it's a miracle!!

well, maybe not a miracle... but close.

have you fallen victim to the supposedly awesome mug cake?

i have.

usually you end up with an eggy puck of rubbery nastiness. i had zero expectations when i tried this one but i was very pleasantly surprised!

i think that part of the problem with most mug cakes is the egg.

this one has none and VOILLA!

i have modified a recipe that i found that was ok... this is waaaaaay better!

what you'll need:

4 tbsp flour
1tsp-3tsp sugar (depends how you like it)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
generous pinch salt\

4 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp oil

chocolate chips - however many you feel like


what you need to do:

mix all dry ingredients in mug with fork
add milk and oil
mix until smooth and make sure you scrape along the bottom of the mug or you'll get flour pockets
stir in chocolate chips

microwave for 1 min 45 sec to 2 minutes depending on your microwave.


top with goodies... last night i topped mine with fudge and then drizzled it with caramel. ice cream on top is delicious.... sink a spoonful of peanut butter into the middle before you cook it for a yummy variation... pretty much limitless.

ENJOY!

disclaimer: please do not blame me if you want to make one of these every night. they take less than 5 minutes from beginning to end, and are super yummy. not my fault.

tis the season...

it is 2 weeks until christmas.
yikes!

am i anywhere close to ready?

bahahahahahahaha

excuse me while i roll on the floor laughing.


we got the tree up this weekend. i think that may be a record for me.
it has a total of 4 ornaments on it right now since i haven't found the rest burried under the basement stairs. big sigh. last year we didn't put ornaments on the tree. this year i need to find them!

this weekend is christmas with fernando's family so we will be attempting our first sleepover with hugo... fingers crossed! i also need to get the presents all wrapped. i LOVE wrapping presents but i am already lowering my standards... i know i'm not going to have time to wrap everything as pretty as i'd like.

once christmas number one is done, then its time to focus on christmas number 2 which is christmas eve at my parents house. i dont have a ton to do for that one. mostly just wrap presents and show up. oh, and wear stretchy pants. there will be 4 of us and i am positive my mom will have enough food for at least 20.
we will open presents and then head home to wait for santa.

christmas day will be dinner at our house. i think there will be 7 of us including hugo. nothing big. well except for the turkey. my parents are buying the turkey so it might be huge.
lots of stuff to get ready for christmas here.

also in the month of december is my birthday and work christmas party. which happen to be on the same day.  i am going to be dressed up for my birthday!!! its been years since i have done anything for my birthday... i'm kind of excited!

thank you sir, may i have another?

this may have originally referred to some sort of food... but in my world i feel like a sleep beggar. just one more hour, just 10 more min... whatever i'm getting is rarely enough.
what makes it worse? the few good nights that get your expectations up and then BAM! no sleep for you!
hugo is his own little version of the soup nazi from seinfeld... except instead of exclaiming NO SOUP FOR YOU! he yells NO SLEEP FOR YOU!
i do love him more than anything in the world but it has been over a year since i have slept through the night. i feel like a zombie some days. thank god for coffee and food. without constant snacking and my coveted morning latte i think i would perish. (tad dramatic? well too bad... it feels like it!)

i have been staying up later than i would like to many nights but when the sleep nazi fights bedtime and its close to 10pm by the time i finally wrangle/wrestle him to sleep i just then get to start my work for the night. if it is the beginning of the week i have office work, the later part of the week kabukikreations stuff. it literally is always SOMETHING. i have a hard time just sitting and doing nothing to start with but having to work just means that i have less opportunity to actually do nothing. 3 nights a week are mandatory work nights for me and the rest i usually try catching up on things around the house and my crocheting. sounds like fun doesn't it! my life is definitely not one of glamour or leisure! but i guess if it was i'd probably be bored.... right?

Favorite frivolous kitchen item ever!!

I think this is probably the kitchen appliance I use the most. LOVE this thing. I make myself a latte almost every morning. So much better than fighting with the steam wand on my old coffee maker.

BTW it is the aeroccino by nespresso.
Amazing invention. Worth every penny and I have used it more than any other kitchen gadget I've ever owned.
If you like steamed milk you need one of these!

yummy breakfast cookies

yes. COOKIES!

in my books these are healthy and delicious... even though they're cookies.

what you need:

3 large ripe bananas (i used 4 smaller bananas out of the freezer)
2 cups quick oats
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup raisins (i didn't use these because yuck they're like little mushy brains)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup skim milk (i used homo because thats what i drink)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

what you need to do:

preheat oven to 350
mash bananas
add everything else and mix together until incorporated.
let sit at least 5 minutes so the oatmeal can soak up the goodness
drop onto cookie sheet in tbsp portions and flatten slightly
bake for 15 minutes.

easy peasy!

and they are delicious... kinda like banana bread and oatmeal cookies had a love child.

