Bottled Beauty

Violet's New Room

2012-02-09T12:40:00.001-08:00

This is the first room that looks almost done in the new house. I love how it turned out! It's sweet & perfect for my pink obsessed 4 year old. I say almost done because we would like to add crown molding, maybe a chandelier & I have fabric waiting to be turned into throw pillows. But I think it looks great the way it is for now. Have a look around! I took plenty of pictures.

Here's a source for those that are curious like me :

Floral Rug- Kohls
Large lamp by bed- 15.00 from HomeGoods
Nightstand & Dresser- Bassett brand found on craigslist for 60.00
Plastic Butterflies- Target, 20.00

Pink Upholstered Headboard- Made by my parents. Dad did all the wood work and mom did the upholstery. Turned out so beautiful! Fabric-30.00, Buttons- 12.00, Batting-10.00, Foam- 12.00 and not sure how much the wood cost. But less than 100 dollars and something similar would cost over 300.

White Quilt- HomeGoods
Pink Dust Ruffle- made by my mom. fabric from JoAnn's
heart shelf- found at Goodwill. It was green. Sprayed it pink.
Watercolor Flowers- sister Jordan painted for me
Mirror above dresser- from Kirkland's for 20.00. It was Gold. Sprayed it white.

Antique Birdcage- my mom repainted it for Violet. It's over 60 years old! One of my favorite things in her room.

Frames- most I had on hand. The tiny ones were from the dollar section at Michael's. Then decorated with stickers & ribbon.

Green bin for books- 10.00 from HomeGoods
Button Butterfly- mom sewed the buttons to canvas and then placed in a frame. Another favorite!

curtains- Target basic white embellished with butterfly & polka dot fabric. I wish I could photograph the fabric better. It is a light yellow in person.

Paint Color is Glidden Sweet Baby Girl

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you.

Linking up with these great blogs!

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/

My Meal Plan

2012-01-31T22:13:00.000-08:00

We still have one dinner left from last week to make, the Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. Feels good to be prepared & ready to grocery shop before the pantry is empty. This week I've planned 6 dinners. I usually eat leftovers for lunch or make something simple that I have on hand. The kids usually eat a PBJ or corn dog with fruit and chips.

Dinners-

Slow cooker Salsa Chicken with rice

Chicken & Dumplings. I made this recipe today for my mom since she has a cold. I had one taste before I dropped it off, very good!

Chicken Sausage Hot Dogs, baked beans and kettle chips

Parmesan Tilapia with angel hair pasta & green beans. My sister made this last week and it looks nice and cheesy :)

Turkey Sausage with cheese ravioli and alfredo sauce with salad. One of the easiest go-to meals ever! Just brown up turkey sausage then cook frozen cheese ravioli and mix with a jar of alfredo sauce.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Trying out these Cheesy Quinoa Cakes for lunch one day. Found on pinterest.

This weekend Violet & I will be making peanut butter eggs. Should be similar to Reece's!

Also, making French Toast & Bacon this weekend. Violet & Zander love french toast.

Thank you Organized Junkie for hosting! Lots of meal plans over there :)

Gumdrop Revlon Lip Butter

2012-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

After reading about these everywhere I had to try one! I went to walmart figuring they would have the best price for them. I really wanted the shade Emma Stone wears in the ad which is Peach Parfait. But there were slim pickings left at the store. I got a pale, lilac, pink shade-Gumdrop.

I decided to go with shades of purple on my eyes with a pale, pastel, lavender on my lower lash line. Used a pale pink on my cheeks. The lip butter goes on silky smooth almost like a lip balm.

I will definitely be trying more shades! Oh, and here's my new do after I let it air dry naturally. Loving this hair cut :)

CinemaScope

2012-01-29T22:02:00.001-08:00

Snapped a few pics with my daughter Violet this past weekend. She's such a doll!

I touched these pictures up with the CinemaScope action on picnik. It's one of my favorites! Well, picnik is closing or moving to google+. Stuff I don't understand yet. My husband got me photoshop elements for Christmas but I don't have the hang of it yet.

Oh, what shall I do?! LOL. I need to get my artsy family to give me photoshop lessons.

Chopped my hair off

2012-01-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I kept thinking "I want to cut my hair off!" I have really course, wavy & thick hair. Takes forever to blow dry & flat iron. So, I had been wearing it in a top knot almost daily. My big hair pulled tight was giving me a headache.

I got it cut yesterday. I'm not sure the exact amount but the lady guessed at least 6 inches. I got a collar bone length bob. It's a little shorter in the back which makes my hair feel light n bouncy!

Before~

After~

I wonder how curly it will be now when it dries naturally! Sometimes it's nice to do something totally different with your hair. Glad I did it.

Meal Plan for this week

2012-01-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, meal plan is done! That always makes me happy. I'm such a mom :) I've been grocery shopping in the middle of the week lately. Beats the crowds that go on the weekend.

Dinners will be-

Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. I'm hoping this will taste similar to Olive Garden's.

Lettuce Wraps with ground turkey

French Dip Sandwiches with baked potato wedges

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork with rice

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups with Garlic Parmesan Edamame

I'm also making a batch of sausage breakfast burritos. And making Avalanche Bars with Violet this weekend. We have been baking together consistently on weekends. She loves it!
This is making me hungry. I need to go to bed. I've tracked my calories with My Fitness Pal for the past 22 days. I've lost a couple pounds. I really believe you can eat good food, workout & lose weight. I'm sure I would lose more if I did harder & longer workouts. But that is hard to do with 2 little ones at home with me. I'll get there if I stay consistent :)

Have a good night blog world!

(all the photos above belong to the recipe owners)

Zander is 14 Months

2012-01-24T12:57:00.001-08:00

Check out my handsome baby boy!

He's been an official walker since before Christmas. He's super busy and loves to climb. Makes his mommy nervous every day. He can now hoist himself on top of the glass coffee table and stand proudly, yikes. I'm ready to get a soft leather one. You know the kind that opens and you can stash toys and stuff :)

He loves this Gloworm he got for Christmas. He hugs it and gives kisses.

One of his favorite things to do is find brooms or mops and then wave them around! Not good :) So, I got him the tiny, green set from the Dollar Store. But he still wants the the big ones.

We see you getting into the pots & pans! We had baby cabinet locks on the cabinet under the sink and he broke them off. He is one determined little boy.

His One Year Stats-
31 " tall
19lbs. and 15 oz.

He is still a tall baby in the 85th percentile. But he's very slim. The Doctor had so many questions. Wondering if he eats solids and how much. When I told her I was still breastfeeding she looked shocked! I don't think it's that uncommon. I know lots of moms that are still nursing. That is still the only way he will go to sleep. He eats 3 meals a day and snacks often. He tried milk in the sippy cup recently. He doesn't drink much of it. Still working on that. We had to get blood work done to check his white blood cell count after his hospital visit back in October. All came back normal. Thank God!

Zander is growing & learning. Thanks for stopping by!

How I lost 52 pounds after my second baby

2012-01-17T22:05:00.000-08:00

Now that my baby is 13 months I guess it's time to do a post-baby blog! With both of my babies I gained 50 pounds. I'm praying I have more self control over food and laziness if I get to have a third one! I lost the weight by breastfeeding, counting my calories & running. Now that a new year has started I'm counting my calories again to reach my next goal weight. I still need to lose about 20 pounds to be at a my happy weight. For some reason I'm not sure if I want to list my weight in pounds or not. I'd like to because I always find that interesting information on weight loss blogs. But I'm nervous because of the numbers. Maybe I will after I lose more. For now you can know I'm 5'4 and my bmi tells me I'm still a few pounds overweight.

Here I am 37 weeks pregnant. I delivered one week later on November 23, 2010. You can read more about my precious boy here.

One month after having Zander with the husband. I had probably lost around 15 pounds by then.

June 2010- met my pre-pregnancy weight. Down 50 pounds! I was running 2 miles a few times a week and counting my calories most days. My calorie range was 1500-1800 since I was breastfeeding often still.

We got family portraits done in June. Scheduling these portraits in advance helped encourage me to keep trying!

And here I am now.

Check out the toys all over the living room! Just keepin' it real :D

So, now I'm down 52 pounds. But I want to lose a little more. I'm eating around 1500 calories a day and the goal is to work out at least 3 times a week. I'm still breastfeeding but I don't think that is burning very many calories now. That was another challenge because your always hungry when your also feeding your baby! Click here if you'd like the see my progress after I had my first baby. It was easier to lose back then! But I'm confident I will be at my happy weight in no time :)

Home Goals 2012

2012-01-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by The Nester to make a home goals list. Felt nice to think and put it down "on paper!" Visit her blog to see more home goals.

My Home Goals for 2012

We just bought our first house this past October. You can read more about that here. I have a huge to-do list and I realize not everything has to happen at once! I really love our new place and enjoy making it more "our space".

1. Update the Exterior with shutters and paint the front door a fun color. Pretty up the landscaping. We have a "L" shaped sidewalk that needs something to soften it up.

2. Figure out how to make the office into a guest room as well. Needs to be organized better. Maybe get rid of the glass desk and gets something more functional.

3. Put a roof or something over the back porch. (can you tell I haven't thought this one through?!)

4. Finish painting our master bedroom furniture to all black. Hang up art. I see this room getting neglected because I care more about getting the kids' rooms done and the main living areas.

5. Violet's room is almost done! Just need to finish her gallery wall and throw pillows. See below. Her room makes me happy! It's bright and sweet. I'll be posting a lot more pictures once it's finished!

6. Finish painting the hallway & front living room grey.

7. Get furniture for the front living/dining. Violet always yells "mommy, I'm playing in the room that has no furniture!" haha

8. Paint and decorate Zander's room. I already bought the grey & blue paint. He will have a striped wall behind his crib and a vintage car theme.

9. Paint the movie room. My husband has free reign over this room. I trust his judgement since he used to build media rooms for a living.

10. Get curtains for the living & kitchen area. Replace rug in living room with one that doesn't shed. Hang up art in Living & Kitchen.

