Me, A to Z

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs, Doc Momma. It's a way of sharing information by yourself. If I'm really giving this blogging thing a go (three years later), I'd say it's worth doing.






A-Age-Not loving that one but celebrating birthdays sure beats the alternative! Just two years away from a milestone birthday. Hopefully by May 2017 I can live with that!


B-Bed size-King. We did not get a king bed until a year ago. How did we ever live without it?


C-Chore I hate-Hands down, emptying the dishwasher. Will try to avoid it every single time. Sometimes I'm successful.


D-Dogs-Wooky, of course, for whom the blog is named. He is our (almost) 10 year old West Highland Terrier. Sweetest dog in the whole wide world.


E-Essential to start my day-Exercise with my friends is part one. I wasn't really a group runner or walker before our move but have started up with a great group of girls and love our daily time and having the workout done before 6:15 a.m.! My other start--I don't drink coffee, but a Coke or Diet Coke is my caffeine poison of choice.


F-Favorite color: Yellow


G-Gold or silver: I alternate. Right now it's gold.


H-Height-5'5 1/2"


I-Instruments I play-None. Need to get on this one for B!


J-Job title-Partner in a law firm. On any given day this can mean attorney, counselor, trainer, investigator, mediator, mama bear, or any of the above!


K-Kids-One human (B) and one dog (Wooky).


L-Live-As of August 2014, in Mobile, Alabama. Love our new home. We have been so fortunate in the friends and neighbors we have met. And living this close to the water isn't shabby.


M-Movie-Steel Magnolias. So many great quotes in that one.


N-Nickname-Kate, KatyBug, KK (my niece's name for me)


O-Overnight Hospital Stays-Very fortunate in this one. Childbirth plus a tonsillectomy when I was 11 years old.


P-Pet peeve-This one should/could be plural. Those who think their time is better/more important than yours. People not using turn signals. Improper grammar ("their" instead of "there," etc.)


Q-Quote-"One can choose to go back toward safety, or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." Abraham Maslow. I also like the old adage, "What goes around comes around."


R-Righty or lefty-Righty for sure.


S-Siblings-A younger sister (pediatrician) and a younger brother (another lawyer!).


T-Time I Wake Up-On a workout morning, 4:42 a.m. I get every minute of sleep I can! Otherwise, it's 5:45 or 6:00 so I can get ready and eat breakfast with B before taking him to school.


U-University I Attended-The University of Alabama. Roll Tide! I attended the University of Georgia for law school.


V-Vegetable I Dislike-Rutabega turnips. Otherwise I love veggies.


W-What Makes Me Late-Thinking I have more time than I have and trying to cram too much in ("let me just start this load of clothes")


X-Xrays-None other than the typical ones.


Y-Yummy food-shrimp. spaghetti.


Z-Zoo animal. I've been to the zoo tons of times with B but not sure I have a favorite!

Weekend by the Numbers

This past weekend was the post-Mardi Gras letdown, but a good weekend to catch up. Nothing too exciting on the agenda, but it was a good time to rest and catch up. Here's the weekend by the numbers:

10-Number of two-year-olds H and I kept in nursery on Sunday morning. Wowzers. Thank goodness H volunteered to help. There was a sweet college student with us, but, with a major crying clinging kiddo, we needed all three bodies. The best news of the morning? We found another sweet sitter for B!

9-Times I may have cursed or alternately cheered while teaching B how to ride his bike. A little tough love went a long way because...

8-Number of times he asked to have his training wheels taken off this week because now he can ride and wants to ride with his neighborhood friends.

Here, he is applying cool stars and lightning bolts to his spokes, courtesy of his cousins.

7-How many times I lamented eating leftover Chinese food on Friday night. During the day on Saturday, I was miserable. After some meds, Gatorade, and sleep on Saturday night, I felt a lot better on Sunday.

6-Number of casseroles made and frozen by H this weekend. What a lifesaver. Last week was not our best eating good meals at home week (think pizza, Chinese, etc.), and having meals already made and frozen is an incredible help during these busy weeks.

