An Explanation

I was supposed to have a post up yesterday, but it seems there were, and still are, some technical difficulties between Microsoft and Blogger.  I promise, I tried to be a good blogger this week with three posts, but it looks like I’m only going to squeeze in two and I'm not sure this one really counts.  I'm writing this the old-fashioned way, going through Blogger instead of using Windows Live Writer like I've been doing for a long time now.

Who's ready for the weekend?  ::Raises hand::  We have a few plans so we'll see how busy things get.  Hope the rest of you enjoy your weekends!

The short long weekend

We had a whole extra day so why do I still feel like I didn’t have enough time for everything?  Enough time to rest, to socialize, to be productive, and to have quality family time?  I crammed in a little of all of that, but I definitely could’ve used another 24 hours to concentrate mostly on that first thing up there on the list.

We stayed in Friday night and I did some baking (more on that in a minute) before an early bedtime.  I was up early Saturday morning with Connor then headed to the Y for my class.  That afternoon was hanging out at the house, no-baking one more treat, then we headed over to Ryan and Sandra’s house for a Memorial Day cookout.  Connor took two good naps that day so we were able to stay at their house until 9:30 or so before we scooted home and put him to bed.

Sunday was mostly socializing.  I slept in, got laundry started, then Heather picked me up for our lunch-and-a-movie afternoon with her daughters and Vickie.  We saw Pitch Perfect 2.  What a fun movie!  It was totally worth the “deal” of $8.10 – yes, eight dollars AND TEN CENTS – to see the movie in the theater.

When I got home, our friends AJ and Maritza were there with their dogs and they were playing with Monte in the backyard.  AJ and Maritza weren’t just there for canine company; they also shared with us that they are expecting their first baby!  We are very excited for them.

Yesterday was a fun day.  Yes, I did get stuff done around the house, but the McHusband, Connor, and I also had lunch outside before playing in a nearby park for a bit.  A stop at Walmart on the way home then Connor took a nap and I baked some mini muffins and did some cleaning (yay for finally mopping my kitchen floor!).  My bathroom and Monte also got scrubbed – it’s a toss-up which of those needed it more.

All in all, it was a very nice long weekend that went by way too quickly.  I was very happy to have the extra time with Connor who has really come into his own lately with his little personality.  We practiced his words and his walking and we laughed at all his antics.  I’m going to miss spending that time with him today while I’m at work.

But enough of all my rambling.  Let’s talk about food for a minute!  Sandra said something peanut butter and chocolate would be a good treat and I know she’s not one to like things that are overly sweet (I know, but we’ll overlook that character flaw ).  So I opted for these Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars.  It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.  The bars were delicious!

They were tasty right out of the fridge, and they were tasty after sitting out a while when they were a little softer.

I used peanut butter chips and those peanut butter-filled chocolate chips as my mix-ins, then I used only melted peanut butter chips drizzled on top.  Yum, yum, yum!

The recipe calls for making these in an 8” pan, but I used a 9x13 pan and baked these for 29 minutes, I think.  I thought they were plenty thick made this way.

No fewer than 5 people asked me about these bars, saying how amazing they were.  So don’t just take my word for it – believe the strangers who I can’t even prove existed.

{Recipe adapted from here}

PS  Happy belated birthday to Maxie!  She turned four yesterday.  Talk about time flying…

Plans

I just wanted to touch base with everyone really quick.  I want to apologize for not blogging.  Let me make it up to you with more not-blogging.

I actually was going to tell you guys about all the McHusband’s hard work in the yard this weekend, but I don’t have the after pictures and, well, me telling you how nice it looks now just isn’t the same.

I am traveling to Michigan this week (more on that later) so things are a bit wonky around here in McMania.  Fingers crossed that the long weekend gets me back on track.  Hopefully I will get some rest, bake up some blogworthy treats, take some new pictures of Connor, and get his 15-month update written and ready to share with you next week.

Hope everything’s good with the rest of you and if we don’t “talk” before, have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

My second Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day was mostly a normal Sunday although it started and ended with food that the McHusband was responsible for so that right there is enough to make for a great day.

Our breakfast was an Overnight French Toast Casserole that we assembled together Saturday night.  I loved the praline topping, but the McHusband didn’t love how it was still grainy after baking.

After Connor’s nap and lunch, he and the McHusband ran a couple errands, leaving me all alone in the house.  I can’t lie: it was nice to have the time to myself even if I did spend most of it cleaning up the kitchen, doing laundry, and dusting the den.

I was rewarded with a lovely bouquet of tulips and they go perfectly with the accent color in the den.  Good job, McHusband!

The afternoon was more of the usual: a walk with the boys that turned into a jog when it started raining, home for a nap (Connor), laundry and a little Grey’s (me), and flower planting (the McHusband).  I told the McHusband that I’d like some pre-planted pots for the front porch so he picked up a pot and the flowers along with a new tree for the front yard, and he did the work himself.

(For my local peeps, go to Broadwell’s in Angier for your landscaping needs.  Great selection at amazing prices.  That huge tree?  Only $40!  But remember to bring cash, they don’t take cards.)