AND you can have cookies for breakfast!

BONUS.

hugo loves them (i made him some without the chocolate chips)

next time i think i'm going to add chia seeds in the mix as well... and coconut. because i love coconut and i think it will be even tastier!

hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

happy birthday hugo!

I can't believe it has been a year! well, a year and a day. OOPS.
my little sea monkey is so big now!

here is the year in review.

hugo's first photo. i hadn't even seen him yet!

1 week

november 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

looking at these all together i am amazed at the little person he is becoming.

i feels like i can't even remember my life before hugo!

tasty tuesday i'm done with you!

i think that from now on i am going to post tasty recipes whenever the hell i feel like it! i can't count how many times i have though about posting a recipe but its not tuesday and i hate pre writing my posts... and then completely forgot about it by the time tuesday rolls around.

here's one that i had a hard time believing.
it seemed too good to be true... too easy to be real...

super easy peanut butter cookies

1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar.

thats it.
seriously.

preheat oven to 325

mix all 3 ingredients together with a spoon until well blended.
roll into 24 balls (i was lazy and just dropped teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. they were just fine. no fork marks but i didn't really mind.
bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned
when you take them out of the oven you can put a piece of chocolate on top or leave them plain... whatever you like! let cool on sheet for 5 min and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

i didn't know what to expect with this recipe when i tried it but they are already half gone so i guess its safe to say YUM!

PS.
i did not use the full 1/2 cup of sugar. it was closer to 1/4 cup.

what i've been watching...

another movie i'd never even heard of and decided to PVR.

i actually watched and liked it enough to watch it again with fernando.

it was a touching make me cry movie. i originally recorded it because i thought it might be a funny movie.. not so much but i would definitly recommend it.

tasty tuesday... its back!

well i have been seriously slacking in the tasty tuesday posts.
hopefully the dry spell is over.

i'm going to start with a classic.

buttercream icing.

this is what you'll need:
2 cups butter. (the whole block)
4-6 cups icing sugar (depends on how stiff you need your icing to be)
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp heavy cream (you can use milk)
pinch of salt

toss your softened butter in the mixing bowl and whip until fluffy. i like to leave the butter out overnight so its nice and soft.
add 4 cups icing sugar, 2 tbsp cream, and vanilla and incorporate on LOW. if you go any faster than that you will have a dust storm of icing sugar to deal with.
once thats incorporated see how the consistency is and add more icing sugar/cream as needed to reach desired thickness.

here is the cake i did on last weekend with this recipe.

flashback friday

this was me last this day last year.

amazing.

35 weeks sea monkey brewing

what i've been watching...

a new type of post for me...

i have been watching random movies that i find on the movie chanels and record so i can watch bits and pieces as i have time. i am going to start posting my thoughts on them. some good, some bad... some in between.

first one i have to post about is WAR HORSE. i don't know why i hadn't watched this.
i LOVED it. i cried several times. thank god i didn't watch this when i was pregnant or someone would have drowned. i love horses and i love war movies and i loved this movie!

happy 11 months hugo! better late than never.

so i'm a few days late.... oops.
its not that i haven't thought about posting... life just got in the way! plus i needed to upload the pictures.

it is getting harder and harder to get pictures of him with a piece of paper!


some new things for hugo...
still no new teeth.
waves hello and bye
shakes his head no with big time oomph.
still won't nap in his crib
loves playing drums on pots and pans with a spatula
gives the biggest meanest stink eye to people he's not happy with
loves petting the cats and dogs
is going to start to wear pants that are long enough... 3-6 month pants will not cut it once its colder out. looks like he's going to need some cute belts or he's never going to be able to keep his pants up!

i can't believe that in less than a month my baby will be a year old! INSANITY! a year went by so fast!

happy hooker wish list.

i have determined the next 2 things on my list of things to buy with crocheting funds...

 

this cute little contraption for hugo's room:

i have a regular fishtank i could put in there but this is just so flippin cute! 

 

 

iPhone 5

my sad iPhone 3gs has done its time and lacks a bit... my contract is over so i think its time to upgrade ASAP. mostly i'm excited to have a better phone camera!

its a little dusty in here...

