This could get me in trouble....

But I am obsessed with this tan-lined booty :)

I pretty much have a weird thing with nakedness....or rather I pretty much dont have a weird thing with nakedness. I think this country's relationship with nudity is pretty screwed up. That said I let the girls run around naked whenever they want, mostly because I dont feel like redressing them when they are in and out of the pool all day, but also I want them always to be comfortable with their body...Im not sure where and when the line is drawn, but for now.....
Im sure  my opinion will change one day (maybe??? I really think growing up in a "comfortable with nakedness" household is great for self-esteem and overall body image...just ask Heidi Klum, HA!.) and maybe I should considering the last time we went to someones house that had a pool, I turned around to put my bags down and there was a trail of clothing from the gate to the pool where E was standing in her birthday suit trying to introduce herself to the other kids already swimming :)

...but for now I cant get enough of this booty.

Father's Day!

So I already put it on fb and most you saw it there but I cant help it!


For Fathers Day this year I came across a Houstons "Hottest Dad" competition sponsored by a blogger at the Chronicle. I figured I would use it as D's card this year (I try hard to make a card out of something other than well, a card) and that he would just feel honored to have been nominated.
Well HE WON! I couldnt believe it! I was sure one of the two cops or the Dad with MS or the Dad with three teenage daughters would win....It had to have been the picture :)  So now we get to enjoy a dinner at Morton's which niether of us has ever been to. so exciting.
Im so proud of him, and how wonderful of a father he is...but really I would not have had kids with anyone else....and he really does fold those pink socks and panties!!

We spend the whole weekend in the pool with the kids and BBQing complete with naps on the couch all the way around! It was a great, great family weekend.

MY Entry:

I am married to Houston’s hottest Dad ever…. Dylan! He loves his two girls Ella and Ainsley, more than anything in the world! His integrity and dedication are felt by everyone he comes in contact with; finding common ground with all the amazingly different people you will meet in your life and how to learn from each one is just ONE of the beautiful qualities our girls will grow up learning from him. I love watching him explore and play with them and how he encourages them to be themselves, and to laugh! It is important to him that we sit down as a family for dinner and enjoy each others company for the precious few hours we get together, and he loves reading to them before bed even after a long day at work. He loves to teach them about the world around them, but most importantly about Our Father and humility. I think he is the hottest Dad because I’m so lucky to have someone to help me be a better Mama, from helping around the house (really is there anything sexier than a man folding various shades of pink socks and panties out of the laundry??!!) to the support, encouragement, and praise I get, and need, for being a stay at home Mom. But most of all he is the Hottest Dad because he is a beautiful person inside and out  We love you Papa!

http://blog.chron.com/momhouston/2011/06/houston%E2%80%99s-hottest-dad-contest-winner/

I havent been blogging I've been sewing!

Shame on me...I was so excited to start this and totally lost steam.
I have been using any extra min I have to sew (OK that and making new playlist for workouts) though and made these matching 4th of july outfits for the girls! I cant wait to take their picture in them on the beach (hence the time spent making playlist for workouts....beach bikini time closing in fast)!

So Ainsley and Ella are just about the same size, but at 2 Im pretty sure this is the last time I can put her in a bubble suit, so Im doing it :)

Ruffle butt :)

I finally measured my ceasar dressing

I have been working on a ceasar dressing for years. Ever since I worked at Baylor where they had this spicy ceasar while I was preggo with E....I was hooked. Its funny because when I first met D I use to laugh at what I called Cajun-ified recipes. It seems like everything I cooked, be it Italian or Thai, he wanted to throw some Tony Chachere's on it, or just cayanne. Turns out that was the ingredient that finally made this right.
I NEVER measure, more taste...a lot....and my Mom has been asking for a recipe so this week I measured, and remeasured as I added to taste....here is the recipe with options :)

Tracy's Spicy (thanks to hubby) Ceasar
*optional ingredients

3T olive oil
2T white wine vinegar
1T Worcester sause
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
*1/2 t of anchovy paste (a guesstimate, I just squeeze into bowl)
1/2 t dry mustard powder

1 large minced garlic clove
*sprinkle of cayanne pepper
pinch of salt (taste first, most Parmesan adds enough salt)
fresh ground pepper
3T fresh grated Parmesan cheese (again a guesstimate...OT, but I cant believe that is a spell-checkable word?!)

