Yippy for Friday!! Here are my five favorite things about this week.
1- For the past two days, I have actually been the first person up at my house! As I get closer and closer to the second trimester, I can feel just a little bit of energy coming back. I am looking forward to the days where I don't need a nap every afternoon...
2- One of my favorite families will be coming into town this weekend! I get to spend the evening with Melanie and Krystal, who I have not seen since Christmas.
3- It was clear and sunny for 3 whole days this week, and almost warm!! Hello early springtime!!
4- Speaking of springtime, our little old Groundhog in North Carolina didn't see his shadow on Saturday, so hopefully his prediction is right and we will have spring time in no time!
5- The best thing of the week is that I finally broke down and took my road salt covered car to be cleaned. It now looks new and shiny instead of old and gray! I love a clean car.
Happy Friday to all of my friends- have a fabulous weekend!!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Our Expanding Family
The week after Christmas, we found out that our family of 5 will be expanding! We will be welcoming a sweet little baby sometime in late August.
I have passively reminded my sweet husband for the past 4 years of how wonderful it would be to have another baby. And, by passively reminded, I mean begged, cried and pretty much acted like a spoiled 3 year old that has to share her favorite toy whenever the subject came up. Anyway, I digress. I have wanted another baby for a while, but about a year ago, I decided that Derek was right and we should just focus on our three beautiful children and cruise into the next phase of our life as our children grow older. And, this is a wonderful phase. Our kids are fabulous little people. And, we can leave our house in a moments notice without a diaper bag, a bottle or a last minute walk through to make sure we aren't forgetting anything. We can sleep in on Saturdays- unless there is a game of some sort we have to go to, and we can go out to eat without a toddler temper tantrum. Life is good.
But,then came the day- the day that my sweet Derek looked at me out of the blue, and said do you really want to do this? YES! YES! YES! I want to do it, all of it. The exhausted afternoons, the morning sickness, swollen ankles, heartburn. I want the fuzzy ultrasound pictures, the baby tossing and turning, afternoon hiccups that make my belly dance. I want it all. And, at the end of the roller coaster ride of pregnancy, I want to bring home a sweet little baby that looks like us. A baby that smells like baby wash and lotion. Even if the baby cries a lot, and never sleeps- I want it. With my whole heart, I am in. And so is Derek.
So here we are, 10 weeks in and 30ish to go!! I will enjoy every minute of it, as much as possible. Because I really do believe that this will be the last time I get to experience this amazing journey. I am just so blessed to be able to do this with my prince charming- so far he has been beyond precious!!
I have passively reminded my sweet husband for the past 4 years of how wonderful it would be to have another baby. And, by passively reminded, I mean begged, cried and pretty much acted like a spoiled 3 year old that has to share her favorite toy whenever the subject came up. Anyway, I digress. I have wanted another baby for a while, but about a year ago, I decided that Derek was right and we should just focus on our three beautiful children and cruise into the next phase of our life as our children grow older. And, this is a wonderful phase. Our kids are fabulous little people. And, we can leave our house in a moments notice without a diaper bag, a bottle or a last minute walk through to make sure we aren't forgetting anything. We can sleep in on Saturdays- unless there is a game of some sort we have to go to, and we can go out to eat without a toddler temper tantrum. Life is good.
But,then came the day- the day that my sweet Derek looked at me out of the blue, and said do you really want to do this? YES! YES! YES! I want to do it, all of it. The exhausted afternoons, the morning sickness, swollen ankles, heartburn. I want the fuzzy ultrasound pictures, the baby tossing and turning, afternoon hiccups that make my belly dance. I want it all. And, at the end of the roller coaster ride of pregnancy, I want to bring home a sweet little baby that looks like us. A baby that smells like baby wash and lotion. Even if the baby cries a lot, and never sleeps- I want it. With my whole heart, I am in. And so is Derek.
So here we are, 10 weeks in and 30ish to go!! I will enjoy every minute of it, as much as possible. Because I really do believe that this will be the last time I get to experience this amazing journey. I am just so blessed to be able to do this with my prince charming- so far he has been beyond precious!!
Friday, November 2, 2012
High Five for Friday!
Yippy!! It's finally Friday! This week seems to have lasted forever... Here's my top five reasons that I am glad that it's Friday:
1- Derek is off this weekend, so we have plenty of family fun stuff planned!
2- I've been promising Olivia all week that we would get our eyebrows waxed, so we are headed to the salon at 5:00. I think she is pretty excited about it too... hey it's the little things!
