What the Fuck is Wrong With People?

 I'm not going to lie. I love MccyD's french fies. I'm not a fan of fries in general, but theirs are the perfect mix of soft, crunchy, salty and hot. So good. We don't eat fast food very often. We don't take the girls there mostly and if we do it's for the drive thru because I don't want to wrestle three girls out of the car and back in. But after watching this video, I won't be going inside a McDonald's anytime soon.

Please go watch it and come back appalled at the complete doucheyness of people. A transgender person, Chrissy  tries to use the woman's bathroom. She refuses to leave when two young woman, 14 and 18, demand she does. It's not in the video but according to the onlookers Chrissy and the two girls mouthed off, then the two girls attacked Chrissy. The video is intense and they truly beat the shit out of her. Chrissy got one of their wigs or weave off, but other then that she didn't defend herself much. The girls assault her together, when she's on the ground they kick her in the stomach and head. They drag her by her hair across the store and after kicking her in the head she has a seizure. 

Through all this, there is the asshole filming it and making intelligent commentary like "Yo, the bitch is seizing." and telling the girls to leave because the cops are coming. In the video you see that their are numerous other people there who could break it up. Only one person helps. An old lady, and for her trouble she got hit in the face. News reports say one employee tried to help, but in the video he doesn't seem to be doing much but asking them to leave. 

I was completely appalled. Not just at the girls doing it but at the people watching. Even if you don't agree with Chrissy's lifestyle or choices no one deserves to get beaten like that. No one. Not even racist homophobes who film fights then post it on their YouTube. Okay maybe them. I just don't understand. I feel naive sometimes, because I can't imagine that people have that much hate or think that's the appropriate reaction. 

  They are trying to charge the girls on hate crime charges. Because of the differences in their race and that Chrissy is transgender. (I may be using the wrong term. She used to be a man and now has had surgery to become a woman. )

It makes you wonder what you would do. I know that if I had my children with me, I would have gotten them out of the store immediately. Maybe that makes me an asshole, but their safety is number one. But I would have called 911 immediately. If I was by myself I would have tried to intervene. I would be scared to get hurt but I couldn't just stand there.  You never know how you would react in a situation until it happens to you. I hope I wouldn't sit idly by when it comes down to it. 

Do you think this is a hate crime? What do you think you would do?

Food For Thought-Overuse of the word amazing, bullying and goosebumps

 It's been a good week. I feel like I shared a lot, and then got amazing support and feedback from you guys. Because basically you are the best. I write for me, but I can't lie that it is very gratifying to get the support from someone else too. Thank you from the bottom of my toes.

Some amazing thoughts on religions concept of "free will." 

This post about being the bully really struck home. I've actually been on both ends and I fear for my daughters not to have this happen to them so much.

Don’t believe anyone that tells you there’s plenty of time to follow your dreams. There isn’t. You get today. If you’re lucky, you get tomorrow. Never count on luck. Tyler Tervooren 

I don't know that I agree totally with this quote but I like it for it's seize the day quality.

Hipster Harry Potter?

I love freckles, I wish I had some.

This squatter town is amazing. I love how it's turned into a community of people protecting and helping each other. Amazing.

I want one of these music posters. 

Kids can be cruel, but most importantly where are they learning this kind of crap?

You can see people acting like idiots on Abbey Road live. It's oddly fascinating.

What the back of web pages would look like. I particularly liked facebook.

I love when people can find the silver lining.

When I get disgruntled, I like to be gruntled.

This documentary on bullying breaks my heart you guys.

New HP trailer. Goosebumps, tears, squees! What the hell am I going to look forward to now?

Have you guys seen/read/heard anything good lately?

I had no idea it had a name.

An Interpretation

I woke up in an almost bare hospital room. It was so bare that the glare from the fluorescent hurt my eyes. I could hear Bliss playing nearby and somehow that was comforting even though I still had no idea where I was. It was obviously a hospital but I couldn't imagine why I was there. The last thing I remember is yelling at Robert.

An efficient looking nurse was standing next to my bed, a clipboard in hand. She started out by telling me I had torn some tendons in my legs and that it would take a long time to heal if it healed right at all. She asked me to try and sit up. I tried but my legs wouldn't cooperate so I had to do a wiggle, pull thing on the bed bars to move at all. I couldn't sit up, I only succeeded in pushing myself up further on the mattress. It was painful, like my limbs were rusty and hadn't been used in some time.

