Katie's Korner

Chicken Taco Ring

2012-01-06T16:59:00.006-05:00

I've seen recipes for these taco rings floating around blog land for awhile now and after having my MIL fix a ground beef ring for our Christmas dinner I figured why not give one a shot. I created this recipe on my own because I did my grocery shopping without a recipe and much to my surprise it turned out really well. The chicken mixture smells so good!! Not only am I excited to share the recipe with you but I'm also excited to share this tip with you.

We all know my love for pinterest here lately and I saw this technique there. Anyone dislike having to shred chicken as much as a I do? I have shredded chicken with my hands and with forks and I hate both ways. This time I threw the warm chicken in my kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment and set it on low speed. I'll be darned if that mixer didn't shred my chicken perfectly, it even mixed in all of the added ingredients! I will never shred chicken by hand again, never I say!!

Chicken Taco Ring~

Ingredients:

2-3 lg. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 8oz. block of cream cheese, softened

1 14.5 oz. can of Red Gold petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1/2 sm. onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

2 cans crescent rolls

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, drained tomatoes and chilies, onion, and seasonings. Set aside.

2.) On a round pizza pan lay out your crescent rolls. You will lay the wider portion of the roll in the middle of the pan, with the narrow section pointing outward. You will end up with what will look like a sun. Make sure the wider portions overlap each other a little bit and press them together.

3.) Spread chicken mixture on wider section of crescent rolls. Sprinkle the top of chicken with your shredded cheese.

4.) Taking the narrow portion of your crescent roll, lay over the top of your chicken and cheese.

5.) Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until your crescent roll is golden brown.

My all time favorite scrambled eggs!

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if it's because it the holiday season, or if it's because of what I am going through right now health wise, heck, it might be both, but I've been thinking about my Grandma Murphy a lot lately. I think most of my family has. So many things are happening to us right now, good and bad, that we can't help but think of her and the calm that she would bring to everything. A few weekends ago, during one of my Grandma moments, I whipped up these scrambled eggs for us. They aren't anything special and I'm sure you are wondering why in the heck I'm posting a recipe for scrambled eggs but I am. Mainly to remember, to remember all of the good times our family has shared eating these eggs. They remind me of Grandma and all of the early mornings I spent with my Uncle Dan and Aunt Robin, sitting in their camper on one of our family camping trips eating these eggs along with a piece of peanut butter toast drinking a big ol' glass of orange juice, because apparently everyone needs a healthy dose of vitamin D, or is it C. I still can't get my peanut butter toast to taste like my Aunt Robins...she must have a secret butter to peanut butter ratio that I am not aware of and sadly, my days of drinking a big ol' glass of orange juice are long gone thanks to my disease but these eggs...there is no screwing them up. And even if it was for a few short minutes, I was a little girl again, huddled around the campers kitchen table, surrounded by my favorite people at one of our favorite places.

Murphy's Scrambled Eggs

~Source: The Murphy's

Ingredients:

10 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

6 slices of bacon, finely diced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) In a large skillet, fry finely diced bacon. Once browned remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel lined dish, dispose of bacon grease.

2.) In the same skillet add a tablespoon of butter or so to help prevent eggs from sticking. Add your scrambled egg mixture, which includes salt, pepper, and your milk. Add cooked bacon to the egg mixture half way through the cooking process. Personally I like my eggs well done...no slimy eggs for this gal.

3.) Serve alongside a piece of two of peanut butter toast, and your big ol' glass of orange juice and you have yourself a pretty good breakfast.

Baked Ziti

2011-12-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Man do I have a recipe for you today. Recently I have been trying out quite a few new recipes and let me tell, none have knocked my socks off until last night. That is saying a lot coming from someone who has zero appetite the majority of the time because of my Crohns disease and the ugly flare that I am battling. This recipe though, oh my goodness, it was delicious. So delicious that my Mom had two helpings as did my dear husband. Daniel started off with his regular portion size and for round two he came back to the table with a heap of ziti on his plate. This will definitely go into rotation at our house, especially since it was so easy to put together. Seeing as by most evenings I've hit my maximum energy level and have started going downhill, easy is always best for me. It's always a plus that easy also equals totally awesome! Serve alongside some hot from the oven garlic bread, a fresh green salad, and a tall glass of wine and you my friends, would have a lovely date night dinner.

Baked Ziti

~Source: allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-iv/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry ziti pasta

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 1/2 jars (26oz) spaghetti sauce

salt to taste

1 (6oz.) package of provolone cheese, sliced

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1 (6oz.) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2.) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until tender. Stir in rosemary and garlic. Transfer to a small bowl.

3.) Place ground beef and sausage in the skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and spaghetti sauce. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

4.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and a little less than 1/2 of the meat mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining meat mixture, and parmesan cheese.

5.) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

* Since we all know I can't follow directions well enough to save my life, here we go with how I made this dish. First of all, I cooked the onion and garlic along with the meat mixture also meaning I didn't need the olive oil the recipe called for. I omitted the rosemary for the simple fact of I just don't like the stuff. Also, I did two layers of the cheeses, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I just split all of it in half. Lastly, just in case you wondered, I used probably about 3/4 of a 45 oz. jar of Prego Meat Sauce.

I can't stress to you guys enough that you must try this dish. As I sit here typing up this post, at almost midnight thank you...why is this Mother not in bed, I am salivating at the thought of having this for lunch tomorrow. Yes folks, it is that good!

Holiday Crunch

2011-12-08T17:51:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I am actually sharing this recipe with the blogging world. My Mom made this dish for us growing up so often that there came a point in time that I hated it. At the mere mention of it I would cringe and then would quickly start begging and pleading that she make something else instead.

There is nothing special about this dish. There are no fancy ingredients or cooking techniques and why my family loves it so much is beyond me. They love it so much that there were many Christmas Eve dinners where my Mom wanted to serve it as the main course. It was on those Christmas Eve's where because of my hatred for it, that I offered to make the entire Christmas Eve dinner just so that we wouldn't have to endure Holiday Crunch.

I have no clue where my Mom got the recipe, nor do I know why it's called Holiday Crunch. I get where the crunch comes from but not the holiday part. What I also don't get is why after all of these years my hatred for it has turned into love. My love for it has grown so much that for the first time ever, I actually made it for dinner the other night. Never in a million years did I see myself eating this stuff again, let alone make it and serve it to my little family. I just know my Mom was secretly laughing inside the night I made this for us. All of those years that I did nothing but moan and groan when she would make it and here I am craving the stuff. It's horrible I tell you, absolutely horrible. Mom-1, Katie-0...lol.

Holiday Crunch

~Source: My Mother

Ingredients:

1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese, add an extra half a bag if you like it cheesy.

1 lg. container French's Fried Onions

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked elbow macaroni, browned ground beef, cream of mushroom soups, and shredded cheese.

3.) Transfer to a greased, deep baking dish. Top with fried onions.

4.) Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and onions are lightly browned.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine.

*I apologize for the way my posts are appearing. I promise that I put in the proper spaces and what have you but for whatever reason when I publish the post using our lap top, everything scrunches together. When I do it on our desktop everything looks fine. Unfortunately, my Mom has gotten virus' on both of our desk top computers...as in ours won't even turn on. This means I'm stuck using the lap top until the desktops are repaired.

Easy Turkey Tetrazzini

2011-11-21T16:01:00.004-05:00

I actually have a few recipes to share with everyone that I've been holding onto for a few weeks now. I just haven't had the motivation required to blog. Some of you may already be aware of my health problems and for those of you who aren't, if you jump over to my baby blog you can find out whats going on with me right now. I am having some serious Crohns issues that is going to require surgery. I'm not looking forward to it is all I'll say about that.

Anyway, I wanted to make sure I shared this recipe this week because its a great way to use up leftover turkey for your holiday lunches/dinners. This is a dish that Daniel's Mom made for him growing up and he's asked me before to make it for him, I never got around to it but I finally decided to give it a spin a few weeks ago. I bought a frozen turkey breast and roasted it up with mashed potatoes for dinner one night and for the second night I used the leftover turkey and made this meal. We all really enjoyed it, even with the mushrooms. I used fresh mushrooms by the way!

(Sorry for the less than stellar picture...I took it with my phone.)

Easy Turkey Tetrazzini~

Compliments of: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) package cooked egg noodles

2 tbsp. butter

1 (6oz.) can sliced mushrooms, I used fresh sliced mushrooms and sauteed them in the butter.

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.

2.) Melt butter in a large heavy skillet. Saute mushrooms for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in turkey, condensed soup, and sour cream. Place cooked noodles in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3.) Bake in a preheated oven for 20 t0 25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.

*I mixed the noodles and the sauce together instead of layering everything.

I hope you enjoy...I know we did!!

Scooter's Spaghetti

2011-10-06T20:27:00.009-04:00

Anyone notice a change with the blog? Not only have I given it a minor face lift I've made the decision to combine Babies make Three and Four together with Katie's Korner. I figured with as little as I blog between the two there was really no need to keep them separate. Now the goal is to get really creative and come up with a new blog title...lol. Suggestions???

Anyway, can you believe I have another recipe to share with you? I originally saw this recipe over at Cassie Craves where she had included it on one of her weekly menus. Go figure right? Cassie Craves and Kaitlin in the Kitchen are becoming what allrecipes.com used to be to me...lol.

I thought it looked really good then, but was hesitant to give it a try mainly because I figured everyone would freak when I served them spaghetti with the fried onions on top. Well after then seeing it on my new favorite website Pinterest, I figured why not. So...I gave it a try, used a little more spaghetti then the recipe called for, how Katie like right? It's was a little dry for my liking BUT it was because I used to much spaghetti. I will say though, as leftovers, it was delicious.

This is a recipe that will definitely be made again, this time either using the correct amount of spaghetti or adding extra sauce but either way, it's gonna be made again, and don't fret about the fried onions...they were totally awesome on top!!

Scooter's Spaghetti~
Compliments of: Salad in a jar

Ingredients:
8 ounces cooked spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 oz.)
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped green peppers (I used red peppers)
1/3 cup chopped onion
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. milk
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
French Fried Onions (small can)

Directions:
1.) Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
2.) Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3.) Combine onions, peppers, and butter in a small glass bowl. Cover and microwave four minutes on high until soft.
4.) Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well.
5.) Using a 10x6 dish, assemble in the following order: thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Add the fried onions to the top during the last five minutes of cooking.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remember, top with the fried onions and then bake for another five minutes. That's thirty minutes of baking total...just helping you all out...lol.

The author of Salad in a jar says this is a great dish to make ahead and refrigerate or even freeze. She does recommend doing so without adding the fried onions though, just add those during the baking process.

Looks yummy right? Her picture is even better so please scoot on over to her site to check it out!

Copycat Chili's Salsa

2011-10-04T20:09:00.003-04:00

Boy do I have a recipe for you...

I don't know about everyone else but when we go to our local Mexican restaurant the thing I enjoy most is the free chips and salsa. I usually get so full on that stuff that I very rarely finish my dinner. Normally in this house I make my pico de galla but when I saw this recipe over at Kaitlin in the Kitchen I knew I had to give it a try because it looked so similar to the stuff you get at the restaurant. I doubled all of my ingredients and used an entire bunch of cilantro because, well, we love cilantro in this house. I'm so glad I made a big batch because Daniel took some into work and ended up sharing with a few people. They loved it so much that I sent the rest in with him the next day and one lady went as far as drinking it out of a cup because she didn't have chips.

While I don't think it's good enough to drink out of a glass, it was pretty darn good. It has a bit of a kick too it which I could do without because I'm a wuss like that, but the kick didn't slow me down one bit...the stuff is addicting. Even my Mom was eating it and she hates spicy stuff even more so than I do...lol.

Copycat Chili's Salsa~

Compliments of: Kaitlin in the Kitchen

Ingredients:

1- 1o oz. can tomatoes and green chilies

1- 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes, use juice as well

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1.) In a blender add all of your ingredients and mix until everything is chopped up and fine.

2.) Put in an air tight container and allow to sit for 24 hours.

Once again blogger isn't allowing me to link up to Kaitlin's blog. If you go to the bottom of my blog you will find a link to her blog where you can find the original post. I'm honestly starting to consider moving away from blogger and combining both of my blogs into one. I wonder how much something like that would cost me? LOL

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since I'm still feeling pretty good I decided to whip up a batch of no bake cookies last night for Daniel, Addie, and my Mom. I'll admit I had one to make sure they were edible for my family but other than that I'm gonna have to stay away from them. I'm not allowed to have a lot of fiber so the oats aren't very friendly to me right now.

I attempted to make no bake cookies once before when I was in high school or something and if I remember correctly they didn't turn out. Tonight's turned out pretty good even though all the times I watched my step-mom make them I don't recall her putting peanut butter in them. Maybe that's why the first batch I ever made failed to turn out correctly?

Anyway, I grabbed the recipe off line and now I'm sharing it with you!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies~

Source: blisstree.com

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tbsp. vanilla

3 cups oats

Directions:

1.) In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk. Allow to boil for one minute. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats.

2.) Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper until cooled and hardened.

*I was trying to get dinner ready and keep a certain toddler out of trouble while making these so I didn't have time to make actual cookies. I lightly sprayed a baking sheet and spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. After it cooled I cut them into bars.

Seriously, what is going on with blogger? One minute I can't link up to anything and the next I can. I'm also having problems with spacing...am I the only one having this problem or what?

Salsa Ranch Burgers

2011-09-25T19:21:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything on the blog since July. Can you tell I've been sick? I just completed my second four day hospital stay for a perforated colon and between it and my Crohns disease and other complications, I have been under the weather for a few months now. There for awhile I was living on sherbet, popsicles, and pudding and have managed to lose close to thirty pounds. It's weight I've needed to lose but its most definitely not the way in which to do it.

Anyway, while I have been cooking it's not been things that are blog worthy. Since I hadn't been eating the stuff, I've been making quick and easy meals to satisfy Daniel and Addie.

Today was a good health day for me so we did a nice big grocery trip and I decided on making these burgers for dinner. It's yet another recipe that I've snagged from Cassie Craves and I must say it became a favorite. The one thing I hate about making new recipes is that I can't always trust that Daniel will enjoy it, which is the majority of the time. This recipe was another story though. He took one bite, looked up, and said "this is pretty good". We went out for dinner Friday night for my 28th birthday and he said tonight's burger was better than the burger he ordered at the restaurant. I think that makes this burger a winner and one that will show up on the menu again!!

Salsa Ranch Burgers~

Compliments of: Cassie Craves via Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chuck

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded colby-jack cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper (I used regular black pepper out of the container)

Shredded cheese, salsa, and ranch dressing

Directions:

1.) In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chuck, 1/2 cup salsa, shredded cheese, cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Mix by hand and form into four patties.

2.) Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray it with cooking spray. Carefully lay the patties in the skillet and cook over medium heat for several minutes on each side, until done.

3.) Combine equal parts salsa and ranch dressing. Place burgers on bun and top with shredded cheese and the salsa/ranch dressing sauce.

Does it not look amazing? Daniel added a slice of onion to his but I'm trying really hard to take it easy with stuff. I figured adding an onion to my burger would be overkill for my digestive system right now. Once again blogger isn't allowing me to link up with Cassie's but you can find her blog at the bottom of mine and then look under burgers and you can locate the recipe there.

Free Fallin'

2011-08-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in forever. I've had a rough couple of months with my Crohns disease which unfortunately involved a four day hospital stay about two weeks ago. I don't even want to know what that bills going to look like. I was diagnosed with a perforated colon which as serious as it sounds was the least of their worries. Because of the perforation, and two back to back pregnancies, my hemoglobin level was a six. The normal range for women is twelve to fifteen. Needless to say I required three blood transfusions and because I have such small veins they had to insert a picc line in my upper arm leading into my heart in order to even get the transfusions accomplished. I went to the ER Thursday morning and they inserted the picc line Friday morning. I lost count of how many times they did/attempted blood draws on my arms during that period of time. It finally got to the point where as soon as a tech would come in to do a blood draw I would just start crying. I swear getting blood out of me is like trying to milk a cow using your feet...it's near impossible. I'll admit I did have a mini, OK, major, panic attack when they came in to do the picc line. No one had told me why they were doing it so I automatically assume they are prepping me for surgery and of course because it's early in the morning, none of my family was with me. Thankfully my Aunt works at the hospital so when I sent my Mom, Dad, husband, and sister the "somebody get here now" text, my Mom called her and sent her my way to figure out what was going on and to calm me down. I don't think it helped that the only other times that I had experienced picc lines involved my Grandma's who were on their death beds. Both of their picc lines were in their chests and it involved stitches and everything. Now had I have known from the get go that this was only involving my upper arm, didn't require sutures, and involved three shots of a numbing agent I sure wouldn't have freaked out like I did. It was seriously a piece of cake, even though having it was uncomfortable at times.

Anyway, not only did I require the blood transfusions, but I had/still have a massive infection raging in my body. That tends to happen when you have crap, literally, leaking into your body. As of today, I have four more days of anti-biotics to take and after yet another blood draw to determine whether the infection is gone or not, I will finally begin the process of treating the severe inflammation I have in my digestive system. Unfortunately, all of the drugs they use to treat my Crohns disease, specifically the inflammation, lower my bodies immune system. This means that we haven't been able to treat the disease just yet so I'm still suffering quite a bit. I am currently on several different prescriptions. I am on two maintenance drugs for my Crohns which do not interfere with my immune system, I am on Tylenol 3's for the pain, anti-nausea meds because I'm nausea's all of the time, a new med for GERD, and my anti-biotic. Two weeks from Monday we will begin the new med for my Crohns disease as the maintenance meds I have been on have obviously not been working. This new med is actually an injection that I will administer once a week in either my thighs or stomach and when I say "I", I actually mean Daniel or my Mom because let's face it, my fear of needles and IV's has now gotten so bad that I honestly don't think I could do it. It's bad enough they have to do it because from everyone who I've talked to who have taken them, they hurt like a bitch. I just keep telling myself a few minutes of pain afterwards will be worth finally going into remission with this disease.

Now that you know my reasoning for not blogging here's a quick update on the girls.

Addison is now officially eighteen months old and getting smarter every single day. These past few weeks her vocabulary has really picked up. We've noticed the past few days that she's talking in what appears to be full sentences. We can't understand a single word, but they sound like complete senteces...lol. She currently has four molars coming in and to say it's been a nightmare would be an understatement. She loves animals, especially the dogs and horses, and loves to be outside. Her favorite foods involve pretty much anything with pasta, goldfish crackers, cheerios and milk, cheese of any kind, scrambled eggs and sausage, and just the other week I made her a deconstructed soft taco and she loved it. Beverages of any kind are not safe in her presence and because of this we go through a lot of cups during the day. It doesn't matter if she has the same drink in her sippy cup or not, she would rather drink from our cups.

Cadence is now six months old and she is currently sporting six to twelve month clothing. She's wearing Addison's twelve month pajamas and I can see in a few months them being too small. She's all over the place but still not crawling. She rolls everywhere and loves being in the middle of all the toys with her sister. She contines to be a happy little girl although she's not shy when it comes to letting us know she's wearing a dirty diaper, is hungry, or needs a nap. She hates being left alone, but unfortnately I can't take both girls with me when I go to use the bathroom. This means she's stuck in her excersaucer for a few minutes and she cries hysterically to let me know it's not ok. We're still working on getting her to sleep through the night but I'm starting to think I have another Addison on my hands. They probably won't sleep through the night until their 18 and in college.

And because no post in complete without a picture...here you go!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2011-07-21T19:15:00.005-04:00

Man, oh man, do I have a recipe for you tonight. I made this casserole for dinner tonight and it was definitely a winner. Both Daniel and myself had two helpings and even my Mom had a piece. You know it's good if my Mom eats it. She pickier than most toddlers when it comes to eating. This was quick and very simple to pull together which is what I like. I think next time I might add some onion and maybe even a small can of the tomato with green chile's. Even without those additions it was a winner and it will be made again!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Source: Cassie Craves

http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2011/02/chicken-enchilada-casserole.html

(Sorry, blogger wouldn't allow me to do the link up properly)

Ingredients:

3 C. cooked & shredded chicken

1 packet taco seasoning

2 C. salsa verde

9 small flour tortillas (I used the ten inch tortillas and ended up using nine for each layer.)

1 15.5 oz. can of refried beans, warmed

8 oz. sour cream

3 C. shredded colby jack cheese

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 35o. Mix together shredded chicken, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water, and salsa verde in a skillet. Simmer for ten minutes.

2.) In a 9x13 baking pan spray with non-stick cooking spray. Layer bottom with three tortillas, or in my case, six tortillas. Top with half of cooked chicken mixture. Cover with another three or six tortillas, depending on size. Combine beans and sour cream and spread on layer of tortillas.

3.) Sprinkle half of the cheese over top the bean and sour cream mixture. Top with remaining tortillas. Top with remaining chicken mixture and then remaining amount of cheese. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until bubbly.

Enjoy, I know we did!!!

17 months old, where's my tissue??

2011-07-17T15:35:00.000-04:00

I haven't done an update on Addie since her first birthday, I think, so since she is up to so much I figured I would give everyone a little update!

Addie, today you turned seventeen months old. In seven months you will be two years old, lord help me. You are such an amazing little girl and I can't help but smile each and every time I look at you.

Your next appointment isn't until next month so I do know your official stats but you are getting so tall and you are thinning out so much. You still have a little bit of your chunky baby thighs left which I appreciate so much. It allows me to still think of you as a baby even though your are all toddler now.

I adore hearing you talk and you are learning new words each and every day. One of my other favorite things is sitting back and watching you run. When you snatch things you know you shouldn't have, you take off running knowing that I'm not far behind to take the item from you. We run, and run, and run around the house, you trying to outsmart me and stay just a few steps ahead of me and I purposely stay those few steps behind you all because I love watching you. You just laugh and giggle the entire time and I love when I finally snatch the item from your cute little hands, that I can grab you and cuddle you and blow into your neck and make silly noises and make the loss of your item worth it.

Daddy and I both love this age so much. You are big enough that we can do things with you and watch you as you try so many firsts such as your first trip on a merry-go-round, yet you are still small enough that we can cuddle and hold you as if you were just born.

