New Couches and Christmas!

Today was exciting. After a very rough sleepless night with Audrey it was time to wake up and I was dreading it.I had to get going knowing that the new couches would be at the house around noon and I needed to clean the living room before they got here. These are the couches we got! They are dark blue suede and my favorite part is that they are overstuffed and super soft!

Along with new couches, I was decorating some of the house for Christmas. I can't do much until the tree is up later tonight but here is what I have started!This is our dining room table. I love using wine gift tubes as decor especially when they have great designs. This one has gingerbread men on them! The canister is holding holiday candy and peppermint sticks and I put the center piece flower arrangement together myself in a candy cane striped vase and it is all sitting on a candy cane striped platter!Our front door! I have since taken the candy cane off so now its just the golden wreath made of bells!
I got these artificial stems last year at Michaels for .25 cents and was so excited to use them this year! They look great by my front door and bring a splash of color into the room! They are in a vase filled with cinnamon potpourri peices.I love this little Santa's Mailbox! You write on the little piece of paper and put it in the slot, we are going to use it for Audrey, Hayley and our nieces and nephews! The little presents on the shelf are from Ikea. I bought them about 5 years ago and strung them on a fish wire and usually use them as a garland but I love them on the shelf above the stockings! This is just a start and they might change once the tree is up but I cant wait to finish decorating the rest of the house!

I am Thankful

I just read my friend Shauna's blog about what she is thankful for this year and it gave me the idea to do the same!

I am thankful for my amazing family!Before Audrey was born it was just Nathan, Hayley and I and those 2 years were amazing but now we feel complete and could not imagine our lives without our girls! Nathan and I have a gorgeous daughter who has undoubtedly faced some scary obstacles this year but has not shown any fear. She is healthy and growing everyday which amazes us! I never knew how much I could love someone until Nathan came into my life and our daughter was born! My love for her is so much more then I could ever imagine.

I am thankful for my Mom and Sister Lynn! Ever since Audrey was born they have always been there for us and have helped in every way possible, even if its to hold Audrey so I can pee! No words can explain how grateful I am and I don't always say it. They are my life and nothing will ever change that

I can never leave out my friends! They have been my saving grace for so long and have really stepped up this last year! They help me keep my sanity and are the best friends a girl could ask for. They are the best, hands down!

Last but not least the people who are around us everyday that do little things that usually go unthanked but never unnoticed. Our friend Joe, he has been amazing and is always there when Nathan needs a job for extra money or just a day out of the house! My Grandma always brings up little thing like new pastry bag tips or candles or homemade burp rags because she knows I can never have enough. I never say Thankful enough and how grateful I am to be surrounded by great people everyday!

Pumpkin Roll Fun

Here is the recipe and almost step by step pictures of how to make my Moms famous Pumpkin Roll! Try and Enjoy!

Cake
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S 100% pure pumpkin

Filling
1 pkg cream cheese 8 oz softened
6 tbsp margarine softened
1 cup sifted powered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan, line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin , cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar and set aside

Step 2: Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until thick, Beat in Pumpkin.
Step 3: Add Cinnamon and ground cloves and salt to the eggs, sugar and pumpkin along with a dash of pumpkin spice and all spice and stir. Once combined, in the center of the wet mixture add in flour, baking powder and baking salt and mix lightly into the flour. Once the dry ingredients are lightly mixed stir the dry and wet mixtures together.Step 4: Evenly spread the mixture into the jelly roll pan and make sure the get into the corners. Bake for 14 minutes.
Step 5: Once the cake is out of the oven immediately sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and turn the cake out onto the prepared kitchen towel, removing the pan from the cake and removing the wax paper. Once the wax paper is removed roll the cake up inside the kitchen towel and let cool on cooling rack for about an hour Step 6: While the cake is cooling, in a medium size bowl beat together cream cheese and margarine until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and set aside in the refrigerator until the cake is completely cool. Step 6: Carefully unroll the cake, remove towel and spread the filling over the cake, leaving about a 1 inch border around the cake so filling does not ooze out.Step 7: Re roll the cake
Step 8: Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and then tightly in press n seal to help form the cake and refrigerator for at least an hour. I keep my roll in the freezer until ready to serve. It also does well in the refrigerator!

