TV

My two girls have two totally different ways of watching tv.........

Jenna stands up in front of the tv as close as she possibly can... swaying, dancing and occasionally lowering herself down just to have both hands free to clap.

Isabella prefers to wrap herself up into a little cocoon and channel her inner Mary. She explained to me that the reason she wraps herself up is to "hide" from the scary parts in the shows/movies she watches. She is too funny!

Monster Goo

We decided to try something new today. I found this recipe for "monster goo" on one of the many craft websites the a visit on a daily basis. Monster goo is extremely easy to make and provides an afternoon of entertainment! You literally mix 1/3 cup of water and 1/2 cup of corn starch. If you want to add color to your goo, mix in the food dye before adding the corn starch. Isabella had a blast helping me mix the goo and was sooo excited to be monstrous!!:)

The coolest part about monster goo is that when you pick it up it hardens, but when you put it down it melts into putty!!

Kissy Kissy

My family happens to be quite affectionate. Always hugging, snuggling, kissing. Well, Jenna decided she did not want to be left out and has mastered the art of affection. She leans in for kisses, hands on face, landing a big wet one right on the mouth. She also enjoys giving out long snuggly hugs as she says" awwwwww"  while laying her little head on your shoulder. It is the most precious thing in the unviverse. Isabella is quite the little snuggle bunny herself... now that she has a little sister that shares the love, I forsee lots of "awwwws" in our future!! ;)

My Double?

                                   Many people say Jenna looks just like me...... what do you think?

Beauty Sleep

I know it's Wednesday and I am supposed to post on "what I whipped up," however I just could not resist sharing this picture of my little sleeping beauty. Jenna decided to skip her morning nap this morning so by the time her afternoon nap rolled around I knew she was going to be out for the count. When nap time was over I snuck in to her room to wake her and this is what I found( notice her delicate hands folded under her baby head and her little baby feet crossed with not a care in the world):

                                                                Such a sweet little angel.

Tasty Tuesday

No, this is not a new title for a fixed blog on Tuesday's, it is just a post of a recipe I am dying to try! It looks scrumptious!

 

Chicken & Stuffing Skillet

1 tablespoon butter

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

1 box (6 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® One Step Stuffing Chicken Mix

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

• Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
• Prepare the stuffing in the skillet according to the package directions except let stand for 2 minutes.
• Place the chicken on the stuffing. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken. Top with the cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted.

When I make this delicious chicken dish I am going to attempt to make it slightly healthier by using fat free milk and low fat cheese, after all every little bit helps! :) This recipe will surely be a hit in my house!

Lifer's

A good friend is very hard to find, that is unless you were friends from the moment you were brought into the world. Isabella and Brandt have literally known each other for as long as they have been alive. They started out "playing" on their mats batting at the little things hanging above their delicate heads. As the grew they progressed to "playing" together while situated in their Bumbos. They crawled around our houses with echos of laughter trailing behind them. Once they learned to walk they walked together in unison forming a true friendship that will last forever. They have been through many milestones together including becoming older siblings to their sisters. They have now allowed their sister's to join in their tight knit circle and play along with them. I am positive the four of them will spend many moments creating memories and holding each others hands through a lifetime of discoveries.

                                       Sweet Brandt "taking pictures"

                                          

                                                               Jenna and Highland

                                                          All four of them came together completely on their own....

                                                                         Friends Forever

Circus Day

Today was Circus day at Isabella's school. The teachers asked us to dress our children as a member of the circus, so, I asked Isabella what she wanted to be and her response was a "pink clown!" So, off I went to gather the necessary supplies to create Isabella's costume. I whipped up a pair of "clownish" balloon pants with a matching pink shirt embellished with pom-poms. We bought some little sunglasses and blinged them out with some colorful flower rhinestones, made giant pom pom hair clips and bought a "trick flower" to use as a prop! She was the cutest pink clown ever!

What I Whipped Up Wednesday

In lieu of St. Patrick's Day I whipped up a few things for the girls. Here they are:

                                                   little bloomers for Jenna

                                                            Pot of gold for Isabella

Oops

This past weekend was such a whirlwind that I completely forgot to post "Something New Sunday." Well, today, although it is not Sunday, I tried something new....a new recipe. I decided to get out the good old crock pot and make Turkey Chili! As it simmered my home was immersed in the aroma, it was wonderful!
Of course neither of my girls would give it a try they are extremely picky eaters ( hmm, I have no idea where they get that from ;)  ) But hopefully Philip will enjoy!!! Here's the recipe:

Turkey Chili in the Crock pot

Ingredients:  1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

                   1 large onion, chopped

                   1 garlic clove, chopped ( I used 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic)

                   1 1/2 cups frozen corn

                   1 red bell pepper, chopped

                   1 green bell pepper, chopped

                   1(28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

                   1(15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

                   1(8 oz.) can tomato sauce

                   1(1.25 oz.) package chili seasoning mix

                   1/2 teaspoon salt

1) Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Spoon mixture into crock pot; stir in corn and next 7 ingredients.

