Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the McPumpkin Heads!

Recipe # 3

Happy Halloween! Here's a recipe that's so easy, its SCARYYYY!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Original recipe makes 1 - 9x13 inch cake

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the spice cake mix and canned pumpkin until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and serve, or store in the refrigerator. 

This tastes even better the next day! 

It is so moist and amazing. You can add frosting if you desire but SO not necessary....I have added chocolate or butterscotch chips to it

(From the Director of B.S.)

Yuh-UM!!!

Helpful Tips: Caffeine Commitments and VolunCheers

Have you ever sat down with your cup of coffee wanting nothing to do with anything then all of a sudden the caffeine seeps into your blood and you realize that you've just joined a book club, environmental committee, AND just spent $300 at target.com?  If so, you have experienced caffeine commitments.  

Have you ever been at a bar with a few friends and/or coworkers and, like most evenings out on the town, after a few drinks you go home and the next day you wake up with a headache and a text message asking "You're still coming to help me move this morning, right?" or "Hope you're ready to help me build that new fence this afternoon!".  If so, you have experience VolunCheering. 

I'm sure you can agree that too much of a caffeine or drunk buzz can make you commit to things you probably wouldn't commit to if you were sober....

Helpful tips:

1. Drink alone.  

2. Count to 50 before you commit. Usually you will be too wired or too tipsy to ever get to 50 because you'll get distracted.  

3. Place your cell phone or any social networking device somewhere where you can't get to them.

4. And of course pray that your friends are drunker than or more wired than you are in they won't remember that you ever committed!

5. Finally, if you can't get out of the commitment (and you really shouldn't try) bring a flask.....

Recipe # 2

This is a recipe that everyone has loved EVERYTIME I've made it.  I have to give full credit to Elizabeth Hart for this one.  Thank you Elizabeth!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Banana Coffee Cake (aka TOTAL DELICIOUSNESS!)

Ingredients:

½ c. butter or margarine

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¼ c. banana – mashed (about 4 medium bananas)

½ c. sour cream

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ c. chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Chips.  If ½ c. is not enough, you can always use more chocolate!

Sugar-Cinnamon mix:

½ c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. 

In small mixing bowl, cream butter and ¾ c. sugar together.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Stir in mashed banana and sour cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon mix in a small bowl and set aside. 

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.  Take 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and sugar mixture and sprinkle at the bottom of the Bundt pan.  Spoon half of batter over the sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle another tablespoon of cinnamon and sugar mixture over batter.  Sprinkle ½ c. chocolate chips over cinnamon to form the middle layer.  Top with remaining batter.  Sprinkle another tablespoon of cinnamon and sugar on top of remaining batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Finding Humor in Yourself

Throughout the years of my life I have certainly learned how to laugh at myself.  By being able to laugh at one's self and finding the humor in certain situations, I believe he or she is able to live a happier life.  

Here is an example of me laughing at myself (not necessarily during the actual time of when the photos were taken).  Sometimes it takes time for the actual situation before it is funny to you and/or others...days, months, even years!

I kept these ID's for the single most important purpose: conversation starter.

And now introducing....

I'd like to introduce a very important person in my life.  This amazingly beautiful woman is my Director of Blog Support. She is, more importantly, my aunt :)  She is definitely one of the most funniest, strongest, most caring, and most personable people I have EVER met.
Di will be helping me keep this blog positive, happy, funny, and interesting.  Trust me, I'll need her!!

Say Hi! to Di!  The Director of B.S.!!

Recipe # 1

I found this original recipe in "Fix it and Forget it" Crock Pot Recipe Book, but I don't FULLY follow recipes unless it is baking. So technically this is MY recipe ;)


Chicken Delicious McCoy Style

4-6 Chicken Breasts
1-2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Paprika
Onion Powder
Celery Salt
Tarragon
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom
1 Can of Cream of Celery
2 Cans of Cream of Corn
1/3 Cup of White Wine
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Season chicken with AS MUCH of the spices as your little heart desires. Place in bottom of crock pot.

Mix Soups, Corn, and Wine together.  Pour over chicken.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese over soup, corn, wine mixture.

Cook on Low for 8 hours.  OR if you plan on being home you can switch Hi and Lo every hour if you don't have 8 hours.  I switched Hi and Lo (every hour) for 6 hours and the chicken came out perfect.  

I also made Roasted Garlic Baby Red Potatoes (mashed potatoes...instant) to place under the Chicken Delicious McCoy Style

Recipes

I love seeing the joy on my husband's face when he takes a bite (and then goes for seconds and thirds!) of my home-cooked meals. I also enjoy when our family is over and they also enjoy my food.  The creative technique and brave spice-adding is all thanks to Mama Deb!

Recipes don't always have to be difficult.  They can be SO TASTY yet so incredibly easy!

The Story of Byron and Bridgette

September 2009: Byron and I met in Annapolis, MD. I lived in Annapolis (or in the suburbs of Annapolis my whole life) I swore I would never date one of those Midshipmen from the US Naval Academy...they were obnoxious drunks and poor tippers (my opinion after working for 5 years as a cocktail waitress in downtown Annapolis).  Luckily Byron had already graduated.  He thought he was coming up from graduating Officer school in Virginia to spend time with his dad and friends at one last Navy football game.  He was wrong. The next day his dad and him drove from Maryland to Missouri to spend time with his family for a week before he was to be stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  He decided it was best if we text messaged for the week after we met...no phone calls.  I found out then that this guy was not a very big 'talker', he was more of a writer.  Those of you who know Byron know how true this is!  A week after we met he drove from Missouri to Maryland for one night to 're-meet' me.  I made him dinner, we went to a benefit for a girl, and then danced in the living room to John Coltrane "In a Sentimental Mood", The Commodores "Lady" The Commodores: Lady (he belted this one out!).  The next day he moved to North Carolina.  We had a long distance relationship from this time until April 1, 2010.  During the long distance relationship Byron was deployed twice for the USMC.  

