Costa Rica 2012

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Banana Boats

No, I am not talking about this Banana boat:

Nor am I talking about THIS banana boat:

Nor am I talking about THIS banana boat

(although I'd LOVE to be on this one right. about. now.)

I'm actually talking about THIS banana boat:

Now, I don't know about YOU...but who even KNEW that such goodness even existed???

Not me. But now, I'm the biggest fan of them.

That's right....a campfire banana boat.

(*Thank you, Margie & Aaron for introducing me to my new. best. friend.*)

Here's the basics for a recipe, if you wanna try it:

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Banana Boat

aluminum foil

1 banana, unpeeled

Miniature marshmallows (or jet puffed, cut in smaller peices)

Milk chocolate chips or broken candy bars

anything else you want: (coconut, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, nuts, pineapple, etc)

Cut a slit lengthwise about two-thirds of the way through the banana from the stem to the base. Fill the slit with as much of the above ingredients as you want! The more, the merrier!!! It all melts together into one luscious dessert!

To heat the banana boat, wrap in foil and cook on hot coals for five minutes, or until the chocolate and marshmallows have melted. Serve as a snack, a dessert or a treat around the campfire.

One word of caution: If you leave the boats in the coals too long, the bananas will liquefy.

Now, what are you waiting for....go start a fire!

*Don't forget to invite me!!!*

Prepping for Costa Rica

I have recently started preparing for my upcoming adventure to Costa Rica.

**shout for joy**

I can't tell you just how excited I am to go to this country!!!!

We will experience so much OUTDOORS, and I am really excited. Here are some of the things we'll be doing while in Costa Rica this June:

- We'll be on the beach

- horseback riding through the rainforest, participating in a canopy tour (where you walk along bridges at the tippy toppy of the rainforest and see the wildlife that lives up there....monkeys, butterflies, birds, etc)

- Hiking to a hidden waterfall

- Whitewater rafting

- visiting and bathing in natural hot sprints

- seeing the tallest active volcano in the WORLD

...and that is only the beginning.

So...what would one purchase to prepare for such a trip?

Well, I've done some researching, and it seems you need a LOT of things that would be good for rainy weather. Such things as:

- waterproof light jacket & umbrella

- clothes that breath easily (and dry quickly)

- good shoes (that dry quickly, non-slip, and breathable)

Not sure what else...but those are some things I'll definitely be on the prowl for soon. I have covered ONE of those three NEEDS this weekend:

SHOES

For Her:

Keen Sandals. You won't find these in the women's section....nope! That's because they are in the girls' section....yep, I can fit into a size 6 in youth!!!!! :) Score!!!! Anyone who has looked at the price tags on shoes by Keen, know that you are looking at a hefty price. But, check out the kids' section (if you can put up with bright colors and a bit of velcro, and the heel is a bit different. On the adult, it is a strap...so it is open-heel. On the youth, it is closed-heel)...they sell for 1/2 price!!! I LURV the color, & I am a size 8 women, and I fit PERFECTLY into a youth size 6.

For Him:

Anyone that knows Steven, knows that he was not willing to fork over that kind of money....especially when there is not a youth size option for his large feet! So, I was out this weekend and happened upon these "zipline" shoes by G. H. Bass & Company. I rarely ever buy anything in this store, but my mom always like to look around. They are also $100 shoes, but they had a 50% off sale of men's shoes. Plus, they were having 30% off of that the day I went. Plus, I had a coupon for 15% of that. Yep, his shoes were $25. They are a little big (because his feet are so skinny and flat), but he says they are comfy, and he likes them!!!!! SCORE!!!!

(the pair I bought was the other color....grey/navy/with orange accents on the ties).

So...all in all, I was prepared to spend $100 on shoes. :(

*ugh*

What I got for $100 instead was:

- one pair of kids keen sandals

- one pair of aqua shoes for men

- 10 pair of socks for hubby

- date night to see Hunger Games w/ popcorn & soda

...can't beat that

Springtime 2012 at the Lambson house

Maybe I should make this a seasonal blog...seeing as my last post was at Christmas time.

hmmmm...that's a good idea!

