Our Journey with Jax

4 Weeks and a New Living Room

2012-02-17T08:02:00.006-05:00

First let me say that it has been 4 weeks since my last blog post! I am so thankful for those that are still following along. I never knew three years ago when I started this blog that I would be pushing 100 followers today! When I blog on a regular basis, I feel like I'm capturing and preserving our life and memories. When I wait four weeks in between posts, I feel like I'm slacking.

Here's what's going on with us:

I redecorated our living room. When we first moved into our new house, our living room was so blah and plain. We were living with a smaller tv because a certain 2 year old cracked our brand new 44 inch flat screen. We didn't have much to fill our bigger space and I had big plans for our new living room.

Here's a before picture:

Sad and boring :(

Here's how our living room looks now:

We bought a new area rug and two new potted indoor palm trees. I really love having plants inside. I feel like they help us breathe a little better and they brighten up our living room. They're pretty low maintenance too. Once a week, I my husband sticks them outside for half a day and adds water.

Notice the huge treadmill? That's my present to myself. We got a really good deal on it and it's usually in our storage closet in the laundry room. I use it all of the time now because I can watch the Real Housewives while I run. Win win!

We bought a bigger tv and entertainment center. My hubby took the tv off of its base and mounted it in the center of the console. He also installed a lighting kit. I added a dark brown wicker basket for Jackson's downstairs toys.

Here's a closeup of the top of the console. I got everything from Hobby Lobby or Pier 1 Imports. There are seashells in the glass container.

We had a perfect Valentine's day! My hubby and I were both off so we did a little shopping around town and grabbed some takeout for dinner. After Jackson went to bed, we ate our dinner, drank some wine and watched the new episode of Cougar Town. True love, ha!

I also made some Valentine goodies for Jackson's little friends at his sitter's. I bought a box of Goldfish snacks in the individual bags, a box of Juicy Juice and a bag of heart shaped slinkies. I put them all together in a clear treat bag and tied the bag up with a bright red ribbon and a little gift tag. Easy and cute.

The Supplies

The Assistant

The finished product.

That's it folks. I hope you all have a perfect weekend! I'll be cuddling this little cutie:

A Week with Jax

2012-01-24T10:47:00.007-05:00

We started our week out at a birthday party complete with a bounce house. Jackson had a blast.

Later in the week, Jax convinced me what a big boy he is by insisting that he had to wear his big boy alligator backpack to our sitter's house.

We also went for a morning jog and since Jackson thinks he's such a big boy now, he refuses to sit still for too long in his stroller. Sadly, I think our strolling days may be coming to an end. I've been researching treadmills to buy. It would be great to get my runs in every day and sneak away for a beach jog once a week.

In the midst of my Pinterest addiction, I've been making more recipes and DIY projects lately. I made this adorable balloon birthday wreath for Jackson's birthday month and I just love it.

Here's what I used:
2 bags of 75 count mixed color balloons
1 medium sized straw wreath (left in the plastic)
1 box of straight pins

To make the wreath: stick the balloons with the straight pins directly into the wreath. Don't worry about making any type of pattern (I didn't) just be sure to alternate colors. Once you cover all of the holes of the wreath, add the rest of the balloons to create volume. That's it!

At the end of the week our little man was feeling under the weather. We spent a whole afternoon cuddling on the couch.

Finally, over the weekend we practiced potty training. As you can see...it went swimmingly :)

Jackson's Second Birthday

2012-01-14T12:37:00.010-05:00

Jackson's second birthday actually fell on a Saturday this year. Score! We decided to have his dinosaur themed party then. On the Thursday before his birthday, we continued our tradition of heading down to Build A Bear and letting him pick out an animal and having him stuff it. We were lucky enough to have my in-laws here and they were able to partake in our fun day.

We started the day at Target and after Jax picked out a few toys, we headed to a big nearby mall and Build A Bear. After we stuffed our new pet gator, cleverly named Al Lee Gator, we headed to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. Jax chowed down on his Chik fil A, while we enjoyed CPK's yummy goodness. It was a perfect day.

I almost didn't post this pic but it's too funny not to.
This is our life most days and we just roll with it :)

On the day of Jackson's party the weather was perfect and breezy. We decided to have his party outside on our screened in patio. I served two big crock pots full of chili and all of the toppings and fixings you could ever need. We also served snacks, punch, Juicy Juice for the little ones, cupcakes and a dinosaur cake. Our house was packed with the people we love the most and we're so blessed to have so many people who love Jax just as much as we do.

The invite, courtesy of Shutterfly.

Jackson's adorable dino sweater is from Target. I knew it would be perfect!

My mother in law and I made a birthday balloon wreath off of Pinterest.
It was so easy to make and I literally spent $14 on all of the supplies.
Not bad for a birthday wreath that I will use for years to come.

We handed out "Prehistoric Water" as party favors.

I did a candy bar last year which was a huge hit (but a TON of work) so this year, the party favors were kept simple with customized treat bags for the little girls and boys at the party.

"Prehistoric Punch"

Thanks MIL for the beautiful flower centerpieces!

Green and brown cupcakes.

I was so in love with Jackson's cake. Way to go Publix, ha!

Runaway Birthday Boy.

My mom and Jax.

Time for presents!

Happy 2nd Birthday little man!
You make life worth living!

Jackson's first birthday, January 2011
Jackson's second birthday, January 2012

Run Run Rudolph...

2011-12-23T09:55:00.009-05:00

We're still alive over here! I've been working and frantically getting things ready for Christmas. I woke up this morning at 6:30 wide awake and decided to bolt out the door to Walmart. Apparently, everyone else in my town had the same idea. I even saw one of my bosses there.

We finally bought another vehicle to replace the brand new vehicle we totalled in a bad car accident. We had to wait almost a month for insurance to pay out and our gap insurance to pick up the difference. We actually ended up with a special edition suv with XM radio and all of the bells and whistles for a cheaper price. Our new suv is also a sparkly red, my favorite color. Woo hoo!

I didn't go all out in decorating our house this year for Christmas. We put up two trees in the house and I decorated here and there. I'm right in the middle of planning Jackson's dinosaur themed 2nd birthday party, too. Where has the time gone?!

Here are a few of our Christmas touches around the house:

I put a sparkly bow on one of my decorative plates on our wall in the breakfast nook area.

Little touches of Christmas on our buffet table.

Our Christmas card wreath hanging by the front door.

My apothecary jars in the kitchen filled with sparkly ornaments.

Candles that should probably be lit in pretty snowflake candle holders.

Our cowboy boot stockings.

Our jingle bells wreath and only one nutcracker. I bought one to see how it would look and went back later to buy a few more and they were all sold out. That's my luck :)

Our tree!

I just love the centerpiece on our dinning room table! My best friend lent me these beautiful silver platters and I just love how they look!

The candle ring and jeweled candle are from heaven on earth, also known as Hobby Lobby.

And that's all of the decorating I did folks! I plan to hit up the after Christmas sales this year and stock up on more decor for next year. In other news...here's a little boy who pitches a fit daily because he cannot open the presents under the tree:

Oh and I guess Santa does read my blog! I finally jumped on the iPhone band wagon when my hubby surprised me with the new white iPhone last week:

I just love my background! I found it here.

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading about my boring and crazy busy life ;)

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T08:32:00.005-05:00

It always amazes me that this time of year is so incredibly busy for everyone. I feel like we've been Christmas shopping forever! I can't wait to get everything on our lists. Thankfully, our list for Jackson is complete and my in-laws just sent an entire box of presents down this week for Jax. It's been fun trying to keep our wild child away from the presents, too!

We watched a local Singing Christmas Tree event last weekend. It was such a great performance and Jackson sat through most of the program and danced and clapped the night away. When he did get a little antsy, our sweet aunt took him outside to play and run around so that we could enjoy the show.

It's finally Friday and I have plans to deep clean my house, catch up on laundry and do some major Christmas present wrapping this weekend!

Jax and I at grandma's before the show.

Five Things

2011-12-03T08:09:00.011-05:00

1. Thanksgiving has come and gone and we had a blast. We started the day off over at my parent's and then managed to grab a few good pictures for our Christmas cards this year:

We headed over to my aunt and uncle's for dinner and everything was amazing. They always go all out and we ate until we were stuffed. Most of my mom's family came over and we had so much fun catching up. Jackson had fun running around and playing with his best friend and cousin, Rolin.

Jackson and Rolin, BFF.

The hubby and Jax.

My mom and Jax.

My dad, brother and I.

2. We are still without a second vehicle. Our car was deemed totaled, then repairable and then finally totaled again. Insurance is such a mess. We'll have another new SUV in about a week or so.

3. We've been Christmas shopping like crazy. I think we have everything for Jax and I can't wait to see his little face light up on Christmas morning! We decided to buy him the Mickey Mouse battery powered scooter and I think he's going to love it:

4. We took Jackson to see Santa for the second time and it was not a success. I think a picture is worth a thousand words:

5. We have a weekend chock full of Christmas activities. I worked all day yesterday and afterward, we took our teenage cousins to the mall to pick out a few Christmas goodies. Today, we are marching in a Christmas parade with my company, tonight we are heading down to the husband's grandmother's to spend time with family, drink spiked eggnog and put up her Christmas tree. Tomorrow Jax and I are going to finish up Christmas shopping and we're heading to a local singing Christmas tree event tomorrow night. Phew, I'm tired just typing that out!

Give Thanks Always

2011-11-23T08:45:00.005-05:00

To say that this week has been rough would be the understatement of the year. Unfortunately, after leaving a volunteer event for the company I work for, my husband and I were in a pretty bad car accident in our new SUV and we're pretty sure that it is totaled. Bummer.

The good news is that we walked away without a scratch. Actually, everyone walked away okay (one person went away in the ambulance with minor injuries.) There were 5 vehicles involved and it was just a huge mess. Jackson was not with us and luckily his new car seat wasn't with us either. I'm thankful we don't have to replace that.

On a much happier note, tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I absolutely love this time of year! We're going to be around half of my family tomorrow and the hubby's family too. I ordered the perfect iron on for Jackson and had it personalized here. I bought the cutest Turkey plate and silverware for Jax and we're ready for tomorrow.

I'm still loving my job and we're busy as ever, hence the severe lack in blogging. Our December is packed and crazy and I can't wait to get the insurance mess resolved and be back on the road with another new vehicle, ha!

God is good always and no matter what you or your family is going through, I hope you have a perfect Turkey day with your beautiful families! And because no post is complete without our wild boy:

Jax and my hubby have a nightly "trucks" play date :).

11-11-11 and Updates

2011-11-11T13:28:00.006-05:00

We celebrated and saluted our veterans by watching the local Veteran's Day parade down town this morning. Jackson loved watching the whole thing and didn't make a peep during the entire parade. Afterward we grabbed a quick lunch and headed home.

We're heading to an Air Show on Sunday with family and next week we have tickets to take Jackson to the circus! I'm definitely more excited about the circus than Jax :) We have plans next weekend to take our yearly pictures for our Christmas cards and I've got a well deserved pampering day in the works. I've got a midnight premier date with my best girlfriend to watch Breaking Dawn Part 1 and I want to finish up all of our Christmas shopping.

While I worked for three days this week, my hubby has been home with Jax. They are best buddies. My hubby does so many things with him and they just have a ball together. This week, they had a man's day and fished, hung out outside and went to Gander Mountain.

Jackson has been obsessed with the movie Space Buddies. I ordered Spooky Buddies for him around Halloween and he is so in love with dogs. It all makes sense. He watches this movie at least once every other day.

We had an amazing dinner out last night with my dad's almost entire family. We all pigged out on steaks, blooming onions and way too many alcoholic beverages. It was a blast.

I'm still loving my job. Working 20 hours a week, earning extra money and still being able to be at home with my wild boy is amazing. Speaking of my wild boy...can you believe that this was Jax last year?! I can't believe how far we've come in just a year!

Hey Santa!

2011-11-09T08:34:00.006-05:00

Hello lovely readers! Today I'm linking up with Andrea at My Chihuahua Bites and I'm sharing what's on my Christmas wish list. The hubby and I usually don't go all out at Christmas. We made last Christmas all about Jax and plan to do the same this year but my sneaky hubby did manage to wrap this up for me last year without me even knowing.

Anyway, here's what I would love to have waiting for me under my Christmas tree this year:

Dooney & Bourke Medium Framed Compartment Bag

Kitchenaid Glass mixing bowl to match my bright red mixer.

I just love this necklace. It's perfect!

Lastly, this little iPhone with this adorable monogrammed case would fit perfectly in my brand new purse.

Obviously Christmas these days is all about my little one and less about the hubby and I. Since I'm working now, I might be able to buy one or two of these gifts for myself. After all, a girl can dream right?

Rawrrrr!

2011-11-06T08:26:00.006-05:00

I worked on Halloween during the day and the hubby worked Halloween night. Halloween was also Jackson's first day at the sitter's. He cried a little when I dropped him off and refused to nap all day.

I was crazy busy at work all day and after I picked up Jax we headed to our family's for dinner and trick or treating. We headed to a nice development across the street after dinner and started trick or treating. The weather was absolutely perfect! It was windy, cool and a perfect fall night. Jackson was a trooper and loved every minute of trick or treating. He loved going up to each house and putting the candy in his little bag. He even kept his dinosaur hat on for most of the night.