5-Age my sweetie will be next week. NEXT WEEK!

4-Loads of laundry done (and I didn't even have school uniforms to wash this weekend). Lacrosse, tball, and tennis are going to kill me.

3-Stops we made while running errands on Saturday. First, we headed to Alabama Outdoors for a big, big sale that has apparently been going on for awhile:

While things were pretty picked over, I did find a Patagonia puffer jacket on sale.

We also hit Academy Sports for a baseball bag and new tball pants:

Thought these were cute!

Finally, we rolled over to Home Depot for some new plants for our front porch. We had the BEST help there:

2-Hours worked by me each day. Blah. It's going to be a busy week and it helps me to "get ahead" on the weekend so I can get behind again right away on Monday morning! It has definitely shaped up to be that kind of day (and week).

1-Meals I cooked this weekend. I made beef stew in the crockpot using a recipe from emeals. It had carrots, celery, onion, garlic, beef broth, and cornstarch. It wasn't bad. Not bad at all. Hello Monday leftovers!

Have a great week,
Katy

Five on Friday--Mardi Gras edition

I LOVE Five on Friday and am happy to link up with the girls of Five on Friday! I love to read what people post and what's been going on in their lives. The past week (or honestly, two) for us has been Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras. It deserves its own post, so here we go...

ONE.  Fun fact--Did you know Mardi Gras originated right here in Mobile, our adopted home? Everyone THINKS it's New Orleans, but Mobile is the home of Mardi Gras. And proud of it!

TWO. My boy got into it.  Just like everything else, B (now almost 5) got into this new tradition.  We had Mardi Gras Day at school:

 

 

It was so much fun! He enjoyed centers (necklace beading, mask making, king cake making, and moon pie tasting station).

B also likes parades. The more throws he received, the better. Moon pies, cups, beads, peanuts, footballs, Frisbees, hoops, yucky stuffed animals...we now have it. He enjoyed watching several different parades, and so did I:

Don't I look like a natural?

THREE.  The parties and balls. We were so fortunate to be asked to several. It was a lot of fun to get dressed up and attend different functions. They were all very different and reflected the traditions of the various societies who held them.  By the end, though, this girl who usually goes to bed at 9 p.m. was running out of steam. Probably my favorite was an afternoon lawn party:

And, it was great to have some date days/nights with H!

FOUR. The fashion.  Oh my. We saw it all. Some very Jackie O and appropriate. Some short and tight...and...whoa. But it's white tie and tails for the balls. (See below).  And one of the parties we attended mandated hats (see also below):

FIVE.  STILL VACATION!  I would be remiss in my account of the whole Mardi Gras experience if I didn't share that it means a whole week out of school for the B man. You read that correctly. Not exactly easy for the working parent, but B has fully enjoyed his time off. On Monday, he enjoyed a day at the park with his sweet babysitter:

When the weather got cold and gray on Fat Tuesday, we headed to Pump it Up with some friends and hit Chic Fil A for lunch (always a treat). Wednesday he enjoyed a trip to the Exploreum to see the new dinosaur exhibit. So all in all not a bad week at all for this guy!

Have a great weekend!

The Positivity Post--2015

Here I am, THREE YEARS LATER, and have decided to make the attempt (gulp!) to start blogging again. I really enjoy reading blogs, seeing others' ideas, enjoying their fun times, and hearing different viewpoints. I read a post called "The Positivity Post" and enjoyed it so much that I thought I should do the same as my re-entry into the blogging world.

ONE. Something you love about yourself. I love that I have a strong work ethic. This has always been the case, since I was a child. It is something I hope to pass on to B and make him understand its importance.

TWO. Something you are proud of.  One of the things I'm most proud of recently is my firm relay team's first place finish in the First Light Marathon in January. No, we didn't all run 26.2 (after all, it was a relay), but we did each do a leg. Mine.Was. Hilly. But I loved it and was proud we won.

