Flashback Fridays

I only have so many old pictures scanned onto this computer, but trust me there are many more. My friend, Dana, commented the other day about driving by San Marcos Baptist Academy and how it brought back so many memories of Camp Tallowood. The timing of her comment was even more interesting, since I had just come across pictures from our 8th grade year. If I get the time, I will be sure to post all of those just for you, Dana. In the meantime, you will have to settle for this precious face. Taken 2 years ago, Mason was only 7 months old.

Training for a Half Marathon

It's the fourth week of training and I'm a bit discouraged. It wasn't until my freshmen year of college, that I started running. I took a jogging class and it motivated me to get up every morning and run. I had to do it for my grade, but I enjoyed the benefits I received from it. Sure the exercise was nice, but it was more therapeutic then anything. I could go for a run and relieve stress and have time for myself to think about life. It was fun.

Once I discovered I was pregnant with Mason, my running came to a complete hault. My doctor said it would be fine to run, but I didn't want to take the chance. I missed it, but I had a lot of other things to do with my time. Two kids later, and three years, I picked up my running shoes once again.

On my first run, I remember thinking to myself, how much I had missed it. It wasn't that difficult to back into the swing of things and surprisingly, I wasn't too sore. I expected to hardly be able to move. I started off strong and each day, I looked forward to my next run.

Four weeks later, I am at a hault. I debated about writing about this, because let's face it, who likes to admit their weaknesses. However, I know there are many people out there that run and who have completed half marathons, and even marathons and I need some encouragement.

I have read that running long distances is 90% mental and 10% physical, and I'm finding that to be so true. Seriously, my mind can convince me almost anything is possible, but it can also convince me that it is impossible. My dreams even revolve around running.

If it's possible to be a morning person and a night owl all in one, then that is me. I don't like to wake up early, but I don't like to waist my day away. Once I'm awake, I'm awake and ready to go. No matter how early I was up that morning, I can stay awake until late at night. I usually wake up about 6:30am and go to bed around midnight. That being said, I don't like running early in the morning. I don't mind a mid-morning run, but I prefer an afternoon run.

Last week, I didn't run at all. It rained every day, all day in Bakersfield. I planned on cross training but then I came down sick, and didn't feel up for running. Once the weekend hit, the weather was nice again, but I had no motivation. I kept telling myself that I needed to go, but I had other things to do, since I was laid out sick all week.

Adam's work schedule isn't helping either. He travels usually three days out of the week, but for the past two weeks, he has been working here in Bakersfield. However, he leaves as early as 5:30am and doesn't get home sometimes until 8:30pm. These are all excuses, I know, but how do I find time to run when I have two young kids and no jogging stroller?

I have been praying about this and covet your prayers. I want to complete this half marathon in May, but I'm feeling bogged down with one thing after the other. I know it's mental and I physically can do it, but I didn't expect to feel this way so soon into my training. Advice, tips, and prayers are welcome.

Ten on Tuesday

This week's Ten on Tuesday is brought to us thru Chelsea. Sorry I didn't post one last week, but that was the first day I came down sick.

1. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Giving birth to two beautiful children. While I enjoyed being pregnant, it wasn't always easy. I was fortunate to have two pretty easy labors, although they call it labor for a reason. Contractions aren't fun, by any means. When I was first pregnant with Mason, I had really bad anxiety over the labor. Without having any experience in it, I was scared of the unknown. But once I held both Mason and Taylor in my arms, it was the best feeling in the world. Nothing is more rewarding.

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?
6lbs, 7oz.

3. What is your favorite perfume?
I recently wrote about it here.

4. How many siblings do you have?
I have an older sister, Christina and a younger brother, Kris.

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many children do you have?)
I have two. Mason is 2.5 years old and Taylor is 10.5 months old. We hope to have at least one more, but possibly two. I have always wanted four, but we have compromised with three, with the option of having more. We also hope to adopt one day, if the Lord leads us in that direction.

6. What's the best class you took in college?
Early Childhood Development. My professor was a stay-at-home dad and it was interesting hearing his prospective on fatherhood.

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?
Life. I couldn't wait to spin and have twin girls or boy and put them in the car. My favorite career was always the journalist. I still love that game, even if it has upgraded a bit to fit today's world.

8. What character on Friends are you most like?
I just wrote about that yesterday, here.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)
Yes, I always have been, unless the other person on the line isn't a phone person. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone on the phone, who isn't? It's painful, like pulling teeth to get them to talk. It's even worse when they call you and you eventually have to ask why they are calling, because they don't volunteer that information. You called me!

