Australia: Cairns Part II - Photo Dump

Looks like my sly online comments from my original Cairns post worked … Penny handed over the pictures :)  I realize, I've already recapped you, but I felt compelled to share the additional images after making such a big deal about it. I'll try to keep my mouth shut so you can enjoy the look book without my repetitive commentary, but I'm not making any promises.

Saturday, December 20

Snorkeling/Diving the Great Barrier Reef - Chartered Catamaran out of Port Douglas 

 WHALES!

Jon Ryan heading in for his first Dive!

 Even Baby B got to play!!

 Sunday, December 21

Paronella Park and Queensland Waterfalls

Creeping on Uncle Max :)

 Getting artsy :)

 Lovebirds ...

 And more lovebirds + one ...

 And sibling love.

 Just a boy playing with sticks.

 Oh my heart ...

 Water falls!

 Climbing the Cathedral Fig Tree … DANGER: WATCH FOR PYTHONS

 Showing off our figs.

 Annnnd, we're out. Melbourne up next!

Infatuation Inquiry

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Which could mean so many things to so many people. As for Hubs and me … the lead up to the weekend has consisted of LOTS of searching and re-searching for Disney Junior Live! On Tour: Pirate and Princess Adventure tickets in hopes to take little man on a hoot date and for some reason or another, LOTS of trivia that has made for some seriously fun conversation.

Hehehe funny trivia. I bet you tried it. Silly. I'm laughing at you.

In lieu of upcoming dates and need conversation fillers … I thought I would share some of the trivia that's been happening around these parts. Just in case you find yourself in the middle of a situation where you need some conversation fillers. And/or you're like me and Shane and simply have been together for so long, that mindless trivia can just be a fun addition to any date (In the off chance you want to play by yourself … I'll write the answers far enough below so I won't burst your bubble of mentally answering)

• Random Questions:

1. What state is Mt. Rushmore in?
2. What state is most well known for cheese?
3. Which country would you find the world's longest fence?
4. Which country has the world's longest coastline?
5. What river flows both north and south of the equator?
6. Which country has the most volcanoes?
7. How many bones are there in an Elephant's trunk?
8. In which year did Princess Dianna die?
9. How many dots are there on a pair of dice? (ANSWER QUICK!)
10. What is the only planet that rotates clockwise?

• Valentine's Day Related Questions

1. How many roses will be sold and delivered within a three day time period?
2. Where are most of the USA's roses imported from for Valentine's Day?
3. What percentage of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day?
4. How many candy hearts (the NECCO ones with messages on them) are sold between January 1 to February 14?
5. How many heart shaped boxes of chocolates will be sold for Valentine's Day?

• Date-y Questions:

1. What is the other's shoe size? 
2. In what city was the other born? 
3. If the other had his or her dream job, what would it be? 
4. What single word would the other use to describe you? 
5. Which of the following candies best describes your first kiss? Starburst, Good and Plenty, Hot Tamales, Goobers, Milk Duds, Zero.

Answers:

• Random Questions:

1. South Dakota
2. Wisconsin
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. The Congo
6. Indonesia
7. Zero
8. 1997
9. 42
10. Venus

• Valentine's Day Related Questionsa

1. 110 million
2. South America
3. 15%
4. 8 BILLION! 8 BILLION! WHAT?!?!?
5. 35 Million

• Date-y Questions:

1. I obviously can't answer these for your date :) - Have fun!

Okay chickens enjoy your love-filled weekend. I love you! Muah!

   

Deliciously Dipped

Dang, a day late and a dollar short for my Recipe Monday. But, here I am on Tuesday bringing you the winner of our big dilemma of what Valentine treat little man and I would make (ha!) ... we pulled the trigger and committed to white chocolate dipped/sprinkle coated rice crispy bites. They were so easy and so yummy! And, obviously can be easily updated for any holiday. Plus, who doesn't love good ole' Rice Crispy Treats?!

White Chocolate Dipped Rice Crispy Bites

Here's our entire cast of lovers. So simply sweet. 

Start by melting 3.5 tablespoons of salted butter in a sauce pan on low.

Next, add 5 cups of mini marshmallows and things heat up between those two lovers.

While they're hanging out and getting to know one another, pour 6 cups of those Snap! Crackle! POP! Rice Krispy treats into a large bowl.

Turn around and continue chaperoning dem' mallows and butter. Continue stirring and stirring and stirring and let that butter coat them little cuties.

Keep on stirring while they get to know each other better. Yum.

Let the little one tugging on your leg tastes what's up (and if he's still wearing his Christmas PJ's in February ... just pretend you don't notice).

And when he gets super excited because they've gotten along so well, you can kindly agree that they're ready to meet a new friend.  They should be almost smooth, but still a little lumpy. Ahh, I want to jump inside that pan and swim around. But that would probably be really sticky, and I would regret it later when I was washing my hair.

They're ready to make a new friend ... so let's introduce that butter and mallow duo to an edgier cereal.

And stir them around so they can get to know each other even better. There's just so much friendliness here to day :)

Now pour them into a greased 9x13 pan and pack them in nice and tight. Tip: I spray the edge of my silicone spatula with baking spray and pack them down to avoid sticking.

Tip: I spray the edge of my silicone spatula with baking spray and pack them down to avoid sticking.

