Oh my....

Here is something that I thought I'd never have to say as a mother. Heck, I didn't think I'd ever say it at all....LOL!!

"Don't sniff your brother's butt."

Head on over to themommykelly's site and join in!!

Lucas and Molly (WW)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here!

Update on Nate, Tricia, and baby Gwyneth....

In case you still haven't read about this family, I wanted to give an update and share some links that I really like.  Baby Gwyneth was born via c-section one week ago.  Since then, Tricia has been asleep due to the drugs she is on.  They are slowly weaning her off of the drugs and she is beginning to wake up.  Meanwhile, Gwyneth is doing pretty well.  She was born at 24 weeks, 5 days gestation weighing in at 1 pound 6 ounces.  Truly, this story amazes me, inspires me, and makes me hug my babies a little tighter.

Here are a few links to some amazing pictures.....

Slideshow of Tricia

Hands on a Miracle

Only God

Flesh of My Flesh

Wearing Wedding Band

Saturday Night

Gwyneth Rose Pictures

Falling in Love Again

Menu Plan Monday...

Last week we tried the twice baked cauliflower. It was very good!! I did make a few changes...mostly because I didn't have a couple ingredients that I thought I had. I was out of cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. I simply left the cream cheese out and didn't add anything in it's place. Instead of Parmesan, I just added in some shredded cheddar. 


*=new recipe

• Monday--green chili stew* (from this cookbook), cornbread, salad----->if this turns out, I'll share the recipe next week!

• Tuesday--Italian chicken, leftover twice baked cauliflower, green beans

• Wednesday--round steak sauerbraten*, noodles, steamed veggies

• Thursday--caramel apple pork chops*, brown rice, steamed broccoli

• Friday--steak fingers*, tater tots, salad
  

For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Fridge Photos....

This week's Flaunt it Friday challenge is to share pictures of the contents of your fridge. Lucky for me, I cleaned it out earlier in the week!! Being that this is our first home, this is also our first fridge to own...LOL! In all of our apartments, we've had the wire shelves in the fridge and a spill on the top shelf meant it would drip all the way to the bottom. I LOVE having the glass shelves. If something spills, it should be contained to that shelf only....especially because there is a slight lip on it. Amazingly enough, we've been here for almost a year and not had a spill to test my theory!! But, what I do find strange is all the crumbs. How does that happen?? It isn't as if I put food in there without it being in a container!! Anyhow...on to the pictures.....



Oh---I think by the looks of it, this picture of the fridge says that we love condiments...LOL!!


Here we have some ingredients for my new favorite salad!! I washed the kale, used my salad spinner (that I just bought on Tuesday...thanks, Tina), and bagged it in serving sizes!! I also wash and chop the celery and have it handy for salads or for just a snack!! I also have a Pink Lady apple. It is by far my favorite apple!! Truly, I typically don't like apples...especially not the skin, but this one I love....skin and all!!

Here are some apples that my husband spotted last time we were at the store. They really do taste (and even smell) like a grape!! They weren't in my fridge yet, but I wanted to share them with you all.


Head on over to Themommykelly's blog and join in on the fun!!

Fresh, Clean Boy!! (WW)

Okay, okay----so it's not wordless today--but close!!

Lucas HATES to wear shoes!!

Here....let Momma help you get that back on!
But Mom, I just got that thing off!!

Oh, wait.....is Daddy taking pictures?!?
Oh----he IS!!
Wait, how'd this get back on??
I'll take care of that.......

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here!

Blogging family in need....

I ran across this blog just a few days ago. The wife, Tricia, is just over 24 weeks pregnant and has cystic fibrosis. Her CO2 levels are on the rise, she is having difficulty breathing, and difficulty sleeping. They are taking the baby via c-section either today or tomorrow. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.....

Here is link to a post where her husband, Nate, honors her.

Menu Plan Monday...

Last week was a little off. Monday and Tuesday we were out kind of late and ended up just having faster things at home than what I had planned, so I have two carryover meals from last week.  

Here is a picture of the chili relleno casserole. I've made it lots of times and we really like it. Now, it isn't low in fat, but it is low in carbs!! The recipe says to use a 9x13, but I use an 8x8. Also, I use three 4.25 oz. cans of the chilies.

We also managed to try out a few new recipes.  Here is a picture of the veggies ready to be roasted for my Ratatouille Soup. Now, I do like eggplant, but I think next time I make this soup, I'll omit it. Maybe add some yellow squash to it. Perhaps I didn't roast it long enough, but it had a funny texture to it.  But, overall, I think this a very good soup.  I especially like that I can have almost 2 cups of it and it is only 32 grams of carbs!!


Ratatouille Soup (from this cookbook):

1 small eggplant (3/4 pound), cubed (4 cups)

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 T. olive oil

1 t. dried Italian seasoning, crushed

2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 cup dried cavatelli (I used rotini because I already had some)

1 (15 oz.) can navy beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1.  In large, shallow roasting pan combine the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic.  In small bowl combine the olive oil, Italian seasoning, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper; drizzle over vegetables, tossing to coat.  Bake in a 425° oven about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once.

