So Noby’s new thing is headstands. Normally I wouldn’t be concerned about it but he only does them in his crib. That’s right, his crib. Bed time is 8pm, 8:15/8:30 some nights, but it doesn’t fail, naptime or bedtime, he can spend hours, HOURS doing headstands. Video monitors are great, most of the time but I find myself watching being SOOO nervous. He manages to kick his legs up there and hold them against the netting on the crib tent. He can stay like that for LONG periods of time. I get nervous he is going to pass out! I keep telling Ichiro he’s going to either pass out or break his neck!
So the big question is…. Is it time for the big boy bed?
I tried to get a few pictures of Noby in action. Check it out… look very carefully…
I love the fall! I love the colors, I love the smells, I love the yummy tastes of Fall. I love it all! Yesterday Ichiro took us to the Depot for a few things and let me pick out a mum. (I love mums too!) It was a beautiful, full, yellow mum in a nice black pot. When we got home I knew exactly where I wanted to put it! But for some reason something was missing. I decided it was the black pot, it just needed something. So today Noby and I ran to the craft store to solve the problem. I was shocked when I saw that the store wanted $7 for a premade bow. No way! I knew I could do it for much less. All fall ribbon is 50% off, and $2 later I think my mum looks perfect!!!
A while ago Brenda asked me if I wanted to join her and some of her friends for a show, The Donkey Show. At first I declined, saying that I really didn’t have the money for a show I wasn’t even sure what it was about. But when she told me they had an extra ticket and if I wanted I could just go. I thought “WHY NOT!” I had no idea what to expect, Brenda said it was going to be Mid Summer’s Night Dream meets Studio 54. Again, I had no idea what to expect!! With a name like the Donkey Show, you know it’s going to be weird. And boy was it!!!
The website says this… “The Donkey Show tells the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the great 70s anthems, including “We are Family,” “I Love the Nightlife,” “Car Wash,” “Ring My Bell,” and “Last Dance.” The enchanted forest of Shakespeare’s classic comedy becomes the glittered world of retro disco as the lovers escape from their real lives to experience a night of dream, abandon, and fantasy.”
It’s so hard to talk about the show because I’m still not certain how I feel about it. Over all I had fun. The beginning was a blast. As we walked in there was awesome 70s music playing, people dancing, and hot male go go like dancers, covered in glitter, dancing on top of cubes throughout the club. The vibe was great, it seemed like a fun crowd, lots of audience interaction. So we got a drink, found Brenda’s friends and hung out, dancing in the corner. Then it started and things changed quickly. The acting, not that there was that much, but it was bad and sometimes hard to follow. The singing was AWFUL! They had the background music so loud, almost covering the singers voice. It was sometimes like a karaoke bar. The dancing wasn’t that strong either, and really it didn’t seem like the moves were that hard. It was clear why these performers were not on Broadway.
But overall I had a good time, maybe it had more to do with the great company I was with, or the yummy drink, or just being out for the night. I feel like the night would have been a lot better if after the show ended people could stay and dance like at the beginning. Almost like a 70’s club night. But the show finished at 9:30 and there was going to a second show at 10. So everyone had to leave so they could clean and set up for the second show. I’m not sure how to end this post. Over all it was fun, show was not great, and definitely not worth paying to see. Here are a few pictures from the show…
VERY EARLY, Friday morning, Noby and I headed over to Lizzy’s house to watch the boys while she took the baby to a doctors apt. Noby and I had such a great day playing with the boys. Here are a few pictures from the day…
J and I had two dinosaur puzzles done before the sun was up…
A little monkey…
He couldn’t pick between Batman and a monkey…
Rrrrrrr…
I showed up with a Bag of Tricks, which included lots of art projects!
