:: New Year, New Blog Resolution ::

Oh, my poor abandoned blog... I promise I haven't forgotten about you. Things have just been insanely crazazy around here these past few months, and to be honest, my blog was the last thing on my mind. I am gearing up for a fun-filled New Year's holiday with my family, but I will return to my blog the first week of January. Promise. No, really, I promise. I am making a resolution to post at least three times a month. I know it doesn't sound like that much of a commitment, but trust me, with my schedule, it definitely is. Plus, if I end up posting more than three times a month, I will feel like I have really accomplished something.
So, to all my blog buddies out there in cyberland, I hope you have a wonderful, fun, safe and memorable New Year's holiday. See ya in 2010!

:: Oh, I Forgot I Had a Blog... ::

Well, not really. I have been meaning to update this thing for weeks now, but I just keep getting sidetracked. I have some great excuses though. Here they are...
1. We were out of town the weeks before Halloween
2. We had family in town for Halloween weekend
3. Ben had a birthday and a birthday party
4. Oh yeah, I have a job now....

So, I am working on blog posts for all the crazy fun stuff that's been going on around here. So, check back soon, okay?

:: Halloween Countdown Begins ::

Did you know there are only 26 days left until Halloween? I know... I can't believe it either!


Ben had originally wanted to be a Whoopie Cushion for Halloween. I found a costume online, but it was really pretty cheesy, and not worth the money. So, this morning I talked to Ben about being a Vampire instead. He was wanting to wear Vampire teeth with his Whoopie Cushion costume anyway, so I thought maybe he would be open to the idea of just being a Vampire, sans Whoopie Cushion. And to my surprise, he was excited about being a Vampire. I mentioned fake blood and a cape, and I am pretty sure that helped make up his mind. Jason and I normally have costumes that match Ben's, so this year we are going to sport some Vampire bites.... sounds fun!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Halloween?

:: Oops... I Just Stepped in Some Art! ::

Last night was 'Art Step' in Downtown Bryan. I don't actually know why it's called 'Art Step', since most other cities call the same type of event an 'Art Walk'. Art Walk sounds better to me than Art Step. But hey, what's in a name, right?
My husband has some of his original works hanging in a cafe/gallery for the month of October. Since last night was also his opening, the three of us went to check out the night life and have some fun.
I love walking around downtown. My parents grew up in Bryan and I love seeing all the places they would visit when they were young. There has been a huge downtown revitalization movement, and there are new businesses and attractions that make the area a lot of fun. There's the Carnegie Library my mother and aunt went to when they were kids, the Queen Theater where my parents would go to see movies, and old bank buildings and pharmacies my mom remembers visiting when she was young. I think that's why I like living here. I grew up in San Angelo, where my parents relocated when my dad was working for GTE. Before that we lived in Dallas, so it means a lot to me to be in the community where my parents lived when they were kids, went to school, met and married. Not to mention I still have a ton of family in the area. Here are some photos from last night:

My hubby took this photo. It's one of the buildings that has been remodeled
and now is home to a restaurant and some cool apartment flats.

Busy street corner in downtown.

Some ladies spinning thread. On the other side of them was a
woman working on a weaving loom. It was fascinating to watch.

My hubby's works. Lots of happy fish...

More colorful fishies...

Ben hanging out in front of some of my hubby's abstracts.

The downtown area is beautiful at night.

The Palace Theater. My parents saw 'Rosemary's Baby' here when it was first released. Several years ago, the exterior walls collapsed, so they added a huge outdoor awning and kept it as a theater. My hubby had an art show on the stage during 'Art Step' last year.

My hubby took this. Another remodeled building and an incredible moon.

Just a nice inspirational song playing on the radio on our way home.
We had a great evening.

If you want to check out more of my hubby's works, then take a peek at his website: www.ipaintfish.com.

I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend!

