Birthdays and dreams come true!

Tyler and I have birthday's one month apart, 10-12 and 11-12, born in the same year. I always thought that was neat. We celebrated both with dinner out on our own and then dinner with his family. These are pics of Tyler's birthday dinner...

I didn't get any pics at my birthday dinner, but it would have looked much the same! We both enjoyed our days and still can't believe we are 26.

So I made a little dream of mine come true today. I made some extra dinners to freeze and hope to do a couple more tomorrow while getting things ready for Thanksgiving.

Here are pics from today, I made my favorite casserole, Mexican Chicken. I love that it is: good, has veggies, and everyone likes it in the family!! I often give it as a new-mommy dinner for friends that don't have time to cook while caring for their new baby.


Here are all the cans of veggies and beans that I strain.....

Then I add cheese, sour cream, rice and salsa to the mix. After cooking chicken breasts (from my cheap chicken sale!), I shred/cut it and add it in. Then put it in a casserole dish, cook it and serve with chips, salsa, and/or sour cream. Occasionally, Tyler will roll it up in a tortilla.

Also, if you know Tyler, you know he is a picky eater. Well, he is making huge strides! Tonight, at the dinner table, he said "Honey, I need to apologize to you." I thought "ok wonder what this is about" but knowing Tyler wasn't alarmed since he typically begins a conversation this way.

He then said, "You're right, you can't taste the tomatoes." I looked at his plate and there was not a little pile of tomatoes like there normally is!

I made ours for tonight and these two extra. Felt pretty good about my start to freezing meals!

Sadly, we lost the game Friday. It was a good game, 13-14, our extra point got blocked in the last 40 secs of the game. It was a good season, though. Here is Garyn ringing some bells, it was pretty cute!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Full Recipe for Chicken Mexican Casserole...

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can rotel

1 can black beans

optional can of corn

1 cup minute rice

3 cooked/shredded chicken breasts (sometime I boil, sometimes I microwave)

2 cups cheese (can add more if like it cheesy)

8-12 oz of sour cream

8-12 oz salsa (can spice it up more if desired)

wash and drain all the canned items

mix everything else in with veggies

cook in a dish for 30-45 minutes on 375 covered with aluminum foil

then take off foil and cook another 10-15

serve with tortilla chips, salsa, and/or sour cream

(note: variation in time depends on how much you strain everything, you don't want it soupy, so may need to cook longer. Also, we can not ever eat a whole one, so I typically divide it into two smaller dishes and freeze or give-away one)

Halloween

Due to my procrastination and the lack of computer/internet access at my house lately, I have been unable to blog like I want, but here is some pics of our life lately...

Play-by-play of Halloween...

Daddy trying to gear Garyn up for his costume, note this is the 2nd costume we bought; Garyn is afraid of a lot of things right now and Halloween worsened it all!

Garyn saying "No Dinosaur, Mama!"

Me saying "Its ok, Garyn"

Garyn now saying, "You're so silly, mama" (me and about 5 other adults are being goofy so that he would laugh)

Yea!! Dino Garyn! I think at this point he was too worried about everyone's costumes and scary decorations to worry about his own. His new phrase is "Its ok mama, don't be scared" which actually means "I am scared"

We had a good Halloween, I, obviously, was worried when he wouldn't put on his first costume, a Lion, nor his 2nd. But once it was on, he did great all night!


This is him dancing in my new cowboy boots that were only $2 at a yard sale!!! Meg found them for me! Thanks Meg

Red Bank is in the 3rd Round of Playoffs tonight!! 12-0 so far!

(my camera is funky right now! wish these weren't blurry)

Hope you all have a good Thanksgiving!!!

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

WAY too early...

The most obvious characteristic that Garyn has of mine is slowness to wake up....And Tyler reminds me of this almost daily.

There is no jumping-up-out-of-bed and ready-to-go in my blood....Instead I take at least 30 minutes to wake up..............My father past it along to me and I to Garyn.

When I was growing up at home, my dad and I were quiet in the morning, I ate breakfast in silence while he sat in his chair in silence drinking coffee (if he wasn't already at work, once I was driving). One might come by and think we hated each other or were mute, but no we just didn't want any stimulus, our minds weren't cranking yet. In fact, just the other day, after a mix up, dad was late getting here to watch Garyn. I had to call to wake him up so that he could come here to watch Garyn while I slept. He got here not long after me and was not talkative like normal. He actually said a couple of words to us, put a pot of coffee on, and then sat down on the couch. I chuckled to myself knowing he had not had his 30 minutes to warm-up, unfortunately, Garyn had already and was jumping all over the place.

When Tyler and I first got married, I thought I could shoot him some mornings. Tyler wakes up smiling, happy, talking......"Whats going to be for dinner, honey?"..."What time will you get off work?"...."You know I really would like ____ for lunch?" Meanwhile I am in the shower, or something, trying to just think! I would hardly ever answer and he would get offended. Finally, I would speak and say "Please just be quiet for a little bit so I can wake up...I don't like stimulus in the morning" So I finally got used to him and he I.

