Someone's in the Kitchen: a new start

A friend has suggested that I start blogging my recipes. I use Instagram to post pictures of my homemade food and pretty much all other fun food. So, this is my first official recipe post - and I'm also trying so new products! (Also... this is my first post from the Blogger App on my iPhone!!!)

So, the husband went to Hy-Vee Sunday and took advantage of their $1 sale of Split Chicken Breasts at $1/pound. And Prego sauces were 3 for $5. 

Now, I'm not a fan of Prego, I think it's too acidic. But- it was a good deal. So I picked up some new and unusual flavors. One of which was a Creamy Vodka sauce. I LOVE Vodka Sauce. But let's be honest, I rarely have the time on a week night to make a good one. The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has one of my favorite recipes, and Bella Italia in Pleasant Hill (Iowa) has my favorite restaurant sauce. Anyway, in my opinion, Vodka Sauce needs a thick al dente noodle to really shine. So I actually decided to try a new-to-me noodle - Barilla's Gemelli - it's a think twisted noodle cut a little shorter than penne.

First things first - preheat the oven to 350°. Rinse and pat dry your chicken breasts. Rub each breast with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Salt, Spanish Paprika, and Italian Seasoning - back first, then the top. I roasted these for 50 mins on a broiler pan. Then I broiled on a low broil for 4 mins to get everything crispy. *Watch while you broil to avoid burning!*

While roasting your chicken, put a pot of salted water onto boil. This pasta took about 13 mins to cook al dente, so time it to be done about 8 mins before the chicken is done. Before dumping the pasta, reserve about a cup of the pasta water.

Turn the stove top down to medium-low. Pour the jar of Prego Creamy Vodka sauce into the pan - Use a little of the pasta water swirled into the jar to get all the sauce into the pan. Warm gently, stirring often.

Take out the chicken when done. Let it rest.

Add a green veggie - I chose broccoli. My favorite is the Steam-in-bag from Sam's Club - it's 4 bags for under $6, and each single bag seems about 25% larger than the Steam Fresh bags from my local grocery. A delicious deal.

Once the sauce is warm, add one Tablespoon of real butter. Let it melt in. This will add a richness to the jarred sauce. I read this somewhere. And let's whisper the truth between us - butter makes everything better - Paula Deen says so. :)

Now a lesson about Vodka Sauce - it always tastes slightly bitter to me when I do a taste test. But once I add the noodles and let them reheat in the sauce and marry all together - I find that the sauce is perfect. No added salt or anything. And I really thought that Prego's was one of the best I've had.

Ok - so portion each onto the plate and add a little Parmesan to the pasta.

And enjoy!

Complete dinner! I debone my chicken breast before sitting down (it's just easier)
and truthfully, I could have split the chicken in half.

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I thought that the chicken was ok - I think I'd try to get the flavors more into the meat, but really - it wasn't even necessary, the pasta and broccoli were delicious on their own.

Total meal was $7.34 + seasonings for 4 servings.
That's $1.84 per serving, with my lunch not having any chicken.
(The breasts were large enough to cut into 4 servings, but I didn't want any.)

That's a Happy Homemaker win.

Ok, well let me know if you like this post, if you have any suggestions for form or flow.

Thanks for reading!

Some More Musical Notes...

So, we've obviously had some personal obstacles lately, and I've had this half done... now is the time to finish this up. Because life moves one. Back to normal!!!
My list of Favorite Songs is still sitting on my desk. It's time to get to work on Part 2 - numbers 11-20.

