Our Week and a Muffin Recipe

Guys! It has been a crazy week! I actually can't really think of specific events because everything is completely muddled in my brain, and I'm just flat out exhausted.

Most house work this past week went into the nursery. I almost lost my mind last Monday and Tuesday because construction dust all over my house is pretty much pure hell in my book. I was also getting extremely impatient and took it upon my pregnant self to spray the entire board and batten treatment by myself. (Mask, of course.) My back has been cursing me for that ever since. My mother-in-law came over, brought us dinner, and helped paint all the nooks and crannies (awful) and Bryan of course worked his booty off and re-painted the crib (pretty much the same color as before…nothing too exciting.)

Did I mention that Parker was sick during all of this? Yes. Fever, cough, runny nose. Poor kid! You would never know though, he was a happy camper for the most part.

We eventually got everything cleaned up, and I'm still searching for that last bit of motivation to finish the room. It has yet to appear, and my poor back is the probable culprit. Bryan seems to know this and is milking my laziness for all it's worth. He is currently napping.

Oh! I did go to a girls night with a few of my favorite friends last Monday night. We went to Capitol Pizza which is a GREAT Lubbock spot if you ever need a new place to eat! We always love that place, but it is usually swamped with Tech students so we tend to make it a special occasion when we go. Anyways, it was great to have a baby free night AND my friend Alli (who is also pregnant) announced that she is having a GIRL with these cute little scratch cards.

I know. Such a great idea.

We made another round to the OB, as I have officially started going every week because I have reached the Huge Level of pregnancy. My doula joined us and so did Parker, which was a first. I loved getting to see my OB and doula talk together (they work together a lot), but it did get me worried that I'm not as prepared for this un-medicated thing this time around. I haven't even read any of my books! Need to get on that. Soon.

We celebrated Al's birthday (my FIL) on Wednesday night with some brisket and a delicious banana pudding cake that my sister-in-law made. I spent most of the night sitting in a chair, because as I've said before, this huge pregnancy/lazy thing has kicked in full force.

Parker made it through his school drop-off without ANY tears on Thursday (!) and we went to a team dinner for Bryan's golf girls Thursday night. P was less than impressed with all of the attention that the girls gave him. My MIL came over again and (bless her) cleaned out my fridge and vacuumed and mopped my floors, among other things that I didn't notice, I am sure. I caught up on laundry, vacuumed, and threw out ALL of the old stuff in our freezers. So depressing.

Bryan's team had their first golf tournament this weekend, and placed 3rd overall. Pretty good! It's also been raining ALL week, which is seriously unheard of for Lubbock. It has been completely awesome and may have added to my lazy tendencies.

Friday night (whew), my sister-in-law and FUTURE brother-in-law got engaged! I got to take the sneaky photos of the actual proposal which made me feel super awkward but really cool! I love her ring. They are thinking of a June wedding. We celebrated with s'mores and tiramisu. Parker was un-interested in the whole experience. I will hopefully post more later!

Oh, also my poor mom got in a wreck on Wednesday and dislocated her elbow and possibly totaled her car. If you know my parents personally, you know that they have had a really rough year….and it doesn't seem to be going away completely. I know she would appreciate prayers. She is seriously my sanity saver on a daily basis and I hate when things like this happen. We also have terrible luck with cars in my family, so there's that too.

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I pooped out and went to bed so here I am on Monday afternoon. I have since had two sleepless nights (thank you, pregnancy), been to church and went to a sweet diaper shower that my wonderful friends threw for me! There was an absolute downpour of rain during the entire thing, but thankfully people still came and I had a great time catching up with old friends!

There are six people in this photo. The three you can see and the three that will arrive soon! (I mean that we are all pregnant.)

And now here is the reason I started writing this post in the first place: muffins.

Delicious blueberry muffins with cinnamon crumb topping! Bryan's favorite so far, I might add.

I've been wanting Parker to help me cook for a while now, but have never attempted it…well I braved the mess on our rainy Friday afternoon and we went to town mixing and baking. P was all over it with the exception of his attempts to put the dry mixture of flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder back into my flour canister. ;) I can't blame him. It gets confusing.

I got the recipe right here, but I doubled it, and changed the topping a bit.

