Un Baguette versus Une Baguette

So as many of you know if you live in my neighborhood your HOA dues encompass an array of wildlife that would make some small zoos jealous.  I recently wrote about a close encounter with a 9.5 alligator here and his new succcessor, Francis.  It was nothing short of terrifying, and now I diligently check the front and back before I go outside.  You can imagine my dismay when Francis appeared. 

 Note: If you did not already know you can click on the pics and they will get bigger, which you may want to do since I was not getting closer!

Here is Francis with his/her head facing the shore and tail towards the lake.

He/She seems to be just chillin in the lake not bothering anyone.  I can be ok with this as long as he stays in the lake.

Did I tell you that I am reading a book called Bringing Up Bebe about the differences between French and American parenting?  It's very enlightening.  In the book the author tells a story about an American lady living in Paris.  The lady could never remember when she went to the bakery whether she was supposed to order un baguette (one loaf of bread) or une baguette (one stick (really thin) loaf) so she just ordered deux (two) baguettes.  (This is why Americans and their obesity stick out like sore thumbs in Paris.)

So I want to know who the idiot was that ordered deux alligators for our lake? Look closely there is one facing the shore and the eyes and snout of the other once swimming the other direction.

Francis number 1 (F1) as seen through the safety of my tele-photo lens from the safety of my back yard.

As I was taking pictures of F1 further down the lake, the other Francis (F2) swam up and watched me.  I was not about to leave the gated safety of my backyard for fear of feeling like I was on the wrong side of the fence at the zoo.

 Then F2 went on his/her merry little way to join F1.

See I told you F2 was going to meet up with F1. 

I did eventually get brave enough to walk down the sidewalk in front of the house to try and get closer pics.  I always wanted to win the lottery, but I guess I should have specified which one, and that I really didn't need multiple alligators in my life.  Maybe now NN will cave to the fact that we really do live in the country!

Their Continued Love Affair and My Third Wheel Status

The Nutrition Nazi and the Team Leader's love affair started the day we picked her up over three years ago and has only continued to develop like the plot of a cheesy chick flick!

In the picture above, from that day, she is already practicing her 'I can't be bothered with your life right now.  It's just so involved being ME!' look. You can read all about her story here.  The bond between these two is something very special that I must admit I am jealous over, and being the third wheel flat out sucks!  She very rarely wags her tail when I come home, but that could be because I don't wrastle with her or run like an idiot through the yard.  However if she thinks that NN might be pulling in the driveway she is at the garage door pacing.

I definitely don't get this kind of height on the rare occasion that I do run through the yard with her.

It's like he is a Red Bull or something and gives her wings.

I try to play ball, but inevitably she just gives up on my crappy throwing ability.  I certainly don't have any luck putting it on her nose and then her sunsequently catching it.

Maybe it's because they really are both athletes under it all, although NN thinks she has very little athletic ability and hopes that baby has more athleticism than his big sister.

Maybe it is because one antagonizes the other.

And then the other one pushes back with the 'Is that all you got' bouncy-ness.

This is the dog I get when I try to spend time with her.  She will put on a happy face momentarily, but once the camera is turned off she acts like I personally deprive her of all of her basic rights like laying in grass or a crappy old tennis ball.

Which would be fine if she weren't standing in her pool with the lake view as the sun is setting in the background as I take her picture.

Or running through the yard with the toy that I searched all over the internet for because she lost the other one playing in the water at Uncle Neal's house. 

Yep it's hell being the third wheel, but I can only hope that our newest addition does not have the same level of enamouredness with the Nutrition Nazi or the Team Leader.  Maybe I should start my plan now of how to buy win his love!  I wonder if he will like the spa or dessert as much as NN does because if he does I am numero uno in his life since I can make both of those happen easily!  I am also his best friend if he shares my love of camping...in Nordstroms!

Have a great week and don't settle for being second best!

Random Acts of Kindness

This week's post is a basic principle of life, but so often we get caught up in our lives that we forget how meaningful random acts of kindness can be to another person.  A couple of years ago after seeing the movie The Blind Side, I was very moved to find out more about the Tuohys who had given so much to a child in need of support, financially, physically, and mentally.  They have several books out now, but I read In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.  Now I am a huge skeptic that a book or a movie can change any one's attitude, but I am happy to say that I was proven wrong. 

