Foodie Friday

Happy Good Friday ya'll! I have been trying a lot of new recipes here lately. I'm super proud of myself for stepping out of my normal meat and potatoes zone. My hubby is extra proud too. He told me the other night that I had stepped it up a few notches. He was impressed by my new stuff =) I was kinda impressed by myself too!

The dinner that he was most surprised with was a roast. He came home and thought I was cooking chilli beans because that's all I ever cook in my crock pot. He was wrong and he was glad he was wrong lol! I've demoslihed a few roasts in my cooking lifetime, but hallelujah this one survived and was actually pretty good! Props to my good ole pal Pinterest {see here}.

The only thing I did wrong was cook it a little too long. My roast wasn't as big as the one in the recipe, so next time I'll cook it for maybe 3-3.5 hours on high instead of 5. Btw my roast was a little under 2 lbs. Perfect size for the two of us. Tanner didn't care for it, but he did like the potatoes and carrots.  Recipe's below...

Ingredients:

• A 2-5 lb roast. (any kind)  I use a lean cut, about 3 lbs.
• 1 envelope ranch dressing (dried) I use Hidden Valley brand, not buttermilk
• 1 envelope Italian dressing   I use Western Family brand.
• 1 envelope brown gravy mix  I use McCormick brand
• Potatoes and Carrots  (enough to fill a bottom layer on your CrockPot) I use about 7 or 8 baby red potatoes and a half pound of carrots to feed 3-4.
• 1 to 1-1/2 cup water 

What you do:

1.      Put any carrots and potatoes in the bottom of your CrockPot. I usually quarter my potatoes and use baby carrots.

2.     Put Roast on top of vegetables. 

3.     Sprinkle all 3 spice envelopes on top. 

4.     Add the water. 

5.     Cook on LOW for 6-10 hours until tender and veggies cooked through.It is better to cook the roast longer. This will be sooooo tender and yummy!!

Easy peasy and delish!

We had a fabulous meal at my sweet friends house last weekend and all we had to do was bring dessert. I just love my friends! So I searched on Pinterest and found where I had pinned a dessert for Weight Watchers Cheesecake Bars {found here}. First of all, I am in love with cheesecake. Second of all, I could really go for something lower in fat than what I originally had in mind. Plus, I had most of the ingredients at home. I think it turned out pretty good. Trevor didn't like it. I think my friend Miranda liked it. I know Tanner loved it. He has his momma's sweet tooth. 

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup M&M or Smarties candies
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 egg
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar, granulated
1/3 cup sugar, brown packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat the margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the walnuts and flour; mix well.
4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture; press the remaining crumb mixture into bottom of a 8″ square pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
6. Combine the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla; using an electric mixer, mix at medium speed until well blended.
7. Add the egg; mix well.
8. Layer 1/2 cup of the Smarties or M&M candies over the crust; top with the cream cheese mixture.
9. Combine the remaining candy and reserved crumb mixture; mix well.
10. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the cream cheese mixture.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
12. Let cool completely before serving.

WW POINTS for one square: 5
Nutritional information for one square: 217 calories, 13.6g fat, 0.7g fiber

The end result!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter with your families! I am looking forward to spending my Easter Sunday in church and with my family. I am thankful for all that God has done for me and blessed me with. He is an amazing Father who I love with all of my heart! Enjoy your Good Friday and Easter weekend!








Until next time...


Magan

To my sweet hubby...

Monday my little baby boy will be two. He’s not so little anymore, actually he’s really tall and wears a size 8 in shoes. I reminisce a lot {about good things only, of course} and while I was thinking back the other day to what we were doing two years ago, it made me realize how blessed we are. How blessed I am. I try to think of how it used to be when it was just me, Trevor and our dog Maggie. It’s hard to remember. Life must have been so boring before Tanner. Really it wasn’t, it was just a different kind of life. With that said, I just want to take a minute and thank my baby daddy, the one who helped create our sweet blessing.

