"Bye Y'all"

Kids really do say the darnest things. My two have been saying some of the cutest words/ phrases lately that deserve their own post!

The latest, as of yesterday on Thanksgiving, Ansley started saying "Bye Y'all!" Everyone in the family was told this repeatedly when leaving or if she was just ready to go. :) Guess we say this more than we thought!

Garyn has also been using funny tenses to words. He says "Its broke-ed" or "I fell-ed." He loves to tell me "Don't ever say that to me again" when I tell him we have to go or do something he appearantly doesn't want to do. He also links things to his feelings a lot, such as saying "You're just making me sad when you tell me that." It breaks your heart sometimes and other times, you think he just needs to get over it.

He is always coming up with these little ideas to get what he wants, too. "Does that sound like a good idea, Momma?" he'll ask. I just chuckle and agree. While talking about his Christmas list, I told him he may not get both Mario Kart K'nex sets. The next morning the first thing he told Tyler was that he had an idea. "Nana can get me one of the K'nex sets!" And of course, she obliged and has it for him for Christmas.

Ansley has such cute words for things like "pappy" for her pacifier. One of our favorites is how she says "Emma" her new cousins name. On her own she started calling her "Mema." We think it is so cute and have started calling her that as well.

I know there are so many other cute things they have said but I can't really think of anything else right now. Hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving!

Family Photos

I am sure you all have noticed my new header. They are most of the one year old session we had with Bonnie McGhee, Tyler's first cousin. She does such a good job, as you can tell! These are some of my favorites!

{Daddy and Ansley love}

{Looks too grown up!}

{My lil' Alfalfa}

{Perfect picture!}

{Blue eyed beauty}

{She loves her daddy's bicket}

{And a family pic where we are all looking!}

I just loved them all really! There were more than this though, I promise I didn't post all of them. If you are looking for a photographer, I highly recommend her! You can be mesmerized by all her work at myimagesbybonnie.com

Garyn's Favorites

Had a little chat with Garyn asking him what his favorites are.....

me: "Garyn, what is your favorite thing to eat?"
Garyn: "Watermelon"

me: "Favorite toy to play with?"
 G: "monster truck and Cars 2 cars"

me: "What is your favorite color?"
G: "blue"

me: "What is your favorite thing to do?"
G: "Play wii games"

me: "What is your favorite thing to wear?"
G: "A cool Mario shirt"

me: "Where is your favorite place to go?"
G: "Game shop" (a.k.a. GameStop)

me: "What is your favorite book to read?"
G: "That cool Mario racing book"

me: "Garyn we have no Mario book..."
G: "But, but I want one"

me: "What is your favorite movie?"
G: "Cars2"

Garyn interjects and says "tell me my favorite character" (a.k.a. "ask me")

me: "Garyn, who is your favorite character?"
G: "Mario!"

You can probably tell what his Christmas list consists of.....
Love my little guy!

Coolidge Fun!

Today we had our Coolidge play date! Several Sunday School ladies came with their kiddos. We have been "Eating our way through Chattanooga A-Z" as a girl's night/lunch for the past few months. "J" is the letter we are at now. We were having a hard time coming up with a fun "J" place that was kid friendly (we bring kids to the lunches and try to be kid free for dinners). Julie's Darling Donuts was suggested and we changed things up a little to include it. The donuts there are absolutely to die for! Being that it is right across from Coolidge, we had a picnic lunch, let the kids play and then got a donut from Julie's! We had 7 ladies and 9 kids from ages 8 mos to 4 yrs. Lots of fun!
Here are the pics I took on my phone. (Forgot the camera again, so there weren't many great ones)

I just love play dates and great friends!

Dinner Plans and Freezer Cooking!

Sounds like I am cooking a freezer from that title!

We have been having internet issues the last couple of days. I was sure it was because of all the storms we have had lately, but Tyler sat down to try and figure it out and found the reason it wasn't working. Garyn had pressed the button, evidently, that turns the Wi-Fi off. One click and the internet was back up! So I wasn't able to get my meal plan up yesterday because of one click of a button! Such is life with a 2 year old.

