A big birthday and a family weekend.

My honey turned 40 last Thursday.  We had a pretty low key night.  He had to work (and had a horrible day, I might add) and he isn't into big celebrations just for him.  One day I will talk him into a party but this just wasn't the year.  

When he got home from work I had Blakely in this shirt that I made.  I can't tell you how long it took for me to get a picture of her where she wasn't either scowling at me or had her mouth wide open yelling.  What is it with the yelling these days?

These were the best I could get.  

yelling

pouting

We enjoyed some nice wine since it was a special occasion and I cooked a super yummy dinner of chicken, spinach and white bean quesadillas.  It is a pretty healthy recipe that I found on P.interest...the recipe is here.  I love it because you can do so many things with it.  I have made the quesadillas multiple times.  You can put it on spinach and eat it as a salad.  I have also eaten it cold, straight from the bowl the next day for lunch.  Blakely is a fan as well which is always good!  Since we are trying to eat healthier around here I decided not to make a cake.  That always means that we have an entire cake leftover to eat..not good.  I got Bett.y C.rocker individual chocolate molten cakes and stuck a candle in it.  They are actually really good!  

We were having my brother in law, Marshall, his wife Kristen, and their 7 year old twins down for the weekend so my mother in law came on Friday to help me clean my house.  Yes, I totally won the MIL lottery.  The others weren't coming until Saturday so me, Bob (MIL), and Lonnie played monopoly on Friday night.  Lonnie isn't really a gamer so I was surprised he agreed to play.  We only had the "updated" version.  The only difference is the properties have different names and the money is larger (think 1 million instead of 1 hundred).  After a few cocktails the math got a lot more difficult for everyone for me!  

Saturday morning the family arrived.  Bob does a treasure hunt for the kids each year at Christmas.  This year she decided to do it at our house.  Basically they start with a clue which leads to another clue.  They does this through 4-5 clues and then at the end is a present for each of them.  There are a total of 5 treasure hunts so they each get 5 gifts.  Bob was making the clues on Friday night and Lonnie and I were telling her how easy they were. So we decided that Lonnie would make the clues for the 5th treasure hunt.  His clues were super fun and made them think and work together.  It was hilarious to watch!  Just to give you an idea about the clues....one of them was frozen inside a block of ice and another one was hidden in the fireplace which had a "child proof" lock on it.  They loved Uncle Lonnie's hunt!  I would have taken more pictures but it was total chaos.  Collier and Syble were running around the house and I was just trying to keep Blakely out of their way and also keep her from falling down the stairs because they kept leaving the door open.  I was actually quite happy when it was all over!  

Here they are trying to unscramble the letters to mailbox..which is where the next clue was hidden.   

Our tradition for this weekend get together is to drink excellent wine and eat excellent food.  We decided a few years ago not to buy gifts for each other but to spend the weekend eating and drinking together.  A few years we made crab legs, sometimes we have caviar, but this year we decided to make lobster.  I must stop here and say that I do no cooking.  Marshall is a fantastic cook and would put any of those Food Netw.ork cooks to shame....like seriously.  He cooks the food for sure.  So he cooked some wonderful lobster and my MIL made potatoes for a side.  Lonnie and I are responsible for the appetizer each year.  This year we ordered some cheeses and made a cheese plate.  It was amazing if I do say so myself!

We had 5 different cheeses, 2 types of salami, grapes, crackers, jam (onion garlic blackberry!), pickles, wasabi almonds, and honey.

I can't believe I didn't take pictures of our lobster dinner!

We all slept in the next day.  Well, except Blakely.  Although she did sleep until 745 so that was good.  Bob and Lonnie got up with her so I did get to sleep in.  When I finally made it upstairs this is what I found.  

I am not sure there is anything more adorable than cousin love.  Syble was completely happy pushing B around on her tricycle and playing in her princess castle.  It was awesome and made me tear up more than once.  I am so glad Blakely is going to have such great role models in Collier and Syble.  Blakely was just giddy to play with the big kids.  

Marshall made brunch for us on Sunday with the leftover lobster.  I mean....there really are no words for how that turned out.  Lobster scrambled eggs, crab and corn bisque and mimosas?!?  You're crazy if that doesn't sound amazing!  