The nurse asked me if I remembered being hit on the head. She hit her own forehead to demonstrate.  I was confused, no I don't remember that. But I work with kids who can be violent, maybe I got it at work? I offered up this solution desperately trying to explain to myself what may have happened. The nurse nodded and said they would check up on that and left.

I painfully sat up. Bliss came over to my bed so I lifted her up, it hurt to hold her so I set her down on the bed next to me. Where was Robert? The room didn't have anything in it that was mine, or that would indicate that I had visitors. I was struck that there were no flowers in this room. Like flowers would mean that Robert had been there.

I picked up the phone to try and call him, but I typed in a number I didn't recognize. The woman who answered said it was an insurance company, she was polite and understanding that I had dialed the wrong number. After hanging up, I punched in Robert's number slowly and with great concentration. I waited as it rang a growing fear blooming in my chest. It wasn't Robert who answered, again it was the receptionist. She remembered me and offered to patch me through to the agents to talk about insurance. I agreed because absurdly I thought they could help me find Robert.

The truth became clear reluctantly. Robert didn't exist, there was only Bliss and I. The life I thought I had with a family and a house didn't exist. It was something that I had imagined in my head. My chest hurt remembering my "memories." It was painful to realize that no one loved me and I was alone. But it was worse to have thought that I did and have it snatched away by reality.

Then of course the real Robert came and woke me up for work. I have lots of anxiety dreams like this one. That Robert will leave me. This is the first time that I have dreamt that he didn't even exist. It has left me in a hard to shake funk.

It's not a very hard dream to interpret. I struggle with feelings of worthlessness pretty regularly. I don't feel like I deserve him. I'm pretty high maintenance. I feel like it's unfair that he has me, this broken wife who he constantly has to reassure or wipe away unexplainable tears. One of my greatest fears is that he will get tired of it and realize he can do better. So my subconscious acts it out for me.

I know that he isn't going anywhere. Buy it's hard to get it through my subconscious. I am working on not letting fear be an obstacle in our lives, and progress has been hard won and gradual.

What kind of dreams do you have?

I'm Probably Just Paranoid

Bliss a few days old, picture taken by a friend

I am a worrier. I always have been. When I was a child I remember a sermon that scared me to death. The pastor said that worrying is a sin. If you worry you are saying that you didn't trust in God and his way. If you worry you will go to hell. Maybe he didn't say that last sentence verbatim, but that's what my little 11 year old heart got out of it. So then I worried about worrying. Which made me worry more. This might have been my first downward slide into the heathen I am today. Because I am still a worrier. 

Now that I am a mom, it is worse. Are they safe? How will they grow up? Will she make friends? Will no one come to her birthday party? Would anyone notice if I wrapped them in bubble wrap before I sent them out into the harsh world? My husband has heard it all, and he's kind enough not to laugh or diminish my fears. He helps me get through them and point out why I shouldn't worry, or how worrying doesn't help the situation so why do it?

This morning we had a similar conversation. I am worried about Bliss's developmental delays. I know that all babies learn and grow differently. And that more then likely one day she will all of a sudden be walking and talking and driving me crazy, but yet I worry.

I was reading an article on iVillage where moms of autistic children told you the first signs of it they noticed and overwhelmingly it was the delay in speech and interacting with people. I shouldn't read these things because it only makes me even more paranoid.  One mom called Halloween, "National Autism Realization Day." Because while other kids are dressing up and doing the trick or treating thing. An autistic kid is running around all sugared up and just confused and overwhelmed by costumes and strangers.  Obviously this doesn't pertain to Bliss just yet, but I still found it fascinating and it totally makes sense. 

Bliss is 15 months old. She crawls normally and quickly. Even faster if she knows I'm behind her trying to catch her. She crawls onto things, just recently. Every time I turn around she is on the damn coffee table. She cruises and walks if she's holding your hands, sometimes. And she can stand by herself for whole seconds at a time. 

I can't tell if she is responding to her name or if just hears my voice and turns to it, it takes a couple of tries. She says dada, grandpa, yum and wow. But not always for the right things. Sometimes she just yells grandpa for no apparent reason. She knows "no" and shakes her head when she doesn't want something.  I find she has trouble with no when I'm saying it. But so does my 4 and 8 year old.  I feel like she should have more words and be more responsive to her name. So I worry about it. She has her 15 month appointment coming up. I adore our pediatrician. She's been on Dr. Oz and has written two books. We're so fancy. And I know she will more then likely tell me to chill out and that Bliss is fine. 

