Dear Dixie Chicks, We Not Fightin' Anymore.

Once upon a time, I loved the Dixie Chicks so hard that I wanted to be Natalie Maines. I had the short blonde thing down. I just needed the voice. But then she ticked off the world and I was glad I wasn't her. 

Given the opportunity to chat with ol' Natalie, Martie, and Emily back in 2003, I'd say "Girls, we fightin'." (Sorry Martie and Emily, guilt by association I guess.) 

I believe in freedom of speech and all, ya know, but come. on. Could you have shared your views on #43 and the war in such a way so as not to get your awesome twangy tunes ripped right off of the airwaves before we even had a chance to get tired of them?!?! Yes. Yes, I think you could've. 

Words hurt, Natalie. Your words caused my blaring Dixie Chicks car concerts to become faux pas. That hurt. Those concerts were good. You ruined a good thing, Natalie.

(Full disclosure: I heart GWB. Was he the perfect POTUS? No. No such thing. He did what he thought he had to do. But for me, it wasn't really about all that. Believe what you want. Say what you want. Again, freedom of speech. I can deal. Just be prepared for the fallout. The fallout is what hurt us, Natalie.) 

Fast forward 12 years: Given the opportunity to chat with Natalie, Martie, and Emily today, I'd say "Girls, we good." I guess 12 years of absence will do that to a Dixie Chick lovin' girl. That and Amazon Prime Music plastering their Essentials album across my app to the point I HAD to listen. I mean, it was right there at my fingertips. And it was FREE! One slide across that fiddle and a DC lovin' girl will end her unintentional boycott against awesome twangy tunes and forgive a big mouth. She'll sit on her back patio, sip her coffee, and sing along at the top of her lungs just like no time has passed. She'll remember every single word. (You're welcome, neighbors.) And the memories. Oh, the memories! So many memories set to a DC soundtrack that make me smile. 

Nope, we not fightin' anymore. We good. 

Funny how music can do that to ya, huh?

On a sorta related note: Wanna know what's not so funny? 

My husband. 

He's not even the least bit appreciative of my serenading him with a little "Cowboy Take Me Away". He's not appreciative at. all. He asked me to put on my headphones. He says he's not even a cowboy. He has boots, so to me, for today, that counts. He also has no appreciation for my lyrical dance interpretation of the song across the living room floor. He asked me to take it to another room. (That leap across the floor at the crescendo? Magic.) What is even wrong with him?!?! 

The Saga of My (C)ankles; Part 1

I guess I've never really noticed my ankles early in the day. I guess when I look in the mirror my eyes are drawn to my other not-so coveted body parts. (Have I ever mentioned how I absolutely despise my double elbows??)  I don't pay attention to my ankles when I'm getting dressed in the mornings, but I sure do notice them in the evenings! I am always terribly sad to see and be reminded that I don't have tiny little sculpted ankles, but cankles. Cankles that I want to hide. Cankles that make capri pants and strappy sandals not-so cute and fashionable. 

(Ironically, I don't notice anyone else's cankles. I do, however, notice (and am envious of) other people's ankles. "Ohhhh...she's got amazing ankles!" I find myself thinking. "When I get rich, I want ankle lipo to give me ankles that look like THAT!" I tell myself. Forget boobs. I want ankles!) 

This morning, however, I happened to get a glimpse of my cankles as I bent over to pick up the book that I dropped. That brief glimpse made me do a double-take!  What did I see, you ask?? I saw that, for whatever reason this morning, my ugly evening cankles are actually kinda cute little ankles! Are they cute little ankles every morning? Have I hated my ankles for years for all the wrong reasons??  Do I really actually even need ankle lipo??? 

This morning's shocking discovery leads me to the conclusion that there's a strong possibility that my cute little morning ankles just swell throughout the day (not enough water perhaps?!?!) and that maybe, just maybe, I haven't, in fact, been permanently cursed with ugly ol' cankles as part of getting older!!! 

There's hope for me and my (c)ankles yet! Hope that I'll be able to confidently wear cute little ankle-strappy sandals! Hope that  I won't need ankle lipo in order to have cute little ankles. 

