Space Ships, Astronauts, and Nasa...oh my!

Dylan has two favorite things right now - space and sharks.  You can see the dilemma we're facing for planning his 4th birthday party! 

We decided a trip to NASA was in order to indulge D in all things space-y.  We rode the tram, checked out Mission Control, attempted to land the Space Shuttle, and checked out the Mock Up floor.  Of course the highlight turned out to be the four story play area. 

And he's done...

Amsterdam Parting Gift

My blogging has been...sporadic (to put it nicely).  I know all five of you that read this are biting your nails waiting for my next exquisitely written post.  Here you go...

After joining Kel in Amsterdam (a post on this later, and I guess Spain needs to be up here also) in June for a week, we returned to normal life and celebrated the 4th of July.  A few days after I began eating like I was a bear approaching hibernation, then just the thought of food made me run to the bathroom...

You guessed it...two lines apparently means another kid!

Meet baby #2 coming next March - oh and to make it interesting, it's another boy.  I've already told Kel that our bathroom will soon become MINE and he can share with the other standing urinaters! 

So that is part of my reason for not being here much - you know, the vomiting and all FOR 15 WEEKS! 

Eating isn't a problem anymore (don't know if that's a good or bad thing)!

I Hate Painting!

However, I got sick and tired of looking at the nasty green walls in our guest bath, so pulled out the brushes (and beer).  **This was done a few months ago**

It took me the better half of an afternoon and evening to put on two coats, but I am so pleased with the results!  I also exchanged the mirror that was in there for one that we got in Mexico several years ago. 

I'm slowly moving onto some different house projects as I have time and (more importantly) money! 

Before...yucky green

After...nice brown!  It looks a little deeper in person, but you get the idea!  I really like how the white stands out so much more now!

Back behind the toilet...

Those little grass plants survived the journey from Dubai and I really like my Seattle painting better against the brown.

Organization in the Making

Yes, I am organized.  I am one of those sick people who enjoy filing/creating filing systems/labeling.  My clothes are in rainbow order in my closet and here are my shoes.     

Dylan seems to be taking after me (in at least one positive aspect). 

He did such a good job matching the pictures to the shoes and I think he enjoyed the project as much as I did! 

The Pitfalls of Dressing Professionally

REALLY??  All of this for five work shirts.  I'm thinking that the nice folded packaging is overrated.  Not pictured (well) are all the pins that hold the craziness together.   

Dylan turns 2...and 3 (maybe I'm a little behind)

I guess with the potty training right after Dylan's 2nd birthday, I didn't post anything about his birthday party!  I'll just do a little flashback for you with all the highlights!  As most of you know, I'm a planner.  That means that I annoy a lot of you about what I'm 'planning' to do.  The first birthday, while a huge milestone, did not have much in the way of a theme.  So, for #2, I did an airplane motif.  D was enthralled with basically any motor vehicle (and still is).  Unfortunately, Party City (or Micheal's or Hobby Lobby or Target) has failed to make a Dubai appearance, so I had to traipse around getting all the necessary decorations.  I even lucked upon a mini airplane cookie cutter at some strange Japanese version of a dollar store.  Airplanes 'flew' around the room and we even had packaged peanuts!  Thanks to my good friend, Shannon, who took all the pictures for me.  Also notice Dylan's special birthday shirt - on the front, Captain Dylan, and on the back, Flight 0002.

A party in Dubai wouldn't be complete without some freak occurrence.  On this day, my kitchen gas ran empty about 30 minutes before party time (exactly when all the food was being cooked)!

And, now...onto 3!  Dylan and I discovered Dinosaur Train (a show on PBS) sometime in January, and we've been hooked since.  It's incredibly educational (seriously, I've learned a ton about dinosaurs) and has a cute little catchy title song.  Everyone's happy.  So, for birthday #3, I decided to do a dinosaur theme.  Birthdays 1 and 2 were challenging for any games, but I knew that this year they would perfect!  I made 'fossils' and buried them in a sandbox for the kids to dig up.  I also had the kiddos hatch dinosaur eggs (balloons) to get the baby dinosaurs out.  The kids hunted for dinosaur eggs (spray painted Easter eggs) that were filled with goodies.  We also attempted some water painting of dinosaurs.  My crowning glory though was the cake!  I made a dinosaur landscape complete with a 'smoking' volcano! 

This birthday was special because the grandparents (and even a great grandma) helped Dylan celebrate!  While the grandparents made it to Dubai for his first birthday, it wasn't possible for them to make it for #2. 

How To Be a Cajun

Marrying into a Cajun family has opened my eyes to a whole new culture. I cook A LOT, but never attempted anything remotely Louisiana-ish. My mother in law makes a killer gumbo and my husband had been craving it and asked if I could try to make it. Let me say this – I can cook pretty much anything if I have a recipe. There have been a few failures (fried chicken being the most recent), but I’m usually successful. So, I hunted down an Emrill gumbo recipe and went to work. I had my chicken, sausage, and homemade stock. My veggies were chopped and prepared. I just had to make the roux.


A simple word for a process that is difficult to explain and follow. You’re not supposed to stop stirring and the flour is supposed to turn brown, but you can’t burn it. It smells AWFUL and doesn’t look appetizing either. I followed the rules though and stirred it for hours until it looked right and then I made my first mistake. I added ALL the roux to my pot with the chopped veggies. Apparently the recipe only calls for two cups and I put in at least four. I didn’t catch my mistake until I’d added all of my homemade chicken stock. Thankfully, I hadn’t put the meat in yet. I took a quick taste and gagged, so I added more stock, and tasted again. Still awful. I added water because I’d used up all of my homemade stock. Another taste and all I got was burnt flour.

The disappointment on Kel’s face made me jump in the car and buy a jar of roux and more chicken stock. Back at home I started over with the exact measurement of roux and stock. Tasted it and still awful. Kel decided that we needed to add a can of beer. I thought it was a waste of a beer, but in it went. Tasted it. Burnt flour with a hint of beer. Our next bright idea is to let it simmer. I sit down (now that I’ve spent 5 hours on the failed gumbo) and massage my claw of a hand. I glance over at the mess on the stove and watch as it foams over the top of the pot. FAB U LOUS.

I turn off the heat, let the whole thing cool, and put it down the disposal. Then I call Papa John’s.

After my failed attempt at gumbo, I was a little leery when Kel wanted to host a crawfish boil. I would go nowhere near those southern lobsters until they were hot and on a table. Luckily a friend offered his assistance for boiling all 100 pounds. I used my expertise in peeling tails to prep for (gasp!) etouffee. I decided not to totally give up on my grafted Cajun branches and searched for another Emrill recipe.

My hand seized up a little when I read that you needed to prepare a light roux, but relaxed after seeing that it would take just a few minutes. I added the holy trinity of veggies and sautéed, deglazed with some sherry, and threw the tails in. Added a bit of stock and seasoning and let it simmer for a few minutes. And then, the moment of truth. I took a bite, then another, and another! It was good.

So maybe I can hack this Cajun thing. Just don’t make me eat Boudin.