Crawfish Boil

I WISH I had brought my camera. What was I thinking? My poor little camera on my phone just didn't do the event justice.

'Tis crayfish season in the south, and that means Crayfish Boils. One of Travis's coworkers hosts an annual Crayfish Boil party, and we were invited. For the uninitiated, a Crayfish Boil is a party where you eat crayfish. Hundreds of pounds of crayfish. You buy them live in giant 50 pound mesh bags, wash them, season them, and dump them into giant pots of boiling water with potatoes and corn and sausage. When the crayfish are done cooking, you drain them, and dump them in a giant mound on long tables covered with newspaper. Then everyone gathers around, and digs in. You grab a crayfish, snap it's head off, suck the meat out of the body and tail, then suck the brains or guts or whatever out of the head. Toss it on the table and pick up another one.

I may never be the same again. For a Utah girl, who is accustom to church potlucks and zucchini exchanges, this was quite an eye opener.

Travis was in heaven. Jared liked them, except the seasonings were a little spicy. Megan was grateful for the tray of chicken nuggets. Although crayfish aren't really my thing, it was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to be out, mingling with people.

When we first got there, the kids were scared by the buckets of live, snapping crayfish, but by the time we left, Jared was picking up the escapees and dropping them back into the buckets. He was pretty proud of himself.

More Proof

In case you needed it, here is more proof that I shouldn't be cooking.

My first thought was that I had forgotten to poke holes in one of the potatoes (4 others cooked just fine), but if you look closely at the skins, you can clearly see fork marks. I think it's just a sign that I shouldn't touch the oven.

On a bright note, my oven got cleaned. :D

Easter 2011

We had a great Easter this year. Since church doesn't start until 1 PM, Travis really wanted to host a brunch. We invited several families to join us. Good food, good friends, gorgeous weather. What more could you ask for?

(All supplies from Scrap Girls, listed HERE)

I am grateful for my wonderful family who made this holiday great. The farther I go in this pregnancy, the more mushy my brain gets. I hadn't even thought about Easter clothes for the kids, but my sweet mother-in-law had. Earlier in the week, a package showed up with outfits for each of them. Have I told you all how wonderful my mother-in-law is? How thoughtful and kind she is? I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I'm grateful every day for my in-laws.

Old Town Katy Train Museum

On Sunday, between sessions of General Conference, the kids were going a little stir crazy, so we took a little drive out to the Train Museum in Old Town Katy. We had a great time walking around, climbing up on the caboose, and looking at the flowers.

Ladybug Adventure

Jared has been hunting ladybugs. Yesterday he caught several in a mason jar. He carried them around all afternoon, from the swings to the sandbox, inside to watch cartoons, and back outside to play in the grass. He said he was taking them on an adventure. He drew their portraits with sidewalk chalk, and then he asked me to take their picture. Right before dinner, he and Megan let them go on the rosebush where they could catch "lots of bad bugs to eat for dinner."

To coupon or not to coupon, that is the question.

I've been hearing a lot about the wonderful deals you can get by couponing. Free items, stocking up on essentials, all sorts of great things. But just thinking about starting is overwhelming. I am already struggling with clutter - especially paper clutter. It piles up, it grows, it takes on a life of it's own. Like the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors" I feel like it wants to consume me. Just the thought of adding to that mess makes me want to cry.

I argue back and forth with my self. "Saving money is so tempting! Really, who doesn't want to save on their food and household bills?" "But is maybe saving a little money worth driving myself crazy (or more crazy, depending on the day)?" My internal arguments go back and forth.

I was excited to read this article by Carrie at denverbargains.com. She calls it "Basic Couponing" but really, it's a lot of practical advice to help you avoid the pitfalls and reap some of the rewards without going crazy. Most of it doesn't even have anything to do with coupons. It's just good, practical, common sense. And I am totally getting on board.

The first step is to make a price list. This is huge! Why didn't I think of this before? I am constantly calling Travis, asking him if something is a good deal (numbers don't stick in my head very well), so having a list will help me tons. Today I'm going to go through a month of old shopping lists (they are written on the back of my weekly menus, which I save) and make a general list. Then, the next few times I go shopping, I'll fill it in with prices. I think just knowing at a glance if something is a good deal or not will be empowering.

April Resolutions

Wow! This month is sliding right past me! It's already the 11th, and I am just getting around to setting new goals!

Last month I did pretty good. My goals were to keep up with the scripture reading challenge and to make healthier choices when it comes to treats and snacks.

I struggled the most with the scripture reading goal. I was trying to read every morning between the time Travis left for work and Megan got up, but I simply couldn't do it. With this pregnancy, I can barely function that early in the morning. Every time I tried to read (even when I had gone to bed extra early the night before), I fell asleep on the couch, and then had to rush to get Megan up and moving. Those early morning minutes just aren't going to work in my current state. Normally, I think that is the best time for quiet study and reflection, but not right now. But, even though I didn't do so well, I'm not kicking myself this month. That is the point of setting monthly goals - I'll just try something new this month and not beat myself up over last month. And, there is a time and a season for everything, right? During this season, I'll do much better a little later in the day when my eyelids can stay open.

For my treats and snacks goal, I did a whole lot better. Mostly, I just made sure that we had a LOT of fresh fruits and veggies available. Jared was especially happy to pick a banana over goldfish crackers, or an orange or carrot sticks over a handful of M&Ms. I didn't try to limit what I was eating (I still kept up with my ice cream, lol), but just by having better choices readily available I lost a pound in 3 weeks. Now, I PROMISE that I am not dieting in any way. At this point, I don't really want to be losing weight, but my doctor was fine with it since the baby is still growing well (and since I have plenty of extra padding for the baby to draw on, lol). So, all in all, I think that having healthier snacks has been a success. We've also been working hard to include more fresh produce and more whole grains in our meals and I think that has helped make a difference as well. I noticed that on the past several weekly shopping lists, the produce section has been about 3 times longer than any other section. That makes me feel like we are making progress.

Okay - goals for this month. My biggest goal is to just keep a positive attitude. I'm getting to the end, where deep sleep is rare, sitting is uncomfortable, and even putting on my shoes is difficult. And I have been unbearably grumpy a lot of the time. I can barely stand myself a lot of the time, I'm surprised that my friends are still talking to me. :D So, this month my goal is to be happy. And cheerful. Or at least to do a better job pretending. It's got to be endured, so I might as well do so as gracefully as possible.

Everything else is sort of on hold - some days I have tons of energy and can get a lot done, and some days just getting dressed is an accomplishment. And that's okay. Just please don't judge me on my dirty kitchen floor and clutter-filled table!

Travis's Birthday

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man in the world! We are lucky to have you!