Lonnie is off this week so we are looking forward to a week of relaxation and family time with just the three of us!  

What Blakely eats-14 months

I don't know about anyone else but I sometimes feel like I feed Blakely the same things, over and over.  Not because she won't eat anything else but because I run out of ideas!  And, let's be honest, I'm not cooking gourmet meals three times a day...or ever.  

Anyway, I feel like it is important to give her a variety of foods while she will still try them.  I know we will probably run into some toddler pickiness soon and I am hoping the more things she has tried and liked the easier that stage will be, right??  

Also, sometimes I hear (or read on a blog) something that their toddler eats and I'm like "Duh!  Goldfish!  Why didn't I think of that?"  So, I thought I would jot down what Blakely eats at *almost* 14 months old.  Maybe it will help you get out of your toddler feeding rut or maybe you want to share what you feed your toddler (please!).  Also, when I say toddler I, of course, mean babytoddler....very big difference.  ;)  She is growing up WAY too fast...

I am going to break it all down into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks but I change it up often.  For example, I give her scrambled eggs for lunch or dinner, not just for breakfast.   

Breakfast
oatmeal-usually I give her the plain oatmeal but occasionally I will give her a flavored one.  
banana
blueberries
kiwi
strawberries
watemelon
toast
greek yogurt-I get the flavored ones and we share
sausage patties
scrambled eggs
cottage cheese (usually with a fruit)
peanut butter on toast-we just started introducing PB and so far it is a hit.  
fruit cup-I get the Dole cups in 100% juice.  They are the perfect snack size and also good for on the go.  Our staples are mandarin oranges, pears, and peaches.  

Lunch
deli ham or turkey
bread
sliced american cheese or shredded cheddar
vegetable-I mostly buy the canned vegetables with no salt added.  She gets a fresh veggie if I cooked the night before or something.  Our staples are cut green beans, sweet peas, corn, and mixed vegetables.  
club crackers with cheese
grilled cheese
beans-any kind of canned bean.  Usually pinto beans or black beans.  

Dinner
For dinner I try to have her eat what we eat if I have cooked, which we all know is not every night.  So, some of the time, I end up just throwing something together for her.  

pasta noodles-usually rotini or mini bow ties.  I will either put butter, alfredo sauce, spaghetti sauce (RARE!  too messy), or cottage cheese on the noodles.  

scrambled eggs/omelet/frittata or whatever you want to call it!  This has become my go-to meal for her.  I can scramble some eggs and add whatever I find in the fridge or pantry in and BOOM! great babytoddler meal.  Some things I throw in are cheese, black olives, ham, turkey, leftover chicken, or peas (or any veggie).  Sometimes I put a little bit of salsa on the eggs too.

macaroni and cheese-I will usually add peas to this because she loves her peas.

waffles or pancakes.  We are big fans of brinner, aka breakfast for dinner, in this house.  I made pumpkin pancakes for all of us the other night and they were awesome!  

Sometimes I just put a bunch of veggies on her tray and she will eat that for dinner.  Other times she throws them all on the floor.  You never know.  

If I don't feel like throwing something together or she HAS TO EAT RIGHT NOW, I always have a few of those Ger.ber toddler meals around.  

Snacks
fruit cups
pouches
cheerios
baby mum-mums
applesauce 

I feel like I am just feeding her and not really putting together "meals" for her, know what I mean?  I did so good at giving her lots of variety from about 6-10 months.  I made all of her baby food and she loved everything.  Once she started eating mostly table food things have gotten more difficult.  Also, until recently, she didn't like to eat from a spoon.  She wanted to be able to pick it up, so that narrowed things down a bit.  Now she is better about the spoon if I let her put it in her own mouth.  

I like easy...super easy.  If I cook dinner for all of us, then she will eat it.  She is still willing to try most anything.  She may throw it down after a few bites and demand something else but she will at least try.  What do you feed your babytoddler?  Do you have something really easy that is your "go-to" meal?  Is there something that your child just loves that I am missing?  Or is there an easy meal you make for your whole family that your kids love?  I feel like I do pretty good with breakfast and lunch but then when dinner time rolls around I am scrambling around throwing stuff on her tray at the last minute.  I am not a good meal planner (oh how I wish I was!).  Help a girl out!  I am getting bored with what she eats so I know she is too.

