Cowboy Butts

Drive Me Nuts!

Especially when it belongs to my little skinny-bummed 3 year old.

Just a smattering of what my little cowboy is saying these days:

Mom: Miles…who’s your best friend?

Miles: Um…DADDY!!!

Mom: What about Mom? Is she your best friend too?

Miles: Nooooooo mom. You a GIRL!!

Driving in the car yesterday, I had to turn down the music, because I heard this coming from the back seat.

Miles: twees(trees), fwowers, pumpkins, more twees, wabbits, mommy, daddy, pwe-school, my tweats (treats), my cowboy shoes, elephants, monkeys, gorillas, my undies dwy (dry), I wuv seals, I wuv giraffes, I wuv polar bears…..

and on and on and on he went. So I finally asked him why he was saying all those words. And he replied with the OBVIOUS…

“MOM! I’m FANKFUL!!!!!!!”

(Oh…Of course that’s what he meant. How could I not have known???!!!)

Turns out they talked about Thanksgiving at Pre-school, and those are all of the things he is Thankful for. I am also especially grateful for his dry undies. :)

Mom: Miles, eat your dinner so you’ll be big and strong like Daddy.

Miles: No…not wike Daddy…big wike Josh and Joey! (some of his buddies from our ward)

And the classic:

Mom: Miles…what do you want for lunch?

Miles: Not Poop! That’s Yucky! No…that’s GWOSS!!!

Who knew the boy loved cows?

Several weeks ago I started doing a little preschool for Miles everyday at home. Our first unit was all about the short "a" sound, as in apple. So we learned about Allie the Alligator, Johnny Appleseed, did some fun apple stamping crafts, and read all kinds of fun books. One of my favorite books from that unit was called "How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World," by Marjorie Priceman. The premise of the book is that a little girl heads to the market to buy the ingredients for an apple pie...only the market is closed. So she sets out on an adventure around the world gathering the ingredients she needs. And Miles' favorite part of the story was when she headed to Vermont to milk a cow. (The milk is then churned into butter...in case you were wondering.)

So tonight, I was starting our bed time routine. Story was read, prayer was said, and he asked for a drink of milk before bed. I obliged and brought him his little cup. And then Oh MY OH MY!!! I never expected such a meltdown. Over something as silly as a glass of milk.

After some serious time spent calming the little guy down, he was finally able to articulate why he was so upset.

"No mom...I wanted to milk my own cow!!!"

Oh, he is just the cutest little thing. But there's just one problem.....

I found myself promising I would actually take him to milk a cow. Seriously. I think I am in BIG trouble. BIG BIG trouble. Where in the world am I going to get a cow?

Halloweeeeeeeeen

Happy Halloween!

From Woody, (who REA LLY wanted to be Buzz Lightyear), and the rest of the Romer clan.
We hit up the ward Trunk or Treat last night. Our conversation on the way home went something like this:

Mom: Hey Miles, are you going to share some of your candy with Mom?

Miles: No.

Mom: Please??

Miles: No. Not EVER! NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER!

The kid is wise beyond his years. He knew if he only said “never, never” I would still try to swipe some chocolatey goodness out of his basket. but FOUR "never"s.....and I knew he meant business.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood, go ahead and swing on by. We'll be giving out some ALL of these:

This just happens to be my most favorite score from Rite-Aid of ALL TIME!!! My husband doubted me. He said it was impossible. But then I showed him this….

You see that? You see all those zeros? Well, that’s because I paid ZERO dollars and ZERO cents for 60 KING SIZE CANDY BARS!! WOWZERS!

I’m sure the parents on my street will just be thrilled!!

Just now I told Miles we could go to the neighbors house to show off his costume, and they would probably give him some more candy.

Then I said… “Are you spoiled or WHAT!???”

Miles responded with a resounding “WHAT!!!!”

Silly boy.

Happy Halloween!!!

CORRECTION:

*****It was pointed out to me by my loving husband that, in fact, not ALL 60 candybars were completely free. I DID, afterall, spend $0.95 cents on a slew of coupons to buy my candy. So, it was more like I bought one candy bar for 95 cents, and then got 59 for free. My apologies!