Yes, today I have hope. 

(Before pictures have been taken and results of this investigation are pending.)

The Kid Ate It & The Hubby Licked The Baking Dish

Easton is a picky, picky eater. If it's not macaroni & cheese, plain grilled chicken with absolutely NO seasoning or sauce, or chicken nuggets, he's gonna give me grief about eating it. Chris? Well, he's not so picky. But just because he eats it doesn't mean he's excited about it! So when Easton ate every bite of Thursday night's chicken and asked for more and when Chris cheered ("YEAH!!!") and high-fived me after his first bite and then snuck over to lick the remains out of the bottom of the baking dish, I knew this recipe was a keeper.

I found this recipe in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook that my aunt gave me for Christmas and did a little tweaking. A tablespoon of butter on top of each chicken breast? Uh, I'd rather us not have heart attacks at the dinner table. So I'm sharing my version of the recipe with you...because I don't want to be responsible for your heart attack either.

Enjoy!


Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (flattened to 1/2 inch thickness)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. chive and onion flavored cream cheese (softened)
2 T. chilled butter
1/2 t. dried tarragon
4 slices bacon

Sprinkle your chicken with salt and pepper.  Spread about 1/2 T. cream cheese over each chicken breast. Add a small glob of butter to each breast. (I'm sure Paula Deen is cringing that I used "small" and "butter" in the same sentence.) Sprinkle dried tarragon over each breast. Wrap each breast with bacon and secure with a toothpick. (Or if you're fresh out of toothpicks like I was, strategically tuck one end of the bacon up under the chicken.) Place the chicken on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork. If you like your chicken a bit crispier, increase temperature to broil and broil for 8 to 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

I served this with Maple Sweet Potatoes (recipe is below) and green beans.



Wright's Bacon? Best. Bacon. Ever!

Maple Sweet Potatoes

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. maple syrup

3 T. butter

4 to 5 red apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

4 to 5 sweet potatoes (boiled, peeled, and sliced)

Simmer vanilla and syrup in a large saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes. Add butter and apples and cook until apples are fork tender. Remove apples from sauce with a slotted spoon. In a greased 2-quart casserole dish, layer apples and sweet potatoes. Pour vanilla syrup mixture over the apples and potatoes. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Serves 6



 (A wooden spoon keeps water from boiling over?! Who knew?! And HOW???)

Gettin' My Craft On

Disclaimer: Not responsible for any addictions you may develop as a result of reading this blog.

So I discovered this website, Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Basically, it lets you organize and share all of the beautiful, cool, fun things you find on the web. When you find things you like, you easily pin them to one of your Pinterest boards. I have boards for wreaths I love, crafts I want to make, party ideas, things that make me laugh, things I would like to have, cupcakes/cakes I'd like to make, recipes, etc. You create your own categories. I even have a board for eye candy. If looking at Kyle Chandler, Rob Lowe and Jon Bon Jovi is wrong...I don't wanna be right. (C'mon...I'm married, not dead.) You can also browse pinboards created by other people. This site, my friends, is a legalized, non-substance form of crack. It's addicting. I love it. I can't stop.  And I have no desire to stop.
One of the boards I created is my "Feelin' Crafty/DIY" board. So far, after being on Pinterest for almost a month, I've created several of the ideas I've pinned. Most of my projects have been done with things I already have around the house. What I have bought are things I can use for multiple projects (paint, glue, ribbon, etc) or are things I found for dirt cheap at Goodwill.
Raise your hand if you want to see one of my projects! Okay, great. Hands down. I'll show you my favorite project so far. In fact, I'm just going to give you a little tutorial, because you're going to want to make one for yourself.

DIY Cupcake Stands

I love cupcakes! They are one of my most favorite things to bake. But I didn't have anything to display them on. Until now. Aren't these adorable?!?!

I found these random, mismatched drink glasses, plates and bowl at Goodwill. I paid less than $5 for all 6 pieces.

