6 months

today my little sweetheart is 6 months old!  where has the time gone?  so i won't forget, i want to make a "savannah list"

at 6 months she:

::  sleeps through the night - preferring to go to sleep around 7:30 and wake up around 6

::  nurses roughly every four hours {6:00, 10:00,  2:00, 6:00) and then a "top off" at 7:30 before bed

::  can be flexible with her eating and sleeping, and if we need to stay up late {a high school football game} or go out, she will eat whenever i feed her

::  sits up on her own, but not for more than a minute or two

::  scoots around on her belly

::  flips onto her tummy to sleep

::  will use the pacifier or her thumb/finger/fingers/hand to soothe herself

::  poops only once a week

::  has not begun solids {soon... next week?}

::  enjoys watching her brother

::  is interested in toys that brother is playing with {a bulldozer!  a firetruck!!}

::  is heavy!  i weighed her yesterday {while waiting for brother to get the flu mist} and she was 18 lbs, 9.5 oz!

::  laughs, talks, smiles, and smirks

::  cries rarely.

::  is wearing 9 - 12 month clothes, with onesies being the most troublesome {chubby legs!}

::  is toothless!

::  is on the way to outgrowing her carseat.

i will take better photos when she wakes up, but this is what she is doing right now.  she's totally spent after going to the zoo.


we are so blessed to have her in our lives -- i cannot imagine our family without her.  she is easy, and sweet and fun.  i feel honored to be her mother.

the Reason I've Been an Airhead

yesterday i got a little gift.  it was a reason.  a reassurance that i am not going bonkers.  or am super lazy.  or crazy, for that matter. 

i just need to be on thyroid medicine.

you see, with ethan, i had postpartum thyroiditis.  and it sucked.  and as it turns out, i have it again.  and last month, i betcha {though, there isn't a way to confirm it} i was hyperthyroid.  and now i am hypothyroid.  hyperthyroid = i felt like i was losing my mind.  hypothyroid = i feel like my brain is gone and my body is on slow mode.

hallelujah!  there is a reason that i can drink a 12 oz. sugar free red bull, a bottle of coke zero, a tall latte, 3/4 of a 2-quart pitcher of iced tea and STILL feel exhausted.

let me also add that up until october 1st -ish, miss savannah wasn't sleeping through the night.  it was a cocktail that turned me into a zombie.  seriously, there have been times, i have felt like the walking dead. 


so, when i got a phone call from the dr.'s office, i was so excited that i had a legitimate medical reason for feeling like this.  thank you, lord.

and because no post is complete without a photo --

Best Chili Recipe

the leaves are finally falling.  it's still warm, but they are falling.  last week i made chili, even though i was wearing shorts and flip flops.

do you have something that you prefer your own to than any other version?

i do. well, really there are two things: iced tea and chili.  {but iced tea isn't really cooked...}

i won't bore you with how make iced tea, but i will share my perfect chili recipe with you. it isn't an exact science, just so you know before you get started. i now understand what my grandmother means by not following a recipe and doing it on how it feels {she makes really wonderful chicken and dumplings this way}

this is a venison chili recipe with beans. and ground meat. you could definitely use beef if you didn't have venison, and use your grinder to grind up a leaner cut so that you don't have lots of fat from the ground beef you buy at the store... or you could cook your beef separately and then drain the fat... i don't have to really worry about the fat with venison, because there really isn't any. {also, when my husband kills a deer, he processes the meat (and my MIL and I wash/wrap it) so that we know that we are getting our meat (not some other deer) and that we know how it was processed. i used to think this was CRAZY because of the addition of work involved (everyone else seems to just take it to a processor) but then my husband explained why, and then i watched food, inc. so now i am super proud of our self processed venison} the only bummer is that yours truly has to grind it EVERY TIME i am ready to use it.

i love my kitchen aid and the grinder attachment.  LOVE it.  i use it all the stinkin' time.  we eat a lot of venison...

but back to the recipe:  {this is the DOUBLED recipe.  it makes a ton! which i love because i can feed a crowd or i can feed my family with leftovers and freeze half of it!  and having food ready to heat in the freezer is half the battle to avoiding take out/calories/extra money/high processed foods.}



