Lily Pad

We do have a new member of the family. (pics coming soon, promise!)
Her name is Lily and she a pure bred Himalayan.
We adopted her last night! She is adorable and sweet and so fluffy!
She's very petite and she has that that awesome bitch face i love on cats.
Jameson is so excited to have a cat around the house. He is being good with her, just kind of pestering her. He pets her well but he did chase her up the stairs.
I admit, i kind of laughed.
They need to get use to one another. But i think this will be a good thing.
I promise pictures soon!

What else is going on in my life?. My mom is coming out in a couple weeks! She is staying for a week and a half.
Jameson's birthday is on the 30th of this month. He will be 3. **sob**
He is getting so big. And handsome too, if i can say. I know he is my kid and all but he is so good looking! We were approached last year for him to model but we never went through with it.
I'm still contemplating maybe setting him up at a modeling agency. He loves attention, he loves getting his picture taken so maybe he would enjoy it.
anyway he turns 3 this month. and I need a cool idea for his birthday party.
Ideas, anyone?

Pet

I may be getting a new addition to the family.
And by that, I mean, pet.
More to come, with pictures!

Happy New Year's Y'all!

I have been a bad girl and have neglected my blogging duties. But come this New Year (in 28 minutes) I promise to myself to be a better blogger. I plan on bringing back my old baking blog, as I have been hitting some grand slams with my baking. And i plan on coming back to this blog and making it bigger and better!

So Happy New Years to my very few followers! And anyone else reading this- do not be afraid to comment!

Be safe! Don't drink and drive! Save me some food!

Sincerely,

The Liberal Belle

My son is cute

My husband drove a Porsche Carrera home the other night. He has a private client who he exclusively does work for. He drove the car home to check on some noises the client claimed the car made.
My son, bless him, freaks out everynight when Dave gets home. He jumps up and down, screams Daddy's home! and opens the door for him. I know, cute huh. Well the other night was no different. Jumping up and down, screaming and opening the door for his daddy. Dave always laughs and throws him up in the air and usually tickles him. Its the best thing to see every day to see how much my boys love each other.
Well the minute Jameson sees the Porsche he screams, Sally! Oh Daddy it's Sally!
From the Disney movie Cars. Yes, the car is the same color of Sally. We were floored he made the connection.
The rest of the night he kept looking out the window and talking to Sally, asking her where Lighting McQueen and Mater were.

BACK

I'm back from vacation!
I am going to be uploading pictures today so i will post another entry soon!
We got back late Sunday night and have been sick.

we had a fabulous time and will fill you in soon.

Hope you had a great Turkey holiday!

Someone put a spell on me

I think I lost it.
My mojo that is. In the kitchen. For the last couple weeks things have been going wrong. I cant really say what started it. I tried to make pralines for my friend Savanna. Now granted I had tried to make pralines one time before that and end result was 2 melted mixing bowls (do not ask). So pralines was stretching my culinary expertise.
Yeah, FAIL. They tasted good but without a candy thermometer (which had broken) the soft ball stage came and went and they were ruined. Tasted good. Like salted caramel with pecans that were clear. But a FAIL nonetheless.
Next up- fortune cookies. Seems a little complicated but fairly easy recipe. My cookies pooled together in the oven. Then I couldnt fold them quick enough. They didnt come out crunchy. They were soft but still had that wonderful fortune cookie taste.
Next allbran cake. came out dry. FUCK.
Chocolate chip cookies- yeah i know. WHAT THE HELL. I could make these in my sleep and this time they came out burnt.
Cookies and creme cupcakes- burnt in the oven. Sugar burnt and they were inedible.

Did someone curse me?

The only things I have made successfully were 2 pound cakes (of course my signature dessert) and blondies.

I want my baking skills back. NOW.

Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy

Why?

Why is family drama so exhausting?
You can try and resolve it but does it really ever go away?
I think you really can't escape and you can never really go back to being just a normal family. So what do we do? Do we pretend that those things were never said?
Should i really have to?

I will not go into specifics but if you really know me- you know what I am speaking about.

A Year Ago

A Year Ago I was a small part of a big victory.
A Year Ago Barack Obama won the general election to be President of the United States.
has a great post today about Election Night last year. Dodai did an amazing job finding some inspirational pictures of last year's acceptance speech. The crowds. People rejoicing. Children and parents crying. As i went through the gallery I cried (I always cry)- I remember the hope, the joy and the excitement of that night.

Politics is my passion. Its like my Superbowl every four years (even though I love the SupaBowl every year). And this election was nothing like before.

