

The Next Dewey Cox?

"Don't you dare take Miles. You can take the children, but you leave me my monkey."

-Dewey Cox

Papa McRuber Cheese

I would like to consider myself a connoisseur of the delicacy that is all Italian cuisines. (By "all Italian cuisines" I mean primarily pizza.) 

So after hearing all the RAVE about this new pizza chain in town Stuart and I decided to celebrate our long weekend by giving this new pizza a shot and renting some movies. Apparently, this pizza joint expects you to indulge in the luxury of ordering out, without the inconvenience of completely messing up your kitchen. You buy this dish freshly made and take it home and then you have to put it in your oven and bake it. 

Now, we were trying to decide which Pizza to get last night and Stuart said, "I really don't think we can go wrong with anything we pick." I agreed with him considering everyone we know just loves this pizza place. Once we walked in and I saw "America's #1 pizza" I was completely without doubt. 

Boy were we wrong, this is the grossest pizza EVER! There was no flavor to the sauce and the cheese was like RUBBER! 

When asked his comments about last night meal Stuart replied....

"It sucked.... then a few expletives." When then asked to be serious he said "it was rubbery like eating a tire." 

So there you go, Papa McRuber Cheese is not worth it. Stay home and pay the same amount to order a cheesy warm gooey Papa Johns or Domino's or even Pizza Hut. But stay away from Papa Murphys. 

Too Much Free Time

I had a little down time at work :)

Mismatched Monday

Yesterday Stuart and I had a follow up appointment at the chiropractor. So Stuart was supposed to get Jack ready and I would just pull up and blow since our appointment time was at 4:30.

The night before I had laid out 2 outfits for Stuart to choose from, the first I laid out before I thought about how cold it may be and then I laid out a warmer option (of a similar cuteness factor.)

Here is the first outfit.




Here is the second outfit.

As I turned on our street I called Stuart and asked if he was ready, to which he replied, "We will be... I am putting Jack in the carseat right now. Oh and his pants did not fit."

I am letting this register a few seconds as I assume that since I have him 2 outfits, 1 of the pair of pants were too big, so naturally he went with the other. But I know better. I know my husband, so I caught myself about to hang up and I said "Stuart, he IS wearing pants right?" As the words sarcastically flowed out of my mouth I already knew the answer.

"No, he isnt I just told you they didn't fit."

"Stuart, he HAS to wear PANTS, he cannot go with NO PANTS!

"OK Jack mommy says you have to have pants." he said as I heard him unclicking the carseat.

"Whew, that was close I am glad I called." I thought to myself. I pulled up and honked. As I waited I just had a feeling that something wasn't going to be right and he wouldn't remember everything. So I ran in as he was getting Jack a bottle. I inspected his outfit, did a quick check that we had everything and before Stuart grabbed up the seat. I thought that this was going too smooth and Stuart WAS rushing in a way as to hide something... So I looked at Stuey and looked at Jack, then back at Stuey and I grabbed the blanket off of Jacks' lap... AH HA!!!!

This is was he was wearing.

The top minus the jacket from the second outfit (GREY AND WHITE) outfit and the pants from the first outfit (BROWN AND RED.) Everyone knows these color combos do not flow well together, (by "everyone" I mean every woman and metro-sexual out there.)

I just covered him back up grabbed the brown lovey that Stuey had given him to match his pants and gave him a grey lovey to match his top then I tucked the blanket in really tight to make sure it didn't fall to reveal the CLEAR FASHION DISASTER.

Oh well, I suppose all of you that have been mothers for a while or have more than one are screaming, I should be glad he was clean, not fussy, and at least dressed!

Trust me, I am very blessed to have a very patient and loving husband. He is a wonderful father and does so much during the day (working and watching Jack and two bad dogs.)

BUT

I LAID OUT THE OUTFITS!!! I MADE IT SO EASY IT WAS HARD!!!

Next time I will lay out 2 outfits that mix and match.

Stuart took this pic Monday afternoon, he called it a "family portrait."

Jack is 4mo and 2 weeks old here:

A Little Bit of Randomness

Last night I was having trouble getting to sleep. We went to bed at 8 and I was still awake at 1 am. I was so tired, I just couldn't get to sleep. So about 12:45 I try a little trick (I suppose if I were to title it I would call it typing.)

