{Autumn Bucket List: Meal}

Blog Link Up

Hello people of earth I hope you're all staying warm {or cool depending on where you live.}
This morning I woke up to a wonderful sight.
It snowed during the night!
Princess was so excited and was telling me "Mommy it's Christmas!"
Absolute adorableness.
It then started snowing again throughout the day.
Then it just disappeared and I am too depressed to post a picture of the missing snow.
It's not as much as normal but hey it's something.
It always without fail snows at least once before Halloween hits.

I'm not normal. There I said it. You've also probably noticed it too.

So you see... I don't like breakfast foods. Most of the time.

Pretty much the only time I like pancakes is during Autumn oddly enough.

So I bet you can guess what today is about!

That's right!! Pancakes!

I only love them during Fall for reasons I don't know. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

I've spent a lot of time changing this recipe and a lot of trial and errors.
I ended up quadrupling the batch because I ran out in my freezer stash.

I'll even post the recipe for you!.  {Note: this is for Silver Dollars I usually double it for bigger ones}

Jamie's Autumn Pancakes

1 1/4 cups of flour

1 tbs baking powder

1 tbs sugar

1/2 ts salt

1 cup 2 tbs milk

1 egg

2 tbs veggie oil

Wisk everything together, pour the size you want onto a skillet or pan. Flip over when the bottom begins to brown and brown the other side take off and enjoy!

{Irish Stew}

Irish Stew

1 tablespoon shortening
1 pound stewing beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 {10 1/2 oz} soup
1 can of water
3 carrots, thick slices
3 potatoes, pared and quartered
3 onions, halved

Melt shortening in heavy skillet. Add beef, cut in small pieces, and brown over medium heat. Add salt, soup, and water. cover, then continue cooking slowly for about 30 minutes. Add water as needed for desired thickness. makes 4 to 6 servings.

{Tasty Tuesday BEDA #7}

Mock Banana Cream Pie

1 large package instant banana cream pudding
3 cups cold milk
2-3 peeled, sliced bananas
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1 large, sturdy plastic bag
4-6 paper cups

Place pudding and milk in large plastic bag, and tie tightly at the top of the bag, squeezing out excess air. shake for 3-4 minutes. Layer banana slices, pudding, and vanilla crumbs in the paper cups. Repeat layers.

{Creamy Pesto Dip}

Creamy Pesto Dip


1 Container {8 oz} sour cream
1/4 cup basil pesto
chopped tomato {if desired}
Assorted fresh veggie


In a bowl Misx the sour cream and pesto until well blended . Sprinkle tomatoes over top. Serve, Dip, and Enjoy!!

It's Been Hard but Completely Worth it

I'm sorry that I've been pretty much not doing anything about homemaking; kind of.  I've been spending more time with Princess and Hubs lately. Trying to get as much time in before we have the baby.  I've even been neglecting our home which I am sorry for but I think it's been fun for Princess to play with me more than normal.  Also to play outside more with our neighbors while Hubs and I have been getting to spend with the adults while the kids play.


Cleaning house has been hard pregnant.  I've tried looking up different ways to do it while pregnant and having a toddler running around like a tornado destroying everything I clean up.  Sadly, I never was able to find much in the topic.  For those of you who need it I will give you what works for me.


I wake up in the morning around 7:30a if I have the energy to get up I go take a shower and get dressed. If I don't have the energy I pull out a book and read until 8a when Princess gets up.  It's a great time to work on a pregnancy journal, read books on pregnancy and/or baby care, or just read a book that you have been wanting to read.


After I get up I get Princess and I breakfast.  After breakfast I pull out my binder to see what I had planned for the day.  Sometimes I even pull it out during breakfast if I really wanted to know what's going on.  I check my emails on my phone while I read out my daily page, and cross out respond to emails while I look.  If I have appointments that morning or if my mom comes over that morning, I try to get all my dailies done by the time that the appointment comes around.


The past few days I've actually started redesigning my daily pages for my binder to fit me and my needs.  I hate having to write it all down and everything but it's going to be worth it.  I think I actually got it down finally.  I'll post my design once i get it finished and created.

What it looks like when I'm trying to plan out my days lol:

My dailies are things I do that are never changing.  My Daily Pages are like my day planner that I have everything for that day {meals for that day, To Do list for that day, ect.}.


