Weekend Update {And a Recipe!}

Happy Monday, all!

Hope you had fantastic Thanksgiving weekends and have come out of your turkey comas and made it safely back home from wherever you were traveling!

We actually didn’t do any traveling this year – Dave had to work the Friday after Thanksgiving which made it next to impossible to travel to Michigan to be with his family. I was pretty bummed about that, but as it turns out, it was a very good thing because we’ve spent the better part of the last week and a half trading germs and nobody was feeling 100%. And we were still able to spend the day with my parent’s – it was a nice, low-key day!

I was actually the last one to succumb to the germs – it was somewhat inevitable with all the scrubbing and disinfecting, etc. that I had been doing. I started feeling pretty yucky on Thanksgiving so my mom and I nixed our Black Friday shopping plans. Turns out I was able to do a little shopping in my PJ’s on the couch!

We’ve been needing to replace our printer for about a year now and I found a FANTASTIC deal on this printer at Office Max online! It’s even wireless so we can print to it from our phones! Not that I’ve ever had a need to print from my phone…but, whatever. Now I can if I want to.

I’m super excited about this because I’ve been going to the library to print off Lily’s preschool stuff. Not only is it not as cost effective, but it’s a huge pain in the booty! This will be so much handier.

Dave worked kind of a crazy schedule this weekend. It only happens twice a year but when it comes, it’s a bugger! He didn’t get home until 9:30 Friday night and then turned around to go back to work at 8 am on Saturday.

I always try to plan special things for us to do when he’s gone like this to make the time go faster – more for me, than for the girls But since I wasn’t really feeling the greatest, we kept it simple. I made homemade macaroni and cheese and chicken strips and ate supper while watching a special movie I had recorded earlier that day – Eloise at Christmastime. {Sidenote: The girl in this movie is super bossy and spoiled. Lily kept looking at me and saying, “She’s not really a very kind girl is she mommy?” We were able to have some good conversations about the way we treat other people, but I don’t think it will be one that we’ll watch again }

And for anyone who is interested, here is my go-to easy creamy homemade macaroni and cheese. I’ve tried a lot of different recipes and haven’t found one as good as this.

{Please notice I said easy, not healthy }

Better Than Boxed Macaroni and Cheese

• 12 oz. elbow macaroni noodles
• 16 oz. Velveeta
• 3/4 cup milk
• dash of salt and pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until cheese is melted, stirring frequently.

**************

See how EASY that is? I don’t think the box mix is really any simpler, and this tastes so much better! You can also cook this in a slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours – just be sure to cook the macaroni noodles first!

If you wanted to make it healthier, you could try stirring in a butternut squash or sweet potato puree and use whole wheat pasta. And I saw a recipe floating around on Pinterest for homemade Velveeta. I haven’t looked at it so I don’t know how hard it is but it’s something I’m going to try eventually!

That’s all folks! Hope you have a happy Monday!

Country Boys and Girls Gettin' Down On the Farm

My family has a tradition. Every other year for the 4th of July we all travel to my grandparent’s farm in Kansas for a little get together. We eat, we talk, we play games and just hang out – it’s a good time.

And, when it gets dark, of course, we have fireworks. We pool our resources and purchase the best fireworks we can afford and the guys put on a show for us. And it’s a darn good show, if I do say so myself. When we were younger it mostly consisted of a few Roman candles and some fountains but every year it gets a little bigger and a little better.

(This is only a fraction of the fireworks we had…nothing like seeing your money go up in smoke – literally! But as Dave reminded me…memories were made)

This year was no exception. We even set up a pool for the kiddos to splash in.

Lily was a *little* afraid of the big fireworks, and ended up hanging out with Great Grandma in the farmhouse while everything was going off.

On the way home we had this conversation:

Lily: There were beautifuh and pwetty colors, but it was sca-wee.
Mommy: Well, they’re not really scary, but they were loud.
Lily: No. They were sca-wee. But…we don’t have to be afwaid. God made the…cracker things.