Center the glasses on the bottom of the plates.You can glue the glasses down now, but I chose to paint first. Spray the bottom of the plates and the glasses with frosted glass spray paint. This helps the spray paint to stick to the glass surfaces. Also, this will leave a visible ring where you will glue the glasses onto the plates. The glue will not stick to paint, so be sure you don't bump your glasses. You want a clean ring where the glue will go.

 I used Rust-Oleum's Frosted Glass spray paint. After you've frosted your glasses and plates, wait for them to dry. (about 20 minutes)

  Have a Popsicle and admire your pretty flowers while you're waiting for your frosted glass paint to dry.

 Next, spray paint the bottoms of the plates and the glasses. I used Krylon's Watermelon and Ballet Slippers. (You know I had to use Ballet Slippers just because of the name!)

 Once the spray paint on the bottom is dry, you're ready to glue the glasses down.  Use a household silicone sealant that is used for aquariums. It's waterproof and dishwasher safe. I used DAP brand. I drove all over town looking for this. Helpful tip: Just go straight to Home Depot. This will cost ya about $4. That was the ONLY place I could find it. Also, when I was squeezing the glue out, my tube busted a little on the end. Some disposable rubber/latex gloves would've been a good idea. Let this dry for about 24 hours.

 After your glue is dry, you can turn your stands upright and spray paint the tops. Because we seem to be living on the surface of the sun, I got creative and propped up a fan in the garage to help speed along the drying process. I was impatient at this point and ready to display some cupcakes!

 I found these precious little doilies on the $1 rack at Michaels. They only had 2 so one sweet little stand gets left out for now. I need to check some other locations for another one.

 I made these yummy, summery Dreamsicle cupcakes so I could try out my stands. I love them! I think they have a ton of character and they're different! (The one closest in the pic is made with a larger plate so it can also be used as a cake stand.) Best of all, the total cost of the project was less than $20!!
Hooray for cute, inexpensive projects! And crack. Hooray for crack!

Ten Years & Counting

Wedding Day: July 7, 2001

Once upon a time there was a girl, who met a guy, and they fell in love....

But let's be honest here. It only happened because of a chocolate donut. No, really. A chocolate donut from a vending machine.

It was the summer before my senior year in college. I technically could've been finished with classes and getting ready to do my student teaching, but I wanted to dance. I was a member of the dance company, Collage, so much of my time was spent in the dance studio. There was no other place I'd rather be! So, instead of graduating early, as my elementary ed degree plan worked out, I lightened my education load the last few semesters and added a few extra dance classes so that I would graduate in 4 years with a minor in dance. One of the classes I needed to finish up my major coursework was  Remediation of Reading Difficulities. I'd been putting this class off for 2 years because I was scared of the professor. Seriously. In my eyes, she was the devil. I can't tell you the number of people I watched leave her class with tears streaming down their faces. I have no idea what went on behind those doors, but I didn't want any part of it! If you didn't already know, I'm a sensitive soul. I cry. I cry a lot. And it doesn't take much to make me cry. Just look at me wrong and the flood gates open. Dr. S? She would've been the end of me. So, lucky for me, in more ways than one, Dr. Cowan just happened to be teaching the class I needed during the summer of '99. Sign me up!

On the first day of class, I see this guy. He's wearing red wind shorts (the really thin, nearly see-through kind) and a pink t-shirt with a rainbow on it that says something about a girls' camp. Very interesting choice of an outfit. Who wouldn't notice that immediately?!?! You'd have to be blind to not notice! Other than the outfit, he's cute. Well built, great smile, AMAZING blue eyes. But what makes me really notice him is his sense of humor. He's hilarious! He constantly has the class and Dr. Cowan laughing.

A few classes go by and I realize he talks directly to everyone in the class except me. He talks to my best friend, Summer, who sits right next to me, every day. But the minute I open my mouth to participate in the conversation, he shuts down. What is up with this guy?!?! I decide what I have here is a challenge. I am determined to get this guy to at least notice that I am alive!

I make several attempts. Nothing. Nada. My self-esteem is kinda on the edge of taking a nose dive.