We tried to play outside but it wasn’t long before they were asking for gloves…
I’m not sure what’s going on lately but I’ve been in the experimenting mood. Maybe it has to do with the $30 Challenge that I was going to start on Sunday, yet didn’t. Maybe it has to do with the enormous amount of recipes I’ve bookmarked that are labeled “need to try.” Maybe it’s woman issues that need to be solved with keeping busy and yummy food. Whatever the reason is, I’ve been busy in the kitchen. Tonight’s dinner was brought to you by The Pioneer Woman. One of my favorite websites!! This lady is like Superwoman and if you have a chance you should really check out her website. AND if you have LOTS of time you should REALLY read the store about how she met her husband. (here) It’s just amazing, a true fairy tale! (READ IT READ IT READ IT) Now back to my dinner, Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp. I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website a while ago, and I kept telling myself I should make it. The only problem is it is VERY similar to the Spicy Thai Shrimp that is already on my website and we never have orange juice in the house. Well today I finally decided to get the OJ so we could finally try the recipe. I enjoyed it, so did Ichiro, at least that’s what he says. It’s tasty, has a slight orange flavor to it and a little heat. I’ll need to make it again before I can say which is better but we enjoyed it and it’ll be on the menu again.
Clean and dry shrimp…
Mix ingredients into the orange juice…
Cook shrimp in melted butter…
Remove shrimp from pan…
Heat orange juice mixture…
Replace shrimp in pan…
Plate, serve and enjoy…
YUMMY!!!
Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp
2 doz. 26-30 per pound deveined shrimp
3/4 cup high quality orange juice
2-4 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp regular salted butter
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Thaw and peel the shrimp. Dry the peeled shrimp by draining them on a paper towel or two.
Thinly slice your garlic cloves. Add the garlic to the high quality orange juice. Measure out spices and also add it to the orange juice.
In a large skillet over high heat melt 2 Tbsp. of butter. Once butter has melted add your shrimp. Cook them for about 30-60 seconds and begin flipping them over starting with the ones you placed in the pan first so they don’t get overdone. Cook for another 30-60 seconds. Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan, leaving the heat on high.
Once the butter and drippings begin to smoke ever so slightly add the spicy orange garlic mixture to the pan and give it a good stir. Add the last tablespoon of butter to the sauce and after a few minutes of cooking and occasional stirring your sauce should be slightly thicker.
Return the shrimp to the pan and give them a nice toss to coat them in the sauce. Let it sit for a few seconds and serve. We decided to serve it over some white rice (I know BIG surprise!!)
So the other day, the day we made the mini pumpkin pies, I had to go to 2 different stores to find canned pumpkin. Due to the poor pumpkin crop this year, several stores are having a hard time getting it in and once in they go fast. So when I finally found the canned pumpkin, Food Master only had a big can. I used what we needed and we’ve had a lot of extra sitting in the fridge this week. Today I remembered that I bookmarked a recipe for mini pumpkin cakes that I wanted to try. So during nap time (No I am not ready to start cooking with Noby yet! hahaha) I decided to make a batch. They are awesome!! AWESOME! And because I don’t like frosting, we are eating them without! hahaha Also the blogger, Happy Valley Quilter said that she forgot to add the oil when making them, so today I decided to make them without oil. She was right, the mini cakes are still so moist and yummy, you should give them a try!
This is what they SHOULD look with frosting and a nut…
The recipe was so easy, just mix all the ingredients together…
pour…
and bake…
AND TASTE…
Noby LOVED then!!
MINI PUMPKIN CAKES
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients together. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill each 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degs. for 15 to 18 mins., until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Also…When I made the mini pumpkin cakes on Sunday, I left the oil out all together and they still turned out very moist. Who needs all the calories from a cup of oil?
FROSTING
8 oz. cream cheese
6 Tbs. butter
2 to 2-3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients together. Top each mini cake with a dollop of frosting.
Today, before we left for school, I looked over at Noby and decided he looked so cute that we needed to take a picture break!! haha This made us about 5 minutes late for school but I think it was well worth it!!
Can you tell I was WAY more into it then he was!!
After school we ran up to the LakeShore Learning Store to return some stamps and ink pads that I thought would be great for Noby. I was wrong but the nice sales lady showed me some that were much more age appropriate for Noby. This store is awesome and so dangerous, there was so much stuff I could have taken home with us! After nap we tried out our new stamps and ink pads. I think they were a big hit.. what do you think??
This past Sunday we headed down to RI for little Peyton’s Christening. We were so excited to be able to share this time with Katie and Doug. Ichiro was asked video tape so we only have a few pictures from after the ceremony.
The parents and Godparents…
The parents and Grandparents…
All of Peyton’s boyfriends…
I’m adding this picture of Noby, to show his Memere how cute he looked for the Christening. (Of course she got him this adorable outfit!!!)
