"THE BAG"! or should I say "THE BAGS"??!!

I have a few good friends who are having their first baby here in a couple months. Talking to them brings up so many memories of having Sawyer almost a year ago and I can't help but be that girl who tries to give tips and advice. I was texting with one my dear friends, Elizabeth Mason and she asked me what she should pack for the hospital when she delivers her new baby girl Reese. So, this post is dedicated to that very important question!

Here is my advice (Take or Leave it!):

• First things first... CUTE PJ's! The ideal pajamas to take to the hospital (in my opinion) would be a two piece set with a button down top (easy for nursing!) For example....

    Nordstoms.com

• Nursing bra (if you decide to breastfeed): I actually wore these tank tops from Target that have a built in bra and have easy snap down straps. I just wore it under my pjs in the hospital and ended up wearing it ALL the time under all my clothes once I was home. I HIGHLY recommend these!

 target.com

• Pair of slippers
• Makeup, toiletries, hair dryer
• Nursing pads
• Boppy or whatever nursing pillow you get.- 
• This is really embarrassing but I promise they are SOOO nice after you have a baby... Depends (disposable underwear). I know gross! Send your husband to go get them! 
• Going home outfit... You'll want to wear something loose fitting and comfy. I didn't even want to wear   maternity jeans after having an 8 pound baby and an episiotomy! You'll want to look somewhat descent if you want to take going home pics. 
• Camera with plenty of disc space and video camera
• Computer and phone
• List of who needs to be contacted about the baby's arrival
• Ipod and Ipod player
• Baby book for your visitors to sign that come to the hospital and also for keeping up with the memorabilia.
• Take your own pillow! I don't even want to think what's on those hospital pillows.... UGH! Tell your husband to pack his own too.  Burp cloths
• Teeny tiny baby outfits for the hospital and for going home (I packed a couple of extra premie outfits from Walmart just in case the baby was small.)
• Baby socks or booties
•  Baby blanket for going home
• Don't forget your infant seat for the car!
• Something extra... If you want to be stylish during delivery, invest in a cute hospital gown like this one! I got one as a gift at a shower and actually LOVED it! I actually wore it the day after the delivery. It was cute but still easy to nurse in and function in at the hospital.

Trendytummymaternity.com

Don't worry about overpacking! I think this is one of the times in your life when its better to be comfy and have everything you need then to worry about how big your bag is. 

If any other mamas out there have some other good things to add to this list.. leave a comment! I am sure others of you have some good ideas. Good luck to all you soon to be MOMMYS!!

Fashion Friday: Dreaming....

With all this sickness, cold weather, being isolated indoors, bulky clothes.. I am definitely getting excited for Spring! Can't wait to pull out the shorts, tank tops and bright colors! Maybe if we all dream, pray and wish for Spring hard enough maybe it will come earlier this year! ha! Have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Check out Stem Parties Blog, one of my favorite party blogs, that featured the B shower! Thanks Amy!

Bailey Shower!

Okay folks, Here is the full downlow on the "B" themed shower! Enjoy the pics, let me know what you think!

The menu for the night consisted of: Beer, Burger sliders, Boiled shrimp, Bar-b-q shrimp, Berry salad, Buffalo wings, Broccoli Salad, Baked potato bites, Banana pudding, cake and wine. Yummo!

           Need a way to save money on a shower? Do tissue pom pom centerpieces instead of fresh flowers, they are adorable and cheap!! 

Print Shop to the Rescue!! All the "B' words were designed from Print shop and the "B is For" on the mantle were all bought from Hobby Lobby and painted by yours truly!  

"B" is for Books!

      

To go with the book theme we put a personalized book with Dyer's name on the cover for people to write a welcome message. It turned out to be such a sweet book! 

  

Alexis Hurdle did the adorable and yummy cake! 

 Labels were designed and printed from the Print Shop program and the bottles are from socialcouture.com. I filled them with an orange candy from the Dollar Store and then cut a slit in the bottle nipple for the cards to stand up in. 

 Party favors... B is for Bubblegum! Everyone got to take a scoop of bubblegum home in a cute monogrammed baggy. 

All the host and hostesses!! We had so much help and could not of pulled this awesome shower off without all of them. Thanks for all your help!

 Jenessa, I love you! You and Mark are going to be such amazing parents and I can't wait to see you fall in love with Baby Dyer. 

If you all have any questions on how to do something that you see or need more info.. leave a comment!

Chelsea thank you so much for the doing the amazing pictures!  