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?
It's a tie. I took a trip in college to Akumal. My gram treated my cousin, Taylor, and I for our birthdays. My parents surprised us by going for a couple days as well. I have some fantastic memories and hope to one day take Adam and the kids. My other favorite trip was our honeymoon to Lanikai, Hawaii. So relaxing and beautiful and perfect after planning a wedding. We hope to go back many times. Sad to say, but we haven't taken a vacation since our anniversary. Hopefully, that will change soon.

Chicken Spaghetti

The last ten days really thru me off. I had a couple of items planned to make from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, but I then I remembered that I do have a year to complete the challenge and one week off isn't going to be the end of the world.

Tonight, the girls met for Bible study at our house. I knew Adam wasn't sure what time he would be home, so I wanted to make something that would feed about 12 girls and be easy. I opted for the Chicken Spaghetti. I had already purchased all the ingredients a couple weeks ago. I only go the grocery store twice a month and go back for milk, bread, and fruits if needed.

I decided in order to make my life easier, I would prep the meal early and put it in the fridge until I was ready to put it in the oven. I don't know why I never thought of doing this before, but it made everything so much easier. As Taylor napped, and Mason played, I started cooking. The prep time took a little less than an hour.

First, I boiled the chicken. The recipe asks for a fryer chicken you can cut up, but I already had chicken breasts in my freezer and I wasn't going to spend extra money to do the exact same thing with the chicken, not to mention it was much easier.

While the chicken boiled, I decided to go ahead and cut up the green bell pepper and the small onion. I actually only used half of a small onion and thought it gave the dish just the right amount of flavor, without being too powerful.

After the chicken had boiled, I took it out to cool and set aside the two cups of the chicken broth.

Next, I boiled the spaghetti noodles in the remainder broth from the chicken. I think this gives the noodles a little extra flavor and I liked that I wasn't waisting any part of the broth.

As the noodles boiled, I shredded the three chicken breasts. I love shredded chicken in almost any casserole or soup. It's perfect in my mom's Chicken Tortilla Soup.

In a large mixing bowl, I added the drained spaghetti, the cream of mushroom soup and the cheese.

Then I added the bell pepper, pimento, onion and the spices. It calls for Cayenne Pepper and I didn't think that a quarter of a teaspoon gave it enough taste, so I added more. But definitely taste it after it's mixed to make sure it is to your liking.

I added the shredded chicken and the broth that we set aside in the beginning and mixed everything together. The recipe says it will make 6 to 8 servings, so I was worried if it would be enough for 12 girls.

Add the shredded cheese and place in the oven or covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. I wish I could say that I have a picture of the finished dish, but I didn't have time to get my camera before we dug into it.

Not only did everyone love it, but some of the girls took some leftovers home and I still had plenty left over as well. I am going to freeze it and pull it out one night, when I'm in need of a quick meal. I know I've only made three of her dishes, but I haven't tasted anything I don't like.

Challenge: Cooking my way thru "The Pioneer Woman Cooks"

Recipes completed: 3

Recipes left: 60

Organization

If you ask my husband, family, or any of my close friends, they will tell you that I'm an organizational freak. I heard this quote yesterday and it so fits me, "Everything has a place and there is a place for everything." If you watched the show Friends, I would mostly relate to Monica. On one episode, Chandler discovers that Monica keeps one of the closet doors locked in the apartment. He starts to wonder what is in there and finally gets the door open, to realize that it's cluttered and full of junk. You would think that even Monica would organize her junk closet, but this is her weakness.

I have a drawer in my bathroom that is the same way. It's not like our house doesn't have a ton of storage space, if anything that is the opposite. We have cabinets in our kitchen that still aren't being used. In my bathroom, there is only one drawer...odd, I know. When we moved in, I asked Adam if he wanted it, and he said he would be fine with the cabinets underneath his sink. Not only do I have cabinets underneath my sink and a drawer, but I also have another cabinet and part of the linen closet. Girls have a lot of stuff.

My drawer is my weakness. Even when I was younger, my drawer in the bathroom was always cluttered and never organized. My cabinets and linen closet and perfect, but I just couldn't get my drawer organized. I have anything from jewelry to brushes in there. I have a couple of jewelry boxes, but I'm not a big fan of them. I finally decided that I needed to clean out my drawer and organize it.

Since I'm not making baby food for Taylor anymore, I decided to put my ice cube trays to good use. I got the idea after watching House Hunters on HGTV one evening. I hate to show you the before, but in order for you to get the full experience of how bad it really was, you have to see it.