You love being outside. You are just like your Daddy on that aspect and it just tickles him to death. I know he is secretly counting down the days until he can take you out in the canoe and out fishing. You are our little tomboy and while we are just fine with that, I would really like to be able to do your hair once in awhile. Is a ponytail really that bad child? I don't take you outside much for one reason. You are a busy body!! We live on ten acres out here that is only fenced in for horse pastures. We go outside and you take off straight for the barn to see your horseys, which by the way, is one of your new favorite words and it's the most adorable thing ever!! We go from the barn to the pastures to check out the spring, and then we circle back around to the house, and then back to the barn. You wear me out child! Daddy is always taking you for a ride in your wagon around the farm and you love it. I can't wait until Sissy is big enough that she can sit opposite you in the wagon.

One of the reasons why I wish so badly you would let me do your hair is because it's everywhere. You have so much hair and it's always in your face. After I cut your hair prior to your birthday and got so much grief from the family, I'm not a beautician here people, I was afraid to attempt to trim your bangs. Since Mamaw use to cut hair I gave her permission to give it a go. This picture was right when she started and it was before your complete meltdown. You hate getting your nails cut, and apparently you hate having your hair cut...your going to have to work with me child. We did manage to get the majority of your bangs cut that day and Grandma snipped a piece a few days ago that was driving her crazy but I honestly don't know what we are going to do when they are back in your eyes. Letting Mommy put your hair up would solve this problem...just sayin'!

You have gotten to swim a few times this summer and you really seem to enjoy it as long as you have someone to play with. You love playing with cousin Dylan in the pool and just think, next year your sissy will be big enough to play with you as well.

Speaking of sissy...you love her so much. Whenever Mommy or Daddy are holding her you run up to us with your arms outreached wanting to hold her. When she's laying on her playmat you run over to her and try picking her up. During the day I stick her in her swing to feed her because she is such a slow eater. When we actually hold her to feed her nothing gets accomplished because she farts around laughing and smiling at us the entire time...lol. So now Mommy sticks her in the swing with a towel or blanket to help prop the bottle up. You are such a good little Mommy that whenever she's in her swing now and she starts crying you grab the nearest bottle and shove it in her mouth and then you grab a towel or blanket and throw it on top of her. You have also started to help feed her her solids. I give her the actual food and then when I sit down the little container and spoon you grab them and start trying to feed her....so cute!!

You still aren't the greatest of eaters. One day you will eat both Daddy and I under the table and the next you will hardly touch anything. You love to snack...gee I wonder where you get that from? You love when I make scrambled eggs with a piece of cheese melted over top of them for you and it isn't unusual that you eat three eggs. You love to eat whatever we're eating. I could serve you the same exact meal but you would still rather have us feed you off of our plates. It's like you think we're holding out on you.

You are finally sleeping through the night...praise God. Every now and then you have a bad night where you are up once or twice but it's typically on the weekends when we have run around nonstop and it's affected your naps. Grandma says its because you are reliving your day and it causes nightmares or something...who knows.

You have become a little monkey. You are climbing onto everything. A few weeks ago we caught you sitting in Cadence's bumbo seat on top of the kitchen table. You had pulled out a chair and scaled up onto the table...lol. So far you have not found a way out of your crib yet but I know the day is coming.

Let's see, what else...you love bath time, especially when we take a bath together. You love it when I slide you down my tummy onto my legs and you love the deep water so long as you have my legs to hang onto. Our days of bathing together are coming to end though because the tub is only so big and you keep on growing...maybe if Mommy could lose a few inches around her middle we could buy some more time together. Also, you love your Grandma, it drives me crazy. When she walks out of room without you, you scream hysterically. I honestly don't know that we will ever be able to move out...lol. You also love your Mamaw, you are always spending the night at her house and doing fun stuff together. I can't tell you how much I miss you during those times. I look at your pictures the entire time because I feel as if I can't remember what you look like...lol. My love for you is bad, it's like I'm a drug addict, expect I'm an Addie addict, I just can't get enough of you.

That's it for now baby girl, happy seventeen month birthday!!!

Five months old!

2011-07-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

Cadence, you are now officially five months old. I can't believe how quickly you are changing and growing. Where did my little bitty baby go? Not much has changed since your four month post. We have started you on some solids and you are doing pretty good with them, so much better than what your sister did.

You aren't big into sleeping. You do all right at night still getting up every three to four hours, sometimes two when you're trying to do me in. Naps during the day...yeah, well you could do without them. It's a struggle to get you to take a good nap. If you could stop getting up at night I will allow the no naps during the day...it's all about compromise baby girl, COMPROMISE!!

You are all over the place. We finally got your crib set up and your bedding ordered and put in this past month or so. I will put you in one spot in your crib and seconds later walk back into the room to check on you and you are in a completely different spot. You move quick! Lord help me when I have two of you walking around this place.

You love me!!! I walk out of the room and you cry, I put you down...you cry. It does a Mommy's heart good to know that you love me so much.

You also love your sister and the feeling is mutual. She loves helping me take care of you and she is always wanting to hold you and be up in your face. I am so blessed that even at such a young age there is no jealousy involved in her relationship with you. I can't wait until you are older and able to actual interact with her. I am going to enjoy watching the two of you play together. I AM NOT going to enjoy watching you both gang up on me...lol.

Not sure what your latest weight and height are. I still haven't made your four month appointment. If I actually made these appointments on time Daddy and Grandma might think there was something seriously wrong with me. Procrastination...it's how Mommy rolls!!!

Anyway, there you have it. Five months old and counting and each day I shake my head because I just can't believe it. How quickly you little babies grow. In about eight months you will no longer be the baby of the family. Aunt Nikki is giving you and Addie another cousin and she is due towards the end of February, possibly the early part of March. Papaw made it known that we should pick another month to have babies in. He isn't thrilled with another winter baby. I think the blizzard that your sister arrived in did him in. We're so excited for the newest member of the family but it amazes us that Dylan will be two and a half when his new brother or sister arrives, Addie will be two, and you will be one. How does that happen? I can handle these small numbers, but seriously, when you all start driving it may just do me in.

One word...CRAP

2011-07-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

Goodness gracious we have had a rough couple of weeks. I've posted before about our delicate financial situation and I thought we had finally gotten things figured out when crap hit the fan last week. I don't want to go into details because it was a low blow for us but we can finally rest assured that things with our situation can't get any worse. I truly don't see how it could get any worse. We have officially lost everything we owned of any importance. I thank god everyday that we have the Mom's that we do because without them I have no idea where we would be. My Mom is providing us with a roof over our head and now she is providing us with a vehicle to drive.

I honestly just wanted to give up last week. I don't know how much more a couple can take before they break. I know that if Daniel and I can make it through this struggle then there will be nothing than can tear us apart...NOTHING! I know that God doesn't hand you anything that you can't handle...I'm flattered he has such confidence in me, but in all seriousness...I need a break, I need for things to go right for us. My sanity needs it, my marriage needs it, my daughters need it, and my family needs it. When we suffer they suffer...well most of them anyway. Apparently some of them think we need to overcome our failure like big kids and that nothing is deserved in life. I agree with this one hundred percent but I really wish certain people would just keep their opinions to their selves. Especially those that have not earned the right to comment.

I told Daniel last week that we've hit rock bottom, it's all up from here...it has to be, and it will be as long as we hold it together and stand side by side. I'll tell you remaining positive during this dark cloud that we're under is hard at times but then I am reminded of something that can't be taken away from us because of our financial situation...our amazing little girls. I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through this time without them. They are the reasons why I get up every morning and the reasons why Daniel and I keep on trucking without looking behind.

Addison Grace and Cadence Leah, you mean more to us that any silly house or vehicle and as long as we have both of you we are the richest people in the world.

Further proof that we're incredibly blessed...

Cadence with Aunt Nikki...my babies are so loved!

Four months old and going strong!!

2011-06-14T15:05:00.000-04:00

Today my little baby turned four months old. My Mom and I were just discussing it last night and even she said she can't believe that this little girl has only been in our lives for a short sixteen weeks. I feel like she has been a part of our family since Addison became a part of our lives.

I never got around to doing a post for her three month birthday so since both girls are currently napping...praise the Lord, I figured I better post about her four month birthday before I forgot.

What are you up to now little one?

* You are the happiest little girl ever. All we have to do is look at you and you flash your big grin and giggle. You crack us up because as soon as Addison starts crying or getting mad about something you start smiling like it's no ones business. I think you take pleasure in her pain and I can already see how bad that's going to be when the two of you get older.

* When we had you weighed a month ago you were a little over 13 pounds and you were knocking on 24 inches long. I wouldn't be surprised if you are up to 15 pounds now and I am not even going to guess your length because I can already tell you are going to be taller than your sister. At four months old you are already wearing some of the clothing your big sister wore when she was six and seven months old because nothing else is long enough.

* You look nothing like me or my side of the family. You look so much like your Daddy and his side of the family it's unreal. I swear had I have not been awake when you were born I would question whether or not you came from my body. This also means you do not look like your sister at all since she resembles me and my family. It's hard to believe you two came from the same set of parents sometimes.

*A few weeks ago you started rolling from your front to your back which we got the biggest kick out of. Now you have started rolling from your back to your front...of course that doesn't happen quite as often.

* You love to talk to us which just melts my heart. I could listen to both you and your sister all day long, which as a stay at home Mom, I guess I do. What is just as amazing is how you recognize your sister. She hangs all over you when you are in your swing and you just smile the entire time. You even smiled the time she ended up climbing on the swing with you even though you were underneath her!

* You drink about four to five ounces every three hours or so and we are slowly trying to get you to start eating cereal before bed. Daddy and I feel terrible because every night at dinner we plop you in your bumbo chair and sit you in the middle of the table. You just stare at us while we eat our dinner and every so often I catch you licking your lips. I promise baby girl, we all did our time with formula as are you...one day you will be eating grilled chicken and corn on the cob with the rest of us.

* You love being held or sat up right. Just today I sat you up right next to me on the couch while I uploaded your four month photos. You just sat there playing with the strap on my camera bag and since you had been crying beforehand you must have enjoyed it because you immediately stopped crying.

* We have also started putting you in the excersaucer to help build your leg muscles and you actually enjoy it. If I remember correctly it took awhile before your sissy started to enjoy it.

I continue to count my blessings every single day. A year ago at this time I was just finding out I was pregnant with you. It took years to have your sister so you can imagine my surprise when it took only about six weeks to get pregnant with you. I was so scared that if I tried to prevent a pregnancy so soon after having your sister that I may never have another child so we decided to let whatever happens happen. We were prepared for it to take a year or so, at least that's what we were hoping since we didn't want you and Addison so close together in age. I am so glad that God thought otherwise because I was thrilled when I found out I was pregnant and I continue to be thrilled everyday that I wake up to you and your sister. I love watching you two interact with each other and I know that the thrills will only get better as you both get older. I love you Cadence Leah more than you will ever know!

Roasted Corn on the Cob

2011-06-13T13:21:00.008-04:00

We made the best corn on the cob this past weekend and it was so good that I knew I had to share the recipe with everyone. If you love corn on the cob the good ol' fashion way then you are going to adore it this way. Daniel and I both had two ears a piece and Addison ate an ear all by herself...she loved it. I made some changes to the original recipe which you will find below but if you are interested in seeing the original then click on the link below!

Roasted Corn on the Cob

Source: allrecipes.com

5 ears of corn, husked and silks removed

5 tbsp. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 tsp. brown mustard

5 pieces of aluminum foil

Directions:

1.) In a small mixing bowl mix together melted butter, pepper, salt, paprika, brown mustard and minced garlic.

2.) On one piece of aluminum foil add butter and about two tablespoons of butter mixture. Wrap tightly. Repeat for the remaining pieces of corn.

3.) Grill for about 20 to 25 minutes. Un-wrap each piece of corn carefully and grill directly over the heat until the corn has a few grill marks. Serve immediately.

I told you she loved it!

We served ours alongside some grilled Chipotle & Lime chicken. We recently discovered this marinade after I clipped a $1 off coupon for a KC Masterpiece product. So far it's become one of my favorite store bought marinades. I highly recommend it!

Hello ninety degree weather!

2011-06-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

In case you aren't currently located in the state of Ohio I thought I would let you know...IT'S HOTT OUTSIDE. Yes I am aware that hot does not include two t's...it's just so hot outside that I thought it deserved two for this post.

One minute we're complaining that it's freezing cold outside, and then we're complaining about all of the rain we received over the last two months, and now here I am complaining about how hot it is outside. I'm all about spring and fall around here and it seems like we skipped both this past year.

Anyway, since some days are so unbearably hot Addison has spent some time swimming around. She swam most of our Memorial Day weekend when we were taking turns at all of the grandparents houses and I figured it's time we bought a pool for her here at the house. We made sure it was plenty big so that the hubby and I could at least soak in it.

Here she is in our pool. The bathing suit was cold and damp from swimming after nap time so she just free birded it after dinner.

Here are some shots from our Memorial Day weekend. She was thrilled when we bought our pool because she had the hose all to herself and there was no risk of being sprayed by someone. Dylan, my nephew, took over the hose at my Dad's house and Addison was made aware of it on several different occasions.

Here is another shot from Memorial Day. We celebrated my brother Matt's college graduation on Memorial Day this year so my step-dad and his girlfriend Kathy made sure there were plenty of pools for the kids to enjoy. My brother Steve is shown in the picture. It's funny because last year at this time we were celebrating his graduation and Addison swam then...more like sat...but she was in the water. I can't believe how much she has grown over this past year. I wish I had those pictures saved to the lap top but their on our desk top and I just don't have it in me to go downstairs and add them to this post.

She enjoys being in the water but I'm not sure if it's something she's really going to enjoy. She's in and out all of the time but I wonder how much of it's because she has nobody to play with in ours. Her Sissy needs to hurry and grow up so that they can be splash buddies!!

Mommy's little helper and her baby sister!

2011-05-26T19:42:00.000-04:00

I've been cooking a lot more lately which is a good thing for my blog and the new cooking page I have created on facebook. It feels so good to get out in the kitchen and make new things and more often than not I have a little helper along for the ride. She doesn't really help me, but she is out there. Pulling all of the can goods out of the lazy susan, taking the pots and pans out of their cabinet, and pulling the cereal boxes out of their home. That list could go on but I'm tired and don't feel like writing it all down. Let's just say that after we clean the dinner mess we have to go around the house and pick up every single item Addison dragged out. It makes me tired just typing that...lol.

Here's Mommy's little helper making an italian love cake which was a big flop in our house. Don't you hate getting all excited for a recipe, spending precious money to buy the ingredients, and then you end up throwing most of it away because the family just wasn't feeling it? I hate that! Money around here is a precious thing since I'm no longer working and five dollars here and there really does add up. Especially when you have two kids in diapers and one on formula.

Here she is from Monday night, or maybe it was Tuesday, lord who knows. Anyway, we were making lasagna buns which I stumbled across over at Cassie Craves. I'll post the recipe on the food blog eventually...I hope. Did I mention I am really tired tonight? LMAO

If stacking cups keeps her entertained, then by all means, stack away. She actually pulled these all out the package and made one stack with them. I thought it was really cute, notice the tongue sticking out? She's concentrating so hard!

Below you will find her in one of her two favorite spots lately. For awhile she was taking over the bouncy seat and now she's taking over the swing. Even though she is about 97% at being really good with her baby sister, she still has her moments. Like the other night when I was on the floor with Cadence and Addison came up and kicked her in the head. She got in trouble for that and then she stopped crying long enough to come over and dangle her foot over the top of Cadence's head as if she was going to stomp on it at any second. The girl is only fifteen months old and I know already I am going to have my hands full with her growing up. She LOVES to try our patience and I know that she knows the meaning of the word no even though when we say it she looks at us like she's dumber than a box of rocks, gives us a good glare, and then keeps on doing what she was just being told what not to do. God help us when the terrible twos start!

Here's my other precious child. I know I have mentioned it before but seriously, the first month and a half of her life, I honestly thought I was going to have to kill myself. She cried ALL.OF.THE.TIME! There was no consoling this child and I can't tell you how many times I got so frustrated I just cried right along with her.

Now she is a completely different child. She's so happy and she is always smiling and talking to us. It just melts my heart at how precious and wonderful she is. I am reminded every single day how blessed I am to have these two little girls in my life. My only complaint with her is how noisy she is. She wakes us up every single morning talking to herself. It's so loud that my Mom asked me yesterday to start shutting our bedroom door because she can hear her talking in her room...lol.
This is her chatting in the morning! It's cute and I love hearing it, but we are not morning people around her. It's take Mommy and her big Sissy a little while to wake up, we don't wake up all bright and sunshiny like she apparently does. I'm hoping one day she can turn it down a notch or two!

And then because this is one of the best pictures I have ever taken, my little Miss Sunshine!

If that picture doesn't melt your heart, then there's just no help for you!

Triple Threat Brownies

2011-05-24T20:36:00.004-04:00

Looking for something sweet to make that's easy to throw together? You must try these brownies. They hit the spot without being overly sweet.

Triple Threat Brownies

Source: Me

Ingredients:

1 box of Better Crocker Fudgy Brownies, the 13x9 family size

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup caramel bits

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Mix brownies according to the back of the box. To mixture add the pecans, white chocolate chips, and the caramel bits.

3.) Add mixture to a greased 13x9 baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool before cutting or else your brownies will crumble upon taking them out like the picture shows. Somebody, OK me, couldn't wait for them to cool before taking one for a test drive.

Serves with a nice big glass of ice cold milk and you have a heck of a dessert on your hands!

Coca-Cola Roast

2011-05-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

What is it about certain foods that qualify them as being comfort foods? Is it their cooked all day, from scratch taste? Or maybe it's their ability to take you right back to your Grandmother's kitchen as if it were yesterday?

No matter why, I for one love comfort foods. Especially when they were made by my Grandma Murphy. Man how I would love to be able to sit at her kitchen table right about now and gobble up some of her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and her boiled cabbage. I still haven't met anyone who could match her skills in the kitchen.

One of my comfort foods is pot roast. Not only do I enjoy the roast itself but the vegetables thrown along with it. I stumbled this fantastic recipe for pot roast awhile back but never blogged about it. At least I don't think I did. If I did I enjoy it so much it won't hurt to post about it twice.
Coca-Cola Pot Roast
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
4 lb. beef sirloin roast
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 packet of dry brown gravy mix
2 tbsp. water
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup, I used the golden mushroom soup and we all know why!
1o oz. cola flavored carbonated beverage, aka...coca-cola

I also added five small to medium size potatoes, chopped

Directions:
1.) Place roast in a crockpot followed by all of the vegetables.
2.) In a small bowl combine the gravy mix and water, mixing into a smooth paste. Add onion soup mix, mushroom soup and cola flavored beverage. Pour over the roast and the vegetables.
3.) Cover crockpot and cook on low for eight to ten hours.

Low and slow is the answer to a tender piece of meat!!
The original recipe calls for it to be done in the oven. Its so much easier in the crockpot!

A little girl I know really enjoyed pot roast night. So glad I could satisfy her need for some comfort food right along with me!

"Yummy delicious Momma!"

A funeral...

2011-05-20T00:05:00.000-04:00

This week was a pretty crummy one for us. Daniel's Dad passed away this past Saturday. There is no preparing for that phone call, even when you expect to receive it at any moment. I think the hardest part about getting older is that the older you get, the older your parents get. I know the day will come when I have to say good-bye to them, but I pray that it is a long ways off. I can't imagine living life without my parents or even my siblings but that's life for you. Daniel is thirty three years old and he just said good-bye to his Dad. My heart aches for him, as well as for my daughters since they will never know how great their Poppy was. I know that there are others who have had to say good-bye to parents at an even younger age, how blessed they are to have guardian angels, but how sad that they have to go through life without the people who would support and guide them most.

Daniel with his oldest brother Chuck along with his baby brother, by ten and a half months, Dustin. Just look at those smiles will ya!

Death has a funny way of bringing you together with loved ones that are still living. It reminds you of the value of family and what being together as one does for your spirit. Daniel's oldest brother lives in Kentucky along with his two youngest children and their families. We made a vow on Tuesday before we sent them off that we would try harder to be more of a family. No more of this only getting together for weddings or a funeral.

Here is another picture of the boys along with their Mom, Sue, a few of the grandkids, and three of the great-grand kids. The two baby boys are great-grandkids, while Addison and Cadence are grand-kids.

I think we are all holding up pretty well given the fact we just lost the patriarch of the Blankenship family. I think it helped a little that Charlie had been in a nursing home for the past year or so. We had gotten used to visiting Mamaw without Poppy being there at home with her so it won't feel all that unusual to us when we continue to visit without him being there. We would love to still have him there but we all know that he is better off. Charlie fought a hell of a battle these past few years, especially this last one, and it's reassuring for us to know he's finally at peace and in complete comfort.

Rest in peace Poppy! Please watch over my babies and help me to keep them safe from harm.

Charles E. Blankenship Sr.

June 15, 1934 to May 14, 2011.

Jalapeno Bites

2011-05-19T23:19:00.003-04:00

I got this recipe from my soon to be sister-in-law Paula this past Monday. I would have loved to have gotten the recipe under better circumstances but what can you do. On Saturday, Daniel's Dad passed away and on Tuesday we held his viewing. Monday night all the immediate family gathered at our place for dinner and some much needed time together. Isn't it sad that the only time you see family that's in another state is for funerals or a wedding? We made a vow to spend more time together and I hope it's one that we all stick to.

Anyway, the hubs loved these. When I say loved I mean he ate a ton on Monday, then ate a ton more after the viewing on Tuesday, and then was saying how he could eat some more on Wednesday. These will definitely be made again and he's already thinking of ways to kick them up a notch.

Jalapeno Bites

~Paula Harris

Ingredients:

12 jalapeno peppers

1 8oz. block of cream cheese, softened

1 C. parmesan cheese

1 lb. bulk sausage

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350.

2.) Brown sausage in a medium skillet over medium high heat.

3.) Slice each pepper lengthwise to make 24 while browning sausage. Scrape out all of the seeds and set aside.

4.) In a small bowl mix together browned sausage, softened cream cheese, and parmesan cheese.

5.) Stuff about a tablespoon or so into each pepper half.

6.) Bake peppers in oven until bubbly and golden brown.

Paula advised that you can also use the zesty sausage and grill the peppers if you would like. Daniel is looking forward to wrapping a piece of bacon around them and grilling them.

This and that thrown all together...

2011-05-09T22:47:00.000-04:00

Somebody has been a horrible, horrible blogger but what can I say other than you all should be used to it by now. I have been updating the food blog more so take what you can get from me...lol.

