We Can Be Spelunkers For Just One Day

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We had an awesome but exhausting weekend starting with an impromtu trip to Kentucky to do some spelunking, or cave exploration! (Chris said the word spelunking a thousand times on Saturday!)  We went to Diamond Caverns Cave in Kentucky and it was interesting and fun to be underground and looking at all nature's own creations. This cave had, supposedly (because I didn't count) over 300 steps and was 1/4 mile each way. There were some pretty deep and steep steps and a bit scary when you're carrying a 25 pound, squirmy toddler!

A stalagtite (it's just a formation that is still stuck to the top)

This was a formation that used to be on the top of the cave but because it was so top heavy it fell and that happened about 3,000 years ago.

I think we should start a JR. Spelunkers Club!

The massiveness of a cave is indescribable and my photos, although memorable, don't do it any justice.

Mommy and her little spelunker =)

 

Me with the most excited spelunkers of them all!

This was interesting. As we were going up these steep steps to leave the cave the tour guide told us to look down and to our right to see the original entrance to the cave!! It has NO STAIRS and it was scary DEEP that I could only wonder how people survived entering and exiting!

We had such a great time even if we did spend more time driving than anything but it was worth it. It made my sister's weekend (she's staying with us), Chris was super stoked, and Logan thought he had this big underground playground to run around in (supervised, of course). Not only did we get to see these wonderous caverns we also got a little history lesson (which I LOVE). My only wish the whole tour was that our tour guide was a little more experienced. He'd only been working there for 15 days, but, hey, people have to start somewhere! Great time I totally recommend it for anyone.

Where did this week go?

This week went by super fast!! How is it already Friday?! Anyways, today we went out to lunch with Chris at Central BBQ in Memphis and Oh my goodness it was DELISH! I had the pulled pork sandwich with a side of beans and all I could eat was the sandwich it was so filling but oh so good! Logan shared Chris' lunch and he is ALL about the BBQ. He loves it and was willing to give everything a try.

(In the middle of eating =)

After lunch it was time to drop Daddy back off. I was going to find a park to take him to but it was still HOT out so to the mall we went instead! We spent 2 hours there!! That's a feat because I'm not a huge fan of the mall but I couldn't help shop for new clothes for Logan. They were having sales in every store I went in!! It was dangerous!! Ha! We never made it to the park like I had wanted to go because it's thundering and raining out!! We've needed this rain. I'm gonna sit and enjoy the sound of falling rain.

 I hope you all have a great weekend!!

In Love.

Can I just tell you how much I L-O-V-E Sonic's cherry limeades?! They're sooo refreshing especially on hot days like today! They have my two favorite flavors: Cherry & Lime and they also give you a lime and a cherry in the drink! YUMMMERS! Chris and I went tonight after a trip to Best Buy and Bed Bath and Beyond. The air was sticky and this was the perfect treat...Chris got the Cherry Limeade Chiller which is the same but with ice cream. Good but not as good as this!

Needs a Title

I scrapbooked yesterday while I had Chris trapped in the bedroom because his presents were on the coffee table waiting to be opened and waiting for Logan to wake up. A while back, Chris' mom gave us a few pictures of Chris when he was a baby, mostly so we could compare Logan to our baby pictures. I ended up keeping those few pictures and decided to scrap them since I had the perfect paper.

The charred and inked paper was already done for me. It was done at a class back in NJ that I unfortunately missed, so I can't tell you the technique, but I can tell you that the paper was torn and then inked along the edges with black ink.  The paper used was by Stephanie Hunt's collection called "Estate Sale". The flowers were made using newspaper, black ink, and Mod Podge and kept together using brads (and those I made =)

Anyway, how cute was my man!? I see Logan in these pictures in how he's standing, the face he's making, just everything. I'm stumped, though, for a title. I was thinking of "Sweet Kisses" because of the little kiss Chris had received, but I also thought of "Lil' Kisses" and "Young Kisses". Help! =)

Father's Day Weekend

First and foremost I hope that all the daddy's out there had a wonderful day with their families and I hope that those families who couldn't celebrate with their dads, grandfathers, etc. were able to celebrate in their memory.