The book is long and deep in the weeds at times, but the overall message is clear in that you give what you have to give, even if only a smile, and expect nothing in return.  As long as you give, that is all that matters.  The (Almost Perfect) Nutrition Nazi is very good about living his life in a manner similar to this mantra.  Even on a bad day he still will ask you how your day is and genuinely tell you to have a nice day!

 So why did I post pics of essentially a mess on my family room carpet and what does this have to do with giving?

To show an extraordinary act of kindness by one of my co-workers.  She was blessed with 2 little boys that she loves dearly, but she no longer needed their baby clothes so she passed them along to me, simple as that.  I could never have imagined the number of clothing items, blankets, etc that she would just give to us.

And since I wasn't sure you would get the full effect of the sheer volume of clothes from the first pic, I sat on the floor and took a picture to show how tall the piles of clothes are compared to furniture.  Simply put - Amazing.  A random act of kindness that not only saves us money, but re-affirms my belief that underneath it all that people are truly good.

In another random act of kindness we were also fortunate enough to be given a jogging stroller in really good condition, by another one of my co-workers.  We feel very blessed because while these people have a connection to us, they may actually never see our child, and that makes it even more meaningful.

By no means is this an exhaustive list of all of the things we have been given, but just a few examples to remind us all that the things, physical or emotional, that we toss into a corner and forget about can make an extraordinary difference in another person's life.

To all of you mothers out there I would also like to wish you a Happy Mother's Day!

Better Late Than Never - Carrot Cake

So some weeks I am just a procrastinator, and others I am like a dog when it sees a squirrel.  Either way I have been meaning to post this cake I made at Easter, but time got away from me.  Over the years I have tried several Carrot Cake recipes, but this one, pardon the pun, takes the cake.

This looks so delicious that I may have to make it again!

The key ingredients.

The first time I made carrot cake I actually grated 3 cups of carrots.  My fingers and nails were orange for several days.  I learned to buy pre-shredded carrots and lightly chop them in the food processor to avoid the Oompa Loompa look.

This what your mixture should look like right before you add the carrots.

Then I added the carrots.  Thanks NN for the glass bowl for my mixer!

Because it was my perogative I decided to make 2 8-inch round cakes.

Oooh so pretty and they smell sooo good!

Now comes the best part - the icing!

Butter and Cream Cheese - could it get any better?

Yes,  with the addition of powdered sugar!

One word...YUM!

Carrot Cake

(Adapted from Sigrid's Carrot Cake a la the Pioneer Woman)

For the Cake:

2 C Sugar

1 C Vegetable Oil

4 Eggs

2 C Flour

1/2 t Salt

1 t Baking Soda

1 t Baking Powder

1 t Cinnamon

13 oz Grated Carrots

For the Icing:

12 oz Cream Cheese

12 oz (1.5 sticks) Butter

1 lb Powdered Sugar

3 t Vanilla

1 C Finely Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the sugar oil and eggs in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in a couple of batches mixing thoroughly.  Add the carrots and mix well.

Pour into greased pan of your choice and place in the oven.  For my 2 eight inch round cakes it took about 25-30 minutes to cook completely.  You may have to adjust the oven temperature or time depending on cake size.

Cool completely.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.  Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the mixture.  Last add the nuts.

Spread over cooled cake, and according to the Pioneer Woman you should eat, faint, and repeat!

Have a Great Week!

Did you know that alligators like marshmallows?

As many of you know we recently built a house in a nice master-planned community.  The community is really an awesome place (in the country) to come home to.  It has beautiful creeks and trails coupled with a very nature filled backdrop.  It is super serene and at night it sounds like a camp ground!  We even have a couple of peacocks that run around!

This is the view from one of our upstairs bedrooms.  It is simply beautiful.  Who would not want to have this in their life?  You can't see it, but I am raising my hand.  Please read on.

This is the same lake behind our house on a recent cloudy day.  Do you see anything out of place?  Look closer to see if you see Francis, our new alligator.  Yes I said new, meaning there have been more than one.

Luckily the Team Leader is safe from our latest inhabitant.