Best Venison Chili

start with your big stock pot.  mine is a bit too big, but beggars can't be choosers.  heat up some olive oil while you get these.

then chop your onions.  i use sweet yellow onions, and for this extra large recipe i used 2 large and 1 medium onion.


then add them to your your hot oil in the stockpot and saute over medium for a while.  add your chopped garlic.  use a couple spoonfuls from a handy jar like this.  or be an over achiever and chop or press or whatever you like.


while the onions and garlic are cooking, chop your peppers.  these are green and purple peppers from my garden and are slightly dwarf sized because of the MASSIVE heat this summer {and truthfully, this fall as well} so if you were not picking from your north texas garden, but from your grocer's produce instead, use 3 large green bell peppers. 


and chop a poblano pepper.  again, these are tiny poblano's from my garden {and they are way hotter than most you would find at the store! yikes!!} so i used more of them.


and add these to the pot.  and then {if you like heat, and i do} add a chopped jalepeno with the ribs and seeds removed.


while all of this cooks, lets move on to the meat.

see above for my blurb about the venison.  but basically, i think this is about 3 pounds of meat.  maybe 2 and a half... but i think closer to 3.

the meat {make sure you rinse it}


and the grinder


equals ground venison!


so brown your meat while you gather the rest of your ingredients {i know that martha would cringe because i am failing with mise en place} 

once your meat is browned, add whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. {the big cans} or if you are like me, and our fresh out of crushed tomatoes, use a can of diced with a small can of sauce.  break up the whole tomatoes {either in the can with kitchen shears} or in the pot with the wooden spoon.


it should look like this:


then add your beans.  drain and rinse first...  i added three kinds:  black, kidney and pinto.  add your favorite...


it is really pretty, now, isn't it??


then i added the spices {and this is so easy that it is CHEATING} two boxes of "2 Alarm Chili Kit"  but don't add the masa until the very end.  and let it sit for awhile.  go do something else.  watch a tivo'd soap opera.  or dust.  or both.  let it sit AT LEAST half an hour.  or more.  on medium low.  and then taste it.  my husband tasted it and added more salt.  and then he added half a bottle of beer



-- at this point i mixed up a box of jiffy cornbread {replace the 1/3 c. milk with 1/3 c. of sour cream!!} right into the pan {less dishes!} to cook while the chili finished --


and then mash it up with your masher... because it gives it a nice uniform texture.  {as faustino put it -- no one likes a big tomato in their chili... i beg to differ...}


last, add your masa packets from the chili kits.  then i simmer it until the cornbread is done.

serve with grated cheddar, sour cream, avocado, chips/crackers/cornbread, or just by itself.

am i being terribly un-humble if i tell you that it was excellent??!!  go make some chili this weekend!

Confessions {quite random, i might add}

so, i've got some RANDOM confessions to make.  i'm thinking if i just unload everything from my brain, it will be therapeutic for me... 

::  i made jalapeno jelly.  i could show you this picture:


or i could show you these:


i was a hot mess, quite literally, in the kitchen.  seriously, my hands burned until the next day.  wear gloves, people.  don't learn the hard way, like me...

:: and, you see, our tiny abode has no exhaust fan.  so for hours afterward my eyes and lungs are stinging of spicy fumes.

::  i needed a larger pan but am waiting until the year 2015 to get one.  until then, i will just cope with boil overs. :)

::  canning makes me wish that i had a sister wife.  i mean, just sayin'  {i sadly don't get tlc -- no cable -- but i saw them on oprah}

::  ethan, despite his bad behavior this week, has DELIGHTED me with playing pretend {holding a car out, saying, "mama, this is you, and this is me"} waving to random strangers and saying "hi" when the car window is down, and kissing all of my boo-boos.  he did irritate me when he purposely pooped his pants.  geez.  cut me a break.

::  speaking of boo-boos, i opened the car door on my face.  hard.  i wish i had a picture to show you how much it throbs.  i am NOT being dramatic.

::  i am so far behind in my soap opera, that i recorded a word world for ethan instead of days {on at the same time} because i will probably have to buy a 10 episode pass from itunes.  sad, i know.

::  i haven't started sewing savannah's halloween costume yet.

