Bad, Bad, Blogger....

I am so not able to post all the time. Well, truthfully, I have the time but sometimes I wonder if anyone will really care what I have to say :)

Lots has been brewing over the last two months since I've written. We've worked at rallying around my mom after my father's death. I worry about her and she spent a good two months really trying to figure out how to be alone but this past week things have clicked for her and she is back to making jewelry to use up some of her free time. I'm hoping with a new focus she'll do better than she has been. We have a vendor event on Saturday so that gives us something to work towards. Her with her jewelry and me to sew.

June 15th, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of my son's death. The weeks leading up to it were full of emotion and my mom took me on an overnight shopping trip on the day of. We spent the day laughing and joking around and a lot of time reminiscing about my Boo. I thought after the anniversary passed I would find myself able to move forward again but the last few weeks have really been hard. I miss him so much and the tears flow freely almost every day. I'll get there I know but some days I really wonder. This is the poem I wrote for the anniversary:

Kyle B. Lenhardt - 10/22/95 - 6/15/11

It's been one year that you've been gone,

one year of many tears.

Your big brown eyes and contagious laughter

we've missed every single day.

The world went on as we stood still,

watching full of wonder.

It took some time to understand

that there would be no answers.

One day I was your mother, taking care of you

then suddenly, there I stood,

I was without a clue.

My heart aches at the things that I will miss

that others take for granted.

What I wouldn't give, for one more day with you.

I'd hold you close, I'd kiss your cheek

and never let you go.

I know that you are out there,

watching over me.

A hand upon my shoulder,

I wish that I could feel.

For now I hold your memory close

I talk, I laugh, I cry.

My love still grows for you each day

as if you were still here.

I need to get sewing for Saturday so I will leave you with my dinner for this evening. We loved this recipe so much the first time we had it and I made it exactly as she has posted. It looks not so appetizing but it is DELISH! So stop on over at The Cutting Edge of Ordinary and try her Cowboy Casserole. 

I "Heart" Pinterest

Pinterest consumes many people's waking moments, mine included. It just amazes me the things you can find on there. Tonight for dinner we tried a recipe from there and also one from Allrecipes  which is  my favorite recipe site ever.

The Pinterest part of dinner came to us from over at Dinners and Dreams and it was marinated mushroom skewers. Now I had to make one of the ingredients for the marinade and I may have not divided stuff right and it was too hot but my husband really loved them. Next time I double the recipe I'll not double the harissa. He dipped them in Ranch dressing to cool them down a bit but he ate them all before going for his second piece of chicken so that's how I knew it was a keeper. Our marinade for the chicken is here at Allrecipes. I didn't have red wine vinegar but did have white wine vinegar so I winged it and used what I had. It was SO good! The recipe made quite a bit so I saved the extra for the next time.

In trying to move forward with my plan to do more craft fairs and vendor fairs I worked off and on all day today on building up my inventory for such things. I am very pleased with what I got done and it is really motivating me to be consistent. I still had a fairly lazy Sunday and relaxed but also was productive and made a yummy dinner. GO ME!

My New Favorite Friend

Ok so my new favorite blog to find recipes is How Sweet It Is. Last night's dinner came from her as well! Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta was a hit! I made a double batch as we had company and there wasn't a noodle left! The cheese sauce was nice and would make a nice variation without the buffalo wing sauce if we wanted but made as directed was excellent! We'll definitely be making that again. No photo this time, everyone dug in too quickly.

I'm going to try to sew today, we'll see if that actually happens :) Lots of ideas from lots of great sources so here's hoping I can fit some in. I might try to bring a project down that I can do in front of the TV tonight. I've been trying to keep everything in my sewing/craft room and not clutter the house since we've moved but I find that I'm not able to get as much done that way either. I suppose if I take care of things straight away the next morning I won't feel like I'm making a mess.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today isn't a huge holiday for us. We've been on such a tight budget for the last few years so to buy something that isn't necessary isn't on our list of things to do. Don't get me wrong, we told each other we loved one another but other than that it's just another day.

I have been spending a lot of time pinning things on Pinterest and it  is normally my MO to always save lots of ideas to favorites or whatever and never make them, be it a craft idea or recipe. I think part of that is because I try to do too much all at once. Rather than try one recipe a night I try to make a main dish, side dish and dessert all new on the same evening then get overwhelmed and flake out. Last night I decided to start simple and made Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks from How Sweet It Is. I've never had asparagus before and thought I'd try them. I LOVED this recipe and asparagus!!! I served it with a semi boneless ham and baked potatoes.

I have found quite a few good recipes on her site and look forward to trying more. This one is a keeper in my book!

Tiny Steps

Today has seen me applique 6 onesies (two with ties, two with Minnie Mouse heads and two with hearts). I need to stitch around them but I need to practice first as I've never done it before. Also, I started cutting 6 x 6 squares of minky dot and 100% cotton for some sensory squares I'm making. They will have ribbons around the outer edges and something crinkly inside. Just trying to widen my variety at the co-op. Photos once they are finished.

Dinner was amazing! Using my favorite site for finding recipes I decided on this one for tonight Slow-Cooker-Italian-Chicken-Alfredo . Everyone loved it and hubby is looking forward to it for lunch tomorrow. Yay for tasty leftovers.