:: Photography ::

About a year ago, we bought this awesome camera and I just knew I was going to hone my photo-taking skills and turn into this incredible photographer and hang my works in galleries. Okay, so I'm kidding about the gallery part, but I really did think it would be easy to pick up photography. Yeah, I was wrong. VERY wrong.
Here's the thing... I love taking photos of my family. I love capturing natural, real images of the people I love. I have never liked those "studio pictures" where the family sits all nice and still and posed for the camera and then it gets all airbrushed and they add those weird blurry edges. Bleh. Just not my thing. It's not real. It just doesn't seem honest. Plus, it's expensive. So, you will never see family portraits on the walls of my home. Instead, we have framed pictures of candid moments throughout our lives. Real places. Real moments. Tons of memories.
I am also not a big fan of editing my photos. I don't crop or sharpen... I like the photos the way they are. The moment was special enough for me to want to document it, so I don't want to change it.
Thanks to advancements in camera technology, the playing field has really been leveled when it comes to photography. Tricks and techniques that were once available to only professional photographers and studios are now at the hands of every day people. People like me. But here's the deal... taking photos is one thing, but having the eye and skill to see a real opportunity and capture it in the perfect moment takes true talent. I have two friends, one a professional photographer and the other a new stay-at-home-mom, and they both take the most beautiful, inspiring photographs. I can't describe it really, but if you could see their photos, you would know what I mean. They have talent. Amazing, real talent.
I subscribe to a few newsletters from online photography groups that send weekly tips and ideas to my inbox, and I love them. I have learned a lot. So, this weekend, maybe Saturday, I am going to drag my incredible family around our neighborhood and cities and practice taking photos. I have been wanting to do this for a while, but the weather and our busy schedules kept getting in the way. But this weekend should be perfect.

I took this photo last year at the State Fair. October 2008.

I took this photo at the famous Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, NY.
It was actually included in an online travel guide for Buffalo, NY. August 2008.

This was also taken at Forest Lawn. We spent hours there.
It is huge and beautiful and I can't wait to visit again. August 2008.

Forest Lawn Cemetery. August 2008.

I took this at the Dallas Arboretum this past spring. March 2009.

:: I Heart Breakfast ::

Hands down, my favorite meal is breakfast. I could eat breakfast food any time of day. Eggs, potatoes, bacon and all types of bread... the possibilities are endless. My hubby and son love breakfast food, too. So, on Friday's we have breakfast for dinner. Sometimes we even put on our jammies to eat. It's a lot of fun.
One Friday, I was going through the fridge and pantry trying to decide what to make, and I kept looking at these sweet potatoes we had bought about a week earlier. I really needed to use them, but I couldn't think of how.... then it came to me... Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs. From that Friday on, I have made that same meal about three or four times. We love it. I don't have a recipe, since I made it up as I cooked, but here are some of the basics:

Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet Potato Hash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 an onion
1/2 medium green pepper
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 small apple
1/2 can of chicken broth
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Dice the potatoes into even cubes and add them to the pan and cook for several minutes. Once I add them to the pan, I try not to move them around, so they will get that awesome brown color. Then I add the diced onion and green pepper (I try to chop the pepper about the same size as the potatoes), and cook for a few more minutes, until they start to brown. Then I add the apples (chopped about the same size as the potatoes and peppers), grate the garlic into the pan, and then add the chicken broth. I simmer everything in the pan until the broth reduces and the sweet potatoes and apples are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. *Okay, I don't write recipes, so this is really just a guesstimate. You may need to tweak a few things.

I put the hash into a bowl and add a fried egg to the top of it. There's nothing better than cutting into the yolk and all that eggy goodness oozing onto the hash. Yeah, that's yummy for ya!! I guess you could use regular potatoes, too. I've never tried it, but I am sure it would taste great.
If you have any questions, let me know. And if you haven't tried it before, you should really give 'breakfast for dinner' a shot... you may love it!

Happy Cooking!