One morning, a few weeks into the summer semester, my friend Summer and I, having just worked the super early shift at the college's child development center, stop for breakfast at the vending machine on the way to class and buy a package of chocolate donuts to share. We get to class early, find our spots on the front row, and dig into our breakfast of champions. Halfway through my first donut, Rainbow Shirt walks in and takes his seat directly behind me. I have no idea what makes me do it, but I take my next bite of donut, strategically place a bit of that yummy chocolately goodness on my front teeth, turn around and ask in my most honest voice, "Do I have something on my teeth???" and give him my sweetest, biggest smile. That broke the ice. He busts up laughing. I did it! I made him at least acknowledge my presence! I'm feeling pretty good. Actually, I'm feeling great! This only makes my cheesy smile even bigger, which makes him laugh harder. Pretty soon, everyone in class is cracking up. All of this laughing and smiling and chocolate is making me thirsty. I turn around to get a drink with that giant cheesy smile still on my face and get busted by Dr. Cowan, who is at the podium patiently waiting for us all to get control of ourselves and calm down. My heart and my cheesy smile drop. I'm pretty sure she's gonna fail me for disrupting her class. Only she sees my blacked out teeth and cracks up, too! (I kept my A in the class, in case you were wondering. :) )

Shortly after that, Chris and I start dating. He finally tells me the reason he would never talk to me was because he was "shy and intimidated" because I was "an Ada girl and a Cougann". (Flattering, but I'm still not sure I buy it!) :) I'm not really sure how far this relationship is gonna go, as this is his last class. He has already graduated (pending completion of this class) and has accepted a job to teach 3rd grade in Sherman, Texas. He already has his apartment and is just waiting for the summer semester to be over.

After a few weeks of dating, Chris invites me on a trip to Sherman so that he can finalize a few things before moving. As he takes me on a tour of the town and shows me his new school and apartment, I have a strange feeling that I'm going to be living there, too. For obvious reasons, I keep that feeling to myself!

At the end of the summer, Chris moves to Sherman and we start up a long distance relationship. We talk every night and see each other every weekend. Things are going great!

One Thursday night in mid-September, (September 23rd) 6 weeks after Chris and I started dating, Summer (who has moved in with my aunt and me for her last semester) and I rush home from our Thursday night class to watch the season premier of "Friends". We have just gotten comfy on the couch with a box of garlic flavored croutons for dinner when I see Chris's green truck pulling up the driveway. Super surprised and super excited, I run outside to meet him! I give him a giant hug and then realize what my breath must smell like after munching on those croutons! GAG!! I tell him to hold on and then I run inside to my bathroom to brush my teeth. The next thing I know, I have a toothbrush in my mouth and Chris is down on one knee in the middle of my bathroom floor with a ring box open in his hand! I remember hugging him and crying but I have NO IDEA what words even came out of his mouth! Later, after I calm down a bit, I ask him to please repeat the proposal so I can write it down and always remember it, he says he has no idea what he said either. He said, "Actually, I don't even remember your answer, but I'm assuming since you're wearing the ring, you said yes."

We continue the long distance thing and see each other as much as possible. Original plans for a Summer 2000 wedding get pushed back a year. Trying to plan a wedding while carrying a full load, working 4 jobs and dancing was just too much.

The next fall, I move to Sherman, get a job teaching 3rd grade and plan our July wedding.

Ten years and one amazing 5 1/2 year old little boy later, we continue to live our "happily ever after".  (It's ok, you can gag now. I understand. Cheese is hard on some people's stomaches.)

I thank God every day for so many things. One of those things is timing. Chris and I were so incredibly close to missing each other. What if I hadn't decided to dance in college? What if I decided to be brave and take the Devil...I mean...Dr. S's reading class? What if Chris had found a way to work in that one last class so that he wouldn't have had to take it that summer? Oh, and let's not forget the chocolate donuts! Thank you, God, for chocolate donuts! What if I hadn't put that chocolate donut on my teeth and smiled at him?  Who would've thought chocolate donuts would bring two people together?!?!

Great story, huh? I really think someone should buy the movie rights to this story. ;)

And in case you haven't been entertained enough, have a looksie at some pics of us through the years!

