Hey Big Stuff

My little punky pie is 14 months old today! For a while now, I have still been referring to her as my baby (which she will always be) but there is no denying it anymore--she is becoming quite the big girl. ALL of her baby equipment is up and I have started letting her do more and more things on her own. She knows when I am trusting her to do something new--you can see it in her eyes. She gets a big smile and kind of sticks her belly out with pride. In the picture below, she is having her first big girl picnic--no bib, nothing fastening her down, and all food she can feed herself. Look at how proud she is (or maybe that's me)!

There is no big doctor's appointment at 14 months but Loulie has learned a new thing or two:

• weighing in at 25 lbs and towering at 30 inches. I have to throw in the circumference of her belly--20 inches.
• She can say dog and Bridget. Rarely we get a mama or dada
• When you ask "Where is Loulie?" she points to her shoulder.
• When you ask "Where is Loulie's belly?" she lifts her shirt and pats it.
• Her favorite thing is her baby dolls who go everywhere with us. She rocks and pats them and takes them in and out of their high chair.
• My favorite thing is her eagerness to hug and when you seem tired, she pats your back.
• Oh, and we read about 5,000 times a day--I am not complaining, trust me--I love that she likes reading. But Eric Carle (Spot author) could use a little work on plot development.

I can't believe how times is flying, that the holidays are coming up and just a year ago I was preparing to go back to work. I have to say, life isn't any less hectic than it was in 2009 just a different kind of chaos. I actually started calling preschools today to start Loulie next fall or possibly for a day a week this winter. I had no idea the cut throat operation that is mothers morning out. If you have a two month old--CALL NOW! I know it is in the Lord's hands and that Loulie will end up exactly where she needs to be but geez--I feel like I am applying for college again. One school actually told me I would need to come in with Loulie and meet with the executive director. For what?--is he going to ask Loulie where she plans to be in 5 years? Come on. Anyhow, something will work out. If not, I'll just homeschool--at least until Loulie turns 4 and surpasses my intelligence level;).

Our family's love language

It all started with my grandfather...

Apparently, he woke his three girls up every morning with a sing songy rhyme. My mother's was "wake up Fredda Jeannie beenie weenie whoa" which was right after he hollered to my aunt, "time to get up Andrea Leigh hee hoo hoo ha ha." I know--weird, but it has become the norm for my nutty family.

My mother must have a gazllion nicknames for each of us, including all the cousins. When I was little my grandmother used to warn that none of us would know our real names if she continued to make up ones up for each of us. And they weren't out of nowhere--many developed and evolved over time. For instance, my cousin Bina. She was born Mary Righton Brown, aka MRB. Which turned to Murb, which lead to Murbina, which lead to Bina Ballerina which was shortened to Bina. The girl looks like Jennifer Aniston and yet we have called her Bina for the past 20 some odd years. When I was growing up, my mother didn't hold back with her wacko language. She'd hold the phone against her chest (as if that stifles any sound at all) and yell, "Little Big Mac, the phone is for you" or "LaurieLouLou Bird, your date is here." Seriously, mom?!! If you ask me, it was her way of overcoming the name Fredda. If you call everyone else something ridiculous, then Fredda doesn't seem to stand out so much.

But it wasn't just the nickname, there was usually a song to go with it as well as a gush. Now this is an important term in the Owens household--if you call somewhat fat or chunky and then gush them, it means you love them so much you can't stand it! You could be a 90lb. teenage boy but if we think you are cute, then we will say "Come here you chunky thing" and then gush your heiny. I am not making this up--Meredith (my sister) gushed Bert within the first 5 minutes of meeting him.

I'm not saying I dislike this. I mean, I have carried on the tradition of cookiness. For as long as I can remember, my number one nickname was Loulou or Laurielou--no one called me by my real name. I didn't mind--hence, the name Loulie. It didn't just fall out of the sky--the Bug's name came from a long line of loving nicknames.

It took Bert a couple of months to catch on but he is now on board. It started for him when we got Bridget Bojangles who quickly became Shaniqua while she was napping because sometimes it was just more fun to say. She has had about a hundred nicknames since then. One anniversary, Bert turned it around on me. I had been calling him Mr. Pufftastic for about a year. He had gotten used to it and by that time was answering to anything. It was our second anniversary which calls for a "linen gift." I opened the box to find a towel wrap with the monogram "Mrs. Pufftastic" in blue script on the right corner. He told me if he was Mr. Puff, then that made me Mrs. Puff--great, I had never thought about it that way. Names have only evolved from there.

Bottom line, you probably need a translator to visit our house. I'll try to be clear in my post but just in case, I have included a translation below. Is anyone else out there as wacky as we are?

Gush: (verb or noun) meaning to pinch on a squishy part of a loved ones body.

