Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

Having all of those wonderful slowly decomposing strawberries around meant a plethora of fruit flies. Madre Dos had a little set up at her house I copied to catch them.

1 piece of rotting fruit or peelings
1 jar
1 piece of plastic wrap with tiny holes in it
a dash of balsamic vinegar (presumably to make the smell go farther

I just didn't know what to do with the flies after catching them. I decided to let their rudimentary democracy succumb to the inevitable brutality of adolescence and human nature, dictated by the possession of a conch shell.

Name that literary reference!

Moby

My friend made me an awesome wrap for carrying baby and I adored it. Much better than the baby bjorn (it always felt off balanced) and the shoulder sling (pulled on one shoulder and was hard to get J in and out of around my giant boobs, although I think it was a little too small). This wrap was nice and comfy because I could put the straps across my entire shoulders and baby felt nice and snug without feeling like she would fall out.

That is, until I put the wrap in the dryer in an unthinking moment.

Oops.

Now it has shrunk to an uncomfortable size. Fortunately, Target had the brand name one it was based on for $20 in a repackaged sale bag so I bought it. I adore it. It has a little more weight to the fabric and still breathes. It took a little bit of practice getting the wrapping down and getting J into it so I only use it for extended hands-free needs. It also is not enjoyable in Arizona heat, but since I'm not enjoyable in Arizona heat either, we stay indoors. It is my favorite way to take J shopping around the mall. She will fall asleep in it and be happy as a clam.

Which she did during our fair weather inspired walk this morning. She looked absolutely adorable sucking her thumb and napping, but I couldn't capture it before the shutter woke her up. I will say that these one-handed pics turned out pretty sweet though.

loves her thumb

I'm so happy she didn't get my eyes. But since John's are distinctively green, these must be grandmas'

Nun's habit or Burka?

 

So if you want to spend the money on the fancy one for a bit nicer quality, go for it. I recommend trying a friend's, see if you like it, and buy it if you plan on having a couple of kids. If you want to make one out of 8 yds of fabric, it can still turn out awesome. Although with the cost of fabric these days, you may be better off buying one used or saving those 40% off coupons. If it was my last kid, I'd probably just make do without. But for me and J, the Moby rules.

Happy Mother's Day!

Four Generations of "juh" names

Lauren's prize

Lauren, you didn't specify what you wanted for your prize so I picked for you! You have your pick of healing balm in one of two antique pill boxes. (Don't worry, I thoroughly sanitized them. And even though I got them at the antique mall, I'm a little skeptical on their actual age. But they are pretty so that is what really matters right?)

So what is healing balm you may ask? It is a blend of beeswax and coconut oil with lavender, mint, and eucalyptus essential oils. You can massage it into your temples if you have a headache or dab it on chapped lips. And depending on how homeopathic or hippie you are, you can put it on bug bits, cuts, and what have you. So tell me which one you like along with your address in an email. hazardousundertakings at gmail dot com. I may throw in a few surprises as well as proof that I love random people I've never met who read my blog :) (That's a hint for you random person who reads my blog but is too embarrassed to ever comment on anything)

Def: Weekday and Cinco de Mayo

weekday [ˈwiːkˌdeɪ]

n

1) any day of the week other than Sunday and, often, Saturday

2) a term created by people who can actually distinguish between days of the week in order to look forward to a 2 day reprieve from work.

I was in error earlier this week when I corrected my mother on what day it was. I honestly believed it was Wednesday when in all actuality it was Tuesday.

Such is my life.

Since I no longer write the date on the board daily, I was happily surprised to read internet Cinco de Mayo well-wishes the day of. When did May get here? I think I'm stuck in 2010. I thought to mysef, "If I knew it was Cinco de Mayo, I would have planned to make Mexican food!" But I figured, why not  have a little last minute soiree? (I guess fiesta would be more appropriate but I'm studying French these days)  About 3pm I made the decision and threw some pollo in the crockpot. Text invites went out around 5pm and my market run commenced at 5:15. Actual food prep started at 6 and guests arrived at 6:30ish. It was a little hurried, but turned out wonderful. Husband even made it despite working 2nd shift. And special shout out to Aaron who was the official grill master extraordinaire.

