Recipe Wednesday

Tortilla Rollups (this is a great appetizer of just fun snack for a party)

Ingredients:
12 large burrito size tortillas
1 tub of cream cheese (16 oz. I believe)
1 small jar of salsa (8 oz.)

Directions:
Scoop all cream cheese into a medium size bowl.
Slowly pour salsa into bowl while stirring.
I normally only use about 3/4 of the jar of salsa.
You just want it to be a toothpaste consistancy.
Once you get all the lumps out, spread the mixture onto a tortilla.
Roll the tortillas up.
Refridgerate for at least 1 hour.
Cut into bite size pieces and serve.
Enjoy!

Good book

If you like to read you have to read this book.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

This book is a must read for anyone. It is sort of a tear jerker, but it was great. Not to give to too much away, its about a man, the love of his family, and how things can change so quickly. For me it was hard to read parts of it (especially being a new mom), but it just makes you realize what blessing we have. Anyway, I have it if anyone would like to have it next. I also heard there was a sequel to it, but not sure... does anyone know??

Memorial Day weekend

We had a fun weekend... here is a recap!

Friday: We just hung out around the house on Friday night. We went out for ice cream and just drove around looking at houses (something Adam and I like to do... not that we are looking to move!). Gracie actually learned to roll over really well. She had rolled from her tummy to her back, but now she is rolling from her back to her tummy! She loves being on her tummy and we have finally given in and are now letting her sleep on her tummy. Here are some pictures of her rolling!



Saturday:
We went out to the lake with our good friends, Joey and Hailey! Grace had a blast. I wasn't sure how she would do, but she seemed to like it. Their boat has a nice canopy so the girls (their daughter, Molly came too) just hung out under there most the day. Of course we still put sunblock on them 3 times while we were out there. Of course Adam and I were so worried about her getting sun we forgot to put sunblock on our backs and we got a little toasty. We also tried to put Grace in the water to see if she liked it. She loves her baths... but the lake water was a bit cold so she didn't last long! That night we were so beat from the day we just order Chili's to go and went to bed early! Grace must have been really tuckered out... she slept till nearly 9 on Sunday morning (12 hours!) Here are a couple pictures of Grace hanging out at the lake. It's she adorable in her swimsuit!

Sunday:
We had visitors to Durant! My brother-in-law, Todd, his wife, Tricia, and her brother, Todd and his wife Sara and thier son Andrew (did you follow that!!) came up to Oklahoma to say hi. We went to eat at the only place in town, Chilis (yes we had just eaten that they night before, oh well). It was nice to see them. Todd and Tricia live in Austin so we only see them every couple months.

Then Sunday night we got a babysitter! Adam and I were in need of some alone time, so we got our first "real" babysitter. My mom has watched Grace before, but not really anyone else. We got a college girl that use to work in Adam's office. She was great and it was nice to get out. We went to dinner in Sherman and went to see The DaVinci Code. It was great, I'm just gonna have to go see it a couple more times to catch everything! I only called home once to check on my baby... although I wanted to call like 10 times!

Monday: Haven't done much today (still pretty early), but planning to head to Walmart and Big Lots in search of things I probably don't "need". We are also having some friends over for dinner tonight for burgers... gotta end the weekend the right way! Beer and Burgers! :)

Hope everyeone had a great Memorial day weekend... and of course don't forget what this day is all about... Remember those whose lost their lives for us!

American Idol - TAYLOR!

My favorite American Idol, Taylor, took the gold last night! WOO HOO!!

Just wanted to let all my Dallas friends know that the American Idols Live Tour 2006 is coming to the Nokia Theatre in Grand Praire, TX on September 7th & 8th. Ticket sales start today at 10 AM and the tickets are a small fortune ranging from $48.50-$62.50. If anyone is interested in going let me know and maybe we can get a group together... although we may be the oldest ones there!

Recipe Wednesday

I have decided to make Wednesday Recipe day... so if you are looking for something to cook for dinner or are needing a great desert check here and maybe I can inspire you to cook! Also, if you know of a good recipe let me know and I will post it. ENJOY!

Sausage Quesadillas

Ingredients:
Tortillas (12)
Mixed grated cheese
Bell Peppers (2 - any color)
Italian Sausage (4-5 links)
Cherry Tomatoes (one pack)
1 large onion
olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
* You will also need an outdoor grill.

Directions:
1. Topping: Cut cherry tomatoes in half and cut onion into bite size peices and soak in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. (You will want to put 2 parts balsamic to 1 part olive oil).
**Put this to the side till finished**
2. Cut and grill bell peppers till slightly crunchy.
3. Grill italian sausage (done completely) and then cut into bite size peices.
4. Put olive oil on one side of tortilla. Put cheese, sausage and peppers on tortilla. Top with a second tortilla and a little olive oil.
5. Grill the quesadilla until cheese is melted.
6. Cut into 4's and top with the balsamic w/ tomatoes and onion mixture!

