Puppy Love

Much to my chagrin, Callie LOVES dogs. When they get close to her she screams and laughs with absolute delight. Unfortunately, my husband does the same thing, so unless I can get somehow birth a child (no pending plans) with an aversion to dogs I have a feeling I am sorely outnumbered.

Adult Supervision Required

At least I'm not the only one sleeping on the job.

(I promise Jeff was watching Callie, while I napped with Alyson)

She looks comfortable doesn't she?

Twitterpated

I just started a Twitter account the other day when I found out that was how Mrs. Fussypants would be doing her link posts in the future.

I really haven't figured out how it works yet, but I will let ya'all know if it is something I endorse (I know I should endorse it because of all the extra traffic it helped me generate, but I have to try it first).

Last, but certainly not least. Darn Robin for getting me started on this woot stuff. I haven't gotten anything yet, but there is a woot off going on and people are saying there are going to Bags of Crap... I can't sleep until I see what the next item will be and it is LATE! (I can't imagine the east coasters trying for 'em)

What happened?

So I have been doing this blogging thing for a few months now and after posting every day for nearly a month I see there are still things I can write about. Not that others haven't already written it before and/or better, but, alas, I can write about those things too.

As this month has ticked by I started using google reader and then added google analytics to my page. No big deal. It basically tells me I'm not all that popular and that pretty much the only ones who read my blog are friends and family.

Then something peculiar happened on Sunday. When I checked my email people had made comments on my blog. Not that many comments for big time bloggers, but a lot for me and my humble blog.

This morning when I checked my stats I found that my number of pageviews for Sunday increased seven fold. I really can't figure out where all these people came from (I have looked at the analytics, and tried to figure out technorati, but I must be missing something because I can't for the life of me make any sense out of either), but I must confess I was flattered that Velveteen Mind Megan, Mrs. Fussypants (careful her page is a little different this week), and some other awesome bloggers who I didn't yet know, actually read and commented on something I wrote. Wow. It almost makes me wish I could be a big blogger like that of another Laura Williams (now don't go reading her if you can't keep your Laura Williams' straight!).

Anyway. Thanks for reading. Thanks even more for commenting. Tomorrow I will see if my stats are still up, and maybe if anyone reads this, and knows how to figure out where all this traffic is coming from, can tell me how to know and who/where to thank I can take care of that too.

The Next Food Network Star Finale

Spoiler... in case you have it DVR'ed, go watch it and then come back and talk about it...



I must say my prediction held true. Aaron won. Supposedly it came down to their final performances...

Blah. I don't believe it.

Don't get me wrong. I like Aaron (and will probably catch his show next week), but it seemed like Lisa and Adam did better than he did this week. Maybe not in the initial taping (I was only able to listen because I was feeding the baby), but in the cut versions of their 4.5 minute shows, sorry, but I think Lisa and Adam were both better.

I will share my same rant again. It is okay if you are looking for a certain demographic (for the record, I think overall Aaron is a great choice) then go for it. Just don't make a "reality" show.

A Little Bit of Link Love...

I have never really done a linky post before, but I thought I would pass on a few cool ones for tonight... (ie I am really tired and so I am ditching out of a real post)

During the summer CA is pretty much always on fire. So stories like these tend to cross my mind. I also had no idea Y mount was burning again.

Last week I also found Blog Nosh Magazine. Which is kind of neat because editors pick the best of the best blog posts in quite a few categories (everything from technology to family to crafting) and then post 'em on their page with a link back to the original author. Anway. Lots of cool stories and thought provoking stuff.

And just a few giveaways to tell ya'all about.

Check out What About Mom's Things That Must Go for a $50 Hanes Gift Card.

Also check out Pioneer Woman's giveaway for a $500 American Express Gift Card.

That's all I got for now.

Do you ever?

Do you ever say something thinking about yourself when someone else is saying something about themselves, and what you say makes you sound totally rude?

Totally confused?

Well, let me give you an example. Tonight I was talking with a good friend who was lamenting her weight. She said "I really need to lose X pounds."

