Dilema!

So my sweet love dakota loves snails. And I love dakota so I try to be very considerate of her feelings and we gently move snails that we find away from areas they (the snail) are not supposed to be. But this morning was the last straw..............

Those suckers are goners! I will have to be discreet but snails if you are out there reading this consider yourself warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sugar, Round and a New Do!

I have a sugar problem and it is a good thing I am already round because this little cooking, buying, baking thing I have going on is really helping in the round department.
This evening after dinner I decided I wanted rice krispy treats, I love them, I really love them. Who ever thought to add melted butter and marshmallows to cereal really hi the nail on the head.
But we still have pie and ice cream and these silly vanilla wafers I bought from trader joe's, I asked myself kristen do you really need to make these tonight???? And of course the answer came back 'helllloooo yes I do, make them right now'
And so I did and they hit the spot.

I read a book awhile back to dakota and I am forgetting the name at the moment but it was a caribbean rapunzal story and in the beginning while the mom is pregnant with repunzal she craves sugar cane, that was the name of the book, sugar cane, the caribbean rapunzal. Well the mom and dad talked about how the baby was going to be sweet as sugar cane because of the mom wanting it so desperately all the time. So that is my belief I am just doing my part to make a sweet person.

So that covers the sugar and roundness and as for the new do well you can kind of see it in the belly shot. Thanks again mom! She is helping me feel beautiful inside and out. I am so far digging the cut and the bangs. And I figured after I delivered that is just not the time to be messing with your hair. I did that with dakota and hated it hated it hated it. So for me I think the key is before is better than after.

What have we been up to?

Saturday we had a very busy day and sunday we had a really mellow day.
After gymnastics on saturday we headed to kyra's birthday party complete with a huge princess jolly jump.
All the kids were in great moods, it was not that hot, gretchen's mom made a ton of chocolate dipped strawberries which accidentally didn't get put out so guess who got to bring them home, ME!
Then later after a good nap, daddy headed out to play some poker and kyra and gretchen came over. Kyra didn't have a nap so as evening rolled into night she actually told gretchen she was ready to head home, poor little lady had a big day and she was tired. Dakota and I curled up and snuggled before heading off to dreamland.
Sunday I headed out on my own to meet up with a girlfriend which was so nice we walked and talked. We talked a lot about my concerns about the whole labor thing I am going to be going through in the near future. I am so excited but know what to expect this time, well lets just say for me and my personality the unknown is better. Well that is not totally true I look back on dakota's birth and realize how strong I was and that gives me strength for what is to come. And really I am excited to go through it again it was the most intense, raw, real, wonderful experience of my life. But I still have some concerns...
Then as if that wasn't enough for a sunday morning my mom treated me to a pedicure, I love you mom. A couple months back she and I went to this little free cooking class without dakota, it is so strange to be with my mom and not have dakota with us. But we did enjoy our time together as weird as it felt so sunday was very similar. There is something about just being able to enjoy the company of my mom and just hanging out with each other that is really nice. There is part of me that feels really guilty saying that but I know it is good for me, ahahha.
Today we had play group with some friends. There was a silent memo that must have gone out because people kept showing up with food and food is just a great way to add more fun to any get together. It was a great morning.

Then when we got home I got to work on a blackberry pie
(amy you should come down soon I am in a pie baking mood). Saturday I made a bet with randy and lost and his prize was a black berry pie. The pie is good but a little bit to juicy, needs some little tweaks.

The big news is dakota is learning to ride her bike without her training wheels. We had tried it a couple weeks back and she was totally not interested but while I was out on sunday morning she and randy took them off and started practicing and all I can say is wow.
And look my garden is growing more and more lush and beautiful everyday.

Blast from the Towers Family Cookery Past

My mom used to make clam sauce spaghetti as part of her regular recipe rundown. It is very simple to make and just really yummy. So yesterday as I was wondering what to make for the wednesday dinner get together that is what popped into mind.
I don't think I have made it in over five years and I have not a clue why because it is gooooo-oooood, and super simple. It was such a beautiful evening we ate out in the backyard.
What is it about eating outdoors that makes dinner different, there is just a different feeling sitting in the backyard and ease or a something that is just so nice.

I hope that we do that more this summer because it was good.
For dessert tisha and I ran up to get some ice cream and these are the decisions that stump me. Staring at the on sale ben and jerry's is heaven but deciding on flavors that is tough. We, I think, came back with a nice selection.

I fancied the peach cobbler, so while the rest of the family got out bowls and tried a little of each I just got a spoon and dug in.
I have been working on a puzzle over there but I finished it last week and I missed it last night.

