Why you gotta be difficult?

This woman is the cashier at our local pharmacy. S and i refer to her as rat-tail b****. Because she has a rat tail and she's a b EVERY time we deal with her.

Take today, for example. I took N to the Pediatrician this morning because he has pinkeye and we needed some antibiotics. So the pediatrician called in a prescription and i headed over to pick it up.

I noticed that the pharmacy (in our grocery store ) didn't open for 30 minutes so i decided to do some grocery shopping. I finished up and headed to the pharmacy where i was not greeted by rat tail b. Instead, she just stood there like a bump on a log.

I said, "good morning. My son's pediatrician called in a prescription this morning and i know you just opened and it's not ready but we just wanted to wait for it.

Rat tail b: "**long sigh** uhhhh...we just opened...so there's no way it would be ready. **eye roll**" (also please note there was a ridiculous amount of sass in her voice)

Me: "yea. That's why i JUST said i wanted to wait for it."

Now i understand she probably hates her job (and trust me. I know the feeling. Ive had plenty of jobs i hated) but that's no reason to be rude to me....the reason she has a job in the first place. Cause let's be honest. With the number of prescriptions N has had in his 10 months? We're paying her salary.

So note to self: even when you are not happy with a situation in life, still be friendly to people. Otherwise they take stealthy pictures of you a blog about you on the interwebs.

Operation Organization Zone 1

The first week is over! How'd you do? For me, this was a pretty challenging week. It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep the kitchen clean. Between baby bottles and nightly dinner plates, there is always SOMETHING covering the counter. The question will be...can I keep it clean? I decided that a month after Operation Organization is over, I'm going to record a video of the house in its current state. Maybe that'll be even more incentive to keep things clean? Anyway, without further ado, here are some pictures of a clean zone 1.

The pantry

The glassware cabinet

 The bowls and plates

 Babyfood

 Recipe books and...banqueting materials.

 Tupperware

 Under the kitchen sink

 The dining room. SOMEONE was playing where's waldo. Can you find waldo?

 Another view of the dining room

The kitchen

The kitchen sink

 The entryway

The hall closet

And just a reminder. Here's what the kitchen started out like.

Here's the link, so link on up. I can't wait to see your progress!

Operation Organization

My house...is a HOT MESS. It is really bad. It's not that I don't WANT a clean house. I really, really do. I've just got a lot on my plate + I've been too lazy. I'm ready to make a change though. I need some accountability, y'all. So that's where YOU come in. Enter: Operation Organization.

Each week during March, we'll focus on one zone of your house. We'll get that part of the house completely clean and organized and then we'll move on to the next zone. Feel free to take before and after photos and post your progress. Also, if you want to share your organization tips and tricks, that would be super helpful for those of us that are...organizationally-challenged.

With that, here's the blog post schedule.

March 4:
   -Kitchen
   -Dining Room
   -Entryway
   -Hall Closet

March 11:
   -Living Room
   -Den/Basement
   -Storage/Laundry Room

March 18:
   -Master Bedroom
   -Guest Bedrooms
   -Master Closet
   -Guest Closets

March 25:
   -Guest Bath
   -Half Bath(s)
   -Master Bath
   -Linen Closet

April 1:
   -Front of House
   -Backyard
   -Anything else you didn't have time to finish up in the previous weeks.

Aaaaaannnnnndddddd GO.

I'll start by posting my embarrassing "before" video. Look. I know it needs improvement. That's why I came up with this whole link up. I need accountability. Enjoy feeling better about yourself. :)

If you'd like a copy of the Operation Organization Button please feel free to copy it above!

I'm Baaaaaaack!

 And it's only been nearly a year! What have I been up to? Well...mostly...

And...a little of this.

I had a bebehhhhhhh! Nolan was born May 24th and he is absolutely perfect. He was 6lbs 5 ounces and 19 inches long. The happiest kid EVER and I feel so so blessed to have him. Our lives sure have changed a lot, but totally for the better.He is changing every second and it is unreal to me how fast he is growing. They always say kids grow up so fast, but I had no concept of just how fast until I had my own baby.

