Sunday morning with pancakes...

Honestly, what's better than Sunday morning, homemade buttermilk pancakes, jammies, and conference? I say nothing. And it's a little embarrassing that my favorite food in the entire world is pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Many of you already know this about me. They are the ultimate comfort food for me. (And I wonder why I can't seem to lose ten pounds!) I think it's because we ate this growing up, and when I was really sick/pregnant with Holly, my mom made these for me and it was literally the only thing that sounded in the least bit appetizing and didn't make me throwup. (I know, why did I need to mention the throwup...sorry.) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed your conference weekend.

Here's my recipe for delectable, fluffy buttermilk pancakes:

1 2/3 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Whisk to combine, then add:
2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 T. oil
Whisk until combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Don't overmix.
Heat up griddle and cook. The key to fluffy pancakes is to only turn them ONCE. You know they are done when you can press on them and they immediately bounce back.

The Rest of the Story...

All right, my friends, here is the rest of the story. Sorry for the long delay, as I'm sure you were all just waiting on pins and needles to hear what happened next. Yeah right! In any event, hopefully this is the last post about racoons.

So after many sleepless weeks because of the critters in my ceiling, I finally called Critter Control. Yes, the same people that I paid to come last year that didn't catch any critters. But, I will give them props for giving me a "discount" for being a repeat customer.

So, the guy is crawling all over the outside of my house and canNOT figure out where the little devils have been getting in. Like I said before...Trevor had sealed up all possible entrances. So we have all been pretty dumbfounded that we are still hearing critters. Anyway, I showed him where I have been hearing racoon chatter in my ceiling, and he tapped around. He finally got them to start making some noise. And he cut a whole in my ceiling, and LO and BEHOLD, there were four little baby raccoons inside. No sign of the mama. I really hope she can't back inside because she's gonna be pretty mad if she gets back in and her babies are gone. Yikes!

I know the picture doesn't really show it, but they were really kinda cute. It made me kind of feel bad for all the cursing that went on about them. My girls really wanted to keep them. Yeah right. No, those little rascals are on their way to a rehab center to be nursed back to health and then released back into the wild so they can break into someone elses's house to have their own babies. That's right, that's what I just paid for--racoon rehab.

I'll post again soon, and show you pics of what else we've been up to lately...a little kitchen remodel.

New Theory

Um, I think we were wrong about the squirrels...
It's something much bigger than that. Last night, when Trevor went to check out the "racket", I thought he was walking around the room just above our bedroom. When he came back, I asked him, and he said he hadn't been. Whatever was walking around up there was A LOT bigger than a squirrel...big enough to make the floorboards creak. It might explain why when we set up squirrel traps, we never caught any. Our current bet is that it is an oppossum. Maybe a racoon. Last night, we were both up very late, and couldn't go to sleep because the critter was in our walls again. Trevor patched up any possible holes during the day, and it's probably stuck in there. So...we are setting some racoon traps tonight in hopes of catching something.
Can you believe any of this? I hardly can. Who would have thought I would be posting about a racoon/oppossum invasion.
So, for now the squirrels are safe, and there has been no alliance formed between the racoons and the squirrels. Phew! That's a load off my mind...

Well apparently, I do!

Our home...a squirrel's paradise

So, here it is...a veritable squirrels paradise. We live in a heavily-wooded area of Houston. Our whole neighborhood is full of trees. Our lot alone has 20-30 trees, and for some reason the squirrels prefer our yard. At any given time during the day, you will see numerous squirrels frolicking in our trees, running along our fence, and even playing on our swing set in the backyard. It's like disneyland for squirrels! When we first moved in, we thought it was so cute. In the above picture, in the big tree, do you see the stump that kind of sticks out? That's the squirrel's little perch to sit on while he eats his little acorns. I actually caught one in action a couple of weeks ago.

Awww...cute right? Sure, you can continue to think that for the moment. While these little creatures are cute, they are wily little devils. Last spring, in the wee morning hours one morning (Trevor had just left for work, so I was alone), I heard some rustling above my head. I totally freaked out. I thought someone (or something) was in my house. My bedroom is on the main floor, and the girls are upstairs, which is where I head the rustling coming from. I immediately called Trevor (it was about 6:30am, and he had just walked into his office), and was whispering on the phone that something was in the house. I didn't know what to do. I ran upstairs and barricaded off the rooms in which I heard the noises, so that whatever it was couldn't get into the rest of the house. I continued to hear the rustling noises as well as some animal chatter. So I knew it was an animal of some sort. Well, to make a long story short, we had squirrels in our attic. And every morning, I would be awakened to them knocking their nuts and acorns around, and scampering through the walls. I called Critter Control, and they came and set traps on the roof and in the attic and found a hole in our roof where the squirrels had chewed their way in. (And you thought they were cute and friendly! oh no.) Do you think that we caught any squirrels in those traps? Oh no, they are way too smart for traps. Look in the below picture. Do you see the above the upper window some vents? Well, we also discovered that they were getting there as well.

So, Trevor fixed all the points of entry. He put chicken wire over the attic vents, and for a year we have been squirrel-free (in the house, anyway). Well, a couple of weeks ago, we started to hear a bit of rustling in the room that is just under that attic vent (you know, the one with the chicken wire). Trevor ran outside, and guess what he saw! A racoon was hanging from the tippy top of the roof upside down, pulling up the chicken wire. That's right, the racoons and squirrels have formed an alliance against us. Here's a close-up picture of what the racoon did. Incredible!!


