Delay in blogging

So sorry for the lengthy delay on here.  I have had a busy couple of weeks between my husband being home for Christmas break and my daughter not in school and the holidays.  Last week we went to my mom's to celebrate Christmas with her and so she can spend some time with the kids as well.  She also got them some clothes and we went out to dinner a couple of times.

Last night we went out to dinner with a couple of our friends.  It was a lot of fun seeing them but it was so late when we had dinner.  Not to mention, I was worried the kids were going to be super fussy because it was near their bedtime.  Luckily, my daughter was content with my phone but my son was super fussy.  I ended up having to hold him during dinner and I couldn't finish my dinner.

I haven't had a chance to cook anything too special either lately.  But I am looking to make some pot roast.  I have had a bit of a craving for it.

Happy Holidays everyone and Happy New Year!

Crazy busy week

On Thursday was a busy day for me.  After I dropped off my daughter at school, I took my son and we went to go to Michaels, Walmart, the dollar store, Ace Hardware, and I also took him to get his haircut.  Honestly, I don't like his haircut.  But it's only temporary and his hair will grow out again and when it is time to get his hair cut again, I will pick a different haircut style.  

I went to a few stores to pick up some stuff for my husband for his Christmas present.  Luckily that day my husband was going to be home a little late so I had time to wrap his presents up.  My biggest challenge was wrapping them with two kids awake.  But I got it done!

Funny story.. my husband accidentally found one of the stocking stuffers I got him.  I didn't get to wrap it  yet but he found it.  So I told him that was his Christmas gift.  Haha.  He believed me.  He doesn't think I bought him anything else.  I can't wait until Christmas morning when he sees the other stuff I got for him.

Christmas break has started for my husband so I have two weeks of help with the kids.  I am finally doing some much needed laundry and cleaning.

Christmas is almost here

It seems every year the days just go by faster and faster.  I can't believe Christmas is almost here and that the end of 2015 is near as well.  Time goes by too fast!  

I can't believe my little boy will be two in a few months!  It is crazy to think that because it seems like yesterday we went to the hospital to deliver him.  And now here he is, almost two freaking years old!  

Thank goodness both of my kids are done with their sickness.  My daughter has a cough here and there but it's not that bad.  I'm not waking up to her coughing in the middle of the night anymore.  They don't have that bad of a runny nose anymore.  I just hope and pray all of us are healthy by next week since we are going to be visiting my mom.

This will be a short entry as I have a mountain pile of laundry to do!  Until next time!

Three years later...

I remember the day when the Sandy Hook shooting happened like it was yesterday.  I remember dropping my daughter off at daycare and heading to work.  I gave her my usual hug and kiss and told her I loved her and then went to work.  I remember being at work and not feeling well, so I asked my boss if I could leave early.  I left work early, and instead of getting my daughter, I went home.  I wanted to take a little nap before I had to pick her up at my usual time.  I was laying in bed and relaxing.  I was on my phone and checking out Facebook when someone posted about the Sandy Hook shootings.

Upon reading that, I went to read the news of what happened.  When I heard someone went on a shooting spree and killed those little innocent babies, my heart broke.  My heart breaks for those families who lost their little angels so soon.  It's heart breaking to hear when children go too soon and especially when it is so near Christmas.  Imagine those parents who were ready to celebrate Christmas with their kids and now they will never get to.  I still get a teary eyed when I think of those little children.  Upon reading the sad news, I got out of bed and put my shoes on and went to get my daughter.  I didn't want her in daycare.  I wanted her to be with me and in my arms so I could hold her closer and smother her little face with kisses.

Three years later, I still smother her with kisses and tell her at least a hundred times in a day that I love her.  She is my little miracle baby and I love her to no end.  I am so grateful God chose me to be her mother.  I never knew I could love someone so much.

Please hold your children, fur-babies, anyone a little longer today.  

I would like a side of runny nose, please

Last night for dinner was nothing special.  Just dumplings that we got from my mom.  It was a quick and simple meal.  I usually make those for dinner on nights when I am feeling super lazy.  Tonight for dinner I think I will make something with chicken.  We have an over abundance of chicken in the freezer right now.

Both of my kids have a runny nose.  So I have been constantly wiping their noses and keeping them hydrated.  It was an exhausting night last night though that's for sure.  My daughter woke up in the middle of the night and was unconsolable and wouldn't even come to our room.  She ended up waking up my son.  So, they both ended up in our bed at the same time.  Between hearing my son's struggle to breathe out of his nose and my daughter's coughing here and there and the crazy wind last night, I got very little sleep.  Thank goodness it is Friday!

This weekend we are going to get our annual picture taken with Santa with the kids, our chihuahua included.  Then we are going to make some extra copies to send to the family as well.  On Sunday while the kids are napping I am going to try my best to make envelopes for the family's Christmas cards.  After they have been mailed and received, I will post a picture of their card.  It is so stinking cute!  I also made Christmas cards for my husband's co-workers.  Those are almost done.. I will post a picture of that one as well, too, soon.

