Its a Girls Night Out with Washington Apple Shots

Its Sunday again! Time for that happy hour drink! I chose today's drink because this was the signature shot last night on my girls night out! Its super fruity, super girly and super yummy! Who wouldn't enjoy it? You can make it into a cocktail too but today this is just the recipe for the shot! So when you have your next girls night out whether at the bar or a fun night in with the girls make sure you order a round for the girls!



What you will need:
1/3 oz Crown Royal® Canadian whisky
1/3 oz DeKuyper® Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1/3 oz cranberry juice
1 splash of sour mix

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker, give it a shake and then strain into a shot glass. The above is the amount for one shot so you obviously have to double, triple etc depending on the amount of shots.

**** Shot pouring tips *****
-invest in pourers for your bottles. It is easier to measure your alcohol.
-if you do not use a jigger ( I never have) I count in my head. (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississipi) This gives you an equal 1 oz shot. (hence each "Mississipi is 1/3 oz) Got it? Good!

Have fun on your next Girls Night Out, and remember always turn over the keys if you have had one too many!

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And you wonder why I hate them...

Carnivals of course. What else? I had this bright idea today to take the kiddos by myself to the carnival down the road from me. I must have been drinking to many tina-tinis to think this was a good idea. So we pack up and go to this "set up" they call a carnival. Get there at 6. By 6:15 I was raped of $40... My kids were sucked into 5 games. 5 games I tell you and $40 lost. So I decided to let them ride rides. Well at $18 a wrist band you can have yourself a nice time (on all 9 of the rides they have LOL). So with 4 kids thats $72 (ok so I wouldn't get the mutt one so thats $54 still not easy on the pocket.) So I decided to buy 25 tickets for $20... well each ride is either 3 to 4 tickets so that means they each get to ride 2 things at most. This stinks. (now I am $60 in the hole). So we decided to get some cotton candy (of course they all want there own bags $3 a pop there went $9) and then I wanted a funnel cake and some lemonade ($8).... After an hour of being at a stupid carnival I am out $77 and all I have to show for it is a goldfish, 2 "small prizes", 3 oversized bags of cotton candy, 4 sticky children, lemonade that spilled down the stroller, and a funnel cake that ended up on the ground once I got home. To make matters worse one of the only rides my daughter decided to get on was covered in oil or grease. Her hands were covered, she had it on her face and her poor poor new shirt covered. I am not a happy camper.


But I did get this super funny picture of Abie. Face of a winner! Mama's bringing home a goldfish!


And this super cute moment. Sean decided to use his tickets to take Ry on the carousel... How frigging cute!

Put a check mark next to a carnvial on the "things to do with kids list" and pray to god my kids do not spot another one in the area until next year.

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Mommy Meltdown

So two days ago I think I hit post partum 2 years to late... Ok so I have been really stressed recently, the new bar, lack of clients for my photography (which I am to blame because I haven't been pushing to get any new ones), my husband, the house, the kids, everything. I guess I was like a rubber band, everything has been building and building until I just snapped and went awhol. Sobbing hysterically I jumped into the van and started driving, no destination in mind just driving (kids were home with the hubby). I drove myself to the mental hospital convinced that my mommy brain went into overload and was crashing... I quickly realized that I was not crazy nor did I need a hospital. I just needed to vent, I needed to yell, I needed to cry and thrash around like a toddler not getting thier way. I needed to throw myself down to the ground and scream its not fair. Why is not fair? I dont know but my kids say it so much to me that it must be something you yell and scream when you are not getting your way! So I began the task of driving back home along a very peaceful backroad. I ended up driving by my house and continued driving another 40 miles in the rain until I ended up at a field much like the one above. Daisy's are my most favorite flower ever, so to come across a field FULL of them meant something. I turned sirius all the way up on a symphony channel rolled down my windows, jumped out of the car and began running into the meadow. There is where I had it. I began yelling, throwing rocks, threw myself down and began thrashing like a toddler(note to self, a field that has been rained on for a couple days is no good to throw yourself down in)... Then it happened. I stopped, I took a deep breath, felt the wind on my face, smelled the beautiful flowers, listened to the birds and then I smiled. What seemed like only minutes ended up being over an hour that I layed in this field, cold and wet but I felt at peace. I found solice. I was brought back to reality. I picked several dozen wild daisy's quietly got back into my car and drove home. I have felt rejuvinated since my little meltdown.
My little mommy moment as crazy as it sounds never felt so right. I don't know how many times in my life as a mother I have just felt the need to go run into the yard and start screaming.... I think I deserved this. And no I am not crazy, I am a mom. I am a wife. I am a friend, a daughter, a neice. I am not perfect. I am me. This is me.