Both of my grandmas always tell me how lucky I am to have him. Boy they sure are right. Not only is he a wonderful husband who loves me, he is an even more amazing daddy. I knew the moment that he laid eyes on Tanner in that operating room that he was a different man. I had a c-section and had some complications afterwards. He was my nurse for the next 10 weeks {and a very good one} and was a new daddy. We took turns with nightly feedings and diaper changes. He wanted to be a part of everything, from bath time to picking out his outfits. I realized very quickly that we were in this together. Not just me because I birthed him, but it’s 50/50 around our house. It was amazing. It made me truly fall more in love with him than I already was.

And now here we are almost two years later. Trevor was always anxious for Tanner to be able to walk so he could play with him and teach him to play ball. He has surely kept his word. Every night when he gets home from work no matter how exhausted he his, he plays with him. He feeds him, he bathes him almost every night, and he’s the one chasing him around the house at night when I’m exhausted. He goes above and beyond and never complains. And for that, my dear amazing husband who I know reads my blog, I just want to tell you thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m no longer scared to have another baby. I know that if we can take care of our wild monkey for the past two years, then we can certainly do it again. We are far from perfect, but we certainly try and learn along the way. The main reason is because we’re in it together.

I’m not just a proud mom. I’m a proud wife. I’m proud of how hard my husband works each today and how he comes home, leaves work at the front door and walks in as a daddy. He thinks I’m super mom, well honey I think you’re super dad. So cheers to making it two years as first time parents! I can’t wait to see what our future holds as mommy and daddy =) I love you so very much!

Hopefully I'll be sharing some yummy recipes tomorrow! Hope ya'll are having a great day! Until next time...

Magan

Mirror re-do

So my hubby went on his annual bike week trip to Daytona a few weeks ago. Graciously my mom agreed to stay with me Wednesday thru Sunday. I'm a scared chic who doesn't like to stay by herself. And Tanner enjoyed seeing someone else besides me every day. While he was away, I decided to surprise him with a little crafty project. Well, actually my amazing stepdad did all of the work. I didn't do much of anything, except grout and clean :) 

I saw this cute project on Pinterest {gosh, I know. I've got to chill with this site}. Since we moved in our new home, it's all builder grade stuff. The basic mirrors that are blah. So I told Mike {that amazing stepdad of mine} that I wanted to frame them. He went to Lowe's a few times and brought me samples of trim until my picky self chose one that I loved. He cut all of the trim down for me and into the 45 degree angels that it requires. We used glue to adhere them to the mirrors and then caulked around the insides. I originally wanted them white (Mike painted them for me too!), but now that they're up I think I'll go back and put some antiquey (I'm aware that's not a word) stain stuff on them to brighten them up and make them pop more. I'm in LOVE with these new frames! It makes our bathrooms feel brighter and didn't cost but around $60 for all materials and paint. That's a steal if you ask me...you just have to put in a little work {or have a family member self willingly do it for you}. 

Mikey doing what he does best :)

Poppi let Tanner help!

Before of our half bath. Sorry I'm not so hot at taking pics.

After of our half bath. I love it!

Totally forgot to get a before of our bath and excuse the hot mess and no hand towels hanging. I was trying to rush before my hubby got home =) But this is after in our bath!

I have many more projects in my head that Mike will hopefully agree to help me on :) A big project that we're gonna tackle is building me a farmhouse table for my dining room! Ahhh I can't wait! 

One last thing. Let me just tell you how much I'm in love with country music. Yep. You read that right. I'm from the south and I love country music. I bought tickets to see George Strait late last year for one of Trevor's 30th birthday gifts. The concert was this past Friday and it was nothing short of amazing. We had the best time and Mr. Strait was just perfect! 

My bffeih at dinner before the concert. We have went to soooo many concerts together. I was super glad to add this one to the books :)

The cutest lil couple I know!

My precious hubby...just love him to pieces!

This man can sing.

Our sweet friends...sooo fun!

Ahhhmazing! Such a cute cowboy!

Hope ya'll had a great weekend! I'm really looking forward to spending time with my family this coming weekend for Easter and then on Monday my sweet lil monkey will turn the big 2! OMG makes me sad! Anywho...I've been saving up some yummy recipes to share. Well, I thought they were good at least. Maybe not the rest of my household :) Until next time...

Magan

Comparing...mom post #01

So this is totally a mom post. Maybe someone can relate, who knows?! So here we go...