Mullygrubs: (noun) to have the "I can't help it"s, a little down, usually the result of January or a rainy day

Fat: an endearing term that means you are good enough to eat. Has nothing to do with size or weight of one's body

Nicknames

Lauren: Laurieloulou Bird, Laurielou, Big, Little Big Mac Attack, Bunny Biscuit Weaver, Bunnybear, Little Bit and Sparkplug

Bert: Mr. Pufftastic, Husky Bear, Husk, Johnny, John, Johnny Bickerstaff, Bonshnowzer

Loulie: Loulie Bug, Munchkipuff, Punkin Pie Beanpole, Dyschweka Patterson, Muffinfuss, I really could go on and on

Bridget Bojangles: Shaniqua, Dysheki, Fat and Husky Dog, BB, Bergit

Fredda: Mom, Lovey, Gertrude, Apple Fredda, Fredda Cheese, Frida

Tom: Grandaddy, T Burger, Fatboy, T, Big Tom

Meredith: Aunt Muffy, Piff, Mufliuflionipone,

Bruce: Uncle B, Brucifer, Brusky, "whoa--who is that tall guy?"

I could move on to extended family but I'll stop here. If you have made it to the end of this post, please don't call the psych ward.

Exercising our civil rights and weekend rundown

Loulie, against all odds (or just a yucky day), voted in her first election! She woke up late from her nap (6:00) so we had to race over to cast our vote in time. Have you ever noticed that it is always overcast or raining on election day? At least in the past three I have voted in. Anyhow, we did our civic duty and it looks like things in SC are moving in our favor.

I cannot believe it is already November--where has the fall gone? It has hardly seemed like fall with the 85 degree heat up until this weekend but the cool weather came in just enough time to have the perfect Halloween celebration! We did all the things any other family would call usual Halloween festivities except for that it was our first year of enjoying these things through Loulie's eyes. Fall festival, pumpkin carving, GA/FLA cheering, trick or treating--she did it all! And with a lot of enthusiasm. From the moment the firefighter put that first piece of candy in her bag at the Halloween festival, she was hooked. By Sunday evening, she had learned that even if mama won't let you have candy, you can bite through the wrapper and suck the sugar out. It took an hour after we got home to get her to take her costume off and let go of her trick or treat bag.

We began our festivities on Friday at Hampton Park. And oh did I fall in love. I think I have found our new running spot. It is gorgeous down there. Loulie rode her first horse, trunk or treated and yelled at the ducks in the pond.




We ended on Sunday at a house off the beaten path in Riverland Terrace. I was so glad our friend Eric had done some scouting out beforehand because this was a spot that should not be missed. The pictures don't do it justice, but the owners had set up a creepy cafe. They were not just giving away candy but had dinner, snacks and beverages set up for guests as well as a campfire. They must of spent two days decorating and preparing. It was the cutest set up and I loved the idea of serving total strangers on what is known as a "wicked and frightening" holiday. It kind of caught my heart at their generosity and obvious love of fun.

A little recipe

I have a knack for taking a really good recipe and making it completely inedible. I usually try to trade out the ingredients that make it bad for you (or as Bert says those that add the flavor) with the finished product ending up in the trash. I have only been successful with substitutions in a few recipes and it just so happens to be a fall/halloween recipe. I know everyone and their brother has posted a pumpkin muffin recipe but this one is really good and healthy (or at least won't create a muffin top over the waistline of your skinny jeans). My little sidekick and I made some together the other day.

This is what you'll need...

First, sift together all the dry ingredients...

Then mix together all the wet ingredients..

Combine the two and add a cup of mini semisweet morsels (or not).

Grease what ever you are baking in and pour. I found this pumpkin muffin tray at HomeGoods and thought that one day Loulie might like the festive pumpkin shape...

Finished product...

Your people will gobble them up...

Here is the full recipe. I added my substitutions in parenthesis. I also put in less than a cup of mini morsels--I think the minis work best or I don't add any at all. If you do the healthier, more diet friendly route; I suggest putting them in the refridgerator or freezing them until ready to eat. The lack of oil makes them very moist so they will mold pretty quickly if you leave them in the pantry.

Dry Ingredients:

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1 2/3 c. all purpose flour

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil (no sugar added applesauce)

1/3 c. water

2 eggs (1/2 c. egg whites)

1 1/2 c. pureed pumpkin

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350*. Sift together first 7 ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients through pumpkin. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. When it is all combined evenly, add the chocolate chips. Grease your pan and pour in mix. Bake 15- 20 minutes for mini muffins, 30 minutes for regular muffins and about 40 minutes for a loaf. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.

This picture is worth a thousand words....

...because I am speechless!

This will be a short post since I am still in awe of my own idiocy. After Loulie's nap this afternoon, we went outside to finish up a little project I have been doing involving spray paint and some lawn furniture. I thought it would take about 15 minutes. Here is what went down in a matter of minutes, in chronological order:

Began spraying chairs (accidentally removed fan stop allowing paint to drip in way to large amounts all over my hand, the furniture and the ground)

Loulie heads over to her play ground in new shirt her Weesie just purchased (seriously, first wearing).

