Happy New Year!

We let our little guy party with his Grandma and took off for the snow on New Years Day and it was just gorgeous.

Arizona is known for their dry, hot ass summers and gorgeous desert, but northern Arizona is a whole other ball game. It’s, to me, reminiscent of where I am from in California, without the 6 hour drive!

Prescott is not only a cool town, but they’re known for their beer as the Prescott Brewing Company is a popular producer. Tasty suds and some fresh snow? What could be better?

Hope everybody has an amazing year. Happy 2015!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Birthday Party

My son turned four recently and we don’t like to do the conventional pizza place and spend a ton on games, that are most of the time broken.

We’re blessed to have this gorgeous pool, so we use it.

He asked for a Ninja Turtles birthday, and I couldn’t say no. So I did my best to make it fun for both the adults and the kids, on a really, really tight budget, since everything is going towards the wedding right now.

I didn’t get to take very many photos just because I was busy playing hostess, but I did snap some vital shots. What I DID leave out, is the pizza toss game. It looked really cool and I’m SO sad we didn’t snap a photo of it. Basically, we got a few pizza boxes, varied them in distance and open-ness, assigned them points, covered three Frisbees in a pizza photo and whoever could score the most points with their three tosses, got a super cool Ninja Turtle ribbon! The kids loved it.

The invitation I made myself on Picasa with the help of Pixlr.com. I used graphics I found online and downloaded the fonts. I printed them at Office Max. Easy peasy.

I know it’s hard to see, but the backdrop of the cabana is one of those “scene setters” that you can buy for theme parties. The sun was setting behind it as I was trying to get pictures and it just didn’t show up that well. It looked MUCH cooler in person. Plus, the pillars on the right and left that aren’t pictured have the rest of the pieces to the “setting” on them.

All the themed decorations I bought at Party City, they were really cheap, then again, we only had around 10 kids that came.

Like I said, we did this party on a budget!

I’m not too proud of the napkin display, it kept getting pulled apart by my curious 4 year old, rightfully, as it was his party, but it didn’t stand a chance. It’s just streamer and googly eyes, on a big coffee can, obviously.  

The cup dispensers on the right are small coffee cans, with green streamer and this other, special Ninja Turtle streamer that was too short to actually decorate anything with, so it was used for scrap.

The cupcakes are homemade as is the icing. They’re “toxic” cupcakes, silly for kids, but actually toxic for adults, especially women, because that butter cream frosting is addictive.

Like, I’m the Heisenberg of icing.

The left photo is just a little snap to show you how the background looked without the Arizona desert setting sun blazing on it. Hence the disarray. (My plates aren’t straight and there’s trash. For me, the parties over once people touch my stuff, man.)

Jokes. I’m totally kidding, lol.

We got pizza as the main food for the event, also as a party favor. Come, eat pizza, take a whole one home for later. It was a really delicious local place too Oliveos Pizza. We’re not “hot and ready” kinda folks, we appreciate PIZZA.

The “Happy Birthday” sign is also, part of that scene setter from Party City. It had SO many pieces and was only $6!! How cute is that tablecloth, btw?

This was an idea, straight from the pages of Pinterest. Oreo cookies as sewer lids. Everybody thought it was adorable, Oreos actually stood up to the heat, too, so, there’s that.

The little red baskets behind it, with the wax paper were for popcorn. I didn’t snap that, but whenever we have kids over at the pool, I make use of my giant corn popper. It air pops the corn so you can add fatty goodness or leave it plain and corn kernels are SO cheap. Get some kitschy little PopCorn containers and you’re set.

These were cool, with a dry sponge… Great picture taking skills, I really CAPTURE the moment… lol

Don’t worry, we got water and it was a huge hit. Even with the adults! I always throw some kind of temporary tattoo out at the parties and everybody loves it equally.

These super exclusive, way cool ninja masks are just shirts from Goodwill. Washed, first, of course, then expertly cut into masks fit for hero’s in their half-shells!

The adults really loved this one as much as the kids, I think I was the only one without a mask on at one point!

 

I hope this sparks some ideas of how to throw a great party for just a little cash, it can be done!