11. Eventually I want to replace the backsplash in the kitchen. I'm thinking penny tile or subway tile. I want to paint our light wood cabinets white. Then have maybe a light aqua backsplash. Countertops need to be updated too. They are white laminate and stain so easily.

12. Start putting wood laminate in some of the main rooms.

And I have a lot more going on in my head! But I'll end with 12 since it's 2012. This is already a huge list and will involve quite a bit of money. But I know a year from now our new place will feel a lot more like home!

Here's some pictures of projects I've completed!

Yarn Winter Wreath~
this was so much fun to make! My first time making felt flowers. I see myself making many more.

Gallery Wall in hallway~
read more here.

Violet's new room. It's got a butterfly~princess theme going on and almost completed!

First Ballet Class

2012-01-05T22:40:00.001-08:00

(Click to Enlarge)

Violet started her "Princess Ballerina Camp" class today! This was her first class to take well besides swim lessons. She was super excited to wear ballet shoes and a bun. I love how excited she looks meeting her teacher. She had a crowd come to watch her first practice. It was me, Matt, Zander, my mom & sister Jordan. All the little girls were so cute! Violet was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. When we got home she told me I need to practice the moves with her. Such a sweetie! Can't wait for next week.

Enjoy this short clip of their warm up to princess music!

Dynamite Shrimp

2011-12-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

My sister Jordan & her husband gave my family an adorable gift basket for Christmas. Inside was lots of home baked goodies and a jar of her Dynamite Sauce. She was inspired by the Dynamite Shrimp from Applebee's which is delicious! And Yes, she designed her own label. Too cute.
Jordan also has a blog with more info on her Dynamite sauce. I served the shrimp on a bed of fresh & crisp coleslaw with a side of Caramelized Pan Potatoes. My new recipe!

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

2011-12-28T20:35:00.001-08:00

I made up this recipe as I went tonight and it turned out amazing! I love potatoes. When I was in high school I made something similar to this with canned whole potatoes. That will work but will not taste as good.

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

3 medium sized potatoes, peeled & sliced into circles
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
3tsp. sugar
1/4 cup. diced white onion
1 tsp. kosher salt
a few dashes of pepper

1.Turn a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Warm up olive oil. Add onions & sugar. Cook until they start turning brown.

2. Add in the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then lay the potato slices on top of it all. Sprinkle on salt/pepper and cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Then stir and remove lid and cook until all the potatoes are lightly crisped & caramelized.

These potatoes were so good & quick to make. I can't wait to make them again!

My First Birch Box-December 2011

2011-12-21T23:52:00.001-08:00

After reading so much about Birchbox I decided to join. What is Birchbox? Well, for ten dollars a month (can cancel at any time) you will receive a box of deluxe sized samples delivered to your door. I absolutely love getting stuff in the mail and of course beauty products so I'm giving it a try!

I must admit my first box did not leave a good impression on me. My sis was over when I got the mail and I was so excited. She glanced over and was like "you paid how much for that?!" Because I got tiny stuff as you can see. The only decent sized sample is the face primer The Porefessional by Benefit. I actually like that a lot. It smells good, fills in pores and dries to a silky finish.

I also got a perfume sample of Ageless by Harvey Prince which I think is a terrible name. However the scent was impressive. Here's the description from their website

"Inspired by scientific research and crafted with love, Ageless by Harvey Prince defies your skin’s natural age-revealing scent. Its notes are an inviting blend of pink grapefruit, pomegranate, luscious mango, with a dry down of jasmine and natural musk."

The lipgloss is Birchbox Pink by Jouer. It's okay and goes on very sheer.

The Loreal Mythic Oil made my dry hair shiny and smooth. Smells nice. "Enriched with a special blend of avocado and grape seed oil, this lightweight oil cares and pampers all hair types. Nourishing even the finest hair, the formula leaves hair looking shiny, feeling nourished and supple."

I have not tried the EBoost Health Booster drink mix yet.

Not sure what I will do with the Showstoppers fashion tape!

I considered canceling my subscriptions but I've seen a lot of nice looking samples on other blogs. So, I'm going to try another month. Please be a good one!

Some Christmas Pics

2011-12-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

My little ones are just too cute! I took some pictures of them all dressed up for our Christmas cards. Only 6 days until Christmas!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream-Tokyo

2011-12-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

My sister and I went Christmas shopping last week. We went to Ulta. I love that they carry a huge selection of NYX products! I picked up the pale pink lip liner and Tokyo matte lip cream to try. I'm wearing both in these pics. This cream goes on silky smooth like a gloss. Then dries to a matte finish that last all day! It also has a nice vanilla scent. This is one of those lip products that will show every crack or flake on your lip so make sure to exfoliate and moisturize beforehand. Think I will get some more shades to try!

I'm also wearing Benefit Hoola with MAC My Highland Honey on my cheeks. I'm not wearing any eyeshadow. Just a little liquid liner on top and a lavender liner on my lower lids. Since I'm a stay at home mom I like easy looks like this!

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-12-11T21:02:00.001-08:00

pic from Spiral Bakes.com

Dinners-

Cheese Tortellini, Chicken Smoked Sausage & Alfredo Sauce with rolls. (New family favorite! this is so easy. Just use frozen tortellini and a jar of Alfredo sauce. Slice & brown up the smoked sausage. Stir all together. Not much prep involved.)

Chicken Pillows with corn.

Lasagna Soup with ciabotta bread.

S.O.P.P. (Chicken Sausage, onions, peppers & potatoes.)Simple and delicious. Served with a side salad.

Steak, peirogies and salad.

Breakfast- french toast sticks or sausage roll-new freezer friendly recipe!

Lunches- Southwestern Egg Rolls (Freezing some for Christmas) leftovers, nuggets or sandwiches for the kiddos.

Sweets- Colorful Spiral Cookies from Spiral Bakes. these cookies are so festive. Hope mine turn out cute!

Go to Organized Junkie for more dinner ideas!

Beauty Products I'm liking right now..

2011-12-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

1. Neutrogena Microdermabrasion System. This is awesome! If you haven't tried one of these electric face cleansing brushes, go do it now. My skin felt amazing after the first wash. So soft! I have been using it every other day. Since my skin is less rough & flaky afterwards I've noticed my moisturizer soaks in better. Makes sense to me! I'm sure it would help with wrinkles as well.
2. Burt's Bees Baby Creme. After washing my face I put this on. I like to use it as eye cream as well. It's all natural and made from aloe vera juice which is moisturizing and soothing for irritated skin. But I wouldn't recommend using this before applying makeup! It's more of a night time lotion.
3. Maybelline Line Stiletto. Quick and easy liner pen!
4. St. Ives Naturals body lotion with coconut milk and orchid extract. I put this on after showering and before bed. Keeps my dry skin from getting itchy from this cold weather and smells nice.
4. Alba Un Petroleum. I put this on my face after using the Burt's Bees cream. Kandee recommends this and I'll pretty much use whatever she says! Works wonderfully for dry & sensitive skin.
6. Loreal Non Sulfate Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner. I have very dry & wavy hair. I use the shampoo like normal. Then I wrap my hair in a towel. After that I add a quarter sized amount of the conditioner and I leave it in my hair to air dry! This method makes my hair less frizzy.

New Dinner Recipe-Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

2011-12-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I came across this recipe on food.com. I had boneless pork chops that needed to be cooked and this recipe had a short list of ingredients that I had on hand. Love when life works out like that. For even faster food prep try using already minced garlic and ginger. I found the jarred ginger at HEB. Don't you love the smell of ginger? I do! My husband and daughter said they would like to eat this for dinner again.

~Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry~

2/3 cup soy sauce. I will use low sodium next time.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes-optional. my 4 year old thought it was a little spicy.
1 pound of boneless pork cut into thin strips
1.5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup minced onion
1 T. olive oil

optional- make a pot of rice

1. In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar & 1 T. cornstarch.
2. Add ginger, garlic & red pepper to the sauce.
3. Put pork in the sauce & marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Turn skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then saute onions and broccoli. I added a splash of water to help soften the broccoli. Cook until onions are soft. Remove broccoli & onions and set aside.
5. Now cook the pork. Once the pork is browned. Add the rest of sauce and bring to a boil. Let cook until the sauce has thickened. At least one minute. Then combine the broccoli with pork.
Enjoy over rice.

Baby Tiger First Birthday

2011-11-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 1 last week! Zander loves to make a "tiger" face so this made a perfect theme for him. I had so much fun finding ideas on Pinterest.com for his first birthday. It was a little challenging to find cute-sy tiger birthday decorations. Glad my family and I are crafty!
My sister Jordan came up with these pretty invites. I just love this tiger cartoon! Her Etsy shop is called Jordyluxe. We used her design to print out labels for the treat bags and cupcake toppers.
Zander got to chow down on some homemade chocolate cake with butter cream frosting made by his GiGi! Well, he didn't really chow down. But he enjoyed smashing his fingers in it.
I made the birthday banner out of scrapbook paper and card stock. The letters were made with a Die Cut. Strung on ribbon and hung with thumbtacks. I made the Tiger Paper Lanterns using this fun tutorial. Just construction paper and glue! Then hung from the ceiling with twine. My 4 year old helped me shred the paper. I got the pretzel Tiger Tails idea from this blog. Turned out really cute! Added some shades of blue fabric and toy tigers to complete the table. Zander's tiger shirt came from Crazy8.

The tigers feasted on pizza, cake, ice cream, chocolate, Swedish fish & cookies! We had plenty of tea, water and orange sodas to wash it down.

I displayed his monthly pictures on twine and hung on the mantle. I painted the wooden clothespins white & blue. My mom made a subway art of his birth stats which I can't wait to hang in his room!
Added some frames of Zander now and as a newborn. The chevron treat bags, ice cream cups & blue striped straws came from Shop Sweet Lulu. Awesome service! They included a treat bag with taffy and a "thank you" note. I would order from them again.

