St.Patty's Day.

Guinness Chocolate Cake recipe form here

I've mentioned before what a big deal St.Patrick's Day is in the Lou.  Maybe it's all the Catholics, maybe it's living in a brewery town, maybe we like green.  Whatever, the reason, it's a good time.  With a town coming down off of all the Mardi Gras debauchery, it's nice to have a more family friendly celebration to take the littles to.  {The only part of Mardi Gras that is family friendly is the pet parade, which I highly recommend if you are ever in this town in February.  Heck, if you are sans family, I highly recommend the Mardi Gras parade, too.  But, please, don't take your kids!  I, myself, haven't been in 12 years.}  

Sure, there are plenty of revelers that have been drinking green beer since 7:30 am, but there are also plenty of normal people with their kids in tow, and a sack lunch waiting for some candy or beads to be thrown from the 'clans' of St.Louis that walk in the parade.  It really is fun.  Good, green fun.

Unfortunately, this year, I'm not sure we'll be headed down to Dogtown.  Jake was supposed to be off to go with us, but it turns out he has to go into work after all.  With the {literally} thousands of people, I simply don't trust my eyes alone to keep our brood safe.  It can get a bit overwhelming at times, and with Betsy's mobility it just really shouldn't be attempted by my lonesome.  Sigh.

So, it's a good thing we'll have that 'Guinness Chocolate Cake' to keep us company, along with corned beef and cabbage slow cookin' in the crock pot.  Maybe I'll whip up some Irish soda bread, too.

Hope you have the luck o' the Irish today! 

P.S.  You can leave out a bit of the whipped cream in the frosting recipe, and add a tablespoon or so of Bailey's Irish Cream to kick the frosting up a notch.  Yum!

Howdy! Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's!  

We spent ours in the dark with candles all around.

A smallish type tornado hit a mere mile from our quiet little hood on Dec.31st.

Thankfully, no one in our area of the state was hurt or worse yet, killed!

My parents neighborhood was hit harder than ours, but all homes are still standing.

I can't say the same is true for other homes in the area.

Please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.

FYI, we do not live rurally.

We live 10-15 minutes from downtown St.Louis in a very populated suburban area.

Lesson: tornadoes don't just hit the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma, peeps.

On a happier note...

The kitchen needs minor details: hardware, crown molding, accessories.

I am very pleased.

I apologize for the doo-doo photo.

I will take more impressive photos as we complete the project.

The before and afters are amazing.

I canNOT believe Big Jake did it all.  

I am a lucky duck.

I will be back for reals near the end of this week.

I'm tweaking my new look, and hope you like it.

I already have enough posts floating around in my head for about 2 weeks.

Now, let's see if I can stay focused enough to pull it off.

MLK Day.

I think this would have made Dr.King proud. 

Don't ya think?

Because it sure made me proud.

My New Year's Words.

image via encefalus.com

Instead of a resolution...

choose a word.

For myself, this is VERY hard.

ONE word.

Are you kidding me?

I've chosen 3:

calm

simple

positive

The second word is a bit of a contradiction

considering I couldn't even pick just one word.

But, I could've have easily chosen 17.

So, see?

I'm already keeping it simple.

For me, anyway.

I, also, need to start focusing on the positive.

In every situation.

In every person.

Calm is something that I am not.

Usually.

I am pretty high strung.

Well, about some things.

But, however you wanna slice it,

I need more calmness in my life.

Hope you can choose a word.

Let it be your mantra in 2010.

Happiest of New Year's!

Time for a break.

I am going to be taking a break from blogging for the next week.  Between seeing family from out of town that we hardly ever get to see (yea!), baking pies and treats for Thanksgiving, and Black Friday shopping, I really need to keep my mind and heart elsewhere.  Afterall, this is one of those special times of year that is really about stopping, slowing down, being in the moment with family & friends, and taking in all of the blessings that have been graciously bestowed onto all of us, and rejoicing in gratefulness.  And, if you don't think those blessings are there, you're not looking hard enough.  I, sincerely, hope you and yours have a beautiful and full Thanksgiving holiday.  Cheers!

City mouse plays country mouse.

Hope you all had a great 4th!

happy 4th!

Be safe!

Dad.

That's my dad. He is awesome. For lots of reasons. One of my favorites is because he knows when to shut his mouth. The thing with my dad is, you know what he's thinking, what his opinion is, what he would like you to do, but he doesn't drill it at you every chance he gets. I am an adult, who has a mortgage, and a husband, and kids, and pets, all of which I take care of without his assistance. He recognizes that, and lets me make my own decisions, mistake or not. Often times, you can't even read if he's disappointed in what you decided. He just lets it ride. This is nice.

Growing up, he was always a present father. He went on the occasional field trip, all of the volleyball & softball games, was always eager to help with history projects. He was also a concerned father. "Who will you be with, when will you get there, what parents will be there?". He also showed his concern by being the one to ground you when you broke the rules. One time, I took my car out before I got my license, and when I opened up the garage door to sneak it back, he was standing in the middle of the garage (true story). DANG IT! Looking back on it, it's all of that kind of stuff that shows me how much he cares.

He is also strong, and brave, a true patriot. He's even pretty cute. He has given my sister and me a phenomenal example of what a husband should be. Self-sacrificing, willing to compromise, respectful, loving, not afraid to stand their ground if need be. He told us what to seek out in a partner without saying a word on the subject. Leading by example...my dad is really good at this. Sure, he has a short wick and a low tolerance for ignorance in almost any form, but he is good, he is true, he is mine.

I have never doubted my father's love for me. He doesn't say it often, but I really don't need to hear it because I know.

So... I'm thinkin', he must be doing something right.

Love you, Dad!

We love our daddys!

See y'all Monday!

hippity hop.

Happy Easter!

Happy Valentine's Day!

~~~

Believe it or not...St. Valentine was an actual person. Actually, there are several St. Valentines. Read more about them here. After reading up on it, I now am certain that the traditions associated with Valentine's Day were totally contrived. But, it is still fun, especially for the kids. I, myself, do not do the wine, the dining, the flowers, nor do I expect them to be done for me. A card is nice, a hug, maybe a back-rub after the kiddies go to bed (hint, hint). I know that Jake loves and appreciates me by his actions on a daily basis, and because the things he does for me and the kids are done so full of his love that we can all feel it. I couldn't ask for more.

~~~

PS

We both chose cards about

being soul mates!

Creepy, huh?

I'm talkin' Twilight Zone material.

Geez, I love that man!

Happy Heart Day!