Like I told my husband, really it doesn't matter if there is something wrong. Besides finding out early enough to help her and get help, it doesn't matter. Because she will still be Bliss and we will still love her and treat her the same. 

After I talked to my husband about it, I watched her play and she got on her little riding scooter and scooted around and figured out how to turn around on it and scooted in the other direction. So, I'm probably just paranoid. 

Do you guys think I am?

Happy Bunny and Cute Dresses Day!

 Since Sweet Pea is scared of the Easter Bunny (and Santa for that matter) we decided to forgo the traditional Easter pics. But that's okay because I think these are way cuter.

My favorite part of Easter was getting a new outfit. The girls picked out the same dress, not my idea, I promise. And I picked out Bliss's because it's so adorable I want one in my size. My 15 month old is better dressed then I am. Sigh.

We are going to hunt Easter eggs, crack some cascarones on each other's head and then eat like there's no tomorrow. I can not wait!

What are you guys doing to celebrate?

Is Blogging Bad For You? How To Raise Your Blogger Self Esteem.

If you ask most bloggers they will tell you that they started blogging for themselves. But you know 89% of them actually wanted to have 2000 followers and endorsements and maybe even a tv show.  And maybe they did, or maybe they realized that they should just blog for themselves.  But still most of us know it's a numbers game. How many times a week you post, how many followers vs comments, your bounce rate, your analytics. There are so many different ways to measure the success of a blog. But success means different things to different people and if you don' keep that in perspective then blogging can turn into something negative. 

Blogging is essentially a popularity contest. Sometimes it can feel like high school all over again. There are cliques and the popular crowd. There are inside jokes and rude comments. It's hard to break into an already established blog clique. And if you try too hard you can give off the impression of that kid jumping up and down in the background saying "Look at me, look at me."

I already have self-esteem and self-worth issues so getting caught up in the popularity game can be very disheartening. It's hard to remember that you just want to write for yourself not for other people. It's hard to remind yourself that you really don't care what they think, you don't need them. You're going to go eat worms. 

It can be incredibly frustrating to see a brand new blogger with 2800 followers. Even more so when you don't understand why. You know that what you have is better. You wonder; "What's the point?" 

I do believe that my blog is for me, I enjoy that there are people out there who like the same things I like and want to tell me their opinions. I try and look at it as if they don't like my thoughts or feelings then screw them. But sometimes those can be weak words when faced with negativity. 

Here's a few things to try and keep your blogger self esteem up:

-Remind yourself of the people who do want to read and comment. I have some incredible bloggy friends who are happy to read what I have to say and comment. Whether they agree or not. 

-I'm not a blogger. I'm Anastasia. Nice to meetcha. Don't forget that you do have a life outside of the computer. 

-Think of it almost as a friend filter. If they don't like what you have to say then good you got rid of them right away!

-Take a break. Step back from the computer and breathe. I'm not saying you have to something silly like work out or tackle the mountain of laundry you've been neglecting. Just turn on some Bravo, or Netflicks. 

-Be honest with yourself. Those people who have made money blogging are truly few and far between, and the ones who have a name outside of the blogging community. Even smaller. Don't blog because that's what you want from it. Really try to do it for you. If your blog is just a bunch of pictures of your kids standing on their heads and that makes you smile then I think it's probably the best idea ever.

I just don't want you to take it too seriously. Or rather, take your blog seriously. Don't take the contest seriously. It's the best thing you can do for yourself and your blog. 

How do you handle an attack of bloggy self-esteem?

Food For Thought

 Happy Good Friday if you celebrate such things. Happy Regular Friday if you don't. AND Happy Earth Day. Google and see if there are any events in your town! I am disappointed in Austin events to be honest. So we'll make our own I guess. Ready for this weekend and bar-b-que. My husband makes the BEST potato salad. I hate potato salad, except for his.  I hope you guys have a good weekend! Eat some chocolate bunnies. My favorite is the hollow ones.

So apparently cavities can be contagious, so watch out before eating off your kids plates! 

 ♥

 This woman and people like her should be sterilized. No question. It makes me so angry!