The treat bags were labeled "Tiger Food". Inside were candy Swedish Fish.

The balloons were a hit with the kids! Look at my big boy taking some steps :)

I decorated his highchair with more scrapbook paper and crepe paper. His party hat came from Party City and was embellished with more of the tiger labels by Jordan.

Zander had a great first birthday! Babies grow fast and I think the second one grew faster ;) Sure felt that way.

All partied out and ready for a nap!

New Dinner Recipe

2011-11-27T19:13:00.001-08:00

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells found via Pinterest. The recipe is by Joelen from What's Cooking Chicago.

The main ingredients are chicken, cream cheese and parmesan. So, knew my family would love this one! These pasta shells were very rich and flavorful. I served the pasta shells with green beans and a side salad.

~Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells~

original Joelen recipe

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

I sprinkled buttered parmesan bread crumbs on top prior to baking as suggested. Yum!

In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

This is a freezer friendly recipe. I'm already scoping out my next recipe to try from Joelen!

My Baby is One!

2011-11-22T22:27:00.001-08:00

My handsome baby boy is one today! We celebrated his birthday this past weekend at our house with friends and family. It was a tiger theme since he likes to make a tiger face! I'll do a separate post with party pics and details.

Zander is such a joyful baby. We are so blessed and happy to have him in our lives! He has started saying Ma Ma consistently which makes me feel good. His favorite word is still "ball". At his birthday party we had lots of balloons which he happily called ball over and over! Zander and his sister are starting to fight over toys. Didn't think that would happen this soon, ha! He now grunts back at her when she tells him No. A few weeks ago he took his first steps. He still tries to walk off and on. But he knows he can get around faster crawling.

I love this baby like crazy!

Here are some newborn pictures of my sweet Zander. So tiny.

I'll miss doing his "Watch Me Grow" monthly pics. I want to think of a new monthly photo project to do that would involve big sister.

Happy Birthday my baby boy! Mommy loves you so much.

Christmas Bucket List 2011

2011-11-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

Help Violet write a letter to Santa~done!
Decorate the tree together & listen to Christmas music~done!
Make a Gingerbread House~done!
Take the kids to see Santa~done!
Watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate~done!
Put up Christmas Lights on the house~done!
Make treats for neighbors~done!
Send out Christmas Cards~done!
Go Ice Skating~this sounded to difficult. Didn't want to face the mall crowds to ice skate.
Remember to put the Elf on a Shelf in a new spot every night~um, sort of!
Read Christmas Stories~done!
Take a drive to look at Christmas Lights~done!
Donate some of our toys to charity~half done! bagged up to go.
Make cookies for Santa~done!
Celebrate the birth of Jesus!~Done!

What's on your Bucket List? I was inspired by this blog over at Makoodle.

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-11-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Now that I've made it a habit to do a weekly meal plan and grocery list. I want to start a Household Binder. I think that would help me to get organized and stay on top of chores. I get my cleaning inspiration from FlyLady, Organized Junkie and IHeartOrganizing. Time to start implementing those ideas!

Here's our meals for the week.

Zuppa Toscana Soup with bread. (roll over from last week)

Meat Pie with Glazed Carrots (trying a friend's recipe-her blog)

Crock Pot Italian Cream Cheese Chicken with rice, veggies & garlic bread

Skillet Pork Chops with Quinoa Broccoli Cheese Casserole (If this casserole is good I'll be making it for Thanksgiving)

Stuffed Zucchini with turkey sausage and Butter Rice

Lunches- leftovers or Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Breakfast- waffles, fruit or breakfast burritos

Visit Organized Junkie for more dinner ideas!

New Gallery Wall

2011-11-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

This was my first completed project in the new house. We have been here about a month now. I had most of these frames on a gallery wall in our previous home. So, I didn't have to buy much to update my frame collection. Just bought a few more black & silver frames from Walmart. I ended up spray painting the tiny frame under the "K" silver. Then I got some recent family portraits printed at Walgreens to complete the wall.

Here is the Before~

And AFTER!

I love it! I think I might paint all the frames to match someday but for now I'm enjoying the mix matchy look. I got the "what I love most about my home is who I share it with" from the adorable Eighteen25 blog. It's a free printable. I got my 4 year old to paint me a picture with some blue to match the table. The topiary came in a 3 pack from HomeGoods for around 10 dollars. Got the yellow bird for 5 dollars at Kirklands. The lantern was on sale for 10 dollars there as well. The small dish with a "K" on it was found at Tuesday Morning a couple years ago. The beautiful blue antique table was painted by my mom & sister. She recently used this to hold drink pitchers at her wedding! Thank you Jordan for the table. This project really didn't cost much!

It was hard to get a straight shot of the wall since it's at an angle.

Hope you like my new Gallery Wall layout! Thanks for visiting!
Jill

I'm linking up with Young & Crafty and Iheartnaptime :)

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-11-09T21:10:00.001-08:00

(source:weightwatchers)

(source:kevinandamanda)

(my photo & recipe)

I took my time this week getting the meal plan ready. Still had 2 meals left over from last week to cook. Got my grocery shopping done today and now have a full fridge. That's always nice!

Dinners~
Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes

Calzones and side salad

Applebee's Cheese Chicken Tortilla Soup

Soft Beef Tacos with rice

My Zuppa Toscana Soup

Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches or lean pockets.

Breakfast will be Savory Biscuits, fruit or waffles.

For more ideas go to Organized Junkie!

My Grandma's Creole Pork Chops

2011-11-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

My Grandma used to make these pork chops back in the day when we would visit her and my Grandpa. I've changed it up a little since my hubby doesn't like stewed tomatoes and used crushed tomatoes instead. These pork chops taste the best over rice since it makes a lot of yummy sauce!

~Creole Pork Chops~

Regular bone in thin cut pork chops
green bell pepper rings
whole round onion slices
2 14oz. Can stewed tomatoes or 28oz. canned crushed tomatoes
Creole Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Mustard
Flour

Season up the pork chops.

Dip pork chops in mustard water(1 tbsp mustard to 1C water) and coat with flour

Just brown pork chops on both sides using as little oil as possible and remove from pan

Using same oil toss in the onion and brown slightly

Next toss in bell pepper rings, continue to saute for a couple of minutes.

You should have a layer of onion & pepper

Return chops to pan on top of onions and peppers forming layer

Pour stewed/crushed tomatoes on top and spread

Add enough water to leave top of chops exposed

Cover and simmer about 20 minutes turning chops over in 10 minutes

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-10-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day for our family. I did some more decorating in the new house. My husband worked on setting up the media room. Got the kids dressed up for Fall Fest and a little trick or treating. It was a great day! Ready to have a productive week. I'm trying to have my house look homey & "more us" by Zander's first birthday at the end of November. On to the meal plan!

Chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes & broccoli.~this will be a first for me. I've made chicken fried chicken before but not this.

Philly Cheesesteaks with homemade baked fries.

Spaghetti & Meatballs (frozen from Target. my 4yr old sampled them in the store & said they were awesome!), green beans and garlic bread.

Tator Tot Casserole with ground turkey & side salad.~family fave!

Heather's Quinoa with sauteed chicken tenders.~made this before with tofu and we didn't like it. But the flavor of the quinoa was excellent.

Breakfast will be waffles, fruit or Savory Breakfast Muffins which can be frozen.

Lunch- leftovers or sandwiches.

For more dinner ideas head over to Organized Junkie!

ps. I used ZIPLIST to save my recipes and compile a grocery list this week. It's awesome! Works a little like pinterest since you can "pin" a recipe and it moves all the ingredients to a grocery list for you.

All dressed up for Fall Fest

2011-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ballerina Violet posing with a broom that is from the porch decoration. She looked so pretty!

Baby Zander is a Dragon! Love that smile.

Have a fun Halloween Night!

Visit to Mainstay Farm

2011-10-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Mainstay Farm a couple weeks ago. Very fun & family friendly place! We went with my niece and mom in law.

Zander loved to point at the pumpkins and say his favorite word, Ball!

He was sleepy when we arrived so I wore him in the carrier for a little while. Violet enjoyed running on the bales of hay. But she was too afraid to jump off like the big kids.

Violet and Brianna had a blast jumping on the pillow top! There was also a 3-story tree house, maze, hayride and playground. We can't wait to go back next fall!

Meal Plan for the Week

2011-10-24T13:05:00.001-07:00

I'm very proud of myself for making a meal plan today! It's been about a month since the last one. We just moved into our new home a few weeks ago and I've been making short trips to the store without a planned list lately.

Breakfast- homemade breakfast burritos to freeze, waffles, fruit

Lunches- Leftovers, Pepperoni Roll Ups, Barbecue Meatballs

Dinners-

Weight Watcher's Broccoli & Sausage Casserole with a side salad~family fav!

Pineapple Chicken Curry over Jasmine Rice

My Grandma's Creole Pork Chops with Roasted Butternut Squash & Potatoes~we love this! I'll post my Grandma's recipe once I get a picture of the pork chops.

Beef Taco Soup with cheese, sour cream & tortilla chips

Sweets- Betty Crocker Brownies & Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies to take to playgroup

For more meal ideas go to Organized Junkie!

Zander is 11 Months

2011-10-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Words can't describe how much we love our little Zander! He just turned 11 months. Feels like yesterday that I was walking my huge pregnant belly around a pumpkin patch last year! My little boy is getting so big and such a blessing to be around.

A couple weeks ago he got very sick. He was sluggish, not eating much and had a fever. I took him to his pedi where he was tested for urine infection and a blood infection. We were sent home to wait for results. His temp then spiked up to 105 and we had to drive him to the ER. This was around midnight. There they repeated the previous test, then xrays and a Spinal Tap. He was given an IV. We had to stay at Cook's Children overnight. I held Zander all night and prayed while he slept. I was so worried. We got to go home the next day after his test came back clear. He was diagnosed with a fever virus. I'm so thankful my baby is back to his healthy self!

I've been putting him in cloth diapers lately. Here he is in the Gpant. Super Cute!

