Did You Know...

That I'm about to show you how to make the best salsa in the world?  Well, I am.

First things first, though.  I found this link-up last night and think it's so cool!  It's over at The Pleated Poppy and it's called What I Wore Wednesday (WIWW).  People link up their outfits from that day or week and list where they got each item.  So fun to look through and get inspiration!  And so nice to know that there are others that get the bulk of their wardrobe from Target, F21, Old Navy...
  
I didn't actually link up today since I'm pretty sure Gumshoe's 5yr "young" police academy sweatpants and an old sorority t-shirt are not considered an outfit.  Whateva.

Now...down to bid-niz.  This salsa is a staple in our house.  We make it weekly and use it with everything...on top of chicken, tacos, as a side dish...everywhere!  Even LG eats it by the handful.  So grab your sombreros and let's get started!

Dice 1 orange bell pepper (green or yellow will do, too)

Add 1 diced red bell pepper

We're about to chop onions so get your ski goggles to protect your eyes from those tear-inducing onion fumes.  I really do this...for realz.  Try it.

Add 1/2 of a chopped yellow onion and don't cry about it

Add 1 can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed

Add 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

While you're in the middle of all this chopping, draining and rinsing...be sure that you provide safe and productive activities for your child like I did.  Here are some suggestions:

Playing with a ballpoint pen

or even better...

Wine bottles from the fridge

Either one will do nicely!  Now back to the salsa...

Add 1/2 tsp cumin

Add 1/2 tsp salt

Add 1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Add the juice of 1 lime

Add a dash of cilantro (I used dried but fresh is great, too)

Stir it up and, voila!  Fresh veggie salsa.  Yum!

Here's a close-up b/c it's so pretty!

So simple, so good and so healthy.  We like it with the Market Pantry organic blue corn flax seed chips from Target that I forgot to get at the store (not pictured).

Enjoy!

Par-Tay...

Ultimate Blog Par-Tay, that is!  Hah...did I manage to make that cheesy or what?
I stumbled across this par-tay over at 5minutesformom.com and thought it would be fun to join in.  Join in with me and find some fun blogs to follow!

For those of you new to Mrs. Gumshoe...
My blog is actually REALLY amazing and you'll be blown away when you read it!  Okay...maybe not blown away.  Well...maybe it's not REALLY amazing.  Umm...maybe it's not amazing at all, but it's fun and funny and where else are you gonna get great cop stories?  Other than Southland, Law and Order, The First 48, Bluebloods, The Good Guys, NCIS, CSI Miami, CSI Las Vegas, CSI New York...well I guess you can get cop stories anywhere.  Just read my blog, 'kay?  :)

I haven't been blogging for long, but figured I needed to get a new hobby after Gumshoe threw out my creepy doll collection.  This has been a lot more fun and productive, so it really was a blessing in disguise! Okay...I didn't really have a creepy doll collection, but Gumshoe did urge me to find a hobby other than reality TV.  Now I'm thinking he might regret it because I have a camera in his face all. the. time.  Say "Cheese" Gumshoe!

Anyway-thanks for stopping by.  Hope you get a little laugh along the way and don't forget to link up to the Ultimate Blog Party!!!!  Woot Woot!  We're partying so much they've called the cops...

License and registration.  I'm not messin' around.

 

Weekend in Pictures

We were blessed with a beautiful weekend after what has seemed like a long, cold, snowy and gray winter.  We took full advantage! 

 

Gumshoe made waffles

We did a lot of loungin'

We broke out our overalls and found a new use for them

Gumshoe and I went on a date...and stuffed ourselves...

On this!

And this!

Then we walked it off

Lion went too, of course

Dogshoe ran off some steam

We made sure to "Sopt" at all the "Sopt Signs" some kiddos had drawn on the trail.  So sweet!

We had the best crumb cake muffins

Then we churched' it

I got to go shopping all by myself.  And no...I'm not too old to shop at that store.  Forever 21...Forever 31.  Whatever!  Just keepin' it classy.

We gave out citations to some unruly grandparents...

Then we took our pants off...very unprofesh and he will be on unpaid leave for that stunt!

We capped the evening off with a hailstorm...which might cap off our house with a new roof.

Hope your weekend was just as beautiful and just as blessed.  Minus the hailstorm, of course...oh...and the no-pants police.  (unless that's how you roll...no judgment here)

Embrace the Camera

I recently stumbled across the "Embrace the Camera" challenge at The Anderson Crew.  Emily Anderson challenges folks to get out in front of the camera and get in the picture with your kiddos.  Click on the button at the bottom to check out all the links.

