Little outfits of love!

I figure this might be a fun before post!  Here are a few of the outfits that Owen has received from family members that are special.  These are not all of them by any means, but the ones that I have managed to take pictures of.  Maybe one day I will get a better camera and the pictures will be more professional, but till then....oh well!

 

 

going home outfit

 This is the outfit that his Grandmommy (Chris' mom) made him.  We had fun picking out the pattern together and I can't wait to see it with a real little baby boy in it!  The hats were hard to find, but I am a determined shopper!  The little booties were given to Owen from his PaPaw (my dad) they are also handmade and are so soft. I have a little white onsie and some white socks for him to wear under everything.

From Aunt Sara

This was a Christmas present from Aunt Sara (my sister).  She knows how the Holmes' family also has a love for old cars and this little set is super soft and just so cute!

From PaPaw

This is 2 different outfits.  The top one is Owen's first (of many) Alabama t-shirts!  ROLL TIDE is what we grew up saying!  I am sure that since Chris and I are not big sports fans, my Dad will be able to convince Owen to cheer for Alabama!  The other outfit is another handmade set, it is a sleep sack and a cute fun blue hat!!  I am envisioning newborn pictures already!

Oh, I can't wait......13 days!!!!

lil spark: 37 weeks-FULL TERM

Wow, my mind can't wrap around this.  Back in June when we found out we were pregnant I never thought this day would come.  There has been lots of worry and anxiety to get to this point and there has been lots of joy too!

How far along: 37 weeks or a full term baby, we can finally say come when you want!
Total weight gain/loss: up 42 lbs
Maternity clothes: oh yes, had to even buy an extra pair of maternity yoga pants so that I am comfy Stretch marks: no new ones, I am rocking the Berts Bees Wax, Mama Belly Butter; it is a pain to put on but worth it
Sleep: the newest thing is my right leg falls asleep immediately and my left arm is falling asleep now too~all this before I can fall asleep, but only 14 more nights!
Best moments this week:  seeing Owen on the ultrasound; even though he had a hand and a knee in his face so we didn't get any good pictures and the best part of the dr appointment was putting a c/s date on the calendar 

Belly button in or out?: officially out, guess that means he is COOKED!
Craving: Pancakes and Milk!
What I am looking forward to: meeting this little one on the 11th if everything goes as planned! 

 

Nursery is DONE!

So, after yesterdays scheduling of a c/s date, Chris and I got motivated.   Really, the nursery has been done as we just had one last project to hang on the walls.  So last night after dinner we broke out the tools and hung some guitars over the crib and I am happy to say the nursery is 100% FINISHED!!! 

Of course, there will be some minor cleaning to do before I put him in that crib for the first night!

Enjoy our pictures; but first a few renovation pictures to finish things off!

removing the old keyless light fixture

the master electrician!  It works!

These are ukuleles that Chris spray painted.

Our wall art and a proud Daddy!

These look better in the room than the pictures.

Changing table or Cloth Diaper station.

The changing table was given to us from Chris' sister, Kristy.  The dark brown wood matches the rocking chair perfectly! I purchased some fun containers to hold the cloth diapers, blankets, and burp cloths.

I hung the OWEN letters myself, check out his stash of books near the rocking chair!

The rocking chair is a VERY special piece.  Chris' parents received the rocker as a wedding gift from their parents.  Since, Chris and I were dating he always told me: when I tell my parent we are having a baby I want to say, Guess it is time for me to take the rocking chair.  The rocking chair is his favorite piece of all his parent furniture and he put a claim on it years ago.  I think it might have to do with all the stories his mom read him in that chair.  I hope to continue the tradition and would love for Owen to stake a claim on this special piece of furniture.  Bonus is that I love dark wood and the size is perfect for our nursery as I am packing it with stuff!  We were given the rocking chair at the baby shower our church threw for us on January 16th!  Chris' mom even recovered a seat cover with the same fabric as the quilt she made (I need to get a good picture of the quilt).

There are some very special teddy bears and a frog waiting to be loved on in that crib!

TOYS!!

Chris' childhood dresser that we painted and replaced the knobs several years ago when our first house was on the market.

The picture frame is another very special item.  Sue, a woman, from our church gave it to us at the baby shower.  There are 3 pictures.  The picture of Chris and my hands holding the necklace from the top of this blog, my favorite ultrasound picture of Owen's face and one of the ultrasound pictures of the twins together all snuggled up inside me.  These are all my precious boys. 