My response, as I think about myself, "yeah, I know."

Oops. I guess I need to learn the words of Dr. Phil: "It ain't about you!"

Caught in the Act

Besides the biting thing I haven't had too many problems with that sweet baby girl.

Until this week. Now her mobility is getting both of us into trouble. Yesterday she decided to check out Alyson's bag to see if there was anything she needed. Later on she rolled across the carpet to get to my flip flops so she could suck on them. Disgusting! I have become acutely aware of how not baby proofed our house is now.

And worst of all it seems our new favorite phrase is "not in your mouth," or "just play with your hands."

Last and certainly not least... she now understands object permanence (even when she can't see the object she knows it still exists) and she is quite upset when I do silly things like take away the flip flops she was chewing on... or take the newspaper... or hide the remote... or pull the plug on the bath and all the water goes down the drain.

But she really is quite sweet and my sweet baby hasn't completely grown up yet. Yesterday night when her tummy was hurting she just wanted to be held and rocked. It made me happy. Isn't being a mom great.

We Have Lift Off

I love this picture of Callie up on all fours. The past few days she has been taking her first forays into mobility and it has been going pretty well (except when she was mobile enough to get my flip flops, when I wasn't paying attention, so that she could chew on them).

She pushes up on all fours and hasn't grasped the concept of lifting her legs yet, so she pushes up and then pushes backwards so she travels in reverse quite efficiently. I assume the backwards scooting is a natural precursor to real crawling?

In Today's Dental News

My entire life I have been plagued by the evil cavity. I remember being quite young and going to the dentist and finding out I had to go back to deal with the evilness. That was back when I saw Dr. Tong. He was a nice pediatric dentist and after your appointment you got to choose a prize out of a big lions head... there was also a large waterfountain at my favorite park where I would drink out of the lions head, but that is taking me away from the matter at hand.

Since my first dental recollection I have had several more trips to the dentist. For a while (when I was on my mom's dental insurance), I would go every 6 months like a good girl should. I brushed at least 2x a day and didn't really floss all that often. Cavities still silently invaded my mouth. The dentist explained that I just had deeper crevices in my teeth than everybody else.

While I was gone away to college I still managed to eek out an annual visit usually at Christmas. Also during college, I was a fanatic tooth brusher. So much close contact... bad breath=turnoff! I still managed to get cavities, though this time they were "flossing cavities." So I began to floss on a fairly regular basis (about 4-5 times a week... I know I should do everyday, but it was an improvement okay...).

When I got married, the dental insurance ended and unfortunately so did my trips to the dentist. Because I wasn't going to the dentist I let myself get a little lax in the brushing department... once or twice a day(I know I shouldn't confess that because people I know actually read this)... but no big deal to eat before bed and not brush, etc. Oddly enough I managed to keep up my 4-5 times a week flossing habit.

Jeff finally pressured me into going back to the dentist this week. Three cavities. Oh and I need to have a deep cleaning/rootscaling. The dentist said it is probably because I don't floss. I told him my flossing habits are WAY better than brushing. He then explained that my teeth looked like I was great at brushing. I don't think he believed that I flossed as often as I said I did. I know he does this for a living and is always looking in peoples mouths, but seriously, if he would have asked how often I brush, I would have told the truth... why would I lie about flossing?

My last note is actually for the staff of the dentist office: The waiting room was terrible. What was wrong you ask? Well, the decor was actually quite nice. There were some nice architectural features, good magazines, relatively comfortable chairs, even a nice plasma screen. However, the programming choice of people getting dental work done shown on the plasma screen--NOT PLEASANT! I don't want to know how disgusting it is the inside some people's mouths (if I did I might have pursued a career in dentistry, but I don't so I didn't). I don't want to know the differences between filling types; that there are bleaching procedures to take the stains off of disgusting stained teeth (before and after shots on a 60" plasma); or that you can take out peoples teeth and replace them with fakes that are permanently secured after you add a screw into the bone. These are not things I want to think about when going to the dentist (or anytime). I just need some trashy afternoon talk show, a depressing news station, or the Discovery Channel to drown out the soft buzz of the drill from the back office--Thanks!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

So there are a few of you reading my blog who have had the pleasure of seeimg me when I first wake up in the morning. Interestingly enough, Callie is actually quite delightful when first waking in the morning. It is when she wakes up from naps that she looks a little disgruntled.

