My poor neglected blog

It's been a while since I've posted...way to long. The project that I was working on at work back in November and December (the one that was supposed to be finished in December), well, I'm still working on it. Sigh. My vendor severely under bid the project and has lost a lot of money on it.

My family life has been just as busy. In late-January, we found out we were pregnant with Baby #2, another boy. We're due in mid-September. We are very excited, and can't wait for the arrival.

In late-March, we moved closer to where my husband works and goes to school. I really can't say that I recommend a move in the middle of your first trimester; especially if you have a very active toddler to keep up with! It seems that we spent all of February and March getting ready for the move, and then all of April and May getting our old house ready to rent.

I now commute 1 hour and 10 minutes to work, which stinks, but I don't have much longer to commute. July 30th is my last day, and I will be a SAHM. I am very excited to be home with my babies. I'm already checking out FREE things to do in the area.

Hopefully, I will have more time to give attention to this blog after I am home. In August, I plan to get the nursery ready, get the 'big boy room" ready for Baby Boy's (who's changed from being a sweet cuddly baby into a Wild Thing), and stockpile my freezer with some meals for after Baby #2 arrives.

Do you have some favorite freezer recipes to share? Leave a comment and post a link if you do.

Snow Day

It's snowing again, which reminded me of the pictures I captured a few weeks ago when it snowed. Here's my favorite one!

Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Were you brave enough to shop black Friday? Did you get any amazing deals?

I have a confession, I did not shop either of those deal packed days!

To me Black Friday seems like torture (I don't like shopping, especially in crowds). I love a good deal, but I also place a value on my time, and I personally feel that if you average the time you spend shopping and standing in line and charge yourself for that, then the deals are just average. However, for the first time in my adult life, I felt a twinge of remorse yesterday. I complimented one of the girls I work with on her shirt. She said she got it shopping at Kohls on Friday, and then she showed me the cutest coat ever and said it was only $7.99 and...it was reversible!

Cyber Monday could be a shopping alternative for me, but I work, have an 18 month old to take care of, and have a husband that is back in school. The Mondays after Thanksgiving are frequently chaos...both personally and professionally (Yes, it's hard for a girl to drag herself out of bed and into the office after a 4-day weekend, and since this is my busy time at work who has time to check out deals online). I wouldn't even know where to begin.

That really cute $7.99 jacket is making me rethink my lack of participation in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Would you help prepare me for next year? My questions to all the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping veterans out there are...

• What was your best deal?
  
• What are you tips to a newbie Black Friday shopper for how to survive?
• With the plethora of emails and advertisements, how do you get the very best Cyber Monday deals?
  

I've added a McLinky below. If you have a post that answers one of these questions, feel free to link up (use the title of your post as the link). If you didn't blog about your deals, then leave a comment.

The Best Christmas Parade I Never Saw!

Over the weekend, we drove up to Estes Park. They always do an amazing Christmas lights parade on the Friday after Thanksgiving (or so I have heard). I have wanted to see this parade since I first learned of it. I thought it would be fun, and that Baby Boy would enjoy it. I talked hubby into going, and we called some friends and all trekked up the mountain.

We arrived in Estes at around 3:45. Plenty of time to park, grab a quick bite to eat, and find a seat (or so we thought). Turns out this is a really, really popular parade, and all the restaurants were packed (Starbucks had the longest line I've ever seen!). All the spaces on the curb along the parade route were claimed.

So we grabbed a bench at the best place we could see...and waited...and waited...and waited! 5:30 came, and no sign of the parade, but Baby Boy was getting fussy (and hungry). 5:35 came, Baby Boy was even more fussy and there was still no sign of the parade.

We decided that we must have been at the end of the route, and that we should have time to go in and grab a quick bite to eat and then catch the end of the parade. We went inside our favorite pizza place, and got seated immediately. We ate, and then we went back outside at exactly 6:30. What did we see? Lots and lots of red tail lights!

We completely missed the parade! What a bummer! I guess there is always next year for the parade in Estes! Luckily this parade was early enough in the season that we can always catch another one in the area.


*Picture borrowed off the Estes Park Visitor Bureau website.

Great Offer: JCPenneys Coupon

This coupon is almost too good to be true! $10 off any single purchase at JCPenney totaling $25 or more! You can use it from November 18 to November 23 (online, in the store, and through the catalog). This coupon is a great excuse to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping!

Recipe Swappin' Saturday: Afternoon Snacks

I'm getting Recipe Swappin' Saturday up a little late today. We decided to go to IHOP for breakfast and then we ran some errands. We didn't get home until late this afternoon.


The theme for this week was afternoon snacks. Link up your favorite afternoon snack recipe.


I made a Peanut Butter & Apple Butterfly for baby boy today.