Down with the sickness

I feel like playing that Disturbed song.  My daughter has a slight cough and a runny nose.  I hate when she's sick because she looks and seems miserable.  But for some reason, this time around she is her usual self other than coughing every once in a while and having a case of the runny nose.  Hopefully she can recover over the weekend since she doesn't have school on Monday.  I hope my son doesn't get sick next.  

My husband told me this morning he has a small sore throat.  Great!  Just what I need.  I don't need everyone in the house to get sick.  I am not getting sick yet.  Knock on wood.  But I am still physically exhausted every morning.

I discovered a new app on my phone where I can sell things.  So I am using that app to sell my old clothes, shoes, and purses.  I already sold one of my purses so I am excited about that.  I just want to sell them all so there is less clutter in the closet.  It also doesn't hurt to have extra cash here and there.

It is Monday

I don't know what to make for dinner today.  But I know that the one thing I won't be having will be the leftover turkey we still have left.  I might make some lemon chicken pasta dish of some sort, but I don't know yet.  We desperately need to do some major grocery shopping but I think we will do that this weekend.

Last weekend I worked on the Christmas cards for my husband's co-workers and I did some laundry as well.  I still have a few more loads of laundry to do and I will be all caught up.  I can't wait.  Laundry seems to never end in my household.

Tomorrow we are going out to dinner with my parents.  I hope the kids behave.  I also hope the kids go to bed easily.  That is the one thing I love about eating dinner with them.  When we get home, it is so easy getting both kids to bed.  Of course they still have a little bit of unwinding to do and relaxing to do, but it's relatively easy.  Speaking of which.. the past weekend, my son took long naps and resulted to taking forever to fall asleep at night.  I miss the days when it was easy getting both kids to sleep.

Happy Hump Day!

Gobble, gobble!  This was our gorgeous turkey this year.  This was after my husband smoked it in the smoker for like seven hours!  It was soo good this year.  We still have leftovers.  Tomorrow I will post pictures of the sweet potato casserole and the green bean corn casserole.  I will include recipes for both as well.

I am still doing laundry.  I have two loads to do today and I hope I can finish them today as well.  I really hate doing laundry.  I don't mind putting them in the wash, but when it's time to fold and put them away, I just hate it.  Luckily, my daughter loves helping me put clothes in the washer and dryer.. and she even loves helping me separate the clothes as well.  Now if only I can teach her to put the clothes inside out and to fold them and put them on hangers and put them away.  Ahh, all in good time, I suppose.

Tonight for dinner will be.. leftovers.  Surprise, surprise.  Were you expecting anything less?  I think I'll turn the turkey into a turkey pot pie for dinner.  Not sure yet.  The only that really sucks is that there are no more green bean corn casserole left.  That and the sweet potatoes were the first to finish this year.  The stuffing was awful in my opinion.  But I think next year I'll just make my own stuffing.  We just did a lot of cheater methods for meals this year because of the two little kids.

Happy Hump Day!

Piles of clothes all over

I am slowly but surely finishing the many loads of laundry I need/have to do.  Yesterday during nap time I was hoping I would get some laundry folded and put away but my kids had other ideas.  My son woke up first and after I got him asleep, I tried putting him in his crib.  But every time I put him in his crib, he woke up.  I finally got him asleep in his crib so I went to start folding the clothes.  About five minutes into folding clothes, my daughter woke up.  That ended my clothes folding moment.

I am hoping today I will put a huge dent in the pile of clothes that needs to be folded or put away.  My daughter woke up semi early today so nap time should be easy for me.  My son, on the other hand, slept in a little this morning.  But I am hoping nap time will go smoothly for him as well.  

It took me an hour and a half yesterday to get my son to fall asleep at night.  For some reason, him going down for a nap is easier than him going down for the night.  I miss the days when my kids would sleep all night.  I can't wait for the moment when they both sleep all night.

Laundry and missing shoes

Today I am doing a lot of catching up.  I have laundry to do, I have laundry to fold and put away, I have cleaning and organizing to do, and I have two kids to take care of as well.  

Thanksgiving was quite the hit this year at my house.  My dad came over and it was just us and him.  It was a nice, quiet, and small gathering.  My husband smoked the turkey on the smoker, and I made some sweet potato casserole, green bean corn casserole, and stuffing.  The only thing was I forgot to make the pumpkin pie.  Oops.  I will post pictures tomorrow of the meals I made.  Most of the pictures I took are on my husband's phone and he's at work right now.

Over the weekend we went to a cell phone store and switched our phones and company.  We are now finally on a shared plan.  It was a pain in the butt going though because my daughter was all over the place and wasn't listening to either of us and my son was cranky cause he was confined in the stroller.  I need to find ways to entertain them next time.