I remember making the 3 debates on TV like it was the most delicious piece of TV ever. I mean I was nervous for Obama who doesn't seem like an overly aggressive person (i.e a dick) when it comes to getting his point across. I remember one of my Republican friend was just enjoying McCain butting in and interrupting him and saying that was a real leader. Um. WHA?? But in the end, after all the mistakes McCain made (focusing on Joe The Plumber, THAT ONE, Sarah Palin) I knew Obama was doing very well.

That being said, I lost friend due to my opinion and my political affiliation. A couple of people who i genuinely thought were good friends, people I had known for over 11 years, cut me out of their life. Is it sad? Yes. I know a lot of my friends have different political opinions than me but I never really thought it would get in the way of a friendship. Call me naive. But these two in particular could not even process that a man with a different name wasn't going to kill us all. Oh BROTHER. Get over it people- you listen to Rush and Ann Coulter and that douche Glenn Beck and you get things in your head that aren't true. Some of the things they would say blew my mind. And its easy to get swept up into this whole thing. Most who read my FB in this period I came down pretty hard on people who talked trash and did not have their stories straight. Why? Because other pick up on information and to me, as an Obama supporter, it's my right to let people know truths rather than speculation.

Any who, I remember I woke up at 5:30 that morning on Election Day to vote. When i got there I was 20th or so in line. I stayed quiet- the suburban area I lived in was extremely conservative. I drank my coffee and texted people. After an hour I had my voters sticker! I had voted! Now I waited.

That night i was too much in a flurry to cook so we ordered chinese food. We watched all the different news coverage. At first I was pretty nervous. McCain and his crazy VP was pulling forward. My heart sank. But I tried to stay positive.

We piled into our bed to watch The Daily Show. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert! Love, love, love them. Jameson stayed up for some reason. I dont remember why. But we were there, watching tv and hoping and praying there would be good news at the end of the night. Then Jon Stewart called it. We couldnt believe it. My eyes welled up with tears.

We had won. I was apart of something that really changed people's life. I can't believe much I believed, how hard I hoped and happy I was. People all around the world shared the same passion I did and it paid off.

I called my mom who had recently become a American Citizen. She had cast her first vote ever for Obama. We cried and laughed. My dad would have been so proud.

I know everyone is a critic. A lot of people think he hasn't been a good President. Some people think he hasn't done anything in his presidency. In the less than 10 months he has been in office I think he has done a lot of things. The Wall Street Journal accounts for several accomplishments in this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125712507804421903.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy

What i want to say to people still on the fence of him: Give him time. He's been in office less than 10 months. I know he will accomplish many more things in his first term. And i wish people would just give him that chance.

So Congrats, Mr. President. And thank you.

This is what's for dessert

I am going to try these tonight:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/11/salted-brown-butter-crispy-treats/


tonight we are having panko stuffed chicken breast over a bed of pasta alfredo.

Halloween

Halloween 2009 has come and gone and it definitely had its ups and downs.

The Good Stuff

• Dave's mom flew in Friday night and i really adore her. She is such a sweet person. I can honestly say I am not sure how she feels about me. Sometimes she is very affectionate and very talkative to me. But others she is kind of distant. I really do like his parents. Hid dad is about the coolest person on the planet. His mom is such a kind person- she has that nuturing personality so she is amazing with kids. I wish I had her patience.
  
• Jameson was way excited for Halloween this year! He understood the jist of it this year- put on a costume, say Trick or Treat and score some candy. He caught on real fast.
  
• Dave and I had a great weekend. We didnt fight once. Which is amazing cause we bicker all the time. If I say its nightime Dave has to say its daytime. We are one of those couples. Most of the time we just crack up about some of the arguments we have had. Sunday we put Jameson down for a nap and cuddled and made out like teenagers for hours. Le sigh!
• After we trick or treated with family Saturday we went over to Dave's best friend's house, Jen and her roommate Chaz. Jen and Chaz are hair stylists and we always have the best time. Chaz's son, Drew was over with a friend and they were amazing with Jameson. All the boys played cars, started playing football and catch and had a blast. I got to just relax and hang out with pals which I just love. Jen and Chaz are the best.

The Not So Good Stuff

• The weather. It was crappy! It was suppose to be clear and in the 60's. Nope. Raining and in the low 50's. It would stop raining for a few minutes and then start up again. This happened all night.
• Half the houses weren't giving out candy. We walked up to a house who had decorated like crazy- huge inflatable pumpkins, carved pumpkins all around, cobwebs and ghosts hanging. As we got to the door they closed the blinds and slammed the door in their faces.
  We were like wow, nice. We were one of the first trick or treaters in the neighborhood and we noticed a lot of people were not participating. Which is fine. but dont spend a couple hundred bucks on decorations and not spend 10 bucks on a couple bags of candy. And dont act all offended like we're Jehovah Witnesses or something.
• 3/4 of the candy Jameson recieved he can't eat. Peanuts. I dont even buy peanut candy because so many children have peanut allergies. I traded most of the stuff for the non peanut stuff.
• Twattie. Nuff said.
• i got my hair wet. And anyone who knows me knows this is not good.
  