Chris drove from Sherman for every one of my dance performances

One year after we met, working as head counselors at a Salvation Army camp

At a Texas Rangers baseball game, Spring 2000

My college graduation

Engagement pic. Rockin' the Olan Mills pose!

Gettin' hitched!

A night out, Spring 2004

Cruise pic, September 2004

Christmas 2004

We're having a baby!!!
Due Date: September 23, 2005! (Does September 23rd ring a bell? It's the day we were engaged!) Easton was born 4 weeks early.

This picture still takes my breath away. Chris read this story to Easton in my tummy many, many nights. This picture was taken just hours after Easton was born. (Notice Chris's filthy shirt. There's a great story there. Maybe I'll share the story of Easton's birth with you someday.)

Christmas 2006

Date Night: 2008

Date Night: 2011

Easter 2011

Balloon: It's a 4 Letter Word

My friend Robyn approached us (our little girls' night out group) last Saturday night and said that she is in her time of need and since we are her friends, we're supposed to be there for her. She needed our help. So, Erin and I, being the great friends we are, made plans to meet up with Robyn at my house to help her with this project. When she told us it was to help her make flip-flops for a group of kiddos that she volunteered to make gift baskets for, we had no idea what we were signing up for!!

Last night was our big craft night. Here's what we were making:

Balloons are knotted around the straps to make these flip flops. This was the pair Robyn brought for us to use as a guide. Cute, right?

Erin and I think these are pretty cute and they look pretty easy so we'll have them whipped out in no time! Ha!!! Robyn had a whole pair completed before I had 3 balloons tied on my first pair.

There's a formula and a strategy, you see. Lay out the balloons from the package, divide all of the colors so that there are 9 balloons on each section and no 2 colors end up next to each other. Then the fun begins. (insert sarcasm)

Now, I've been tying a lot of balloons lately because we've been having some pretty fierce water balloon fights here at the Kilburn house, so you'd think I would be a pro. Not so much. 

These were not perfect. Centering the balloon is essential.



And if you pull too hard when you're knotting the balloon, the balloon breaks. That equals not perfect.

I'm still working on the 3rd balloon on my first pair and Robyn is finished with a pair already! Notice the balloons laid on in front of her ready for her next pair.

Even though I'm moving slow, we were having a great time chatting and singing along to some 80's and 90's tunes. I even took a quick break to do my interpretive dance to "Sweet Dreams" when it came on.

Easton snapped a pic of us working hard. At this point we're still smiling. :)

Erin singing a happy tune. Isn't her blingy hat cute??? ;) 

I kinda lost track of my attempts, but eventually I got the hang of it. By then, it was time for a break.



Dessert break!!



Easton was all sugared up after dessert and wanted in a pic. Jazz hands!!







Finally, after nearly 3 hours of (almost) non-stop balloon tying, we finished!

24 shoes. 432+ balloons. 10 hurting fingers. Too many laughs to count.  

I'm hoping there are 12 very happy little girls after this project, because let me tell you, I have 10 very unhappy little fingers. My fingers are still hurting almost 24 hours later! I still had a blast hanging out with the girls. I just ask that all balloons be kept far away from me for at least the next 6 months.





Goal Accomplished in 3...2...1! (Insert party horn sounds, clapping and confetti here.)

So one of my goals for the summer was to get my very own blog up and running. I've discovered that I kinda like to write. And Facebook always tells me that my statuses are too long. And that really ticks me off because I don't want to have to abbreviate (that's super hard for the teacher in me!) or change my words just because there's a limit on the number of characters I can use. Sometimes descriptions and details are really important to the story, you know? Sometimes I just have a lot to say. So I figure a blog is the way to go! Also, Debbie Russell told me to. And who am I to argue with D. Russell?!?!? ;)
 
I'll admit, I have a little performance anxiety. I'm sure it'll get better with each blog. Just like stripping down naked to change costumes backstage between performances. The first time is a little uncomfortable but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Blogging compared to nakedness...you never saw that one coming, did you?

So here it is. My blog. My Wildfire Ramblings.
Enjoy!