Jackson has only been at the sitter's a couple of times so far because of mine and my hubby's schedules. He's not a big fan of it so far, but I think he just needs time to adjust. He'll be home with my hubby next week while I'm working. We're heading into the holiday season and the coming weeks are going to be busy for us! We've already put a dent in our Christmas shopping for Jax.

I have some new recipes and I want to share what I've recently ordered from ETSY for Jackson's second Thanksgiving. Stay tuned!

Jackson on his first day going to the the sitter's.

Park Time

2011-10-30T20:47:00.005-04:00

Last week was crazy, hectic and busy to say the least. This week will be even crazier. That's life :). We finally had a little time this morning to head to a local park for some play time. Jackson loves parks and runs around like a wild man. I practically had to pry his little fingers from the slides and bribe him to leave!

I'm working all day tomorrow, the hubby is working tomorrow evening, and after work, Jax and I are heading over to family's to dress up and go trick or treating. I'm making a ton of Jello shots for the adults and a good time should be had by all. I hope you all have a fun, happy and safe Halloween! Boo!

I look so awkward in this pic, but whatevs :) At least Jax isn't screaming!

A New Chapter

2011-10-20T15:24:00.004-04:00

We are officially in a new chapter of our life. We've recently moved, I went back to school, we finally made the jump into a spiffy SUV from my too small car and I just accepted a job offer! The hubby and I have been talking about me going back to work for a little while now. If you remember this post, the plan was to go back when Jax is around 2. Well, here we are!

I have been absolutely blessed to be at home for as long as I have. I have really enjoyed every waking moment. I'm at a point now where I am craving the old structure of a job and a daily adult working environment. I miss getting dressed up every day and contributing to our income.

I had my eye on a sitter who lives a hop, skip and jump away from our grandmother and after I talked to her, she agreed to keep Jackson if I landed a job. While browsing online a few weeks ago, I noticed the most perfect position! It is only part time work, great pay and I'd only be working Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This would allow me to be home half of the week and still work for the other half.

I took a chance and applied and just prayed about it. I didn't even want to blog about the opportunity for fear that I would jinx it all, ha! After a couple of weeks and interviews, I accepted the job offer on Tuesday. The company called to offer me the position right after we signed the final papers on our SUV. God's perfect timing is so much better than anything we could even imagine for ourselves.

I'm so excited to go back to work part time and still be able to take our little man to story time and carry out our at home routine on my days off. I'm excited for Jackson to meet new friends at the sitter's and to learn and grow even more than he already has. I'm so excited to be in a new home and in a completely new stage of life. I'm sure everything isn't going to be all lollipops and rainbows (the last month we had definitely proves that.) Life is going to be very chaotic with my school schedule, work schedule, balancing our home, Jackson's sitter schedule, the hubby's work schedule and keeping up with friends and family but we're healthy, we're happy, life is good and the creator of the entire universe is guiding our steps. Thanks for reading my rambles!

In honor of the perfect and cooler weather we've been having, here's a pic of me and our little nugget last year at our family's farm in TN:

Fall Eats

2011-10-14T10:43:00.014-04:00

First of all, thank you so much for the sweet comments on the pictures of our new Home Sweet Home. Have I mentioned that I love this time of year? I'm sure I have. Fall makes me want to eat hearty soups and casseroles. Here's a few recipes we've been eating ~~religiously~~ lately:

Mexican Casserole originally found here.
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sour cream
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips
Frozen veggies or canned beans (about 2 cups total)

1. Brown beef in a skillet and add taco seasoning to taste.
2. Whisk together sour cream, milk and cream of mushroom soup.
3. Spray a baking dish with Pam or any other nonstick cooking spray. Layer Tortilla chips in the bottom of dish (cover the entire bottom.)
4. Spread ground beef over chips.
5. Spread soup/sour cream/milk mixture on top.
6. Spread frozen veggies and beans on top of soup mixture (I use frozen corn, onions and canned black beans.)
7. Spread cheese on top and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350.

This casserole is perfect for a quick meal and it pleases the crowds! I've been whipping this baby up for all of our family gatherings and for dinner guests for the last 2 months and it's always a hit!

Spicy and Sweet Chili
Prepare your chili as usual but add in a can of Bush's Grillin' Beans. This addition and an added tablespoon of crushed red pepper makes a spicy, sweet and hearty meal. Don't forget to top with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some crushed up cornbread. Your taste buds and tummy will thank me!

Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers
My mother in law made me a binder full of my hubby's favorite recipes when we were first engaged. I have cherished that book ever since and some of my favorite recipes are found there.

4-6 boneless chicken breasts chopped or the meat from an entire rotisserie chicken
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 a stick of butter
1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers
1 8oz. package of cream cheese (brought to room temperature)

1. Mix together cream of chicken soup and softened cream cheese.
2. Fold in chicken to soup mixture.
3. Spray the bottom of a baking dish with Pam or any other nonstick cooking spray generously.
4. Pour in soup and chicken mixture.
5. Melt 1/2 a stick of butter and pour half on top of casserole.
6. Top casserole with crushed Ritz Crackers and the remaining butter.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly.

Peanut Butter Pie originally found here and changed up a little by moi.
1 chocolate ready made pie crust
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup of milk
Magic Shell chocolate (the kind of chocolate syrup that hardens)
1 container of Cool Whip

1. Mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, milk, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
2. Fold in the entire container of Cool Whip.
3. Pour mixture into the ready made pie crust and smooth mixture.
4. Place pie into the freezer for about 20 minutes to "set up."
5. After the pie has a thick texture, drizzle Magic Shell chocolate on top.
6. Keep the pie in the freezer until you're ready to serve.
7. Sit back and gloat as your guests rave about this 10 minute delicious pie creation :)

Oh and for a nice chocolaty treat at night when my sweet tooth is raging, I heat up 8oz. of water and add a packet of Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate, then I add in 1/2 a tablespoon of Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer. Completely decadent and less than a hundred calories for the entire cup!

Our new Home Sweet Home

2011-10-13T10:55:00.007-04:00

The bottom half, at least. I finally snagged a few pictures of our patio area, kitchen, laundry room, powder room, dinning and living room. It's definitely a work in progress, but we're settling in and loving our new place more and more.

Welcome!

A portion of the patio area and our hodge podge patio furniture, ha! We didn't have a patio or porch with at our last house so we had to round up some last minute furniture. (Thanks Aunt Dew and Rich!) On the other end of the patio is a wrought iron black table and chairs set, Jackson's outdoor toys and an outdoor storage cabinet.

The view from the front door. Our bare living room and dinning room. I'm currently brainstorming ideas for the walls. I'm thinking some sort of decal and matching frames on a couple of shelves.

The breakfast nook area and our re-purposed dresser turned buffet table.

Up close and personal and a few fall decor pieces.

The kitchen. The hubby doesn't know it yet, but we're going to be painting the cabinets bright white instead of off white :)

My apothecary jars are filled with moss covered faux rocks, candy corn and mini pumpkins.

A view into the powder/laundry room off of the kitchen.

Horrible lighting, but I wanted to show the light fixture and mirror. Love.

Finally, after begging and pleading for Jackson to smile for the camera and say: "cheese" this is what I get :) Upstairs bathrooms, bedrooms and more pics coming! Thanks for keeping up with us!

Fall

2011-10-11T21:51:00.006-04:00

Our internet and home phone have been up and down for the last week. So annoying. We're still getting settled into our new house and life is as busy as ever. The last two days were filled to the brim with family stuff and nonstop going, going and more going.

We woke up early yesterday and headed out shopping, after that we hit up our local pumpkin patch and picked out an entire wagon full of pumpkins. After Jackson had a complete epic meltdown because he found out we couldn't take the little red wagon home with us, we headed to a couple of Halloween, thrift and consignment stores. After Jackson's much needed afternoon nap, we headed back out to a nice lake for a little fishing. We finished up the evening vegging out in front of the tv, catching up on all of our shows.

Woof, I literally have not one stitch of makeup on in this pic, but I am so proud of my little bass that I caught. Fishing really relaxes the mind.

I can't believe the difference a year makes! Take a look at our little pumpkin:

The top two pictures are from the pumpkin patch last year.
The bottom two are from the pumpkin patch this year.

I just love every single thing about fall. My hubby loves candy corn and the little orange pumpkins and I think between us and our guests, we've consumed bags and bags of the brightly colored orange, white and yellow candies.

Now that our internet isn't kicking me off every 2 seconds, I'll finally be able to upload pics of our new home sweet home. Thanks for checking in with us. Happy Fall!

Updates and Favorite Things

2011-10-05T08:23:00.007-04:00

We're alive! Phew, what a week! We are settling into our new house and trying to keep up with everyone and everything. Jackson has been extremely difficult lately and I attribute a lot of that to the terrible twos, moving, new surroundings and his 2 year molars (and about 5 other teeth) coming in. If I can survive the next few weeks without a full head of gray hair, it will be nothing short of a miracle. Oh and just in case you're wondering, the HP G72 laptop can withstand being thrown off of a couch with toddler strength onto the tile floor. You've been a champ HP. Hang in there.

We love our new house and our biggest problem is filling up the extra space. We spend a lot of time out on the screened and tiled patio. Jackson is obsessed with being outside. We wheel his highchair out to the patio so he can eat outside and I'm pretty sure that he would sleep outside if we would let him.

I plan on unpacking the 2 or 3 boxes left and finishing up the organization of our bedroom, bathroom and living room today. Pics tomorrow!

Here's a quick look at our breakfast nook area, the powder room and laundry room is off to the right and the kitchen and bar are on the left. The microscopic sign above the chair rail says: "Eat, drink and be scary."

I'm also linking up with Katie at Cleared For Takeoff to share my favorite things:

Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee creamer. It's just like Thanksgiving in a cup, yum!

My hair has been a hot mess lately. When I'm moving boxes and furniture all day, a cute hairstyle is the least of my worries. I'm loving Biolage's Daily Leave-In Tonic. It smells wonderful and leaves my hair silky smooth.

These boots. Wow, I love them and I will own them.

Fall is here! I can't believe this was our little pumpkin last year! Instead of coloring at our church's fall festival this year, our little man will be dressed up as a dinosaur trick or treating like a big boy! I can't wait!

And because no post is complete without another pic of Jax:

DIY Galore

2011-09-19T08:58:00.006-04:00

I need a weekend to recuperate from our busy weekend! I have to say that DIY furniture makeovers are addicting (even though my husband would disagree.) We spent most of Saturday sanding and painting our white nightstands and dresser. Our current house has a walk in closet and enough room for my dresser. Our new house has an all open closet (pictures to come) and our dresser will be back out in view.

I wanted to change up the colors in our bedroom and I just love the look and feel of a black and white bedroom. Our bedding has always been white and I love being able to bleach our sheets to keep them bright. Here are a few bedroom inspiration ideas:

And here is a quick cell phone pic sneak peek of our finished dresser:

I'll post the final finished products when we move into our new house and when I have everything in order. Squeeeee, 10 days and counting! I can't wait!

On a random note, we scored a table almost identical to this one only round, this weekend. It is a $50 outdoor table perfect for our new screened in patio and we picked it up for $12! Yay Home Depot yellow tags!

We spent the rest of the weekend grabbing breakfast, taking a family nap, watching movies, taking a couple trips to Home Depot, shopping and devouring brownie sundaes. It's was a great weekend.

"Oh this has gotta be the good life"

2011-09-14T19:44:00.011-04:00

Am I the only one who loves this song? Anyway, I'm linking up with This Kind of Love and I'm sharing what I'm loving:

I'm loving how amazing God is. I'm so excited for my family's future and I can't wait to see how every good thing plays out.

I'm loving that my little man repeats in the cutest voice possible, the noises that the following animals make: dinosaurs, cows, monkeys, dogs and snakes.

I'm loving that our new soon to be home sweet home has all tile and hardwood floors. I'm so over carpet right now. Oh and here's a sneak peek at our new soon to be master bedroom:

I'm absolutely loving fall! Amazing coffee selections, fall decor, pumpkin and pie scented candles, Halloween and SEC football (Go Gators!)

I'm loving tv in the fall! I'm already addicted to Ringer because I'm a teenage girl at heart and this show has a great plot, great fashion and a Lifetime movie feel to it. Guilty pleasures people.

I love keeping it classy every night with my glass of boxed wine. Three liters of delicious white wine in a box for less than $15? Yes please!

I'm loving these boots. Loving. Needing.

Finally, I'm loving that my awesome hubby agreed to repaint more of our furniture this weekend. Here's our latest DIY project, repainting our buffet table. Stay tuned for more before and after pictures!

We will never forget.

2011-09-11T09:07:00.002-04:00

God Bless America.

Ch ch ch Changes

2011-09-07T06:59:00.000-04:00

Hi. Remember this little guy?

Well, he's 20 months old today! 20 months. As in 4 months away from being a 2 year old!

There are a lot of changes going on in our household. We've been leasing a townhouse for over 3 years now and our landlord recently told us that she cannot afford to renew our lease and the home we've been living in will be going into foreclosure. Yikes!

All of these changes are forcing me to rely heavily on God and His plan. I know that everything happens for a reason and we're moving on to bigger and better things. I'm really excited for a new house, new organization and a fresh start.

I have to add that my hubby is almost thrilled about moving. He's really tired of our annoying HOA and all of the rules and regulations. I'm a fan of gated communities and rules to keep things nice and orderly but I'm keeping our options open.

We have a few places lined up and we're just making some final decisions and weighing the pros and cons of each new place. As soon as we are settled, I'll post pics of our new home sweet home. Wish us luck!

