New Blog, New Journey

I have started a new blog to journal a very special time in our lives. Please visit!

The first post is a BIG one.

Goals for June

We have one more goal on our list that we aren't quite ready to share yet, but trust me - it's a good one!

Summer Fun List

Christmas Fun List 2013

A Letter from Santa - Keyes the Elf

I have a pdf that I can email to anyone who wants to use this and personalize it to fit your family!

Summer Fun List

Spring Fun List

March Meals

March Meals

1. Lemon Feta Chicken & Rice
2. Honey Garlic Chicken & Broccoli
3. Spaghetti
4. Beefy Pasta Bake
5. Chicken Pie
6. Potato Soup
7. Betty Chili
8. Orange Balsamic Pork Chops, Rice & Carrots
9. Taco Soup
10. Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy
11. Chicken Parm
12. Oven Tacos
13. Vegetable Soup & Toasted Cheese Sandwiches
14. Brats & Fries
15. BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
16. Santa Fe Salad
17. Meatball Subs
18. Jambalaya
19. Mexican Pizza
20. Crockpot Mac 'n Cheese & Sauteed Cabbage
21. Pancakes & Bacon
22. Sloppy Joe Turnovers & Salad
23. Shamrock Pizza
24. Quesadillas
25. Salmon, Roasted Tomato Garlic & Asparagus Cous Cous
26. Egg Noddle Casserole
27. Chicken, Green Bean & Potato Bake

Month of Meals - February

I realize I still need to do my January Midmonth Meal Review. I haven't forgotten. Just going to the store tonight and needed to go ahead and get my new list of meals up. I rely on this list for my husband to pick from when he's at work.

I made it over a month with my plan last time so I am cutting back just a tad this go round. Plus we will be out of town for the long Prez Day weekend, so I won't be cooking for several nights. 

Here goes...

1. Lemon Feta Chicken & Rice
2. Salmon, Cous Cous & Asparagus
3. Oven Tacos
4. Honey Garlic Chicken & Broccoli
5. Valentine Pizza
6. Orange Balsamic Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf & Sweet Carrots
7. Grilled Hot Pepper & Pimiento Cheese Sammies with Corn Feta Dip
8. Pancakes & Bacon
9. Quesadillas
10. Rammer Jammer Chili
11. Chicken & Strawberry Spinach Salad
12. Chicken, Green Beans & Roasted Potatoes
13. Romano Pasta
14. Chicken Pie & Butter Beans
15. Crockpot Salsa Chicken Burritos
16. Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy with Bacon (that's right, for dinner)
17. Stuffed Potatoes and Cabbage
18. Beans & Cornbread
19. Potato Soup
    

Some additional festive treats on the list to make:

• Cupid Crunch 
• Heart shaped Cinnamon Rolls & Heart shaped Bacon for V-Day breakfast
• Oatmeal Cookies (can't wait to try Haley's recipe!)
• Chocolate Butter Cookies
• Valentine Buttons
• Valentine Treat Bags for Asher's little school friends
• Rotel Dip

January Month of Meals - Midmonth Review

Here is the first half of my month of meals in review. Recipes are linked where possible.

January 2:
Grandma Angel's Vegetable Soup with Crackers

January 3:
Leftovers (the soup was that good)

January 4:
My Semi-Homemade Sweet Spaghetti with Garlic Bread
This is one of Ben's favorites. I think he married me for it. He requests it every month.

Sauce Recipe:
1 lb ground beef
Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce (comes in a can)
Tomato Sauce
Tomato Paste
One packet spaghetti seasoning mix (found with other packets mixes, like taco mix, gravy mix, etc.)
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
I'd say about 1/3 cup brown sugar

Brown ground beef. Add remaining ingredients. Cook a while and serve over pasta. Easy peasy.

January 5:
Orange Balsamic Pork Chops with Rice Pilaf
This is our go-to meal. We always have the fixin's handy. Plus it's super easy and very yummy.

Recipe

1. Season porkchops with S&P. Fry up in a little bit of oil until done. 
2. Sprinkle with rosemary.
3. Deglaze the pan with some chicken broth.
4. Add about, oh I'd say maybe 1/4-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.
5. Add approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of orange marmalade.
6. Let the porkchops simmer in the gravy mix while it reduces.
7. Serve when ready.