Valentines Day Man Meal–Man Approved

Ever want to make a romantic meal for your man, but his “favorite” gets overdone and you want something new? Well, this might be the trick.

I had NO idea what to make this valentines, it literally snuck up on me and I wasn’t going to serve another booger and fries like I had planned…

So, with booger defrosted, I went at something new.

It’s a burger, covered in cheese and topped with a spicy gravy like sauce that has a huge black pepper kick. It’s made with chicken broth, from scratch and is pretty quick to whip up from your standard roux. The bed of fries is my tried and true baked fry recipe found here.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1 c bread crumbs, any kind
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder/ onion powder
2 c chicken stock
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
cheese of choice

Ingredients for potato wedges are in the link, don’t forget about those!

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the meat with the bread crumbs and egg and seasoning. If it’s too wet, add more crumbs, if it’s too dry add another egg, but the chances of that are sliiiiim Jim.

Now, shape those burgers like hearts. Over exaggerate the shape, because they’ll “meh” as they cook and loose shape.

I like to fry my turkey burgers in bacon grease. Because turkey doesn’t give off the essential oil that burgers get fried in, it’s a great alternative and you don’t have to use a flavorless option like vegetable oil or whatever else you were planning to use… Don’t have bacon grease? You will soon enough. Whenever you make breakfast, save your sausage or bacon grease in a glass bowl with a lid, in the fridge. It’s great for lots of things and stays good for longer than it’ll take you to use it.

Fry the burgers in a skillet over medium high heat, covered until they’re cooked, flipping a few times. There’s no “too done” with turkey, thus, no rare. They’ve got to be cooked THROUGH. If they crack, well, shit. That’s just the way the universe unfolds and it can’t be fixed. Don’t press the burgers, ever. Turkey tends to crack very easily because of less fat strands holding the ground meat together.

Prep those fries and get them in the oven asap. As soon as you throw down the burgers, preferably.

Then, start the sauce.

In a medium or small sauce pan, over medium high, melt the butter and add the flour, whisking until a hint of golden appears, making a proper roux.

Add the chicken stock, which I make from scratch, the recipe can be found here. (aaaah, future link!) Also add about a tablespoon, seriously, of black pepper. Salt to taste, if at all.

Whisk constantly until a gravy like consistency is formed, keeping in mind it’ll thicken as it cools.

When your fries are almost done, throw some cheese on those hearts. Literally and figuratively, because this meal’s a brick.

To assemble, pile fries on a plate, place a burger on top and smother with the sauce.

No garnish, to fancy pants, nada. Just some sexy deliciousness.

Enjoy!

New Year…

I have been neglecting my blog lately more than ever and it’s going to stop. I’ve been side tracked with my busy toddler and working and it’s going to stop, today.

I need more facets to my life and this is something I’ve been missing. I ran out of creativity and have just let this blog go to the birds…

I appreciate that I still have views, but it’s time to step it up and get back into the blogging life.

So my resolution is to be back here, blogging.

No matter what you celebrate, I hope your holidays are wonderful, happy and bright.

One love.

Aebleskivers

 

What is an aebleskiver?

 

They’re like pancakes, but smaller… And round, and fluffy… And you can’t get enough.

 

I grew up eating these during the holidays. I was lucky enough to have a grandmother who wasn’t far from her tall, pale, European roots. She wasn’t blessed with the culinary gift, but once a year, she got down and we feasted.

 

It’s actually Æbleskiver, pronounced able-skee-ver. In Dutch, it means, ‘apple slices’, which, I don’t quite understand, but it works for me. They’re marketed in America as ‘pancake puffs’… The more you know.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites

 

Your pan is very important.

 

I’ve seen quite a few kitschy little pans that won’t do you any good.

 

You need a solid material like cast iron to heat evenly to give you quality skeevers.

 

Don’t cut corners on a good pan, it will last a life time.

 

 

 

Now, let’s make a big ole pile of awesome.