We had a very busy Saturday and a very lazy Sunday. It went from one extreme to another but it was soooo worth it. Saturday we were able to get out of the house by 11 AM. We went to the Pink Palace Museum to check out the exhibits. I was surprised not to see more people there, especially since it was 100 degrees out! We checked out the new exhibit that explores the human body and evolution. Very cool is all I have to say!

Logan's hitting the buttons that light up the lobes of the brain!

The ginormous model of the human body that was laid out in the middle of the exhibit!

Style of the 1800s, I believe. I love stuff like this!

Above and below: These were artifacts from Early Memphis. I liked this and the entire history of Memphis because I was able to learn its history and grasp a hold of its culture then and now. I love this stuff too!

More time period styles of architecture and fashion.

After the museum we decided to drive around. Unfortunately we didn't have the GPS and we really shouldn't leave without it. Ha! We went to Bahama Breeze for lunch and OMG this is my new favorite place to eat and drink! The food is tropical and they make a mean strawberry daiquiri!! YUM! After a lunch we enjoyed a siesta and then a dip in the pool! We were DONE at the end of the day!!

Today was a completely different story! We did NOTHING, absolutely NADA, and it was great. I tried to make breakfast for Chris this morning but I was sinking ship and he had to come in and save breakfast. So in appreciation for his saving his own breakfast I made him Funfetti cupcakes and experimented with food dye. Just a side note: I'm totally not a food dye fan! I could totally taste the color and they left me nauseas all day!

The pink cupcakes were supposed to be red!! The other colors were teal and orange! Random? Of course! Pretty? Definitely! Did tropical girly colors stop anyone from eating them? NOPE! We had tacos for dinner and just vegged! Love lazy sundays! Here are some of my favorite pics from today.

(He had eaten an orange cupcake =)

(This boy never opens his eyes)

Hope everyone had a relaxing day today =)

SUYL- A Low Key But Still Romantic Engagment

Show Us Your Life this week is about proposal stories! You can read the longer version about my engagement here.  Our engagment was very low key. Originally it was supposed to have been done on a horse drawn carriage here in Memphis, when we came to visit and look for a home. Mother nature had a different plan and gave us lots of snow in NJ causing the stores and the jewelery store to close, which he was completely upset and mad about. Nonetheless, when we came back he went and picked it up (note: I didn't know about any of this, though I had an inkling, until after we got engaged). He looked excited that night when I got home from work but I didn't know why. Until midnight of course. When he asked me to marry him, in bed, being all silly. It was perfect for us because we're silly together although he did get alot of heat about it from his family later! We didn't take any pictures of our engagment that night but when we got to Memphis we had my mom take some at the Botanical Gardens. I wasn't really dressed for them though so I think we'll try again but my favorite was this one:

Yummers & Popsicles.

Today I decided to use the crock pot to make dinner. I love my crock pots. I firmly believe that EVERYONE should own and use it all the time! It's what made me start to like and want to cook! Tonight I made Cuban braised beef and peppers from the December 2009 issue of Real Simple ( I love this mag. just about as much as I love my crock pot =)

(Here's what you'll need)

Cuban braised beef and peppers

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1.In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

2.Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

3.Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

(Here's the finished result and it looked almost like theirs to the tee!)

**NOTE: I didn't use the cilantro because I'm not a huge fan but I LOVE me some avocado, again something that is optional! It was delicioso!! We've decided to try a pork roast next time because the steak was a little tough. I cooked it on high for 5 hours so we're going to see if cooking it on low for 7-8 will be any better!! Hope you enjoy this one!

