School Days- January

In the month of January Emily's class reviewed letters A-K, learned letters L and M, the color white, the shape rectangle, and the math concept was grouping. Compared to the last couple of months January was a pretty quiet month.

Daddy dressed Emily and did her hair this day because I was out of town.  He was soooo proud!

Fresno Friday- Princess and The Pauper

I've been wanting to go into the Princess & The Pauper ever since they opened and finally made it in a couple of weeks ago.  It is a furniture consignment store along with new items.  I absolutely loved it!  They have so many interesting and cute things.  I found prices reasonable as well.  They even had antique jewelry and purses for consignment.  I might be going thru my purse collection soon for consignment.  The Princess & The Pauper are located on the South East corner of Bullard and West.  Go check it out!

Supper Sunday-Chicken Carbonara

• Chicken Carbonara
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 5 strips bacon cooked and diced.
• 2 Chicken breasts -Grilled, Chicken striped up
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 T Butter
• 3 cloves Garlic Fresh minced
• ¾ Cup milk
• ¼ Cup Heavy cream
• 1 cup Chicken broth
• 3 T flour
• ¾ c Parmesan shavings

Directions:

1. Cook 5 strips of bacon in the oven at 400 degrees and set aside.
2. Saute 2 chicken breasts in 2 Tablespoons butter with Salt and Pepper to taste, approximately 6 minutes per side. Set aside while you work on the sauce.
3. Cook up your Bowtie noodles so they will be ready when the sauce is ready.

Sauce

1. Saute 3 cloves Garlic freshly minced.
2. Add Milk, heavy cream, chicken broth and flour to the pan with the garlic and whisk until smooth.
3. Cook on low heat until it thickens.
4. Add in Parmesan shavings. If the sauce gets too thick, add in a little more chicken broth.
5. Add the drained bowtie pasta.
6. Toss to cover the noodles completely.
7. Add more salt and pepper to taste preference.
8. Cut up the chicken breasts and dice up the bacon and add them to the sauce and pasta.
9. Toss until all is covered in the sauce.
10. Serve hot

Be prepared to eat a lot!!!  This dish is delish and sure to be a family favorite.  It's perfect for a cold winter night.

I forgot to take my own pic so here's one from the inspiration recipe.

30 Years Young

I can't believe I am celebrating my 30th birthday.  I remember when 30 sounded soooooo old, now 60 sounds young to me.  I think during this milestone birthday I should reflect on my 30 short years.  My accomplishments include(not in any particular order):

1. Getting Married
2. Having two beautiful girls
3. Top Salesperson at Guarantee and being involved at my local association of Realtors.
4. Graduating Summa Cum Laude from FSU
5. Having faith and being spiritual
6. Being a Godmother, an aunt, a sister, a daughter, a mother, a cousin, a wife, and a friend to many wonderful people
7. Living in a beautiful home
8. I know I'm forgetting something (maybe it's because I'm old now and don't have my memory)


There have been many hard and sad times, some regrets (if you can call learning experiences regrets), some points of questioning, and some trying times.  But I've learned to appreciate most of them and continuing to learn from the rest of them because they make me who I am today, they help me appreciate the "good" in life, and they've forced me to grow as a person.

I keep hearing Tim McGraw's song, "In My Next 30 Years," over and over and over in my head.  I'm trying to think of what I'd like to do in the years ahead.  There are a lot of fun items I'd like to check off the list but the super important things I'm really blessed to say they are in place.

Bucket List
1. Travel To Greece, Argentina, Nashville, and Chicago
2. Ride on a Yacht
3. Go White Water Rafting
4. Pet a panda
5. Make a million dollars
6. Have dinner at The Boathouse in Central Park
7. Ride in a Nascar
8. Ride an elephant in a foreign land

MANY MANY years ago I wrote down a bucket list and I just pulled it out to review and I'm happy to see quite a few items checked off.
This is what I've completed:

1. Have children
2. Marry the love of my life
3. Travel to Italy (January of 2009)
4. Travel to Costa Rica (August of 2009)
5. Marry in a Catholic Church (August of 2009)
6. Go Ziplining in a rainforest (August of 2009)
7. Travel to Paris (July of 2007)
8. Go horseback riding on a beach (Did this on our honeymoon in Costa Rica)

Thank you to all those in my life who have shared memories with me, supported me, challenged me, held my hand (or my hair-you know who you are), wiped my tears, laughed with me, and traveled the road with me. An extra thank you, but words don't express my gratitude to my mom and husband for everything they do for me and just being who they are. 