*1/4 mayo

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl (preferably one with a lid...ah how I love you pampered chef) until paste dissolves. Add the rest of the ingredients except mayo. whisk until grated Parmesan starts to dissolve. For a creamy ceasar whisk in (or better shake in a closed bowl) the mayo. If you skip the mayo, add 3 more Tablespoons of olive oil, or if you dare (and are braver than I) a whisked egg yolk for a true ceasar!
Dont forget the bacon :)

Yummy Yum!

Mama earns a new pair of shoes! (Changing brake light)

My car has been beeping at me for days that a brake light was out. So finally durning a nap time I pulled out the book to look up the part number for the bulb and this is what I found....HA!

see your Authorized dealership to replace bulb....

SO, I called the "authorized dealership" to see how much it cost to change a bulb just for giggles.

$74.99

You're kidding.

I needed a little help figuring out which brake light was out :)

I removed the bulb and took it to Autozone and $4.99 later I had a new bulb. 

It took about 5 min to switch out in the driveway.

<<<< THEREFORE  >>>>

$74.99-$4.99= $70.00 

Mama earns a new pair of shoes :)

Girls room! finally

I finally finished putting the girls room together (well, sort of now that I see it in a picture I need something for the corners of the room). For Ainsley's second birthday we moved them into shared rooms (with a bit of an adjustment period for both girls and Mama who was very very sad to see the crib go in the attic...ahem, not sold) I was planning on sewing both quilts but fell in love with these pottery barn kids quilts. I curse that store, sigh, but really the cuteness is unbearable. I did however paint the room, and made the picket fence along the back wall to act as a large headboard. We used the divans we got in the UK for frames, they come on rollers and can be pushed and locked together if we ever need a spare spare room for guest, say Thanksgiving at our house 2011 :) I ordered twin mattresses and not twin long mattress that about four inches too short for the frame (who knew) so I had to make those brown polka-dot foam headboards to make up the difference.

The girls are happy and settled. Ainsley loves being a big girl, and Ella loves having someone to wake up with in the morning. 

Pete and Penny the owls! As I painted E would say, "I dont want a tree in my room!" and then I got to the owls and she said, "Oh, well I guess you knew the owls needed a place to sleep!"

My father made both girls these step stools on their first Christmases. I had one just like it from my grandpa that  I carried everywhere, I love how they fit so well in their room.

Opening night, with an unbelievable ending!!

OK, so its rather late for this post, but Oh well its a good story!

ON opening night for the Astros a group of our friends went together.

I forgot how fun baseball games are, and the yummy stadium crap food and beer.

Ainsley LOVED it, I was worried she wouldnt last very long and she sat in her seat watching the action for a majority of the game.

 Ella got some baseball lessons from Roy :) but was most impressed with the wave.

Uncle Matt singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame to A!

Easy night for Mama and Papa!

We even stayed for the Friday night fireworks which were great!

Now the craziness...

The girls fell asleep on the way home, so I picked up Ainsley to carry her upstairs while D opened the door and turned the alarm off. When I turned to walk up the stairs I noticed a hand written note stuck under a shoe. It said 

"Case # blah blah...

At 8:48pm your Alarm went off, and we were unable to reach you (fireworks!)

When we arrived at the property we found the back door open. It is our policy to check the premises, durning which an officer fell through your attic into your master closet ceiling.

If you have any questions, blah blah....."

Um, is this a joke?!!! I quickly laid Ainsley down and went to the closet. Sure enough there is a huge hole in the ceiling and insulation EVERYwhere! There is even scuff marks on the walls where you can see the poor officer kicked out when he feel.

I called the next day, mostly to see if the officer was ok. as soon as I said who I was the guy started laughing. apparently the one who fell was described as the "new go get 'um officer" caught himself by his elbows and "his ego is hurt more than his arms"

I guess I am mostly happy that they showed up and bothered to search the house instead of coming home to burglar hiding in my attic, on the other hand, cleaning up insulation for weeks has not been fun!