my new life ...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Goodness

What's for dinner tonight?

I wasn't feeling the 'make dinner while teething baby and couped up toddler are screaming for my attention this evening" vibe. So I grabbed 15 minutes right after lunch to throw dinner in the crock pot. (While Toddler is full and satisfied for a few minutes and I finally got Baby Girl down for a nap).

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Goodness.

1 whole chicken
1 cup cut potatoes
1 cup cut butternut squash
1 cup baby carrots
1 onion, cut however you prefer
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup fresh chives
1 lemon, wedged
1 cup apple juice
1 cup chicken stock
spices to your taste (I used oregano, basil, cilantro & parsley)

Throw all ingredients in crock pot.
(I put the lemon wedges on top so they're easy to dispose of after cooking).
Cook until chicken reaches internal temp of 165 °F
Voila!

Since I already diced an entire butternut squash while making Baby Girl's weekly meals, I bought pre-sliced mushrooms and there's no need to cut up baby carrots, I only had to deal with prepping the potatoes, chives & lemon. My entire meal cooking for this evening took under 15 minutes. Yay!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Theft and Destruction of Property

Well this has been a crappy start to the day. Toddler woke me up early. 5 am early. Not that big of a deal, time change and all, it's understandable. Today is rainy and cold, the perfect morning to start the day off with a fire.

So I wrap up in boots, a jacket and gloves to brave the rain. I walk around the house to the chimney, where we keep our rain protected cord. And what do I find?

The waterproof cover is gone and a chunk of our dry cord is also gone. And the entirety of our wood storage is completely SOAKED. Nonburnable and useless until it dries. Which means some asshole snuck onto our property in the middle of the night, in the rain, ripped off the cover and stole our wood. Hubby is mad (understandably so) because he cuts and chops ALL of our wood. His time, effort and labor is wasted because some self-serving lowlife decided to commit a Class B misdemeanor by trespassing on our property, committing theft and property damage.

This is only the minor latest in a long line of stupid, illegal, inconsiderate and offensive events that have happened to us in this town. I really cannot say I would ever return here. This place is a fail on the list for us as military inhabitants. While everyone is not like this, there are a few bad-apples that live up to the stereotypes. And it's not good. Selfish, arrogant, anti-military family, backwoods twits.

Yes, I'm bitter. I'm livid. I don't feel safe, welcome or protected on my own property. The cops are even regularly involved. Through the last 2 years, we've familiarized ourselves with most of the police force. They make several daily trips right past our home, and several in the wee hours of the morning. But shit keeps happening. I cannot wait to move.

And whoever you are. Yes you, the jackass that felt bold enough to do any of the list of shit that's been done to our home. I've had enough. Here's my advice. Don't let me catch you, because I will defend my home, my property and most of all, my family.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Toddler's First Desk

I snagged this desk for only $10 off a Craigslist Ad. Really nice woman, she was worried I wouldn't want it because it wobbles and there's a juice stain on the unfinished wood. No big deal! We tightened the screws and I plan on paint and poly to make it make the girls' playroom and be more toddler craft friendly.

Toddler is very excited she gets her very own desk! And she promptly asked for a "big chair" to go with it, which means I'm snooping garage sales and craigslist for a sturdy chair in need of some TLC.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Take A Guess

What do you think I have in mind for this?

We found this dresser over 3 years ago, minus the paint. The top converts to a changing table by folding down. It's pretty awesome. But we have no need for a changing table after we finished the closet changing station. So I've decided to make use of this dresser by making it a functioning piece for the girls' play room. So for fun, here are a few pictures of the gutting of the dresser.

And we're saving the drawer fronts for a future project.

I suppose I should explain why the drawer fronts are so supposedly random and why we can't bring ourselves to toss them... When I was pregnant with Toddler, I spent a few days handpainting recreations of our tattoos on the drawer fronts. Toddler loves them and I can't seem to let them go. So stay tuned to see what happens with the dresser and what I'll be doing with the drawer fronts!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Never. Gonna. Happen.

That's what I told Hubby when he asked for a second dog. When he begged. When he pleaded. When he gave me a laundry list of reasons "why another dog is a good idea."

We already have a 4 year old Australian Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix. He's a stroke of luck dog we got at the local shelter shortly after Hubby and I got engaged. Dakota is the smartest, most well behaved dog I know. He follows all our house rules, listens to all voice commands, follows a few hand commands, doesn't jump or bark excessively and won't even snatch food off the floor unless I've given him the okay. He's amazing with both Toddler and Baby Girl and he's intelligent.

I cannot deal with high energy, hyper, loud, "stupid" dogs. The kind who bolt when they're not leashed, won't stop barking at squirrels and knock you over with their exuberance. The hyper kind who scuttle and rush under your feet that you end up tripping over. I didn't think any dog could ever live up to my perfect pet. And so I told Hubby he had no chance in hell of getting another dog until after Dakota dies (hopefully 12-15 years from now). And I told him consistently for over a year.

For the longest time, Hubby kept asking for an English/American Bulldog Mix: super hyper, not very smart and clumsy, although very very loving. Perhaps perfect for some families, but not at all what I consider a great pet for our family's needs. Then Hubby stopped playing fair (and stopped thinking about solely what he wanted) and started looking for the perfect dog for what I wanted and what would work best for our family instead.

Powerful, protective, gentle, intelligent, great with young children, obedient, friendly, and well "trained" (when you put the work and effort in of course). Don't forget a watch dog, a deterrent to potential break-ins or harmful individuals. Sounds too good to be true, but Hubby managed to find a dog that fits ALL of these qualities. Unfortunately, that means I need to deal with excessive drooling, shedding and SIZE.

Photo Credit

Yes. Somehow, my harebrained Hubby somehow talked me into getting a Saint Bernard Puppy.

I'm in the whole nine yards. Potty training, obedience training, dominance training. Constant supervision to make sure the pup is getting the right amount of physical exertion without hurting his SUPER FAST growing bones... to be 100% consistent in training him and making sure I'm the dominant "bitch" of the house.

3-5 groomings a week (which Hubby has SWORN he will be doing at least 3 of, I'll let you know if he keeps up that end of the bargain) and ALL THE POOP (again, something Hubby has SWORN to take care of weekly, I'll update how that goes as well).

So, 7 hours in the car and a fair chunk of change later, we have ourselves a 15 lb, 7 wk old male St Bernard. And we named him Apollo.