Pure joy

My 21 month old is finally telling us she loves us! She says it with such a huge smile, it would melt a strangers heart. That my fellow viewers is pure joy. What's your "pure joy"? Children, siblings, animals, friends.. I want to hear it all!

Corny Chili!

I found a recipie for Corny Chili in a cookbook for kids! Sunset Best Kids Cook Book. The book has a copy right of 1992! An awesome 20 year old cookbook that I HIGHLY recommend. Its very simple & yummy dishes! From start to finish this dish took about 20 minutes, INCLUDING prep time! Some other dishes I plan on trying are; Cheddar grits, ginger peachy coffee cake, Lemon-strawberry waffles, Speedy shrimp stir-fry and ginger snap sandwiches!

CORNY CHILI pg: 59

• 2 cans black beans (I used pinto)
• 1 large onion ( I used half)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pound ground turkey ( I used ground lean pork)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 small can diced chilies ( I used half a green pepper)
• 1 package 10 oz. frozen corn kernels ( I used half a can corn kernels)
• 1 large can tomatoes

1. rinse canned beans
2. chop up onion & place in pan with turkey. Add garlic. cook till pink is gone.
3. add chili powder, tomatoes WITH juices, chilies, corn & beans. Reduce heat. Simmer about 10-15 minutes. ENJOY!

As you can tell I had to improvise with what I had, I wasn't in the mood to go to the store. I'm glad I made it how I did it really turned out AMAZING. I'm very pleased with my dinner. It was so easy my 21 month old helped out!

Samples

I think I might be addicted searching the web for free samples. Its an addiction.

-- Here is my favorite: Couponing to Disney--

I have gotten a lot of free awesome samples, some even full size! My husband tells me all the time I spend too much time scoring on free samples. Little does he realize its how we get most of our coupons to help our grocery bill go down!

Dont forget to follow me on twitter: Itsamomthing11

ALSO please check out my Facebook page, I sell homemade bows, bib, hats, pillows AND more. It helps me stay home with my daughter. --Babies in Bling--

THANKS!

Late Valentines Gift.

My husband and I are in the middle of buying our first home. (my husband is 22 & I am 21, we are very excited to be able to start this journey so soon in our life) WELL, I told my husband, Jeremy, that because he is buying me a house, I don't want a Valentines gift. So I gave him a card from Cambria, our daughter, and I. I also wanted to make him some Sour Patch cupcakes because its his favorite candy. Well I didn't get my sour extract & flavors till yesterday in the mail, so while he was at work, I made them for him along with a little "extras".

this is the site I found the idea.

I used a cake recipe from a better homes cookbook,but icant find it online, any white/vanilla cake will do... along with a frosting recipe.

I had SO much trouble with making a perfect cupcake. *sigh*

So some I threw away, the others I cut the tops off. *chuckles to her self*

CUPCAKES SHOULDN'T LOOK LIKE THIS!

Here is the cupcakes that "did" turn out. I didnt have orange paper cup liners, so I used a white one a dyed the batter orange. :) <---So clever.

my daughter really enjoyed the cupcake tops!

The frosting with all the color, sour & flavors added

**I didn't have raspberry so i used watermelon for the red, turned out to be his favorite!**

& the finished products!!

Salsa!

~SALSA~

My husband, as well as my self, love restaurant style salsa. So I searched the web, found the basics, and made my own!

Ingredients:

• Jalapenos- depends how spicy you like it...2=not hot at all...6=my mouth is burning
• 2-3 cans rotel (or store brand diced tomatoes)
• handful cilantro
• garlic, minced
• lime juice
• onion
• Blender!

Now ill be honest, I don't measure. I like to keep it "real".

Step 1- dice up the jalapenos, onion, cilantro & garlic (take the seeds out if you dont want it hot)

Step 2- add EVERYTHING in to the blender, but d

on't do what I did and put the liquid first. Put the tomatoes and lime juice (just a few splashes) in first, the everything else. Push down with a spoon to "pre-mix it" then blend till its the consistency you want it...chunky?...smooth?

OOOOH cool blender effect!

Step3- ENJOY! Add more diced tomatoes if its too hot, or add spices if its not hot enough.

the greener it is, the hotter it will be!

THIS IS MY SUPER HOT,not so photogenic,SALSA!

mom body.

"Oh you'll get your body back, your young!"

Seriously? Who are you kidding? Getting your body back happens to those "lucky" girls. You know the kind of girl that can where a bikini, all while holding a 3 day old little bundle of joy.

Now let me tell you, I am far from being a lucky girl. However I did loose 25 pounds since Cambria has been born. (Not counting the weight I was before giving birth, I truly lost 25 pounds all by my self!)

I started to give up, loose all hope on EVER being sexy again. But maybe I am becoming one of these "lucky" girls. My husband is a HUGE motivation for me. He realizes how low I am about the way I look, so he is "on my butt" about going to the gym everyday (although today will be my 2nd day) & eating right.

I am willing to do anything to fit back in to my size 1 jeans. Will that ever happen again? I doubt it. I am way to dependent on my starbucks. Not to mention I have MOM written all over me, my teenage years are gone. BRING ON THE MOM JEANS!

The moral of this post?....People are just being nice when they say you will get your body back. You will always have a mom body. Because you will always have a kid attached to your hip.

Growing up.

Its hard watching my baby girl growing up. My once 7.12 pound baby is now over 20 pounds and is soon to be one. I understand why people keep popping out babies like its nothing. But honestly, I'm happy with just one. I'm here for all her milestones, and I can give her more of my time for her whole life. Instead of sharing it with a sibling. Does that make ME selfish? Maybe. But that's okay. She can have a dog. ;). Perhaps we will adopt a little boy in the FAR future. But even that is a huge maybe. I only want to love my child, and her only. (oh, and my husband!)

My handsome husband and baby girl on her 11 month b-day (it was a friends wedding!)