Like some people you hear, count sheep to go to sleep. I have always imagined a computer keyboard and type out sentences. Same principle as counting sheep, my eyes are closed but still moving and it really does work for me. Last night Stuart had just fed Jack and gotten back to sleep ( I had assumed because he was snoring :) ) When a nagging question popped in my head... I tried to let it go until in the morning but something just wouldn't let me.

So in a real loud and quick whisper our conversation proceeded as followed:

W: "STUART"

S: "WHAT!"

W: "Why aren't computer keys in alphabetical order on a keyboard?"

S: "What? I have no clue, that's something good you can look up tomorrow when you get to work."

Now that I have gotten a little free time I decided to do just that.

Here is the answer.

Posh Mommy Candidate

I decided last night "I may just be a Posh Mommy." I will be announcing my candidacy within the week and my running mate is still up in the air, Katie Holmes and Angelina Jole are among the poshest of mommies to be considered.

Why the unusually large ego? you ask?

Because I bought THIS:

Which means I am currently cooking my own baby food. 

Note* I am the QUEEN of project quiting so my candidacy is still in the preliminary phase.*

I got it from William Sonoma and I LOVE it, it steams AND then purees the food which I then freeze in ice trays and save to use as I need (good for 3 months in freezer.)

I went on my lunch break to buy it and couldn't wait to get it home. I made a list of all the fruits and veggies I would need and I went straight home got Jack stopped by Lang Chiropractic to make an appointment (see previous post) and then on to Kroger. 

When we returned home I got strait to it (I read the instructions at work so there would be no delay in my baby friendly culinary creations. As to which would put me in the Posh Mommy running.) 

I also made his rice cereal from brown rice... sounded good in theory but we'll see.

I madly ran all over our small kitchen slicing, dicing, steaming, pureeing and thinking of different combinations. All while Jack looked on.

 Yes that is drool on him, he could smell what was cookin and he WANTED IT.

I must add I also had a good dinner planned for Stuey and I but he took the "baby and me time" advantage to ride and I don't think I blinked much less thought about eating. So while Jack was getting ready to eat a non preservative totally (by "totally" I mean partially) organic meal. Mommy grabbed a heaping bite of this:

This is one of the only sweet things Stu likes, so I bought it at Kroger for him and then fell victim to it.

Among the chaos I took the time to smell and taste his purees, I must say I was surprised. They smelled WONDERFUL and tasted WONDERFUL. I ran down to the basement with my first creation (green beans, sweet potato, and 1 slice of tomato.) where Stu was riding his trainer I yelled SMELL THIS! As I went to stick it under his nose, it was like slow motion I saw a teeny drop of sweat drop from his nose... I quickly jerked it back and we decided he could get a good idea of the delicious smell by me just wafting it in his general direction.

I got back to my maddening FRENZY, then Jack began fussing, I looked at him and replied "why are you crying you just ate." Then I looked at the clock 3 HOURS AGO! He eats his dinner at 7:30 and is in bed at 8:30 well it was 8:00 and I had just prepared, displayed, photographed and froze his DINNER (remember the whole reason I was making this healthy food AND the excuse I used to persuade me to purchase this overly priced object as to which would push me into Posh Mommy hood.)

So I ran and pulled it out of the freezer, lucky for me and my hearing Jack didn't have to wait long the freezer had cooled it to the perfect temperature. I gave my creations a shot with the subject and I must say he LOVED them. (by "LOVED" I mean ate with the same expression he did Chef Gerbers.)

But on a slightly serious note (don't worry we won't go there long,) when  I gave him his first bite my heart filled up like I had really done something wonderful for him and had accomplished something.

Then he spit it out and that feeling went with it :)

See told you we wouldn't go there long. Painless.

I must say it was fun whether or not that makes me a Posh Mommy is up to you, but I impressed myself and Stu (to which I will now quote.)

"Wow, you ARE domestic!"

Also, I wanted to post these pictures too, my food was SOOOO good for Jack he decided he wanted to try to roll over. 

I put him to bed like this:

10 minutes later, I found him like this:

To make the rest of you "Not as Posh" mommies feel better, I may make my own baby food but I do it in a very messy way.