Happiness...

Do you ever have days that you feel so happy you just want to smell the flowers, jump for joy and conquer the world! I'm having one of those days and it's not because of anything in particular I just feel happy!

Hallelujah! Houston I think we're potty trained!

Yay!!! I am so excited about this joyous event in our house that I just have to blog about it!! My baby girl will be turning 3yrs old next month and we have been working on potty training in what seems like forever! Actually we started not to long after she turned 2 yrs old. At the time we didn't really push it because of we felt she was still young but we wanted to introduce it, but for the past week she's been going "potty" all by herself! I don't even take her anymore! She says, "I gotta go potty"!, and runs to the bathroom! I'm hugging myself with glee!!! I tell my kids all the time I want them to stay babies but the whole potty training bit is for the birds! I'm so proud of her!

Thank God for the Crock Pot...

Oh no, I feel the aches and pains in my body, which could mean one thing...I think I'm getting sick. This Mama here has no time getting sick! My husband is a wonderful cook, but who wants to cook after a long day at work, plus last night he helped me cook a decent meal for dinner. With all this being said I thank God that he created the Crock Pot! Don't you hear the angels singing! I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and placed it in the Crock Pot this morning. This is such an easy dish it should be outlawed.

Recipe:

 2-3 lbs of pork tenderloin
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbque Sauce
Dice 1/2 of a large onion or 1 small onion
Mince 2 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper

Cook in the Crock Pot on slow for 4-6 hours.

Voila! When you get home just bust out the hamburger buns and instant dinner. Serve with chips or cole slaw.

The picture doesn't do it justice plus it's almost all gone. That's how good it is!

Money Challenge...

For 2013 my husband and I have added a money challenge as one of our family goals. I came across this neat 52 Week Money Challenge that I saw floating around Facebook. It looks pretty simple and easy to start.  At the end of the year you'll have a nice sum of money, but why stop at the end of the year, just carry it over to the next year and the next year after that. This 52 Week Challenge looks like a nice way to build up a nice savings.

Birthday Dinner, Wine and Les Miserables...

My 39th birthday was on Dec 28 and for my birthday my husband took me out to dinner at my favorite Italian restaurants and then so lovingly accompanied me to the movies to see Les Miserables. I say "lovingly accompanied" because this is definitely not a guy's movie. But he was a good sport and I'm grateful the night out we shared.

If you ever visit The Irvine Spectrum, make sure to check out Cucina Enoteca. I love the food and the ambiance. My first visit there I was introduced to a Barbera red wine, which is now my favorite red wine!  Ed Manetta, the wine director over at Cucina Enoteca is awesome! He and his wife used to have a wine shop in Ladera Ranch for seven years. He explained to me that a barbera is a type of grape that is generally grown in Italy and are a little more tart and acidic. The California barbera is more lighter and frutier, which is what they serve. Make sure you check them out!





On to Les Mis...

I loved it! I have to say it was a little long and my poor husband kept looking around the theater, giving big sighs and at times I saw him rubbing his face with both hands. I did tell him a couple of times to sit back and relax and he tried, but he said he looked over at the girl on his right and she was crying then he looked over at me on his left and I was crying. I did give him big hugs for going with me.

New Year New Posts...

This year in 2013 my one big New Years resolution is to finish what I started.  Not that I want this blog to end, but to really stick with it. I started this blog as a creative outlet and as I'm approaching 40 (shhh!) I feel more liberated in myself as a woman or just as a person. So here it is 2013! Here I am! Here me roar!!!