You need:

-3 cups APF
-1 1/2 cups white sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-4 teaspoons baking powder
-2/3 cup vegetable oil
-2 eggs
-2/3 cup milk (about)
-2 cups blueberries (or more…)

For the crumb topping:

-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/3 cup APF
-1/4 cup butter, diced
-1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup; add the eggs and enough milk to fill the 2 cups. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. **Make sure not to over mix! there may still be flour streaks in mixture and that is good.** Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

This made 18 muffins for us, and they were awesome--moist (ew), and fluffy! Parker quickly deemed them worthy with a "More please!" after his first bite. Enjoy!


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P.S. I just noticed that I had this photo in my "cloud" (I still don't get that), and wanted to get some opinions once and for all on this chalk paint.

(Don't mind the frames…those have already moved to a different area and still need to be filled and matted.)

I was going for a wood grain look? My mom and MIL are sold on it….I can't decide? Thoughts? This is in our living room behind the couch.

Adios!

Observations.

I cannot believe that it is Friday! We are happy about it around these parts.

My child is momentarily distracted watching Jonah, it is cold and drizzly outside, and we have a fall candle burning. I don't want to fold the laundry that is sitting in the dryer, so I thought it would be best to write a blog post.

Here are a few of my thoughts from this week.

1. Why, oh why, do all employees at all fabric stores work SO slowly? I think it's something to do with the nature of "people who sew".  I do not possess this quiet and leisurely nature. Neither does my two-year-old, who usually accompanies me to any and all fabric stores, and always seems to either pull 43 bolts of fabric off the stands, or open multiple packs of un-purchased gum in the never-ending checkout line.

2. I tried chalk-paint this week. I'm not sure if we will be friends. I do not have the patience for this stuff, or the money. We have been painting and re-painting a dresser that sits in our living room to no avail, and I have yet to call it "done". I think the chalk-paint will stay for now, only because I'm two lazy to try a THIRD paint color and too cheap to completely waste the $30 that I spent on said paint.

3. I think I'm turning into a newborn. I'm really good at sleeping during the day and wake up multiple times at night. Actually, it's more of a constant half-awake-half-asleep daze at night. I took two naps yesterday. Yes, two.

4. I finally ordered baby books for BOTH of my children (yes, Parker too), and I'm really excited about them. Lots of research went into this decision. They are right here on Amazon. I love that they are loose-leaf so I can add more keepsakes to them :).

5.  Parker has started smacking his lips together when he wants a kiss. Like how you smack your lips after you put on lipstick? Yes, that's what he does, and I love it. He also says, "Okay" in a tone like he is agreeing with something you ask of him, even when he is the one doing the asking. Hilarious.

6. I've been seeing a lot of "perfection" in blogland/ facebookland/ instagramland and it's starting to bother me. Is that bad? I probably promote this too, and I'm sorry for that. Anyways, I've been feeling the need to walk around my house and take pictures of the everyday nastiness normal-ness that you will find here, if anything to serve as a reminder to me 25 years from now that I was definitely not a perfect housewife or mother, since I will most likely forget. My child is currently eating puffy Cheetos 6 inches from the TV for goodness sakes. We all need some honesty every once in a while!

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The whole mothering part of my life took over for a bit. Here I am on Friday night. It is still cold, and my husband and I just got home from date night. We ate a wonderful meal at Cheddar's (I'm not kidding, I LOVE Cheddar's. I am so hip.) and went to Starbucks where the barista wrote this on BRYAN'S cup:

Haha! We are both used to our names being spelled incorrectly, but that's just ridiculous.

Numbers continued:

7. Bryan just built a fire. In Texas. In September. But he is unbelievably proud of it. He didn't have much luck with our wood-burning fireplace last winter and I think it left him feeling inadequate as a man or something? Anyways, it crackles and makes me happy.

8. I came to the sudden realization that my outside baby (aka Parker) needs fall and winter clothes today as I attempted to dress him for the current weather. I ran to Old Navy tonight and got a few super cute things.  Old Navy skinny jeans are cheap and the BEST for tall little boys with tiny hineys. (Hinies?) I did not get these shoes tonight, but I will for sure order them when there is a big enough sale online. SO cute!

9. We had our first MOPS meeting today which was such a blessing to me! Parker loved it too and smacked his lips until his Moppets leader gave him a kiss before we left. My best friends all work, so I get really lonely a lot of the time being at home. That's a topic for another day though…a more serious day when I feel like pouring my heart out.  This is why MOPS is good though.