Sneak Peek of his Dragon Costume.
Big sister Violet said he had to be a dragon cuz she's the princess!

Playing in one of mommy's old rompers and trying to mess with sister's dollhouse.

That smile melts my heart! and those big brown eyes do too!

Sweet little fingers!

I love how chubby & silly he looks here. We are in the middle of moving so he's always finding random things to play with!

That's my little "Toot Toot, Tinkers, Zanners, Brother Bear, Chunky, Zander!"

-Stats-
around 20 pounds
loves to pull hair
still crawling & cruisin' furniture
can say "ball"
waves bye-bye
eats alot!
loves to get to the stairs at the new house
likes to grab mommy's phone and hold it to his ear and yell. Guess that's what I sound like!

We bought our First House!

2011-10-23T22:12:00.001-07:00

(my mom snapped this pic right after we got the keys to go in!)

October has been a busy month for us. We moved into our new home almost 3 weeks ago! Moving Day was actually scheduled on a day that baby Zander got sick and had to stay the night at Cook's Children. But that's a whole 'nother blog! Thank the Lord he's fine now.

Then October 8th was my sister Jordan's wedding. I was the matron of honor and Violet was a flower girl. We had so much fun dancing and enjoying the night even though it rained! Will blog about that soon as well.

Back to the new house stuff! We have so much room now. I've been on Pinterest like crazy lately getting decorating ideas. I love that we are back in my hometown and only 3 minutes away from my family! Oh and like 3 minutes away from Target as well ;) That's always a plus.

Matt has an awesome home theater set-up that he purchased pre children. We never had the space to set it up properly. Now we have a designated room just for movies. Pretty cool! That makes me happy since it always looked awkwardly out of place in our previous homes.

We still have some unpacking left to do and lots of projects. But I'm so excited to make this house our home!

A Vintage Lovebird DIY Wedding Shower

2011-09-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Sisters and I threw a wedding shower for our sister Jordan a few weeks ago. Thought I would share our party pics with yall, Enjoy!

The happy soon to be Bride and Groom.

Art done by Jordan the Bride. Visit her store here.

We used old jugs and jars with sunflowers for centerpieces.

My little Violet waiting for guest to arrive.

Buttons for the Bride and Groom to wear.The vintage figurines are part of my Mom's collection.

Delicious Smores bars were the party favor.

Me and my baby boy!

Our Menu:
Peach Tea
Lemonade
Sliders
(made with halved frozen Parker House Rolls, these were delish!)
Kettle Chips- store bought
Baked Beans- canned, easy!
Coleslaw
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble- Ina's Recipe of course!
Smore's Bars- Betty Crocker recipe

Source for supplies:
Burger Basket Liners and condiment bottles from Crate & Barrell.
Mason Jars and lids leftover from my wedding.
Drink Dispensers from Pottery Barn.
Burger Baskets 2.99 for 6 @ HomeGoods
Paper Straws from Pink Lemonade Party
Pie/Ice Cream cups from Paper Treats
Wooden Forks & Spoons from Amazon

Old Crates- from mom's house.
Tablecloth is burlap.
Wooden Lovebird Tree made by my dad.

The wedding is coming up in October. It will be fab!

Zander is 10 MONTHS

2011-09-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Zander Paul is 10 months old!

he has 4 teeth now
he can stand unsupported for about 2 seconds before lowering his booty to sit
likes to throw things
he has discovered toy cars! I'll catch him pushing a car and scooting along with it.
he gets very excited to see dogs and will grab a handful of hair if he's given the chance
he likes to make clicking sounds
he finally said MAMA this week!

He's a little ham and we are crazy about him!

Meal Plan for September 19-25

2011-09-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Running a little behind this week. Matt was off work on monday so we went to eat at Chili's. Then I made curry on tuesday that I never got around to making last week. I do most of my shopping at HEB. I noticed this morning they were not making their fresh tortillas yet. I hunted down an employee to ask when they would start. Ha! They really are the best tortillas. She said the tortilla machine broke over the weekend. So, I had to buy prepackaged tortillas. Sadness!

Anyway. Here's my plan for the week!

1.Turkey Soft Tacos with chips n salsa ~my recipe

2.Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts with a simple salad. (pic from kevinandamanda)

3.Caramelized Honey Dijon Chicken, Pasta Salad & PW's Rosemary Rolls (mom made these rolls recently and they are absolutely wonderful)

4. My Mom's Chinese Chicken Salad

Lunches will be sandwiches, leftovers or this soup.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup- Panera Style for lunches. (pic from myblessedlife)

Goodie for the week- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Linking up to Organized Junkie!

Fuschia Lips

2011-09-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

I know what your thinking. That's a lot of eye liner! I know. I just got MAC fluidline and decided to go crazy with it. I almost lined my whole lid with liner. just because. My husband was like "what are you doing? you look like a Vegas Showgirl". Ha!

(without flash)

(with flash)

Oh well. I do like this lip combo though. It's Revlon Stormy Pink with Jordana Baby Berry lip liner. Without the liner the Stormy Pink is very pink on me. Like Barbie Pink.

I'm thinking I need to wear a fuschia lip more often! Do you have a favorite fuschia lippy?

Dried Strawberries

2011-09-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Simple & yummy for a snack or eat on a salad like I did!

1. Rinse Strawberries.

2. Slice them up.

3.Heat oven to 210 degrees. Spread out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt & pepper. Dry in oven for 3 hours. Some of my strawberries stuck to the foil. Might use some cooking spray next time.

4. Sprinkle on salad! My salad has pesto jack cheese, cucumbers & pumpkin seeds on it.

(original recipe can be found here)

Menu Plan for the Week

2011-09-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

I really like posting my meal plans for the week. Makes me accountable for having a plan and sticking to the grocery list.

Dinners~

Creamy Chicken Florentine with a salad. (Recipe from Philly Cooking Creme)
Hashbrown Porkchop Casserole with green beans.
Mary's Meatloaf, roasted potatoes & salad.
Coconut Chicken Curry over rice.
Chicken Taco Soup with tortilla chips.

Lunches~

BLT Bites, Leftovers, Sandwiches & "Chickfila" nuggets

Snacks~

Dried Strawberries, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chips n Salsa, Veggies n Ranch

Linking up to Meal Plan Monday!

what's coming up...

2011-09-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

We are closing on our first home in 10 days!

After years of renting this will be a huge change for our family. You can read about some of our home struggles here. You know what I'm most excited about?! I GET TO PAINT THE WALLS! I love decorating and personalizing a space. Can't wait to get started! We are moving back to my hometown. So, we will be only a few minutes away from my parent's house. It's kind of funny. My husband used to be adamant about not living in Mansfield. I think it was because he wasn't familiar with the area. Then when it came time to go see houses in person. All of his favorites were in Mansfield. I have been praying that God would guide us to the right home for our family.

We are very happy.

Also, my sister Jordan is getting married to Alejandro in October! I'm so excited for them. I took their engagement pictures. Don't they look pretty?! I'm hosting her Bridal Shower this weekend. We are about to be busy! Oh, and Violet is one of the flower girls.

And last but not least. My baby Zander will be turning ONE in November. It's time for me to start brainstorming birthday party ideas!

Recent

2011-09-08T11:52:00.001-07:00

Our life this past week.

Put on some makeup for my sister Jordan's birthday dinner. It's been so hot here in Texas that I have not been doing my makeup lately.
I've been helping Violet with a few preschool workbooks daily. Were using flash cards from Target, workbooks from Dollar Tree and a Kumon numbers book. She loves learning! I think she writes pretty good for just turning 4. I feel like I have to keep her busy with this stuff since she is not in school yet. I'm having so much heartache at the thought of her going to kindergarten and being away for 7 hours a day! I take her everywhere with me from shopping, to running, to errands...A lot of praying going on in my head for this topic! I can't understand how 5 year olds can be in a class of 20 and get the attention they need amongst other things that I worry about.
Made Quinoa for the first time. This recipe was delish! Roasted tomatoes, kale, corn, pumpkin seeds and pesto. Lots of flavor.
We have been enjoying the weather and spending lots of time outside. Violet inspecting a leaf she found.

Zander has figured out how to make funny faces with his tongue!

Zander & Daddy.

Last night Matt and I rented Your Highness. Terrible movie! I usually like anything with Natalie Portman but not that! So, that's what I've been up to. Plus my nightly runs!

Meal Plan for September 5-11

2011-09-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

(my version of Zuppa Toscana)

Were doing a mix of old and new recipes this week. I planned out 5 meals. We usually wind up eating with family for at least one dinner.

Hawaiian Haystacks~rice, chicken gravy, cheese, olives, tomatoes, ect. Looks fun to make!

Spicy Honey Chicken, Chinese Cabbage Salad and rolls.~family favorite.

Smoked Sausage, Red Potatoes cooked with green beans & bacon. Side salad.~my grandma used to cook us these potatoes all the time but with fresh green beans from Mr. Peepaw's garden.

Zuppa Toscana Soup with bread sticks.~family favorite.

Pan Fried Chicken over Penne with Alfredo sauce & bread sticks.~my sister Justine introduced me to this way of cooking juicy chicken. I think it will taste great on pasta!

Lunches will be leftovers, cheese quesadillas, or Heather's Quinoa.

Breakfast~Homemade breakfast burritos with cheese, sausage & eggs.

Snacks-chips & Julio's salsa, bananas, kiwi & No Bake Energy Bites.

What are you cooking up this week?
For more meal planning inspiration check out The Organized Junkie!

No Bake Energy Bites

2011-09-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

This was our 'fun food' to make for the week! My little girl loves to be in the kitchen. So, we usually bake together at least once a week. Today we made these little goodies from Smashed Peas & Carrots' blog. I used crushed up graham crackers instead of ground flax seed. I'm sure that zapped some of the energy from them. :)
Good recipe to do with preschoolers since there is nothing to heat up. Would make again! I ate 2 and washed them down with raspberry tea!