:: Something Spooky is Brewing... ::

Well, I finally finished reading/studying/drooling over the new Martha Stewart Halloween magazine. And of course, I love it. That's no big surprise. I have every Halloween book and magazine that Martha has ever published. I love the ideas. And reading this particular mag has definitely got me in the holiday "spirit". (Sorry, puns are fun.)
First of all, I absolutely looooove the cover of the magazine. The creepy Equestrian costume is awesome. If I only had a horse. It goes without saying that this magazine is just "oozing" with inspiration. (See how fun puns can be?) Now, you should know that there are several recycled ideas in the magazine, like the long-nosed jack-o-lanterns and the starburst pumpkin sconces, just to name a few. I mean, if you haven't seen them before then it's no big deal, but most die-hard Martha fans will recognize them instantly.
The best ideas in the mag are actually from the Grandinroad advertisement section where Ms. Martha is selling some of her original decorations. Now, I don't know about you, but I personally don't have the means to drop $200 on one spooky yard display. Yikes. But what I DO have is an uber-talented hubby (who happens to be an amazing artist) who can recreate some of the ideas in this section. From the eerie black witch yard silhouettes to the amazing highly-detailed gravestones, I have plenty of projects to keep my man busy this season!
Just a side note here, as I was finding the links for all of my references, I noticed that the "highly-detailed gravestones" are no longer available. There's no explanation as to why they are no longer available, so if you were looking to grab a few of them, you're out of luck.
If I were to sum up Martha's Halloween decorating mantra this year, I would have to say it would be GLITTER!!!! Yes, glittered Halloween decorations. Glittered skulls, glittered bones, glittered bugs, glittered pumpkins, glittered silhouettes... GLITTER! And hey, I loves me some glitter, so I actually think this is a fantastic idea. But if glitter isn't your thing... I guess your Halloween will just be a little less sparkly.
Here are some of my absolute faves from the magazine (and just so you know, these images came straight from MarthaStewart.com):

Masked Pumpkins

Crazy Pumpkin Faces

Glittered Bones & Bugs

So, I have designated this Sunday as our "Official Halloween Decorating Day." It's official. Seriously. I am going to pull out all my decorations and take inventory of what I have, and decide what I want to add. This year is going to be a bit different, though. Instead of spending a ton of money on new decorations, I intend to make everything this year. So, the only store bought items will be faux cobwebs, plastic bugs and spiders, and glitter. Other than that.... it will ALL be homemade. Once I get my house "haunted" I will be sure to post photos.
If you haven't picked up a copy of Martha's Halloween magazine yet, and you are lucky enough to find one on the racks, grab it! It's inspiring and fun and creepy and silly... just what Halloween should be.

HAPPY HAUNTING!!!

:: Hey, Look at Me! I'm a Cartoon! ::

Well, here it is... my new blog design! Yay!!
I have been working with the absolutely fabulous ladies over at Smitten Blog Designs, and I must say my blog turned out even better than I expected! Heather and Kate are wonderful to work with, and I HIGHLY recommend them if you are in the market for a new blog layout. They even sent me background artwork to use on my Twitter account. I know, they're fantastic, aren't they?!?
I am still tweaking the links on the right, but I should have them exactly where I want them by this evening. And more posts are coming soon... yippee!
I hope that all of you are having a super day this Monday! :)

:: Behold the Awesomeness... ::

... the awesomeness that is the new Martha Stewart Halloween special edition magazine.

















I will give you a moment to process the sheer greatness of this legendary publication.

I just got it... I found it hiding on the racks at Kroger. There were only three copies left. They only get one shipment, according to the night manager. Whew, that was close. Too close.
So, I am sitting down now to read it, with a Dr. Pepper and a York Peppermint Pattie. I will report on all its fabulously eerie and incredibly spooky goodness tomorrow...

