Friday Night Dates :: 1

I recently made the decision to make
my relationship with my husband a priority.
We were feeling the distance of throwing ourselves into parenthood.
After a few in-depth heart to heart conversations,
we realized that we did not feel like we just hung out together anymore.

So, our "Friday Night Dates at Home" came to be.
It's our time to reconnect and we both look forward to it all week.

Every Friday we plan a menu
that consists of a cocktail and a snack.
Then, we snuggle up in bed, dine on our snacks,
slowly sip our cocktails, and watch a movie.

It' so sweet because Friday is my night to do Griffin's bedtime
so Roger makes our treats while I snuggle with Griffin.
It's nice to feel waited on.

I've decided to start a Monday series
called Friday Night Dates
where I document our dates from over the weekend.

This will ensure that we continue the tradition
even if we are tired.
Also, it's fun to plan the menu
and I'd like to share the recipes with y'all.

So, without further ado,
here is Week 1.

We went for a tropical flare!

Mojitos

Ingredients
* 1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 sprig fresh mint, crushed
* 1/2 cup crushed ice
* 2 fluid ounces white rum
* 4 fluid ounces carbonated water
* 1 sprig fresh mint, garnish

Directions

1. In a highball glass, stir together the confectioners' sugar and lime juice. Bruise the mint leaves and drop into glass. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour in rum. Pour in carbonated water to fill the glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

It may look like a heap of junk but it tasted so good!

Crab Nachos :
{recipe from Clean Eating Magazine}

Ingredients:
cooking spray, extra virgin olive oil, 1 serving
2 whole wheat pitas
1/2-1 tsp cumin seeds-I used gr cumin just fine but only used 1/2 tsp
1/2 bell pepper, chopped small
1 cup fresh baby spinach, thinly sliced
8 oz crabmeat
3 tbsp Sour Cream-I used 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Mozzarella Cheese, whole milk, 3 oz-I used lower fat preshredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Slice your pita into wedges (I then separated each pita pocket in half as well) (16-24 wedges, depending on your preferred size). Arrange wedges in a single layer on baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 2-3 minutes until crisp.

Combine pepper, spinach, cumin, cayenne, crabmeat, sour cream, and salt and pepper if desired, in bowl, and mix well. Sour cream should coat other ingredients. Place mixture on pita wedges. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until mozzarella melts and topping is warm. Serve immediately.

Then, we watched The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Let's face it, the book is always better than the film.
Somehow, we always enjoy this one though.
The irreverence of it all makes it so fun to watch.
Sam Rockwell is a genius in this film.

I know that other blogs have done similar date night challenges
but I'd like to inspire y'all to invite
a little romance into your life.

Feel free to join me on Mondays.
Just leave your link with a post about
your fantastic Friday Night Date in the comments.
If enough people decide to join in then I'll add a linky.
Trust me...I've said it before,
Friday Night smooches are the absolute best.

Happy Snuggling!

Winner : I'm in the band edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Moooooog35
"This one time, in Imaginary Band Camp..."

Moooooog35
Although Brian was often teased about his conjoined twin,
Barry was so good at Clarinet that it took a lot of pressure off.

VandyJ
I'm so much cooler in my mind!

The winner is...
VandyJ

I'm so much cooler in my mind!

VandyJ
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Time to play...

I am on fire, people.
I have another article up over at Athens Patch.
It's all about our local playgrounds.
You don't have to live in my town to comment on the feature.
You can pretend to live in my town
and also leave a glowing comment
on what a fantastic article I wrote
and what a huge asset I am to the Athens community.
I mean, if you feel like it!

Click here to head on over
and show me some comment love.

Freakshow Friday : I'm in the Band Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo found on Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, it's all kinds of awesomeness.

The only thing Travis could think about
was his sweet clarinet.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award

and have bragging rights forever.
Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll link up to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

You Capture : Pretty

The assignment over at You Capture was Pretty.
I just love flowers, don't you?
I always find my imagination running wild
as I try to imagine what kind of woman each flower would be.
Remember my Ode to Wildflowers?

The Gardenia bushes have bloomed in my front yard.
They are lined up along the front of my house
and the blooms look like old southern ladies
sitting in pews at church.

These flowers are regal
and almost seem wise.
If they could talk they would call me honey
and offer me a glass of sweet tea
when I came to visit them.

My front porch smells so sweet
as if the pretty ladies just walked by
and their perfume lingered for a moment.

Also, this is just a little reminder to you
to please help me reach my goal of 100 entries for
52 Weeks of Happiness.

Click on the button for all the details!

Love ya!

My good news!