Dinner Plans:
Monday- Breakfast
Tuesday- Eating out (me with SS girls at Ichiban and the boys are going to Amigos with Nana & Poppa)
Wednesday- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans
Thursday- Chicken Stir Fry * new one
Friday- Eating out
Saturday- Tacos and Roasted Corn
Sunday- Deep Dish Pizza casserole * new one

Freezer Filling Day was today {cooked things to fill the freezer :) }

I got a lot done this time! I was shooting for making 3 casseroles/ dinners, atleast. I ended up getting this done:

I made 2 meat loafs, 2 Curried Chicken Casseroles, 2 Mexican Chicken Casseroles, 11 Brown Bag Burritos, 11 Mini Apple Pies { 6 already made and 3 already eaten} + one bigger-mini apple pie for 2
 * I split the 8 serving casseroles into 2 that will be more our size. If some friends or family come, I can easily put the 2 together to cook.

All together thats 8 + meals plus a dessert. I worked longer, of course, and made a bigger mess, but now I can have 2 dinners a week until next time I freezer fill/cook!

One trick I have learned from http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ is to bake the chicken I need.

 It cooks in about 30 mins at 350 and is tender. It also keeps the stove top free. I actually started cooking them this morning when getting Garyn's lunch ready for school. I placed them in frozen and then approx. 30 mins later I pulled them out. By the time I got back from taking Garyn to school {a.k.a. Mother's Day Out}they were nice and cool for cutting.

Tyler came by to pick up some lunch during his planning period and actually helped me some. He wanted to try some of the mini apple pies so he prepared the first 6. Not so sure he was a big help since he made a mess making hot dogs and chili for his lunch, and then spilled coke all over the place that I had to mop up. BUT I enjoyed his company for an hour or so!

Speaking of the mini apple pies, they are pretty good, not so sure that they are easier than the Slab Apple Pie. The taste, obviously, is very similar. I halfed this recipe and either I measured wrong or Tyler made the first 6 crust too thick, but I ran out of crust. When I made extra it was in between 1-2 muffin cups so I opted for the small oval pie. I froze the ones I didn't cook for a yummmy dessert.

The Curried Chicken Casserole, I had made once before awhile back and came across the recipe when planning. I LOVE curried chicken. I, also, love all the food groups being in this one....isn't it colorful?

Well, you can't quite see it all, but it has carrots, celery and apples. Better yet, here's the recipe:

Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 apple (granny smith is the best) peeled and chopped
2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
2 cups diced cooked chicken
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk or plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a skillet and add celery, onion, carrots and apple, cook and stir for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and combine well.
2)Pour mixture into an 8 inch sq. casserole dish. Sprinkle with additional curry powder if desired.
3)Bake for 45 mins approx., until rice is tender and it is bubbly

I made my Mexican Chicken Casserole, again. It is an all time fav around here. I love how colorful it is too! Lots of veggies for these non-veggie boys of mine.

Tyler loves meatloaf and just until recently was stuck on no onions in it. I put some in this time, so we will see how he likes it. This recipe isn't anything grand, because its so plane for Tyler. I may be able to try some other recipes now that he is branching out.

Meatloaf: { I doubled this}
1 cup tomato juice ( I use ketchup and a little water)
3/4 cup Quaker Oats
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef

Last, I made Brown Bag Burritos again. I switched it up a little this time because I didn't have enchilada sauce. I added a can of Rotel and some taco sauce. I got 11 from halfing the recipe.

I am so excited to have 2 meals a week that can come from the freezer!

Adventures!!

       Garyn and I have done a lot over the last week that have been fun! I love the spring weather because it motivates me to do fun stuff!!

To start, last weekend, my brother and his family were here {{2nd weekend in a row we got to see them!!}}

Garyn and Lakelin played baseball outside a lot. Garyn is really into you throwing him the ball to hit. He also has a new little golf set that he has been playing with non-stop. Lakelin likes to act like he's still little, too.

On Saturday, Josh and Karen were going on a date for their 16th anniversary!! Tyler had to go chaperon at prom so me and the kids went to Chuck E Cheese's!! Garyn had never been there.

{{side note- You know Garyn can read a lot right? Well, he has never been to Chuck E Cheese, and when we pulled into North Gate he pointed over to Chuck E Cheese's and said "Momma, there's Chuck E Cheese" I said, " How did you know that?" He said, "It says Cheese" Crazy, huh?}}

Garyn loved all the games there. Half way through, he finally notices the large Chuck E. and starts to freak out on us. He was so scared and we had to move to the other side of the place so he couldn't see him.