11. Rhiannon/Landslide - Fleetwood Mac, both from the 1975 self-titled Album - I love both of these songs equally. Actually at any given moment, I always love one a tad bit more than the other, but they flip so often that they are listed together. Stevie Nicks wrote both songs, and has so much of herself poured into each one that they can only be described as my introduction into the beauty that is Stevie Nicks. I love her. I love the raspy sound of her voice, the tone, the depth. Heck, I heard her singing with Dave Grohl's Sound City Players and I was floored. It was Rock and Alternative and such a crazy blend of Nicks, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters, that while stumped I still just loved it. When a voice can transcend a genre... it's just amazing.
12. Lightning Crashes -Live, from the 1994 Throwing Copper - I first saw this video on MTV in what had to be 1995. The opening chords of this song just make the whole song. They make my chest tighten in anticipation of... I'm not sure what, but it just happens. I have always loved this song, and I bought the entire album just to get it, sometime in 1998. This was the beginning of my love for the Alternative Rock/Post grunge sound. I like to think the other songs on this album, much harder than this, are what lead me to Linkin Park, etc. Everything builds on something before it. As a mom, this song, and especially the video, took on a much deeper meaning. And during my pregnancies, this video is as emotional as a Hallmark commercial. ;)
13. Sugarhigh - Coyote Shivers, from the 1995 Empire Records soundtrack - this song was awesome in the movie sung by Renee Zellwegger and Coyote Shivers. It was great. And it's what led me to the entire soundtrack. Gin Blossoms, Cranberries, this soundtrack has some great bands with popular and songs I'd never heard before. I like the entire thing. And this movie is still one of my favorites! (I add in Renee's part while singing in the car, and my sister actually thinks I sound good. For once.)
14. Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G., from the 1996 album Life After Death, I don't remember when I first heard this song. In the middle of Iowa, East Coast vs West Coast rap was something that was a big deal, but not a huge deal. The guys "fighting" it over were generic white middle class kids. My brother first brought Biggie into our house. And I liked hearing the beat and the smooth voice pounding out of Nathan's room. When I went to college in 1998, Hypnotize was a regular frat party anthem. My roommate Katie would do the Vivica Fox's stripper pole dance from the movie Independence Day to Hypnotize any time it came on. And then it was featured in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate about You. It exploded at the bar scene from there. It's a great song with a great beat. Every time I hear it, I see Katie's stripper dance, and I remember the laughter and happiness that surrounds this song. And the little twinge of sadness at Biggie's life cut short.
15. Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar, from the 1983 album Live From Earth, this song is the Battle cry for all hurt women every where. I loved this song (and most of Pat Benatar's singles) from the moment they hit the radio waves. and 30 years later, these songs are still played on the radio - they are timeless. I love how this song builds and builds to this explosion of Feminist Liberties. ;) And now... every time I hear this song, I no longer see Benatar and her 80s army of neon, scarved empowered women, I see Jennifer Garner and her army of newly initiated 13 yr olds from the movie 13 Going On 30! Great movie if you haven't seen it - even better soundtrack. This song has carried me for 30 years, and it will never grow old.
16. Someday - Mariah Carey, from the 1990 self titled album Mariah Carey, this song blew me away the first time I heard in Janet Berkey's bedroom on the radio while reading an issue of Seventeen magazine. See? I can remember every detail which shows how important this song is. I've heard that she doesn't even like this song because of the changes that Sony made to the original track, and that her husband, Nick Cannon, is begging for her to once again sing it live. Hmmm... I'm not sure I would go to a concert where she didn't sing this song. I was so amazed at her vocal range. People kept comparing her to Whitney Houston. And she is just as good, maybe better. This song began my life long love of Mariah Carey. For the most part, I have loved part of every album she's made (exception - Glitter and everything around that period.) She came back again with The Emancipation of Mimi and it was like she never left. But I'll be honest, this is the top song for me from one of the best Diva's of all time.
17. True Blue - Madonna, from the 1986 album of the same name, though this song came out after earlier hits Like A Virgin and Material Girl, songs that introduced me to Madonna, True Blue made me fall in love with her. This song was so peppy and young and melodious without being a true dance song. It felt most like a song you could sing along to. This was a great record too... but this song sealed the deal for my childhood love of Madonna. I still love everything she has made prior to her Ray of Light album. Disco, leotard sporting Madonna was just something that I couldn't get into. But when it comes to her classics, I'll always be a fan!
18. It Must have been Love - Roxette, from the 1990 soundtrack for the movie Pretty Woman, this song was originally released as Christmas single in Sweden in 1987, but it wasn't until seeing Pretty Woman, that I fell in love with this song. It's the end Love song. When Richard Gere's Edward goes to the slums of LA and sweeps Julia Roberts' prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Vivian right off her fire escape. This song led to Roxette moving state side, and it led me to some other great music by this Swedish duo. But this song will always be my favorite. It's a great love song and just brings up so many happy feelings.
19. Sabotage - The Beastie Boys, from the 1994 album III Communication, I more than likely first heard the Beastie Boys on MTV, but it was my brother Nathan's love of them that brought them into our house. He played them loud and did it to annoy everyone. But the the funny thing was, I liked them. A lot. Maybe it was the percussionist in me. I remember seeing this video for the first time and just being so tickled by the humor of it, from the cheesy 70's costumes to the overplayed acting. It was great, but then the song was just outstanding. I delved deeper into the Beastie Boys since this song, and while I love so many other songs (the intro to Mullet Head on the Clueless movie soundtrack was by far, ah-mazing, let's be honest, that soundtrack rocked) - Sabotage will always be my fave. And I'm not sure if it's the vision that the video brings, or the beat, or the bonding to my brother... but this song is just a part of my music.
20. Killing Me Softly - the Fugees, from the 1995 album The Score, I first heard this song on MTV Jams in the early morning while getting ready for school. It was a soft beautiful song with just enough hip hop to make it hot. I had fallen in love with Lauryn Hill's voice in the 1993 movie Sister Act 2, and this introduced me to more of her music. I'll admit to enjoying this song above all other Fugees' music and Lauryn Hill's other music, but it led me down a road to experience more than just the usual Iowa White Girl 90s Pop music of my time. I bought The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill a few years later and though she's moved on to music outside of my realm, I still love going back to this song.

