Un-Domestic, Yet a Bit Domestic. Possible?

I am concerned that I am beginning to lose my un-domestic-ness. For most, this would be a good thing, but I like that aspect about me. I feel it makes me unique and just .... me.

And it forces me to realize that I am a grown-up.

I have been spending a better part of the last 34 years trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow-up, and here I am! All grown up with a family, a house and a career path that changes often, but yet is following a trail.

I started to question my un-domestic Goddess status last week when D made the comment that I am getting good at cooking. I made a kick ass pizza and the next day made an awesome beef and noodle thingy.

Then it really hit me today when I was gardening, for the first time in my life, and .... wait for it .....

I really enjoyed myself!

Can you believe it? Me, Leah, likes to garden!

I still wear latex gloves plus yellow rubber gloves and cry when I clean the toilet, I still make the oven smoke when I cook, and I still let my bookshelf get dusty, but maybe I am more of a domestic Goddess than I give myself credit for. Maybe my talents are shifting a bit.

I am still a Goddess either way.

Backyard flower box

Front yard flower bed 

What Has Two White Legs and Blinds People?

Me. I have the whitest legs in the world. I can't deny it, as I can't hide it and believe me I have tried.

I was lucky enough (not really) to inherit lily white english skin from my Dad's side of the family. Because of this, I can have some trouble with good old Mr. Sun. In the big picture of things, it is not so bad, as I tend to shy away from tanning and basking in the Sun's rays and I like to think my skin is happier due to that. But when you temporarily blind people with the whiteness of your legs, you often wish they would just tan already!

I could sit out in the direct sun with tanning oil on my legs and they would only get a heat rash and burn. Actually, I can't recall my legs ever changing color when the rest of me had burnt to a crisp on occasion.

Oh wait, I do remember one time that I managed to achieve tanned legs. Mom and I got spray tans before a trip to Vegas about eight ish years ago. Wow .... were we ever tanned!

After leaving the tanning salon in Beaumont we stopped by Auntie Tracey's house to show off our bronzed skinned. The kids were scared of us. Seriously, ask them. We looked like Natives form the Australian Outback, and both of us having bright green eyes did not help. I think we even scared ourselves!

We showered to get the excess colour off and felt pretty good about the tans we achieved. We were ready for vacation! Off we went to Las Vegas with beautiful sprayed on tans.

We weren't the only ones who ended up brown though.  Our clothes joined us. The tan was rubbing off onto our clothes and adding little accents of brown. Not only that, but you have no idea how freaky it is to shower and see coloured water running down the drain. And that was days after being sprayed. Worst idea we had in a long time.

I have tried different tanning creams, but for some reason they just don't work well or I end up with the dreaded streaks. I gave up and waved the white flag to not having tanned legs.

Yes, pun intended.

A couple weeks ago, D came across a website that sends you free samples of products. FREE! Being the thrifty guy that he is, he signed up and a week later an awesome package full of FREE samples appeared in our mailbox. We got a toothbrush, toothpaste, a granola bar, little tabs of dishwasher soap, a razor, sample sized shampoo and conditioner and Jergen's Natural Glow lotion.

Now that I had to try.

I am on my second day of using it and I actually see a difference! It is not meant to darken your skin right away, but has a more gradual effect, which works for me. I just wish it smelled better.

But it appears that this girl shall have tanned legs for the first time in years! I can already tell that this will be the best summer ever!

Cupcakes? More Like, Awesomecakes!

B asked me to make cupcakes for her birthday party. I double, then triple checked that she was certain, and in fact she was.

I was out of oil, so I substituted it with sour cream. Quite proud of myself on that one.

With a little help from my friend, Stella, I made some pretty kick ass cupcakes! No smoke, no fires and they all came out of the pan! Gotta love baking cups :)

I apparently used french sour cream!

A little fudge surprise in the middle. 

Oopsie. 

Finished product!!!

I Have Realized That .....

In honor of AJ's 2nd birthday coming up in a couple months, which totally baffles me, I am making a list of the top ten things that I have learned about myself and that have surprised me since becoming a Mommy.

(Other than the obvious, so no snickers from the peanut gallery.)


1. I will never be alone.

2. Yes I love my sleep, but no matter what time AJ wakes up between the hours of 12AM and 8AM I gleefully run to her room and am happy to see her face.

3. In her eyes I am a the greatest cook ever.

4. It is really, really, REALLY freaky to see a mini me running around.

5. Poop is gross, but compared to other kids' poop, your child's poop smells like roses.

6. As a Mom you talk about poop a lot.

7. I am 110% comfortable with myself in front of her. I can be silly, be naked, be sick, be undone and cry in front of her with no worries of being judged.

8. I have to watch what I say around this little sponge.

9. With her, it is the only time I will kiss, or put another person's feet near my mouth ... EVER.

10. You actually CAN love someone so much, it hurts.


Someone get my Mom a tissue please?

Pot-Not-So-Lucky

The dreaded "what will you bring to the family dinner" email. I look at the list of names, and I see many family members who can, and enjoy cooking. Then I see Auntie Tracey with a blank space. Maybe I can beat her to it. Maybe I will get to bring buns this time!

There was a moment in my life where I was "bun girl". Everyone knew I couldn't cook, and frankly I think they were all scared to let me. So a can of cranberry sauce and a bag of buns it was!

Then one day out of the blue, Auntie Tracey stepped in and took over my spot as bun girl. Not only that, but I became a Mother and therefore automatically got promoted to "you have to actually make something" girl. Ugh. Fine.

Onetime though, I did make a kick ass caesar salad.

Anyways, I usually manage to cop out and throw together a simple coleslaw from a bag of pre-shredded cabbage and a jar of Renee's Cucumber Dill dressing, which is what I tried to do this past weekend for Easter Dinner. Until my Mother suggested a fancier salad. Then it became this hunt for de-podded edamame beans which were never found. So that was a wash.

I remembered a super crunchy and fresh anise salad my Mom made once, but we could not find the recipe for the life of us.

What about an asparagus salad? Not a great idea after pricing out the ingredients and having a total close to $30 for an un-domestic goddess salad. No thanks.

Just as I was about to grab a bag of the shredded cabbage I detoured and picked up a bag of baby spinach along with a bottle of Renee's Field Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigarette dressing. Throw in a few handfuls of slivered almonds and some strawberries (which my Mom cut up for me) and what do you have?

The new coleslaw!!!

As I have now become "salad girl", Auntie Tracey has found a nice little roll (pun intended) as "potato girl". We sure have come a long way.