Monday, September 20, 2010

USC...GO COCKS!

It's football season, folks!  And in the DiEduardo household that means it's GAMECOCK season!  I grew up loving Carolina football and still do to this day.  When Kyle and I got married he quickly learned he was a Gamecock fan too.  And now, our little Stella is wearing her garnet and black Carolina jersey (thanks to her Uncle Hal) with pride.  Even if you're not a Gamecock fan, you have to admit, she looks adorable!

Stella's worn her jersey for 2 weeks in a row now and we've had 2 big wins!  Looks like she's their lucky charm!  Here's hoping for a great football season for the Gamecocks.  Hopefully we'll be able to get to at least one game this season but if not, we'll be wearing our jerseys and watching all the games on tv.
Go Gamecocks!!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work Kyle Goes

So many of my friends have posted on Facebook photos of their little ones and their first day of school so I thought it was only fitting that I take a few pics of Kyle's "First Day" at his new job.  He has passed both his Series 7 and Series 66 Exams and starting this past Tuesday, he's now allowed to go out and start "meeting potential clients" or in his terms "prospecting".
Wow - what a handsome guy!  I'd definitely open my door for him and listen to what he had to say!

He's doing an awesome job and I'm SO proud of my hubby!  Bring home the bacon, babe!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

An Old Memory

Growing up I always remember eating goldfish and cheez-its with my grandmother.  Today, Stella and I shared a snack together - yummy goldfish - and it brought back so many memories of my childhood and eating goldfish w/ my Granma.  Guess every time we eat this snack I'll always think of her.
It's wonderful how we get to relive all of these special memories of our loved ones daily!  I sure do miss my Granma and wish SO badly that she could have met the most precious, beautiful, smart little girl.  She would be in love just like the rest of us!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Pork, It's What's for Dinner

A friend of mine had a delicious recipe that she shared w/ me that involved a rump roast and I told the hubby about it and he definitely thought we should make it...soon.  So this week's grocery list included purchasing the roast.  However, I bought the wrong kind!!  I bought pork instead of beef.  I guess that should tell you how coo coo I've been these days. LOL Must be lack of sleep!

Anywho, we made Crockpot Pulled Pork for dinner tonight and it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself.  Mimi even stayed and enjoyed it too!  I think it would have been better w/ a vinegar-type of BBQ though but I thought I'd share in case anyone's interested.  Enjoy!


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (spice rub from Cooks Illustrated)
Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 cups barbecue sauce
1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.
5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Lots to Brag...I mean BLOG...About

We've had a very busy week this past week.  Kyle was out of town at the Edward Jones Headquarters at an Educational Conference so Stella and I were home alone - for a whole week!!  It definitely made me step back and realize how much he actually helps me with and all I can say is I'm one lucky and blessed girl!

After a few sleepless nights during the week, Stella must have felt sorry for me because on Wednesday she finally said the words I've been longing to hear...yep, she said "MAMA"!!!!!!!  Talk about being the happiest girl alive!!  Those words were like music to my ear.  Of course I called Kyle as soon as she started saying it and...he didn't answer.  So then, I called my mom...and she didn't answer.  No one was going to believe that she actually said it!!  From then I knew that I had to go nuts clapping and screaming w/ excitement so she would know that she had done something wonderful.  {Not that I wasn't already acting like a complete crazy lady that just won the lottery or something!}  So from that day on we practiced saying "MAMA" all day long.  Sure enough, when Mimi came to stay w/ us on Thursday, she heard the words "MAMA" too so I was even more excited!  

Stella has also learned to say "BAY-BEEE" and that is one of the sweetest things I've heard her say too.  She loves her baby dolls and we're constantly calling them by name...Baby Lexi, Baby Molly, etc.  Also I read to her every night and lately they've been books about a mama and a baby so I guess it finally clicked!

Another cool thing that happened this week was Stella learned how to "Give Me 5"!  One day while I was feeding Stella lunch I thought...wouldn't it be cool if she could "Give Me 5"!!  So I thought I'd try it out.  She pretty much caught on right away.  So awesome!  I'm telling ya - she's a genius!

Needless to say when we picked Kyle/Daddy up from the airport yesterday we had lots to catch him up on.  He was TOTALLY blown away by all that she had learned while he was gone.



We are both so proud of our sweet, adorable, little girl that amazes us every single day by all that she's learning and doing.  

BTW, these pics are from Stella's friend, Jack's 3rd Birthday Party today!  We had a blast!  Happy Birthday Jack!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Rock Like a Princess

The other day Stella and I were shopping at Target for the necessities...formula, diapers, the occasional bargain on sale, etc....when I thought "ya know, Stella really hasn't gotten a 'new toy' in while, maybe I'll pick her up something fun and inexpensive!"  So I found this adorable little guitar that plays music and I thought - perfect b/c she loves music and likes to dance when she hears music.  Needless to say it was a hit!!  She's had the best time w/ this lil guitar and I've enjoyed dancing around and acting silly w/ her just to see this adorable face...



Stella has a shirt that says "Rock Like a Princess" so I thought it would only be appropriate to put her in that while she's playing her guitar.  What a rock star!!


I've had such a fun day w/ my girls today!  Bella went to the groomer and came back looking all pretty and we've had a fun day playing, relaxing and making memories!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

She Gets It From Her....DADDY!

That's right - Stella gets all of her "smarts" from her daddy!  My sweet hubby has passed his second exam, the Series 66, to help secure his job as a financial advisor with Edward Jones.  We are SO proud of him and all of his studying and hard work is paying off.  Only one more test after this and he can officially take on clients and help them meet their financial needs.

Not only is Stella smart like her daddy, but she likes to dress like him too. :)  jk!  But she loves to help with laundry and I just couldn't resist putting her in one of his big t-shirts!!  She's such a good sport - and a ham!  Wonder who she gets that from?!?