Dream Home

This posting every day business is exhausting...I have no idea what to write about, so I went to the NaBloPoMo website to check out their prompt for today: What would your dream house look like? Where would it be? Who would live there with you?

I don't necessarily know what my dream house would LOOK like, but I definitely have some requirements. First of all, a HUGE kitchen complete with state-of-the-art appliances, gas stove, double ovens, lots of counter space, plenty of cabinets, a pantry, and a bar/seating area. The next must have on my list is an amazing master suite. A large bedroom with room for a king-size bed (yes, Adam, a king-size bed), a sitting area for reading or whatever, LARGE closets, and plenty of natural light from big windows. The master bath would have to have a large jacuzzi tub, a separate shower, and most importantly, his-and-her sinks! Sorry babe, but you make such a mess when getting ready in the morning! Next, the craft room! Or should we call it my haven...a place where I can go and create without worrying about little hands getting into everything! I would also want a large family room with plenty of seating and large windows, a game/play room for the kids, a theater room, plenty of guest rooms for visiting family, an in-house gym, an outdoor kitchen, a covered patio area, a pool with a hot tub, a tennis court, a sport court, and plenty of land and trees.

Where would it be? I don't know...

Who would live there with me? The hubs, the kiddos, maybe a pet or two...

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this is a DREAM house :-P

Meal Planning

I am going to tell you a secret...we are fast food junkies. And believe me, it is NOT because of the amazing food quality. Let's face it--between being pregnant, chasing after a 2-year old, and trying to keep my house from looking like a tornado passed through it, I rarely had the extra energy to worry about what we would eat for dinner, much less actually cook dinner. It was too easy to just stop on the way home from running errands or have Adam pick something up on the way home from work.

Here's the funny thing--I LOVE to cook. I love looking through cookbooks for ideas, and my TV is eternally tuned to Food Network (well, either that or Lifetime). I think part of the problem (aside from the lack of energy) is my tiny kitchen. Also, I am somewhat of a procrastinator...which leads to nothing being defrosted or not having all the ingredients I need. So, to try and remedy this problem, I have decided to try meal planning.

I have heard that meal planning will help you eat better and spend less. That is reason enough for me!! I came across this show on BYUtv called "The Food Nanny". Her approach to meal planning includes theme nights. She assigns every night a different theme, and you plan your meals accordingly. I like this idea because it gives me some parameters to work within. So, without further adieu, here is my meal plan for the week:

Monday (Comfort Food): Gumbo
Tuesday (Italian): Chicken Piccata
Wednesday (Fish/Meatless/Breakfast): Pancakes
Thursday (Mexican): Tacos
Friday (Pizza): Frozen Pizza (don't judge me!)
Saturday(Grill Night): eating at Mom's
Sunday (Traditions): Buttermilk Herb Chicken

I hope that this will help end the age-old question "What's for dinner?"

On another note: I am in desperate need of some quick, kid-friendly lunch recipes. All Daniel wants to eat is hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and cheese sticks. So, if you have any ideas, please send them my way! Thanks, in advance!!

LSU, Gumbo, and Random Tidbits

Random Tidbit #1: After last night's lame post, I tried to get some sleep to no avail. I chalked it up to the UTI, but I ended up passing what I believe to be a kidney stone. I'll spare you the details and picture...yes, I took a picture--but only to send to my mom to confirm the identity of this mysterious, jagged, little pebble. Anyway, after getting that out of my system, I felt much better. Unfortunately, I am now having a nagging pain in my right lower back. More kidney stones or all in my head??? I don't know...

Random Tidbit #2: A friend of mine (I won't mention any names--Jimbo) was just talking to me about kidney stones and drinking too much caffeine (which I do). Yes, I think you jinxed me. Yes, I blame you. :-P

Random Tidbit #3: Going to Wal-Mart early on a Saturday morning is a good time to go. I am not stupid brave enough to go to a store with 2 kids by myself yet. Since Adam can only accompany us on the weekend and the kids are already up at the butt-crack of dawn, I thought we would get up and go. Surprisingly and thankfully, it did not start to get crowded until we were checking out.

Random Tidbit #4: I love gumbo. I mean, I REALLY, REALLY LOVE gumbo. But, in all my years, this born and bred southern girl has never actually cooked gumbo. So, since we were grocery shopping this morning, I decided, on a whim, to buy the ingredients and try it out. It wasn't great, but it was pretty good. I will just have to tweak the recipe next time...

Random Tidbit #5: Just call me Doubting Thomas. I admit it...never in a million years did I think LSU would beat Alabama. Don't get me wrong. I am a Tiger fan through and through...come on, my son can spell Tigers before he can spell his own name. But, based on previous gameplay, I just didn't think it would happen. I did, however, actually enjoy watching this game. There were still frustrating points, but there were also some really exciting ones too. In short, GEAUX TIGERS!

Random Tidbit #6: I love cold weather. I am so glad it finally showed up in Louisiana. It always makes me think about the holidays and the smells of the season. <insert shameless plug> My favorite is my Holidays scented candle from Lagniappe Candle Company. The mixture of pine, cinnamon, and cloves always makes me think of curling up on the couch with a chunky sweater, wool socks, a warm blanket, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate...with marshmallows, of course.

Random Tidbit #7: I think I am going to go back for seconds of gumbo....

I Got Nothing...

Tired. Caffeine headache. UTI. I am going to bed with my antibiotics, Tylenol, and cranberry juice. Lame, I know...hopefully tomorrow will be better :-)

Thankful

I am thankful for my two beautiful, healthy, happy babies. I am thankful for my wonderful, loving husband. I am also thankful that he is an incredible father. I am thankful for our families who love us and are always there for us, ready to lend a helping hand. I am thankful we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. I am thankful for our amazing friends who are always there to put a smile on our faces, bring us a hot meal, or help us out when we need it. I am thankful for my mom (for more reasons than I can list here)...she is the most amazing person I know. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for the knowledge that families can be together forever. And I am ever so thankful to my Heavenly Father for bestowing all of these wonderful blessings upon me.

Wordless Wednesday

Election Day and Photo Comparison

Today being Election Day, we fulfilled our civic duty and voted. We ventured out in the yucky, rainy weather to cast our votes with both kids in tow. Daniel was excited to go into the voting booths with us. He really enjoyed getting to press the "Cast Your Vote" button. Olivia, trooper that she is, slept through the whole thing.

Now, on to the photo comparison. As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I first saw Olivia all I could think was how much she looked like Daniel. Every day there is a face or expression that just screams Daniel...especially when Olivia got her first bath the o

ther night (will post photos soon). Anyway, I thought I would post Daniel and Olivia's hospital photos for comparison.

Same mouth, same nose, same eyes (even though you can't really tell in this picture), almost identical hair color...I am simply amazed by how much these two look alike! What do you think?