My Little Jules

Jules is now 9 1/2 pounds! Wow! And she's 21 1/2 inches long! And today she is six weeks old. And I can't even begin to tell you how fast it has gone by. Definitely faster than it did with Klaeyton. I attribute it to a couple of things. 1. She's a second child and with K I couldn't wait to see how he would grow, with Jules I know what to expect and I just want her to stay little. 2. I have about 8 million things going on and am so busy that sometimes it's easy to forget to savor the moment. 


My baby girl is eating well and taking a bottle. She smiles a lot and is beginning to coo and ahh at us. She loves tummy time and her head is constantly drenched in Klaeyton spit from all the kisses he gives her :)

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom :)

My OCD and Klaeyton :)

Change is a good thing. Spontaneity isn't evil. It's ok if things aren't perfect. I have to keep telling myself these things. That things can't always stay the same, that it's ok that everything isn't planned out to the last second, that a sock on the floor isn't the end of the world. I've always been a little obsessive compulsive, but sadly I think it's gotten worse since I became a mom. Now how much sense does that make?


So the last two weeks have been both eventful and stressful because of this character trait I can't seem to shake. It seems like the more I have to do, the more I fret about getting things done. I keep praying. And I keep telling myself, "Alli slow down." I know things will settle. 

On a lighter note, I have to share this picture. 

This is what happens when Klaeyton refuses to take a nap :) He falls asleep eating m&m's. Yes that's m&m on his back. I'm not really sure how it got there. 

And I wanted to share this one too

I think this is the picture I'll blow up at his graduation party. :)

Ok one more of Klaeyton

and Matt...Oh aren't they cute?

And while we're sharing pictures and happy moments I have realized that I haven't hardly posted or written about Jules very much...so my next post will be dedicated to her :)

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

Intellectual Brain Usage

What a crazy week we've had. Katie is home safe from the hospital and is making a good recovery. :) I started school Wednesday...which is mostly what this post is about. 


I graduated from Berea in May 2008. So I've been out of school for 2 1/2 years. I thought my brain was turning to mush. Don't get me wrong, being a mom requires plenty of brain usage. But it's a certain kind of brain usage. I can whip up a grocery list while nursing an infant and scolding a two year old for climbing on the table, all without breaking a mental sweat. I can remember what to pack for a whole day for both kids, myself and Matt. I can sing and snuggle my little man, all while prioritizing my to-do list in my head for the next day. Trust me, you def use your brain as a mom. 


But after listening to two lectures and studying notes for my quiz (which I got 100% on :), I felt like I was using my brain again. In a more intellectual way of course. It felt amazing. And it felt right. Like I was doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. And I know this totally makes me a nerd, but I actually look forward to school work each day. 


I think being out of school for awhile and becoming a wife and mother have given me more of an appreciation for using your brain in an intellectual way. Who would have thought?


Oh the joy of being a nerdy mom :)

Cheesy Chicken Skillet and Cinnamon Scones :)

The sad part is...I really want to blog every day, I just don't have the time anymore. Go figure. 


Anywho, as part of a new year's resolution, we've been trying new recipes out and I've been cooking more. Here's another one we've decided to add to our recipe box :) I have to say it's one of my favorites now :) I found it online on the Kraft website. You can view it here.

Cheesy Chicken Skillet

What you need:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1   green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup water

1 pkg.  (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

What you do:

* cook the chicken in a large skillet, then throw in the green pepper and onion and cook for a few minutes. I threw in a bunch of different seasonings. Don't let the veggies get soft though.

* Throw in tomatoes with juice, water and macaroni.

* Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until macaroni is tender and most of the juice is gone. 

* Mix cheese in!

Voila :) I loved that this recipe was super easy. Matt and Klaeyton both loved it. 

I also made cinnamon scones yesterday morning, but didn't take any pictures or anything. I found the recipe on Money Saving Mom and I didn't really deviate from it at all. They were awesome and she should get all the credit. So you can view that recipe here. 

Oh the joys of being a mom :)

Some Of The Things I Love About My Sister :)

The last couple days have been crazy, which is why I haven't posted. Here's a small jist of what's going on. 


Katie (my beautiful awesome little sister) went into the ER on Saturday night at EMH and spent a good four hours before taking a really rough ambulance ride to Rainbow Babies and Children's hospital in Cleveland for emergency surgery to remove an extremely infected part of her intestines. She stayed in ICU until yesterday afternoon and is now recovering in a regular room. They're still using a tube to suck out infection and until it's gone she can't have anything to eat or drink, so she's rightfully cranky. We're praying for a quick recovery, both physically and emotionally. I wanted to dedicate this post to her, not this ordeal, so here we go :)

Things I Love About My Sister:


1. She's the only one I got :) so that makes her super special.
2. She has forgiven me for dropping her on her head when she was a baby...and yes it was really an accident.
3. She and I are ten years apart in age but we have the best relationship ever. 
4. She has gorgeous hair (that I don't have, so I secretly hate her for it :)
5. She has a big heart.
6. She is a fantastic pini to my two children. Klaeyton absolutely loves spending time with her. 
7. She uses a mac (thanks to me :)
8. She's unbelievably strong willed :) 
9. Only my sister could handle this whole ordeal and not go completely crazy :)
10. She's pretty much the designated church babysitter and she's great at it. 
11. She's a wonderful dancer. Every time I see her dance, I cry. 
12. She shares my love for fat kid food, and honestly I look forward to learning to love other kinds of food with her :)
13. She's OCD about color coding her planner, keeping her room clean and being organized with school, just like me :) At least I know I'm not alone :)

Oh the joy of having a sister :)

Snow Days!

