Bits and Pieces of Emmy's Room

We're still missing a few details like her teddy bear hammock above the twin bed that will hold all her stuffed animals and a few white floating shelves to hold family pictures, but that will all come with time. For the most part, it's done and we're happy with the outcome. We like how simple and calm it feels. No need for a bright and loud room for Ms. Emmy!

Einstein loves to jump all over this bed!

Changing station...

Tony and I fell in love with these little guys. When we were building our home we walked into Emmy's room one day and a huge white owl was flying around the room. We thought it was only fitting to have a few cute owls keeping an eye on her.

Cute art near the door.

Bed skirt made by my wonderful mom!

Her name painted by her daddy and I. Funny how the color of the room can change with certain angles.

34 Weeks & Updates

We're so close...I hope!

Life is getting extremely busy and I think this is God's way of preparing us for what is to come very soon! The holidays are almost here and this excites us! Tony is also a really big Christmas fan so it's fun to turn up the holiday music and just be in the season! Here are a few updates:

1. Baby room is nearly complete. We're just lacking a duvet cover, bedskirt, and a bookshelf. I'll try to post pictures soon.

2. Car seat is officially installed in my car. After a sad first time installation where both he and I were convinced she'd go flying at a stop sign break, it is now much safer and ready for her arrival.

3. We celebrate 3 years of marriage on 12/1. I can't believe it's already been 3 years. Time flies when you're having fun!

4. Einstein has been an excellent rest buddy. I'm starting to get really tired at the end of the day but with a long to do list I only break for a little bit. Einstein is right there resting on my lap as we watch stuff on the DVR.

5. Sleep has not been such a relaxing event. Between finding a comfy spot, staying on my side, and having to get up to the restroom it's definitely starting to be a challenge. It's pretty comical how Tony has to tuck me in with pillows behind me before we go to bed. The other night he shoved one so hard behind my back that I almost rolled off the bed! Between that and he having to roll me back on my side mid-night it's definitely awkward and I often laugh as I realize what he's doing. I feel like a beached whale!

6. Emmy is doing great! She's almost 5 pounds and yesterday we went in for a checkup and all looks great. I didn't see my doctor, but I did get to see the P.A. who told me she was pregnant as well. She and I had a fun exchange of how she's feeling at 14 weeks and what I felt at 14 weeks. She also snuck me a quick free sonogram to get a peek at Emmy. We couldn't see much because the machines they have in the exam rooms aren't so fancy, but it was nice to see the big strong body that's been kicking and punching me the past few weeks.

7. Christmas decorations are about to come out! We'll post pics of that too.

Here's a 34 week shot.

Is it Friday yet?

I just love me some weekends! This weekend was the first weekend Tony's been home in over a month. Before that he was traveling to San Antonio every Saturday and Sunday and a few Fridays for his test prep class for his exam. Here are a few updates in our world:

1. I'm 30 weeks this week and I'm feeling great! Aside from being super sleepy around 8:30 at night I'm doing good so far! I'm still riding the bike, lifting weights, and walking a bunch. We'll see how far I can make it with this...

2. Baby Emerson's room is a work in progress. Today we had crown molding installed in her room and in our room and it turned out great! My grandma was home to supervise since we were both working and we're very happy with the turnout.

3. Einstein is back to his Mini Schnauzer haircut! We buzz him short in the summer, but on Saturday he got his Schnauzer cut to grow out his skirt for Christmas time. He's ADORABLE and we love cuddling with him so much. He always comes back smelling so darn delicious from the groomers!

4. THE RANGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!! Seriously, enough said. Freakin' FANTASTIC! I think Emmy's their good luck charm. The first time in the organization's history...coincidence...I think not...

5. I made this pie Saturday night and it was DELICIOUS! I just finished a slice while writing this. OMG if you like peanut butter, cream cheese, and chocolate you will LOVE this.

6. We had this for dinner Saturday night before the pie and it was wonderful as well. We will be having this again since it was SO easy and yummy.

7. It's time to teach Fall in Kindergarten and I LOVE IT! It's one of my favorite things to teach! :)

8. My mom's birthday is on Friday so we'll be celebrating that this weekend!

That's about all I have time for right now. Pictures/real post coming soon. Night everyone!

28 Weeks! :)

Here's a shot from Friday. Life in our house is super busy with Tony preparing for his Professional Engineer's exam at the end of October. Once (not if, but ONCE) he takes and passes the test, my baby will be a licensed Professional Engineer and will add the initials P.E. to his name. Holla!