Helpful Tips:
I usually have to cook my porkchops in 2 batches. I will remove the first batch and cover with foil to keep them warm. I don't make the gravy until the second batch is cooked. Then I add the first batch back in so they can all hang out in the yummy balsamic goodness together.
You canNOT make too much gravy. When in doubt - make more. It is delicious.
I usually serve this with rice pilaf (recipe below) and steamed broccoli.

Rice Pilaf
Instant Rice cooked according to directions on package.
When cooked, stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, cranberries, almonds or pecans and parsley. I just do all of this to taste.

January 6:
Pizza Crescents This is about as easy at it gets, folks. And very kid friendly.

January 7:

Honey Garlic Chicken & Steamed Broccoli

A huge thank you to Amy B. for sharing this one! It is so yummy!

January 8:
Marzetti - This is probably my strangest recipe. If I were going thru a cookbook looking for something good, this would have been about the LAST thing in the world I would have picked. It's a strange combo of ingredients and it uses cream of mushroom soup. I always use cream of chicken when a recipe calls for cream of mushroom. I hate mushrooms. But a friend of mine, Katie G, brought this to us when Audrey was born and I loved it. She was kind enough the text me the recipe. I made it exactly like the recipes says to and love it.

January 9:
Crockpot Salsa Chicken Burritos

I used the leftovers from this to make quesadillas. I layered it with refried beans and topped with cheese.

January 10:
Brats & Fries
No picture, sorry. This one is pretty self explanatory.

January 11:
Pizzadillas - My wonderful husband was kind enough to cook dinner this night. And he even broke out the fancy china. That is the beauty of this one - even husbands can handle it. And they love it too. So does my 2 year old.

Make this one like you would any other quesadilla just fill it with pizza sauce, mozzerella, pepperoni, banana peppers, whatever pizza toppings you prefer.

January 12:
We had a fun filled day of birthday parties and topped it off with a family night at Donato's. Asher LOVES their pizza. So do his mama and dadda.

January 13:
Taco Pizza


I thought for sure I took a picture of mine but I can't locate it. I don't use olives and I garnish with fresh tomatoes and sour cream. You do whatever you like. Either way, it will be super yummy and reheats beautifully.

January 14:
Crockpot Potato Soup & Crescent Rolls
I have made many a potato soup recipe. This one is broth based so it's not quite as fattening or heavy as most. I love that about it. I usually make real bacon bits to put on top but I guess I forgot this time around. Trust me, the bacon a nice touch. It's still delicious without.

January 15:
Ghoulash 

I make my mom's recipe for ghoulash a lot. I tried this one just for kicks. It tasted quite a bit different and was really good. But I don't think it replaces my mom's recipe which is much easier and tastes better.



January 16:
Leftovers Nights

January 17:
Sweet & Sour Sausage, Baked Potato & Veggies

I saute a polish sausage and then add equal parts grape jelly and BBQ sauce. Add a chopped green pepper and simmer until ready to eat.

January 18:
Herb Crusted Basil Cream Chicken
PLEASE do your self a favor and make this one soon. Very, very soon. It is amazing.

Snowman Pancakes

Some missionary friends of mine made these. And I can't stop thinking about them. So cute! And I am sure yummy as well. Asher saw this photo and said, "Ashie eat snowman pancakes?". Can't wait to make them!

Once a Month Grocery Shopping

OK, I have some non-believers out there (Martina). And have had questions on how I do this. Today I spent $244.42 for a month of groceries. I will need to buy more fresh fruit and milk as the month goes on and still have a few items to pick up at Publix that aren't stocked at Aldi. I buy everything. Cleaning stuff, dinners, lunches, breakfast food, snacks.