I am terrified to make other "Mom Friends". It is truly like dating. Or the first day of middle school. Whichever you consider to be worse. I ate about 16 donut holes and our speaker talked about personality types which was interesting. Have you ever taken a Keirsey personality test? It's the one where you end up with four letters that are supposed to describe your personality. I've taken it before, and usually have one or two letters switch. Today I got ISTJ. Basically an introverted control freak who likes to organize. :) People always tell me that I'm extroverted…but truly, I am not. I tend to make super-extroverted friends and tend to get put in super-extroverted roles and I DO like to be around people, but I also become extremely exhausted if I'm around pretty much anyone outside of my husband or immediate family for more than a day or two.

Just so you know. :)

Anyways, he also talked about how our personality types tend to get put on the back burner as young mothers, because we are catering to the other personality types within our families. So, when we (moms) don't get to do what comes naturally to us, or what energizes us based on our personalities, we become drained and exhausted, which of course equals lackluster mothering and wife-ing. Basically he gave me an excuse to shut myself in a corner and read every once in a while :). There was a ton of other stuff he spoke on with how certain things affect your marriage, how you should nurture the personality types of your children, etc. etc., but I am really rambling and am tired so I think I'll stop there.

We did go and see the 9/11 memorial flags after MOPS though. I always get emotional when I think about this day and already wonder how we will explain it to our children without terrifying them.

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I have ONE more thing to do in Parker's room and then I will post pictures!! It seriously the tiniest thing…I need to put a photo in a frame on his bedside table. I love the room though.

Remember how this is normally a house/decorating blog? Yeah, I need to get back on that. :)

Thanks for letting me talk!

Our Week In Black and White.

This past week was supah-crazy. And not always in a good way, (I had some not-so-great mental breakdowns, and some not-so-great wife moments, thank you very much fixer-upper house), but it was mostly amazing.

For one, my parents were here.

And that's just always good.


For another, sweet Parker man had a lot of big boy-moments this week, some that I've already blogged about, and some that I still need to write posts for. Most of them having to do with pre-school and his big boy bed.

Parker (striped teal shirt) in chapel. Thank you, Morgan, for the picture! Sorry, teacher I don't know for the awkward photo.

We had a horrendous scare his second night in the bed when P rolled off it. Yes. Waking up to shrieks of "MOMMY!" is absolutely terrifying. Thankfully he was more scared than hurt and dozed off soon after I climbed in bed with him.


He also skipped nap the first afternoon in his big-boy bed, declaring that he was a "bid kid now" when I asked him for his reasoning behind it. Thankfully we have been semi-successful with naps since then….I'm still crossing my fingers though. The child is so excited to sleep in his room, it's a bit ridiculous. We also started using minty-toothpaste this week, which has made teeth-brushing about a million times better since Parker has an obsession with all things mint-flavored. I don't understand this. His father, however, has a tendency to hoard peppermints from restaurants so I guess I should have seen it coming. Apple and tree, I tell you! They are twins.

What did we do last week?

I believe there was a lot of eating. My pantry and fridge are currently showcasing the aftermath of that. We also got a lot of playtime outside as the weather has been wonderful at night! Lubbock has the best evenings of anywhere I have ever lived since it's not humid and not too cold. We can hang out well into October, sometimes even November. We were also blessed with two glorious days of overcast skies and rain!

What else…Parker was hilarious this week. I can't even tell you what all he did, but I do know for sure that he is turning into quite the little rascally man. Bryan and I keep asking ourselves what happened to our quiet, shy, well-behaved baby…but honestly, this has been my favorite phase so far!

My dad hauled our two nightstands that I scored on Craigslist as well a a BEAUTIFUL painting that my own dear, sweet sister did for our mantel all the way from Denver. She is truly talented and I love that we have one-of-a-kind art in our home!

 (Excuse crappy iPhone picture… doesn't do this masterpiece justice!)

We did lots of furniture painting, fireplace painting, and door painting in the living room….probably too much of it (insert mental breakdown, a la Katy), and I managed to make six new throw pillows for our couches. Y'all, I have conquered my fear of invisible zippers! This was truly a dream of mine (in the sewing department). Unfortunately, I am still not done.

Parker continues his obsession with Pops, and made it frequently known that there was no one else he would rather follow around. He can also point to every letter in the alphabet, count to 10, AND has finally decided that it's okay to wear hats. Just in time for Halloween!

My parents left yesterday….Parker was in tears, I was in tears…we were a mess. I didn't even change out of my pajama pants! It was a true crisis. Thankfully we have recovered a bit, I have cleaned the house a bit, and now P is in bed, I'm exhausted, and the last piece of chocolate cake is calling my name! So I should go.

Also, we have a fall candle warming on the stovetop. Why? Well, because I have terrible luck with  wicks burning too low to keep lit. It is a little annoying, but I am loving having a bit of fall in the house! There are few things better. Except for maybe chocolate cake.

