Memory Monday: Muskogee Bed N Breakfast

We're going back...WAY BACK. Back so far that my photos are from scanned 35mm negatives! So please forgive me for the horrible quality of the photos. Since I've scanned these in I have purchased a much better film scanner however I cannot find where I stored my negatives...go figure!

In December 2001 we and another one of our couple friends decided to make the 40 minute drive to Muskogee to stay at the Graham-Carroll House Bed & Breakfast for the weekend. It was actually somewhat a celebration for Nic's birthday. This was my first visit to a Bed & Breakfast. After this I definitely considered a B&B for some of my overnight stays.

Here's a picture of where we enjoyed our breakfast. I don't remember much about the menu but I do remember that Eggs Benedict were available.

Here is our room,

Every since I was little I was fascinated with Chandeliers. To this day I still find my self taking pictures of them.

Jesse, Nic's back and Amy. I'm not sure what they were looking at.

Nic and I

Amy and I...I'm not sure what was going on with my hair!

Showing appreciation to my Husband

I had intended on doing this post in with the previous one on Bryce, but I thought it would be best to have it's own post. It gives me time to get what I'm saying exactly right.

Nic and I have been married for over 7 years but together for over 10 1/2. That's long time for sure. We've gone through many good times and many bad times. We've grown up together, even though it may have been at different speeds, yet we have stuck through it all and are very proud to be able to provide Bryce with a stable, loving and secure home.

I'm not going to lie, as first time parents it's been tough adjusting. Many times Nic takes the rath of my stress, but he does it with stride. A big problem is that I don't EVER ask for help from ANYONE. I try to be superwoman and do it all. It's just the way I am and always have been, and I'm sure I'll never change.  

As much as I have complained that I can't read his mind, I have to remember that he can't read mine either. So I have had to try to learn to let him know when I need help before I just snap in frustration and take it out on him. He's been wonderful, especially lately now that we are getting in the groove of things and he's learning to ask if I need help instead of waiting on me to ask for help. I know I still need to learn to ask, but it's a step in the right direction.

Working fulltime I need at least 30 hours in every day. But there are only 24 and I need to sleep some to be able to be the best mother, wife and employee. My evenings go by in a blur. I pick Bryce up, cook dinner, bathe Bryce, pump, wash bottle nipples and pump bottles, do the dishes, do laundry, clean if I have the time and try to catch a few minutes to myself to wind down. I could easily not make it to bed until midnight by I try to be in bed by 10pm and hope for earlier, only to be up again around 3:30 or 4am to nurse (on the good nights) and then up at 5:30am to start the day. I know there are weekends that I could do some of this stuff but that really our time to relax and spend quality time as a family.

So this is where my husband has really began to help me...of course on the 2 out of 3 nights that he's home. He has made it a routine to wash the bottle nipples and pump bottles (aside from the nights that Amanda does it), he's doing most of the laundry and the dishes, and he's helping me with dinner. On the mornings that he is home, he's taken over feeding the big dogs in the morning, which for the past 7 years has been my chore. He feeds and dresses Bryce, even changing the first dirty diaper of the day, which before Bryce was born I didn't think Nic would ever change a dirty diaper.  I'll also mention that in addition to working at the fire department, he owns his own lawn business and also works at ranch. Needless to say, he's a VERY hard worker and he works his butt off! 

He's been so wonderful. I'm not someone that shows much emotion so I know I don't show him or tell him enough how much I really appreciate him and love him. So this is my opportunity to let him know how much. I'm truly amazed that he works the 80+ hours a week he works, and still comes home and helps me with the housework and has an active role in taking care of our child. He's an awesome husband and father. I'll never forget how my love grew for Nic the day our son was born, almost like I couldn't love him enough. That day my heart was as big as it had ever been.

Nic, thank you so much. I love you!

Time is so valuable these days!

This week has gone by really fast,  I had definitely planned on doing this post so much sooner.

On Monday Bryce officially became 5 months old. I weighed him Monday evening and according to Wii Fit Plus he weighs 15 lb 4 oz. He's just a little guy! He STILL has not rolled from his back to his tummy. He just has no desire to anymore he would rather play with his feet. One thing he has been doing while laying on his back is arching his back where it's completely off the ground and he somewhat balances on his head, if that makes any sense. I keep trying to get a picture of it but I haven't been successful catching it yet. He has been sitting up some, but sees his feet and leans over to get them. Even in the bathtub he tries to grab his feet to the point where he almost puts his face in the water! I think his fascination with his feet is so cute, but it's inhibiting other things.

A couple evenings this week we spent some time outside working in the garden and flower beds. I decided to just use the bumbo seat, so he can look around better.  

We're growing special things in our garden!