Also...my astute cousin pointed out to me that there were in fact, NOT 60 candy bars pictured. And I admit, Mike did take several to work with him for the other residents on-call tonight. As for the other missing candy, I can neither confirm or deny their disappearance into my fridge, freezer, belly, and other various hiding spots around my home. :)*****

Secrets

Miles and I have a little bed time routine. After the bathing and the teeth brushing, the pajama wearing and the story telling, the song singing (Rocky Mountain High, and Country Road are his current faves) and the praying, and finally the hugging and the kissing, I usually lean over and tell Miles I have a “secret”.

Then he whispers back “Mom..what’s your secret?” But it sounds more like “Mom wat you secet?”

And I whisper “I LOVE YOU!!!”

He thinks its great. Our bedtime routine pretty much goes like that every night. So you can imagine my surprise tonight when he beat me to the punch. After hugs and kisses, he grabbed my cheeks with his little hands, brushed my hair back from my ear and whispered:

“Mom…I haf a secet”

So I whispered “You do? What is it?” (already starting to get choked up. Hearing my little guy tell me he loves me in his soft whisper voice gets me every time.)

And then he sweetly whispered back “Mom……I want to go to Chucky Cheeses.”

Oh, he kills me.

And because every post needs a picture (or 7), I thought I would share why it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to update my Etsy shop. Miles, just channeling his inner Mr. T.

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For those of you who have been waiting…(all 3 of you!), I have a SLEW of new products to list. Soon. I’m getting there. I promise.

I’m Twee!

Oh, this boy of mine. I could just eat him up. I can’t hold him enough. I can’t hug him enough. I can’t kiss him enough. There are just not enough hours in the day.

It’s a pretty big day for my little man. But I’ll let him tell you himself.

That’s right. My little munchkin is Three. And he’s pretty darn excited about it.

I am astounded at how much he has learned and progressed this year. Some days I wish I could stop the hands of the clock from tick tocking the time away. But mostly, I am trying to enjoy every single second of my time with this sweet as can be little boy. Because he won’t be little much longer.

I want to remember his silly knock knock jokes

I want to remember his “mean” face, when he exclaims “Mommy, we Pirates! ARGH!”

I never want to forget the way he exclaims “HI FWIEND!!”, to everyone we pass.

Sometimes I wish I could stop that clock. But mostly I feel so blessed to be sharing that time with this child of mine. I never dreamed he would teach me so much about life and love. I never dreamed it would be from him the Lord would teach me patience, charity, and selflessness.

If I could keep him here, just like this, forever, I don’t think I would. I love this stage of life we are enjoying together, but I am excited about the new experiences the future holds for him and for me. Because every year…It just keeps getting better.

Love you little man

Happy Birthday!

Conversations with Miles

I recently got myself a J-O-B. As in a paying gig. Heaven knows I do more than my fair share of work here at home, sans paycheck.

When I officially accepted the position, Mike said "Congratulations! Are you so excited you can go and talk to adults?"

Ummmmm. No.

Why would I want to talk to adults when I get days and days full of gems like these?:


Miles: "Hey Mom, knock knock....who's there...Mommy Womer (Romer), that's who!!! Ha ha mom. I so funny!"

During prayers last night after "Bless Nana and Papa", he said "and puhwease bless Papa's golf balls."
Seriously. So Dad, if you get a hole in one...you know who to thank.

At the store while I was checking out:

Miles: "Hey mom, I have mem mem's puh-wease!!! (M&M's please)
Mom: No, not right now. But thank you for asking nicely
Miles: Mom...you want Miles be happy?
Mom: yes...I want you to be happy
Miles: Okay. 'cause mem mems make me SO SO Happy!!

With phrases like this, you can't blame me for preferring to talk to the little guy.

Brrrrrr….

Waking up this morning, the goose bumplies on my legs, combined with the cripsness of the morning air, reminded me of something I’m not quite prepared for. Autumn is just around the corner. And even though this summer seemed to be hotter and humider than the last…I don’t think I’m quite ready for the change of seasons.

