Back to Life...

This is at what my eyes have been looking the last week...ahhhhhh. But now, it's back to real life and being a real mom. Our cruise was even better than I could have imagined. Cruising is one of those things that people either love or hate; everyone has an opinion on it. After this past week, I can say that I am definitely a cruise fan. Granted we had beautiful weather all week, and the entire ship was filled with friends from State Farm, but the fact that cruises force you to leave cell phones, computers, and work at home is one of the main reasons we will be back again. We were aboard the Holland America ship The Noordam, and I loved everything about it; the people, the rooms, the food, the employees were all top notch. Thanks to our awesome parents, who kept Ben all week, I feel totally rested and am ready to get back into our normal routine at home.
Today, we grocery shopped, got printer ink, (yuck) and bought my large fern for the front porch urn. For you Lawrenceburg folks, the Weakley Creek Nursery has the best ferns in my opinion, but you have to get them before they are gone. Other than that, Ben and I are pretty much just enjoying each others company after a week of absence. I just wanted to share our meal plan for this week; I am looking forward to getting outside and grilling more as the weather warms up!
Monday: Tonight, I am going to be making an Unstuffed Pepper Bake. Brad and I both grew up eating stuffed peppers, but Brad doesn't love when the pepper doesn't get completely soft, so this is the perfect solution, and it should ensure that the bell peppers get cooked all the way through.
Tuesday: Tuesday night Brad has his first church softball game (defending champs!), so I am going to make a Slow Cooker Whole Chicken. I am not following the recipe shown here, but I liked how this blogger showed how you can use the broth for additional meals. I have never cooked a whole chicken, but I bought one on sale a couple of weeks ago, so I am going to give it a try (thanks Sammi Hughes for sharing your recipe with me). I'll let you know how it turns out!
Wednesday: Leftovers night:)
Thursday: Thursday night, I am hoping the weather cooperates, so we can grill outside instead of using the Griddler, but we will do what we have to do. I found this recipe for Grilled Chicken Tacos in, where else, but my Southern Living. I love warm, fresh tacos, so I think this will be awesome with the salsa and black beans on the side.
Friday: I never plan to cook on Friday nights, but we always have enough food in the house in case we decide to stay in. I hope everyone had an awesome Easter with your families. Ben was very excited about his Easter basket this year, which made the day even better. He loves it so much that you may see us hunting eggs outside throughout the summer; whatever makes them happy and keeps them busy:)

Happy Belated Easter!

The Organization Bug

Today started off like any other day. I woke up, opened the blinds, started the coffee, potted two arborvitae bushes, (what? like that's not a normal morning activity?) made Ben's breakfast, started a load of towels, but as I walked to the back of the house to collect the rest of the laundry, my eyes beheld the mess that is (Brad's) the back bedroom. Then it bit me...the organization bug. You know that feeling that comes over you once in a blue moon that makes you want to show every piece of junk in your house who is boss and put it in its place; yeah, that feeling. I figured my best tactic would be to wait patiently until Ben went down for his morning nap; ( I can't believe he still takes one; lucky me!) I played and worked puzzles with him, so the junk wouldn't suspect that I was onto it. After about an hour, Ben finally got that sleepy look in his eyes; it was go time...I attacked the back bedroom closet with an indescribable fury! Stack, fold, hang, toss, repeat; I was an organizational hurricane leaving nothing but clean and straight in my path. The closet, while proving itself to be a formidable foe, was no match for the organization bug.

Once the first battle was over, I realized I simply couldn't stop there; there were other areas of the house losing ground to clutter, and I couldn't just sit back and watch, so I continued in my quest for cleanliness. Here are just a few of my conquests:

The Fridge: Dominated
The Spice Cabinet: OwnedHad to stop for nourishment; made this bbq chicken pizza: dominated it too.


