TastyKake's Dessert Shell..not kid approved!

On my recent grocery shopping trip, I ran across TastyKake 6pk dessert shells. They seemed perfect for individual sized strawberry shortcakes. I thought the kids would think they were fun, since they usually are delighted when things are just their size. So I put them in my cart with fresh strawberries and cool whip. I had a moment of debating between these and normal angel food cake. I also like to bake a normal cake to make it with. In the end, I decided to purchase the shells.

The next night after dinner, my kids were exhausted so I put them in bed early. I made two little cakes for my husband and myself. He never complained about his, but he ate the toppings and not all of the shell. I think he was trying to protect my feelings because when I bit into it I was not impressed. I finished the cake but found myself having to smother the pieces in cool whip to make it taste better. I just didnt find the flavor or texture satisfying. The texture didnt have the soft fluffiness of a good yellow cake, which essentially is what it appeared to look like. It was crumbly and kind of dry. To top it off it had an odd sweetness. I cant put my finger on what it was but it just wasnt a sweet suttle flavor that you expect a yellow cake to have.

I decided the next day to make these for the kids, thinking they wouldnt be as picky and would enjoy the treat. They did the same thing as their dad. They ate the toppings, but only one bite of their little cakes. So essentially the almost 4 dollars I spent on them was thrown in the trash. I do not recommend them to anyone, ever. Stick with the classic angel food cake or better yet, my favorite version is to frost a homemade yellow cake in coolwhip and top with fresh cut strawberries. I firmly do not believe these are worth anyone's money!

The Closet of A Curvy Girl

My adulthood has turned me into a curvier girl. While I could stand to trim it up some, I'm good with this. A lot of my comfort level with my body shape comes from how I clothe it. It took me and is still taking my some time to learn how to work with it and what makes me feel comfortable. No matter body type, I like to feel modest and pretty. I don't really have the self discipline to do work out routines and such but I do try to fit in some good exercise every morning. I generally do something like dancing. I have to keep it something my kids can participate in. If they aren't participating, then they are distracting me. We change up what we do daily. My kids have this thing with running from the front door, down our long hallway and back, sometimes Ill participate and we'll jog back and forth for a while. We have dance parties. Sometimes we take long walks around our neighborhood or the park. Just generally whatever we are in the mood for and what our daily time frames allow. The majority of my activity comes from keeping the house up or keeping up with two toddlers who seem to always be going in opposite directions.

That being said, I have had to find things I am comfortable wearing, things that cover and hide the right areas, as well as being functional for a mom, who can sometimes be seen with a kid on each hip. So comfort and modesty are important in the things I buy. Just like any stay home mom, I have my arsenal of sweats and such for when I'm hanging around the house. These are reserved for messy activities with the kids, not going anywhere days and of course sick kid days. They are my items that can get as dirty as I need them to get. No worries for under 10 bucks I can pick up a new pair. I generally rely on the Danskin ones that Walmart sales. Accessible and cheap!

Of course paired with any old tshirt, makes for a no worries mom outfit.
When grocery shopping late at night, you may find me pairing it with the so not attractive, but ridiculously comfortable run of the mill, hoodie


This covers my general stay home mom uniform, ha ha.

Now for my clothes that make me feel human with the rest of the species. I have come to find I rely on some usual basics.
Camis/Tanks Tops for layering, to help with more length plus cleavage control. I love the ones with lace edging. Then I get the modesty but get to feel a little sexy at the same time.
I currently have a few of these in different colors. From various stores when I see them:http://www.walmart.com/ip/Faded-Glory-Women-s-Plus-Size-Lace-Trim-Tank/22621366

A couple pairs of comfy boot cut jeans(usually have a medium, dark and black) I do not like skinny jeans. Others can pull them off, I don't feel that I can. I don't like calling that much attention to the shape of my legs. So I prefer nice wider legged jeans.