Recipe Monday-Chicken Enchiladas

Today I am joining in on Recipe Monday with Heather at The Road Less Traveled.  I think this is a great idea as I really need some inspiration when it comes to cooking.  






These chicken enchiladas are pretty easy and taste great.  I love that they have the slivered almonds in them.  When I first made this I wasn't sure about the almonds but having a little crunch in the enchilada goes perfectly.  Here ya go!  I got this out of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and I'm making it tonight.  I'll post a picture them :)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cups chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 4oz can diced green chilies, drained

1 3oz package cream cheese, softened (I use fat free)

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I usually use the already cooked whole chicken)

12 7in flour tortillas or 6 inch corn tortillas (I go flour here)

1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I use reduced sodium)

1 8oz carton dairy sour cream (I use light)

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

In a medium skillet cook the 1/4 cup almonds and the onion in hot butter over medium heat until onion is tender.  Remove from skillet and from heat.  Stir in 1 tablespoon green chilies and reserve the remaining chilies

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, 1 tablespoon milk, and cumin.  Add nut mixture and chicken.  Stir. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla near one edge and roll up.  Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 13x9 baking dish

For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the rest of the green chilies, soup, sour cream, and 1 cup milk.  Pour evenly over the tortillas.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until heated through.  Remove foil and sprinkle cheese and 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds onto tortillas.  Bake for 5 more minutes.  

Enjoy!  

You can make this ahead of time and then just throw it in the oven when ready!

Pics of the week 4

Its time for my pictures of the week!  

Have any of you ever had these?  I just discovered them and they are fantastic!  There is no added sugar and they have so much good stuff in them.  I really like having one mid morning because they really fill me up and then I can make it until lunch time to eat a meal.  I highly recommend them!  Oh and they have plenty of other flavors these are just the two I had left.  

 This is Greek Chicken that I made the other night.  (I promise there is some chicken under all of that!)  Jessica from The Southern Belle Baby posted a recipe for Greek potatoes and I wanted to try them...they are great by the way!  I wanted to make some chicken to go along with it and I found this recipe.  It is yummy and pretty healthy....chickpeas are always good for ya!  If you want to check out the recipe, here's the link.  The only thing that I did different was instead of diced tomatoes I used sun dried tomatoes.  It also makes for great leftovers....

This is our baby...before our real baby!  We live on a lake and this is the 4th summer we have had this boat.  We absolutely love it.  We just recently got it out of storage so our first boat ride was this week.  Oh so relaxing!  

My friend, Keisha, got me these little Arkansas Razorback booties.  Baby will be born during football season so these will be put to good use!  This is the very first baby item that I own.  Kinda crazy.  Can we just reflect for a minute on how stinkin' cute they are?  I mean......

I am trying to drink enough water every day but it has been hard because I don't really know how much I am drinking.  I bought this water bottle (jug?) at Walgreen's.  It holds the amount of water I am supposed to drink every day.  I can't really drink out of it BUT I can fill it up with  my filtered water from home.  Then I can take it with me to work and just fill up my regular cup out of the jug.  Then I know how much water I drink!  The cup on the left is the cup I carry around all day every day.  It has a lid and a straw if I need it.  

I have been like obsessed with painting my nails this week.  If you know me in real life you know how weird this is.  I think it is because my nails are so awesome right now!  I bought these three colors...all very similar, I know.  I think bright colors make my hands look funny.  Also, I am not supposed to wear any polish at work but I feel like I can get away with it if it is really light.  My fave so far is the one on the right.  It is just barely pink so it almost looks like you have a French manicure.  Fun!

And this is me trying to get some sun on our deck.  Please notice how unbelievably pale I am. Must...get...tan...soon....

Hope everyone had a stress-free Monday!

Pics of the week 3

First picture is obviously not one that I took but I feel it is important!