Today I spent a good portion of my day looking for my son's missing shoes.  I finally found them after hunting for two hours.  They were under my daughter's bed.

Happy Monday ya'all!

Thanksgiving goodie boxes

Here are the Thanksgiving goodie boxes that I made for my husband's co-workers.  I think they turned out really cute.  

Here is a look on the other side of this.

Last of all, here is a look on the top.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

25 things I am thankful for

I have been so blessed that I have decided to make a list of 25 things I am thankful for.  These are not in any particular order.  Here we go.

1. My mom and dad.. without them, I wouldn't be here today.  I am so thankful for their love they have given me.

2. My husband.. he is my knight in shining armor, my Prince Charming, and my everything.  I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with.

3. My three wonderful children.. I love each and every one of them equally.  My little fur-baby who has been by my side for nine years, my beautiful daughter who makes me laugh, smile, and cry on a daily basis, and my handsome son who makes me feel so complete.

4. My crafting hobby.. I am so grateful that my husband supports my decision to craft whether it is making cards or making goodie boxes or anything else.  Crafting is a great way for me to unwind after dealing with two kids all day.

5. My husband's family.. I don't know about you, but I absolutely love all of my in-laws!  They are all so awesome and loving and caring.

6. My friends.. I have such amazing friends and I am thankful for each and every one of them.

7. Books.. I am thankful for my book collection as they take me to a place far away and lets my imagination wander.

8. Food.. I love to cook and be able to make delicious meals for my husband and kids.  I love food so much!

9. Sleep.. I am thankful for nights my children sleep all night and give my husband and I a chance to sleep.

10. My job.. it is not the easiest job in the world, but it is by far the most rewarding job in the world.  I don't get paid in money, but I get paid in hugs and kisses.  I absolutely love being a stay at home mommy.

11. Coffee.. without this I would be a cranky mommy everyday.

12. Celebrity gossip.. I hate to admit it but I love reading about celebrity gossip.  It makes me feel giddy, sort of, when they are going through crap, when I am having the best life ever.  I guess, money can't buy you all the happiness.. yes?

13. Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. .. they both provide hours and hours of pure entertainment for my kids so I can get some cleaning or laundry done while they watch tv.

14. Date nights.. even though they are few and far between, I am thankful for moments when my husband and I can go out.  It reminds me of what our times are like before we had kids and remind me of why I fell in love with him.

15. My car.. I love her. She takes me from place to place and I love how loud her muffler is.  And even though I haven't driven her in over a year, I still love her for taking my husband to and from work since I am using his car.

16. My house.. I am so thankful to live in a nice community with some nice neighbors.  I am thankful my house is not like any of the previous places I used to live in.

17. My education.. I have two college degrees.  I don't use them for anything but I am thankful for being able to go to school to learn.  I love learning.

18. History.. I am thankful for events that occured in history that keeps me enraptured and amused.

19. Sports.. I am so thankful for sports.  I love you hockey, football, boxing, UFC, basketball, golf, and tennis.

20. Showers.. it is such a thing we take for granted.  But when you're a mommy, it is the one thing you don't get to enjoy on a daily basis.  So when I get my chance to take a shower, I enjoy every moment of it, even though sometimes it is short lived.

21. Running.. even though I haven't ran in forever and a year, I still am thankful for it.  I love to run when I am having a bad day or when I just want to clear my thoughts.

22. Music.. I love all kinds of music.  I love listening to music when I am relaxing.

23. My backyard.. I know it may be silly to be thankful for a backyard, but I am very thankful for my backyard.  It is a huge backyard and I am thankful that my children will be able to go out there and play when the weather is nice.

24. Nap time.. I am thankful when my children take a nap.  I can get a lot accomplished when they are napping that I am not able to do when they are awake.

25. I am thankful for the internet as it has been able to give me outlet to blog, post my cards on my Etsy page, and connect with family and lost friends.

Coffee cake anyone?

I don't know about you, but I love cake, pies, and sweets.  Luckily my husband is quite the excellent baker.  He made a coffee cake over the weekend.  Unfortunately for me, he took the remaining cake to work yesterday and his co-workers just demolished it all and left me with no leftovers.  This is my third favorite cake by far.  My absolute favorite is yellow cake or cupcake with chocolate frosting.  Lemon cake comes to second place.

This morning we had a bit of plumbing problems.  So, my husband took the day off of work and he called a plumber and they took care of it for us.  I hope that's the last time we have plumbing issues.

Today I plan to finish making the rest of the goodie boxes that I have been working on.  I finished one box.. one done, six to go!  After that, I need to finish working on the family's Christmas cards and start making seven Christmas cards for his co-workers.  I also should make his grandmother a birthday card and one of his friends has a birthday next month as well.  It seems December is my busy month.

Gobble gobble.. Thanksgiving is almost here!