Before

After (notice my love for chapstick)

Expectations

I have a problem with expectations. Unfortunately, I have always been this way and it has taken me almost 30 years to realize this. Sad. It wasn't until a conversation I had a few months ago with my Dad, that I realized this. Maybe it's wanting to control every aspect of my life, because obviously deep down, I feel that my way is the right way. I guess that's also called stubborn or hard-headed. This can cause a major problem for others in your life, but most importantly, I'm learning that it can cause you to miss out on what God is trying to show you.

I love check-lists! So much so, that when I make one, I'll write down things I have already completed to make myself feel better. Again, sad, but the truth. Growing up, I had a check-list on life. Go to college, get married, have kids, buy a house, grow old. Within that check-list, I had a TON of expectations. When those expectations weren't met, I became disappointed, sad, and then a angry. I not only took it out on myself, but on the people around me.

I expect my kids to nap. When they don't, I realize how tired I am and become frustrated that I don't have time to myself. I expect my husband to help me after a long day. When he would rather sit and relax, I become annoyed and feel like he doesn't care that I had a long day. When really, he just had a long day as well, and needs a break for himself. I expect everyone to know how I'm feeling, and when they don't, I think they are insincere and rude. See what I mean? Selfish.

A lot, but not all people, enter marriage this way. Just recently, in the Shifting Gears Sunday School class we attend, we discussed this. There is a difference between expectations and hope. A husband can hope that he is going to have a good home-cooked meal every night, your wife to pick up for you, and "fun" in the evening. But if you change that to expecting that to happen, you can cause a rift in your marriage, without even realizing it.

Usually, expectations can be one sided. Most of the time, the other person has no idea what your expectations might be. If that is the case, a fight could occur with words that can break down the other person.

To be brutally honest, my expectations have hurt my husband, my family, and my friends. I want this perfect world and I lose sight that I'm not in control, but God is. So many times, I try to do things on my own, because let's face it, I think I can do it better. Sure, God will let me do things on my own, but how much easier would it be if I just handed it over to Him. That doesn't mean it won't be difficult, but it's trusting that He will pull you thru and give you the grace you need.

I write this mostly for me, to remind myself that the expectations that I have set for myself or others in my life, hasn't helped me, but only discouraged me and let me down. But I also write this in hope that if you struggle with this as well, know that I'll be praying for you.

Flashback Fridays

This weeks picture is not as old as most, but it was taken almost 4 years ago, when my nephew Connor was born. Be still my heart, I love little babies!

I love Target

Yesterday I felt well enough to get out of the house, even if it was just for a little bit. I go stir crazy, especially if I haven't left the house in three days. So where did I go? Target! It is probably one of my favorite stores of all time. Where else can you find a cute comforter and groceries at the same place? If you said Walmart, then you are correct, but I make it a point to not enter Walmart unless my life depended on it. Walmart is fine, but I can find all the same things at Target and still pay the same price, if not cheaper (coupons).

So as I walked thru the aisles of Target, I realized they finally put out all of their Valentine's decor and yummy candy. I have always loved the seasonal decor Target puts out, but the Valentine's stuff is my favorite. If you are smart, wait until a week after Valentine's Day and you can get most of it for 90% off. Actually, that goes for any of their seasonal stuff.

Outside of all the candy, Mason could care less. He wanted to walk by the toys and kept asking to see the cars. I finally pulled myself away, because hearing Mason repeat himself one more time was not helping my headache.

I made sure to take the long way to the toy section, so that I could walk by the bedding. A few weeks ago, Mason woke up sick to his stomach in the middle of the night and unfortunately our comforter took the beating. I know I could have sent it to the dry cleaners, but it had a few tears and we decided to just throw it out instead.

For the past few weeks, we have been using an old down comforter and duvet we keep in our linen closet for when guests arrive. It doesn't match our room, but it works fine for the winter. However, once it starts to get warmer, we won't be able to use it.

As I walked up and down the aisles looking at the different bedding, I came across an 8pc. set that matched our room perfectly and it was on sale. Normally, I would have waited until Adam was with me, but it was the last one and I figured I could return it if Adam didn't like it. Luckily, I didn't have to return it. Would you like to see?

