Wednesday, March 31, 2010

us



we wanted to have our first family pictures taken
before steele's first birthday {on sunday}

we couldn't afford all the photographers that i really love

 so we barrowed my dad's work camera
and asked brittany naef {brett's sister} to capture our family

she did an amazing job and think she should start a side buisness

i took some time editing the pics
and i think they turned out pretty darn good

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ignorant Citizen



I will fully admit that in the past I couldn’t care less about politics. And became just that, an ignorant citizen. I figured I’d leave that debacle to those who had the time to get wrapped up in the debate and government uproars. My Dad has always followed the ins and outs of political circles. As of the past 6 months things have started to change for me too. I am starting to feel the empowerment of being an educated citizen. Knowing what our government is doing is not just critical; it is our duty to our Country!

About 3 months ago something major changed over at the Skousen home. My parents got cable television. Yes, after years of nothing but Little House on the Prairie and Home Improvement they succumbed to modern technology and got Direct TV. My mom is now obsessed with HGTV and on the other hand my Dad was overly thrilled to be able to watch GLENN BECK. And better yet record Glen Beck. Because of this, every time I’m at my parents my Dad turns it on and says “Emily, you HAVE to come watch this episode!” To my surprise Glenn Beck is one of the best teachers I have ever listened to. I happen to be politically illiterate (not sure if that is even correct word usage) so when political jargon is thrown my way I usually duck and hide. He is great at painting a clear picture and doesn’t just assume that you know everything about politics. At times he can be overly exuberant but boy does he know how to make you feel empowered. You can listen to his show on 105.7 and also watch him on Fox News.

It is people like me who don’t think they can play a roll in such a large picture. Simply not true. Voting makes a difference but we need to do more.

STAND UP AND BE HEARD

I know this is not the most popular blogging subject but I’m just trying to do my part.

As everyone knows the Healthcare Bill was passed over the weekend and yesterday was signed by Pres Obama. As of now many states are suing and rightfully so. What really caught my attention was when I saw the clip from yesterday’s signing; Joe Biden turned the time over to Obama to give his little hurrah speech and as he leaned away from the podium you hear him say to the Pres “this is a f***ing big deal”. What? Please tell me the Vice President of the United States did not just say that to the President. Yes, he did. And it was welcomed with a big smile on Obama’s face.

Next on the President’s list is abortion. As a women and a mother I am appalled by this subject. Having had such difficulties becoming pregnant I can not fathom such a concept. What happened to LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? I literally can not go into it more than this because I become enraged. It is too emotional for me.

Where is our voice? Where is your voice? Why is there a man sitting like a king looking over his democracy on capital hill? Because a number of people in this country liked the idea of a change. Such a drastic change that it would bring the middle class people to their knees to feed, coddle and put money in the pockets of an ever growing lazy class of so called citizens.

Am I being over dramatic? Sadly I am not. I am finally realizing my power and responsibility as a citizen of this country. So should you!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

million miles a minute

my brain gets stuck on something and i just can't let it go {whatever it may be}


10 reasons why my brain can't rest....and quite possibly in order....

1//painting
i love paint. whether it is on a wall, frame, furniture or canvas i want to paint it. a picture on canvas for our dinning room is what is on my mind. i have it invisioned already.

2//sewing
i would love to make some pillows for my bed and a valance for our living room & steele's room. i also am in need of a new high waisted flirty skirt. i'm not much for patterns so we'll see what i come up with....

3//interior design
i can't get wall paper out of my mind. i love graphic yet soft wall paper. also great eclectic lighting. i just finished helping my mom design her new house and we found an amazing vintage chandelier. they remodeled their home and added on a great room. it was the time of my life. i'll have to post pics of how it turned out. love it.



4//crafting
i have really enjoyed a few of my friends posts about their creativeness! its fun to create something that is you and your style. here are a few of my creations and all of which were totally experimental.
{the slippers were for steele but i think they turned out kind of girly...is it dangerous to put these babies on him?}

{i took an old cardigan that i was about to toss and dressed it up by tacking a few navy buds on the collar}
{and just a few cute first time trial flowers}

5//wood carving
i've got this idea in my head of carving a sail boat for above steele's bed. don't know where that came from. that sprung from my restless night.

6//organization 
if anyone really knows me, they know i struggle with organization. yet i still yearn for a house of order. shelves of perfectly folded clothes, drawers and cupboards with no clutter, an office with bills filed away. somehow this fairytale never becomes a reality for me. why? simple, because i'm me. two, three days of perfection and it's back to the same old clutter.

7//hair
worldly, i know but i'm outrageously and utterly sick of my hair. i've gone from blonde long to blonde short, brown long brown short and every where in between. i've even had a platinum spot in the back of my hair. i've never done red because....well....it just doesn't seem right. i've cut straight across bangs and done the wavy curls thing. anyway the result. i'm stuck with my same old mom hair. brett is encouraging me to grow my hair out because he likes it long but with my hair type (crazy fine with absolutely NO volume). i think it looks best short and dark. i truly, honestly want your opinion. most of you have seen me with all of these styles.

8//food
i said enough in my last post....

9//blogging
i’ve really enjoyed blogging lately. i like getting my thoughts in writing. it is very therapeutic.