We have had a very busy month since I last posted, Cadence turned two months old, we celebrated Easter, Mothers Day, and a few nice days outside when it wasn't raining...which seemed to happen this entire month. We live right along a river which means when it rains like this we flood, and we flood bad. There are only three or four ways to our house on a normal non flooded day, but the flooding this month has been so bad we've been forced down to one and that was pushing it on one day in particular when Daniel thought he might have to turn around and stay at his Mom's. Seriously, I had to go to another town to do my shopping and it was no fun.

On a more fun note here are a few pictures that I have taken during the past month or so. They are backwards from earliest to latest in the month but folks, it's eleven o'clock at night, Addison has kept me up the past several nights, and I'm working on the lap top which makes things more challenging when it comes to rearranging everything. I'm sure you'll forgive me once you see all of the adorableness of my daughters. Is adorableness a word??

First up from tonight's dinner, sister was loving her fajitas and cottage cheese. Do all children get this messy when they eat? We're about to the point that we just strip her down to her diaper because without fail, she gets food everywhere. I actually found chunks of dinner in her diaper when I changed her.
And from before dinner...my precious little baby sporting her very first pony tail. I can't believe how grown up she looks when her hairs pulled back. I sent a picture of her to my sister via cell phones tonight and she didn't even realize it was Addison at first. Yeah Nikki, I'm sending you a picture of some random child I picked up and titled it...her first pony tail...lmao!

Next up, Mother's day. Mother's day was so special for me this year. Last year money was extremely tight for us and Daniel wasn't able to buy anything in advance, he did buy me a gorgeous ring while I waited in the food court at the mall, but I guess I had my first Mother's day all hyped up in my head and what happened wasn't what I imagined. He was able to do so much better this year. He bought me a family bible. There's something about having a bible meant just for your little family with the date of when you became man and wife, births, and deaths that really makes this whole family thing real. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. We spent Sunday evening with my Mom and my siblings and we can't get together without playing a couple rounds of cards. Addison crashed half way through dinner so she didn't join us, but Cadence stuck around to make sure nobody was cheating.

Earlier on Mother's day we spent some time with Daniel's Mom. Instead of going out and fighting off the crowds at some restaurant we picked up some broasted chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and mac and cheese. We had a nice lunch just being together and not dealing with other people. It was during this lunch that Addison was introduced to her very first chicken leg. The child cracks me up.

Next up, the weekend after Easter. We spent that Saturday evening at my Aunt Robin's and Uncle Dan's for my cousin Heathers birthday. We decided to go over early because they live right across the street from a school with a really nice playground. What kills me is that this school is my old school, and this playground is the very same one that I grew up playing on. Who knew all those years ago when we were playing pretend during recess, that so and so was married to this guy, and a couple of us were their kids, that I would actually be standing there watching my own real children play on it. It tends to remind you that you're getting older.

Heather took this family shot of us which I LOVE. Part of the reason why we went over early, besides to play on the playground, was so that I could take pictures of her boyfriends children. I am so glad she was able to get a good one of us...I took lots of good ones of them.

Here's Addison going down the big kid slide...check out her hair.

Prior to us leaving, Cadence thought she would try her hand at the Wii. Don't you just love that little smirk? If you look closely there is a little hand at the bottom right of the picture. What you don't see is that Addison had just snatched Cadence's bottle and was talking to her as if she was reassuring her it was all right. I can imagine Cadence was smirking because she knew she had just back washed in it prior to Addison taking it...lol.

Next up to bat....Easter. I am so upset about Easter I can hardly talk about it. I had been sick with another Crohns flare the previous few weeks and of course Easter was no exception. I barely ate and was in no mood to do anything but wish the day would hurry up so that I could get home. Can you believe that I took no pictures of the girls and their Easter baskets? I feel like such a horrible Mother. I did manage to take this one only because it was to funny not to. This was after my daughter, who has you can see from the beginning of the post, has no table manners, had stuffed an entire deviled egg into her mouth. Once again, the child cracks me up!

Next, Cadence's two month birthday. I can't believe how different she looks from birth and her one month photo. Her eyes are getting bluer and her cheeks are starting to fill out. She has calmed down so much these past few weeks that we are actually able to really enjoy her. She's smiling at us big time and about two weeks ago she started to giggle. She loves her big sister and as you can see below the feeling is mutual. Addison is so loving towards her...well most of the time anyway. Addison tries to feed her her bottle, give her her gas drops, and likes to help pat her on the back to burp. Addison loves to say Sissy and first thing every morning when I put her down from her crib she waddles over to the pack and play and on tip toes peers in on her "Sissy". She also likes to snatch Cadence's blankets off of her when she's in the swing and then tries covering her back up. Of course we have to make adjustments because the blanket usually winds up over her sisters face. Addison has also started trying to share her toys with her Sissy. We look over and there lays a stuffed animal or something on Cadence in the swing. I pray that these two continue to love one other and that they grow up being best friends.

The official two month shot. Just look at that hair, and those eyes, oh those eyes just melt me into a million pieces.

Another loving moment between sisters.

And last but not least, family time. Daniel's Dad is in very bad shape. We expect the call letting us know he's went to be with our Lord any day now. Daniel's Dad was in his forties when Daniel was hatched so he's in his mid-seventies now. Between strokes and a few heart attacks he's been dealt a pretty crappy hand. My heart aches not only for my husband who is so proud of his daughters and wishes his Dad could be around to watch them grow up, but it aches for my daughters and future children as well. I am saddened that they will never truly remember him or that he won't be able to watch them grow. The relationship that I had with my Grandma Murphy is so precious to me, but I had her for twenty four years, even though I feel anger towards the fact her other grandchildren had her for much longer but appreciated and loved her much less. Addison and Cadence and their future brothers or sisters won't have any time with him and Daniel will no longer have his father. I can't imagine a time when I won't have one of my parents. To be honest I can't even think about it without giving myself a panic attack. The thought of death, especially my own, is something that's been bothering me a lot lately.

Anyway, since Charlie won't be around to watch them grow, I wanted to make sure they had something to remember him by and to remind them that they did have him for a little while. During our latest trip to the nursing home I made sure to cart my camera with us so that I could snatch a family shot. Here it is...I hope not only Daniel, but the girls as well, will treasure it.

Well, that's been our month in a nut shell. I promise I will try to do a little better with updates. I feel like the girls are growing by leaps and bounds so I really need to keep caught up with their everyday shenanigans.

Sausage and Crescent Roll Bake

2011-05-05T09:32:00.005-04:00

This is a perfect recipe for all of you who are planning a Mothers Day brunch of some sort, however I made ours for dinner one night along with some scrambled eggs and it worked out just fine.

My sister Nikki shared this recipe with me a few years ago during an evening of wedding preparations for her upcoming nuptials. Simple ingredients, simple to prepare, and easy to serve...what more could you ask for.

Sausage and Crescent Roll Bake

Ingredients:

2 rolls of crescent rolls

1 lb. Bob Evans regular sausage

2 blocks of cream cheese (8 oz. each)

1/4 finely diced onion

Directions:

1.) Brown sausage and diced onion on medium high heat.

2.) Once browned, turn off heat and add both blocks of cream cheese. Gently mix sausage and cream cheese together until cream cheese is completely melted.

3.) In a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish roll out one container of crescent rolls to form one sheet.

4.) Add sausage mixture to bottom layer of crescent roll and gently spread to cover the entire bottom.

5.) Add second container of crescent rolls to form top layer making another sheet.

6.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until top is golden brown. Serve immediately!

Baked Chicken and Sharp Cheddar Taquitos

2011-05-03T21:03:00.005-04:00

Boy do I have a recipe for you to try! What's even better is that you can try it Thursday to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. We will be celebrating our wedding anniversary that day so I did a Mexican themed dinner for us this past Sunday instead.

Baked Chicken and Sharp Cheddar Taquitos~

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (I forgot to add this to ours)

2 tbsp. red onion, diced

2 tbsp. poblano pepper, diced ( I used an anaheim pepper)

Juice of one lime

Dash of cumin

Dash of oregano (I omitted)

Dash of garlic powder

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.) Remove all meat from chicken then chop into pieces.

2.) Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the diced bell pepper, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced poblano pepper, lime juice, and the seasonings to the top of the chicken meat. Toss all of the ingredients together. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.

3.) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

4.) Wrap ten corn tortillas in damp paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes to soften.

5.) Place a bit of cheese in the center of the tortilla then top with chicken mixture and roll.

6.) Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling the rest of the taquitos, then spray each of them with cooking spray.

7.) Place in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. .

8.) Serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or hot sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The picture I have shown is pretty crappy...that thing in the back of the picture is a failed recipe that I spent forever making only for us to not enjoy it one bit. If you want a better picture of the actual taquito please go the For the Love of Cooking blog.

Quickie Meatballs

2011-04-28T18:40:00.003-04:00

This is one of those dishes that I know won't be winning any awards anytime soon but I wanted to post it anyway because I know my Uncle Dan will love it. What's great about it is how quickly it is to make and how few ingredients are involved. I put it together trying to use up some odds and ends in the pantry/fridge.

Katie's Quickie Meatballs~

Ingredients:
1 dozen homestyle frozen meatballs
1 can golden mushroom soup ( I HATE regular mushroom soup but I am actually starting to like this golden mushroom soup stuff)
black pepper
dried onions

Directions:
In a medium pot add frozen meatballs, golden mushroom soup, 1/2 can of water, a few dashes of black pepper, and about a teaspoon of dried onions. Allow to simmer on medium heat for about twenty to thirty minutes.

That's it, how much easier can it be? Now I realize it's not fancy but it was actually pretty good. I served ours with pierogies and mashed potatoes for Addison, hence the fact I had both on my plate. We had a lazy dinner night obviously...we watched the news and ate in the living room...Addie was served from my plate! HA

Speaking of watching the news, is anyone actually getting up at 4 a.m. to watch the big royal wedding? I am really tempted to do so but we'll see if I can drag this bag of bones outta bed when it comes times.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

2011-04-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here's another sweet treat for everyone and it's another one I found from the Recipe Shoebox blog. Both my Mom and Daniel really enjoyed this but even though I thought it was good I wasn't head over heels for it. Next time I may switch things up a bit by using graham crackers for the crust and strawberry pie filling instead of the ice cream topping.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
~Recipe Shoebox

Ingredients:
1- 16oz. package of Pecan Sandies cookies, divided
1 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
11 ounces cream cheese softened (I could only find the 12oz. container)
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cups strawberry ice cream filling or strawberry pie filling

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor, process all but six of the pecan sandies. Mix with melted butter and lightly press onto the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
2.)In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and sour cream. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes.
3.) Spread half of the cheesecake batter over the pecan sandie crust. Pour 3/4 cups of the strawberry ice cream topping over the cheesecake batter.
4.) Spread remaining cheesecake batter over the strawberry layer and then spoon the 1/2 cup of strawberry ice cream topping over the batter.
5.) Being careful not to cut into the surface of the cookie crust, swirl the strawberry mixture with a butter knife.
6.) Bake for 25-35 minutes or until center is jiggly, but not liquid. While baking process remaining six cookies. During the last ten minutes of baking, sprinkle the cookies on top of the cheesecake. Chill for at least eight hours and cut into squares.

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta

2011-04-18T17:58:00.005-04:00

Have you all seen the commercials for the new Philadelphia Cooking Cremes?

I have and after a couple of weeks of deciding whether or not I was going to give them a try I finally decided I would give it go. I am so glad that I did. I pulled this meal together in less than a half an hour and what's more important, the hubby ate two helpings and what's even better, Addison ate all of hers without sharing any with the dogs...that right there is proof it must be good!

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta~

Source: Yours truly

Ingredients:

1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked

1 lb. chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces

1 10 oz. Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Cheese & Herb

1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomato

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Directions:

1.) In a large pot bring water to a boil and cook pasta accordingly.

2.) In a medium size skillet on medium to high heat add two tablespoons of butter and add chicken, season generously with salt and pepper and add two to three dashes of garlic powder. Cook until no longer pink in center.

3.) To the cooked chicken add cooking creme and tomatoes and allow to simmer until pasta is cooked.

4.) Add pasta to the chicken and creme mix and simmer for another few minutes.

I served ours with green beans and Pillsbury bread sticks...quick and easy, what more could you ask for?

And on a side note, I love green beans but when you make them out of the can they are so bland. I always add a beef bouillon cube to mine along with a couple teaspoons of dried chopped onions and I boil them until there is very little liquid left. Talk about yummy!

Triple Chocolate Cake

2011-04-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

We have some serious sweet tooth's here in our house and it's to the point I think I bake more than I cook. Since I am sick of baking chocolate chip cookies and since it takes so much time to do so I decided to whip up this Triple Chocolate Cake. I found the recipe on this blog and found the recipe itself to be very vague. Being the intelligent person that I am I just whipped it up and hoped that I did it correctly. If you think about it how can you screw up anything that involves chocolate?

Triple Chocolate Cake~

Source: Recipe Shoebox

Ingredients:

1 Chocolate Cake mix

1 3/4 cup milk or water, we both used milk

1- 4 oz. package instant chocolate pudding

1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips

2 eggs

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Mix together dry cake mix, instant pudding, chocolate chips, milk, and then eggs. Mix until incorporated.

3.) Prepare a 9 or 10 inch bundt pan with grease and flour.

4.) Add cake mix and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

5.) Allow to cool for five minutes and gently ease it out of bundt pan. To complete cake sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

Enjoy all of this wonderful chocolaty goodness with a big glass of ice cold milk and you're all set for a scrumptious dessert.

Dare Devil in the making!

2011-04-02T01:32:00.000-04:00

Apparently my little Addison Grace enjoys climbing on things. What kills me is she has already taken a few tumbles and instead of learning from them she climbs right back up and usually tumbles again. It's hard to catch a thirteen month old from falling when your holding her six week old little sister. Thankfully we have not had to deal with any injuries so far...knock on wood, because the only injuries she seems to be receiving here lately are caused by her parents. Mommy accidentally tripping her, Mommy pushing her down, Daddy pulling her out of the hall closet by the straps on her jumper, her tripping over everything and anything, and not to be left out, the english bull dog of my Mom's who thinks he's a linebacker and she just happens to always seem to be in his path to the back door for his potty breaks. My poor child...please don't call children's services on us...I promise these are just accidents! The cooler has since been put up...still not sure why it was in the playroom other than the fact we're still emptying our house and moving into my Mom's. Things are everywhere right now.

Don't ask...the microwave is there temporarily until we move it to the garage. And yes the spoon wedged between the handles of the cabinet is to keep a certain little girl out. And yes I am aware they sells products to do just that.

Does she not look cute in her little jumper? And check out her $45 pair of Nike Shocks...I about died at how much a good pair of shoes cost for toddlers.

That would be Oliver the bulldog in his cage. He spends a lot of time in that cage for the safety of our entire family...the adults included. That dog has enough energy for about twelve others and I think we've all tripped over him a time or two.

And because it's funny even though it shouldn't be because now I have to break her of this little habit...Addison's new favorite word is shit. Where did she learn it you ask? Her Father that's where. And does he have a potty mouth? Oh no...he was just trying to teach her on purpose because he thought it would be funny. Well she finally learned and she's used it twice now. Both times being after she's fallen down. I guess if she's going to use it she's at least using it at the appropriate moments. Once again, please don't call children's services on us...lol.

A girl and her horsey...

2011-03-29T19:20:00.000-04:00

This little lady sure does love her animals!

Stuffed Shells

2011-03-23T16:39:00.008-04:00

We love Italian food in our house as some of you may already know. I'm a pasta fanatic and my mini me is following right behind me. The girl loves her some spaghetti! My Mom requested stuffed shells for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I figured how hard can it be to throw together a recipe? Throw together is exactly what I did and I was actually pretty surprised on how well the meal turned out. In the past I had never been a big stuffed pasta fan usually because it would involved some sort of meat. This time I stuck with cheese and boy was it a winner.

This recipe produces enough to make two 9x13 baking pans. This would be great for serving a crowd, freezing for later, or my favorite idea...sharing with a friend who just had a baby or someone who has a family to feed who may be sick and unable to cook. There's one pan for your family and one for theirs and you don't have double the work! I made mine tonight to celebrate Daniel's 33rd birthday with family. Happy Birthday Sweetie...the girls and I love you dearly!!!

(Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. This was taken by my phone the first time I made them. Last nights batch got a little to brown on top because we were busy playing cards and someone wasn't paying attention.)

Stuffed Shells~

Ingredients:
2 boxes jumbo shells (I only use about a box and a half of the shells)
1- 46 oz. container ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic salt
3 tbsp. minced dried onion
1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
16 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz. bad shredded Parmesan cheese
67 oz. container Prego sauce

Directions:
1.) In a large pot bring water to a boil, salt water, add jumbo shells. Cook until soft on the outside but still hard on the inside. Drain and allow to cool enough to handle. (Have no clue why that's highlighted.)

2.) In a medium mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, pepper, garlic salt, parsley, dried onion, 4 eggs, 1 cup sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended.

3.) In baking pan add around 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Stuff each shell with about one tablespoon of cheese mixture. Layer shells in one layer to the pan until full.

4.) Top each pan with the remaining sauce, around three cups each.

5.) Top shells with the remaining shredded cheeses starting with the mozzarella.

6.) Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for fifty minutes or until heated through. Uncover and bake an additional ten minutes to lightly brown cheese on top.

I served this meal with a side of corn and a nice tossed garden salad topped off with a nice loaf of french bread. Of course since it's Daniel's birthday we had birthday cake for dessert.

One Month

2011-03-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

Happy One Month Birthday Cadence Leah!

So, what are you up to? Yeah that's right, not sleeping, that's what you're up to. Oh and crying, lots of crying. Do you seriously have to cry so much?? And can we please discuss why you insist on being held ALL.OF.THE.TIME??? I know you don't really care but I do need to sleep some time and this holding you while trying to sleep just isn't working for me. It keeps me on Mommy alert on night long...must not roll over...must not roll over...DON'T MOVE FROM CURRENT POSITION. And why do you turn your built in furnace on when I am holding you? You make my arm so hot it stings! Please stop crying, start sleeping, and dear God, please start sleeping in your own bed...I'm begging you!

But please do Mommy one big favor! Please don't stop being so adorable. As crazy as you are making me right now I love watching you. I absolutely love hearing you start to talk to us and those gummy grins melt my heart each and every time! I love you baby girl and I know someday you'll let me sleep again!

I could have sworn it's March!

2011-03-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Well it's almost the middle of March and can you guess what it's currently doing outside? SNOWING...come on weather get with the program. We are tired of the snow and we are most definitely done with the rain. It's rained so much here lately that our back pastures are under water as well as the roads near our house. Living next to a river can be good but during heavy rains its bad. You have to drive out of your way to get home when the roads are shut down.

This Momma is ready for spring so we can get out of this house and do stuff...any stuff would work as I am spending entirely way too much time on facebook!

We were fortunate for one day this week where I was able to take Addison out for about ten minutes before the next round of rain hit. She loves being outside and she loves swinging in her new swing.

Everyone...think spring!!

If only I had known...

2011-03-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

I knew having two babies so close in age was going to be challenging at times but I had no clue that it was going to be so difficult right out of the starting gate. Cadence was born three weeks ago today and it was exactly three weeks and one day ago that I have gotten an actual nights sleep. I'm realizing now that we were spoiled with Addison. She had her moments of course, but Cadence...Cadence has moments twenty four hours a day...every single day! If she isn't being held she's crying and half the time she's crying even when she's being held. To say I'm on the verge of a complete meltdown would be an understatement.

I don't think it would be so bad if Addison were older but we're talking about a one year old here who is completely clueless to what's going on other than the fact that some little person is hogging her Mother and Grandmothers attention. I pick up Cadence to try to soothe her and Addison wants picked up. I lay Cadence's bottle or pacifier down and Addison snatches them and takes off for the hills. Have you ever tried getting up out of a chair/couch while holding a sleeping baby who you don't want to wake up all so that you can chase after a toddler who apparently runs faster than you do even though her run is more of a waddle? Then there is the whole let's try to snatch sissy's blanket that she's swaddled in while she's laying in the recliner. Thank god Daddy moves quickly or someone would have ended up on the floor of the playroom. Of course there is always Addison who purposefully stops the baby swing from swinging. Did I mention this is after I have struggled to get Cadence to actually fall asleep so that I could put her in the swing? And that Addison stopping it usually always wakes her up?

My all time favorite issue with the girls right now is the fact they are tag teaming me...BIG TIME! One needs a bottle and you get them situated back into bed after what seems like an eternity and then boom...the other kid wakes up and needs a bottle. One needs a diaper change and sure enough you get settled back on the couch when the other needs a diaper change. Is it to much to ask for them to poop at the same time?

This Momma is so tired. I can't find time to shower and half the time don't even get dressed for the day. I'm pretty confident that baby number three won't be coming for awhile as I am going to need about a year or two worth of sleep before I even dream of adding to this chaos...lol. I love my girls though and I am so blessed that I have them in my life. While I was crying alongside Cadence and Addison last night I made sure to remember that in about eighteen years I would welcome the lack of sleep for just another night of holding my little babies!

2011-03-07T13:42:00.007-05:00

Long time no post. You'll have to excuse my absence...that last few months of my pregnancy were rough. Trying to take care of an active toddler and be eight and nine months pregnant at the same time is very tiresome. I've actually thought about getting rid of the blog because of my neglect but I figure I will leave it up for anyone that has a favorite recipe on here and I know I will randomly post here and there.

For anyone wanting to see the latest addition to our little family head on over to my baby blog and you can meet Cadence Leah. The link is on the right hand side of this blog.

Anywho...

I haven't done much cooking for the last few months and I am so tired of eating out or eating easily made items like sloppy joes and such that I whipped this meal up earlier this week and I was really impressed with it. Both the hubby and I ate two pieces of chicken a piece and even Addison enjoyed the meal.

Bruschetta Chicken:

6 medium chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup saltine crackers, finely crumbled

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. garlic salt

6 pieces of mozzarella cheese

1 cup bruschetta...our favorite is from Trader Joe's

Directions:

1.) In a large skillet add a few tablespoons of oil along with two tablespoons of butter and set to medium heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In three small bowls/containers add your eggs to one, flour to another, and bread crumb and saltine crackers to a third. Add your pepper and garlic salt to the flour mixture and add the Parmesan cheese to the bread crumb/saltine cracker mixture. You can also add a dash or two of milk to your egg mixture.