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, stir together the milk and the egg yolks until well combined. Add to the flour mixture, stir until smooth.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, on high, until stiff peaks form. Now, this can seem like a daunting task if you’ve never done it before, and you’re like me, you might think you’re doing it wrong. Keep mixing, keep that shit on high and things’ll, you know, get stiff.

Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter with a spatula, GENTLY, leaving some puffs of whites. Now is not the time to just mix like a mad housewife, be gentle with the air bubbles you’ve taken so long to beat up, because that’s where the fluff of this glorious puff comes from. You’ll notice that towards the end of this process, your last skeevers of the batch will be flatter than the first. It’s your batter. It’s, deflating… Frowny face.

Place the pan over medium heat, lightly brush or spoon a little oil of your choice into each cup. We used Crisco while I was growing up, butter, margarine, whatever your preference is fine, just as long as the flavor isn’t strong, obviously.

When the oil sizzles, spoon about 2 tbsp of batter into each cup, so that they’re about 2/3 of the way full.

 

They’ll start to form bubbles, get crispy on the edges and look like they want to be flipped over, in about 1 or 2 minutes, depending on the heat.

Use a fork, or like me, two forks, and flip that little fucker in its shell. It’s a tricky little process, but if you mess up, use a toothpick to tuck the excess batter back into ball form and you’ll get the hang of it.

Flip each skeever and cook until shell is formed and they’re golden brown all over.

Pick out and transfer to an oven safe dish, in a warm (300) oven until they’re all finished.

Garnish with powdered sugar and syrup and ENJOY!

 

Christmas Came Early…

The decorations did, at least.

I have to go out of town with my son for Thanksgiving and then we’re driving to California for Christmas to see family, so with all this traveling, I feel like I might not get the opportunity to enjoy my decorations this year.

SO, I put them up early.

And I’m not even mad.

I love my around the door wreath thing that I clip cards to. And my good ole Johnny Cash Christmas vinyl album that I scored at Good Will. Solid find. Got to have Santas Sack and a couple sock monkeys up in the tree… If you haven’t noticed, I like a shabby, vintage Christmas.

Next year, I’m going to stay home and make an obscene amount of decorations… Yep.

I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday season!

Triple Birthday Fiesta!

So many birthdays in the month of

July…

 

My son, his Tio and I all celebrate

this month, so we decided to throw a

party at our place to get the family

together for some pool fun!

 

We went a little crazy at Party City, I’ll

admit, and I do wish I had taken more

photos, but this won’t be the last time I

throw a pool side fiesta!

 

I ran out of time and didn’t quite get ALL

the décor I had, up. BUT, I think it turned

out cute enough to share!

 

I used dollar store frames to label the food, salsa and drinks.

Old coffee cans with the labels stripped off made great faux vases for my paper flowers.

You can find a ton of tutorials on Pinterest on how to make paper flowers…

I used twine, which cut my hands, a lot. I wouldn’t use it again. Any other type of string, but twine. However. I wanted to give it a try because I like the look of white tissue paper flowers and twine and wanted to see how well the twine would work, for the flowers, before starting this other project!

 

I love this cake stand. It comes in SO handy at every party we have and it’s seriously priceless. It was the cheapest one at Michaels and I bought it WAY back for my baby shower…

I snuck a few of my experimental white flowers in with the colored ones…

Those moustaches turned out to be an amazing hit with both the adults and the children. I only wish I would have posted a hastag to use so I could have seen all the hilarity that ensued…

And aren’t those little sombrero’s cute?

Excuse the present overflow onto my table, however they were all books, so I can’t complain! lol

Yep…

We got the bull.

NO fiesta is complete with out the bull piñata!

Say hi to Daddy, grilling tortillas and endorsing some cold, deliciously refreshing Bud Light.

I had the rice and beans ordered from Pro's Ranch Market in Phoenix. They were perfect, convenient, overpriced and delicious. Seriously, I thought I’d save myself some time and pain by ordering two of the simplest, cheapest parts of the whole party, and while I did, I did NOT want to pay $40 for it. But we did.

I made the chicken which I’ll post about next and link it (here). Simplest taco chicken recipe, ever.

I made two kinds of salsa, using both of my recipes, for red and for green as well as some “queso dip”, which is ALWAYS gone and seriously, a three year old could make it. I melt Velveeta and a smidge of milk in a crock pot, stirring occasionally until it’s creamy and adding a little more milk, when needed and then adding red and/or green salsa to taste. Go full on Chili’s and add a little ground beef, I won’t tell.

Isn’t my man sexy? And yes, those are guard shorts, if you happen to drown in his dreamy Latino eyes, he’s certified to save your life. Ay, Papi.

I have no photos of the family to share, because 120 degree weather and pool soaking do nothing of justice to us and all the photos I took after Grandma so graciously swooped my little Boo away for the night, are highly inappropriate for this down home blog. Not to mention the bff and I donned those moustaches and I look something like Javier Bardim… But, if you follow me on Instagram, you already saw that…

Yay.

Enjoy… and ole!

Mothers Day in Cave Creek, AZ

With Mothers Day rapidly approaching last week, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would be getting this year… My fiancé isn’t very good with surprises since he, himself is so excited he tends to spill the beans just so he has somebody to relish in the excitement with. He openly admits I have everything and shopping for me is impossible, even when I’m there, because I will say, “That’s cute!” while walking by just about any store front. When he does shop for me, we usually get about 4 stores deep before he buys me something he swears I’ll look good in just to end the trip. Ooooh, men…

So, this Mothers Day, I wanted to DO something, after, we um, went shopping *hides guilty face*… Our little man is big enough to really enjoy little adventures to see things and do stuff, so I figured we’d head to Cave Creek, get out of the heat, enjoy the small town atmosphere, see the sights and get some drinks and lunch. I’m also pushing for us to buy a house in Cave Creek, so it was a perfect opportunity to go check out the area. I’ve been up there quite a bit, but my better half hasn’t made it much outside of Tempe and now Scottsdale, so it’s all new to him.

The drive up there is beautiful. You get off the 101 at Scottsdale Road and drive North. That’s it, just go North. You run right into this little Western town as the road curves left…

(Please forgive my horrible photography, I had no intention of blogging this little adventure and just snapped away for shits and giggles. Had I stopped the car, maaaaybe just once, we’d have something incredible to work with… Guess I’m just lucky the scenery’s ah-maaazing.)

Once you get into town, there’s not much of it. Scottsdale turns into Tom Darlington and that’s the main road, everything jettisons off from there.

The town itself has a neat little vintage feel. Everything is either in the 50’s style, Western themed, actually as old as the wild west itself, or a biker establishment of some sort. If it doesn’t fall into that category then it’s newly built, beautiful and blends into the landscape. (That’s an amazing thing about Arizona architecture, commercial buildings do a great job of NOT standing out here and letting the natural beauty of this area shine, despite being in the middle of a bustling city.)

When we got into town we realized we had more time than we thought relax before our reservation, so we stopped at the tamest looking place we could find for 2pm on a Sunday… (The area is very biker friendly, so their Sunday Funday was in full effect up there! NOT toddler friendly, but very fun for Mommy and Daddy!)

We ended up at Tap Haus, because their patio is big, they looked like a place we’d want to check out for a later putt and they had a boat in the back I had to know a little more about…

It turns out that boat is an old piece that they picked up and re-did. They had a custom wrap put on and I can only imagine the staff perks that come with that bad boy. Check out their Facebook for a ton of photos from bike week and beyond. They host parties with fashion shows, bike stunts, Harley shows, bike washes and everything in between. I don’t know about you, but this is our kind of place! The beer was cold, the waitresses were friendly, they offered up some key information about moving to the area and of course, ate our mini man up! The waitress there also needs to get some mad credit for suggesting the Pollo Fundito at our dinner destination as well. Superb recommendation, my lady.

After two cold ones, at an unbeatable price, it was off to El Encanto Mexican Restaurant just down the street.

I’ve driven by this place before, a while ago and wanted to go there, because the outside looked beautiful. A few weeks ago we took a trip to hike up in Spur Ranch and passed it again, I snapped a photo, because sometimes, that’s the only way I remember anything. I take a picture. Work schedules, phone numbers, grocery lists, everything.

Anyway, when I was asked if I had any special places I’d like to go for Mothers Day, I spit out, “EL ENCANTO!” So fast, it made his head spin. 10 minutes later we had reservations at the most romantic restaurant in town. Seriously, check out their website, because I got absolutely no pictures of anything except what my focus was on: My son, my burrito and my tequila. And my handsome Spanish Stallion of course, sitting there across the table with his honey brown eyes and sexy face. I love my man. See? Told you this place was romantic! It was voted “Best Place To Pop The Question” a few years back and I can really see why… If we weren’t engaged already we would have been after that meal. Hehehe… (I need to post about our actual engagement one day before we tie the knot, it’s really such a sweet story…)

Anyway, like I said, the pictures don’t do this place justice…

I loved, loved, loved the ambience of the restaurant. They have a duck pond, an area to feed them, multiple rooms and the place really seems to go on forever. You FEEL like you’re in Mexico.

I ordered the pollo fundito and a margarita. I have to say, the margarita was a bit weak, BUT I had already started at Tap Haus (Hey, it’s MY Mothers Day, right?) and they’re pre mixed, so I ordered shot on the side so I didn’t hurt anybody's feelings. Other than that, it was absolutely delicious!

The food was incredible. I can’t even stress HOW incredible it really was. Juicy, delicious, cheesy, flavorful, authentic and amazing. I can’t say enough good things about the food. The service was quick, friendly and competent (no hot plates in front of the baby, ect…)

We wanted to walk around a bit but the baby was starting to get a bit sleepy, it was getting late and the restaurant was getting crowded. Otherwise, I’d have more pictures of the interior which is why I can’t stress enough to check out the website for yourself!

If you’re ever up in the area, I suggest you try it out, if you’re not, bug your man to take you there, men, take your lady there. Just GO!

Oh, and as always… Enjoy!

Happy Mothers Day!

Almost three years ago, the day after my 25th birthday, I was blessed with a beautiful little baby boy that would change my life, forever.

He couldn’t have come along at a better time and I credit him often with saving me, setting me on the right path and making me try harder, every day. He makes me want to do better, know better and be better, for him. I’ve spent hours, days, months and years researching “baby stuff” to make sure that I feel I’m doing the best I can, for him, every day. I home made baby food for months to make sure he had only the best. When he has nightmares, I sleep in his room, on his floor, next to his bed since he won’t sleep in ours… For DAYS on end sometimes. I loose sleep, sanity, patience, “me time”, youthful freedom and an endless list of things I don’t miss in the trade off. I love him, over protect him, wash his hands too many times a day, follow him needlessly around the playground and cry when he falls. I kiss boo-boo’s, hold hands, kiss noses, sing songs, cut hair, change diapers, read books, give baths and answer never ending barrages of, “Whas dis?”

He’s my best friend, my mini me, my only child, my baby boy… My son… Mama loves you.

Happy Mothers Day, Mamas!

Cinco De Mayo ‘Ritas

Coming from a long history of college partying on Cinco De Mayo, my Frat Daddy fiancé and I couldn’t really give up one of the best “party” holidays just because we were parents, however, we don’t exactly “party” these days… We wanted something kid friendly, by the pool with a few of our close friends and their little ones. Well we got it! Thanks to the not too hot Scottsdale weather, we threw a nice little fiesta at our beautiful pool!

I wanted to make some margaritas, but I didn’t feel like there was enough effort going into this cocktail sesh, so I figured I’d try to make my own simple syrup. It went SO well, I wish I’d taken more pictures of the process, but I was in SUCH a hurry I had no time to photograph a process that was going much slower than I needed it to anyway. BUT, it’s worth blogging about, because this can be made with most any fruit, I feel like, and could be used in a bunch of different ways!

Plus, it’s too easy!

As you can see, I wasn’t working with the fanciest tequila, that’s why the mixers must be tasty enough to conceal that, um, taste.

For the simple syrup all you do is combine sugar and water in equal parts, on the pot over high heat, boil until the sugar is dissolved. (I whisked away for a little while longer, hoping for a syrupy consistency, which worked, a little) Then, in my food processor, I combined about a cup and half of strawberries and obliterated them, seeds and all, because those little bastards don’t really bother me. If they aren’t your cup of seedy tea, then run your final mixture through a fine strainer to remove the seeds. But you’ll still end up with some in your ‘rita, cuz you’re putting fresh strawberries in there, so you’re really fighting a loosing battle…

Anyway, let the sugar water mixture cool completely before combining it with the strawberries either in the food processor or the blender. You should use just the blender, but I like to make a mess, so I used a food processor and a blender. Mix that shit up, real good, pour in a jar and set aside.

NOW, we’re ready to assemble some dranks.

I didn’t have any Grand Marnier this time, but I really prefer it in my margarita so my recipe calls for it.

This is for one margarita, just double, triple, whatever you need!

2oz Grand Marnier
2oz Tequila
2oz Lime juice (I use the premade stuff, juicing that many limes isn’t for the faint of heart.)
2.5oz Simple syrup
(Depending on your tolerance for the hard stuff, you can add a little Sprite to the mixture which makes your batch of ‘ritas go further and not pack such a punch. Messing with the recipe messes with the taste, keep that in mind. If this isn’t hard enough, or you just had a rough day, don’t be shy about adding some moscato. Don’t drink too many, because you will have a noticeably worse hangover than you can remember having for a long time. Obvi, wine, fire water and the Marnier aren’t friends, but they taste splendidly together.)

For the garnish and rim, keep some sliced limes and strawberries on the side as well as a little receptacle for a sugar/salt mixture for the rim.

You can either rim the glass with a lime wedge and dip into the salt/sugar, but I find that’s not sticky enough and I often fill the other half of my “’rita salter thingy” with lime juice.

Either combine everything in a blender with ice, or in a shaker with ice and serve!

Enjoy and happy margarita making!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….

It’s officially Christmas time! (No, I’m not the mall, Christmas in this house starts AFTER Thanksgiving, thanks.)

I’ve been deathly ill since December started. I couldn’t even take my brothers birthday treats to him today, because I’m dying. My nephew has been sick all day too. Even Mo is getting it… But Moses is a champ. While we’re all withering away, he’s still truckin’!

Today, I got tired of my minimally decorated apartment, downed some Dayquil, and started decorating!

Project numero uno:

It only cost $8 too! I have quite a deep relationship with what I call the “crap” section at Goodwill.

Now, between the Cranberry candles, a pork roast in the crock pot and homemade biscuits in the oven, it’s beginning to smell AND look a lot like Christmas!

More to come….

30 Days of Thanks!

This list went quicker than I thought, after I stopped taking it so seriously. I spent a few hours typing it a while back, had a few pages, and was only to #5! Not to mention I was in tears already…

Needless to say, I’m a pretty thankful little lady. We put up a “Tree of Thanks” in the corner of the dining room, and attached leaves to it with things we’re thankful for written on each one. It was a great project to do and I still stand there and read the ones Mo wrote. They’re adorable.

So, here’s my summarized list of what I am thankful for, this month.

Enjoy!

1. My son. Every day he teaches me to handle life with more kindness, patience, understanding, curiosity, love, positivity, and laughter. He provides the most challenging yet rewarding job I’ve ever had and fills my heart with more pride, joy and love than I’ve ever known.

2. His father. He works hard for our family, loves me unconditionally, keeps it spicy and is the best father I’ve seen. He’s my best friend and growing old with him is pretty much my idea of a life well spent…

3. My brother. He’s saved my life, taught my priceless life lessons and loved me like the mother and father I never had. I’m thankful for our ability to resolve our past issues so that we can move forward and enjoy a life together, now that we live close to each other again!

4. His wife. My sister in law is the kindest, most giving, selfless person I’ve met. She’s beyond generous and takes care of my brother and his children incredibly. She’s a saint. Truly.

5. Their kids. I love my three nephews like they’re my own. I’m amazed, constantly, at how much they love me, my son and “Uncle Mo”. Mo and I are both estranged from some of our family so I’m thankful that Moses can still experience cousins and that closeness, while we work out other issues.