"Faith is not believing that God can. It's knowing that He will."

How to give yourself a heat stroke:

2011-08-28T21:15:00.001-04:00

For some reason the hubby and I decided that it would be a good idea to tackle our buffet table redo project yesterday. The weather was amazing and there wasn't a cloud in the sky but it was HOT! We decided to tape, sand, primer, paint, re-sand and then paint the buffet table again.

We were outside in the blazing hot sun for 6 hours tackling our DIY projects. God bless my sweet husband because he did 90% of the work and I mostly walked around getting a sunburn and pretending to be busy.

To be fair, the hubby was operating a spray gun for most of the day and I was much better off staying away. I sanded and taped up the drawers for the buffet table and kept the hubby hydrated with tons of bottled water.

Here's what we used:

Fine Grit Sand Paper
Kilz Primer
Rust-Oleum Glossy Colonial Red Paint
Husky Paint Sprayer
Painter's Tape
6 Martha Stewart Living Bedford Nickel 3 inch Drawer Pulls

Here's what we did to the buffet table:

We sanded the table and drawers like crazy.
I taped up the drawers with newspaper and painter's tape.
We sprayed the table and drawers with primer and then later red paint.
We later installed the new drawer pulls. We actually splurged a little on the drawer pulls but I'm really glad that we did because I just love the end product.That's it. Sounds easy enough, right? We were thinking the same thing, but this was an all day project nonetheless. Here's what the dresser/buffet table looked like before:

and after:

While the table and drawers were drying in the scalding hot sun, we found an old piece of coral in our grandmother's garden and decided to clean it up and paint it red. Remember the red coral in this post?

Coral before:

Coral after:

The new buffet table gets Jackson's approval!

This week:

2011-08-24T11:25:00.009-04:00

We've spent some time creating chalk masterpieces.

We've spent some time at a local park on the dock, driving around our new toy.

I've spent too much time on Pinterest, perusing redo ideas for this old dresser turned buffet table. I've conned my husband into redoing it this week, weather permitting. Stay tuned for the before and afters!

We've spent some time at the pool.

The hubby and I have been addicted to this series:

I made five amazing new recipes:

(Pictured is Italian Fried Chicken, Crash Hot Potatoes and Fiesta Corn, get in my belly!)

Crash Hot Potatoes
Mexican Casserole
Fiesta Corn, Italian Fried Chicken & Pan Seared Pork Chops with an onion and olive oil topping. The last three recipes are my own concoctions and I'll share the recipes in another post. And we've just been enjoying life with our wild toddler.

Life is good.

Permission to come aboard?

2011-08-17T20:54:00.009-04:00

Jackson's Nana won a really neat remote controlled fancy speedboat recently. She couldn't wait to give it to Jax and I'm not sure who was more excited, our little boy or my hubby. The weather was gorgeously bright and sunny today so we decided to try out our new toy.

We headed to a nearby park with a big lake and wooden dock. Jackson was so content to sit in my hubby's lap and take in everything. Our little man ended the boat test drive with a huge hissy fit, which is quite the norm these days. We took the temper tantrum as a sign that it was time to head home and cool down.

We changed into our bathing suits and headed to our pool. The pool water was lukewarm and heavenly. We were the only ones taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon and we had the entire pool area to ourselves. Jackson splashed and played happily with his enormous shark float for a couple of hours.

"What do you mean I can't catapult myself off of the pool deck into the water?!"

Of course our family time didn't end without a complete meltdown or two but we had a perfect day together nonetheless. Tomorrow we're heading to the beach because I need to keep up my tan and Jackson loves digging in the sand and building sandcastles. It's the simple things...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T10:06:00.007-04:00

We love our life with Jackson.
Happy Wednesday!

Ole!

2011-08-15T19:36:00.008-04:00

We had so much fun with my in-laws during their visit! They were only here for a week and I had a scary algebra final and two nights of class smack dab in the middle of their visit, but I was determined to make the best of everything.

We spent some time at the beach, soaking up the sunshine. We spent many nights relaxing at our house with some wine, yummy desserts and game after game of Mexican Train. Have you ever played this domino-type game? It's a lot of fun and is pretty easy to play even after a few glasses of wine (a winning combination!)

We did a lot of laughing, made a trip to Hobby Lobby and even saw the movie The Help, which was incredible!

We shopped, ate out and spent one evening at a laid back Mexican restaurant. We were laughing so loud and having the best time all evening long. I'm pretty sure that we were on the verge of being asked to quiet down. I guess 2 for 1 margaritas makes everyone a little giggly :).

My mother in law and I.Handsome Hubby and I.

I'm out of school for the moment and enjoying every minute of this face:

Hostess with the Mostess and a Table

2011-08-13T12:38:00.007-04:00

My in-laws were here this week for a visit from out of state. I always love having them down. We have tons of laughs, tons of wine and the best memories are made. With every trip we make up to their farm, they go all out in preparation for our arrival. They always have the apartment stocked with everything and anything we could possibly need.

I really wanted to have some yummy snacks made and I wanted to make my in-laws feel welcome. I made a welcome basket filled with their favorite snacks, treats and bottled water. I also wrote a sweet note in a pretty card complete with Jackson's crayon doodles and I stuck it in the basket. I baked symphony brownies and made chocolate crunch (a favorite in our household.) I stocked our fridge with a freshly made fruit salad, my in-law's favorite coffee creamer and snacks.

I filled my apothecary jars with green and white rocks and pretty flowers to match.

A pretty new plant.

My very talented and generous father in law has been redoing a dinning room table and chairs set for us. This project was his "winter project" and took him months to complete. The table and chairs were salvaged from an auction trailer and were almost used as fire wood. I asked my father in law to stain the set as dark as he could (I just love dark wood) and my hubby and I picked out a chocolate brown suede upholstery for the chairs.

I just wanted to squeal when I saw the finished product! I just love the way everything turned out and I am so appreciative of all of my father in law's hard work. My heart smiles every time I walk into our dinning room.

A close up of the detail.

We had a fabulous week with many trips to the beach, shopping, dinner dates and game nights. I can't wait to post what we were up to.

August Favorites

2011-08-07T10:48:00.008-04:00

I can't believe I just typed "August!" Where has the year gone? I'm going to blink and we'll be carving pumpkins, then decorating for Christmas!

One of my favorite fellow blogging mommas, Katie at Cleared for Takeoff asked us to share our current favorites:

1. Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit is fabulous for eyebrows! You can cut the strips to match the shape of your eyebrows. This kit is easy to use, offers great results and is a steal at $5. A kit lasts me months and months.

2. I'm obsessed with the dollar section at Target! I have found pirate themed snack containers, ice packs and these snack bags for Jackson. Clearly I'm more excited about making Jackson's lunch and snacks more festive than he is.

3. Tazo Passion tea. My favorite and such a nice switch from plain water with lemon. Keeping plenty of this around helps to curb cravings for diet soda. Passion tea has tons of health benefits too!

4. I've jumped on the Pinterest band wagon!

I waste time swooning over decorating ideas and colors like this:

5. I love watching Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee. I love how perky she is and how her kitchen decor and tablescapes match her recipe themes. Sandra's recipes are festive, easy and budget friendly.

6. My sweet and amazing mom surprised me with this Lilly agenda after I forwarded her the e-mail advertising their arrival. I am a lover of my planner, lists and organization. The fact that my new agenda has an adorable design inside and out is just icing on the cake. Mmmmm...cake!

7. We haven't been to the beach a lot lately so I picked up Banana Boat's Summer Color Self-Tanning Mist. 1. It's extremely easy to apply. 2. It leaves you with great color. 3. It smells lovely. Goodbye burnt flesh and chemical smell!

Three Hundred

2011-08-02T21:53:00.011-04:00

I can't believe I have over 300 blog posts! I am so excited to have a way to look back and remember every phase of our life over the last couple of years. Here's a quick look back.

Somewhere around post #50, I wrote this:

And at around post #100, I gave the blogging world a first glimpse at our little Cracker Jax:

At post #120, our new little family of three was home from the hospital and this picture reminds me how tired a newborn makes a new mom:

Oh and thank God those pregnancy pounds and face bloat are gone!

Post #200ish makes me laugh. Every month was a new adventure while taking Jackson's pictures:

It has been an incredible ride thus far. Jackson is just amazing. I feel like I use "amazing" to describe him often, but it's so true. Sometimes when I'm watching him play or sleep, my heart feels like it could just burst from all of the love I have for him. It is remarkable.

We have plenty of off days and there are plenty of tantrums to be thrown. There are plenty of days that bed time can't possibly come soon enough. There are even days that a glass of wine just won't do because it's much more productive to put a straw into the entire bottle and just sip.

I just love being Jackson's mom and I don't want to take any day for granted. 300 posts goes by too quickly. I can't wait to see where the next 300 posts lead us!

Mission: Coupon

2011-07-29T14:06:00.006-04:00

I almost never stick to my grocery shopping list and I always go over budget. Last month, I left Walmart with an overflowing cart of groceries, a screaming toddler, and our bank account had $285 less. I was upset for weeks over how much money I had spent on food and other things. We were low on a lot of items in our house and I bought diapers, lots of cleaning and laundry products. Still, I was sick. I was determined to gain control over our grocery budget.

We started shopping at Costco. We buy meats, household items, fruit and Jackson's snacks there. We have scored some impressive deals. Most recently, we bought a 9 count package of thick-cut pork chops for $11 and we came home and sliced the pork chops in half and ended up with 18 total pork chops for 0.61 a piece!

Today I decided to try my hand at couponing. I am by no means an expert and I am always guilty of cutting coupons or printing them out and then letting them sit idle in my purse until they expire. This morning I scoured a few coupon match up sites and after printing out coupons to combine with Publix's BOGO deals this week, I became determined to spend $45.00 for a week's worth of groceries.

This is reasonable for our family of three. Our freezer is stocked full of meats from Costco, frozen veggies and frozen fruit. My hubby also works the second shift two weeks out of the month so it's just Jax and I eating dinner together for those two weeks.

With my calculator, coupons and list in hand, I was off. I ended my shopping trip with a $41.00 total and almost $30 in savings! I have to admit, the feeling of saving my family money is exhilarating. If I keep this up, I can put aside tons of money for ~~shoes, clothes and purses~~ Jackson's college fund. Some extreme couponers might scoff at my $30 savings but I'm happy and my hubby is impressed. Win, win!

Here's what I did today:

I did not stray from my list. Period.
I actually used the produce scales to add up the exact amount of my produce.
I kept a close eye on my calculator total.
I used over $10 in coupons.
I used this website and this website to help me match up coupons.

[click to enlarge]

Here is the breakdown of what I bought:

1 gallon of Greenwise organic whole milk
2 International Delight full sized coffee creamers
1 dozen Publix brand eggs
1 tray of fresh broccoli
3 bags of carrots
2 bunches of bananas
5 navel oranges
3 kiwis
1 zucchini
2 bags of Publix brand salad
2 bottles of Shout stain remover
1 carton of Kern's strawberry and banana fruit nectar juice
1 box of Earth's Best organic cereal bars
2 loaves of Arnold's whole wheat bread
2 large bags of Wise All Natural potato chips
1 carton of strawberries
3 packages of Publix brand instant pasta sides
4 boxes of Eggo whole wheat and blueberry waffles

Life and Fall Fever

2011-07-27T07:09:00.005-04:00

I'm ready for fall! Where we live, fall doesn't mean crisp, cool nights and beautiful fall leaves all over the place. I'm just ready for a change of seasons, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, pumpkin patches and our little family dressing up as Barney, Betty and Bam Bam for Halloween.

Bring on September and October! I'm ready to make this wreath in orange and blue. I'm ready to carve pumpkins with my hubby (okay so I mostly supervise) and I'm ready for some SEC football!

I really shouldn't be wishing time away because I could have sworn that just yesterday, this was our little nugget:

Today, Jax will not eat breakfast without his Pillowpet and at least two leggos:

I'm Filling in the Blank

2011-07-15T13:32:00.006-04:00

I'm linking up with the little things we do today and I'm filling in the blank on this beautiful Friday afternoon. Here goes:

1. I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day) person: Definitely an annoyingly perky morning person and a night owl. I wake up every morning in a good mood, and once my coffee kicks in, I'm in an even better mood. I also do my best work and studying any time past 11pm.

2. My favorite Pandora stations are: Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, 311 and the Steve Miller Band stations. If I'm feeling extra girly, I'll listen to the Dido, Frou Frou or Sarah McLachlan stations.

3. Three of my "must-have" songs for a road trip playlist are: Anything by the Eagles or anything loud, upbeat and fun.

4. My favorite pattern: for decor or fun, leopard print. For everyday, anything super soft or girly.

5. My favorite perfume: changes with my mood. I alternate between sultry scents from VS and fresh, clean, crisp scents like Tommy Girl and Cool Water (I know they're old school but I've been wearing them for years.)

6. Rules are: necessary in most cases but are meant to be broken at times. I'm always a goody two shoes and follow most rules.

7. My most overused phrase or punctuation is: "Really?!" (in my most sarcastic voice) and I am an avid smiley face offender :).

Updates and Spaghetti Love

2011-07-14T18:39:00.008-04:00

Jax had his 18 month check up on Monday morning and he is perfect in every way...albeit skinny but perfect. Our pediatrician's office is right next to the mall and we decided to browse and walk around for the afternoon. We picked up these adorable dinosaur Old Navy flip flops, and another pair of denim blue flops for Jax.
Have you tried VS's super soft Pink essential V-neck tees? I have them in almost every color and I picked up a couple more on Monday. They are perfect for class and comfy enough to wear all day. I usually pair them with jeans and different sandals or flip flops.

