Where have I been?

The days (and weeks) seem to just be flying by around here. Minutes turn to hours and those hours tick by and turn to days, and I fall more and more behind on all that I had hoped to accomplish.

I feel as though I have so much to say and not enough time to say it. So, let's just catch up, shall we?


One of my favorite things to do with my girlfriends is to catch up over coffee and treats or wine and dinner without the kiddos....that way we can really have some uninterrupted time. I love playdates, don't get me wrong, but you don't really get a chance to "talk", ya know?


So, let's pretend for a moment that we are sharing a bottle of wine....how about 14 Hands Hot to Trot Merlot?

I would probably ask how your Thanksgiving was and how you spent it? We spent ours at my mom's in the morning with all the siblings for a breakfast of roll-ups (Swedish pancakes; crepes).

Jaxson ate three roll ups complete with strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup! Kendra ate one and three sausage patties!

After that we headed an hour south to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. My dad doesn't live locally and we don't get together near enough so it is nice to have the day with him. :)

I was too busy eating way too much of all of the good food that I took no pictures! Blogger fail!

I did snap one of this cutie real quick!

Because it was dark when we headed home (but still early) Jaxson slept for an hour, which meant that Thanksgiving evening was terrible! Not gonna lie probably one of, if not the hardest nights of parenthood so far. His schedule was so thrown off and there was no getting him to sleep. I was so exhausted, out of patience and beyond frustrated. Not to mention a little sad hubby was leaving late that night to go out of town, so he was catching some sleep. Long story short and sparing all the details; I lost it! I yelled, screamed and threw an adult version of a tantrum. Not proud of it, but I will own it.

I would be telling you at this point, while holding back tears, that I cried myself to sleep that night because Jaxson told me he hated me and didn't want me near him. :( Yeah.... that really happened and it broke my heart. It still does. Mothering is not for the faint of heart. I am not proud of my actions and I tried not to yell, but I had hit my breaking point. Thankfully the next day we had a fresh start and with some grace we made it through. It's been tough, though. Jaxson has become more defiant and his threes are definitely worse than his terrible twos.

I consider myself a good mom, but I am most definitely human, flaws and all. What I think this reminded me of was to just take time for me and walk away. It's okay to cry and get mad. We have needs and feelings too that too often get pushed aside and put on the backburner. My kids are my top priority, but if I don't make myself a priority I am not being a good example and I am certainly not as good of a momma to them. Phew....that was long winded. Still with me? :)

The last few days I have been trying to catch up on all of the housework that has gotten neglected. That is okay by me because we have spent it doing other fun things!

If you hadn't zoned out listening to me drone on and on about myself then I would nicely ask you for your prayers and/or kind thoughts regarding my grandmother. She fell for the second time a few weeks ago and broke her ankle in two spots. She had undergone surgery and now has to start the rehabilitation and physical therapy to hopefully get her strength back. It's going to be a long road and she is in a care facility and sad to not be at home. :(

Thankful Turkeys.....

I had been scouring Pinterest for some fun Thanksgiving crafts involving turkeys. I was super excited thinking that the kids would be really excited too. I cut out all the little pieces and had glue sticks laid out.
They were not into it at all.  It was pretty much a total fail. :(
I had my hopes up high, but in the end all they wanted to do was color on construction paper. After being frustrated and a bit angry I quickly got over it. So what if they didn't do what I thought they would want to do? So, they colored on paper and I assembled the turkeys. But, when it was time to fill out what we were thankful for, they actually both put a lot of thought (as much as you can when you are 2 and 3 1/2 ) and gave me some good answers.

Here is what Jaxson is thankful for:
His toys and room
Mommy and Daddy (heart swell)
House
Boats (?)
Lions (also ?)
Friends
Movies
Books

Here is what Kendra is thankful for:
Pencils
Kona
Dresses
Jaxson :)
Friends
Purses
Puppies
House                

 Notice how Brandon and I aren't on the list? I was a little sad but I realize it is just a given in her little heart.  I do love that she said purses and dresses and am honestly shocked she didn't say shoes. She is such a little diva. :)

I love that the first thing Jaxson said he was thankful for was his house and that mommy and daddy were second. I must be doing something right, huh?