My dailies {now called Daily Home Blessings} are:

• Vacuum
• Swish and Swipe {taken from FlyLady swish the toilet(s) and swipe the counters}
• Sweep and Swiffer
• 15 min. pick up
• respond to emails
• Write out tomorrows goals
• Prep Blog or Blog
• Write out tomorrows goals
• Get and sort the mail
• Dust
• Toy pick up
• Unload dishwasher
• One load of laundry

Those are the things I make myself do on a daily basis.  Even if I don't I will have Hubs help do it now that he's out of school.  I do most of the cleaning while Princess is sleeping so she's out of the way.  I do the toy pick up just before Princess goes to bed so she will start doing it on her own {hopefully}. Also, the load of laundry I do after I get her asleep for the night. 

Next, I have the reminder to drink my water.  Ten bubbles {I actually fail at this a lot lol} are my goal for the day.  Remember that a water bottle is two bubbles also because they are two servings per bottle.

Followed by my reminder for my vitamins.

Next is my To Do section.  This one scares me quite often. I usually use it as a this is what NEEDS to be done or also a more detailed list of my Daily Home Blessings i need done.  Like, laundry I put write down if I need to do bedding or towels if they need to be done.

Today I just have:

• Laundry {blankets: baby and master}
• Organize Master Bedroom

Nothing too big; I did a ton of the end of the month cleaning yesterday. 

However, I do also have a goals list if I get the To Do's finished to start in on but they don't need to be finished and are usually added to the next days To Do's if there isn't much to do that day {Ex. organize master bedroom on the To Do list.}  Most of the time I will also give them to Hubs if he saids that he's bored and I haven't yet made him an I'm Bored Jar yet.

The goals list is:

• Wipe down kitchen table and chairs
• Wipe down cabinets
• Declutter
• Fold and put away newborn clothes

Dinner section is just what we are going to have for dinner and what we need to get out.

Lastly, I have an Idea and Inspiration part.  If I read something that I think will inspire me for that day I will right it down or if I think of something that I think is interesting or come across something I will write it here.

Honestly, it's very very overwhelming to get it all done and I always ask for help.  I'm not afraid of using my friends if they ask to help.  I pull out the page and give people a chore.  Thankfully, Hubs already claimed the kitchen as his "domain" or else that will never get down at all {it also saves me a headache because if I do it I tend to do something wrong and he complains about it.. a lot.}  He also has to do the trash too.

I'm not perfect at all! I set high expectations for myself and I never meet them if I do I'm honestly shocked. It also means I got help that day lol.  Sometimes, I go a few days without doing anything.  Saturday I had a giant list, spring cleaning size list.  Did I do it? Nope.  Not at all. We spent the morning being lazy went to the part that afternoon and after the park went out for dinner, I passed out on the couch when we got home while Hubs played video games and Princess played with her toys.  I even look at my binder that day, but sometimes taking a break like that is needed.  I know I enjoyed the break and Princess loved getting out of the house. 

Don't be afraid of asking for help! Don't be afraid or ashamed of accepting help offered also!  It took me forever to get over my pride to do just that.

Also, this helps me a ton!  

I love music and it helps me to feel in the mood to do the housework.

Which looking at the picture of my iPod on my Inspiration Binder brings me to the motto of the week!!

"There will be so many times you feel like you've failed but in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child you are super mom." ~Stephanie Precourt

I print out the picture of the motto of the week and put the weeks in the front of my Inspiration Binder. So when I go for my Homemaking Binder I have to pick up and move the inspiration binder off of it and I read it. So far, these have been helping me a lot.  I know that I haven't been doing them for very long but it still helps me and I can only hope it helps you too.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Roll into balls and flatten with a fork in a criss-cross pattern.  Bake at 375 F for 10 mins. or when beginning to brown.

Recovery Week

I hope everyone had a really good Father's Day! 

After this past week of getting ready for family and friends to be here for my Hub's graduation (I'm so proud of you my love!!) and after party, I am just so tired and worn down. Even my binder is suffering for it.  So, after last weeks post about "today I will choose joy" I've decided that I should have a motto of the week to help me to get through that week and hopefully yours as well. This week's motto is:

"My home is filled with toys, has fingerprints on everything, and is never quiet. My hair is usually a mess and I'm always tired, but there is always love and laughter here. In twenty years my children won't remember the house or my hair but they will remember the time we spent together and the love they felt. Your children only get one childhood. Make it a good one."