Lorna and Lakelin racked up on tickets and then got some prizes. I think the games were much more fun than the prizes they give out....

On Wednesday, we went to the zoo, which was my goal!

One thing I hadn't taken into account was Garyn being scared. {I should have, cause he finds something everywhere to be scared of} He quickly got over it, but I thought I was going to have to drag him through at first. The thing he was most scared of were the sound effects and once I pointed the speakers to him, he calmed down. So every time we would hear them he would say "Momma, its just music", cracks me up! He even touched the pig.

{{Another reading side note, he read the sign saying, "Red Panda" before we got there. He said, "Momma, red panda, lets go see it"  There was no picture and even if, he doesn't know what a red panda is. But he can read his colors and we have a book , Panda Whispers.

I'm only just a little proud!}}

The next adventure was unintended. Notice his hair above? Well, it was a mop that would not stay down or straight for nothing. For the last couple weeks, at least, I have been working with it 2-4 times a day to get it to lay down or out of his eyes. My sis n' law does our hair and she has been really busy lately with proms. Tyler has been wanting it cut or buzzed I should say for weeks. So on Wednesday night, I took the matter into my own hands like I have done before. BUT this time I wasn't going to just trim, I was going to cut it as best I could. I mean I have several friends that do their kids?! And Garyn hates getting it cut anyway, and last time I trimmed it, he did tons better at home than at the beauty shop. However, cutting that mop was taking a looong time and he got frustrated, I got frustrated, too. And this is what happened.......

I was so mad at myself! I was attempting to cut his bangs in the front with no guard on. He jerked, I was on the opposite side, Tyler was on that side and trying to keep him still, and needless to say, I couldn't hardly see and Garyn was moving! I put it down after that and sat furious at myself, thinking "Oh my goodness, now he is going to be practically shaved or buzzed as Tyler wanted."

The next morning, we went straight to Sports Clips...
 {cheap, practical, Tyler likes to go there, no one I know!}
She was very nice and understanding, wonder how many goofs she gets? I confessed and she just went to town. She tried to keep it longer, but the gap was still noticeable so I just said keep going. I think it is so cute now though! She put it in a Mohawk, and man I liked it! I never thought I would.

I like the option though to leave it down, of course. I sent Tyler a text pic and he loved it! {He is gone to Disney world you know...won't get into to that though}  Nana isn't so sure on it, but everyone else likes it! So this adventure turned out great I guess! He did so good while she was fixing it that I let him play Wii guitar at Best Buy. {Doesn't he look like a classic rocker dude!} First time in awhile, and it turned out to be its on adventure in itself!

About 5 minutes after these pics were taken, I look over (I was playing the drums) and Garyn has peed in the floor! A big puddle, too! He was just playing like it hadn't happened! As I was assessing and scolding, an employee came by and I told her. It was thankfully on the concrete; she was very nice and went to get a mop. I waited until she got back and repeatedly apologized and tried to help her. She refused and we left. I was so embarrassed!!


And the last adventure was today. We went to Coolidge park and played some golf.....

Then we rode the carousel, so fun, even as an adult!!

The fountain was Garyn's favorite, though. He did not want to leave it.

Once I got him changed, we went to get some Clumpie's Ice cream....yummmm, it was so good.

This adventure was a little hard for me, not to be a downer on all this fun. But I have rarely been down to the North Shore since closing The Big Much. It is still a sore subject for me! My life is great now and I know I am in God's will. Things happen for a reason; I should be past it, I guess. However, its hard for me to be down that way and remember my ten years on that street... all the fun and friends. The building is not the same and its hard to physically see it. I equate it to a death and the building the grave site. Isn't that awful and weird!! Honestly, I am glad that stage of my life is over, but I miss certain things.

Anyway, sorry for the pessimistic side of the day. I LOVED all our adventures! Hope you are having your own!

Family time...

We went down to my brother's house this weekend since Tyler was gone with the football coaches to Ohio. We got to spend lots of time with some of Garyn's favorite people. Garyn has his list of people that he lights up when they are around. Lakelin, Lornie (Lorna), Josh, and Karen are 4 of those such people!

