A few of my favorite things!

I love when I find new items that are awesome because someone else suggested them or reviewed them. So, I thought I would share some of my favorite things right now!

{Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm}

I got two of these back in December through a virtual favorite things party and I am so glad I did. They make my lips feel so good, especially right now when things are so dry!! LOVE it!

{Ebates}

Do y’all use Ebates??? If you do online shopping, it’s a must!!! You earn a percentage of your purchase back when you start at Ebates and then make your purchase! I’m getting back a nice deposit on February 15th for using it for my Christmas shopping and for referrals! I have received one deposit from them before and it was just deposited right into my paypal account. If you aren’t using it, you can click here to sign up and check it out!!!

{Special K Cracker Chips}

These are soooooo yummy! And a fairly healthy alternative to something like a potato chip. They have Original (Sea Salt), Cheddar, Sour Cream & Onion, Southwest Ranch, & Honey Barbecue. I’ve had original and sour cream & onion and like them both. I also think the others would be yummy!
 

 

{Chris Tomlin’s Burning Lights}

This album is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Seriously. Talk about incredibly uplifting! Every single song on here is so awesome. And it makes my soul feel when I listen to it. This was money well spent and I would encourage you to check it out if you’ve not heard it!
 

 

{Parenthood}

This is definitely not new, but was new to us. After hearing so many rave reviews, we started watching this right after my surgery while I was recovering. We flew through the first two seasons and recently finished the third. It is SO good. I feel like I relate to this because it’s about a very close knit family, with several siblings, much like my family. I can’t wait to see what Season 4 holds b/c I’ve heard some spoilers and have no doubt it will not disappoint.
 

 

{Papermate Flair Pens} 

I also got a couple of these through the virtual favorite things party. These are fun colors, they write well, and they don’t bleed in my planner! I do a lot of marking and writing at work, and if these will brighten things up a little, then I’m going to write all over everything with them!
 

 

{Twirl by Kate Spade New York}

I got this in a Birchbox last year and I absolutely loved it. I had so many people comment on how good it smelled so I asked for some for Christmas and Zach’s grandma gifted it to me, & my sweet in-laws paired some lotion & shower gel with it. I love love love it!
 

What are some of your favorite things right now that I should check out?!?!?!

A fresh start

It has taken a while but it seems like the kids are mostly well. Reed is pretty much himself, and Ava is so much better but she still seems to be low on energy. I know she is ready to head back to school and I pray that we can stay healthy for a while!

Our weekend was pretty mundane and spent at home just trying to get everyone healthy.

Saturday night Zach’s school had their big annual fundraiser and I would’ve enjoyed going but decided this wasn’t the best time for a night out. So Zach went and worked a shift and I stayed home with the kids. Reed and I had fun playing.

Sunday morning we went to church and sat in the cry room. Reed found the “special" kids’ seat that for some reason, all kids just love.

Sunday afternoon we spent cleaning and just getting ready for the week. I always feel better starting the work week with a clean, picked up house. Zach leaves today for Nashville so the kids and I are on our own. I wish I were going too! I like Nashville and it’s too bad he has so much work stuff to do or it’d be a fun little getaway. As it is, no go for me! :)

I’m praying this week is much quieter and much more mundane than last! Here’s to a good week!

Show us your Singles: Meet Megan!

Hi there! I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend today!

 

This is Megan!

 

Megan is newly 30, lives in the Arkansas River Valley, and has a successful career as a Accountant for a local oil and gas company.  I’ve known Megan for almost 9 years and she is one of the most honest, FUN, down-to-earth, REAL people you will ever meet!

So what should you know about Megan?

Megan’s family is very important to her. She loves spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews! She is a self proclaimed PANK - “Professional Aunt, No Kids”!

One of Megan’s very favorite things to do is travel. She most recently returned from a trip to the Bahamas, and has also visited Mexico, Italy, and Ireland!!

One of the things I like most about Megan is her involvement in our community! She is on several different boards in our community and is also involved in many organizations. According to Megan, “You can’t complain how things are where you work/live if you aren’t willing to be proactive in making it the community you want.”