I always have a few flowy maxi skirts. Colors vary depending on what I think will match the most of what I currently have. I almost always have a white one. Sometimes black but since I like to wear them in warmer weather, I prefer lighter shades. I like the crinkly ones like these:

I can wear them with any basic matching shirt and sandals/flip flops. Super comfortable, pretty and helps heat management in crazy Texas summers.
I also like to keep a few v-neck shirts, generally with fun designs or prints on them. I usually layer them with the camis or tanks that I have. I don't wear shorts, I just don't like them. So Ill usually pair them with one of my skirts or jeans. Sometimes capris, if I happen to have found some cute ones that I like. I don't think a picture is necessary v-neck tee is pretty self explanatory.
Sandals and flip flops are always a self preference thing. I personally will keep 2 or 3 of the inexpensive kind you can get in any color. Ill usually keep white, black and brown. I also will have a couple of the nicer ones with jewels and such on them for nicer occasions.
I'm also a sneaker girl. I love converse. I have a decent collection of them. Generally if I'm not in sandals I'm in those.
I also have a couple pairs of nice slacks and my nice mom night out or date night tops. These tops can vary in style. My requirements are they have to have some length to them. Nice sleeve cuts. I don't like sleeves that have a band at the end of them. My favorite is the fluttery sleeves. It also has to have something pretty going on.
This is a shirt I would buy.

My closet also consists of a couple cardigans and a nice black cord jacket, in case of chilly date nights or outings like the movies. I also have my big coats, one black button up and one in brown.

I have found a trick in clothing my body type is layers and fun pieces for leading the eye away from my not so favorite areas. Obviously layers aren't always necessary, that's a personal preference thing. I like to know that if a keep grabs and pulls down on the neck of my shirt, or if a legs gets caught on the bottom of my shirt that I have that extra layer to keep things from popping out. Its a safety measure as well as adding a little modesty.
One other thing that is important to me when piecing together my wardrobe is prices! With being a one income household, I don't get huge shopping spree budgets. I'm often picking up one or two items I may need for an event or replacing something that was worn out or damaged somehow. So I'm a huge bargain shopper. I'm not above purchasing a top from WalMart. I love Target and places like Ross. I just cant stomach paying more than 20 for a shirt. I'm a natural money stretcher, so that never sits well with me.

This has been the basic rundown of a curvy girl's closet. Want more details, feel free to comment! Only appropriate comments please.

International Delight Iced Coffee

Im the occasional "coffee" drinker. Sometimes I drink it purely because Im in the mood for it or because its the only thing that can salvage a difficult day. I put it in quotation marks because what I drink can't really be called coffee. At Starbucks, I always order a Mocha Frapuccino. At home, I brew the Cafe Escape brands of mocha or caramel and add some flavorful creamer. My husband calls the stuff I drink a cup of candy. By the time I'm finished there is barely even a taste of coffee. Occasionally I'm in the mood to taste it and will ask the barista to put less pumps of mocha in my drink, but for the most part, my husband is fairly accurate.

The creamer I usually buy is International Delight branded. They have some really yummy flavors. I thought that since I enjoyed their creamer as much as I do, I would give this product a try:
My husband picked the vanilla for us to try. Today I finally popped the seal and tried it. Upon first taste I liked it. I thought it was flavored well and good. As I continued drinking, I found I liked it but at the same time, I almost felt as though I was drinking straight creamer. Its a lot thicker than I like my iced coffee to be and just intensely sweet. After what I said earlier, that says a lot coming from me. It's not perfect but it does satisfy a sweet tooth. However, if you like your coffee drinks to resemble actual taste of coffee, this may not be for you. I honestly will still probably drink it and I wouldnt mind trying the chocolate. I do believe my main source of coffee cravings will still be filled by what I brew with my Keurig, while still using their creamer.

I thought I would share my thoughts. I had passed it a few times before actually buying it because I was worried about how I would like it. So in case anyone else is on the fence as well, I was hoping this could be helpful! I think its sweet and tasty, as well as reasonably priced.

