Have you ever had an incredibly embarrassing song stuck in your head that you happen to sing just a little bit of to your daughter while your buckling her into her carseat? And then when you're at Target she belts it out as loud as she possibly can?

Yeah...me neither.

St. Patrick's Day

What do I think about when I think of Ireland? I think of all the rich history. Their determination to not only rise when they fell, but to fight back and overcome. Unfortunately, this view of Ireland has been tainted somewhat by its current inhabitants (nobody I know personally). I've recently heard some of them mock how Americans claim to be Irish because their "dad's great uncle's dog was from Ireland". It's not necessarily Ireland we're proud of, but the spirit it represents. Being American, we definitely possess the essence of rebel freedom. Fighting to rise above, not only defeating but becoming better. I am a proud Daughter of the Revolution, and my family and I will always celebrate the 4th of July with pride, but I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating our deeper roots as well.
THAT SAID, here's what we did!

I made homemade soda bread, Steak and Guinness pie, green mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and brownies frosted to look like the Irish flag. We went over to our friend's house to eat and hang out. All in all, it was a pretty good day!

{Oops! I took the picture upside down...sorry it looks funny}

I Shouldn't Admit This

Ya know...I used to be able to contribute to a conversation. I used to be able to tell a good story, or maybe even a joke or two. Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was "funny", but people would at least indulge me by laughing at my attempts anyway.
Bragging? No. You see, this is something that most people can do. However, I've now found that years of stippled conversation has taken its toll on me and now I'm left with saying such things as "yadda, yadda" and stumbling over my words, trying to get a complete sentence out.

Here is a teensy example of my daily conversations (which usually take place while I am on the phone):
"I was talking to Joel about {Mikayal, you stop that right now} maybe going to {I said STOP stepping on your brother's head!} Ireland! Wouldn't that be {Do I need to send you to time out!!} so much fun?!"

Now imagine that same conversation when I am kid free:
"I was talking to Joel about....umm....uh, maybe going to Ireland. I found a great deal on tickets, my mom could watch the kids, yadda, yadda, yadda...wouldn't that be so much fun?"

Then, to top it all of, not only can I not speak like a normal, sane adult...but I've also been saying the strangest things at the most awkward times:
Friend- "I recently went to a funeral where the preacher said some really harsh things to the grieving family in front of the whole congregation (I'm omitting the actual event...just in case)"
Me...feeling awkward and wanting to change the subject- "When I was a teenager I wanted to have a pink casket and be buried in my studded belt and skate shoes." (who.says.that?!?!)
All eyes turn to me.
Friend -"Um, so this place is really fun! We should definitely come here more often."
(and by "we" I'm pretty sure she meant everyone but the psycho who thinks about the details of her funeral).

What is the moral of this embarrassing story? I desperately need to have more adult conversation. I think it's a mix of being nervous around adults who aren't challenged in this department, not being around other adults very often (or at least without kids), and not being able to have an uninterrupted conversation.ever.

Joel~see...I need to have more girl's night out. It's imperative to my mental health. seriously.

Let the Countdown Begin

designingmybliss.blogspot.com

A Message to you

A little bit about me

For our "Project Scrapbook" challenge this week, we had to create a layout about us. Here are some facts mingled with my favorite quotes.

Thunderstorms scare me.
I want to travel and see the World~ well, most of it anyway.
I want to go back to get my degree in History.
I believe your reach must exceed your grasp.
"To touch is to heal, to hurt is to steal, if you want to touch the sky you'd better learn how to kneel"
I love being a mom and I only hope that I can teach my kids everything they need to know.
You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar.
I believe everything worth having is worth fighting for. Protect what is most important to you.
Do what you believe is right, and stand up for what you believe in.
Integrity is standing up for what you believe in, even when your knees are shaking.
I'm afraid of being forgotten. Look for the good in all that's around you, especially when you don't want to.
Pink is my favorite color. I love to learn.
I believe you should never judge someone by how they look.
I have the biggest sweet tooth!
I love anything crafty. I love home decor!
I hate pine trees.
I hope to be able to write a novel.

Feijoada

{Bless you...} Valentine's Day was pretty good. We went to church, came home, Mikayla and I made pink heart shaped rice crispy treats and then we took them to her little friends {she made the little tags}. I decided to make Joel a special dinner for his present: Feijoada. It's a Brazilian black bean dish. I think it turned out pretty well! Looks can be deceiving...

Feijoada (crock pot style):
2 bags black beans (16 oz)
1 can chicken broth
1 can Beef broth
onion
garlic
3 bay leaves
bacon
Pork tenderloin
Kielbasa sausage

Soak 2 bags black beans over night
Put broth, beans, onion, bay leaves and garlic into crock pot.
Cook bacon, cut up, put in crock pot.
Sear pork loin in same pan (I put a little bit of Spike seasoning on it), put in crock pot.
Let it cook on high for about 7 hours.
Cut kielbasa and add.
Voila! Put over rice and enjoy.
I was surprised that even the kiddos liked it!

Twilight...what have you done with my wife?

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Hahaha! I love this song! You have to listen to all of the lyrics to fully appreciate it. Here's my favorite part:
"Twilight, what have you done with my wife?
Refuses to sleep, reads her books all night.
Twilight, what have you done to my wife?
Now all she wants is the vampire life.
Twilight what have you done with my wife?
She's got the hots for teenage boys and thinks it's alright!"

After my friend's watched New Moon (I haven't seen it, and don't know if I will) they were all talking about how hot Jacob was...all I could say was "Ewwwww!! I just watched Lava girl and Shark Boy with Mikayla. He's sooo little! How could you possibly think he's hot?!"
He might be a cutie, but seriously ladies...we're almost TWICE his age!!

Calling all Crafters

I just read my friend's blog where she had made a post about how she and a few of her friends get together for a craft day once a week. This is something I would love to do! Anybody else game?

Date Night Idea

The stars are all aligning and I think that Joel and I will be able to start having date nights! We've been able to go on sporadic dates every other month or so, but I really want to try and go at least twice a month.

Something that Joel and I really like to do together is travel. When we reach our destination, one of the things we love to do is try out fun places to eat (sometimes we look up places that have been featured on the Food or Travel channel). We think it would be silly to go to Taco Bell when there's (clean!! That's my requirement) local Mexican food around the corner- some place we don't have here in AZ. However, with the kids, traveling turns out to be more of a headache than it used to be and sucks all of the energy (and fun) out of me. Well, I was watching a morning show and they were featuring local restaurants, and it clicked:
I think it would be fun to try our own unique and yummy places to eat for date nights!
So, here's my list so far:
Fibber Magees
The Cornish Pasty Co.
Liberty Market

Does anyone else have any good places to eat?