Lets play Catch up

Things have been so crazy these last few days that I have not been able to keep up really. So now that Audrey is asleep for the night and the house is quite I have that chance. Lets begin. Audrey turned 6 months on Friday the 20th. We took her in for her routine check up for immunizations, weight check and follow up to her GI appointment! Audrey weighed in at 13 pounds 9 ounces and 25 inches long! I know that does not sound like a lot for a 6 month old but she is right on track for being born at only 4 pounds 13 ounces and 18 inches long. Dr. Wells noted that her stranger danger awareness is right where he wants it to be and that she is exhibiting normal 6 month old behavior. To my relief, this was the first doctor appointment for her that we did not have new worries arise. Nathan and I can now breath a huge sigh of relief knowing she does not need shots for 6 months and she has another check up in 3 months. We are still waiting to hear the results of her MRI but I have a feeling that will not be until her follow up appointment with GI doctor who ordered the test. With that said, we faced the deployment of my brother, let me explain. Kevin is not really my brother of coarse, but he is my sisters best friend and has lived with us for about 2 years now. This is his home and where he comes to when he is not deployed or full time National Guard. I call him my brother because he is the closest thing I have to an actual brother seeing as I am 1 of 4 girls. Anywho, he deployed on Tuesday, stopping in Wisconsin for a month for training. We took him to the airport at 5AM Tuesday morning and it was a somber but proud goodbye. We are hoping he gets to come home for a few days in December before shipping out. This photo is of him the morning he left next to my soon to be brother in law Danny. The night before, he stayed at my house and I cooked us a nice dinner of his favorite tortellini and sausage and we played Wii for hours, getting very little sleep! As for today, the day before Turkey Day, Nathan and I spent the afternoon at Walmart getting last minute things for tomorrow. Tonight I had the task of making 4 pumpkin rolls, 2 had to be made with splenda since my Grandfather is diabetic and Nathans Grandfather cannot have any fat in his diet. The filling usually calls for 1 cup of powered sugar so I had to alter the recipe and make homemade powered sugar using splenda and cornstarch. They turned out great and im sure everyone cannot wait to dig in tomorrow! I should be sleeping now since we have to catch the 9AM ferry to Anderson Island tomorrow morning and we still have to pack the car before we leave. Watch for the recipe and photos of my pumpkin rolls adventures, VERY MESSY but YUMMY FUN! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We got a Wii!!

We have been wanting a Wii for a while now and finally got one! With Kevin going away for over a year he gave us his new Wii and Wii Fit! He knew it would be in good hands! We played it for the first time with Kevin yesterday before he left for the airport this morning! We were on it for about 5 hours not going to bed until well after midnight, which was bad news because we had to leave for the airport at 5AM. We had such a fun night laughing and playing games! We played almost every game and started profiles on the Wii fit to try and lose some weight! I recommend getting it! The whole family can play and lose weight in a truly FUN way! I worked out this morning and lost 1 pound already, I have it set to lose 22 pounds in about 2 months which is 5 pounds every 2 weeks. It helps you do it in a fun safe way where you completely forget you are working out. Its great and I love it!

Party Time

Today was the party, and it was so much fun! It felt really great to have loved ones come over and spend time with Kevin before he deploys. We had a ton of yummy food, homemade sub sandwiches, pizza, bread sticks, cookies, pumpkin roll and cake! Balloons were everywhere, hanging from the ceiling and taped to the window! I wanted to make the house as festive as possible so it didn't look like it was thrown together in 2 days! I made a home made sign saying 'we will miss you" and used a red white and blue theme of coarse! Kevin was totally surprised which made me happy! We kept the conversations light and fun because we didn't want this to be a somber party! There was a ton of laughter and smiles and all together a great party! We love you Kevin and will miss you terribly! See you in 13 months!

My First Homemade Cake!

Tomorrow is my brothers going away party. He is going to Afghanistan for 13 months, so our whole family is coming to my house for pizza, cake and family time! I wanted to make the cake from scratch because I knew he would love it!It took a few hours but it was a lot of fun!I made a yellow cake with rainbow chip frosting in the center with butter cream frosting. I ran into a little hick up. I wanted the frosting to come out with streaks of red but it ended up being pink but I added some blue frosting to try and hide the pink! Here it is in steps!

