Resolution Update

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit.  I must not be normal then.  It is a constant effort on my part to keep my new "habits" up.  I have decided that for me (at this point in my life), I need to be more relaxed with my resolutions.  If I was going to say, "Everyday I am going to get up at 5am to read my Bible." I would just be setting myself up for failure.

So to update you on my 2012 New Years Resolution... I have made it through the month of January!  Did I read everyday?  No.  Did I read the same time everyday? No.  Sometimes it worked for me to read right after breakfast, and sometimes it was in the afternoon, and even right before bed.

It's been interesting to read it in chronological order.  I started in Genesis for just a few chapters, then jumped to and read all of Job.  Then it was back where I left off in Genesis and finished it up, followed by starting Exodus.

It is also fun when you are re-reading something and make those "a-ha" connections.  I realized (this time) that Jacob tricked his father (Isaac) into blessing him as the oldest son (even though he was the youngest) and then when Jacob (who's name changed to Israel) was old and blessing his grandsons, Manasseh & Ephriam, he intentionally blessed the youngest with what customarily should have been the firstborn's blessing. (How's that for a run-on sentence?)  Interesting, right?

If you want to jump in and join me reading in chronological order click {here}.

How are you doing with YOUR New Year's Resolutions?

Love...

Love this boy oops I mean kid.

Saturday

A friend on Facebook keeps posting pictures of the hearts that she finds in everyday random things...  She says it's God reminding her of his everlasting love.  Today I found a heart in the sky.

Yup!  I agree with her.

I also finished book 2 of The Circle Series, Red by Ted Dekker.  Woot woot!  I made my goal that I set earlier this week!  Now on to book #3.

What I Ate...

Monday January 23, 2012

Chicken Divine

Blue Cheese & Apple Salad

Water

I know the Chicken Divine doesn't look so appetizing on my plate, but this is what it looked liked in the pan.

Much better right?

Tuesday January 24, 2012

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Salad with green olives, pepperoncinis, green onion and fat free zesty italian dressing
Homemade breadsticks (made with the same recipe I used last week for the Calzones)
Water

Wednesday January 25, 2012

La Parilla Chicken Burrito
Chips and Salsa (way too many)
Water

Thursday January 26, 2012

Angel Chicken
Steamed Vegetables
Water

Saturday January 28, 2012

Pepperoni Pizza

Salad with green olives, pepperoncinis, green onion and fat free zesty italian dressing

Water

I think I need to find some more recipes on Pinterest for this upcoming week.  =)

Big Blues

Puzzles

When you hear Payton quietly saying "YES!" followed by clapping (every 30-45 seconds), you know you will find her doing this:

She's learned to applaud the little victories in life - like finding the next piece to the puzzle.

Ladybug Invasion

For the past few weeks we have found random ladybugs in the house.  First on the inside of the window sill, then on the wall in the bathroom, then on the kitchen counter.  Today one was crawling across my keyboard.  It puts a smile on my face and the kids get all excited.

This one was more of an orange/brown color (I have seen even seen a yellow one here!).  They are my favorite bugs!

Holder for charging phone (etc.)

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and thought it was kinda cool.  But I didn't need it at the time.  I plug my iTouch into my computer and I didn't have that cool little plug to charge it in the wall.  

But then my sister sent me that cool little plug.... and now I needed one of these.

Source: makeit-loveit.com via Cambree on Pinterest

You can click {here} to see the tutorial from Make It and Love It.

I didn't have the Johnson & Johnson bottle like she used but the kids did just finish their Suave 2-in-1 Shampoo Bottle like this one:

That should work, right?  

Well yes and no.  

Yes it worked...but it was not big enough for my iTouch.  But it was perfect for Chris' bluetooth ear piece.

Now I am on the hunt for a bigger bottle to make another one for me!

Monday Randoms

1.  Payton and I went on a bagel date today.

2.  We signed Dylan up for soccer again.  They start in about a month.

3.  Chris' iPhone came in the mail today (woot woot!).  Which was really good timing since I put his old phone (aka the free one you get when signing up) in the washing machine yesterday.  (Why haven't they figured out how to make them waterproof yet?)

4.  Payton still is loving puzzles and it will keep her interest for an hour at a time.  She celebrates each piece that she puts together.  So cute.

5.  Have I mentioned that Dylan hasn't lost ANY teeth yet?  He does not even have a wiggly one...But he has 4 molars growing in.  Crazy.