6. My Nana. She’s one tough old broad. She’s taught me how to grab life by the balls and lead it where I want it to go. That being a lady, doesn’t mean taking peoples shit and that a woman can run a house, just as well as a man, single or not!

7. My Father In Law’s upcoming move to the Valley. My father in law, through all the ups and downs, has always been there for me. Always texts me to see how I am, says goodnight and good morning, and calls often, just to say hi. He’s moving out here soon to be closer to us and I’m SO thankful that Moses will have him here to grow up with.

8. My Mother In Law is one of the most giving people I know. She’d give you the shirt off her back, if you needed it, and often does. Cute ones too. She’s shared her home, closet and son with me and I’m eternally grateful.

9. Life’s imperfections. I’ve had one Hell of a life. It’s made me one strong beezy. I’m uber grateful for the rollercoaster responsible for maintaining my thick skin.

10. As I go to type this. Moses says, “Doggy!” I’m thankful for my dog. That she fights negative Pitbull stereotypes every single day. She was in my pocket when I got hit by a car and will forever be my road dog. She farts, snores, snorts and smells bad, on the reg, but she’s mine, and I love her.

11. Our AZ friends. We thought you forgot about us, when we moved back to CA. Then, you showed Mo that you missed him and he brought us back. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you! Thank you all for being amazing friends, putting up with our sporadic social tendencies and just bein’ cool! lol

12. You Pierson sisters, Christin and Char. You beezy’s are my closest friends. Every football Sunday is a blast, I love our kitchen time together, I love that our boys get along, I love that our kids love to play together and look forward to growing old with you broads and staying fuckin’ fabulous while we do it! xo

13. My job. I don’t do much. It’s nice. But I enjoy the social aspects of being a bartender/model/promotional lady, and getting to dress up, like I’m going out, but getting paid to chat and mix drinks. It’s great! I make my part of the bills and get to be home when my kid is awake. Best job, ever.

14. My love works with special need students. He loves his job, loves making a difference and cares about the kids. He works at a huge school out in Mesa and with in a year will be in charge of his own class room. I’m so proud of him…

15. My car. My last car, I ruined. I like to trash nice things. Well, the shitty 15 year old “bro-ho” still living in me, likes to trash nice things. I got a Range Rover and promptly took it out into the snow, rain and mud, then out here in the 120 degree heat, just in time for monsoon season. A few puddles deep enough to cover my hood in water coupled with some dried up seals and my apocalypse survival vehicle, died. I now have a grocery getter, that is MUCH newer, and will cost less than half as much to repair while getting twice as good gas mileage. Win.

16. My man got a Harley from his Dad as a gift for graduating college. I love it. I love riding on it, I love how much there is to do within the biker culture out here, without being a complete rat, and I love the potential for photo-shoots, long rides, and sexy times. HEY oh! lol

17. My closet. My stuff n tings. I love stuffs. Mo buys me clothes like I’m Paris Hilton. He asked, “What do you want for Christmas?” I said, “A sewing machine.” He said, “I’ll get you more clothes. Because I like you to look good, you like to look good, and you look good. Clothes it is.” Uuuummm, okay. But who’s complaining? Girls got steeze. Thanks, babe.

18. My makeup. My hot girl disguise tools. Another thing Boo loves to buy me. I’ve never had such a selection in my life and I’m SO grateful. I can remember when I didn’t know how to use it, wear it, or buy it and had like, my makeup bag full and that was it. I’ve got drawers on bags on cases. I’m lucky. Once again, thanks babe.

19. Scottsdale. I live in “The most livable city.” The weather is beautiful. Too hot, for some, that you know, enjoy breathing air that doesn’t singe the lungs 3 months out of the year. But, no, not me. I enjoy the blow torch summers, loosing the skin on my butt to my leather seats, burning my hands just to maintain control of my motor vehicle, and the best part? Flip flops too weak to take the heat of the asphalt turning to little rubber griddles, frying your piggies with each step. But then there’s times like this, where we can go to the Zoo, late November and wear shorts, tshirts and sandals. I can sit on my front porch, every morning of the year, and enjoy my coffee in nice weather. Win.