Next up in my world of music... the Honorable Mentions!

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It's been suggested that I write a Food Blog on the recipes that I use for my family.

I'm mulling the idea over. It might be fun. It won't be consistent, but it might be fun. :)

Thinking about it....

a few Notes...

So, I bought a used iPod Classic (5th generation) with some of my birthday money. I was using Spotify on my iPhone, but I'm not a huge fan. And I hate the fact that I end up using my whole battery of my phone playing music at work, and having no room for apps because I have so much music. So... in my brain it made more sense to have an all-music device. Which after loading music, and realizing what I was missing in terms of songs, it got me to thinking about my favorite songs. I'm musical in the sense that I love music. I have little to no education in music, other than being in band for a number of years, and lets be honest, I didn't learn much about music education - I can't read music, or notes, but I am/was a Percussionist, so I do know rhythm to a certain degree. I appreciate how music makes me feel, the memories these songs invoke. And so I've put together my Ultimate Top 20 list, along with a group of honorable mentions - and how/why I chose each one.

Here We Go:
*As I've started to write this, I've come to realize that this is going to be Long... so I'm splitting it into 3 posts.*

1. Every Breath You Take, The Police, 1983 album Synchronicity - I have long claimed this song as my #1 of all time. And while I am not sure that is technically the case, I do love this song. I love how my heart races just a little when the intro chords start up. This song played all the time on the radio as I was growing up - so much so that I new the words to the song before I understood the meaning (!). This song also cemented my love of Sting, the Police, and the New Wave sound of the 1980s.
2. Broken Wings, Mister Mister, 1985 album Welcome to the Real World - This song inspired the first CD that I ever purchased with my own money. It was a Billboard Radio Hits 1985-1989, and this was the song that caught my attention. I love this song... I love how it seems to make me happy for no good reason. I love that it introduced me to all the other songs on th CD... some that I had never heard of.
3. Alone, Heart, 1987 album Bad Animals - I absolutely love this song... as in I sing it at the top of my lungs whenever i get the chance. And I judge every American Idol contestant as "not-quite-good-enough" to sing it, though they always do. Because it's a classic song showcasing great vocals. Though All I Want to do is Make Love to You was the first song that I learned all the words to, this is the one that sealed the deal and opened me up to all of it, I bought their 1997 album These Dreams: Heart's Greatest Hits and have never looked back - except to download Crazy on You and Barracuda since they were somehow missing. ;)
4. Lovesong, The Cure, 1989 album Disintegration - I'm not sure what to say about this song... except that I am in love with this song. Just hearing it seems to make me have this little sparkle inside. It's dramatic and moody and has this wonderful background melody that's almost happy - all the while with this intense British guy laying out his heart for the girl he loves - and I have a feeling that she doesn't share his feelings. Pity.
5. Don't Dream It's Over (Hey Now), Crowded House, 1986 album Crowded House - one of the most recognizable opening melodies for me, with such as easy melting set of lyrics laid on top. My first memories of this song are it quietly playing out of speakers mounted high on poles at the boardwalk outside of Pensacola, FL. We used to drive to this stretch of beach that felt like forever away and we'd pass sand dunes covered in Cat Tails... and I'd always hear this song. It always transported me back to a warm breezy, salty day of childhood.