Roller Coaster

This past weekend and week have been a bit of a roller coaster around here. Thursday night, Taylor woke up with a really bad cough. I didn't like the sound of her breathing, so I turned my bathroom shower on to the hottest temperature and we sat for about 20 minutes. This certainly helped, but I still didn't want her sleeping in her room that night. I decided to set the pack n' play up on my side of the closet, so I could keep a closer watch on her. (Don't worry, our closet it plenty big)

Shortly after we both drifted off to sleep, I heard Mason calling my name. I then realized it was only 1:30am in the morning. I went in his room to check on him and ended up falling asleep in his bed. The boy is a great sleeper, but I really think he is going thru a spell where he is having bad dreams and wakes up very upset. It is so hard to get him back to sleep after one of these dreams. Hopefully, it is only a phase.

Friday morning came all too soon, but I was eager for the day. Adam had been telling me that he had a surprise planned for me and I would learn what it was that day. I love surprises and it is very hard to surprise me. As I made breakfast that morning, I got a call from Adam letting me know that my surprise wasn't going to happen that weekend and that everyone involved agreed it was best to let me know what it was.

My parents and Adam had been talking for a long time and planned on surprising me with a visit from them that weekend. It would be the first time I would get to meet Kris. However, Kris woke up with a really high temperature that morning and complaining he wasn't feeling too well. After a quick doctor's visit that morning, they discovered he had Strep Throat. The trip was off.

I completely understood that it was no one's fault and felt bad for Kris. I knew he would be very disappointed, as was I. I honestly felt like knowing the plans made it worse for me, at least at that moment.

I could barely talk on the phone to either Adam or my mom, I was that upset. The gesture was so sweet and exactly what I needed. Not being with our family for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year was extremely hard for me and I never want to do that again. So needless to say, Friday was a rough day for me. I took out all of my frustration by cleaning and reorganizing our entire house.

After waking up Saturday morning, I tried my very best not to dwell on the disappointment and wanted to make the best of the rest of the weekend. We spent the day relaxing and hanging out at the house. Taylor still didn't feel that great, and I didn't feel comfortable taking her out.

We stayed home from church on Sunday. I didn't want to take Taylor to the nursery with a cold, so Adam stayed home with the kids, while I did the grocery shopping. I was able to go to 4 stores in an hour and a half. It's amazing what you can do when you don't have any kids with you. I had to get my run in, because it was supposed to rain that afternoon.

Can I just say that it hardly ever rains in Bakersfield. This week we have had a 100 percent chance of rain every day, along with 30-40 mph winds. However, rain here is nothing like it is down in Texas. In the past two years that we have lived here, not once have I seen lightening or heard thunder. The month of January is always gloomy here. Fog, occasional rain, and more fog describe this month perfectly. The rest of the year, sunny without a cloud in the sky.

This week, I designated to start potty training Mason. He has shown signs that he is ready and I thought I would give it a go. He only had four accidents and actually went pee in the potty. I was so proud of him and impressed that it wasn't worse, since he was constantly drinking something all day. I took pictures, but I don't think Mason would appreciate me posting them.

When I woke up yesterday, I could barely move. My head was pounding and I was very dizzy. I went in Mason's room and thought I was going to be sick. Great timing. There was no way I was going to attempt the second day of potty training feeling like this. Too bad mom's don't get sick leave.

Adam is working on a new project, which allows him to be in Bakersfield all week. The down side is he leaves for work at 6am and doesn't get home until 8:30pm. By the time he walks in the door, I'm tucking Mason into bed and he gets to say goodnight to him before he drifts off to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling a little better, and hopefully by tomorrow I will be a 100 percent again.

Taylor's eating habits

Taylor, also known as Miss Independent, has decided she will no longer take any form of baby food. All the frozen cubes in my freezer will be cooked into a meal sometime, because the days of me spoon feeding her are over.

Mason was so different at this age. He would eat whatever you gave him, whether you spoon fed him or he did it himself. I guess I thought Taylor would be the same way. She isn't necessarily picky, which is a blessing, but neither was Mason at this age. At a year and a half, I noticed how picky Mason had become regarding what foods he wanted to eat or didn't want to eat. I hope Taylor doesn't follow in those footsteps.

I haven't been feeling well lately, and last night I opted for the classic Spaghetti O's for dinner. Not my favorite, but at least it has a full serving of vegetables in each can. I was super proud that Mason didn't make a mess at all. He has really gotten the spoon to mouth technique down and I only had to wipe his face. Taylor was a whole other story.

I thought I could begin spoon feeding her. Big mistake! She will keep her lips so tight and push your hand away over and over again, to the point that the food goes flying off the spoon. Finally, I got tired of trying, so I just dumped the bowl on her high chair and let her go to town. She was the happiest little girl. See for yourself.