I am so excited to announce that I have a weekly column
over at Athens Patch called Moms Talk.
Each week I will post a discussion topic
and you are all invited to chime in and tell me
your thoughts and experiences.

Please head on over and give me some comment love!
Just click on the link beneath the
photo of my picky eater down there!

Tricking a picky eater...

Leigh vs. Fudge Puppies

The battle rages on in my kitchen.

I decided to make a little treat for a special

"Daddy and Me Day" at Griffin's school.
I made Fudge Puppies
because it does not involve turning on the oven.

The concept is simple...
toast Belgian Waffles,
shove a stick in the waffle,
freeze waffles for half an hour,
then dip the waffle in melted chocolate.

Easy enough, right?
My advice...don't make the chocolate too thick
because they will come out super ugly and lumpy after you dip them.
Also, since you can't very well serve an ugly Fudge Puppy,
I would advise not to eat the ugly ones up as you prepare them.

You will get a tummy ache.
I speak from experience.

Other than that,
I made a bunch of pretty ones too.
So, I'm almost certain that I won this battle in the kitchen.

Let's check in with Vera,
the lovely lady that is keeping score today...



Yup...I totally took this one,
for those of you that are keeping track.

52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 12

A Saturday night date at a real restaurant.

I don't mean to brag but...
we went out on an actual date over the weekend.
We love our Friday night dates at home
but there is something so delicious
about a night spent out on the town.

We waited until 8:00 pm to eat dinner,
which is late for us.
We felt like adults, it was crazy.

So, we found our way to a Tapas joint
and ordered so much food that it covered the table.
Fried green tomatoes, lamb pops, scallops,
a latin sushi roll, Chicken Arepas,
Queso Dulce, and White Sangria.

We ate super slow and when it was all said
and done I was so full
that I almost started crying.

We went on an evening stroll across campus
and as the sun melted down into the sky
we laughed and talked
and groaned because we were so damn full from dinner.

We found a little garden and watched
as the day turned into night.
The moon drenched the trees around us.

It was terribly romantic until
we promptly went home
and passed out on the couch.

Ah...nothing like the splendor
of being an exhausted parent.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/thumbnail_camera_ads-6-3.jpg" /></a></div><br />

Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Did you read my exciting development for this project?
If not...click here!

I'm Starting To Think That I Really Might Have Eyes On the Back of My Head.

I totally have fooled my kid into believing that I can see every little naughty thing that he tries to do. I suspected that I had tricked him into thinking that I was the smartest and craftiest mom on the planet but he confirmed my suspicions the other day.

We had a play date at our house with a very sweet and polite boy that played on Griffin's soccer team. Let's call him Adam (names have been changed to protect the mischievous). Now, Adam is a good boy. He's polite and his parents really seem to be on the ball, so I was thrilled when he came over to play.

The only thing about Adam is that he gets excited easily and turns into a total spaz. Being a total spaz myself, I can relate to the kid and don't mind so much when he starts to act like a lunatic. You just have reign a kid like him in at the get go, tell him the rules, and he'll try really hard to abide by them.

So, when I discovered that he was pretending to run on our treadmill that sits beside the couch, I kindly asked him to stop. The treadmill was not turned on and I swear that I heard it moaning in pain as he stomped and tried his hardest to make it slide beneath his feet. He stepped off and blushed a bit as he apologized.

I headed into the kitchen to make dinner, leaving the two boys in the living room to play. As I popped some taco shells in the oven, it suddenly grew very quiet in the living room. That usually means that someone is up to no good. I glanced in the mirror of an antique hutch that we have conveniently placed in the dining room. I love this old mirror because I can see a reflection of the living room in the glass. This has become my top tool for spying on the children while I cook dinner. Griffin has been caught in the act many times as I've seen his mischievous deeds in the mirror.

So, I glanced up to see Adam , jogging away on treadmill. "Adam, get off the treadmill, please!" I yelled from the kitchen. I could see in the mirror that he looked shocked while he glanced around the room. He plopped onto the couch and said to Griffin in a shocked voice, "How did she know I was on it?' Then Griffin responded in a very serious tone "I don't know, but she does it all the time!"

I promptly congratulated myself
for being the sneakiest mom ever
and felt incredibly smug while I prepared dinner.

I hope to forever dupe him into believing that
I have eyes on the back of my head!

Also, this is just a little reminder to you

to please help me reach my goal of 100 entries for
52 Weeks of Happiness.

Please be a dear
and invite all of your friends
to participate in tomorrow's carnival.

Be sure that they let me know that you sent them!

Click on the button for all the details!

See you tomorrow, my lovelies!

Winner : Cat People Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Moooooog35
Segfried and Roy: the early years.