Little Handprint Owl

2011-09-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Violet holding her Owl project! We found this adorable idea via pinterest. The Owl tutorial is on Jill Dubien's blog. She has so many cute finger paint kid crafts. Awesome blog to check out! If I can find a frame to fit this into I will hang it in Violet's bedroom at the new house. She wants her new room to be pink & orange. So, this will work!

Summer Vacation to Mustang Island

2011-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ready to hit the beach!

Zander touching sand for the first time. The heat and sand getting in his face made him a little cranky. He was a good sport and kept trying to crawl into the waves!

Violet thought she was really surfing! She would stand still and wait for a wave to make her float for a second. She thought it was awesome :)

I love summer vacations! We went with my entire family and also had visitors. Lots of people and lots of fun! Looking forward to the next get away.

Zander is 9 months

2011-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Zander turned 9 months yesterday! I took him in for his check up recently and they asked where did his baby fat go?? He crawls and climbs everywhere. We can't slow him down. He always wants to be busy!

Zander is 18lbs,130z and 29.25 inches long.
He can be very loud! Violet likes to have screaming matches with him.
He is very smiley and loves to laugh!
I'm still nursing him and he still wakes up to eat at night.
Some of his favorite foods are cheerios, bread, shredded cheese and cantaloupe.

Violet loves to take naps with little brother!

This picture was taken during one of their screaming matches :)

Zander at a birthday party. He makes this funny face a lot. Matt started it by trying to get him to growl and this is what he does!

I'm still taking his monthly pictures. Were going on vacation soon and I want to do his 9 month pictures on the beach! Yay Zander, Happy 9 months!

Navajo Tacos

2011-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Navajo Tacos

These tacos were very filling and delish! All you do is make fry bread and then load it up with taco toppings. I used this recipe for the Fry Bread.

Fry Bread~
2 cups all-purpose flour
1T. baking powder
1tsp. salt
1 cup milk
and oil for frying

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Then stir in the milk. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Then break the dough into 4 balls. Roll out and flatten. Then fry until golden!

I made taco meat with a packet of taco seasoning. Then added all the usual taco toppings. I'm sure I will make these tacos again!

Hosanna

2011-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

Yeeeah

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

[Chorus x2]

Hosanna in the highest

Braided Hair Headband

2011-08-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here's me and my husband going on a rare date night! We ended up going to Genghis Grill so I could use my free birthday bowl coupon. Then we went to one of those trendy yogurt places where you pick out toppings. My favorite is the original, tart yogurt with white chocolate chips and mochi candies on top!

Back to the hair. I recently found Luxy Hair on youtube. They have excellent hair tutorials. I was showing them to my sister and she offered to try the braided hair headband on me. Turned out pretty cute! Here's a link to the tutorial.

sorry for the fuzzy phone pics!

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken & Rice

2011-07-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

My husband really likes pineapple. Simple Pineapple Chicken is one of our favorites. I usually make it in the slow cooker. Our old version is good and all but this new recipe I found from Jamie Cooks it Up is GOURMAZING! Ha, my sister Justine and I like to see how many times we can use the word GOURMAZING in our day to day life. My 4 year old now describes her food as DELISH or GOURMAZING!

I know I will make this many more times.

Serve over Coconut Rice!

Walking Chicken

2011-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a rotisserie chicken for dinner. Violet loves chicken. One of her favorite foods. Well, she obviously hasn't put 2 and 2 together yet. Here was our dinner conversation...

Violet eyes the whole chicken that has not been cut yet. Guess she's never seen it that way before.

Violet~Eww, gross. That looks like a walking chicken! I don't want to eat that.

Me~You like chicken and have eaten this kind before.

Violet~Well, only big people eat walking chickens like on Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs.

I know I should have explained where chicken comes from. We have done that before and she just laughs like were kidding. It's all gross when you think about it and so I don't. Because I like chicken and hamburgers. She just turned 4. If she ever decides to become a vegetarian I will support her decision. I don't blame her, the chicken guy on that movie creeps me out too!

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-07-25T20:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom. Hope you had a wonderful day! Thanks for letting me do your makeup yesterday. It was fun and your beautiful. Love, Jillian

Meal Plan for the Week of July 25, 2011

2011-07-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Just finished creating my meal plan for the week. What a relief! Makes me feel so much better about how the week will go. Tonight I didn't have a plan and I thawed out some ground turkey. As I'm browning the turkey my 8 month old was in the jumperRoo. He was really fussy and was doing the "rescue me mommy" look. So, I was going back and forth entertaining the turkey and my baby ;) Then I noticed the turkey smelled funky and I threw it out. Was not gonna risk anyone getting sick! Was one of those days! Then I started over cooking a different meal.

1. Ham & Cheese Biscuits with hash browns and fruit.

2. Chicken Pesto French Bread Sandwich with side salad.

3. Caramel Apple Pork Chops, mashed potatoes and green beans.

4. Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos with black beans. I've been seeing these all over the interwebs, can't wait to try them!

5. Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs, corn on the cob and rolls.

Lunches will be leftovers or chicken salad with crackers. I'm also making a batch of babyfood for Zander..maybe summer squash with pasta.

I'm linking up with Organized Junkie!

Happy Birthday to the Husband and I

2011-07-19T20:08:00.001-07:00

Yep, we share a birthday. This year we celebrated by spending a Sunday at my parent's house swimming and grilling. Well, my dad did the grilling. Then a couple days later we met Matt's family at Babe's for dinner.

My family on birthday dinner night. 7.19.11.

My mom made Paula Deen's Chocolate Sheet Cake. Yums.

I made an appetizer to take to their house. Pioneer Woman's French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms. You know what's funny? I hate mushrooms and will not eat them alone or sprinkled on stuff. But I will eat them stuffed with cheese!

Aunt Jordan with my bebe.

The Food~ toasted bread, smoked ribs, grilled chicken, cabbage salad, potato salad and my mom's famous deviled eggs! My family loves to cook.

I love this look on Zander's face!

Dominos kept Violet entertained for a while.

Aunt Justine having fun with Zander.

Cake & Ice Cream!

28 feels pretty good! I got some great gifts-a kindle, vintage porcelain angels (I collect them), gift card, sports bra, new wallet and money. Matt told me not to get him anything but I had to do something! So, I got him a shirt, sunglasses and beef jerky. I know beef jerky is a strange gift. I don't know why I always grab him some for his birthday and Christmas. He always laughs when he opens it but you know he eats it!

It's been a good birthday week!

Make Baby Food! Chicken, Rice & Peaches

2011-07-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

Chicken, Rice & Peaches for Baby~recipe adapted from wholesomebabyfood.

You will need-

ice cube tray
1/4 cup white or brown rice
1/2 cup cooked boneless chicken-diced
1 ripe peach, take the skin off
1 T. apple prune juice
1 T. water

Save some of the chicken broth that you used to boil the chicken to thin out the puree if needed.

Throw it all in a bowl. Mix on HIGH with a hand held blender. (I love this blender and have used it many times!) Puree until you get a consistency suitable for your baby. Baby Zander only has 2 teeth so I made it a soup like texture.

Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Then divide 3-4 cubes into baggies. Store in freezer. I grab a baggie every morning to thaw out in the fridge. It's ready to warm up at dinner time. Usually takes about 20 seconds.

Easy peasy and saves money!

Summer Bucket List

2011-07-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

We made a list for the Summer. Violet and I had so much fun creating this together! Found the idea over at the blog Whatever. Lots of cute ideas there. Think this will become a family tradition in our house.

Most of the ideas I came up with and asked what she thought. She really wants to go fishing and go to a water park. I recently finished the book Deep Dish so one down, 2 to go! I should be able to get a lot of reading done on our drive to Port Aransas, can't wait.

Lovin' Summer!

ps. yes, I know most 5 year olds have better handwriting than me.

Weekly Meal Plan for July 11-17

2011-07-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Slow Cooker Chicken Tostadas with Mexican Rice.

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken over Pasta with Garlic Bread. *family fav*

Pineapple Pork Chops with Sesame Noodles. (rolling over from last week)

Ground Turkey Mushroom Soft Tacos with baked fries.

Chicken Cordon Blue, mashed potatoes and salad.

breakfast- granola bars or waffles.

lunch- chicken tenders or BLT's

I'm linking up with the Organized Junkie!

Thrift Store Love

2011-07-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

I love thrift stores! It has been forever since I've visited my local Goodwill. I went today looking to find a chair, wooden bench or hutch to paint. Milk Glass was on my mind as well. I want to find a hutch and paint it bright blue and fill it with milk glass.

What I came home with for 5 dollars~
a tiny lotus bowl for 1.00, now I have 2 of these.
milk glass bowl for 1.00, I love!
and a tall porcelain jug for 3.00

Think I will put my cooking utensils in here.

Flowers, candy, fruit! All looks pretty in milk glass.

Have you been thrifting lately? Tell me about it!

A Princess and Knight Party

2011-07-11T19:08:00.001-07:00

We all had a great time at Violet's 4th birthday party! Everything was made by me, my mom and sister Jordan. The theme was very princessy. Can ya tell?! My girl loves PINK.

Here are the invites that Jordan created and I had printed at Walgreens up the street.

The 6 layer Princess Cake made by Mom. That was some work! Halfway through we joked that we should have given in and bought the Barbie head cake from Target.

But it turned out so pretty and tasted great! We copied this cake from a blog but I can't remember which one. Someone send me a link please!

Violet woke up to see a bounce house in the backyard. I'm not sure who had more fun in that..the kids or us big kids!

My mom made her outfit. We were inspired by this outfit from BellaGraceCreations.
The table all set up. I forgot to fix those falling streamers on the right. Mom sewed the streamers together to get a more frilly look.

I found the sweet pink polka dot fabric at Hobby Lobby 40% off.

The flowered up "4" was made using this tutorial from Prudent Baby. I couldn't wait to start this project. Very cheap to do and took less than an hour. The Princess Violet cake toppers were made by Jordan. That was one of Violet's favorites from the party.