Lorna and Lakelin were having sleep overs that night so there were a total of 9 11-14 yr olds there! Garyn loves watching the girls dance and the boys play video games. He was just beside himself. I hardly saw him the 2 days we were there! On Saturday night, we went to a Bon Fire at 2 of the kids house and my brother's friends. We made smores...yumm! I managed to get a few pics there....

Lakelin and Garyn on the golf cart. Garyn got tours around their house. Lakelin is his favorite!

Garyn and uncle Josh, he loves his uncle!

Garyn played basketball with all the teens, they would pick him up to let him dunk. He was in hog heaven! Its amazing to me how good they were with him.

I just love family time and seeing how much Garyn loooves them all. They live an hour away so we don't see them but once a month, which isn't enough!

Meal Plan for the week:

Monday: I will be eating something from home at work, Garyn and Tyler will be eating at Nana
and Poppa's

Tuesday: Taco Salad

Wednesday: Lasanga and salad

Thursday: Grilled Chicken and veggie sides

Friday: Game Night! will be making some Barbeque Potatoes and extras

Saturday: Eating out

Kmart Doubles!

This week has been fun for me because Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2 making items up to $4 off!! Oh, how much this excites me and probably makes me weird!

I can tell you, though, that I am not the only one. I went on Monday, it started on Sunday, and there were soooo many things already gone that were free when coupons doubled. One day and they had been wiped out!! BUT I still found lots of good deals!

The picture below is my total purchase after 4 trips, yes 4, there was a 5 coupon limit per day.

Garyn kept saying "cheese" when I was taking the picture so he is in the picture and he is my best deal of all!!! ;)

Of course, its hard to tell everything but I got 25 items for 27.47 + tax!

Detail:

3 boxes of dog treats---all free!

1 bag of cat treats- free

2 bags of cat treats- 49 cents

1 Pull-up pack--$5.99

1 bag dog food--99 cents

1 bag cat food--$1.99

1bag dog Dentastix--free

2 Scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner refills- $2 each

1 Johnson's bubble bath wash--$1.50

2 Dove deodorants---free

1 Right Guard deodorant--free

1 Contact solution- $3.15

1 Bic Soleil razors-$1.69

1 Bic Razors--free

1 Gilette men's razors--$2.00

2 Glade Sense&Spray refills--$1.50 each

1 Tampax Tampons--49 cents

1 Nivea body wash--$1.99

1 Clean&Clear face wash--$1.69

Total- $27.47 plus tax= $30.01

Kmart is a pain sometimes and their prices are normally a lot higher than others, but when they double it's worth it! I live 5 minutes away, too, so it was fine to run over there. And Tyler was home and went with me once...

Hope you have found some good deals lately!

Getting the goals done!

Its almost April! Wow! I hate March has gone by so fast, but I love looking over the goals to see where I end up. I also like making a fresh list for the next month. The little excitements of my life!

Here are some pics from today:

Maddox playing while the boys were painting. He kept wanting to put the hat in his mouth so I put it on his head......

As you can tell, Braxton and Maddox were over and we decided to paint. Remember I had that as a goal....well I couldn't really manage with Maddox painting outside so we painted inside and with friends! Garyn also helped me paint the cabinet door outside the other day, therefore we technically did paint outside! {I know, only I am keeping up with the rules...lol}

They really enjoyed it and wanted to mix colors to make new ones. It wasn't too messy either, surprisingly.

Tomorrow is freezer cooking day!

I've got other goals I am finishing up here at the last minute! You will have to wait and see them in a couple days, though.

Meals for this week are:

Monday: Grilled chicken, bow tie pasta, and some type of veggie

Tuesday: breakfast- Tyler's favorite!- biscuit, eggs, sausage, & gravy

Wednesday: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Thursday: Possible meal out/ barbecue chicken potatoes

Friday: Hamburgers/Hot dogs and sweet potato fries

Saturday: Family Easter dinner (I believe)

Tyler and I did really good last week eating off our meal plan. I did feel more at ease having it decided already, but had a since of flexibilty, as well. Maybe this week we'll be successful, too!