Why do we have an alligator in our lake you ask?  Well the lake is similar to the creek  where I walk the Team Leader every day.  One particular Saturday morning the three of us, the Nutrition Nazi, the Team Leader, and myself were out for our morning jog.  I usually let the Team leader stop and look over the edge to see the turtles that swim under the bridge, but this day we see an alligator swimming up.  CRAP!  Right about that time a father and his young daughter come along and say something to the effect of  'Too bad we don't have any marshmallows to feed the alligator.'  EXCUSE ME, Did I hear that right?  Are you morons really feeding an alligator marshmallows?  I guess they don't understand the consequences. 

This is what happens when you feed the wildlife, which is illegal in Texas, by the way.  They walk across your front porch and settle themselves in between your garage door and front door.  You back your car out of the garage and almost have a heart attack because this is one yard decoration you can live without.

For those of you seeing these pics for the first time, this 9.5 alligator decided to take up shop in our flower bed.  The game warden had to be called by the sheriff's department to come out and handle the situation.  The game warden said this is one of the most dangerous situations to be in because the gator felt totally comfortable around humans and that is typically when things go tragically wrong.

So the moral of this story is that no matter how appealing it sounds to feed the wildlife - DON'T DO IT!

This public service announcement has been brought to you by two people and a goldendoodle who don't care if they never see another alligator ever again.

Decisions, Decisions

Like most first-time parents we have been busy planning the baby's room. There are so many options these days and all it takes is money to make the wildest dreams come true. I really wanted to do as little as possible in the way of painting, etc, but after seeing the baby bedding against the wall I knew that we were going to have to paint.  The bedding and the walls seem to mesh together too much.  You can take a look at the current nursery here.  So we started by narrowing the paint down to four colors for the walls.  Take a look.

The choices from left to right on the top row are Stream and Ebbtide.  The lower row is Open Seas and Jet Stream.  Four VERY different blue options!

Something to keep in mind is that this decal which is VERY large is going on the walls.  I did have the manufacturer change the coloring on all of the blue animals so that we don't have color clash.  Tone on tone is not really my thing.  NN used to be bad about color clash, but has seen the light, for the most part, thanks to the ray of sunshine he married.

After much debate we decided on the color Ebbtide for the walls.  I know it looks a little crazy and bold, but I think once the decal is up it will come together nicely.  If not our painters will love us because we will be re-painting in a few years!

The Team Leader is taking her Big Sister role very seriously by guarding against intruders getting near the crib!  Well at least until someone rings the doorbell or she hears the peanut butter jar open.

We also picked up the dresser once the room was painted.  With all of the heavy dark furniture I think the blue will balance out.  I also think we already have a good amount of stuff to fill this thanks to the grandparents.  If you just said spoiled, you are not alone.

We actually got the shower curtain put up too!  I know this seems like a little feat, but it seems huge now that it is up. 

Hopefully we will be putting the decals up soon and I can post more pics!  Slowly but surely, we are getting there.  Just a few more months before all hell breaks loose!

She is not like a child to me

I have heard many people over the years say that I treat the Team Leader like a child.  I am here to tell you that simply is not the case.  She is not like a child, she is a child.  She is absolutely spoiled rotten and every bit of a handful, but being an only child, for now, I give in to most of our little Napoleon's demands within reason.  I also want to make it known that she got a Petsmart card from Grandma L so that she could pick out a toy.  I am clearly not alone in spoiling her.

So every Easter we (I) make a big production of it all complete with an Easter egg hunt!  Now before you go off and say that I have truly lost my mind, hear me out.  We (I) actually do several egg hunts a year because they keep her mind challenged and she is forced to use some energy to find treats, and not simply be given them for free.  And she actually gets excited and tries to peek (no joke) when I 'hide' the eggs.

Team Leader with her haul! The pink ball is already a victim of rough play!

Once released from her pretty pose, she broke into her basket, and yes she knows the basket belongs to her.

Jackpot - a new water toy!

Now comes the fun part - an Easter egg hunt outside with a little help from the Nutrition Nazi.

New yard, new hiding places.

She is so smart!

 

All her dad has to do is follow and open the eggs!

Towards the end she needed a little guidance, but still found it without it being pointed out!

Last one! YAY!

Yes the Team Leader lives the life of luxury - it's ok to be envious, I am!  If you ask nicely someone might hide Easter eggs with homemade treats in them for you too!  All you need it the right followers for your team!

Have a great week!