3.) Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour mix, then into the egg bath, and lastly into the breadcrumb and cracker mix. Make sure each piece is thoroughly coated.

4.) Add chicken to skillet and brown on each side. On a baking sheet add chicken and stick in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes.

5.) During last ten minutes take chicken out to add cheese and bruschetta. Fold each piece of cheese in half and top each piece of chicken. Add one to two tablespoons of the bruschetta on top of the cheese. Put back in the oven for the last ten minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

I served our chicken alongside of some fettuccine alfredo and some fresh italian bread. This meal was great that night and was just as yummy for lunch the next day.

I apologize in advance if there are some words spelled incorrectly or some sentences that don't make any sense. I have a baby who hasn't allowed me to get a decent nights sleep since her birth three weeks ago.

Happy 1st Birthday Addie...

2011-02-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it but my precious little baby is now a year old. This milestone has been an emotional one for me mainly because I can't believe just how quickly this past year has flown by. Up until February 14th she still seemed like this little baby to me but then I went and had Cadence and she is so tiny compared to Addison. It's a constant reminder to me that Addison is no longer my little baby...she's my big girl. She's a big girl with an even bigger attitude. This child keeps us on our toes and she has a mean streak a mile long. As hard as we try to remain composed when dishing out her punishments we can't help but laugh because she is so overly dramatic it's hilarious. Daniel would be the first to tell you she takes after her Mother in the drama department...lol. Here are some notes about what she's up to...

She has spent entirely too much time with the family dogs. Addie likes to lick everything and enjoys eating food off her tray like a dog.

She is starting to enjoy TV, if there is music on the TV she will dance to it.

She is not shy by any means. When I was in the hospital having Cadence, nurses would walk in and Addison would go straight to them with her hands in the air wanting picked up.

She will eat just about anything but she's like a bird. Sometimes trying to get her to eat isn't worth the fight.

She stills gets up once or twice a night. I pray that this doesn't last much longer. Even though she stills gets up during the night we can usually put her to bed between 8 and 9 and she can sleep until 9 or 10 the next morning. Of course these past few days she's been getting up around 7:30/8 so we'll see if this is a new phase.

She says a few words like Mommy and Daddy. On rare occasions she can say Addie and Sissy. I have heard her say cake once and my Mom now has her saying kitty kitty. Even though she is still mumbling it's actually starting to sound like she's trying to say something. I could listen to her talk all day long.

She is wearing 12-18 month clothing and it's leaning more towards the 18 months more and more everyday. Sister has some chubby feet and she is currently in a size 4 shoe, althought today we put her in a size 5. A month ago she was 20 pounds, not sure what she weighs now but compared to her sister it's a lot. She's also wearing a size 4 diaper which further enhances her behind which my family has affectionately nicknamed the Kim Kardashian butt.

She has her top two teeth as well as her bottom two teeth and just this week a tooth next to the bottom teeth has started to poke through. With these new teeth she's learned the concept of biting. Girlfriends already gotten a swat or two for biting Mommy.

In honor of Addison's first birthday we had two parties. The first get together was on her actual birthday which was the 17th. It was very low key seeing as I had just gotten out of the hospital with Cadence so it was just us, my Mom, and my brother Steve. We got her her own little cake and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It was good practice for party #2.

We held her second party this past Saturday at my step-dad and his girlfriends house and I think it's safe to say she had an absolute blast. She had lots of kids to play with and had balloons to play with. We know now that if we ever want to entertain her for long periods of time all we have to do is get her a balloon. She was still pulling those balloons along with her today.

The theme in her nursery is farm animals so I decided that was the theme we would use for her party. I had her invites professionally done which I would share with you except for the fact they have my telephone number and the address of my step-dads house and I don't know how to blur it out so for safety reasons I won't be posting it. It was super cute though with a little farm scene, her picture, and lots of pink and green. Her cake and the balloons matched perfectly!

By birthday round two she was a professional at destroying cakes. This pictures cracks me up. Needed a beverage break at half time.

She did pretty good with presents. She didn't concern herself much with actually opening them so I did most of the work but as I would unwrap she would play with the item. She got lots of clothes and very few toys which surprised me but she needed the clothes so Mommy's happy. Her Papaw gave her money so we'll get her a few toys with it. Just this afternoon we purchased a pink tree swing for her with it and she loved swinging so I think she's happy with her loot.

Overall I think she had a great first birthday celebrated with lots of family and friends. She continues to be the light of my life and I think God every single day that he gave me this precious little girl. There are times when she tries my nerves so bad I just have to cry but just minutes later she's walking up to me and resting her head on my shoulder as if she's apologizing. I like to think I am pretty good with words and writing my feelings down on paper but with this little girl I am wordless. There are no words or nothing that I could write that would properly express what I feel for her and what she has brought to my life. Her Daddy and I have had a pretty tough year starting with my job loss. We have lost our home, given up one of our vehicles, and gone without many of things in order for me to stay at home with her and her sister and I am all right with those decisions because spending my every waking moment with these two little girls is worth all of the money in the world. We moved in with my Mom in order to start putting money away in savings and to get ourselves out of debt so that in a year or so we can move out and start fresh without having to worry about where next months rent is going to come from and whether or not we'll be able to afford groceries. We're doing this all for our daughters because at the end of the day they are our light at the end of the tunnel and they make us feel like the richest people in the world.

Happy Birthday Addison Grace, I love you to the moon and back and I look forward to watching you grow into a beautiful young woman!

2011-02-20T14:10:00.000-05:00

Well, one kids in bed and the other is currently being held by her Daddy which means Mommy finally has a free minute or two to tell you a little about Cadence's birth story. It's been almost a week and I still can't believe that she is here or that she came so quickly.

As you already know we went in Sunday night to begin the induction process and little did I know how different this induction was going to be compared to Addison's induction. I got my first dose of gel around 9 or so Sunday night and not much happened. I was dilated to a 2 and had been for the past two weeks or so. Shortly before getting my second dose of gel around one Monday morning contractions started. At first we thought it was the gel since it can cause irritability and contractions that don't last long but it wasn't long before I realized this was the real deal. They were coming every two minutes and were extremely uncomfortable. Even though this was my second pregnancy and delivery things were much different than what I experienced with Addison. With Addison my induction was a two day event and when contractions finally started they were in my lower back because Addison was sunny side up. By the time hard contractions started I had already received my epidural and my water wasn't broken until afterward.

With Cadence my contractions started almost immediately and they weren't pleasant. I don't think it helped that I hadn't slept Saturday night and obviously I wasn't going to be sleeping much Sunday night. I was given an ambien pill to help sleep and since my contractions were getting bad I requested my first round of nubain (sp?). The combination of the two knocked me out and I did manage to sleep for a few hours. Even though I was out cold my contractions did continue. They started my pitocin at six Monday morning and broke my water shortly after. If I remember correctly I was only dilated at a three at that point in the game. It wasn't long after this took place that things started moving very quickly. By 8:30 or so I was dilated to a four and my nurse had talked me into receiving my epidural. I was very hesitant to go ahead and get it because I thought for sure I would be stuck laying in the bed for the rest of the day since I wasn't dilating very quickly. I think my fear was it was going to be another two day induction experience and lord knows I didn't want to be confined to my bed that long. The nurse must have insisted while I was experiencing a contraction because I went ahead and decided now was the time. I got my epidural around 8:45 Monday morning and I am glad it's over and done with. It took two tries before they finally got it to work and I was less than impressed with my nurse. I had a mini breakdown before they started the second attempt and wished so badly they would have allowed Daniel in with me. Instead of holding me to keep me from moving like the nurse was supposed to do she kept walking away from me and doing stuff with the computer which meant I would move as hard as I tried not to. I blame her for the anesthesiologist having to do it twice. Anyway, at that time I was at a four and thought I would finally get some time to rest before I finally delivered...boy was I wrong. Next thing I know I was experiencing pain in my "lady region" like I had never experienced in my life. I was holding my cousin Heathers hand like it was the end of the world...lol. I actually became that woman I said I would never be. The one that you can hear screaming down at the end of the hallway. I wasn't screaming but I was definitely doing some moaning and groaning and Daniel said he could hear me in the hallway...I'm not proud of that but man was I hurting. They quickly called for the anesthesiologist to head back down to make sure nothing was wrong with my epidural and he topped me off with some more drugs. The pain finally went away after about ten minutes or so. They discovered that the pain was because Cadence had dropped and had dropped rapidly. I had gone from a four to a nine in about an hour and she was already crowning. I don't remember much with details at that point because everything happened so quickly but I do remember them rushing the residents in because my Doctor wasn't available. The two residents who assisted had me do two practice pushes and next thing I remember everyone was suiting up, the bed was being taken apart and nurses were flooding in. Since they try their hardest to wait for the actual Doctors to deliver they had me hold off on pushing...they did the same thing to me with Addison. I told them this time I didn't care if the Doctor was there or not and they told me it was important to her, seriously, whose in labor here and they think it's important to the Doctor...screw that. Turns out they didn't have a choice though because next thing I know the resident is saying "we gotta go" and next thing I know I have a baby laying on my belly. Turns out I didn't really need to push, my contractions were pushing her out without my assistance and when the resident looked down her head was pretty much out...lol. Delivering Cadence was so much easier than Addison. My pelvic bone caused problems with Addison and she would start to come out and then I would stop pushing and she would go back in. I much prefer having the baby come out on their own...lmao.

I think we were all in a little bit of shock regarding how quickly I delivered. Half the family, including my Mom who had Addison, missed the delivery because everyone was expecting it to be similar to what Addison's was like. I told Daniel today I am almost afraid to get pregnant again because we may not even make it to the hospital for that delivery. It's amazing that I am now the mother of two children. It's still sinking in that I get to say "girls" now. I am truly blessed...extremely tired, but very blessed.

I am still trying to learn how to be a Mother of two young children. Typically whenever I would use the restroom or do something in the kitchen or bedroom I would take Addison with me because I never know what she is going to get into. Just yesterday we were in the living room when Cadence decided she was going to drench both herself and me in puke. I had a brief moment of panic when I realized I was unable to take Addison back to the bedroom with me to change my clothes and get Cadence cleaned up. I finally decided to brave it and leave her out in the living room to fend for herself...you'll be happy to know she survived without incident. My Mom is helping out with laundry since the laundry room is in the basement and I haven't had a shower in three days but I'm adjusting. I know it will get easier as time progresses so right now I am just enjoying the ride.

She's here...

2011-02-16T00:17:00.000-05:00

Cadence Leah Blankenship has arrived. She made her grand entrance at 10:31 a.m. on Valentines Day. This delivery was completely different from my delivery with Addison, in fact I am still in shock. Details will be forth coming as soon as we're sprung from the hospital. Keeping our fingers crossed that we will be released later this afternoon but she has developed jaundice and we all know how that went last year with Addison so who knows how long we will be here.

Just as stubborn as the last one!

2011-02-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are and I am still pregnant. I really thought this pregnancy would be different since my body was progressing unlike with Addison's birth. I guess this just means I have another stubborn little girl on my hands. After a quick trip to the hospital last weekend for false labor I thought for sure that we would have had her by this weekend but nope. My Doctors have taken pity on my miserable self and the fact that I really don't want the girls to share the same birth date so we are headed in Sunday night for an induction. If all goes as planned I will have my little Valentines Day baby, how sweet!

On another note...my baby, the one that started this all last year, is going to be a year old this coming Thursday. I would really like to know where this past year has gone because I just can't swallow the fact that it's been an entire year that Addison has been in our life. I was telling Daniel just last night as he was wrestling on the floor with her that this time last year we didn't have her to play with and she was the one we were patiently awaiting.

With a new baby and the first of two birthday parties this week I think we're going to be a little bit busy don't you?

We're getting close!

2011-02-04T23:50:00.000-05:00

Unlike her older sister, this little girl isn't beating around the bush trying to enter this world. Even though my due date isn't for another three weeks, Cadence should be here by next weekend whether she likes it or not. I think if she could have Addison would have stayed in my belly. When they finally induced me with her I was at my due date and my body was making almost no progress. With this little one my body is raring to go. As of yesterday I am 2 cm. dialated and 60% thinned out. That fact this is happening three weeks out is amazing compared to nothing happening at all with Addison.

I am hoping she comes very soon on her own but thanks to more gall bladder issues, the Doctors will induce after my appointment next Thursday if she isn't here yet. I was made to promise that I would keep my legs crossed when it came to more babies until my gall bladder is finally taken care of...lol.

A part of me is excited we have come to the end of this journey. I am miserable beyond belief. I wasn't chasing after an eleven month old during my last pregnancy! I am also excited to finally meet this little girl. The other part of me though is scared out of my mind. I am so worried about how I am going to juggle raising a one year old with a newborn. I am so afraid that I won't be able to give either one of the girls the attention that they both deserve and require. I know I won't get to sit around all day holding my precious newborn like I did with Addison because let's face it, Addison is still 100% dependent on me and there won't be time to snuggle with Cadence all day long. That leaves me with guilt for Cadence for not getting as much one on one time with me as her sister did and then I have guilt because during those moments that I am able, Addison will be lacking. What's a mother of two babies going to do?? I know this is one big learning experience for me and after a short while the girls and I will get into a lovely groove and all of these worries and guilty moments will be a thing of the past but until then I can't help but panic a little.

Here's hoping that my next post includes a picture of a lovely little girl who we will all have just met! Keep us all in your thoughts in prayers.

9 month checkup done a month late...oops!

2011-01-14T15:06:00.000-05:00

Today I finally took Addison in for her nine month check up and for her latest round of shots. I don't claim to be mother of the year so better late than never in my book.

Who needs a milk mustache when you can have a yogurt mustache?

The Doctor is really impressed with her which makes this Mommy very happy. It assures me that I'm doing something right. She weighed in at a little over twenty pounds and she is almost thirty inches long...girlfriend is going to be tall just like her parents. I got a good laugh out of this appointment because they made me fill out a questionnaire for her regarding her skills and such. It kept asking me questions such as whether or not she's able to stand on her own or with assistance and whether she can walk along the couch or table. Not one question about whether or not at ten months she's actually walking all by herself. My ten month old can't possibly be the only ten month old whose walking all by herself and has been for the last month in a half!! No matter what the Doctor was excited to see her in action and Addison was more than happy to show off even though she got a stick in her toe to test her hemoglobin level. She kept on trucking even with a bloody toe...lol. She got even more praises when I whipped out her sippy cup and she drank out of it like a champ. I think the Doctor was impressed when I said she had been on one for months now. She gave me the go ahead to take the bottle away completely which I am hesitant about. Addison never took a pacifier so during the night she likes to chew on her bottle nipple, the only time in which she gets a bottle, as her comfort item. I don't know if I am willing to take that away just yet, especially since she's still not sleeping through the night and this tired Momma needs as much sleep as she can possibly get. We'll see if I get brave over the next few days!!

A little hurricane Addie destruction for your viewing pleasure! Can you imagine what it will look like with two babies?

My little Peanut...my motto is, "you can never have too much toilet paper!" It's the Crohn's patient in me talking...LOL. Looks like I have a chip off the old block!

Anyway, our little baby isn't so little anymore and I think it's safe to say she isn't our baby anymore...she's our big girl. I can't believe in about five weeks she's going to be a year old and that we more than likely will have another little baby on our hands. Where has the past year gone?

Cadence

2011-01-07T14:14:00.000-05:00

Since I have been a bad Mommy when it comes to posting updates on Cadence during this pregnancy I thought since I had a wonderful appointment this morning that I would make a short post. I will be 34 weeks on Monday and as of today she is measuring at 33.5 weeks so we are right on schedule. Her heartbeat was 152 and she's an active little bugger. I am looking forward to having my tummy back to myself so that she'll stay off of my bladder as I have actually thought about putting a bucket in the playroom just so I won't have to trek to the bathroom every five minutes. It's hard having to go poddy all of the time when you have an active toddler who you have to chase down in order to go.

Anyway, the Doctor was impressed with not only my weight...he actually said it was phenomenal which I had to laugh at because believe me, it is not a phenomenal number. He's impressed because I am actually losing weight and I guess when you have a ton to lose, losing some during pregnancy is fine by them. My blood pressure was excellent and my urine was clean...to much information I know! Today's appointment also meant getting my shot in the butt/hip since I have a negative blood type. I have to have a shot before delivery and after delivery with each pregnancy to ensure a healthy baby/pregnancy. I would be lying if I said it didn't sting just a tad today, in fact I jumped when the nurse jabbed it in.

I have another appointment in two weeks and then we start the once every single week appointment game. I can't believe we are almost to the finish line with this little girl. You should have seen me trying to get both myself and Addison out the door in a timely fashion this morning and then have to make an awful amount of bathroom visits while we were waiting for the Doctor with her in tow. I seriously don't think I am going to be able to leave the house much after this baby arrives because dragging along a newborn and an active one year old all by myself is just asking for trouble.

Christmas

2010-12-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

I can't believe the holidays have arrived and gone already. It seems like you spend so much time shopping, wrapping, baking, and planning get together's and then before you know it everything is done and over with. We had a really good Christmas this year with lots of family. Lots more that we could have spent time with but when your parents are divorced and then divorced again that leaves you with lots of stops but not enough time to get them in.

I'm still getting over a nasty stomach virus that I picked up on Christmas so this post is going to be mainly pictures but I thought I would share Addison's first Christmas with everyone so here we go.

Opening up her very first gift on Christmas Eve. It's a V-Tech phone that she adores thanks to the one that is at my Dad's.

She has no clue which toy to play with on Christmas morning.

Here she is with her Disney Princess tent with tunnel.

Going for her twin baby dolls which have become her favorite but also have warned Mommy and Daddy to never leave her alone with her baby sister...lol!

Taking a break, opening presents is hard work for such a little girl!

She started walking a good month or so ago but after a tumble down a flight of stairs...don't ask...she back pedaled a little and went back to crawling full time. It seems like a day or two before Christmas it was full speed ahead for walking and we are really enjoying ourselves as we sit back and watch her waddle around carrying all of her new toys. Where she finds some of her strength is beyond me but it's funny none the less. She's loving all of her new toys but we are seriously going to have to invest in some bigger toy boxes and I have given up trying to keep the area picked up during the day. Mommy picks everything up and then she pulls it right back out again.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, I know that we did and next year should be even better with our second addition to the family!

Chow mein clusters & Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T16:07:00.004-05:00

Am I the only one who is in complete shock over the fact that Christmas is in two days?

Seriously where has the month of December gone to. I am really excited to get to celebrate Addison's first Christmas but at the same time I am not looking forward to afterwords. The month of January for me is going to be absolutely crazy. Not only do I have to prepare for the newest addition to our little family of three but I also have to plan somebody's first birthday party. My goal is to have the party planned, invitations ready to be sent out, and the menu planned all by the middle of January. Apparently we didn't think through the having two children almost exactly a year apart very well or I would have at least put a month or so between birthdays. I have planned Addison's party for the last weekend of February so worse case scenario is that we'll have a week old newborn along for the ride. Thank God my OB won't let me go over my due date because we don't want to discuss how upset I would be if I was stuck in the hospital during the big party.

Anyway, I have been busy creating goodies these past few days with a few more yet to go. I shared a few of them with you last year but a couple are brand spanking new for me this year. One of the recipes will be posted without a picture since my Mom and husband devoured it before a picture could be taken. Sweets DO NOT last long in this house!

First up is one that I stumbled upon last year. I saw it on allrecipes.com and shortly after saving the recipe for future use Daniel mentioned that one of the ladies at work had made them and he loved them. I never got the chance to whip them up last year but I fixed that this year and I must admit...they are pretty darn good and were really easy to make.

Chow Mein Clusters~

Ingredients:
10 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels
10 oz. bag butterscotch morsels
2 1/2 cups chow mein noodles
2 cups salted peanuts

Directions:
1.) In a double boil over medium heat melt together chocolate and butterscotch morsels until smooth.
2.) Add peanuts and noodles to melted chocolate/butterscotch and mix, coating peanuts and noodles evenly.
3.) Drop by rounded tablespoon on lined baking sheet and transfer to fridge to harden.

*If you don't have parchment paper to line your baking sheet just lightly spray your baking sheet with the butter spray you use to keep cakes and such from sticking to baking dishes.

And what's a post about sweets without a picture of this sweet? This time last year I was counting down the weeks until she would be making her appearance and now here I am having to strap her in her high chair just so I can bake without tripping over her. While she isn't exactly elbow deep in cookie dough this year, she's taking more of a supervisor approach to Mom's baking, I have loved having her around...it makes me feel more of a Mommy at Christmas with a little one under foot.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2010-12-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday we spent our afternoon among all of the crazy mall shoppers to do one very important thing...meet the big guy in red. Addison got to meet Santa for the very first time and other than a short stare down she did awesome. I am so proud of my big girl.

In line ready for the big moment...

Still patiently waiting...

At last, meeting the big guy for the very first time!

To conclude our Saturday adventure we came home and prepared for the winter storm heading our way. As Addison has gotten older she has gotten more and more interested in playing with things that aren't hers, aren't toys, and probably shouldn't be played with. Example being our cell phones, the remote control, and now this...Daddy's wallet and his debit card. She's not even ten months old yet and she's already hijacking his wallet. Does this mean we are in some serious trouble in about fifteen years?

A little Thanksgiving enjoyment...

2010-12-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post some pictures from Addison's first Thanksgiving and I have finally got a second to do so. Did you know teething babies are the most irritable things alive. I have never seen someone so unhappy as what I have witnessed from Addison these past few days...I am grateful that we have both made it through alive.

Anyway, here are the pictures. To say she enjoyed her meals would be an understatement

Here she is with my cousin Heather who also happens to be her Godmother. The smile on that child's face is priceless!

This is her new grin...her face all scrunched up with her eyes shut...adorable.

There's something about those straps that she just loves.

A close up for the camera...she may or may not have been covered in food!

Thankful beyond words...

2010-11-25T11:22:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for this little girl. She is the light of my life and is helping me to walk through a very difficult dark period in my life. Without her I am nothing and I will cherish her for the rest of my life. I am enjoying all of her milestones and can't wait for the rest. This week we finally have a tooth coming in (seriously thought dentures might be in her future) and she is starting to walk. Yay for my little big girl.

Not to forget my other little miracle...Cadence, Mommy can't wait until this time next year when I have two little turkey's to love and adore. My heart is going to end up exploding from my chest because of the love I will have for the both of you little girls.

Thank you to my husband for giving me these two little miracles but we will be waiting for the third one right sweetie?