February Goals

February!!! Can you believe February is here!!!! Well I am excited to start a blank slate with new goals.
Here is how January played out:

Fun:
Do something with some friends or family that we don't normal see much, i.e. game night or dinner out
Completed this!! Yea! We had a 4 couples over and their children cause Garyn needed a play date, too! We played cranium which is awesome; we will be planning another one soon!
Plan more girls luncheons for Sunday school
Complete!! Planned and attended 2, one lunch and one dinner....great fellowship!
Be better about dates with Tyler, just the two of us, we tend to just bring Garyn so that we don't have to worry about a babysitter
Completed! We went to 2 movies in one day!! Afterwards we went and ate. I would like to try twice a month but once is a start

DIY/Crafting:
Start scrap booking again, I am so behind & there is a monthly group at church that I think I am going to start going to!
Paint Garyn's calender set he made at Home Depot with him, will tell more about this later
Completed both of these! The calender I posted on & the scrapbooking I started just this past weekend! I didn't make it to the church group but am still going to try and check it out this month! I loved getting 3, yes only 3, pages done and having a plan for finishing all of our summer activities soon!
Home:
Finish taking down Christmas decorations, been procrastinating, I know Completed: Just took down the Christmas cards today, I just couldn't stand to throw them away so I have come up with an idea that I will share soon.
Paint bedroom Uncompleted: I was informed by Tyler that it was really too cold to do any painting. I thought it wouldn't matter since its in the house, but I didn't put up a fight and will do this another month
Paint/stain kitchen cabinet door (left over from this)Uncompleted: same reason as above
Clean-up basement, in some way, not trying to overwhelm myself here Half done: I did some usual maintenance cleaning, like sweeping mopping, but nothing like I wanted to..:(

Cooking:
cook a meal at least 3x a week Complete! It was not a hefty goal but if you know us, it was more than we do normally. I didn't cook as many different or new things as I would like though.
do a freezer day Uncompleted. I will do one in February!

Wellness:
do something fitness-ish at least once a week, i.e. Wii Fit, stationary bike; gotta start somewhere
I just can't even lie and say I did it once a week! I might have played Wii a couple times but never broke a sweat, however, Tyler has been working out and I have been very supportive! Does that count?


The boys playing at our game night. We had 6 boys between 20 mos and 4 1/2! Talk about a rowdy crew!

Overall I felt pretty good about what I accomplished and felt driven to complete them so that I could blog about what was done!

February Goals...

Fun:

Another game night!
2 dates with Tyler that are semi-planned, including Valentine's weekend
Eat with a couple that I have not seen or done something with in a long time

DIY/Crafting:

Finish the summer scrapbook that was started in January
Label Garyn's toy bins, finally
Do coasters from wedding shower, yes wedding shower! blog post to follow

Home:

Work downstairs getting items ready for consignment sale

Cleaning (new):

Do one deep clean each week~ I began this in the middle of the month of January & includes: cleaning out the fridge, cleaning out under the couches/beds, straightening our clothes closets...

Cooking:

Continue to cook 3x a week and do one new recipe each week

Do a freezer day!! I will accomplish this!

Health/Wellness:

Workout one day a week at least!!!

Eat at least 2 veggies a day, this is for the whole family! Tall order for Tyler

I must say I had a lot of fun in January being intentional with my time. I spent a lot more time with friends and family that I don't usually plan time with. I also got focused on family time/traditions with Tyler and Garyn. It is exciting to be productive and enjoy it!

I have also been more intentional with God which is most important! I have been better about praying for others and making it a priority to follow God's will for me in all of my daily goals. One family that has been heavy on my heart and inspired me so much is some friends of ours in Knoxville. Their little baby Ansley was born with microcephaly and was given a grim prognosis based on medical standards. Through prayer & God's grace, she has amazed doctors. Please read her story and let yourself be amazed as well.....http://countingalljoys.blogspot.com/

February here I come....

To dream a dream....

Have I mentioned that I love this site moneysavingmom.com. I would so love to be able to do this one day and not have any excuses for eating out, nor spend $$ on those prepackaged meals. Just love it!

Not sure if Tyler would eat those frozen waffles over his beloved Eggo's.....here is the link to this exact blog post and the yummy sounding recipes....

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/10/baking-day-lasagna-ziti-and-a-picture-of-the-fruits-of-my-labors.html