Some cheese with my whine

I feel like I whine a lot about Eric traveling. If I'm not whining out loud, rest assured I'm whining in my heart. I really don't like not having him by my side all the time, in case you hadn't figured that out yet. 50% of the time is NOT enough for me to live with my spouse.

Anyway, we've been at this for a while now so I should be getting used to it, and I guess I sorta am. Some weeks are better or easier than others. Then some weeks I just sink into being really sad about it and turn unproductive and my heart whines louder.

So now I will indulge in a little cheese with my whine. :) The other day "our song" came on the radio and it made me really nostalgic. I started thinking about songs and I realized that Eric and I have had several different "our songs" throughout our relationship.

#1: Happy Together by The Turtles
This was our first song. When we first started dating back when we were little kids (hehe) we were amazed at how we truly just felt HAPPY like nothing else had ever made us feel. It was that true joyful feeling that first let me know that Eric is my soulmate.

Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it's only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together

If I should call you up, invest a dime
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

So happy together
How is the weather
So happy together
We're happy together
So happy together
Happy together
So happy together
So happy together (ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba)


#2: Bubbly by Colbie Caillat 
I think this turned into our song when we were engaged. We danced to it at our wedding. It just seemed to match the giddy feeling we always had around each other. Basically the same as the feeling with Happy Together, no one made me smile like Eric can.


I've been awake for a while now
You've got me feelin' like a child now
'Cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglees in a silly place

It starts in my toes
And I crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go

The rain is fallin' on my window pane
But we are hidin' in a safer place
Under the covers stayin' safe and warm
You give me feelings that I adore

They start in my toes
Make me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go

What am I gonna say
When you make me feel this way?
I just, mmm

It starts in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go

I've been asleep for a while now
You tucked me in just like a child now
'Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth

It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin' shows
'Cause you make me smile
Baby just take your time now
Holdin' me tight

Wherever, wherever, where ever you go
Wherever, wherever, where ever you go


#3: Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
This turned into our song basically the second it came out, about a year after we got married. Again, it totally described how we felt. I feel so lucky to be in love and married to my best friend! The person I would rather spend time with than anyone else on the planet.


Do you hear me? I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooh ooh ooh

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair

Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning 'round
You hold me right here, right now

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

I'm lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

#4: Faithfully by Journey
I feel kind of silly that this is our song right now. It seems so different than the other ones... Eric is on a HUGE Journey kick these days (and why shouldn't he be, they are awesome) and he told me that every time he hears this song it makes him think of me. Then I confessed that once I heard this song over the summer and it made me cry like a baby. Anyway, I guess that turned it into our song right now. 


Highway run into the midnight sun
Wheels go round and round
You're on my mind
Restless hearts sleep alone tonight
Sending all my love along the wire
They say that the road
ain't no place to start a family
Right down the line it's been you and me
And loving a music man
ain't always what it's supposed to be

Girl
you stand by me
I'm forever yours
faithfully
Circus life under the big top world
We all need the clowns to make us laugh
Through space and time
Always another show
Wodering where I am lost without you
And being a part ain't easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you

Oh girl
you stand by me
I'm forever yours
faithfully
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
oh oh oh oh oh oh
faithfully
I'm still yours
I'm forever yours
Ever yours
faithfully 


Ok can you handle anymore cheese? I know, I know, I've been really sappy lately. I'll blame it on pregnancy hormones. I blame as much as I can on those things. Why not, eh?


I didn't want to forget the songs that have been special to us and I know the older we get the more we will forget about these things. So that's that. I love my sweetie. 

Dimples

It's hard for me to find a face I love more than this one. Ever since he was born 20 quick months ago he's had those adorable dimples that make everyone swoon. We love to kiss those cheekies.

I can't believe he's getting so old. Last week I wrote down all the words Wesley was saying and the list was over 50 words long. Now that list is outdated... he's probably added at least 10 more words this week. He understands so much and definitely knows what he wants. There is no denying he's entering that Terrific* Two's stage I've heard so much about. *I've decided I should really think positively about it and give it a better name. That will help me have a better attitude, right? He throws lots of tantrums and has plenty of meltdowns. I've been very grateful for mothering hormones plus little gifts of patience from Heavenly Father that help me just love him more despite the fits. That and things like mini-marshmallows and Blues Clues that shake him out of meltdown mode sometimes.

Speaking of mini-marshmallows, Wesley has learned what it means when I say "I'll give you a treat if you..." For example. He refused to wear this adorable hat we bought him. (The one in the pic above). I said, "Hey Wesley, I'll give you a treat if you try this hat on for me!" He immediately ran up and let me put the hat on him, take a picture, then happily and expectantly waited for his treat. You just better be able to deliver.

I could go on and on about my boy. He really is a little angel. He LOVES his cars and plays with them for so long! He LOVES babies... obsessed maybe. He loves to touch my belly and feel the kick kick kicks, he loves to give baby dolls kisses and hugs and rock them back and forth. He loves the book we have called "Our New Baby" that explains all about how life is different with a baby in the house. Any time he sees a baby at church or playgroup he MUST go up and look at the baby, squat down near it, and wave and say Hi! It's so cute. I think he'll be a great brother.

Well there's your sappy mom post for the day. I'm really glad these end of pregnancy mommy hormones have started to kick in because I feel sorta like the Grinch at the end of the story when his heart grows all big. Suddenly I am SO so excited to be a mommy of a little girl and the fears I expressed earlier on this blog have pretty much melted away. I have nothing but love for my little boy and I seriously LOVE spending my days with him. I'm so grateful I get to be a mom. I know there are plenty out there that don't get that blessing and I recognize how TRULY blessed I am. Can't wait to meet you Baby Girl and see how much sappier my life can get when I have 2 kids!

iCrave

Pregnancy cravings. Yep. When I was pregnant with Wesley, I craved summer sausage, cheese, Wheat Thins, Jimmy Dean sausage biscuits, and red gatorade. I'm pretty sure I ate no less than 8 pounds of Wheat Thins through that pregnancy. No less.