WORST. BLOGGER. EVER.

i have completely let this blog slide.
after some contemplation i have decided that i need this outlet. i am home without adult interaction most days and this is where i go to vent, announce, ramble... kind of a catch all.

since my last post not too much has changed, same old same old for the most part. i have been crocheting in any spare moment i can sneak in, working from home a bit, cooking and baking when i can fit it in, and mostly enjoying every minute with hugo. well almost every minute. teething is not the most fun for either of us.
so far no more teeth after the first 2 made their appearance but i think based on captain cranky pants the past couple days more are on their way.

some of my daily battles...

keeping tabs on a more and more mobile little monkey.

keeping cheerios away from draco. pug + cheerios = cone of shame (he's alergic to wheat/grain and gets all itchy from it. currently rocking the taped together, seen better days cone. i have not been winning this battle.

keeping hugo from putting toys in the cone.

keeping hugo from having a bath in the dog's water dish.

making sure there is nothing mouth sized on the floor that appears edible to an almost 11 month old. if it was edible the dogs would get it but he's not so choosy.

eating. i find myself eating at the most random times throughout the day. and the most random things. i always eat a solid breakfast and a solid dinner after hugo's gone to bed but in between is a crap shoot.

planning for upcoming craft sales... new items mean figuring out a new display. not that i had an awesome display to start with, but i need to get on this now rather than leaving it to the last minute.

protecting the chico. he is the cuddliest cat ever but hugo outweighs him now and i don't want anyone getting hurt.

trying to keep some sort of adult interaction up... even if it is mostly online.

pick up toys, pick up toys, pick up more toys... never ending.

managing to do all of that keeps me running! i will be totally honest... it doesn't all happen every day as much as i would like it to. i've learned that there is not much i can do about it. not if i don't want to lose my mind

happy 10 months hugo!!

it is so hard to believe that 10 months has already passed!

this time last year i was still brewing a sea monkey!

sea monkey no more!

hugo is becoming such a crazy little character... everyday more and more of his little personality shines.

holding the sign was out of the question...

some of hugo's favorite things...
peekaboo!
nectarines
chasing the cats
puppy kisses
trying to get into the dogs water dish
trying to escape diaper changes
standing in his crib
pulling all his toys out and then not playing with them
smearing yogurt all over his high chair tray
fruit freezies
tv remotes. he has a collection.


other exciting news...
hugo can scoot around like a pro! he seems to have decided crawling the traditional way is not cool and instead scoots on one knee and one foot.
proud owner of 2 teeth! finally about a week ago he got his first and number 2 showed up sunday.
has figured out the stairs. he can only make it up a couple but its only a matter of time i'm sure!

Things I miss... Just a little.

Disposable income.
I wouldn't want to be at work and missing out on spending all my days with Hugo, but I sometimes really wish I could just buy something without having to crunch numbers to see if I have enough money.
Then there are the things that I wish I had just bought before I finished work... It wouldn't have phased me to buy this lovely ring... Now I either have to sell a lot of toques or just accept that by the time I actually save up the money the ring probably won't even be available.

happy 9 months hugo!

hugo wouldn't leave his little sign alone, or sit still! lots of blurry pictures today!

so much has changed in 9 months... its incredible.
hugo is getting to have such a little personality these days... so fun to watch him develop that.

hugo says mama and mom,
sometimes dada,
moves around a bit (but not fully mobile yet),
loves eating,
getting better at feeding himself,
loves playing on the floor,
will chatter non stop,
loves the cats and dogs,
ready to switch to his big boy car seat,
poses for my iphone


i can't believe how much my life has changed over the past 9 months. all for the better.

mama for the win!

hugo says mama and mom!! first word is mama.... melts my heart.
that is all.

heat wave!

i have to say that this weather could simmer down now ANYTIME! i have always loved tempuratures in the 30s... not so much any more. even when i was pregnant with hugo i donned a sundress and soaked it up.
now i have a baby who is a little furnace just like his daddy. he does not enjoy this weather much AT ALL!
the one thing hugo loves about the warm weather is pool time

i think daddy might have loved it just as much...

another thing that i can't believe.... i went and bought an air conditioner for the upstairs today. i never wanted one, but with hugo just cooking all the time i decided that even though i was perfectly happy without it, i needed to get one to keep him comfortable. now i will be bundling up for bed i guess.
as long as my boys are happy.

yum yum

hugo has pretty simple tastes... nothing fancy so far, but it makes me feel like i'm still cooking something! he keeps me busy enough that i don't have as much time for baking and cooking as i would like but that will change over time. he won't want me lugging him around forever so i'm just going to go with it while it lasts!

his favorites are.... pretty much anything!