Well, that was the tour.  Funny thing as I was sitting here typing this UPS just dropped off a box and it is the window blind (black out and cordless) for Owen's room...guess it technically isn't quite finished!!  Chris knows the deal....it will be hung tonight!

BIG update!

This morning Chris and I got up at 6:15am picked up my BFF Christie and headed to the drs office for another u/s and OB appointment.  Good news is that Owen weighs about 6lbs 10 oz which would be a perfect weight gain of 1 pound in the past 2 weeks.  Then my OB started talking c/s and we got to put a date on the calendar!!!!  We do have an u/s on Feb 9th to check the placenta placement again and if it moves we might cancel the u/s, but if it doesn't then Owen will be born on...
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FEB 11th
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that is 16 days from today!
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OMG!!! I can't believe he is almost here!!  I am having a baby!!!

Oh and no great u/s pictures so we will all have to wait for the real thing!!

maternity photos

My sister-in-law, Jennifer, came over and shot some AMAZING photos for us!!  I can't pick a favorite!

This is an everyday occurrence in my house!

 

Our February Luv Bug!

Mommy and Daddy belly bumps!

I like this one even though you can't see my face.

Yup, I am big as a house!

Freezable Meals 4: Update

Well, someone asked for my recipes so here goes a few more I have done over the past weekish.

Mild Chicken Chili:
1 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
1 white onion
garlic powder (equal to a clove of garlic)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sause
1 15-oz can red kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can white kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs chilli powder to taste
1 Tbs red wine vinegar

Directions:  cook ground turkey, olive oil, and onion with salt and pepper till browned.  Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  You may want to season to taste, Chris is always so good at this!!!

Made 2 meals for 2!


Cream Cheese Italian Chicken:

1 .7 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 10-oz of cream of chicken soup
1 8-oz package cream cheese

Cut the chicken into bit size pieces..  Set the crock pot on high adding the butter in to melt once melted add the Italian dressing mix; once mixed add the chicken and cook on high for 2 hours.  Stir occasionally.  Then add cream of chicken soup and cream cheese.  Mix and put into freezer bags.

I ended up doubling this recipe b/c I had bought a bunch of chicken.  I was able to freeze 3 baggies (2 servings a bag) and a 4th bag that is 1 serving size. 

As for the rest of my cooking, I think I am slowing down.  Getting sick of it!  I still have a few more things to make.  I remembered that I don't like the corn chowder frozen, so now I have all the ingredients, but I am not going to use them right now.  Luckily, they are mostly cans so they will last for a while.

Up next:  cornflake hash-browns (whew no cooking on that one) and an easy chicken pot pie recipe that calls for biscuits on the top.

lil spark: 35 weeks

How far along: 35 weeks which means 35 days to go to our due date!
Total weight gain/loss: up 39 pounds
Maternity clothes: hanging out in pjs or leggings; slippers or boots
Stretch marks: no new ones
Sleep: it is getting really hard to turn over as my belly is so heavy, left shoulder hurts and right leg likes to fall asleep so tossing and turning is what I do all night...oh and pee about 6 times!
Best moments this week:  seeing Owen on the ultrasound! 
Belly button in or out?: officially out
Craving: just glad to be hungry again as I was sick earlier this week and nothing sounded good.
What I am looking forward to: meeting this little one, next u/s is the 26th


Here is the belly picture I know you all have been waiting for!

In other fun news, I got a coach diaper bag!! Yes that is it peaking in the left corner of the belly pic! 

It looks like this except a bit bigger 

(I am way to lazy to get up and take another picture of the real on)!!

SO EXCITED as I know I will love it for a LONG time!

the past 24 hours have been long

Warning whiny post ahead:


The night before last I began to get nauseous which turned into a night of tossing and turning and thinking about throwing up, which I never did.  The next morning we had an u/s scheduled and I was about to back out when I just couldn't not go.  On the way there I began to have braxton hicks contractions.  They were not regular, but ranging between 2-6 minutes apart on our 45 minute drive to the drs office.  It was rough, the contractions were uncomfortable and then when they were over I would get hit with a wave of nausea.

The u/s went great, Owen is measuring 5 pounds 10 oz!! Big boy and right on track!  They said everything looked great with him.  Then she checked and my cervix is closed and long, so the contractions are not doing anything as of yet.  Which is good because we are not ready for this little boy yet!

