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.