What an idiot

So last week I got so excited to find a spot to score some free Christmas cards, I filled out the info that Tiny Prints required and waited patiently for my code to come via e-mail... Then I re-read the form I had filled out.  I was supposed to blog about it!  Oops.  Here goes!  We are total slackers and not only have we not ordred our Christmas cards, we haven't even gotten the perfect pic of our little.  Last year we used someone else but a friend of ours always sends the cutest birthday invites & Christmas cards and they are always from Tiny Prints!  So I know most people have ordered their cards and I hope I get one but this year you may get ours after the New Year.  If you are slackin' with the Macons & have a blog then head on over to Tiny Prints, fill this out, and get your own FREE cards!  Thats right, free.

Thanks-Giving,

Was awesome.  I'm just gonna ramble for a bit.
First off I am so thankful for my job.  Several reasons.  One being that now that I am working, spending time with my family and friends has become much more precious.  I am not saying that I didn't enjoy it before, but now that I don't stay with my babe so much I live for the time that I do get to spend with her.  Before, a vacation was never really a vacation because I still did the same thing I did everyday.  I worried about schedules, eating, timing & basic mom nonsense.  Now that I have a full time job I am able to relax more, if we stay out later than bedtime, who cares.  If she wants to eat goldfish for dinner while traveling, alright by me.  If she only takes a 30 minute nap, hell she will live.  I used to get to see my family more and I love that but now when I see them it is even better because we know we have only a few days to spend giggling, drinking, chatting, eating and watching our babies become friends.  It's awesome.
We went to Nashville for our annual Thanksgiving trip.  We have been doing this as long as any of us can remember and will continue to until Grannie (the master of the fam) refuses to have 17 crazy people in her house anymore.  Ya'll we have so much fun.  All of the kids get hotel rooms at our favorite Hilton (that has a bar) and after daily events at Grannies we return to the hotel for pool, booze, and staying up all night chattering and catching up!  This hotel loves our families.  They seriously give all of us with kids rooms by the bar so our baby monitors work, now that's customer service. 
We came home Friday exhausted but ready for the Iron Bowl!  We had some peeps over and made a huge spread of food.  I found all of it on Pinterest and was pleased with every bite, even the ones we had last night for "left over" dinner!  We had no bake reese cup heaven, bacon wrapped chicken strips with honey mustard glaze, muffin pan tacos, 5 layer hummus (awesome), pimeto cheese, party meatballs, and I'm sure I forgot something!  We were major fats.  War Eagle anyhow.
Other than all of that, I am so excited for Christmas, I love this time of year.  I have been snatching up some pretty cool gifts for folks and having an absolute blast showing our little the Christmas decor.  She loves the Christmas tree and naming all of the ornaments.  Hope you guys are having a fun season, I know we are despite the 70+ temps here!  Thank God it's cooling down!

 Little cousins!  Scarlet snuggling with Daddy and nephew Harrison one morning!

 Harrison having a bath looking like a little pretty boy!

 Our adorable cousin Brett having his first baby experience, I don't think he ever held Emma or Scarlet!

      John helping light the tree for his bossy, anxious wife!

And real quick,
Guys, what is on your Christmas list? I need some ideas. The only thing I know that I want is a camera, a good one. A DSLR. (Canon or Nikon if Santa is reading) I don't really know anyone willing to spend that amount of chedda on me though so what is everyone asking for?  Please help, my parents, out-laws, and peeps want ideas and I just ain't got em! 

SCORE: Me-1 Baby-36452729

Had a mom win last night and thought I'd share.  I know a lot of us deal with grumpy, starving, annoying, whiny, I don't like food kind of kids and after my brilliant idea yesterday, I scored a point.  Thats right, I finally beat her.  I outsmarted the baby. I'm not gloating, o.k. I am because after 452628 times of thinking up a magical baby recipe, or fun plan and having her slap her arms until all of the carefully prepared food has gone from the high chair tray to the floor I did it this time!  So normally my kid eats anything I put in front of her unless it is a vegetable, or a meat other than chicken, or a fruit not in baby food form.  I was planning our Iron Bowl party menu at work yesterday and thought of these delicious meat balls my MIL makes, then I thought meat balls sure are delicious, then I thought why the hell haven't I given my kid meat balls?  I mean think about it, a kid with food shaped like balls that taste good.  This could go one of 2 ways and like I said before I won.  She did not throw them like she does peas, corn, hot dog, and actual balls.  Nope she ate them, pounded them.  I thought about this after making them and next time we will add veggies to the mix (I'm just getting cocky now) and make them a lot smaller, like marble size.  I can imagine how excited she must have been to sit down to a smiley face made of meat and bananas.  I know I would be  So make your kid your favorite meatball recipe in miniature, brown them in a skillet until done.  Drain the grease then add a spoonful of apple or grape jelly to the pan with a couple squirts of ketchup and let that melt good.  Toss your balls in with it and BAM!  Toddler dinner.  Now put them on their plate with blunt toothpicks (or pretzels) stuck in each ball.  Cover you kitchen floor in garbage bags and let them go crazy!  Maybe I can catch a meatball picture tonight cause she is for sure eating those leftovers.  And for the record I know this isn't epic but when you are a mom to a toddler your definitions change.