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The tina-tini

So I decided since well I love my alcohol that I would share some super yummy recipes! So every Sunday is happy hour here!

Let's kick it off with my personal recipe!

Tina - tini
1 oz - 3 Olives Berry Vodka
1.5 oz- Bacardi DragonBerry Rum
1.5 oz - Lemonade (Today I used pink lemonade)
splash of Sprite
Strawberry garnish

Shake first 3 ingredients, strain into a chilled martini glass. Hit it with a splash of sprite. Add garnish! Voila!

A super fruity summer drink just waiting for you to drink it while lounging at the pool!

I however tend to like my alcohol in volumes so I generally double this and just put it in a glass! Cheers!

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Big Luscious T

I mentioned this briefly in my other blog but let me just tell you how amazingly talented this group of guys are! They played at the bar back in Novemeber of 2008 and I was hooked. Their talent surpasses any local band I have heard. Well ok so maybe Im blowing a little smoke but these guys kick some serious you know what! I have swooped them under my wing and try to promote them as much as possible just so the local area will see how great these guys are. They are a cover band but they also have some of their original stuff that they have yet to record. Seriously check out there myspace and listen to a couple of their tunes....
I think their adorable baby faces just help to make their shows that much more interesting! I cannot wait to see where these guys are in a year or two!Once they become big I better have full rights to backstage as well as be the bands official photographer (yeah ok now I am blowing smoke up my own!) But hey if they don't credit me when they are famous - then maybe I will have to punch them in their eye. LOL.... I love ya BLT!

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Strawberry Picking

I decided a couple days ago that I am no longer going to be a planner - I have always been a planner and I always end up disappointed if things don't work out. So I decided to become impulsive (well as impulsive as a detailed-oriented person can be)and so far it has worked in my favor. As odd as it sounds it has made me feel like I actually have control instead of my schedule controlling me. So today I gave up the chance to go to the beach (which is all fine with me because I cannot stand sand, I despise it) and opted for the strawberry patch. It was so fun! I packed a lunch for the kids and I and off we went. It was quiet up there because not many people knew that the patch opened today. The kids got to ride on the Kiddy tractors, got to look at lots of pretty flowers then picked pounds and pounds of strawberries. Have yet to decide what to do with them all but I am sure I will come up with something! We had a blast! I didn't have my D300 with me but I did have the D40 the good ol stand by except I didn't have my good lens (so sometimes planning is a good thing)... I still got some pretty cool shots none the less. I decided not to shoot in RAW cause I was having a lazy day. But I did decide that I would go back up with the intentions of taking some pretty awesome pics! But I am not planning another trip, I will just go, when I need more strawberries! LOL.

Ry loved the tractors!


The big man took the long walk all by himself, he was proud of his strawberries, so much in fact he took a bite out of almost all of them before "throwing" them in the bucket, apparently the "Gentle Touches" rule doesn't apply to strawberries

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So I'm in

After changing my personal blog into my "work" blog; I decided to jump back on the band wagon of detailing my every waking moment for you... Just Kidding not really but being a mom to four, you get creative and I thought " Hey maybe someone might find use out of my silly ideas" So this starts another round of blogging for me. So I welcome you to my life. Sometimes quiet but all to often chaotic. I will apologize in advance for any baby drool you see seeping from your screen for my youngest alien is cutting his molars. Have a great night! I will be chatting with you later!

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