 ♥

You guys know I want all these designs in my house right now!

 ♥

Hell yeah, fuck gender stereotypes.

man I love peeps, and brownies, and m and m's and gifts.

♥

I think it's so important for mom's to remember that your daughter's copy what you do.

 ♥

How can someone not want this amazing boy in their daycare. pht.

♥

It's the month of Bette Davis's birthday. So go watch All About Eve.

♥

I get embarrassed for people all the time and I feel so bad for them. Robert says its because I am a sucker but apparently there is a scientific reason. SO there.

♥

Aha Cupcake tops!

I’m not interested in money, I just want to be wonderful. 

— Marilyn Monroe

beautiful library.

♥

I also wish I could have this hair without worrying about my job.

♥

This is adorable. Release the Kracken

♥

Okay so I know that the next three are all the same blogger. But they are still amazing. She talks about having post partum and how it recently reared it's ugly head again. Each post stands alone, but really should be read together. If you read anything this week, these need to be it.

A letter to her son.

Reminding herself that there is only one way to go. Up.

How amazing her husband is when she needs him to be.

Her posts made me cry. But mostly they made me look at my own problems. To remind me that the beast is still there and can come out anytime if I don't deal with it. I hope you guys get something out of it as well.

♥

What have you guys seen/heard this week?

Mother Guilt

I hate to label this as specifically "mother" guilt, because I'm sure there are a number of fathers with parenting guilt as well. But I do think there is a whole different kettle of fish for mothers. Not a worse one, just different. Mother's can't mother their boys too much, or toughen up their girls.  A mother can't even paint their boys nails pink without a huge Internet controversy. 

I only have girls, but there is a school of thought that you are harsher on the same sex. You expect your daughter to be this way, because you know what it's like to be female. You aren't as aware what it's like to be a boy. I can see that to an extent. But again I don't know how I would be on a boy. I feel like I am harsher on Peanut sometimes because I see myself in her a lot.

Woman are bombarded with guilt left and right. If you don't breastfeed you really don't care about your kid. I tried with both of my girls and due to my diabetes I don't produce enough milk. So instead of letting my children starve, we supplemented with formula.  Actually it was more like we supplemented with the teeny bit of breast milk I could produce.  But some people still judge that. 

I had a c-section, but if I was going to have a vaginal birth, I was going to use drugs. And the second c-section was planned, due to the complications of my diabetes.  My daughters are beautiful and healthy and we have a wonderful connection, but some people will tell me that I don't really know what birth is like because I didn't do it at home in a water bath. Or I don't have a true bond with my babies.  I admire the strength and bravery of the woman who choose to but it's not for me. And because I am considered high risk, a doula or nurse practitioner would not take me on anyway.  Yet they judge.

I also judge myself. Working with at risk children has made me very paranoid. It's an oversimplification but all those girls wouldn't be where they are now if they had gotten the love they deserve as children. They wouldn't have been beaten, abandoned or molested if someone was there to love and protect them.  But  I've learned that even the littlest things can screw your kid up. 

Look at your own childhood. I still have abandonment and body image issues which I can directly link to the way I was raised.  Beyond any physical abuse, just the way you say things or act towards them can scar them for life.  

Sometimes I snap and sometimes I even yell or scream at them. Sometimes I ask them to play upstairs longer so that I can have some quiet. I have even been know to pick them up too roughly when they are laying in the floor having a temper tantrum.  I don't always truly listen when they talk. Sometimes I make listening noises. I don't praise them correctly. I want them to know they are beautiful, because they are, but I also want them to know that they are smart and funny and good little persons. I don't always feed them the right food. I work nights so sometimes I don't see them at all because I get off of work and before they get home from school I am asleep.  I don't read to them enough or practice their schoolwork with them enough.  These are just a few things that I beat myself up about it.

My husband is amazing at interacting with them he will wrestle and play video games and just get rowdy with them. I guess I'm not that kind of parent. Every once in a while I will get silly but usually I'm the quiet parent. 

I want them to remember their childhood as happy and comforting. I want when they leave and don't have to come see me or talk to me that they still will.  When they are teenagers I would like them to think of me as an aly, not the enemy.  I also would really like it if they don't kill me and stuff me in the deep freezer. That would be nice.