Recipe for today comes from Chocolate Covered Katie

(No sugar!) Cookie Dough Dip

It’s gluten-free, too.

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained) (250g after draining)
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, some people say it has a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so you can sub oil if you don’t want that.)
• 1 and 1/4 cups pitted dates (I used SunMaid, from a regular grocery store)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (see link below, for sugar-free option)
• 2 tbsp oats (You can omit if desired.)
• milk of choice as needed (depending on the consistency you want. I used a few tbsp.)

In a bowl, cover the dates with 1/2 cup water. Let this sit for at least 8 hours. Then add all ingredients (including the dates’ soaking liquid), except chocolate chips, to a food processor (for best results, not a blender) and blend until very smooth.

Wet Rainy Friday

Thank you everyone for not telling the gender on facebook lol it was fun to get the calls and texts instead of just comments on facebook it made it more personal I think. I know understand why Hubs wanted to do this. Now onto everything I wanted to do for today!  (Hopefully I'll remember all of it.)


My challenge:
I am finally getting settled into the layout and the uses of the binder and I love it! I still can't figure out where to keep it yet though. I've also moved my baby info, pages, and documents into another binder I had laying around and that's surprisingly helped make more room in the homemaking on and I'm thinking about moving the inspirational pages into they're own as well.






Weeks 20 ~
We made it to the halfway mark!! Yay for us!! Look I actually updated on the actual day!


Sleep: Moderate it gets bad some nights like last night I was so hot and uncomfortable
Maternity Clothes: none this week but I actually fit into my pregnancy skinny jeans not sure what to think there
Stretch marks: no new ones
Miss anything: clam chowder!
Anything make you sick: Driving in the car
Gender: GIRL!!!!
Labor Signs: No thank goodness
Belly Button: on it's way out
Wedding Rings: On still!! shocking!
Happy or Moody: happy
Movement: Little Bean has been moving up a storm this past week!
Looking Forward to: Hubs finishing school!
Symptoms:  Breaking out has still been bad. My breasts have been really sore and tender, mood swings galore, belly is getting bigger!
Cravings: Sprite, Mountain Dew, the blue Jones Soda, and I've wanted a lot of meat this past week.

I just made our gender announcement too!

Recipe:
The absolute best way to cook asparagus, and SO SIMPLE! Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese; bake 350 10-15 minutes.

Homemaking Binder Post #2

Hey everyone!


My binder is a 3 inch one because I'm a pack rat lol. I finally figured out a page out of all the ones I had for the daily at a glace page. Finally! This is the one I absolutely love. She made a new one on her blog but I just don't like it as much.


I also put in the following:
Stain Cheat Sheet
I use her blog ideas page
This post is awesome for the child ID page here is the quick template for that
I also used some of her tips that can be used for something other than a hurricane
2012 calender
Ongoing Problems

This is the cover of mine I just used what I think is pretty and fits for us.  Since there are going to be four of us we thought we should have something to represent Little Bean and also I'm so obsessed with owls.  We're even doing an owl theme in the nursery! So excited to get that project going.

The back I love too lol.

Inside pocket has put lease contract, envelopes, receipts, and a recipe I need to put back away lol. 

In my pouch I keep all the pens I seem to keep finding all around the apartment, two pairs of scissors, permanent markers, an envelope with stamps in it, freezer tape, pencils, a ton of hair ties, random keys until I find where they go.

This is the updated sheet from the one I loved but I don't like it as much so I'm using it until I'm out of them.

For the problems that need to be fixed.

The calender I linked above.

                             

My monthly goals and projects. Looking for the link to those. I'll post it when I find it.

That's it on the binder for now! 

Recipe comes from not know what I wanted to make for dinner last night so we made it up as we went along.

4 thin sliced, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

6 chopped baby carrots

mushrooms, chopped

corn

peas

broccoli

garlic

Preheat your oven to 350f.  Spray your pan with cooking spray and place your chicken in the bottom. Put in all your vegetables and mushrooms in the dish. Pour cream of soups over top and mix up. bake for an hour and a half or until chciken is throughly cooked. (still learning everything) 

Stay at Home Mom/Working Mom Tag

I love following vlogs on Youtube and there is one I love she is so dang cute you can find her at ObbsAndLala.  She did this tag and I thought it sounded fun. It's to both a SAHM (stay at home mom) and/or working mom's. Now, onto the questions!