Cupcake Push Pops!

Pink Lemonade and Tea.

Princess Pom Pom Wands. These were fun to make. I have leftover tulle maybe I will make a tutorial.

Glow in the Dark Swords found at Target. My mom made all the labels.

Candy Kabobs! These were a big hit. You can find them on Etsy. Jordan and my mom surprised us with them. They said the trick was to spray the sucker stick first with cooking spray before sliding on the candies to prevent a gooey mess.
We served lots of food. I didn't get pretty pics of it all but there was cheese & crackers, fruit, popcorn chicken, Ina's Chicken Salad, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Chips & Salsa, cookies and cake!

Thanks for stopping by to see Violet's party!

Violet is 4

2011-07-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Violet !!

I thought it would be fun to interview her.

What's your favorite color? PINK
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy that has 3 babies that go in a stroller with 3 seats.
What is your favorite thing about having a brother? holding him.
What is your favorite food? strawberries and watermelon.
Favorite song? Twinkle Little Star..that has been her favorite forever!

3 years, 11 months.

3rd birthday

2nd Birthday

1st Birthday

Brand New, July 7, 2007.

We are having a Princess-Knight Party this weekend. She is super excited about the bounce house! We love you Violet !

Weekly Meal Plan for July 4-10

2011-07-05T17:01:00.001-07:00

Trying something new! I'm linking up with The Organizing Junkie to share my meal plan for the week. I've been meal planning for a while now. But this looks like a fun way to share my menu and get ideas from others.

I've planned out 5 dinners. This weekend is Violet's birthday party so I have a whole different menu for that as well. Then Sunday is our 2nd wedding anniversary. Thinking we will go out to eat or get take out.

I don't assign specific days to the meals because we just pick off the list what sounds good that day.

1. Giada's Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage Broccoli Rabe, side salad and rolls.

2. Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches with baked fries.

3. Tostadas made with leftover shredded beef with mexican rice.

4. Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken over rice with garlic bread.

5. Pineapple Pork Chops with Sesame Noodles.

Breakfast~ I made a large batch of breakfast burritos and froze in baggies to reheat. And bought a chocolate chip muffin mix to make.

Ready for this fun & busy week!

Jill

7 Months Old

2011-06-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

Zander is 7 months old! Thought I would share some pictures from this past month.

Here he is modeling a swim diaper at Gigi & Bum Bum's house on Father's Day. This picture cracks me up on so many levels! His "speedo", dimpled thighs, rolls around his ankles..I could go on and on...(my mom was holding his hand but you can barely see her, baby was safe)

Smiling with Mama for a quick pic!

He's got 2 teeth now! You can sort of see here in this 2 week old picture.

Someone sharing their tea with him. He loves tea!

Collage of him feeding himself Gerber Puffs for the first time. Try clicking to make bigger!

He now weighs 19 lbs. He has started to crawl on all fours but is way faster at the army crawl. He climbs everything. We have to barricade him into the living room with pillows and bean bags. But he crawls over those too!

I've been making him homemade baby food. His favorite is pureed pasta with carrots and monterey jack cheese. We give him fruit (usually store bought) with cereal in the morning then he nurses every few hours until dinner. At dinner he gets 3 cubes of frozen baby food with cereal. Then he wants to nurse most of the night until he passes out. I think he's too busy exploring during the day and then realizes his tummy is hungry at bedtime. That or he's having a growth spurt.

Matt got him to say Da Da a few days ago. His voice is so precious! Can't wait for him to say those magical words.."Ma Ma" to me!

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs & Coconut Rice

2011-06-28T12:36:00.001-07:00

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs~We tried these kabobs out for dinner last night. Matt has I think a charcoal grill? anyway, we haven't had it long but the chicken got some charred spots. Still, we enjoyed our dinner and that's all that matters.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs~adapted from allrecipes.

4 T. olive oil
4 T. honey
4 T. teriyaki sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 boneless chicken breast- cut into cubes
1 white or yellow onion, chop all the veggies into chunks
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
wooden skewers (let them soak in water for a couple hours to prevent burning)

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the first 5 ingredients.
2. Put chicken in a plastic baggie and pour in some sauce to marinate.
3. Put veggies in a separate baggie and pour in sauce to marinate.
4. Save some of the sauce to baste onto the kabobs while grilling.

I let it all marinate in the fridge for about 3 hours.

5. Make your kabobs and grill for 12-15 min. or until juices run clear.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice~ recipe by me.

1.5 T. coconut oil
1.5 cups of long grain white rice
3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
low calorie spray butter or oil

1. Warm up the coconut oil in a pot. Add the rice and lightly toast.
2. Pour in 3 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Spray a pan with butter and put in the coconut flakes. Carefully toast under a broiler.
4. When rice is done. Turn off the burner. Keep the lid on! Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Stir half of the coconut flakes into the rice. Sprinkle more on top to make it pretty!

A hot day at our house

2011-06-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Little Z hanging out and clutching the popular Sophie the Giraffe. His favorite "chew toy".

Violet loading up her squirt gun!

Taking a dip in the water table.

They don't know how happy they make me!

Our Family Portraits 2011

2011-06-17T02:34:00.000-07:00

We had them done by Lauren Marie Photography. She is based out of DFW if you need some awesome pictures done! She's a Mansfield girl and went to school with my sisters. Violet and Zander did so well. We had them done at Trinity Park in Fort Worth if you were wondering..

Zander cracks me up

2011-06-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

He has so many funny faces!

His big, happy grin!

He's saying "Haha, Violet I got your toy!" She's already tattling on him, ;)

"You lookin' at my booty?"

5 A Day Books

2011-06-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

New Challenge! I found this great idea from The Imagination Tree. You pick out 5 books and read those 5 books every day to your child for a week. Check out Imagination Tree for more info.

Here are Violet's picks for Week One~

If you take a mouse to school
There were ten in the bed
Overboard
Baby Bear, Baby Bear
Kittens

I know Violet will enjoy this! My husband reads her a book before bed every night while I'm getting baby Zander to sleep. But 5 books? Yep, will be a challenge :)

Stay Home Slump

2011-06-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm doing everything wrong today.

Let me first say I love being a stay home mom. I play with my kids every day. We always have food on the table. We have a happy home. But some days I wake up and just want to escape!

Last night I stayed up too late to finish a book. Guess I was selfish to do that. Then today has been off. Zander is super fussy. I think he's cutting his second tooth. I went running to see if that would help my mood. Don't think it did because here I am now typing this blog. My husband watched the kids while I went to run and then I took a quick shower. But I'm always rushed. A day like today makes me wonder what it would feel like to send both kids to daycare, just for a day...Maybe I would finally tackle the long to-do list that is always running through my head.

We have too many clothes. All 4 of us. I know the problem could easily be solved if I would just sort through them and put some in trash or give away. But I'm sure it would take hours so I don't. I'd rather get the kids out of the house to do something fun.

It's so hard to get anything done around the house. My little boy loves to be held. He's only 6 months and I love that he wants to be snuggled all the time. But it sure makes for a messy house. Guess I could be cleaning right now as he naps but I'm in a slump. Praying I snap out of this soon!

Zander is 6 Months

2011-06-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Stats~ 17lbs and 12oz , 27.5"

On May 23 he turned 6 months old. He sits on his own pretty well. He does his own version of crawling. We think he looks like a frog swimming. I wonder if he will ever do the traditional up on all four's crawl. He's very fast doing his "froggy" crawl and can find shoes to chew on in the blink of an eye!

Happy 6 Months Z !

Little Miss Sassy Pants

2011-06-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, this girl right here. VIOLET.

Now picture her yelling in a monster voice, "CHOCOLATE MILK!" Then she sniffs it to make sure we put chocolate in it. "I CAN'T SMELL THE CHOCOLATE!" Some days it feels like we live with a moody pregnant lady. Daddy has named her Sassy Pants. When did she get too big for her britches? Seems like yesterday she was my little baby attached to my hip.
All joking aside she really is a sweetheart. Just this past weekend we went to swim at my mom & dad's. Violet looked at my mom and said, "Gigi I love it here! Does that make you happy?!"

Violet, YOU make us happy!

(the moody pregnant lady reference was about me. Sorry family I know I was a brat)

Zander is 5 months

2011-05-20T10:35:00.001-07:00

he does this funny position a lot

he also likes to put his feet in his mouth, lol

eating some rice cereal

trying very hard to sit up straight

Zander is 17lbs now. Not sure on the length, will find out at his 6 month visit. He has started to sit for about a minute before starting to fall over! He can roll over from back to belly now. Seems like he started doing that overnight and does it all the time! :) Zander loves to roll.

We started rice cereal when he hit 5 months. The first time I gave it to him was around dinner time. I couldn't feed it to him fast enough! He would start to fuss in between bites. But I think he wanted to nurse. So, we had to pause and get his belly full of milk before continuing. Then he was a happy boy! He loves his baby food.

His favorite toy is the jumperRoo.

We have had some rough teething days but still no teeth.

I'm very behind on blogging. He will be 6 months on May 23!
Almost time for another photo shoot.

Easter 2011

2011-05-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Violet and Zander

Violet slept in sponge rollers for the first time. She looked adorable! When she looked in the mirror she said "mama, I look like a different girl!". Kids say such funny things. She was so happy to see all the goodies that the Easter Bunny brought.

Happy First Easter to my Zander baby! He was so happy sitting in the grass and trying to wrap his chubby fingers around eggs.

All four of us after church. We went to my home church in Mansfield with my parents and sisters. Then we spent the rest of Easter day at their house. Hunting eggs and enjoying some great food! We had lots of family and friends there to visit with.

Hope you all had a great Easter! We sure did.

Bluebonnets

2011-04-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

Adele

2011-04-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

My sister came across this picture on the internet. She sent it to me on Facebook yesterday saying...this girl looks like you. Turns out she is a famous singer named Adele from the UK. Guess I've been living under a rock. Her music is awesome!

