Out with the old, in with the new!

I started a baby blog to document progress & everything.  So this one will be put to the side for a while.  Though I never use it any more anyway.  New blog is at:  http://ourpreciousmiracle1.blogspot.com/  So head on over there if you wanna keep updated & see progress of baby Smouse.  =)

Me A-Z

Since I fail at the whole routinely blogging thing, I figured I'd do this so you can get to know a lil more about myself...& it's a lot easier. :)

A. Age: just turned 27, hard to believe I'm really that age


B. Bed size: Queen


C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the bathrooms, yuck!


D. Dogs: Yes, an adorable lil Chihuahua pup named Cooper who keeps me very entertained. :)


E. Essential start to your day: Shower, not a coffee drinker or big breakfast eater.


F. Favorite color: Blue prob. still.


G. Gold or silver: White gold


H. Height: about 5' 8"


I. Instruments you play(ed): I played the baritone in HS, nothing now.


J. Job title: Registered Nurse, Wife, & puppy mommy ;)


K. Kids: Not yet!


L. Live: A beautiful one story house w/a pool & nice backyard


M. Mom’s name: Laurel


N. Nicknames: Don't think I really have any, since my parents named me that way on purpose. Mark of course has a few lovey dovey ones though, haha.


O. Overnight hospital stays: I guessed I stayed overnight when I was 5 & broke my arm. I absolutely try to stay out of hospitals when I'm not working in them.


P. Pet peeves: Drama!!! Also horrible drivers, finding no toilet paper in the bathroom, people who curse in like every sentence, people who use the phrase "You know what I mean?" or a similar one, all the time, & many more!

Q. Quote from a movie: I'm a horrible quoter


R. Righty or lefty: Righty


S. Siblings: 2 sisters, but only the one counts in my book, right now


T. Time you wake up: It's diff. every day, but when I have to work, it's 5:10AM


U. Underwear: Thongs & v-strings, most comfy!


V. Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel sprouts


W.What makes you run late: Waiting until the last minute to get ready. I usually give myself an hour to get ready & leave the house, but sometimes that's just not enough time. Plus, I hate being early!


X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, ankle, finger, arm, hand, not sure what else.


Y. Yummy food you make: Lots of desserts! I'm good at baking, but not so much w/the cooking.


Z. Zoo animal favorites: Typically the monkeys & the lions/tigers.

Did it again!

And of course, I haven't been able to keep up w/this darn blog! I really have great intentions, but other things just get in the way. It's been a busy 2 months.

- we checked out Lake Pleasant & saw our first donkeys in AZ (didn't know they existed here)

- shopped at the Outlets at Anthem (def. going back there if/when I get pregnant)

- went to see Montezuma Castle

- bought a Wii so I can do Zumba at home, which has been fun

- attended a balloon fest & explored Lake Havasu City (def. wanna go back there too!)

- had a fun day at another Nestie GTG

- started a horrible ritual of seeing my new dentist way too often! He's really hurting our wallets, but I've gotta get my mouth tuned up...darn old fillings!

- met a fun couple & hung out w/another Great couple at a Super Bowl Party (& actually watched my 1st super bowl)

- enjoyed a week w/my Dad here which included a hike on South Mtn, my first truck race, an outdoor expo, some shopping, lots of good food, & my first Spring Training game...lots of boy stuff for a change!

- got to celebrate w/friends at another friends' baby shower

- enjoyed another week of company right after my Dad left, of my G. Aunt Char & her friend Sandy. And Mark got called to work the day they arrived, so I got to have lots of needed girl time. We attended the Carefree Fine Arts & Wine Festival (WOW is all I have to say! I totally envy artists!), did some shopping & exploring, hiked Camelback Mtn, drove up South Mtn, devoured a delicious Caribbean-inspired meal cooked by our guests, walked around the Desert Botanical Garden, & shopped at Old Town Scottsdale.

And of course, work & the usual errands, playing w/Cooper & those kinds of things too. ;)

How could you ever say no or get mad at this face?!?

Lol, I have to admit that I love him more than I ever thought I'd like an animal at all (I was never a big animal person), but he knows how to push our buttons a little bit. Like this morning when I got up, took him out to go to the bathroom. He only peed, then stood there & looked at me like, "what Mom, I went?" So I tried to get him to poop too, but he wouldn't, so we went back in the house. Less than 5 mins of being in the house, guess who decided he had to poop?? Mr Cooper did...& proceeded to go in the bedroom, beside the bed & also out in the dining room. Needless to say, his Daddy was very pissed when he walked over & saw the piles sitting beside the bed, then walked out & found more in the dining room. So the poor Coop-man was in solitary confinement today, ahha. I hate having to do that to him, but ugh...we can't have him going to the bathroom in the house, just because he wants to or he gets moody about something. He's so darn cute though! It's hard getting mad at that face.

Getting good use of our Bountiful Basket, for once!

Almost every single day we run around doing errands or going somewhere, so today we actually stayed in & cooked, baked, cleaned, did laundry, dishes, & just hung out! We had lots of our fruits/veggies left from our BB the last time & really needed to use them, so we made steak stew, fruit salad & apple cake. And boy are they all good, & easy to make too!

I just kind of threw the stew together, but it turned out awesome! The potatoes were soft & the steak fell apart...sooo good! The fruit salad is just a mix of fresh apples, oranges, grapes, canned pears, & canned mandarin oranges. Let me know if you'd like the recipe for the apple cake. It was easy to make & it's so moist & good. The topping is like a carmelized nut glaze & it really tops it off.

And now after all that "work" today, we're headed to the couch to watch a movie. All in all a good day! =)

What a View!

Since yesterday was so warm & nice outside...& I had off work, we decided to take a drive up South Mountain in Phoenix. The views were amazing, despite the fact that yesterday was a high pollution day & there was an apt. fire below making lots of black smoke in the sky.


My boys:

Gorgeous sky as the sun was going down:

Now we just have to go up some other time when we can actually hike & explore more. There are so many areas for photo ops around here. I love this city!