Here is exactly what I bought on my trip - straight from my receipt.
Hash Brown Patties (pack of 20)
Frozen Chicken Breasts - 3 bags
Shredded Hash Browns - 2 bags
Cream of Chicken Soup
Mini Raviolis - 4 cans
Chicken Broth - 4 cans
Manicotti (frozen)
Italian Sausage
Frozen Waffles
Pepperoni
Pork Chops
Ground Beef - 5 lbs
Deli Ham - 2 lbs
Deli Chicken - 2 lbs
String Cheese
Cheese Cubes
Shredded Cheese
Sliced American Cheese
Mandarin Oranges - 6 cans
Pumpkin Puree (for Audrey)
Easy Mac - 8 ready to go cups
Parmesan Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated) - 2 tubs
Romano Cheese (fresh grated) - 1 tub
Garlic & Olive Oil Cous Cous - 3 boxes
Angel Hair
Macaroni
Farfalle (bowtie pasta)
Penne
Saltines
Green Peppers - 3
Bananas
Red Grapes
Grape Tomatoes
BBQ Sauce
Black Beans
Refried Beans
Diced Tomatoes
Mixed Vegetables - 2 cans
Carrots
Corn
Artichoke Hearts
Tomato Sauce - 2 cans
Tomato Juice - 1 large can
Stewed Tomatoes
Potatoes
Wide Egg Noodles
Heavy Whipping Cream - 2 pints
Orange Juice
Milk - 2 gallons
Apple sauce - 6 pack x 2
Fiber bars
Dried Cranberries
Dried Apricots
Raisins
Pistachios
Kerrygold Cheese (that's the good cheese, y'all. This was a splurge.)
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese
Shredded Cheese
Smoked Sausage
Breakfast Sausage
Brats
Bacon
Granola Bars - 4 boxes
Stuffing Mix
Salsa
Pringles - 3 canisters
Spaghetti Sauce - 2 jars
Goldfish crackers
Teabags (100)
Taco Seasoning mix
Chili Seasoning mix
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
Flour Tortillas - 2 bags
Hot Dog Buns
Hawaiian Bread
Sandwich Bread
Toilet Paper
Sponges
Oyster Crackers
Fabric Softener
Disinfectant Wipes - 2 containers
Paper Plates

Butternut Squash Sauce (this wasn't on my list, but was on clearance in the seasonal section and I wanted to try it. I had gnocchi already at home and decided to use it on that.)

Here is what I still need from Publix:
Basil
Cilantro
Chives
Ground Turkey
Sundried Tomatoes
Onions - 1 red, 1 yellow
Italian Diced Tomatoes
Potatoes: Baking - 2
               Sweet - 2
               Fingerlings

This is a photo of the pantry before my trip.

And after.

This doesn't include all the stuff that I had used to make vegetable soup that was already cooking on the stove.

Fridge - Before

Fridge - After

I forgot to take a photo of my freezer before. Which is a shame because it is probably the most different. It was BARE. Oh well. Here is the after anyway.

I also amended my menu. Once I got to Aldi, I bought some stuff that was on sale and used it to replace a couple of meals and even added 6 new meals. Changes are listed in the previous post.

January Meals

I did it. In November, I made a month of meals from one trip to the grocery store. In December we bought a few odds and ends to get us through till the holidays, but we still did not make a real trip to the grocery store. We mostly lived off of items in the pantry or were out of town. I'm liking this. A lot.

Here is the plan for January. 33 meals.

• Tacos
• 3 Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake
• Chicken Alfredo with Peas & Carrots
• Orange Chicken and Rice
• Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Burritos
• Potato Soup
• Chicken & Stuffing with Green Beans
• Pizza Quesadillas
• Baked Spaghetti & Salad
• Marzetti
• Mexican Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce with Pasta
• Grandma Audrey's Vegetable Soup with Crackers
• Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
• Salmon with Sweet Potatoes
• Quesadillas & Roasted Corn
• Brats & Fries
• Chicken Ravioli
• Honey Garlic Chicken & Rice
• Beans & Cornbread
• Sweet & Sour Sausage with Baked Potatoes
• Pizza Crescents
• Spicy Romano Pasta & Asparagus
• Orange Balsamic Pork Chops & Rice
• Goulash
• Mexican Pizza
• Gnocchi in Butternut Squash Sauce
• Manicotti
• Salmon & Cous Cous
• Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
• Breakfast Casserole
• Pancakes & Bacon

Again, most of my recipes are on Pinterest. I think I might take a picture every day next month to show what we are eating. I know, I know - more annoying meal pics to clog up your Instagram feed. Just to make it bearable, I will give my review of all the recipes. Deal?