Happy turkey day everybody. May your day be filled with good food, wonderful family and friends, and a few memories to last you a lifetime.

Breakfast Braid

2010-11-09T17:21:00.003-05:00

Here is another recipe I tried out this week and I am happy to share it with everyone because it was yummy. The original recipe calls for ham as you will see below but I substituted the ham for a half pound of bacon. Daniel isn't a big ham fan...go figure, and we both adore bacon so I thought why not. This dish would be great for a nicer breakfast or brunch where you are trying to impress someone.

Ham Breakfast Braid~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough
4 ounces cooked ham, thinly sliced*
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat milk and cream cheese together until smooth. Mix in eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat and cook egg mixture until eggs are almost set.
Arrange the crescent rolls from one package into a rectangle shape on top of a lightly greased cookie sheet. Place rolls from remaining package along the edges of the two long sides of the rectangle, with the broad half of the rolls on top of the first layer of rolls, and the pointed ends extending over the sides of the pan.
Arrange the ham in a layer down the center of the dough*. Spoon the cooked egg mixture on top of the ham and then sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the eggs. Bring the corners of the rolls together over the cheese to form a 'braid' shape.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown.

*Instead of using the ham in this dish I fried up a half pound of bacon diced up. I then added the cooked bacon to the egg mixture and then proceeded to cook the eggs.

This made enough to serve four people and for us we had enough for breakfast tomorrow.

Now...can you believe this is my second post in a week?? Neither can I and guess what I have a fantastic recipe to share with you in the coming days so stick around. It's a really good recipe and another one that is going to go into my recipe box for future use.

Baked Pork Chops

2010-11-07T21:11:00.008-05:00

I'm trying really hard to get out of my cooking rut so I am hoping (praying more like it) that this week will be different. I have gathered a few new recipes that I hope to try out so we'll see how I do.

Tonight I made these baked pork chops even though I was very cautious since I cannot stand cream of mushroom soup. I took the advice of a fellow recipe reviewer who suggested the golden mushroom soup and I am glad I listened. These babies were awesome and I think my hatred of cream of mushroom soup may have lessened a little bit. This recipe is definitely a keeper for us. I served ours with mashed potatoes, corn, and chicken stuffing since my husband doesn't like mashed potatoes. If you want to have enough of the gravy to go over your taters I would suggest doubling the cream of mushroom soup and the milk.

Baked Pork Chops~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

6 pork chops
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used golden mushroom soup for a heartier flavor)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup white wine (I used additional milk instead)

* I also used a bit of salt and pepper in my bread crumbs and skipped using the flour all together.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.

Here piggy, piggy...

2010-11-02T14:52:00.000-04:00

A little late but too cute not to share with everyone! Addison went as a little piggy this year for Halloween. We felt she was still to young to actually go from door to door but she did enjoy helping her Daddy pass out candy at Grandma's house and she loved hanging out in her walker and watching everyone as they strolled by on the sidewalk. I can't wait for next year when she will actually be able to go trick or treating.

Addison with Daddy the big scary monster. Halloween is his favorite holiday.

Hanging out in her walker.

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-11-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Eight months old is just right to start your very first chores!

I like to help Mommy unload groceries...

I like to help her fold laundry...

I like to help load the dishwasher...

I also like to help her fix dinner every now and then...

I'm such a good little helper and Mommy appreciates a hand around here every once in awhile!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch today. Better late than never I suppose. I can't wait until next year when Addison is up and walking and can really enjoy herself. This year it was more for Mom and Dad than it was for her but she was a good sport about it and posed for a few pictures. I would have loved to have taken more but about the time we got done visiting the animals and moving towards the pumpkins three, count em...three, greyhound buses pulled in jammed packed full of kids. That my friends was our cue to get the hell out of dodge. Tomorrow we'll be carving up our pumpkins and I can't wait to see how Addison reacts helping pull all of the gunk out. We'll have the freshest carved pumpkins in the neighborhood.

Which pumpkin shall I choose?

I think this is the perfect one!

Her very first try down the slide.

Addison with PJ the horse...slightly smaller than our Clydesdale's.

The goat that tried snatching her bottle...lol.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

2010-10-23T19:58:00.004-04:00

Hold onto your britches...break out your snow gear, Katie's finally posting a new recipe so the snows about to get deep here!

I cannot believe I haven't posted anything since August 12th. I have an Uncle who is mighty disappointed in me. I would like to give you some really great excuse such as I am so busy it's not even funny but honestly it has nothing to do with that although having an eight month old crawling around and being five months pregnant does slow things down a bit. I just haven't been cooking much and plus the cable to my camera allowing me to download pictures straight to the computer broke so I knew it was no use until I got a new one. I finally did so tonight's the night I blog.

My Mom celebrated her birthday on the 20th so I did a family dinner tonight. I asked her what kind of cake she would like and this is what she requested. I have never heard of a fruit cocktail cake before so I was a tad bit nervous but I must say it's pretty good, especially when it is still warm. Very easy to make and very few ingredients.

Fruit Cocktail Cake~
Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 pinches salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 (15.25 ounce) can fruit cocktail with juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (7 ounce) package flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, Beat eggs and 1 1/2 cups white sugar together until smooth. Beat in flour mixture and fruit cocktail with juice. Spread into prepared pan. Mix together the brown sugar and chopped nuts; sprinkle on top of cake.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately poke holes in cake with fork. Pour topping over cake.
To make the topping: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, and stir in coconut.

On another note...can you believe my baby is eight months old? Where does the time fly. In just four months she is going to be big sister and we will be welcoming our second daughter. Cadence Leah should be here around February 19th...two days after Addison's first birthday. Come February when I am back to not blogging my excuse really will be that I am so busy I can't see straight...lol.

Firsts

2010-10-18T01:07:00.000-04:00

These next few months for us are going to be very busy and I can't wait. One of the cool things about being a first time Mom is that not only is Addison going to be experiencing a bunch of firsts, but I will be experiencing them for the first time as a Mom. Our first trip to the pumpkin patch, our first time carving pumpkins, our first Halloween, our first Thanksgiving, meeting Santa for the very first time, and most important of all our very first Christmas together. I don't think the holidays are truly enjoyed until you get to experience them through the eyes of your children. I actually had a mini breakdown just the other week thinking about how much fun the holidays are going to be now that we have children. Both Daniel and myself are so excited for Christmas this year that we can hardly stand it. Mommy and Daddy are anxiously awaiting Christmas shopping, present wrapping, and present unwrapping this year...Addison has no idea what she has coming her way. And to think next year is going to be double the fun of this year!

I have finally replaced my cable so I should be able to start downloading pictures to the computer straight from my camera now. No more heading to Wal-Mart to download them to disc thank the lord!! Anyway, this means that we have many, many pictures of the above mentioned events coming your way. We're making our way to the pumpkin patch sometime this week so the pictures will start then...lol. In the meantime here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

Seriously??

Taking a spin on her new ride.

Hanging out in Grandma's bed.

Her very first wagon ride on the farm.

So cute...

Who needs expensive toys when you can just take a ride in your huggies diaper box?

One word...ADORABLE!!!

2010-10-15T00:19:00.000-04:00

Is my baby not the cutest little girl you have ever seen? There are no words to describe the love I have for this child. She is a comedian and makes me laugh multiples times a day! I am so blessed to be her Mommy...or shall I say "mum mum". This time next year there will be three babies in the pictures!

Addison with her cousin Dylan. The little mister turned a whole year old last week. It's pretty safe to say that we are all in a little bit of denial regarding how quickly these two are growing up and how quickly this year is flying by.

And on another note...when did it become acceptable for a complete stranger to come up to your child in the grocery and compare them with a butterball turkey? Just asking?

It's official...

2010-10-07T20:40:00.000-04:00

We're having another little girl. Cadence Leah Blankenship is on her way and we are thrilled to death even though I would have loved to have had my little boy.

I apologize that I am not blogging much...the cable to my camera to download pictures straight to the computer has stopped working which means I have to load up my memory card and then go to the store to download them to disc. This is part of the reason why I haven't blogged on my food site for ages. Hopefully I will be getting another one soon.

So many new things to talk about!

2010-09-08T14:36:00.000-04:00

I really thought that after I was done working I would have so much more time to blog. Man was I wrong...now that I have a child who is all over the place I have less time, that and I am being lazy and enjoying these few weeks because come February there will be no down time for me.

Addison has started a few new things these past few weeks and along the way we have taught her a trick or two. I have said it a million times and I promise I will say it another million times but seriously, I am in awe of this child. She is AMAZING! Her gummy grin and big blue eyes melt my heart every single day. I am fulfilled with this child yet I can't wait until our new little addition arrives.

A few weeks ago Addison started crawling and she hasn't stopped since. This child is all over the place and getting into everything...mainly the things she shouldn't be getting into such as pulling the night light out of the outlet, getting under the end tables, playing with Grandma's newspaper, chewing on dirty shoes, the list could go on and on and now that she's discovered where we keep the pots and pans and the canned goods I imagine the list will go on very quickly.

Now that I am home with her full time I am spending more time with her just playing and teaching her new things. We are practicing where our nose, ears, eyes, and mouth are. I gently touch hers and then I point to mine. I sing to her all of the time and she sings right along with me...it's so cute. This past weekend I taught her how to blow her nose. For the past week we had all been fighting a cold so she watched us all blow our noses time and time again. Just playing around one morning I blew mine and then got a tissue and told her to blow hers. Imagine my surprise when she actually blew into it as if she was trying to blow her nose. Let's just say I laughed so hard I peed my pants which isn't hard to do anymore since having had her and now being over four months pregnant with the new baby it's become an everyday occurrence. Now wherever we go we have to show everyone how she blows her nose. No one believes us that she actually blows into the tissue until they see and hear it themselves. All of her grandparents think it's hilarious and my Mom has to show everyone.We are learning very quickly that she is a fast learner and she loves to mimic everything that we do. If you hand her a cup she knows to take it straight to her mouth...she has been doing this for months and why we started her on a sippy cup about two months ago. My Mom has worked hard to teach her how to give a high five, and put her arms above her head when we say "big girl". Of course whenever she does these things we just laugh and applaud her so now she thinks she's hot stuff. When she first started crawling we would clap and praise her and let me tell you...my daughter is a ham and loves the praise.

Shortly after she started crawling full time she started sitting up all by herself, something that I have been anxious for her to do for awhile now. Her sitting up makes bath time so much easier on me. In the past week or so she has started pulling herself up into a kneeling/standing position on us and on things low to the ground such as her toys. She is slowly becoming brave enough to attempt the couch and chairs but she hasn't mastered them quite yet. I watch her everyday and can't believe just how big she is getting and how quickly she is becoming a big girl. Before long she is going to be walking across the stage getting her high school diploma.

Another milestone for her which has benefited me greatly is she is more anxious to eat her solids. Before I would struggle to get them in her because she was so involved with everything else around her. She is finally this week paying more attention to me and opening her mouth wide enough that more good gets in her belly than on her belly. We attempted fingers food about a week ago but she's not quite ready. I am hoping that in the next few weeks she will finally be ready. Just this afternoon when Daniel was eating a caramel apple she went straight for it and grabbed it out of his hands. The kid is strong and she was not about to let go of it. Daddy was kind enough to let her gnaw on it for a little while. I wish her teeth would start to come in...she is gnawing on everything right now. She loves to drink her juice. We get her apple juice, a yogurt drink that is mixed with apple juice, and just the other day we started her on carrot/apple juice which she loves. My kid loves carrots and butternut squash and she is getting to the point that if we grab a jar of food and a spoon she takes off for her chair...she knows what she's in store for. I told Daniel just this morning that we have another foodie on our hands.

In another week my little girl will be seven months old. I never imagined how quickly this first year would go for us. I am already planning her first birthday and I can't wait to start buying everything for it. I figured I would start stocking up now and getting everything ready since come January/February I more than likely won't be thrilled with having to start from the ground up. I still don't know how we are going to handle the party since the new baby could come whenever he or she wants. I pray everyday that this baby doesn't come on Addison's first birthday. I feel bad enough as it is that their birthdays will be so close together that they will never get their own individual parties. I just hope that they will at least get separate days so that we can celebrate them on separate occasions since my goal is to give each child their own birthday dinner just the four of us, or five depending on whether or not we have a third child. Mommy is not cooking two different dinners on one night...lol.

And not to be side tracked from the first birthday party but in the next few months we will be celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I have always loved the holidays, the weather, the decorations, the family togetherness, the food, but now that I am a mother the holidays have taken on a whole new meaning for me. Just the other day I broke down crying much to Daniel's surprise. I am looking forward to this years holidays like you wouldn't believe just for the simple fact we will have Addison to share them with. Christmas this year is going to be crazy and next year it will be even better as we will have two little rug rats to share it with. I realize everyday just how blessed I am and I couldn't be more thankful.

Six Months Old

2010-08-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

* This was supposed to post yesterday so please excuse the mix up!

Addison Grace, today you are six months old and I can barely believe it. I can't remember what life was like prior to you entering our world but yet it seems like only yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. You make us laugh daily and you never cease to amaze me with your newly learned abilities.

You are by far one of the happiest babies ever. There are only a few moments during the day when there isn't a smile on your face and those moments are normally followed by bedtime. No matter what time of day it is whenever you awake from sleep you are always smiling...ALWAYS! I walk quietly into the bedroom in case you aren't ready to be up and there you are rocking back and forth in your pac n play peering over the edge with a grin on your face because Mommy has come to rescue you. I call out "Baby" and you just wiggle and squirm and just can't hold still. I kiss your round cheeks and run my fingers through your hair to fix it and I take in your sweet baby scent. It's mind boggling just how much I love you little one.

Mommy has been such a bad blogger and I haven't posted any updates or pictures for your four or five month birthdays so I am going to give your updates and then I will post pictures later. *Our computer hasn't been moved to our new residence so bear with me.

The last you were weighed you were so close to being sixteen pounds. My guess is since that was about three weeks ago you have hit the sixteen pound mark. You have such a good appetite when you pay attention but feeding you solids is such a struggle because you are such a nosey little girl, you pay attention to everything else but Mommy and the spoon heading towards your mouth. You are twenty five inches long and we can already tell you will be a long little girl. You are in six to nine month clothing because the six month clothing just isn't long enough for you.

These past few weeks have been a major milestone for you as you have started crawling. You're not a professional yet since you do more rocking back and forth than anything but you have crawled, especially when you want something that is just out of reach.

We are still working on your ability to sit up all by yourself but you are so close I can taste it. I think I am more ready for you to be sitting than you are but you'll get there before long.

Bath time has become quite the adventure as you no longer hold still. You flop around from back to belly to back to side to crawling all because you must have the cup in your hands at all time. This cup is bigger than you (plastic milkshake cup from Steak N Shake) and you are constantly trying to hold it just right so you can attempt to drink out of it. You have already experienced that that is a bad idea once but you still keep on trying it.

Diaper changes and getting you dressed is also no longer an easy task. As soon as you spot something you start rolling over and trying to take off after it. My life would be a little easier if I could just let you crawl around without a diaper or clothing.

As I mentioned above you are eating solids, of course this is only when you can pay attention long enough. You eat all of the fruits and veggies and just this week we have started you on Gerber Yogurt Drinks which you seem to really enjoy. You are capable of holding your bottle all by yourself but more often than not I still hold the bottle for you because like I said you won't pay attention. You see something you want...the bottles drops to the floor and leaks everywhere. You see Mommy or Daddy or anybody for that matter and you just have to grin which means your mouth full of milk spills out everywhere. I was not kidding when I said you smile all of the time!

You would much rather play with a cup or your bag of diapers than you would an actual toy. I don't know why we even spend the money buying you toys when just the other night Daddy gave you an empty Pringles can and you just couldn't get enough of it. Of course maybe it was because you knew what had once been in that can and memories of sour cream and onion Pringles flashed through your mind since Mommy ate them all of the time while you were growing in my belly.

You love dogs, especially when they are quiet since you still aren't fond of loud noises. We aren't even allowed to sneeze or cough in the same room as you since as soon as we do the waterworks start spilling down on the cheeks and that bottom lip of yours comes out full force. Grandma has a miniature schnauzer who is thirteen years old, Sassy has quickly become the center of your world and you stop whatever you're doing just to watch her. If you're in your excersaucer and she walks by you you make the funniest face, like you have to go to the bathroom but can't, and you form your little hands into fists.

I am so glad that this is my last week of work for a quite awhile...fingers crossed. Leaving you each morning is becoming harder and harder and it took everything inside of me to leave you yesterday morning. No matter what time it is you always wake up right as I am heading out the door and yesterday was no exception. I hand you a bottle, change your diaper, and throw you into bed with Daddy. Monday morning though you were not interested in going back to sleep. You just laid there under the comforter surrounded by pillows and all I saw was this cute little face peaking up from the covers watching my every move. I stood in the doorway with the door cracked waving to you and you just smiled. And then when I shut the door to go ahead and leave you started crying...Lord how that hurt my heart. I wanted so badly to walk right back in there and snatch you up but rest assured little girl...we only have a few more days!

Your new favorite word and pretty much the only one you will say is "hey". We all say "hi" to you and if we're lucky we'll get a "hey" right back. We were laying in bed Sunday morning when Grandma came in and she said "hi" to you, you said "hey" right back, talk about cracking us up! We can also get you to say "num, num" when we're feeding you. I'll say "yummy, yummy" and then you follow up with your "num, num". You still can't laugh yet. It's more like a giggle here and there and mainly it sounds like you have asthma and are wheezing to catch your breath. It drives your Aunt Megan crazy! You also remind me of a squawking bird. You do these short little squeal/screams back to back and I am not kidding...it sounds like a squawking baby bird.

Overall you are just amazing. I tell you time and time again how much I love you but there are no words to describe my feelings for you. A few weeks ago a baby just a tad bit older than you was killed by the hands of his Father. I cried for this child and his memory and I cried for the lack of love and emotion that his parents felt for him. The mere thought of someone hurting you makes me ill and I can't imagine my life without you in it. I honestly don't know that I could go on living without you in my life...that is how much I love you. How someone could not love you or any other child to the point of obsession is beyond me. I am so blessed that you are my child and that God chose me as your Mother. Please know that your Daddy and I will protect you until the ends of the earth and that our love for you is so strong we would die for you. We will always be your number one fans and we will support you through all of your journeys. We love sitting back and watching you go yet are sad at the thought. You are getting so big so quickly that we can't help but miss what we are losing. Happy six months baby girl...six more and you will be a year old and celebrating with a new little brother or sister. February is about to become a very busy month for our little family!

Allow me to introduce you...

2010-08-12T13:21:00.000-04:00

Since I have been better for awhile now and since you're probably really tired of seeing that I have been better for awhile I thought I would take a moment to introduce you to someone pretty special.

World...meet Blankenship baby #2

Baby #2...meet the world.

We can't wait to actually meet you in seven more months!

Bad Blogger...

2010-08-12T10:07:00.002-04:00

I'm well aware of the fact I haven't been very good with this whole blogging thing lately but I didn't realize that I hadn't posted a single thing about food since June. I swear if there was a jail for bad bloggers I would have a cell all to myself. The good news is next week is my last week of work and I fully intend to spend more time in the kitchen once I say good-bye to my 7:30 to 4:30 or wait is it 8:00 to 5:00, oh who am I kidding, since being told I was being let go it's become my "I'll get there when I get there and leave once my team lead has had enough time to get out of the parking lot" job! The things I plan on whipping up once I have more free time.

Anyway, no recipes just yet just thought I would stop by really quick and let you know there will be one this weekend. I have no clue just yet what it will be but since I haven't posted anything since June it's about time don't you think?

I'm all better!

2010-07-02T12:19:00.000-04:00

Just thought you would like to know, I have fully recovered from my emotional breakdown earlier in the week. I have not felt that kind of despair in a long time. It should have been one of those stay at home in bed kind of days! I have moved on to my happy place now and I pray that it's here to stay...I sure don't want to have another melt down.

Since I haven't posted any pictures of my peanut lately here are a few for your viewing pleasure. Is she not the most adorable thing you have ever seen? My heart just melts whenever I look at her. Lord help me if this new baby is just as awesome as Addison...my heart will be beating out of my chest with all of the emotion I will have for them. Oh wait, how can this baby not be just as awesome...I will love them both the same no matter what their personalities are.

She has the most beautiful blue eyes ever! She's giving her Mommy a run for her money!

Daddy getting her to smile!

So big...And only because I can only imagine what she must be thinking...

You're having a bad day if that expression doesn't make you laugh out loud.

Pregnancy hormones take 1...

2010-06-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know what is about today but at 12:42 p.m. I am seriously on the verge of a mini meltdown and we're only half way through the day. I know it's a combination of being pregnant, losing my job, not being with Addison, and realizing that we're moving but for crying out loud. I am sitting here blowing my nose and wiping away my tears with a freakin' Chipotle napkin that I had leftover from lunch today.

I am making myself sick wanting to be with Addison. We're so close to being together full time but yet we are so far away I am a complete emotional mess. Not to mention the raging morning sickness that I was suffering with this morning that I would much rather deal with in the comfort of my own home rather than at my place of employment in a public restroom. A week ago I was ok with not being at Addison's side day in a day out. I think it's because we didn't know any better and we knew me coming into work everyday was a way of life and that we just had to cope with it. But NOW...now that we know it isn't going to be our way of life it's heart wrenching to keep leaving her every morning. I wake up at 6:35 every morning, I change her diaper, feed her a bottle all while laying in our bed with her gently rubbing my face and talking sweet nothings into my ear. It takes every ounce of strength in my body to make myself get up and out of the bed to finish getting ready for work and not continue laying there with her in my arms. It pains me beyond words to call home nine hundred times a day and hear her in the background...to hear my husband say she is trying so hard to crawl but she just can't seem to master it...to hear her frustration in the background from the inability to move around like she wants so badly to do. My strength in coping is wavering as I lost count of how many times I contemplated sneaking out of here and wondering if my team lead would even notice.