The Pantry: Is that all you've got, house?
Clutter: 0, Me: 1. Hopefully the next time you get bit this Spring or Summer, it is by the organization bug. :)

Off to an Early Start

Happy Sunday everyone! Somebody is excited it's Spring! Ben looks pretty pumped about this precious House of Hatten outfit that I got for him at the Little Sprouts sale this past February. For those of you who love to dress your babies like babies (at least on Sundays) like me, this sale is for you! If you have not heard of it, the Little Sprouts sale is held twice a year in Franklin (location changes), and it prides itself on being a "boutique only" sale. I love to volunteer at this sale, and I am usually one of the people checking in clothing items; we make sure that there are no holes, stains, missing buttons, or just general icki-ness. Clothes must be certain brands as well, which ensures nice clothing items at a very fair price. I highly recommend your checking this out for the fall! I was able to purchase all of Ben's nicer wardrobe (Sunday clothes, Easter, etc.) at the Spring sale.
On another note, this weekend was a great one; we were able to spend time with my parents Friday night as they were kind enough to come and entertain Ben while "we" packed for our trip. By "we," I mean I packed MY stuff for the cruise and Brad stayed up until some wee hour of the morning playing Tiger Woods golf on Wii with my dad. Oh well, he'll be stressing, and I'll be ready to go!:) Speaking of my dad, he is awesome, and he let me use his phone upgrade (since I used mine already on a terrible phone) to get an iphone; I suddenly feel so modern! I don't really use the internet much, or at least I haven't yet, but it is cool to be able to check email, etc. wherever I am...can't wait to try out "facetime" calls; let me know if you have an iphone too!
After the great iphone purchase of '11, we headed up to Pump it Up at Cool Springs for a birthday party. I have literally never seen a child have so much fun as Ben has there. He is so independent and loves to climb, slide, run, fall on his face, and he never once fusses! That's my big boy! After that, Brad and I headed up to Cool Springs for a little shopping (aka, walking around and really buying nothing). It was fun, however, and Ben was the best boy in the world as always; as sleepy as he must have been with no afternoon nap, he rode in the mall stroller (bless his heart; we forgot his) for 2-3 hours and never complained...we are truly blessed!
Today, we had a great worship time at church, we watched a little golf, Brad got busy outside, so I went ahead and did my couponing/shopping for the week! If you have a Kroger nearby and like to coupon, you should go this week. I only got things we really use, and since we are going out of town, I didn't have to buy produce, etc. Pictured right are the food items I got on my trip today and below that are the baby/cleaning items I got. As you can see, the food items are all great brands, and I got some really yummy stuff (Blue Bell ice cream, sister shubert rolls, nestle toll house cookies, streamfresh veggies, etc). Also, as you can see, I stocked up on diapers, which I am still pretty excited about! I had several Huggies coupons that were about to expire during our trip because they haven't been on sale lately; I figured I would make sure they didn't go on sale this week before giving them away...They did!!! Go figure! I used all 5 of my coupons combined with the store sale to get $55.66 (before tax) worth of diapers/wipes for $41.95 (saved $13.71). I am starting to buy a pack of Pull-Ups here and there since that time is getting close! Kroger also has a General Mills cereal promotion going on where you instantly get a $5 Kroger gift card when you buy 4 participating cereal/bar items (on sale for $2.79), so I checked out with those first, used coupons, spent $8.42, got a $5 gift card (which I then used on the rest of my groceries), so each of the 4 cereal items came out to about .85 a piece (regularly about $4 a piece). So...if I add up the large chunk of money that was spent on diapers (Spent $91.47 total; about $60 (if they were regular priced) diapers; that means everything else averages about .95 a piece). A good week since I would have to buy the diapers regardless of price. This past week, I read "Learn to Coupon" on the Southern Savers website. This was so helpful (ie, I will no longer simply cut out all my coupons on Sunday; I will leave them in their inserts and file them in order. That way, there is no huge mass of coupons to sort/look through). This website gives me all of the sale/promotion items and the location or link to the coupon; you can't beat that! I am learning so much, and really only use this website; my feelings are "the simpler, the better." If I can do this every week, so can you. Give this info a read, and start saving a little more each week; it's quite fun. Happy and blessed week to all!