We celebrated Tony's 27th birthday this weekend. This was his sixth birthday that we celebrated together as a couple and we had a special night out at a great restaurant. School has been flying by and I'm blessed to have some great kids and fabulous families this year. It makes it fun to go to work!

I'll update more soon. We just had a delicious and SUPER easy chicken pot pie recipe for dinner and I will definitely share. It was YUM! My 28 week appointment is tomorrow so any prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Happy Monday everyone! :)

Fried Corn!

Not deep fried corn, so healthier right?!?

Ha, this has become one of my FAVORITE sides! It's definitely more indulgent than plain corn but we have it sparingly. I found it here and have been in love ever since!

Here is what you'll need..

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen or canned corn
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter and chopped onions. Allow onions to soften and turn transluscent. Add corn, 1 tbsp butter, milk, and salt and pepper (if using frozen corn, add it in first without the other ingredients to allow it to defrost and warm up a little). Saute over medium heat until milk has nearly evaporated. You can add some chopped parsley if you want (we skip this step).

We have this with meatloaf, ribs, fried chicken, or anything that has mashed potatoes! I hope you love it!

Changes around the house...

It has been quite a few weeks since we've updated our blog. School has started and I have a great group of kids! I have a great group of parents this year who are so excited for Tony and I and support us so that is great too! I realized last week just how much I love my job! I know that being a working mom will be a difficult balance that I may never fully achieve, but it has always been a challenge I have wanted to face. Everyone makes choices that work for their family and I'm just so glad that Tony and my family support my desire to go back to work and also raise a family. My grandmother is planning to watch Emerson when I go back to finish the school year and my mom will pick up next August from there on out. I know that my career is the most flexible one to be a working mom, so at least I will get my few months in the summer, winter break, spring break, and all major holidays to be a stay at home mom. We'll just say that things will always be interesting and busy in our home, which is just how we like them!

In the spare weekends we have (which haven't been much since we've been here, there and everywhere lately) we have been receiving so many blessings!

Here are a few changes around our house:

Our great friends Mary Ruth and Preston gifted us with a wonderful gift card that allowed us to get the pack and play we wanted. It's still in the box, but it's super cute and has owls all over it. Thank you guys!

My mom surprised us with a car seat for Miss Emerson. We hope to take her many fun places that we enjoy going to!

Tony's parents gifted us this fabulous swing! They came into town a few weekends ago and wanted to buy us a swing, so away we went and found this adorable one for a STEAL! After being on sale and using a 20% off coupon this one was so much less than any other we had on our registry! Tony's mom insisted on buying Emerson her first stuffed animal so that little one is resting where she will one day! The swing has been on in our living room from time to time so that Einstein can get used to the music, nature sounds, and gliding/rocking motions it makes.

Here is a BOB stroller we found on Craig's List for a great deal as well! We plan on using this as our sole stroller so we were excited to get this one! The car seat pops in with an adapter so Emerson will be riding around the neighborhood and town in style.

Emerson has been blessed so far with a fabulous wardrobe! My sister-in-law Brianne is responsible for most of this as she went on a shopping spree at Babies R Us. The picture doesn't do all her options much justice since most of these sets have 3 outfits on one hanger. My favorites are the A&M cheerleader outfit, A&M dress, and Texas Rangers onesies. This girl is already ready for our love of sports!

I'm feeling great right now! I'm still working out and lifting weights nearly nightly. We've been going on many walks at night and I'm still riding my bike. After the morning sickness finally went away (praise God!) I wanted to get right back to what I had been doing and I got my doctor's blessing. I am a little over 6 months along right now but I haven't taken a picture just yet. Here's an old one of me at 5 months.

Will update more later!

Fast Dinner: Tostadas (or Chalupas if you're Hispanic like me)

Ingredients:

• however many corn tortillas you want
• 1 can of refried beans
• shredded cheddar cheese
• lettuce
• jalapenos (optional unless again, you're Hispanic like me and my pseudo-Hispanic husband)
• taco seasoned ground beef or turkey or chopped up chicken breasts cooked to your liking (we usually just go meatless but they can be great with meat!)
• sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place corn tortillas on cookie sheets spread apart so they aren't touching. Cook in oven for about 15-20 minutes (just until they look almost a dark brown or burned). This part is not an exact science, you just kind of keep an eye on them. You want them crispy, not chewy. So if you're first run is chewy, leave them in for a few more minutes next time. Heat refried beans in pot for a few minutes (sometimes we add a little water to the beans to make them more spreadable). Next layer a thin layer of refried beans on each shell. Sprinkle some cheese on top, lettuce, meat (if desired), jalapeños, and garnish with sour cream.