I need my baby and I need her badly. I want to go home and tell her she will crawl in due time and I want to go home and praise her for every inch further she is able to move on her own. I want to go home and snack on her little toes and her chubby cheeks. I want to go home and wrestle with her during diaper changes and grin when I see the cute little baby butt that I now see every time we change a diaper because she wants to roll over instead. I want to go to the Doctor and get my nausea medication and I want to hear that this baby growing within me is a healthy viable baby just like they did last July when I was pregnant with Addison. I want to see this baby on the big screen and see it's little heart beat wildly in it's chest. I want to know if we're having a son or another gorgeous daughter. I want to feel this baby move all about in my tummy and I want it to be February already so that I can hold him or her in my arms. And then I realize I am not ready for it to be February yet because I don't want Addison to be a year old , I still want her to be my little baby who still needs me for everything. And I want someone to tell me everything is going to be ok, that everything happens for a reason, and that when one door closes another one opens, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel, etc, etc., etc. And dammit I want someone to tell me to man up and quit your crying. For someone to tell me to perk up and get off of this path of negativity for crying out loud, and that if I don't knock it off I will turn into my own little episode of the "Young and the Restless" where we will all be confused and miserable because we can't keep track of who is divorced from whom, and who remarried who, and whose dead and whose not and why one day they have a two year old kid and now the kid has morphed into a 22 year old adult overnight and that just wouldn't be good...not good at all.

And at 1:21 I feel a little bit better now that I have gotten that off of my chest and soaked every last napkin I had left with my waterworks. And one things for sure...boy am I glad that I have Monday off for the 4th...I need that extra day and in case you were wondering...that will leave me with 37 days of being away from my baby buttercup. Lord have mercy on everyone reading my blog between now and then!

Hi, it's me Katie...

2010-06-28T08:51:00.002-04:00

Yes folks I have been in another one of my cooking funks. There have been some major things going on at our house and while I am still cooking, it's all stuff you have seen on here before. I have tried a new dish or two but I have been extremely disappointed by them all and refuse to put them on the blog. When I say disappoint I mean throw away the leftovers before Daniel has to suffer as well kind of disappointment, they were that bad.

Anyway, you might be wondering what major events I could be talking about so here I go. First of all, deep breath, I am pregnant. Yes, Katie is knocked up again and would you believe this baby is due around the same time next year as Addison was born this year. Addison will be a year old on February 17th 2011 and this new baby is scheduled to arrive February 20th 2011. Now before you start wondering, yes this baby was planned, very much so in fact. Are we crazy for having two babies so close together? Maybe, but you know what? We are excited and can't wait to meet this little guy or gal.

The second major event is that I lost my job last week. I was laid off from the company that I have been with since I graduated from high school and I have until August 20th until I am completely done. I think I am more upset with the fact I have to trudge into that place for another two months while leaving my precious little girl at home than I am at actually being let go. It was time and we knew it was coming. I no longer enjoyed going into work and doing the same stuff day in and day out and when I had Addison and actually had a reason to want to stay at home those feelings got even worse. I hate my job and I am glad to be saying goodbye.

The third major event stems from the previous two. We're moving! The idea of having to box up our house makes me sick to my tummy. Moving was something that we have talked about at great lengths about for the past several months. We are tired of being house poor and never being able to take vacations or have a savings account and money to spend on clothes and misc. items. It was one of those decisions though that we couldn't make on our own. You know the kind where you know the answer to the question but you just aren't ready to say it out loud yet because you aren't positive that it's the right answer. Well we found out we were pregnant so we decided to hold off until the baby was born but now that my income is going to be slashed in half come November when my severance runs out, we knew it was finally time. We both had said that the answer would be made for us when it was time and sure enough we got our answer. In a perfect world we would like to be out of our house at the end of July so that we can get it on the market. There is just no way we can have open houses and showings with four dogs and a baby...I REFUSE! But then I start thinking off all of the packing and moving and I wouldn't be surprised if the end of July comes and goes and we still aren't fully out of the house. Thankfully for us my Mom is allowing us to come home, babies and dogs in tow. I will be the first to tell you I am not looking forward to moving back home with my Mother. What adult who has been out on their own since they were nineteen actually wants to move back home? Not me I will tell you that much, but financially this is our best option. Gone will be our enormous mortgage payment and the hundreds of dollars we spend each month on utilities. Instead we will be helping her financially all the while actually saving money and putting it aside for when it's time to buy another house. Not only does this mean we won't be scraping the bottom of the barrel to make ends meet but that I will get to be a stay at home Mom for awhile. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be able to spend my days raising our two children. Or the fact I won't be sitting at a desk job nine months pregnant and miserable. The plans I have for Addison and myself...ah I can't wait! The fact Daniel will get to start driving his truck again...well my Mom's truck, bush hogging the fields with the John Deere tractor, fishing and canoeing whenever he wants, and having ten plus acres to do whatever he wants with such as plant the big garden next year that he has already started planning, makes this move a little easier for him. Oh yeah, Mom, Daniel is planning on planting a garden next spring, thought you might want to know about that. He would also like to help mow and bush hog...I will let you two hash that out as the city girl will be inside in the nice 72 degree house. I have put in my days of sweating twenty pounds off mucking stalls while being eaten alive by flies and then freezing my tail feathers off in the winter making sure the hoses are drained so they won't be frozen when it's time to water the horses again. Nope, this city slicker will be inside taking care of the babies and cooking dinner.

My posts will more than likely be very sporadic over the next month or so but rest assured I will be back...I always come back...lol. I promise that once August 20th comes and goes I will start sharing a bit more with everyone since I will have more time to dedicate to being in the kitchen. I think my Mom is more excited about not having to cook anymore than she is about anything else. I flourished in the kitchen after I left home so she hasn't really gotten to reap the benefits of my cooking. Growing up the thought of being in the kitchen never crossed my mind. Seriously I have two brothers who even at the age of 22 still do not like ground beef...in anything, cheese of any kind, onions, and are adamant that they must have ketchup to use on just about everything. They put ketchup on turkey folks so who can blame me for not wanting to go there while growing up...lol.

Anyway wish us luck, we're going to need it over the course of the next few months!

Shocking news just keeps pooring in!

2010-06-25T08:47:00.000-04:00

Well if it isn't one thing it's always another, especially in our house. Not only do I have a four month old daughter with another baby on the way but now I am out of work. After more years that I care to think about I was given my pink slip yesterday from the mortgage company that I work for. A part of me is sad, frustrated, and down right angry. But then there is the other part that is glad. Glad because my dream has come true. I get to be a stay at home Mom for awhile and with another little one on the way it couldn't come at a better time.

My last day of work is August 20th and I can't wait. I am going to be a part of the club that can do activities during the day with my children! We are going to be selling our house which is a bummer but we knew it was time even without losing my job. We're going to be moving in with my Mom and paying off all of our debts, selling Daniel's junk pile of a car (take my word for it, Chrysler 300's are not that special...I hate that car), and saving lots of money. In a few years we hope to have enough money saved up that we can buy an empty lot and start building our dream home. I also plan on going back to school once the new baby gets here.

I guess the saying is true, "When one door closes, another one opens!"

Can you tell I am pregnant again? Check out my misspelling up there in the title. Seriously, pooring...come on Katie! LOL

One word...SHOCKED!

2010-06-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

I know I have mentioned it time and time again but for those of you just tuning in, it took Daniel and I several years to conceive Addison. We had actually come to the point where my health, which was horrible last year, took priority over having a child and we set parenthood on the back burner. We made the ultimate decision for me to get better and that once that occurred we would begin the long process of determining why we were having infertility issues. Imagine our surprise that days after we had come to that decision we wound up pregnant with Addison. It's amazing how life sometimes turns out.

We found out we were expecting Addison on June 13th 2009 and by June 15th I had already seen the Doctor. I was considered high risk due to my health and it even went as far as having surgeons on stand by in case I needed immediate surgery to remove my gall bladder. Never would I have guessed that my pregnancy would have been so uncomplicated and easy, I was prepared for a battle.

Now many of you are going to say I had lost my mind but honestly, the day we brought Addison home from the hospital I was ready to do it all over again with baby number two. My pregnancy was normal, my labor and delivery was normal...knock on wood, so I didn't have any horror stories or memories that would prevent me from being ready again. Daniel at that point was my only obstacle. He and his younger brother are 10 1/2 months apart and he was adamant that we would not be repeating that so we discussed when it would be right to start trying again. We tossed out a few numbers and had pretty much decided between six and twelve months. We knew we wanted the kids to be close together but spaced far enough that life would be half way civilized for us. Of course when you want to wait a few months before you start trying for another one you actually have to do something to prevent it from happening sooner. We did not do that and it's not my fault. Because of my Crohns disease I cannot take birth control. I found that out the hard way let me tell you! I did have the option of having shots or something implanted but after years of infertility taking something to prevent children is a very scary thought and it's one I shot down very quickly. Now this of course meant that somebody else was responsible for preventing a child and as most typical men are, he was not thrilled with the thought. Then you add in the detail of Daniel being just as obsessed with Addison as I am and you have a problem. If I told him once I told him a million times that if I got pregnant again so soon it was his fault and if he ever uttered the words that we was upset or that he wished we would have waited I would have killed him. That threat obviously didn't bother him and then finally when I asked him if he was OK with it he actually said to me that he was having so much fun with Addison that he didn't care if it happened so soon.

Well it happened and it happened very soon, sooner than I anticipated actually. Who would have thought that after years of trying for Addison that baby two would happen without really trying and three months after having Addison. I think that was a big part of our desire to go ahead and try again. The fear was still in the back of my mind that if we didn't take advantage of my "after pregnancy" fertility that we would risk it taking years again for another one and it scared me. We found out we were pregnant on June 16th 2010 and if my calculations or correct we are due on February 20th 2011. It's almost as if I am repeating last year day for day. I would just like to add, we will not be repeating this next year...just an FYI!

So far I haven't been as sick as I was with Addison and in all honesty...I still don't think it has officially sunk in that I am pregnant. I keep looking at the pregnancy test thinking that one of these times I will look and one of the pink lines will be missing and then won't I be the fool for announcing it to the world. We tried really, really hard to wait for the big announcement this time but yet again we just couldn't do it.

I am well aware of the fact that we are still in the beginning stages and we are not out of the clear yet so anything could happen but our being parents yet again is a big deal for us and one that we want to announce from the roof tops. I pray I won't have to make a sad announcement but I will if I have to and it will be a little easier than the announcement I read over the weekend. Baby Cohen, who I mentioned in an earlier post that was born with a broken heart, lost his fight late last week. Losing a child, even if it is still growing within you, is a terrible thing to experience. It is one that I hope I will never have to live through. I cannot fathom what this young couple is going through. Faced with their own infertility issues they managed to overcome it only to be told that their unborn child was sick and would need surgery immediately after birth. He died with them only having held him for a few short minutes right after his birth. In the few days he spent here on Earth he endured surgery after surgery. It makes me angry and sad that they couldn't experience what Daniel and I experienced and that Cohen couldn't be healthy and perfect like our Addison is.

Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers that they may find the peace and the comfort that will allow them to continue on.

Love your children today as if it were your last. Hold them in your arms and take in their sweet scents. Count their fingers and their toes and apply soft kisses to their chubby little cheeks. Savor their cries and their temperamental outbursts and comfort them in your lap. Allow their sweet smiles and soft giggles to melt your heart. Enjoy being just as wet as they are after bath time and appreciate diaper changes, spit ups, and food thrown all over your kitchen floor. It's those moments that you take for granted and those moment that Cohen parents would give anything to experience.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:16:00.000-04:00

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful guys in my life. While there are so many negative aspects about being a child of divorce the plus is that you get the fortune of having so many more wonderful people in your life than you would have had your parents stayed married.

My Dad is one of my best friends, someone I can call about anything and we do typically speak to each other every other day or so. In the past I would talk to him at least once a day. He just loves being a Papaw to his two little babies. Although when I told him about the 3rd that is on it's way he told me that my sister and I were obviously trying to kill him...lol.

My Step-Dad has been in my life since I was around two years old. He and my Mom married when I was three years old so I don't remember a time when he wasn't involved. While he and my Mom are no longer together he still considers me his daughter. He sent me to private school growing up, bought me my first car, and sent me to college which I screwed up royally. He is supportive in almost every decision I have made, except for the not finishing college part, but can we really blame him?

Not only am I blessed to have two Dad's, I also have this pretty special guy in my life and he is my Father...my Godfather so that counts. If you want to talk supportive this guy is supportive one hundred percent. He loves me like his own and he welcomed me into his home, his family, and all of their events as if I was their own. I love you Uncle Dan! If love could make you better, you would be as healthy as a horse!

Last but not least there is this guy! Daniel has far exceeded my expectations of his being a father. I knew he would be a good Dad but seriously, I don't have to ask him to change dirty diapers, give Addison baths, or help with the nighttime feedings. He does it all without hesitation and he loves this little girl in a way that he will never love me. He is part of the reason why baby #2 is on it's way. Through all of my countless "I want another baby already" comments he supported me for one reason and these are his exact words, "why not I am having fun". Happy first Father's day Sweetie...you deserve it and I can't wait until this time next year!

How it all began...

2010-06-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

Today over at Kelly's Korner it's show us your life Friday again. This Friday is all about your engagement.

Our engagement is short and straight to the point, it's not mushy or sentimental, but it's ours and someday I will get to tell my grandchildren all about it.

Daniel and I started dating on March 19th 2005, we both knew at our one anniversary that we would end up getting married and I was secretly hoping for the engagement ring to seal that fate. March 19th 2006 came and went with no ring, no big deal, I knew it would happen eventually.

Shortly after that date we started discussing buying a house together, we spent weekend after weekend looking at houses trying to figure out what we wanted and didn't want in our first home. After yet another Sunday looking for a home we made a dinner pit stop at one of our local Olive Gardens...salad and bread sticks is all I have to say about that...lol. It just so happened that right outside the window was a jewelry store. I hinted around that maybe we should stop in and check rings out since we were in the area that way he would be more knowledgeable in what I was looking for in an engagement ring. I do not wear jewelry other than my engagement ring, wedding band, and my birthstone ring from Addison, so I wanted to make sure he bought me a ring that I would wear for the rest of my life. I wasn't interested in eventually trading up like so many women are today. Anyway, much to my surprise he agreed so we stopped in and started looking around. I of course fell in love right away with my engagement ring but I was more than prepared to walk out empty handed to wait for the day when Daniel would have the money set aside to purchase it and officially propose. I still can't believe it but when he saw just how much I loved that ring he stopped me when I was handing it back to the clerk. Daniel said I could keep it on and we bought it right there on the spot. I got proposed to in the middle of the jewelry store with a bunch of sales clerks standing around...so romantic...lol. The official date was May 7th 2006 and we were married on May 5th 2007, almost exactly a year later.

I can't believe how fast these three years have flown by and I can't begin to describe how great it is to know we still truly love one another and that we have the most gorgeous little girl in the world. We both had come to the realization that together we may never become parents so it's a wonderful feeling to be able to gaze upon our daughter knowing that she is what happened when two lives joined together. It may have taken over two years but she's here and we are happy and we are even more happy knowing that baby #2 is on it's way. Yes, you read that right! Baby #2 is expected to arrive February 20th 2011. No we are not crazy and yes I realize that we could very well have two kids under the age of one for a few short days but we are tickled pink. We also have come to terms with the fact that Addison could be blowing out candles and opening her gifts in between Mommy's contractions at the hospital. A year and a half ago I prayed for a baby...now look at us...we are about to have a second! The pregnancy is still very early so we are praying that the outcome is the same as it was for Addison...that I carry and give birth to a healthy little boy or girl. I can't wait to share the journey of our second pregnancy along with updates on Addison's growth and new feats.

My lifeline...

2010-06-10T11:40:00.000-04:00

I knew when I got pregnant with Addison that my life was going to change dramatically. I knew life would no longer revolve around me or Daniel and that everything we had, both physically and emotionally, would go into raising this little girl.

I will be the first to tell you that I have had my moments of utter despair with this little girl. Those moments where I just want to lay her in her bed and shut the door on her crying and screaming just so I can go into my room and shut the door and sob out of defeat. I quickly remind myself though that three years ago I was sobbing in my room thinking that we would never become parents. That feeling of defeat is one I could never describe to you and one that you would never understand unless you have experienced it first hand. I catch myself holding her and looking deep into her eyes and it has still not fully sunk in that this little girl, this bundle of absolute joy standing on my lap is mine...all mine, and Daniel's to by the way. I conceived this child, I carried this child within me for ten long months, and what still blows my mind is that this child actually came out of my body, naturally...with the help of a few drugs. Will it ever sink in that I don't have to give her back? That her Mommy won't be by later to pick her up?

Since creating this particular blog and becoming a Mommy I have been more fascinated by the other thousands of blogs out there dedicated to families/children by women. I have been witness to amazing birth stories, birthdays, and rights of passage into transitioning from a baby to a child. I have also stumbled by what seems like so many blogs announcing illness and death in these very women's young babies and children. I am reminded on a daily basis just how blessed I am and how fortunate that I was to be able to successfully carry Addison for ten months knowing that in the end she would be healthy. I am reminded of this because of this family and their newest bundle Cohen. Two days after his birth and after several months of knowing that he had a broken heart, he underwent open heart surgery. I cry for this family just thinking about it and I cry knowing that their situation could have easily been our situation. The thought of Addison going through such a traumatic experience so soon after birth is traumatizing to me. The thought alone of something happening to my baby sends me into a tailspin. The thought of her being broken and me not being able to fix her is one of the most terrifying things I think I could ever experience and I pray every single day that it is one I will never have to go through.

Like I said above, I knew my entire emotional being would be focused around Addison but never until I stumbled upon Cohen and his families blog did I know just how big of a deal that would be. I would die for my child and I would kill for my child, that is how deep my emotions run concerning her. My love for Addison is unmeasurable and borderline obsession. I know deep down inside that no matter how much I love my husband and my family, I will never love anyone, not even them, as much as I love this little girl and her future siblings.

I have gone from being concerned about my own self being and existing in the world in which we are currently living, to being scared of what I may have done to my daughter by giving birth to her. Will she enjoy the freedoms and the luxuries that we have taken for granted...twenty, even thirty years from now? The thought of her suffering at the hands of this often times cruel world scares me and upsets me. I wish we lived in the land of lollipops and cupcakes overshadowed by sunshine and rainbows but alas we don't. I can only hope that ten, twenty, heck even sixty years from now she can still open her front door without the fear of death, of being able to watch her children play in their front yard, and of always being able to obtain the proper nourishment and medical needs.

Lord how I love this child! I wish upon her a lifetime of happiness and happy ever afters and I pray that God allows me to witness her every step of the way.

Chicken Bean Burritos

2010-06-03T17:59:00.004-04:00

I haven't done a big grocery trip in a few weeks so we have been eating lots of quick fix meals that aren't necessarily worth blogging about which explains my absence. Pay day is tomorrow and we are going shopping whether we like it or not!

Tonight I needed to "throw" something together and this is what I came up with. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with how well they turned out. I wish we would have had some sour cream but we were out. The fact we are out of sour cream in this house goes to show you how long it has been since I have gone shopping. Sour cream and Katie is like butter and Paula Deen...they go hand in hand. This meal literally took less than ten minutes to get together!
Chicken and Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 (9.75 oz) can cooked chicken
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheese
1 tbsp. butter
cumin
paprika
onion powder
salt
garlic powder
8 flour tortillas

Directions:
1.) In a medium sauce pan add beans and salsa, mix well and cook on medium low heat.

2.) In a small skillet on medium heat add butter and chicken. Break apart chicken into small pieces and then add cumin, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. A dash or two of each is plenty! Cook until warmed through.

3.) Warm tortilla shells in microwave for fifteen seconds.

4.) Add chicken to beans and mix well.

5.) Add 1/3 cup bean mix to tortilla shell and then top with shredded cheese.

Serve along side Old El Paso Mexican Rice and you have a quick Mexican themed meal. This meals serves four.

Busy Weekend...

2010-06-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

I sorta fell off the face of the blogging world now didn't I? I apologize I have just been really lazy and haven't gotten around to it. I did create one post but blogger wouldn't allow me to upload pictures to it on the several occasions I tried so I just gave up on it.

We had a very busy weekend here. Saturday morning at 9:45 thank you...my sister Megan graduated from high school. She is glad to be done and I can't say as I blame her.

Graduation was followed by a nice nap and then a cook out with some family. Sunday was our only lazy day and we didn't accomplish a darn thing...it was lovely...lol.

Addison and I did spend the night with my step-dad, his girlfriend Kathy, and with Megan on Sunday night in preparation of the big graduation party on Monday. I thought we would go over to help cook and I was making cake balls. SOMEBODY was of no help...she fell asleep on the job as shown below...lol.

Not only did Megan graduate from high school but my brother Steve is graduating from college on June 12th...they did a joint party that way family only had to come in once.

Addison went swimming for the first time on Monday and I think she is still debating on whether or not she will be doing it again. My little cousins Maria and Monica were having a good time with her. They are the youngest of six kids so I think they were amazed that there was a kid smaller than them. Monica kept rubbing Addison's head!

What's a graduation party without a little Rock Band??

Not much else to report, right now I am concentrating on the thunder storm going on! Thank god for the internet because the satellite is out.

Three Months Old & Counting...

2010-05-18T14:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Addison turned three months old. I can't believe how much my little baby has changed in just these past three months. It's weird because when I think three months it seems like it was just yesterday but when I look at her, I swear she has been with us for forever. In fact I have trouble remembering what it was like before Addison came home with us. I sat at our computer desk last night thinking to myself that just three months ago it was just me and the dogs at home and now we have this little baby who was talking away in her swing watching television. It's amazing how things change once a child enters into the picture. What is even more amazing is how much better things are with a child.

We had her two month well visit this past Friday, which was a month late, and she weighed in at 12 1/2 lbs and was 23 1/2 in long. The kid is average! We have twiddled our thumbs for a month now concerning her two months shot which is why we are just now doing them. We went back and forth between should she have them, should she only have some of them, as first time parents we are new to this and really want to educate ourselves before we start allowing all of these vaccinations so we took our time. Friday was not a good day for us. Not because I was absolutely dreading her getting these shots because I just couldn't bear the thought of my little baby being poked three times, but because she was sick. Since Daniel thought he would have to go into work Friday and we knew this appointment was scheduled I went ahead and took a vacation day from work. That way I could spend the entire day with my little princess plus do some running around with my sister Nikki and her son Dylan. We started our little adventure back at my work so that my step-mom could show off the grand kids. Back in the day there was a whole slew of my relation working there, now it's just down to me and my step-mom. In the mortgage industry it's amazing that we are still standing.