• chicken. he loves chicken, but thighs only no breasts for this kid. even if i mix them in with sweet potato or something he really likes its still a no-go. only boobs he likes are mine. ha!
• he loves whole green beans to munch on... pureed are a guaranteed fail.
• watermelon. cut it into little sticks and he will squeeze it until the juice is running down his arms and shove it in his mouth as fast as possible.
• cantelope and honeydew... same thing little sticks and there is no stopping him.
• peas. LOVES peas pureed.
• blueberries. he ends up looking like a blueberry but he loves them
• apples and pears. with greek yogurt. and cinnamon.
• tofu. hippy in training.
• roast beef as of yesterday. he hated it up until last night and then he just gobbled it down mixed with some mashed potatoes and a bit of yam.
• nectarines and peaches as long as they're ripe are fair game.
• oatmeal
• bananas with or without yogurt... but they have to be super ripe or he wants nothing to do with them (i think he gets that from me because i won't eat them until they're getting brown spots).
• marble cheese, dill havarti, swiss, cheddar, and mozzarella all were big hits... loves eating them himself too.
• asparagus was popular... made for super stinky diapers though!
• parsnips were a hit... though only pureed. mashed wasn't good enough.

there are a few things that i've tried that he doesn't get excited for... butternut and accorn squash are on that list. he'll eat them but doesn't love them.  he will eat rice, but mostly just liked playing with it... he liked it better with cilantro cooked in it though so it seems like he's inherited the cilantro loving genes from mommy & daddy.
he seems to have decided that carrots are no longer cool... he used to like them but lately not so much.

fernando let him taste ice cream cake and he definitely liked that. not that he'll be getting that again any time soon, but he sure was excited.

i have beets to cook for him to try this week... we'll see how that goes... not looking forward to those diapers!

funny thing is that i find myself eating the same things he is just because if i take the time to cook stuff for him i don't have time to cook something separate for myself so i just make myself the same stuff he's eating half the time. it has made for some interesting dinners.

Oh how things have changed...

Another thing I've noticed...
I can count on my fingers how many times I've worn a real bra since Hugo was born. The nursing bras I bought don't fit any more because I bought them to fit the supersized version of my boobs that happened while I was pregnant. Not only have my boobs shrunk down to normal size, I think they might actually be smaller than before.

Now I live in these... So comfy. And since I live in tank tops I just switch up between racer back and normal straps.
Oh the excitement.

cousins!

trouble in training.... look out ladies!

tasty tuesday - banana bread oatmeal

i have eaten oatmeal nearly every day since hugo was born in an attempt to help keep a good milk supply. i'll be honest, sometimes i get pretty sick of it.
last week i discovered/invented a new "recipe"
it was so good i'm going to share it on here.

super simple and reminds me of banana bread.

for a single portion (its a pretty big portion because i'm trying to keep my pants from falling off these days)
slice half a banana into your oatmeal before you cook it, add a some shredded coconut, a pinch of cinnamon, and i added a tablespoon of chia seeds because i'm told they're good for me. i don't notice them in there so meh, why not?

and the clincher....
sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and VOILA! oatmeal that tastes like banana bread.

i would have taken a picture but it's nothing special to look at. maybe if i remember next time i'll take a picture and add it to this post. probably won't though... so just use your imagination.

happy fathers day! from hugo

happy first father's day!

thank you for being robo-fezz to entertain me and vacuuming me to sleep when you're home so i get my rest.

thank you for wiping my face like its a game and trying so hard to get my food in my mouth instead of all over my face.

thank you for buying me cool stuff and looking out for me.

thank you for singing me songs that make me smile and dancing like a crazy person with me.

thank you for having super fun baths with me and splashing and playing.

thank you for napping on the couch with me when i refuse to nap on my own.

i may not be able to say it yet but i love you and you're the very best daddy i could ask for.

happy 8 months hugo!