Cheesy Chicken Puffs

We all know that I like simple and tasty  recipes that aren't too time consuming. I don't have lots of spare time while chasing around two toddlers.


I have literally pinned hundreds of recipes and have yet to even make a dent in them. I did however glean some inspiration from this recipe. I made a few little changes and the result was wonderful. The whole family loved them ,and they only took about 40 minutes from start to finish.



Chicken Puffs

Ingredients:

- 2-3 cups of cooked shredded chicken ( I cheated and use leftover rotisserie chicken)
- 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can full of milk (soup can)
- A 6-8 pack of jumbo buttermilk biscuits (her recipe called for crescent rolls, but I used biscuits)
- Montreal chicken seasoning to taste


Preheat your oven to 350.  Heat up your cream of chicken soup following the instructions, but substitute milk for water. While that is cooking flatten out your biscuit, fill with chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Now here comes the tricky part. I had a hard time folding up the edges and pinching it closed. Doesn't have to be perfect as long as you get most of it sealed up. Remember to reserve a small amount of cheese to mix into the sauce. :)
 Once you have filled and folded them, place them in a 9x13 glass baking pan.  Sprinkle your leftover cheddar cheese into the cream of chicken soup and add a dash or two (or five, in my case) of your montreal chicken seasoning and give it a good stir. Pour all that mix over your puffs making sure to completely saturate them. Now, pop them in the oven and cook for about 35 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

It's Ok............

                                                    that.................


I have gotten more accomplished this morning by 8:00 am then I did ALL last weekend!

I am the mom who occasionally "borrows" money from my kids' piggy banks to buy myself a treat. hehe... they get all my money in some form or another anyways.


I am so horribly disorganized lately! I feel like I need to seriously re-do everything I have already done.

I am NOT going to the midnight show of Breaking Dawn. I have for the last three movies and let's be honest, I am getting a little too old for it. As in, I can't function on that little of sleep. I will however be rockin that 7 pm showing on Friday! Whoop Whoop!


I think of our FIRST ever vacation away from the kids almost everyday. I am filled with excitement and lots of nerves. Even though it is only four days that is the longest we have ever been away together. The kids have always had one of us with them when the other has been gone for an extended period of time. We really need some time for ourselves, though. Can't wait!

Everyday I tell myself I will cut my caffeine intake in half and then consume the same amount, if not more!

I am so behind where I wanted to be Christmas shopping wise. We just haven't had the time to go do it.

I have been struggling trying to find the right words when posting. I have written and re written the same posts over and over but hesitate to hit publish. Bear with me while I try to sort some things out.

Fall Favorites Recipes

Thanks to Pinterest I have been doing  a bit of a baking and cooking and thought I would give you the links and recipes to some of what I have made lately.


I generally shy away from recipes that require lots of ingredients and prep because honestly, it intimidates me a bit. I am not much of a cook or baker, but over the years I have gotten better and my confidence has grown. Pinterest really has been an excellent source of recipes and inspiration for me.


If you follow me on instagram then you would have seen this this morning.

I tried this Pumpkin French Toast Bake and it was good! I opted to not put nuts in and didn't have any pumpkin pie spice on hand. I think it would have tasted a bit better had I had the spice and put a bit more brown sugar in. All in all though, it is something that I would make again.


Another favorite recipe of mine is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Spice Muffins. I really don't remember where or when I came across this recipe but I have seen variations of it floating around.

You simply mix 1 box of DRY spice cake mix with 15 oz of pureed pumpkin ( I like the Libby's brand) and 3/4 cup water. Mix in some chocolate chips and pop in your oven. Bake according to the cake mix directions. As simple as that and oh so delicious!!






This  Cherry Cheesecake Dip is to die for! I found it via Pinterest and it is so simple to make and so tasty. I guess it is not necessarily a fall dish, but that seems to be the time of year that I end up making it.

Last, but certainly not least, I love popcorn snack bars.  You can find my recipe here.

I would love to hear some your favorite fall recipes!

Seven days of Gratitude

Now, more than ever, is a time to be thankful and grateful. Yes, I should try to remember year round to be thankful, and I try, I do, but it slips by the wayside sometimes.

I decided to get caught up on the thirty days of thankfulness challenge and let you all know (and myself) what I am most grateful for in my life.

