Ladies and Gentlemen....

We now have ourselves a toddler.  I don't know how that happened.  Actually, I can pinpoint the week it happened....spring break.  Vivi went from taking a few steps between furniture to becoming an independent walker not too long ago.  That's when it happened.  She's now into everything she can get into.  She is very opinionated and she's a girl who knows what she wants and what she doesn't want.  Oh boy...we're in for it now!  We had our first full fledge tantrum when we left the park recently.  I was that mom carrying away a crying baby who didn't want to leave.  It now happens every time we leave the park.  This picture fits her new found independence to a T.  This is her friend Josie's chair.  Vivi loved it and thought it was her own and didn't want to share it with anyone.  "Go find your own purple chair, friends....this one is mine."  However, what she doesn't know is that it's not hers.  Ha ha...

Frank and I have to figure out this discipline thing now.  She was so upset the other day that we had to put her in a sort of "time out" in her crib to calm down.  It worked well, actually.  She knows the word "No", however she'll still touch whatever it is that she's not supposed to touch, look at you, and say, "No No" (with a grin, mind you!).

Welcome to toddlerhood, I suppose!

Need a good margarita recipe?

I had a little happy hour at my house yesterday for some of my co-workers.  It was simple, but fun.  We had chips, queso, salsa, and margaritas.  I have a really good margarita recipe that is so simple.  I never really used to like margaritas on the rocks until this recipe.  Now that's the only kind I like.  So....here it is!  Make them sometime and let me know if you like them as much as I do!

"That's It? Margaritas"

1 can of limeade
1 can of tequila (use the limeade can)
1/2 can of triple sec
3 cans of water

*if that sounds like a lot of liquor for your taste, you could always put less in.  Sometimes I just use 3/4 can tequila and 1/4 can triple sec...depending on my mood. :)

A nice break...

I LOVE not working.  It's so nice to just be home and do whatever I want to do!  Vivi is sleeping later, which is nice for me too, and she's taking longer naps.  I think she likes being home just as much as I do.  We didn't plan any trips this spring break and I'm really glad we didn't.  I'm doing all of the things I love to do.....cooking, baking, entertaining, napping, shopping, eating, surfing (the web), gardening...you get the idea.  During today's nap, this is what I did:  This is in the oven as we speak.  I'm really excited about it too!

Source: simplysogood.blogspot.com via Caryn on Pinterest

And...I also already made dinner for this evening.  I just have to bake it later....

Source: marthastewart.com via Caryn on Pinterest

Looks delish, huh?  I modified the recipe a little bit.  I didn't add chicken and I cut the ricotta amount in half.  I also used mozzarella instead of parmesan because I ran out.  I tried a bit before I put it in the fridge and it was really good.  You could really taste the lemon zest.

Now I'm just relaxing a little bit before Vivi wakes up. When she does finally wake up, we're going to go to Target.  Sounds like a nice day, doesn't it?

P.S. - I didn't shower today either!  Even better, huh?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Impromptu St.Patty's Day Snack

Whew....what a weekend we had.  St. Patrick's day is one of Frank's favorite holidays.  Frank isn't 100% sure of his heritage, however, when he grows a beard, it's red.  He grows his beard usually starting in October and keeps it until St. Patty's day.  He shaved last night.  (Yeah!) We went to our usually Mollie's Pub party Satruday night and had a great time.  Mollie's Pub is an actual pub in our friend's backyard.  No lie.  It's the coolest thing ever.  Vivi had a blast...her cousins were here to play too.  She had so much fun she slept until 8:07 the next day....yahoo!  More pics to come soon.

Anywho...I completely forgot that I had to bring something to this shin-dig until about 2 o'clock on Saturday.  That's when I raided my pantry.  This is what I came up with...a half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, pretzels, and green sprinkles.  Viola!  They were SO easy and a big hit.  I just melted the chocolate chips in the microwave, dipped the pretzels, sprinkled the sprinkles, the refrigerated them for about 15 minutes.  Delish!

I heart the Philbrook

I took Vivi to the Philbrook today.  She loved it!  We viewed the new black and white exhibit and made our way around the main halls.  We spent a majority of our time in the gardens though.  It was a nice day and there were a lot of families out.  It felt festive.  The Philbrook Museum of Art is one of my favorite things about Tulsa.  The history is fascinating.  Since I do teach third grade Tulsa history...let me spout out some facts for you.  Did you know that Waite Phillips, of Phillips Petroleum, and his wife Genevieve lived in this Italian Renaissance Villa for only about 10 years before they donated it to the City of Tulsa?  The original home had 72 rooms and 23 acres in the heart of midtown.  They then moved into a penthouse in one of his buildings downtown.  Did you know that he sold his company for $25 million dollars?!  Now, that's a lot of money now, but could you imagine that same amount in the 1920's and 1930's?  Obviously, he was a generous man.  Not only did he donate his home to become an art museum, but he donated millions and a ranch in New Mexico to the Boy Scouts of America.  (If I was a millionaire, I'd do the same thing.  We say that every time we play the lottery....let us win...we'll do good with the money, we promise...hee hee)  Did you know Waite Phillips had a twin brother named Wiate who died from a ruptured appendix when he was just a teenager?  Did you know that Waite Phillips built two buildings downtown, called the Philcade and the Philtower?  Did you know there are tunnels underground between the two buildings because he was afraid of kidnappers?  I kind of feel like the Phillips family and the Philbrook is Tulsa's version of the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilts.  Well, sort of.

Here's this great website you should check out if you're interested in this family like I am.  Click here.

A bit lighter...

This is a horrible picture, but it's the best I've got right now.  This is my new lightened hair color.  It's maybe hard to tell from this picture, but it's quite a bit lighter than it was.  The new girl I went to was great and she basically painted on the highlights instead of using foils.  Interesting.  I made it clear to her that I'll never be one of those people that gets her hair done every 6 weeks, so it has to grow out nicely.  She made the ends lighter and created more of that ombre affect.  Now I have a question for you....I know "ombre" is all the rage in Hollywood right now, but to a normal person like me, will it just look like my roots are growing out?  I guess only time will tell!  She didn't take much off of the length and when I use my fat curling iron I can make it look similar to the picture I showed her.  The thing is I NEVER have time to curl it before work, so what you see is what you get....most of the time anyway.

Happy Spring Y'all!

Here's my spring mantel...Pinterest inspired.  I think mine is cuter though...ha ha!  I know it's really too early to put up Easter stuff, but oh well.  I had these cute little butterfly paper clips from Anthropologie that I've never used.  I just stuck them in some branches in a vase and it actually looks like I planned it that way.  I've just got to say that those branches I used in my wedding have really come in handy.  I'm so glad I kept some of them.  The weather here has been incredible lately.  It's caused a little bit of spring fever around here.  Happy "early" Spring!