   Years later, it has become Scott and my "song" of sorts. Though we danced to another classic (When I Fall in Love by Josh Grobin and Celine Dion), this one seems to fit us much better. When Scott and I were first living together in Sioux City, sharing a small twin bed in his apartment, we'd constantly be bumping into each other, etc. And Scott would always say, "Hey Now"... and no matter how awake (or not) that I was, I'd always finish with "Hey Now, Don't Dream it's Over." And we'd giggle or something. It became a running commentary for us - I even had it requested to play on the radio for Scott's birthday a couple of times.
6. Linger, The Cranberries, 1993  album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? - While everyone (including me) loves the song Dreams most notably from the You've Got Mail soundtrack, this is the Cranberries song that really did it for me. The beauty of Dolores O'Riordan's lead vocals just made me want more. This song still feels like I have Angela's plaid shirt wrapped tight all around me, trying to hold all my angsty feelings into their right spot. (On the inside of course.) I just love the lyrics and tone and rhythm to this song. It lead me to the whole CD and so much more.
7. Ordinary World, Duran Duran, 1993 album Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) - This song is so fantastic, and I can't even pinpoint why. This whole album had some really special moments, but Ordinary World just shines! The first few notes play, and they bring to mind some of the best lines ever, "I won't cry for yesterday. There's an Ordinary World somehow I have to find." "Passion or Coincidence, there's something to dismay." The harmony is wonderful, but the lyrics are just outstanding.
8.  Uninvited, Alanis Morissette, 1998 from the City of Angels Soundtrack - This was the first single released by Alanis Morissette since Jagged Little Pill in 1993- and Jagged Little Pill was the first CD I ever owned - a birthday gift from a friend. I fell in Love with Alanis with that CD. I listened to it so much, that I wore it out. Not kidding. Anyway... I remember when I first heard Uninvited - it had this beautiful orchestra and it was so BIG and it filled up so many little places in my body - it still feels that way, even after 15 years. This song resonates musically with me much the same way that Guns-N-Roses' November Rain did - and it's all about the Orchestra - the music was magical behind the lyrics.
9. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper, 1984 album She's So Unusual - I've loved Cyndi Lauper since I was old enough to watch MTV when my mom wasn't looking. She was so... 80s! And after her faster music - the softness of this song just broke through into me. Almost 30 years later, I still love this song. The funny thing, I don't think my friends ever appreciated this song... not until the movie Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. After Romy and Michelle learn to appreciate themselves for exactly how they are, and not what their former classmates expect them to be, they return to their Tuscon reunion in their original personally designed outfits and perform a "dance" with the uber-geek who loves Michelle. That scene was a hit with all of my friends. In fact, we reenacted it at my wedding and at my friend Jess' wedding. It was AWESOME.
10. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Bryan Adams, 1991 from the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack -This song still gives my heart palpitations. It has such a power ballad feel to it, yet again with a beautiful full-orchestra sound. Dustin Burggraaf used to play it on the piano for me, starting in the 7th grade and going through high school. I'm not going to lie, that alone may have influenced my love of this song. There's something about a good looking guy playing the piano so passionately that just makes my knees go weak. Every time I hear the melody for this song, I still think back to a boy on the Piano. It was breathtaking.