This is a great meal to get in some protein and it's fast! I ate these all the time growing up when my mom was in a rush and needed to get dinner on the table. Adding meat makes them more hearty but they're great without it! I will say that if we go meat-less I eat about 5-6 of them (I don't know if that's normal, but hey they're good!)

Delicious and Easy Cajun Oven Fries

These are absolutely one of my favorite sides. Sorry the picture has some corn in the picture, but that was another fabulous side I'll post later! We have these with ribs, hamburgers, steaks, you name it! Because I've found this fast recipe we no longer buy frozen fries. So good and they pack a little heat so try them! If you're not a fan of the heat, just skip the cayenne pepper. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 2-4 medium thin-skinned Russet potatoes
• 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (I just pour it from an oil thingy and guess)
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce (I just sprinkle cayenne pepper powder)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (again I just sprinkle)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut potatoes into wedges. The easiest way to do this is to cut a potato in half length-wise and then cut each half into thirds. Place potato wedges on a large cookie sheet (with edges that lip up to keep liquid from draining into oven). Sprinkle all ingredients over the potatoes and then toss the potatoes to cover all sides. Cook in the oven turning them once after ten minutes.

These are my favorite! I hope you enjoy!

Quick Catch Up Post

It's raining today in the Austin area and I'm THRILLED! There's nothing like dark clouds and thunder rolling in to a hot, steamy Texas day. I'm a big rain fan and I love how it just calms everything with its presence.

Life in our house has been very busy to say the least. Tony is busy at work designing roads and managing a pretty big project until all hours of the night. My morning sickness knew exactly when to say goodbye to our house, because Tony is not around so much right now to run the house and take care of me. Yay God for timing!

School is just around the corner and I've been busy unpacking, organizing, and editing my room. I'm staying away from the heavy things but still managing to get stuff done. This year will be a big change to the three previous ones and I know God will provide me with the energy, attitude, and endurance to face it like a champ.

Einstein is recovering nicely from a surgery he had last week. He went in for a routine teeth cleaning and we had the doctor look at a spot on his cheek that wasn't healing like it should. The doctor thought it could have been a number of not so good things, cancer being one of them, so he removed it and this left Einstein out of commission for a few days. Poor little guy was a trooper though! He's now back to his lively, neighborhood running, dog chasing self! We had quite a scare there for a second because he means the world to us!

We go for our 20 week check up on Friday to see Baby E. We always just pray for a healthy, happy baby but we may find out what we're having that day. We shall see!!

In the next few weeks I'm hoping to get back to trying out new recipes and posting them on here so stay tuned!

Yummy Chicken Spaghetti!

My first food post in a loooong time!

This recipe was given to me by our good friends Jon and Amy. They had us over for dinner one night when we first moved to the Austin area and wow'd me with this dish. Tony loves it and I've shared it with a few people at work who have worked it into their monthly rotation. It is really easy and can be tweaked to your liking. Here's what you'll need.

Ingredients

• 3-4 chicken breasts, cooked on grill or your way of preference (you can use frozen ones you buy chopped up already or a can of chicken breasts). They need to be chopped into small pieces.
• 1 can Rotel (we go for the extra hot stuff but up to you)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 block of the small Velveeta, diced
• 1 package of spaghetti noodles

Directions

Cook noodles and drain. Combine cooked chicken and noodles with Rotel, both soups, and diced cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

We usually serve this with a salad, corn, and yummy garlic bread. I've found this is a great make ahead meal to take in a tin casserole dish to someone who just had a baby or surgery. If you make it, let me know how it goes! =)

An Entirely Too Long Break

I'm alive!

After many, many, many weeks of absence I'm here. Our world has drastically changed since my last post. We found out in early May that we're expecting a little one at the end of the year (if Tony has his way) or the first few days of January. We were beyond surprised, beyond excited, and I have been beyond sick. I'm hoping I'm nearing the end of my sick time because MAN have I had my fair share.

I haven't wanted to be on here much because all of the blogs I love to read have one thing in common....FOOD!! I have had a disastrous relationship with food these past 3+ months and it has been the last thing I've wanted to look at. I'm so thankful for Tony because he has taken over like a champ, making me breakfast every morning before work, coming home late and cooking large meals for leftovers, and doing all the grocery shopping for strange requests. He has been the bread winner, the bread shopper, and the bread maker the past 3 months and has done it all with a smile and a whistle. Our family is beyond blessed to have him in our lives!