UBERMOUTH
And like deers caught in the headlights,
one thought stuck frozen in their 3 little brains,
" car! car! car!"

DG at Diary of a Mad Bathroom
Andy Dick and his date gloat
over their successful attempt at smuggling
Mr. Whiskers into Sr Prom.

The winner is...
DG at Diary of a Mad Bathroom

Andy Dick and his date gloat
over their successful attempt at smuggling
Mr. Whiskers into Sr Prom.

DG at Diary of a Mad Bathroom
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Cat People Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo found on Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, I feel so bad for the cat.

The day that Whiskers lost all dignity.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award

and have bragging rights forever.
Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll link up to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

The Day in the life of a Tenacious Two Year Old Cowboy.

My two year old is a cowboy. He may refuse to wear a cowboy hat on his head and possibly run away if I tried to put boots on his feet, but he has a cowboy's heart. He's tough as nails and more of a daredevil than I would prefer.

After breakfast yesterday, he climbed onto the table, (only after throwing his plate full of food onto the floor) stood up tall, put his arms over his head, and yelled "Watch out mama, I jump!" I dropped my half made bagel on the floor and ran like lightning only to stop him as he prepared to jump off of the dining room table. I redirected him to our indoor trampoline to get his jumpies out.

He scooted over in that direction but was quickly distracted by the new outlet covers that we had lovingly placed over the plugs to protect him. Undaunted, he pulled the baby proof cover right on out of the socket, proudly walked over to me, placed it in my hand, and announced "I pull that out, mama."

Great. That's just what happens when you have a cowboy living in your house.

If he had the finesse and the know how to toss a lasso, I know that he would rope up every single toy in this house and drag them into his room. His cowboy ways don't stop there either, you should see him gallop into the living room on his stick horse. He can jump off that thing and swing it over his head at his brother faster than I can say "sassafrass".

I'm tellin ' ya, he's a high-falootin', rootin, tootin' cowboy and I think that this cowgirl is in for a heap of trouble!

If your new to these parts
please help me reach my goal of 100 entries for
52 Weeks of Happiness.

Click on the button for all the details!

Love ya!

You Capture : Busy

The assignment over at You Capture was Busy.
I happen to have a very busy boy on my hands.
We gave him a tool box for his birthday and he is
always tinkering with one thing or another these days.

I actually love that he is out of focus in the background.
It captures his busy essence, always on the move,
and always a blur as he scoots around the house "fixing" this and that.

Also, this is just a little reminder to you
to please help me reach my goal of 100 entries for
52 Weeks of Happiness.

Click on the button for all the details!

Love ya!

Let's spread the word!

I would love to take over the blogosphere with happiness
and I need your help!

Let's try to get 100 people to participate
in the 52 Weeks of Happiness Project.
If every person who participated invited one friend
to join in our quest to find happiness in our lives,
then I bet that we could easily get 100 people on board!

As a little thank you for my lovely readers,
whichever person guides the most people to participate
will get the pleasure of taking over my blog for one day.

That's right, tell all your friends
to leave a comment to let me know that you sent them
to join in the carnival.

Whoever sends the most happy people
will be a guest blogger on
my little ol' blog!
We have to reach 100 though!

Sounds like fun, huh?
So, go tell your best bloggy buddy to take a picture
of something that makes them wildly happy
and tell us all about it.
Then tell them to tell their friends.

Who knows?
Maybe we'll change the world,
one happy photo at a time!

You could be a doll
and write up a little post about it
and use that fancy little button that I made up there,
if you wanted to.
Just sayin'.

Okay, please scroll on down for this week's
52 Weeks of Happiness.

52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 11

Friday night dates at home.

It has been such a challenge for Roger and I
to spend one on one time together.

Too often, we sit on the couch and zone out
after the kids are in bed.
I have passed out on the couch on more than one occasion.
We were feeling a bit distant until
we came up with the perfect solution.

Every Friday night we have a date in our bed.

We pick a different beverage each Friday for us to sip on
while we lounge in bed together.
This week we chose a cheap bottle of Pinot Grigio.

We make up a plate of yummy snacks to snack on as we relax.

This week's menu included
homemade rosemary bread that my Dad's neighbor made,
summer sausage, garlic cheese spread, and grapes.

Then we are super indulgent
and put the TV right at the foot of our bed.
We curl up and watch a move on Netflix.
I lucked out to find a man
that actually enjoys Jane Austin films.
So this week we watched Emma and snuggled.

It feels like when we were dating
and we decided to stay in on a Friday night.

It's the perfect way to start the weekend
and we actually feel like we've spent some quality time together.

Of course, a lady doesn't kiss and tell
but let me tell you,
Friday night smooches are the best!