Harry Potter: A Love/Hate Relationship

In eighth grade I moved to a new school district. After 2 months of living there, I contracted head lice. It took some time for me to realize something was up. I think I was in a little bit of denial when my head started itching. Ive always had issues with a dry scalp so I was attributing it to that. Then I was at a salon getting my hair cut and the hairdresser pointed it out. I have ridiculously thick hair. Its currently cut to shoulder length and easy to maintain but when its long, it takes a lot of effort to make it look good. Blow drying my locks when I have long hair causes arm cramps. It's that thick. By the time we found out about the lice, it had was almost a lost cause. For a week we tried all the methods. However getting it all out even after it was dead was impossible with just a little comb thing. So I made the difficult decision to cut it really short. I was really worried. I wasn't yet permitted to wear makeup, I was new at school and I wore dorky glasses. My pretty hair was all I had going(or I thought, if my daughter said something like that to me I would probably be upset that she thought that.)

Anyway, so we chopped it off to chin length. As I mentioned earlier, I had dorky glasses. I still have glasses, but I have some that are cute and spunky. My glasses then were horrible round lenses that made me look 5 years younger and it was completely noticeable if the flimsy frame got a little bent because they would sit crooked on my face. We made the decision to cut so that what was left in my hair would grow out of it, as it was the only way to get every bit of it out. It really was the only reasonable way, I just hated that I had to do it. So after being absent from school for a week, I was finally able to return feeling completely insecure.

As the day started no one said much, they were shocked and wanted to know why. As I mentioned I was new to the school so I didn't want them knowing what was really happening so I blamed a freak gum incident. Luckily they bought it. I mean seriously, doesn't lice happen in like 2nd grade? I rarely hear it happening to older kids. Still to this day, I haven't been able to pin point where I picked it up. I arrived to my second class of the day. This is the year that Harry Potter was starting to pick up and really become a thing. In this class, the boy sitting next to me had a copy of said book sitting on his desk. As I sat talking to a friend behind me, the boy decides to point out that my new style with my round glasses now bared resemblance to the picture of the boy wizard on his book. This was a small school. So by the end of that class, the whole room had also noticed the comparison, this resulted in the entire 8th grade class knowing these happenings by lunch. Being called Harry Potter those next couple of days was incredibly embarrassing and made me feel like crap. I was 14 and starting to like boys and had noticed some cute ones at my new school. This occurrence, however, made me want to become invisible to all of them.

As my hair grew out, and through high school the name didn't come as frequent but every once in a while it would rear its ugly head. I was over the embarrassment of it. I had dated by now and established friends, allowing me to gain some confidence in myself. However, it created a hate for a fictional character I didn't even know. Purely the mention of the series or the movies that had started coming out, repulsed me. All I could think of any time I saw a picture or anything of it, was the embarrassment it had brought me. I didn't think I would ever care, or ever pick up one of the books...

Then I met my husband. This is where the definition of irony truly had a place in my life. I could not have met a bigger fan of the wizarding world. Without warning, I was falling in love and being introduced to this world. Suddenly I lived in a home with the books on the shelves, the movies that had come out thus far being played on my TV and having it being a household topic. I resisted it all at first. I resisted hard. It didn't work. I knew in order to be with this man that I love, I had to make peace with Harry. I had to accept him. I couldn't expect something my husband loved this much to be dropped. So I picked up the first book...

Today, I find myself enjoying references when I find them. I request that we watch the movies occasionally. Ive been to the since book openings at midnight and movies. I'm no where near being able to call myself a buff or anything but Ive learned a lot. I am here today to say, me and Harry have a truce. What happened in middle school obviously doesn't sting anymore and I can live with the fictional being finally. It's amazing what bullying can do and even more amazing what love can fix.