Early wake up

Yesterday my son woke up at 2am and didn't fall back asleep so I was up with him, waiting patiently for him to fall asleep.  But it never happened and then at 5am both my husband and daughter woke up.  So I started my day.

Then today she woke up at 4am and since it was almost her usual time to wake up, we stayed up and laid in bed talking.  It was nice laying in bed and snuggling up with her and talking to her.  I thought she would be cranky and mean to me this morning because she woke up early.  But on the contrary, she has been so pleasant!  She is at school now but I hope and pray she stays pleasant and happy all day today.

I have a lot to do today.  I need to finish folding the two loads of laundry that I have waiting for me, I have three more loads of laundry to do, I need to clean up the house, and I need to finish making those goodie boxes for my husband's co-workers.  He needs them by Wednesday.  I am pretty sure I can finish them though.  

I hope.

Tatertot Casserole

Ahh, I absolutely love the colder weather now that I can make casseroles!  This tatertot casserole is something I make quite frequently in the house around this time of the year.  Why?  Because it's good and so simple.  I love how I can add almost anything to it to make it taste really good.  Last night I just added peas because I felt like adding the leftover peas that the kids didn't eat.

After contemplating what else to add, I decided to skip it and leave it as is.  Here is the recipe for this tatertot casserole.  Of course, you can add any variation to it.  I just added stuff I know my husband and I would like.

Tatertot Casserole

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can of cream of chicken soup
shredded cheese
bag of tatertots
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown ground turkey in a pan with the onions until both are cooked.  In a separate bowl, I add the ground turkey and onions and add the soup.  Add some salt and pepper to your liking.  Put ground turkey mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish.  Line the tatertots in the dish to your liking.  Sprinkle with some cheese.  Wrap with aluminum foil.  Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about thirty minutes.  When done, take foil off and top with more cheese and bake for an additional five minutes.

Voila!  Dinner is served!

Epic fail

I am so disappointed.  My chicken broccoli mini muffins weren't a hit.  My son liked them, but he didn't like them to the point where he wanted to eat more.  My daughter ate it but as soon as she got to the chicken, she spit it out and placed her already chewed up food in my hand.  However, my husband loved the muffins and raved about it and said I should make more.  If only I could get both of my kids to eat them.

I guess I will do some more research on what kind of food to make them again.  It is really tough having kids who are such picky eaters.  I don't know why my daughter doesn't like chicken anymore.  She used to love it!  Hopefully it's just a phase.

Last night I made tatertot casserole.  I am going to make it again tonight as well.  My husband took the leftovers for his lunch today because he said it was that good.  However, today's version will have no onions in it as I ran out last night using the last of it.  We'll see if he notices any difference.

I have been slowly working on the seven goodie boxes for my husband's co-workers.  I need to have them all done by next Wednesday.  I finally got all the pieces I needed cut today.  I am hoping when both kids are napping today that I will get some more done.  I also need to finish folding and putting away a load of laundry.

Happy hump day!  Next week is Thanksgiving!  Yay! 

Going to make muffins

Today after I dropped off my daughter at school, I decided that I am going to make some chicken broccoli mini muffins.  I am so tired of fighting my daughter on getting her to eat something.  She used to eat so well, too.  I used to be able to give her anything and she would eat it without fighting me.  I used to struggle to get my son to eat because he would put the food I gave him in his mouth, and then proceed to spit it out.  

These days I struggle getting her to eat.  She eats cereal (dry), cookies, and just random food that are all just not healthy or provide her with enough nutrients.  She also drinks way too much milk, and diluting it or giving her water or juice is not an option.  So I usually just distract her with something else when she wants milk.

I don't struggle on feeding my son anymore.  He eats pretty much anything I hand him.  He mostly eats chicken nuggets, rice, baked chicken, cheese, and oatmeal.  I am so grateful he is finally eating.  I hope and pray that he will continue to eat this well when he gets older.

So, between my daughter barely eating and my son being an excellent eater, I have decided that I am going to make them chicken broccoli mini muffins to eat.  If that goes well, I will start researching for more kid friendly meals I can make into a muffin for them to eat.

I haven't done anything crafty lately.  I am in the process of making the family's Christmas cards this year.  I have to start early, otherwise it will never get done.  This weekend I am going to start working on making a Thanksgiving goodie box for my husband's co-workers and a few of the mothers at my daughters school.

Chilly day Monday

It's a bit cold outside today and a little overcast, like it is going to rain, but it doesn't smell like it is going to rain.  It's days like today that I wish I could lay in bed, under my comforter, and have a movie marathon or read a good book.  But unfortunately, today I will be blogging, cleaning, and before I pick up my daughter at school, I will be going to the post office to mail my customer's order that she placed last week.

Last night for dinner I made chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  My kids only liked the mashed potatoes and wouldn't eat anything else.  Today I have no clue what to make.  Maybe tatertot casserole.  We'll see.