It took me 30 minutes to bathe her and clean her up. Thankfully, I have a rather large double sink in my kitchen with a deep basin on one side. Most of her baths are immediately after dinner and in the kitchen. I will miss the days when she is too big for bath's in the kitchen sink.

Flashback Fridays

This weeks picture is from my First Grade teacher's wedding. Mrs. Stebbins was my favorite teacher and I actually still keep in touch with her and she is a good family friend. She invited all of our First Grade class to her wedding and some of us were even in it. Sorry for the poor quality.

10 months

Monday, I took Taylor to her 9 month well checkup visit. Only a few days shy from being 10 months old, and I'm already planning her first birthday. Have I mentioned how crazy the next two months will be for our family? If not, let me give you a little run down...three birthdays and an anniversary in February, and five birthdays in March not including two of our friends. So if anything, I'm already a bit behind on the planning.

Taylor has changed so much in the past month alone. First of all, she loves food. This isn't really anything new, but she now prefers table food over baby food. I still have a couple bags of frozen baby food and anytime I try to spoon feed her, she gets fussy. The girl is very independent.

Don't worry, she didn't eat the entire biscuit. Before I even had a chance to tear it into bits, she grabbed it out of my hands. Most of that biscuit ended up in her chair.

As of two weeks ago, Taylor is officially weaned from nursing. I knew the day was coming, but I don't think I was emotionally prepared for it. For awhile now, she had been only nursing for about 3 minutes on each side, except in the mornings and evenings. She was more concerned with what was going on around her, to eat.

Before I began training for the marathon, I decided I would wean her to formula. She took to the bottle right away and never looked back. She now takes a bottle at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Given her latest stats at the doctor, I now know I did the best thing. Turns out, my milk had dried out on one side awhile back and I didn't realize it. She has always been a happy baby, so she never complained.

Christmas morning, she started crawling for the first time. Talk about a great Christmas gift. Most parents would be stressed at this point, especially having two little ones running around. If anything, I love it. She is very independent and loves playing with her brother. I don't worry about having to constantly entertain her, if anything, she is the entertainment.

She plays nicely with Mason and even though she has plenty of toys of her own, she prefers to grab her brother's hot wheels. Wherever Mason is, Taylor isn't far behind.

Verbally, she can say, "Mama and Dada" and she can say "hi." She is most animated and vocal during meal time, which happens to be like me as a child. I look forward to the day, when we sit down to eat dinner, and both Mason and Taylor share about their days.

Everything went well at her checkup. She weighs 19lbs, 11oz. (25th%) and is 27.5 inches long (50th%). I was a bit concerned that she went from being in the 75th percentile 3 months ago, to the 25th percentile. I asked Dr. Shah if I should be concerned, and he assured me that she perfectly healthy and just losing the baby fat and lengthening out. Her next checkup will be her one year.

This past year has been a whirlwind. I don't remember it going by as fast with Mason. Maybe it's because I have two little ones, so I seldom have any down time. I wouldn't change it for the world. Taylor is the sweetest, little cuddle bug, a mom could ask for.

Two and a half

Two and a half years ago, my world was turned upside down by this adorable face.

It was love at first sight! He won me over with those pouty lips. I can picture that day in my head so clearly, that it doesn't seem so long ago, that I was holding my baby for the very first time.

I still hold my baby, only he is now my "big baby" and doesn't fit in my arms quiet the same. Before, I used to cuddle and hold him so tight and hope that he felt the love. Now, he runs up to me and wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes so that I can feel the love. Funny how things change so quickly.

Mason has always been a big boy. He weighed 20lbs by 5 months and started wearing size 2T clothes by 10 months old. Even now at 32lbs, he towers over his friends and gets mistaken for a three year old quite often.

My favorite thing about this stage, is being able to see Mason communicate so much more verbally. He has always been vocal, only now I can understand what he is saying...well, most of the time. He will repeat almost anything you say, as long as he is in the mood. Did I mention that he is stubborn?

However, there are moments that make my heart leap out of my chest. Every night, before I put the kids to bed, I sing to them. As I was rocking Taylor and singing to her tonight, Mason stopped me. He then proceeded to sing "You are my Sunshine" to Taylor. At that very moment, tears filled my eyes and I was the proudest mom.

Mason has such a big heart and adores his friends and family. The boy loves to snuggle, laugh, run play and if any of his friends or family are involved in that, it is even better. I prayed that he would be compassionate and if he is starting this young, I can't wait to see what else is in store for his future.