In real news, Callie has learned a few new tricks this week. She loves to lift up the blanket over her head and then pull it down quickly as we play peekaboo. Sometimes she doesn't cover her eyes all the way and then I explain the rules of peekaboo again (everybody knows you have to cover your eyes for the excitement to properly build). Callie also scoots around on the floor. She can go all different directions, but she prefers to just spin from a fixed point. Today she got up on all fours. I have a big fear that crawling will be just around the corner (though that fear is nothing compared to the fear that she inherited my teeth--more on that tomorrow).

The Next Food Network Star Updated...

So I should have changed my prediction for this weeks outcome when I saw the previews. It was so totally obvious when Bob Tuschman said that they were going to do something never before done in Food Network History...

duh, they were going to bring back all three for the final.

I still hold to my prediction, Aaron will win the show. But I still think Kelsey will have the last laugh and will enjoy the most success in food television...

Violation!

In college, my friend, Traci, had something she called a pink and green violation. This is a prime example of a pink and green violation. We didn't plan it; Callie just happen to get a new swimsuit from Grandma and I happen to be wearing a green shirt.

Bigger Baby? Bigger Workout...

Today Alyson was having time on the baby gym and Callie was playing alongside her. Then Callie decided to lift the baby gym. She would hug the giraffe and then lift or tilt as far as Alyson's position would allow.

Mmm, comfort food

As a child I got the definition of a casserole and a meatloaf mixed up. I knew what a meatloaf was, but I thought a casserole was the same thing. Anyway, for some reason I had an aversion to the said meatloaf casserole.

Then I grew up and married a boy who occassionally ordered meatloaf sandwiches while eating out, so I thought, "hmm, maybe I should try to make meatloaf for the boy." I tried a few recipes and they were okay, but most of them just tasted like a big hamburger to me.

Enter my friend Martha (her blog post about going to the DMV, just like you were actually there, BORING). You might have seen her around at parties before? Maybe gone shopping with her? Read a magazine together? Or maybe you have just watched some afternoon TV with her?

She shared her mom's magnificent meatloaf recipe with me. And because you are all my friends, I don't think she will mind if I share it with you too. I have made it exactly according to the directions in the past and I have also made it with dried parsley (about 2 T) instead of fresh, and whole wheat bread instead of white. Try this recipe, I really think you will like it.

**For some reason Martha's webpage is down right now. So I can't double check to see if the links work. Hopefully they do. If not, sorry I will come back and fix them later.

Memory Lane

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

I'm sure there is something you remember about me?!! (PS I got this from Rachel Keyser... if you know her go give her some love)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This little guy happened upon me while I was weeding today. I was shocked by his striking green color (no that color is not doctored--though it is cropped). When I saw him I ran to get the camera.

In hindsight, I realize he is probably the reason many of my plants have holes in the leaves... but he was just so cute! And besides, I can't wait to see what kind of beautiful butterfly he will turn into... not that I will see it...

Am I Cool Enough?

The other day I ran into this post on The 5 Levels of Competitiveness in Social Media. I read it with some curiosity and decided I fit into the dabbler category, no big surprise as this is the most common category. Though I do dabble in the part-time user category, ie, I subscribe to a reader (thanks Robin for suggesting the Google Reader, it is awesome!) and I check the blogs I read each day.

My sad confession: I only fall into the part-time user category because I have gotten involved in these people's life stories. Some of the blogs I read are friends in real life. But there is also a growing list of entertaining blogs I just read to feel like I have a connection to the world outside. In my mind I call these people internet friends.