Yes, God made the cracker things…sort of…

I thought for sure this little girl would fall asleep before the fireworks even started {Lily slept through them when she was her age!} but she was up for all of it.

Another tradition – we always make homemade ice cream. There are so many of us we have to have several electric mixers and we even broke out my grandparents old hand crank ice cream maker. Everybody had to get in line and take their turn cranking – you gotta work if you wanna eat

It was lots o’ fun but suffice it to say that after three days of waaaay late bedtimes, skipped naps, and crazy schedules…we were pooped…and maybe just a wee bit cranky.

Vacations are fun, but I’m so thankful we have a quiet routine to return to!

I’m Only Going to Say This Once…

I hate winter. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

Phew. Feels good to have that out of my system. Moving on to happier things…

This weekend we had a baby shower for a sweet girl in the small group Bible study that meets at our house on Wednesday nights. I think I’ve mentioned before, I just love planning parties! And it helps to be in a small group with such amazingly talented and crafty ladies.

We did an owl theme {which I’m totally going to do for one of the girl’s birthdays this fall}. So cute!

Love this idea – drinks served in Ball canning jars!

And the piece de resistance…

Is that cake not amazing? And no, I wasn’t the one who made it {Yeah. Right. Like you would actually think that.}

It’s the creative masterpiece of Deann – she’s the one waaay over on the left-hand side of this picture:

She also happens to be the one who made these burp rags and super cute car seat cover for me. She made a car seat cover for Stephanie and baby Kipton, too. Also super cute.

I’ve been after her to start her own Etsy shop because, seriously? She could make some money. She’s thinking about it. You all would buy stuff from her, wouldn’t you? ;)

So, anyway. That was the weekend. And today I’m just trying to ignore the piles of snow outside and the frigid temperatures and focus on my blessings:

Instead of complaining about the cold I will…
be thankful that we have warm clothes, shoes, gloves, hats,blankets, and a house to keep us warm.

Instead of complaining about being stuck in the house I will…
be thankful that I have a house to be stuck in.

Instead of complaining about my husband’s work hours or the fact that he didn’t get a snow day today I will…
be thankful that my husband has a job…and he’s coming home tonight.

Here’s to choosing joy on this snowy, cold Wednesday!

The Obligatory Halloween Post

I know everyone is probably tired of seeing pictures of other people’s kids dressed up for Halloween, but…I’m a mom. I can’t resist sharing some of my own.

Remember how I wasn’t sure if we would be able to get Lily to wear her costume?

Well, as it turns out the promise of candy in return for dressing up provided the perfect incentive.

And yes. She was already missing one hair bow before we had even left the house. The pigtails only lasted all of 10 minutes before she pulled them out completely. Ah, well! Cute while it lasted!

(Please try to avert your eyes from that basket full of laundry sitting by the door. I have a newborn, remember? At least it was clean :) I think she looked even cuter in person than she does in the pictures. But I’m her mom. I guess I’m biased :)

Sophia got in on the fun too.

She wasn’t too crazy about it at first.

But I think she got over it.   

We had coached Lily on the basics of trick or treating beforehand.

Dave: “Ok Lily, we’re going to go to the door and when they open it you say ‘Trick or Treat’ and then they’ll give you some candy! Ok? So tell us what you say when they open the door!

Lily: “CANDY!!!”

Well, ok. I guess that will work too.

So now that Halloween is over, I’m giving myself permission to start getting excited about Christmas! And loosening my belt in anticipation of Thanksgiving. On second thought, maybe I’ll just wear my maternity pants. Or a pair of these?

Lately…

• …the weather has been PERFECT and Lily and I have been spending practically every day outside – trips to the park, long walks around our neighborhood, and lots of playtime in her new sandbox.
  
  Our summer? Crazy. And the rest of our fall? Probably gonna be crazier. But this little sliver of time sandwiched in between the two? Perfect.
  