We have had such a busy week! My brother came to stay with us for a few days and I've been in class every day. This weekend, the hubby is working and Jax and I have a birthday party to go to on Saturday afternoon. Also on our agenda is a trip to the produce stand, a few jogs and a trip to the beach. We may be going at it alone, but I really love our time together.

Jackson has developed a love for spaghetti this week! He devoured it tonight and then cried until I gave him seconds...and thirds. I'll definitely be breaking out the Clorox Cleanup Spray to get rid of the aftermath.
So, that's it. We're just busy with life and I'm consumed with school. A vacation to a tropical destination is most definitely in our future after this busy year is over. Have a good weekend with your beautiful families!

A Rainy Thursday

2011-07-07T15:06:00.007-04:00

It's been raining here most of the day. I let Jackson wear his pirate rain boots this morning to his Nana's house while I went to class.

It still amazes me that Jackson is turning into such a little boy so quickly these days! His favorite toys have gone from rattles and blocks to dinosaurs, trucks, planes, boats and books! His favorite snacks have changed from Puffs and yogurt to big boy snacks, too.

Jackson happily plays with his dinosaur figurines and we read Danny and the Dinosaur no less than 10 times daily. Toddler-hood is amazing and I just love watching him grow, one tantrum at a time :).

Craig's List Anonymous?

2011-07-03T10:37:00.005-04:00

Hello, my name is Amber and I'm addicted to Craig's List! How could you not be? I have found so many great deals on this little website. First and foremost, here's a few rules I always stick to:

1. I only browse or purchase items that have pictures.
2. I judge by the quality of the pictures and the things in the background of the pictures.
3. I never pay what the person is asking for, I always offer $10 or more below asking price.
4. I always offer cash. Money talks.
5. I NEVER go to pick up an item alone. Most of the time, I send my hubby and he meets the person at a neutral location. No homes.

With all of that said, the seasoned mommas reading this little blog know how expensive baby items can be. It's quite ridiculous to spend hundreds of dollars on something that your little one will out grow or lose interest in, as soon as you buy it.

Jackson is our first little guy and we were beyond blessed at our baby shower and before and after Jax's arrival. We received literally anything and everything we could have needed. We also received a huge amount of cash and gift cards and we were able to purchase everything else we needed without spending a dime of our own money. Blessed!

As Jax grew, I needed to update some of our baby items and I needed to purchase new things for him. Enter Craig's List. Here's what I have bought over the last year:

Boppy Travel Swing retail price $60
I paid $20 cash

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo retail price $72
I paid $30 cash

Boppy Shopping Cart Cover retail price $25-30
I paid $10 cash

Chicco Polly Highchair retail price $140
I paid $20 cash

There are some things that I wouldn't buy second hand. Car seats, cribs or mattresses. I also have the hubby inspect everything thoroughly before we purchase it and we make sure there are no recalls on any of the items. I've been scouring the site lately for a jogging stroller. I could easily pay $50-75 at a consignment shop but I am convinced I can do better. I'm looking for a good condition jogger preferably with a swivel front wheel and a cup holder or two. Maybe something like this:

I'll update you all when I bring home my new bargain beauty. Oh and I should probably mention that I usually consign these bigger baby items after Jax is done with them. I always double my money and the consignment shops I use offer up store credit or cash.

Craig's List is amazingly awesome and I am most definitely addicted!

Life gets away from me...

2011-07-02T22:30:00.003-04:00

Does it do the same for you? Just yesterday, this was our drooling, patriotic, little, six month old:

Today, our banana loving toddler can rarely be found sitting still. Quiet is a rare thing around my house, along with a clean room without toys and fingerprints strewn about. And, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

I've been keeping up with school and keeping up with life. Every weekend is filled with a birthday party, a get together with friends, family time out and about or dinner and visiting with other family members. Sometimes I wish I could just hit the pause button and savor every last moment with this little daredevil:

Thank you so much to my readers who have stuck with me, even when my blog posts have been boring or nonexistent! It blows me away that I have 80+ readers when I started this blog a couple of years ago to keep our family and friends up to date. I love you guys!

Shoot, Shoot, Bang!

2011-06-24T08:19:00.011-04:00

I've been cheering my hubby on at a shooting competition over the last couple of days. My hubby is an amazing shot and actually won a silver medal (second place) even though this was his very first year of competing! I really love that my hubby is such a guy's guy. Hunter, fisher, crime fighter, shooter, amazing husband and dad. I'm one lucky girl!

In other news, ever wonder what happens when you give a toddler a book to keep himself occupied until he falls asleep?

[click to enlarge]

Also, this weekend is Jackson's cousin's second birthday! Rolin and Jax are 7 months apart and I just love that Jax has a built in best friend to grow up with! I can't wait to celebrate at Rolin's party on Saturday!

"A cousin is a ready-made friend" -Unknown

Cat Calls Make the Heart Grow Fonder

2011-06-17T11:01:00.005-04:00

We've had quite a busy week! Last Sunday was my beautiful, wonderful, amazing mom's birthday! We celebrated with a big dinner out with my dad's side of the family. Yummy seafood, fun, fruity tropical drinks and tons of carbs and laughter make for a fun family night!

My amazing parents.

Grandpa Donald and Cracker Jax.

Me and my comical hubby.

Jackson is as wild as ever and has also fallen in love with Granny Smith apples! I usually eat a couple a day and now, Jax will go over to the the fridge and whine until I open it up and share an apple with him. When I say "share" I really mean, I get to take a few bites before he steals the apple and gnaws on it until it is completely unrecognizable.

We've been taking long jogs every morning around my neighborhood and to a local park nearby with a huge lake. It's been so incredibly hot lately and we're both dripping with sweat by the time we make it home (bad image, I know.)

Today, on our way home from our daily jog, I was actually cat called by a group of construction workers. I've never been a fan of cat calls in general but now that I'm a mom, it just makes me feel gross. I did what any person would do. I just kept my head down and hurried past them, acting like I didn't hear them, ha!

Here I am, a sweaty hot mess after my jog. I definitely do not think that I am cat call material but then again, it is Africa hot outside and maybe the poor construction workers were delirious from the heat :).

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

2011-06-09T11:02:00.006-04:00

I'm linking up with the fabulously hilarious Katie over at Cleared for Takeoff today and I'm sharing a few of my favorite things.

My guilty pleasure of the moment is watching Bravo's amazing Real Housewives series! I'm loving RHOC, RHONJ and RHOBH!

I am loving Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. It's lightweight yet incredibly moisturizing and is airy enough to be worn on the hottest days of summer.
Since my life revolves around my family and school lately, I am loving Target's Green Room recycled adorable notebooks. They are so stylish and fun. Who says algebra notes can't be chic?

Oh. my. heavens. I first spotted this dress on one of my favorite blogs, A Blonde Ambition. I am in lurrvvve with this dress. The colors, the cut, the material. Be still my heart. Who cares if I might have to lose ~~187~~ a few pounds to look good in it...

I can be spotted in the Starbuck's drive-thru on class days grabbing a Venti Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea. Yummy, refreshing and a steal at $2.50!

Have you tried dried blueberries lately? I am loving this quick and simple antioxidant-rich snack! A few handfuls of these and you'll swear you're snacking on Skittles...promise!

I not only watch trashy-ish reality shows when I have 5 minutes to spare, I'm an avid Lifetime Movie Network watcher too! I have been known to convince my hubby to watch a movie here and there after dinner and after little man is in bed. When my hubby is working second shift and my homework is all done, I love to pour a glass of wine, light a candle or two and lounge on my couch watching a Lifetime Movie. It's therapeutic.

Never Give Up.

2011-06-06T10:29:00.006-04:00

I never really get this personal on my blog but I just wanted to do a quick post on something that hit me like a ton of bricks today.

Without delving too deep into this, I've had a few issues with my student loan recently. My funds haven't been dispersed yet and there are tons of restrictions on classes and since I recently switched my major, my loan may be in jeopardy.

It's a really tough situation and I have spent endless hours in the Financial Aid office and hours upon hours talking to advisers and I don't even want to think about how many hours I've spent on the phone.

I have received so much misinformation and am generally just waiting things out at this point, waiting to see how everything plays out. Irregardless, I'll be able to finish summer semester and start back in the fall as originally planned.

Through all of this difficulty, I am refusing to let my faith be shaken. I'm clinging to my faith in God to get me through these difficult situations and I'm absolutely refusing to give up. Give up hope, give up on anything. Period. I will, no matter what or how, finish my degree. It's as simple as that.

When I start to worry about my future or the problems that I've had so far, I really just have to stop and look at what an amazing God we have. Our God is the creator of the entire universe! I'm pretty sure that He can handle the insignificant problems that I'm having with my financial aid.

God already knows the troubles I'm going to face and already has the solutions waiting. He already has people lined up in my future to give me the breaks that I need and he already has everything patiently waiting and mapped out for me.

I know the dreams that God has put into my heart and I know that they will come to pass because of Him. My faith will not waiver and I WILL. NEVER. GIVE. UP. Our God truly is indescribable and amazing in every way.

"You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name...
you are amazing God."

It's a Beautiful Day!

2011-06-02T10:42:00.003-04:00

::Cue U2's awesome song, "Beautiful Day"::

One year ago today, this was our sweet little boy:

June 2010

And, our sweet toddler Jax today:

June 2011

Jax and I took our morning run/jog today and I "borrowed" these pretty flowers from my neighbor's bush:

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Living Room Getaway

2011-05-31T10:52:00.013-04:00

The living room. The place where my family spends most of our time. The place where cookie crumbs and Jackson sized finger prints can be found on most days. I am so bored with our current living room decor. Right now our space is filled with greens and browns and boring-ness.

I've been thinking about this for a while and my house as of late has lots of dark wood and reds. I really want to go with a tropical-ish and serene theme for our living room. Think: dark brown wood, whites, reds and beiges with touches of white coral and maybe a potted palm tree in the corner. Here's what I'm thinking:

Color Scheme

As far as our furniture, we're leaning towards a leather living room set and we'll probably take advantage of Rooms To Go's awesome living room packages. We'll most likely be getting a sofa, loveseat, chair, coffee table, console, new tv and any coordinating lamps and end tables.

This chair would be amazing in place of our current buffet table with a nice table, lamp and cozy throw pillows.

I am loving the red coral and beautiful votive candles. This is definitely coffee table decor inspiration.

This shelf is from West Elm and I love the design and color. It is so simple, clean and modern.

This area rug in beige would tie everything together nicely, don't cha think?

Finally, I think my apothecary jars filled with bright and seasonal decor would be perfect on one of our end tables or maybe even a shelf.

I'll post before and after pics when we get closer to tackling this project.
Thanks for keeping up with us!

Click on any of the above images for the source.

The Simple Things

2011-05-27T10:56:00.007-04:00

I'm liking up with Jesslyn today. I just love her blog and am a new follower. Here are the simple things in life I'm loving right now:

Walking into my sleeping baby's nursery to find him snuggled up on his favorite Pillow Pet with his Hop on Pop book close by.

This is my new mantra:

A perfectly simple night in to me is my hubby having a great Netflix movie queued up, the bedroom candles lit and two glasses of wine waiting for me when I get home from my night classes.
I love talking on the phone to my best friend for an hour a couple of times a week. We always have so much to talk about.
I love being amazed by how smart Jackson is on a daily basis.
I love how everything seems to always fall into place, even when you think it won't.
I'm loving how easy and simple it is to love this face:

I love how simple it is to love this man:

Finally, I need these simple things for summer:

"If you do what you love...

2011-05-23T11:10:00.006-04:00

...you'll never work a day in your life." -Confucius

After many prayers and tons of long talks with friends and loved ones, I decided to switch my major. I was originally working towards a Nursing degree because I was seeking job security, stability and high pay. Nursing has never really been my dream job.

I switched my major to focus on business. It's a much broader area with tons and tons of classes to choose from for each required credit.

It took me some time to sit down and figure out that I should be putting all of my focus and school energy towards a degree that I will do well at and genuinely love. My strongest suits have always been business, management, leadership, organization and communication skills. I've always done well in office and business environments and ultimately, it just makes sense to study and receive a degree in the subjects that I excel at.

I have to put aside my fears and anxieties about the future and I'm doing what is best for my family and for myself. Wish me luck, I already have a huge weight lifted from my shoulders just by switching my major and focusing on a new career and schooling path. I'm so excited about my future and I literally feel like I could spend the entire day lounging by this and sipping on these:

But I'll be studying and taking online algebra quizzes instead.

Mommy Guilt

2011-05-20T13:09:00.002-04:00

I promise I'm not complaining here...I'm just putting a few things out there that are weighing heavily on my heart right now.

I've been in school for three weeks now and am struggling. My classes are tough and I'm technically a full time student. I'm in class three mornings a week, two nights a week and I'm in a lab 2 additional hours per week. I'm not complaining because I expected school to be tough with a 16 month old at home and limited family members who I can leave Jax with.

One thing I definitely did not expect was the Mommy Guilt. I feel terrible about leaving Jax so much and when I am home with him, I find myself praying that he will take a nap just so I can study. I cried on the way to my algebra class last night because I feel like I'm missing out on parts of him growing. Going back to school during the summer is tough. Basically it's a whole semester's worth of material crammed into 8 short weeks, complete with several quizzes and exams per week.

