Thursday, March 31, 2011

Flat Stanley

On Sunday Martin, Aubrey and I went to visit Martin's sister, Jen, and her family. Jen is an absolutely amazing sister-in-law and I always love to visit her. Unfortunately, it never seems like I see her enough. Jen and her family had Flat Stanley visiting from the second grade class of one of their other nieces. (Flat Stanley is a paper doll that travels around the country to different kids families so the kids can learn about geography, etc.)So Aubrey got a picture with Flat Stanley to be sent into the school. She's famous already!

As a sidenote: Jen makes the most amazing fried potatoes know to man and I could probably have eaten my weight in them on Sunday had their been enough to allow for that.


Another sidenote: I had to keep this picture small because for some reason the pictures in my last few posts have been getting kind of squished down and I don't really know what is going on and it is extremely frustrating but my technological skills are seriously lacking. And that's no joke. I used to just not watch movies at my parents' house because it was easier than figuring out the dvd player. And no, when I say used to that doesn't mean I've learned how to work it and really progressed in my technological skills. It just means they've since gotten a new dvd player that is easier to navigate. Anyway...if you know how to fix this issue, please inform me!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Homemade Tortilla Shells!

Martin and I have been trying to eat healthy this year. We buy a lot of produce. We drink orange juice. We have basically given up on red meat. I've more or less stopped using butter. And we don't even have salt in the house. We've really turned a corner on this whole healthy eating thing.

Anyway, one healthy meal I like to make is chicken fajitas. I make my own taco seasoning using paprika, garlic powder, cayenne powder and cumin (it tastes delicious and doesn't have all the sodium you find in those packets!) The only problem with them is, the flour tortillas you buy from the store. They are surprisingly unhealthy. So then we tried corn tortillas. Which are surprisingly untasty. Which is when I decided to look for a homemade tortilla recipe. (And yes, I will probably now need to reference this post everytime I make them).

3 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 cup hot water.

Mix flour and baking powder together. Add canola oil and Mix until mixture is a bunch of really fine balls. Pour in hot water and knead into ball. Let rise wrapped in plastic wrap in fridge for a half hour or overnight. Break into approximately 12 balls and roll out with rolling pin on a floured surface. Fry in ungreased frying pan turning over when one side has brown blisters.

I was having a really hard rolling these out into anything that even remotely resembled a circle. Martin had much better luck. Yes, he also got covered in flour in the process.
But look at the plate full of beautiful and delicious tortilla shells he has to show for it!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sitting

Aubrey has gotten so she can sit up on her own if she is in the mood.
It's important to note that she must be in the mood. Because if she's not. She'll just let herself fall forward onto her stomach and then cry about it. The girl is stubborn and if she doesn't feel like working those muscles, well then, she just isn't going to.

But when she does, she sure is happy about it!

Monday, March 28, 2011

10 Pictures

















1. We cuddled up. 2. And turned on the smurfs. 3. And I finished looking through this. 4. Aubrey eventually nodded off. 5. Yes, I reference my own blog ever single time I make 6. pizza dough. 7. more on this later. 8. adorable in a laundry basket. 9. playing on the floor while mommy cooks dinner 10. Who can resist a Saturday night bottle of wine, especially when its from the New York Fingerlakes?

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sleep

Aubrey still pretty much gets up every three hours. There are a few nights sprinkled in here or there where she'll go six or every once in a while the entire night. But for the most part its pretty common for me to be up feeding her at midnight.....and then three....and then six....and then its time for me to get up for work anyway.

Last Thursday I was talking to Martin on the phone as I was driving between stores.

Martin: I had a great night last night. I think I slept for a solid eight hours. Man, it was really great.
Me: Well that's good. I slept like crap. Aubrey was up all night.
Martin: Oh really? Well now I feel like a crappy husband.

a couple days later...

Me: Well you're always bragging about how much sleep you get and I haven't slept in at least four months. Not including the fact that I wasn't really sleeping at the end of my pregnancy either.
Martin: When am I bragging about my sleep?
Me: "I got a full eight hours...."
Martin: Well it was actually eight and a half...but I'm not bragging.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Busy Busy

This week has been crazy busy. So busy that when I got home Friday night I realized I had no stories to tell, I hadn't spent any time with my darling daughter, I was completely exhausted and I hadn't taken a single picture all week long.

Needless to say, I'm super excited its the weekend. Aubrey and I are hanging out. Cleaning every nook and cranny in the apartment. Doing lots of laundry. And watching some CSI in the background.

Oh, and hopefully I'll snap a few pics of her doing some new, crazy, exciting and awesome!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Holding Hands

I already featured this photo on here in my 10 Photos post from this week. But then I faded it and in general made it look like it was taken 50 years ago and now I'm really in love with it. So. You get to see it again. Lucky you.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Family Portrait

The above photo is the only photo we have of the three of us together. And Aubrey is really young. She was three weeks old and looks so tiny she almost looks like a doll. So Sunday, when we were cuddled up and watching basketball - it seemed like a good opportunity to use the timer and snap a shot or two.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

10 Photos (A New Tradition)

I really liked posting ten photos from my weekend last week and tagging them with a short explanation on the bottom. I liked it so much I'm going to start doing it every week. Partly because, a post about how my relaxing Sunday was so amazing once again is a lot more boring than ten photos to sum it up.










1. Love the playchair! 2. Just like Daddy, completely distracted by the TV 3. College Basketball 4. Family Cuddle Time 5. Not as good as Better Homes and Gardens, but it will do. 6. Holding Hands 7. Sitting Up 8. Corned Beef (ok this is from Thursday, not the weekend) 9. Driving takes intense concentration 10. Daddy looks so serious about this game.