Yes, we have the car seat and it will take a few quick clicks to get it installed.  As of yesterday, my mother-in-law informed me the coming home outfit is ready.  His clothes are washed and the bassinet and crib are ready! 

But, right now I am on self induced bedrest as every time I stand even to go pee the braxton hicks kick in and I am miserable for the next 10 minutes. 

Last night, the contractions woke me up for about an hour and again they were inconsistent ranging from 2-6 minutes apart. 

I have so much to do around the house that sitting here is so hard.  Hopefully, the water that I am pouring into my body is going to stop them and I can get back to my regular activities (that included sitting on the sofa).

Freezable Meals Day 3: Pork

Today was quick and easy because the recipes didn't require cooking!

But, I started by putting a spiral ham in the oven for tomorrow's cooking.

Asian Shredded Pork :

3 pound pork loin roast (cut off the excess fat if needed)
2 packages of onion soup mix
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
10 oz sweet and sour sauce
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 green onions, chopped
2 packages of salted peanuts-crushed
dash of sesame oil (optional I just had it on hand and it smells so good)

Cut the pork loin into thirds, rub each piece with dried onion soup mix.  Place into freezer bags.  In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, then place into 3 small baggies.  In a third bag put one pork bag and one sauce bag.  Makes 3 freezable dinners for 2.

To cook:
Thaw in fridge.  Place meat in crockpot with water covering the meat, cook 6 hours on low till meat starts shredding, add sauce.  Serve as a lettuce wrap or with a wheat tortilla wraps.
ETA: I usually take the meat out of the crock pot with a slotted spoon, put into a clean bowl with the sauce.  Otherwise, there is too much liquid. 

Marinated Pork Chops:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons begetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 boneless pork chops

Mix all the ingredients, except the pork, in a bowl.  Place the pork in the bowl one by one covering them in the sauce.  Put the correct serving sizes in freezable bags.  Freeze.

To cook:  thaw then cook in frying pan with a little oil or bake in oven 350 degrees about 30 minutes.

I didn't take pictures because raw meat is yucky!

Freezable Meals Day 2

Today's meals were:

Rosemary Chicken with zucchini from the Real Simple website.  What was great about this recipe is that you freeze it before cooking so the chicken breasts marinated in the amazing smelling marinate!  Thank Acey for suggesting it!  You can google for the recipe if you want it.

Then I found a Shepherds Pie recipe that I altered a bit:

Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes: russet cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
2 pounds ground beef
baby carrots sliced
1 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons parsley leaves

Directions:
Boil potatoes with skins in salted water.  Drain and put into large bowl with salt, pepper, sour cream, and chicken broth: mash!

In a large pan on medium high heat cook ground beef and onion, season with salt and pepper.  Once ground beef is browned add carrots cooking for about 5 more minutes.

In a small skillet over medium heat cook better and flour for about 2 minutes, whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce, stir and cook until thickened.

Add gravy to meat and vegetables and stir in peas.  Place meat mixture in baking pan, spread potatoes on top and sprinkle with paprika and parsley leaves.

Broil on high till potatoes are browned.

finding a balance between life and death

For the past year, I have wondered about these few days.  Will I cry?  Will I be able to smile today?  How will I feel?  How can I/should I remember the birth and death of our twins and yet still be excited about this new life? 

These days have played over in my mind more than I can count:
January 7th, 2010: we found out they were gone.
January 8th, 2010:  I checked into the hospital, was induced and starting the labor process.
January 9th, 2010: my babies were born still, their birth and death day.  My goodbye before hello.


I feel that God was leading me to celebrate life. 

January 7th, 2011:  I slept in, had a prenatal massage, a Christmas present from my husband.  Then I came home and cooked meals to freeze in preparation for Owen's arrival.  Chris and I were invited to dinner with the woman that introduced us.  She is moving back to our area and it was a celebration to be together again.  I even got to tell the story about how we got together, it is a favorite!

January 8th, 2011:  Slept better than I have in a long time due to that AWESOME massage the day before.  We slept till 10:15 (which is now late to us!).  Then I threw on some clothes and headed to a girls lunch.  I have recently joined a group of moms and several of us are mom's to be and we decided to get together for lunch.  We sat and talked for over two and a half hours and had a wonderful time.