Sneak Peek: B is for.....

Baby Boy Bailey!!! I had so much fun planning this fun shower for Jenessa and Mark. The amazing Chelsea Sloneker took pictures of the shower and has sent me a couple of the photos. So, until I get all of them I thought I would give ya'll a little sneak peek of this fun couples baby shower! The shower revolved around the letter B for Baby Boy Bailey! All the food and decor started with B.. It was so fun to put together! 

B is for Banana Pudding!! We put the banana pudding in cute martini glasses. The spoons are baby spoons from the dollar store and the labels are just glued on and printed off from print shop by yours truly. 

 B is for Bubblegum!

That's all for now, Can't wait to share the rest! Have a happy Tuesday!

Yummy Mondays: Meatloaf for the Young and Old!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Sorry I am behind with posting. I was very occupied last week with Jenessa and Mark's shower (pictures to come soon!). We had so much fun Saturday night and the shower turned out great.
 For yummy Monday today I am doing two recipes. A meatloaf recipe that I have made over the last three years and its such a good comfort meal. I have tried other recipes and I love this one the most. It is one that I made up a few years ago and it is now a Henry fav!


For my second recipe I am doing a baby food recipe! Since Sawyer was about 7 months old and could start doing finger foods I found a recipe for a turkey loaf. I have changed it up since finding it and I have to say that it is definitely Sawyer's favorite meal. I make it once a month and try and have it on hand all month long because it is such a good all in one meal and Sawyer cleans his plate every time with this yummy meal!


Meatloaf

- 1 1/2 pound ground chuck

- 1 cup bread crumbs

- 1 egg
- 1 package mushrooms chopped and sauteed
- 1/2 onion sauteed 

- 1 cup ketchup

- 1 TB garlic salt

- 1 TB pepper

- 2 TB brown sugar

- 1 TB worcheteshire sauce

- 1 TB soy sauce

- 1/2 pkg frozen spinach thawed (Optional)


- Mix together all the ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl. (As gross as it is I usually just mash it all  up with my hands, its much easier!)


-FOR THE SPINACH:  place half of the mixture in a loaf pan and place a thin layer of the thawed spinach on top. Place the rest of the meat mixture on top of the spinach.


- WITHOUT SPINACH: place the entire bowl of the meat mixture in a loaf pan pat down.


- I usually squirt ketchup in a swirly fashion on top of the loaf.


- Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. When you take the loaf out drain the liquid before slicing and serving.


This recipe is yummy with a simple veggie and your favorite kind of potato! I do twice baked potato with this one alot or if I don't have much time I just bake some tater tots. 

Apple Turkey Loaf

-1 lb ground turkey
-1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten 

-1 cup veggie of your choice (I do sweet peas)
-1/2 cup pureed carrots
-1/4 cup applesauce
-1/4 cup wheat rice cereal
-1/4 cup bread crumbs
-pinch of basil
-pinch of garlic powder

-Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. 

-Add the egg/yolk, carrots, applesauce, veggie, spices, bread crumbs and bran.

-Mix well - If this mixture appears too dry, add more carrots or applesauce. If this mixture appears too wet, add more wheat and/or bread crumbs

-Place mix into a lightly oiled (olive oil) loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. **You may wish to cover with foil to prevent the top from burning

-When finished baking and cooled, remove loaf from pan and slice as you would for bread. Break into small bits for finger feeding or Mash or chop gently.

- With leftovers, wrap with cellophane and keep it in freezer for up to a month 1/2. When ready to serve just put it on a microwavable plate and defrost in microwave. 

This recipe is adapted from www.wholesomebabyfood.com. 

Happy Yummy Monday! Hope you all have a great start to the week!

Getting Excited!!!

The shower for Jenessa and Mark Bailey is this weekend and I am getting so excited! I think it is going to turn out really cute and can't wait to show off the details. Here is the invitation that Leah Martin from Lowercase Letter Designs custom designed for us. All I can say is it matches the shower PERFECTLY! Stay tuned next week for all the details!

Yummy Mondays: PMS!

 Not to give too much info but I am in a CHOCOLATE mood... If you catch my drift! So in honor of PMS I thought I would like to give the ultimate chocolate lover the perfect dessert. This is another one I grew up eating.  If you love chocolate then I promise you, this will not disappoint!