Here is the bottom with the rainbow chip centerWith the top part on it before the frosting!
Frosted with the butter cream!This pink was supposed to be red but I did it wrong.Here is the final product! I have a long way to go but this was my first cake and it was really fun!

Chicken Saute and giggles

First off, I am so excited to announce that Audrey can now sit up by herself!! She does not do it very often because it still hurts her tummy but she is making a lot of progress.The cutest part is when she does sit up, she giggles at whoever is looking at her, like she knows what she is doing is impressive! She is definitely unique! So, after a crazy day yesterday we decided to stay home and play at home! Audrey slept a lot today, probably making up for yesterday, which is okay with me, it allowed me to get a few things done. I have been lazy the last few days and had a load of laundry that has been sitting in the laundry room for 3 days along with putting the duvet cover back on our bed. Along with these chores, I did my everyday house chores along with preparing for dinner. Tonight we had zesty chicken saute with baby carrots and olive oil and garlic angel hair pasta. I baked the chicken with chili powder, ground cumin, all spice and garlic powder in vegetable oil.

I cooked the baby carrots in the oil from the chicken to soften them up! It was delicious and not to zesty actually!Tomorrow is going to be another busy day, we have Audrey's 6 month check up which involves shots, grocery shopping and then I have a job interview in down town Tacoma, along with planning Kevin's going away party we are having on Sunday! Nathan is helping our best friend Joe with some a SWAT training scenario, which will be exciting.

WORST DAY

Please be prepared for me to be emotional,today was probably the worst day of my life so far and I'm not exaggerating. Audrey had her MRI today at Mary Bridge Children Hospital to check her dimple on her lower back for spinal disease. The day started off with us packing and preparing for the day trip to the hospital. I made sure that she had food for when she woke since I had strict directions to stop feeding her solid food at 7AM and formula at 9AM, extra clothes, diapers, spit rags, cash for the cafeteria and my phone charger, just in case. Once Audrey was dressed, packed in the car and the rest of the luggage loaded up we headed for downtown Tacoma. We were informed that parking was going to be terrible and it was advised to use the free valet located at any entrance. It was super convenient, free which is always nice and there was one right at our entrance. Once we got upstairs to the radiology department we checked in and filled out all the necessary paperwork and waited for the nurse to pull us back. It only took a few minutes and we were back in a room in no time. Once in the room, they had me undress Audrey so we could weigh her and get her in her hospital gown. She weighs 13 pounds 5 ounces, she is so tiny but right on target! Once she was weighed and dressed the nurses explained that they would wrap her in heat warmers and warm blankets to help define her veins to make it easier for them to administer the IV she will need for the sedation. They placed these purple little gel packs around her wrists and ankles and then placed socks over them to keep them in place and then wrapped her in 2 blankets from the warmer. Once she was all nice and wrapped we were able to walk around or walk down to the living room on the floor and watch TV. After about 30 minutes they were ready to put the IV in place. They had me lay her on the bed and take off the blankets and the heat pads so they could mark the vein they were going to use. They use this red light that when the lights are off can locate a vein that might not be visible to the eye, they place the light under the foot or hand and it illuminates the veins, which I think is pretty neat. After they chose her left hand they sterilized her hand and had me stand by her head to comfort her since we knew it would hurt. Of course Audrey was in pain instantly and crying from the poke of the needle. When she could not get the needle and IV in place they decided to have me wrap her back up and hold her while they re checked her hands and feet for veins. This took about 30 minutes, of sitting in the dark while they place this red light under her feet and hands. They kept saying things like, "her vein is too skinny or too short" and so they decided to try her right hand this time. This also was unsuccessful but what was worse was they they took their time, pulling the needle out and putting it back in and injecting salene into her vein to blow it up. Audrey was in so much pain, her face was all red, plus she was hungry since by this time it well on its way to being 3:30 and she had not eaten since 9AM. Once they decided that they were unable to successfully place the IV in her, they called the MRI doctor in for assistance. He then retried putting the IV in her left hand which did not work and then made the decision to try putting it on the top of her head. This made my heart sink knowing that they would try this and it would be terribly painful for Audrey. After about 45 minutes of poking and prodding at Audrey they attempted to put the IV in her scalp, which was once again unsuccessful. It was over an hour of these failed attempts and time after time Audrey was screaming and crying in awful pain and all I could do was cry. A nurse had to come over and hug me and calm me down. Finally they decided to do a rectal sedation which causes babies to fall asleep slower and stay asleep longer, which by this point was not a problem with me, just as long as she didn't have be poked anymore. Once they gave her the medicine she was fast asleep and it was MRI time. The MRI took about 20 minutes and it was back to the room to wait for her to wake up. It took about 45 minutes for her to wake up, she ate about 4 ounces of formula, smiled at everyone which was a relief and was coming back to life! After she was awake and responding we were allowed to go home, THANK GOODNESS. It was terrible for us to see Audrey in so much pain like that and knowing that we could not do anything for her. We should get the MRI results in a few days and I am hoping that they news is good like all the timed before! Thank you for listening I know it was long. I hope it all makes sense with all my blabbering.

