Tales of Me and the Husband

chicken + crock pot = a woman’s (or man’s!) dream

do you have a crockpot yet?!  do you????  
no?  stop reading.  go buy one.  now!!  then come back.  
if you have one, carry on!  
the crock pot is my best friend forever and especially in the winter time.  it affords me to be lazy but still have dinner on the table!  whatever’s simmering in it for hours on end makes the house so cozy-smelling as it wafts around its stewy chicken or chili aromas!  i should probably name mine.  stella!  stella, you are divine!  a dream come true!
but really.  
now perhaps my favorite thing these days to do in my crock pot is a simple one really.  but it’s so incredible and was a serious lightbulb moment when i did it for the first time.  and then i did it a second, third, fourth, and fifth time and now i’ve lost track but it’s been many, many, many times.  i hope this is a lightbulb moment for you too.  if not, well you’re savvier than i am and can you please tell me more of your secret kitchen tips?
drumroll!  cooking chicken in it.  (gosh that was not as climactic as i intended it to be.)
i don’t mean making a whole chicken stew in it.  i just mean cooking your chicken in it.  chicken breasts, chicken thighs, an entire chicken.  using it simply as a means to go from raw to cooked!  bing, bang, boom!  
i hate handling raw chicken.  i hate cutting it up, dealing with that gross tendon thing, etc.  you like handling it?  are you a murderer?  anyway… i just take some chicken out of the freezer in the morning.  i let it thaw a bit in some lukewarm water, then i put it in the crockpot, cover it with water, and put it on low for a few hours.  it cooks fast, stays juicy, and bonus–you can save the water to add to a stock later on.  you can get fancy here too and add salt, pepper, parsley, celery, you name it, but the quickest and easiest way is just the chicken and water.  
i never touch raw chicken anymore.  i love you, stella.
once the chicken is cooked… shred, dice, do whatever you would normally do with it for dinner.
some of my recents:
1// diced it up to for chicken divan
2// shredded it for chicken and veggie quesadillas
3// diced it for chicken salad sandwiches
4// shredded it for chicken noodle soup
5// shredded it for sweet potato and black bean burritos
there you have it.
oh!  and with a whole chicken–the bones + the crockpot makes for about the best + healthiest bone broth ever.  (and the article that first made me fall in love with the whole concept)  
i’ve got one going right now!  over 24 hours strong!  and the house smells divine!
and that is it.
{my kitchen tips from way back when}

sakura bloom sling diaries: tradition

{shirt: old navy // cheaper in the store, btw!}
{jeans: uo}
this is a small tradition, a scaled-down one.  there’s not a bunch of hustle and bustle about it.  it’s just me and parker (and sometimes lindsey and william if they’re home from school), shoes and coats on, carrots clutched in tiny hands, going to visit some neighborhood horses.  it’s something we do, it breaks up the monotony, and, can i call it a tradition?  it’s a tradition.  a weekly tradition (and sometimes more).  the horses hear us coming down the dirt road, and, they must know us well at this point, thinking, “carrots!  carrots are here!”  they saunter over to the fences, sniffing the air, waiting for their treat.  we always bring at least four carrots.  one for each of them.
it’s our little thing.  we’ve got a pet already–gracie, our yellow lab–but i wonder if parker thinks of these guys as a sort of pet too.  too big to come inside, of course, so, “mom, this is where we keep our horses?”  sure, parker.  he points the horse out in any book, makes the noise for them, and, for the first time this week, didn’t pull his arm back when i asked if he wanted to pet one.  we may be raising ourselves a future horse rider if i’m not careful… 
we’ve become quite fond of them, and them of us.  once the carrots are gone, they still linger by the fence (particularly one of them) and let us pet them.  it’s a mutual understanding at this point.  they give us a nice reason to go for a walk, we bring them carrots, they let us pet them.  it’s a win-win for all.  
this is my fifth entry in the sakura bloom sling diaries.
i wear parker in the pure baby sling in organic maple.
{past sakura bloom sling diary entries}

mama style winners (in my book, anyway).

1// dawnelle from just dawnelle: she’s got it down with a chambray shirt, a scarf, and a colored pant.  basically, i have the same outfit.

2// mandy from juggling chic: a colorful jacket, flats (you mamas in heels… well, don’t know how you do it), and skinny jeans.  always perfect.  always classy.

3// shelby from brandon & shelby: i love the pairing of similar colors, the loose, comfortable fit of the clothes, her hair, and those cutie kids in the picture too.

there were a bunch of really good outfits.  but i could only pick three so there you have it!  my three!  thanks to all who linked.

and i’m out.

mama style.