To make this you need:

• 1 apple
• 1 -2 TBSP of peanut butter
• 1 baby carrot
• 2 small slivers of celery

Assembly:

1. Slice the apple, and lay the slices in the shape of a butterfly wings.
2. Put peanut butter down the middle of the apples.
3. Top peanut butter with a baby carrot.
4. Stick the celery slivers in the top to make the antenna's.

Optional: sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon sugar.


Now for the Recipe Swap Party.

Here are the rules:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post with a afternoon snack recipe, not your general blog address.
2. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can join in the fun!

The theme for next week is a free for all! Plan to link up to any recipe you want!

Great Offer: Carter's and OshKosh Coupons

Both Oshkosh and Carter's are having a 60% off sale this weekend. Here are some 20% off coupons for both OshKosh B'Gosh and Carter's to help you stretch your dollars during this Holiday season!


Check out the OshKosh B'Gosh online catalog.



Carter's also has $5 terry sleep and play - this weekend only November 13-15.

The Carter's online catalog can be found here.

Chit Chat: What's the point?

For the most part, I don't mind cleaning.

• Bathroom...check. done.
• Vacuum...check. done.
• Dust...check. done.
• Windows...check. done.
  
• Mop...check. done.

But when it comes to dishes and laundry, I catch myself wondering "What is the point?"

I hate doing the dishes...they are never done. As soon as you unload the dishwasher, there are more dishes to put in because, let's face it, it isn't like we stop eating or drinking while the wash cycle runs. I would love to always eat off of paper plates and with plastic-ware...but it costs money (which, apparently, doesn't grow on trees) and it is bad for our environment. I guess doing dishes is one of those things that is unavoidable (kinda like taxes)....unless we start eating out for every meal. There's an idea....but I think I would get tired of McDonalds and Wendy's after a while. And if I didn't get tired of the food, I'd definitely get tired of the McHips and McButt that would come with it. So now I am back to unavoidable.

I also hate doing laundry. I think I hate doing laundry more than doing dishes because once again, it is never done...and the process takes forever (at least unloading the dishwasher takes 10 minutes)! But with laundry it's wash, dry, fold, put away. REPEAT. Even if I do get all my laundry done in a given weekend, as soon as it's bedtime, the day's clothes come off and there's more to do. Oh yea...and then you find that shirt that was in your gym bag and those socks that somehow ended up under some random piece of furniture. So, I could probably avoid doing laundry by joining a nudist colony (I could save money on buying clothes too!), but EEEEWWWWW! YUK! I don't even like for people to see me in a swimsuit...let alone naked. Oh and I blush seeing underwear commercials, so how would I handle seeing a bunch of naked people. That just isn't happening...no way! Not ever! Perhaps I could avoid laundry by just buying new clothes when I am out of clothes. Oh wait...I tried that in college. It doesn't work. Eventually you run out of money (because money doesn't grow on trees, remember?) So I guess laundry is unavoidable too.

So even though I may feel like doing dishes and laundry is pointless, I know it is unavoidable. So now it's time for me to quit procrastinating and to start folding that laundry from last night (and of course there are some dishes waiting to be put away too!)

What household chores do you hate doing and ask yourself, "What's the point?" Leave a comment and let me know!

Aspiring Photographer: Colorado Wildlife...Big Horn Sheep

One of the reasons I love living in Colorado, is because of all the wildlife you can see if you are paying attention. I say that you can see if you are paying attention because I don't know how many times we have been hiking and not paying attention and I'll hear something running off. I know a deer or elk was near, but never saw one.


I took these pictures of Big Horn Sheep just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. Another common place I see them is on the side of I-70 as we drive up to go skiing.


Did you know that the bigger the curl of the horn, the older the sheep?


Have you ever seen two sheep charge each other and knock horns? On this lucky day, I got to witness it (I wish I was at a different angle and could have gotten more than a butt shot). I can't even begin to describe the sound of the horns hitting together...it is thunderously loud. It sounds like knocking two plates together and they don't break. They both must have had quite the headache after they worked out their issues!



If you enjoyed this post, check out some of the other shots I have taken of the Rocky Mountain Wildlife!

• Don't Chase the Animals

• Fall in the Rockies!

Chit Chat: I've been AWOL lately

If you haven't noticed, I've been away from my Blog lately. It was a long week last week. My company let some more people go on Wednesday. While I was not one of the people let go, it will affect the way I do my job. There will be more red tape to cut through, as I will have to outsource almost every project. Needless to say, in light of all the change at work, I didn't feel like writing at home. I've been seriously reeling and wondering how I am going to finish projects that were left in a lurch, and how I will move forward.

If you were planning to participate in "Recipe Swappin' Saturdays," I'm so sorry I bailed on you this week. Don't worry though--save your post for next week. We'll keep the theme the same...Afternoon Snacks.

