Pain in the A$$

Our cat, Ruby, can be a real pain in the a$$ sometimes. I'm sure many of you have seen the "Feed Cat" video that's been circulating recently. I bet most of you didn't know however, that the cat in the video is actually my cat, Ruby. Yes, it's true. I have a cat star. Since the video released, Ruby has been letting all the fame go to her head, and she has been taking some liberties. She basically thinks she rules the roost.

Here is an example: the other night, Jared and I were laying in bed, enjoying a few precious moments of cuddling before the baby awakened, when all of the sudden Ruby decided to join the cuddlefest. She jumped up onto the side of the bed (but didn't quite make it because she is so fat). Just as I heard her jump, Jared yelped in pain and clutched his behind. When his hand came back, he was bearing this little memento that Ruby left in his butt. Like I said, she's a pain in the a$$.

Cleaning Day

I was standing in the living room, looking around and had a feeling it was time to clean. A move-everything-and-vacuum-under-it, use-the-hose-attachments-to-get-in-the-corners hardcore clean. I even brought out the Lime-Away to polish up the faucets. This feeling was confirmed when Jared was vacuuming and suddenly sucked up something hard. He called to me from the other room and asked if I knew what it was. He described the location. Ah yes. I knew. It was just a small piece of plastic that fell off of who knows what. It had been laying there for days. No biggie. A few minutes later, Jared stopped the vac once again. What had he sucked up this time, he yelled? Oh, in the nursery? Under Sophia's dresser? Yeah, that was just a tag I took off one of Sophia's new outfits. Carry on.

How sad is it that I knew exactly what garbage was cluttering our floors and never stopped to pick it up?

Quote of the Day

"Chicken nuggets can do anything!!!"

-Anna Norquist

Dump Cake

This is the easiest recipe EVER and it is so yummy! It is a very flexable recipe that allows you to choose ingredients tailored to your own taste.

Dump Cake

1. Dump a can of your favorite canned fruit in the bottom of a 9x13" pan.
2. Pour a powdered cake mix over the fruit.
3. Melt one stick of butter and pour over cake mix.
4. Bake according to directions on cake mix.

As you can see, you can play with the ingredients endlessly and come out with a different cake each time, though I would recommend using a yellow, white or vanilla cake mix.

When Grandma Jeanne made this cake for my baby shower, she used cherry pie filling, and added coconut and macadamia nuts in with the fruit. She used a yellow cake mix.

Down in Flames

I lost a part of my brain during pregnancy that apparently I will never regain.
Read the line running across the top of the page in this photo (click on photo to enlarge):


Obviously, an important piece of paper. It is the form we were supposed to have notarized* in order to receive an official birth certificate for Sophia. Last night I was making dinner. Jared had some paperwork sorted on the counter that was spilling onto the stove. I was too distracted to move it. I put the pot of rice on the stove, flipped the burner on HIGH, and started washing some dishes. Within a minute, I smelled something burning. I turned to check the rice, and saw an entire pile of paperwork smouldering. I had turned on the wrong burner. I dashed to the stove and grabbed the papers, which instantly burst into flames. I threw them in the sink and sprayed them to death. That's when the fire alarms started chiming in unison. That's when Jared dashed up from the basement. That's when he told me which papers I had just burned. That's when the floodgates opened and I sobbed uncontrollably.

*Yes Erin and Brandy, this happened right after I talked to you about notarizing this for us.

Turtle Bars

Here is the recipe for the turtle bars my mom brought to the baby shower.

Turtle Bars

2 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup pecan halves

Topping:
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (6 ozs) semisweet or milk chocolate chips (I used m.c.)

In a mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar and butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Press firmly into an ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Arrange pecans over crust. Combine butter and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top; let stand for 3 minutes. Spread chocolate, cool completely. Cut into squares.

Wild Women and Wine

I had a girl's night for the first time since Soph was born. Oh. my. gosh. SO MUCH FUN! Me and my girls know how to have a good time! We all gathered at Abby's house for a wine tasting party! The requirements were to dress "classy and sassy," and bring your favorite bottle of wine. We each presented our bottle and then gave a toast. There was a spread of delicious finger foods to accompany the wine. After each taste, we rated the bottle from 1 to 10. Best night I've had in a long time. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Erica brought Axumit Sweet Red Wine (from Ethiopia), Rating: 7
Megan brought Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio, Rating: 6
Ashley brought really yummy Concord Grape wine, Rating: 9
Hannah brought Yellow Tail Riesling, Rating: 7
Abby brought DaVinci Chianti, Rating: 4
I brought Lucci Moscato d'Asti, Rating: 10 (yeah, mine was the favorite. But don't worry, it's not a popularity contest.)

All the wine, and some pretty girls too!
Me and Meg
Hannah and Erica
Megan was the official bottle opener
Trying the goods, mmmmm
Ooooh, i love you girls!

Brain Fart

Jared: "Oh Sophie, you are so pretty! Someday you are going to steal the heart of a gentlemen... well, hopefully."
Naomi: "Jared! What a terrible thing to say!"
Jared: (chuckling) "What?"
Naomi: "You mean as opposed to a lady?"
Jared: (laugh out loud) "No! As opposed to a sleezbag!"
Naomi: "Ooooh."