This is super yummy! Great for about 4 people or if you want leftovers it reheats nicely!

SPANX!

If you haven't heard of Spanx you have been missing out. These "bodyshapers" came to the rescue for me and my baby fat. They are basically panty hose for your body. They smoothe and suck in all your bumps and lumps... and you can still breathe. If you haven't heard of them check them out at www.spanx.com. They are totally worth every penny!

The gang

Gracie (13 wks) hanging out with her buds Travis (11 wks) and Katy (28 wks).

It took practically 20 pictures to get all the babies to cooperate! Of course we couldn't get any one of them to smile and look at the camera at the same time, but they are all still so cute! I just can't believe how quickly they are all growing.

Cutie Pie!

Okay so I know she is my daughter, but isn't she cute!

a late Mother's Day fun reading...

IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN
If you've ever read the "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" saga, you'll love this!

Happy Mother's Day!

If you give a Mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan dinnerfor tonight.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She will look for her cookbook (101 Things to Make with a Pound ofHamburger).
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two yearold.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring.
Her four year old will answer it and hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.
And chances are......
If she has a cup of coffee......
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Gracie is 3 months!

I know... time sure does fly! Grace had to go to the doctor last Friday b/c she was a little under the weather (but we got some antiobotics to knock it out)... anyway she weighted in at 13 pounds even and was 25 1/4 inches long. I can't believe she has grown 4 inches and gained 4 pounds since she was born. She is sleeping well at night(normally 7-8 hours), but she is the queen of cat napping during the day. She loves to go on walks and look at herself in the mirror! It is just so cool to see how eat day is a new discovery. It is so amazing to be a MOM! :)

The 4 Meme

I got from a friend and thought it was fun! Enjoy.

Four Jobs You've Had:
1. Daycare center assistant teacher
2. Sales Associate at Inspirations (sold A&M tshirts)
3. Tour guide at A&M
4. HR Benefits Administrator (first "real" job)

Four Places You've Lived:
1. Plano, TX (2nd grade till HS graduation)
2. College Station, TX (5 different places)
3. Sherman, TX (6 months - just temporary)
4. Oklahoma - where we currently live

Four Vacations You've Taken:
1. Colorado - skiing ever since I was 4
2. Galveston - practically every summer since I was a baby
3. Cruise to Caribbean (2 times)
4. Seattle - last fall... our last trip w/o kids :)

Four Vehicles You've Owned:
1. Mitsubishi Eclipse
2. Honda Accord
... that's it... I guess I sort of own Adam's truck

Now - Four Blogs You've Visited & Want to Tag:
Whoever happens to stop by with the time...

My morning Sunshine!

This is why it's so easy to get out of the bed in the morning!

A new look in progress

Okay so I think my old blog was a little hard to read so I thought the green would be easier on the eye! I am planning to spend some time on the blog and get it looking good... one of these days! :)

Good and EASY recipe

Southwestern Chicken (to be cooked in the crock pot)...

Ingredients:
*2 cans whole kernal corn (drained)
*1 can black beans (drained)
*1 16oz. jar of chunky salsa, divided
*4-5 chicken breasts (thawed and uncooked)
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*cooked white rice

Directions:
Combine corn, black beans and 1/2 cup salsa in crock pot. Top with chicken. Pour remaining salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours or until meat juices run clear. Sprinkle with cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Serve over rice. * I use medium salsa... normally I don't like spicy foods, however mild salsa was a little bland. ENJOY!

Stay at Home Mom = Domestic Engineer

I found this on Salary.com and thought it was pretty interesting.

"If paid, a stay at home mom would earn $134,121 annually. Working moms would earn $85,876 annually for the "mom job" portion of their work, in addition to their actual "work job" salary."

A stay at home moms job desription:
"Housekeeper, teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, driver, CEO, pyschologist...." plus all the other little jobs that don't fit in these categories.

So now the question is which is better?? I think it totally depends on your little family. For Adam and I this was a tough decision (probably harder for me). I loved my job.. a lot! In fact I miss it a lot too. And when I was up there last week just saying hi to everyone my old boss asked if I wanted to come back. VERY tempting. However, after a lot of thought, I'm simply not ready. Maybe at some point. But I think for those that do work it doesn't make them any worse or better... we just all have to do what is right for our family. And I do thank God daily for the gift of letting me stay home with my baby. It is just such an amazing gift.

Balding Baby

Poor girl... she is already needing to do "the comb over". She is mainly just loosing her hair where she sleeps, but it seems to be getting thinner all over. Maybe it will come back in blonde... or maybe not.

Flexibility

Adam is encouraging Grace to suck on her big toe... she sure is flexible!
Maybe she will be a dancer or a cheerleader??!!