On Tuesday I went to a scrapbooking class, being taught by one of my blogger friends Liz, that was teaching how to create quick layouts. One of the layouts we did was of popsicles and it made me want one, Ha! So tonight after dinner we went on the balcony and Logan had his first popsicle, EVER! At first he bit right into it and didn't want anything to do with it but he saw my sister and I eating them and then he got the hang of it and went to town! By the end he was a hot mess and he shook his popsicle so hard that it fell into pieces!! He looked bummed too!

 

15 Months

Yesterday Logan turned 15 months old. Honestly, where do these months fly off too? Every month that I blog about my baby being 1 month older I feel as though time is flying fast than the speed of light. I want to keep him small and in my arms forever.  =)

Logan @ 15 months:

• He's fresh!! He throws tantrums, occassionally bites, and swats at me, his daddy, or anyone else he doesn't want near him. I don't know to how "punish" his behavior age appropriately. I think I'll be reading up on those books that I have often scoffed at (I apologize for that. I wasn't a mother then and when I was about to become one I thought it would be easier, ha!)
• He's showing an interest in reading books, which I LOVE!
• He's definitely more vocal about what he wants to eat, play with, etc.
• He loves puppies & dogs.
• He FINALLY had his first haircut.
• He loves to be outside and in the pool.
• He knows where his belly button and belly are!
• He won't fall asleep unless he's lying down in his crib or in his stroller..I've never had that fall asleep in his high chair moment, sadly.
• He's developmentally on schedule according to the doctor!

Silhouette complete!

I found my camera! Yay. I have to apologize to my son because he didn't take it, it was buried deep beneath top and bottom couch cushions.  I also found various other items too and coinage. Alas, my camera is found and I can continue to picturesquely document life! =)

In my last post, I blogged about some decorating ideas I had for my sun room. One of those projects involved creating a silhouette of Logan. Well I did it! Note that it's not a traditional silhouette, I definitely added a twist to it but nonetheless I love it. I love it even more because I made it!

I'm still trying to figure out if it's straight, unfortunately if it's not I can't do anything about it! It's completely adhesed!  I used a paisley cloth, from Hobby Lobby, as the background. The silhouette itself was traced onto a black bazzill paper using a 13 month old photo from when we went to the botanical gardens. His hair was soooo curly and big and I love it, so that's why his head has "hills".  Ha! To hold everything down I used Elmer's spray glue. I read that using spray glue was better because it kept from swelling and/or warping.  I used stickers from Creative Memories for his name. 

On a side note, last post I blogged about a website that provided the opportunity to print free art. The website was hard to navigate and I wasn't extremely thrilled with it, so I apologize if anyone went to it and felt the same way!

A little UGH and a little excitement!

(Photo courtesy of User findstuff22 on Photobucket)
It's a summery pic and refreshing one, at that!

I lost my camera!! GASP!! It's in my house somewhere but I just don't know where. I mildy rearranged my living room and probably moved it and don't remember where I put it. Another possibility is that Logan misplaced it somewhere too...His chubby hands are quick to grab things he's not supposed to have and then hide them (without knowing it). Sigh. I hope I find it soon because I'm doing up my sunroom and I want to show it off when I'm done! We're painting it Ash Bark from the Martha Stewart line!

(courtesy of Martha Stewart.com)

#14 is the Ash Bark color.

Some of the other ideas I've had were to remove the blinds from my windows and just hang sheer drapes, in either a beachy blue or ivory color.  Pottery Barn (love) has these drapes with ties on the top instead of tabs! While I was doing my morning reading of blogs, I came across these wonderful and inspiring ideas, as well. Shawni at 71 Toes created silhouettes of her children and numbered them in their birth order and explained how she did them. It seemed pretty simple and I'm excited to do a silhouette of Logan!  YHL posted yesterday a readers office redo that only costed about $200 and it looks amazing. Anyways, the reader included a website, called Vintage Printable, which allows you to print artwork for free! Awesome, right? I'm excited. I can't wait to see how my ideas turn out!

Another milestone.