Here is a shot of our little one at 13 weeks. Prayers are welcome and much appreciated!

I love Thursday Nights!

In our house we love us some Thursday nights. They're always a little hectic, but we work hard to make sure that during the weekend we can relax!

This weekend we'll be doing all the things I love. We're having some friends over for dinner and we'll be making some yummy ribs with lots of other great food!

We'll also be celebrating the end of another week with 25 cent blizzards! I love me some DQ and great deals! My boo and I have had some great summer nights with blizzards involved!

Along with this we hope to get some gardening done and Tony's promised some long, uninterrupted time of catching up on my DVR'd shows. This week I was a very good wife and when we were around a TV it was on the Rangers. There were quite a few games on this week!

I'm excited about a relaxing weekend. Tony's been working hard on a huge design project he's been blessed to oversee. This is a really important time in his career and I know God has great things in store for my wonderful guy! With the end of the year approaching, I've been very busy during school hours and after (who am I kidding?).

Happy Weekend everyone!

Help a Great Cause

A few weeks ago at church we noticed a little ad in the bulletin for the Williamson County Animal Shelter. The children's group at our church was raising money and supplies for them and of course I was very excited about this! As many of you may know, I'm a huge animal lover. Any sappy or sad commercial on TV and I'm in tears. We try to donate every chance we get to help the animals in need and this is something I hope we continue for the rest of our lives.

I went online to the Williamson County Animal Shelter's website and learned more about volunteering. This is something I hope to do in the summer. I feel like it's time to put my beliefs into action. Again, this is a small personal choice, but one that I feel is needed. I also saw that there is a place to make monetary donations online. I was so excited to see that it is that easy! They also have a list of items they are needing to keep the shelter running and the animals there taken care of. The items needed range from things as small as paper bags and tennis balls, to any metal animal crates you are no longer using and special beds you can help them purchase online. We have a large crate that is just sitting upstairs that I'm going to try and convince Tony we no longer need it for Einstein. At church we learned that they are also in need of small plastic kiddie pools to help the dogs stay cool this summer. Last Saturday we saw a sign at Petco saying they were almost out of a particular kind of dog food. So many ways we can help!

If you're an animal lover like we are I'm sure you can think of something you can give or do to help this cause. We pray that every animal in need of a loving home will find one. Einstein brings us so much joy and I hope that each of these animals will find homes that will provide the comfort, safety, well being and love that we strive to give Einstein.

If you want to donate you can go here.

If you read this, I hope you feel compelled to give however you can.

No Mess Lasagna Rolls!

I love lasagna! My mom always called her version "the poor man's lasagna" because there was nothing fancy about it. I've taken hers and over the past few years tweaked it to make it a little heartier. What I had not tried, was making lasagna rolls. I had seen them all the time on various food blogs I read, but for some reason they scared me. I was afraid they would be messy or hard to keep together. Boy I was wrong! Gone are the days of Tony or I slicing into a beautiful lasagna dish and making a mess to try to get the layers out perfectly in order to have a pretty presentation. This will now be my go-to way to make lasagna.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of lasagna noodles cooked according to directions.
• 1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 pound of ground beef (or your favorite ground meat)
• 1/2 of a yellow onion diced
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 cup of low fat ricotta
• 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese
• 1 bag of spinach
• a few handfuls of your favorite Italian shredded cheeses

Directions:

While noodles are cooking, heat large skillet over medium heat with a few splashes of olive oil. Place spinach in pan and let cook until wilted (5-7 minutes and you may want to put half the bag in first until it starts to wilt and then the rest after that because spinach is some fluffy stuff and tends to spill over the pan). After all spinach is wilted remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes. Cook ground beef, diced onion, and minced garlic and drain fat. Add in spaghetti sauce and reduce to a slow simmer. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor (or blender) mix in the cottage cheese, spinach, and ricotta until well blended. I then laid out three lasagna noodles at a time and started by spreading my spinach and cheese mixture on the bottom. I followed up with the meat sauce, and sprinkled some of the shredded cheese on top.

Then, starting at one side, slowly roll up each noodle. and place in lasagna tray.

Continue steps until all noodles are filled, rolled, and placed in lasagna tray. After this you will want to grab a spoon and spoon some spaghetti sauce from the jar (unless you still have some meat sauce left, then use that) over the noodles to keep them nice and moist and from burning while in the oven. Sprinkle cheese over the top until they look about like this:

I made the entire box of noodles so I had to get a small casserole dish to fit all the little guys.