This time, it's very similar. I've been craving turkey bacon like MAD, Club crackers (again, I've eaten lots and lots of those. Wesley and I share), and anything sweet and lemony. Lemon curd, lemon cheesecake, lemon pudding, lemon yogurt... For the past few days I've really been wanting delicious baked macaroni and cheese. One night when Eric was out of town I made some Kraft box stuff for Wesley and I and it did NOT hit the spot. Quite the opposite really, and it only fueled the craving more.

Generally I can't really cook when Eric is out of town because Wesley barely touches anything I cook and I certainly can't eat a whole dish of something on my own. What usually happens is that after 2 days straight of eating the leftovers I'm so sick of it that it just ends up spoiling in the fridge and I can't stand the thought of making it again, even if it was good the first time.

Fortunately, Eric was in town last night and I finally could give into my homemade baked mac & cheese craving. All the recipes I found online were basically the same-- the standard flour+butter+milk, add cheese, toss noodles and bake. HOWEVER. I saw one that mentioned bacon and I realized it must be. The online recipe looked kinda weird-ish though so I figured I would just throw crumbled bacon into my standard recipe UNTIL I saw the very next recipe in my book.

I cannot NOT share this. It was so so yummy! I know it's bad form to brag about stuff you cook and I usually don't but this realllllly worked for me. Maybe it was because of the craving that I was finally able to satisfy, plus the bacon, plus caramelized onion... who knows. All I'm saying is it was the perfect dish to serve to your hungry family while watching a crazy ice storm fall on the 2 feet of snow outside your window.

Without further ado, I present you:


Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions
4 strips bacon (I use turkey bacon)
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese or crumbled bleu
  *I used sharp cheddar, monterey jack, and Parmesan because it's what I had on hand and like I said, it was delicious. Plus, I have a thing against Gruyere in general so I wouldn't have used it anyway. I'm pretty sure whatever 2 1/2 cups of cheese you use will be great. 
1 cup half-and-half or light cream (I used 2% milk because again, it's what I had in my fridge).
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

*Cook bacon in microwave until crisp. Crumble and set aside.

*Cook onion in about 1 T. olive oil over med heat for 5-8 min until onion is tender and golden brown. Set aside.
Side note: The real recipe says to cook the bacon in the skillet, then cook the onion in the bacon grease. That's all fine and good I guess but a) that grossed me out and b) with as much as I love bacon right now, I still hate how it stinks up your whole house and entire wardrobe when you cook it. Therefore, I microwave it so I don't have to smell it forever.


*While bacon and onion are doing their thing, cook macaroni according to package directions. Usually about 1 min less than the full time is best since you'll be baking it. Make sure it's right at al dente and not much more.

*Drain macaroni and return to pan. Stir in crumbled bacon, onion, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the Gruyere, milk/cream, and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Spoon into casserole dish. (Mine fit in an 8x8 pyrex nicely).

*Bake uncovered in a 350 F oven for 20 min. Stir gently. Top with remaining mozz. cheese and bake about 10 min more until top is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 min.


So that's that. I just finished off the leftovers for lunch and I'm not sure if I can wait very long before making it again. Let me know if you try it!

Another thing that I loved about this recipe, is that it really only takes as long to prepare as the time it takes to boil water and cook macaroni. I preheated the oven, put the water in the pot to boil, started the onion on the stove and the bacon in the microwave all at the same time. Once I threw the noodles in the water, I had 6 minutes to grate the cheese and crumble the bacon which was perfect. Ample, even. Then drain, stir, and dump. You then have 20 minutes to play with your toddler. Add more cheese, then 10 minutes to clean up the dishes and set the table. Perfect. Ok, I'm weirding myself out now... toooo obsessed with this recipe. :)

A whole new year!

Happy January! I can't believe we're already halfway through this month. Time is FLYING!

One of the blogs I look at occasionally http://www.simplymodernmom.com/ is doing a project that she calls Glimpse into Motherhood. Basically, her goal is to take a picture every week chronicling her life as a mom. She encourages others to join her in the project. Well, I'm not committing to anything, but as I read it (skimmed it really) I thought to myself, I need to take more pictures. It's lame when you look back and have no pictures of something that was really memorable... like your childhood. :) So I will try to take at least one picture a week and probably post it on here. That will also make this blog less boring. Or at least that will provide more incentive for Eric to look at it. hehe

I will preface by saying I don't have a fancy camera and I'm generally a bad photographer, so don't expect art. Just life. With that, here are some pictures I've taken the past 2 weeks.

ok this one is older-- actually pre-Christmas but I love it and I don't think I've posted it anywhere. Wesley loves to cram himself into boxes that seem impossible to fit in (like a diaper box). This one was a bit too small for him but luckily, he found some stretch room with the handle hole. 

Bundled up watching football with Daddy. This Kodak moment lasted about 45 seconds

Watching a show. On the back of the couch...

I came into his room to find this little tower he built all by himself. I was rather impressed.

I had to include this because it's how most pictures of him turn out. He thinks this is smiling for the camera and makes this face anytime he's confronted by the Mamarazzi.

Isn't this darling?? Wesley and his new friend Emmy thought it was pretty fun and hilarious to share a chair.

They are 5 months apart and both expecting little sisters this spring. We try to have play dates a lot so they get used to sharing with others... They definitely help each other relax in nursery so that's a plus!

Cheeeeeeese!

Annnnnnnnd I'm done.