No need to adjust your screen, we do have another bumbo seat. We took the blue one to Granny's house and she liked having it there so much that it never made it back. Actually she was looking to buy one off of craigslist or at a garage sale but could only find the pink or purple ones. Bryce wouldn't have minded a pink or purple one but his Daddy would. So with one of my many BRU 20% off coupons and a rewards certificate in hand I picked one up at Babies R Us deciding on a neutral color this time.

At first I thought he was trying to escape his bumbo seat ...

...then I realized he was just trying to chew on it...like everything else.

Multi-tasking...chewing on the bumbo seat and getting his hands and feet dirty. How do I even get any work done outside while taking all these pictures?!

One of my favorite pictures for the time being...of course he's grabbing his feet!

This weekend it's back to the lake for us.

Tasty Thursday: Lemon Pepper Shrimp Skewers

My goodness this week has flown by! I'll do a quick Tasty Thursday then I'll post some on my favorite subject: Bryce.

Last Friday during my lunch I visited our friend that works in the meat department at the Food Pyramid just a mile or so from my office. There I purchased 2 lbs of large shrimp for Friday night and a couple of Ribeye steaks for Saturday night, and of course some other things.

Friday evening as soon as I got off work, I loaded up my groceries and went to pickup Bryce and Fara (the dog) from my Mom's. Forty minutes later we're at the lake in our travel trailer preparing our Shrimp Skewers. I don't really have a recipe its just something I throw together.

First I began by soaking a handful of bamboo skewers in water. Doing this keeps the wooden skewers from burning and/or catching fire. At this time Nic was also busy getting the grill fired up. We use good ol' Kingsford charcoal, no propane grill here!

While the skewers soaked, I cut up a couple yellow squash, a zuchini, and an onion. While I was cutting the veggies, Nic was busy peeling the 2 lbs of shrimp. Since Bryce was born, dinner has became a teamwork effort.

Once the shrimp was peeled, I tossed them in some extra virgin olive oil until well coated. Then I sprinkled some lemon pepper over the shrimp and tossed again.

I then began loading up our skewers in no particular order, I did try to atleast have a piece of onion next to every shrimp. Once the skewers were loaded I did one more sprinkle of lemon pepper before we placed them over a hot grill.

Unfortunately I was in a hurry so I didn't take the time to take many pictures. But here is a picture of the skewers just shortly after they were placed on the grill.

Nic tended to the grill, turning and rotating the skewers to make sure they were all cooking evenly. The total cook time was probably around 15 minutes. It probably wouldn't have taken so long if Nic had realized we were going to need the full 'surface' of the grill and had put charcoal accordingly (rather than just on one side, hence the need to rotate).

Here's the finished product.

Despite being 2 lbs of shrimp, the two of us (with Bryce eyeballing us) devoured every bit of it!

Monday Memory: Our Honeymoon

Since last week we looked back at our wedding, this week we'll remember our Honeymoon. Nic and I did not take our honeymoon until over a year after we were married. We decided instead of a cruise, that we would go to El Cozumeleno, an all-inclusive resort in Cozumel, Mexico. the dates of our trip was March 1st to March 5th, 2004.

We booked a charter package that flew out of Dallas, so we drove to Dallas on Sunday and stayed the night in a hotel. We got up bright and early to catch our direct flight to Cozumel. Not only was this my first trip out of the country it was also my first flight!

Here to this date is one of my all-time favorite airplane shots. I love that you can see the shadows of the clouds over the Gulf of Mexico.

Paradise had been found...or at least we thought so.

Our first meal...lunch. After this trip Nic and I learned a few tricks, one that would have benefited us here: pack a set of warm weather clothes and a swimsuit in our carry-on. We had made it to the resort early so they locked our luggage up until our room was ready so we were stuck wearing our jeans until then.

The view from our 3rd floor room.



On Tuesday we headed out for our first snorkeling trip.

The snorkeling guide was kind enough to swim down and take a picture looking up at us.


On Wednesday, at the recommendation of some of our friends we rented a car and explored the eastside AKA wild side AKA windy side of the island. The east side of the island is undeveloped aside from a few bar and grills and one windpowered hotel. At one time there was electric on this side of the island however in 1988 Hurricane Gilbert knocked most of the poles out and since there has not been electric on this side of the island.

The eastside is typically very windy and has miles of unspoiled beaches and rough surf. It is NOT recommended to swim on this side of the island due to the rip current.


Again at the recommendation of some friends, we stopped and had lunch and margaritas at Coconut Bar and Grill. We enjoyed garlic grilled shrimp and the view. Being one of the highest points on the island the view is absolutely amazing.

Nic on the ironshore.

El Mirador

During our 5 days at the resort we enjoyed many rounds of miniature golf.

Walking along the shore. Cozumel is not know for it's sandy beaches, there's a lot of iron shore. It helps the water visability, which is one of the reasons Cozumel is known for snorkeling and scuba diving.