Sometimes guilt is an alarm bell. If you feel bad about the way you are doing things or acting then you should look inside. Find out if that guilt is legitimate or just from some outside pressure. If you feel guilty about the fact that your nine year old doesn't have a cell phone that's probably something you can ignore and remind yourself of the very good reasons that they don't. But if you feel guilty because you play farmville more then you play with your kids then you should pay attention to that. 

I'm not saying that you can be a perfect mom. You will screw up. I just hope I don't screw them up too much. Just enough to help build character. Some things have to be addressed. You chose to be a mom, so be present and active in their little lives. It's the very best thing you can do.  And like all parenting manuals say, take some time for yourself. Play farmville, read a book or watch an r rated movie. (just make sure your kid is not in the bath at the time)  But make sure you aren't ignoring your children to do it. 

What's your ultimate parenting guilt trip? Is it from someone else or from your own head?

Just a Little Inspiration Needed

Today I just needed a little inspiration. I'm oddly tired, even though I slept most of the day. I feel all squished, like I can't possible stretch enough to unwind internally.  I am at work, but no motivation to work. Just one of those blah days that needs something to brighten it up.

A totally new way to "hear" Judy Garland

Just cute.

 

 The part of NJ I lived in was not even close to this amazing. 

 The tinniness of this baby actually broke my heart a little, but I felt like not showing it would do a disservice to the strength heor she and it's Mommy and Daddy must have needed.

 I want to print this out for the girls room. 

Excellent advice.

Anything inspiring you guys lately?

Icing on The Cupcake-Yum, not Yuck Flavor

We pretty much all got started blogging, by reading blogs first. I read a lot of blogs, but I like to pick one that I devour. I read every single post and comment on stuff that they wrote years ago. It's kind of like stalking. So to apologize for being a creepster, I  feature them here with the Icing on the Cupcake.

I'm pretty sure I discovered Yum and Yuk, from Yes and Yes. But it's honestly hard to tell because all of a sudden she's blown up. I keep seeing her mentioned all over the place.  So now I am jumping on the bandwagon. 

Yum and Yuk is written by Sarah.  It's not a typical blog. She talks a little about herself, mostly her running. She's a fairly new runner and is extremely inspiring. She throws in some poetry and YouTube videos every once in a while. But mostly it's a collection of amazing things across the Internet. And it really runs the gamut, there's design links, funny articles, and a lot of political ones. I always find something new and fascinating.

A lot of bloggers try and keep their political or controversial beliefs out of their blogging. Sarah is the exact opposite. She is unabashed in her beliefs. Pro-choice, pro-equality, disgusted with immigration "Reform", a feminist. I hesitate to label her with a "Democrat" or "liberal" tag, she just seems to believe in what's right and defending that to the end. And that is fucking kick ass. 

Another thing that has me inspired, she has no counter on her blog. You can follow at the very top with the blogspot header. But you have no idea how many followers she has. She could have a million or 2. And I love that she doesn't give a shit. 

She is a voracious reader. And my to read list gets longer pretty much every time I visit.

In the blogging world there are 82,000 blogs that tell you how to become a better blogger. Sometimes I wonder if there are more how to be a better blogger blogs, then actual blogs. What I truly respect and love about Sarah's Yum and Yuk is that she has ignored all of it. She posts what she wants, when she wants and how she wants. And if she likes it then maybe someone else out there will like it and if they don't then they don't have to be there. It is so refreshing and brave to not give in to the usual hang ups and just be yourself. Everyone says that's what they are doing with their blogs, but Sarah is actually doing it. 

So please, go say hi. And try and make up for some of my stalkerness by commenting and following.

What did you think about Yum and Yuk?

The Stand-Book Review

I'm not one of those people who think Stephen King is some sort of genius. I think he is an amazing storyteller, but,  I would say that some of his writing is down right terrible. That being said some of my all time favorite books are written by him.

Once a year I get an urge to read The Stand and I always develop a cold, so then  I freak myself out about how I have captain trips and how if the girls don't have it they'll have to survive without us! I get these terrifying visions of Bliss being the only one left and crying amidst our dead bodies. I have way too vivid of an imagination. But still I read it. I am a sucker for apocalypse horror. 

The Stand was written in the middle of the cold war. It's seen been revamped a bit, adding more timely references like Madonna. It's his most popular book with fans, and pretty much universally hated by critics. I love it. The writing is amateur and the dialogue can be cringe worthy but I feel like he has an accurate portrayal of the human condition and morality. 