Earlier in the day dakota, marie and I met our friends abby and sara at the park. I was so good about sun screening the girls from head to toe AND myself arms, neck and face but for some reason thought that my legs that have been in long pants for the last seven months didn't need any.....ouch. Lame lame lame me it sucks being sunburned.
Sierra met up with us at the park and then we headed to her house for some more playtime and popsicles.

Sierra, Sara and I have been friends since we were nine years old so the ease of being with them and the conversation that flows is so nice and relaxing and funny. It is fun that we have all ended up with girls as close in age as they are.
It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful people as everyday should be.

The Day after Mothers Day.

When we woke up this morning dakota asked to go to the dog park (arroyo verde) which she never does. We don't take essie as much as we used to, in fact there was a time when we were going at least three times a week, dakota would go in the ergo and we would hike and it was awesome. She no longer goes in the ergo however the last time she did was not that long ago I was about six weeks preggers, she is my little lady. Anywho... we headed off and now a days it is more about playing at the park and exploring then exercising me or the dog.
The weather was not inviting but does that really matter when you are four?
It was fun, it was like a breakfast picnic I brought our breakfast and she played while I ate, HA. We had the place to ourselves pretty much. Then we did some walking around and I proceeded to get really frustrated because the amount of trash left from the yesterday was sad.
before
So dakota and I found some sticks to use as make shift trash pokers and cleaned up what we could.
after
Why do people do that? Why is it okay just to drop your trash where you stand? It drives me nuts.
In the midst dakota refound a tree that she had played at several weeks back.
The tree is hollowed out at the bottom and she swears there are many animals that live in there sharks, snakes, spiders and who knows what else.
After the park we headed home for some painting. I feel bad we haven't gotten the paints out in a while. It was very nice I did several and I just love to sit there with her and paint away.
After she asked me to tell her about the desire (I am assuming she meant motivation/why did I paint that) of my paintings so I went through and told her about each of my paintings, what it was and why I painted it and then she did the same for me. The theme that ran through both of ours was happiness.
The rest of the day was pretty mellow, she and randy ran out to get a gift for a birthday this weekend so I got some chores done. Then it was off to kindermusik, which dakota loves.

One thing that I really wanted for mothers day was a banana split,
but it didn't happen but today it did and let me tell you I may feel a bit uncomfortable at this moment but I ate the whole thing and loved every bite!!!!!

Mothers Day

My morning started off with some sugar. Dakota knows I love my candy and sugar so she and randy got me a twix and some starburst, yummy. I hate to admit that I love that kind of junk candy but I do and I try to never buy it so it was a nice treat.
Well the huevos were a hit (at least in my eyes) and I was feeling the need for some homemade flour tortillas so I attempted to whip some up. I think they were good the texture could use some work I think I may have over cooked them, but all in all they were really yummy.
The rest of the day was really mellow. Dakota who hasn't been napping took a great nap with me, which is somewhat of a curse because as I write she is still not asleep and probably wont be for another at least half hour.
In the afternoon our friends andi, mia and ed called and said they were headed down to the circus.
I don't think I have ever been to the circus and for a long time I was flat out boycotting them because elephants and circuses are just not okay or any large animal for that matter.
But I was told the largest animals there were horses and I had already uttered the word circus and so little lady d was totally jazzed.

So it was off to the circus for us and really it was very good. Dakota had a blast her eyes were wide the whole time.
She has had this thing for trapezes for awhile now and so we have youtubed them and today she got to see them for real and she was amazed.
A great day.

yummy

So while looking at some of the food blogs I like to salivate too I found a recipe for lemon cream scones here and if you can believe it I had all the ingredients and whipped up a batch and let me tell you if you like scones these are gooooood and easy to make. The only thing I did different was I used vanilla extract instead of lemon so the lemon was very subtle. My friend dawn once posted about a slab scone where you just roll out the dough and add some jam.
I happened to have some yummy purple plum jam so I made a couple small filled one again sooooooo good.
I have only five weeks till junebug is due and she is demanding some baked goods and so I have to oblige what kind of mother would I be neglecting the little one in my tummy?
Dakota has been making a brew of her own. She has been working on it for a few days now adding this that and the other thing. Essie really seems to enjoy it, I keep seeing her drink from it rather than her plain old water.

And randy caught dakota and i doing a little music and dance number and proceeded to ask is this what you guys do all day? The answer, 'well pretty much'

Tomorrow morning my parents and derek and tisha are coming over for some huevos rancheros. I am cooking breakfast on mothers day and totally okay with it. It may be because I am pregnant and want what I want the way I want it, well that is it really. I hope all you mommies out there have a great day just as you would like it to be.