Weekend Recap- Outside Fun, Birthdays, and Errands

We had a great, busy weekend!!!!

I left work a little early on Friday and went straight to pick Luci up from school so we could enjoy some sunshine before it got dark (I am sooo ready for the time change)! I occasionally will pick Luci up to do this on really nice days...it really sucks sometimes not getting home until it is dark.

Luci is getting realllllly good at riding her tricycle now!! I am so proud of her and she is really proud of herself!! :-)

I made a quick spaghetti supper on Friday and then we settled in with some toys and TV for the night!

On Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed to The Egg and I for breakfast. After breakfast we ran some errands....and Luci and Daddy took a little break to try out some putters at the sporting goods store!!

After the errands, we went back to the house and Luci took a quick nap while we got ready for Ellie's 1st Birthday party!!!!

At the end of Ellie's party, we celebrated PePaw's 61st birthday, and he got to open his presents!!!

After the party, we picked up a pizza and a movie and headed home for the night.

On Sunday, we woke up and went to church and then headed to Firehouse for lunch afterwards! Mitch and I go to Firehouse all the time for lunch, but this was Luci's first time there and she loved her Firefighter Hat!!!

After lunch, Mommy and Luci took a loonnnggg nap while Daddy worked on homework. After we woke up from our nap, Mommy and Luci headed to the park so Daddy could continue to work on his reading and homework.

Luci and I did quite a bit of exploring at the park. She loved looking at flowers, birds, picking up rocks, and watching the many kites that were being flown around the park...oh, and of course the slides!!!

After the park, we went back home and Luci and Daddy went outside to blow bubbles while I prepared dinner. After dinner, we settled in for the night!!!!....another great weekend!!!!

Thursday Date Night

Mitch and I were generously given some tickets to the Hogs basketball game last night by some new friends!!! We were very happy to go and hang out with them and K & T!! It was nice to spend some time together without the toddler running around!! The Hogs lost, but we shared many laughs and had a really good time!! I only ended up taking a few pics...which is unlike me...but my allergies were fierce yesterday...and I may have taken several benedryl...so let's just say I was a little foggy!! :-)

Really Random Misc Musings

We have been a little busy lately!!! Not really anything specific...but a bunch of things!!!

First things first...My bestie got engaged this past weekend!!!!!!!! Ahhhh!!!!!!! I am so excited for Kerri and Taylor!!! Let me tell you a quick Kerri and Taylor story of the "moment" I knew that these guys were perfect for each other.

You see, they have known each other for quite a while, but it wasn't until last year that I had met Taylor...so I was a little unsure about him (lol!)...you know, I had to make sure that he was right and all for Kerri :-)))...anyways, back to the story...We went sometime last year with K & T over to Lake Fort Smith for an afternoon outing. You see, Mitch and I aren't necessarily "outdoors people". Ok, really not at all...especially me! But of course, we wanted to go to let Luci play and to spend time with our friends! Once we got there, I just loved stepping back and watching K & T together. The two of them with their dogs and kayaks was priceless! Mitch and I both talked later about how much they both enjoyed each other's company and had so many similar interests. Yup, I knew these two would go the distance!!! I am soooo happy for them and can't wait for the big day!!!!


That day at Lake Fort Smith!

This weekend was busy, but not really doing anything special...

I got some clothes (ok 68 sets) ready for the Growing Kids Sale...

And we went out to eat at Fuji...and opted to sit at a regular table instead of the Hibachi grill...Luci is really scared of the fire! lol!

Sunday night, we welcomed home our good friend Sam from his 4 months of Air Force training!!! It was good to see him back!!! So proud he is serving our country!

Sam & his wifey, Kristal!

On Monday night, we had dinner with the future Mr. and Mrs. and Kerri and I enjoyed the hot tub...in the rain!!!

Thanks to K & T's blue water in the toilet...my kid is obsessed. You will not believe how excited she was when I brought home blue tablets for our toilets! lol!

And finally, I decided to bust out some old family photos...check this out!! lol!

Circa 1994!!