Stay Tuned for the second half of this list!

design

I am LOVING my new banner and background, but mainly I love the Banner. Background and banner found at
The Cutest Blog on the Block.
I found this new font - Sketch Book - on dafont.com. DaFont is my very favorite site for free fonts. Some don't always translate over very well to different programs, but I get lucky about 85% of the time. So... my current them is a Chalkboard, and I'm blaming Pinterest for that one too. :)   Nothing is my fault, right? So... I think that this might be the background for a while, since I can't seem to stop looking at it. And the 80's colors are just great too!

Another font I used is called Heartz... all Capital letters and numbers are sketchy heart designs:

R K S
LETTERS ABOVE

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NUMBERS BELOW

1 2  7 6

13 in '13

Inspired by Courtney Kendrick at cjanekendrick.com, I've decided to make a list of the Thirteen things that I want to do in 2013. So, CJane is doing 36 things in her 36th year - I am not that ambitious. Either that or I am a realist. And my sister was unimpressed with my list. She said that too many of these things were out of my control. And maybe she is right... but that doesn't mean that I can't focus some positive thoughts in their direction and see if we can make them happen! So, let's get to the list.

13 Things I want to do in 2013:

1. Have a Baby - It's no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that we are trying to expand our family. We've been trying for a year now. But 2013 is going to be our year, either by normal methods or my medically assisted methods. And even though we may not succeed, hopefully we create life.
2. Wills - It's past time that Scott and I wrote our Wills. We need to put in writing our plans for Weston's future if anything should happen to us. We know who he should live with (Shannon), but we need to be able to guarantee that she has everything she needs to take care of him.
3. Walk Weston into his first day of Kindergarten, in Altoona - I sent in the Transfer request to have Weston moved from the Des Moines school district to the SE Polk (Altoona) district. We won't find out until April if we've been approved or denied. And they don't ask for any reason... but I included our reasons (daycare, hoping to move to Altoona, etc.) I just hope that it works. It makes me so nervous. I need him to be able to ride the bus to and from daycare.
4. Move - we need to move. We need more space, a bigger house, something with a yard. Something we can grow in. We pay almost $900 a month for rent. I think we need to be getting more for our money. And Weston wants some grass.
5. My 15-yr High School Reunion - Yes, in May, it will have been 15 years since I graduated high school. Either I am going to be helping to plan (again) or I think we should just do something with the important with my close friends. Something to mark the time. I have been friends with Beth and Anousha for 21 years now... and Sue for 18 years. It's crazy and insane to think of how long that is. But I think something needs to be done to celebrate that. Even if we all just end up in Delaware at Beth's house. Or back in Cedar Rapids at Mom's or Beth's Parents. Anything to get together.
        A. Scott's 25th High School Reunion - We will be going to this. We have to.
6. Texas Trip - My parents want us all to go to Texas this year. My grandparents have never met Weston or my nieces. And they can't travel this long of a distance. Our goal was to go while on maternity leave... but that isn't working out according to plan, but we'll try and make it work. I miss Texas, it's my second favorite state.
7. Weekend Trips - I want to take more weekend trips! We want to take Weston to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. I want to go to the IKEA store and the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and we both want to go to Cubs game and the Lincoln Park Zoo (and the Aquarium, and Field Museum, and, and, and...) in Chicago.
8. Complete my 2013 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. - I did this Challenge last year, reading 37 books, beating my goal of 35. I love reading. It relaxes and entertains me in ways that nothing else can. I also think it helps my child to see his parents reading, and enjoying it. This year, I've challenged myself to 40 books, and I've already finished 5.
9. Zoo Membership - We're not getting Adventureland passes this year, it's $110 each... too much money when we go out of town a lot. Instead, I want to spend $100 and get a Zoo membership for our family. It's good for the whole calendar year, so we can do all sorts of stuff, and bring friends, all year round. I want to buy it in March or April with hopefully some good tax returns.
10. Write at least 1 Blog Post per month - I was an epic failure at blogging the last 2 years. And most of friends don't seem to do it at all anymore. I want to keep doing it. I think it's therapeutic. So I'm going to try.
11. Photo Projects - I got a new Canon DSLR camera last fall, part family investment, part Christmas and birthday gift for me. I love it. the pictures are beautiful. But I need to learn how to use the manual settings. The whole point of the camera. I checked, and the local community college doesn't have a Saturday photography class. I was thinking about joining a photography club, but they meet on Tuesday nights. I can't do that. So... I am going to assign myself projects! I want to take a minimum of 15 new photos a month. that's my goal.
12. Valentines by Weston - I want to help Weston write out all of his Valentines, all by himself. He's doing really well, but I think we need to work on writing on the line, etc.
13. Most Important of all: Weston Sleep Trained! - In his own bed on a good schedule, at least 9pm. I'm trying and failing, but it's a goal.