Garyn is the same way. He doesn't want you to change his diaper right off, nor eat right away. He just wants you to hold him and be quiet. He typically comes into my bed around 7-7:30 and we just cuddle until getting out of bed around 8-8:30. Yes, I know we are lazy, you could say.
I love it!

Last week, Garyn had a Dr.'s appt at 9:45, no big deal, I thought, I will have to rush in the morning but I can do it. Well then, I got a call asking if we could reschedule or bump it up to 8:15.....ok, in my head I was thinking (8:15! yikes Garyn and I aren't even out of bed by then, but I really don't want to post pone this) and I think the lady thought "hello?" So I took the 8:15, set my alarm, got ready (just as I like it) on my own without waking Garyn until 7:20. Then had to juggle rushing him without making him upset.

On the way there, I realized how much I love working nights (which has only worsened my sleepiness-in-the-morning habit); how much my dad, Garyn, and I are alike in this sense; and how much Tyler is not night person, like us, but a day person. As I write, it is 10:25 and Tyler is in bed while Garyn and I are still up.

But you know, I also love, once I am up, having much more time to just do whatever that day entails...guess I can't have the best of both worlds!

So are you a morning person??

Quick update

1. We attempted potty training this week. I wasn't entirely sure he was ready, but after 2 1/2 days, he was refusing to sit on the potty......I mean kicking and screaming, I would have to drag him there......and I was getting way too stubborn about it myself, to where I wanted to discipline when he wouldn't try...so I just said, "Ok, back to diapers!"

We are both stubborn and I didn't want him to reject it or think he was insufficient when I would obviously get frustrated that he didn't use the potty. I mean don't get me wrong, the first day and a half we were having fun with it and he would actually pee in the potty, I was fine with the accidents in between the successes. Then something flipped in him and yesterday afternoon, he stopped being excited to sit on the potty. He would have to pee but wouldn't until he stood up and walked out of the bathroom! Tyler came home and I wanted him to work with him and give me a break.....that didn't help much, so then I ended up crying and Tyler was frustrated.....it was a mess! With no difference this morning in Garyn's attitude, I made the decision to stop driving us both crazy!

2. Check out this song Addison Road's "What do I know of Holy"

It is so true of most of us, at least I know it is for me. My friend Sarah over at Ooey Gooey Daily News posted about it and I liked it so much I wanted to post about it!

3. Football, Football! We are 4-0 and hopefully after tonight will be 5-0! Tyler stays busy with football and his master's program schoolwork. Garyn and I enjoy the games, though. He loves the end of the game the most when we go onto the field! Last week, they had old football players come for their 70th anniversary of Red Bank football. It was neat seeing all the different generations of players. In honor of Tyler, I wore his old jersey.... :) I felt nostalgic, like I was in high school again, cheering on my boyfriend at the game! All the while I was wrestling our child and didn't see much of the game at all! Ha! What a change! These are some pics of Garyn and I before the game, I loved how our expressions seemed to match, I was using the self timer and was trying to keep him looking at the camera until it took.

Good deal

So you all know I love a good deal..
Here are my latest deals:

HUGE watermelon for $2.99, Garyn's favorite! (added to give you a pic of Garyn mostly)

Chicken breast and tenders for $1.50/lb (sorry for the lovely pic)

Gymboree shirt for Garyn, on sale for $2.99 plus 20% off, plus my own 20% off coupon = $1.97!

I asked before purchasing to make sure that $2.99 was right...all the other long sleeves were $12.99....she said it was true...so YES! I got a brand new Gymboree shirt for $1.97!!

Then my biggest rack up:

5 pairs of pants

6 shirts

1 turtleneck sweater

4 items for Garyn

1 Lion halloween costume (not pictured)

ALL for $33 at Goodwill's half off Saturday!

Hope you all are finding some good deals out there!

Princess Warrior

I am doing Beth Moore's "Esther" Bible study right now, whoever knew you could stretch the story of Esther out over 10 weeks and learn so much about your faith and God!

Beth Moore is amazing at bringing the Bible to life, God truly gave her this gift for Christians to have a deeper knowledge of the Bible. I feel just simply reading the Bible is no longer sufficient, every word of the Bible has been planned out by God to mean so much more than the face value. This is now my second study of Beth Moore's and I love the work she does researching and bringing forth a different light to the Bible. I know there are other great studies and Christian writers out there, I am just partial to her right now.

Beth Moore is not tyring to start a women's revolution, but the study exemplifies the characteristics Christian women need.

to be brave and confident
to be humble
to spend as much time on your inner beauty as your outer
to be courageous
to trust in God's plan for you

The Bible states it best in Proverbs 31:10-31. This verse has been brought out to me twice already this week....I think God is showing me how to live in this world as a Christian through these words...

Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trust her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life........

She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.....

She extends her hands to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out to the needy....

Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her;
"Many daughters have done well,
But you exceed them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

The Hebrew word for virtuous is valor and brave pertaining to a warrior.


So Princess Warrior..........that's what I believe I will be once this study is over if I truly put the effort into letting it resonate in me. Our study group has taken on this term, as it isn't something Beth Moore has necessarily focused on, its just what we aspire to be. We may even make some t-shirts proclaiming our new confidence and bravery.