Chicken Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is Pioneer Woman's Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta Recipe. I will share my adaptations at the bottom.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy CreamGrated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-1/2 pound Fettuccine

Preparation Instructions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

My version-
Since I was cooking for just the 3 of us, I only used 1/2 box or so of pasta (there were leftovers). I used 2 cans (small) of regular tomato sauce, and 1 can of Rotel tomato sauce (it is new and sooo good!). I used 3/4 cup of 2% evaporated milk instead of heavy cream (you know because I am so healthy and all). And I added 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were cooked and shredded into pieces. I also used leftover chicken broth (that I had cooked the chicken in) to thin the pasta instead of the pasta water. Oh and I believe every pasta dish needs bell pepper...so I sauteed those with my onions.

This really was a great, simple, weeknight recipe!!!

Sour Cream Beef Enchiladas

I love these soooo much. I have made a couple of different varieties and have tweaked them from time to time, but this is my base recipe. Btw, I am a beef enchilada gal. I do like chicken enchiladas...but I love beef enchiladas. I have made these with chicken (Mitch prefers chicken), but I really do like them better with beef.

Ingredients:
1lb of ground chuck
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken
1 can of green enchilada sauce (I like the hot kind, but mild is better for the kiddo..I have also used one can of green chilies...but I have texture issues and prefer the sauce.)
Taco tortillas
2 cups of shredded cheese (I usually use colby jack)
seasonings (salt, pepper, taco/southwest)
onions

Brown your ground chuck and onions with whatever seasonings you prefer. I like a little taco seasoning, garlic powder, and s & p.

Mix together sour cream, cream of chicken, and enchilada sauce in a bowl.

Spray 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lay out your tortillas and begin assembling.

I usually do a heaping spoonful (or two) of ground beef, a spoonful of sauce mixture, and a handful of cheese into each tortilla. You can fill them however you wish. Roll them up and place them side by side in pan.

Spoon remaining sauce over the tops of the enchiladas and then top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375, covered, for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10...or until hot!

I have made these and stuffed rice and/or black beans in them as well...there are lots of options for these!!! They are super good and super easy!!!!

I made these a couple of weeks ago and opted to put the rice and black beans on the side...but they are really good stuffed inside as well!...Please excuse the paper plate...we go real fancy in my house! :-)

Potty Training Update

Well, I think I can officially say it.

Luci is fully potty trained.

I know this entire post is going to seem kind of dramatic...and I don't mean it to, but Luci being potty trained is kind of surreal. Not that I didn't think it would happen or that I thought she would never train...it's just that her entire life up to this point has been with her being in diapers. It is still so new to us...and it was the last thing I had "left" of her being a baby.

Nope, no baby in our house anymore. A full-blown toddler.

I totally do not want to jinx myself, but this kid hasn't had an accident in weeks. She had an accident at school a few weeks ago...but I really don't count it as an accident. She had some tummy trouble and was on the playground...and just couldn't make it to the potty...and we are talking major tummy trouble. I can't fault her for that. Other than that, she hasn't had once since.

We are still putting pull-ups on her at night simply because I have a package left. She has been completely dry at night. I know that she will have accidents. I get that...I just can't believe how she went from one day in diapers to the next being potty trained. I have no secrets...no tricks...I just think she was mentally and physically ready. Bottom line. No pun intended. :-)

Bye bye bottle, May 2010.

 

Bye bye paci, September 2011.

 

Bye bye diapers, January 2012.

 

*Sniffle, sniffle.

Valentine's Day 2012

We had a great Valentine's Day(s) this year. I personally love Valentine's Day. Should you show the people you love that you love them every day? Yes, of course. But, I think it is really nice to have a special day to be reminded of the special people in your life. I have many Valentines in my life...but of course, two VERY special Valentines!!!