:: So Long, Summer ::

Goodbye August! I don't want to see you or your stinkin' 100-degree days for at least another year.
I must say, I am happy to see this summer coming to an end. We set weather records here almost every day, and having over 50 days with temps reaching well into the 100's is no fun. It was the hottest summer on record for our area... we beat the previous record from way back in 1916. Boo.
As you all know, my favorite season is fall. I cannot wait for fall to get here. Can. Not. Wait. I'm so ready. I seriously love fall. Seriously.
I was going through some photos on my computer, and I came across pics from our trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. We all had a super fun time. Well, we all had a super fun time, except for Benjamin. He was in a bad mood the entire day. He was only happy once we got to the gift shop, where he scored a neat little faux aquarium with plastic fish.

Granny Weez, Ben and a Big Scary Shark

Ben Before the Gift Shop






















Ben After the Gift Shop















We didn't do too much traveling this summer, but we did spend a couple of weeks with my parents, which was nice. I enjoyed having a lazy summer. Compared to last year, this summer season was much more quiet and restful. But I am ready for some change. Nicer weather and busier schedules... sounds good to me.
One of the biggest changes for me this fall is that I will begin a new job! An actual job. I know... Me. Working. Crazy right? It's a part-time job in social service, and I am super excited about it. It will be fun, and the work is right up my alley. After five years at home raising my little man, I am looking forward to being around other adults for a few hours a day.
I hope all of you had a wonderful summer, too. And thanks for following all of my adventures...

:: These are a Few of My Favorite Things... ::

There is something so special about Saturday night with my boys. Homemade pizza, beer (Cherry Coke for my little man) and priceless memories. I love my family.

(Just FYI... that's a bacon, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese pizza on whole wheat dough. Yeah, it's yummy.)

:: I'm Baaaaaack! ::

Hey Blog Peeps!

Whew... it's been a CRAZAZY summer. I am finally getting back into the swing of things, but I must admit, I feel like I am moving in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n.

I hope all of you had a great summer. If you are like me though, you are ready for the summer weather to cool down. Fall cannot get here soon enough.

We had a lot of fun these past couple of months, and I have plenty of photos and posts to share. I will get those up on the blog soon.

Until then, I hope all of you have a great day. See ya soon.

Oh, and a quick shout-out to my hubby, J. Vincent, who turns the big 3-8 today. Happy Birthday!!!

:: 'We're Havin' a Heat Wave... a Tropical Heat Wave...' ::

For some reason, I keep seeing Carmine from 'Laverne and Shirley' dressed in a devil costume singing this song every time I check the weather...

If you're looking for a relief from the heat, you're not going to find it today! Look for the very dangerous heat to be with us once again. Look for highs between 104 and 106 and heat index values as high as 110 degrees!

There are several posts I intended to work on these past few days, but this heat has become my main focus... it is WAY HOT here in Texas! We have the pleasure of living near the Gulf, which means not only do we get the heat, we get the added benefit of high humidity levels to make everything outside completely sticky and absolutely unbearable. We spent the last week with my parents in Dallas, and while it was pretty hot there, it was tolerable and no where near as oppressive as it is here in College Station. I normally open every blind in the house and pull back all the curtains to let the sunshine in... but since our air conditioner has not turned off since we got back in to town, I am keeping the blinds closed and the curtains pulled. We are eating sandwiches and cereal, because there is no way I am turning on the oven in this heat.

Last night on the 6 o'clock news broadcast, the local weatherman literally tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Seriously. It didn't work. But then again, he cracked the egg on a section of sidewalk that was under shade at the time. Maybe I'll try to fry an egg on our patio today. Hey, yeah, I will... check back for the video!!

Bleh... I feel like I'm melting...

:: Okay, What's Going On Around Here?! ::

Weird things have been going on around here today.

Cue creepy Twilight Zone music...

It started off with all three of us getting up at a relatively decent hour this morning. I had cleaned the house and had a shower before 10:15 a.m. Odd.

Then I walked into the living room and found this...

Chloe and George. Sworn enemies for over eight years. There they were. Together. Peacefully sharing the best seat in the house. Creepy. Seriously creepy.