Next week is Thanksgiving!  Yay!  I love turkey and all the yummy fixings!  My dad is coming to our house this year since my mom is working.

I need to do some cleaning now.

Almost Friday

I hope and pray that tomorrow I can get some stuff done while the kids are napping.  We had a very difficult time getting our daughter to take a nap yesterday.  But in her defense, she did wake up a little later than she usually does on a Wednesday.  I just hope tomorrow she wakes up at a decent time and naps easily for me.  Getting both kids to nap at the same time is the hardest challenge I go through on a daily basis.

My other challenge lately has been trying to get her to eat.  She used to love eating my breakfast when I had eggs and turkey bacon.  Now she will eat my eggs but won't eat my bacon.  She won't eat chicken nuggets, she only eats cereal and sandwiches and eggs.  But I am going to keep trying to work with her.

Yesterday off and on, I was communicating with a customer who wants to order something from my Etsy page.  I am hoping I can get her order somewhat started after I finish this so I can finish the whole thing today when the kids are napping.

I am so excited about Thanksgiving coming up!  My dad is coming over to our house and we are going to cook him some good.. plus, he will get to spend some time with the kids which is always an added bonus!

I love the holidays!

Happy Veterans Day!

It is hump day and both my husband and daughter are home from school today.  I love when my husband has a day off because it is nice to spend time with him and it is nice to have a little extra help.  Today my main goal is to finish folding the mountain pile of clothes that I washed yesterday.  I didn't get to finish putting them away yesterday.

I have not made anything crafty since the Halloween goodie boxes.  But I plan to make some goodie boxes again for Thanksgiving coming up.  I haven't decided on what kind yet, but I will probably make some for the moms at my daughter's school and some for my husband's co-workers as well.

I have no idea what to make for dinner tonight.  We are almost out of chicken so there goes that idea.  But we do have ground turkey and veggies, so maybe something with that.  I thought we had more chicken left so I was planning on making chicken with gravy, but I guess that is out of the picture.

Rainy day Tuesday

I love rainy days.. but with two little kids, rainy days are no fun.  After I dropped off my daughter at school today I had to make a pit stop to Target.  I would much rather go to Target, or any other store for that matter, with just my son.  No offense to her but it is just so much easier going to a store with one kid versus two kids.  Sometimes I feel guilty going to the store with both kids and my husband because my husband has to make sure our daughter doesn't cause a ruckus.  So, today I went to Target and got some stuff that we needed.  Before I left the store I looked outside and it looked very dark and cloudy, like it was going to rain.  So I quickly exited the store and got my son in the car.  Just as I closed the car door, it started to pour.  What perfect timing!

I don't know what is going on but for the past week and a half, my daughter hasn't been as excited going to school as she usually is.  I always ask her in the morning she has school, "are you ready for school?"  And her response lately has been no.  When I take her to school and we walk up to the school, she looks very sad.  She's been pouting and weepy looking when we get to school.  It literally breaks my heart to see her so sad.

Tonight for dinner we are going to have Creamy Italian Chicken over Rice.  I think.  I'm not sure if I want to cook rice or pasta.  But we are finally all done with the Chicken Stroganoff.  I love how that recipe lasted us four nights of a meal and I only used two chicken breasts with it, too!  I love when a meal is very cost efficient.

Chicken Stroganoff

So, over the weekend I made a chicken stroganoff.  I have never even heard of a chicken stroganoff, much less even try it.  But I saw this recipe somewhere and I just had to make it since it involved using a crockpot and I want to take advantage of my crockpot before I put it away when the warmer weather gets here.

The weather has been getting slightly cooler here finally.  So in about a week or so I will start making casseroles and putting my crockpot away.  Anyway, here is the recipe for the chicken stroganoff.  It is really good!

Chicken Stroganoff

4 to 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream
egg noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

Spray slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray.  Add frozen chicken breasts and top with cream of mushroom soup.  Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the chicken.  Add salt and pepper to your preference.  Cook on low for six to eight hours.  Stir once or twice during cooking to make sure ingredients are all combined.  About twenty minutes before dinner, cook the egg noodles.  While the noodles are cooking, add about 3/4 of the container of sour cream in the crockpot.  (I usually shred the chicken then put the sour cream in.)  Drain the noodles and mix well.  Just before serving the plate, add a dollop of sour cream.  Serve.

It is soo good!  It makes a lot and we have leftovers still after eating it twice for dinner already.  We just might have it again tonight because we have some left.   

Hope you all enjoy!

One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

This is one of our all-time favorite meals.  It is so delicious!  I think I found this recipe on Pinterest when my husband actually saw it and sent it to me and said, "This looks good, can you make this for me, please?"  One day I was struggling on what to make for dinner and I went on Pinterest and searched chicken broccoli.  Because I had chicken out and I wanted to cook with broccoli that night.  And this meal came up.  Inadvertently not knowing this was the recipe my husband sent me.  Here is the recipe!

One Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice

3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced finely
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic, mined
1 tsp. kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup uncooked extra long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, or pan, saute onion in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Season onions with salt and pepper.  Once the onions are softened, increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken to the pan.  Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic.  Cook for one more minute.  Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the additional tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the other side.  Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring mixture to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook chicken and rice covered for about twelve minutes.  Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.  Continue to work covered another eight minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.  Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for one to two minutes or until cheese has melted.

Halloween Box

For the past two weeks, I have been making these Halloween goodie boxes.  I made five for my husband's co-workers and three for the ladies who I talk to at my daughter's school while we wait for our kids to get out of school.  I made the green ones for the ladies and the purple ones for my husband's co-workers.  

Here is what it looks like when you open it.

I absolutely love how the stamp fits in the white cardstock.  Isn't it awesome when things work out for you without even trying? 

Here is a look when you open the box from the bottom.

I didn't know what kind of candy to put in there.  So I decided I would just stick to the two I know that most people love.  I put three rolls of Smarties and two butterscotch candy.

I love the font to the sentiment.  This stamp is actually from Lawn Fawn.  The green, purple, and orange cardstock is from Recollections at Michaels.  The pumpkin on the front was cut out using my Create a Critter 2 cartridge.  I absolutely love how everything turned out.  I hope everyone likes it, too.

Happy Halloween everyone!  Have a fun and safe weekend!

Fall Festival

Today at my husband's school, they are having a fall festival of some sorts for the kids.  After both of the kids wake up from their naps, we are going to head on out.  I will pack their snacks and drinks and stuff when they are napping.  It should be fun.  A lot of the staff members have been asking my husband to see the kids.

It is cloudy outside today but the weather doesn't feel cold.  It is so weird that it is nearing the end of October and it is still not really cold.  I hope that doesn't mean that we will have a longer cold season.  I hate the cold.  I hate dressing up in hoodies and I hate how the cold weather makes my skin so dry.

I think the good Lord has been answering my prayers because my daughter has been pretty pleasant lately.  For the last two days she has been nice to me and hasn't really thrown her usual toddler tantrums.  Also for the last three nights, my son has been sleeping all night!  I am so thankful for that.  Now we just need to work on getting my daughter to sleep all night next.

Tomorrow I will be posting a picture of the Halloween craft I have been working on for the past two weeks.  It has been a long time since I crafted or made a card.  I also need to start working on the family's Christmas cards this year.  It usually takes me a while because we send a lot of cards out, so I need to get the stuff together so I can start to mass produce the cards.  I love when they are all ready like that.

Goulash

Here is the Goulash that I made the other night for dinner.  I kept forgetting to post the pictures and the recipe on my blog.  My husband and I both love this meal, but for future references, I am going to make this and serve it the next day.  We both didn't really care for how soupy it looked, but eating them the next day worked great as the pasta absorbed all the juice.  It is really good and a hearty meal.  I would most definitely make this during the winter and not in the summer though.  Here's the recipe!

Classic Goulash

2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used lean ground turkey)
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups water
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes (I omitted this out)
3 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. dried Italian herb seasoning
3 bay leaves
1 tbs. seasoned salt, or to taste
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

In a laarge Dutch oven, cook and stir the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about ten minutes.  Skim off the excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic.  Cook and stir the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about ten more minutes.  Stir in the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and seasoned salt, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for twenty more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the macaroni, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about twenty five more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and serve.

Enjoy!

Tough toddler times

This week I am truly blessed because my husband works only four days this week.  However, he will be doing some landscaping to the front yard.  He is going to plant ten new shrubs, five will be Japanese Boxwood and the other five will be some rosemary of some sort.  Even though he will be busy doing stuff, I will feel less stressed.  Hopefully my daughter doesn't give me a hard time that day.

I have some much needed laundry to do today.  I also need to clean the bathrooms, but that will have to wait until I can get both kids asleep.  I also have a couple of projects that I need to finish by the end of this week.  That's all the stuff I need to do this week.

I have a little confession to make.

Parenting is tough.  This is by far the hardest job, but most rewarding job, I have ever had in my life.  I thought some of the jobs I have had were tough when I was younger.  But this is by far the toughest.  It was somewhat easy when my daughter was younger.  But now the toddler years has emerged and I am struggling on a daily basis trying to keep up with her and her multiple personalities.

I know it will get easier.  I just can't wait until it happens.

I hate you but I love you

I am beginning to have a serious love/hate relationship with Fridays.  I love it because the weekend is near and my husband will be home to help me take care of the kids.  But I hate it because it is seriously so exhausting trying to handle my daughter.  She is most definitely becoming a three-nager.  I never thought I would have a child to be such a horrible thing, but she is becoming quite the three-nager.

I just hope and pray things will get easier with her when she gets older.  She was such an easy baby when she was younger.  I miss those days.