Chit Chat: Dreary Winter Darkness

This whole Daylight Saving time change thing is the pits. It stinks! It bites! I hate it! Now, not only is it dark when I wake up, but it is dark when I drive home as well. At work, I sit in an area where I don't have a window. I never see the sun (well, except for the 35 minute drive I have to work, but that doesn't count in my book).

The only good thing about "falling back" for Daylight Savings is the extra hour of sleep I get one day a year. Oh wait a minute, now that I have a child, that doesn't happen. So really there are no redeeming qualities about the Winter Daylight Savings! (BTW, if you can think of any be sure to leave a comment below and let me know!)

Since the time change, I feel like it is time for Baby Boy to go to bed as soon as I get home from work. There's no more going outside for a walk after we get home. There is no chatting with the neighbors as we unload the car because no one is out working in their yard in the dark. There is no going to the park to play for a few minutes after dinner and before bed.

The Winter Daylight Savings is isolating. I wish we didn't have to turn the clocks back in the Fall. I would prefer it to be dark in the morning when I am rushing around getting ready for work, and to have a few extra moments of sunshine to enjoy in the evening when I get home. Perhaps I can try to change my hours at work...get there early and leave early. It is worth looking into, right?

Chit Chat: Mondays

I dread Mondays. After a fun-filled weekend of playing with Baby Boy and visiting with friends, I do not look forward to dragging myself out of bed on Monday morning. Today is no exception. We had so much fun over the weekend...a Fall Festival at Church, a Halloween party at our house with a pinata for the kids, a Sunday afternoon nap.

Baby Boy is talking babbling more and more. It is so fun watching his little personality emerge.

I wish that every weekend was a 3-day weekend; of course, I do realize that if that wish were granted, I would then want a 4-day weekend. And since it is not a 3-day weekend, I must get back to the grind.

I'll leave you with some pictures from the weekend.

Recipe Swappin' Saturdays: Sugary Treats

The theme for this week was Sugary Treats, so pull out your favorite sugary treat recipe. Post it on your blog and link up. For my Sugary Treat this week, I decided to try a new recipe. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. And, can I just say that these cookies are delicious?! Hubby loved them so much that they were gone by the next morning. I'll definitely be making them again soon.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 25 -30 cookies depending on size of cookie




Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon CALUMET Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 bag of chocolate chips (the smaller sized bag)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
2. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
   
3. Beat butter, sugars and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
   
4. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.
   
5. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until well blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until lightly browned.
   
8. Cool 1 min.; remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

Now for the Recipe Swap Party.

Here are the rules:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post with a sugary treat recipe, not your general blog address.
2. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can join in the fun!

The theme for next week is Afternoon Snacks!

Chit Chat: Let it Snow!

Colorado has been getting dumped on all day. The white fluffy stuff hasn't let up since late last night, and it is expected to keep coming down until mid-day tomorrow. I love snow. Before Baby Boy was born, a good snow meant waking up at oh-dark-thirty, grabbing our ski equipment and getting on the road (before I-70 became a parking lot) to ski.

Now that we have Baby Boy, a good snow causes me to about whether his day care will close early, and wonder how early I need to leave work to make sure I pick him up on time. Now, snow means canceled meetings and uncompleted tasks.

Today I got a call at 11:30 a.m. announcing that Baby Boy's daycare was closing at 1 p.m. I left early thinking the roads must be really bad, and I don't want to be late. As I was driving, I discovered, the roads were mostly clear, with a bit of slushiness on the side streets. Now in my book, a wet road isn't a good reason to cancel school. Not at a time when positions are being scrutinized. Not at at time when companies are trying to figure out ways to cut costs. Not ever.

So, I did a little digging around...the school district in our community did not close today, not a single other daycare in our community closed today, and many of the childcare facilities in the town I work in were still open as of 4 p.m. today.

So now, I am looking for an alternative for my daycare. This is not the first time an unnecessary snow closing has happened, and they take many other non-holiday days off. I can't keep using my very limited vacation time frivolously.

In the meantime, check out Baby Boy playing in the snow for the first time!

How to...Make Sure Your Photos Aren't Being Illegally Used

As a blogger, you work hard to find that perfect image to illustrate your post each day. Does the thought of someone ripping off the photo that you took of your kids infuriate you? How do you protect yourself?

For starters, you can put a watermark on all your images. This will help prevent people from ripping your images off.

The second thing you can do is a "reverse image look up." TinEye, is online software that will let you upload a photo to see if it is being used elsewhere. You can also look up images by giving it a url to one of your images. This tool is still in beta, so there are a few kinks to be worked out.

Give it a whirl: TinEye.com

Recipe Swappin' Saturdays: 5-ingredients or less

The theme for this week is 5 ingredients or less. I haven't made the recipe I'm about to share in a while, so there aren't any pictures. Sorry. To keep this recipe under 5 ingredients, I'm not counting household staples like cooking spray, ground pepper, and olive oil.