I love being in school but I am going to have to do some serious reevaluating over the next few weeks. Working mommas and back to school mommas with little ones at home...how do you do it? I admire you dearly! Now I know why it takes moms years to finish their degrees!

Class & Two Recipes

2011-05-15T16:33:00.009-04:00

As I expected, going back to school has been occupying most of my time lately. I'm in class three days a week and two nights a week and I'm spending about 2-3 hours a week in the lab studying and getting homework done.

Everything at home has just fallen into place. My wonderful hubby has stepped up to the plate and helps me tremendously with Jax. I'm still able to spend tons of time with Jax during the day, keep up with housework and prepare hot meals for the hubs. So far, so good! We'll see if my positive attitude holds out while I'm in the throws of finals and my to-do lists are piling up!

Speaking of hot meals, here are two new recipes I made this week: Classic Potato Salad with Fresh Dill and BBQ Chicken Personal Pizzas. The personal pizzas are a new favorite in our house because of our love of this.

For the personal pizzas, here's what you'll need:
2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls dough
1/2 a bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
3 medium sized chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1/2 of a spanish onion
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Here's what I did:

I coated the chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted them in the oven for 30 minutes on 350.
Cube your chicken and chop your onion into bite sized pieces.
Unroll crescent roll dough and lay flat onto a nonstick baking sheet. Prick dough all over with a fork to ensure that the dough doesn't rise too high.
Put dough into oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.
Spread BBQ sauce onto cooked dough, add chicken, onions and cheddar cheese.
Put concoction back into oven for additional 10-12 minutes.

I also tried my hand at homemade potato salad and here's what I did:

Boil white or fingerling potatoes for about 10 minutes in salted water.
Drain the potatoes and cover with a clean towel for an additional 10 minutes. This allows the potatoes to steam.
For the sauce: Whisk together 1 cup of mayo and 1/4 of a cup of chicken broth.
Add in 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp coarse ground mustard, 1 tsp salt and pepper.
Add in 1/2 cup of diced red onions, 1/2 cup of diced celery and 1/2 cup of fresh chopped dill.
Add quartered potatoes to mixture and chill before serving.

This recipe was really good and was even better the next day, after the ingredients had time to sit and get happy.

Yesterday I helped out with a surprise birthday party for a second mom to me. We had a blast! My hubby and Jax have been keeping themselves occupied while I'm in class. They've been for tons of rides around town, played at the park and even went fishing last week.

I hope they miss me while I'm gone :).

Updates and Such

2011-05-09T12:44:00.004-04:00

I had a laid back and low key Mother's Day. My little brother came over and spent the night with us and we went to the beach and took a long walk yesterday. We went to my parent's house and grilled hamburgers and stuffed our faces with a delicious red velvet cake. My sweet mom bought me another Brighton charm for my bracelet.

Tomorrow is my first day of class. Squeeeee! I am taking a Diet & Nutrition class and an Algebra class three days a week. I am nervous, anxious, excited, happy, ecstatic, proud and more all rolled up into one. I am one step closer to my degree and that much closer to getting into nursing school. I am so glad to have such a strong support team cheering me on along the way.

Jackson is as wild as ever. I love my little boy more than anything but his strong will and stubbornness makes me think that he will be an only child for a while. In fact, this picture captures our lives right now perfectly:

I am loving the Target Calypso Station on Pandora Radio right now. Oh and I made Sandra Lee's Enchiladas for dinner a couple of nights ago and ohmygosh. Pure heavenly carbs and deliciousness. You have to try them!

That's all for now. I'll update on my first day in class tomorrow. Hopefully I'm not the oldest one there. That would be awkward...

So What!

2011-05-04T20:39:00.004-04:00

I'm linking up with Life After I Dew.

So what if I have been eating like crap since Easter and I'm on a roll so why stop now?

So what if my son threw the wooden board to his alphabet puzzle at our brand new 40 inch flat screen tv tonight and scratched the screen beyond repair. Looks like we'll be buying another tv sooner than expected.

I couldn't get a good enough picture to show the damage because of a glare.
Just take my word for it.
It's not good.

So what if I ate the massive chocolate Easter bunny out of one of Jax's Easter baskets.

So what if my bed didn't get made all day because I was up half of the night with a teething 16 month old and spent the entire day running around town, getting things done for school and catching up with one of my friends.

So what if my best friend and her fiance are moving into a gorgeous gated community on the water and I want to move in with them.

So what if my child is OBSESSED with bubbles and I blow them from my couch with one hand while checking e-mails and watching Live with Regis and Kelly every morning.

So what if I got to the post office this morning and realized that I forgot to put underwear on under my jeans. Too much information?

Sorry.

Jax is 16 months old!

2011-05-01T09:35:00.007-04:00

Jackson will be 16 months old on the 7th! Time flies when you're having fun, right? Here's what our little blonde headed wild child is up to:

Mmmm...Nutrigrain bar!

There is very little that you will not eat. A typical breakfast is a blueberry or whole wheat waffle with fresh fruit. You love ALL fruit: strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, melon, lemon, kiwi, apples, oranges (especially mandarin), peaches and raspberries. For lunch, you'll eat rolled up turkey slices with a few pieces of cheese, steamed veggies, a handful of Goldfish crackers or a Nutrigrain bar. For dinner, you usually eat whatever we're eating and I typically steam some broccoli, cauliflower and carrots for you. You drink whole milk 2-3 times a day (6-8oz) and will have 2-3oz of Bolthouse Farms or Odwalla smoothies mixed with water.

You take one 1-2 hour nap a day and are ready for bed by 7-7:30pm. You sleep until at least 7:30am every day. You love your nighttime routine. If it's close to your nap time, you will bring me your pillow pet and rub your eyes. I take you to your crib, lay you down and close the door. Easy peasy. We give you a bath every night, read you stories, brush your teeth and then say your prayers with you before bed. You fall asleep on your own and we are so proud of you!

We will find out your weight and height at your doctor's appointment next week. You are tall and lean. You wear 12-18 month clothes (most of your 12 month pants are too short.) You wear size 3 diapers and a size 4/5 shoe!

You have changed from a baby to a little boy, right before my eyes. You are so sweet and loving (most of the time.) You love to "give love" and kisses. You can open doors easily. You are running now and can walk backwards. You can throw a ball back and forth to us and you can help us dress you. You are learning to use your fork and spoon a little better and drink out of a straw well. We have switched your sippy cups to cups with lids and straws and you haven't even noticed. We're working on juice boxes and regular cups now. You know where your belly is and you like to "play" patty cake. You recently said your first 2 word sentence: "Dada gone?" You regularly say:

Mom
Dad
Ball
Doggie
Bath
Jax
"Love You"
Gone
Bye Bye
No

You also repeat everything we say (this is a constant reminder for us to watch what we say!) You also follow directions and will respond to directions. You also love to dance and "shake your booty." The biggest milestone: No More Pacifier! You are doing tons more and learning new things every day! This is such a fun and exciting time!

(I'm sorry if this post is incredibly boring to my readers. I just love recapping every memory so I can look back years from now and remember every detail. Thanks for reading!)

Our Easter

2011-04-25T14:25:00.008-04:00

We had an amazing second Easter with Jackson yesterday. I really love Easter and spring! Everything is green and brightly colored and I really love dressing up in bright, fun colors and getting together outdoors with the people I love the most.

Jackson was spoiled rotten with his 8 Easter baskets from our family this year. The hubby and I filled Jackson's two Easter baskets with a new "big boy" lobster hooded towel, a toddler friendly bubble holder and bubbles, 2 new divided trays for meal times, a new insulated "big boy" cup with a built in straw, new pajamas, a new pool float, Goldfish, Color Wonders paper and markers and a Mickey Mouse numbers and letters book. Spoiled rotten...we already know :).

I made some pretty yummy carrot cake cupcakes with fresh orange zest and homemade cream cheese frosting. I also whipped up a dozen deviled eggs.

My two favorite boys at Easter last year.

What a difference a year makes!
Jackson and my hubby, Easter 2011.

Our little family, Easter 2010.

Our little family, Easter 2011.
(Please disregard the beer bottle. We love to keep it classy.)

10 Things

2011-04-22T12:42:00.006-04:00

I was tagged over at Our Little Family (thanks Annie!) so I'm going to share 10 things I love:

1. My ruggedly handsome husband. He is so simple and loves all things outdoors. He always puts Jax and I first no matter what and I know I can always count on him. We're the most important thing to him and he never lets us forget that.

2. My greatest accomplishment, my little boy. Jackson is so much fun and sometimes I think my heart will just explode with how much I love him. He keeps me on my toes and I am trying to savor every moment.

3. My parents. They love me and support me endlessly.

4. Life! So many things in this world are so beautiful! God is good. Always.

5. Kitchen gadgets and Williams Sonoma.

6. Reality tv. Preferably The Real Housewives and Dancing with the Stars.

7. Netflix! My hubby and I curl up to a movie or tv series every night.

8. Spring and summer time!

And my cute apothecary jars.

9. Family vacations to my in-law's farm.

10. Lunch dates and dinner dates with the ones I love the most.

What do you love?

My First 5K

2011-04-21T21:08:00.004-04:00

We just got home from another fabulous vacation in Tennessee! We stayed at my in-law's farm and made some of the best memories. I'll recap on our vacation tomorrow but one thing that I accomplished on our 10 day trip was running my first 5K!

I ran in the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash in Nashville on April 16th. I have been training a little here and there but I don't think you can ever be 110% ready for any type of race. For me, I just trained as much as I could have and hoped for the best, ha!

It was freezing outside and in the low 50's on the morning of the race. I was so nervous and anxious! We made it to Nashville and before I knew it, I was at the start line...ready to begin. I finished the race in 44 minutes which is not great by any means but: it was freezing, raining and there was a bone chilling wind blowing against us during the entire race. I power walked/jogged a lot of the run and sprinted/ran the majority of the course.

I am by no means a runner and I may never even run a half marathon. I'm not in the best shape and I love to eat carbs and even chocolate. I'm just a mom to a wild 15 month old boy who never thought she could run to the mailbox, forget running for 3.1 miles in a race with a thousand other people in frigid temps. I don't claim to be anything but me. I'm just a girl who wanted to get into better shape and who dreamed of crossing the finish line in my first 5K. And I did it.

6am and ready to go!

A shot of the course.

My awesome mother in law and I after the race.

A Good Day

2011-04-08T09:33:00.007-04:00

Yesterday Jax and I spent the morning lounging around the house, doing some laundry and setting aside a few things that we're going to need for our vacation. We spent the afternoon at our neighborhood pool and clubhouse, hanging out with a great friend and her two little girls.

It was really hot yesterday but there was a slight breeze and the pool was cold and wonderful. Jackson wasn't too interested in swimming around or staying in the pool for that matter. Needless to say, I spent most of the afternoon chasing after him around the pool deck and less time sunbathing. After the pool, we headed back to our house for a little lunch and cartoons.

Planning their escape :).

I made The Barefoot Contessa's Thyme Meatloaf for a little dinner get together at our aunt's house. I was so worried about the meatloaf turning out incredibly dry and gross. I used Ina Garten's little trick and placed a pan of hot tap water underneath the meatloaf while it was cooking to give the loaf a little steam bath to keep it moist. The little trick must have worked because the meatloaf with fresh thyme was a huge hit!

Our aunt just moved into an adorable villa and we brought over a pretty pink gerbera daisy plant and a couple of pairs of pliers that she was missing.

Today, Jackson and I are going to deep cleaning our house and pack a little. Tomorrow we're heading to the beach for another playdate with my aunt, her little boy and my mom, dad and little brother. We're leaving town Monday for 10 days of pure vacation relaxation and bliss!

Top 2 Tuesday

2011-04-05T09:38:00.005-04:00

I really love reading Taylor's blog, The Undomestic Momma. Haven't heard of her? Click here. I'm linking up with Top 2 Tuesday today and I'm going to share the top two songs on my ipod.

The Eagles "Tequila Sunrise"

I am a huge Eagles fan and I literally came out of the womb rocking out to their music. Yes, I know, the Eagles were popular long before I was even born but I just love their music. I have spent many, many days on the beach with girlfriends sunbathing with this song playing in the background. When I was a little girl, I would listen to the Eagles' Greatest Hits CD every night until I fell asleep. Every time I hear their music, it brings me back to my younger days and just makes my heart happy.

Sugarland "Little Miss"

I really just love this song so much. It just speaks to my heart and reminds me of times in my life when my heart was broken or bruised. It's just a sweet reminder that life does go on and it will be alright again. I know every woman can relate to this song and how vulnerable it makes you feel while listening to it. Love, love, love it.

And, because I'm such a music buff and my music taste ranges from Fleetwood Mac to Beyonce and Lady Gaga to Michael Buble and Bruno Mars to Dido, here are a few of my other favorite songs on my ipod:

Sia "Breathe Me"

This song is just so pretty and calming. It makes me want to drink a glass of wine and slow dance in the living room with my hubby, ha!

Michael Buble "Some Kind of Wonderful"

Happy, upbeat, fun. Michael Buble is scorching hot. Enough said.

Coldplay "Beautiful World"

I just love music so much and could go on and on, but you'd be here for days :).

A Rodeo & Cameron Diaz.

