juicy goodness.

"you have got to try _________"

we've all heard that at some point or another. right?

but how often does what you're trying actually live up to the hype?

probably not often. at least that's the case for me.

 but i have something exciting to tell you...if you live in seattle that is.

you've got to try one of the best sandwiches...ever.

no really, i'm not kidding.

a couple weeks ago, the husband and i went to a little hole in the wall place.

this 'hole in the wall' just so happens to sell the second best sandwich in america.

{according to the food network}

the hype was worth it.

if you're in seattle, or nearby, you've got to try paseo.

their cuban sandwiches are divine, juicy, messy, goodness... all tucked into a fresh baguette.

the only problem, i want one of these sandwiches all.the.time. now.

{he'd kill me if he knew i was posting this picture}

excuse me while i go dream of one of those puppies.

cookie thief

the kitchen in my house growing up was always busy during the holiday season.

during december, my mom was a baking fool.

i don't think there is anything she cannot bake...

and it all tastes amazing!

i can remember our living room table during christmas time vividly.

it was a large, dark, wood table.

but during the holiday's, you could barely see the table at all.

my mom had that table covered with cookies, pies, lemon bars, 

and basically every treat you could dream of...

but there was one treat in particular that i dreamed of.

chocolate chip mint puffs.

{excuse me while a drool a little}

of a whole table covered in sweets, 

those were the cookies i would stealthily sneak into the living room to gobble up.

i couldn't ever get enough of them.

they are christmas to me.

and they are delicious!

now i just need to figure out how to make them, because i tried...and let's just say it wasn't pretty.
ugh.

sure, they look ok from the pictures...but after telling my mom what they tasted like,
and more specifically the texture they were,
there was a list of things that i need to do differently next time.
did that stop me from eating about 10 of these babies in one sitting?
nope.

wrapping up 2013.

2014, you have a lot to live up to... 

i can honestly say that 2013 has been one of the best {if not the best} years of my life.

it's going to be hard to beat the birth of a child...but somehow, i think 2014 might just be even better.

and because you are all dying to know, no i didn't finish my bucket list, but i came pretty darn close.

and that makes me very happy! 

here are some highlights:
a quick side note:
 i have many, many more pictures,
which are way better than these,
 but they are on the husband's camera.
maybe i'll get a chance to share them someday soon!
until then, you'll have to live with my crumby iphone pictures! 

{chloe's first snow day}

{mom's mint meringue's...kinda}

{sugar cookie fest, 2013}

{our little elf. hat courtesy of chlo's aunt lindsey}

{chloe's first christmas. bib courtesy of grandpa and grandma at the beach}

{i couldn't be happier}

i hope you all had a fabulous holiday season, and that as you pack up your decorations, your home is still full of love and happiness.

here's to 2014!

news coverage.

i feel like this topic has been talked about a lot... but i just cannot get it off my mind recently.
it seems like these days, more and more, the news that is covered is all negative.
i hardly ever watch the news, or check news webpages because when i do,
all i see are stories about heartache, robberies, car accidents, murders...

i feel like that intent of 'news' was to give information to the public.
to empower us with information about what is going on around us.
that being said,
i don't think that hearing about a couple who decided they wanted to kill someone
for fun
is something that i need to hear about.
{yes, that is the latest news story that i saw last night}

i think that news stories like the one above give power to evil people.
i think that news stories like the one above poison our minds...
they give ideas to others who may choose to do the same thing, or something even worse.
they create a sense of paranoia...at least i know they do for me... and i'm sure i am not alone.

so where is the fine line between reporting news stories to keep people informed,
and reporting news stories for the shock and awe value?

i don't have the answer.
and until there is an answer, i'll stay away from the news.
i guess if something really important happens i will hear about it...
you may think i am crazy, or ignorant, or careless for doing this, and that is ok with me.
i just cannot stand to see another article about another innocent person being murdered.
i.just.cant.

teaching.

the longer i'm away, the more i miss it.

it's worse at night too...

when i can't squeeze chloe and remember why i am at home.