6.  I love my husband.

7.  Dylan made Merit Roll again.  We are so proud of him.

8.  We finally watched Courageous.  Great movie....seriously.

9.  Baby boy, who is still unnamed, is super active and the kids love feeling him move.  I think God is amazing.

10.  Three triplet boys that are in Dylan's class at school moved in 4 houses down from us.  So fun to watch all the kids playing.  They have a "fort" in the woods that they meet up at.

11.  ...That is when it is not raining.  It has been raining and gloomy for about 3 days now.  Ugh!

12.  I am hoping to finish reading "Red" by Ted Dekker this week.

That's about it!  Hope you have a great week!

Life of Dylan

Dylan was learning about timelines at school and had to create a timeline of his life (so far).  Here is his finished project!

What I Ate...

Sunday January 15, 2012

Quesadillas (with Del Taco Sauce!)
Spanish Rice
Water

Monday January 16, 2012

Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta (Yum!)
Green Salad with Vidalia Onion Dressing
Water

Tuesday January 17, 2012

Nachos
Green Salad
Water

Wednesday January 18, 2012

Pepperoni & Margherita Pizza
Green Salad
Roll
Water

Thursday January 19, 2012

Vidalia Onion Burger
French Fries
Pickle
Water

Friday January 20, 2012

Spinach & Cheese Raviolis with Chicken
Green Salad
Water

Fun Mail

I love getting fun mail, don't you?  Today I got a package that was addressed to "Kai Troy Lewis" from my sister.  It made me laugh because "Kai" is what Dylan wants us to name the baby and "Troy" is what my nieces have suggested for a name.  Cute huh?

This is what she sent:

L.O.V.E. it!  Thanks J!

***  And, no we still don't have a name decided on yet...

Crashed out

Don't you love those moments...  When you have told your child to "Pick up your toys and go to bed." at least 5 times.  You finally go to your husband and say "He's not listening."  Your hubby steps up with the dad voice and says "Dylan - get to bed!"  You still hear him playing and literally 45 seconds after daddy spoke, he (daddy) gets up and says I'll get him to bed and pray with him.  You hear hubby chuckle from the other room and as he walks back into our room saying "He's crashed out!"

I had to go and see for myself and this is what I saw....

Then of course I had to grab my camera and take a picture....

Calzones & Basic Dough {recipes}

Last Thursday I made Calzones for dinner... They came out beautiful (even if I do say so myself), and tasted fantastic!

I had gotten this idea from Pinterest (of course).  {Here} is the link on how braid the dough.

I made homemade pizza dough (recipe below) and used store bought pizza sauce topped with mozzarella and pepperoni.  Real easy and looks like you spent a lot of time making it (which I didn't).

Here is the basic dough recipe that you can use for this, regular pizza, and even breadsticks!  I made it in the KitchenAid mixer, but left the directions as is if you need to make it by hand.  And - I used the whole batch to make one calzone.

Basic Dough
(Recipe from Parents Magazine November 2008 issue)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided  (I used half whole wheat flour)
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

1.  In a large bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups flour with yeast with salt; add warm water and oil.  Beat with a whisk for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in another 1 1/4 cups flour, or enough so mixture holds together.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface.  Knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour - stop once it is lump-free.  Wrap half the dough in plastic and freeze for a later use; cover remainder and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
2.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 4 portions and roll each into a 6-inch circle.  Transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Build up edges slightly; prick bottom of crusts.  Bake about 8 minutes.  Spread sauce and toppings onto crust and bake for another 8 minutes.  Makes 4 mini crusts.

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Buffalo Chicken Rolls {recipe}

Last Tuesday we had Buffalo Chicken Rolls for dinner and it was YUM-O!  I had found this on Pinterest:

Source: canyoustayfordinner.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Looks scrumptious, right?  You can click {here} for the recipe.  

Here are some changes that I made:

~ Used cole slaw instead of broccoli slaw

~ Added chopped (very small) celery to the slaw

~ Used homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce instead of Frank's Red Hot Sauce (making sure that you leave some for dipping)
~ Made Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping

I will definitely be making these again!

Scott's Buffalo Wing Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup Tabasco Sauce

2 tablespoons honey

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5-15 minutes.

What I Ate...

Sunday January 8, 2012

Oatmeal with brown sugar and walnuts
Water

This (obviously) was a night that we didn't "make" dinner and you know what?  This was a good option as it filled me up!