Merry Christmas

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Fun List

Announcing

Stationery card

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A Month of Meals

Thanks to a new way of budgeting (courtesy of a paycheck that only comes one time a month with my new job) and a $200 trip to Aldi - I have 27 meals in my fridge and pantry. Other than trips to Publix for milk and fruit over the next few weeks I don't plan to go to the grocery store again until December. Here's what I have in my arsenal:

1. Lemon Feta Chicken & Rice
2. Chili
3. Salmon & Basmati Rice
4. Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans
5. Meatball Subs
6. Sweet & Sour Sausage & Fries
7. Taco Soup
8. Fettuccine Alfredo with Peas & Carrots
9. Aussie Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
10. Parmesan Linguine
11. Brats & Fries
12. Chicken Ravioli
13. Pulled Pork & Mac 'n Cheese
14. Chicken Tortilla Soup
15. Pancakes & Bacon
16. Honey Garlic Chicken & Rice
17. Beans & Cornbread
18. Potato Soup
19. Sweet & Sour Meatballs & Baked Potatoes
20. Egg Noodle Casserole
21. Sloppy Joe Casserole
22. Buffalo Chicken Cups, Green Beans & Fries
23. Mexican Sweet Potatoes
24. Spaghetti
25. Chicken Taquitos & Roasted Corn
26. Stuffed Chicken & Green Beans
27. Mexican Rice Bake
28. Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Yes, we eat a lot of rice and green beans. My son and husband could live on green beans and I have a million different ways to prepare rice so it goes with just about anything.

There you have it!  Most recipes are listed on my pinterest account.

Fall Fun List

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year for several reasons:
A lot of my favorite people have birthdays this time of year (Asher, Ben, Dad, Jodie, Madi). It's Halloween season. College football. Perfect weather. Fall clothes.

Thanks for lots of great ideas, Betty!

Audrey's 3 Months Old & Asher's Still Sweet (Most of the Time)

So I guess I will start where I left off - Audrey's 2 month appointment. Turns out she was still teeny. So teeny she wasn't even on the charts. So we had to kick up the pace with her feedings. In order to do this we started supplementing with formula. Before we knew it she had filled out and even though we didn't think it was possible had gotten even more beautiful. She went from sleeping 6 hour stretches at night to up to 10 hours! Finally outgrew her preemie clothes and before we knew it - her newborn clothes as well! Sweet baby girl is even ready to (finally) move up to size 1 diapers! I have to admit that I'm kinda enjoying the fact that she is staying a little baby and letting me enjoy this precious time for a little longer than normal. She is just the sweetest, happiest little doll of a baby I could ask for.

She turned 3 months old last week. She is smiling and cooing non-stop and loves her brother. She laughed out loud at him and likes to watch him play. He loves her too and is so sweet with her. He can say Baby Audrey perfectly. Although I was kinda sad when he mastered it and quit calling her Baby Augie. She is drinking 5 ounces at a time and eats every 3 hours. She sleeps about 9-10 hours at night but has made it as far as 12 hours before I finally woke her up myself. Generally she goes down on her own at 9:30 and wakes up around 6:30. She had her first fever/cold this past weekend and took it like a champ. Only fussing a little and kicking the bug in record time. She is a great car baby. She loves her bath and the baby in the mirror. She loves her swing and her mobile at school. She is wearing 0-3 month clothes.

Asher is keeping us on our toes. He is a couple weeks shy of his 2nd birthday but decided to go ahead and get an early start on the "Terrible Twos". Temper tantrums are in full effect and obeying is not quite his strong suit. He is a fun, lovable kid when he wants to be. Which thankfully is a lot of the time. But when he wants to turn off the charm, he just goes right ahead and does it. I can't complain too much. I expected much worse when the new baby arrived.

He has started calling me Momma again after a year of referring to me as Mommy. I have noticed he particurlarly likes to call me Momma when he wants something. I think he knows I prefer that title. He has started acting like a baby from time to time. His impersonation of a baby is quite ammusing - lots of silly sounds and holding his hands up like a bunny rabbit. He loves for me to cradle him in my arms and say, "Ohhhh, my sweet Baby Ashie!"