i know that staying home with chloe is an amazing opportunity, 

and such a huge blessing, 

but it doesn't mean that i don't miss teaching.

and trust me when i say, i miss it.

 a lot.

i find myself looking at my old school's website often...

looking at my old co-workers' websites and checking my work email.

doing this only makes me sad.

as you know, teaching is a huge passion of mine.

i loved being a teacher, and to toot my own horn a little, i was good at it.

teaching came naturally to me. 

plus with the amazing mentors i had, things just fell into place.

i miss having my own class of 21+ kiddos.

reading them stories.

watching their eyes light up and seeing their excitement as i taught them.

listening to them process new information.

i even miss the 'work' part of it all...the meetings and conferences.

but i love being home with chloe too.

i love being with her for every milestone.

watching her smile, laugh, and grow.

i wouldn't want to miss out on that for anything.

my plan has been to be a substitute teacher a day or two per week starting in january.

as january quickly approaches, however, so does my anxiety.

i would love, so much, to walk into a classroom and teach again.

but leaving chloe scares me...and i don't know why.

i really am not one of those moms, but this anxiety is killing me.

since chloe was born, i have never been away from her for more than 4 hours.

{and those 4 hours were when she was asleep for the night, not in the middle of the day}

it's not that i am afraid to leave her, 

it's because i have exclusively nursed her since she was born and she eats every 3 hours.

there are some things dad's just can't do. wink wink.

yes, she has taken a bottle a handful of times, but i was home for each one...

and it was more to train her to drink from a bottle in case of emergencies 

since there has been no real need for her to take a bottle with me being home all the time.

i know the husband can take care of baby c just fine. 

he is amazing with her.

i guess the thought of pumping {tmi...sorry}, storing milk, bottle feeding, and working, 

all at the same time, intimidates me. 

i think the only way to get over all this is to dive in head first.

i just question if i'm ready.

he's cheating on me.

it's every woman's nightmare...

to find out that your husband is cheating on you.

a few days ago, i was giving chloe a bath,

as i towel dried her off, i saw something faint on the bathroom mirror.

if you look closely you can see it...

d+c with a big, juicy heart.

immediately my mind raced.

who is 'd' and who is 'c'?

was it the previous tenants of our apartment?

surely that answer is no.

 we have lived in our place over 3 years and i had never seen the markings before.

i then wondered what the letters stood for.

secret code names perhaps?!

no one had showered in our bathroom besides the husband and i... 

i didn't write it, which means it was the husband.

whooooo the heck was my husband writing love notes about?!

of course, i proceeded to yell for the husband to join chloe and i in the bathroom.

"what is this?!" i asked.

the husband answered in a very cheerful voice:

"daddy + chloe of course!"

at that moment... i melted.

if he's going to give his love away to another girl, she's definitely the one to give it to.

lucky baby. 

hypocrite.

a pet peeve of mine is hypocrisy. 

if something really bugs you, ya probably shouldn't do it, right?

that being said, when i cook/bake i am definitely a 'by-the-recipe' gal.

you won't find me in the kitchen without a recipe. 

and let me tell you, or you can ask the husband,

i follow recipes to a 't'. 

the thought of no recipe? 

please excuse me while i shudder a little. 

today i decided to make some good ol' chex mix.

{one of the many kitchen-y items on my bucket list}

now, i have to mention, i make chex mix the right way.

what way is that you ask?

 the way without the extra garbage...i mean...without the pretzels and nuts.

everyone just picks out the cereal part anyway right?

{ok, maybe that's just me}

anywho, i had actually just finished telling the husband i was going to make chex mix

 "the right way"

when it happened...

i must love my salt because i decided to use a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon for all the spices.

whoops.

the irony... not 4 days ago i jumped on the husband 

for using a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon when we were baking chocolate chip cookies.

{as it turns out, he actually was using the right measurement, double whoops}

i had to laugh when i told him i measured the seasonings wrong.

let's just say, he had a good time with that one.

the good news: i saved the day {aka the chex mix}.

{my little helper}