Mason let Taylor get on one of his quads & was trying to show her what to do. She was thrilled!

Mason with his best buddy, Luke.

Mason wouldn't get on his quads for the longest time until he had a helmet. I guess his Granddad taught him well.

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday is brought to you by the lovely Chelsea. I have come to look forward to this post each week. Feel free to join along.

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
Always early! I like to get where I'm going with plenty of time to spare, usually 10 or 15 minutes. I don't like being late and that prevents it from happening. I used to have really bad anxiety if I even thought I was running late to class when I was in school. My husband teases me about this, but you seldom ever hear anyone complain about someone being early, it's usually when people are late.

2. What is your middle name?
Rae, but once I got married, I legally changed it to my maiden name, Coverston.

3. What are the last four digits of your cell phone number?
3964

4. How big is your bed?
Queen. It's super comfy, but I would love a California King. That will be awhile, since I want to wait to purchase it until we have a new bedroom set.

5. What are you allergic to?
I have the typical outdoor allergens, so Zyrtec has become a good friend of mine. I'm also allergic to Penicillin and gold. If I wear any type of gold, I break out in rash.

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Lay in bed and say a prayer for the day and then get the kids up and breakfast made for everyone.

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Saved by the Bell and Full House. I had a huge crush on Zack Morris and DJ Tanner was my fav on Full House.

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?
Unfortunately, I didn't make it. I had every intention to go, but I was about 12 weeks into my pregnancy with Taylor and Adam had to go out of town on business. I vow to be at the next one.

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?
Yes

10. What in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread)
I would have to say computers. Isn't it crazy how much you depend on your computer? The vain side of me would say my Chi. I love my hair straightener. I have pretty straight hair already, but I have a lot of it and the Chi is the perfect finishing touch to getting ready.

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

Just the name of this appetizer makes my mouth water. I love spicy food, add cheese and bacon and I'm in heaven. I was most excited about this appetizer above all others. When I told Adam I wasn't going to make it this past weekend, he was so disappointed. I reassured him that I would make it today and I would set aside a plate just for him.

I usually set aside Monday's for cleaning the house and doing laundry. So on top of that, I also needed to find time to run, take a shower, take Taylor to her doctor's appointment, prepare the dish, and spend time with my family, before leaving for bible study this evening.

Realizing the craziness of the day, I decided to prepare the BBQ Jalapeno Poppers in advance, so that I could just pop them in the oven an hour before I needed to leave. Great idea, right? Well it is, if you don't have a baby girl who is fighting her afternoon nap and a little boy has only taken one afternoon nap in the past two months. Mason is great at entertaining himself and I have the luxury of being able to look out into my living room from my kitchen. But when you are trying to seed jalapenos, it can make it a little difficult.

I definitely recommend preparing these in advance, because it does make it easier. However, next time I will do it when my husband is home, so that I can focus on the task at hand.

The recipe calls for chives and I bought chives, only to realize that I must have left them in my shopping cart or accidentally thrown them away. After beating myself up over it, I decided it would be okay if I varied just a bit. Besides, not everyone likes green onions, right?

I have never seeded jalapenos before. The Pioneer Woman recommends wearing plastic gloves or using a sandwich bag over your hands before touching them. I didn't want to wake up tonight with my hands burning, so I used the sandwich bag. Adam had the gloves in his truck, so I had to improvise.

I personally think the spicier, the better. I wasn't always this way. It wasn't until college, that my love affair with spicy food began. Now, I can't get enough of it. Even when I was pregnant with Mason & Taylor, I still ate spicy food. Sure I had heartburn, but water gave it to me and if I was going to suffer thru it, I was at least going to enjoy the foods I loved. However, not everyone loves spicy food as much as I do, so I didn't leave that many seeds in the jalapenos.

After I put them in the oven, I realized I forgot to snap a picture. Sure you would have survived not knowing how they look before going in the oven, but it would have driven me crazy. Yes, I realize I have issues.

Don't they look fabulous? Do you notice the platter? It was a wedding present and it has jalapenos painted all over it. I thought it was fitting and took this mighty taste appetizer with me to bible study tonight. I loved that when I walked in, the first thing my friend Jamie asked was if this was a Pioneer Woman recipe. I had a small handful leftover and let me tell you, they taste good reheated. They are so good, I just might have to make them every weekend.

Challenge: Cooking my way thru "The Pioneer Woman Cooks"

Recipes completed: 2

Recipes left: 61