But overall it was good. I hope next year is better .

Happy

My mom book a flight for her to come out at the end of January for Jameson's birthday! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! I am so excited. Jameson is too. His loves his Yaya so much. She will be here for about 2 weeks and will be here for Jameson's birthday! His birthday is on a Saturday next year so this makes a party a breeze. Still not sure where we will have it but i am sure i will post ideas soon.

I feel like this:

Dinner rut broken!

Tonight we had fried pork chops, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and sweet corn with a cream sauce.
YAY! We are free!
Tomorrow- tacos and spanish rice. Or meatloaf.

I guess we have to eat

Dinner.
I hate dinner. Probably because of my overly picky husband and child. Jameson eats no more than 10 foods in this world. I know what you are thinking- make him eat something and just don't back down. He doesn't work that way. He refused to eat it and once he sat in his chair for over an hour because he refused to eat it.
I don't want to be that mom. I just end up wasting my time and money if he refuses to eat the food.
Same with my husband. He won't eat warm fruit, any veggies except cucumbers (which he has to be in the mood for. Last one he ate was in 2008). He doesn't like yogurt, cream cheese and hates cheesecake. He doesn't like beans, fish or any type of healthy food. Here is his diet- steak, potatoes, cheese, chips, pizza, chicken, spaghetti and toast. Coffee is a must. Coke Zero. And pretty much any type of sweet imaginable.
And to top it off- he has been losing weight with this sham of a diet.
My diet pretty much ended a week after i started it. I am still taking portion control under consideration. But i totally inhaled that Smore's cupcake the other day.

What i don't like about dinner is the rut we seem to get ourselves in. We seem to eat the same kind of dinners every week. Spaghetti casserole one night, swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes the next. Frozen pizza at some point. Maybe a chicken dish- pasta afredo or something. Same old, same old.
We try and spruce it up with brinner one night. which is cool. but now brinner is on the dinner list every week. Blech.

I wish my little family was more open minded. I love salads, indian food, greek food. I would happy with a big plate of roasted green beans and some grape tomatoes.

I need a little inspiration. I try and look at Food Network for recipe tips and ideas for the next week's worth of meals. I am stay at home mom so having a home cooked meal shouldn't be one of scarcity and legend.

I'm gonna just throw it out there- What do you like to have for dinner?

KELLY!

I got my presale password in my email and I bought tickets to Kelly Clarkson!
I am sooooooo excited!
Got floor seats! This will be my 3rd Kelly concert!

Concert 1- Breakaway tour- in Jacksonville. My old roomie, Savannah and our friend Andrea spent the day in Jax, shopping, getting mildly tipsy at Cheesecake Factory. We had a blast at the concert! We all bought KC do-rags and wore them to clean lol. (I was 23ish)

Concert 2- My December tour in Atlanta. Cobb Energy Center. AMAZING venue. We had decent seats but i had a minimal surgery the day before and was in so much pain. I could barely stand. Dave and I went to this concert- my mom was in town and babysat. I cried because i could barely stand the pain and i desperately wanted to have fun. Did get a kick ass hoodie that i wear all the time.

Concert 3- All I ever Wanted tour in Columbus, Ga! Dec 10th. Savannah and I are going (Dave wants me to have fun and said he would stay with Jameson and to have a girls night). Its going to be so fun!

Why do I bother?

People I consider friends lately have been acting like real bitches lately. I have been getting ignored when honestly I don't see why. Am i not cool enough to be in your lovely grown up club?
I wonder if I have said something. I am pretty outspoken and I can offend. Maybe cause I think some movies or books are dumb? Or maybe my political affiliation?
What irritates me even more if that I even care. But that's me. I care about my friends. And when people can't just confront me about their problem with me well it makes me uncomfortable. I am kinda dense- I dont see that you dont want to talk to me.
It's obvious these people would rather not talk about why the sudden disdain for me so should i confront it? Or just "delete" them from my lives? People outgrow friendships. I understand this.
But i am not sure this may be why.