8 months!

holy crap.

has 8 months really gone by?

yikes.

a few new things in the world of hugo...

hugo LOVES being outside. LOVES.

 he absolutely loves his DADDY too! (this line is courtesy of daddy)

hugo has decided that bedtime is not satisfactory and has fought sleep the last little while.

he puts up a good fight.

hugo loves sweet potatoes, has gotten tired of avocados, not a huge fan of carrots, hates green beans, loves peas, loves asparagus, loves chicken, not a huge fan of fish, loves feeding himself watermelon and cantelope.

he makes the most adorable baby wookie noise and it completely melts my heart (and daddy`s too)

started shaking his head ``NO``

hugo makes mama, dada, and other random noises... but so far i think its just random babbling and he doesn`t associate any meaning to them.

hugo loves playing with chico (our siamese) and almost every morning spends a good half hour straight mauling him. chico comes and cuddles up to hugo`s feet while i`m nursing him.

it amazes me how much he`s grown and changed already. i can`t believe that this time last year he was known as the sea monkey.

Foto Friday.... CD edition #1

This pose belongs on a beach.

the cloth diaper debate...

i for the most part cloth diaper hugo.

he still wears a disposable at night because i'm not about to start messing with what works... especially when it could potentially mess with his sleep.
i am so glad i decided to give it another chance after problems at the beginning with him being too small for the diapers.
i LOVE how adorable the cloth diapers are and it is amazing how much money i save just from not buying box after box of disposable diapers.

i'm actually a little sad when i pick him up in a disposable diaper and his bum is just so teeny tiny. and the bigger bum means that he can wear bigger pants so they're not as short on him. in disposables he still has to wear 0-3 month pants so they are waaaaay too short. its summer at least... capris? right?

another awesome thing about cloth diapers? did i mention... they are so flippin cute!
i think i will have to dedicate a foto friday to cloth diapers.

some people are just assholes.

i generally am all all unicorns and rainbows but some days one too many lame things happen and since hugo doesnt really care about my day... well you are the lucky recipients of this little rant.

my first complaint of the day is that it i have the worst luck with doctors. over the years i have had a terrible time with appointments. getting an appointment, getting to the appointment to be told that the doctor isn't there, my doctor leaving for months at a time, being told that i could not make an appointment unless it was approved by the doctor because i did not come in often enough to keep my status as a regular patient... the list goes on. finally i found a doctor who i could make appointments with and she was really nice. then she moved to calgary. when it was just me i was looking after i would have probably just driven to calgary and kept going to the same doctor. now with hugo needing regular checkups i need a doctor that i can rely on and not have to sit in a waiting room for half a day to see the doctor for 5 minutes. i had one of these terrible doctor office experiences today and it was a terrible way to start the week. note to doctor's office reception staff... if you book someone an appointment after they explain to you that their doctor moved away and now you don't have a doctor, please don't tell them when they are there for the previously booked appointment that they cannot make appointments because they don't have a doctor. waiting for an hour and a half with a nearly 8 month old is not the easiest. especially after being told that the wait would be no more than half an hour and when asked at the one and a half hour mark that there is only one less person ahead of me... i find it highly unlikely that in an hour and a half there was only one patient seen. i could go on for hours about this so i will stop.

second complaint. feel free to laugh at this one. my nails. bad gel... general mess. i don't do much for "me" but my nails are my one luxury. it really bothers me when they look less than great. so when on top of the morning's doctor debacle, the nails really bothered me.

the third strike... after calling my nail guy and him sensing my impending breakdown he told me to come in and get them fixed almost immediately. i've been going to him for years and years and he knows me pretty well and i almost never have any problems with my nails so he wants me happy. back to my complaint though... on my way to my nail appointment i slowed down to let someone into my lane. thought that maybe i'd get a thank you wave or at least some sort of sign of appreciation. nope. well some people don't say thank you. i didn't really dwell on it. on my way home i let someone else go in front of me to avoid being stopped behind an out of commission bus... do they wave or acknowledge it at all? NOPE. my nails were fixed so i just said meh. third strike was the car that tried to race in the lane that was ending and cut off the cars who had waited their turn. now i see this car regularly on the road and i know that they know the lane ends. today their plan backfired and nobody was letting them in. i though well i could let them in and maybe they will wave. NOPE. all they did was tailgate the car in front of them.  WTF happened to the courtesy wave? do people have no courtesy any more? am i old? i don't get it. if someone slows down to let me in i always wave to say thank you. sometimes if i'm not sure if they let me in or there was just enough space to change lanes i still wave... just incase they let me in!

ok. rant over.
the day is almost over....
back to unicorns, sunshine and rainbows tomorrow.

foto friday

i know i said that i was going to get on this blogging thing... oops.
with fernando away for 5 days i didn't really get to it. hopefully now things will get back to normal (whatever normal really is) and i can actually keep up with this thing!

here's a peek of the photoshoot we did last weekend!



and thats enough hugo overload for the day :)