I am sure all of you have heard about their campaign and I am not going to waste much time weighing in.  I 100% agree with what all the bloggers have been saying.  I think they are assholes but I thought this before their newest stunt.  They do things like this to get attention.  I feel like this was summed up best here.  They have taken down all references to NIAW and I feel that is a victory for the infertiles!  You can read the response Christa got here.  

Oh and I am an animal lover whose dogs are neutered....just so ya know....

OK!  Enough about that crap!  Here are my pics of the week....

The first one is a picture I tried to take of Darwin while my husband was out of town.  These are the steps leading to the downstairs part of our house.  Our bedroom, kitchen and living room is all upstairs so we don't go down there much (that will all change in October).  He stayed sprawled out on the top step the entire time my husband was gone.  It was like he was trying to protect me from anything that tried to come up.  It was pretty cute.  Of course I couldn't get a picture of him lying there because the second I even look at him he wants to play....so this is kind of an action shot.

These are the automatic toilet seat covers at the Chicago airport.  I mean.....I'm just not sure I can trust this thing.  It could very well just be rotating the same two covers ALL DAY.  I'm suspicious.....

Like I said in this post, we stayed at Trump Tower in Chicago and it was AHHHHH-mazing!  The mini bar was huge and there was a selection of about 6 different types of water you can try.  This water was called Tasmanian Rain.  It says that is it made of pure rainwater collected before it even hits the ground.  We had to try it right?  You don't wanna know the price....  We tried it and it was ok....it had a little bit of a honeysuckle aftertaste...kinda bitter.  

This was what I got for room service one night and I just had to take a picture.  If you know me in real life then you  know that my comfort food when I am sick, sad, angry, or whatever is macaroni & cheese mixed with peas.  Everyone thinks that this is disgusting, especially my husband.  But he knows when to come home with the stuff to make it!  Apparently Trump agrees that it is a match made in heaven.  Of course, his is a little more on the gourmet side than mine.  

I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw that the shaved ice place on my side of town had opened this week.  I love these things.  They remind me of when I was growing up.  Me and my friends have shared many laughs and tears while chowing down on these.  This was my first one of the year and I have had to force myself not to get one everyday on the way home.  This one is pina colada with cream.....

 And we are going to end with the best picture yet!  This is my sweet little baby at 12 weeks 1 day.  Look how big!  We took my mom up to the hospital so she could see the baby in real time instead of just pictures.  He/she was just moving all over the place....amazing!

Happy Friday! 

Pics of the week 2

Well, a lot of my pictures this week are related in some way to food.  I think it is because my appetite is back and food sounds awesome!

I have gotten food from The Purple Cow to go a couple of times this week.  They have a tuna melt that I like and a good rueben.  But mostly they have amazing malts.  I may have had a few one this week.

I was getting my oil changed and while I was waiting I got crazy thirsty.  I got a water out of the vending machine and this is what pops out.  Really?  No label?  Is this safe to drink with no label?  I was too thirsty to even think about it....I mean look how frosty and cold it looks!

This is an eggo waffle....with peanut butter....covered in syrup.....it is wonderful....don't judge....

I stayed the night with my mom Saturday night while Hubby was out of town.  The next day when I went to go get in my car there was a bird (a robin) flying into my mirror continuously.  I mean like a thousand times.  The bird couldn't be bothered to crap on the driveway....just on my black car....  The craziest part was there was a chickadee doing the same thing on the other mirror!  Birds have small brains....

So remember how I was talking about spring and how excited I was that it was here?  Well I guess winter got jealous because he is back this week and it is COLD!  Yesterday I was sitting here watching basketball and I heard it thunder a few times. Then all of the sudden it was this huge HAIL storm.  I mean it was loud!  This is my deck.....Normally you can see the lake but it was hailing so hard you can't even see it.  

I really enjoyed this weekend.  I really didn't do a thing.  I spent some time with my mom and we watched college basketball.  I don't know if any of you girls watch basketball but it is March Madness and the games have been really good.  I did wake up on Sunday and couldn't turn my head to the right or look up.  I have some sort of muscle spasm or something.  I have been spending a lot of time on the heating pad and it is getting better.  Basically I have been super lazy for the past 3 days.  

I hope everyone had a great Monday!