As a mom, do you ever find yourself comparing your child to other children their age? This has happened to me since Tanner was born. He has two cousins; one that is a month older and one that is a month younger. It’s inevitable, I think. Every milestone, whether it was when he first rolled over or took his first steps, was compared to his cousins. {Not by their moms, but by me} I think that my child is perfect in every way. What mom doesn’t? I find myself comparing a lot less these days, but when he’s around his cousin(s) I do. His girl cousin is a month older and she is smart as a whip. She talks plain and can sing songs and do many other things. I’m sooo very proud of her! BUT, I realize that Tanner isn’t doing all of the same things. And vice versa.

I’ve heard many times that boys and girls communicate and share different forms of dialogue. It was more evident than ever while I was in GA with my niece. Girls play different and talk different. It seems that girls tell more of a story and boys are more on the lines of grunting or yelling. Girls like to play with their toys gently, boys like to wrestle and roll every where. Meaning, they’re totally different and at times, incomparable.

This takes me to my next point. Just because I can embroider, does that mean that I’m smarter or craftier than someone else? Does it mean that I’m more advanced than someone who can’t embroider? Heck no! It just means that it’s a skill that I’ve acquired by practice. Did I teach myself overnight? Again, heck no! It took me a few years to master the techniques. Therefore, as much as I repeat “thank you” and “please” to Tanner he may not pick it up in 2 days or 2 weeks. He’s hard headed and head strong, meaning he may not say it till he wants to. {And that’s exactly how he rolls…on his terms, not mine}

It makes me wonder am I doing everything I should as his mom. Am I teaching and playing with him enough? Should I send him to school more than one day a week so he can be around other children more? My answer to this one is definitely no! I love my time with him and his grandparents love the time they spend with him. I feel very, very beyond blessed to spend as much time with him as I do. Should I clear out a room and have no toys or TV and put a school desk in there for us to learn for an hour a day? My answer to that is no. He is a toddler, not even two years old yet. I want him to explore and learn through playing and watching his mom and dad and other children. He will be in school for the next 14 years of his life. I want him to enjoy his toddler years having FUN!

Therefore, I vow to myself as a mom to not compare him to others. God chose me to be his mom for a reason. He trusted me enough to put His child in my hands to love and teach while here on earth. I am beyond proud of him. He can name almost every farm animal, he can say please when he wants to, he can tell you yes or no when he wants something {or doesn’t want something}, he can count (kind of lol), he can say I love you, he can tell you many things about a choo choo, and the list could go on and on.

So Tanner, when you read this one day I want you to know that your momma is so very proud of you and I think you’re a genius! You do things that amaze me every day. You’re full of energy and you love to have fun. You love to tell stories and be theatrical while doing so. You love to be outside and run free. You love to learn new things and say new words. And you also love to jabber in a foreign language. And I love every bit of you.

I’m human, as like all moms are. If you have ever felt like this before, know that you’re not alone. My best friend always tells me that Tanner is so smart and yes, we compare our kids {to each other only} because we think they are just amazing little people. So if you ever feel like you’re not teaching them enough because they can’t sing the abc song by the time they’re two, realize that it’s okay. They’ll get there. Maybe not today or a month from now…we all work at our own pace, that includes our little ones.

Such a big boy at the park. I love that little smile :)

**I wrote this post almost 2 weeks ago. As I reflect on it today, I’m in awe of my son. In just two shorts weeks he has morphed into a different child. I’m not saying he’s turned into an angel…go in the other direction. Lol, totally kidding. He is starting to show us and tell us what he wants {and I mean EXACTLY what he wants} and speaks in some sentences now. Just yesterday at the park he said "Daddy go climb". His dad was climbing on the monkey bars.What?! How did he know that?! It’s crazy. It’s so crazy, that I’m over the moon excited about all that he’s doing and the little boy he’s turning out to be. I’m so in love with this child sometimes I think my heart could bust. And then sometimes, like yesterday, I get so frustrated and mad at him that I think he just needs to spend most of his day in time out for his crazy behavior. Oh the joys of parenthood. No matter how he acts, I love that boy so stinkin much and I love being his momma. 

Happy boy ~ loves being outside!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! My husband informed me last night that I haven't blogged in a week. He actually reads these...that makes me happy :) I have been dealing with a teething baby who last molars just don't wanna come through. And I've had lots of embroidery orders...which makes me uber happy, by the way! Needless to say, I've been crazzzyyyyy busy. Just the way I like it =) So until next time {whenever that me be lol}....