3- It's nice and chilly out, so I think we may spend the evening by the fire pit roasting marshmallows. I love cool fall nights- and no alarm clocks tomorrow, so we don't have to go to bed before the sunsets :)
4- Did I mention that I am super excited that there are no alarm clocks in the morning?? It made hitting the snooze button on my alarm this morning almost enjoyable!
5- Fridays at work are always nice and quiet, so I am way productive. This is great, because when I leave on Friday, I know it won't look like this when I get back on Monday-
It will look more like this....
I hope all of my friends are having a fabulous Friday too. What are you excited about today?
1- Derek is off this weekend, so we have plenty of family fun stuff planned!
2- I've been promising Olivia all week that we would get our eyebrows waxed, so we are headed to the salon at 5:00. I think she is pretty excited about it too... hey it's the little things!
3- It's nice and chilly out, so I think we may spend the evening by the fire pit roasting marshmallows. I love cool fall nights- and no alarm clocks tomorrow, so we don't have to go to bed before the sunsets :)
4- Did I mention that I am super excited that there are no alarm clocks in the morning?? It made hitting the snooze button on my alarm this morning almost enjoyable!
5- Fridays at work are always nice and quiet, so I am way productive. This is great, because when I leave on Friday, I know it won't look like this when I get back on Monday-
It will look more like this....
I hope all of my friends are having a fabulous Friday too. What are you excited about today?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Halloween
Did everyone have a wonderful Halloween? One thing that makes our
neighborhood so great is that on Halloween there are TONS of trick or
treaters! There are little monsters, princesses, cowboys, ninjas and
just about anything else you can imagine wondering the streets- and it's
great. As long as you don't need to leave our neighborhood for any
reason, because you will have a really hard time getting out! With that
being said, we just picked up a couple of pizzas, dressed everyone up
and had a great time hanging out with our neighbors and watching all of
the little ones parade through in some of the cutest little costumes I
have ever seen! Of coarse, we had to add a little Halloween spirit to
the cul-de-sac, too. We couldn't just hang out in jeans and
sweatshirts. Hey- it's the one day a year that we can dress up and act
like kids again!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Comfort Food
Yesterday was a yucky kinda day around here. When I got home from
work, I wanted to curl up in fuzzy pajamas and have something warm and
yummy for dinner. And, by the looks of my family when I got home I
wasn't the only one that felt that way. Everyone was in sweat shirts
and flannel pajama pants. So, I decided the best thing for dinner would
be homemade macaroni and cheese, only a little healthier. And, here's
how I make it...
1 box (13-16 oz) of whole wheat rotini pasta (or your noodle of choice)
2 cups of 1% or 2% colby jack shredded cheese blend
1 tablespoon of butter (I don't use margarine in my house- it's icky)
1/2 cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
First, boil the noodles with salt until soft with a little bite. (al dente) and drain. I usually leave the noodles in the colander until I have finished the cheese sauce. That way, I can make the whole dish in one pot.
On medium high heat, using the same stock pot, I melt the butter and add the flour and paprika. You will also want to season the mixture with salt and pepper liberally. Mix everything together until it forms a smooth paste. Stir the flour mixture continuously for a minute or so, until it is a nice golden brown color. Whisk in the milk and stir until the mixture thickens. At this point, I usually whisk in about a half cup of water to thin the sauce a little. Once you have a nice smooth sauce with a gravy like consistency, add one and a half cups of the cheese. Save about 1/2 of a cup of cheese to go on top. Stir the mixture until it is nice and smooth without any lumps. Add your noodles back into the sauce and mix well. Pour mac and cheese into a greased casserole dish, and cover with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is gold and bubbly.
From start to finish this dish takes less than an hour to make. If you want to cut down the cooking time, you can add all of the cheese to the sauce and serve it without baking. Either way is delicious. And, the recipe can easily be doubled for large groups or to save as a freezer meal. Last night I doubled the recipe and made enough for dinner and 2 freezer meals. Just separate the pasta into disposable pans, cover with cheese and wrap with seran wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. To reheat, just thaw and bake at 350 until warmed through.
We usually have this as a main dish with salad, and the kids LOVE it! I have been thinking about experimenting with different kinds of cheese, something to spice it up a little. But for now, you just can't beat this classic on a chilly fall night! Enjoy.