20. Um, Dutch Brothers Coffee. You’re better than Starbucks. You’re cheaper, more caffeinated and your staff is friendlier. Thank you.

21. My blog. I love my little creation. I’m thankful for the outlet that allows me to share my creativity and cooking and life with the world.

22. “Two Buck Chuck”. Yep, I said it. I’m thankful for cheap wine. Any Mama can tell you, she’s got something for the tough days. A bath, a run, a cigarette, kick boxing, meditation, curling, wine, whatever it may be. Mine, mine’s the cheap wine from Trader Joes. It use to be $1.99 a bottle, thus earning it’s name, but it’s gone up a dollar and I’m okay with that. Delicious, potent, cheap. Thank you, Trader Joes.

23. Ebay. I get a lot of makeup off Ebay. I get a lot of clothes, shoes, accessories off Ebay. I just had to take a moment to thank Ebay’s ability to find anything I want or need, for cheaper than I found it somewhere else. I mean, hey, where else can I score 30 pairs of false eye lashes for a dollar?

24. Our pool at our apartment complex. It’s beautiful. It’s child friendly, well laid out, and perfect for getting my tan on, well into the winter. Thank you, pool and sunshine!

25. This shouldn’t be so low on the list, but life, itself. Like I mentioned before, my dog and I got hit by a car back in 2009 and the scariest moment for me, was waking up on the street, alive. I realized right then that life could have been snatched, just that fast. I was in a bad mood, I was cold and I was walking to the store to buy cigarettes. I would have died unhappy. Although I now forget time to time, it taught me to be more in the moment and grateful for everything, everywhere. I could use a big reminder of this sometimes, unfortunately. Maybe this is what I need to kick start the positive thinking, full force.

26. My artistic abilities. I’m so thankful that I can see something I like, and recreate it. I have made gifts for people that have made them cry, good tears, lol. That’s such a fulfilling feeling. I can’t wait to teach my son that making something for somebody always trumps a last minute gift.

27. Food. I’m thankful, not just for food in general, but for healthy, nutritious food. When I met this boy of mine, he ate like a typical college student. A well cooked meal was a chicken breast you managed not to burn and a box of Rice-a-Roni. He had no concept of healthy eating and thought that a good workout would kill the bad stuff. I’m thankful for his willingness to embark on a journey of finding a better way of eating and has such an interest in being a healthy eater. It’s so much easier to make life changes when the other half in your life is completely on the same page!

28. Some of my most treasured possessions are the gifts I’ve received from my Boo. For mothers day, he had all my favorite pictures of the family printed out and put into an album I had previously bought but didn’t know what to do with. He always leaves me notes when I get home from work and he’s been here but left. He buys me movies, when he’s out running errands, because he knows I don’t have a particular one. He always brings home something special from the store or spends a little extra on a bottle of wine with a cool name or bottle. He picks me flowers when he’s out and about. Anything he’s given me, I’m thankful for.

29. My basic needs being fulfilled, every day. I know it seems a little vague, but ever since we started watching the Walking Dead, we’re starting to talk more about doomsday prepping (NOT for zombies, but an economic crisis) and how one day, novelties like hot water and microwaves, will be no more. I’m thankful for my creature comforts, while I’ve still got em.

30. The internet. Sounds stupid, but hear me out. We live in a time where any information we want, is at our finger tips. Want to learn how to feed 100 people for $50? Build a bomb? Find out where Lake Titicaca really is? Just hop on the Google-nets. I love it. I’m an ever changing, information absorbing little sponge. I love to learn. Take a week, pick a subject you don’t know much about. Learn about it. Never stop learning. I love it.

 

So that’s my list. It started out with the intent of being in some sort of order, but let’s be real here, I’m thankful for all of these things, and much more, all at once, some equally and some more than others. If you read this far, congratulations, you win!

Happy Holidays, and I hope this makes you take a little time out of your day to count your blessings!

Zoo Lights

Every year in Phoenix, the zoo puts on Zoo Lights.

We took the little this year and it was pretty darn cool!