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.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice

Here it is!  I actually forgot to take a picture of my plate with the meal with everything.  But this picture was taken as I was getting ready to plate it up.  My apologies.  But this is what I made for dinner last Friday.  It is seriously so stinking good!  It is called Creamy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice.  We do have leftovers because I purposely made a lot.  I believe I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Without further adieu, here is the recipe.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
14 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup
14 oz. can Cheddar soup
14 oz. chicken broth
1/2 Cajun seasoning (I omitted this out)
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 cup sour cream
6 cups steamed broccoli florets (boiled in hot water for three minutes, then drained)
1 cup cheddar cheese

Place the soups, chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, and garlic salt into a crockpot over low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Add chicken, pressing it to the bottom.  Cover the lid and cook on low for six hours or on high for three hours.  When the chicken is cooked, use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Stir in the sour cream and broccoli.  Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

It is seriously soo good!  I just might make it again next week.  We'll see.  Tonight for dinner is this crockpot Italian Chicken recipe.  I made it before and it was a huge hit with my husband so I am making it again.  The only difference this time is I am going to serve it with pasta instead of rice.  I will do my best to take a picture and post the recipe.

Have a great day!

One exhausting week

Every day during the week I put the two kids down for a nap.  Once they are napping I am struggling on getting everything done that needs to be done.  Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail miserably.  My hardest challenge is doing so in a matter where I don't make too much noise because they will wake up.  But once they are awake, the mess I cleaned in the living room is a mess all over again in less than thirty seconds.  But the dishes are done, the dishes are put away, and dinner is on the crockpot.  When I have a brief moment of serenity, I fold laundry or I catch up on other things.

I can't believe Halloween is approaching rather quickly.  It definitely doesn't feel like October over here.  It has been pretty warm still.  I love when the weather gets cooler, but definitely don't like it when it gets cold.  What I hate more than anything else regarding cold weather is waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  I'm half asleep, walk to the bathroom, sit down and then BAM! I am wide awake from the cold seat.  That's the thing I hate about cold weathers.

Tonight for dinner I am making a cheesy chicken and broccoli over rice.  It smells good so far but this time I will do my best to take a picture.  It is just so hard sometimes when I have two other kids who need my attention as I am putting food on our plates.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the yummy recipe and, hopefully, a picture.

Cold season is among us

Once again, my little daughter has the cold.  Again.  It feels like she just had her cold.  But last night as she was sleeping, I kept hearing her cough.  And then this morning she woke up to a runny nose.  I am so thankful today is Thursday so she has the weekend to get better and can go to school on Monday all better.  I hope.

Last night my husband was so sweet.  Our little boy woke up and so he got him for me so I could sleep in a little.  Luckily he fell asleep right away this time.  But a couple of hours later, our daughter woke up.  Again, my husband got up to get her.  Before he did, he moved our son to the pack and play so I could sleep and our daughter could sleep in our bed.  Unfortunately, after he put him in the pack and play and went to go get our daughter, he woke up.  So I got out of bed and got him and laid him next to me and he fell asleep in my arms.  Our daughter got in our bed and laid next to me and fell asleep as well.

Today for dinner will be leftovers again.  I made Hawaiian Chicken with Rice last night.  It was pretty good.  Quick and simple.

Success with last night

I can not believe I forgot to take a picture of my dinner last night!  I feel so badly about it, too, because it was seriously soo good!  Even my husband loved it.  It had a hint of lemon in it and he usually hates when I cook with lemon, but he loved the meal last night.

I made a dish called lemon chicken with asparagus.  I think the next time I make this meal, I will use green beans instead of asparagus because it is more cost efficient.  But it was rated by a 10 by my husband.

My daughter was cute this morning.  She slept with us last night and I was asleep when my husband woke up to get ready for work.  She came up to where I was and laid her head on my chest and said "hi, hey".  I woke up to see her looking at me, smiling.  So I got up and got myself ready for the day.

Tonight for dinner will be leftovers as my husband will be home a little later and I don't know what time he will get home.  So, we are going to have leftovers.  I don't know what to make for tomorrow though.  I forgot what I wrote down.

An exhausting night

How do my children have so much energy when they didn't get much sleep the night before?  I don't get it.  I would love to have their energy so I could get stuff done.  Today I plan to get dinner prepped somewhat while the kids are napping and clean the kitchen.  I tried to do the morning dishes today but my son kept climbing on me so I stopped.