10//flowers 
i would love more than anything to bring the outside beauty in more often. i adore wild flowers and need them on my table. the light airiness of a floral centerpiece just might make my week. i scoured the web looking for a bundle of flowers that were to my liking. and.....none. maybe i'll have to go out in search for my idealic centerpiece and create it myself. 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

what's cookin in my kitchen

{this is my attempt at photographing my sandwich....i wish i had a nice camera. a little editing and it looks eatable again}


i have always loved cooking but my passion for cooking has really developed since i got married and became responsible for the wellbeing of my husbands stomach. i love being creative and coming up with new tasty dinners for brett to come home to.
cooking is amazingly relaxing.  

lately i have enjoyed creating myself hearty lunches.  


today it was this scrumptious ensemble.


crispy chicken sandwich
breaded chicken, smoky ham, bacon, provolone, rosemary thyme mayo, tomato



how to:

i rarely, if ever measure anything out so this is all a guestimation;

ingredients; makes two sandwiches
one large chicken breast
one egg
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup crushed french's onions
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
s&p to taste
4 slices bacon cooked crisp
4 slices thick ripe tomato
2 slices provolone cheese
3 tablespoons mayo
pinch dried rosemary
pinch dried tyme
bread of choice, i chose french

 
{this chicken is also really great as a main dish}
fillet chicken breast into two halves
whisk one egg along with garlic salt
dredged chicken breast in egg
combine crushed onions, bread crumbs, and cheese
transfer chicken to breading
press to coat evenly
bake in 375 degree oven
25 min or until center is no longer pink

combine mayo, rosemary and thyme
toast bread with layered ham and cheese
spread each side with herbed mayo
build sandwich with bacon, chicken and tomato

now;
whether you like triangles or squares
it will be scrum-dittily-umptious 


enjoy

Monday, March 15, 2010

this little piggy says "feed me, feed me!"




steele has inherited my eating habits. he is undoubtedly in trouble. he will eat and eat and eat. this was the reason for him looking like a little oiker when he was a baby. he didn't know when to stop then and still doesn't. he is now eating more and more, well i say "human food" but that doesn't really translate.


{signing for food}
in the morning when he wakes up, i put him in bed with me. for the past week or so he'll cuddle with me for a minute then sit up, grunt a little and start rubbing his chest. i have been teaching him a few words in sign language. this is him pleading with me to give him food (like i said he is practically a mongrel). it is amazing to have him communicate with me! he associates please with food because whenever he is banging on his tray for more food i always ask him to say please before i will give him more. the words he remembers the most are all words that he associates with food. this morning i finished nursing him and he sat up and started to sign more! as brett gave us both a hefty pout followed by "ahh sad" i convincingly said “maybe he wants more sleep…”. he wasn’t so convinced and neither was i. i will have to video him signing all the words he knows. it really is adorable when he puts his fingers together and signs more or food. today we worked on "thank you". i want to make sure he is a polite little boy!
{he'll eat this entire plate in no time and probably want more}
 
{steele's first sucker}

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

house has got me thinkin

this is me
{wife & mommy}
I don’t normally write like this but today I felt I needed an outlet so here it is. Does anyone watch HOUSE? It is one of my favorite shows on these days…and trust me I watch all the same shows as you and can say it is worth watching. Hugh Laurie has absolutely mastered his roll as Gregory House and man is he a character made for great television. For those of you who watch along with me you know last nights episode was interestingly enough all about the world of blogging. The patient on the show recorded every single bit of information of her life on her blog. Fights her and her husband got into, decisions she had to make and all of her emotions were made public by choice. As she was forced to make a life changing decision, she did not turn to her husband but turned to her blogging family, most of whom she’d never met and asked for their opinion of which she should choose. Why would someone do this? Is it possible for someone to feel more of a connection with someone they’ve never met? You can’t even look into someone’s eyes. Is this form of connection with these acquaintances heartless? Obviously this is an extreme case and I do not document all of my personal life but I do find this a place of relaxation and a way to record my life and the joys there of. As I watched I found myself thinking why I blog. Do I write for me, for a journal, to document Steel's growth and progress; could it be for self confidence or reassurance? But yet I struggling as I see everyone’s perfect lives. I don’t blog the bad and not very many others do either. All we see is the good. Do I give my friends an unrealistic view of my life? So this brings me to the question of would you rather see only good times and none of the rough? And then I ask myself does it matter what others think? I should write and say how I feel and not always try to please everyone else. Do you ever find yourself portraying someone that is not you?

I wasn’t going to share this because this is something very personal to me but I’m in the right mood. This makes me extremely nervous to publish this post but oh what the heck. This is a step for me being me. I write poems sometimes when I can’t sleep or when I’m feeling down. A month or so ago I stirred in bed thinking of all the things I’m not and all the things I wish I was. So…I started to write this. It’s not perfect but it’s what came out.


Even this as I write
Self conscious I feel
Of what may be thought
Me am I real?

For or against me
Neither matter at most
The sly devil waits
He’d love to be my host

I have to be the one to choose
Slowly I begin to see
It’s my choice not his
I have the will to be me

As I conquer my inadequacies
I begin to feel stride
Wind begins to billow beneath my soul
No more will I hide

I feel I can do it
No matter the toll
Some may sneer, some may laugh
With the punches I must roll

The freedom from the judgment
I have now looked away
It’s about time I realized
I am Emily and I’m here to stay

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

smarty pants

steele is obsessed with my phone. he loves it and can't get enough of it. i try to take it away from him but he some how always gets a hold of it. i know what you're thinking, just don't give it to him and it won't be a problem but when you're dying to get something done it seems to be the perfect option.... anyhow, i always lock my phone and then let him play just so no one gets an unwanted call. my phone is a slider and can be unlocked by sliding the phone open. watch what this little mischievous monkey figured out how to do.... and one handed!

steele is also a serious dancer. there really are no words to describe how steele shakes his money maker. just watch.

(he really does it so much better than this but this is all i could get on camera)