Other things of note about Megan:

• She is a Catholic Christian.
• She loves watching and listening to live music. Her favorite music is Country which she thinks is a good thing b/c that’s what makes its way here the most!
• In her down time, she enjoys reading. One of her favorite authors is Nicholas Sparks. Since so many of his books are made into movies, she likes reading the book right before the movie comes out, and then goes to see the movie!

Megan has such a fun, outgoing, and genuine personality. She’s got SO much to offer the right man. One thing I admire most about Megan is that she knows what she wants and refuses to settle. She values herself and knows that the right man IS out there for her. If you think that might be you, or you know of someone you think would be a great match for her, please leave a comment and I’ll get you in touch with Megan! :)

A week full of sickies

What. A. Week. I’m tired. When we left off, Reed had been sickly and had been called in an antibiotic.

Well, that antibiotic TORE up his little belly. He had dirty diapers one right after another all day long. That in turn made his little bottom AWFUL. Just awful. Neither of my kids have ever had a bottom that bad, even when Reed had a straight 10 days of diarrhea last fall. He was in so much pain and it was so sad. Zach had to work at a basketball game Monday night and I was home with the kids, and Reed was almost too much to handle. I was changing diapers every few minutes which would result in a screaming fest. I didn’t give him any more of the antibiotic and just prayed he’d sleep.

He woke up Tuesday and the dirty diapers had slowed some but his bottom still hurt. We got him some probiotics and the meds getting out of his system helped drastically. He came home with Zach Tuesday evening and seemed to have perked up considerably.

Ava and I went to gymnastics and as soon as she got to me waiting on her she said “I’m so tired.” And then her teacher walked up and said she had told her she was tired several times. I thought that was a little odd. On the way home I asked Ava if she wanted dinner and she said no. As we pulled into the garage she told me she had to go to the bathroom. I hurried her in the house and went back out to unload the car when I heard her crying. And I knew. I walked back in the house and she had thrown up. Thankfully she was in the bathroom and even though she didn’t quite make the toilet, I was SO thankful we weren’t a minute later or I would have had that all over my car.

She didn’t really seem like she had a bug but we erred on the side of caution and didn’t let her have anything to eat or drink even though she asked. We did finally let her have some water about an hour later, and 30 minutes after that she ate a couple crackers and fell asleep. She slept the whole night so we woke up Wednesday thinking it was just a fluke.

Reed woke up MUCH happier and seemed to be back to his normal self so we got him ready for school even though I’d planned to keep him home if his bottom was still hurting. Ava woke up and got dressed and could barely move off the couch. She kept saying she was just tired. She said she didn’t want to miss school but we could just tell she needed to stay home.

She just laid around most of the morning but never said what was bothering her even when I asked her what hurt. I checked her temp and she had about 100.2 fever. I noticed she was digging in her ear and asked her if it hurt and she finally told me it did. She was sooooo pitiful. I called and made a dr appt for the afternoon. Zach came home around 12:15 and we switched off so I could go to work.

I had been there only a little while when I got this text. I called Zach and told him to call the doctor and tell them we were bringing Reed too.

So I left to meet them at the doctor at 3:45 and we had to wait about 45 minutes. Ava just sat on one of our laps and was in and out of sleeping. Reed was a wild child and hard to corral. They finally called us back and the took Ava’s temp and it was 104.3!!!! No wonder she felt so awful. The doctor came in a short while later and confirmed her right ear was infected. He gave her the award for the worst ear all week! Reed’s left ear was “very, very red” so I can only guess it was infected when he was sick on Friday and that the medicine had started clearing it up. We left with a prescription for both kids and headed home.

