an interview and tuna steaks

Today when i woke up I knew it was going to be a pretty good day (even though the sun has decided to hide behind the clouds for the most part). A few weeks ago I applied to every job i could think of. I figured that after a month of not hearing back from any of the companies, and that the select few i did hear back from said "we will keep you application for 60 days, but you aren't a fit for us at this time.", that i was never going to get a job. I had even changed my thinking and decided that I probably didn't really need a job and that it would just be NICE to have one. Especially since I am loving being him with the babes. this morning I got a call and I have an interview this afternoon. I'm pretty excited. I immediately called everyone i could think of who knew i was pounding pavement searching relentlessly for employment. then like any warm blooded female I ran to my closet to see what i had to wear... holy cow! So pre-baby i had tons of cute dress slacks, skirts, even really snazzy blouses, you know the kinda that make sure to excentuate that flat stomach and that small waist. Not only are those specific clothes in a plastic stoarge bin out of reach, but there's no way they would even fit me right now. I had a minor, and by minor i do mean minor panic attack. I started wondering, "am i going to blow this interview because i look like i just had a baby 2 months ago and i'm 6 months out?" "can i get away with jeans?" Trust me, everything crossed my mind. I didn't even think that i would need professional clothes, ever to be the truth. My job pre-baby was pretty much my all time favorite. I could wear jeans to work, it was awesome. so the last two years i haven't had need for interview attire.

I was in luck though, I was able to find a skirt all the way at the back of my closet. it was hidden on a hanger with a pair of Andrew's slacks folded over the top. I don't know that I will be dressed to kill, but i did my hair and I will look professional. I'm still excited though and nervous at the same time. I haven't worked in 7 months. go figure. it's like ridding a bike, right? ♥

On a better note, I am so very excited about dinner tonight. Actually I am excited about dinner pretty much every night this week. I am going to be making tuna steaks. I have never actually made these. They looks pretty good at the butcher block so i am hoping that they taste just as great once they make it to my table. (we still eat dorm style on our couches... so i guess once they make it to the couch.)

this morning I finished a project i have been dying to get started on. All my friends who are pregnant this time around are having little girls. I've been embellishing onesies and making little shoes and hair bows. it's been fun. What do you make that is crafty for little guys? I haven't been able to come up with anything quite yet. But, I do have one really cute Idea for one of my friends soon to be's Jackson. I will post before i package it all up once I get it put together.

spring has sprung...

I love love LOVE spring time. especially this time of year, when everything is beginning to change. It's like one day everything looked dead and then all of a sudden, you wake up and it's bursting with life again. It is so refreshing to have this feeling of 'new life', and I am so glad to be able to sit here while writing this and say that I am so proud to have what feels like a new life before me.

Each day I am learning how to be a mom. I will be the first to say that I struggled in the beginning. Not the kind of struggling that comes with trying to figure out how to get that diaper on that baby boy bottom fast enough, or the struggle of waking up for late night feedings (that is a struggle all on its own), but the kind of struggle where I truly questioned myself as a person. I have learned alot over the past few months. I have learned even more about myself than I thought was possible. Isn't it strange that as women we are taught that we are such a nurturing kind, yet we are the hardest on ourselves and sometimes each other?

Today I got to spend the morning outside with my little guy, and while I sat there I got to think. Now, sometimes thinking is a dangerous thing, especially when it is coming from a person who 'feels' cooped up all the time. But this wasn't that type of thinking. This time I was outside, amongst friends. I was listening to them talk and it dawned on me that (and i can't tell you why it has taken me so long to finally realize this) I am actually doing a good job with this mom thing. I have a healthy baby who is strong and is learning how to do so many things. I am actually finding the time to cook real meals for my family. I am taking and MAKING the time for myself, and more so than just a shower, (because lets face it a shower just isn't enough!) I'm working on creative projects and completing them. I mean, (hoping i don't sound like I'm bragging because i don't mean it that way) if I was my friend, I would think i was pretty cool. I mean I'm a pretty cool chikah!

Although I have lots to get to, today that did not fill my thoughts. I had so many other great things to fill it with. However, one day, I am going to figure out how to go skating with a jogging stroller...

chicken salad stuffed tomatoes

i love that spring and summer time brings in all sorts of salads: chicken salad, potato salad, pasta salad and fruit salad. tonight for dinner i used a new recipe:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 large beefstake tomatoes, cored



1) In large bowl, combine all ingredients except the tomatoes. Adjust seasonings if desired. Be sure to cover and chill if not serving immediately.

2) Before serving, us a spoon to scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Divi up chicken salad among the tomatoes.

Cakey Cornbread Muffins

1-1/4 Cup yellow (or white) cornmeal

3/4 Cup Flour

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbs sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3 Tbs vegetable oil, or melted butter

1 Cup milk

1/2 Cup whole corn kernals (frozen, fresh or canned)

1) whisk together first 5 ingredients in mixing bowl. add beaten eggs, vegetable oil and milk. combine with a few rapid strokes. fold in corn kernals

2) scrape batter into muffin tins, each aprox 2/3 full.

3) bake @ 425 for 15-18 min

TA-DA!

Lasagna Extraordinare

Have you seen Julie & Julia? I loved that movie. I have always been an alright cook. My stuff tasted pretty good. It was edible and Andrew seemed to enjoy it. Now, after I saw the infamous blogging/chef film I decided to set my bar a little higher when it came to the meals my family would be feasting upon. Andrew seemed more than ok with this plan. And for christmas (i know it was like 3 months ago) I got a cooking BIBLE! No, it isn't the book from the movie, but it is Ah-MAZING non-the-less. "The Joy of Cooking" , and oh how cooking has become a joy. It is the 75th Anniversary addition, 4500 recipes and over 1000 pages of delicious information. I 100% suggest this book to anyone who 'thinks' they know how to cook. Even the leftovers are good!

ok. so that's not what i wanted to blog about this morning. (well sortof anyways) So I am on this cooking kick, and last night I made a gorgeous lasagna. I did it from scratch the whole way through. I made the sauce the day before (which is so much easier than I thought it would be) and then I layered this bad boy up with fantastic flavors.

so here is the finished masterpiece:

And here are some photos of my prep work:

this spinach was gorgeous. I only thought it was green, then I blanched it to go in cottage cheese layer and it turned an even bolder color.

see how the green changed from the hot water? Isn't that cool. Maybe I'm just simple, but I was really fascinated when I saw this:

And oh, how the mushrooms browned!

The cottage cheese mixture got the blanched, chopped spinach thrown in with it. Great for flavor and some good color:

ART! It's layered lasagna noodles, cottage cheese mixture, mushrooms, homemade sauce w/ italian sausage then cheese.

Alright, so everyone i know uses a blog. I've been an avid participant with 'Facebook' since it came out for college students back in 2004. It has been a 'hard' transition into starting a blog, only because i was good at updating facebook and a blog sort of scared me. Since I've been following a few different blogs lately I figured it couldn't hurt to start one. I figure it can't be that hard or take that long to figure out how to do it well. After-all, they are tons cuter than the blue/white/gray layout that facebook has.

This seems to be more of a journal entry gone electronic scrapbook. So that is cool. I can handle that. Plus there are things that I want to share with close friends that I don't want to post up on facebook. Needless to say, here I am with lots to share. Plus, this will help me with my goal to be better at taking pictures of my adventures as a mommy.