Chocolate Torte

- 3 (4 oz) German Chocolate squares

- 1 1/2 Cup Sugar

- 3/4 Cup Coffee

- 1 Stick Butter

- 6 eggs

- Preheat oven 350 degrees

- line spring-form pan with foil

- Mix first four ingredients in a saucepan heat over medium heat melted together. After mixed together take off stove to cool for a few minutes (about 10 minutes)

- Crack the eggs into a separate bowl. Mix in just a little of the chocolate mixture at first. After it is mixed together then add the rest of the chocolate mixture to the eggs. 

- Bake for 45 minutes and then chill overnight. 

- To serve, take out of the spring-form pan and peel off the foil. Serve with homemade whip cream.

Just a little side note about this one..... I won a dessert contest two summers ago with this yumminess! Ha! 

LOVE

Lovin on my sweet little Valentine today! Hope everyone has a very special V-Day! 

Fashion Friday: Who needs a boyfriend???

Ohhh MYY I love me a boyfriend blazer! You can dress up a plain t-shirt with one of these bad boys, you can dress it up cocktail style or just throw it on like you would a cardigan! LOOVVEE it! So here are some links to some cute ones to add to your wishlist. If you don't already have one, do yourself a favor and add this to your wardrobe!!

Dillard's $34

jcrew.com

Nordstroms.com

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend! 

Significance.

This post definitely doesn't have anything really to do with Parties, Recipes or even Babies; It has to do with the most important thing in my life: My Faith. Lately I have gotten so caught up in my own mind, life, abilities, weaknesses, circumstances, meaningless stuff, etc... I feel I have lost where my true significance lies. In community group this semester we have taken on my sister, Jennie Allen's curriculum that she wrote called "Stuck". After I did this weeks lesson on Discontentment and listened to her talk I have to say I was changed or at least REAWAKENED! 

As a girl who has lived a pretty leisurely, lush and blessed life, I must admit.... Discontentment is something that I have struggled with probably on a daily if not hourly basis over most of my life. For instance my thoughts that take up my day may or may not include... What am I going to wear today, I wish Sawyer would sleep better, I wish I had those skinny citizen jeans, I wish I had a 6 pack, I wish I could buy that cute lamp,  wish I could go on a date, I hope people comment on my blog today (ha!), I wish I had her car and so on and so on... Surely you get the point!

 If I am really honest with myself, ALOT of the time out of my day is spent in my head being jealous, comparing myself, wishing for things, and trying to achieve significance in things that really don't matter. My sister struck a cord in me when she said that when we let these things get into our heads and let these sins take over it will literally make us SICK! And I can say I have witnessed that in my own life. I want my life to look different and to be a life that finds significance in the only thing that matters, which is CHRIST! 

 Galatians 2:19-20

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.   

All that to say since I have started this blog I want to make sure one thing stands true. I pray that throughout posting about silly things like parties, baby recipes, decorating and yes even fashion that I still remember my foundation in God. These things are obviously not bad and I know that, but I pray that my significance and worth will always be grounded in the fact that I am a CHILD OF GOD and ultimately these things of this earth don't even matter. Without a foundation in Christ and true significance in HIM, all of our abilities and skill in this world is like "Striving after Wind" (Ecclesiastes 4:4). Although I will probably be struggling with these things most of my life I have Faith that God will continue to work through my weaknesses. 

Anyway, Just a BIG SIDE NOTE! 

So....To God be the Glory for EVERYTHING (even baby showers!), AMEN! 

By the way here is a link to a very powerful talk by my sis:  http://austinbible.org/default.aspx?p=40333&maid=1133

(Click on the Discontent talk!)

Also her blog is INCREDIBLE! So check it out too! Jennie's BLOG!

Check it off

 I am a big list maker and I really like to try and stay organized with planning no matter what it is. So for those of you who are planning a party sometime soon, hope this checklist helps you out! This website is awesome its called www.momologie.com Check it out!

Party Checklist!

10 months?!!!

I CANNOT believe that my Sawyer bear is 10 months old! Sunday he turned 10 months and I seriously am still in shock that this first year with him has almost come full circle.  I am actually becoming very sad and sentimental about this baby turning a year old. I so wish time could just stop! But since it can't I am going to start planning the fun b-day celebration and continue to watch my little guy turn into a little person. We are so thankful for every day we have with Sawyer. Just last night Andrew was sitting on the bed cuddling with him and he said "I can't believe we thought life was even fun before Sawyer! He makes everything so much happier and sweeter!" Couldn't of said it better myself! All that to say here is a little Sawyer update at 10 months:

- He naps 2 times a day for a couple hours each

- He eats 3 BIG meals a day and still takes 4 bottles. The child seriously will eat Anything and Everything! He also makes sure that he doesn't leave any mess, it all makes it in his mouth. Quite funny!

