Take Out, Anyone?

Would have posted sooner, but our internet was out.

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Just wanted to do a quick trip down memory lane with pictures of Nick's past costumes.

Our own little Chewbacca. Unfortunately, he kept trying to eat the fur so we had to go with something else.

He was a pirate last year.

The Pittmans Pumpkin Party

Ok, so I'm finally getting to this post. Raise your hands if you knew Halloween would be crazy when you have a kid? I guess I'm the only one without a clue.

We went over to the Pittmans on Monday night for a pumpkin carving party. Beth really outdid herself in the cooking dept. I mean, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, hush puppies, etc. I was impressed when I saw the spread, but was even more impressed when she told me it was from Copeland's. That's how you do it. Scott did the carving, it was too cold for me. I hung out next to the food. Nick alternated inside and out.

Thanks for having us. We had a great time. You can't beat good food and good company.

We used the Martha Stewart pumpkins for inspiration...

I know it's hard to tell, but I'll give you a hint, the bottom one is ours.

A Couple of Martha Stewarts... Lite

Nicholas and I went to Heidi's yesterday for a Halloween craft and cookie extravaganza. We're so sorry Christina, Zach and Reece couldn't make it. We missed you guys! Heidi did a fabulous job. She had a couple of really easy crafts for the kids to make and sugar cookies to cut out and decorate.

Nick's been bitten by the craft bug lately. I can't believe he liked this better than the "glue scraps of paper onto another piece of paper" craft he does at home!

Here's Hanna and Nick with their ghosts. Aren't they cute?

Here's Haley trying to get in on some of the fun.

I just love this picture of Haley, Nick and Hanna

So we were 1 for 1 with the crafts. On to the cookies. This was Nick's first time doing the cookie thing. He loved it, and this is fantastic news to me. When we are in Hereford for Thanksgivings, his Magi (Scott's mom) can have at it. I'll be over on the couch kicking back, reading a mag and having a cocktail. Heidi couldn't keep Hanna from eating the dough. Later, she couldn't keep her from eating the frosting from all the decorated cookies. So 2 for 2, right? Almost.

Take a look at the beautiful shapes!

Take a look at the... oh, what happened?
That's the ghost

Being the ingenious domestic goddesses that we are, we used the cookie cutters on the baked cookies. They didn't turn out too bad. I think the kids could not have cared less, they were more interested in the frosting and sprinkles anyway. You can check out the rest of our pictures here.
Thanks so much for having us over, Heidi. We had so much fun. You could tell that Nick really enjoyed himself. He was happy, I was exhausted. Next stop, the Pittmans for a pumpkin carving party. That'll be my next post, which I'll save for tomorrow.

Lions, Tigers and Bears

We have been busy, busy the last few days. I'm finally able to sit down to post. We just finished Nick's Halloween costume, too. Check in later on Friday for the reveal!

We went to the Tulsa zoo on Sunday. This was my second outing w/ Nick and Scott's first. It was so pleasant this time around. The weather was perfect and we practically had the zoo to ourselves. The zoo is not real big, but that was okay. We were able to hit all the exhibits and ride the train, all in 3 hours. Just the right amount of time. Nick really enjoyed himself. He liked most of the exhibits, especially the sea lions. He literally was trying to climb over the fence into the pool. The indoor exhibits, not so much. I think the smell really bothered him. I don't blame him. He is his mother's son... in more ways than one Scott would add. His favorite parts were the train ride and the carousel, of course.

Quick Fire

Just a quick post. The Springdale fire dept brought their firetruck over to Nick's MDO today. The teacher said he was really into the whole fire truck thing. She also mentioned that the firemen were really handsome, so I guess she was digging it, too. Here is a picture of him w/ his official fire dept "badge". Don't you just want to kiss him?!

Shiny Cash

Scott is a big fan of Johnny Cash and has always exposed Nicholas to his music. As I mentioned before, the first song Nick learned was Folsom Prison. Well, Walk The Line was on tv the other night and he was mesmerized. His favorite scene is the part where Cash sings Get Rhythm. It's one of the first thing he'll ask for when we're in the playroom. He will watch this part over and over. "Watch Shiny Cash, pease." It's really hard to say no to that, but it gets easier after the 63rd time. Here's a short vid of him shaking his tail feather.

What's Cookin'?