Trevor threw a stick at it, and scared it off. And the next day, he climbed up there and fixed the chicken wire. So, problem solved, right? Read on, dear friends, the fun isn't over.

Well, this morning (and when I say morning, I mean 4 am!), I was enjoying the first full night's sleep in several days due to a sick baby, and what do I awaken to? Not a baby crying...but the rustling above my head! I listen for a while in shock! How are these creatures getting in?! I rolled over and said, "those d#$% squirrels!" Trevor just laughed...he had been awakened as well. Neither one of us could go back to sleep because they were being so loud.

Let's not think about the fact, that they could be chewing through my electrical wires, and could possibly cause a fire. Let's not think about the fact that they are probably having their babies in my house. That's right, it's that special time of year when animals procreate. Let's not think about the possibility of spending another $200 to have Critter Control come set traps that WON'T catch them. I'm not going to think about any of these things.

I will, however, be making a trip to the sporting goods store and seriously consider buying a pellet gun.

I Heart Michael Buble

Okay friends, turn the mute off on your computers, and crank up the volume. What you are listening to is the fabulous voice of Mr. Michael Buble. His new-ish song "Lost" is the first on the list I have on my playlist, and it just gives me pins and needles all over (and brings a tear to my eye, even) when I listen to it. I love love LOVE his music and voice.

Last fall, I heard he was coming to Houston, so I bought a couple of tickets put them in Trevor's stocking on Christmas. Well, the concert was this last Saturday night. I have to tell you, I am always a little leary of seeing someone in concert, because sometimes they just don't measure up live. Let me tell you, he definitely delivered. What a fantastic show, and he was just hilarious, too. I just wanted to take him home with me! You know, to sing me to sleep every night. :)

If you get a chance to see him in concert, do it. Don't hesitate...it's worth every penny! American Idol holds nothing compared to this. (Although, I am a fan of A.I.--hello, David Archuletta?! Wow.)

I'm a slacker!

I am seriously such a slacker when it comes to blogging lately. I don't know what my deal is. Maybe it's the lack of new material. I mean how many times do you guys want to hear about my most recent trip to Costco, or hear about whatever my kids are up to, or whatever. :) But Trevor just called me and asked me when I was going to blog again....so here I am! By the way, Holly just said something really funny to me. She says, "Mom, I've been thinking about it, and I think we need a new car." Me (laughing): "Why do you think that?" Holly: "Because that one is just making me crazy!" I don't know what's making her crazy about it, but we are NOT getting a new car. I happen to be quite partial to it.

Well, as I write this post, I'm still in my jammies (it's 4:00 in the afternoon), Holly's finally agreed to eat PB and J for lunch (4 hours and a nap later), and Kate is eating her first meal of the day--cheerios. All of you are probably on the verge of calling Child Protective Services at this moment. I promise, this is not a typical day. The reason I am still in my jammies--by the way, I did shower, and they are very cute jammies that my husband gave me for valentine's day--is because the baby was up half the night throwing up last night. Poor kid, it's really all my fault for having the thought yesterday morning that we have been really healthy lately and haven't had flu-like kids in a long time. What was I thinking letting that thought cross my mind?! I totally jinxed myself. She seems to be on the mend, though; hence the reason I'm letting her try her stomach out on dry cheerios. The poor kid's gotta be hungry, since all I've allowed her is water and pedialyte. So we've been holing up at home all day today...no workout, no errands, just staying home and watching the rain come down. I did, however, pull out my wheat grinder today and try out a new wheat bread recipe that my sister told me about. The bread is in the oven as we speak and it smells divine. Yum!
Let's talk about my new jammies. They are SO cute!! Bright pink with white polka dots...I mean, come on! Gotta love it.
Okay, Valentine's day....I'm so glad we actually had one this year. The last two years have been duds because 1)Holly was in the hospital the first year with rotavirus, and 2)I had just had a baby. So, Trevor took me to a really swanky french restaurant. It was nice to get out and enjoy each other's company. The food was pretty good. Probably a little to fancy-shmancy for my taste. I mean, who actually eats foie gras? Disgusting! (Well, I guess I shouldn't judge unless I actually taste...I just couldn't get past the texture.)
Well I hope everyone else's days are going well, and I hope you all made it out of your jammies. :)

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll just say it again...where did this last year go?! How is that my baby girl is turning one. It makes me kind of sad that it's gone by in a flash. Trevor had the day off, so while he took Holly golfing, I took Kate to get her pictures taken. Holy cow, can we say that I need a 12-step program to learn how to say no to all the adorable pictures they took? I came home with so many pictures, I really don't know what I'm going to do with them all. Of course, the more you buy the more you save...yeah, I need to get help. If I framed and put on the wall all the pictures I bought, I could put one on every wall of my house. People would come over and think that we only have one child, let alone three. The poor other two are severly neglected in picture representation now. Oh well... I guess when your absolutely darling 1 year old just sits and smiles and poses so pretty and takes so many good pictures, how can you say no. I couldn't. And I must also state for the record that they took 86 shots, and walked away with around 9 poses. So I narrowed it down by quite a bit! So, here is a sneek peak at a few of them. Happy Birthday Kate! We love you so much.

These are the untouched up negatives that they put on a cd for me--some of them were printed in black and white or sepia, or cropped a bit. So you'll have to take my word for it when I say they are even better in real life. Obviously this isn't all of them, because it would take all night to upload everything. :)