Well, I guess I do sort of look like her. I snapped a pic of me before heading out the door this morning. Wish I had on some awesome false lashes!

Me.

Adele.

My Little Man is 4 Months

2011-04-02T19:39:00.001-07:00

Eeeeeeeeeee, he is just too cute to me! Every month I take a picture of him laying down in a white onesie. Yes, I got the idea from younghouselove. (great blog!) It's so neat to see him change & grow. This month Zander gave me a huge grin during picture time.

4 Month Stats-
26.25" and 16lbs. 90th% for height. Looks like he's gonna be tall like his sister & daddy. They sure don't get their height from me. (I'm 5'4.)

Zander loves to sit in his bouncy chair and just run his little legs. That seems to be his favorite thing to do besides eat! He also enjoys smiling and laughing at sister Violet. He looks so much like her. Except I'm pretty sure his eyes are turning brown like his daddy.

My happy boy grinning at the lake last weekend.

Mama & Baby

Zander Paul & Violet Soleil

Feels like forever since I've blogged! Lately I've just been taking care of the kids, house chores, playdates and working out when I can. I've lost 41 of the 47lbs I gained while pregnant. It feels awesome and I hope I can lose a little more.

Hope all is well with you!!

Dr Pepper ramblings

2011-03-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

I never was a big "coke" drinker. Water is still my beverage of choice. But my husband loves all kinds of "coke". And he wants the real sweet stuff like Big Red, Cream Soda, Dr. Pepper and Barq's Root Beer. (He says A&W is nasty). So, I started drinking whatever he came home with. I'd treat a Dr. Pepper like dessert. I'd sit down with a cup of ice and my Dr. Pepper. Ready to set my throat on fire! While pregnant Dr Pepper tasted even better. It was great while it lasted. Then I decided I needed to lose the baby weight and drinking my calories was not an option.

Then Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper came into my life.

I was a huge sceptic of Diet drinks. They tasted so gross to me. But my mom was like "Diet Dr. Pepper is Goo-ooood!" So, I trained myself to like it. But now I crave them and find myself drinking 2 Diet Cherry Dp's a day. When I used to only drink one can of the real stuff. The word "diet" makes me feel like I can drink to my heart's desire. I guess one or two cans of DDP never hurt anyone! Right?

Foods I'm Liking

2011-02-28T16:55:00.001-08:00

Some of you know that I've been watching what I eat and trying to lose baby weight. I've lost 14 pounds since January 23! 34 pounds lost since giving birth. I have more to lose to get to my happy weight. Somehow I've been able to take care of my 3 month old and 3 year old, cook healthy meals and workout. Anyone can lose weight if they want to!

Stuff I've been eating-

JELL-O Sugar Free Mousse Temptations-60 calories. I've tried the milk chocolate, dark chocolate and chocolate mint sensation. The last is my favorite! I usually eat one of these if I'm still hungry after dinner.

Chip'ins! These chips are gluten free and 100% natural. Found them at WalMart. You can eat 20 chips for 120 calories and only 2.5grams of fat. I like the Sea Salt flavor the most.

I'm trying to eat a small salad every night before dinner. Loving this Asian Sesame dressing. It's spicy! I only use 1 T. and that is 35 calories.

These small packs of cheese are a good choice for an afternoon snack.

Is anyone else trying to eat better?

Foundation Questions

2011-02-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

I've decided to go out on a limb and put together a professional makeup kit. It's been a while since I've been out and doing makeup on others. Missing it now!

There will be all kinds of brands in my kit. From ELF to Revlon to Tarte. ....Right now I'm trying to figure out foundation. I would like to have at least 4 shades to start with. I think flawless skin is very important to complete a look. I feel like Make Up Forever in HD would be a great choice but it's on the pricey side. I want a nice feeling foundation with decent coverage.

You might say well, what do you use on yourself? I've always used whatever new bottle I get my hands on. I don't have problematic skin so it's never really mattered what I put on. Once my blush & bronzer is on I think I look okay. So, if you have skin issues your answers will help me. What foundation do you like?

love these two.

2011-02-13T19:30:00.001-08:00

(Violet,3.5yrs and Zander,11weeks)

Were going to a Valentine's Party with our playgroup. Then I'm making Chicken Cordon Bleu, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner at home with my hubby. Very low key and that's how we like it! Hope you all have a nice day with loved ones!

Eating Better

2011-02-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 weeks I've been eating better. I'm trying to cook wholesome dinners every night of the week. There have been some hiccups like a birthday dinner and the Super Bowl. But other than that I've stuck to my plan of eating 1500-1800 calories a day. Eating more calories on the days I work out.

Here's some pictures of dinners I've recently made with links to the recipes. All of them are very low in calories.

"Chipotle Style Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice" from skinnytaste.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Allrecipes. I used craisins instead of cherries and added a can of chopped water chestnuts.

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp with Jasmine Rice from Skinnytaste.

Creamy Tuscan Bean and Chicken Soup served with mini buttermilk biscuits.

I've been having fun finding new & healthy recipes. What sites do you visit to find recipes?

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-02-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

I received an award! Thank you Lala from Lipstick on your Pillow. She has a fun makeup blog and is always creating unique looks.

So, here's 7 things about me and some blogs that I visit often.
7 Things-

1. I always put the toothpaste on the brush before wetting it. I've heard some do the opposite. Not sure which is more popular!
2. I love cooking new recipes.
3. I enjoy being a stay at home mama to my 2 little ones.
4. I like planning things and making list.
5. I visit my family (mom,dad & 3 sisters) every weekend.
6. I'm trying to lose baby weight and eating 1500-1800 calories. This is my third week.
7. I lost 9lbs. the first 2 weeks. I hope this week turns out well!

Blogs I Award-

The Busy Budgeting Mama

Gaby's Blog

Jordie Porgie, Sister's Blog

Those RedHead Girls-
Mom's Blog. She's really behind on blogging but has some interesting reads.

The Girl and her Sewing Machine-
Mandy's Blog

Her Bloomin' Cheek

2011-02-09T20:53:00.001-08:00

Face of the Day

I wore this look to my sister Justine's birthday dinner. I kept my eyes simple since I wore a bold pink lip with pink cheeks. Hair was curled with Revlon Jumbo Ceramic Waver.

Lips- Just Bitten in Crave. I've done a review about this color. This lip stain last forever!
Cheeks- MAC Her Bloomin Cheek. I got this blush for Christmas and haven't got that many chances to try it out yet. But I like it!

(I look so round here to me! This was me 3 months after having Zander)

Snow Day

2011-02-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

We finally got a real Snow Day!

I think we got 6 inches at our house. That's a lot to us Texas folks!

Me & Violet. No Makeup! I was up really late with the baby and threw on my husband's hat.

Violet liked drawing in the snow.

Bye Bye for now!

Go HERE to see our snow day from last year.

Broadway Nail Dress

2011-02-04T13:06:00.001-08:00

Sexy, Sexy!
LOL, my husband said they were a little ghetto. I like them. They are a design that I could never paint on myself. So fun :)

This was my first attempt at Nail Wraps. I found these at Walgreens. I decided to try the cheaper version first to see if I could even get them on my nails. This set was about 6 dollars for 28 wraps. Took around 15 minutes to put them on. I should have trimmed the sides down to get a better fit. But I just wanted them on and quick. I didn't apply a top coat. I'm on day 2 of wearing them and my tips are already fading.

Will a top coat help? Have you tried these or Salon Effects?

Walgreens Trip

2011-02-04T12:58:00.001-08:00

I decided to venture up the street to Walgreens yesterday. I was so giddy like a little kid getting to go out. My daughter was skipping through the store singing, "I'm so excited!" Poor child has been confined to the house all week because of below freezing temps.

What did I get?

1. Lacey Lilac nail polish
2. Hershey's dark chocolate to share with Matt.
3. Colorsilk in Bright Auburn. I haven't colored my hair since August, sounded like fun! This shade is like my natural but amplified.
4. Broadway Nail Wraps. They are 5.50, half the price of Salon Effects and you get more!
5. Got2B hair products were buy one, get one free. I got Smooth Operator and Kinky curling spray.

Snowed In

2011-02-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

Outside my front door

Violet played for about 5 minutes out there. Too cold to play!

My precious boy is 10 weeks old.

This was day 2 of being stuck in the house. We had a sleet storm early monday night. Now there is bad ice all over the roads. Today is one of those days that I need to find a moment just for myself. I thought that would happen once my hubby got off work. He's watching the baby right now. But Violet has decided to start screaming for coke and it's a little annoying! My husband already gave her a little bit in her cup. Because you know coke isn't exactly good for a 3 year old. But she wants more, more, more!!! I'm thinking about locking myself in the bathroom to take a bath and give myself a manicure.

A mommy can dream!

5 Products in 5 Minutes

2011-01-19T13:55:00.001-08:00

My 5 Minute Face

What I Used

1. Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse in Light-I put a small dot on my cheeks, nose, chin, eyelids and forehead. Then lightly blended.
2. Beautique Brow Pencil in Auburn-Filled in my brows and also used as eyeliner on the top lid.
3. Falsies Mascara
4. Waterproof Lip pencil in Pink (maybe from walgreens)- lightly lined lips.
5. Elf Blush in Fuschia Fusion- used on the apple of my cheeks and also patted on top of lips to blend in the liner.
This has been my go-to look for weeks now. It's so easy! When I have extra time I will put on liquid liner and concealer. I chose pink shades because they make me look more awake and I need all the help I can get!

Me with my precious little ones!

Body Ramblings

2011-01-11T21:21:00.001-08:00

FIT. Healthy! Toned. STRONG. Energetic Mama!
That's what I want to be.
I have quite a challenge ahead of me but I will do it. I had to work out consistently and eat well to lose the weight after Violet. (I gained 55 with her and 40 this time!) My little boy is 7 weeks old today. I started working out last week. My goal for now is to do at least 3 days of simple cardio like a workout dvd and lift my 8 lb. dumbbells. It's going to be hard for me to lower my calories. Since my baby is exclusively breastfed I will have to eat around 2000 calories a day but I'm not going to let that discourage me. I've got 4 workouts behind me and many more to go!