Press 1 for English

I grew up in a small town. It was mostly made up of middle to upper class caucasions. In high school, I had very little to go on in terms of forming opinions of anyone outside of these classifications. I had a father who was raised in a fairly racist home. While he claimed not to be, you could still see these thoughts occasionally escape him. Like in middle school, one of my first crushes was on a boy of a different color than I. Upon telling my father this, I got a 3 hour lecture about why that isnt ok. However, my dad owns a business and has since employed many types of people and this ignorance of his has seemed to dissipate. He is much more welcoming of these circumstances and different backgrounds. So I completely blame his previous issues purely on ignorance. The fact that his parents denied him to be educated enough to not feel this way. It is most certainly a generational thing. While I spent my childhood in a fairly close minded society, I knew there was more. I couldnt wait to graduate and leave those thoughts in that town. However, I did leave with one thought that others around me would quip and I would think it's funny and even agree with it. This was the "why do I have to press 1 for English sentiment." I would agree and think how ridiculous that others would come here and not even know our language or that we have to learn to talk to them.

Now as Ive been around more types of people and had friends of mixed cultures, I see that too is an ignorant thought. I've been pondering this lately, as Ive seen little pictures or facebook statuses about it. Here is what Ive come up with.

 Some scholars estimate that the Western Hemisphere at the time of the first European contact was inhabited by 40 million people who spoke 1,800 different tongues. By the middle of the 20th cent., as a result of European conquest and settlement in the Western Hemisphere, perhaps two thirds of the many indigenous American languages had already died out or were dying out. So based on this, English isnt even the original first language of this country. It is spoken primarily now because of the influx of our ancestors into the country hundreds of years ago. That means the Native Americans were standing around probably saying the same thing! People came here for freedom and to be in a place of acceptance. They came and formed churches, societies and classes. How many of these people do you think understood each other? How long it must have taken to get to where we are now with the ability to more easily talk to one another. How many generations of Germans or Frenchmen did it take for them to be able to communicate with others in this new society? Our country exists because of other languages living together. We created a place of acceptance and others wanted to be part of it. So in today's society we have this amazing Smörgåsbord(that's scandinavian, btw) of languages and cultures to expose ourselves to and benefit from. This country is a place of constant changing and new things. This is a good thing and as long as it is, we will never be a country of everyone speaking one language. There will always be someone we dont have the language skills to talk to. This isnt something to complain and be annoyed about. It's oppurtunity for our society to grow, and flourish.

Underneath language, skin color, religion, traditions and status we are all people trying to function in a crappy economy. We all get married and have children, for whom we strive to provide a good future. We all have complaints which lead us to calling hotlines and pushing our correct language button. I think its important for everyone to put effort into communicating with each other but I dont feel its fair to expect everyone who lives here to conform to understanding one language.

So there are my basic thoughts on the subject. As I said, it was just something that has been on my mind. I love other cultures and living in a place that allows me to see a peek into others just from walking out my front door.  Im happy to raise my kids in a place they too can learn from other views and maybe end up bilingual. Im not meaning to open up a political debate or anything, I just feel like this is a safe place for my thoughts. I love living in Texas, there is a lot of pride in it but it definetly can not be complimented on its open minds. It is good in some areas but the majority of its residents are conservative thinkers. So if you are reading this, thanks for allowing me to vent this to a hopefully understanding mind.

Crappy Pictures Book Review

I wanted to give a shout out to this book:

My husband gifted this to me for Mother's Day. I had been wanting it, as I read her blog and love it. There have been a few instances of him reading it right along with me. I often find myself laughing pretty hard at her truly relatable posts. Well, the book is no different! I laughed through all 200+pages. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Due to her style of illustrating it, it felt like I was reading a mommy comic book, haha. I finished it in a day(during the weekend my kids were with Nana & Papa, he had gifted it early, otherwise Id still be on page 5!)