Date Night!

Last night my mom came up to our house to give Adam & I a break! We went to dinner and a movie and it was wonderful. Of course I worried like crazy and called 3 times. But I thought that was pretty good. Grace took 2 bottles from my mom great (about 3-4 ounces each)... and she only tried to eat my mom a couple times :)

Visitors

Katy & Andy with Grace

Ash, me and Grace

Becoming a mom

This is a great early Mother's Day message... 

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter
casually mentions that she and her husband are
thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a
survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I
should have a baby?"

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping
my tone neutral.

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on
weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all.  I look at my
daughter, trying to decide what to tell her.  I want
her to know what she will never learn in childbirth
classes.  I want to tell her that the physical
wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a
mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw
that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again
read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had
been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house
fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of
starving children, she will wonder if anything could
be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish
suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she
is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the
primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.

That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop
a soufflî`r her best crystal without a moments
hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how
many years she has invested in her career, she will
be professionally derailed by motherhood.

She might arrange for childcare, but one day she
will be going into an important business meeting and
she will think of her baby's sweet smell.  She will
have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from
running home, just to make sure her baby is all
right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions
will no longer be routine. That a five year old
boy's desire to go to the  men's room rather than
the women's at McDonald's will become a major
dilemma.  That right there, in the midst of
clattering trays and screaming children, issues of
independence and gender identity will be weighed
against the prospect that a child molester may be
lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will
second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure
her that eventually she will shed the pounds of
pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about
herself. That her life, now so important, will be of
less value to her once she has a child. That she
would give up in a moment to save her offspring, but
will also begin to hope for more years, not to
accomplish  her own dreams, but to watch her child
accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a caesarean scar or shiny
stretch marks will become badges of honor.  My
daughter's relationship with her husband will
change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she
could understand how much more you can love a man
who is careful to powder the baby or who never
hesitates to play with his child. I think she should
know that she will fall in love with him again for
reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will
feel with women throughout history who have tried to
stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I hope she will understand why I can think
rationally about most issues, but become temporarily
insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to
my children's future.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration
of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.

I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby
who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the
first time.

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it
actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that
tears have formed in my eyes.

"You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I
reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's
hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for
me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble
their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Success!

She did it! Grace took 5 ounces of breastmilk in a bottle from Adam. We actually got her to take it from one of our Avent bottles (thank you Lindsay for letting us borrow the Dr. Brown bottle). And she is still doing fine nursing from me. I would like to nurse for at least 6 months... but just want her to have a bottle so Adam and I can get out on occasion! :) Nursing her has just gotten so easy and I really enjoy it. Hopefully she will continue to do this well. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Gracie's new discoveries

Who's that pretty girl in the mirror?

Is that MY foot?

Bottle Drama

Okay so I know this is completely my fault...

Since I am nursing we didn't indroduce the bottle until Gracie was 4 weeks old. We had a few minor problems with nipple confusion so we waited a couple more weeks till she was 6 weeks old. She took an Avent bottle this time with no problem. We gave it to her a few times and it went well. So we waited a few weeks (not really intentially, but it is just so easy to nurse her since its always warm and ready to go, we have no mess with bottles, dethawing frozen milk, etc). So last week we tried to give her a bottle and she wouldn't have it! GREAT! So for the last week we have given a bottle to her every night with a failed attempt. I thought maybe we should change out the nipple size, so I went to a 2 in the Avent bottles. We got her to take 1.5 ounces... needless to say I'm so frustrated. I would like to spend more than 2 hours away from my daughter. Don't get me wrong, I love having her and I love nursing, but I need just a night or an afternoon away from her. So my question is what should I do? I'm not sure that it is the bottle. Sshould I let her cry until she is so hungry that she eats it? Should I try another bottle... I've heard Dr. Brown is good? Any sugguestions please let me know!

I am actually suppose to be going to eat at III Forks in Dallas on May 13th with Adam's work so I will be gone from 4 in the afternoon till probably around midnight. I am not planning on missing it so I need her to take a bottle by then. HELP!

Grocery Store Fun

So I've been to Wal-Mart several times now with Gracie... oh about once a week. It normally takes me an hour to shop. Well Gracie was nicely snoozing like she normally does. She has been awake before but she normally just looks around and takes in all the sites (interesting people at the Durant Wal-Mart), but as I was pulling into the check out line Gracie started crying. So of course I gave her the pacifier which she spit out (like 10 times)! She was awake and hungry!! She was crying so hard and the poor cashier was trying to hurry. Then Gracie let out a fart (which I later found out was a poo)... needless to say she was quiet after that. Thank goodness only the cashier heard it, but I was so embarrassed. I know this is just the beginning of all the times I am going to get embarrassed, but I guess I just thought it would be when she was a little bit older like 2. Oh the joy of being a mom! :)