Ben and I decided to run to JoAnn's to get some fun crafty supplies. (Side note... I have really been getting my crafty vibe on lately. But more about that later this week.) I went to check out with my 40%-off coupon in hand, and the super sweet JoAnn's employee ringing up my goodies told me to hold on to my coupon, that she had a 50%-off coupon she would let me use. Awesome! I spent less than $18 at JoAnn's. That's like... well, unheard of really. I was so happy!

The absolute oddest thing that happened today took place about 6:45 this evening. Now, for those of you who don't know, my family is addicted to take-out and fast food. And I'm not exaggerating at all when I say we eat out at least once a day. We do. It's sad. I'm not proud. But tonight I decided to MAKE DINNER. A homemade meal. I actually cooked a homemade meal for my family. And it was damn good. I give you Exhibit A:

Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I saw Giada make this the other day, and I thought it looked pretty tasty. I bookmarked the recipe in hopes that one day I would actually cook again. So, I printed out the recipe and got to work. I threw some nice crusty bread in the oven and voila! Dinner! Here is the recipe, in case you are interested.

What a strange day. Good strange... but still strange. I hope tomorrow is just as odd. Odd is kinda fun.

:: Inspiration ::

Well... here it is!  My newly remodeled blog.  What do you think?

I probably spent about three or four hours looking at blog templates.  I had two picked out that I liked, but I wasn't super excited about either one of them.  So, I kept looking...

That's when I decided to forgo the free layouts I was searching, and I found a site that offered pre-made designs for a very fair price.  When I came across this layout, I knew it was the one for me... because the colorful dots along the top of the page reminded me of Sprinkles Cupcakes.  I am a huge fan of Sprinkles... their cupcakes are fabulous!

I guess you never know where inspiration will come from.  :)

:: Time to Spruce Things Up Around Here ::

You know what I just realized?  May 8th marked the first anniversary of my little blog.  With so much going on around this crazy household, it completely slipped my mind.  You know what else I realized?  That I have not changed a thing on this blog in over a year.  

I guess while I was out enjoying all my "fabulous adventures" as the "perfect wife and mother," I didn't pay much attention to the layout of my ramblings, er... I mean, blog.  So, I think it's time to redecorate this place a bit.  Maybe even create a new banner.  I still plan to adhere to my 1950's Housewife Motif, but I definitely think I could make this place a bit more fancy and maybe even a bit more modern. 

So, be sure to check back in the next few days... 

:: One Year Later ::

My husband, Jason, posted this note on his Facebook page today, and I thought it would be a wonderful tribute on this, the one-year anniversary of his parents' passing.  I hope that all of you are enjoying this beautiful day and spending it with the people you love. Happy Sunday everyone. :)

One year ago, today (6-7-08), my parents both passed away.

We've had a year to process our loss, and the good news is (as my dad often used to say) "... life goes on." I miss my parents, and I am grateful for what they gave me: life (with, and from, God), reasonable intelligence and a dry sense of humor (from dad), and art (from mom). Both of my parents taught me to be grateful for what we have. Life has brought us many things, but I am most grateful for the love of my family and friends.

My mom (above), with my son Benjamin. Ben's 'Nana' loved him very much, I am sure. She was in the middle of what would become 10 full courses of chemo-therapy when Ben was born. My mom was a fighter, and fought the good fight until the very end. She gave me a love for art, and the creation of art. My very first knowledge of art, joy of creating art, and technical skill came from her. I am an artist, today, because of her, my mom. You know, my mom never smiled more in life than when she was sick with cancer - this was a good thing. THIS is the way that I prefer to remember her, smiling ... and with a heartfelt, familar, yankee-accented, "Oh, Geeeeze?!" as she used to say, smiling.