Matt and I really do hate Ohio...we don't care for the sports teams, we absolutely hate the weather and the roads are terrible. We do love the people here though, which is probably why we've stuck around ;) and of course because we know this is where God wants us to be. 


I'm getting way off track here. This post is about the weather. Yes, like I said, we hate the weather here. The seasons in our part of Ohio consist of winter, really winter, more winter and construction season. 


I used to love snow... as a kid. I think that's because I didn't have to drive in it. I didn't have to clean it up in my house and I certainly didn't have to drag two small children out in it. Now...I pretty much hate snow. If it could just snow on Christmas and that's it, I'd be so happy. But... this is Ohio so with that being said I'm sure you can guess what the weather was like today. Yep. We got snow. And since it's Saturday and we didn't have a whole lot of pressing things to get done, Matt took Klaeyton out in it. This is the first big time he's gotten to play in the snow this year.

 Getting ready to go out :)

 Throwing snow balls :)

 Getting ready to make a snow angel. This is where K made a really funny face because he got snow down his pants :)

Yay for Snow Days!


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom :)

Tomato Bean and Noodle Soup

Tomato Bean and Noodle Soup

I found this recipe in my All You magazine, but I tweaked it a tad bit by adding meat and changing the noodle type, and I added more pasta. I named it Bean and Noodle Tomato Soup because Klaeyton kept asking for more beans and then more noodles. I was weary but it came out tasting fantastic!

Here's the recipe:

* 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

* 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used one can that had basil and oregano in it)

* 28 oz chicken broth

* 1/2 cup pasta (I used almost a cup and a half because we love pasta :)

* 1 15 oz can white kidney beans

* salt and pepper

* 1 1lb hamburger meat

* I cooked the hamburger meat first and just set it aside

* Warm oil in large saucepan, add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes; add oregano and stir. 

* Add tomatoes with juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil (I think it would be good to add the meat here, I waited though)

* Add pasta and stir. Cook until pasta is cooked and then stir in the beans (after you drain and rinse them) and this is where I stirred in the meat. 

* Heat until everything is warm through and then season with salt and pepper. I also used Lawry's seasoning salt. 

Klaeyton loved it and Matt said it was pretty good too and he's not a tomato soup fan so I'll count this one a success :)

A Nine List for Tuesday :)

1. Klaeyton took a nap today! Woo Hoo! He has been fighting them for almost two weeks now and I was starting to get super worried that he may really be trying to give it up. I felt like I got about a million more things accomplished today than yesterday :)


2. I bought an All You magazine at Wal Mart today...um...where has this been my whole life? It's perfect for me. It's a magazine devoted to coupons, saving money and organizing. It's a whole whopping $2.50 and you'll get that back in just a fraction of the coupons offered. Not to mention I noticed that in their fashion section, the models are wearing clothes that are actually affordable. Example: not $500 shoes :) 


3. We start Life Groups back up again tomorrow night and I'm super excited. Especially since we're doing A Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel. 


4. Strep throat and yucky sicknesses are spreading around like wildfire this winter and thankfully, up until now we haven't been hit too bad. Now, I sound like a man and Jules is still really stuffy. Klaeyton sounds a little better and Matt is still going through like a box of tissues a day. Hot tea is my new best friend. 


5. I totally won the superbowl for my fantasy football league. And yes I was the only female :) point for us! :)


6. Jules is starting to pop out of her newborn clothes so that's all I've been putting her in so that she can at least get some wear out of them. I'll take her in on Monday for a weight check. 


7. I start school next Wednesday. Honestly, I am kind of terrified. I've been praying about it a lot. 


8. I found a case for my Kindle at Target that I really like, but I'm having trouble paying 30 bucks for it. I mean really? And I want an elight for it too, but they're just as expensive. I think that's kind of ridiculous. 


9. I'm pretty stoked that Amazon has started lending books for the Kindle. And recently I found some really awesome free promotional books :)


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom.

My House Plan for 2011

So I really want to work on the house this year, but I know I need a plan. So this is it, my plan for the house :) Each month we'll be focusing on a different part which will include organizing, getting rid of things we don't need and obtaining things we do (i.e. bookshelves, storage totes). Plus I want to use these opportunities to do things like put new fabric on our dining room chairs. 


January- This month we aren't focusing on anything major because we are about to take a trip (me for school, and then we're going to Ky to see the other Hardens :) plus we have to do some things with the cars. 
February/March- These two months will be devoted to the upstairs. I started this project months ago but have been slacking. I'm setting a deadline. :)
April- The bathroom :) I'm excited about this one. I need to re-caulk our bathtub and put shelves up for sure. 
May- The back yard, oh yeah gotta get it ready for the kiddos :) 
June- The front yard, it kind of looks like a jungle, and maybe this year we'll mow our grass more than three times ;)
July- The basement, oh boy does it need cleaned out. The good news is that most of the stuff down there will head straight to the trash. 
August- The kitchen. I really do want some more cabinets. 
September- The living room/dining room. hmm. it would be nice to paint ;)
October- Klaeyton's room. I just purged his room but I figure about birthday time it will need it again. 
November- Jules' room. She'll be getting ready to turn one and I'll be ready to get her room ready for toddlerhood :)
December- Month off! :) We'll be celebrating our success :)


Before each month starts I'll be making more in depth plans for each room, probably setting a goal for each week. 


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom...and homemaker :)