Some other things he is doing right now:

• nodding his head to music (sounds normal but is actually quite hilarious)
• says "All better!" when something gets fixed or I kiss his boo boos.
• wants me to kiss his boo boos
• pretty much wants his Momma all the time
• loves to color
• loves Little Einsteins & Curious George and pretty much anything on Disney Junior
• still loves "Hat Hat" and Toy Story
• has perfected important phrases like "Roll Tide!", "Touchdown!" and "Alabama!"
• is great at telling us what he wants and communicates really well. 
• Gives orders like, "Dit Up!" (get up) 
• When he wants something he yells it. For example, if he wanted water he would yell "Water!" until we respond. When we do - we ask him if he wants water and he smiles and says "Oh-tay!" like it is a brand new idea and he thinks it is brilliant!
• loves school and talks a lot about his friends. Especially Will & Pappas (Pappas is his friend Harrison whom he calls by his last name)
• Has a super cute, Southern accent. Everything has an extra syllable i.e. Wee-uhl (Will) It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.
• His teachers tell me all the time that he is the most mature child in their class and talk about how smart he is and how well he communicates. They also claim he is one of the most well-behaved kids in the class to which I think either 1) They are just being nice or 2) He is saving up all his orneryness for when he gets home.
• Gets frustrated when he can't do something.
• Has started whining. (soooo not fun for me and his dad)
• Loves to take a walk around the block with me at night to see the stars and the moon. He tries to reach for the moon and laughs.
• Recognizes places like our church or our street when we are driving.
• Calls our house "Mommy's house" 
• Keeps us laughing and makes it to hard to stay frustrated with him for long. 
• Comes crying to me when he gets in trouble by his Dada.
• Says Hi and Bye to everything. And I mean everything. Hi candle! Hi table! Bye door! Bye house!
• Is something else, I tell ya,

I'll try to post some pics of these kiddos in the next post. 

Better with Age

Recently, I turned thirty. 3-0. I can't believe I have 2 kids and and have entered my third decade. For the first time since we met, my husband and I are both in the same age bracket. But only for a year. He enters his forties next year. I told him to enjoy it while it lasts.

This part of my life is a part I have dreamed about since I was a little girl. When I used to play house and babies. And it is everything I dreamed it would be and more. Different. But better. I am so thankful to finally be here and soak it all in.

The night before my birthday, Ben took Asher on a wagon ride while I was inside nursing Audrey. During their roll through the neighborhood, Ben taught Asher to say "Happy Birthday" as a surprise for me. And my sweet, sweet boy, remembered! It was the first thing he said to me when he woke up. It was the best birthday greeting I have ever received.

To top that off, the very "next day, that same sweet boy told me "I love you, Mommy for the first time. Oh I had received several lub-yooooo's but never an all out I-Love-You-Mommy. And unprompted at that. He has been so good lately. so while he was sitting in my lap I told him to look at me and told him that he was a good boy. A very good boy. He smiled and hugged my neck with those chubby little arms of his and said it. And I melted. I'm not sure I have recovered. I called Ben and cried when I told him and then repeated the process with my mom.

Moments like these make my world go round.

And let us not forget about Audrey. My precious tiny girl. She is our little observer. Furrowing her brow and taking it all in. She loves to cuddle, eat and cuddle some more. Her personality is starting to come out and it looks like she may be more reserved than her brother, The Ham. She laughs and smiles but seems to save those moments for Mom and Dad. I'm thinking she's shy. And equally sweet.

Her big brother loves her very much and is already her little protector. The other day, we were trying to leave and my plan was to take Asher and his bag to the car and the come back to get Audrey and her things loaded up. Asher wasn't having any of that. He insisted Baby Durl (girl) came with us. Even if he had to carry her himself. Which he tried to do. That carrier weighs more than him, but he was grunting and giving it his all. He's a proud big brother. Lovin' and squeezin' on her all the time. And who can blame him? His sister if stinkin' adorable.

Oh and yay for Audrey! She has finally grown into newborn size clothes. She is 7 weeks old.  A lot of her preemie clothes still fit too but I am really starting to see a difference in her size. We go see Dr. P tomorrow and I can't wait to find out how much she weighs. Maybe I'll even blog about it? Promise to try.