It starts out with a virus escaping from an armed military facility. It's symptoms start out like a cold and gestate differently in different people. Some people die within days, and some seem to get better after weeks but hit a turn for the worse and die. Their neck swells up and they choke on their own snot. The first half of the books deals with the military attempting to cover it up, by quarantining towns and shooting reporters. You meet the main survivors of the story. My all time favorite character in any book would have to be Stu Redman, a blue collar Texan whose town is one of the first quarantined. He's one of those quiet but wise down home kind of guys. The first half is my favorite. The end of the world chaos and panic. How people react to death and pressure.  I love it! 

The second half is more about them rebuilding civilization and it's a little slow. It's still interesting, but less death and fun stuff like that. King has two kinds of people in his post flu America. The good and the bad. He goes into a lot of religious stuff and sociology.  Some of the things I think he hit the nail on the head is that if civilization has to start over it wouldn't be like in the past. There's all these weapons, guns and nuclear, waiting around just to be picked up and start using, by anybody. Which is pretty fucking scary if you ask me.

I could do with less religious stuff and more sociological stuff. But sometimes they go hand in hand don't they? I really read it every year. My husband finally threw away my original copy because there were chapters missing. I countered that I knew the book by heart and they were the boring chapters anyway. He didn't listen, but for my birthday I re-bought it and settled in to read, with tissues at hand for my inevitable cold. 

They did a really terrible made for tv movie (only 9.99 on VHS you guys!)  back in the 90's. They show it on TV every once and a while and I love to watch it. If you would like to see a truly horrible performance of a deaf mute by Rob Lowe, you should netflicks it. Gary Sinise plays Stu and I think he was absolutely perfect. Also the guy who plays Larry Underwood, a musician who struggles with lots of self-hatred is pretty spot on. My husband and I play a game sometimes where we decide who would play who if they really re-made it. We have lots of different ideas. Just found this link about how they are going to re-make it. A little nervous about this, you guys!

The Stand has also had it's imprint on pop culture. Their's an Anthrax song about it. And Charlie from Lost is based on Larry Underwood according to the creator. Also, though, unconfirmed I catch glimpses of it in The Walking Dead. 

So take some time, read it. Hopefully you won't get a cold and freak yourself out like me. Or maybe you will get a cold and stay rational, unlike me.  

Do you have a favorite Stephen King book?

Food For Thought

I have been completely awol. Well I vow to work on it. Maybe. Hopefully. But for now, some more amazing links from around the web, please enjoy!

♥ Stark Raving Mad Mommy tells it like it is about autism. 

♥ Russian Zombie Nesting Dolls

♥ I want these to make tiny little wedding cakes with.

♥ I want these fantastic hoodies. 

♥ Love this, no wrong way to be a girl.

♥ Y'all the little mermaid in real life is f'ing hot!

♥ Why I find strength in Britney Spears. So true.

♥ 10 Reasons Why You Should Grow  A Beard. All true!

♥ This printer has the very best name.

♥ I want to eat this so bad!

♥ An honest mom, an amazing writer.

♥ Skinny Guys vs. Fat Guys.

♥ Chicago after the zombies is so creepy.

♥ This post about Glenn Beck is hilarious.

♥ An Open Letter to Creepy Internet Guy. Important to read.

♥ I fight back too!

Have you guys seen or heard anything good this week?

A Belated Introduction

 Hi. I'm Anastasia. I am a mother, wife, type 2 diabetic, youth care counselor for at risk girls, and a part time pastry chef. 

a picture taken by Pea

 I'm not always a great mom, or the healthiest person. Sometimes I cuss (okay a lot of the time.) I'm not a particularly polished person. Sometimes I offend people.  But I try really hard to be honest here. Sometimes that means using the f word if it's called for, and sometimes that means making people mad at me. I'm okay with that.

Peanut actually smiling in a picture

I am always hungry for better books, tastier food, a healthier body and mind, and more inspiration as a woman, wife and mother. Sweetbutterbliss is for anyone else who is hungry for more inspiration. 

 Bliss likes chocolate cake.

The name Sweetbutterbliss is a smoosh of my three girls nicknames. Peanut Butter, Sweet Pea, and Bliss. Because being a mom isn't the only thing I am, but it is the most important thing. I will sometimes post gratuitous pictures of them, because they are adorable. So try and forgive and indulge me. 