1 box (13-16 oz) of whole wheat rotini pasta (or your noodle of choice)
2 cups of 1% or 2% colby jack shredded cheese blend
1 tablespoon of butter (I don't use margarine in my house- it's icky)
1/2 cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
First, boil the noodles with salt until soft with a little bite. (al dente) and drain. I usually leave the noodles in the colander until I have finished the cheese sauce. That way, I can make the whole dish in one pot.
On medium high heat, using the same stock pot, I melt the butter and add the flour and paprika. You will also want to season the mixture with salt and pepper liberally. Mix everything together until it forms a smooth paste. Stir the flour mixture continuously for a minute or so, until it is a nice golden brown color. Whisk in the milk and stir until the mixture thickens. At this point, I usually whisk in about a half cup of water to thin the sauce a little. Once you have a nice smooth sauce with a gravy like consistency, add one and a half cups of the cheese. Save about 1/2 of a cup of cheese to go on top. Stir the mixture until it is nice and smooth without any lumps. Add your noodles back into the sauce and mix well. Pour mac and cheese into a greased casserole dish, and cover with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is gold and bubbly.
From start to finish this dish takes less than an hour to make. If you want to cut down the cooking time, you can add all of the cheese to the sauce and serve it without baking. Either way is delicious. And, the recipe can easily be doubled for large groups or to save as a freezer meal. Last night I doubled the recipe and made enough for dinner and 2 freezer meals. Just separate the pasta into disposable pans, cover with cheese and wrap with seran wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. To reheat, just thaw and bake at 350 until warmed through.
We usually have this as a main dish with salad, and the kids LOVE it! I have been thinking about experimenting with different kinds of cheese, something to spice it up a little. But for now, you just can't beat this classic on a chilly fall night! Enjoy.
It's a New Obsession
I have become completely obsessed with blogging. Of coarse, my
obsession has evolved from Pinterest- which is the most genius thing
ever invented!! Every great idea I pin or like usually has an awesome
blog behind it. I will click on the link and then I am lost in a new
blog that I just have to follow. As my list has grown, I have
discovered that I have a lot of ideas of my own. There are tons of
decorating tips I have found, recipes that I have tried or created and
lots of other stuff (from cooking tips to hairstyling tricks) that I
have discovered along the way. So, I have decided to start blogging
more about these things and to do it more often! Hopefully my friends
will find some useful information here as well as in the world of
Pinterest.
Happy reading :)
Happy reading :)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Toddlers, Tiaras and Honey Boo Boo, child...
For the past few months, I have spent most nights watching the entire series of Desperate Housewives... my guilty little pleasure. But then the worst thing happened on Wednesday night- I watched the last episode on Netflix! But, before devastation set in, I flipped through the channels on TV and ran across possibly the most dreadful thing I have ever seen. Toddlers and Tiaras. Really? Let me dress up my infant, who can not walk, in a stripper inspired outfit AND fake teeth- because of coarse, she doesn't have any of her own, and baby gums are not allowed. After I'm finished, I will add 4 pounds of make up and glitter, you know, so she will stand out in the crowd. Then, I'm going to slap the most ridiculous looking curled wig I can find on her poor little head and add another can of hairspray to keep it all together. Finally, I'm going to parade her around looking like a miniature drag queen, while I am dressed like a homeless person (since I spent our family's money on pageants and dresses). But, don't worry- I will support her head, because she sure can't hold it up any more!
Of course, this whole spectical is good for her, because she will learn to embrace her imperfections, by covering them up with fake tans and artificial nails and eyelashes. She will also learn to deal with defeat, by kicking, crying and screaming when she doesn't get her way. And, we will teach her how to finish what you start by screaming at her for wanting to quit and then jacking her up on pixi sticks and mountain dew mixed with red bull. I'm sorry, I meant pageant crack and go go juice.
And when it's all over, and she's the mature age of 6, we will have ourselves a sweet little angel, worthy of having her own show on TLC- just like Honey Boo Boo, child.
Where can I sign up?
Of course, this whole spectical is good for her, because she will learn to embrace her imperfections, by covering them up with fake tans and artificial nails and eyelashes. She will also learn to deal with defeat, by kicking, crying and screaming when she doesn't get her way. And, we will teach her how to finish what you start by screaming at her for wanting to quit and then jacking her up on pixi sticks and mountain dew mixed with red bull. I'm sorry, I meant pageant crack and go go juice.
And when it's all over, and she's the mature age of 6, we will have ourselves a sweet little angel, worthy of having her own show on TLC- just like Honey Boo Boo, child.
Where can I sign up?
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