Park with Friends

Yesterday was the perfect day for a play date at the park with some great church friends! I must say that I was totally shocked and so proud of how Ben navigated all of the playground equipment! We have only been to the park a couple of times since he has been old enough to really play. He just took off in true boy fashion, and before I knew it, I looked over and he was half way up the climbing wall! Who is this kid, and where did he come from? Ben used to be very timid, so he has really come out of his shell, and I LOVE it! Soon after this picture, however, he proceeded to skid all
the way down, but he dusted himself off and tried again! Go Ben! The kids played until they were all sweaty and exhausted, and we had a great time! The other mothers (who are obviously smarter than I) packed lunches for their kids, so my kid walked around and grazed off of everyone else's plate. Those of you who know Ben know that my boy likes to eat..and eat..and eat.
So, when we got home, I made one of his favorite lunches, peanut butter and jelly sushi...just a cutsie name and a different way of making lunch fun. I saw this "recipe" in a magazine years ago before I had a child, and I always thought about making it for my kids.
Here are some pics and simple instructions, and you could obviously change up the type of sandwich too.
Step 1: Cut the edges from 2 slices of wheat bread; roll the bread until completely flat using a drinking glass or a rolling pin.
Step 2:Add whatever yummy ingredients your child likes. These two are obviously peanut butter and homemade strawberry freezer jam and peanut butter and banana. I have also added a little honey before.
Step 3: Roll them up tightly; if you overfill, the good stuff will ooze out.
Step 4: Cut into slices like slice and bake cookies. I do smaller bites, but when he gets older, about 4 slices from each sandwich will work.
Step 5: Watch them eat and enjoy!
I am finally finished with all of the paintings due before our cruise, so now it is time to get the house cleaned from top to bottom and get all of my clothes (and Ben's clothes) ready to go. Packing is one of my least favorite things, but I am blessed to be able to go somewhere cool, so I think I can handle it! If you have time, let me know of some fun lunch ideas you use with your kids; I'm always looking for new things to make, so any advice is welcome! Happy Friday, friends!

Sticky Fingers?

Chocolate, Marshmallows, and Golden Grahams; what could possibly go wrong? Nothing! Yesterday, Ben and I prepared a little treat for (ourselves) our van ride to the Predators game with friends. I had a coupon a while ago for Golden Grahams; I can't say I have ever really eaten them, and I have two boxes, so I thought I'd look up a recipe for something sweet. Boy, did we find one. I can't keep my hands off of these things! Ben was a great help in the kitchen as we made these S'mores Bars yesterday. As you can see, he is quite the little chef:) Pictured are all of the ingredients needed to make these awesome treats (I didn't have any choc. chips, so I chopped up the giant Hershey's kiss Brad gave me for Valentine's Day:). The only tough part is the stirring, but they are worth the effort! Ben's school bake sale, here I come! (O.k., maybe getting a little ahead of myself:)
I wanted to share a couple of other food items today. This one is a no-brainer, but if you have a picky eater, you know it can be tough to get them to consider new foods. Ben is not so much a picky eater, but I always think it is tough to fit in all the needed fruits/veggies needed in a day. I definitely have a pizza lover! He will scarf (is that a word?) the stuff at any opportunity, so for an easy lunch idea, I came up with "Sneaky Pizza." I start with a Natures Own bagel thin (I had a coupon one time, and they are great!) I take apart the halves and spread about a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each. Then, I layer fresh spinach leaves, grated carrots, and any other veggies I may have handy that won't alter the flavor too much. Then, I hide it all under a small layer of yummy cheese! Ben eats both of the mini pizzas and has no clue what is in them. You could obviously use those sandwich flats or English muffins; whatever you can come up with is fine.
This morning, I poached my chicken for the chicken and spinach lasagna (recipe on yesterday's blog) I am going to make Friday night. I wanted to make my FAVORITE soup to eat on the rest of the week. It calls for chicken broth, and instead of buying the (loaded with salt) canned/boxed version, I thought I would use the broth from poaching my chicken. All I do is strain the veggies/fat from the cooking broth and then season it a little more (add a little salt/pepper or whatever else you like). This Spinach Tortellini Tomato soup is perfect for any day, and it makes a large amount, so you can eat it for days. It is definitely a husband-pleaser in my house as well (that is a difficult feat for a soup). Ok, I better get busy because I know my boy is ready to get outside and play! May break out the new water table today; I'll post pics soon! Have a blessed day!