(This was me 10 months after having my first baby. Summer '08. I felt very happy and healthy at this size. Would love to get back to this or smaller.)

Easy Bake Oven

2011-01-11T20:48:00.001-08:00

Violet proudly holding her first cake!
My uncle gave her an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. She thinks it is so neat to have her own oven. We had fun trying this out for the first time. I also had one as a kid. My sisters and I loved it. So funny that a light bulb is used to bake the cakes. Did you have an Easy Bake?

I must add that the age on the box is 8+, so if you have a 3.5 yr old be prepared to assist the whole time like I did :)

Goodies from Hong Kong Market

2011-01-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Hong Kong Market in Arlington. It was a fun little shopping trip! Little Zander tagged along with me, Meredith and 2 of my sisters - Justine & Jaley. (Violet played at home with her Gigi and Bum Bum.)

It was like a mini mall. There were lots of restaurants, nail salons and a huge grocery store. I love to make chicken curry and there was a whole aisle dedicated to curry paste! I'm such a foodie nerd.
I got 3 kinds of curry paste to try- Red, Yellow and Masman. Hoping they taste good. I'm going to try one of the recipes listed on the back of the tubs. Also got some crystallized ginger to try.

Some instant Pho. Justine said it's good. Hmmm....

Some cookies for Violet.

And a bag of rice crackers.

While walking around I sipped on some Strawberry Boba Tea and pork egg rolls. I'm sure I will go again since their prices were very affordable.

Nailritz

2010-12-30T10:46:00.001-08:00

RAWR! Girls these nail kits are so much fun. My Mom in Law got me the Jewel Tone, Princess and French kit. She found them at the Tx state fair but you can also order them online from Nailritz.

Each tube has 2 different colors. Every tube has an attached brush and pen tip.

This was my first time to play around with them. I attempted the Fireworks design since that seemed fitting for bringing in the New Year! I am not very good at drawing designs on my nails. But maybe with some practice I'll get some impressive nail art skills!

Who has tried Nailritz? I've seen some beauty bloggers that are just naturally great at doing nail designs. These kits make it easier for beginners like me. I have really been neglecting my hands & nails lately. I have to keep them short so I don't scratch my newborns delicate skin. Note to self- start using hand lotion. Oh and I must add that every kit comes with an instruction book of different designs to try. How neat is that?!

Zander is One Month

2010-12-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go?!

Our little boy is now One Month Old.

Let's compare how much he has grown.

November 23 vs. December 29

Weight- 7lbs, 7oz/ 10lbs, 2oz
Height- 19.5"/21.5"

Milk sure does a baby Good!
Zander currently likes to sleep, eat and swing. He has started "cooing" which is absolutely precious. Big sister Violet is doing well with having a brother. She likes to sing lullabies to him when he's upset and she happily brings me blankies or diapers. Were all getting a little more sleep now. Sometimes he sleeps for a 5 hour stretch.

Happy One Month Zander!

(5 weeks old in the pictures)

My Family of 4 and Surprises

2010-12-28T21:40:00.001-08:00

The 4 of us in cartoon form by Jordyluxe.

My sister made that picture for me for Christmas. I'm still a little in awe that there are 4 of us now. Zander is now 5 weeks old. I'll post some new pictures of him soon. He's adorable!

Now that Christmas is over. My house is a big mess! News toys everywhere. My Violet has been in a toy daze since Christmas Eve. There's just too many new things to try out and play with! Mama got some new toys as well.

My mom got me a sewing machine. I'm so anxious to try it out! I'm a total beginner. I grew up with my mom making me and my sisters clothes. But I never cared to learn as a child. I also have a friend that sews well. I've made a few things like blankets, pillows and stockings with assistance. I have a lot to learn. Looks like fun to me! This is what I got.

My Husband got me some MAC makeup off my wish list. Will be posting some new looks soon with those! He also surprised me with a new watch. I love it.

And I can't forget this precious new gift! Little Zander.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Gift Ideas for the Home Cook

2010-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

1. Fun measuring cups!
Found these little cuties on Amazon! 12.00

2. I'd love to have this cookbook.
Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan. 26.00

3.Hand Soap and Lotion set.
Williams-Sonoma, 30.00

4. A cutesy apron!
Find them on Etsy.

5. Colorful Mixing Bowls by KitchenAid.
Got these in pastel shades from my wedding and use them all the time. 26.00

Christmas Goodies

2010-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

I was in a jolly good mood yesterday and decided to make some Christmas Goodies!

Christmas Bark

-recipe from The Finer Things in Life. This is made with saltine crackers and taste delicious.

5 Minute Fudge
-recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. Simple & Quick!

Both of these recipes were so simple. I whipped them up in less than 30 minutes. Then you put them in the fridge to chill. That's a plus for all you busy mamas!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-09T10:17:00.001-08:00

We did a mini photo shoot in my Mom's living room last week. My sister Jordan took their pictures. Turned out pretty cute!

Zander is now 2 weeks and 2 days old. He is a little sweetie. So far he really enjoys eating and sleeping! Violet adores her brother and wants to help out every chance she gets. Yesterday we gave him his first bath. We had to stop Violet from dumping all her bath toys on top of him! She was just sooo excited. Last night she wanted to wake him up to give him another bath. We have to keep a good eye on her because if she had it her way she would carry him like a doll all over the house.

Today she was watching him sleep and she yelled, 'Mommy he smiled at me!" You know how newborns smile and giggle in their sleep. She was just beaming. I'm glad she likes being a big sister. The two of them look so precious together.

Where have I been?

2010-12-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

Snuggling this precious face right here!

And here's some recent pictures of Zander. He's 11 days old.

Since coming home from the hospital my days (and nights) are spent breastfeeding every 2 hours, changing diapers, helping Violet to adjust to having a sibling and recovering from labor.

Today I woke up and felt better. I had some extra energy so I decorated our mantle for Christmas. I had been so focused on counting down the days until my due date that Christmas has been an after thought. I need to get busy wrapping gifts and such!

It's challenging to keep up with a blog with a newborn in the house. But I do miss attempting to look fabulous, taking pictures and reading all of your lovely blogs. Once the Holidays are over I think I will start doing some weight loss blogs. I should be able to start working out by then and I can't wait! I gained 43 pounds this pregnancy. I figured I would gain a lot since I gained 55 with my first baby. So far, I've already lost 22 pounds since having Zander last week. Who wants to be weight loss buddies?!

-Jill

Our Baby Boy is Here

2010-11-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

Zander Paul arrived on 11/23/10 at 5:56pm. 7lbs,7oz and 19.5".

We are in LOVE and SO thankful for him!

Naughty Chicken and Rice

2010-11-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is my kind of comfort food. I woke up this morning feeling a little crummy. Didn't sleep well last night, had braxton hicks from 3:30-5am! Tried to time them in case they were the real thing but fell asleep. Then at breakfast I started bawling my eyes out because my toaster strudel was still frozen in the center! My husband came to the rescue and remade it for me.

I will survive these last 2 weeks or less of being pregnant!
And I felt like I deserved some creamy and totally fattening rice for lunch.

Naughty Chicken & Rice
(I came up with this recipe after mixing up a few different versions I found online)
It's naughty because there is butter, cheese and sour cream in it!

1 cup of already cooked chicken (shredded, canned, I may have used baked nuggets. Don't judge! I'm 38 weeks pregnant and hungry.)

1 stick of melted butter

salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, any spice you want to use to season the chicken

1 cup of uncooked long grain white rice

28 ounces of chicken broth

1 can of cream of somethin' soup- I used cream of celery but you could use cream of chicken or mushroom.

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Layer the chicken into the bottom of a casserole dish. Season the chicken. Then pour on the melted butter.

2. Pour one cup of uncooked rice over the chicken/butter.

3. In a small bowl mix together the chicken broth, sour cream, cream soup. Then pour on top of the chicken and rice.

4. Now put in oven and bake for 1 hour. Take it out and sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 10 more minutes. Then it's done! The edges are my favorite part, they get all chewy and crispy from the cheese. Yum.

Grab some Hot Tea and a Good Book

2010-11-18T13:50:00.001-08:00

There's nothing more relaxing on a cold day than some hot tea and a good book. What's your favorite hot tea? I really like Bigelow's Pomegranate Pizzazz right now. Here are some of my favorite books that I read over the past year and a link to some book reviews I did.

What kind of books do you like? I seem to always pick a book from the Young Adult section. Ever since I read the Twilight Saga I can't get enough of books with a similar feel. If you enjoyed Twilight you would probably like the House of Night series as well. I've read all 8 HON books and am waiting for the next one to come out. Also, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare are awesome books! My sister and I have really enjoyed them.

I also enjoy the very girly, Chick Lit books. Anything by Sophia Kinsella is going to be a fun read!

Hope you all enjoyed a little peek into my library! Oh and has anyone read Fire by Kristin Cashore? I loved Graceling so much but am not sure if I would like the direction the next book is going.

Falsies Mascara

2010-11-15T17:40:00.001-08:00

Falsies Mascara by Maybelline

I'm wearing it in black. Or maybe it was dramatic black. I don't remember. But I always buy black mascara. Here's the results after curling lashes and 2 coats of mascara.

I liked it okay. It's got a delicate brush on it and it gets soaked with the formula. Be prepared to dab some off the wand. The brush has a slight curve to it. My lashes do not look anything like the Maybelline model's. Hers are most definitely Falsies! Anyway, I like it enough to finish the tube. It'll do for now.

On a side note. Look how long my hair is getting! It's only been a month since I got it trimmed. My hair and nails grow like crazy when I'm pregnant. That and the prenatal vitamins I take daily.

- Jill
ps. 37 weeks pregnant! I'm getting a lot of braxton hicks but they are random and I'm 3cm. Every night I go to bed wondering if this will be THE NIGHT I meet my little boy!