2011-04-03T09:33:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, Jackson and I headed out first thing to one of our Aunt's yard sales. Of course we couldn't just load everything into our car effortlessly and go. Our neighbors huge dog ran out after us and jumped into my back seat (with Jackson sitting quietly in his car seat!) The huge clumsy but friendly dog refused to get out of my car! Finally, our weird neighbor came outside and had to physically remove the huge animal out of my car. Sweet Jackson just kept saying: "Doggie...Doggie...Doggie!"

After hanging out with some family at the yard sale for a little while, we headed home for lunch and to get ready to meet my parents for my home town's local rodeo. Of course Jackson looked so stinking cute and with all of our running around, I completely forgot my camera.

Before I got to the rodeo, I saw that my good friend posted on Facebook that she just met Cameron Diaz in a popular restaurant in our home town. I actually thought it was an April Fool's joke. As soon as my parents and I got to the rodeo and sat down in the medium sized arena, I looked over to the left of us and just a few seats away sat Cameron Diaz! I almost died!

She was watching our local rodeo for research on a possible upcoming film and was with just 1 girl who was some sort of rodeo champion. Cameron was so breathtakingly pretty and demure. She just sat in the stands and watched the entire rodeo quietly. I was so starstruck and didn't want to seem like a stalker so I only snuck 47 half a dozen quick glances.

I was so impressed that she was with 1 friend and not a huge entourage or even a body guard! That in and of itself speaks volumes about her character. I was also impressed that everyone from our town wasn't swarming her or bombarding her with picture or autograph requests.

After all of the excitement from yesterday, today will be spent relaxing and cleaning up at home. I'm so tired from running so much this past week! We are in full vacation preparation mode. Squeeeee! I'm so excited!

We'll be seeing this beautiful skyline in no time at all!

Fluff.

2011-03-31T19:22:00.006-04:00

I've been spinning my wheels lately and feeling a bit overwhelmed so I decided that my neglected blog needed a little "fluff". I found this A-Z survey over at one of my favorite blogs: Cleared For Takeoff.
Here goes...

A. Age: I'm currently celebrating the 3rd anniversary of my 21st birthday :).

B. Bed size: Queen, boo.

C. Chore you dislike: I'm weird, I love to clean my house. My day just doesn't start off right if I come out of my bedroom to a messy house. Of course there are days that my bed doesn't get made and Jackson's toys and bright orange Goldfish crumbs fill my living room. After all, I'm not Bree Van de Kamp :).

D. Dogs: Who needs to clean up after a dog when you have a 15 month old?

E. Essential start to your day: Caffeine...tons of it. Morning Express with Robin Meade, so I can feel smart and know that there is a world outside of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Oh and a workout or a run/jog most days.

F. Favorite color: Red. Ooh la la.

G. Gold or silver: Silver/white gold daily. Gold sometimes.

H. Height: Embarrassingly tall. 5'10''. Yes, I'm that really awkwardly tall girl that's blocking your view.

I. Instruments you play(ed): None.

J. Job title: Mommy/Zoo Keeper, wife and student, currently.

K. Kids: Just one wild child, Jackson 15 months old.

L. Live for ______: God, my two boys, my family and my friends.

M. Most embarrassing moment: HA! Too many to name. I fall almost daily and genuinely embarrass myself often.

N. Nicknames: Am.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just one, birthing Jackson.

P. Pet peeves: People with a thousand stuffed animals in their back car windows, close talkers, people who stand too close to me in a line, people who wear white sunglasses, people with bad breath. Wow, I sound really mean here. Oops.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will..." -Hope Floats

S. Siblings: 1 little brother.

T. Time you wake up: 7ish. Some days a little later.

U. University attended: A local state college for a couple of different things and I'm currently enrolled again.

V. Vegetables: Green beans! I'll pass on lima beans or peas please!

W. What makes you run late: I try really hard to be prompt but promptness goes out the window along with shaving your legs every day when you have a baby.

X. X-rays you’ve had: None.

Y. Yummy food you make: Shrimp scampi, roasted red potatoes, cream cheese stuffed strawberries and pineapple porkchops. Darn, now I'm hungry.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Giraffes, they're tall like me.

In other news, this recently happened:

Our little 23 pounder made his way into a forward facing "big boy" car seat. I'm going to blink and he's going to be off to college!

Um...

2011-03-26T09:03:00.003-04:00

When did my baby become a little boy?!

Time flies by so fast. It should really be a crime.

Last week:

2011-03-23T09:39:00.019-04:00

And then I spent every morning sweating to this workout to ward off the pounds from said sugar cookies:

Sunday's dinner was crab stuffed shells with veggies for me and a baked potato and garlic bread for hubby.

And then I forced Jax to take a picture with me :).

That was mostly happy.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! We are officially in full vacation countdown mode! We're off to TN in about 3 short weeks! We'll be back just in time for Easter. Hope you all had a fabulous week!

A Surprise Birthday Lunch.

2011-03-20T17:55:00.006-04:00

Today is not only the first day of Spring but it is also my very best friend's birthday! Julia and I have been best friends since middle school and there isn't too much that we haven't been through at this point. I cling dearly to her because she is such a blessing to my life. I'm so thankful that we are at the same place in our lives now, we have the exact same values and we can celebrate the good things in our lives together.

Julia's mom and I have been planning this for a while now and I've been wanting to blog about her surprise lunch but I know that Julia reads my blog and I couldn't risk ruining the surprise :).

This cake was to die for!

Lilly Pulitzer plates and napkins!

My mom and I.

I picked a nice popular restaurant on the water and we arranged for everyone to meet at noon. Julia arrived at my house and it was my job to get her to the restaurant. Julia's face was just priceless when she saw us all waiting at the table for her. The ladies had the table decorated with balloons, a beautiful cake, presents and super cute girly accessories. There was not one detail missed. I just love being able to do sweet and unexpected things for the ones I love the most.

Our view from our table.

The group, minus one.

My mom and I bought Julia a beautiful spring flower arrangement and a gift certificate for a luxury pedicure at a super cute boutique in town. She received tons of loot including a few Vera Bradley accessories, gift cards, clothes and a Brighton purse.

My shrimp and fruit salad.

It was a beautiful day outside and our lunch was just perfect! This is definitely my definition of a perfect day, spent with some of the best women I know.

Hello Skinny!

2011-03-18T14:18:00.005-04:00

Does it seem like I post a lot of recipes lately? I have been so big hungry lately and I love to cook so I'm sorry if I'm boring you guys...

Anyway, I stopped by our local produce stand today because I wanted to make my mom's delicious Skinny Soup. I ate a lot of this growing up and I really have missed it. My mom would make a huge pot of this whenever we wanted to kick start a weight loss program or whenever we were craving some veggies (if that's even possible.) I would much rather this be a huge pot full o' some creamy, dreamy, buttery pasta creation...but I'm really trying to get back into shape.

This soup is pretty filling, easy to make and smells scrumptious while it's cooking! I switched up my mom's recipe a bit and here's what you'll need:

1 large head of cabbage
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large spanish onion
3 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 bunch of scallions (optional)
3 cans of chicken broth (fat free)
5 cups of water
salt & pepper
crushed red pepper seasoning (optional)

Here's what I did:
I added the olive oil to the bottom of a stock pot and satueed an entire spanish onion with an entire head of garlic over medium heat. I really wanted my soup to have lots of flavor. After the onions were translucent, I added the carrots.

Next, add in cabbage, celery, scallions, 3 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes, and 3 cans of chicken broth. Simmer for about 10 minutes. (A tip about the celery: chop up the leaves of the celery along with the rest of the stalk and add the entire thing to your soup. The leaves of celery are full of flavor!)

Finally, add 5 cups of water and all seasonings (make sure that your water nearly covers the veggies.) Add as much crushed red pepper as you would like for added heat. Allow soup to simmer for an hour until the cabbage and all veggies are tender. I serve this soup with a small piece of Cuban or French bread and I add hot sauce to make it a little spicy. You can also add in red or white potatoes to make this soup a little more hearty. Oh and to make this soup husband or man friendly: add a few chicken breasts.

And to complete this post:
Jackson being adorably cute at a beach playdate with his girlfriend :).

Jackson's New Playhouse.

2011-03-16T14:23:00.003-04:00

Not "Just another manic Monday."

2011-03-14T17:19:00.005-04:00

I started out my day by drinking tons of caffeine and sweating my butt off to a Gilad workout. After Jackson woke up from his nap, we headed out to the causeway to let our little man try out his new fishing pole that my hubby's grandfather bought him a while ago.

Jax just loves the beach. He truly does have my family's salt water heritage. The hubby and Jax fished for a little while and I lounged in the sun and took a few sweet pictures.

We decided to take a 2 mile walk to the beach and hang out for a little while afterwards. I am so thankful for this gorgeous weather we're having! I know there is a lot of turmoil and suffering in the world but on days like this, I can look up at the sky and know that our God is still our God. Yesterday, today and forever. Thanks so much for all of the sweet comments on my beach pictures! I love my readers :).

I've been trying to make a few new recipes lately and tonight I made a Weight Watchers recipe, Enlightened Lobster Sandwiches. I served this on fresh bakery rolls with corn on the cob. I also used crab meat instead of lobster because my grocery store only carried lobster tails, not lumped meat by itself. Ohmygosh! This was such a great dinner! It is the perfect combination of a light yet filling meal. Please, let me know if you make this recipe.

Recipe:

1lb. of any seafood meat you would like
1/4 cup mayo
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp fresh horseradish
1 stalk of celery minced
romaine lettuce (or whatever lettuce you would like.)
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve on a roll with romaine lettuce. I cut the crab meat into big chunks to make this recipe a little heartier for my hubby. That's it, enjoy!

A family reunion kind of day.

2011-03-12T19:39:00.006-05:00

Today we headed out of town for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family. It was such a beautiful day outside, 70 degrees and perfect without a cloud in the sky. I made my cream cheese stuffed strawberries with pecans and they were perfect for the sunny weather.

Jackson was obsessed with this table and chairs set! He kept rearranging the chairs, sitting down and getting up. He literally played with this set for a half an hour straight. This is huge for us. He has a 0.5 second attention span, most days. This may be in Jackson's very near future.

We had a great time visiting with family and catching up. The food was delicious, the desserts were sinful and the kids ran around playing with frisbees and footballs. Jackson spent most of the day keeping me on my toes and playing with a cousin's sweet dog. My dad played with Jackson a lot and kept him occupied (Thanks Dad!) I just love beautiful days spent with the ones I love. Family, friends and tons of laughs are good for the soul. Oh and homemade cakes and pies help too.

My mom, Me, My Dad, Jackson and his ~~capris~~ jeans.

Jax and my sweet Dad.

All in a year:

2011-03-09T20:45:00.007-05:00

"May she who gave you birth be happy."
Proverbs 23:25

One fish, two fish, three fish, four...

2011-03-07T08:58:00.004-05:00

We had a really low key weekend. Jackson and my hubby were still recuperating so we decided to pack a picnic and head to the causeway. The hubby brought his fishing pole and we figured it was the perfect time to break in Jackson's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fishing pole.

It was really overcast yesterday and very windy out. We stayed just long enough to relax a little and finish our lunch. Jackson loves the beach. He just sits in the sand and plays forever. He hasn't mastered walking in the sand yet, but he's getting better.

We also took a trip to our local produce stand and picked up an incredible amount of produce and flowers for just $30! That included: lettuce, 2 green peppers, a red onion, bananas, mushrooms, a bottle of olive oil, 8 lemons, 3 kiwis, 4 navel oranges, 6 apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapes green beans and 2 bunches of red gladioloa flowers. I can't believe how cheap produce is at the produce stand versus Publix or even Walmart! I don't know about you guys but I am much more likely to eat tons of produce when it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg :).

(I decided to take a picture for my blog after I put most of my produce away. This is the majority of it.)

Thank you.

2011-03-05T10:21:00.003-05:00

Jackson wanted me to personally thank you all for reading our blog and for all of your sweet comments. He's feeling much better today and is taking it easy, drinking lots of fluids and catching up on DVR'd episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Happy Weekend!

Oh what a night.

2011-03-03T09:29:00.006-05:00

As I've mentioned before, Jackson hardly ever gets sick. I am hoping that he takes after me. I hardly ever get sick, maybe once a year? Yesterday morning, when I went into Jackson's nursery he was really fussy and didn't seem to be acting like his typical happy go lucky, smiley self.

He refused his morning sippy cup of milk and refused his favorite breakfast. I was a little confused and tried to help him with his breakfast and he wouldn't let me get near his mouth. I automatically assumed he was teething. He's 13 months old and still only has 4 teeth. He ate a few pieces of his waffle and drank a little milk and I decided to give him a little Advil to help with his teething.

Within minutes of taking the Advil, he was projectile vomiting all over the house. This continued throughout the afternoon. We were going through a continuous cycle of pushing Jackson to drink fluids, giving him lukewarm baths to lower his low grade fever and cleaning up vomit all over the house. By 3:00pm, I was worried about Jackson being dehydrated since he was refusing liquids and his wet diapers were decreasing. I knew he wouldn't drink Pedialyte because he was refusing all liquids and what we could get him to drink ended up on the floor within an hour.

After calling his pediatrician and finding out the next available appointment was this afternoon, I decided to run him up to the E.R. I hated to take him to the hospital but my instincts were telling me to. He was very dehydrated and he threw up 3 times while we were waiting to be checked in. He had a steady low grade fever (99 - 100) and was acting lethargic and listless.