Perhaps a new analogy would be; easy baby, frustrating toddler.. frustrating baby, easy toddler.

Ahh, that would be somewhat nice.  I guess.  Because that would mean, my son would be the best toddler I could imagine .

I don't think I could handle another toddler who has meltdowns over absolutely ridiculous things.

To nap or not to nap

Today I stopped by to see my dad with my son after I dropped off my daughter.  I love being able to see my dad and him seeing his grandson.  But the drive there is so long it seems.  Most of the time when I see him, it's just a short visit because I have to be home in time to be able to pick up my daughter from school.  I fear I am going to be late picking her up and her teacher reports that against me.

My son seems to always fall asleep on the ride home.  The question that goes through my head is, should I let him nap or should I wake him up?  If I let him nap, he will be woken up once we get home and then he's going to be cranky because his nap was short and then in a hour or so we have to leave to pick up his sister.  And when we get home, he might not nap because he's not tired since he took a small nap earlier.  Then when she wakes up from her nap, he will be cranky and fall asleep which will make bed time a nightmare since he took a late nap.  If I wake him up, he is cranky because he's tired.  But nap time for the both of them will be easier because he's tired.  Ahh.. the struggle is real.

We are still feasting on leftovers.  I can't believe it.  Today I might heat up the last of the leftovers and tomorrow, since it is Friday, cook something really good.  I can't wait to start cooking casseroles again.

Letter to my son

My Dear Sweet Little Boy,

I remember when your daddy and I were talking about giving your sister a younger brother or sister.  It feels like that conversation took place yesterday.  Honestly I was scared to get pregnant again, but I know I had to try one more time for your daddy.  

We struggled for a while to conceive you, my beautiful boy.  But one day your daddy left to go to the store for something and I took a pregnancy test because I just had a feeling that I was.  Sure enough, within three minutes I got a big fat positive.  I stared at the two lines staring at me and looked at my belly and thought, 'here we go again'.

I couldn't wait to tell your daddy that we were pregnant with you.  I wrapped up the pregnancy test and put it in a box and wrapped it up.  I couldn't wait til he came home to give him his present.  When he opened the box and saw the two lines his first reaction was 'is this what I think it is?'.. and when I told him yes.  We were both excited beyond words can describe.

I quickly scheduled a visit to the doctor to start getting the proper prenatal care.  I found out my due date was only three days after your daddy's birthday.  What a great birthday present!

I admit that I wish you had moved around more when you were in my belly.  When your sister was in my belly, she moved a lot.  I enjoyed that so much that I couldn't wait to get pregnant again to experience that all over again.  Not to mention, the doctor I had didn't give me as many ultrasounds as I had when I was pregnant with your sister.  It made me scared when I couldn't see you or feel you move, but everything worked out well.

We scheduled to get a C-section with you because your sister was home and your grandmother, my mom, was watching her.  We didn't know when you were going to make your debut, so we decided to schedule a C-section.

The night before we were going to go to the hospital, your grandma came over to spend the few nights at our house.  Your daddy and I went to bed after we put your sister to sleep.  But we couldn't sleep.  We were so excited and couldn't wait for you to get here.

We left the hospital at 4:30am because we had to check in the hospital at 5:00am.  Our C-section was scheduled at 7:00am.  During the last week of my pregnancy, I had slight Braxton Hicks but no real contractions.  Wouldn't you know it, once we got to the hospital and the nurses were hooking me up that I started having consistent contractions?  Your daddy and I both thought about letting the birth happen naturally but we opted against it.  The doctor who delivered you was on call that weekend and we didn't want to wait around for you to make your debut and when it was time, that another doctor would deliver you.

But you came into the world and the first time I heard you cry, I cried hysterically and thanked God for you over and over again.  I looked at your daddy and smiled.  I couldn't believe it.  Our family was complete.  We have one of each and we feel so blessed.

You are only a year and a half now and we love you to no end.  We can't wait to see what kind of young man you will turn out to be.  

We love you!

Love, 
Mommy

Letter to my daughter

To My Sweet Little Baby Girl,

I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.  Your daddy went to work that day and while he was at work, I was doing some last minute nesting and last minute packing up the hospital bags.  I remember after he came home from work, he changed into his normal clothes and we left.  

We were supposed to check into the hospital at 5:00pm that evening, but your daddy came home at 3:00pm that day.  We went to McDonalds to eat dinner, it was the last meal we ate together before you were born.  I had a salad, chicken nuggets, and fries and washed it down with a coke.  We talked during dinner and the sole part of our conversation was about you, our hopes and dreams for you.  

We left to go to the hospital after we ate.  We were scheduled to get induced that evening, hoping you would make your debut that evening or in the middle of the night.  I got hooked up to the machines to monitor my heartbeat, and when they put the belly band around me to monitor your heartbeat, my heart skipped a beat.  I couldn't wait to hear your heart beating.  