• …had my 39 week check up today. Another ultrasound and non-stress test, after which they informed me several times, “that’s a happy baby in there” and told me they wished every baby “performed” as well on their tests.
  
  Well.
  
  I’m certainly glad to hear she’s doing fine, but let’s just hope she’s not so happy in there that she decides she doesn’t want to come out.
  
  On a positive note, the doctor did tell me I’m dilated to a 2 almost 3 and 75% effaced and if you don’t know what that means you are going to just have to go somewhere else to find out because I’m not about to explain it to you here :)
     Here’s my 39 weeks and 2 days belly shot. Much as I’d love to lead you to believe that I look this stylish and put together every day, I must confess that these were taken right before church. 
   
• …we went to a local apple orchard/pumpkin patch on Saturday. SO much fun.
  

She LOVED spending time with cousin Morgan…

…having a tea party at the Mad Hatter’s table with Daddy……playing in all the little houses that were just her size…

…sliding into the “corn pool”……making “corn angels” {only in Iowa…}

…the Jumping Pillow…

{although I think Dave enjoyed it even more than Lily did ;) }

…the giant slide…

…and the hayride!

We ended our trip eating fresh, hot from the oven cider donuts and drinking cold apple cider.

And we bought some fudge.

So anyway, if you need me in the next few days, it’s more than likely that I will be one of two places:

1. The hospital

or

2. Outside

The End
{for now}

We Put the Labor in Labor Day

And no, I’m not talking about labor as in childbirth.

Although – side note – a friend of mine from college who was due the EXACT same day as me had her baby this weekend – 5 weeks early! So, anything’s possible. But I’m not getting my hopes up.

Anyway!

This weekend was full of labor of a different kind for us. We got lots of fun and some not-so-fun projects crossed off our Before Baby Comes to do list.

I spent all day Saturday in the kitchen cooking freezer meals for after the baby is born. I have to admit, I was reallllly not looking forward to this. The weather was gorgeous and I would’ve loved nothing more than to have just spent the whole day lounging outside with my two favorite people.

But previous experience has taught me that having a well stocked freezer during those first few months post-partum is a major lifesaver. So I went through with it. Here’s what I accomplished:

 

White Chicken Chili
Taco Roll Ups
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken Noodle Soup
Taco Soup
Spinach Lasagna
Breakfast Burritos
Pasta Sauce
Butterhorns
Lasagna
Stuffed Shells
Tatertot Casserole
BBQ Meatballs
Chicken Chalupa

 

 

 

Since we never eat an entire 9 x 13 pan in one sitting, I split most of those recipes in two – so we’ll be able to eat them on two separate days. I also froze some shredded cooked chicken for using in recipes, some chopped yellow and white onions, and some cooked shredded pork.

I told Dave that I was going to be sure to let everyone know that he was keeping me barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen all day ;)

While I was slaving away in the kitchen, Dave and Lily had a special “daddy daughter day” that included:

- a trip to the park
- a shared Strawberry Frappucino for a snack
- a visit to the library for stories and puzzles
- Happy Meals at McDonalds
- watching a new Elmo DVD
- and lots and lots of playtime outside

It’s no wonder that the next morning when I went to pick Lily up out of her crib the first thing she asked was, “Where'd Daddy go?” She pretty much thinks he’s the best dad ever {and I’m inclined to agree :) }

I wasn’t the only one hard at work this weekend though. Dave used up a bunch of our tomatoes from the garden to make a big batch of homemade salsa, cleaned out both our cars and installed the infant car seat in the van.

And yesterday I finished making the curtains for Lily’s room. This weekend’s plans include painting and setting up both the baby and Lily’s rooms and {gulp} transitioning Lily to her Big Girl Bed.

So! That was our weekend! How was yours?

This Is Random…

…but what’s new?

If I had to describe our weekend in just a few words:

…lots of painting
…lots of furniture rearranging
…lots of projects
…lots of rain
…lots of thunder
…lots of lighting
…lots of wind
…lots of tornado sirens

NOT a lot of sleep.