So... that's what I want to do this year, among other things. :) Let's see how this goes!

Fun new iPhone apps, using Halloween 2012 as inspiration!

Halloween 2012 seemed to go on forever!

This year, we visited the Blank Park Zoo for their Night Eyes event. For a small amount of money, we got to Trick or Treat at the Zoo! Each of us, including adults, got a bag full of candy, and we saw the few animals that could handle our cold weather. Weston wanted Scott to be a frog, and me to be a "One-Eyed Girl Monster." As promised, here's a picture. I built these 2 costumes in about 3 days. Not bad. I think I was channeling Celia from Monsters, Inc. minus the snakes.  We had planned on wearing the costumes again on Beggar's Night here in Des Moines, but it was too cold. (Beggar's Night is what the locals call Trick or Treating, and it's rarely on October 31st. This year it was on the 30th.)

the Frog, One-Eyed Girlie Monster, and Captain America at Night Eyes in the Blank Park Zoo. 10/19/12

So, between Beggar's Night and the actual day of Halloween, we had a lot of fun. But, I also received my new iPhone 4 upgrade from AT&T. I thought it would be cooler than it was, but it wasn't. Apparently the phone I wanted was the iPhone 4S. I didn't get Siri or any of the cool upgrades. In fact, the only improvement over my iPhone 3G was the 5 mega pixel camera with flash and front lens, a huge improvement over the lens-less 1.2 mega pixel camera on the 3G. So, to get over my disappointment, I downloaded some new Apps. These 3 apps were recommended by a website reference on Pinterest. I combined all of our activities over 2 days, including the pictures my brother shared of my nieces!

•  PicFrame - you guessed it... It creates frames! Which I've been trying to figure out for months! you can changes the qty and ratio of sizes, colors, etc.
• Phonto - This allows for type or symbols to be added to any photo/project. It's got a great choice of fonts, colors, sizes, etc.
• Picfx - this one lets you edit square pictures by using a variety of filters... and you can layer the filters too! I really like the Vintage set, and the Light set which gives me the fun flashes of light, including the small hearts I used with the girls.
• Postagram - This may be the coolest one! This allows you to send a Postcard with a removable "Instagram" type photo (or any below) to anyone who can receive snail mail. You create a stamp, add a small comment, and off it goes. I sent the one of the 3 great-grandkids from Halloween to my grandparents in San Antonio. Cost - $0.99 each, but you get 5 for free when you sign up!

My first "frame"! Clockwise from top right: My Halloween headband, Paisley dressed as Strawberry Shortcake, Weston as Captain America, Zoey as Miss Frankie Stein (Monster High), Trick or Treating with Weston's friend Lily, and my fuchsia lace tights and (according to Weston) witch shoes.

I framed and used the "small hearts" filter from PicFx to create this collage of my nieces for my brother. I texted it to him so he could load it on his Facebook page.

This is the Postagram picture that I framed and used Phonto to add the text and the stars to send as a postcard via snail mail to my grandparents in San Antonio.

   I am loving these new apps!!! And I will be upgrading my music to Spotify probably tonight or tomorrow so that I can have more room on the this phone. Right now, I can't even take pictures, I am out of so much room.

Instagram!

I've recently joined Instagram... kind on a photographic Facebook App for my iPhone. I got turned onto this by CJane at CJane Enjoy It... I love the square photos and the filters that take any picture back to the days of non-digital photography. Beside the filters, one of my favorite features is the "Tilt"... this allows me to to focus on a specific part of the picture and gradually unfocus the rest of the picture. I always wanted to learn how to do this with a real camera.
So... here's a tour of my favorites so far from my growing collection of pictures that no one "follows."

