Video Blog Day!

I wanted to participate in a Video Blog Carnival today and couldn't decide what to do. I really didn't like the way I looked on the video so I didn't want to do that, ya know lol. I decided that I would do a book. I love to read and I wanted to share that with you all. I am reading a Christian Halloween book. If you want to see others video blogging go over to 2nd Cup of Coffee! There are some pretty cool posts out there!

I survived!

We made it through our first little sleep over! Allie and Anna had a blast. They played outside for a while. Had a bath together, where more water found its way to the floor than down the drain. They played inside for a while and then watched a movie in the bed to start chilling out. They finally crashed at about 10:45. Around 4 am I woke up and felt like something was wrong so I got up and checked on the girls. Allie was laying on the very edge of the bed and would have fallen off if I had been just a few seconds later. I got her settled back in and crashed myself. I woke up again at 6:30 am to Anna saying "No, hang on, hang on". It was a late night and a early morning and I was utterly exhausted. Even though the girls went to bed earlier than I thought they would I didn't go to sleep for a while later because I worried about them lol. Anyway, we got up and watched a movie and played until we had to get ready for church. They looked so cute and I didn't even get a picture of them. I had the hardest time doing Allie's hair. Her hair is pretty much the complete opposite of Anna's.

We got to church and I had to jump right into teacher mode and start preparing to bake our cupcakes. They turned out great. I didn't get a picture of them either but here is what we did:

Cupcakes in an Ice Cream Cone

We mixed up the batter as directed on the box of cake mix.
Wrapped tin foil around the base of ice cream cones
Poured batter into the cones (the box said half and that is what we did but we should have done more like 3/4's they didn't rise high enough.)
Baked for roughly 30 minutes
I had major time restraints so I put them in the freezer to cool
After they were relatively cool I had the kids put icing on them

The icing was really another neat part.
I bought the vanilla icing at the store
I bought the cheap cool aid packets (the kind that doesn't have the sugar in it)
I used grape and orange (we are going to do this again for our fall carnival on Halloween!)
You mix them in a bowl and you have purple or orange icing or whatever color you decide to use. Red would be pretty neat for Christmas!
It did change the flavor of the icing and some of the kids liked one flavor more than the other but they all looked pretty cool!

Menu Monday

I have been trying to be more of a stickler for sticking to a list over the past little while. It has been very helpful and the past 2 weeks I have even managed to shop for about $50. Which is no small feet! This week (I just got back from the store) I got everything I needed for about $49.00. That includes toilet paper and lunch stuff too. (I did have a few of the things I needed in the pantry though). So here is my menu for this week!

Monday (look below for recipe)
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Tuesday
Speghetti
(our family friend Mr. Jason will be coming over for dinner and he really enjoys this along with my sweet tea!)

Wednesday
Chili

Thursday (look below for recipe)
Skillet Chicken and Mac Parmesian

Friday
Chicken and Dumplins
(Posted by Rocks in my Dryer!)

Saturday
Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Sunday
Left overs or whatever we can find!





Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in an 11 x 8-inch (2-quart) shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover.
Bake at 375°F. for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with cheese. Let casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir rice before serving.

Skillet Chicken and Macaroni Parmesian

Ingredients:
1 jar (1 pound 10 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat the sauce, 3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, chicken and macaroni in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

If you don't have cubed cooked chicken on hand, you can: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat. Add the sauce, macaroni and cheese to the skillet as directed above in Step 1.

If you are looking for more menu ideas head over to: Laura's Place

Listen:

Can you hear it? The sounds of little feet pitter pattering ALL around the house. The shrieks and giggles followed by full belly laughs. That is the sound of Anna's first sleep over. I never thought she would have a sleep over at 3 but Allie's Mommy and Daddy went out on a date. They were planning to get her around 10:30 or 11 and I thought that if I can manage to get her to sleep she may as well just stay here. We will see if that is a good idea in about an hour lol. Then of course there is the challenge of the morning. We have to go to church and I need to be there early for a cooking adventure with my Sunday school class. Boy, oh boy, what was I thinkin'?

As a side note: I commend all mother's with twins. It has been crazy here and I can't imagine it on a full-time bases. Both children are wonderful and I love them both dearly. They just feed off of each others energy lol.