Wanna hear something else making me happy?
Today is our 8 year wedding anniversary!!

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/thumbnail_camera_ads-6-3.jpg" /></a></div><br />

Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Did you read my exciting development for this project?
If not...click here!

Becoming a Soccer Mom

Griffin just completed his first season of soccer.
I am officially a soccer mom and I have to admit,
it's pretty awesome.

Griffin was so proud to put on a uniform
and play his little heart out.
Even though it was a challenging season for The Dragons.
They lost every game but the last one,
thank God they won the last one.
They were the underdogs, for sure.
It was actually kind of cute.



Let's be honest, half of the kids had no idea what they were doing.
One little girl on his team just stood there
and looked cute most of the time.
Other kids were afraid of the ball.
Sometimes they got distracted by a
spontaneous game of tag in the middle of the game.
No one cared though, they were just excited to run amok on the field.

We really enjoyed spending our Saturday mornings as a family
watching Griffin play and cheering him on.
When Koen wasn't trying to rush into the game, he was right by Griffin's side,
wanting to be just like his big brother, the soccer playing king in his world.

I totally turned into one of those cheering parents

that gathers on the sidelines.
I would shout "GO DRAGONS!" and suddenly find myself
screaming at the top of of my lungs.

It was all I could do not to grab the other moms
and organize a dance routine to perform at half time.
It was so much fun.

They somehow pulled it together at the very end and won 7 to 5.
Griffin was so proud to take a victorious walk
and say "good game" to the other team
and actually mean it.

I have a feeling that this was the first
of many soccer seasons to come.
I feel pretty good about being a soccer mom.

Now all I need is a minivan.

Winner : Elf Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Moooooog35
Everyone at Keebler was surprised
when the company sprang for "Glamour Shots."

Jeremy from We Took The Bait
Link from "The Legend of Zelda"
poses after his last estrogen therapy session.

VandyJ
No one could convince Erin
that Aragon was never coming for her.

The winner is...
Moooooog35

Everyone at Keebler was surprised
when the company sprang for "Glamour Shots."

Moooooog35
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to his blog

and marvel at this fantastic award he just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Elf Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo found on Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, this girl is super special.

Do these ears make my lips look green?

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award

and have bragging rights forever.
Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll link up to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

The Prayer of the Exhausted Mommy

I am currently smack dab in the middle of training
Koen to sleep in his big boy bed.
I find myself sitting on the hard floor in his room,
next to his little car bed,
trying to force his big round eyes closed
with my brain waves.

The darkness surrounds me,
the minutes seem to turn to hours,
the walls start to close in,
my butt falls asleep,
and I start the feel trapped.

I try to quietly stand up to sneak out
when his little head pops up.
"Sit, mama!"
he demands in a sleepy voice.
I plop back down on the floor in an exhausted stupor
and then I find myself bargaining with God.

Dear Lord, (I pray)
If you make Koen go to sleep within the next five minutes, then I will give my spare change to the homeless man that stands on the corner in front of Walmart instead of giving him the stink eye. Also, if you make him sleep through the night then I will personally volunteer my time at the charity of your choice. If he is going to wake up, then I pray that you would miraculously make one hour of sleep feel like three hours of sleep. That way, I could fool myself into believing that I had six hours of sleep when really I just had two. Hello? Is this thing on?
Amen.

I'm starting to think that God

doesn't hear the prayers of tired mommies.
If I had even one night to sleep uninterrupted,
I'm sure that my faith could easily be restored.

For the love of all things holy,
just give me a decent night's sleep.

The View From Poppy's Bench.

Many years ago, when we were newlyweds,
we gave my parents a bench as a thank you gift for our wedding.
They nestled it in their front yard
and my Dad has taken a moment to rest on it
almost everyday since.

It's weathered and worn plaque sits lovingly on the back of the bench.
We were so grateful for their kindness in paying for our wedding.
This is a true memorial of our gratitude.

My father pruned the tree that surrounds it
and made himself a little hideout to sit
in the mornings and evenings
when the sunlight is the most beautiful.

You can almost always find him there kicking back
and if you don't know where to look,
he might go unnoticed.

It's the perfect spot to observe the beauty of nature.
Chipmunks and squirrels will often parade around in front of him.
He has a front row seat to the show
that the animals unknowingly perform.

A leaf may swirl down in front of him,
almost showing off as it spirals down onto the driveway.
The birds seem to sing in harmony.
A cat bird chirps "meow" in the distance
and sounds like a kitten calling out.

Another exciting day unfolds in front of Poppy's bench
and I am so touched that he loves
his old and beat up gift.
I will forever remember my father
sitting happily on his hidden bench.