C's 14 month update.

Time for a C update again! The days and months seem to have such a way of flying by!

Right now C's latest and greatest fixation is buttons. He discovered that by pushing the buttons on the humidifier in his room he can make the fan go on and off. Endless hours of fun there folks! Today I had the cd player on and he noticed there were buttons on it. I seriously only got to hear the first 7.35 seconds of each song on the CD before he pushed a button and switched it.

Another thing he recently discovered was that I keep paper towel under the sink. It didn't take him long to unroll it all over the kitchen, giggling as he did. :)

C. is also realizing that when he hears the garage door in the morning and hears the car door shut, then Daddy is going to come through the back door. Last time he got so excited he was panting and giggled when he saw Hubby walk through the door. That really makes Daddy's day!

Visiting Daddy at the fire station!

C still loves to eat a lot of different things. Peas, pear, and cheese are current favorites.

C had his first ear infection a couple weeks ago. We actually took him into the doctor for a cough and then found out he had a (minor) ear infection. Antibiotics cleared it all up.

Crawling is pretty much a thing of the past. C is all about walking now... and running! :)

C loves to pull power cords out of outlet, so Mommy has to keep a close eye on him! He also is really into reading and will bring us books to read. Not only does he love to read, but he insists on sitting on our laps to do so.

We watched two of my nephews last week and I was reading aloud to them and C wanted to sit up on the couch with us too. Hubby set C next to his cousin and all the sudden we looked over and C was patting his cousin's head! It was the funniest thing!

We dedicated C a couple weeks ago at our church. Several family members and friends were there, which made it a special time.

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

I made this today and thought I would share the recipe with you all! This is one of our favorites! So easy and delicious! I got the recipe from my mom. 

This serves 4. I use a 4 Qt. crock pot for the two of us. You could double it and put it in a 6 Qt. crock pot and it would feed 6-8.

You will need:

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts

1 jar black olives, cut in half

1 can mushrooms

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

4 boneless chicken thighs or leg quarters

2T. Quick tapioca 

1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning

1/2 c. Chicken broth

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In bottom of crock pot put; olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and diced tomatoes.

Next sprinkle on the tapioca:

Then put your chicken on top. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning and pour broth over the top.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours. (low 7-8)

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with parmesan.

Mmmm...

Excited!

 A couple months ago I stumbled across 'Five Days... 5 Ways' blog through WIWW. I loved Abbie's personality, her sense of style (She's a thrifter, like me!), and her great DIY projects.


Last month I won a giveaway through her blog for a Lisa Leonard gift certificate. I was so excited! I have been eyeing Lisa's jewelry for awhile. I ended up picking this beauty:

Lisa's shop

This month Abbie is doing another giveaway (including a pair of my earrings and Lisa Leonard gift certificates) that is also for a great cause. I'll let her explain:


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Hi there, folks! My name is Abbie

from:

…and I’m so excited that Elyssa is having me by for a visit to share with you something I’m passionate about, which could benefit you guys in more ways than one.

Pinky promise.

How so?

Well, I’m hosting a huge giveaway/fundraiser to help build a new classroom for a Christian ministry to orphans in Uganda that is home-grown in East Texas where I live.

There are FIVE prize packages, chock-full of amazing handmade goodies and gift certificates (Lisa Leonard, anyone?) that you can win just by visiting and leaving me a comment.

Here’s just a small taste:

BUT!

If you want extra entries, you can also donate to:

…using a special button on my blog which will track your entries so we can see how much we raise and who wins!

Honestly, folks, these kids are incredibly humble and deserving! (Their idea of a special treat is an apple…I’m not kidding).

So, if you want to help us raise the money to build these precious children a new classroom + have the opportunity to be one of 5 lucky folks to win some awesome loot, please come check out The BIG PCM Fundraiser/Giveaway on my blog.

No amount is too small, and every dollar you give is matched up to our goal of $5,000 (wow!). Which means, if you give up Starbucks just once, you’ll be donating not $10 but $20 (just kidding…but at least $8, right?) to a truly worthy cause.

Hope to see you soon!

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 Be sure to stop by Abbie's blog to get entered in this giveaway and support this worthy cause!
 

Trick or Treat!

Last year we didn't dress C up and do anything for Halloween because it was cold and he was so little...and I was overwhelmed with having a new baby and didn't want to leave the house because it would throw off his routine forever. Yes, I was a  bit over dramatic...  

Anyhow, this year we decided to take C out trick or treating in our neighborhood and he loved it! He liked his costume, loved watching the other kids, and liked taking candy. :)

Ready to go!

I loved carrying my bucket!

"Faster, Mommy!"

"Helping" Daddy hand out candy.

"Why walk door to door when I have access to an unattended bucket?"

"My bucket isn't full yet!"

We also discovered that C liked his first taste of candy. A lot.

I can't say I was surprised.

Autumn fun.

A couple nights ago we headed out to my parent's acreage to celebrate my birthday. (Some of you may be scratching your heads because my birthday was August 24th, but we've had a difficult time getting everyone's schedules to jive!)

My mom made a delicious supper! (Thanks, Mom!) Check out this Greek salad! Mmm....

And the cake. Wow! The name of this recipe is called "died-and-went-to-heaven-chocolate cake." The title is quite accurate. SO good! The cake is like a moist brownie and the frosting is chocolaty, but has a surprise twist with cream cheese.

The calorie information as listed in the cook book is:

'You don't want to know.' :)

Playing games.

Mom and Dad have a trampoline, so the hubster took C. out to bounce on it. My sisters had put dried corn on it, and C. loved the noise and crawling through it!

 C also loves my parent's golden retriever, Tucker.

 Fun times!

5 simple pleasures

1. New BH&Garden's in the mail.

(Love those felt coasters!)

2. Pomegranate!

3. Shopping trip with my sis to Forever21!

Yielded this darling top as well as a super awesome chunky brown belt that will be featured in an upcoming WIWW post.

4. These make me smile every time I see them.

They are salt and pepper shakers! They were my husband's grandma's.

5. Little bit'o green. House plants are a simple pleasure to me.

They brighten any room and lift my spirits!

Cool story: This plant is from a start my mom gave me. She cut a branch off  her plant and grew roots on it in water and then gave it to me to pot. The best part? The plant she took the start from was a plant my grandparents brought to the hospital when I was born!

                                                                I'm linking up over at:

An End and a Beginning

My 90 day challenge ended a few days ago. I am pleased with my results. Here is my before and after picture:

Good bye baby belly! I feel a lot better in my clothes, and have had more energy. Now I'm ready to start my next 90 day challenge.

Visalus.com, Wal-mart.com, don't remember :)

Recently, I asked my brother, who is a Crossfit Instructor and does some personal training, what exercises 

would recommend that would strengthen and tone my abs after having a baby. (Currently I still have a little muffin top) He recommended using a Kettlebell. He showed me the 'swing' technique and today I took the plunge and purchased one.                                                                                                                                                                                      

I'm also going to make a commitment to do a minimum of 20 burpees a day. (Maybe more as I get going.)

I love the accountability of setting a goal with a specific end point (90 days). If you want to learn more about the challenge, here's a short video:

 I'd love to have people join me! This is the fastest growing health challenge in the country. Last month 82,000 people started the challenge. What are you waiting for?