Wish me luck!!! I am going back in there.

edited to add: They are all sleeping; Anna, Allie and Daddy. Why oh why aren't I? I am exhausted but everytime I lay down I hear noises thinking one of the girls is roaming the house lol. I think I will try again. Maybe I will be fast asleep in a matter of moments.

My life

God has really been working on me lately. I have mentioned it here several times. I have a long way to go that is for sure. I am working on numerous parts of my life to get in line with God's plan.

This week part of my past was settled. Well, at least settled more than it has been before. Because of that I am starting to actually feel a little peace and a little joy. I don't feel like my blood pressure is through the roof on most days. I do appreciate my family and being able to spend my day with Anna outside.

I am still working on making things right with my husband. Also, I am trying to figure out where my Mighty God would have me go and do. I know he has a wonderful purpose for me but my clouded vision hasn't been able to see it yet.

I have been trying to find a verse in the Bible and I can't put my fingers on it. If any of you can figure it out please share. All I can remember is that it said something about eagles wings and I think it was either in Proverbs or Psalms. It has been messing with me. I remember feeling so touched when I read it and now I can't find it again. I know I am grasping for straws here. If I could remember more I am sure it would help but... I am hoping someone will know what I am talking about lol.

Be Jolly, By Golly!

I finally have an outlet for some of my extra Christmas cheer. I am going to be posting over at Be Jolly, By Golly! I am so very excited. I have loved Christmas since I was a little girl. I mean I know most people love Christmas but I am told I am over the top lol.

• When I was in high school or maybe college I took the fake tree down that my mother had put up and had my boyfriend (now hubby) take me to get a real tree.
• I started badgering my Daddy about a tree the weekend before Thanksgiving even though we had an arrangement to put the tree up the 2nd weekend after Thanksgiving.
• I help my in-laws and my sis-in-law put up there trees the weekend of Thanksgiving and come home get our tree up.
• Our tree usually is a 2 or 3 day process. I guess if I waited until the next weekend we could do it in a day but... Now we come home get the tree on Sunday. Monday we put the lights on and Tuesday we decorate.
• I start listening to Christmas music a week or more before Thanksgiving. Although I have already started listening to some due to our Christmas program at church.
• I have decorations all over my house in one form or another.
• I love baking and making Christmas candy.
• I love making Christmas crafts.

So anyway the point of the story is that I love Christmas and you can hear about it HERE!

Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Anna is a real chatter box anymore. She wakes up talking and yes has even started talking in her sleep a little.

Her favorite questions: Why? and Where did that come from? She wants to know where everything she owns came from ranging from her clothes to her toys and anything else in the house.

Her favorite phrase: Let's not talk about that. LOL this one really cracks me up. We can talk about something for a few minutes and she will say "Lets not talk about that anymore!"

Last wednesday she was transfering from my car to Chris's. She got up in my front seat while Chris transfered the car seat. She pulled down the viser and said "I need to fix my hair." She opens the mirror and proceeds to "fluff her hair".

After one of her questioning sessions I asked her if she was going to be an attorney. She huffed and said "No I am gonna be a PRINCESS!"

Some of her statements in the early morning ~ I am assuming she is dreaming about these things.

• She looked around her room and said "Mommy where is my Christmas tree?"
• "I want to go get a biscuit."
• "Oh Mama I want to go play!"

The other day we were shopping with Casey and Yia Yia. She was walking with Yia Yia in front of me and Casey. She looked around and said "Ya'll don't look at my butt!" Seriously where does this kid get this stuff lol.

For more Tiny Talk go to Not Before 7!

PS She just called Santa on the cell phone. She wanted to make sure he was coming lol. Apparently, she is going to be very excited about Christmas this year. I think me practicing Christmas music for church has confused her lol. Not to mention I did let her get some of her Christmas books out to read too. Hopefully she can hold onto her excitement until Dec.

Anna's Halloween Costume!

I went to the flea market a few weeks ago which is unusual for me. I don't typical go there but while I was there I discovered 2 things.

1. They have some of the prettiest produce I have seen all summer!


2. I found the perfect costume for Anna to wear for Halloween!

We went back today and Yia Yia bought it for Anna. Let me know what you think! Well, only if you like it that is lol. I am excited! Imagine powder on her face with a little eyeliner and her hair up with some chopsticks in it. It will be very cool I think!