I lurked for a long time before I started a blog myself. Why did I start a blog? Because I wanted to comment on someone else's blog and there was that blank line for a web address and I didn't have one, so after commenting a few times I went to blogspot.com and started my own.

I thought that was enough to make it okay to comment.

Now though, I go to blogs and I consider commenting... but sometimes there are 100's of comments already, and let's face it, I am not going to read all the comments, so to avoid the risk of repeating something, I just keep my comments to myself.

Then there are other times when I want to comment, but I have to ask myself if I know enough about the topic to say anything worthwhile. This happened last week, I spent quite a while rereading a blog post with the American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam Webster Dictionary, and Google Search in different windows looking up words and phrases I didn't understand. I never commented, however, I do believe I stretched my mind a little bit and I was lead to learn a few things I might not have otherwise thought about.

My last thought about all this, is I wonder if when I comment on other people's blogs and I put in my web address, does it give credence to my authority to comment. I know this is the internet and I really don't have to be an authority to comment on things...

And I am probably just being a little bit internet socially weird... but until I am cool enough to comment whenever I want to, with whatever happens to pop into my head, will you still be my internet friends???

Thanks, I need that!

Sad to see her go...

Spoiler Alert: Next Food Network Star Elimination

So all 12 of my blog readers know how I love Food Network. When I saw the teasers for the Next Food Network Star I wasn't thrilled at the idea. While I like Food Network, I am usually not really into reality shows (except for the Biggest Loser-it must be the food thing?) and so I did not plan on watching. Then I saw one of the contestants had on a BYU shirt.

My curiosity got the better of me and I had to watch. Kelsey was from North Ogden (I wonder did I scan her groceries at Macey's?) and graduated from BYU and culinary school. As the season has gone on she made it to the final four, but was eliminated in the Las Vegas challenge. Here's my take on Kelsey:

-She reminds me of BYU... (in some ways a good thing, in some ways she can be pretty peppy and well, you know a little too BYU)
-Her camera presence was better than anyone else in the competition
-The dishes she made seem good

The bottom line for why she was eliminated... She is a combination of something they already have. Take Racheal Ray's bubbliness, Giada's good looks, and Paula's homestyle and friendliness, and that is Kelsey. The people making the decisions on who stays or goes are the producers who are trying to create something innovative that will capture an audience, and I don't fault them for that. What I do fault them for is creating a competition to get the best and I do think Kelsey is the best all around package in the competition (I am not just the BYU alumni speaking here). They are trying to get a unique show, which is why they held on to Nipa after she walked out when being constructively criticized. They wanted an Indian cooking show, unfortunately, Nipa is not the person to host it.

My prediction for the next two weeks...

Next week Adam will be eliminated. It doesn't seem like his perspective is nailed down well yet. Also, while he has good camera presence, I have yet to be that impressed by his ideas (for example, I disagree with Rachael Ray--his barbecue wrap, really didn't seem all that innovative, though I guess lobster mac and cheese could be good)

That will bring it down to Lisa who takes French techniques and makes them approachable for the at home chef (isn't that what Sara Moulton did on Sara's Secrets?) and Aaron's soul food (basically a combination of Paula Deen, Sunny Andersen and Guy Fieri)...

My final prediction since day one... Aaron will win it all!

**Even though Kelsey didn't win the competition you can still go vote for her as the fan fave. For entering you also get a chance to win new kitchen appliances. Check it out.

Later and Later...

Each day of this NaBloPoMo I seem to posting a bit later.

I must say though, Saturday was a pretty good day. Swimming with the fam, a clean house, and stocked cupboards.

Tonight I ventured out to the grocery store after Callie went to sleep. When you are grocery shopping after 9 on a Saturday night there are a lot less people there (unless you live in Utah). It was actually a very relaxing trip.