2) Cook at HIGH 4 to5 hours or at LOW 6 to 8 hours. 

Pizza Pals

I say it all the time, but, I LOVE when my girls play together! Today they decided to play in their kitchen and whip up some pizzas! Girls after my own heart!! :)

Babyitis

It is very hard to believe that my baby girl will be 1 next month!!!!She has brought such an immense amount of joy and happiness to our family. She truly is a blessing. She undoubtedly completes our family. She is always smiling. People actually comment on how happy she is and are constantly asking me if her docile nature is ever jeopardized, which is very rare. She loves watching people and loves to dance to the tunes on her big sisters cartoons. She wants so badly to interact with her sister and play at her level, which again, is very rare. Every now and then Isabella gives her the time of day and amuses her by crawling around the house enticing little Jenna to follow. She HATES baby food and has completely phased it out of her diet all together. She prefers to feed herself, like her big sister, and solely munches on Graduates Cheetos, yogurt bites, ritz crackers, applesauce, grilled cheese, cheerios, chicken, and yogurt. Although she crawled somewhat early, at 6 months, she has absolutely no interest in walking or even attempting to will her little baby legs to take a step. She cruises along the couch and occasionally does the one handed grab, but other than that, she prefers to crawl or be held, which mommy LOVES. She is acquiring quite the little vocabulary. Her words currently consist of : mama, dada, daddy, uh-oh, nana, hi, bye bye and daddy. Her favorite word is daddy, and although we would like to consider it a term of endearment for Philip, it is actually her pet name for mommy. She crawls, crying all around the house in search of her mommy yelling "daddy, daddy." She wakes up in the mornings, stands at the foot of her crib and yells " daddy, daddy," towards her slightly opened door until she sees my smiling face peek in and smother her with morning kisses. She is such a sweet, gentle soul, however she has a little bit of vixen lurking within. She takes things from Isabella when her back is turned, she raises her eyebrows in attempts to lure others to get her what she wants and she loves to be chased! I cannot believe she will be one next month. My baby girl is growing up and there is nothing I can do to stop it, so instead I will embrace it and try to be the best mommy I can be, now and forever.

                                                She is so irresistable, I just love her so much!

What I Whipped Up Wednesday

I decided to do a little sewing project during "quiet time" this afternoon. I have tackled making bell bottom pants using different fabrics for the girls and have recently figured out how to sew a pair of pants from start to finish. Today's little project was just a twist on my flare bottom pants. I love using things I already have, which made this project even better! I took a pair of Isabella's jeggings that she outgrew lengthwise, cut them into capri length and added the ribbons to the bottom! I LOVE the way they turned out! I have a feeling this is just the beginning.... ;)

                                                                 Here is the overall view!

                             I have to perfect them a bit, but they came out pretty cute for a first timer!!!

Observation Day

Isabella's Tap/Ballet class had "observation day," allowing parents and grandparents to see the progress they have made thus far and use it as an opportunity to take pictures of our tiny dancers.

stretching

                       

tap

waiting her turn to dance across the room

so graceful

my favorite-her little spin

                                                     posing with her fabulous teachers!

Something New Sunday

I decided to add a new fixture in my blog... such as "What I whipped up Wednesday."  I am calling it "Something New Sunday." I am always looking for new projects, products, recipes, etc. I thought it would be neat to share what I find! I encourage any of you to comment and do the same! Keep me posted about things I need to try!!! Todays feature is window markers. I was a bit hesitant because I was unsure as to how easy the clean up would be.... but they were great! Isabella sat for 40 minutes just coloring on the glass sliding doors. She loved it!!! They are a wonderful treat for a rainy day!

Stroller Strides

My running routine has been a bit botched lately. I manage to make it to the gym, no problem, but as far as running....time/excuses seem to get the best of me....that was until a dear friend inspired me to run a HALF MARATHON  next November. There is no better motivation than the thought of achieving a life goal. My running routine is now in full force, especially because my hubby bought me a fabulous present today to help me accomplishment my goal...... a brand new double-jogging stroller! I am super excited about it! There are literally no excuses now, no time restraints. I can just load the girls in and off we all go! It's going to be tough running with 60 + pounds with both girls and the stroller combined, but it is well worth the struggle!!!   Half -marathon here I come!!!!!

                                         My running partners!! ( please excuse my messy garage)

What I whippend up Wednesday

I have been doing A LOT  of sewing lately. I have been whipping an array of things for the girls and for an upcoming craft show I'm participating in with my crafty friends. My inventory is slowly growing and lucky for me, I have the perfect set of models to fit my products on! ;)

Not the best picture of the dress I made, it is adorable in person!

Mathcing dress for Jenna!

My baby and her babies

Isabella is VERY  into playing "mommy" these days. She loves taking care of all of her babies....she gives them baths, she feeds them bottles and she rocks them to sleep. Recently she informed me that she wanted not one, not two, but SEVEN babies when she grows up.  She is going to make a wonderful mommy one day, after all, practice makes perfect! ;)

                                                   laying them to rest in their crib.....

                                                       she has plenty of love to share!