She got tired of me taking pictures! *tee hee

Just wanted to share:

Tuesday night I tried a new dish called ~ Capellini Caprese

The recipe is super easy and my hubby LOVED it!

• You warm 1/2 cup of Italian dressing on the stove for a few minutes.
• Add a diced onion to the dressing for 2 minutes. Be sure they are diced pretty small.
• Also add 2 cloves of minced garlic. (when you add the onions)
• Add diced tomatoes or you can use grape tomatoes. Allow to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until it is warmed through.
• At the same time you are doing this start a half pound of pasta to cook. (I did a little more and it was fine)
• Drain after it is done and then mix with the onion and tomatoes.

It is quick and super easy! Oh yeah and you can sprinkle some cheese over the top.

Works for me Wednesday!

I am getting excited about the holidays already. We are working on our Christmas program at church so I am already listening to Christmas music. I have a friend that loves Christmas as much as I do so we have been discussing making candy and pies etc together while our little ones entertain each other. In honor of all that I am going to share a pie that I love to make, it is a perfect holiday pie but it is good really any time.

1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, room temp
1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 21 oz can cherry pie filling (chilled) or you can use any tip of fruit pie filling or go without.
1 - 6 oz ounce graham cracker crust

Let cream cheese stand at room temperature until softened. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk. Add lemon juice and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Pour into crust. Chill several hours and then top with pie filling. When you put the pie in the fridge put the pie filling in as well.

Needs to chill roughly 3 hours! I have done it in as little as 2 hours but it is better with 3 hours. Not that anyone complained lol.

For more great tips go to Rocks in my Dryer!

Wordless Wednesday!

Tackle it Tuesday - Kitchen

I am on a cleaning mission. Unfortunately, sometimes that means going back and redoing things that I had already done. This past weekend we were so busy our kitchen looked like it blew up. After my energizing walk and time at the playground Anna and I went to work. I still have a few "hot spots" to work on but overall it looks great. Anna was a good little helper. She loves to help rinse dishes and wipe the countertop off. Of course she also likes to climb on the counter top and lounge around in the floor lol. We also worked on another tackle at the same time. We have started working on our Christmas music for church and we were practicing that at the same time.

Picture dishes everywhere, the countertops littered with mail, items from a birthday party we attended and who knows what else. It was a serious tackle!

See my little helper!

Dinner in the crock pot and my phone on the stove.

Welcome to my world!

My little helper again.

See how clean my window is? That was one of my projects last week!

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap

4 cups torn romaine lettuce
6 oz grilled chicken breast strips *
1 large tomato, chopped
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup Mexican style shredded cheese **
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup salsa
8 flour tortillas

Toss romaine, chicken breast, tomatoes and corn in large bowl; sprinkle with cheese

Combine dressing and salsa. Pour over romaine mixture; toss to coat. Spoon evenly into tortillas; roll up

* I am using some chicken breast on the bone that I have in the crock pot at the moment.
** I only have chedder so that is what I will use. Hopefully it won't change the taste to much lol.

Menu Monday

Monday ~ Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet

Tuesday ~ Capellini Caprese

Wednesday ~ Sante Fe Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap

(or leftovers depending on time before church)

Thursday ~ Foil Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

Friday ~ Meat Loaf (individaul), mashed potatoes and green beans

(unless my in-laws come to town and then we will see.)

Saturday ~ Speghetti

Sunday ~ leftovers or Sante Fe Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap

All of these recipes came from Kraft. Oh, except for my speghetti recipe. For more menu ideas go HERE!

Photo Hunt ~ Wild

I am doing something new. I found it over at tnchick.com. It is a photo hunt. This weeks theme is wild. I looked back and it was either Anna climbing a tree like a monkey or these beauties. I just love the color and texture of these guys. They aren't really wild since they were in an aquarium in TN but... For more wild photos go on over to tnchick.com!

Just for fun here is Anna monkeying around in the tree lol.

Quiet House!