- He still sleeps about 11 hours every night and many mornings wants to cuddle and sleep with me in bed. 

- Says BaBa, Dada, and gives kisses on demand. No MAMA yet! :(

- Crawls everywhere and now stands up on everything. 

- His personality is still so sweet. He loves his mama and dada and always likes to have his eyes on what we are doing. He gives us cuddles, kisses and happy squeels all the time. We can't get enough! 

- He is a major OBSERVER! He will stare the living day lights out of you or win any stare contest out there. 

- He hasn't gone through the attachment thing yet (Fingers crossed) which is nice for babysitters and nursery workers. I'm sure its coming though. 

- His favorite thing right now is opening and closing every drawer, cabinet or bedroom door in the house. I think we spend about half our day doing that right now. 

- Overall his favorite things in life right now are: EMMA, FOOD, PRAISE BABY, BATHS and Any book especially Brown Bear!. (Now that I think about it not much has changed since he was an itty bitty baby)

-Two weeks ago he weighed exactly 22 pounds and is wearing all 12-18 month clothes now. As everyone points out, he looks bigger than me; He is still our big ole boy! 

-  He is still pretty bald, but hair is coming in fast and it looks CURLY!! Can't wait to see if it really will be. 

Anyway I could probably keep going and going so I'll stop it here. Hope that gives you a little insight into our little life with Sawyer right now. We feel so blessed!

Yummy Mondays: Soup Style!

LET ME OUTSIDE MAMA!!!!

We have snow AGAIN! I really don't know what I think of this.. I love the scenery and all but I have to admit I am ready for warmth, walks, grass, leaves, swinging outside, you get the idea! But old man winter is here again so I thought I would post another one of my FAVORITE soup recipes. I found it my first year of marriage; I have made a few alterations since and Andrew has loved it ever since. It is the ultimate comfort soup!

Wild rice chicken soup

-1 cup wild rice
-1/2 cup finely chopped and peeled carrots
-1 finely chopped small onion
- 1 cup frozen or fresh sweet peas
-1/3 cup finely chopped celery (I leave this out just b/c we don't like celery)
- 1 TB butter
- 6 cups chicken broth
-12 oz (3-4 breasts) boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2 cups half and half cream or milk

1. in a large pot cook carrot, onion and celery in the 1 TB butter over medium heat until veggies are tender. Add wild rice and chicken broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken breast pieces; simmer covered for 20-25 minutes more or until rice is tender. 2. meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together the flour and softened butter to make a smooth paste 3. stir the flour mixture into the rice and chicken mixture in the dutch oven. cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. cook and stir for 1 minute more. stir in half and half. cook over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. serves 8

Hope everyone has a yummy Monday!

Baby food YUMMYS!!

SATURDAY! Oh what a day! My day started off with my sweet husband taking off to go hunting at 4:30 in the morning. I actually have been wanting him to do something for himself because he seriously has been MR. MOM for the last three weeks because of some health issues I have been having (more on that later, Nothing big!). Then a couple hours later I hear my Sawyer bear start stirring. 6:30!! Oh I can't get that child to sleep any later in his crib.. Any ideas? A lot of mornings I can give him a bottle in bed and he'll go straight back to sleep with me or Andrew. But of course on this lazy Saturday morning he woke up a WILD MAN! So since I was still so sleepy I turned on some cartoons and let the monkey man climb all over me for an entire hour.

After my semi-lazy morning in bed I  finally got up and was on a mission to have my monthly baby food cook off! I have been cooking Sawyer's baby food since he was 5 months old and it is something I have really enjoyed doing. It's easy, cheap, healthy, and always a crowd pleaser for my little man! I'll defintely be posting some favorite recipes of ours throughout this blog.

The recipe I'll post today is for babies about 7 months and up who are eating finger foods successfully. This was my first time to make this concoction and he GOBBLED it up!

Cheesy Turkey and Pasta

- 1 lb ground turkey

- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta of your choice (farfalla or a spiral noodle is good for babies because they can pick it up easier)

- 1 cup peeled, sliced and cooked carrots or add any veggies you know your baby likes (peas, squash, etc..)

- 1/4 cup chicken broth

- 2 cups of colby/jack shredded cheese

-1/4 cup applesauce

- Dash of Garlic Powder

- Brown turkey in a skillet with the dash of garlic powder

- Cook pasta like regular and then drain when finished

- Add remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix all together, place in a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees until bubbly and heated through (about 15 minutes)

- Serve after cooled down and store the rest for later.
 