Grocery shopping is one of those things I sometimes love or sometimes hate. Depending on the list and the store. Tonight I went with a list in hand to the fancy pants grocery store. It opened about 8 months ago and it is super nice and not too far from home. When shopping during the day the expensive parts of the store, bakery, deli, chinese food, takeout, are supa busy, so I don't usually venture over there. Since they were closed, I had a chance to wander around and check out the awesome cheese selections they had (though I was hoping they carried some of that goat cheese I mentioned a while back, but alas, they did not). It did want to make me find some Spanish recipes or Greek recipes because they had some great looking Manchego and Myzithra.

The other thing that made tonights trip pretty good was the percentage of items I bought that were on sale. Each week I read the ads and pick up whatever is on sale, it saves us quite a bit of money. If I want something and I can't buy it for a price I find reasonable I will usually live without it. The whole economics theory... the price people are willing and able to pay. Tonight I didn't have to skimp on any of my groceries so that was pretty awesome!

Anyway, it is 11:30 now and tomorrow will be busy. So good night for now, and maybe tomorrow I will post a little earlier.

Another Great Recipe

So, if you haven't noticed yet, I am a bit of a cooking hack. Pretty much all the recipes I share are from someone else. But, it is so hard not to want to share when these recipes are all so good! Besides, who doesn't love foodnetwork.com and cookinglight.com. So many recipes a girl could get lost... or a really long shopping list.

Todays recipe post is one I made a while back, Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad. So super good that I was happy to rediscover it in my recipe folder and we will probably have it again next week. It is low-fat, high in nutrients, and full of flavor, but don't just take my word for it, the reviews have given it 5 stars... which is full honors for a CL recipe.

This taco salad reminds me of a Cafe Rio type dish (for those of you from Utah). This also has a lot of the salsa flavor I love (but without being too hot, just take it a little easy on the chili powder and cumin).

A Quick Coupon

Since nothing too exciting is happening today, I thought I would share a coupon code for Snapfish. It is for 50 prints for .50. With shipping it came to about 4.20 with the shipping, but that is still pretty good (and it was a good reminder for me to actually order prints and not just leave them on the computer forever).

Anyway, the code is JUL4PENNY08 and it expires on Saturday.

Into the High Chair

Callie is strong enough at sitting that she can sit up in a high chair at restaurants. She has been using her high chair at home for several months, but while Papa was here visiting last week we put her in one without a headrest, and it went perfectly. I really don't know why I thought it would be hard for her (since she can sit upright unassisted for up to an hour), but she proved me that I was being a chicken and my little baby is growing into a toddler.

Let Me Tell You

On Sunday Papa (Fast) tried to teach Callie to crawl. This is a profile shot of Callie telling him how difficult it is, and he isn't taking any excuses!

No Food Today

I have always loved dealing with phone customer service agents (please note the thick sarcasm). Some of them are truely helpful. Some of them pretend to be, but never follow through on their promises. And yet others are true idiots.

Today I had a mix between the true idiot and helpful.

Back at the beginning of May, I ordered a new long distance service because our old plan was no longer available. But when I was looking over our bill I realized we were overcharged. When I phoned customer assistance the first gal was able to do a credit for the overcharge, but I had to call someone else to fix the problem so it would not happen again.

We'll call second gal AT&T Anna. Here's a rough idea how the conversation went.

AT&T Anna: AT&T, this is Anna can I help you.

Me: Yes, I was calling because I was charged the wrong amount for long distance, and we need to fix my account so it will not happen in the future.

*Getting lots of account info*

AT&T Anna: Well it looks like the order for new .12 a minute long distance service was completed on May 10.

Me: Well, I was charged .25 and .35 per minute on my bill for May 10-June 11.

AT&T Anna: The calls were prorated based on when you ordered the service.

Me: If the service went into effect on May 10, why were calls made on June 11 charged .35 per minute? June 11 is after May 10 right?

AT&T Anna: Oh, I understand now. Well, let's see if we can get this fixed.


I really don't think that AT&T Anna knew what the word prorated meant. I honestly think it is one she throws out there to try to confuse people into just paying what AT&T tells them to.

The last point of my rant is that I am small peanuts to the super telecommunications giant. But they were overcharging me 2.00. It took me more than 15 minutes on the phone to get my 2.00 back. Most people won't go to the trouble.