I am sitting here in a quiet house. What's that you ask? Well, it is something that I don't experience to often. Chris is out playing poker with friends. Anna and I had a slumber party of sorts and she crashed early after doing flips over my shoulders on the bed. She fell asleep and I layed there and listened to all of the noises of the house. It amazes me how I can hear every noise tonight but if Chris were at home I wouldn't hear any of it. It isn't that he has the tv turned up loud or anything cause usually he is practically reading lips. I guess it is the comfort of having someone else to "stand guard". Knowing that if something were to happen or whatever he would be here to take care of us. Of course as I am writing this I am watching Ghost Whisperer lol. I guess I liked to be thoroughly freaked out!

We had an ok week. I felt pretty crappy the first part of the week. Just one of those things ya know. Yesterday was better so we got Anna's room all cleaned up and then today we got the windows on the back of the house sparkling like the top of the Chrysler building. Can I hear ya say "The sun'll come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun." Sorry trying to get my mind off of what is going on on the tv lol. Anyway, so I guess you could say I have Fall Fever. I am ready to throw open my windows and enjoy the fresh air flowing through. To see the leaves changing, well at least falling lol. We don't really have a typical fall where the leaves change pretty colors and then fall. They pretty much turn brown and then fall but I am ready all the same. I am ready to prepare for the holidays. Anna is going to be so much fun this year. She is already starting to sing Christmas songs and of course I am encouraging it lol. We found her Christmas books when we cleaned out her closet. Today she told me she is ready for Santa to come see her. We were talking about visiting him and sitting on his lap. Maybe if I start now she won't be scared of him by Dec.

Well, now that I am freaked out by the show I am going to snuggle up with Anna and listen to the radio. Hopefully I will manage to fall asleep. Have a good weekend!

Work in Progress!!

Now that summer is unofficially over Anna and I are trying to get back into the swing of things. We are working in the mornings and playing in the afternoons. The swimming pool was throwing us off our rhythm but it is now closed except for the afternoons on the weekends. Therefore, we have been working our way through the house. Cleaning and decluttering as we go. Today was Anna's room! It was a mess and extremely cluttered. We managed to make a lot of head way in there and I think it looks much better. The closet still isn't great I have to talk my hubby into either getting rid of his old college books or at least putting them somewhere else.





And yes Anna is still in her pjs at 11:00. Can I hear Mother of the Year award!!! She hasn't wanted to get dressed and well I haven't either lol. At least we have gotten work done so that I can say I am not a total slacker!

Wordless Wednesday

What kind of bug is this? It looks to exotic to be in GA.

Weekend Projects!

A lot of work was done around the house this weekend. We had friends come in for the weekend and Kevin is a jack of all trades. He helped complete many tasks around the house that have been begging for completion. He fixed the window sill in our guest bedroom, hung our blinds in the living room, repaired some holes in our walls (now all Chris has to do is paint them), replaced a light fixture in the kitchen, fixed the light in the hall, hung the fence gate that Chris made months ago and finished it by making a small gate door to go through. He also helped check our plumbing and did a few things along those lines as well. I hope Kevin knows how much we appreciate ALL he did for us this weekend. I don't know how he got it all done but he is pretty incredible.

I had the priviledge of hanging out with his wife and son. Anna fell in love with Kyle and I have to admit I did too. He is such a sweetheart. He would open the car door for Anna and let her "fix" his hair for about 30 minutes. Then they played "cops and robbers" together. I took them to the park for a while and we witnessed these little girls swearing like sailors and being hateful to anyone that glanced in their direction. Needless to say we didn't get to stay long. Natalie is a lot of fun to hang out with too. We went to the flea market here and I found Anna an adorable Halloween costume. I will go back and get it soon. She is a NICU nurse and she is so good with Anna. Anna couldn't help but fall for her. They laughed together and did hair together. Natalie figured out what most people take a while to get: The way to Anna's heart!

Sunday Chris didn't get to go to church with us because they were finishing the gate. I had Sunday School and Children's church without him. Sunday School was ok but Children's Church let me just say WOW. Those kids are loud and energetic lol. Jason our friend was recruited to help me and he said afterwards next Sunday he would rather go get a root canal lol. Now he said it jokingly but I am thinking he is a little right. It would probably be a little less painful lol.

Today I am watching the wind blowing the trees. The butterflies fluttering around faster than usual. Wasps trying to find food and love bugs doing the tango. I am watching all of this while I sit here waiting for Anna to wake up from her nap. Tropical Storm Hanna is about 200 miles away from us at this point. She is creating a stir with all of the animals outside and the trees. She is creating an electrical charge in the air. You can feel it when you step outside.