We exchanged our Valentine's gifts on Valentine's Eve. Is Valentine's Eve an official holiday?! Well, it was in my house!! :-)

I got flowers, my favorite candy (Hershey's Almond Toffee), and a massage!! Luci and I gave Mitch some cologne, chocolates, balloons,...and she picked him out a new Turvis cup...that had Goofy on it! Lol! He loves it because she picked it out especially for him!!! Luci received some balloons, a bear, sunglasses, and a new outfit...oh, and she got more candy than she could eat at her Valentine party at school.

On Valentine's Eve, Luci and I also made some special Valentine's treats!! Yum Yum!!!

You know, Mitch and I have always gotten each other stuff for Valentine's Day...we always have. We never get each other Christmas gifts (we just get a joint gift together), and we aren't really into buying each other anniversary gifts (although our 5th anniversary is approaching and I will be expecting something, ahem!)...so Valentine's Day has always been a little special for us!!

On Valentine's Day, Mitch and I went out to lunch together at Joe's Italian! It was yummy!! After lunch, I took a little time off from work and went to Luci's Valentine's party...which at her age, basically consists of eating. After the party, we surprised Mitch at his office with some balloons and candy! Then, Luci got to do what she has been begging me to do for a few weeks now. She came back with me to work!!! She did great and visited with everyone around the office...and surprisingly, I did get a little work done!!!

Just hanging out at the office!!!

After work, we went for our usual family Valentine's dinner. We went to Chick Fil A this year and it was soooo busy. We will probably pick a new place next year!!!

We had a great day yesterday and I hope everyone felt loved!!!

Keeping It Real

This blog is supposed to be an accurate recap of our lives so that I can have it documented for the future...and for the most part, it is. However, I thought I would share a few things...you know, just to keep it real!


I always get my 8 full glasses of water in a day. See, the first ingredient is water. :-) Save me the lectures on aspartame...

Sometimes, "veggie" sticks serve as vegetables in our house. Hey, if you had to bargain, bribe, threaten every (ok, not every) night about getting your toddler to eat vegetables...sometimes "veggie" sticks would suffice!

Luci's babies (and Puggy) go timeout more than she does. She loves getting on to them and then punishing them. It is weird...and I'm sure her teachers at daycare think we are awful, dictator parents if she pulls this stuff at school. We have learned to think it is really cute!

We go get ice cream in our pajamas...um, yeah...no real explanation here...

Ok, I have tried to rotate these pics like 15 times...not sure why it isn't sticking. But anyways, look sideways...

This is what I usually get before I get "the pic".

Just thought I would let you in on a few secrets!!!! Just Keeping It Real!!!

All About Snow

First Snow- 8 months old- 2010- We were outside all of about 3 minutes!

Snow - 1 year old- 2011- Still a little unsure...but wanting to play!

Snow- 2 years old- 2012- Building her first snowgirl!!

Growing Pains

This week (especially at night) has been a bit trying with Luci. I haven't really been sure what was wrong, but just chocked it up to being tired and simply being two. Well, last night was horrible. She cried a lot during the night...even went as far as sobbing. I wasn't sure what was wrong. Her cousins have been sick the past couple of weeks so I thought maybe she picked up something from them or daycare. Well needless to say, I was exhausted by the time my alarm went off this morning. After I woke her up, I started thinking...you know she still hasn't got her 2 year molars yet (Luci was always late on cutting teeth so I assumed her 2 year molars would come in when she was 35). So, I grabbed a flash light, threatened her with her life if she bit me, stuck my finger in the back of her mouth and took a look. Guess what? Miss Cranky has half of one of her 2 year molars coming through!! So I guess that explains the horrible mood swings lately! I'm sure it will take weeks for all 4 of them to come through...you know...nice and slow and painful. This should make for a fabulous next few weeks!!! Teething is oh so much fun!

Just Us Girls

Mitch had a late work meeting last night so Luci and I had a little date night ourselves! After picking her up at school, we ran home so I could change clothes. While I was getting dressed, I discovered this...

Luci decided to try on Momma's high heels!! She did a pretty good job walking around!!

After changing clothes, we headed to the mall. We did a little shopping, ate some pizza, and of course got a cookie!! It was a fantastic little evening out...well, except for the part when she decided to run away from me in JCPenney's... :-/