Looking forward to the next 30 years! Cheers to 30!

Mommy Monday-Preparing to Leave

I am leaving this week for a business trip in Southern CA.  I am taking Madi and my mom (to watch Madi while I'm in meetings) since I am still nursing so it should be rather interesting to juggle the conference, staying on top of my business at home, and nursing a baby!  

Even though I'm taking Madi, I'm leaving Em home.  This Mommy Monday is about leaving home but leaving a kid behind.  Boy o boy it's a lot of work!  I had to line up care for Emily everyday this week, I laid out her clothes for each day down to the socks and underwear, I packed all of her lunches and snacks, I packed her bags to take to school and where she's staying the other days, I made a big batch of pancakes this morning so Kevin could just throw a few in the microwave each morning for Emily, I put dinners in the freezer so it's not pizza or mac and cheese every night, I did all the laundry, and I'm sure I'm missing something else.  On top of making sure Em is all lined up.  I had to pack myself and Madi, get the car washed and gassed up, make enough baby food for the trip, pack snacks, and say a few prayers I'm not forgetting anything:(

For those moms who travel regularly my praises and sympathy go out to you.

I will be traveling at least two other times this year for work so any tips/suggestions and handling it all?

Thank you in advance to everyone pitching it to help with Emily.  If you want to help with Emily next week too let me know I'm sure I'll need a vacation after this trip:)

Fresno Friday-1920 Tea Station

It's been forever since I did, "Fresno Friday."  In the cold months I don't get out much so I don't have much to post.  However, this last weekend my mom and I stopped into the 1920 Tea Station for a cup a tea.  We were so surprised by our discovery.  It's a hip and chic spot that feels like San Fran not Fresno.  We were also surprised by their menu. They have a huge variety of teas as well as unique appetizers and over the top desserts.  As we were ordering our tea, marshmallow toast came out and you wouldn't believe your eyes.  I can't wait to go back when I'm hungry to try some of their desserts.  I sure hope that Fresno supports this local business.  I suggest everyone stop in for a break from reality, grab a cup of tea, and something to eat.

Check out their Facebook to get more info.

Madi 8 Months

The baby has left the building!!!  Tear, tear, sniffle, sniffle...Madi is like a big girl already.  As I posted last week Madi is crawling, pulling up, and sitting like a champ.

She's wearing 6-9 month clothing and were finally on the last box of size 2 diapers!

She still nurses at 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, and gets a bottle at 7 pm.  She gets solid food around 12:15 and 5:00 pm.  She flipped a switch a few weeks ago and LOVES solid food.  She's had avocado (the only thing she doesn't like), yams, butternut squash, zucchini, and carrots.  She's also had the food puffs a few times to work on her fine motor skills.  It's really funny to watch her pick it up and try to get it into her mouth.  She's still napping from 9-11 am, 1-3 pm, and a catnap around 5:30 pm.  The schedule isn't strict.  If she's sleeping I don't really wake her anymore.

I am super happy to report that she's totally in her crib.  The huge negative is now she's addicted to her binkie:(  You win some, you lose some.

Still four teeth but acts like more are coming every now and then.

Her mood continues to improve but she's still dramatic and high maintenance.  We're currently weaning her off her acid reflux medicine and it's going well.  I think she's starting to outgrow the reflux but I'm also thinking a lot of it was just her high maintenance personality, lol.  To give you an idea of her drama when I take away something she can't have she screams like I hit her with a frying pan.  She cracks me up.  I can't wait for the teen years if she's this dramatic already.

She loves playing with her sister and playing with her own toys.  However, her newest favorite novelty is climbing the two steps in our family room.  I'm sitting down even less in the last couple of weeks because I keep getting her away from the steps.

Taking her photo is next to impossible now.  She lunges forward in this chair so I tried putting her in front of it which she crawls off immediately.  Lastly I tried standing her next to it which was ok.  She's a mover and a shaker!

I will love you forever Miss Madison.  Happy 8 Months!