Fall Must Have!

While I was out Christmas shopping yesterday I bought myself this really great ruffle cardigan! It is super soft and I adore the shade of purple! Perfect for the holidays!

J'adore Paris!

We just found out today that my brother Kevin is leaving for Afghanistan in less then a week. His new assignment has of coarse changed a lot things when it comes to the holidays. Because we got word of it today it is too sudden to plan a Christmas before he leaves sadly. We have made the decision to send him boxes full of Christmas things to remind him of home and of coarse his presents. Before he went home tonight he came over to the house and brought my present since he already had it and wanted to see my reaction! Everyone knows my love for Paris and everything french. I am in love with the culture, romance and history. Kevin surprised me with this photo in a gorgeous black frame! IT"S PERFECT! And Expensive! I am so grateful!

Baby Charlotte!!!

Welcome Baby Charlotte Elizabeth Barnes! She was born today weighing 7 lbs 6 oz! She is gorgeous like her Mom! We love you Denise! Congratulations!

<3 Weekends

Dinner last night was Texas Cowboy Pie! An American version of Shepard's pie! Ground hamburger cooked with corn, salsa and sour cream topped with mashed potatoes and topped with shredded cheese and broiled for about 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbling! Quick, fast and super cheap, my favorite! After dinner we went out for going away drinks for our friends Amber and Mike! It was a lot of fun and so great for all of us to get together and hang out since we all are so busy. They are moving to Michigan on Tuesday so this was our send off party per say.

This morning my niece, nephew and godmother came over for brunch like they do every Sunday. Being that my godmother is from England we made a proper English breakfast!Bacon, sausage, eggs, toast and hash browns. YUM!It was great to spend time with family and friends this weekend! Our poor Seahawks lost which did make not us happy,but they put up a good fight until the end. It was also nice to relax before another busy week! Audrey has her MRI on Wednesday to check for a spine disease which hopefully will give us some answers regarding her constipation. My cousin is being induced Monday morning, she is over a week overdue with her baby girl Charlotte, so we are all so excited to meet finally meet her! We are also starting our Christmas shopping this week as well, hopefully we will skip the craziness, a little this year!

Saturdays and Sunflowers

The weather was horribly freezing today so we decided to stay inside instead of going wine tasting. The winery is not going anywhere so there is always tomorrow or in a few months!My best friend Barbara came over for a visit and we just relaxed watching TV which was nice!!I took this great little short video of Audrey talking while I was changing her diaper. She talks all the time now and we love it!Yesterday Nathan bought me these gorgeous sunflowers! I put them by the front door to add a splash of color to the living room and they look great! I want to start bringing more fresh flowers into the house, not only do they look great but they smell amazing too! Tonight we are going to a sports bar for drinks with good friends and the UFC fight tonight!