Monday, March 21, 2011

RoadTrip

One of my dear friend's and roomate from college, Katie is getting married in May. On Saturday her wedding shower was held in Maryland. So, Saturday was a roadtrip day! One of my other dear friend's, Michelle, who is also in the wedding, Martin, Aubrey and I all loaded into the car at 5:00am to head down on the 7 and a half hour car ride to Maryland. And then we came back the same day!

While the four hours spent at the shower catching up with Katie, whom I haven't seen since December, was really nice. The 15 hours spent in the car far exceeded the time spent at the actual event, so not surprisingly, I have far more stories from this time than from the actual shower.

Michelle: Look at the license plate. It says Gay Peach. That's weird.....Oh wait. GA Peach. Georgia Peach. That makes more sense.

- - - - - -

Me: (sitting in a gas station parking lot after feeding Aubrey) Oh! We should keep track of these funny quotes so I can write a blogpost about them.
Martin: How about start the car.
Michelle: How about Martin's grumpiness.
Me: Wait? What? I don't remember either of these things.
Michelle: Martin's grumpiness about start the car.
Martin: Yeah. How 'bout start the car. That's not a quote. Start the car.
Me: Ooooh. I thought you guys were giving me quotes. Well now you better write start the car as a quote about Martin's grumpiness.

- - - - - -

Martin: Can we pull over so I can go to the bathroom.
Me: No, we're making really good time.
...
(getting back in car after stopping for a bathroom break)
Martin: See how fast I was. Michelle was wasting time sitting down. She's so lazy
Michelle: I'm a girl! How else am I supposed to go to the bathroom!

- - - - - -

Martin: (talking to Aubrey): This is a long drive, isn't it. Katie better only get married  once, because we're not doing this again.

- - - - - -

Martin: I think any movie that ends with balloons flying away at the end is an amazing movie.
Michelle: Well, that's kind of like the feather in Forrest Gump.
Martin: I think they stole that feather idea from the balloon idea.
...
Martin: Like The Notebook. If that had ended with balloons flying away at the end then there wouldn't be a single girl who wouldn't say that was her favorite movie.
Michelle: They kind of do that with the geese that fly away at the end.
Martin: Is there really any bird references in that movie, though?
Michelle: Yeah! When he takes her out into the pond and there's all those birds.
Martin: I think if he had said 'If you're a balloon, I'm a balloon' that would have been a lot better movie.

Wouldn't you like to roadtrip with us?

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Stop For A Minute

Have you listened to The Drive lately?
Me: Yeah.
Martin: Have you heard that song - it's like.....When I stop for a minute. I think about things I don't wanna know.
Me: Oh. I don't know.
Martin: Well it really reminds me of you and Aubrey.
Me: Thinking about things you don't wanna know?
Martin: Well. I'm remembering the wrong part.

here's the song.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Right or Left Handed


If you had asked me before having a child when it is clear which hand a person is going to favor throughout life (right-handed or left handed) I would have definitely said not until the child is at the very least throwing things or eating or something.


Aubrey can't even roll all the way over yet, and it's already very obvious that she is going to be right-handed


The girl basically refuses to use her left hand!


She loves to play in the chair, but whenever I put her in there she just lets her left hand dangle by her side and uses her right hand to push the buttons and play.


Of course, I don't really mind - because she's still completely adorable.

This was just a fairly pointless observation that I thought I'd pass on to you. plus a good excuse to post more pictures of my darling.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Lucky Day

On Tuesday afternoon, I pulled out of work excited to play outside for the first time in months because it was a beautiful 50 degree day!And I don't know about you, but for me I find something really fun and relaxing about driving in nice weather. So, for once, I was pretty stoked about my 40 minute commute.

And what could make a 40 minute commute on a gorgeous day even better???

Iced Coffee! from Tim Hortons (home of the best coffee ever!)

I rummaged through my change and decided that yes, I could treat myself to an iced coffee

Coffee Boy: Here you go. Have a great day!
Me: O wait. I haven't paid yet.
Coffee Boy: Oh. no one took your money. Well. You can just have it. Congratulations.

Seriously!!? Free Iced Coffee. I mean. I really hope this boy never applies for a job from me because I won't be able to hire him on account of the fact that I know he gives away free products, but it sure did make my day.

And in a weird way, I feel like I know need to do a better job supporting Tim Horton's to make up for the free coffee I was given

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Just Dropping In

This picture was taken on faux St. Patrick's Day three years ago, also. (In other words, the chosen celebration day at college, due to the fact that the actual St. Patty's Day falls during spring break). This is also known as the day when the bar opens at 8am and because I was all about keeping up traditions spending the entire day at the bar senior year was obviously a must. But don't worry - we were only drinking from pitchers for the sake of the photo. I at the very least had the decency to pour my green beer into a glass.

Happy St. Patty's Day

These photos were taken on St. Patty's Day three years ago when Martin and I went to visit Ingrid in Texas. These photos probably commemorate the Best St. Patty's Day Ever.
It's amazing to think how much has changed in such a short period of time. When I was talking to Ingrid on the phone the other day she asked me what I was doing for St. Patrick's Day this year. This was my response:
Well. It's on a Thursday....And we have a baby. So probably nothing.
But, then again, it's hard to swallow doing absolutely nothing to celebrate this holiday when I have previously gone all out. So I've decided to focus on the food this year. I'm making corned beef and cabbage and having my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner. I'm hoping it's amazingly delicious. But I've never actually made corned beef and cabbage, nor have I consumed corned beef and cabbage. I am, however, a big fan of reubens - so I'm hoping the similarities far outweigh the differences.
Regardless of what I'm doing (or not doing) I hope you have a fantastic St. Patty's Day!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I Hope You Don't Mind

This child is so adorable.
I possibly post pictures of her way too much
But I just can't stop taking pictures of her. And posting them on here.
I hope you don't mind