I thought this would be a great challenge to participate in because we have sooo many pics of just LG.  Alone.  With no parents.  As if he's a little orphan child.  So these will serve as proof that he wasn't raised by wolves.  His manners on the other hand...

I took these pics shortly after we had arrived home from a dinner that LG's sweet great-grandmother had treated us to.

The food was great.

Our dinner companions were lovely.

LG was a TERROR!

It had been a while since we'd gone out to eat with LG in tow.

It will be a long while until we do that again.

I mean...it was one of those deals where Gumshoe and I could feel our cheeks getting hot from embarrassment and we were eating really fast and not getting to enjoy our meal b/c our child was not allowing anyone else to enjoy their meal...

When we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house, Gumshoe collapsed on the couch in a bit of a daze.  I asked him if he was okay and he replied "Just a little PTSD.  I'll be fine."  It reminded me of when we first brought LG home from the hospital and I overheard Gumshoe on the phone with his dad.  He said "You know...I've been through 2 boot camps, been tazed, pepper sprayed and everything else and nothing has kicked my butt like this tiny 7lb infant."

:)

We heart you, LG...no matter what!

You Know You Married a Cop When...

A quick family outing to our local Homegoods turns into Gumshoe getting 3 felony arrests while I drive our hangry (hungry+angry=hangry)toddler home by myself.

We knew something was up when we were walking through the parking lot and passed several wig-wearing women piling out of their beat up ride like clowns at a circus.  We then observed them shove bags of merchandise into their already packed full (of tagged clothing) trunk.  By the by...they use the wigs to quickly switch their looks up in order to trip up the cops so they can't ID them.  Crafty clowns!

I could see the gears turning in Gumshoe's head when he casually turns to me and says "I forgot something in the car...I'll meet you inside".  Which is actually code for: "I recognize these people and I now have reasonable suspicion so I will be circling back to get the LP number so that I can call dispatch and have them run the plates in case they have warrants."

Knowing this, I began calculating how long I could entertain LG before T-Minus Meltdown.  Turns out, I can entertain him for 2 hours...not too shabby considering it was dinnertime.  Here's a phone pic of what we did.  We pulled all the books off the display about 20 times.  We looked at LOTS of home decor.  We sat in all sorts of different chairs.  And my personal favorite: We shouted random vowels and consonants at our fellow customers as they walked by.  
Sidenote: You may be able to see in the pic-LG's little hand has mutated into a snack trap.  We were worried about the effect this might have on  any future athletic endeavors, but so far it has proven to be very convenient!

Back to the story...
We ended up having to leave Gumshoe to deal with the Insane Clown Posse while we went home to eat dinner.  I mean, once the snacks ran out there were only so many times I could circle the store before LG turned into Jack-Jack from The Incredibles and before I started to look like a bag lady trying to stay warm.  And let's be honest...mistaking me for a bag lady at that point wouldn't have been too much of a stretch as I had not only neglected to shower, but to brush my teeth as well.  I was chewing gum people, 'kay?  I know...Gumshoe is one lucky guy!  

3 hours and 3 felony arrests later, Gumshoe arrived back home in time to put LG to bed.  

That Gumshoe-he never forgets a face which is great for him, but an occupational hazard for me b/c Gumshoe "forgets something in the car" a lot.  
Like the time we were out to eat and he noticed a couple that he'd arrested before that also happened to have a no contact order with each other...
Or that other time when we were driving to meet some friends and Gumshoe recognized a driver passing us as someone with a warrant he'd been looking for all week.  Needless to say, we were an hour and a half late to meet our friends.

Oh well.  I'm taking full credit for all 3 arrests since I chose to go to Homegoods over Hobby Lobby.  I'm sure that will fly.  I'm expecting citizen's award anytime now!
   

I'm Back!

Well that was ridiculous, wasn't it?  Who needs a 6 month blogging break?  Truth be told...I got a little self conscious about blogging because I started to think "my pictures aren't very good" and "my stories aren't that cool" and "my blog doesn't look that cute" and blah, blAH, BLAH!!  Who cares?!?!  All I want to do is jot down the memories so that is what I'm gonna do!

That said, a few things happened to the Gumshoes while I was on a whining hiatus:  

Gumshoes are getting fit!

