Happy Winter

Thank Goodness for Snow Boots

Dear Aunt Mee Mee,
Thank you for my adorable snow boots.  They kept my tooties nice and toasty on my way home from Mamaw and Papaw's house.  I really love them because they are pink, Daddy's favorite color. 

Love,
JJ

Dress Rehearsal

Tomorrow is a big day for JJ.  She is going to get her pictures taken at JC Penny.  These are her first professional pictures since the ones at the hospital when she was just one day old. 

Momma decided that we needed a dress rehearsal. I wasn't sure if her new special Christmas dress fit and if it is the outfit I want her to wear for the pictures.  What do you think? Do you think the dress is too much for her 1st pictures?  Do you like the hat? 

Yummy in My Tummy: Thanksgiving Leftovers

This frugalista had one busy morning.  I took my leftover turkey and ham from our Thanksgiving feast on Sunday and turned them into a variety of casseroles to fill my freezer.  I have come to realize that I will most likely rather spend my evenings after work playing with my lil girl as opposed to cooking dinner. 

I made three different casserole recipes.  Each recipe made two family-size servings.  This leaves me with dinner for tonight and five other meals for when I go back to work. 

The first recipe I made is called Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole.  This used my leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing mix and created a yummy casserole.  It has a really nice sauce that holds it all together.  I enhanced the flavor by adding thyme, rosemary, and sage to the sauce.  I did some quality control when it came out of the oven, and I give this 2 thumbs up. 

I used the rest of my leftover turkey to make Turkey Tetrazzini.  We are going to eat one of the casseroles for dinner tonight.  I also taste tested this one when it came out of the oven....YUM!  It is creamy and cheesy and loaded with fat and calories.  I lightened mine up with skim milk and margarine. 

The last casserole I made is mimicked after one of my favorite meals of my Mama's.  It is Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole.  I don't actually follow a recipe for this one.  All you do is boil some potatoes, mix them with chunks of ham, drench it in a cheese and milk sauce, and bake.  It is always a hit. 

I am definitely going to appreciate these casseroles in a few weeks! 

Happy Friday

My Lil Bitty Girl is Getting BIG

Today, we had JJ's 1 month doctor's appointment.  I knew that she was growing just from lifting her every day.  My suspicions were confirmed today!  At her last appointment two weeks ago, she weighed 6 lbs 15 ounces.  Today she weighed in at 8 lbs 12 ounces.  She has gained almost 2 lbs in 2 weeks.  JJ also has grown a half inch since birth and is now 21 inches. 

I cannot believe how much she has grown and is changing.  I now fully understand what everyone was saying about how they grow in a blink of an eye.  Here she is...my beautiful baby girl!

A Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was a very eventful one for my baby girl, JJ.  We traveled home to visit both sets of family for the weekend.  While we were home, JJ experienced several first time events. 

For example, she rolled over for the very first time...yes, it is true.  My 3 1/2 week daughter rolled over!!!  Those legs start moving and there is no stopping her.  Grandma and Daddy were both there to see it and can confirm that it did indeed happen. 

We also took her out to with us to eat a restaurant for the very first time.  Daddy and I have yet to go out with JJ with just the two of us; however, we did make a trip with our family to The Fireside Inn in Enochsburg, IN to eat their tasty fried chicken.  All in all, she was great seeing how we had to wait for quite a while to get our food.

Another milestone happened at Grandma and Grandpa's house this weekend.  JJ's umbilical cord FINALLY fell out.  YAY!  You know what this means?  JJ finally got her first real bath when we got home.  She did great during her bath, and I really think she enjoyed it.  Check out these pictures...

Happy Halloween!!!

Priceless...

Introducing Jocelyn Jane

Hello everyone!  As you can see from my sister's guest post from earlier this week, I have been busy with the arrival of my beautiful daughter Jocelyn Jane.  She is by far the best baby in the entire world (not that I am biased or anything). 

She proved to be just as stubborn on the day of delivery as she was the day of her ultrasound.  It took 3 hours of pushing and the use of a vacuum for her to arrive, but it was all worth it.  My HHBL (hunk a hunk a burning love) keeps telling people that I got "hoovered." She weighed in at 6 lbs and 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long!

Anyways....here are a few pictures of Jocelyn's first 4 days of life! Enjoy!

Guest Blog: Welcoming My Beautiful Niece

Note:

Barbara has had a very busy couple of days, so she asked me to write a blog entry in her place.

Megan from Gal in the Middle

Please welcome my beautiful niece to the world. She arrived just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 10, 2010. 10-10-10 is her birthday, isn't that cool?

Her name is Jocelyn Jane (Jane is for her maternal grandma) but we are calling her JJ.