1) My children. They are the loves and lights of my life.  I never knew such an all encompassing love and will never know another like it. They give me purpose and meaning and more joy (and frustration) than I ever imagined.

2) My husband. We have had a rocky road, lately. Not gonna lie. Things aren't always easy and there are peaks and valleys in any marriage. I feel like we have been in a deep valley for some time, but lately we are making some progress on coming up on the other side of that peak! This guy never gives up on me and loves our kids like crazy. I fell more in love with him the day he held our kids for the first time. He is an awesome dad and has been working so hard to support our family and help us get ahead. He has been working over 75 hours a week the last few months! He still comes home and helps with dinner and gives me some "me" time. I need to remember to thank him more!

3) My family. Parents, in laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins. Seriously! I have the most supportive family ever. They are always willing , at the drop of a hat, to help me out in a bind. I rely on my mom and step-dad for so much (too much, probably) but they never complain. I appreciate every single person in my family and how much they help with our kiddos and us. We hardly ever have to worry about a sitter because everyone practically fights over who is going to watch them.

4) My voice and the ability to make it heard. I know this comes right on the heels of last night's election, but it is so true. Maybe we don't all agree on the outcome but that's okay too. At least we have a say in it. I am happy to live somewhere where I am not only entitled to have my own opinion but I am encouraged to voice it (at appropriate times ;) ). I am not going to get all political on here but I do want to say that regardless of what party you voted for, and what you believe, I respect you for it. I was a little taken aback at how much negativity there has been surrounding this election on BOTH sides of the party line. I can agree to disagree and I think that is something to be thankful for too. It is important to have differing opinions. We can't all be the same?!

5)The roof over my head. I know I dwell on the things I don't have way to much. I get envious and jealous too easily of others. I am thankful for my house and the fact that we were able to buy it. It was always a goal of ours and we were able to make it a reality two years ago. It may not be my "dream" house but with a change of perspective it could be. :)

6) Friends. This one goes along with family. I have a great group of friends. I know I have struggled with having to cut ties and let a few people go, but I have also had the opportunity to strengthen new friendships and reconnect with old friends from the past. I am grateful that I have the outlets to do so. Some people that I least expected to have become the closest of friends.

7) Doctors and modern medicine. To some this may seem a silly one, but seriously, what would we do if we were somewhere and had no access to help when we needed it? I don't mean to be vague, but without going into all of the details (right now), there have been some things going on in my life health wise. I am grateful and don't take for granted that I have doctors and medicine to help.

So, there you have it! Next week I will try to post another seven things that I am thankful for.

I wish I could say that my absence from blogging has been because I had some big plans and was off doing glamorous things. Not so much. 

I woke up the day before Halloween with a cold and I STILL have it. Luckily it has seemed to affect me the worst, but it has made it hard to keep up with things. I have piles upon piles of laundry, people. Yuck!

Halloween was a little bit of a bust. The kids were cranky, I was sick and tired and Brandon had to work all night. Add the wind and rain to the mix ,and well, it was a little bit miserable. Luckily the kids didn't care that we only went to four houses and that my parents came to help out and brought food!

This was the only picture I managed to snap while out trick or treating!

I tried to rest as much as possible. but with Brandon's work schedule and life in general it just didn't happen. I tried not to let it get me down too much, though.

My mom and I went and saw Footloose, the musical at a local performing arts center. Despite the need to blow my nose every .2 seconds and some sound glitches, it was a fun time!

Sunday I had an out of town baby shower to go to, and even though I was still really tired I went because this is a good friend of mine and we only get to see each other about twice a year! Not enough!

Us girls have been friends since middle school!

Here is the diaper golf bag we made! Man, it was tough to make. Took quite a few attempts and this was the third version. :)

In other news, Jaxson got his first school picture back and I love it! It is his forced cheesy grin and it is so darn cute! It is a total reflection of him at this point.

I don't know about you guys, but I am seriously ready for this election to be over with! I am sick of the negativity on both sides of the party lines. Sometimes we all have to agree to disagree. No matter what you believe or who you vote for, the important thing is to vote! I can't stand when people complain about things yet they don't vote and let their voices be heard. Okay, end rant!