Are you a Stay at home mom or a Working Mom?

  I'm a stay at home mom

What made you come to that decision? 

When I was working I didn't get much money and when we got pregnant we did the math and my entire paycheck would have paid for childcare and we saw no point in wasting time and money that won't be there anyway so we decided it was best for us. Also we both feel that it's better for Lily and our little family if we did and feel that this is where God wants me to be to take care of us all and our home.

Was your mom a stay at home mom or a working mom?

She was a working mom.

How old are your children?

Princess is two and a half and Peanut is still waiting for October to come out.

Are you apart of any mom groups/play groups?

Not play groups but I am apart of a few mom groups online.

Did you always know you wanted to be a stay at home mom?

Yes actually I did right up there after I decided I didn't want to be a paleontologist when I was about seven years old.

How long do you plan to be a stay at home mom?

For as long as I can.

Did you go to school before becoming a stay at home mom?

No I didn't other than High School

If you worked before having children, do you miss it?

No not really. I guess if I had to choose I miss meeting a lot of different people.
What was your job/career before you became a mom?

I worked as a Sales Associate at Spencer Gifts and Victoria's Secret in the mall.

What does your husband/partner do for work?

All I really know is that he works with computers I honestly have no idea what exactly he does.

Do you have a daily routine or just go with the flow day by day?

I started out having a routine but most days I really just have to go with the flow it's hard to stay on a set in stone routine with a toddler and while pregnant.

Do you keep up with the housework or is it shared with your husband/partner?

I do most of it he has his own chores around here so he doesn't feel helpless around the home. Mostly he just takes out the trash and carries the laundry baskets into the rooms for me to put away. Just the heavy lifting so his 'manly muscles' aren't going to waste (men tend to like the ego bust too)

Do you do anything on the side to earn extra money? If so what?

No I don't.

What is the one thing you love about being a stay at home mom?

I love being here with Lily teaching her everything and seeing all her discoveries. I'd hate to miss out on her important developments.

What is the one thing you hate about being a stay at home mom?

It tends to get a little lonely and I also tend to get cabin fever a lot but it's nothing too terrible. 

General Questions:
Are you a Stay at home mom or a Working Mom?
What made you come to that decision?
Was your mom a stay at home mom or working mom?
How old are your children?
Are you part of any mom groups/play groups?

Working Mom Questions:
Do you work out of the home or in the home?
What is your job title?
What are your main responsibilities at your job?
When did you go back to work after having your children?
Did you go to school for this career?
How may hours do you work a week?
What do you do for childcare?
Has your job changed since having children?
What is one thing you love about being a working mom?
What is one thing you hate about being a working mom?

Stay At Home Mom Questions:
Did you always know you wanted to be a SAHM?
How long do you plan to stay at home?
Did you go to school before becoming a stay at home mom?
If you worked before having children, do you miss it?
What was your job/career before you became a mom?
What does your partner do for work?
Do you have a daily routine or just go with the flow day by day?
Do you keep up with the house work or is it shared with your husband/partner?
Do you do anything on the side to earn extra money? If so what?
What is one thing you love about being a SAHM mom?
What is one thing you hate about being a SAHM mom?








Recipe Brought to you by June the Homemaker (love her!)

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3-5 browned bananas 
1 cup brandy/rum (if desired)
1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
butter (for greasing pan)

Recipe:

If soaking bananas with alcohol, ahead of time/the night before, mash up browned bananas in a bowl with brandy and/or rum and let sit in the fridge, covered, for 1-8 hours. Set out butter to soften. Cream 1/2 cup butter and 2 1/4 cups sugar. Beat in 2 eggs one at a time. Add bananas mixture, buttermilk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined. Fold in 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips or nuts (optional). Grease two loaf pans with about 2 tbsp softened butter or spray oil. Bake in 350 degree oven about 1 hour, until browned, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cut and enjoy!

Looking a little better

Princess's room is looking a little better than it was I made a little room in the middle of the floor and I started putting all the baby stuff into the crib that Princess hasn't used in a few months just to get them out of the way and also out of our room so yay!! Lol. We went camping this past weekend and it was a ton of fun and I have decided I really like camping pregnant in the Explorer rather that on the ground in a tent lol. Princess stayed at my parents thankfully I think it'd be too cold for her.

Princess had fun at grandma and Papa's house.

