Let me just say, I've hit an all time new mommy high...

Recently, I bought my daughter a cute backpack for back to school.  She loved it, I loved it and we had to go to two stores to find it...score!  It just came with the backpack...no matching lunch sack.  This was fine, until she decided she wanted to start bringing her lunch to school.  After the first week of school she had enough of cafeteria lunches. 

Well, I wanted her to have a super cool lunch sack to match her backpack.  So what did I do?  I made one!  Still not quite sure what possessed me, but I did it and I think it turned out really well. 

My daughter actually doubted me and my efforts!  While I was at the store buying everything I needed, the child actually picked up a princess lunch bag instead.  I made her a deal that if she didn't like the one that I made her that she could keep it.  If she liked mine, then we would return the princess non-matching thing.  After I completed my masterpiece, she loved it.  She said "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance."  My heart melted!  My sweet little girl!!!

While I was at the store buying the lunch bag supplies, I picked up the Kidz Bop 16 CD for my daughter.  You've seen the Kidz Bop commercials...it has all the cool hit songs sung by kids.  Never in a million years thought I would purchase one...kids or no kids.  Now I'm dancing around with my oldest daughter in her bedroom while my three month old looks at us like we're nuts. 

I definitely hit Cool Mom status yesterday.  Let's see how long that lasts... ;)

What was my big epiphany today?  I realized my baby is getting old...and so am I!  Here is my story...

And that my friends was our 1st day of school!  Until next year...when I freak out because I have a 1st grader!  ;)

There comes a time in every pregnant woman's life that you feel not so pregnant and you look not so pregnant.  The lovely second trimester.  I always count the days until the 2nd trimester comes.  No more morning sickness!  Not to mention that one day you go to bed extremely tired and then magically during the 2nd trimester you wake up one morning with energy!  Imagine that.  The 2nd trimester is truly a wonderful thing. 

The only thing about the second trimester is that it's also that in between time.  That time where you don't look so pregnant but you've gained a little weight so you notice people looking at you out of the corner of their eye wondering.  Wondering if you over ate during the holidays and made a New Year's resolution to shed a few pounds, or if you are in fact pregnant.  And of course they don't want to ask because imagine the humiliation!  So they look...out of the corner of their eye while you are on the elevator and when you turn to them they quickly look away.  You know what I'm talking about, we've all done it!

So until this baby girl decides to get a little bigger I guess I will continue to look at the one eyebrow raised faces a little longer.  Maybe I should make a pin and wear it that says "Pregnant or not pregnant...go ahead ask!" 

Let me introduce you to my new breakfast buddy! The bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald's. It's not like I haven't had one before. I've just always been more of a sausage biscuit girl...or an occasional egg mcmuffin. Never a big fan of the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. My husband on the other hand however has always been a fan. Clearly this child inside of me is already proving to be like her/his daddy, because it has made me crave the bacon, egg and cheese like no other!

I'm tired. I was in a dead sleep last night until my mom came busting into my room telling me the sirens were going off from the storm. Sleep is very precious to a pregnant woman...don't mess with it. It was barely even raining at this point. I'm telling her to calm down, and I turned to the news channel and they told Allen to seek shelter.

So then I had to drag my child out of bed, with my crazed mother running around to get downstairs into the closet...which I had cleaned out since the last tornado threat, where I was scrambling like a mad woman to get the junk out of the closet...this time it was nice and tidy. Meanwhile, just as I got my mother to calm down, my dad calls her and gets her all nervous again. I'm sitting in the closet thinking that the whole thing was ridiculous. If there was a tornado coming would we be sitting in a house full of power and electricity? Clearly the storms weren't that bad, because neither dog (who both hate storms) moved. They actually looked annoyed at all the commotion we were making. But then in the back of my mind I wondered if we were possibly in the eye of the storm and the second we got up we would all be wisked away.

So we are in there for less then 5 minutes and I tell my mom I thought we looked liked idiots. The sirens weren't even going off anymore. So she said that she would go check the news to see if we were in the clear. You should of seen her...the way she darted out of the closet, you would of thought she was going into combat. And of course, we were fine.