Cover tray with foil and place in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Remove foil and allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes (or more depending on your oven). You will love how easy these guys are to serve!

I imagine this recipe will freeze well or you could store it in your fridge minus the cooking step for 1-2 days. Here's a great guide to make ahead meals and freezer friendly tips. I'm going to try to perfect freezing ahead this summer to make my life much easier! Again, you can do this with whatever lasagna recipe you love! You could skip the meat, substitute eggplant, etc. If you make it, let me know how it went!

Options People

These two pictures sum up Tony and I pretty well. The other night, as we were getting ready to sit down for dinner, I went to grab salad dressing from the fridge. Tony usually does this part and usually has to ask which dressing I want that night. This is why.

As you can see, I'm not picky when it comes to name brands. In fact, I'm a generic girl most of the way. I do however, enjoy my options. I usually won't eat anything but Thousand Island when I have a salad with lots of veggies. I like Ranch with chicken spaghetti, but sometimes I really have a craving for Zesty Italian. Vidalia onion is the newest addition, but I use it sparingly because it's pretty potent.

Tony on the other hand is a simple, country boy. He has a favorite and he sticks to it EVERY night. I think this speaks pretty well to the difference between guys and girls. Just like with shoes, a girl needs options. Maybe I'm wrong on this one and I'm just finicky about my salad dressings matching well with what I'm eating that night, but whatever it is, I love my sweet simple boy.

It's Baaack...

Well it's time.

As with all things spring it's time to say hello to my husband's mistress. Tonight began the 162 game season of the Texas Rangers. Goodbye HGTV (unless DVR'd) hello 3 hour games.

I'll be seeing this almost every night (and day on the weekends).

That's ok though, I have my favorites on the roster.

Here

and here

I can't really complain about "the other woman" in our marriage. On the off season I pretty much make Tony watch every E! reality show weekly, all Housewives on Bravo, and anything else that is feminine and not so borderline ridiculous. This week I also got back to my baseball game companion:

I checked this book out Monday after school and finished it tonight. I really love her series and I'm excited about her new one coming out. This one was a really good read and makes you stop and think (as much as chick lit can) about the different choices you can make as a couple.

Up next:

and this

Welcome back spring!

Crock Pot Pot Roast-Yum!

I know I've said it before, but I love a recipe that cooks while I'm at work. I love coming home to dinner ready! I'll prep several meals on Sundays, but this is one meal I can cook during the week because I'm not doing much but plugging in the Crock Pot!

This recipe is super easy and fast. It calls for a McCormick Slow Cooker packet found in the seasoning aisle (or whatever aisle they sell the packet seasoning).

Ingredients:

• 1 2-3 pound rump roast
• 1 packet of McCormick's Slow Cooker Pot Roast seasoning
• several potatoes (we used red potatoes because they're slightly better for you)
• baby carrots
• 1 onion thickly sliced

Directions:

Place roast in crock pot. Make marinade according to directions on package. Toss in halved potatoes, baby carrots, and onion. Pour marinade over meat and veggies. Close lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and slice into smaller sections to serve.

Enjoy!

Backyard Boot Camp Round 2

Ding ding!

This part is by far my favorite part! Saturday after our bike ride around the lake, we headed out to the local nurseries and Lowes to check out potential shrubs for our new garden. Tony and I both decided we wanted to go for more of a native Texas feel rather than just tons of annuals and little flowers. We had fun quizzing each other on the names of the plants we saw. Tony has become a little Texas native buff and I was impressed! He's so cute when he gets into something because he has to learn EVERYTHING about it!

This was one of those great days where the TV stays off ALL day! From 8 am to when we went to bed the TV stayed off and we pretty much stayed outside. I love spring time!

Saturday morning heaven for me!

I didn't buy this pretty Lavender Saturday because we wanted to read up on them to see how they would do in our soil and climate, but I'm totally coming back for a few of these soon! :)

I'm totally getting a few of these for my pots to hang above the garden!

We brought them home and started playing with the arrangement. Tony didn't like how straight and exact the first arrangement looked so we moved them around a little more to allow for future growth.
My boo planting my pretty shrubs!
Zig zagged for a better effect.

Here's everything minus the mulch. After this we went off to the landscaping place to get the pretty black stuff.

Here's the view from our upstairs game room.
My pretty sweet brooms and Tony's wispy grass stuff that he really wanted.
Pretty sprawling Rosemary.

That Creeping Phlox I said I wanted is going to go in hanging baskets on those holders above the garden.

We still have the huge side gardens to fill in but we're making big progress!