She is truly gorgeous. Her grandmas claim that she looks like her daddy. I think she looks like herself.

Sitting in the hospital room holding her in my arms, I reflected back almost 25 years ago when I sat in another hospital room holding my baby sister for the very first time. Today I held my baby sister's daughter. How wonderful is that?

  

I am now an aunt five times over. This beautiful little girl is my very first niece (the second will be here in February). I love being the aunt of four active, funny and loving boys, but I can't wait to spoil this little girl with all things pink! 

I captured a few other photos tonight.

Enjoy!

Megan

The Count Down is On!

I had my weekly doctor's appointment this morning.  My blood pressure was still high so the bed rest continues.  I am running out of things to keep me busy.  I have done a 1000 piece puzzle this week, read baby books, magazines and Nora Robert's books, watched numerous episodes of the Baby Story, watched movies, and browsed the Internet (only a little since my Internet is crappy).  If you have any ideas of other things to keep me occupied, please let me know.

 It doesn't help that my HHBL is in the field for harvest which means he gets up around 5:30 and doesn't get in until after 10 every night.  It makes for some long and lonely days. 

The Dr. went ahead and scheduled an induction date for October 10, as long as she doesn't arrive prior to then.  I highly doubt she makes an earlier arrival.  Someone pointed out that October 10 is 10-10-10.  That would be pretty cool and easy to remember.  However, there is always the chance that the induction takes forever and she isn't born until the 11th. 

So anyways, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  9 days until induction!  Can't believe that I will be a mommy in a little over a week!

Goodbye Summer...Hello Fall

I meant to post this on the first day of fall last week; however, I had a very busy week until it came to a screeeeeching halt.  Yes, that is right, my last minute TO DO list for the baby has been put on hold.  I went to the doctor on Friday and learned that I have Pregnancy Induced Hypertension.  What does this mean?  It means that I have high blood pressure that can only be solved by having the baby.  However, the doctor isn't quite ready for me to deliver (18 days until my due date), so she has put me on bed rest.  BED REST!!!  Sigh...boring.  Luckily, I have wonderful friends and family who have been keeping me company. 

Anyways...here are a few memories from the summer.

Wordless Wednesday: More nursery updates

Yummy In My Tummy: Easy Taco Bake

A while back, I posted a recipe for Italian Pizza Bake.  I decided to shake it up a little bit and make a Taco Pizza using the same basic recipe. 

First off, make the crust using 2/3 cup Bisquick, 1 egg, and 3 Tbsp of water.

Now for the sauce...I substituted salsa for the normal pizza sauce. 

Add a healthy layer of leftover taco meat (another great way to use leftovers).

Now you can add all your favorite toppings.  I used tomatoes, peppers, and onions.  YUM!

You can't forget the cheese!

Bake for 20-23 minutes in a 400 degree oven! 

Now how is that for an easy weeknight din din!

Nursery Update...Continued

There was one piece of very important furniture missing from the nursery.  I didn't have anyplace to contain her toys and books.  We all know that this child is going to be spoiled and her toys will be endless.  Lucky for me, I found this adorable piece that matches the colors in the nursery. 

As you can see, it is already stuffed with all the gifts from the baby showers.  I still haven't found homes for all the baby's necessities. It is most definitely a work in progress.  I better get a move on...less than a month to go!

These Boots Were Made For Walking

This past week, I was lucky enough to have not one but TWO baby showers.  One was thrown by my sisters (you can read all about it at Gal in the Middle) and the other by my co-workers at the chip factory.  I will have to say that I am totally blessed to have such giving friends and family. 

These was most definitely a couple common themes at the baby showers.  I would have to say that people love to buy baby girl clothes because between the two showers, I received over 65 outfits for the baby.  HOLY COW!  This baby is going to be one well dressed child.  Good thing that I loved playing dress up with my dolls growing up!  Here is picture of what the closet in the nursery looks like post-baby showers (there are more clothes in the changing table). 

Another common theme from the showers was boots.  I think it must be the farm thing.  All farm girls need boots, and this child is no exception.  Check theses out...

These were a gift from GAL.  The funny thing is that my HHBL hates when he sees grown women wearing these types of boots.  Good thing he isn't in charge of dressing the baby.  She is definitely going to be showing these off.

 

These were a gift from my partner in crime (PIC) at work.  Can you believe it...pink and John Deere combined into such ultimate cuteness.  Daddy has to love these.

Another pair of incredibly cute boots.  Daddy is happy because these have no pink on them whatsoever!

She did get a few pairs of other types of foot wear; all of which are super duper cute.  If only they made shoes these cute in Big Momma sizes!