Find Your Happiness

Here are my top five favorite photos of Nathaniel from January to March in no particular order: "Guess What I'm Eating?" He is such a silly boy. He wanted to eat the orange peels instead of the actual orange. "Da-da!" One of our favorite parts of the day: Hubby/Daddy coming home from work. Sometimes it makes me wish that I work so I can be greeted with hugs and kisses whenever I come home. "Playground" Nathaniel loves the outdoors and I wish I'm able to take him out more often. We just learned about a duck pond near us so I'm very excited to take him there. I'm sure he'll have a great time chasing the ducks. "Early Valentine" Just like his Mama, Nathaniel loves chocolate! "Wub Yu!" Nathaniel wanted to go to work with his Daddy (Hubby is in the blurry background). He even brought his Daddy's lunch bag to take with him! Linking up to:

I made two cakes for my husband's birthday this past weekend. I was originally going to make three but we were out of electricity last Sunday for three hours so I obviously couldn't bake. So now, I am going to take the third cake to his work's picnic on Friday instead. Both of these cakes are from the book my sister gave me for my birthday last year: Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell. They both turned out deliciously great so I'm even more excited to try out the rest. (She has a whole chapter dedicated to chocolate cakes. Heaven!) . I might even just take her basic cake recipe and never use box mix ever again! Rich Lemon Curd Cake My mouth is watering just looking at these photos and remembering what this cake tasted like! It was definitely rich and tart but the marcapone filling cuts the tartness and balances it with a little bit of sweetness. 8-inch lemon cake with lemon-curd mascarpone filling We shared this with our Church because it so happens to be our

For Today (March 29, 2011) Outside my window... Sunny(!) 57 degrees. It finally stopped raining! I am thinking... we really need a nice toy chest to put Nathaniel's toys in since they are in the living/family room for every guest to see. I've looked online but I want to check out Goodwill or thrift stores first and it could be DIY project. I am thankful for... sunshine! From the kitchen... a new mandolin purchased with a $10 Kohls cash and 30% off coupon. I love Kohls! I am wearing... t-shirt, shorts I am going... to move the laundry to the dryer after this. I am reading... Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider I am hoping... to buy essential oils soon so I can finally make the leap to non-toxic cleaners. I am hearing... Nathaniel playing. Around the house... toys. e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. One of my favorite things... the sound of my son being tickled :) Inspired by the church song... I Know Who Holds Tomorrow "I don't know about

Today is a very special day. Today is my husband's birthday. Dean, just like all of us, has flaws but he is a good, godly man. His passion for God and deep desire to spread His word is something I always admire. He willingly and proudly serves his country. He has warned my (selfish) heart several times at how far he is willing to go to save a fellow countryman but not only because that is what a great Marine does, but also because it is what God asks of us. He is a great leader, provider and a wonderful father. He is the best husband and the best, loyal friend any one could ask for. And the amazing part? Dean is the leader and provider of MY (our) small family. He is the father of MY child. He is MY husband. He is MY best friend. I truly find my happiness in him. Everyday. Happy birthday, Dean. Linking up to: Ni Hao Y'all: Sunday Snapshot

Week 12: March 19th to March 25th 78  Stuffed meat-lovers pizza with tomatoes and mushrooms from Papa Murphy's . A friend spent the day with us and we were supposed to have Seafood Gumbo for dinner. However, I got outnumbered and we had pizza instead. I love Papa Murphy's pizza. You can guarantee it's always fresh ingredients! 79  Nathaniel loves his puppy very much! Some days the dog gets more hugs and kisses than me. 80  Nathaniel wanted to go to work with his Daddy (you can see my husband in his truck in the background). He even brought his Dad's lunch bag! And he said "Wub Yu!" (love you) for the first time :) 81  The little one insisted he wants to eat popcorn while holding the bowl himself. It was quite a mess but our dog loved following his trail. 82  When did he suddenly become a BIG boy? Nathaniel put the toy stethoscope properly around his neck by himself. Actually, that's his current obsession: wearing everything around his neck.

A few nights ago, my husband asked what we're having for dessert. Usually, we'll have a bowl of ice cream unless I've baked something earlier. Well that certain evening, we so unfortunately(!) ran out of ice cream and I did not make anything. I don't remember what we ate for dessert that evening but I still clearly remember his response after breaking the sad news that indeed, we will not be having any dessert. He said: "We have flour. We have eggs. We have sugar and butter. You could have made a pound cake!" Yes, dear hubby. I could have made a pound cake. But I didn't. But I made this Jam Sandwich Cookies out of the ingredients easily found in our kitchen, too. And it was also a great excuse to use my new food processor :) Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Makes 18 sandwich cookies Ingredients: 4 cups Everyday Baking Mix* 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1/2 cup whole milk 3/4 cup seedless jam or jelly *Everyday Baking Mi

It is hard to believe we are less than two months away from Dean's MOS graduation. We started this journey when our son was just a teeny, tiny newborn. And by the time Hubby graduates, Nathaniel will just be one month shy of being a year and half. In that "short" time span, Dean learned how to speak, read, and write fluently in Arabic. I say that's pretty darn awesome! I briefly mentioned yesterday how Marines are mandated to attend extra study hall during the last eight weeks of their class. So on top of seven hours of regular class, he has to go back to work for 2 hours three nights on weekdays and another two hours on Saturdays. So that means 13-14 hours work days since he still has to PT with his squad at five in the morning. Well, the little one seems to have a hard time adjusting to the new schedule. Nathaniel is still asleep when his Daddy walks out the door at 4:30am to go to work. So when my husband left to go back to work two days ago after a q