When I was little one of my fondest memories is being outside helping my Dad rake. Well, he was raking and my brother and I were making a house out of the pine straw. We had several rooms created when the wind picked up. I am assuming now as an adult that a hurricane or tropical storm caused it. I spread my arms out wide and started spinning around in a circle just hoping that if I went fast enough the wind would pick me up. Of course I never got fast enough for that to happen but I loved dreaming about it.

When we have company at the house on weekends I go lay in the bed with Anna for nap time. To get her to go to sleep we lay down close to the window and watch the leaves "dancing" in the breeze. She loves the wind as much as me. She has always loved the wind in her face. I remember when she was still a baby we went to Jacksonville zoo. I will never forget how she tossed her head back and seemed to absorb every bit of that wind. I love sharing joy through the simple things with Anna.

Video Friday

This will show you Anna talking clearly and then in tongues lol.



I don't wanna do that right now!

House or Home

Real estate has been a hobby of mine forever. I don't mean selling it all though I thought about it a few times. I worked in the construction world for a long time so I just love the process of houses. Then I love how when a house gets older it looks more settled and like it belongs. Anna and I have been walking every day this week. Today I took my camera and I will show you some of the houses we enjoy looking at.

This is one of my favorites. I know it is very simple in every way. Almost every time I walk by it though it is well cared for. It looks like a home.

This one I just love the different angles in the roof. The only thing I don't like is the garage being in the front of the house and being so far forward. I think one of the mistakes in building these days is that the garage is a very predominant part of the house and lets face it, it is the ugliest part of any house. I also like the simplicity of their landscaping. I love the fact that all of those plants in the front (behind the ugly trash can lol) hide all of those ugly gray electrical etc. boxes.

This house was an ugly duckling that has turned into a swan. You can't really see because I was across the street but this house is really pretty. They have done some amazing things with the landscaping. Even the fact that they painted the front door made a huge difference. This house is a corner lot so the garage is facing the side. They get extra points for that!

This isn't a house of course lol but It is a georgeous plant placed right behind a mailbox. I just thought that it looked fabulous.

So now tell me what are some of your favorite aspects of a house? Next week I will walk in the other direction and show you what I would like my next house to look like lol.

Wordless Wednesday - Storm Preparations

All of the toys have been put away in the garage. Along with the grill and our swing that is usually hanging on the back porch. The house has a forlorn look to it, well to me it does anyway. Anna and I seized the moment of a clear porch to sweep it and blow it off. Now if I only had a pressure washer we would be in business. It sounds like the storm is now supposed to make her debute at our sister city so all of this may have been for nothing. Well, except for the fact that the porch needed a good cleaning!

Pity Party ~ Done!

In case you guys didn't notice I have been having a pity party over here in my part of the world. I am done with that. I am finally ready to pick myself up by the boot straps. I am not saying I will change over night cause I have a lot of changing to do. I have to focus on the good things though and gradually change the bad. I would like to thank friends and family for standing by me even when I haven't been my best. For loving me even when I didn't feel lovable. For showing me that I deserve so much more than I am allowing myself to receive. So having said all of that; I am shedding all of my grumpiness, well for the most part. I am going to jump into my new life with both feet. I am going to grab that perverbial bull by the horns. In other words I am going to live my life instead of hiding from it.

Enough about all of that! So Tropical Storm Hanna is setting a path to knock on our door later this week. Exciting, huh!?! I know Pop you don't think it is exciting at all. I am just glad that we live in a time when we can know days in advance about it. We can decide whether we will stay or leave. We don't have to find out the moment that it arrives.

In an attempt to get my life back on track I have started cleaning my house up better. I am getting rid of the clutter and well cleaning up lol. Today I have worked on my bedroom, which happened to be the worst room in the house. It already looks much better although I still have some stuff to do. I am washing sheets and blankets and I still need to vacuum. However, you can now see that I have a dresser and floor. Maybe, after nap I will get it all finished and put some pics on here for ya!

Sorry this post was kinda scattered! That is just the way my brain works right now, so I am going with it lol!

Here is Anna the day Tropical Storm Fay came through! I say came through it was about 200-300 miles away but we still felt the wind and rain from it.