Nursery work has commenced, everyone! Board and batten. BOARD AND BATTEN. Finally! I hope to update with house pictures soon!

Sorry for the random post!

Parker's First Day of Pre-School.

Parker had his first day of pre-school on Tuesday. It was a BIG deal for our BIG kid. 

Here is a run-down.

After about 4 hours of sleep, I got up (late) and rushed to the kitchen to make teddy bear toast in honor of Parker's class mascot, the "Brave Bears". 

He was unimpressed which I was not surprised by and didn't touch the fruit….which I was also not surprised by. This is why you shouldn't try too hard for a two-year-old.

I was genuinely nervous about his first day of school. He is not a man of many words, so "prepping" him for the big day was pretty much a one-way conversation with a lot of staring/ignoring. 

I didn't even try with the paci and blankie. They are his best buds and it would have been too much. I was just happy that he actually stood by the door and said "teese" for a picture when I asked (not that it got me any sort of smile). 

I should also mention that I forgot to pick out clothes for his first day. Just forgot. Yes. 

Excuse my maternity pants. Agh. 

He was being an ornery little thing that morning and wanted nothing to do with the camera. Once we got to his classroom, he ran straight to the toys (which he had discovered on Open House night) and went to town.

I was so sweaty and flustered trying to make sure I had brought everything (forgot the school supplies). 

He cried when we left which I felt terrible about until I had a few sweet sweet ladies that I know from LCU tell me they would keep an eye on him for me. 

My mom and I left after the mention of a much deserved Sonic coke and then headed home to count down the hours till 2 when we could go and get him. We filled the time with work and organizing baby clothes. I also cleaned the carpet in Parker's new room and moved his clothes to his new closet and dresser! Hallelujah. 

I kept imagining different scenarios before we went to get him. Most of them including the lines, "He's not ready for this…", BUT we got that and were told that he did GREAT! He ran to the door with the sweetest little smile and dance. His teacher, Miss Sumer, is super nice and said that she was really proud of him. He slept on his nap mat and even sat in his chair without problems which was absolutely shocking to me. I don't think I give him enough credit sometimes.

After many words of praise to our Parker man, we headed home and were completely entertained and exhausted by him for the rest of the afternoon. 

The kid was crazy. I think he was still hyped up on school energy.

(I asked him to laugh. This is what he did. A-HAHAHAHA. And then went back to a serious face.)

He screamed the ABC's while ruthlessly knocking over domino towers until he was blue in the face. And then he watched iPhone videos of himself doing said activities. He finds himself very entertaining.

This child loves his ABC's. He says W like "Doubwel-you-e-you-e-you-e-youuuuuu", which I think is just the funniest thing on the planet. 

He also had sucker face for most of the afternoon. (Thanks, Nonnie.)

Parker is such a rascally boy. He is sweet and very tender-hearted, but also very mischievous, very stubborn at times, and always full of life. We are so proud of him on his first day at Sugar N Spice!

Now we just have to get through every other day of pre-school after this :). Lord help us.

The Last Night...

I think he's too big for the crib. 

We are on an apparent mission to traumatize our little boy because we did his first of of pre-school AND his first night in The Big Boy Bed on the same day. Details to come. 

But first…the last night in his nursery:

After rushing around all night trying to sew pillow covers, wash nap mats, and pack the perfect lunch (I  used cookie cutters to make special shaped cheese and rice crispies…big stuff), I stopped in my hair-brained, overwhelmed tracks when I realized that it may possibly be the last night I would get to rock my sweet baby in his nursery.  

Just another example of busy-ness getting in the way of what's truly important in this life!

I made my way to the nursery at oh….2:30am, snapped this photo (of my child in the most uncomfortable position I've ever seen in my life) and then picked him up, and we rocked. 

I hope to always remember the weight of my not-so-small two-year old resting on my not-so-small belly (with his brother kicking like crazy beneath it--his version of "Move it Parker! It's my turn to be rocked!").

I hope to remember the cricket chirping outside and how Parker smelled of Dreft and coconut shampoo.

I hope to remember how exhausted but happy I felt and the prayer that I silently prayed…a prayer for protection and courage as he begins this journey into bigger boyhood.

I hope to remember laying him back down in his bed with a knot in my throat. And I hope to remember silently cursing the door as it groaned its way closed for the 400th time before turning around to notice the peanut butter smeared on the hallway wall :). 

This is a good life!