Monkey and Onion Steaks

I love that it is almost the weekend, this week has been hectic with concerts, birthdays and tons of errands! I really want to go wine tasting this weekend at Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville! They happen to make my favorite wine which is Riesling! They offer a 30 minute tour around the vineyard and a free wine tasting session!I am pretty excited! Today was a day for doing chores and getting things done around the house!I just bought Cranberry and Frost fabreze from their holiday line and my house once again smells amazing!I have not made dinner for the last 2 days because we have not been home to even enjoy it so tonight was time to get back into my routine! For dinner I made Onion Chopped Steaks with Brown Gravy and angel hair pasta! It was amazing, so moist and full of flavor! The best part is there is enough for lunch tomorrow! With the holidays coming up, there are so many exciting things coming up. Photo with Santa, family photos, her MRI on the 18th of this month, 6 month check up a few days after that. Thanksgiving will be so fun this year, it will be the first time Nathans side of the family will be meeting Audrey! They live on Anderson Island, so its hard to get out there. It will be so good to see all of them! Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday for the family so Audrey has close to about 20 people to meet! Every year I take pumpkin rolls for dessert so watch out for the recipe sometime in the next 2 weeks!!

Cupcakes for Birthdays

Yesterday was mine and Nathans best friend Joe's birthday! Unfortunately I could not go because they went to a bar and I couldn't take the baby.My babysitters were at the 2nd Celtic Thunder concert and work. So in my absence I made these really delicious french vanilla cupcakes with whipped milk chocolate frosting. I got to use my new piping bag I bought the other day which made me happy!! They turned out great and he loved them!Audrey and I hung out at home all night playing! It was really fun and we laughed a lot! She wanted to help me fold and put away laundry which turned a 30 minute task into an hour but it was still fun! Today we are at home cleaning and getting things done before our busy day tomorrow!

I love Paul!

I met Paul Byrom from Celtic Thunder last night after the concert! He was nice enough to stick around and sign autographs and take photos! He is my favorite!

The guys in their Kilts for the last song! It was an amazing concert!All the guys for Ireland's Call!

Kiss me, IM IRISH

Off to Seattle for the Celtic Thunder Concert!

Almost 6 months

I cant believe that my daughter is almost 6 months old. The time has really flown by and I feel like its just the beginning! I have taken hundreds of photos along the way, thank goodness. Being able to spend everyday with her is such a blessing and I am so thankful that I have the resources to do what I do everyday! I strive to make everyday better then the last. I am so excited for Audrey to start talking and walking, I cant wait to go shopping with her and have conversations with her about anything and everything. Lately Audrey has been learning new words along with sign language. Last night she said, Night Night, when I was putting her to bed. I couldn't help but laugh because the day before she said, Mama, for the first time. On top of saying new words everyday she started using a sippy cup today. She is so amazing and im not just saying that becuase she is my daughter but because it is true. She overcomes all the health obstacles that are passed her way and thrives in areas where even 9 month olds are having problems in. Now that I am done bragging, today was full of errands, I had a lot to do before my overnight trip to Seattle for the Celtic Thunder Concert. Audrey and Daddy are having a slumber party without Mommy while I am away. I am praying for him and I hope he will be okay, he is excited but knows its not easy! Dinner tonight was Mexican Skillet, chunks of chicken, corn, black beans, onion and garlic with salsa over a bed of salsa flavored rice, very hearty and lots of leftovers which means Nathan does not have to cook tomorrow!

Cuisinart and Chicken Enchiladas

I love my new Cuisinart Stainless Steel deep skillet!It's amazing and I love how easy it is it clean up! I have the matching 12" skillet as well and im in love! Tonight I made Chicken Enchiladas from my Moms recipe! Again super simple, about 1 hour including prep and cook time! Here is the recipe! I hope you love them as much as we do! Try and Enjoy!

3 medium size chicken breast cooked and chopped into little pieces
2 small cans of cream of chicken soup
3 green onions, chopped
quarter chopped onion
2 cups shredded cheese, (we use colby jack)
regular size burrito soft shell tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a 13 by 9 cake pan with cooking spray
In a flour tortilla, layer the chicken, green onion, onion, cream of chicken and cheese close to one of the edges of the tortilla
Roll the tortilla and place in pan
Once all the enchiladas are filled and rolled and placed in pan take the remaining cream of chicken and spread over the tops of the enchiladas sprinkling the remaining cheese and green onion on top as well
Bake for abuot 15 minutes until cheese is bubbling

Being a busy Mom I am in love with fast but still great meals! This weekend was amazing and I am cant wait until Thanksgiving rolls around so I can bake something amazing for my in laws!