I went back up to my room and now had Isabella in my bed since she was too scared to go back to her room and turned on the news. Pete Delkus of Channel 8 news said there was a wall cloud spotted at Bethany and 75...basically my hood...but the worst of it was north of us.  I decided to take my chances and fall back asleep.

 I stress eat.  I had a horrible day at work yesterday, and what was the first thing I did?  Went next door to the grocery store and got the ingredients to make Butterscotch Brownies...and a bottle of wine.  When I got home I decided not to drink the wine because I hadn't had anything to drink all day and was dehydrated.  I could only imagine what would of happened if I had popped open that bottle. ;)

So, made these last night and they are to die for! If you have ever had the Blondie from Applebee's it taste very similar. Mmmmm! Got it from the Tollhouse website...another mom/good friend told me about it, and they have so many good recipes!  My daughter and I had so much fun making these together, it melted the stress of the day away!

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Chewy Butterscotch Brownies

Level: Easy Rated:


Source:

Try this rich and delicious butterscotch brownie recipe. It's quick and easy, and your family will ask you to make more.

Estimated Times:
Preparation - 12 min | Cooking - 30 min | Yields - 48 brownies (4 dozen)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels, divided
1 cup chopped nuts


Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels and nuts. Spread into ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining morsels.

BAKE for 30 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

I’m a fan.  There is nothing you can’t get put on a t-shirt.  Who would thought by a simple article of clothing you could learn so much about a person.  I like Cocoa Puffs.  I’m nicer if you give me chocolate.  I like butterflies.  I’m a romantic.  I have ties to New York.  I’m sure if I went through every shirt in my closet, you would know at least 75% of my life.  Simply amazing.  My favorite shirt that I saw someone wear recently was “I (Heart) Haters.”  It was great, and a must have.  Currently, I would like to find a shirt that says “Ike, Not Liked” but that’s another blog…

Lately, I have not been watching nearly as much TV as I had been.  This could be simply because I’m not fond of the summer line up, but I would like to think it is because I’m trying to broaden my horizons.  I mean, don’t get me wrong...seeing Americans dressed up as large human babies and slamming their bodies onto a Velcro wall does sound intriguing…it’s just not my cup of tea.  So instead I’ve been listening to the radio.  As I slave in kitchen making my family dinner, Delilah is there with me all the way.  I love turning the radio to 103.7 and hearing the soothing lull of Delilah’s voice.  “Delllllilahhhh.”  There is something reminiscent of the 1950s.  Plus, she gets me every time.  Not a time goes by that she doesn’t get me to shed a tear.  I end up bawling.  It’s a healthy cry, but a cry nonetheless.  I know I am not the only one affected by her powers.  I remember one December, my husband came home from the grocery store.  He looked a little melancholy.  I asked him what he wrong.  He simply said “She got me.”  I very confused and asked who, and he replied “Delilah.”

The fact is, it's hot.  There is no way to escape it, and there is nothing that we can do about it.  I've decided that I don't like heat talk.  We all know it is hot.  We feel the blast of heat hit us when we open the front door.  Or when we see the lovely bank signs that show us that it is 6:02 and 107 degrees outside.  Talking about it only reminds me how miserable it really is.  I shall no longer complain about the things I can't change.  So I will now stop talking about the heat, and continue to hop from one air conditioned environment to another until late September when we will start to get some relief.  All with a smile on my face. :)

Lately I have been cooking a lot.  One day I whipped up Paul Dean’s corn casserole, the next I’m baking double batches of banana bread, and then trying out my co-workers new recipe for fiesta chicken.  My first thought was that I was just having a domestic twitch (with I don’t always have).  When I realized that was not the case, I thought that I was cooking to work out my stress…which is probably ½ true.  Then I realized the reason I’m going thru this cooking frenzy is because I’m flat out scared of going completely broke.  Of course I have felt the economic strains on my pocket just like most of America, but I want to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t put anymore strain on our family.  We aren’t an overly extravagant little unit, but every little bit helps.  I think this is making me a more well rounded individual.  After all, these are the things that my mother and grandmother did, and I have always inspired to be as much like them as possible.  It’s so easy to get into the cycle of fast food or convenience products, but there are so many quick recipes out there that is really no need for it.  So, I will continue to rustle through my pantry and freezer to see what I can come up with before I hit the grocery store.  Heck, I ended up with a pretty good bread pudding the other night!