The house is still slightly in disarray. I have a To Do list as long as my arm.

BUT.

I’m tired. It’s dark and rainy. And I’m pregnant. So I’m going to take a nap :)

Never fear, pictures of all our weekend projects will come later…just as soon as I make things look presentable again.

And I leave you with a {random} question:

Have you read any good books lately?

Because we’re going on vacation before too long and I’m in need of some recommendations of good reads…and am I ever looking forward to having time to read!

So tell me what books I should take along!

Alrighty. My pillow is calling :)

Happy Monday!

A Weekend To Remember, Part 2

We started our second day in the Dells with breakfast at the inn – it was good, but nothing to write home about. But hey, it was free! (Well, not exactly free, but included :)

My plan was to spend the day at Devil’s Lake State Park, a big state park south of the Dells and I had hoped for good weather, but the forecast wasn’t looking very promising. It was cloudy and overcast and supposed to rain, but it was warm so we decided to chance it and figured we’d come back if we got rained on.

I’m so glad we did! It never did rain, and while it would have been great if it was sunny, we still got to take in some gorgeous scenery.

The park had tons of hiking/climbing trails. As we were looking at the list trying to decide which ones to try, Dave suggested we do The Ice Age trail. “Except, it’s 13 miles…I don’t know if you’re up for that,” he said.

Which I took as a challenge.

So we set off on the trail…only to realize a little while later that the estimated time listed to hike the entire trail was 8-10 hours! We decided to change our route :)

The park is so beautiful and there are tons of rock formations. We climbed up almost to the top of the mountain and looped back around – so still a pretty decent hike. And again, pictures don’t nearly do it justice.

Here I am with my 23 week baby bump. I think it kind of looks like I’ve been photo shopped in :)

After the hike we ate a picnic lunch – super yummy strawberries,    sub sandwiches, and some of this stuff

Have you ever tried this? So yummy. It’s all natural, no high fructose corn syrup and according to the back, two whole servings of fruit!

The park has a really nice beach area and there were people swimming but the water was pretty cold so we decided to rent a kayak instead.

By that time it was late afternoon so we decided to go back to the Inn and chill till dinnertime. By this time my back was killing me from all the climbing we’d been doing. I’m such an old woman :)

For dinner, we wanted to go somewhere really nice – Dave wanted steak and I wanted seafood – so we picked out what looked like a super nice local steakhouse:

Honestly? We were pretty underwhelmed. I mean, the service was great and you could tell from the moment you walked in that this was an upscale place.

And the food was good – but we could have gone somewhere less fancy and gotten basically the same thing for a fraction of the price. I ordered a glass of Pepsi and when I finished it, I jokingly said to Dave, “I need a refill. I wonder if they charge for those?”

Um…yeah. They do. Three dollars for a 12 ounce glass of Pepsi – they’re making a killing on pop alone!

At the end of the meal they brought us warm hand towels with our check. I say, keep your hand towels and just give me free refills :) Clearly we don’t dine at fancy, expensive restaurants very often :)

After dinner we walked down to the downtown shopping district – it reminded me a lot of a beach boardwalk (only without the ocean). Lots of tourist-y stuff. Played some mini golf. Got some ice cream. Looked at souvenirs.

Sunday (our last day) after breakfast we did a little shopping at a nearby outlet mall (a really good one!)

Then we ate lunch at another local restaurant – this time we went for something a little more down to earth :)

It was great! Definitely would recommend this one. They mix some of their own sodas too – grape, orange, and root beer which was kind of cool.

After that we headed home – but not before making one last stop:

Cheese. I heart cheese.

And you can’t go to Wisconsin and not pick up some up while you’re there!

Cheese curds, one year aged cheddar (which we’ve already dived into), and smoked gouda. Yum-o!

We had so much fun, and we didn’t even come close to doing all the things we could have while we were there. It’s definitely a place we’ll probably take our family someday for vacation!