Diet Update

SO i have been on my so-called diet for 5 days now.
I havent been snacking much at night anymore. I am trying to be more conscious of what I eat.
I don't have a problem with sweets. I don't eat very much of them. I bake alot and yes, I am good at it. I make some amazing treats for friends and family. But i don't like brownies. I don't like icing or anything too sweet. i can barely eat ice cream because it hurts my teeth. I love my vanilla poundcake and every once in a while my homemade cinnamon rolls.
I'd much rather eat pasta. Spaghetti. bread. rolls. ughhh i want some! But pasta and bread is just as bad as sweets. I feel like poo afterwards and i get sleepy. Too much suga in my bloodstream= do not want!
I love salads. But i love hearty salads with cheese and chicken. Zaxby's has a blue salad with blue cheese and tomatoes and tons of chicken. LOVE. Wendy's Cesear salad is good. Chick fil-a's fried chicken salad is pretty good too.
I have been watching portion control too. Limiting my snacks in the afternoon to a minimum.
I lost 2 pounds within the 5 days but i think i may have gained one back LOL. I had some gummmy treats and Sonic this weekend.
I have been trying to be more active. Going for walks, shopping, etc.
We're going to Amelia Island, FL this weekend to see our close friends Brooke and Klee get married. I am so excited! They are so wonderful together. I am really happy for them and I can't wait to see them get married! We're going to also stop by and see my old stomping ground of St. Simons Island. I miss the beach so much! I miss my friends!
So i'm hoping to look great in the new dress i bought for the wedding!

I must be cray-cray

I would like to lose 20 pounds. By the end of the year would be great- by Thanksgiving ideal.
Wish me luck.

Today I had Coke Zero (i know you are suppose to eliminate soda from your diet but kiss my chunky butt no. I drink Coke Zero and i will always, thank.you.very.much!) and some water.
Lunch consisted of- a bag of broccoli and califlower, 2 inches of velveeta and 2 slices of bacon.
I know what you are thinking- um NO. not a good diet when you have velveeta and bacon.
I have learned the ONLY way i have ever lost weight is by doing low carb. Most meat are low carb to no carb and cheese is low in carbs. A few years back i went on a diet- 2o carbs a day and 1400 calories paired with 4 days of exercise and i lost 40 pounds in 2 months. I kept it off for years but had to give up the diet when i became pregnant.
I am taking a multivitamin (spongebob- holla!), an extra iron tablet and b-12. I also bought some Hawthorne Berry supplement which promotes heart health.
i pretty much feel like if i try to not eat after 10 and watch my carb intake i should be ok.
I am not a breakfast person other than coffee but i may try to do a Slim fast shake in the morning.
Lunch will usually be Lean Pockets or a salad with chicken or fish. Steamed veggies (i usually dont use Velveeta but just tried it out today) is one of my favorite things to eat.
Dinner- is the toughest because Dave is so anti-diet. He isnt a veggie person and he hates fish. So i will probably have a normal dinner with him unless we just do 2 separate dinners. Will think about that more later.
Dessert? Sugar free pudding and jello. I will continue to bake. I dont see baking as an issue cause I hardly eat any of my treats.
I hope I can stick to this. I would like to see results soon!

Next month

So my momma has been gracious enough to spring for tickets for Jameson, Dave and I to go to Texas next month for Turkey Day. We're there for a week! I am so excited!
I havent seen my mom since last December. We talk to her everyday 2-3 times a day. Jameson loves his "yaya". He talks to her about his day, what he had for lunch or dinner, where he went that day, what book he is reading. He loves "Yaya phone" time. He has his own fake cell phone that he pushes button to and "calls" her. He sits there and talks and babbles on about lions and cows and dinosaurs and his favorite thing in the whole world is to play the game "What does ____ say?"

Jameson: Yaya, what does cow say?

Yaya: I don't know baby, what?

Jameson: *throws his head back for full effect* Me-ewww! (Not Moo but me-eww.)

And by God he loves his uncle. My brother is one of those guys who wouldnt dare say he likes kids or wants kids but he is great with kids. He loves to play with Jameson. And he spoils him like crazy. Anywhere he goes, he gets him trains or animals or anything he thinks Jameson will love. Truth is you could give Jameson a cardboard box and he would think it's the best toy in the world.
I am sure we will see my extended family. My mom has 11 brothers and sisters. Yup. She was 5th oldest i believe. I really don't remember how many cousins I have. Around 50 first cousins i think. And wayyyy too many second cousins to count. I am probably related to most of Mexico, let's put it that way.
So i am sure we will have a huge Thanksgiving spread that will rival most hotels. Probably a couple of turkeys, ham, tamales, tons of pies, more salads you could ever dream of. Everyone usually brings stuff. Once i think we had a goat for Thanksgiving brought to us.
Then we usually all watch football. My uncles get drunk and get loud. The kids play in the spare rooms or if its nice (and it's South Texas so it will be 85 probably that day) they play outside in the backyard. The ladies sit around the table and slowly eat 5 kinds of pies. Then gossip as they clean up.
My family has it's problems. But it's so much fun usually for that one day to just eat and laugh and enjoy my big fat Mexican family.
I can't wait.

Precious

if this does not move you- you are dead inside.



Hits theaters November 6th. I will there, box of tissues and all.