Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Homemade Snickers and a Smile

With the end of summer upon us  I thought I would post a fun recipe that I made several months ago, but took a back seat when Little Pope arrived early.  I found a recipe for Homemade Snickers earlier this year on one of my favorite blogs, How Sweet It Is, and knew that I had to make them at some point.  I mean who doesn't love chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel?  If you are raising your hand right now I am going to pretend I didn't see that because I am afraid we can't be friends if that is the case and I am not really in the mood to un-friend anyone.  Click here for the full recipe.


So this is how this awesome dessert starts!  How could this possibly have any ending other than happy.


So melt the chocolate and peanut butter to form the bottom layer.


Once the bottom layer is set, next comes the yummy nougat layer.


The third layer of this dessert is caramel.  For those of you that raised your hand earlier, would you like to take it back now?


And finally the last layer of chocolate and peanut butter.  Yes this dessert is a little time consuming, but is totally worth all of the effort.  Trust me my hips show the evidence!


Voila, the finished project!  We ate a good amount of these, but ended up bringing the rest up to the nurses at the hospital while I was being held hostage, I mean waiting to have Little Pope.  Now I don't mean to brag, but as I was being prepped for my C-section the nurses were asking me to give them the recipe.  


Now I also promised you a smile so here you go.


And just to make you feel like you won the lottery here is another smile.  He's growing so fast!

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Her Expectations May Be a bit Too High


We have all heard the dating horror stories.  You know the one where your single friend meets someone online and then when they meet in person they are not what they seem.  I think the Team Leader feels this way about Little Pope. 


I may have mentioned that my oldest child loves to fetch her toys.  If you throw in water it is like she is on the never-ending retrieving ride.  At least we finally learned to work in shifts because she will swim for 3-4 hours at a time.


She is so OCD about fetching that she goes until she drops!


So one day I look over to find this scene.  


Little Pope looks as perplexed as I did at first.  You see my mom bought the Team Leader a new toy and she was all excited about it, and in her excitement she expects everyone to play with her until she is done monopolizing your free time.


Apparently she did not get the memo that it would be a few years before the baby could throw it for her.  You can just see the disappointment oozing from her as she sits in the distance. 

Have a great week and enjoy the last little bit of summer!

Monday, August 13, 2012

How a GE commercial brought this blogger to tears


I like to think that I can be perfectly honest with you, my readers.  For the most part I am witty as some of you have described the blog, but in this post I am offering up a softer side that I don't usually reveal.  By now most of you know that our precious Little Pope spent 21 days in the NICU after arriving 6 weeks early.  In the moment of it all the Nutrition Nazi and myself really did not have time to sit around and think about what was going on because there simply was not time.  Very quickly we became distanced from the pain, literally and figuratively, of what was happening deeming it all as necessary.


One day, though, while innocently watching the Olympics we saw this commercial (above) and everything we had forgotten we pushed away came back with a vengeance.  To watch the babies in the isolettes hooked up to breathing and feeding tubes and IVs was really difficult even though we have been thorough it all. It brought back the intense roller coaster ride of emotions that come with having a baby in the NICU, and the sadness of seeing someone else have to go through the same experience.


The moment that really pushed it over was when the lady is talking about getting to hold her baby for the first time.  I remember the first time I held our little one (above) and exactly what she was going through physically and emotionally.  It is a moment of great joy, but great concern for getting your baby healthy enough to go home.  


Two months later everyday is still a battle of the unknown and trying to keep our expectations to a minimum, but we are happy to say our little one now weighs 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long.  While this may not seem like much for a normal baby he has basically doubled in size.  He is still too little for his age for him to even be ranked in a percentile, but he continues to amaze us every day, especially the growth of his attitude.

 It truly is amazing how well the medical staff, with the right tools, can give a baby a fighting chance that may not have made it otherwise.  At the end of the day we are so grateful for the technology in this commercial that I hope I never see again. 

Have a great week and be thankful for all that you have been given in life!







Monday, August 6, 2012

Just who exactly is this Nutrition Nazi person?

Since I started my blog I have affectionately referred to my husband as the Nutrition Nazi or NN for short.  You can read about how he earned this nickname here.  Over the weekend he turned 40, so I decided this week we are going to learn about the Nutrition Nazi from the best possible source..himself, unedited, God help me!


Little Miss Fajita (LMF):  So Nutrition Nazi tell us a little about yourself.

Nutrition Nazi (NN):    I don't eat fried foods and I take the skin off chicken!  This is an obscure quote from the movie Point Break for those that don't remember. No really I have been an athlete most of my life which led me out of the corporate world and into the gym. Its been the most rewarding journey helping others to achieve their goals in fitness, golf and life! I'm also fortunate to be the husband to an amazing woman, and the father of the most beautiful boy in the world! I may be a little biased.


LMF:  How do you feel about turning the big 4-0?

NN:  It's just a number to me, but the occasional nagging injury says that I'm getting older than dirt.


LMF:  What exactly is it that you do when you leave at 4:15 every morning?

NN:  First off I'm a night owl so this is the biggest challenge of my job! I meet a couple of my ultra type A executives for 5 am workouts, and they pay me very well so off I go. I just hope that I remember to brush my teeth and not show up in my Calvins!


LMF:  Your wonderful wife recently gave you the best birthday present ever, would you care to tell us about her awesome gift giving skills?

NN:  My beautiful, sweet Capricorn queen of a wife gave me the gift I've wanted my whole life, but could not give myself...our beautiful baby boy!!!  Thanks sweet heart, I love you!


LMF:  Some people would argue that listing 'Still able to dunk a basketball at 40' as a special talent in your son's baby book is arrogant.  Do you agree?

NN:   Arrogant no, but if you said talented and exceptional I'd say YES! By the way, do you see the dance skills in the picture above! I just wish there was video...Crystal loves it!!


LMF:  Would you care to comment on the alleged rumor that 'I'm Sexy and I Know It' is your mantra?

NN: Pure rumor, perpetuated by my lovely wife! The first time she heard the song she said that is so your attitude. In fairness, I may get a bit mouthy now and then but it's all in fun.


LMF:  Tell us about your inner fat kid.

NN: I workout so that I can eat! First off, I love Crystal's desserts so when she makes cookies for instance I'll knock down 12 at a sitting! It's ridiculous. I also really love pizza so working out is critical to keep the inner fat kid on the inside! So for all my clients do as I say not as I do!!


LMF:  How do you feel about owning a half-poodle?

NN: Ok I did say that I'd never own anything half poodle, and it sounded good when I said it. If you know my wife though she is relentless when she sets her mind to something. Ultimately I bought her the Team Leader and have loved that puppy dog ever since!! She's my other little baby.


So there you have all the critical data that you need to know about the Nutrition Nazi!  Happy Birthday babe!  I hope your next 40 years are even better than the 1st 40!