After 14 months and mini clips here and there Logan had is official first haircut today at Sweet and Sassy. Yes, Sweet and Sassy is geared more towards girls but they do baby's first haircuts (boys & girls) so we went with them. He was NOT happy about it at alll! He squirmed, whined, tried to get out of the chair, tried to push the stylist hands away, until I gave him food. I gave him little Gerber cheese puffs and even though it calmed him down by 90% he was still squirming and trying to push her away. Ahhh. In the end, though, we got the results we've been waiting for! We also left with a balloon, lollipop, a certificate, picture, and a little bag with a locket of hair. I think if he wasn't so squirmy I would've cried. We went and got some ice cream to "celebrate" Logan's milestone!

It was so hot out today that we decided to use our pool pass and dip into the pool for the first time this season! Oh my goodness! It was so refreshing, and even though it wasn't cold, it wasn't hot either so it felt good! Logan loved it. We put him in his plane tube and he was loving it, at first. I made the mistake of taking him out and letting him swim with us and then that's all he wanted to do! Ha! A great way to end or start the week, however you look at it!

Fun in the sun!!

Chilling poolside =)

Birthday {Fun}

So Chris' birthday was today and I wanted to make it extra special esp. since it's his first birthday away from his family. All week I asked him what he wanted and every time I got an answer that was frustratingly not an answer. All I got was Devil's Food Cake. So I made him a Devil's Food cake with chocolate icing on the outside, with sprinkles, and firefighter candles!

And on the inside there was vanilla icing! Chris called it a giant Devil Dog.

For dinner I made Chris pork fajitas. They smelled delicious and tasted even more delicious! I've linked the web address for the recipe. Just a note: Instead of 3 tbsp of seasoning I used a whole packet!

These are my favorite pictures from tonight.

Logan's hair is crazy!!

A mini-book I scrapped for Chris. I'll post the whole thing later.

His face is priceless! I love this man!

My chocolate mess baby! I love it!

I succeeded at a small intimate birthday for my love. He had balloons, yummy food, cake, pistachio pudding, and thoughtful gifts! At the end of the day all that matters is that he's happy and I succeeded in doing that!

Finally!

I'm able to blog again. I have been without a computer for what felt like weeks but was only 2 days or so. This weekend we went to my mom's and I left my computer charger there! UGH. My battery life is a max of 2 hours and it was already halfway used up. I would only go on to check things real quick and get off but it happened. The computer died and I felt like I'd been disconnected from the world. But it came today, finally! So now I'll quickly sum up a relaxing weekend, a delish meal, and plans for my sweetie's bday!

(photo courtesy of Google)

Relaxing Weekend:

Memorial Day weekend was RELAXING. It was nice to be with my mom and see my grandparents and introduce Logan to farm animals. He wasn't to keen with donkeys and ponys (maybe because they were his height and came up to fast) but he loved the horses and the dogs, of course. We bought Logan a baby pool to cool off in, and, at first, he was scared, but we showed him that it was similar to bath time and, well, he took to it and didn't want to come out. We were home by Monday night and crashed! Even though it was a 4 hour drive it felt much longer!

Delish Meal:

Last night I made a chicken dish using a recipe that I read in --you guessed it-- Real Simple. Have I told you guys how much I love that mag?! Well, I do. I really need a subscription! Anywho, it was amazingly good! The name of the recipe is Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad...Normally I would've have posted the recipe itself but since I feel the post is sorta long so I've attached the link! But I will post the pic since I plated it just like they did =)

Sweetie's Bday:Tomorrow is my sweetie's bday! I want to make it extra special because it's his first bday away from his family. My plan is to make him a pork fajita dinner (yum), make him a devil's food cake with chocolate icing on the outside and vanilla icing in the middle, and make him pistacchio pudding (not my favorite kind but he likes it and it's about him tomorrow). I'm also making him a flap book with pictures of him and Logan (it's intended to be a gift from Logan)! That's that. I have a busy day tomorrow! ♥