The first time I heard your heartbeat I was only ten weeks pregnant with you and it was the most beautiful sound I ever heard.  Every time I heard your heart beating away in my belly, I cried a few tears of happiness and thanked God for you.

You were quite stubborn and didn't want to come out.  After 25 hours of labor, the nurses woke me up at 5:00am to let me know we are going to have an emergency C-section because every time I had a contraction, you were in distress.  At 6:00am they wheeled me over to the operating room to bring you into the world.

The first time I heard you cry was the next best thing I have ever heard in my life.  I cried hysterically and thanked God over and over and over again for you.  I looked at your daddy and whispered, "We did it!".  Your daddy smiled at me with tears in his eyes and whispered back, "We're a family now!"

Here we are now, you are three years old.  You are still the best thing in the world and we are still and forever thankful for you.  We love you to no end.

I know the toddler years are tough because you're not able to communicate on how you are feeling and you're letting out your emotions.  I get it.  But I miss the little girl who used to love on me all the time.  I miss the little girl who did such sweet little things.  The girl you are now, you make me so sad when I see you hurt yourself because I don't understand what you want or when you don't get what you want.  It breaks my heart every single time I hear you cry in frustration or when you run away from me when I am trying to help you.

I hope and pray that things will get easier when you get older.  I love you to no end.  I will always love you.  But I miss the sweet little girl that is in you somewhere.

Love you always,
Mommy

I got it under control

Every night after we get both of the kids to sleep, we have a brief moment of serenity where we are laying in bed and relaxing and catching up on Facebook, emails, texts, and catch up on our talk that we didn't mention in front of the kids.  About twenty to twenty five minutes after our son is asleep, he will wake up from his sleep.  When my husband tries to comfort him to get him to go back to sleep, it doesn't  work so he brings him in our room on our bed and he falls asleep in less than two minutes.  But last night I decided I would go in his room and comfort him to see if he would fall asleep.  And wouldn't you know it.. in less than five minutes he was quiet and back asleep again.  He woke up again around 2am, and I went to his room again to comfort him and he was asleep in his room.

I guess I got the golden ticket last night.

Thank goodness it is Friday today!  I love the weekends because my husband is home and we get to spend time together and watch football.  I think this weekend I am going to make BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with some coleslaw.  I don't have any laundry to do so it will be nice to relax somewhat.

Depressing

I am so sad.  It is in the middle of October already and the weather is still warm.  It's not entirely too hot, but it is warm.  I don't like the hot weather at all.  But today is actually pretty decent.  It's a bit cloudy and there are chances of rain here.  The chances of rain in my area are pretty slim to none but I'm going to hold onto hope that it will rain here.

Last night we had leftovers for dinner.  Tonight we are going to have leftovers again.  I am just feeling very lazy as far as cooking goes.  Besides eating leftovers will free up a lot of space in the refrigerator.  

I was going to make my mother's birthday card yesterday while the kids napped.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish.  So I hope to finish this weekend.

Sorry for the short entry today.. but I need to work on some stuff around the house.

Birthday cards

My mother's birthday is coming up rather quickly.  So yesterday I got some craft stuff together to make her her birthday card.  I am hoping to start and finish it today.  I had to fold two loads of laundry yesterday so I couldn't make the card then.  My mother's birthday is next week so I really need to quickly make the card for her.  While I was getting the stuff together to make her card, I decided I would make the same card two more times.  That way I have an extra card to send to my father, whose birthday is in two months, and I will have an extra one for one of those just in case moments.  I haven't made extra cards when making cards in a long time, so I figure now would be a great time to start building a supply of cards to have on hand, just in case.

Last night I didn't cook dinner because my husband came home late from work.  He had to go to a training after work.  We have an understanding that when he comes home late from work that he would pick up dinner.  He usually picks up Taco Bell.  I don't know what it is, but I could eat tacos for days and never get tired of it.

This weekend I think we are going to go to the mall and buy a pair of jeans for me.  I need a new pair and I believe we're going to get them this weekend.  I don't know what else we have planned.  Hopefully I can get some rest because this week has been so hellish on my body.  Between both kids waking up separately in the middle of the night and waking up every morning at 5:30 is tiring my poor little body out!

I will post a picture of the card when finished.

Creamy Italian Chicken

Last night for dinner I made another crockpot dish.  I love using my crockpot to make delicious meals because I don't have to be in the kitchen.  Cooking in the kitchen with two little kids around is not my idea of fun.  So, yesterday I made a Creamy Italian Chicken.  It is one of my husband's favorite meals.  Last time I made this, I served it with rice.  This time I served it with some rotini pasta.  It is by far the easiest meal to make.  Here is the recipe.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cans of cream of chicken soup (I used one)

Cook on low for four hours.  When done, you can cut the chicken and cube it or shred it.  If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk.  Serve over pasta or rice.