~Well, a LOT has happened with our house in the last 10 months~

Most of you all remember the outside as being dull, dry, boring, and FULL of weeds (hardly any grass to speak of):

(this pic actually came from our neighbor's yard...but ours looked even worse then their's last year....I promise!!!)

Here is what our grass looks like TODAY:

And here is the area between my house, and my neighbor. Can you tell which lawn is MINE? And which one is hers??? (not hard to tell...right? ha...)

And...last year I had a crazy itch to buy some plants and try to make our home look better on the outside. I started out buying a few plants in the springtime (hydrangeas, snowball, and a tree). Then, I saw such improvement in the landscape that I went back out in the fall and got another "tree", planted some bulbs, roses, and got some shrubs for the back. Since we didn't have much of a winter...they all survived nicely! Here they are...blooming away!!!

1. blue/pink Hydrangeas--my favorite plants of ALL TIME!!

2. Mohican Viburnum Tree--supposed to have berries and cute lil blossoms, and the leaves turn different colors....sounds interesting!

3. Flowering Crabtree....luscious!!!

4. 3 mini rose bushes around the mailbox...one red (middle) 2 yellow (sides) These have become some of my favorite plants. Even at over 100 degrees last year, I kept them watered and they bloomed all summer and fall last year!!!

5. Peonies- one sherbet, and one white. They have not bloomed yet, but I hope they do this year. LOVE them, too!!! (although last year, we watered our yard SO MUCH that the leaves had fungus issues...hoping not to deal w/ that again this year!!)

6. magic carpet shrubs. They change colors throughout the seasons, and have pinkish blossoms.

7. Tulips. These have a jagged edge, and they are a variety of colors. Check out the orange one...so vivid in color, and it opens up and is HUGE. I cut one to put inside, and it closes and night, and opens in the morning. So cool!!!

8. Butterfly bush. These things came w/ the house. At first, I had three of them, in one small flower bed. They were so obnoxiously large...and out of control. We took one out, and now we have 2 (the magic carpet are underneath, surrounding them). They have such a nice smell, and they are easy to maintain...but can get outta control quickly!!! But they attract the most beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds!!

9. Snowball bush- another fav of mine...let's hope there is enough branches to keep the snowball blooms off the ground!!! If you look really close...you can see a few blossoms to the right! :) (Last year, it was so wilty and droopy...but still pretty!!)

So, there you have it. My yard...full of things waiting to bloom and full of surprises this year. It will be the first year when each plant should bloom at a different rate, and at a different time. That's what I tried to do. Even though most of them bloom (okay...all of them, do...at least the ones I shared w/ you above)...they all bloom at different paces, and some bloom once, and some all season long. So...we'll see what happens!

For tomorrow...pull some weeds!!! (are they that bad????? YES!!!!)

For Tuesday...rake out old mulch, and put in new mulch. (is it THAT bad???? YES!!!!)

By Wednesday, it will look spectacular...I'm sure of it!!!

My New Favorite- Christmas 2011

Introducing my NEW favorite Christmas item on the menu:

The one above is to take to my mom & dad's tomorrow, on Christmas Day. The one below is to take to the in-law's this afternoon/evening for dinner.

I love trying new recipes, and this one is certainly an eye-catcher! It was a LOT of fun to make, and it is DE-LISH, too! Want the recipe? I guess I can share it:

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Pine-cone-shaped Cheese ball

(not creative, I know!!!)

1 pkg Cream Cheese (I used Red. fat Neufschel Cheese--however it's spelled)

1/2 Cup Mayo (NOT Miracle Whip, folks!!)

5 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled

1 Tbsp chopped green onion (i actually doubled it)

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/8 tsp pepper

1 1/4 cup almonds (recipe calls for them toasted, but I didn't do it)

Assorted crackers or raw veggies

Fresh Rosemary sprigs for decoration afterwards.

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Mix all ingredients (minus almonds) in large bowl. Let chill for 1-2 hours to allow mixture to become firm. Place mixture on platter/decorative plate and shape into a cone/pear shape. Place almonds around it in rows, starting with the bottom and working your way up. Place several short stems of rosemary at the top for decoration.

Ta-dah!

What would I change, if I had to do it all over again?