Magan

Cousin love...

Helloooo and happy Wednesday! I have been totally missing here lately. But for good reasons, I might add. Guess who visited us this weekend?! That wonderful, nasty little virus! Yep, it hit me and Tanner. Lucky dad never gets it....thank goodness. It was only 24 hours this time, but Tanner is also trying to cut his last molars and that's causing the yuckyness to stick around for him if ya know what I mean. Needless to say, I'm over this junk and ready for my happy, healthy baby to return.

We visited my nieces in Georgia last week and had such a fun time! The littlest itty bitty turned two and we got to celebrate with her on her actual birthday. Tanner had a blast and discovered he loves drums and their play kitchen. Not sure where I'd put either in our already toy overflowing house, but I'm sure I could find room for one...the kitchen. The drums, well those would have to stay at one of the grandparents houses =) I'm so glad we could visit for a few days. Cousin love is the absolute best. I know for a fact because I have some pretty amazing ones!

Bed time milk and snack with his cousins!

Noisy house right at this moment. We have itty bitty on the drums and T man on the keyboard :)

Tea time...love their little imaginations!

Pure sweetness...telling him bye. Wish we just lived a little closer.

We woke up Wednesday morning to SnOw! Tanner has never seen snow, so I was super excited {and a little sad since his dad wasn't there to see him in it}. It snowed for a few hours, but by the time we got the kiddos dressed and ready to go outside it was already starting to melt. Oh well, Tanner got to see it, taste it, touch it, etc. so it was well worth it. 

Figuring it out...

Playing :)

First snow for Tanner...yayyyy! 

Other than that little virus attacking our house again, we had a good weekend. We took Tanner to the park Sunday afternoon...the weather was beautiful here and he had tons of fun. We decided to go eat at Wild Wings after. Why did we do that?! Not only was he tired from playing, but he also doesn't like to sit still. We managed to eat and leave, so we did pretty good =)

Such sweetness right here.

Fun times with this wild man!

He actually sat still for a second :)

Daddy and his lil mini me. 

So I found this brilliant little idea on Pinterest, I know surprise surprise. I thought I'd share just because it has saved me some cleaning time and it makes the inside of my fridge prettier. Seriously, it does.

I bought these 15x15 vinyl placemats at Fred's for $2.50 each. All you have to do it take them out and clean them. No more taking those shelves out and scrubbing them forever.

Whoever thought of this, thank you. You have saved me some much needed cleaning time.

It's a busy, busy month in our household. We have the big 2 year old birthday coming up, so that means party planning for momma. My fave!!! I've also been busy embroidering away. Thank goodness because it fills up so much of my time...time that otherwise would be spent catching up on DVR {reality tv} and eating Girl Scout cookies. So thank you to all of my wonderful customers for keeping me preoccupied doing something productive :) I hope ya'll have a great hump day. Almost the weekend! Until next time...

Magan

Pay it forward...

Happy Monday! I can't believe the weekend flew by so quickly and I can't believe March is already here! We had a low key weekend with lots of family time...which is always nice! We had our normal Sunday family day. Tanner wasn't so excited about leaving the house for church. Maybe because that crazy boy was up at 6:30 throwing Mr. Bear out of his crib and cried till I went and got him. But we still went  and I'm thankful. Sunday night Trevor's parents came by and Tanner answered the door and let them in. Gosh, when did he get so big?! He always has a blast with his Pop and Cha Cha! And I'm pretty sure he wears them slap out with the loads of energy that he has.

My two loves!

Cranky, tired boy. But he had fun at church, like always.  Momma knows best :)

Sunday night sporting Pop's hat and eating snacks.

No caption needed =)

He didn't want to give that hat back and he didn't want them to leave either!