Anyway, to make a long story short, crap hit the fan about five minutes after we arrived. I have never in the three months this child has been alive, seen her cry and carry on like she did. It was almost embarrassing because all of these women could hear her screaming and one by one they started making their way into the bathroom to see what was wrong with the child and offer their advice on how to make her stop. None of the advice worked by the way, she just stopped on her own after about 20 minutes, or what seemed like 3 hours.

Now we quickly hightailed it out of there before meltdown number 2 occurred and she ended up doing just fine the rest of the day. We hit up Sam's Club, Babies R Us where we FINALLY found a one piece bathing suit in her size, and Logan's Roadhouse for some lunch. Her appointment was at 3:30 and we made it there with no time to spare. She was fine while we sat and waited to be called back even played around with Aunt Nikki a little bit. They call us back...I proceed to strip her down to her undiewears and it happens...meltdown #2 of the day. Over the course of the next HOUR they determine that she has a temperature, needs to switch over to soy formula, and oh by the way...possibly has strep throat. Say what?? Monday through Friday she does not leave the house and she really only goes to see family on the weekends...how in the lords name does she have strep throat?? The test came back negative but her throat was very red and very raw so they sent the swab out for further testing. We still haven't heard anything so they must not have found anything.

They gave her some Tylenol, a generic brand so please calm down if you immediately thought recall, and proceeded to send us home...for a very, very long and miserable weekend. She was upset all Friday night but woke up just fine Saturday morning. We ran a few errands and came home and by 5 or so the meltdowns began again. This time it lasted until about 10 Saturday night. Nobody slept, the husband and I got into a major fight Saturday evening, and she proceeded to get constipated from the formula change which did not help things. I think we're finally back to normal even though we have no clue what just happened to all of us...lol.

Now that I got the bad stuff out of the way on to some baby stats!

~ Addison you are wearing three to six month clothing but would prefer to just wear your diaper. Your Father started this little habit and it's pretty common to get home form work to find you in your swing in only your diaper and your Dad in the recliner in his underwear. Like Father like daughter I guess! :)

~ You are still in size one diapers though Aunt Nikki suggested stepping up to size two since she said you had a butt cheek hanging out of your diaper at the doctors on Friday. It was because we couldn't get it back on your properly since you were not happy but I am going to try one tonight and see how we do.

~ You sleep through the night, well almost through the night. Our typical bedtime is 10 and you usually wake up around 5 or so for a bottle. More often than not you go right back to sleep. As hard as I try to fight the urge you usually sleep nestled in my arms. It's not because you have to because you can truly sleep wherever we put you, it's because I find such comfort in holding you in my arms so that I can smell the lavender scent of your baby shampoo. I know I need to break myself of this habit but it's soooo hard!

~ You like getting a bath. You don't love it, you don't hate it. As long as we have the water warm enough and don't splash any water up on your face you are just fine. When Daddy puts you in your baby tub you kick your legs around like you're trying to swim and he gets the biggest kick out of it. I usually use your bath sponge and you just lay there like you have nothing better to do giving me the occasional smile. You love getting your hair washed and have since your first shampoo shortly after your birth. I love it to so I completely understand!

~ We have slowly started you on solid foods and I think we are going to start giving them to you more frequently since the bottle just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. Right now you are getting between 4 and 5 ounces of formula every two hours or so. If we feed you any more than that you throw it up and you are usually not a happy camper when we take the empty bottle away. I have gotten into the habit of telling you that the bottle is "all gone...it's all in your belly" just so you don't think I am just taking it away from you with milk still left. I think you are going to be just like your Daddy. He was stick thin growing up so I think you are going to have a fast metabolism, hence why we are going to start you on more solids. By the way, you do not care for carrots.

~ You love watching television. I think all of the colors and movements fascinate you. Daddy has been turning cartoons on for you...or maybe it's for him, I am not really sure at this point in the game...lol. We discovered a few weekends ago that you enjoy sitting in your Bumbo chair watching Nascar. Your papaw is going to be so proud!

~ You are fascinated by the dogs. Especially Bandit and Toby. Bandit likes coming over and just staring at you like it's a throw down and you just stare right back. I can only imagine what you two are really thinking.

Bandit- "I'm not sure who you think you are kid but you and this swing need to get outta here. Before you showed up I was Mom's little man with the sad brown eyes that could melt her heart...now all I hear is blue eyes this and blues eyes that. And another thing...this game you play each night, yeah you know the one, the one where you just so happen to start crying for a bottle right when Mom is getting ready to feed me and the other boys is for the birds. Knock it off or you'll lose another bottle when Mom and Dad aren't looking! Yeah that's right...it was me and not Lennon...he was just my fallback, stupid kid doesn't know what hit him."

Addison- "What is that hairy thing that keeps coming over and standing at the foot of my swing like he's got something he needs to say to me?? And the breath, man do something about that breath, you're going to stunt my growth with that stuff. And while we're laying everything out, quit scaring the crap out of me every evening when you oh so conveniently wake up and shake your head back and forth. Your jewels on that man necklace you wear rattle together and make me wet myself and it makes my Mommy pissy!"

~ You are talking so much right now...of course we need someone to try to translate but it's adorable none the less.

~ You love getting your diaper changed. I think you know how rank your diapers can be and you take great pride in making your parents suffer through diaper changes. You laugh and coo and just carry on, all while Mom and Dad are trying not to throw up. Yesterdays diaper change after the bout of constipation required Mom having to help you get rid of a little something. What a mother will do for her child! Dad had his nose plugged, a wash cloth over my nose, and we're both tearing up because of the smell and you just laid there smiling away at our expense. And Addison, you know it's a bad diaper when Mr. Leaky Winky Licker himself, a.k.a. Lennon has to leave the room.

~ You are most comfortable laying on your side and with your face plastered into something. I lay you along my pillows when I get up in the morning only to come back to find you turned on your side grabbing onto the nearest pillow with your head buried deep within it. Now you turn on your side in your swing and grab hold of the lambs ear which is the pillow. You fall asleep in this awkward sideways position holding on to his ear for dear life with your face smashed into the pillow. You crack me up child!

I'm sure I missed a few things but I will come back and add them if need be. The one thing I do know is that you are so incredibly special. Your Daddy says I am being selfish because I don't let anyone take you from me whether for a few hours or overnight. I don't really care what everyone thinks. I waited two very long years to hold you in my arms and I miss so much of your life during the week because I work as it is. I treasure every moment I get with you on the weekends and right now while we experience so many firsts as a new little family, there is no need for you to be away from us right now. I truly cannot get enough of you and I find myself just taking you in my arms and laying you gently in my bed so that we can just lay there staring at each other and having our girl talk. I keep telling your Daddy that now is the time to be selfish with you because in just a few shorts months you will be more independent and won't need us to just sit and cuddle with you. You will be on your way crawling back and forth and round and round and will have not interest with being contained in our arms.

I love you little girl, more than I ever knew possible.

Mommy

Banana Cheesecake Dessert

2010-05-14T09:03:00.001-04:00

This recipe comes compliments of my July/August 2003 issue of Taste of Homes Quick Cooking magazine. I love these magazines and really need to renew my subscription. Most of the food they show us are the foods I grew up with, down home country favorites like Grandma used to make.

This dessert was really good and for the most part very easy to make. My only complaint was the crust...for whatever reason it stuck to the dish I made it in and I literally had to scrape it out to eat it. Not sure what I could have done to prevent it, suggestions are welcome!

Banana Cheesecake Dessert~
Source: Taste of Home/Jessica Simerly

Ingredients:
2 packages strawberry no-bake cheesecake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine melted...I used butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups cold milk1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
3 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream topping, warmed, divided...I used hot fudge
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 carton (8oz) whipped topping, thawed
1/3 cup chopped pecans, I omitted
maraschino cherries with stems

Directions:
1.) Set aside filling and strawberry topping packets from cheesecake mixes. Place the contents of the crust mix packets in a large bowl; add butter and sugar. Press into a ungreased 13x9 dish.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and contents of filling packets. Beat on low speed until blended. Beat on high for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spread over the crust. Refrigerate for one hour.

3.) Spread contents of strawberry topping packets over cheesecake. Top with pineapple and bananas. Drizzle with 1/4 of chocolate topping and 1/4 caramel topping. Spread with whipped topping.

4.) Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Before serving drizzle with remaining chocolate and caramel toppings. Top with pecans and cherries.

Yield: 16-20 servings

Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburgers

2010-05-12T18:35:00.004-04:00

Not a lot of time for chit chat so this will be short and sweet as being a full time employee and a full time Mom is a lot of hard work. Throw in this terrible Ohio weather we are dealing with it and it makes for a very tired Katie!!

Anyway, I called home today to see if Daniel wanted anything in particular for dinner since I was stopping by the store after work. Surprise, surprise he said hamburgers, how typical...lol. I threw these together so I could blog about them and use up the extra chipotle peppers I had floating in the pantry.

I thought these were excellent although Daniel said five chipotle peppers may be to much. I think five was just enough and am thinking maybe I hadn't mixed the meat together as well as I could have and maybe he just got a really big bite of the stuff. I ate it without breaking a sweat which means they weren't to spicy for me. I do not do spicy so trust me on this one.
Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburgers
Source: Your's truly Katie! :)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef...I used an 80/20 mix
5 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
2 tbsp. dried onions
1 tbsp. garlic powder
6 slices of cooked bacon
1 md. onion, cut in half and then thinly sliced
6 hamburger buns
Hellmans Mayo
6 slices of provolone cheese

Directions:

1.) In a medium bowl mix together meat, finely chopped chipotle peppers, garlic powder, and dried onions. Form into six hamburger patties.

2.) Over medium heat cook until you reach desired doneness. In a separate skillet saute onion until translucent.

3.) Top each burger with a slice of cheese and allow it to melt while still in pan.

4.) Cook bacon in microwave until done.

5.) To assemble burger apply a medium layer of mayo on bottom hamburger bun, top with hamburger, onion, and then one slice of bacon broken in half.

Hope you enjoy! On a side note...is doneness even a word or did I seriously just make that up and what in the world is going on with this post and it's fonts??

Another Kelly's Korner

2010-05-07T10:07:00.000-04:00

Today on Kelly's Korner, it's "Show us your life- Your kids or future kids names" day so since I have had names picked out for forever I thought I would share.

What young girl who plans on raising a family one days does not think about the names of her future children?

Growing up I went from using Mercedes (don't ask it was an elementary school thing), to Kennedy or Reagan, and then finally to Addison. Can you tell I was all about having a daughter?

Obviously Addison took as that is what we named our little bundle of sweet goodness but I still have a few up my sleeves for future children even though we more than likely won't use them.

I am one of those weird parents who likes having a theme to all of their children's names. For me a first name ending with s-o-n was the way to go hence the name Addison. Plus, Daniel said we couldn't name all of our children to have the same first initial.

We now have Addison Grace and then for future use I had the names; Emerson(Emmie) Faith, Jackson Daniel, and Grayson Matthew all picked out and ready to use. Of course Daniel has to throw a kink into everything so he shot down the middle name of Faith which so totally went with Addison's middle name of Grace, and he also threw out the name Grayson. Of course he had absolutely know problem with the name Jackson Daniel and gee, I wonder why?

Did I seriously just spell no as know. Why yes I did...do you see what pregnancy has done to my spelling abilities? I now have to proof read work related e-mails no less than three times before sending them to their recipients thanks to this wonderful issue.

Now, if you're wondering why we more than likely won't be using any of those other names here is why? First of all the name Jackson has grown in popularity this year. I kid you not I know of three babies who were just born this past year all with the name of Jackson. It's even worse than Addison which we actually considered changing. I just couldn't do it though because as some of you know, I had the name picked out since high school and I just couldn't sever the emotional tie I had with that name. Second, like I stated Daniel didn't like Faith for the middle name for Emerson and to be honest he doesn't care to much for Emerson. Third, other than because Daniel didn't care for it, we can't go with Grayson because our new girl name is Kadence Marie and we can't have one kid not a part of Mommy's crazy s-o-n theme, it just wouldn't be right and since I am anal like that it would drive me crazy for the rest of my life.

Now that we have no boys names picked out I guess I better get back to the drawing board. It was so nice being pregnant and not fighting over a name or hoping that you would have one picked out by the time you were released from the maternity ward.

I think I like the name Ethan, yeah Ethan could work...now I just have to get Daniel on board. Oh brother!!! I would also like to add that I really, really, really like the name Harrison. The entire family pretty much vetoed that one from the beginning. Has anybody seen the movie "The Geisha Boy" with Jerry Lewis? Our family LOVES that movie and in it Jerry's rabbits name is Harry. All I can ever think about when saying the name Harry is how Jerry says it in the movie..."Harryyyyyy", "Harryyyyyyyyyy", "Harryyyyyy Nooooooooo". Well anyway, that's how I came up with the name Harrison. Blasted family for shooting my dreams down! LOL

And.........for you're viewing pleasure, my little bunde of sweet goodness...Lord how I could eat this child up! Get a load of those eyelashes while you're looking!

Last week...

2010-05-04T21:11:00.000-04:00

...went a little something like this;

Happy Addison

to pissed off Addison as shown here

Same time frame...we were just trying on new headbands!

2010-05-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

The fact Wednesday is Cinco De Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I am making several different Mexican themed recipes this week just so you know. It does have to do with the fact that I have been on a serious Mexican themed craving jolt this past week or so.

What I am about to share with you could alter the way the world works. Please don't be scared...I think we will all be just fine in the end, but I feel it is my duty to share with each and every one of you just as a warning.

I Katie Blankenship (please take a deep breath) am sick to death with making or eating anything pasta related!

I know, I know, hell is freezing over as I write this. Never did I think this day would occur but it has and so far everything seems to be going as normal. With the death of my pasta relationship has come an overwhelming desire to eat all things that include soft or hard taco shells. No I am not pregnant so please don't even go there. I have three more months until I am willing to start trying again and will have my husbands permission, so sit tight for a little while. Daniel told me I have already had my allotted baby for the year so my baby hormones have been set to the side.

On that note, if someone could please explain to me why I have a two month old baby at home and still have this void like I need another baby right this very minute I would appreciate it. I want the fresh out of my uterus baby back, she is already getting so big it makes me cry and I just know that one night I will fall asleep and when I wake up she will be off to college.

Back to the purpose of the story...pretend like you didn't read anything having to do with babies or my uterus. THANKS a million!

Anyway I think this new craving started with these little devils, Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas. If you still have not tried these please, please, pleaseeeeeee do so immediately. Seriously folks I am drooling over them as I type this and I think I might actually have the ingredients to make a batch towards the end of the week which excites me to no end. It's like being a redneck...except now it's you know you're a foodie when...making these enchiladas is the most exciting thing you have on your agenda for the week.

I figured I would give up blog stalking Cassie for a little while so I pulled out one of the many cookbooks/magazines that currently reside in our microwave cabinet on Saturday and this is one of the meals I decided to take for a test drive. I really enjoyed it and I am not pulling your leg when I say it was almost like eating a burrito from Chipotle, just minus the rice. If you're a fan of Chipotle's you have to try this recipe and please, when it says use only 1 to 2 chipotle peppers, please follow the directions and do not add 4 to 5 like I did...3 maybe...but please not 4 to 5. Unless of course you like having your lips tingle during dinner, then by all means use 5! :)Beef and Chipotle Burritos

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4 thick
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
6 9 to 10 inch flour toritallas, warmed
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pico de Gallo Salsa, click here for my recipe...store bought is just fine!
Shredded jicama or radishes, optional
Sour cream, optional

Directions:
1.) Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 6 pieces. In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart crock pot place meat, undrained tomatoes, onion, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, and garlic.

2.) Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. Place meat in a large bowl. Stir in cooking liquid to reach desired consistancy. Divide meat among warmed tortillas.Top with cheese, Pico de Gallo salsa, and, if desired, jicama and sour cream. Roll up tortillas.

Slider-Style Mini Burgers

2010-05-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

I was looking for something quick and cheap to make the other day after work and this recipe was showcased on the main page of allrecipes on that particular day. We love hamburgers and I especially love sliders so I thought I would give these a shot. We both really enjoyed them and we will definitely be making them again. Not only were these good served for dinner but they would make an excellent finger food during all of your summer parties!

Slider-Style Mini Burger~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) envelope onion soup mix (I used only 1)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used only 2 tbsp.)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
24 dinner rolls, split
1/2 md. onion, finely diced (was not apart of the actual recipe but I added it in lieu of the second envelope of onion soup)
1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)

Directions:
1.) Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2.) Mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.

3.) Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.

4.) Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serve with sliced pickles.

Now don't hate...you know you eat Spaghettios! LOL

Cost Saving Tips

2010-04-30T15:13:00.006-04:00

I follow a blog called Kelly's Korner which I have become very fond of. Every Friday she does a special post called "Show us your life". Today's was money saving tips and I have already written down quite a few useful ones such as the envelope system. It's where you have envelopes for groceries, gas, and other various expenses and you put how much money you want to spend in each envelope. Once it's empty your done and can't spend anymore money on that category. Below I have posted a few money saving tips that I already use...hopefully you will find them useful.

Let the money saving begin...

1.) We spend a ridiculous amount of money at the grocery when we don't stick to my grocery list. For example last week we spent $112 at the grocery which included the $26 bag of dog food. If I wouldn't have created a grocery list we could easily have gone over $200 and the worst part of the number is the fact it wouldn't have lasted but a week. Prior to having Addison my grocery lists were usually color coded excel spreadsheets. I would make a menu of every meal I intended to make for that time period and then I would sort the list based on where the item would be located in the grocery that I needed to make in order to create the dish. The list would start with all of our produce/deli items since those items are the first stop at the grocery and they would receive their own color. I did this for every group of items which makes collecting them and crossing them off the list so much easier. Instead of jumping around on your list and then having to back track aisles because you forgot an item everything was right there color coded and ready to be marked off. I don't do the spreadsheets anymore but I still stick to my lists and create menus for the week.

2.) When making my menus I always try to accommodate any coupons that I may have on hand and always try to make items that can be stretched out over the course of one meal. My biggest cost saving measure is making my own spaghetti sauce. I normally make a double batch and freeze it down to four separate containers. One container can be used for meatball subs one night and then spaghetti and meatballs the next. We essentially get at least two meals out of each container of sauce and the cost of making a double batch of the sauce would probably cost what two jars of sauce would cost us if we bought them that way.

3.) Another grocery saver for us is we DO NOT buy pop. We drink mainly water, juice, and milk at our house and juice is not very often. When and if we buy pop it's because we have come into a little extra money and want to treat ourselves. Juice is bought in bulk at Sams Club!

4.) I do not buy sweets of any kind at the grocery. This is something I started doing a few months ago and you wouldn't believe how much money you save. Instead of spending 3 or more bucks on Oreos that would only last three to four days out our house I buy a bag of chocolate chips and make cookies that last a week if we try really hard. I buy sugar, flour, and oil in bulk when they are on sale and not very often will you find my pantry without at least one bag/bottle of each. Last winter my MIL stocked me up on vanilla extract as well as butter so I have enough of both of those items for the next year...no joke. She bought them when her local grocery store was having a huge sale and I think she paid a dollar for each bottle of vanilla and for each box of butter. Huge cost saver for us!

5.) Toilet paper and paper towels are bought in bulk at our house. Instead of spending a fortune on name brand toilet paper I normally buy the Wal-Mart brand White Cloud. It's the cheapest I have found that is most comparable to Angel Soft which I only buy when I have a coupon.

6.) Hand soap...Daniel and I are both pretty freakish when it comes to hand washing, me more so than him. When I am in the kitchen cooking I swear to you I wash my hands a zillion times. I despise dirty hands! Instead of spending close to two dollars for a bottle of soap, I spend closer to five for the big ol' gallon size hand soap and it lasts for close to a year. Also, I don't buy the name brand stuff, I buy the generic version from Wal-Mart and it works just as well as Dial or other leading brands.

7.) Formula...my arch nemesis right now. Can you believe that a container of formula for Addison costs $25.00 and it lasts exactly one week? Yeah neither could I at first but guess what? There are so many sources that you can sign up for coupons it isn't even funny. Prior to her birth I joined a few websites and I was bombarded with samples and coupons. I have not yet bought a container of formula without using a $5.00 off coupon. One would think formula would be more expensive at Babies R Us but it isn't. Her Enfamil formula at Babies R Us is $23.99 and comes with an additional 20% more than the containers at Wal-Mart where they charge closer to $26.00, subtract my lovely $5 off coupon and we pay....drum roll please... $18.99. They also run promotions where you buy two containers and you get a five dollar gift card or like right now you buy three and you get a ten dollar gift card. Right now they are pretty much giving me money just for saving money by shopping with them!

8.) Another I found today is swagbucks.com. It appears to be a search engine where you earn points that can be redeemed for other products. I enrolled today after seeing so many people suggest it on Kelly's Korner so wish me luck. If you are interested in checking it out click here! One of the ladies who suggested it said she doesn't plan on spending a single dollar on Christmas this year. So far she has already racked up $300 worth of Amazon gift cards just for using this site. Definitely worth a shot since Christmas is always tight for us.

Do you have any cost saving ideas that you could share with me? Money is really tight for us right now and we would love to be able to put a privacy fence up around the entire back yard...a dollar saved is a dollar that can go towards that big project!

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

2010-04-30T12:23:00.000-04:00

To the rotten individual who somehow abducted the perfect little angel that I brought home from the hospital on February 20th listen up! You have until 10 p.m. tonight to bring her back home to her adoring parents and take the child that you replaced her with who refuses to be content.

Seriously though, Addison has cried more in the past three days than she has in the entire two and a half months that she has been alive. She doesn't sleep which means Mommy and Daddy are barely sleeping. She cries in her swing, bumbo chair, and her boppy chair. We pick her up to console her and she still cries.

I have switched the nipples on her bottles from the slow vent to fast vent, added rice cereal (which pains me greatly by the way), added her gas drops to the mix, and gave her her first dose of grape flavored Tylenol and nothing worked. The minute I gave her the Tylenol she settled down and became very content but it wasn't from the Tylenol because it is impossible to work the second you give it to a baby. The contentment only lasted about two hours though before she was back at it and I didn't see the point in giving her anymore.

I hope that she is just experiencing colic or having a hard time adjusting to our new schedule. Daniel has started on third shift so the poor girl is forced to sleep all night with me and then go right back to bed with Daddy when he gets home at 6:30 in the morning.

No matter what the problem is I know one thing...I DEMAND that my perfect little angel come home to me immediately. I miss you immensely!!!