This is my Post-Tango picture. Tangles of curls pried from tons of hairpins, lipstick worn off, and eyes still lined and a little drowsy. Sometimes I look at this and think I look angry, the rest of the time I look at it and think, "Wow... I've never felt so empowered and sexy."

Last Friday - We went to Valle Drive-In in Newton, Iowa. It was a first... for all of us. I love this picture of my boys waiting for the "Dark Time, so the movie can start" (Weston.) I love how Weston is so very comfortable... leg thrown over the chair and all. I felt the situation deserved a retro touch.


"Leave. Me. Alone. Mom." Yesterday... Weston's dark mood seemed to fit this dark filter. I love how his lips are pursed in frustration.



Yesterday we were at Adventureland. Weston rode the Chuck Wagon ride, this is the closest to a Farris Wheel as he can get. I chose a filter that would be reminiscent of tintype photographs... a little burnt looking around the edges. I love taking pictures of this boy.


Hydrangea Explosion... These petals were literally the size of Weston's head. This picture got a little saturated in a Photo Shop App on my iPhone, and then a blurred filter on Instagram. It just glows now.

New Photo Book: Jones Family Stories; Volume II

Click here to view this photo book.

he reads my blog (!!!!)

Scott, July 30, 2008, at Mercy waiting for Weston to be born, while I was blogging. He looks so Buff.

So... Scott reads my blog. Fairly regularly from the sounds of it. I've known about this for a few weeks (months?) now. I always seem to forget that he reads it until he makes a comment about it. And then I'm slightly embarrassed and a little giddy that he reads my writing.

To be completely honest, I like what I write to be read.

I used to think I would be a writer. That I would make my living as an editor or writer for a magazine, that my life would famous through the written word.

I'm not famous, nor is my life extraordinary.

My life is simply a life. A trial of ups and downs (you always hope more ups than downs.) But, I write. I blog about my existence and the existence of my family. I used to keep journals, private thoughts. I started when I was 9 years old and was dealing with the death of my beloved grandma. I put my emotions to paper. It seemed safer than letting them out. An act I would repeat for almost two decades. But then life got so busy that it was hard to keep up. The funny thing is... I always sort of hoped that they'd be read some day. Not by anyone in my immediate generation, but by someone someday. I remember thinking about that even as a child.
So, now I blog. I put my thoughts and feelings into words and I share them with the world (maybe 6 people total.) And my husband reads this. He enjoys reading what I write. He finds me humorous and intriguing enough to keep reading and to actually have conversations about my writings. (Why this astounds me, I have no clue. He did marry me after all.)

It thrills me to know that he reads what I write. I get excited at the thought of him seeing into my head. I positively burst if he's proud of me or impressed by me (I get almost the same feeling when my sister starts showing off my blog to her friends.)

I feel Validated.

I feel Loved.

I feel Powerful.

So, thank you to all who read my ramblings, you devoted travellers through the Land of Erin. It warms my soul to know that someone is out there.

A special thanks to my Husband - You now know how thrilled I am with your literary interest. :)

New career or hobby?

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I may have majored in Magazine Journalism at Drake, but I minored in Fine Arts. Specifically, Graphic Design and Painting. And if I had ever thought I could make a living on my terms doing either, I probably would have changed majors.

Anyway... I have been dabbling in design again. Ok, and painting too. (I recreated Scott's Aunt & Uncle's wedding picture in Acrylic for their 40th Anniversary.) For the same Anniversary party, I did the invitations, the open house announcements, the response cards, and the place cards. And I loved it. I love the creative feel of the design and the thrill of making something others will see. (It's the same feeling when I cook for other people. I really think I might be an attention hog deep down inside.) So... above is my latest invite, for a Couple's Wedding Shower. It's a Harley Theme, in color and thought. I wanted to include their theme and love of motorcycles, but still keep it classy and modern. I hope they like it. (And yes, I smudged the important personal info!)

So... the point of this rant? I am trying to build my portfolio. And I think I am going to start freelancing. So, if you know of anyone needing a personal invite for a private event... give them my name. I'm not up to fancy-shmancy yet, I need to find a better printer for that. But I can try anything.