We’d been home around 10 minutes when I saw a text that the prescriptions were ready. I headed to go pick them up and when I got there she told me that they weren’t ready and actually didn’t have any in stock. Umm… ok. I asked about the text and she said it was a mistake. Great. So she tried calling about 4 other pharmacies and no one had enough of the medicine for Ava. I could have gotten Reed’s but he wasn’t the one who needed it so badly. I went out to the car and tried calling two other pharmacies and then just cried. I called Zach and then my mom and decided to call the dr back. I got the answering service and finally got a call back. The dr sent a new prescription to a different pharmacy. He was going to let Reed have the one he’d already prescribed but was going to give Ava the one Reed had previously been taking. I wasn’t crazy about this but didn’t really have a choice. About that time, my mom called and said she’d found the meds at the pharmacy that she used and she had given them the kids info and the pharmacy to call to get the prescription and told me to hurry before they closed at 6:30. It was 6:15 so I flew over there and thankfully got the meds. They didn’t have the right dose for Ava but they had one that was 2x so they gave us that and just cut the dose in 1/2. Why no other pharmacy didn’t think of that I don’t know but I was SOOOOO grateful to these people.

This pharmacy just happened to be in the little shopping center that contains Chick-fil-a. So, after the day I had, I felt like I had earned a milkshake. And it was GOOD! Ava also asked for a sandwich and since she hadn’t eaten all day I was happy to offer her anything that she would eat.

She still feels pretty yucky today and is still running a small fever. Reed seems to be ok and is full of energy now that his bottom doesn’t hurt so bad. I am PRAYING that we can leave this sickness behind and that we can all be well. It seems as if we’ve had one sickness after another since November. I know that’s part of it and we’ve done it, now I’m ready for it to be OVER. I am thankful for many things though – that Ava got sick at home, that this is all this week and not next week while Zach is out of town, that Zach and I can tag team since it’s a busy time at work for both of us and for my mom for helping us out so much. I’m also thankful that even though this week has been physically and emotionally draining, these illnesses are small. We are able to treat them with a simple antibiotic. And for that I’m extremely grateful. I pray for those parents who deal with kids who are really sick on a full time basis.

All that being said, I’m ready to kiss this week GOODBYE!

A Reed Update – 15ish months

Reed has past 15 months old and is well on his way to 16 months, and 18 months, and TWO! WAAHHHHH!!!!! I haven’t done an update on him lately so I wanted to do so as there are some things I want to remember about this age.

• He is still the SWEETEST baby boy. I love him. When he looks at me and says “Mama” my heart almost explodes!
• He is chattering up a storm. He has a fairly long list of words for this: Dada, Mama, Sister, school, shoe, sock, hi, bye, go, uh-oh, more, cookie, Papa, please, thank you, and poopoo. He surprises me often with a new word. In fact, over the weekend, I’d made cookies for a bake sale, and told Ava she could have one later, and Reed took his paci out of his mouth, said “cooook-eeee” and grinned at me! Funny how they know things so early.
• He listens and helps very well. Every morning I ask him to hand his lunch to his teacher and he carries it over to her.
• One morning at school he got a book out and went to sit on the carpet where they have story time. After he “read” it, he put it down and got up. I told him to put it away and he picked it up and put it away. I was very proud of him!
• Tantrums are in full force. Legs kicking, back arching, body going limp. Check, check, check. Sometimes I just have to laugh at him. Others I want the floor to swallow me up.
• He typically sleeps 10-12 hours. He still takes two naps most days at home, but has more or less transitioned to one at school.
• In the next month, he is going to transition to the toddler room at school. (SOB) He will be in with some older kids, will start napping on the floor, have a set schedule, and etc. I know it will be good for him and he will have fun, but it makes me sad that this is already here. (However, I’m not sad about the $25/month I’ll save from this! holla!)
• He wears 18 month clothes but will be in 24 months very soon. He is wearing a size 5 shoe and a size 5 diaper. He weighs about 26 pounds and is 32 inches. He is growing like a weed.

• Reed’s four molars have all finally come in. WOOHOO! It was a horrible process for him. I assume he’ll get his canines in the next few months and we’ll have no break before two year molars. ha!
• When Reed wants something or someone, he walks over to it and lifts his arms and opens and closes his hands really quickly. LOVE LOVE when he does this to me.
• When he gets really excited about something, he breathes in very deeply and makes the funniest inhaling sounds and then lets out the giddiest laugh. Love his laugh and giggles.