2.  Meanwhile in a dutch oven combine the broth and 3 cups water.  Bring to boiling; add pasta.  Return to boiling.  Cook about 12 minutes or until tender.  Reduce heat.  Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and roasted vegetables.  Heat through.  

We also tried the spaghetti carbonara.  It was soooo good!!  Both boys loved it, too, so it will be a repeat in this house.  There is a lot leftover, so we can have it for lunch, too!!  

Spaghetti Carbonara (from this cookbook)

1 lb. dry spaghetti (I used one box of this)

1 lb. cooked bacon, crumbled (I love this---less mess and I get an awesome deal on it at Costco!!)

1 cup frozen petite peas

2.5 cups heavy cream

1 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 T. fresh Italian parsley chopped (I just sprinkled in some dried)

freshly ground black pepper

1.  Bring large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and set pasta aside.

2.  In large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat bacon pieces until they begin to sizzle.  Add peas and cream.  Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and boil gently for about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously until blended and sauce is slightly thickened.

3.  Mix pasta and sauce together in large serving bowl.  Garnish with chopped parsley and black pepper to taste.

Now---on to this week's menu:

*=new recipe

Monday--chicken tacos (shredded chicken with green chilies), salad for me, beans and rice for the boys

Tuesday--steak, twice baked cauliflower*, green beans

Wednesday--chicken sandwiches (similar to Marlboro Man's second favorite sandwich), chips (I'll have mine in non-sandwich form with a salad)--I'm using lemon butter chicken that I have in my freezer and microwaveable bacon. I know it won't taste the same, but I'm really trying to use only things I have on hand this week.

Thursday--Beef stroganoff, brown rice, steamed veggies

Friday--Marla's maid-rites (on buns for the boys--whole wheat tortilla for me-->kind of like sloppy joes), tater tots (for the boys), salad

Lunches:

• Ratatouille soup
  
• kale salad
  
• pb and j
  
• leftover spaghetti carbonara
  
• turkey sandwiches
  

Breakfasts:

• cheese toast
  
• oatmeal
  
• toast and jam for boys
  
• toast, eggs, bacon
  
• pancakes for boys
  

For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Own your dream...

This week TheMommyKelly is asking us to own our dream. Here is the challenge:

"Perhaps this Flaunt It Friday each one of us could spend a post reflecting on that one special dream we have for 2008. The one we have been frightened to think of, let alone mention. Certainly it couldn’t hurt that much to hash it out, as identifying the dream is the first step to reaching it. In order to pursue it, we need first to “own” it. So maybe this week’s challenge should be all about owning the dream!"

So--the big one for me this year is finances. We've been a single income family for going on 6 years. I quit work when I was 4 months pregnant with Logan and one month before my husband was to be home from Korea. I had to get things in order for our cross-country move (CA to MD). Once in MD, I was nearing 6 months into my pregnancy and I doubted anyone would want to hire me. Once Logan was born, I truly wanted to stay home with him. As a child, I never thought I would be a stay at home mom. But--becoming a mommy changed me forever!!

When Logan was born, my husband was an E-3 in the Army and we were dirt poor!! All I have to say is good thing for WIC. For months, we only had $60 per month for our food, diapers, gas, and any extra. I got very creative with beans and rice!! My husband even worked a second job for a while as an escort. LOL....he worked at the NSA and when contractors needed to come in and do work, they had to have an escort that had a clearance go along with them. So, the work was easy (hubby just watched them work) and the pay was decent....meaning we could eat more than beans and rice!! Then in 2004, my husband got out of the Army and our income nearly doubled. Well, that made us feel rich, even though we are far from it. We threw another baby into the mix in 2006 and we went all out on him. We simply could not afford all of the fancy things with Logan and with Lucas we got pretty much anything we wanted.

In 2007, we decided to buy a home, and that caused our income to be stretched more. Really, we are only paying $100/month more for our mortgage than we were for our rent, but all the utilities and HOA fees, etc... put us spending a fair amount more than we were in apartment living. On top of that, we did live about 6 miles from hubby's work, but couldn't afford to buy that close to D.C. So, now we live further out and hubby has to spend more on his commute (both time and $$). We are a single car family as well, so hubby takes a combination of the bus and metro to get to work. We are spending close to $200 a month on commuting costs when we were spending maybe $40.

All of this to say, I want to fine tune our budget. It seems we were in two categories. 1. There was no money left to budget after paying bills. 2. There was plenty of money and we just bought what we wanted without a thought about a budget. We don't fall in those categories anymore, so we really need to write out a budget and stick to it!!

Head on over to Taken With a Grain of Salt to join in on the fun!!

New Years Day at Mt. Vernon (WW)

And now for the BIG news of the week!!!!!...........
My little peanut finally weighs 20 pounds (now that he is 22 months old). No more rear facing!
"Hmmm....I think I kind of like this!!"



For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here!