Deco Mesh Christmas Wreath

 I made my first wreath ever yesterday!  I'm so proud of how it turned out!!  It wasn't too hard, but it got really big and fluffy so it took 2 of us to wire the "Merry Christmas" in the middle!

I got all of my supplies at Hobby Lobby.  I got one of the red deco mesh and one roll of the silver.  Then a roll of black ribbon and a roll of glittery red polka dot ribbon.  Then just glued on ornaments and the silver balls and the glittery red balls are attached to a stick so I just stuck them in and hot glued them to secure them on.

The form is just a regular sized wreath.  I used the branches on the wreath to twist and secure the bunches of mesh and also ribbon.  It's kind of hard to explain and I didn't take pics of all the steps, sorry :/

BUT, this lady has a great tutorial!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n12BP_cie2Y

I think I should make a fall wreath too :)

Eli Ryan Keyes

Here he is!!!

I'm way behind on my blog, sorry!  I've been really busy with the little man and the kiddos!

I was induced on August 7th.  6 hours of labor, 5 hours into it I decided to get an epidural.  I never had one with my other 2, but I was having terrible back contractions!  I tried to stick it out, but I'm happy I got the epidural because I didn't feel a thing afterward!  I just wish I had chosen to do it sooner lol ;)

Eli was born at 3:11pm, weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 6oz and 20.5 inches long!  He is a big boy; chubby cheeks, chunky thighs and rockin the milk gut ;)  I love him!!  Absolutely adore him! He is 11 weeks old now and I still just sit and stare at him in awe.  He is so so precious.  I truly am blessed ♥

I had his newborn photos done by Lovely Photography in Minot, ND.  You can check her page out on Facebook!

I could post pics of this little man all day long but these are just a few of my favorites from this photo session :)

Pizza Casserole

My son picked this recipe out and I'm glad he did, it is so yummy!  He says this is one of his favorite things to cook for dinner now!

1 lb hamburger
1 bag egg noodles
2 jars pizza sauce or 1 really big jar
3 cups shredded cheese (it calls for mozzarella but all I had was montaray jack and that worked good too!)
1 pkg pepperonis

1.  Cook hamburger
2.  Boil egg noodles
3.  Spread a light layer of pizza sauce on bottom of casserole dish
4.  Then just layer like lasagna!
-half noodles
-half hamburger
-half pizza sauce
-half cheese
Repeat and then top with pepperonis

5.  Bake at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes
6.  Cool for 10-15 minutes

You can add whatever else you want that you like on pizza!  I think next time I might try sausage instead of hamburger :)

Halloween Hand print Wreath!

The kids had fun making this & it is so easy!  Just trace their hand onto fun scrap book paper and then cut it out.  For Eli's hand I just traced it once and used that first one to trace for the rest of his prints.  But Ashlyn decided she would trace her hand every time.  Then I just arranged them all how I wanted them and glued together.  Simple & makes a great keepsake!

--- 8 Months ---

 8 Months!!  Almost there! 

Dealing with the heat is tough!  My other 2 kids were born in the winter so I was still small in the summer with them, I had no idea what to expect this time around!  My feet like to swell up thanks to the hot days we have been having, that's something I never experienced with my other 2!  I have a lot of heartburn, and I have to take it easy or else I get aches in my back and hips.  But every kick and push and hiccup I feel makes it all worth it!!  And boy is he strong, and active! 

Now that I look back, it has gone by so fast!  It's crazy to think in less than 6 weeks I will be holding my sweet baby boy in my arms!  I can't wait :)

 My sister and I painted Eli's room!  It is gray and light blue, I love it!  I didn't want an overly cutesy room for him, so I looked for lots of rock & roll and skulls without it being too scary for a baby lol.  It's coming together nicely!  I'll post a pic of it when it's all finished but I think it's good progress so far :)  I found the "Born to Rock" sticker on ebay, from the seller TheStickerHut. 

 His new bedding!!  It was custom made by Sweet Dreams Bedding on etsy.com, here is the link to check out her work:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetDreamsBedding?ref=seller_info  I highly recommend her!  The bedding is excellent quality and she is so creative!