1- I think instead of poking the almonds "outward" I'll lay them down a bit more. It shows too much of the filling. It looks like too spiky! But still cute!!!!

2- I almost went w/o the Rosemary addition...so expensive at the store! So, either grow your own for next year (ya right!), go to the farmer's marker (ya right!), or just grin & bear it. It adds a GREAT aroma to the dish!

PROJECT: FAIL

A few weeks ago, I got in the mood to make individual Christmas gifts for family members.

I started looking for ideas ALL around me.

Steven & I recently bought new bed sheets, and they came in a very plain drawstring baggy thinggy. So I thought, "HEY! This would be sooo much cuter if ...., and if ...., and if ....." AND, these could be so useful if ....., and if ....., and if ......"

So, I commenced my project.

Operation:

CHRISTMAS CRAFT 2011

I was so excited at the idea of my new project. I thought of all the wonderful things I could use for my baggy: makeup bag, travel bag, pencil bag, catch-all bag....the possibilities were endless, really! For girls, anyway. I didn't quite know what the boys would do with them, but for Steven, he collects chess sets....so he could use a baggy to put his tiny "men" in. So I thought, "whatever. They will use them for whatever, but I can't just make something for the girls. It has to be for EVERYONE."

So, I started the crafty journey, knowing full & well that's it been 2 years since I've even taken the dust cover off my sewing machine. Ahem. No, I haven't lost my "touch", but I knew I'd be a bit rusty, that's all.

Day 1:

I went to JoAnn's fabrics and purchased the cutest fabric I could find. Seriously, ya'll...there are so many cute ideas. I couldn't settle for one. I came home with 15 types of fabric. Take a look...there is something for everyone...men, women, kids...c'mon...you KNOW you love the colors/patterns. And if you don't, whatevuh.....it's my project. I get to decide what to give you. Be lucky it's not a lump of coal for your bad attitude. So there.

Day 2:

I ironed my fabric. I figured it'd been a while, but I had my pattern and process in my head. I hooked up the sewing machine and cut up some of the bed sheets that I'd replaced due to a hole in it. MAN...I love those sheets. So soft. So wonderful. Anyway, I started cutting. And then I sewed. At first, the bag was a bit lopsided, but I could handle that. I was just sewing for size, really, and to see if my "idea" in my head for a pattern would work. It really didn't turn out all THAT bad, but it did need some alterations.

So, all was going dandy. UNTIL I got to the lettering on the front. Ya see...I wanted to do everyone's initial on the front. It would be so cute in a different, contrasting color. And to make a cute lil drawsting at the top in the same contrasting fabric.

I could see it in my head. My vision was clear.

I started sewing. I messed up 4 times and had to take everything out. It was horrible. In the end, it was crooked, it had crinkles, it had bumps, and it was just plain ugly. I did start with the worst letter possible...S. So many curves. So much movement. Steven said, "well, just do block letters"...but they aren't as cute.

So I gave up. Steven has a ratty ol personalized bag made of old bedsheets. The S is horrible, and I didn't even do the contrasting color yet. I just wanted to make a sample. The sample is horrible, but here it is in all it's glory.

Yes, I gave up. I have purchased all this cute fabric, and I have no idea what to do with all of it. One day, I'll sew again. One day I'll be creative again. Just not with letters that are curvy that move around on me. I'm not THAT good yet, folks.

So all you family members out there...look at that sample above. You have two choices: either BALL your eyes out b/c you're not gonna get a cute lil catch-all bag for whatever your heart desires, craftily make by yours truly. Or two, you can cry tears of joy b/c you wouldn't know what to do with it anyway, and it probably would've never been used anyway.

Whatever you decide to do, fine. Just know that I love you enough and I'm sane enough to quit when it's the right thing to do.

30 Days of Truth: Day 16

Day 16: Someone or Something you could definitely live without.

STRESS.

...AND people who complain ALL. THE. TIME. (get over it)

...AND liver (the food...the smell)

...AND bills (never-ending)

...AND cleaning floors (ewwwww.....gross)

...AND one of my co-workers who I'm pretty sure doesn't even LIKE kids. Pretty sure she doesn't need to be a teacher.