After this trip we fell in love with this island and have returned many times. Cozumel also will be where we take our first family vacation this upcoming November.

Here's our first sight of our beloved Isla de Cozumel.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Despite our highs being in the 80's for most of the week, the weekend called for cooler... actually way cooler...temperatures and rain. We decided if we were going to be stuck inside we'd rather be stuck inside at the lake. So Friday evening we headed to the lake. We prepared our shrimp kabobs/skewers, grilled them, and chowed down.

Saturday we got up, I decided to go ahead and give Bryce his first taste of solids, which I chose avocado mashed and mixed with breast milk.
Here he is sitting in his Chicco Hook On chair while I was preparing his meal. Of course he's chewing on it. He became a little fussy so instead of feeding him in it, Nic held him during our first feeding adventure.

Here's the first bite. Sorry it's not the greatest picture. I was trying to take the picture and feed him at the same time, apparently my finger was over the flash.

Despite the above picture he really really liked the avocado and ate more of it than I was expecting.

Smacking his lips.

It was a cloudy day Saturday and was starting to rain. We decided to go down to the covered docks and try our hand at fishing. Here's Bryce fishing for the first time...somewhat.


He napped a little, then enjoyed a bottle. Daddy lost a fishing pole when he had it just sitting on the dock and a fish took his minnow and dragged the pole in with it. That's what he gets for not paying attention. When I finally sat down on the dock with Bryce, I threw my line out with a bobber and a minnow and watched patiently. My bobber started moving and bobbing up and down a few times so with Bryce in one arm, I grabbed my pole and just hooked it slightly...sure enough I caught a fish...and it was a crappie too! I wish I had gotten a picture of us with the fish but I didn't. I'm sure this spring there will be many opportunities for us to get a picture with one of the fish we catch.

Saturday night the rain picked up and it rained pretty much all day Sunday. I guess it is April afterall...April showers bring May flowers.

Tasty Thursday: Donna's Chicken Divine

As much as I love to constantly post about Bryce, I fear it can be a little monotonous to some (of course not me). So in addition to Monday Memory I'm going to try to do another 'feature'...I can't guarantee it will be every week, but it will be on Thursday. Therefore Tasty Thursday is born.

Before I start on the recipe, I do want to mention that Bryce did much better sleeping last night than the previous night. He's still not sleeping until 3:30 or 4am like he was before, but I was able to atleast sleep 3 hours straight.

So on to the food.

I REALLY, REALLY enjoy food, which is why you will probably never catch me doing a full fledged diet. If I get a craving for something I HAVE to have it. So naturally I enjoy cooking whether it's for a party we're hosting, for meals, or just baking. I have many favorite recipes but I'm always finding and trying new recipes. So most weeks I'm going to attempt to feature some type of food I made during the week.

This first recipe I made this evening for dinner. It's a recipe my Mom found and introduced me to, she made this for us after we brought Bryce home from the hospital. So every time I have it I reflect on those first few days of his life. Oh nostalgia! It's easy to put together but requires about an hour of cooking time. You can click below for the actual recipe. As with any recipes I'm sure it can be modified to be lower in fat.

Donna's Chicken Divine.

We just add one addition to this recipe. You'll see what it is.

Please bear with me as I learn to take better photos of food.

I start by placing my chicken in the middle of the dish. I prefer to have 4 smaller breasts or even tenders instead of 3 larger breasts, but this is what I had.

This is what Bryce did while I was cutting up the potatoes. I can do most anything holding him, but cutting up vegetables with a knife is definitely not one of them. Thank goodness he loves his walker, it has freed up my arms many times.

I prefer red potatoes, so I cut up probably 8 or 9 small red potatoes about 1/2 to 1 inch in size. Now place the potatoes on one side of the chicken.



Then take a can of WHOLE green beans (juice and all) and pour into the other side of the dish.

The uncooked dish looks like this.

Melt a 1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter.

To the melted butter I added dry Italian dressing mix and mixed them together. Then I poured it over the potatoes, chicken, and green beans, using a rubber spatula to scrape any remaining dressing mix and butter.

Here comes the special ingredient my mother and I add. Head Country Seasoning. I love this stuff and use it in a lot of other recipes. We sprinkle it over the entire dish.

Here's what it looked like just before I covered it with aluminum foil and place it in the oven.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven, which was preheated to 350 degrees.

So while the dish was baking in the oven Nic, Bryce and I all went outside so we could pull weeds in the garden. Here's Bryce on a blanket next to the garden...of course Sophie is in his hands and mouth.

About an hour later the dish came out of the oven and looks like this. Be careful not to get burned by the steam when removing the foil.

Tonight we're going to grill some shrimp and vegetable skewers. Hopefully I'll be able to share that next week.