Rosemary-Garlic Pork Tenderloins
Prep: 2 hrs. 15 min.
Cook: 40 min.
# Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2- one pound pork tenderloins
• cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl to make a paste.
2. Make several 1-inch slits in the pork and stuff with 1 tsp. of the rosemary paste. Spread the remaining paste on the top ans sides of the pork.
   
3. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
4. Start grill, and place pork on the grill rack (coated with cooking spray).
   
5. Grill for about 23 minutes (or until a thermometer reaches 155 degrees). Turn pork once half way through the cooking.
6. Remove pork from grill, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. While the pork is standing, the internal temperature should go up to about 160 degrees.

Now for the Recipe Swap Party.

Here are the rules:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post with a salad recipe, not your general blog address.
2. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can join in the fun!

The theme for next week is Sugary Treats!

Great Offer: Gas and Grocery Giveaway

Who couldn't use $5000 toward their Gas and Grocery budget?

Betty Crocker is hosting a Gas & Grocery Giveaway. Each time you enter, you get a chance at a daily prize, but you also get entered for the grand prize as well. Go enter today!

Aspiring Photographer: Pumpkin Patch 2009

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend. We've been going to the same place since before Baby Boy was born. They have a giant corn maze, barrel rides, pony rides, animals to look at (llamas, cows, chickens, goats, rabbits, sheep, and ducks), food and many activities for kids. You have to take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch. It was a lot of fun.

"Why doesn't this pumpkin make the same music as my bongo drum?"

"Since I don't have a "passie," I'll suck my thumb."

"If I try hard enough, I know I can get this baby pumpkin in my pocket!"

"Hunting for the perfect pumpkin is exhausting!"

"I won't eat macaroni and cheese, but raw pumpkin is delicious!"

"I might sit here long enough to let you snap a picture, but I won't look at the camera or smile."

"This barrel train is running away...I'm turning right, and it's going left!"

"Hi Daddy! Look at me riding the barrel train with Mommy!"

"Hurry up people...I'm movin' on without you!"

"Check out those animals. Aren't they cute?"

Great Offers: Amazing Contests from Kraft and Nabisco

Kraft Grocery Cash Giveaway


Spin the Grocery wheel each day for the chance to win coupons. Plus, each time you spin the wheel you are entered to win $1000 cash. Contest good through November 6, 2009. Enter each day to up your chances for the $1000 Grand Prize.

DSRL (Double Stuff Racing League) Golden Lick Race Sweepstakes

Meet the Mannings in Florida!

This contest is sponsored by Nabisco. Two winners will receive a 3-day/2-night trip to Florida consisting of the following:

• Roundtrip coach class air travel for four (winner and three guests)
• 3 days/2 nights hotel accommodations (one room, quad occupancy)
• Roundtrip ground transportation between airport/hotel/event
• $1,000 in spending money
• Opportunity for winner to compete in the 2010 DSRL Golden Lick Race for a chance to win an additional $2,000. Grand Prize winners and eight other winners from similar promotions will be divided into two teams of five individuals each and the two teams will participate in the Lick Race. The team that wins will share $10,000 (each member of the winning team will receive $2,000).

Sweepstakes ends November 16, 2009

GOLDEN LUNCHABLES AWARD


Have you got a kiddo between 5 and 15? If so, they may want to enter the Golden Lunchables Award Contest. 5 lucky winners will get roundtrip, coach class air travel for four (4) from major airport nearest winner's residence to Orlando, FL; 4 days/3 nights hotel accommodations at the Nickelodeon Family Suites (one room, quad occupancy); roundtrip ground transfers for four (4) between airport/hotel; Sponsor designated attraction tickets for four (4); and $1,000 in spending money for winner only.


Make sure to enter by 11/01/2009.

Chit Chat: Best Blog Award?

I got another blog award a few weeks ago.

Both the The Suburban Jungle and Rocky Mountain Memoirs bestowed upon me the "Best Blog Award!" I am shocked! Best blog? Me? Wow! Someone pinch me—I can hardly believe it! Oh, and make sure you visit both The Suburban Jungle and Rocky Mountain Memoirs. I love visiting these blogs. Angela, at The Suburban Jungle is always posting some great tips and is very open about all she has learned about blogging. And Rocky Mountain Memoirs is a wonderful writer...check her out!



The Best Blog Award rules are:
1) To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Every blog I follow deserves this award. It was really hard who to pass this along to. That said, I'm giving this award to:

A Mom After God's Own Heart
My Net Finds
Stay in the Car Mom
Mamma Talk
Keeping up with the Bowens
Lunchbox Limbo
A Nut in a Nutshell
The imPERFECT HOUSEWIFE
Kara's Kitchen Creations
Savvy Moxie
Smart Cents Mom