One woman, Meagan, lives on 3 acres and we connected about growing gardens (or how I want to do one next year) and also she is planning on cloth diapering!! 

The other woman, Ashley and I have a lot of the same life experiences.  First, she is also a Chi Omega from a different university.  Second, she delivered her twin boys last January at the SAME hospital as I did and unfortunately they didn't make it. She was further along and they lived for a while, but still I feel God put us together especially this weekend for a reason.  If only so that I could remember my boys with someone who TOTALLY gets it, who knows the pain. 

These two woman are both expecting little girls....hummmm future girlfriends perhaps...though Camryn might have first dibs! 

So then it was time to leave and I felt happy.  I had laughed and talked and just had a good time with these women.   I headed home to my husband.  We decided that we would use our coupon and go eat cheap mexican food.  It was sooooo yummy!!  Even though it was FREEZING outside and we thought we were a bit crazy for venturing out we decided to make one more stop.  Off to Target, we had received a duplicate gift and had some gift cards.  We timed it perfectly has they had just marked a bunch of baby items on clearance!!  We were able to purchase the infant carseat, stroller, car seat protective cover and bottle drying rack and not spend any money! 

I was almost giggly giddy, knowing that the last of the BIG items are in our possession.  I guess I didn't realize how much I was thinking about these items.  I feel so blessed by the giving and support from our family and friends!  Thank you ALL again!

January 9, 2011: This day arrived as eventually each one does.  I awoke after a sleepless night full of tossing and turning.  I think I must have peed about 8 times and drank 32 oz of water--super thirsty after the salty mexican food I guess.  We did our usual before church routine and headed off to church.  It is comforting to be in between those walls and hear the songs of praise on a day like today.  I noticed that during the sermon a woman who sits near us had tears running down her face during the message.  It was a message about loss and life.  How fitting and yet made me think I sit near her and have no clue what she may have lost this year, but I prayed for her and will continue to do so. 

After church we headed to our good friends' daughters 1st birthday.  I  have wondered how I would feel at her party on my babies birthday, but it was ok.  It was worse thinking and anticipating it than the actual party.  See, I as I said earlier God was calling me to celebrate LIFE!  What a better way than with a special little girl, who we love dearly!  It was a perfect first birthday party, of course there was the usual smash cake and presents.  But, there was also a pinatas for the older kids, yummy white chicken chilli, and many laughs with close friends and family.

Amazing enough at the birthday party Owen and I both received gifts!! I don't think that is how it is supposed to work, but hey who doesn't like presents!  I received a photo album a late birthday present from a close girlfriend and Owen received lots of wipes, a few toys and some bottles.  She covered all the necessities; some fun, something to keep him fed and something to keep him clean!    Seems like more celebration of life!

After the wonderful party, Chris and I headed to the home improvement store to purchase the tile for the bathroom renovation we (really just Chris) are undertaking.  We used all the gift cards that we had received at Christmas and only had to pay $20!  AWESOME!!

A year ago, we didn't own this house much less could have imagined we would be expecting a child and about to undertake a bathroom renovation.  As I am typing this I hear two strands of music in the background, one is the usual IPOD playing its tunes and the other is a hammer and crashing of the handicap shower seeing its last day.  See, as we are planning for this new life Neana (my mom) realized that Owen would need a bathtub and she made it so Chris couldn't say no.  Part of life is getting dirty and I can't wait to clean up my baby in his new tub.  Hopefully, this pregnant mama will get to try it out first!

It was all about celebrating life this weekend.  I didn't plan it and I didn't realize it until it happened, but I am thankful that it worked out this way. 

PS: Owen thanks for being so active this weekend I needed all your kicks and hiccups, they felt so good!

lil spark: 34 weeks

This was written on Friday, but I am just now getting to post it b/c I am getting to be a slacker about the belly pics b/c I never get dressed anymore!

Wow, here I am 34 weeks a year to date when I found out our twins were gone.  Owen, you are almost 5 pounds according to some website and the size of a cantaloupe!  I believe it!  You kept me up all last night with your kicking and my back is so soar from carrying you around, BUT (that is a HUGE but, by the way) I love it and I would do it for you a million times. You are going to be worth every ache, pain, numb limbs, heartburn, and whatever else my body throws at me these next few weeks.  Your daddy was so good to me for Christmas and bought us (ok me) a prenatal massage.  It was wonderful this morning, she was able to get the kinks out of my back and I really could lay down and take a nap! But I've got too much to do before your arrive!