Since I've started blogging, a whole new world has opened up to me. I'm always on the lookout for yummy recipes. I just love perusing recipes (they gotta have pics though). This is not to suggest that I would actually make any of these dishes, I like to think that it just gets made somehow by someone else (that's why the pics come in handy). Well, there are tons and tons of blogs dedicated to cooking. Who knew? One of my favorites right now is Prudence Pennywise. She has a huge collection of recipes, along with links to dozens of other cooking sites. She'll make a recipe, and not only give you her feedback, but an estimated cost as well. The Butternut Squash Lasagna with Rosemary and Garlic sounds delish. Be sure to call me if you decide to try this out.

Follow The Herd

I was listening to music on the radio in the car and you know what? With the exception of the soft rock station (b/c I'm all about soft rock and let's be honest, who isn't?), I didn't recognize any of the songs playing. Can't quite remember when it happened, but all I listen to now is sports talk radio. The reason I'm talking about this is b/c one of my fave shows is back on, and I'm overjoyed. It actually switched stations, but it never crossed my mind to look for it on another station. I love The Herd with Colin Cowherd show. It's the best 3 hours on radio (I get 10-15mins snippets these days). He talks about sports, of course, but he also talks about really random and sometimes irrelevant topics. It's great. If you're local, you can catch him from 9-12 on AM1390 or listen to him online.

Lazy Bums

Such lazy afternoons. The weather has been gorgeous lately. We don't have anything pressing going on right now, so Nick and I go for long walks around the hood, loiter at the nearby playground and lie around the backyard. My dad has a sweet camera, a Canon something. I borrowed it from him to beef up my photography chops. My pictures turn out pretty much the same, so I'm thinking it's not the camera. But hey, here are some pictures of Nick wasting the day away with his mama.

Kate's Birthday Bash

Yesterday was Kate Pittman's 2nd birthday party. Yay! Can't believe she is two, well almost. She had her party at Gymboree. She looked adorable in her pig tails.

Nicholas was so excited about attending, all we had to do was tell him it was at Gymboree and promise him some birthday cake. He did a lot of mumbling throughout the day, "birfday cake" or "birfday kate", we're not really sure. He had a wonderful time, despite a gazillion kiddos running around. And a gazillion kiddos running around is normally not Nick's cup of tea. But, they were all really well behaved and looked like they enjoyed themselves. I'm telling you, this whole Gymboree b-day party is not a bad idea. You don't have to worry about getting your house ready for a party, entertaining the kids and best of all, cleaning up.

Thanks for having us, we loved that we could help celebrate Kate's special day.

Top Chef

Can you tell by some of my post titles that I watch too many reality shows? Just wanted to post a few pictures of Nick slaving away in the kitchen. He's taken an interest in the kitchen since I always have the food network on the telly. Our favorite show is Barefoot Contessa. I like her recipes, he likes the little jingle (he always stops what he's doing to listen). On this particular night, he's cooking frozen peas. His technique involves transferring the peas back and forth from the big bowl to little ones and stirring them up. I can't tell you how many dropped peas I squished on the floor w/ my feet. Later, we had the "same" peas he cooked for dinner. He was quite proud of himself.

Globetrotting

A favorite pastime of mine during the holiday season is looking at the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. They just released this year's catalog. A trademark of their book is a section for indulgent, over the top, overpriced (you be the judge) gifts. And really, who couldn't use some of that during these tough economic times? Below is one of my faves, what's yours?

Harlem Globetrotters® On-court Experience

How cool is that?! I had given up on my dream of pursuing a career with the Globetrotters years ago. There were many roadblocks... being 5'3" with no discernible athletic ability, tops the list. You can help make my dream a reality.

The Great Pumpkin

Nick and I went to Wally world this afternoon, and he kept pointing at the pumpkin display. So I let him pick out a small one to take home. He was very proud of his new purchase and held onto it the whole time.

Me: Does your pumpkin have a name?

Nick: Walmart

Me: I know that's where we got it, but what is pumpkin's name?

Nick: Walmart

Me: Your name is Nicholas, and pumpkin's name is...

Nick: Walmart

There you have it. Consumerism at it's finest. Do not ask me why I asked if his squash had a name, my life is filled w/ inane questions and conversations.

I wonder what his reaction will be when I carve up his little buddy

I'm Nuts For You

I have found a new love. Nutella. I've heard of it for many years, and know it's very popular in Europe. But what do those across the pond know anyway? I've seen Giada on Everyday Italian cook with it. And on occasion hear my friend, Heidi (who is a very good sport btw, see 4 posts down), extolling it's virtue. She has even rhapsodized about it on her blog. I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

Sheer bliss. I thought immediately, this is a Ferrero Rocher, in heavenly form. Turns out it's made by the same company. You'll be surprised to learn, however, that it has little to no nutritional value.

Click here for a chance to win a free case (1 week supply) of Nutella.