Today I'm 15 weeks and 5 days (most of the counters don't include leap day weird)

I'm feeling really good today. Yesterday I had some bad morning sickness as well as on Saturday morning thankfully I didn't throw up. Baby is moving a lot more now finally. Yesterday I didn't feel much movement and it kind of worried me so I just laid face down for a minute or two until I felt a little kick. Princess woke us up one morning at 5:30 and after she fell back asleep we were just laying there talking and he told me while I was asleep he was rubbing my belly and the baby kicked him and he was so giddy it was so sweet.

"Cravings" of the day are pot stickers: 

Traditional Pot Stickers

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 2 slices fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 2 water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions

1. Crumble pork into a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, cabbage, green onion, ginger, water chestnuts, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Chill in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Place a tablespoon of the pork mixture into each of the wonton wrappers. Fold the wrappers, and seal the edges with a moistened fork.
4. In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the pot stickers into the oil seam sides up. Heat 30 seconds to a minute. Pour water into the skillet. Gently boil 7 to 8 minutes, until oil and water begins to sizzle, then add remaining oil. When the bottoms begin to brown, remove pot stickers from heat.
5. In a small serving bowl, mix together the chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, adjusting proportions to taste.

Disaster Zone

As a warning I will also be using this as a blog for my pregnancy too.

My daughter's room and our master bedroom is a disaster zone of new baby clothes and a pile of my clothes that I'm sorting through to see what I still fit into or will still fit into later on in the pregnancy. Let's just say it isn't working too well lol. I have to wait until august to be able to move everything baby into the baby's room (our roommate moves out then if not before.)

I am 15 weeks now and showing a little bit! 

That's Princess my daughter and my tiny belly!

So far my morning sickness has gone away fully as of 13 weeks. I actually haven't gained any weight I've lost 10lbs so far since I've gotten pregnant. It's kind of weird but I'm not complaining too much yet as my doctor isn't too worried yet. I'm a little disappointed that I'm not able to show more ultrasounds. The insurance company wouldn't cover the NT scan.  I'm feeling movement from the baby! Also my husband has too as of two days ago! So exciting! I think I'm having a boy but Hubs think's and is trying to convince me we're having another girl. Friday was our appointment and the heartbeat was at 159, points to a girl but a lot lower than Princess's was at this point.

Recipe of today is:(I long to crave but the baby isn't too fond of sweets)

Brownie Waffles

Coat your waffle maker with nonstick cooking spray and preheat on medium-low

Stir 1/2 cup butter and 3 oz. chopped unsweetened chocolate over medium-low heat until melted. remove from heat. Mix in 1/2 cup sugar. Then add 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 cup flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1.4 tsp. salt. Whisk in 1 cup milk until smooth.

Pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup into waffle maker; cook 2 minutes.

Makes six 6-inch waffles.

goodness!

Wow time got away again! Sorry I haven't put up the pictures yet the laptop crashed before I got a chance to get them on and we just got a new computer so hopefully they'll be up soon.  I'm 11 weeks and 4 days today and I have officially am under 200 days until the baby's due date. Princess has been acting a little better now she's starting to understand that I can't pick her up as much as I used to thankfully.  My morning sickness is pretty much gone unless I forget to eat. Which is quite a common occurrence  lately in fact I forget everything even if I have it written down and in my hand lol.  I've been so tired lately I want to do nothing but sleep but my insomnia has been kicking my butt so bad.  It took me two weeks to get the kitchen completely clean and shiny again because when I had my morning sickness I couldn't even walk into the kitchen with out wanting to throw up TMI I know I'm sorry.  Oh! A big plus I got some sweets back! Finally! Before the baby just hated anything sweet.

Recipe for today comes from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and it is Homemade Cadbury Eggs

HOMEMADE CADBURY EGGS

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Yellow food coloring
Chocolate candy melts or almond bark


In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on medium low speed until well mixed.


Spoon about a third of the mixture into a separate bowl and color it with yellow food coloring. Refrigerate the white and yellow mixtures for at least an hour, for easier handling.


Roll the yellow mixture into balls and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes or so. Remove from freezer and cover with white candy and form into an egg shape. Freeze eggs for about 30 minutes.


Melt your candy melts or almond bark according to package directions. Place eggs in the chocolate and coat completely. Remove and place back on wax paper lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until chocolate has set.