• Life with this little boy is never dull. He is SO funny and makes us laugh.
• He is also the happiest, sweetest little love. He is my little buddy and I’m so, so grateful for the joy he brings to us!

still alive

This past week was brutal, friends. Work was busy, I was tired, and then Reed got sick. We’re still here and still kicking though.

Monday, Zach and Ava had the day off. Zach got up and cleaned out the garage. I’m SO grateful he did because it looks SO good and it’s so much easier to maneuver in there! After he worked in the morning, he and Ava met me for a lunch date!

Mid-week I woke up in and the result of my morning not going right put me in a BAD mood. Our DVD player was messed up so I wasn’t able to do my workout. I was frustrated I didn’t get my work out in and I was frustrated I got up early for nothing. In reality, it wasn’t a big deal but it threw my day off.

So, these smiles….and a 99cents Sonic drink helped pull me out of my funk.

I had a busy work at week, including two full days of checking schedules which resulted in this each day:

Ava celebrated her 100th day of school and had to take 100 of something. Every week after dance, she gets a Tootsie Roll and she LOVES them so we decided to send those. I made her count 10 sets of 10.

We had dinner out on Thursday and I forgot Reed’s sippy cup. He thought having a cup with a straw was the best thing ever.

Friday afternoon my mom picked the kids up from school and called to tell me that Reed had refused his lunch and his snack. If Reed’s not eating, something is wrong. She called me back to tell me he had fever. Zach was planning to go to the grocery store when he got off and instead, went to check on Reed. He called the pediatrician’s office right before 4:00 and they said they don’t make appointments after 4:00 unless the nurse okays it. The nurse called back around 4:15 and said they’d have to talk to the dr. Around 5:30, they finally called and said they were calling him in an antibiotic and that if he wasn’t better in 72 hours to call. He’s some better but still isn’t eating very well and has been very fussy all weekend. He’s very congested and snotty. I’m hoping the antibiotic will kick in soon (if it’s even something that can be helped) and will be back to his happy self soon! He is currently like this:

He won’t let me hold him. It’s so sad. He gets little bursts of energy but they are over very quickly. He’s not running fever so I don’t really think it’s the flu. I guess if he’s not better in the morning, we will be calling the doctor back.

I’m going to go ahead and hope this week is better than last!

Chicken Parmesan Bake

Sunday night I made a Chicken Parmesan Bake for dinner and it was delicious! I actually saw this floating around Pinterest almost two years ago, and I made it probably a year ago, and then never made it again. I’m not sure why because we all love it. And I love that there is no coating or frying chicken involved, but that you get the same textures as real chicken parmesan!

This is not an original recipe from me, but I am going to make it easier b/c the post where I found this has the ingredients listed, but the directions are in a video. Who wants to watch a video every time they want to make a recipe? Ain’t nobody got time for that. So I’m going to help you out by giving you the directions too!

Chicken Parm Bake – from Food Wishes

Ingredients:  
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put olive oil in a 9x13 baking dish. Add crushed garlic and mixed pepper flakes and spread around to evenly coat the dish. (You can leave out the pepper flakes but I LOVE the little beat of heat and extra that it brings to this dish!)

3. Put your chicken breasts in the dish. (The first time we made this I cut my chicken up and baked it like that. This last time we just used the breasts, but pounded them to make more thin).

4. Pour your marinara sauce on top of the chicken and spread evenly.

5. Sprinkle chopped basil over the sauce.

6. Sprinkle 1/2 of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top.

7. Time for the secret ingredient: croutons! Don’t skimp with a cheapy brand. Get something with good garlic flavor! Pour these on top and spread them around so that they cover the dish.

8. Add the rest of the cheese on top of the croutons.

9. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (cooking time will vary based on the size/thickness of your chicken breasts).

10. Let rest for a few minutes before serving! The top of the croutons will be crunchy and the bottom will be a little softer from being in the sauce – just like your traditional chicken parm!  Serve with pasta, salad, and if desired, some garlic bread for an easy, yummy meal!

Bon appétit!