In the two seconds I am turned away, Loulie sits in her Cozy Coupe that is full of water and then rolls in the dirt and wood chips covering her white pants. Oh and let's not forget the bird sized mosquitos hovering over her head.

By this time, my hands are covered in paint. I encourage Loulie inside. Get out what I think is paint thinner and instead cover my arms in stinky grease remover. While I'm covered in goo, Loulie mosies over to the dryer and begins removing all the clean clothes (keep in mind she is covered in mud).

I CALL FOR BEEERRRRTTTTT!!!! But before he can finish his email and get downstairs, Loulie has completely unrolled an entire new roll of paper towels (which are not shown in the above picture but are right below the cut off in a big pile on the floor) and starts to make confetti out of them.

The picture above is what Bert walked in on. Needless to say, it was the biggest Charlie Foxtrot (aka Cluster) I have experienced in a long time. I think Loulie rigged that faulty spray paint can to paralyze her mother so she could have her way with the house. Little did she know, her Daddy was home and once again came to the rescue. Whew--life with a one year old--never boring!!!!

Happy Birthday Lovey!

I have always been one of those people that has to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day to get to sleep at night. Ever since Loulie started walking, that has not been the case. Instead I find myself collapsing on the couch at 8:00 and by 8:30 I am watching the clock to see when it will strike 10:00 so that I am not going to bed at an embarassingly old lady hour. I don't know if exhaustion is a result of raising a rambunctious one year old or just one of the many symptoms of thirtysomethingitis. Regardless of the reason, our packed weekend was no exception.

Mom and Dad (aka Lovey and Grandaddy) were in town to celebrate Mom's birthday with us. I headed out to Sullivan's Friday afternoon to spend some time with Mom. We went for a sunset bike ride, Mom taught Loulie to kick a soccer ball, we had dinner and got Loulie ready for bed.

I headed home to get ready for Mom's birthday dinner. Bert and Bridget were out shrimping. Loulie went straight to bed so I enjoyed the house to myself. I played my music, took my time preparing all the food for the next night and read through an entire gossip magazine (unheard of). If you had asked me two years ago what an ideal Friday night would be I would not have named the above but things change and I must admit--the quiet was a little nice!

I woke up Saturday pretty impressed with myself for having dinner ready and bags packed to head out to the beach for the day. But God always encourages humility and it wasn't 30 minutes after we arrived that I realized I'd had a serious blonde moment and forgotten the Bug's diaper bag. Thank goodness I married MacGyver. We made do with some weewomp diapers and a makeshift sippy cup. Loulie didn't seem to mind too much...

It was a great afternoon of football, family and food. Between games, Meredith and I took Loulie for a long walk on the beach and caught up. The boys did manly things that I don't understand--I think they are fixing a shrimping net here...

Mom played with Loulie and enjoyed not being the one to cook dinner. I kept catching her with a big smile on her face, sipping wine as Meredith and I scurried around. It's okay--I think she deserves a break once a year ;)

Dinner was great. I have to say I've come a long way since I first quit work to become a stay at home mom. I could hardly microwave cheese grits. AT least now I can prepare an entire meal without smoke and fire alarms involved. The rule at the Owens house is the cook doesn't clean so here is the clean up crew...

I think Mom enjoyed her birthday dinner and having all of us together. We topped off Sunday with a first birthday party for one of Loulie's friends. I wish I had pictures from it. Loulie now hugs and pats everyone on the back when you tell her to say hello to her friend. There was a lot of Loulie love at the party. With Loulie being an only child, it is nice to see her being so loving and open to other kids. I love that in the midst of temper tantrums and food being thrown and requests being ignored, the Lord will give you a moment where you feel like you might actually being doing something right as a parent--enough to encourage you to keep trucking along and just loving each stage for what it is.

Okay, it's 10:30--I'm going to bed. Bert is shrimping again in the hopes that he will come home with a boatload and I can stop buying the frozen stuff from Japan. Before I go, here's a recipe for the pork I made Saturday night. It was really good and a nice switch from the regular. I don't know about you but I get sick of the same things over and over.

Honey & Sesame Seed Pork Tenderloin

1 lb whole pork tenderloin

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp of fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup honey

2tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp sesame seeds, slightly toasted

Combine soy, garlic, ginger and oil in a plastic bag with tenderloin overnight.

Remove and pat dry. Mix together honey and sugar in a shallow plate and pour seeds in a seperate plate. Roll tenderloin in honey and then in the seeds. Roast in pan for 20-30 minutes at 375 or until thermometer reads 160*.

I'b a bittle stubfed up....

Last Thursday night, Loulie Bug woke up about midnight and never went back to sleep. Poor thing came down with a cold and couldn't sleep because she couldn't breath. It was extremely sad to see her so miserable and so tired and feeling so bad when there was nothing I could do about it. You could just look at her and tell she wasn't herself. (see below)

Loulie was feeling better by Monday though and back in good spirits.

We have lots to report about our fall happenings and some good healthy recipes too! See you in a few.