I feel it was totally worth purchasing to own. It not only has some good retelling of some things on her blog, but also a lot of new material. She put together an excellent, funny and witty collection! So if you are looking for a fun lie by the pool read or read in bed book, this is one you should check out! It's light, fun and very relatable for any mom! Also, if you dont know who she is check her site out here:
http://crappypictures.com/

Family Influx

Wow, total influx of visiting family, lately. In our normal life, we go months without seeing any family. This month, apparently, was month to see some. We started out with our family that recently moved to the area and occupied our dining room until their own place became available. That went surprisingly well. Sometimes living together can leave people on nonspeaking terms. If I learned anything from my younger years, dont live with your best friend! You should have a roommate you have a good and trusting relationship with but still someone you can remain on somewhat professional terms with. Heck, sometimes my husband is lucky I let him keep living here, haha! Anyways, this little short term thing went well. Everyone was respectful of boundaries and space. They cleaned up after themselves and pitched in on cooking and little things like that. Their child was well behaved and made a good playmate for my littles. I actually enjoyed having someone here with me during the day some. They also werent in the house 24/7, they had their own things to take care of here and there, so I still felt like I had space and time to myself. Well as much time as I can get with 2 toddlers.

Anyway, this past Saturday they moved out to their place. We also let our kids stay with their Nana and Papa for a weekend for the first time, to weeks ago. They handled it well, I had some trouble, haha. I was ok, I just missed them  A LOT  more than I thought I would. I certainly did not expect to cry as I dropped them off. I did however, enjoy my free time and time with just my husband. Of course, he and I found that are kids create a really good buffer, haha. We had a lot of time to occupy just us and couldnt remember what we did before the kids. We ended up pillow shopping, running errands and reading at Starbucks(the last one was rather nice.)

Mother's Day brought the visit of Stephen's dad and stepmom. That was nice! They insisted on doing most of the child care for the 2 days they were here. It was a very nice gift! My kids enjoyed having them here and playing with them, so we were all happy. Of course, my husband wasnt a failure this day either. He got me nice gifts.  What did you all receive? I have to say, I can not wait for the day that I get hand crafted gifts from my kiddos. I see pictures of the ones my friends got and I just think its so freakin sweet. I cant wait! I feel the same about Christmas. I cant wait until our tree includes little homemade ornaments. I know my parents still have a couple I made as a child. It's so fun to still see them out every year.

On a fun note, I ran across a pin on pinterest that led me to a fun list. 38 babyshower cake nightmares. Thought I would put the link here, http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/baby-shower-cakes-made-of-nightmares?crlt.pid=camp.Wf1iMwIyHR0x. At your own shower, did you receive an odd cake or gift? If showers are not custom where you live, what are your customs when expecting a baby?

As much as I enjoyed the nice little childcare break, I am kind of excited to have our house back to ourselves. Its nice to know I can go from the bathroom to our room in just a towel. Or get a drink in the middle of the night in my underwear without bothering the people sleeping in our living room. Or that I can stay up watching tv in the living room, when its not being used as a bedroom. It's just nice to have it kind of peaceful here again.

This Week with the Eyestones

Last Thursday we drove about 20 minutes from our area to visit some family. Stephen's cousin(close enough to be a sister, though), her husband and their 2 yr old boy have just moved back to Texas from Oklahoma. Her husband got a good job offer that needed him here, ASAP. However, it did not give them much time to find their own place. They originally moved down here with the plan to stay with his mom. They did that for almost 3 weeks but her landlord wasnt thrilled. All apartments where they need to live have waiting lists. They are on all of them and now are just waiting for one to become available. So currently they are staying with us. They came to stay on Sunday and since then we have been enjoying their company. I have to say I dont mind it. We are pretty close and are kids are enjoying the heck out of it. Anyone else would probably be driving bonkers by now but we all think similar and respect each others space and things. We have similar parenting structures so we all feel comfortable with each others kids. So currently that is whats up. She also stays home with their child. So Ive rather enjoyed having the company during the day. They have attended some playdates with us and its been rather enjoyable. So all in all just enjoying each others company. Their child is also pretty on track with our two as far as learning. So I am currently planning some fun little activities for the end of the week. Im interested to see how my plans work with an outsider!