My Dad (above), shown here holding his grandson Benjamin at their very first meeting. Ben's 'Grandpa' loved him so much. My dad would hold Ben, and laugh with him, until they both were tired out. My Dad gave me a love for laughing, the ability to see things in other, more humorous, ways ... and all, while sharing his incredible gift of intelligence and quick wit. It took brain cancer (and the resulting brain surgery) AND three heart attacks (the last when he found my mom, passed, we believe), to take this 'iron man' from our world. My dad, simply put, is the finest man I shall ever know. To me, he was: a best friend, a loving father, and mentor like no other. It sounds cliché, but if I can be 1/2 of the dad, husband, and man that he was, I will be an astounding success. My Dad would often say to me "I love you" and "I'm proud of you, kid." Today, as I raise my own son (with a lot of help from my incredible wife, Melanie), I am working hard to keep my dad's words and truths (my last and best memories of him, his voice), alive. I miss my Dad with everything I have, and I always will.

:: Random Internet Goodies ::

That's right folks!  It's the second installment of my Random Internet Goodies. I actually made a list of several online gems I have come across in the past few months that I wanted to share with you all... but I can't find the list. Figures, right?  This particular goody was one my husband introduced me to just this afternoon.  It's a hoot. Seriously.  You *must* check it out. 

The site is called Oddee.  Here is the description: 

Oddee.com is an entertainment blog on oddities, attracting over a million visitors each month. Focused on the odd, bizarre and strange things of our world, its daily articles and sections explore subjects from Science to Advertising and Technology; over 8.2 million pages are read at Oddee every month. 

I haven't had the chance to look through all of the site, but so far my favorite collections are the "15 Sexist Vintage Ads" and the "12 Most Unfortunate Product Names."  Gaytime Ice Cream, anyone?  Now, be warned, there are some possibly offensive entries on the site, but for the most part, they are just funny. REALLY funny.

So, if you are in the mood for a good chuckle... head on over to Oddee.com.  It's fun.  And who couldn't use more fun, right?

:: Swimming Hats and Hungry Monsters ::

As far as weekends go, this one has been pretty good.  We didn't go anywhere exciting and we didn't have any thrilling experiences... but it was a good weekend.  We slept in, watched TV and just hung around the house.  Not bad. Just what a weekend should be, I guess.  Relaxing. Fun.

On Saturday, while Ben was taking a bath and I was getting his clothes ready, I heard him call for me... "Mama, come look at me.  Come look at my swimming hat!" I looked through the bathroom door to see Ben wearing one of my mixing bowls on his head.  It was his hat.  His "swimming hat." It made me laugh.  

Quite a number of my kitchen utensils have found a new home in Ben's bathtub.  He has tons of bath time toys to play with... we have bought him rubber duckies, plastic boats, dinosaur water squirters... but nothing seems to be as much fun as my whisks, mixing bowls and spatulas. During the summer, I usually lose about two strainers and at least one tea pitcher to the pool in the backyard.  I'm not even going to bother with buying beach balls and floaties this year.

On Saturday afternoon, Ben climbed up on our bed with a book in his hands and began to read us his favorite book "One Hungry Monster." At first, we just thought he was going to pretend to read it... he knows certain words and can spell, but he has never actually read a series of complete sentences, and certainly not a whole book. Well, guess what? He read the book.  The entire book. He really concentrated and sounded out the bigger words... we were so happy!  I went and grabbed several other books from his closet and asked him to read each one, and he did. He can read so well.  He's only four years old, and he is reading like a superstar! So, I told him this week we would go get him a library card, and he can pick out books all by himself.  He was so excited.  I am so proud of him.

Today we went to a birthday party for Ben's friend, Gabrielle.  She turned six years old today. Ben stayed in the pool the entire time we were there.  Well, he did get out of the water for cake and ice cream, but he jumped right back in after he was done. So, he was pretty hungry and very tired when we got home. It made bed time so much easier.

So, that was our weekend... not bad, huh?  