THREE. The best thing that has happened to me recently. For those who don't know me, it would be our relocation to Mobile this past August and all the good things that have come with that move. That's the biggest thing. Even more recently was Mardi Gras. (Separate post to come). I had never experienced this phenomenon and it did not disappoint. It's a cultural tradition that I'm excited for B to have as he grows up.

FOUR. Give someone a compliment.  I have to compliment my friends here in Mobile for making us feel so welcome during Mardi Gras, as during other times. From inviting us to balls and parties to watching parades with kiddos to loaning hats to fashion advice, everyone has been great and made this a very special first Mardi Gras for all three of us. Thank you!
-Katy

Valentine's Day

I am not a big Valentine's Day fan. H and I do the bare minimum, and I'd be okay even if we didn't do that. This year, it was a little hard not to get excited, because of B.

The night before V-Day, I asked B what he was going to tell his classmates the next day. He proudly told me, "Roll Tide!" So much for the Happy Valentine's Day I had taught him. He may not be a big fan of the holiday, either.

We made special Valentines for B's classmates that I saw on www.pinterest.com.  We took individual cereal boxes, tied on a red spoon using pink ribbon, and included a heart tag that said, "I CEREALsly like you." I thought they turned out well:

B's class did not have a Valentine's Day party, but instead had a red tasting party...cookies, cupcakes, apple slices, etc. Aunt Abby made t-shirts for B and EVERYONE else in the class. B liked wearing the same shirt as the rest of the boys in his class:

That night, H and I gave B his Valentine from us. He loved the Elmo card (along with the stickers) and went crazy over the finger paints. B paints constantly at school, but we've never tried it at home. It was a total success (and thank goodness it was washable paint):

It was a great day! I love seeing the world through B's eyes!

Catching Up-Way Up

So far I'm not doing so well in my blogging New Year's resolution, but here we go...

We had a busy January.  B enjoyed getting new "John Deere" cowboy boots and going to the Ringling Brothers circus when it came to town. He even modeled the boots and a shirt made by his Aunt Abby:

B loved the circus! He especially liked the horses and tigers.

It rained lots in January, so we had to grab outside time while we could. One particularly rainy Sunday, we took him to play "ball" on a nearby tennis court:

This past Saturday, in the face of 25 degree temps, we headed to the local Gymboree with cousin B for a music class, which they both loved:

  Both boys enjoyed singing "Miss Mary Mack." B loved dancing with scarves, and cousin B really enjoyed playing the drum. They both enjoyed the "grab bag" of instruments that was brought out at the end.
In other news, we're preparing for B's second birthday party, which is in just THREE WEEKS. I plan to post soon about his most recent likes and dislikes, but suffice it to say right now we play lots and lots of Thomas.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am way behind on blogging, and those of you who know me are probably wondering about this blog's title. I am not a cook. I do not like to cook. I am not a good cook. I claim lack of time as a good reason not to cook. But I do like to eat.  Fortunately for me, I have a husband who likes to cook and is a very good one.

At the beginning of this month, Amanda, one of my friends and co-workers, told me about the Sweet as Pie Cooking Club. Basically, there are 5 recipes a month, all from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. Everyone cooks the same recipes and blogs about them. Since I need practice at blogging, and we desperately needed some new food ideas, I was all for it.  H, my husband, cooks, while I do the blogging.

After a busy week, we finally got around to the first recipe this weekend, Chicken Tortilla Soup.  According to H, the hardest part was the chopping and mixing of spices:

H loves to let soups/chilis simmer, so we got to smell a yummy preview all afternoon:

H did not add the second can of black beans that the Pioneer Woman had in her recipe.  According to H, it was not too difficult a recipe.  After sampling, we decided two things: (1) it was a little spicy for B's taste; and (2) it will definitely go on our recipe rotation. Unfortunately, I somehow lost my finished product photos, but I will say that the recommended condiments (tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, and sour cream) definitely made a good soup even better.

And just because it's cute: