Smells That Make Me Happy

I know this is a rather odd thing to post about but, I've been feeling creative lately and thought I would share. This post was inspired by the journal my mom kept for me when I was five. Most of these scents are from my childhood and are linked to memories about people and/or places I adored as a kid. Others are smells that I just can't get enough of.

Burning Leaves

Freshly Cut Grass

Bamboo Shoots

HushPuppies Shoes

Horse Sweat

Honeysuckle

Hamburger Helper


Popcorn Cooked on the Stovetop



Sea Spray

Wet Pavement

Playdough

Legacy


Puppy Breath

Lucky Number

I have a seven year old. When did that happen? Just kidding. I knew it was coming. I have savored every stinking minute of the past seven years with my beautiful creation of a human being. (Well, I had a little help with the creation part.) He still amazes me. He continues to make me laugh and smile. His reasoning baffles me on occasion. I love him more than I've ever loved anything. Yes, more than driving a stick shift, more than steak, more than music, and even more than Tim Tebow's face. He had a great pizza and cupcake party this year. We decided on Kids In My Kitchen because it wasn't jumpers, or ChuckECheese, or at my house. It was different and fun, and the kids got to create and learn. (And I didn't have to clean up before or after!) Many places are now catering to the birthday child's mom, planning, hosting, even mailing invitations for you. I should have let them do that last part because invitees got their invites two days before the party. I am having issues with my postal carrier, Barbara. Anyhoo, it was great. The kids had fun and the pizza was delicious!

Pizza Dough Recipe
4 Tbsp dry active yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp salt
Preheat oven to 475
Add yeast and sugar to half of the water and let dissolve.
Make pile of some of the flour and salt and leave a well in the center. Pour in all yeast mixture. Mix all together with a fork. Pour rest of water and mix in the rest of the flour to make moist dough. Pat dough out and knead for 2-3 minutes. Let dough rest while making tomato sauce.

Easy Tomato Sauce
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
3 gloves fresh garlic
4 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Process all in a blender to a smooth puree.

Pat out or roll to 1/4" thickness. They should look homemade and rustic. Top with tomato sauce and your favorite toppings, the simpler the better. Bake for 7-10 minutes on cookie sheet.

Pow Wow With Some Little Warriors

I promised I wouldn't miss Pow Wow Day this year. It actually fell on Kai's birthday so I was extra happy to take off work to be with Kai and his class for a day of fun and sunshine. The kids were all so excited and the weather was just beautiful. First up were Sack Races.


Kai and his buddy, Landon, won 3rd place in Beach Ball Buddies.

Tug-o-War was a class favorite. They won the first round only to face defeat in the second. Great effort all around.

Next were the Dixie Cup Relay and Water Balloon Relay where the balloons were thrown onto the crowd when the relay was over. Those water balloons were awfully wobbly!

At the end of the day, everyone gathered to listen to some steelpan music and ended in the longest limbo line ever. It was a great day and I'm glad I didn't miss it!

Thrifty Kai and The Tooth Fairy

I won't lie. Snaggle-toothed children scare me. I was worried I would be repulsed by my own child when he lost one of the most important and prominent teeth in his mouth-the front. Maybe the build-up prepared me. He wiggled that thing for weeks. Lucky for him, I still think he is one of the most handsome guys I know.
I was very excited to know that the tooth fairy had come to visit while I was asleep. I don't know why that made me so giddy-maybe it was the image I had for a split second of Ben in pink tights and tutu.
Kai had five whole dollars to spend, so we took him to The Dollar Tree. He had his choice between there and the dollar bins at Target. His first choice was batteries for his Wii remotes, but his dad promised to get a big pack on our way home and to not worry about batteries. His five choices were: a box of microwave popcorn, a Hershey bar-no almonds, a bag of Ring Pops, dry erase markers, and color your own stickers. He was amazed at how much he could buy with five whole dollars. Smart choices, I say.

Picnic Company

Last weekend was my annual company picnic and it turned out so well! The weather was absolutely beautiful and the food was delicious. Burgers, hotdogs, barbecue chicken, potato salad, baked beans, chips, and ice cream! Kai played on the water slides the entire time and swore it was better than the waterpark.

I know and work with some amazing people and consider myself extremely lucky to be part of such an awesome organization. The past few months have been really hard for me. A few people I have worked closely with decided to further their careers elsewhere-my awesome boss included. While we are left in great hands, it is still hard to see them go. Change is good and I embrace the changes that are being made and am very grateful to be part of the changing process. Here's to the future!