 After buying lots of margarita mix in college for all of my roommates' virgin drink parties, I have come to an important conclusion: It is expensive and doesn't taste very good. So for our festivities I made a Maidename style Icee. Fill a blender full of ice, 1 packet Flavoraid (not even name brand Koolaid in the name of frugality), 1cup (or less) sugar, and enough water to make the ice float. Voila! This drink was a major boost to my babysitting franchise as a tween because anyone under age 10 thought I possessed the drink magic reserved for gas station runs with Dad. Much better than the $10 mixer and costs a whopping 50 cents. I had the dollar store glasses from my sissy's 21st mocktail party, slid a lime around the edge, and dipped them in sugar. I believe a large part of alcohol's appeal is the presentation, which is easy to achieve sans liquor.

The spread

I discovered Bashas' has a big tub of carne asada marinating in the butcher section earlier this week so I picked some up after my market run to compliment my raspberry chipotle chicken. Sounds and tastes fancy, but it's really just chicken and a 1/2 bottle of sauce from Fresh and Easy.

Homemade pico de gallo with cilantro from my garden. Really, this whole event was inspired by the abundance of cilantro I have growing.

 Fresh made salsa too!

My dear friend Rachel

After her auntie kept giving her tastes, she become obsessed with the margarita glass

Officially over the sombrero

Sis wore her dress from Mexico and brought over a J-sized one

Our entertainment for the evening

SEEEEEEE!

The internet is a fabulous source of inspiration. Or feelings of inadequacy, depending on your mood before surfing. Every now and again my sister and I will complain to each other that we don't do anything cool. I want to live in a picturesque apartment in Paris for a year! I never get to go anywhere! I wish I had elaborately decorated parties! I want to be super creative and unique! I want to be a fancy cook and bake whimsical desserts! I wish I went on little adventures to the farmers market or cruiser bike rides on the boardwalk!  Thankfully the good Lord gave us each other as a reminder that we DO have awesome lives full of awesome things. "Um sis, remember your Italy vacation? The one that was just a few months after Hawaii? Or your trip to the goat farm? Or the amazing pesto you made from your garden?" (I've been trying to remember something cool I did that she reminded me of, but I can't remember anything cool I've done. Which is ironically what I'm trying to illustrate). After several of these conversations we have decided what makes other people's lives look so awesome and sparkly on the internet.

It's pretty pictures of things taken with a nice camera.

My fiesta was nothing really magical or out of the ordinary, but that first picture of the drinks makes all the difference. So remember, any event or object looks incredible in macro with a high F-stop. Your life is cool too if you just pick up a camera to see it. Even if all you have is a point and shoot, take 200 pictures and you'll get at least one that looks like Fairy Godmother did a number on it.

Although it does mean you get to be the completely self-involved person taking 100 pictures of the food you made. Just warning you :)

There is more than one way to wear a headband

Quiet toddlers in the other room can teach you all kinds of things

#7 I buy myself flowers

They are frivolous and are just going to die, but fresh flowers on the table just make me happy. So when they are $3, I buy them. A potted plant just doesn't have the same appeal. This batch I started to press as they were dying and I have every intention of reincarnating them in soap. That makes it better, right?

#6 I haven't bought jam in years

The ranch market sells strawberries for $0.33/lb every summer and there just isn't a comparison between homemade and store bought. I only do freezer jam because it is super simple.

1) Remove stems from strawberries

2) Put in blender. Pulse 5 times
3) Add sugar
4) Add instant pectin (after heating the traditional pectin on the stove and making a mess, I buy the liquid or instant. They require less sugar too. This time I experimented with Splenda because I had a big bag from my diabetic days. I mixed it with 1/3 regular sugar and it wasn't too bad)
5) Pulse until mixed

6) Pour into tupperware or freezer jars