(And in case you were wondering, I FULLY support the use of words like bumplies and humider, and believe they should be used as often as possible.)

I apologize to all you English Majors out there.

(But not really)

There is one thing that makes me feel better though, when the thought of raking leaves, and then shoveling snow enters into my mind.

Soup Season!!!

Yes, those two words bring peace to my soul on a cold and blustery day like today. And soups like the Chicken Corn Chowder over at my most FAVORITE cooking blog, The Sisters Cafe always seem to make my days seem a little warmer, and a little brighter.

Remember those meatballs I made? You know…the totally healthy and delicious ones? Well thanks to Family Fun, I can share with you a great (and healthy!) soup to serve them in.

In order to spare you more of my incessant ramblings, I will just do this:

***This is the recipe I sent to my sister. (wise cracks and all). Enjoy!***

For printable recipe click: HERE

And if you’ve stuck it out this far…You deserve a reward.

Head on over to www.seeitloveitwinit.blogspot.com and enter to win a fabulous prize. (Today is the last day…so HURRY!)

Holy Moly….a giveaway!!

So excited to be sponsoring a giveaway over at www.seeitloveitwinit.blogspot.com

(And just between you and me, you have a pretty darn GREAT chance of winning. Considering there are only 3 comments so far)

So……should you want to enter to win $50 worth of Just Bead It Design Product…I suggest you head on over there right now! There’s only 2 days left!

AND…if you visit my Etsy shop…you might just get a sneak peak at my new product line! (coming soon. Very Very soon.)

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(okay…you got me. I couldn’t resist posting my sneak peak here too.)

Happy Thursday!

It’s true…

We have returned from our journey back west. And we survived. (My garden, however, did not)

I could write and tell you all about my fabulous family vacation.

• Like when my brother-in-law took a turn on the tube at Bear Lake, and it was so bumpy, his extra long legs kept flying up and making funny angles in the air. (seriously…I am still laughing about this)


• Or when My sister and I teamed up against Mike and my brother Adam to play Cranium…and we won! But only because Rachel kept cheating and whispering the answers in my ear. (sorry boys!)


• Or the time(s) Miles COMPLETELY regressed in his potty training. booh! :(

But I won’t. At least not now.

Or, I COULD tell you about all the FABULOUS things in store for Just Bead It, like:

• LOTS of giveaways in the very near future


• a completely NEW look


• and an ENTIRE NEW LINE OF ACCESSORIES!!! SQUEEL!!!!

But I’m not going to do that either.

At least not now.

Because I only have one thing on my mind right now. I experienced something just short of what I would whole-heartedly describe as a MIRACLE tonight. (you keep your minds out of the gutter. This is a family blog.)

Could it be possible that I am the last person in the WORLD to know about spaghetti squash???!!!

Seriously. This unassuming vegetable has completely rocked my world.

And this is hard for me to write. You see, I have never been one to be enthusiastic about health food. When someone says “You have GOT to try this!!! You can’t even TASTE the (insert disgusting vegetable here)…” I am the first to call B to the O to the LOGNA! I enjoy my bi-weekly trek to the golden arches, where-in I order a happy meal for my little Tornado, then tell him they forgot his french fries so I can keep them all for myself. You can flog me later.

But the extra eight (or so….let’s err on the side of caution) pounds I have been packing around with me this year have started forcing me to think about things like calories, and dieting and (gulp), exercise.

So when I came across a recipe in my Family Fun magazine that featured squash (a vegetable no less) that acted like my carbolicious noodles I often enjoy, I was intrigued.

Then, when I saw the recipe was actually for meatballs that you could then use for not one, but two supposedly delicious and healthy meals…I knew I had to give it a try.

I may be a lot of things…but a good cook has never been one of them. I have been actively trying to improve upon that skill as of late and I couldn’t pass up a chance to try these recipes out. Besides, I figured spaghetti squash (whatever that was), would probably be cheap this time of year.