Let the treats sit and cool in the pan for 45 minutes or longer if you have time. Find things to do while you wait. Fold some laundry, read more of my blog posts, watch the Bachelor, let little man taste test the ones you set aside :).

Or follow him around with a camera to try and capture the terribly hard to accomplish toddler playing photo.

Once they've cooled, and you've had all of the train playing you can stand. Cut the treats into 1-inch squares.

Now comes the fun part ... EMBELLISH those cuties!  Melt your chocolate dip (I used Vanilla Candiquick) and get your sprinkles ready.

Enlist some help from your tiniest helper rocking his "HoHo" jammies LIKE A BOSS and dip those little morsels.

Once he's eaten enough white chocolate, made a colossal mess and is ready for his afternoon nap; you can lay him down and then hurriedly rush back into the kitchen to step in and complete the treats as you originally imagined.

Douse that puppy in sprinkles, because well ... Adorable and pink and red and Valentine's Day.

Then finish them all up, try not to eat so many your stomach hurts (whoops!) and package them up so little man can wake up and have the most delicious afternoon snack!

You can add lollipop sticks if you want, but they are perfectly delicious as bites as well.

Happy Love week to all. Enjoy!

Confessional Friday: Cozy, Cutesy, Change and Target

It's been a big week around here folks. A big week in the sense that our daily routine consists of Googling how in the world we get to Target, taking drives to see what homes are sale, becoming an official Nashville Mommy complete with some big changes (hehe, see below) and trying out all the nearest restaurants to find a favorite. Big week I tell ya :)  So let's get right down to it!

Time for a little Confessional Friday Action. 

I confess ... I haven't really moved THAT far away, but for some reason I'm craving sweet tea like it's the first time I've ever been to a restaurant that actually serves it. When in reality, I've always lived far enough past the southern line where sweet and unsweetened tea is most ALWAYS an option. Nevertheless, I was craving it so bad the other night I went ahead and made myself some. 

I followed this recipe: 

1. Boil four cups water
2. Once water begins to boil, remove from heat. Add 6 single serving Lipton Tea Bags. Cover and let step 10-15 minutes.
• Note: If you want or need decaf tea, you can buy decaf tea bags or simply decaffeinate regular tea. To accomplish this, boil two pots of water. Steep the tea bags for less than a minute in the first pot of water. Remove the bags and discard the water. Steep the tea bags in the second pot of water as normal. The result is 90-95% caffeine free tea. Cool huh?!
3. While the tea is brewing, make a batch of simple syrup. Dissolve one or more cups of sugar in three cups of hot tap water for a gallon of sweet tea (one is plenty sweet for me, but if you like it sweeter, add that sugar baby). Stir until the water is clear. Pre-dissolving prevents that glob of sugar from settling in the bottom of your pitcher. Whoever gets the last glass will greatly appreciate you for this added step.
4. Once the tea steeps long enough to reach your desired strength, pour it and your simple syrup into a pitcher. Stir the tea and syrup gently, adding enough water to make a full gallon. Taste test for sweetness and add more sugar, if needed. Cover and let stand until the tea reaches room temperature. 
• While it's tempting ... don’t just add ice and throw it in the fridge, this can make for cloudy tea that sours quickly. 
5. ENJOY!

I confess ... That my child is also jumping on the band wagon and sneaking some for himself. Although he refers to it as "teet". And only gets a few sips because Lord knows that child does NOT need additional sugar or caffeine in his diet! HA!

Cozy Momma: Tunic | Sleep Tee | Pajama Pant | Pajama Legging
Cozy Home: Coral Blanket | Sweater Knit Blanket
Cutesy Toddler: Mickey Sneakers | Toddler Hoodie
Cutesy Accents: Accent Pillow | Dachshund Bookend | & Accent Pillow

I confess ... My obsession for Gilligan & O'malley started post pregnancy when I randomly purchased a pair of their jersey knit lounge pants. While perusing the aisles of Target yesterday, I stumbled upon some other fabulous goodies that I want NEED in my wardrobe. I may have found some other phenomonal items I also wanted to share. Ahem, the Mickey Mouse shoes - STOP. That little toddler jacket for your mini! SHEW!  The dachshund book ends!  The quilted soft blanket. You win again Target. You win AGAIN.

I confess ... Some BIIIGGG changes took place this week. I took the plunge and changed both my preset radio stations annnnnd my car's clock. This is a big deal people. I made a funny little noise when I finally pulled the trigger. Sigh, why am I so dramatic?! 

I confess ... Those pictures make me realize how desperately I need to get my car detailed. Sorry you had to witness that. 

I confess ... I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to recap ya'll on the Australia trip. It's a big weight lifted. Hehe.

I confess ... I'm still torn on what sweet treat baby B and I will be making next week. Right now I'm thinking the wafers or the rice krispy treats for no reason other than ease. That's a valid enough reason right?

I confess ... My stomach is still in knots from last night's Scandal episode. Our girl Shonda is doing an EXCELLENT job with this season, I can't get enough!  

Alright kids, I'm signing off until Monday. We've got a fun weekend planned for our first official weekend as a family living in Nashville (since Shane left us for the Super Bowl last weekend, hmph). Plus, the weather is supposed to be SUPERB and we've got some visitors coming Sunday, so color me excited!

Hope you lovelies have a great weekend as well!  Until then, #SAVEOLIVIA (Scandal shout out for those of you that aren't watching). Toodles!