Lights Out!

This is what my house looked like for much of yesterday afternoon...dark! Although I am very thankful no one I know was injured by the storms, they came through pretty hard, so I did a lot of painting and drawing with no lights! I must say, it was pretty nice to have limited tasks I could get accomplished with no electricity; Ben slept through the whole storm, so I just hung out in the dark by myself!
Finally, the lights came back on just in time for me to cook dinner; I have been wanting grilled food so bad, and I had already put the meat out to thaw, so I decided to go ahead and grill..indoors! Thanks to our little Cuisinart Griddler, (LOVE this thing!) I was able to surprise Brad with yummy, summertime chicken shish kabobs. I was thumbing through my new Southern Living Sunday while meal planning, and I just thought these sounded healthy and great, so I changed up the recipe just a bit, and they really hit the spot! The recipe is called Rosemary Chicken Kabobs, but we don't really care for rosemary, so I switched it out for Mrs. Dash's lemon pepper seasoning, and I took the salt out of the recipe too since I used Mrs. Dash. Give them a try or change them up to how your family likes them; the red wine vinegar helped make a great marinade.
Tonight, Lord willing, we are off the a Predators' game, tomorrow night is church (so we always eat afterward with friends), Thursday night, we are eating at the Boundary in Nashville for Brad's work (amazing), so Friday night is the next night I will hopefully cook again! This was an easy week for grocery shopping:) My parents are coming down Friday, so I thought I would make something big and extra yummy, so I am going to make one of Ben's favorites, Chicken and Spinach Lasagna. This, of course, is another Southern Living recipe. I use a lot of recipes from Cooking Light and other healthier places, but I have found that I hardly ever go wrong using a Southern Living recipe.
Hope you make some great meals this week and spend a lot of quality time with the ones you love! God has given us an absolutely beautiful day outside, so I am truly thankful today.

Home again!

Yep. This is it! Mule Day 2011 at its finest! What a perfect day we were able to spend outside with friends and family! If you aren't from around Columbia and you weren't able to make it this year, you missed a great one, and you should definitely check it out next year! Mule Day is one of those great American festivals that sounds completely red-neck (and let's admit it, it kind of is), but it brings back so many happy memories of watching the animals and floats go by with my grandfather Pap to walking around trying to spot cute boys with my girlfriends:) Now, I think Ben will love it as much as I do, and he fit the part perfectly in his little cowboy boots! We arrived at the parade around 10, it doesn't start until 11, so Ben had a blast walking up and down the street looking at all the people and flirting with pretty little girls (too cute!) In addition to all the fun, Uncle Brent was able to be here for the weekend, so he and Ben spent some quality bonding time as shown. This is the two of them reading a Christmas book on the ipad. Ben has a slight obsession with fireplaces, (strange I know) so Brent had a hard time turning the page from the fireplace with the moving fire. We hated to say goodbye to Uncle Brent this morning as he headed back to D.C., but Mule Day weekend in Columbia was definitely a success!
Today, we attended church at Graymere church (which was great as always). I love seeing and talking with the adults I grew up admiring now that I am a mother. It is fun sharing Ben with them for a little while. Tonight, however, it was great to be back home in the burg. We headed to Pizza Hut for a little post-church pig out with our friends and their twins (boy and girl, melt my heart). This busy week, we are heading to a Preds game with friends, eating at Stoney River for Brad's work, (yum.) packing for our big cruise, and, meanwhile, I am trying to finish up some last-minute painting projects. I'll leave you with a great picture from home tonight. This is Brad quizzing Ben on his ABC's while Ben is "pooping" (he really just likes to sit and be read to) on the potty. Every time Ben said a letter, he got a high five. I love these two boys, and might I add how blessed I am to have such an amazing, godly husband and father. Life is good today.