Last night it was a nightmare and a half getting both kids to sleep.  But we did it!  But wouldn't you know it, just as we are laying in bed and relaxing our daughter wakes up and shortly thereafter our son wakes up.  So, my husband went to get him and I got my daughter.  I finally got her to go back to sleep at 8:45.  Then I fell asleep at 9:15.  Next thing I know it's 11:30 and the boy is awake.  Oh dear lord!  My husband put him in our bed thinking he would fall back asleep easily since he's next to us.  But after an hour of him kicking me in the face and stomach and arm and waking me up constantly, my husband decided to give him milk to help our boy fall asleep.  Well, the milk worked and he was asleep by 12:45.  So I finally got to get some peaceful sleep without him kicking me finally.  That sleep was very short lived because at 1:00, our little girl woke up.  I honestly wish both of my kids would sleep all night!  But I got up to get her back to sleep and I managed to go back to bed at 2:15.  Then at 3:00, she woke up again.  This time my husband got her and brought her in our room to sleep.  But then at 5:30 my husband's alarm clock went off.  

And that's how my night was last night.  I am beyond exhausted and my coffee didn't work because I'm still tired.  But the good news is that today my daughter has been so pleasant to me.  She hasn't yelled at me, she listens to me on everything I have said so far, and she is being nice to her brother.

Tonight for dinner I am making lemon chicken with asparagus.  What about you?

All day football

Today is Sunday, therefore, we will be watching football nonstop.  I don't mind though.  We are watching our team play right now and it is looking pretty good for us right now.

It feels nice not having to do laundry though.  I am going to relax and watch football today.  I am cooking something in the crockpot today.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  It is a seasoned green beans and potatoes with chicken kind of meal.  It looks good, so we'll see how it tastes tonight.  I will try to take a picture of tonight's dinner, but I can't promise anything.  My daughter has been playing with my phone lately so it's hard to do any sort of thing on my phone anymore.  But I just try to do everything at night when everyone is asleep.

I am usually the last one in bed and the second one to wake up in the morning.  I hate taking forever to fall asleep.  My husband is the kind of guy who can fall asleep in less than five minutes.  But it takes me a hour or two to fall asleep most nights.

Have a great Sunday!

Beautiful day Saturday

Today was such a beautiful day!  I think the weather is finally cooling down here in this crazy desert that I live in.  We went grocery shopping this morning after we got done calling the parentals, something we do every weekend.  We managed to get done talking to them and grocery shopping and putting everything away by 9:15am!  That is a first.

After we got done putting the groceries away, we decided to hang out in the backyard with the kids.  Then after I got my son down for a nap, I got out the stuff I needed to make my customer's order.  I set up my little work station on the picnic table and started working on their order.  While I was doing that, my husband and daughter had some father-daughter bonding time.

We ended up being in the backyard for almost five hours!  But the good news is that she fell asleep shortly after her bath and we got to relax a little.  Hopefully both kids go to bed easy tonight and sleep all night.

Here's to hoping.

I have a small itch

I have a little confession to make.  This is so sad to say this, but I have this little itch.  It comes and goes every once in a while.  Right now, it is itching like crazy.  I told my husband about it, too.  Alright.. here's my confession.

I have baby fever!

There, I said it.  Whew!  It feels good to get it out of my system.  But I seriously have an itch and I am having major baby fever.  I saw something Jessa Duggar recently posted on Instagram of her baby moving in her belly and it made me think of when I was pregnant with my daughter and how she moved around a lot, too.  When I saw that I just really got sad because I want another baby.  I told my husband that I had baby fever and he was adamant about not having another.  He said we are both getting older and the chances of a child with needs gets higher.  

I agree to what he said though, cause he is right.  I am really grateful that I have two beautiful children who are both happy, healthy, smart, and so damn beautiful.  Not to mention, I have one of each.. we have what most people want.  We have a friend who has two boys and another friend who has two girls.  There's another friend we have who has three girls!  So, I'm grateful for the fact we have one of each.  

But when we were pregnant with my son, I knew he was going to be the last pregnancy I will have and I couldn't wait to get to my third trimester to enjoy every single movement and stretching and hiccups.  I barely got to enjoy the movement and stretching as my son didn't move around a lot but he did hiccup a lot, just like his sister.  But I really wanted to enjoy one more time of the baby moving and stretching and I feel I got robbed because he didn't move much.  That was by far one of my favorite things about being pregnant.

Anyone else have baby fever?