skinny jeans

The night before Mason started middle school, he declared that he must have skinny jeans. This from a child who wore shorts on all winter days including those decked with snow and ice. Jeans have not been a priority in his life. No kind of pants really. He's a shorts man. Until. Now. So, we embarked on a mini shopping extravaganza to locate the appropriate level of skinny jeans. He ended up with a not Hot Topic kind of pair, but a modern and fashionable skinny. Though he had to have them the night before the big day, I haven't seen them since. Until. Now. Today he went to the mall with his guy friends (and the parents!). At first he came down with shorts and a t-shirt on. Hair slightly mussed. He left the house (with a good bit of huffy-puffy mouthiness in true tween fashion). After conferring with the fellas, he came back in for a costume change. Low and behold the skinny jeans make their grand entrance. Not only is he rocking them with his new Jordans, but he has also fixed his hair. Though we get the mouthy attitude at times, the tweens also bring a new sense of hygiene and for that we are all thankful.

tex-mex chicken and beans

This recipe is an adaptation from Everyday Food. It is super easy and really yummy.

1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Kidney beans, drained
1 jar salsa
2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used frozen)
salt and peppa
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped

sour cream and cilantro for serving (and probably some cheese for good measure)

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook for about 6 hours on low.

Yum.

Source: ebay.com.au via Kim on Pinterest

My Mover and Shaker

Your Newest Milestones:
Identifying nose, ears, eyes (you prefer to poke others people's but can show us yours too).
Also you can say all these words along with mama, dada, ma-ma (Mason), Bobo (Mason), Hadley, hi, hey

You also all over the house, climbing onto desks, chairs, couches and up the stairs. You are so much more active than I feel you should be. You're are my Tiny-Tiny! You should still be carried everywhere by me all the time, but nope. What is really funny is to think about how Hadley was different from you at this age. You've been full out walking since 11 months. Hadley did not start walking until she was 15 months. She would look right at me and tell me to get her cup while you just hop up, run over, and get it all by yourself. Ya'll are very different already. I can't wait to see how this all plays out as you both get older. She's pretty rough with you right now, but little does she know that pretty soon you both will be just about the same size. You've got some moves in store for her, I think.

Malted PB & Coco Cookie Cupcakes

This recipe is a combination effort from two recipes from Everyday Food.
For the cake and frosting you'll need:
 3 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of salt + pinch
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups malted milk powder
3/4 pound milk chocolate, melted and cooled
sprinkles (I used the Reese's ice cream topping which has chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate and pb chips)
1 bag of peanut butter sandwich cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350, prepare cupcake pan with liners
2. Using an electric mixer beat 1 1/2 cup sticks of butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix on low and add flour mixture to butter mixture in three parts. Alternate with buttermilk. Beat to combine. Scrape the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, fill it halfway and scoop into cupcake liners. Add cookie. Top with more cake batter. Fill 3/4 of the way to the top of the liner.
5. Bake 15-19 minutes depending on oven.
6. In the meantime, make frosting. Whisk together in a medium bowl, cocoa and malted milk powder. It seems like a lot of malt, but the flavor is right on! Add boiling water. Whisk until smooth. Let cool. Using a mixer, beat two sticks plus two tablespoons of butter until smooth. Add cocoa mixture. Beat until combined. Add chocolate and pinch of salt. Slowly add in a cup of powdered sugar. Beat on med-high until frosting is smooth and peaks form. About three minutes or so.
7. Frost cupcakes and add sprinkles.

Words She Lives by

We spent a good portion of the early part of the summer potty training Hadley. She was big into the positive reinforcements like M&M's and verbal praise. Pretty soon she was telling us, "I'm so proud of you!" every time we went to the bathroom or she did. Super cuteness. Other cute things she says: never mind, do I/we at the end of most sentences, you smell, your clothes smell, you're sweaty, did it rain on you on your run, you're going to take a shower, are you? (these last things are her litany of questions when I get back from a jog).

She also calls cheerleading, "rockin'" and the sink, the "dish".

What Caffeine Does to Me

Today's Agenda:

• 4:30-5 mile run
• 6:20-leave for school
• 7:15-12:45 inspire America's youth
• 1:30-3:00-trip to Great Wolf Lodge to plan prom with my girl Marcille
• 3:00-4:15-trip around the LKN to pick up our kiddos
• 4:15-5:30-snuggling, cleaning, surfing (the net not waves), laundering
• 5:30-7:00-cooking dinner (a melange of leftovers, kid food, Mason's football slim down fare) and the making of these bad boys

Lazy Girl Peanut Butter Cups

These are an adaption of a recipe from http://iowagirleats.com/.  The only difference is the chocolate chips on top. I crushed them a little in the coffee bean grinder before sprinkling them on top.
Where the caffeine comes in to this story begins at 6:00 am with coffee (set up to brew at night by John) and then is laced throughout my day via a Diet Coke IV. I am a DDP kind of girl, but was out of routine and drank up the DC with vengeance. It is my own fault if I don't sleep well tonight, but I think the energy to make these pb cups might be worth the lost ZZZZ's.