::  and i tried to finish the dress i started for her and decided i hated it.  another one bites the dust.

::  i have decided that i have real issues of bitterness with people, too. {not just circumstances and stuff -- see last post} and since it is multiple people, i think it is my attitude that needs to change.  {too bad i am making NO strides to change it.  perhaps tomorrow}

::  savannah has been so silly lately, wanting to chew her toes.  i am giggly over it.

::  i could eat her alive...


::  seeing ethan's friends lose their "toddler" is really killing me.  they are starting to look like little kids.

::  i purchased a pair of jeggings.  in a tiny size.  and i wore them.  in public!  around people i know!! {verses strangers that if you look like an idiot in front of, they won't see you again...}

::  i haven't been going out on any fashion limbs lately.  i never ever thought i would be that washed up mom in khaki shorts... yikes.  its me...  jeggings are a big deal.

::  i may fit in the jeggings but i am terribly out of shape and haven't gotten motivated to do anything about it.  i could stand to do several million crunches, too.  you might say, "whatever."  but seriously, i am winded after walking around costco.

::  there are two parking spots a my son's school that are supposed to be for deliveries... and then there is a space {as big as a parking space} in between them that is marked off for loading.  well... i have parked there for drop off and pick up the last 3 school days.  {with exception of parking on the street once -- another no, no}  i am due for some BAD parking karma.  perhaps this is why we were completely out of luck for the state fair??  all lots full.  park on street at own risk.  sheesh.

::  at school on friday, i had a conversation with another mom and kept getting weird looks from her.  turns out i don't know her.  after she turned the corner i realized the person i thought she was -- was standing next to me.  nice.  really nice.

::  gosh i wish i knew who all reads this, because i have another funny story about a mom i run into all the time at school and around town... but i can't wrap my head around how to make it pc.  email me and i will tell you.

::  i went to a wedding and had a "do i know you" moment with a girl in the bathroom, and we figured it out right away... can i just say that NEVER happens??  i am usually mulling over it for days!  here's to FIG!  here's to not working for Gavin!  :)

::  savannah won't sleep well anywhere except her crib.  my children share a room.  i must confess, naptimes are hellish.

::  everytime a homeless person starts digging in the dumpsters in the alley behind my house and we are outside playing, i whisk ethan into the house kicking and screaming, hissing at him to be quiet and come inside.  at what point will i have to explain why i am doing this?  not looking forward to that one...

::  when i planted carrots in the garden, i spilled a bunch of seeds in the grass.  nice, huh?


::  it is almost 5 on a sunday and i don't have too much to show for it.  shame on me.

have a good week! 
xoxo, s

Long and Rambling about the Week

yikes, i have been a bad blogger.  and a bad blog reader as well.  my google reader is SCARY and i may have to declare google reader bankruptcy and hit all read and start over.  i really hate that.  it is over 400 unread posts.  i just have not had my act together lately {ask me if i have even sent the paperwork in to start my junior league placement}

but there are some really noteworthy things going on here that need to get blogged about.  like the fact that ethan and savannah are sharing a room.  as in, they both sleep in the same room all night and i don't go in until the morning.  as in, HELLO, SANITY!  i just might get a couple of LONG OVERDUE thank you notes written!  or my house dusted!  or my garden weeded!  {wait -- see below -- i am sick!}

it started in longview, when savannah slept in the crib and ethan in the bed, and they did okay.  and so i just kept going when we got home.  we have had 2 bumpy nights, but really, i am so blissed out about the whole thing, a bad night here or there won't stop me.  and savannah wakes up around 6am to nurse, so i quickly whisk her out, nurse her, and then ethan gets up around 7.  it isn't perfect, but he is getting used to it.  i love having my home back.  my bedroom back.  ahhhh.... so wonderful!  you people with 2 kids and 3 bedrooms, you don't know how sweet you have it!! 

i am still waiting for the bedding i ordered from etsy.  the lady seems to be taking her sweet time with it... i am DYING for the kids' room to get decorated so that i can start teaching ethan about taking pride in your room, making your bed, etc.  i have his duvet cover but no comforter... i was going to go to ikea today and get one, but will have to do that next week.