I had planned to have glazed salmon for dinner, but the McHusband mentioned him making dinner or picking something up, like sushi, and I quickly changed my mind from wanting to make dinner to wanting it delivered.

(Kobe in Holly Springs has great sushi.)

All in all, it was a very nice Mother’s Day.  As you can see, Connor was quite unimpressed by the day being all about me.

Emma

This has been a week…  Saturday afternoon, I noticed that Emma was looking weak, and I saw that her back end was wet.  It was urine.   It was too late for the vet that day so I just did my best to keep an eye on her.  The McHusband and I bathed her Sunday morning and got her set up with some clean bedding, but she kept…leaking.  I know that’s not the right word, but she seemed to have no bladder control.  I figured she had a really bad UTI.

On Monday, my mom, who was up here taking care of Connor while Ashley was closed, was able to drop Emma off so the vet so they could work her into their schedule.  I had them do bloodwork and give her fluids and I took her home with an antibiotic.

But it was too late.

The next day, Tuesday, the bloodwork came back as kidney failure and it was obvious that she was failing fast.  Before talking to my mom, the McHusband and I set up an appointment to take Emma in at 4:00 to put her to sleep.  I called my mom to give her an update and through tears, my mom told me that…things weren’t good.  I couldn’t stand to think of Emma suffering til we could get her to the vet so my wonderful mom gathered Connor up after his nap and took him and Emma to the vet where she provided a loving lap for Emma’s last few moments.

I hate that we weren’t there with her, but I know she went peacefully while being held by someone who cared for her.  I am so grateful to my mom for accepting the bittersweet job of helping one of our pets cross the rainbow bridge.

A few things about Emma.  Emma was 15 and she was an inside-only cat until just a few years ago when we couldn’t solve some behavioral issues so the cats got moved outside.  She loved yogurt and popcorn.  She “drank” water by scooping it with her paw and licking it off.  She was skittish, but she would surprise me with who she’d put up with.  Like Connor.  As recently as last week, she would let him “pet” her, which wasn’t always the nicest of pats.  And I remember soon after we got Morgan, when she, as a four-month-old puppy, was still figuring out exactly what her sisters were, got Tori trapped in a corner.  Tori let out a cry for help and Emma went running to the rescue, hissing and spitting and swatting at Morgan.

I don’t think Morgan ever forgot that.

And we won’t forget Miss Emma.

Good help is(n’t) hard to find

The McHusband and I each had our helpers yesterday.

The McHusband was in the yard digging out the dirt so that some edgers would fit in around areas that will be mulched.  Monte, of course, took it upon himself to supervise.

Monte made sure to check out each section as the McHusband finished.

He was very thorough, inspecting from all sides.

“Good work!”  This part gets Monte’s stamp of approval.  And watch out, it’s a really wet stamp.

All that supervising is hard work, donchaknow.  Monte alternated taking his breaks in shade

and in the sun.

The McHusband enclosed three areas with the edgers and my favorite is this one right off the patio.  See the heart?

The McHusband worked really hard out there both days this weekend and unfortunately he’s not done since mulch will still need to be spread.  I’m sure Monte will be a big help with that, too.

While the big boys were outside playing in the dirt, Connor and I were inside cleaning the dirty house.  I’m lucky that Connor doesn’t have to be entertained 24/7, and he can find fun in the ordinary.

Now if I can just teach him to clean windows instead of putting his hands all over them…

We were so happy to get lots of time in the sunshine this weekend.  Fingers crossed that spring lasts a while and doesn’t turn straight into summer as it likes to do here in NC.

Hope you guys also enjoyed some fun in the sun!

Another Friday at home!

April has been a good month. I haven’t worked a single five-day week.

The first week, I was out Thursday at 2 and then we were closed for Good Friday.  The next week, I left at noon on Friday so we could get to SC, and then I took that following Monday off.  Last week, I was home for my birthday, and this week I’m at home today.

Connor’s daycare is closed because Ashley, the sitter, is getting married on Saturday so I’m at home with him today.  I have a few plans, like getting groceries, maybe seeing a friend, and hopefully getting outside if the weather cooperates.  I want to get some of the usual weekend cleaning done, too, so that over the next couple of days when it’s more of a sure thing that the weather will be nice, we can take full advantage of it.

I’ve been looking forward to the extra time with Connor.  I feel like the weekends are just full of to-do lists, and it will be nice to have some extra QT with my main man little guy.

I haven’t done a Connor update in much too long, but I plan to write one in the next few weeks since he’s about 15 months old.  I know, when did that happen?!  Didn’t I JUST go back to work when he was 7 weeks old?

Finally, I’ll leave you with this funny video.  The thing with the guy and the purse toward the end?  That’s totally the McHusband.  In fairness, though, the girl talking while the husband brushes his teeth?  Yeah, that’s kinda me, except I’m talking to the McHusband from the stairs while he sits at the kitchen table near the laundry room where the washing machine is running.  (Sorry to those of you who haven’t been to my house and can’t quite picture the scene, but I think you probably can imagine how things work out.)

May 1st, wow.  This year is flying by.  Is it just me, or do you guys feel the same way?

TGIF and have a great weekend!