{jeans: sevens}
{sweater: old}
{shirt: old navy}
{shoes: minnetonka}

It’s a big day for this blog of mine.  My first linkup!  I couldn’t turn down one centered around Mama Style because, well, the obvious–I’m both a Mom and someone who likes style–but more importantly, I remember those postpartum days all too well.  That strange gelatinous belly, swollen nether regions, and a foreign-to-me chest that sprung a leak every chance it got.  It was a strange time.  It didn’t last forever (praise be!) but it certainly was awkward while it did.  The completely unimpressive outfit above is nearly accurate to what I might’ve put on, save the jeans.  Jeans come later.

A maxi skirt is so incredibly forgiving to a new Mom.  I lived in my various maxi skirts.  While everyone else thought, “Hey, look!  She’s actually dressing up a bit!  Good for her, that new Mom!” I was thinking, “Stretchy waistband!  Loose fabric that doesn’t grab my swollen crotch!”  Add to that, a blousey chambray shirt (closed by itself or open with a v-neck underneath) which makes for easy nursing, and a lipstick (one of my favorites colors below), and you’re set.  And, really, don’t underestimate the power of lipstick.  With it, I felt so much more put together, and, in turn, so much more motivated to get out of the house, make dinner, go for walks, etc.  You could say that the lipstick even cancels out the gelatinous belly.  Sure.  Does saying it make it true?

And now for the linkup part…

Today I am linking up with 9 (yes 9!) other stylish mamas to give you a little insight into what I wear and to hopefully inspire you in your own wardrobe choices! As if finding the time to get dressed and put effort into our look as mamas isn’t hard enough, when this time of year comes around and the weather is cold and the mornings are frosty, it seems like it’s always a little harder to get dressed for the day.

Each of the hostesses will be sharing her favorite outfit and 3 items she believes must be in every mama’s style arsenal and we want you to play along!

THE MAMA STYLE HOSTESSES:
Isobel of Holdenonbaby
Casey Leigh of The Wiegands
Nicole, Emily, and Jenna of The Small Fry Blog
Cara of Cara Loren
Laura of Ascot Friday
Jen of Deep in the Hart
Anna of In Honor of Design
Bridget of Tales of Me and the Husband

HOW IT WORKS:
1// First, head to each of the hostess’ sites beginning Monday, January 28th, check out their mama style post, and follow their blog!
2// You will then link up on any ONE of the hostess’ sites. Our links will be interlinked which means that your post will be displayed on all of our sites.
3// Share your own mama style outfits and tell us how your style has changed since becoming a mama.
The link up will run through Friday, February 1st.
4// At the end of the link-up, we will be choosing our 3 favorite mama styles to be posted on each of our sites.

Remember: you must follow all 8 hostesses in order to participate!!

SO GRAB A BUTTON AND TELL ABOUT THE PARTY!



Photobucket 
 
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ten degrees.

{sweater: asos}
{skirt: c/o tailor and stylist}
{shoes: urban outfitters}
ten degrees.  it was ten degrees when we took these pictures!  massachusetts, and i think all of the northeastern part of the united states, is undergoing a massive strike on the part of mother nature.  she’s only giving out nostril-hair-freezing temperatures these days.  the forecast for the week is single digits.  single digits!  no snow, gorgeous sunshine, but cooooold temperatures.  poor parker and i are suffering from serious cabin fever.  we’re going to get out to a playgroup tomorrow–as long as the engine doesn’t seize on the way there.  wish us luck.

the bachelor: my thoughts on the girls.

so, i figured i’d do one of these recaps every few episodes as long as i’m caught up.  and caught up i am!  so let’s go!  (also, i took no notes so i’m doing this from memory.  boooring.)

sean!
thoughts on sean so far.  i’m impressed.  i hate when the guys have these awful homogenous quotes that get repeated time and time and time again.  i was afraid we were heading into brad womack’s “please” territory (remember??) when sean said “you look amazing” to every girl who got out of the limo.  i mean, i don’t expect that he won’t tell them they look good but, i don’t know, something else?!?  thesaurus, sean!  anyway, i have liked him quite a bit so far, but when he pretty much called kacie b. out for meddling with this desiree and what’s-her-name nonsense i was like YES.  FINALLY.  a bachelor guy who actually has an opinion and is not afraid to voice it.

the girls.

lesley!
my favorite by far.  she’s taking it seriously but not so seriously that she’s crying through every interview and gnashing her teeth about him being stolen from her or kissing another girl.  she should win.  alright, it’s a little early to be saying that but… i like her a lot.  she seems fun and cool.  and thus far she hasn’t said crap about the other girls and the girls that stay quiet on that subject always end up my favorites.

tierra!
i don’t know about you girl.  i agreed with sean… she seemed super charming, great smile, etc. straight out of the limo.  but since… meh.