I found these shirts here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JellybeanApparel?ref=seller_info  When I saw them I just had to get them for the baby shower!  They're awesome!  And hilarious!!

 Bo and I with Eli's godparents!!

Delina had a cake and cake pops made for the baby showers!  I love em, and they were sooooo good!  We had a football themed shower, so there was a lot of NY Giants decorations (our fave team!) and a lot of yummy super bowl food :D



It's a BOY!!

We found out at our 20 week appointment :)  I'm a little behind on updating my blog, sorry!

I think the pic says it all!  BOY!!  Bo was so excited when the ultrasound tech told us, he couldn't stop smiling :)

Right after my appointment, my sister and I went to the mall and she got me 2 onesies for the little guy :)  We are going to name him Eli Ryan Keyes!  I can't wait to meet him!!

16 weeks :)

Here is the newest bump picture!  Still pretty small but it's getting there :)

I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday.  Bo had to work so my sister went with me.  It was a pretty quick appointment, just asked me a few questions and then listened to the baby's heartbeat.  I've only gained 8 lbs so far which is good, I'm not gaining weight too fast or too slow.  March 28th we get to do our ultrasound and hopefully find out if it's a boy or girl!!!  I can't wait!!!

My best friend Delina and I started discussing baby shower ideas.  I never had a baby shower with my other 2 so I'm excited!  We are planning to do it in June.  It's gonna be great!  We have some cute ideas :)   

So I haven't had any crazy cravings.  I've been a lot more picky than I normally am, but that is getting better now that my nausea is gone.  I don't like the texture of chicken though.  But I do eat a lot of bagels and drink a lot of milk lol.

Pregnancy update... 15 weeks :)

Nausea is finally gone!  Yes!!  I can finally cook again without wanting to barf from the smell yay!!  It feels so good to be able to eat and have an appetite again :)  But now I get full a lot quicker, and hungry more often lol.  So I eat a lot of small meals and snacks.  And I drink LOTS of water! 

13 weeks preggers in this pic :)  Startin to show a little bit more here!

So I'm a little behind on the blog.  I'm actually 15 weeks pregnant right now!  I will make sure and post my 4 month belly pic after I take it, probably next week.  My belly has grown quite a bit since the 3 month pic, or at least I think so lol.  My next doc appointment is on Feb 29th, I'll be 16 weeks by then :)  I don't think we will be doing an ultrasound at my next appointment.  Hopefully the appointment next month will be when we finally get to find out if we're having a him or a her!!

Ultrasound pic from our first Dr appt!  11 weeks in this pic ♥

Our first doctor's appointment went good.  The first one is always the longest because of all the questions they have to ask and all the tests that have to be done.  My doctor is really nice and funny too, I like him.  The best part is we finally got to see our baby!!  We were so excited!  Bo said he about cried when he saw it because he was so happy :)  Baby looked good and healthy, it's so exciting seeing him/her for the first time! 

11 weeks

We received the fetal doppler and it is awesome!!  The first time we tried to listen I was only 10 weeks and it was pretty hard to find, Bo thinks all we found was my heart beat that time lol.  So I waited a few weeks so the baby could get a little bigger, and we tried again last week and found the heart beat real easy!  Beats averaged 135 per minute... which I've heard that you can find out the gender by the heartbeat.  And from what I've looked up, we would be having a boy :)  So I guess sometime next month we will see if that is right or now!

Spicy Enchiladas

My husband loves spicy food and he absolutely LOVES these enchiladas!  There are ways to make them less spicy though if you can't handle the heat :)

Ingredients u will need:
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped turkey or chicken (I used chicken)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green Chiles
8 flour tortillas (8 inch), warmed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can hot rotel (or u can use mild if u don't like it so spicy)
1 large can (28oz) enchilada sauce
Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash seasoning, add to your own liking

~Stir the soup and sour cream in a small bowl.

~Stir together the chicken, chili powder, Chiles, rotel, and Mrs. Dash, and 3 tbsp soup mixture (or a little more if u want it more creamy)

~Spread remaining soup mixture into a 4 qt shallow baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place tortillas, seam side down, into the dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the enchiladas (I used almost the entire can). Sprinkle with the cheese.

~Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling.