This makes about 10 meals for Sawyer. After it cools down I cut it into squares and place in ziplock bags to freeze. This can freeze up to about a month and a half.  When ready to serve to your baby just defrost in a microwavable bowl and you are ready to go! Let me know if you try if for your little one, even if they are a picky eater I bet they'll like it! How could any baby resist cheesy goodness?!

Fashion Friday: Time to Accessorize!!

One of my best friends Amanda Kella is a jewelry designer for Dillard's and she just gave me the down low on the trneds right now for jewelry and accessories. Oh how I love having friends in high places!

The trend right now in jewelry is all about making a STATEMENT! Whether you wear a BIG ring, MULTILAYER necklace, CHANDELIER earings, or even a BIG cuff, you can change a simple outfit with one of these dramatic statement pieces. Here are a few that Amanda emailed me that I am definitely putting on my wishlist!

Multi layer, mixed media chain and pearl necklace.

Dillard's.com

Pearls are a must have this spring!! Amanda actually designed this necklace for Dillards and it was featured in the November '09 issue of VOGUE. It's on sale right now!

Dillard's.com

Jose & Maria Barrera

Drop Earrings

Neiman Marcus

I love this dramatic bib necklace! It's only 48$!

Nordstroms.com

Hope you all are enjoying Fashion Fridays! Let me know if there is anything specific that you want to cover over the coming weeks.

Ya'll have a splendid weekend! Andrew, me and the babe are spending a cozy weekend here in Fayetteville; hopefully not being sick like the past two weeks!!!

Say CHEESE!!!!

So back in November our little family got our pictures taken by the amazing Brooke Robinson. Sawyer was about 8 months and he was just at the cutest age. He wasn't moving everywhere yet so we thought it would be the perfect time to capture our family. She did an amazing job and we loved them all so much we had the hardest time figuring out what we wanted for the house. Anyway, here is a preview of a few of my favorites!

What to do... What to do????

After Christmas and before Spring can be a tricky time to figure out what to put out on your tables. At least for me it is! I put Christmas away but it's not spring so I can't bring out my bright florals yet. So every year I am stuck thinking what should I put on my tables this month?! I am not one for cheesy decorations for every holiday. BUT... I totally gave in and did something fun for Valentine's day. I really tried to achieve something fun but hopefully in your opinions not cheesy! I am sick of these two months with a bare table!

The heart grapevine wreath is from Hobby lobby and was only 8$! You could do so many fun things with this cute wreath! It would be so fun to put a cute picture in the middle of your special valentine or even get a few of them for your mantle, place pictures of each of your kiddos and line them up all in a row. Valentine's day doesn't  mean everything has to be red and pink!

Yummy Monday: Birthday Meal!

Since it is my Birthday today I thought I would post one of my favorite meals. This is one of those Paula Deanish meals because the ingredients contain a lot of cream and butter, but oohhhh its so yummy! It is one of Andrew and I's special occasion meals because we both love it so much.

Dill Chicken

-4 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast

- 8 oz herb garlic soft cheese

- 3 eggs

- 1/4 cup milk

- flour

- 2 Cups dry bread crumbs

- oil

- lightly flatten the thickest part of the chicken to 1/2 of its original size

- quarter cheese spread evenly over chicken and then fold the chicken breast in half and keep it in place with a toothpick. Put in fridge for 1 hour

- beat eggs and milk together in a bowl

- roll chicken breasts in the flour and then dip it in the egg and milk mixture then roll in bread crumbs.

- heat oil in a skillet and brown the chicken on all sides

- move to a baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Dill Sauce:

- 2 TB minced onions

- 1 1/2 cup dry white wine

-1 1/2 TB fresh lemon juice

-3/4 Cup whipping cream

- 2 TB dill weed

- 1 ts salt

- 11/2 ts hot pepper sauce

- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces

- mix onion, wine, lemon juice in saucepan, simmer on low heat to 2 TB

- add cream and reduce to 1/2 cup

- stir in dill weed, salt and hot pepper sauce

- just before serving heat and whisk in the cup of butter, DO NOT BOIL

Once the sauce and chicken are complete you serve the sauce over the chicken and serve with sides of your choice. It is a rich recipe so something like plain rice or baked squash would be yummy with this meal.  Hope ya'll enjoy! I promise if you decide to make this you will not be disappointed!