This and That

~ My sister is having a boy! YAY! Lindsay and I do not have a brother, and Camryn is the only grandchild so far, so we need a boy in our family. Go here to see his first pictures! Precious!

~ When I told Camryn that Aunt Lindsay was having a boy she quickly informed me, "That's not what I wanted!" I asked what she wanted, and she said a girl. Oh well, better luck next time!

~ I, like many other Americans, was so intrigued with the inauguration and the coverage of the whole day on Tuesday. Regardless of whether or not you agree with who our president now is, the history of our country, the historic day Tuesday was, and the peaceful transfer of power in our nation has to make you proud. And, of course, I just loved seeing what everyone was wearing! I thought Michelle Obama looked beautiful. I also think someone should have told Aretha Franklin that hat was a definite DON'T!

~ How many of you are familiar with Nutella? My first experience with Nutella was on a trip to France in high school. Our group was in the French Quarter one afternoon and got Nutella crepes, and they were delicious! That was over 10 years ago, and today I bought my first jar of Nutella since that trip. I tried making my own crepes but when that went south, I spent the rest of my morning searching my kitchen, trying to find what it would taste good on next. I've even googled "uses for Nutella!" Right now I'm thinking peanut butter cupcakes with Nutella topping ... I'll let you know how that turns out!

~ While I was thinking of my trip to France, I remembered how, on our last day, we were allowed to have a free day and go anywhere we chose. Not with a chaperone, mind you ... on our own, just as long as we were at least in pairs. A group of 16, 17, and 18 year olds allowed to roam the streets of one of the largest cities in the world chaperone-less. Turn that one over in your head for a minute. When I think about my own child wandering the streets of Paris at 17 years old, the phrase "over my dead body" comes to mind.

~ I promise pictures of our house are coming soon. I know you have all given up on me when it comes to that. Seriously though, Jason and I have dubbed this weekend "Picture Hanging Weekend," so we will finally get some things on the walls, and I will get some pictures on here soon.

~ I really enjoy watching Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals on Food Network. I have been trying some new recipes from her cookbook, and I have to say ... they just aren't that great. The concept is good: one huge recipe that morphs into 3 or 4 different meals. A great plan for a busy mom trying to get a quick, healthy meal on the table. The problem is, we just haven't been that crazy about the overall taste of the food and by the time you get to that 3rd or 4th recipe you are plain sick and tired of the original meal that goes into all of the recipes. I have one more of her recipes planned for next week that is a single meal instead of one that morphs, so maybe that will redeem it for us.

~ People who let you down make me really sad.

~ Camryn calls cinnamon graham crackers "dirty crackers." I don't know why she calls them that, but it makes me chuckle.

OK, now that I'm done unloading all of the random thoughts out of my head, have a good night!