And it was. I am happy to report I can now change the status of these dishes from SUPPOSEDLY delicious to DEFINITELY delicious. I will eat them again. Like, tomorrow.

So….Let’s start with the meatballs. Oh…those wonderful meatballs….

FLASHBACK: When I think of meatballs, I always think of my sweet Grandma Barnard. Not because she was shaped like a little meatball. No siree. (even though she was.) But its because when I was engaged and went to Grandma’s house to flaunt my new sparkler, she took one look at it and said “Oh my…when you make meatballs…the meat is going to get all stuck down there!” And that is why I loved my Grandma so. :)

But back to the meatballs.

They are made with ground Turkey and extra-lean ground beef, seasonings, and SPINACH! Yes…spinach. My skeptical husband popped one of these into his mouth and I could literally SEE the surprise wash over his face. They were good. He couldn’t deny it.

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. extra lean hamburger

1 lb. ground turkey

1 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach

1/2 C. finely grated Parmesan

3 large eggs, beaten

2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 C. panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.

***If I were you, I would line my baking sheet with foil. Then spray the foil with cooking spray. Just do it. You will thank me later***

In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings. In a large bowl add your meat, eggs, and spinach. Then dump in the mixed seasonings. Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated. (try not to over mix.)

Pinch off about a teaspoon or so of the mixture and roll it into a ball. (Mine were about 1 1/2 inches) Place on your baking sheet, and continue this, spacing meatballs 1/2 inch apart.

Bake meatballs until lightly browned and cooked through (about 20-25 minutes)

Once they are done...let them cool and you can plop them on a meatball sandwich with some BBQ sauce, freeze some for later, OR..... you could make this....

Those aren’t noodles people. Oh no…they are vegetables. My newly beloved spaghetti squash. Want some? Just…

go buy a spaghetti squash. Cut it in half lenghtwise. (don't forget to remove the seeds.) Put the cut sides down in a microwaveable safe baking dish. Pour in a half a cup of water, set your cook time at about 12 minutes, and walk away.

When the squash is done, take it out. (VERY CAREFULLY!! That sucker will be HOT!)

Wear an oven mitt or something. Then take out a fork and go to town on the squash.

Seriously, just shred away. This might be a good activity to do when your son has just smeared a whole tube of toothpaste on your newly cleaned carpets. It will make you feel better. I’m just sayin’…

Now take a few of those meatballs, add them to your favorite spaghetti sauce, drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over your squash, top with the sauce…and Enjoy.

You won’t regret it.

(If that doesn’t entice you to try it, this will: My little toothpaste bandit ate an entire plate full. Then asked for seconds. Seriously. I wouldn't joke about something as elusive as a 2 year old eating their vegetables.)

Freeze the rest of your meatballs to use later in a completely delectible minestrone soup.

What? You want that recipe too? I can’t say I blame you. It was even better than the squash.

Stay tuned……

Camping and Calamities

We just returned home from camping at Pontiac Lake over the weekend. We relaxed, ate great Dutch oven breakfast and dinner (prepared by yours truly), played at the beach, and had a wonderful time.

Except for the ONE small catastrophe. Which happened to involve my sons beautiful face. The poor kid.

This is what happens when your son sneaks out of your tent in the early a.m., finds his way over to his “fwends" tent to “pway”, wakes them up, entices them to go play in their big four-door Jeep Rubicon……playing commences……and then this little boy leaned up against the not closed all the way door of said Jeep.

And PLOP! Fell face first right onto the asphalt below.

I woke to the far away sounds of my child screaming.

Yes…he was so stealthy in his sneaking, I didn’t even wake up or notice he was gone. Until it was too late.

But in my defense…either did his Daddy.

I would have been horribly embarrassed to show you the picture I took of him shortly after the fall. Because we had been camping. And in addition to having his battle wounds, the kid was filthy. I mean, he could have passed for a bonafide ragamuffin.

So instead I opted to share the picture of him all nice and cleaned up in the bath at home. Ah yes…… a great mother I am, indeed.