Nolan is 9 months old today. NINE months old. He is eating a little bit of solids, but nothing more than mush please...or...GAAAAAAG. Seriously. Every time. I gave him some applesauce with a little bit of texture to it and he just can't handle it. He is starting to pull up and we are starting to think he may just skip crawling altogether and go straight to walking. We shall see though. Nolan is babbling a little bit and mostly saying dadadadada. It is really exciting for us to see how much he is changing and developing into a little boy. We are looking forward to seeing how he continues to grow! :)

A Healthy Chocolate Cake?!?!

As many of you know, I'm supposed to eat a low glycemic index (GI) diet because I have PCOS. It jacks with your body's ability to process insulin. Not only that, but I recently found out that I may have gestational diabetes, so I really need to focus on eating right so Nolan is healthy. So here's a healthy chocolate cake recipe.

I know what you're thinking...not possible. I promise it actually isn't horrible. In fact, I think the cake part itself is actually pretty close to the real thing. The icing is what I had an issue with. This recipe is Low GI, Low Carb, and Gluten free!

It's worth a shot anyhow...

So here are the ingredients.

It already starts off weird. Mix black beans (YES. black beans) vanilla, 3 of the eggs, and salt in a blender and blend well.

Next, in a small bowl, mix together cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda.

In yet another bowl, whisk together coconut oil and agave nectar until soft and fluffy. This is the agave nectar I use. It's pretty delicious and is a GREAT sugar substitute.

It's kind of similar to honey.

And this is the coconut oil I use. I got it at Whole Foods, and it's definitely interesting.

Kind of reminds me of candle wax, but whatever, it works.

Here's what my soft and fluffy mixture looked like after whisking.

Then you add in the remaining eggs...

And the bean mixture...

And finally, the powders.

Mix really REALLY well and VOILA! It begins to look like cake.

This makes one smallish cake, so I just used one square pan.

It looks legit...right?

And now for the frosting...which I might not make the next time.

First, you pulverize some splenda in a food processor until it has the texture of powdered sugar.

Then you add in the cocoa.

Yay! The cake is finished baking. Now let it cool while you're working on the icing.

Also, if you're a dog, make sure you lay down on the floor and don't help at all.

You beat the butter with a mixer.

Add in 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder and beat till well combined.

Add in the rest of the cocoa mixture with water, and finally, add in the vanilla extract.

Here's what you end up with!

I never claimed to be the best cake decorator in the world.

But here it is!! Actually not half bad. The cake part it self was surprisingly good and had the same texture and taste as a regular chocolate cake.

 Healthy and Low GI Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
1 - 15 oz can of black beans, drained
6 tbsp coconut oil or softened butter
3/4 cup agave nectar
5 large eggs
6 tbsp sugar free cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Turn on oven to 325 degrees
2. Mix beans, vanilla, 3 of the eggs, and salt in a blender and blend well.
3. Mix together cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl.
4. Whisk together butter and agave nectar until soft and fluffy.
5. Add the rest of the eggs slowly, leaving 30-60 seconds between additions to avoid curdling.
6. Add the blended bean mix to the bowl.
7. Pour in the mixed powders.
8. Whisk REALLY well.
9. Pour into a greased 9" cake tin.
10. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until firm
11. Leave to cool.

Low GI Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cocoa (for light flavor) - this is what i used
1/2 cup cocoa (for medium flavor)
3/4 cup cocoa (for dark flavor)
4 cups splenda (put in a food processor for 3 minutes on high)
2 sticks of butter (make sure at least 1 is unsalted)
4-5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together desired amount of cocoa and powdered splenda.
2. In a mixer bowl, beat butter with 1/2 cup of cocoa mixture; blend well. Add remaining cocoa mixture with water, beating to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla extract.


As much as I love buttercream frosting, this just really wasn't up to snuff. The original recipe used a chocolate ganache. I didn't try it, but I definitely will next time. Here's that recipe....

Low GI Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
1 cup dark chocolate (bittersweet)
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
1. Break the chocolate up into small pieces in a bowl.
2. Heat the cream until just at boiling point, then pour onto the chocolate, stirring until melted together.
3. Let this cool for a while before using to top and fill your cake.