Here's the story-
I've been mourning my junk food partner for a while now because Gumshoe has gone all health nut on me.  His new favorite snack is low fat cottage cheese with raw sugar snap peas.  BARF!  And he does things like this when I ask certain questions:
Me: "Hey Gumshoe, do you want to go to Dairy Queen?"
Gumshoe: "No thanks, but I'll be happy to take you."
Ugh! Never mind, then.
Seriously though, I am super proud of him.  He's lost over 40lbs and looks AMAZING!  He went from looking like this...

 To looking like THIS!

Which means I need to go from this:

Image via

To this:

Image via

Okay, Okay.  I'm exaggerating...that picture of the superhero is not me.  Obviously!  I would never wear a pink mask with a red leotard!  However, Mrs. Gumshoe could stand to lose about 6 lbs so we're all following Gumshoe's lead and jumping on the fitness bandwagon.  Even Dogshoe has lost 12 pounds.  The vet was so proud!

Casa de Gumshoe is receiving a face-lift!

That's right, folks!  Casa de Gumshoe is getting a new look from top to bottom.  You see, Gumshoe and I regularly vom in unison upon entering our front door.  One step inside and BLECH!  So it's time to roll up our sleeves and make her into something that is not vom-inducing. 

I'll post pics of our progress, but here's a little teaser of how much LG LOVES the new playroom we just created him!

In other Gumshoe news:

-Dogshoe ran away and fell into a neighbor's window well where she remained for about 8 hours...she was returned to us and we all sat down and had a nice doggy to person convo in which we expressed our needs and concerns.  She wanted more love and attention.  We wanted less shedding a quicker poops.  I think we're all at a better place in our relationship!

-I learned that LG is now tall enough to reach the doorknobs and coordinated enough to turn the lock...I learned this the hard way.  Locked outside of my home.  While LG was locked inside.  During a snowstorm.

-Gumshoes are going green!  Well...a shade of green anyway.  When I announced this at a recent girl's night out, a friend asked me "are you using cloth diapers?" to which I immediately replied "Oh, heck no!" when what I was actually thinking was "Oh, H#$L no!".  Kudos to those who do, however.  That's being really committed.  I mean, I thought calling and getting the green bin to start recycling was a HUGE step so clearly I am not ready to move to Portland, but better late than never, right?

-I learned how to use chopsticks watching Special Agent OSO on Disney Jr.  It went something like this: "LG!  Would you stop trying to get me to read that book to you?  I'm watching T.V."  And I literally ran to the junk drawer where we randomly have a set of chopsticks so that I could copy exactly what Special Agent OSO was doing during his special assignment in China.  Really.  OSO has also taught me how to ride a scooter, make my bed, color in the lines, water a plant, make a leaf rubbing for my Grandma's birthday, make a pine-cone bird feeder, and fall asleep when I'm too excited before my birthday party.  I mean...is there anything this bear can't do?

So that should get you up to date on the latest Gumshoe news.  More to come...I promise!  I'm committed to posting at least twice weekly so I can accurately portray the non-events of our completely normal lives. :) 

I'm Alive!!

Image via

Hello!

I haven't posted since September of 2010, so I'm probably talking to no one but myself, however...

After reading this post, I felt I needed to really take the time to cultivate memories on this blog.  I'm not a very sentimental person, so remembering to take pictures and record memories and anecdotes doesn't come naturally for me.

But I'd like to change that.  So...I'm starting by revamping Mrs. Gumshoe.  Giving her a face lift and some Botox.  Metaphorically speaking, of course.  (We all know the Gumshoes can't afford work like that!)  ;)

Trust me...it won't be another 5 months before I post.  LG is growing up too fast for that and I HAVE to post about Gumshoe's brand new detective car the department gave him...a Prius.  Really.  He's cramming his 6'2" frame into a Prius to drive around town and catch bad guys.  Now, I mean no offense to anyone reading this who drives a Prius.  I'm sure they are wonderful vehicles for people who aren't fighting crime.  BUT, there are 2 major issues with this scenario.  First of all, we're pretty sure the motor is powered by butterfly toots.  Secondly...if you were a bad guy and a cop pulled up to your house in a Prius, you'd think to yourself, "What a schmuck!" and you'd probably try to run.  That's because you would know that you could, in fact, outrun his Prius.

Oh well!  At least the department is giving honest jobs to countless unemployed butterflies.