April 1, 2010: Byron came home from his deployment in Haiti

April 24, 2010: We were married at the USNA Chapel in Annapolis  and lived on Camp Lejeune from June, 2010-March 2012.  

August 8, 2010: We found out we were pregnant

November 16, 2010: We found out we were pregnant...with twins...
Here's the story:  After we went for our 11 week ultrasound we were told we were having 1 baby.  A few weeks later we had our heartbeat check up and there were all sorts of funny sounds (it sounded like Mario from Super Mario Bros had 10 cups of coffee and was jumping around in my belly)  The doctor (who will remain nameless) said the funny sounds was "..just the baby rolling around in [my] belly".  Byron left for a 6 week long training in CA November 13.   On the day of November 16 I went to a lunch for the OWC (Officer's Wives' Club) that included yoga, Zumba, and spa-like events.  A friend of mine, Mindy, (who was also pregnant at the time, her husband was at the training with Byron, AND it was her birthday) was with me at lunch and we decided there that she should go with me to find out the gender of the baby so I was not alone.  
Fast forward to the appointment: I'm laying on the uncomfortable check up bed (not a comfy hospital bed) with the ultrasound screen sort of behind my head.  Mindy is at the foot of my bed.  The ultrasound tech (I'm not completely sure she wasn't out of her mind..) said "This is the second time this week that they didn't mark on someone's chart that they were having twins..." I laugh thinking it's JUST A JOKE and then look at Mindy...she has her hand over her mouth with her eyebrows almost touching her hair line and her eye balls are about to fall out of her head.  She is stuttering and pointing to the screen with the two bodies on it...saying "There's ta....there's ta...there's two heads on the screen!!!".  Since she is pregnant I know she knows what an ultrasound looks like...  I look up towards the screen in shock and the ultrasound tech says "Wait...you didn't know you were having twins..??".  
Fast forward 3 hours...poor Mindy had to be in a hospital ultrasound tech room ON HER BIRTHDAY: I have to tell Byron what we were expecting...   Thanks to a good friend's idea, I sent Byron with two small packages (pink and blue newborn socks) wrapped in yellow, marked "1" and "2". I text him and ask him if he is in any meetings.  He calls me right away.  I tell him to open package "1".  He gets excited and says "It's blue! We are having a boy!". I say "Yup! Now open package "2"." He gets confused and quiet.  I hear him opening the other package and is still confused and quiet. I ask him "Byron what do you see?"  He is still quiet.  "Byron what do you see?!" He says, "Pink and blue..?"  I tell him, "Byron we are having TWINS!".  He starts laughing hysterically (I think because he can't believe what I'm saying and is in complete shock!).  I told him everything is perfect with both of them (health, size, organs, etc).  He then says, "That's why you're getting so big!"  "Yes, Byron...that's why I'm getting so big..." and then it hit him we were "...going to have to get two of EVERYTHING!" 

Everyone was ecstatic at this news!

March 3, 2011: Byron left for deployment to Afghanistan.  My mom had come down the day before.

March 22, 2011:  The doctor said that we were losing space and oxygen for the babies and we should schedule a C-section.  I said "Ok, How about Friday, March 25?" He said, "How about tomorrow?"  I look at my mom and say, "I guess we are having babies tomorrow!"

March 23, 2011: 8:45am: Audrey Savoie McCoy is born.   8:47am:  Matthew Robert McCoy is born.

September 27, 2011: Byron comes home to meet his new family!

March 13, 2012: We are out of the USMC and move to Clinton, Missouri.  Byron is now a farmer!

And this is where we are now :)

Tip # 1: Cheese

We (just me, really though) are excitedly nervous to begin this blog journey. Tip of the afternoon: Teach your kids how to say "cheese" at an early age...great pics can be taken ;)

Pregnancy-Thermometer Test

I'm a mother of twins.  There are rarely dull moments.  Yesterday our son was sick with the 24 hour flu.  I sent my husband a picture of our son's temperature on a digital thermometer.  He came home sweating and laughing saying "I thought that was a pregnancy test and then I took a closer look and saw it was a temperature!".  That IS funny!

We look forward to adding to our family but not until I'm 30 (that's not until April 2014 but who's counting) for sanity reasons and health insurance reasons.

And so it begins..

There are a number of family and friends that tell me I should start a blog.  So here I am.  I am still trying to understand the reasons for a blog if I have facebook and tell my friends on there what's going on in our lives.  

The reason for the title of the blog is my mom.  Her favorite color is SkyBlue Pink.  She would make sure we (my sister and I) saw the beauty in the sky.  But when the sky became the color SkyBlue Pink the amazement in her voice was extremely apparent.  

I don't believe there is a better way to describe myself without including my mom.  For many reasons my mom has been the woman I have always aspired to be.  She is my hero and I've always wanted to be sure I made her proud in my decisions (even when I made bad decisions, she knew I would learn from my mistakes).  She is the woman who instilled humor in my lungs, creativity in my blood, common sense in my brain, strength in my bones, and love in my heart.  

This blog is about things that interest me, my family, my friends, people that come into my life, funny things, and things that make me happy.  There will be pictures, art, crafts, and posts. 

Please remember that I am new to this so there are things that could change but one thing that will not change it to continue to look at the brighter things in life that make me and us happy.