Enjoy :)

Mmmmmacaroni & Cheese :)

Ingredients:
‎One 8 oz pkg elbow macaroni
8 oz pkd sharp cheddar cheese
12 oz container small curd cottage cheese
8 oz container sour cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

The topping is:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter.
 
Just cook the noodles first, then mix it all up, except for the topping. Put the topping on and then cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees :)

You can get the fat free sour cream and light cheese to lessen the calories a bit, that's what I did :) It was really good! I suggest not putting all the topping on though, it is a bit much! I only put on 3/4 of the topping.

Taco Stuffed Shells

Hello everyone!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, and the link led me to  
 http://blogchef.net/taco-stuffed-shells-recipe/ 
and that is where I found this wonderful recipe!  My husband was skeptical at first when I told him what we were having for dinner but he loved it!  It is one of our favorites now :)

Ingredients:1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 once package cream cheese
12 large pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 cup sour cream
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a fry pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain and toss well with butter.
Step 2: Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Step 3: Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.
Step 4: Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, black olives or whatever you think goes good with tacos!
 

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian sauce and Bowtie Pasta

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest, which then linked me to www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com where I found this yummy recipe! Time: 45 minutes Yield: 6 servings Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! 3 large chicken breasts 5 C corn flakes 3/4 C flour 1/2 t salt 1/2 C milk 6 T olive oil 1 12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle) Sauce: 1 10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor) 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 C chicken broth 1/2 C milk fresh parsley, chopped (optional) 1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs. 2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine. 3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan. Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay. You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you. 4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top. Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen? Not me...that's who. 5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half. 6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides. Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer. Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes. 7. Start cooking your pasta. 8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milkand then immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well. 9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet. 10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.... or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over. If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan. Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides. 11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let the chicken cook for about 7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised. In any shape or form. Thank you. 12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil. 13. Into the same pan pour your broth. Philly Cooking Creme, Cream of Chicken, and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly. Should only take about 3 minutes. 14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose. Enjoy!

♥ 10 weeks ♥

Today marks my 10th week in pregnancy!  How exciting!  I just ordered a Sonoline B Fetal Doppler so that we can hear the baby's heartbeat :)  I can't wait to get it and try it out!  I told Bo what I ordered and he said, "that's so f-ing cool.  I'm so excited."  Lol awww.

This is me at 9 weeks! 

Well, things have gone pretty smooth so far.  I've dealt with a lot of nausea but I haven't actually barfed so that's good lol.  I've pretty much figured out how to avoid nausea for the most part, I just stick with certain foods!  So I eat a lot of cereal lol.  Normally I love to cook but not at the moment.  The smell of meat cooking makes me lose any appetite I might have had.  I did manage to cook spaghetti Monday and I ate it, so I am hoping the worst part of my nausea is over. 

My first doctor's appointment is Tuesday!!  It seems like it took forever to finally get it here!  I just can't wait to see that little babe and see how he/she is doing :)  Bo is going to take the day off so that he can come with me.  It's cute how excited he is about the baby.  He always gives me a kiss and then pats my belly.  A few weeks ago, he said the funniest thing.  We were talking and I was telling him what I had read about the development so far and how big the baby is and he says, "I wish your belly was see-through so I could see what was going on."  It made me laugh, he reminds me of a kid sometimes.  He is going to be a great dad :)

So here is some info on what's going on with the little one.  I took this from the app I have on my Facebook page :)

**Fetal development in pregnancy: Week 10**

~length
1.4 in | 3.5 cm

~weight
0.14 oz | 4 g

Your astonishingly tiny baby has been growing as fast as possible, almost doubling in size in the past three weeks, which they'll re-do within the next three weeks!
Your tiny champion still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of their development.
Using Doppler technology, you can hear their tiny rapid fetal heartbeats this week (145-165 beats per minute!). Chances for miscarriage are greatly reduced when the heartbeat can be detected, so take a sigh of relief if you've been needing one. It hasn’t been an easy ten weeks!
In other digestive news, you're now carrying a tiny poo-factory as your little one now sports a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through to their bowels!
And the final shiny gold star on their fetal behavior chart for the week: your little scrapper has already developed defense mechanisms to protect them on reflex!