desiree!
i like her.  looks like there’ll be some drama between her and an ex or current boyfriend later on?!  sean’s crazy about her.  she does seem cool but, sorry, lesley still has my vote.

amanda!
soooo brooding and then all, “i bring light wherever i go!” in her conversation with sean.  weirdo.  got to go.

ashLee!
i like her for the most part.  i don’t like how she said to tierra, “you got the first rose not the first impression rose.”  dumb.  accept it.  tierra pretty much scored the rose of the night.  give credit where credit is due.  anyway, beyond that, she seems sweet.  was totally cool about sharing her date with those two best friends at six flags and just seems nice overall.

kacie b.!
annoying.  i’m just not a huge kacie b. fan.  i wasn’t in ben’s season either.  i don’t know what it is.  she’s just a hot mess.  i think she’s like too serious?  not fun?  what is it?  and holy make up.  i want to scrub her down.

kristy!
she seemed nice buuuut i’m not sorry to see her go.  too much crying over the volleyball loss and the whole “ford model!  huge teethy grin!” BOOM, you’ve been let go.

robyn!
she seems down to earth and cool.  i like her and i like that she asked him about dating different races.  it was a good question and i think he handled it well too.

sarah!
sweetheart.  i like her a lot.  her zipline story was sad too.

selma!
tone down the lipgloss.

oh, and side note.  lesley and sean may have won the longest kiss on screen but steve and i totally win for longest kiss off screen.  boom.

alright, who are your favorites?

saturday morning breakfast MADE.

my dad has always been something of a breakfast chef.  since growing up, the most delicious of breakfasts were usually something cooked up by him (sorry mom!).  probably because they were of the more indulgent variety than the healthy variety.  banana french toast was at the top of the list.  any bread will do (and it will be delicious), but i think challah bread is really the best.  he made it for steve and i while we were down there recently and it was decadent.  like better than a restaurant good.  and it couldn’t be simpler.  also, it’s the perfect thing to do with those black bananas you store in your freezer. you don’t?  just me?
challah bread banana french toast
serves 6
a loaf of challah bread
5-6 eggs
5-6 very ripe bananas
1-2 cups of milk (or half and half–even better!)
blend eggs, bananas, milk.
soak day-old (or longer) semi stale challah bread.  really press it into the batter until all the air bubbles are gone and it’s sufficiently soaked up the mixture.  both sides.  and cook!  
serve with maple syrup.  maybe some whipped cream if you’re feeling extra special.

“how much does mama love you?”

the other night i was putting parker to sleep.  our usual routine.  pajamas on, brush teeth (he hates this.  so, confession: sometimes i skip it.), read a book, tell him his feet are stinky and he laughs… then we turn on the white noise, sit down in the rocker, and i nurse him to sleep.  this particular night, he was taking awhile to settle down (who am i kidding?  this happens often.).  he’d had a long nap ending at 4 pm so i suspect he wasn’t tired enough.  nursed one side, then wanted the other.  did some nursing gymnastics (they truly believe your boob is not actually attached to your body sometimes, yes?), and then after about 45 minutes finally got sleepy and began to close his eyes.  in the dark, i knew he was beginning to go into sleep because the nursing became sporadic and he was still and quiet.  after at least five minutes of this, i thought he might be asleep, but i still whispered: “how much does mama love you?”  and, he did what he always does, and with his one free arm, stretched it sleepily up into the air as if to say “thiiiiis much!”  then he put it back down and went to sleep.

i died right there on the spot.

p.s. this is the bedhead of a toddler who has lots of hair.  every morning and every nap.  boy needs a stylist.  and do you know he’s had at least 3 trims thus far?  
p.p.s. and remember this post?  when i said i needed bedroom inspiration i meant i wanted to do the exaaact same thing i saw on pinterest.

doing a fashion post with a toddler running around is not the same thing as doing one without a toddler running around.

{top: vintage}
{skirt: c/o tailor and stylist}
it’s january in massachusetts… (andddd all other places around the globe i’m pretty sure????).  what i mean to say is this!!  getting outside for pictures is not always do-able.  snow!  slush!  sleet!  so, the hunt family living room with a jammied toddler running about will have to do!  while parker and his attire aren’t winning any awards (though, he pulls off stripes and bright green socks well, don’t you think?), i still thought he was cute enough to photo bomb a few of them.  now! this skirt is my second tailor and stylist piece and, ya’ll know i love me the maxi skirts.  this one has promptly been entered into the rotation.  it’s thick and well-made (and long!!  i’m 5’10” and it actually touches the ground!) and with those cool sort of wings stitched in (there has got to be a more appropriate name for them) that make it sort of flare out if you spin… well those wing-mermaidy-things make it appropriate for date night too.  
score for t&s!
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