This set of photos reminds me of the scene in the movie Baby Mama where the main character's sister is asking one of her children if the "dirt" on his hand is chocolate... or poop. She ended up licking(!) the questionable brown goop to find out the answer. Of course she already knew beforehand but it still makes me squeal at the thought that it could have been poop! (See video here ) As parents, we have definitely had our own share of disgusting moments. We have been peep on, cleaned explosive poop, and removed dried up chunky vomit. I can only imagine the dirt, bugs, and animals Nathaniel will bring to me when he's older. And add the fact that I used to work as a registered nurse at a trauma intensive care unit and that just brings up another level to my list of disgusting moments. But don't worry. This is chocolate from the homemade chocolate-covered pretzels I made last Thursday for St. Patrick's Day . We actually didn't let Nathaniel get s

For Today (March 22, 2011) Outside my window... Chilly 45 degrees; It's been raining for days and we're ready for sunshine! Unfortunately, not going to happen until next week :( I am thinking... Marines are too motivated and dedicated. My husband is in the last eight weeks of his class so all services are required to stay for seventh hour (extra school). And the Marines? Of course they take it to the next level! He now has mandatory study hall on Monday-Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. So on top of his marathon training, family time definitely took a hit :( I am thankful for... a healthy 15-month old toddler From the kitchen... leftover seafood Gumbo from last night I am wearing... t-shirt, sweatshirt, pajamas I am going... to make a list of the things I need to purchase to make my husband's birthday cake(s) I am reading... Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider I am hoping... naptime is easier and on-time today. Nathaniel did not

Nathaniel had his fifteen month old Well Baby Visit last Friday. He is developmentally on track but still skinny as can be. I think I just have to accept the fact that we have a small baby. Other than (what seems like a month old) runny nose, the little Buckaroo is healthy. (I did bring up my concern about the cold and his pediatrician reassured me that it is expected with babies this age. They are a lot more mobile, hence they are touching every thing and those dirty hands almost always end up in their mouths. I can only hope this is preparing his immune system for bigger things when he's older.) Here are the stats! (Compare his last visit here ) Weight: 21 lbs 6.5 oz (10th percentile) Height: 30 1/2 inches (25th percentile) Head Circumference: 47 1/2 cm (60th percentile) I was hoping to continue taking his photo with Big Ted but it is nearly impossible. (I mean, have you tried telling a fifteen month old boy to stay still so I could take a good picture? Hah! Good luck,

Week 11: March 12th to March 18th 71  "Muffins that taste like Donut" from the Pioneer Woman website . 72  My husband's homework (in Arabic). It's upside down since he was still working on it when I took this photo. 73  LOVE his chubby "baby" feet :) Nathaniel playing with his Daddy's old phone. Read my blog post about a sneaky "leprechaun" stealing my hubby's new phone. 74  Farmer's Market 75  I didn't realize I have not taken a photo that day till dinner time so I quickly snapped a photo of my dessert that evening: SnoBalls :) 76  Green Sprite for St. Patrick's Day . 77  Nathaniel trying to put his socks back on during his 15-month old well baby visit.   Linking up to: The Daily Wyatt: 365 Days in Pictures NapTimeMomTog: Project 365 Becoming a Strong Woman of God: Capturing Life... One Photo at a Time BlueEyedGirl Photography: A Daily Picture Project

I was really looking forward to making all things green for St. Patrick's Day but when I woke up this morning, I was just exhausted. I didn't cook potato soup for dinner or bake green-colored cupcakes with rainbows like I had originally planned. Instead, we had Zuppa Toscana, which is Italian but it at least had green in it! I also served it with (whole wheat) garlic breadsticks since I might as well go for the Olive Garden theme. We don't drink beer so we had green Sprite instead! This has been a tradition for two years now since we went to Buffalo Wild Wings where they serve green beer every St. Patty's Day. I asked our waiter if he could do the same with a non-alcoholic beverage and ever since, I have been drinking green Sprite every March 17th :) Nathaniel had his own festive drink, too, with green milk! We didn't put as much dye but it still tricked him into drinking more milk :)  I also made another batch of the Green Candied Popcorn per Hubby's

I love going to our local Farmer's Market. I wish we are able to buy our produce there weekly (or at least attend every week) but sadly that is just not in the budget right now. Isn't it unfortunate that it actually cost more to eat healthy, fresher ingredients? Maybe we could just have our own veggie garden someday. On our next permanent duty station, I vow to (at the minimum) plant cherry tomatoes, green onions, and herbs along with some flowers! Here's Nathaniel enjoying a sample of fresh, locally grown tangerines. Notice his lack of shoe; I thought his Dad put them on and vice versa. Oopps! Our first official stop is usually at tea.zing to get some bubble tea. I believe my husband was first introduce with this yummy-goodness when we were in the Philippines in 2005. Ever since, we get bubble tea whenever we come across it. Nathaniel sure is a fan of his Daddy's Strawberry-Mango bubble tea! "You want some, Mommy?"