Sincerely,

Your grieving and very exhausted Mother~~

Chicken and Broccoli Spaghetti

2010-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have posted this dish before but it was a long time ago and the picture didn't do it justice since I had forgotten to buy broccoli for the dish. I love it so much that I cooked it anyway! This is one of those quick dinners to throw together and has very simple ingredients so chances are you already have them on hand.

Chicken and Broccoli Spaghetti~
Source: Rhonda, a.k.a., the step-mom
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 lg. chicken breasts, cooked and finely shredded*
1 md. bag of frozen broccoli spears, thawed(disgard the majority of the stem using mainly the florette)
1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
4 tbsp. butter
parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.) In a medium size pot bring water to boil, add spaghetti noodles and cook according to the back of the box.

2.) In a food processor chop broccoli until it becomes finely chopped.

3.) In a large skillet on medium high heat add butter, ranch seasoning, broccoli, and finely shredded chicken, saute until cooked through. Add several tablespoons of pasta water and turn burner to low.

4.) Drain spaghetti noodles and add to chicken and broccoli mixture, mixing until fully incorporated. Serve and sprinkle with parmesan cheese as garnish.

* If you are in a rush you can skip cooking the chicken and instead use two large cans of already cooked chicken that can be found around the canned tuna aisle.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

2010-04-25T09:55:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I have posted so many items this week. There for awhile I thought I had fallen off the face of the blog world.

After making all of these yummy meals from Cassie Craves I needed something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth so I decided to give a homemade cake a whirl. Honestly...this is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted...the icing could be a little better but it is still yummy.

Extreme Chocolate Cake~
Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose white flower
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling hot water (I used 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee)

Icing:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two nine inch cake pans.

2.) In a medium bowl stir together the dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla mixing for three minutes. Carefully stir in the boiling hot water or coffee. Pour mixture into cake pans as evenly as possible. Batter will appear rather runny so don't fret like I almost did.

3.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes before removing from pans to cool further.

4.) In a second bowl cream together butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar alternating with the milk and vanilla. Beat until mixture is a spreading consistency.

5.) Split the cake layers horizontally. Cover the top of each layer with frosting and then stack together. Finish cake by frosting around the sides of the cake. (I did not do this...I just kept it at two layers instead of the four like the recipe called for.)

Sleepy Baby

2010-04-24T12:02:00.000-04:00

You know you're a mother when you can spend countless hours watching and taking pictures of your baby while she sleeps.

I don't know how Addison could be even more precious than what she is while she is napping!

She's been sticking her tongue out since the moment she was born much to her Papaw's amusement. Now she is sleeping with it hanging out!

Peaceful Sunday Evenings

2010-04-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

Right before having Addison Daniel was given the opportunity to go back to second shift at work after finally being able to work first shift in the almost three years since he has been employed with his company. We were excited when he finally went on first because that meant we could have a normal see you for dinner sort of marriage. We decided however, that second shift hours would be better for us since we would now be responsible for ensuring the best for Addison. I refused to put her in daycare and entrust her care with a complete stranger...first time Mommy talking...plus I knew that would mean her chances of getting sick all of the time would be greater. Sick babies in this house would more than likely equal sick Mommy since my immune system is questionable due to my Crohns disease and the medication I take for it. Anyway, Daniel being on second shift meant that Addison would only need to be watched by someone other than he or I for a two hour time frame if that and it would save us a bunch of money so back to second shift he went.

He is no longer home for dinners but it means that we just have to treasure our weekends with one another even more. Our favorite weekend event, if you can call it that, is to sit around on Sunday evenings watching some of our favorite shows. Currently we are enthralled with the Amazing Race and Undercover Boss and this past Sunday we got to watch the ACM's. I decided to make dinner early this past Sunday that way I could make this dish as an appetizer while we sat back with the family and watched our shows. Daniel is a pizza fanatic so I knew this would be right up his alley.

White Pizza Dip~
A Lipton recipe found on Cassie Craves

Ingredients:
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 16-ounce container sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped pepperoni
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced and toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

2. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

3. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.

I was unable to find the Lipton soup mix so I used Good Seasonings Zesty Italian Mix and it still turned out really well. Maybe one day I will find the Lipton soup mix and try this dish as it was supposed to be.

Katie+Daniel=Happily Ever After

2010-04-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of Kelly's Korner and for those of you who have browsed through her blog you know she does something called "show us your life Fridays" along with a theme for that particular Friday. Today's "show us your life" is about how you met your significant other. I don't think I have ever shared the story of how Daniel and I met and then proceeded to date, get married, buy a house, have a baby, etc. so I thought I would share today.

Sit back and relax while I tell a magical tale~~~

Long, long ago, towards the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2005 there live a beautiful single Princess who lived all alone. The Princess had just turned 21 and had never had what one would consider a boyfriend due in large part because all of the guys she had ever been interested in either didn't return the feelings or ended up just being bad news.

Just joking! A Princess I am not! The story however is true.

In all honesty, I was that shy girl in high school who never really put herself out there so I didn't date in high school either. I had horrible self esteem and even though I had all kinds of friends, when it came to guys and dating I was more comfortable sitting in the corner so that the neon light on my forward signaling that I was single and desperate wouldn't gain any notice. In all of my pathetic being I decided that after 21 years enough was enough and I needed to get off of my fanny and do something about it. I was sick of being all alone and having my Saturday nights consist of hanging out with my then 16 year old sister and her boyfriend. Even my kid sister could get a man which proves even further just how pathetic I must have been. I knew I didn't need to flash the neon sign on my forehead because who knows what kind of bad news would have been knocking on my door, but I knew I needed to do something.

Anyway, here I am desperate for some love and affection and I realize...I don't go out and party or bar hop with friends so just how am I going to meet somebody. After all I am not one to chat in line with the hottie behind me at McDonald's so I knew none of that "chance meeting" stuff was going to occur.

So what did Katie do you ask?

Katie took matters into her own hands is what she did!!

I created an account on cupid.com! Now before you laugh at me remember, I did not do the social scene AT ALL and even if I did I figured meeting someone over the Internet would be just as safe as if I picked some random guy up at a bar. At least meeting them over the Internet equalled some sort of safety net for me and it also met I could "interview" them for quite some time before I took the big leap and actually meet them face to face. It also meant that after I obtained their name and where they lived my roomie who just so happened to be a corrections officer for Montgomery County, could search for them in the County records to see if they had any secrets I needed to know about...LOL! It pays to have good friends sometimes.

So there I was my account was up and running and it was finally time to do some much needed "shopping". I "winked" at a few guys which is cupids way of showing a person your interested in them and Daniel just so happened to be one of those guys. He had by far, the most gorgeous blue eyes I had ever seen in my life and I have always been a sucker for blue eyes. I tried not to hold my breath on whether or not he would "wink" back but he did and I just knew the guy that I was interviewing prior to Daniel needed to go, he had been to "in my face" anyway. And by the way...the blue eyes I was so enthralled with, yeah, they were fake, big fat duds. His eyes are a blue green but thanks to the contacts he was wearing at the time his eyes were a very bright teal blue. My sister and I still can't believe we fell for them at first.

Now for those of you who aren't familiar with cupid.com you should know that it is free to set up an account and wink at whoever your heart fancies. It is not free however, to actually talk to those people and be given their information such as e-mail addresses. In order to do so you have to pay a membership fee which at the time was not in my budget unless I had some luck. Daniel was my luck and I bit the bullet and paid for a one month membership which would be just long enough to gather his e-mail address and his instant messenger screen name so that we could continue to talk after my month was done. We begun corresponding for a few months and then finally we got to the point where it was time to meet. He gave me his digits and I ended up calling him. Looking back at it now I did all of the damn work in the beginning of this relations...LOL.

On March 19th of 2005 we met for the first time. It was the night my parents and my Grandmother who my sister and I just happened to be spending the night with, didn't get a single minute of sleep until they knew we were safely home. Since there was still that remote possibility that Daniel was a serial rapist I dragged my 16 year old sister along with me and we actually met at our other Grandmothers house who had just passed away. Looking back at it now I am not really sure what having my 16 year sister along for the ride would have saved me from. We joke now saying that at least one of us could have survived and called 911 and then had information to help find the others dead body.

So there my sister and I sit in a house barely furnished awaiting the arrival of Daniel. I along with my cousin Heather and friend Amy had just begun moving into the house so please don't think we were there because it was empty. My sister still cracks up thinking about that night because I spent most of it in and out of the bathroom. We were worried about my hair, make-up, clothes, and bless my heart...whether I would have to poop while he was there. Don't ask...only a person with Crohns disease, which I was a few months away from being diagnosed with, would worry about such a thing.

We sat around for about an hour and then we heard it. The roar of Daniel's limited edition 1996 orange Ford Mustang pulling into the driveway. We ran to the front window staying low enough that he wouldn't be able to detect us and then we crawled to the front bedroom where we could safely peer out the window to determine whether or not we should open the front door. I told you I was pathetic but looking back we would have been hysterical to watch.

He got out of the car, while Nikki scrammed for the living room and I gathered myself long enough to quit breathing like I had just been running and crawling around the house, I opened the door and there he stood. Ol' blue eyes in person. We did our introduction. I asked whether he went by Daniel or Dan...he said either was fine. On a side note...either was not fine and I was scolded by my future mother in law a few months later when I called him Dan in front of her. This was also the time when I should have known that this man cannot make a definite decision to save himself.

The night went rather smoothly, the three of us...Nikki included, curled up on the couch and watched a series of scary movies. I was sandwiched between Nikki and Daniel with Daniel at the very end of the couch. By the end of the night Nikki was pretty much sitting on my lap while I was pretty much sitting on Daniel's lap because of the scary movie marathon we were holding. The night ended with he and I taking Nikki back to our other Grandma's house because my Grandma had given her a curfew(Grandma was not thrilled with our decision making skills that night and a curfew was her way of interjecting in some way). My cousin Heather and friend Amy had both gotten home by the time we had gotten back and Daniel ended up buying everybody Taco Bell...he ordered a nacho belle grande without tomatoes by the way, and then Heather suckered us into watching a porno*. I still can't believe that part and you really need to know the crazy that is my cousin Heather to fully understand it. When you put us three girls together we are one fruit loop short of being a bowl full of crazy.

*I would like to add we did not watch the entire thing, just a few minutes, so please don't think we are complete weirdos who should not have a child...LOL.

Daniel ended up heading home without giving me a kiss good night...he did hug me though much to the girls enjoyment since they had been hovering behind the front door peeping through the window and peep hole trying to see and hear everything that was said or done. A day or so later I gave him a call wishing him a happy birthday which happened to be on the 23rd since he hadn't called me since our "first date", that was my way of being in contact without looking desperate. Even after the happy birthday call he didn't call me back. I was heartbroken and pissed off but seriously after that first night could you really blame him for not calling me? My cousin subjected him to a porno and my 16 year old sister baby-sat us...I wouldn't have called me either. He did end up calling me back eventually, obviously since we're married now, and he explained that he had been deathly ill with the flu. His Mom eventually confirmed it because he managed to drag himself to her house for his birthday dinner and she saw for herself how sick he was. I feel bad now for all of the evil things Heather, Amy, and I said about him for not calling me back after that initial Saturday but how were we to know he was sick...he didn't call me!!

Like I said he did finally call me and we went out on our second date, which by the way was once again with chaperone's. His best friend Mike and his girlfriend Megan took us to Olive Garden to celebrate Daniel's birthday. I bought him his first gift that date, a t-shirt which he stills wears and was shocked to have received. Shortly after that second date we were with each other every single weekend up until September, our third date was actually the first date with it being just us. We shared a pizza at Joe's Pizza which is a little hole in the wall place here in Dayton followed by a movie at his apartment...we watched Pearl Harbor. Within three months of dating my health took a turn for the worse and by September I was so sick I truly thought I could be knocking on heavens door. I could no longer eat and managed to lose over fifty pounds within just a couple of months. The pain I was in was excruciating to put it mildly and I was unable to stand without almost passing out. Now after knowing what it's like to give birth to a child, I would rather give birth to a child then having to ever go through that period of time in my life again. By mid September enough was enough and I began seeing the doctor. After my first appointment and having a mild seizure after they took my blood I was sent straight to the hospital for more testing. I was sick and it was bad. I will spare you the details of those next few weeks but I was finally diagnosed with Crohns disease and our relationship became very strained. The week before my diagnosis I had actually moved into Daniel's place but I was so sick my Mom and Step-dad wanted me back at home. I actually had a possible cancer scare when the tests started coming back in so you can imagine how worried all of my parents were. I was TERRIFIED and needed the comfort of my home and family. I don't know if Daniel was hurt that I had left or more upset with the fact now he was stuck without anyone to help pay the expenses at the apartment, but needless to say he pretty much abandoned me during this time. I had decided that whether he wanted to or not, our relationship was done. I needed someone to support me and he was doing a crappy job of it. I finally threw in the towel and called him once just to check in and we talked and things got better. He still to this day is horrible at emotional support when I am sick although he is getting better. It took him several years to finally understand what having Crohns meant and just how sick I was because of it. I think after almost having Addison without an epidural when his buddies at work tell him their wives/girlfriends got theirs fairly early in labor he has a little bit more understanding of what I am able to tolerate and what my body is always going through. Secretly I think he is kind of proud I went through all of that before I got relief and that unlike his buddies women, his woman was able to hang tough.

So to keep an already long story from turning into a novel, we first met on March 19th of 2005...I consider it our first date, on May 7th of 2006 we became engaged, on October 30th 2006 we closed on our house and on May 5th of 2007 we became man and wife. And who could forget the little person that ties our happily ever after all together...Addison graced us with her presence on February 17th 2010. It was a day that we had given up hope on ever experiencing as we had been trying to get to that point since September of 2006 when we made the offer on our house. Yes we had been trying to get pregnant before we were married, we're horrible I know...lol. Our lives are almost complete now that we have her and we won't be fully complete until we give her at least one sibling...I just pray it doesn't take as long to happen this time.

It still amazes me everyday that we started this journey five years ago thanks to cupid.com and here we still are. What makes it even more special is that Daniel is the first boy I ever truly loved and if he stuck by me during that unusual...for lack of a better term, first date and my Crohns diagnosis not to mention the drama that is my family at all times, then he must be in it for the long haul! I love you sweetie and I can't wait for what the next five years holds for us!!

Pork Loin Chops with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

2010-04-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

When I originally picked this recipe to try out I was leery about whether Daniel would like it or not. Mr. Picky Pants is so hard to read sometimes and when asking him about what he would like for me to make his comment is usually always "I don't care". It's like pulling teeth with that man sometimes!

Anyway, I love pork chops and I love gravy especially with a nice heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes so I knew whether Daniel enjoyed it or not I would, so it didn't really matter what Daniel thought. I know, I know, I am such a loving wife.

I doubled the recipe for the cream sauce because I knew I just had to have enough to spoon over my mashed potatoes and I will be honest, at first bite, you know when you stick your finger in the sauce to give it a taste test, it came across very cream cheesy and I didn't know yet if it would be worth spooning over my goodies. However after spooning the sauce over my goodies...I'm brave like that...and trying again I realized it was absolutely WONDERFUL! And what is even more wonderful is the fact that Daniel actually liked this meal, with the exception of the mashed potatoes...he's weird like that.

I would suggest serving with the potatoes and a side of corn. My corn is absent from the picture because right about the time I was ready to start plating my meal somebody was in dire need of a diaper change which actually resulted in needing a bath. That's something you always want to deal with right before you eat dinner let me tell you!

By the way...this is another Cassie Craves recipe and so far it has been my favorite. I actually made two of her shared recipes the week before I had Addison but I didn't take pictures therefore I never blogged about them. If I get a chance this weekend I will blog about them and direct you to her blog for a great picture!

Pork Loin Chops with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce~
adapted recipe from Cassie Craves which she adapted ;from Betty Crocker's Dinner Made Easy cookbook (2009 edition)

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless pork loin chops
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped
4 ounces (half a brick) cream cheese
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
1. Season pork liberally with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chops in olive oil until juices run clear.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes.

3. Add cream cheese and milk to the garlic and stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce is hot, 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (I went heavy on the pepper).

4. Serve sauce over pork chops.

Like I mentioned above I doubled the ingredients for the cream sauce which made just enough for the four chops I had plus two healthy servings of mashed potatoes. I also browned the chops on each side using my cast iron skillet and then shoved them in the oven to finish cooking. Because of the diaper fiasco mine were a little over done but suprisingly enough Daniel said he preferred them that way...go figure...won't eat mashed potatoes but he likes dry pork chops...LOL. None of these steps were listed in the above recipe since I gave you the exact recipe Cassie posted on her blog but I thought I would throw them out there for you.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

2010-04-20T19:20:00.003-04:00

After months of not blogging like I would like to I decided this week would be different so off to blog land I went in search of some new recipes to try out and blog about. One of my favorite blogs is Cassie Craves. If you have never stumbled upon Cassie's blog you really need to do so because she posts some wonderful looking items. This is one of four recipes I am trying out this week from her blog and I can not stress enough that you must try these as soon as possible. Daniel hasn't tried them yet but I am confident that he will enjoy them.

Ingredients:
8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream

1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2. In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

I could find just plain monterey jack cheese so I used a colby/monterey blend. I also add about three tablespoons of diced onion to my chicken and cheese mixture. These are definitely going on the rotation.

Two years ago...

2010-04-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

Two years ago today I kissed you good-bye for the final time and with that lost the most amazing woman in my life for forever.

I cannot tell you how badly I wish you were here with me today celebrating the joy known as motherhood. I know you would be so proud of your newest great grandchild and I know she would love you just as much as I did and still do. If I can show my children half the love and encouragement that you showed your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren I know that I will make a wonderful mother and grandmother to my own.

Even though you are not here physically I know you are here spiritually. It's an almost daily occurrence that we find Addison gazing upon your picture that's hanging upon our wall. While she may never know what it is to be held by you I know from the smile on her face when gazing upon yours that she already knows what it is to have her heart touched by you.

You have three girls that need you oh so desperately right now all for much different reasons but we know that after gracing this earth for eighty eight years it was finally time for you to say good-bye.

You told us all not to cry for you or be sad that you needed to leave. I told you that it was just a sign of our love for you and it couldn't be controlled. Two years later we are still crying for you as our love for you has yet to diminish.

Thank you for being my Grandma and instilling in me so many of your greatest qualities and most of all, thank you for loving me unconditionally...faults and all.

Two Months

2010-04-17T13:55:00.000-04:00

Addison,
Today you are two months old and I just can't believe how much you have changed in just these past four weeks. You are an amazing little girl and Mommy and Daddy are so blessed to have you in our lives. You eat like a champ...sleep like a champ and very seldom do you cry. We are spoiled by your wonderful behavior and good nature. Thank you for making our transition into parenthood so easy!

Love you Baby Buttercup,
Mommy and Daddy

Already?

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a busy day for Addison and me and with it we marked a big milestone.

The big milestone being that Addison isn't so little anymore! I can't believe it but I actually had to put away all of her newborn clothes as they are now way too small for her little body. I will admit to a tear or two mainly because I can't believe she is already seven weeks old. I remember just prior to her birth laying in bed with Daniel saying that it wouldn't be much longer before she was here and laying in bed with us and now BOOM, she's here and already to big for the newborn clothes that I used to spend countless amounts of time gazing upon in her closest dreaming of the moment I would finally get to use them. Not only is she to big to wear them but I realize there may not be another opportunity to use them again. For all we know, as I told her last night, we may get nothing but stinky ol' boys from here on out. She thought that was kind of funny as she gave Mommy a big ol' grin when I told her. Just so I am clear...we are 100% OK with having boys next. In fact Addison's sitter, my friend Amber, has two little boys of her own. The littlest one being Brayden...I ask him everyday if he's ready to go home with me yet because he's that stinkin' cute. Anyway, it's just a bummer that I may not get the opportunity to use all of these pink clothes again and its sad for me when I wanted a girl so bad before knowing Addison's gender. Time flew by way to quick but on a positive note that just means I get to buy new clothes for this period in her growth.

Yesterday was somewhat of a big day for Mommy as well. I got my six week checkup and the Doctor said all appeared to be healthy and normal so I am able to resume my normal activities. Sex, exercises, heavy lifting, pretty much all the stuff I was told not to do. I had to chuckle when she told me all of this since we may have been pregnant again so obviously we didn't listen to the sex part and then exercises...I haven't exercised a day in my life so that was just funny. I have only lost ten pounds though since giving birth so between the pregnancy weight and the weight I gained the previous year due to my steroids...I have about sixty pounds to lose in order to be back to normal. I guess the word exercises needs to be added to the vocabulary.

On another note, anyone else just loving the new warmer weather? Today was a bit of a shocker thanks to the cold front that moved in last night but the previous days were so wonderful. I can't wait for it to get warm and stay warm so that we can begin doing more outdoor activities!

Hoppy Easter!

2010-04-03T17:24:00.000-04:00

Addison would like to wish all of her followers a very Hoppy Easter and yes her Mommy purposely misspelled Hoppy!

Back to work and not happy!!

2010-04-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

Today is my first day back to work. I kept telling myself I would be fine since Addison would be spending most of the day with her Daddy before heading to the sitters house but guess what...I was only kidding myself. Leaving her at home this morning cradled in Daniel's arms getting her bottle about tore my heart right out of my chest...morning bottles were my job and I am resentful that that job has been taken away from me.

I have only cried once at work but I find myself looking at her pictures quite often. I should never have downloaded her pictures to my work computer, it's too much of a distraction and while I gaze upon them I feel the dreaded pain in the back of my throat from trying to hold back my emotions. Those chubby cheeks just call to me to squeeze them but sadly I am not able to do so.

I never imagined loving someone so much or being so dependent on having that person in my presence at all times. Who cares that I haven't had a decent nights sleep in six weeks, well months considering those last few weeks prior to her birth I couldn't roll over in bed or get comfortable to save myself, but if we are talking about getting up every two and a half hours then it's six weeks. Who cares that my mind and sanity are shot. I mean really, who needs to talk in complete, understandable sentences anyway. And do I really need the invitation to my cousins wedding that I lost within an hour of opening it? I still can't find that stupid thing and I wouldn't be surprised if I go to grab something out of the freezer and I stumble upon it. I can't stand this not being able to pick her up whenever I want and I would be more than happy to continue living my life like I have above if only I got to stay with my little baby buttercup all day long!

I hate to tell this little girl but she is not going away for college, moving out, or getting married...I just don't think my heart could take anymore!