I did. In doing that it cost me 15 minutes of my time, but it had to cost AT&T at least 10.00 (based on wages, benefits, and the loss of new customers because of this rant on my blog). Who will really pay this 10.00? Well, in order to cover the extra expense they will likely raise rates or stock values will fall. Seeing as we are still their customers and we have AT&T stocks (in our 401k mutual funds) it seems like we are footing the bill.

So basically, I just spent 10.00 and 15 minutes (20 now that I have blogged about it) to save 2.00. Gotta love it!

The Best Chili Ever!

When Jeff and I first got married we would walk to the Trax station in Salt Lake and take it down to the most amazing library. While there we would look at books, read magazines and just hang out (yes, it was that cool).

Once I was reading a great copy of Cooking Light and I came across the simplest sounding chili recipe. I tried it and haven't tried any others because I love it so much.

Check it out, Chunky Vegetarian Chili.

I do make a few modifications. First, I just use one large onion and two bell peppers (preferably, two different colors). Second, I like to add some cayenne pepper to the spices and stir them all in for a minute or two before adding the tomatoes and beans. Third, add some water (or broth, or tomato juice, though I just use water) to cover the beans. And last of all, when you serve it, it is great with some baked tortilla chips, low fat sour cream, and a little bit of cheese!

Yummy Watermelon

This is the first time Callie has eaten food that hasn't been pureed. She had it all over her face until just before we took the picture when she wiped it all over Grandma.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

From my backyard to yours, I wish you lots of good foods and fun as you celebrate this 4th of July.

**By the way, if you get a chance to catch the John Adams miniseries biography that was on HBO for the past couple months, I highly recommend it.

Sweet Tomatoes

Yum! The tomatoes are just beginning to ripen in our garden. I just love to step out the back door and get fresh foods. These tomato plants are volunteers that sprouted on their own before we bought the house, so when we eat them it feels like the house is paying us back for buying it.

We also have a lemon tree that gave us a healthy crop of lemonade, lemon bars, and seasoning for meat.

So if you figure a lemon costs .69 each (that's what they were last time I went to the grocery store) and tomatoes are 1.79 / lb, the house only owes us another 75,556 lbs of tomatoes and 95,289 more lemons to pay for itself. What a great investment!

Salsa!!!

Salsa is my all time favorite condiment. While most people consider it to be a condiment that is used to pep up chips or tacos, I have been known to eat it by the spoonful.

Salsa is so full of flavor and it packs a super nutritional punch without too many calories and no fat! The best salsa is fresh made. It really isn't too hard to make, and if I don't feel like making it, I buy it from the taquiera that is next to the grocery store. I can get a 16 oz container for less than a bottle of the store brand at the grocery store and it is about 1,000 times better than that stuff from a jar.

So you want to try to make some yourself? Well there are many variations, but here's my favorite way to make it.

15 oz can tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1 bunch green onions sliced
1-3 jalepenos
1-3 white/yellow peppers (They look like jalepenos just a different color)
1/4 - 1/2 bunch cilantro stems removed and chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil the jalepenos and the white/yellow peppers whole (use one for not too much heat and three for a lot) for about 20 minutes
2. Remove peppers from boiling water. Slice in half and remove seeds and membranes (you will want to wear gloves for that job, trust me your eyes will thank you). Slice peppers into small pieces.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy with some Baked Tostitos or with a spoon. Yum!

What is your favorite condiment?

I am going to try it...

Some of you have heard of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). Basically you post everyday for a month. On their website there is a theme for the month to base your posts around. This months theme is food. Food is something I tend to get pretty passionate about.

So the goal I am trying to achieve is to post each day for a month. Each post may or may not have something to do with food, but if I have nothing else to write about at least I will have a theme I can write on.

For today's post I will note a new recipe I tried, Apple Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting. I don't recommend them to anyone on a diet... When I make them again I will probably add a little more apples, but other than that, simple and delicious.