Monday January 9, 2012

Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken Tostadas
Water

Tuesday January 10, 2012

Buffalo Chicken Rolls (will blog about these yummy things next week)
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Celery
Top Secret Recipes KFC Coleslaw
Water

Wednesday January 11, 2012

Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Green Salad
Water

Thursday January 12, 2012

Calzones (another yummy one that I will blog about soon)
Carrots
Pasta Salad
Sparkling Lime Water (uummmm - so good)

Friday January 13, 2012

Subway Spicy Italian Sandwich
Water

Saturday January 13, 2012

Apples with Peanut Butter
Pasta Salad
Sparkling Lime Water

Another night that we didn't make a dinner because we went out for lunch.  (We try not to eat 2 big meals in a day.)  Anyway - I love making pasta salads every once in a while because they are so easy and you can toss in whatever you have on hand.  Here is what I mixed together for this week:

Pasta (cooked and chilled)

Artichoke Hearts (quartered)

Green Salad Olives with Pimentos

Banana Peppers (sliced)

Pepperoni Slices (cut into quarters)

Mozzarella Slices (cut into small squares)

Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated)

Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing

Easy right?  Did you eat anything yummy that I should try this upcoming week?

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Friday Randoms

My mom, sisters and I all have matching mugs.  It makes me smile each time I use it.  I also try to remember to pray for each one of them as I am drinking from it.

This is my view outside my bedroom window today.  It looks out over an empty lot into the woods.  Kinda neat.  To bad it was FREEZING today.  The high was 39 degrees but with the wind, if felt about 25.  At least it was pretty!

We (Chris) got something VERY EXCITING in the mail today...

It has taken over 4 and a half months to get his license transferred from California.  We mailed all the paperwork last Tuesday to the State of Georgia and got the license today (10 days).  Thanks California for taking 4 months to loose our paperwork TWICE and then finally get us the paperwork requested {that is laced with sarcasm...}  Anyhoo, we are super excited...  Yeah Chris!

Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Grilled Cheese {recipe}

I showed this pin from Pinterest to Chris...

Source: traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

and of course last night we had to make it.  Yum!  How could that not make you hungry?  You can find the original recipe {here}.  I am sure that it is really good and tasty but we didn't make it as fancy so I will tell you how we did it.

Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Grilled Cheese

Loaf of Italian Bread, cut into 3/4-inch thick slices

Maple Smoked Bacon (yes, I said MAPLE SMOKED BACON!  Are you drooling yet?)

Tomato Sliced

Avocado Sliced

Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

Butter, at room temperature

Garlic Clove, peeled and halved for rubbing

1.  Cook the bacon however you want to.  We opted for Chris doing it on the BBQ out in 40 degree weather...did I mention that it was raining?  He's a trooper.  Love you babe!

2.  Have everything sliced and laid out, ready to assemble and cook.

3.  Butter one side of 2 slices of bread and put one on a grill pan (butter side down) on medium heat.  Quickly top it with the mozzarella, avocado, bacon, tomato.  Top it with the remaining slice of bread butter side up.

4.  Grab a 9 x 13 metal pan and place it over the sandwich upside down.  (You want to keep in the heat so the mozzarella melts, but don't want to squish the sandwich.)  *** See note***

5.  Cook until the bread is golden brown then flip the sandwich (to cook the other side).

6.  Quickly rub the toasted bread with the cut side of the garlic.

7.  Replace the pan "lid" and cook until that side is golden brown.

8.  Remove from pan and rub the second side with garlic.

9.  Serve and enjoy!

Looks yummy, right?  The sweetness of the maple bacon with the hint of garlic mixed with the crunch of the toasted bread with the soft bread inside.  Yummy goodness I tell ya!

Dylan loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up!  (Actually we all did!)

***Note:  You can also squish the sandwich down with the pan to make it like a panini.  I did it for the kids so the "stuff" didn't fall out.  See it there on Dylan's plate?

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6 Months

Here's my view:

~ 24 Week Update ~

Total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs  (Although it feels like 50!)

Maternity clothes:  Not yet, but there are a few jeans that I can't wear anymore.  The jeans in the picture above are really low which works great for my expanding belly.

Sleep:  LOVE sleep.  Sleeping through the night.

Best moment this month:  Feeling him move....alot.  It is the best part about being pregnant!

Movement:  Chris and the kids are able to feel him move.  I can now even see it, just watching my belly.

Food cravings:  I have been eating a lot of sweets this month.  So now, I am trying to cut back.

Food aversions:  Just my normal, no seafood.

Gender:  Boy

What I miss:  Working out.  My tailbone has been KILLING me and I can't walk (for exercise) or work out without being in extreme pain.  Most nights I crawl into bed hurting.  My doctor just gave me the ok for a heating pad and Icy Hot!  I am praying that it gets better.

Milestones:  Got to bring home my "orange drink" for my glucose test next month.  Yea!  (That was sarcastic - I heard some people LIKE that stuff, yuck!)