4 hours later we he was hooked up to an IV and was given medication to ward off his nausea. I'm still traumatized by the fact that they stuck Jackson 7 times in different places on his little body searching for a good vein to run an IV through. He was dehydrated so his veins were hard to find. They finally had to call in a nurse from the pediatric floor to run an IV through his foot. If you haven't been through something like this, go ahead and thank God now. It's absolutely horrid to hold down your screaming toddler while two nurses and a doctor are fishing through his tiny arm searching for a vein. I'm shuttering even thinking about it. I thank God that my amazing hubby was there to comfort both of us and Jax was an absolute trooper!

(Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the iPhone cures all.)

Jackson seems to be much better. We had a rough night and we both barely slept. I set up his pack n' play in the living room next to our couch so that I could sleep next to him. Thankfully he's resting peacefully in his crib right now. The doctors diagnosed him with a nasty stomach virus that's going around. I have to follow up with his pediatrician in a couple of days. I'm running around the house washing sheets and blankets, scrubbing carpet and sanitizing everything in sight. Needless to say, I could go the rest of my life without another day like yesterday.

A little of this, a little of that.

2011-03-01T09:46:00.004-05:00

I got a few gorgeous pics of Jackson at the beach on Sunday. It was so hot outside and the hubby and I got scorched but I'll take burnt shoulders and noses in February any day of the week :).

I'm always on the search for yummy foods that are good for you. I'm not a health food nut by any means but if a food tastes great and is actually good for you, I'll try it! This is one of my favorite quick lunches:

Quick Spinach & Tuna Wrap
1 - 100 calorie tortilla
1 can of white tuna
1/2 tbsp mayo
3-4 spinach leaves
1/2 tbsp sweet relish
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Prepare tuna as usual with mayo, add sweet relish & crushed red pepper. If you'd like a little more heat, double the crushed red pepper. The sweet and spicy combo tastes great with the tuna. The spinach leaves add a crisp crunch but do not change the flavor of the tuna or tortilla.

And I never shared the last two shirts I made with iron-ons for my good friend's little boy Clement and Jackson's cousin and future best friend, Rolin:

That's all for now. I'm off to train a little for my 5K. I'd rather lounge on my couch with my coffee in hand watching DVR'd episodes of The Real Housewives but this butt isn't going to shrink itself :).

Girl's Day & Chicken Salad.

2011-02-27T19:13:00.005-05:00

Yesterday my hubby, dad and brother headed to their hunting lease for the day so I decided to invite my mom and best friend over for a girl's day and chicken salad for lunch. I set up my bar with my best white plates, pretty linen napkins and my favorite silverware. I made my favorite Chicken Salad Veronique, a Barefoot Contessa recipe that is borderline amazing!

(I apologize for the horrible picture quality. These were taken with my phone.)

If you make this recipe, serve the chicken salad on fresh croissants, yummy!

We ate lunch, played with Jax a bit and then headed out to go thrifting. We scoured our local thrift and consignment shops and then headed back to my house to put Jackson down for a nap. It was a beautiful day outside and we all found a few treasures.

Today the weather was too beautiful to be stuck inside so the hubby and I loaded up Jax, took a long walk and afterward, stopped at the beach to let Jackson play in the sand. More pics to come.

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!

So what's up with Jax?

2011-02-26T07:49:00.009-05:00

My last Watch Jackson Grow post was at 11 months, followed by a couple of first birthday posts. Needless to say, we're overdue for a Jax post. Here's what our 13 month old toddler is up to:

You eat so well! I'm so thankful that you love all fruits and veggies. Your favorite breakfast is blueberry waffles with fresh blueberries, peaches or bananas or yogurt with kiwi, grapes, peaches and berries.
You love applesauce, yogurt, pasta, cheese, goldfish, cheerios, turkey, ham and all veggies, especially steamed veggies.
We recently started you on juice. Your favorite is Bolthouse Farm's Berry Boost & Green Goodness. We give you 4 oz. a day and dilute it with water. For the rest of the day, you're drinking water and whole milk.

You are still sleeping like a champ! We have stuck to our bath, milk, bed routine since you were 3 weeks old and it is paying off wonderfully. You know when you bed time is and you love to walk down the hall to your bedroom when you want to go to bed. We put you in your crib and close the door and you go to sleep on your own every night like such a big boy.
You sleep from 7pm-7 or 7:30am.
You nap usually once a day. At around 10am you bring me your pillow pet or a stuffed animal and rub your eyes. I take you to your crib and you sleep for about 1.5-2hours.

You are pretty skinny, you still wear your 6 & 9 month shorts. We can almost never find pants that are long enough for you and small enough around the waist. You wear size 12 months in most clothes.
You wear size 3 diapers. We were using Target diapers exclusively but have switched to Huggies Pure & Natural Organic Diapers and your diaper rashes have been few & far between.
You wear a size 3 shoe.
We will get your weight & height at your 15 month appointment.

Cranky Jax after his bath.

You are so smart, you little sponge you! You are walking/running everywhere.
You are learning to feed yourself with a spoon.
You eat out of a bowl & plate well.
You drink only from sippy cups & can drink out of regular cups well.
You love to play in your room by yourself and you know how to turn all of your toys on by yourself.
You know what different things are in the house and when we tell you to go drink your milk or juice, you will grab your sippy cup and start drinking.
You can wave and say bye bye and blow kisses.
When you hear the garage door open downstairs, you always start saying: "Dada" or "Dad" because you know Dad is home from work.
We tell you that it's time for your bath and you will walk down the hall to your bathroom.
You say: Mom, Dad (not Mama or Dada), Ball, Bath, Bat & Bye Bye. Sometimes I can get you to say Jax but that's a little hard for you and this week you said: Nanny. Of course you jabber all day long but I have no idea what you're saying :).
We can communicate so well with you. You are finally listening to "No" (most of the time.)

"Let all that you do be done with love."

1 Corinthians 16:14

What I'm Loving Wednesday.

2011-02-24T08:30:00.007-05:00

Let's just pretend that I posted this yesterday :).

I'm linking up with This Kind of Love (go check out this lovely blog!)
Today is all about what I'm currently loving:
I am loving Gymboree's Spring Line.

Every day, I try to watch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa or Giada at Home. I love learning new cooking tricks and techniques and they both have the most fabulous scrumptious looking recipes. I like to pretend that I'm a domestic goddess for at least 30 minutes a day.

I am loving these vintage mermaid tees from ETSY. They're available in tons of colors, too!

Aren't these flowers just gorgeous? There is something so elegant, simple and sophisticated about white hydrangeas! Swoon! I wish I could fill my entire house with them.

I am currently loving Pandora Radio. The Pink & Kylie Minogue stations actually got me through my entire 5K training yesterday in the hot sun. 3.1 miles and a couple of burnt shoulders later, I'm feeling great!

I love Hungry Girl! Have you heard of her? There's a website, tv show, cookbook and I love her daily e-mails packed with tips, tasty low fat recipes and dieting advice!

Oh Hostess with the Mostess Blog, how I love thee. I scour this website daily for ideas and inspiration.

And no post is complete without a pic of my sleepy, grumpy toddler after his nightly bath. I wanted to grab a few pictures and he...well...didn't.

No "Case of the Mondays" over here!

2011-02-21T14:06:00.004-05:00

This morning started out great with this fabulous fruity concoction I made myself for breakfast. I layered my favorite greek yogurt with fresh grapes and kiwi. Yum!

Next, Jackson and I loaded up and headed to the library to drop off my overdue books (oops!) We drove over to the beach to take advantage of the huge sidewalk that runs from the beach all the way to the bridge and back.

The weather was beautiful today and there was even a nice breeze to ward off some of the sweat I was working up. I ran a little, jogged a little and walked the most. By the time Jax and I made it back to the beach, we were already at 2 miles.

I decided to walk down to the beach and let Jackson get a little sand between his toes before we headed home for lunch. Jackson just loves the beach and he may or may not have eaten a fist full of sand before I could get to him. We even grabbed a few seashells for our collection.

We may have some perfect days and some perfect moments, but so much of my life is imperfect. I don't have a perfect body, I don't have a perfect marriage and I am definitely not the perfect mom. But the imperfections make my life perfect to me.

At the beach today, Jackson was tearing through the sand and throwing seaweed by the minute. I was chasing after him like the paparazzi with my camera. It was pretty warm out and I was still in my jet black running pants and black tank top that may have even had pit stains. People looking at us must have thought we were crazy but these imperfect moments still captured some pretty perfect pictures:

God will make your imperfections, perfect.

A Walk in the Park.

2011-02-19T20:03:00.007-05:00

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day! The sun wasn't too hot, it was a blissful 75 degrees outside and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Jax and I headed north to pick up my mom and then we headed a little further for a playdate with my Aunt Josie (who is more like my big sister) and her little boy Rolin.

We decided to grab some lunch and take the boys to the park by the water for a picnic. Lunch was great and the boys were perfectly behaved. We walked around the park, gossiped a little and let the boys feed the squirrels some peanuts.

Literally the best pic we could grab of two very active toddlers, post lunch.

Later, my best friend Julia and her mom stopped by to drop off a couple of gifts. Which brings me to my next big news: I've decided to go back to school. I actually have my insurance license and a Phlebotomy certification but I decided I am going to start all my pre-requisites for nursing school. Nursing school has always been in the back of my mind, and it has taken me a husband, a baby and a year in the insurance field to make up my mind. I'm admitted to my local college and will start taking classes in August. I'm so excited!

Back to my best friend and her mom. They stopped by to drop off a couple beautiful congratulations and encouragement cards and a couple of charms to add to my Brighton charm bracelet. My best friend has literally bought every charm on my bracelet thus far and each charm means something so special to me. Today, I received these two adorable charms:

A Brighton Laptop Charm to celebrate me going back to school.
A Brighton Running Shoe Charm to celebrate my first 5K in April.

Loveliness.

My best friend's family is so special to me. I have been friends with all of them since I was 12 years old. Needless to say, we have way too many memories and fun times to count. They are so supportive of my decision to go back to school and with the love and encouragement of my entire family and my amazing hubby, I know I'm making the best choice for my family.

Soon to be!

Random life.

2011-02-15T20:30:00.008-05:00

1. Jackson is sick. He almost never gets sick. I can literally count on 1 hand the times my child has even had a runny nose and still have fingers left. He woke up yesterday with a runny nose, congestion and a little fever. We've been bathing him with Johnson's Soothing Vapor Bath and we've been using his humidifier at night.

2. This morning, I woke up with a runny nose, a headache and my chest feels like a sumo wrestler is sitting on top of it. I have absolutely no appetite. This is great for my ass.

3. I am a huge fan of Gilad. His workout, Bodies In Motion kicks my butt, every time. I love that his workouts are taped in Hawaii.
4. This is my view if I travel about 4 minutes east from my house. I've lived here my entire life and I take the beautiful views for granted.

5. I really hate braggers. I'm all about tooting your own horn when it is well deserved but I think some people take it too far. I don't post things on here sometimes because I feel like it will be taken as bragging or a post might come off as "Hey, look at me, look at me!"

6. I am loving embellished tanks for the summer.

(Images courtesy of Old Navy & Victoria's Secret.)

7. If I had an endless bank account, I would buy:

(click to enlarge.)

8. Jackson is now driving.

Valentine's Day & Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries.

2011-02-14T09:45:00.007-05:00

I love Valentine's Day! I just love the the reds, the pinks, the hearts and the love in the air . My sweet hubby bought me a couple of really sweet cards and a big box of my favorite chocolate truffles (looks like I'll be working out twice as hard over the next couple of days.)

I ran out this morning to grab coffee, hubby's favorite bagels and a strawberry and sprinkles donut for Jackson. To say that he thoroughly enjoyed it would be a complete understatement. See:

Looking for a fresh, delicious and easy to make recipe for your honey or someone you love? I've posted this Paula Deen recipe before but it's definitely worth repeating. Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries. They're pretty, simple and taste heavenly. Let me know if you try this recipe!

Ingredients
20 whole large strawberries, hulled
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

A perfect day.

2011-02-12T17:23:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning I got up early, hit up my favorite thrift stores in town, had an amazing cup of coffee and then headed to the beach for a quick run. It was cloudy and rainy out but it stopped raining when I got to the beach and I had a great workout despite the gloomy weather.

The hubby and I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up the house and cleaning out the garage. We made a trip down to our storage and unloaded a few things and on our way back home we grabbed a couple of subs from our favorite deli.

I ended the day with a girl's night out with my best friend, Julia. We left the guys (my hubby, Jax and her fiance) and headed to Chili's for a couple of these:

After tons of laughs, a weird waitress, too many chips and salsa and some rockin chicken fajitas, we headed to the movie theater to watch this:

We literally laughed through the entire movie. I usually think everything is funny but the entire packed theater was laughing with us so it really was a funny movie. I had the best girl's night out and the guys had a great time catching some dinner and watching some shoot 'em up, bang 'em up type macho movie at home. I just love perfect days.

Baby Beauty.

2011-02-10T19:40:00.002-05:00

These days, I'm lucky if I remember to change into my pj's before crashing into bed. With daily appointments, friends, family, holidays and day to day life I am the busiest I have ever been. One thing I can always appreciate is a great beauty tip. I have found in the last three months that my favorite beauty products these days happen to belong to my 1 year old :)
First and foremost, I love, love, love Johnson's lavender bed time bath and wash. The scent is heavenly, it's gentle and moisturizing and it's the only thing we have used on Jax since we started giving him baths. I actually discovered this before Jackson was born and have been using it as a shower gel ever since. You can find it just about anywhere for about $5.