Ramble on

I just need to blog.  I used to have a lot of funny-ness going on but for some reason that gets lost between work, baby, husband, laundry, chicken nuggets, finding the long lost Ked you have been searching for in the grill, and a whole slew of other things.  Life I guess.  Life has been so funny lately, funny and scary.  We sold the restaurant.  Thats right, a little over a year ago we bought it.  It had to go, now or never.  We found ourselves losing more and more money each month despite being super busy.  Being a business owner is very hard, and I wasn't even there much.  My sweet love suffered through trying not to let me know the hard times we were having but we finally talked about it and found someone dumb awesome enough to buy us out of this quick sand pit of debt.  (Sister do you remember that "quicksand" across the road behind the Kessler's house?)  He is now hanging around helping the owners out (and actually getting to bring a paycheck home!) until he finds his next calling.  On the funny front, our child is hilarious.  She has started talking so much, every day when I get her from school, she has at least 3 new words.  She repeats anything so I have really had to put the lock-down on my sailor mouth.  I'm trying to anyway.  She put two words together last week, its the only two she will say together.  While swinging outside she saw John cutting the grass and started yelling Hey Daddy, Daddy Daddy.  I asked her to say Hey Mommy, no dice.  I mean why would she?  Its not like I take care of her.  No, I'm not bitter.  Yesterday after school she was sitting in her carseat patting her bear to sleep, she said in the littlest whisper "Shhhh Mommy."  I mean not near as sweet as hey Mommy but she did whisper first to me.  Not that I am keeping track or anything.   I caught her doing this to me yesterday, I have no idea where this kid gets it. 

This is what Scarlet & her Daddy do.

So last night I made something magical.  Remember those corn nuggets they served in high shcool?  Like deep fried cream corn?  Maybe its a southern thing and if it is I apoloigize Northerners that you haven't had this but I am going to give you a chance and you don't even have to bust out the Fry Daddy.  Corn Nuggets have been souped up my friends, turned into something so awesome I ate 6...

Yeah, I realize they look more like cookies but I am so o.k. with that because it makes my brain think I am getting corn, cheese, & green onion flavored cookies, and honestly my brain LOVES that thought.  Moving forward, found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  Very simple but be sure you get all of your ingredients out first because it comes together pretty fast.  It really makes it interesting with a toddler on you leg. 
Magic Corn Nugget Cookies:
1 C. canned cream style corn
1 Tsp. salt
1 3/4 C. Flour
4 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
1/2 C. shredded pepper jack (more to sprinkle on top)
1 Tbsp. Chopped green onion
So put corn, butter and salt in a pot and bring to simmer over Med. heat, add flour and stir with wooden spoon until smooth and it pulls away from the sides.  Put in a bowl and let cool for a few minutes.  Add you eggs 1 at a time mixing thoroughly, then add cheese and green onions.  Put in the fridge and chill for 15 minutes.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, once cooled scoop 1 Tbsp. balls onto sheets, top with shredded cheese and bake at 400 for 20-25 or until tops are golden brown!  Have fun with this.  Guess I will get back to work, have a great week guys! 

All Hallows Eve

This year was quite different than last years Halloween.  Little bit actually got to go Trick or Treating and although she was a little nervous to walk up to doors she had fun!  Once she got her paws on a bag of M&M's her nerves quickly faded.  Last year she was a duck, a really cute one. 

We didn't do ant treating last year.  We sat on the front porch and handed out candy.  You see, Halloween is a big deal.  I love it!  Our neighborhood goes all out with decorations and fun.  All of the kids and some parents meet at one of the cul de sacs and a Dad hooks up a "hayride" to his truck, all of the neighborhood kids pile in and the dad totes them to each house.  It is awesome because our neighborhood is very hilly.  We decided to save the hayride for next year when Scarlet can stay up a little later and isn't afraid of the other kids costumes!  So in order for us to be home in time to hand out candy we went early so the little one could experience the fun!  We put her and he best little friend in the wagon and let them hold out their candy bags to collect the goods.  After about 30 minutes of this they were both ready to ditch the wagon so we headed back to our house and set up camp in the driveway to let the girls try out some of their loot and run some of the candy high off!  Scarlet got to eat a candy corn pumpkin, M&M's, and a ghost peep.  She was JACKED up! 

The girls before going out.

Busted eating a tootsie pop through the wrapper... 

Checking out the many kids running to the driveway! 

McKenzie LOVED Scarlets' Elmo candy bag and she was not happy about it! 

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!  Stay tuned, Sissy and her brood are coming today to stay with us so you know a cute picture, crude humor, and funny post is sure to come!