Sweet Pea and Daddy on a field trip.

I love to hear feedback, comments or rants. You can email me at sweetbutterbliss@gmail.com, tweet me and even like me. 

Thanks for reading and commenting, I hope you've found what you're looking for.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks-Book Review

The diet that my husband and I follow for our diabetes management gives us one day of cheating. The point is to eat so much of the bad stuff that you are happy to stay away from it for a whole week. And I almost always turn to the Pioneer Woman. She started out as a website and her forte is step by step pictures, and being pretty damn funny too. You can get a lot of recipes off her website. But there's really something special about having her book in the house. It includes stories from her life and beautifully shot photographs. The recipes are written as though she was your best friend who was instructing you in her own kitchen. 

We've tried the chicken spaghetti, chicken fried steak, and her chocolate sheet cake. Oh my lord, the sheet cake. I make this pretty much every cheat day. I sent the rest with my husband to work and my name was cursed many times as people went back for more.They couldn't decide whether I was "evil" or a "genius." The best compliment a part time pastry chef can get. 

her chocolate cake face

This is not diet food. It's comfort food. Sauces, and cheese and copious amounts of butter. But every bit of it is good. After looking through it, I felt like I should start a blog, ala Julie and Julia fame. Only I would call it Ree and Anastasia. Not as catchy but we can work on it. I can make every recipe in the book and document my glorious well deserved weight gain.

But I guess I'll just stick to cheat days and a life of chocolate sheet cake. I cannot imagine getting tired of that. Ever.

What's your favorite comfort food recipe?

A Survival Game

Let's play a a game.

Whatever is to the left of your screen is your weapon during the zombie apocalypse.

Don't worry, I got a good one.

Oh yeah. Stick with me guys. I got this under control.

What did you get?

Food For Thought-The Time Away Edition

 Sorry for the lack of posts. My father in law was in the hospital for a little while. He has emphysema, and he developed an infection that they were trying to keep from getting into his lungs. He's home now and doing much better. But for the week Robert and I had three extra kids to feed, bathe and truck back and forth to school. So we were busy. But I am back, and I missed you guys. 

♥ I want everything in this shop. Wonder Thunder.

♥Little adorable bear rug coasters.

♥Crochet bow headphones. I would probably look ridiculous, but who cares?

♥This photo is sad but true.

This above all: to thine ownself be true.

— William Shakespeare

Have you guys seen/read/heard anything new?

Food For Thought-The Late Edition

Ask an abortion provider. Whatever your belief it's a fascinating read.

A history of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and it's connection with feminism.

An amazing Tim Burton fashion tribute.

Photos of child stars all grown up. It did make me feel kind of old.

Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies! I made this yesterday, it was nom!

My all time favorite scene in a movie.

Things We Should Know by Now.

Wings that I want to make for the girls.

Dear Wonder Woman, You Will Get Arrested if You wear that Top. My favorite line is about how no one can run in that to even catch the bus, much less criminals. Unless you run with your arms crossed over your chest the whole way.

All closets will officially be wallpapered inside from now on.

If you don't ask, you don't get.-Ghandi

What have you guys seen this week?

TILT-The Last March

♥Using Picnik, not completely thrilled with this one, but I will tweek it until I am ♥ getting a commendation at work out of nowhere ♥ chocolate cake ♥ having a dry erase board for our budget ♥ planting my tomatoes, hoping they survive ♥ not arguing with my hubby ♥ sweet girls ♥ hugs ♥ Veronica Mars (I am so late on this one!) ♥ my husband ♥ Bliss faces ♥ Pea hugs ♥ Peanut's new haircut, I can see her pretty face ♥ 

 ♥this amazing icing. man I want some cake.

♥ fried Plantains ♥ sleep ♥ Sucker Punch and it's soundtrack ♥ Imax ♥ Grandma's Boy ♥ bowling alley enchiladas ♥ people saying I am genius/evil because they liked my cake so much ♥ being off work ♥ having a job ♥ blogging ♥ managing my google reader for once ♥ oreo stuffed chocolate cookie experiment 2011 ♥ hubs being able to go to the doctor because of being a grown up and having him on insurance. ♥ Being late on my TILT ♥ spicy shrimp ♥

You’re never to young to start playing games, never too old to stop.
— Ian Livingstone

What do you guys love this Thursday?