:: Easter 2009 ::

This year, we spent Easter with my parents in Dallas. My Mom's birthday was April 13th, and to celebrate, we took her to the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum is one of my absolute favorite places... I could spend an entire day there. So could my Mom. For her birthday, we got her a year's membership to the Arboretum, so she can go as many times as she wants. We plan to visit every time we go to Dallas... yeah, the place is *that* amazing.

We had a pretty low-key Easter... we decorated some eggs and hid them around the house for Ben, since it rained the night before and we couldn't have an egg hunt outside. He had a blast.

I put together a little slideshow... enjoy.  :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

:: Adventures in Baking with the Easy Bake Oven ::

My son wants to be a Chef. 

Actually, he tells everyone he is already a Chef. He can make scrambled eggs - and very well, I might add. Jason and I really try to encourage Ben to cook. We think it's great he's so interested in it. Plus, he really enjoys eating the food he makes himself, which is fantastic, since he can be a bit of a picky eater at times.

Ben got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. Unfortunately, we hadn't been able to try it out since we could not find a 100-watt lightbulb anywhere. Remember 100-watt lightbulbs? You could buy a four pack of them at Wal-Mart for about 88 cents? Well, guess what? They don't carry them anymore. Crazy, right? They have all switched to energy efficient bulbs and the closest you can find is a 90-watt bulb. So, I went ahead and bought the lightbulb and figured we would just have to leave the goodies we were baking in the oven a little longer to compensate for the lack of wattage. Turns out I was right... we had to cook the cookies we made about two minutes longer than the directions listed. It really wasn't a big deal at all.

I really wish the Easy Bake Oven designer people would have left well enough alone and kept the little "oven" look for the new Easy Bake Ovens. They look like microwaves now. It's "Easy Bake Oven," right? Oh well. The good news is that it works exactly the same as it did when I was a kid. I guess lightbulb-cooking technology really hasn't changed much in the last 30 years. 

The oven comes with packages of cookie and cake mixes that only require about a teaspoon of water to mix. It's super easy, and it was a ton of fun. Of course Ben's attention span didn't last the 10 minutes it took to make the cookies, but he did help take the cookies out and he washed the little pans.  I'm proud of my little Chef.

Ben waiting for the Easy Bake Oven to warm up...

 Cookies before baking.

Waiting for the cookies to finish baking.

Cookies after baking. Yeah, I know... they're tiny.

Ben LOVED the cookies, and that's what counts.

 

:: Move Your Boogie Body ::

I logged on to Facebook this morning and noticed a link my friend Rachel had posted to a jazzercise video from 1982.  I decided to check it out, and well, it was hysterical.  So, I thought I would share.  

This reminds me of a record my Mom had back when I was a little girl. It was a workout routine to "Do the Hustle" and I LOVED it.

Enjoy...

:: Pugs! ::

I just installed the updated software for my flip camera, so to try it out, I recorded our dogs. For those of you that don't know, my Mom and I both have Pug puppies.  I have a female black Pug, named Phoebe, and my Mom has her brother, a fawn Pug named Otis.  Somehow, Otis is about twice the size of Phoebe.  They are both incredibly funny.  They are also both completely crazy. Pug puppies are non-stop insanity.  But they are so worth it... they have amazing personalities and are very lovable, you just have to put up with moments of unbelievable madness.  

So, here they are fighting over a chew bone.  Now, keep in mind that they were each given a chew bone of their very own.  They just wanted the SAME chew bone.  (insert eye roll here...)

  

:: Random Photos ::

Okay, so I have a few posts I am working on right now, but obviously I haven't finished them.  I have spent the last few days helping Jason take photos for his website, cleaning house and attempting to get caught up with laundry. Laundry... bleh....

While I was helping Jason with photos, I came across some recent pictures I had taken.  So, I thought I would share...

Ben helping me with laundry.

Phoebe.

Sam + Phoebe = Trouble

Ben.

I hope all of you are having a great weekend.  I'll have more posts up soon...