Friday, August 24, 2012

Another Friday night in Good Ol' Clinton County...

Just another Friday night.  Sitting with a Busch watching the babes run through Grandma's sprinkler.  Nakee.  


Country living at it's classiest.  

In other news....Check out my Mama's garden!  

Happy Weekend Folks!


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Potty Training Woes

Truth time.

I am in potty training hell.  

I've tried naked potty training.  

Doesn't work.  

I've tried just putting her in undies and asking her if she has to go potty/putting her on the pot every twenty minutes.  

Doesn't work either.  

She will actually sit on the pot for twenty minutes and then go right after I put her pants back on which equals me doing ridiculous amounts of laundry. 

Is it normal for a kid to not care about having wet pants?

I really really want to put this kid in preschool.  I'm really really tired of changing diapers.  She is old enough and smart enough to do this!  

What can I do to help her understand that going potty in the big girl chair is fun????  I'm pulling my hair out in frustration!


Monday, August 20, 2012

Visits with Verna

We had a fantastic weekend filled with travelling, birthdays, running, paint, and spending a little time with my all time favorite woman in the whole wide world. 





I love you Grandma!  Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with me and my brood!


Happy Monday, Folks!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Birthday snapshots

Last night we decided to drive out to the suburbs to go to the one and only Joe's Crab Shack in the greater Chicago are for their Cajun Crab Boil.  However, with the weather as it was, (rainy rainy rainy,) google had predicted it would take us over an hour to even get there.  The Mister proposed we just make it at home.  After looking up how its made I couldn't believe how easy it actually was.  You literally just boil everything.  So off to the grocery we went and about an hour later we had the most delicious meal one could ever imagine.  Here are a few snapshots of the night.

*If you are a novice at eating/making seafood boils please be warned.  We have enough leftovers to feed a small army.  2 lbs of crab and 1 lb of shrimp doesn't sound like a lot of food.  It's a boatload.


 Here the Mister is "popping" open the first bottle of wine, only to find it was a twist off......


The delicious vegetables....


Taking all the goodness out of the pots....


















 At this point we tried calling all the friends we could to see if anybody wanted to come over for a last minute meal.  The amount of food we made was beyond ridiculous. 
One of the best part of this meal?  the 29 cups of stock that I now get to use to flavour all sorts of delicious dinners in the future!













I wouldn't be a birthday without the cake, right?  

This is a triple chocolate mousse layered cake complete with white and dark chocolate shavings.  

Perfection!




Monday, August 13, 2012

Dirty Thirty I Is

When I was a little girl I used to tell my mother (in a very defiant and dramatic voice) that I wanted to die when I was thirty.  Turning thirty meant I would be old and I never wanted to get old.  I'm sure you can imagine my mothers response which included exasperated sighs and telling me I was ridiculous.

Well mom, you were right.  Today I am thirty and I do not think I am old.  I actually think quite the opposite.  And I am still ridiculous so you were right about that too

Today is quite melancholy for me and I am not exactly sure why.  Its not a sad feeling, but an anxious one.  I feel like the winds have shifted and a huge change is on the horizon.  I think the fact it is dark, raining and 60 degrees might also have something to do with it.


Bec--Can you believe this was six years ago?  Where has all the time gone? It sure doesn't feel like this was six years ago, but look at us!  We're a couple of babies!

Last night I had a hankering for chilli and made up a huge pot, (which is going wonderful with my sulking around the house today!) I had made up this recipe years ago, before I began my adventures in vegetarian land.  I don't normally put my staple recipes up here but this one is to good not to share.  Lets call it my 30 year old birthday present to the world.

*this recipe has had its ingredients modified many many times throughout the years.  The only part I stick with consistently are the first four ingredients and the beer. 


Crystal's Chilli Con Carne

  • 2 TBS Chili Powder
  • 1TBS Ground Cumin
  • 1 TSP Dried Oregano
  • 1 TSP Spanish Paprika
  • 2 lbs Lean Ground Beef (I use pork)
  • 1 TSP vegetable oil
  • 2 M onions (diced)
  • 8 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
  • 1 TSP Salt
  • 1/4 TSP Pepper
  • 1/8 TSP Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 28oz can Diced Tomatos
  • 1 12oz Bottle of Beer
  • 1 14 oz can black beans
  • 1 14 oz can pinto beans
  • 1 14 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 14 oz can chili beans

  1. In a small skillet combine the first four ingredients.  Cook over M heat , stirring till fragrant and lightly toasted.  (This will take 1-2 minutes.)  Immediately transfer to a small bowl.
  2.  Cook meat till well done and transfer into a colander.
  3. Cook the onions in the vegetable oil until soft.  (3-5 minutes)  Add garlic and cook for 1-1 1/2 minutes longer.  
  4. Now add everything except the beans.  Bring it to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  5. Add the beans.  Let simmer (uncovered) for thirty more minutes.  Stir frequently, until thickened.
  6. Eat this deliciousness over a bowl of rice! 



This recipe is very mild. (Perfect for kids!)  I always add some peppers from the garden to kick it up a notch.  If you like real spicy chilli you can always add 1/2 tsp of cayenne to the first step. 



 Happy Monday, Folks!