have i mentioned any savannah stats?  she's approximately 18.4 lbs {me on the scale with and without her - who knows how accurate that is} and she is sitting up if you put her there, but will fall over easily with no control.  she is rolling all over and she scoots along {i don't see it happen, but will look up and she is way off her play mat} both forward and backward on her tummy.  no teeth yet, but maybe soon?  she's drooly and cranky -- not the best napper this week.

and ethan is doing REMARKABLE on the potty.  today he even went on his own when i asked him.  {that is a feat, by the way} and he woke up dry this morning, and after nap.  in fact, we were dry all day long!  the only key is he is not self motivated to go.  you have to make him.  but he holds it until you force him to go.  is this a boy thing? 

other noteworthy things:  we went to the baylor/tech state fair combo thing last weekend, and seriously, the traffic was on the "never again" scale.  but the game was fun even though we lost, and ethan had a blast.  i managed to take a few photos but they didn't really make the cut for the blog... they were of a squinting child eating a hot dog trying to do "sic em bears" at the same time.  multitasking didn't photograph well.

and the fair... well, hmmm.... i think some people LOVE it.  i didn't.  it was full of fat, greasy people standing in line to by fatty greasy food.  i thought it was gross.  i tried the "fried latte"  {because the lines for fried bacon, fried cheesecake and fried margarita were LOOONG} and what was it?  cappuccino ice cream in some puff pastry with some whipped topping and instant coffee flecks.  hmmm.  worth $5?  nah.  we parked so far away {the lots were full} in a neighborhood and i was tickled pink the car was still there with all 4 windows {and wheels, haha!} in tact.  perhaps on a weekday morning i would like the fair... i MIGHT try that next year.  

then we went to the zoo on sunday and then again on monday.  sunday was the kids and me, faustino and grammy, then on monday ethan and the girls.  {well, now that sabrina has a little boy it isn't just the girls... technicalities}  he was such a boy the whole time.  would not listen, sit in the stroller, hold a hand, pay attention.  little boys are tough like that!





i am telling you, we have had a serious power struggle.  but i think that i have won.  i won by leaving the park yesterday when he wouldn't listen to me and started throwing a fit.  he didn't think i would leave, but i did.  and it was nasty.  a nasty fit.  it went on and on.  and after his nap he was still crying about the playground.  mama means business.  this is the not so fun side of parenting.  it would be much easier to "distract" rather than follow with a consequence, but i want his respect.  yuck.

and on the way home, all of the sudden i felt sick.  as in:  earache, sore throat, body aches and then by the time it was naptime, there is no denying it, i am sick.  so, here i have been.  i canceled going to ikea with my mom today.  i didn't go to bunko this evening.  i've got lots to do.  like make jalapeno jelly.  and sew a costume for savannah.  and craft a few birthday presents.  and laundry {does it ever end?}

and being sick and laying around have given me time to reflect on the fact that lately i am sort of a jealous, bitter person.  does anyone have any self improvement reading suggestions for me?  i am saying this lightly, but seriously, this is an issue for me.  i've made choices in my life.  choices that i am proud of, choices that are my heart's desire. my choices have perks and pitfalls.  right now the pitfalls are in the stuff category.  {i.e.  not having dual incomes keeps you from having an iphone} yet, i look at other people, in different places in life, and want their "perks" of their choices.  sometimes all of this is under control and i am okay with it, and other times it really is a bee in my bonnet.  i do not like that about myself.

so, seriously, do you have any reading suggestions for me?

okay, goodnight, taking a tylenol pm...

10 Year Reunion Weekend

last weekend the four of us made a trip to longview for my high school reunion.  it was fun and interesting, strange at times, but all in all a good weekend.  i think the random highlight of the trip for us was buying wine at kroger on friday night and being schooled by an eager employee about the benefits of franzia.  so many ounces! serve it from the 'fridgerator!  what the rich millionaires and the people in england drink!!"  it is not my intent to offend any of you franzia drinkers out there, it was just SO funny the way it all happened.  he was very well meaning and we were nice to him, i even held it together and didn't laugh.  i would think it couldn't get any worse, and then he would start talking again.  :)  we didn't purchase this bargain beverage; we told him we were looking for something else...

on satuday we had a picnic where you could bring your children...