I have been putting myself on the backburner lately and completely slacking off on my skin care regimen. I know, I know...it's never good to go to bed with makeup on your face. Luckily Huggies Naturally Refreshing cucumber and green tea wipes have been a lifesaver to me and my oily pores. I may not have time to wash everything off of my face every single night or do my weekly facials like I used to, but I do have time to wipe my face down with a couple of these babies They smell great and they don't leave my skin dry or irritated. I've also put a few of these in a Ziploc bag and popped them in the fridge overnight. By morning when I'm literally dragging my booty to the coffee pot, I wipe my face down with them and feel refreshed (for the most part.) You can find these wipes at any store for about $6.

I've heard of using baby oil to take off eye makeup for years. It actually took me having a child of my own and having an excuse to have baby oil in my house to try it out. It works like a charm, just don't use too much. I prefer Target's Up & Up brand with Aloe for about $3.

In a pinch, baby powder can be used as a carpet refresher. Especially in Jax's nursery where the carpet and walls seem to soak up the lovely baby poop smell. I use Johnson's and find it for about $2.
If you're serious about your makeup, then you're serious about application brushes. I think I actually have more brushes than makeup products. I'm a junkie and I like to keep them clean so I usually wash and rinse them once a month with baby shampoo. It cleans them up great and doesn't leave any residue behind. And because I love Target brand anything...Up & Up baby shampoo for $1.

The last baby beauty tip I have for you is an expensive little product called Aquaphor. I use it on my heels at night before bed to take the hideousness out of them. I also used a ton of this when we first brought Jax home from the hospital. I used so much hand sanitizer and washed my hands so often that they actually cracked open around my knuckles and nail beds. Aquaphor completely healed them and moisturized them back into familiarity. I prefer (you guessed it) Up & Up brand for about $4.

For a list of my favorite beauty products click here.

What a difference a year makes!

2011-02-10T10:01:00.009-05:00

1 year ago today I was trying to take Jackson's picture and he was a cranky, refusing to sit still barely 5 week old and we ended the photo shoot with a huge spit-up down the front of his cute red shirt. Remember this? This year's photo shoot went a little better but getting a sweet smile out of Jackson was a little too hard so this will have to do. I just can't believe the difference a year makes!
Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

A Sausage & Peppers kind of night.

2011-02-09T08:48:00.003-05:00

Last night I made Sausage and Pepper sandwiches on fresh baked Italian bread. I've never made this before and just kind of winged it and they turned out delicious. I headed to the produce stand with Jax yesterday morning and picked up everything I needed for the recipe (minus the bread) and even some extra veggies and I spent a whopping $6! I love produce stands!

We headed to Publix next and $47, a cranky toddler and a ruined white shirt later, we were on our way. By the way, a sprinkled sugar cookie from the bakery is a great distraction for a 1 year old, but doesn't mix well with a white collared shirt. Oh and I only went in to buy bread and coffee creamer. Darn you buy one get one free!

Here's how I made the sandwiches, if it's not obvious:
I cut up all of the veggies, added 3 cloves of fresh garlic, 1 tbsp of butter and about 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan. Once the butter, garlic and olive oil was simmering I sauteed the veggies over medium heat. Towards the end, I placed a large lid over the pan to kind of steam the veggies and it made the veggies soft yet a little crispy and they tasted wonderful.

While my veggies were cooking, I made myself and Jax sauteed green beans and mushrooms. I added the same amount of butter, olive oil and garlic to a smaller pan and cooked until the veggies were tender. We usually eat this for lunch because a cold sandwich and salads get old.

I used kielbasa for the sausage part and seared it over medium high heat until the edges were golden brown.

Finally, I spread a little olive oil, salt and pepper mixture onto our bread and then layered the peppers, onions and sausage onto the bread. That's it. Easy peasy. You'll probably spend more time prepping the veggies than cooking. My hubby wanted to lick his plate after he was finished eating, so I guess that means the sandwiches were good :).

Jackson's Eats and more DIY.

2011-02-06T09:00:00.008-05:00

Today I'm linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner. It's Show Us Your Life (SUYL) and we're showing what our little ones eat. Jackson is at such a fun stage right now. He's been eating table foods for a while and is starting to form opinions about what he eats.

I try my hardest to feed Jackson as many fruits and veggies as possible. We recently started giving him juice and he loves Bolthouse Farms 100% all natural fruit smoothies. His favorite so far is the Green Goodness and Strawberry Banana. I only give him 4oz. a day and we usually water it down. I'm not a huge fan of sugary juices but this juice has over 8 servings of fruits and veggies and Jax can't get enough of it. Score!

For breakfast, Jackson will eat a whole banana and some yogurt mixed with different types of fruit. He loves peaches, mandarin oranges and kiwi. I use yogurt to mix all kinds of different fruits with. It's a great cover-up! Some days he'll have toast with scrambled eggs or oatmeal mixed with fruit and some cheerios. I buy a lot of canned fruit and frozen fruit. I keep it in the fridge and it's so easy to grab in the morning, slice up and serve to Jax.

The Danonino Yogurt is the perfect serving size. The Light and Fit yogurt is mine :).

For lunch, Jackson loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cheese (you can find it at Walmart) with steamed veggies (usually broccoli, cauliflower or carrots.) Some days he'll have applesauce and some sliced turkey or ham (lunch meat.)

Jackson's shelf in our pantry. I always pack NutriGrain bars in the diaper bag. They're perfect for on the go.

For snacks, Jackson eats the typical baby Goldfish, Puffs, Cheerios or whole wheat bread with a little butter. We make lots of smoothies at home and create all kinds of fruit concoctions and Jackson loves to drink whatever we make for him.

I love keeping this glass jar on my counter filled with Jackson's favorite snack.

For dinner, Jackson eats whatever we're eating and sometimes I add in extra veggies left over from lunch. If we're out Jackson will chow down on a Chick-fil-A chicken nugget kid's meal with whole milk.

This milk doesn't have to be kept refrigerated until it is opened so it's perfect to keep in the diaper bag and I may or may not have one or two in my purse. You have to be prepared, right?

Jackson has been done with bottles since about a week before his first birthday. Thank God! Sippy cups are so much easier to keep up with and to clean.

Finally, I made a few more shirts with the iron on transfer paper. Remember this post? I made a couple of shirts for Jackson and a shirt for my best friend's little niece, Torie. I am loving how easy and fun these shirts are to create!

I had to take this pic with the iPhone so it's not the best quality. The second shirt is navy with a red iron on and a navy "J".

The "Torie" t-shirt.

What I'm doing to fight the flab.

2011-02-03T20:07:00.005-05:00

Dieting. It's hard. The hardest thing for me to learn was that I don't have to be on a diet, I have to actually change my lifestyle. No more fast food ~~let's just ignore the Chick-fil-A stop I made about a week and a half ago~~ No more soda, cutting back on the sweets and carbs and just trying to eat as many fruits and veggies as I can.

I always love to hear what different people are doing for weight loss, dieting tricks and workout techniques. So, here's what I'm up to:

I have slowly but surely retrained my thinking and am making better body choices for myself and my family. I lost 25+ pounds before I became pregnant with Jackson and only gained 18 pounds throughout my entire pregnancy. Within 10 days of having Jackson, I not only lost those 18 pounds, but 10 more. Here I am, 1 year after having Jackson and I have kept off all of the weight and I am 2 sizes away from my goal weight and size.

Here's my exercise regimen:
I'm training for my first 5K in April so I'm running 2-3 days a week. I'm following the Galloway method and am getting tons of advice and support from my good friend Amber and my awesome mother in law. The easiest way for me to get a run in is to get up at 6:30am, while my hubby and Jackson are still snoring. I grab a quick cup of coffee, throw on my running shoes and I'm out the door by 7am. I run around our development and I run to a park nearby that has a huge lake in the middle. It's beautiful outside at 7am and quiet. I pray, run, sweat like crazy, worry about my butt jiggling while I run, pray some more and just have "me" time before my busy day even starts.On the days that I don't run, I take Jackson for walks around my neighborhood and if I'm feeling extra energetic, I might do a cardio workout to Gilad.

Here's what I'm eating:
This is the hardest part. I don't drink any soda. Period. Not even diet. I've been drinking water with lemon and sparkling water for so long now that I don't even crave soda. We don't even keep it in the house. I down almost a gallon of water a day. I feel weird if I don't drink a lot of water throughout the day. We don't keep sweets, ice cream or candy in the house. If I have a sweet tooth I eat Healthy Pop Kettle Corn (ohmygosh...yum!) or frozen grapes with a little whipped cream. Sugar-free Jello is delish, too. If we're out somewhere and I want to eat sweets...I do and my hubby and I may or may not have made a midnight run for oreos and milk recently. I just eat sweets in moderation.

Most days I have half an orange for breakfast with a Nutrigrain bar and my coffee. For lunch I'll almost always have 1/2 a tuna fish sandwich plain on wheat bread, salad or steamed veggies. I usually cook dinner and will eat whatever I make for my hubby and Jackson, just in a smaller portion. I'm not really doing anything extreme, just paying more attention to portions, ingredients and what my body tells me. I'm no expert, I'm just doing what works for me. More of my favorite healthy snacks and recipes to come.

This is my favorite lunch, mixed spring salad with lite honey mustard dressing, sprinkled with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Yummm...

Thrifty Finds: Servingware Edition

2011-02-01T09:38:00.005-05:00

I have a slight addiction to thrifty finds and I really love to entertain and throw parties. I also love elegant, funky or traditional servingware. Throughout the last couple of years, I've really been collecting pieces here and there to build up my collection. My favorite pieces however happen to be second hand treasures.

I've had to clean heavily and polish a couple of my pieces but that just makes them more special to me. Here's what I've found so far:

This adorable chip and dip server is my favorite! I love the wicker-type material and the dish in the center comes out easily for washing. I picked up this beauty for $1 and I know I've seen it at Pier 1 before.

I just love this piece. You can't really tell in the picture but it has incredible detail in the design and has a cabbage/leaf-like print all over. It's perfect for nuts, candies, cookies or pretty much anything else! I paid the most for this piece because it is actually part of an expensive Portugal pottery line but it was a steal at $10!

This piece is so rustic and cute. It resembles the Longaberger Basket line and has a plastic liner and lid for treats or snacks. It's perfect to take along to a picnic or potluck party and was a steal at just $2!

The piece on the left is probably an antique. I couldn't find any information online about it but I just loved the vintage look and feel. I love the little fruit on top of the dish and I've used this little dish for sauces and nuts at a dinner get together. I paid less than $1 for this.

Finally, this is my most favorite dish (I think I've said that already...oh well.) I paid $5 for this and as soon as I got it home and looked up the value I was shocked to fund it selling for $50+ on Ebay right now. It was badly tarnished and needed some TLC. I bought some silver polish for it and scrubbed it up to perfection. I wish I had a better picture of it. I used it most recently for Jackson's birthday night. It looks a little frosty in the picture from being in the fridge but it is sparkly and bright. Lurveeee!

Not pictured, I have a silver cake server, glass cheese and crackers plate and an antique purple cookie plate. I paid less for these pieces then I do for a cup of coffee at Starbucks! Gotta love that!

A Fashion Show and a Sunday.

2011-01-31T09:14:00.006-05:00

Saturday my sweet hubby took care of Jackson so I could spend the day with my mom and go to a fashion show Saturday night with the girls. My Godmother/ my mom's lifelong best friend was in the fashion show to benefit the Cancer Society out of town. It was held at the retirement community where she works. My mom is a former Mary Kay director and was asked to do the makeup of the women in the show. Those 55+ residents know how to party, haha! It was B.Y.O.B and they were all enjoying their libations until the wee hours of the night. We had so much fun watching the fashion show and listening to the live entertainment.

Sunday we did some work around the house and I took a way too expensive trip to Walmart. I really hate that place but I can find so much of my household things there for cheap, cheap. Sunday afternoon it was so beautiful outside. Low 70's and not a cloud in the sky. We pushed Jackson around the neighborhood in his police car. We took him over to a little playground in our neighborhood and got some pretty cute pics along the way.

Thanks to Kidorable, my son has a brand new pair of spiffy pirate rain boots and an adorable matching umbrella. I am in love!

I also won an award from Kristy over at A Little Something (thanks Kristy!) Here are the questions I was asked:

The 10 Questions.
1. Why did you create this blog?
Simple. To create an journal-like space that I can one day have printed and so that I will be able to look back at the every day life and great memories I've created with the two most important people in my life. Oh and lots of my family and friends love to see what Jackson is up to :).

2. What kinds of blogs do you follow?
Tons! Mommy blogs, crafting/decorating blogs, beauty/fashion blogs.

3. Favorite make-up brand?
I could never pick just one brand. Top three would be 1. Mary Kay 2. Clinique 3. e.l.f

4. Favorite clothing brand?
Banana Republic.

5. Indispensable makeup product?
Moisturizer, hands down.

6. Favorite color?
Red.

7. Favorite perfume?
I change my perfume with my mood. I love darker scents and light, airy and floral scents. My favorites are Very Sexy and Heavenly by VS and I've been wearing Tommy Girl since high school and I still love the fresh scent. Most days I coat myself in lotion when I get out of the shower and the scent from VS's lotions last all day. My favorite is Strawberries and Champagne.

8. Favorite film?
Thelma and Louise.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
France and Paris, that's why :).

10. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?
Mascara.