I wanted to give ya'll a follow up on my random act of kindness in honor of Coach Snipes from Friday's post. The lady that God put on my heart lives in my hometown and visits the store that I work at a few times a week. She has a sweet spirit about her, though she may not have much. I went and bought her groceries and a gift card to Hamrick's (a store I know she likes) before I went into work Saturday morning. I went by her house but she wasn't there and I left a note telling her to drop by the store when she could. She stopped by shortly thereafter. I told her about Coach Snipes and the FB page that had been created in his honor. I went on to tell her that God had put her on my heart and that I bought her groceries and a gift card so that she could buy herself an Easter dress to wear to church. Through her tear filled eyes she told me that I was an angel. She said she asked God to help her get out of bed today, but had no idea He would send this for her. She just couldn't get over the fact that someone else took time to think about her and provide stuff that she really needed. She was so very excited, which made my heart fill so full. She wanted to know who to send a thank you note to, but instead I told her to pay it forward...which she said she was surely going to do. 

It takes just a moment to brighten someone else's day. It doesn't have to be with material goods, but even with just a note, a sweet word or a helping hand. I will strive to be more kind and helpful to others. I'm proud to be from an amazing small town and have went to a high school where one teacher made such an impact on our community. I'm so very proud. And I'm honored to have known this incredible man and teacher. I hope that we can all pay it forward and share our kindness with those who need it the most, just like Coach Snipes always did.

Tanner and I are off to Georgia tomorrow to celebrate my nieces second birthday with her! I'm so super excited to see my family and my old friends. And eat some amazing bbq from the Pink Pig. It's the best eva! Hope ya'll enjoy your week! Until next time...

Magan

Foodie Friday

It's Friday...yayyy!!! I'm not sure why I'm so excited, I don't have anything super exciting planned for the weekend. Actually I do. I'll be spending it with the two loves of my life ~ Trevor and Tanner. Hope ya'll have some fun stuff planned! 

I tried out two different Pinterest recipes this week. I was on a roll. Until last night and then it was freezer food out of a box. Thursday's always get me. I tried making these melt in your mouth pork chops on Tuesday {found here}. I tried is the key word. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but they were so stinkin dry. Oh and the juice slipped out of my tinfoil and left a hot mess in my stove. Now I have to figure out how to get it clean. BUT they were really tasty. Maybe I left them in the oven too long while the rest of my food was finishing up. I will attempt them again because it was a different twist to normal pork chops that I season and cook on top of the stove. If you try them and they're not dry, puhlease tell me what you did =)

Just a few ingredients needed. 

Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning, brush on some olive oil, drop butter and worstchire sauce on it...

Cover tightly in foil. Note to self: cover a lot tighter the next time or put on a cookie sheet.

The finished product!

I was so busy Wednesday night trying to get supper ready that the only pic I snagged was of the final product. This crispy cheddar chicken was ahhhhmazing!! You can find the simple recipe here. I didn't make the sauce to go on top, I just made the chicken and it was delish. I always buy boneless chicken tenders. I do that for a few reasons...you can get them in large packs, I split them up into 7 pieces {how many we eat each time} and freeze them, they thaw out quick and it doesn't take as long to cook them. Please try this. You won't be disappointed. Me and the hubs loved it. 

Makes me hungry just looking at it.

And on another note, a dear special teacher that taught at my high school passed away this week. Coach Snipes was such a Godly man who was always so encouraging to others. He would always have a smile on his face when you saw him and was always in the best of moods. He was a ray of sunshine around our high school and one teacher that I will never forget. In honor of him, a few of his previous students started a FB page encouraging others to show random acts of kindness. Simply because he was a man who was always kind no matter who you were or what your situation was. I have had his family on my mind all week and have prayed about what God would want me to do in order to show my random act of kindness. This is something I want to strive to do every day in his honor, but God also placed a very special lady on my heart. I plan to do something for her and will update ya'll next week. If you get a chance, would you perform a random act of kindness in honor of this amazing man? Even if you didn't know him, I sure bet someone would be appreciative of your kind gesture. If we all did this, maybe the world would be a little brighter and a little bit happier. Prayers for the Snipes family today and the days to come!

I hope ya'll have a great weekend! I'll leave you with this precious picture I snapped last night without him knowing. My sweet Tanner will be 2 years old a month from today. Oh my where has the time gone?! He is such an amazing little boy who has stole my heart! His little features are something I want to treasure forever...I'm in love with his lil button nose, blonde curly hair, long eyelashes and just his cute face in general. =) I'm not biased at all, huh?! Nahhh just in love. Until next time...

Magan