why is it SO hard to take a photo of your kids where they both smile at the camera??

so, as a side note, i would like to let you know that i carefully packed everything for the trip and forgot savannah's bloomers.  i just about had a heart attack.  luckily, i brought another dress for my mom to hem and included the bloomers on the hanger {why?? who knows} but they somewhat matched and my crisis was averted.  now, you may think, what the heck is wrong with you?  does it even matter??  but no bloomers is a pet peeve of mine, and to get all the way to longview without any was a colossal oversight on my part.  i just wanted to feel like i had everything together {which i obviously don't} and faustino was giving me a hard time about it "oh, you even got the car washed"  "oh, i see why you got your haircut" and "are you going to clean your ring, too?" all really sarcastically.  the irony of the bloomers.  none of the other things really mattered that much to me, but the bloomers do, and i forgot them!!!

i actually think i liked the dark bloomers better than the white ones i was planning... what do you think?




felicity and savannah

if i really had my act together, i would scan a high school photo in to see if they look like us


we lined some of the little ones up for photos. 



and carson couldn't keep his hands of the ladies...




and again, if one was smiling, the others were not.






it was fun to see everyone's babies!

sweet jenn and carson -- i talk to jenn every day and this was the first time i've met him!!


brittany was the super trooper with her 5 week old.

that afternoon, we got home, and ethan had some surprises.  my mom scored a $5, new in the box bubble mower from a garage sale next door, and he was in HEAVEN.  we sat outside, enjoyed the weather and watched ethan mow the grass.












then we went inside, and ethan got another toy!  {can you say spoiled!?!} you see, when we went to llano, ethan told my mother all about "cranky" and "alfie" which he decided he wanted to "try and buy" well, she couldn't resist getting it for him while he was still talking about it.   



and didn't want to leave savvy out, so she bought her a new activity center



then we got ready and went to the actual reunion, and had a pretty good time.


but this is where the photos end because i didn't want to lug my camera... jenn, i'll steal your photos...

Let Me Catch You Up to Speed...

we should start with the last full week of september, and i will recap it in one word.  hideous.  {which is why i didn't want to blog.  taking my cues from thumper about saying nice things}

moving on. 

then, sunday the 26th was my birthday, and i had the beyond wonderful and overdue treat of spending then night away from my children.  an actual day off.

and i received money to go buy some new clothes, because my wardrobe of target specials was just. not. hacking. it. anymore.   I know that a lot of folks out there would say they need new clothes, but some of my stuff was from high school.  and i wasn't known for my snazzy clothes back then.  can you imagine what they are now?  so, i am having fun purchasing a few things that actually are in style.  do you realize how easy it is to let the mom frump creep up on you?  i even got a hair cut.  do you know how spoiled and fancy i feel??  {and slightly pathetic??  the girl at the gap said "you are TOO YOUNG to just GIVE UP"  i'm serious.  she must have looked at me and thought i was pretty far gone.}

anyway, back to the weekend away.  we went to the hill country for a very low key 2 night getaway.  we stayed at the walden plantation and i have nothing but wonderful things to say about the place.  it was a bed and breakfast without the whole creepy staying at an old lady's house thing.  and it was a total bargain.  a steal, really.  we received a lot of attention and the breakfasts were great.  loved it.

these are some photos taken on faustino's little waterproof camera.  i left mine in the bag... good thing, too, because towards the end of us fishing, i totally busted it on a mossy rock in the river. {i had a very wet long sleave}


this is a picture of the B&B from the river


what's with me and the fish??  i was just posing with it.  i'm no fisher-woman. {and no beauty queen posting this photo of myself with no makeup on}




pictures don't really do it justice.  it was very pretty, quiet, and removed... but an easy drive into town, and maybe next time we'll go on some of the winery tours...




faustino fished... we went to some antique stores much to faustino's protests... i ate a boatload of tasty food and now feel like i must survive on chicken broth to atone for my caloric sins.  i'm only sort of kidding.  i really was out. of. control. with the food.  i was eating like a teenage boy.

we came home on tuesday, the kids had school, the end of the week FLEW by and i had to pack us up to drive home for my high school reunion.  which will be another post for another day.

for now, i am going to sleep.