How far along: 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: up 35 pounds; not as bad as I thought!
Maternity clothes: loving my XL pants!
Stretch marks: no new ones so far! 
Sleep: didn't sleep much last night, tossing and turning trying to get comfy.  I did get up at 5am and eat a bowl of cereal with MILK and blueberries and then went back to bed.
Best moments this week:  realizing you are getting closer to being here...what am I doing on the computer I still have a MILLION and ONE things to do before I am ready for you to be here!?!?!?!
Belly button in or out?: officially out, but not huge
Craving: milk milk milk and check out this weeks expiration date!

What I am looking forward to: the u/s on the13th!! Next week!

one year ago

I found this poem and it says the words that right now I can't seem to find.

These are My Footprints
"These are my footprints, so perfect and so small. These tiny footprints, never touched the ground at all.  Not one tiny footprint, for now I have my wings. These tiny footprints were meant for other things.  You will hear my tiny footprints, in the patter of the rain. Gentle drops like angels tears, of joy and not from pain.  You will see my tiny footprints, in each butterflies' lazy dance. I'll let you know I'm with you, if you give me just a chance.  You will see my tiny footprints, in the rustle of the leaves. I will whisper names into the wind, and call each one that grieves.  Most of all, these tiny footprints, are found in mommy's heart, cause even though I'm gone now, we'll never truly part."

It has been one year since we said hello and goodbye.  My twin boys I will never forget you. Mommy and Daddy love you and we think of you often. You will always be in our hearts and we can't wait to meet you in heaven.

January 7th, 2010 and 2011

Today a year ago my husband, his mother and my sister piled in our cars full of excitement headed to the Dr.'s office to see our twins.

Our lives were changed drastically that day.

Today, this year my belly is swollen full of another child that when he moves takes my breath away.

I love you Abe, Benny and Owen you are all my boys, my children.


Today, I am also thinking of my good friend Jackie who I have never met in person, but who has become a very special woman in my life as she lost her little bean a year ago today.  We both had ultrasounds this day and we both received the worst news that our babies were gone.  I don't think I would have survived this past year without all the emails we exchanged.  There were times when no one else remembered our babies, but we were able to speak freely of them.  Thank you Jackie for all your support.

My prayer for this next year is for it to bring this little boy into my arms and home.  For Jackie, I pray that it brings a renewed spirit, health and a successful IVF.  To all the other women who have lost babies, or are waiting for their babies I am thinking of you and know how hard it is to start a new year with empty arms.  I pray that 2011 brings the baby into your arms one way or another.

Dr apt update and shopping

Dr APT:

I had an OB appointment yesterday.  Owen's heartbeat is right on track at 145-150; the belly bump is measuring 33 weeks and my blood pressure was excellent.  I spoke with my Dr a little more about the c-section.  For some reason I was worried about where she would make the incision because my placenta so low lying basically it is in the way.  She reassured me it would be a normal c-section and if the placenta was in the way she would just move it with her hand taking out Owen first and then the placenta.

Also, Owen is transverse; so if the placenta moves Owen would still need to move into the head down position.  As of right the last u/s he can't move into position b/c the placenta is in the way.  We could really see this on the u/s.  So at this point, Chris and I are not feeling very positive that the placenta will move and if it does I am not excited about having my Dr have to move Owen into position (sounds painful).  We keep telling each other as long as he is here healthy we are ok with a c-section.  I am not going to beat myself up over something that I can't control.  

Owen is a bit more head down and bottom up at my right rib than as the picture shows.

 SHOPPING:

On to more fun topics.  My mother-in-law came with me to Greensboro and after my OB appointment we went shopping!   There were a few items on our agenda as my MIL has offered to make a few items for this precious boy.

1. Complementary fabrics for the guitar fabric for a handmade quilt
2. pattern for his coming home outfit
3. yarn for a knit hat

We ended up having a very successful day!  We found five great fabrics to go with the guitar fabric for Owen's nursery quilt including a turquoises, a black with a tiny gray pattern on it, a solid gray, a strip that had ALL the colors in it, and a green on green dot.

Then we found a simple pattern for his coming home outfit that has a little jacket with pockets on the front!

Of course it isn't exactly 100% what I wanted, but I think with a few changes like cuffs at the bottom of the pant instead of the pleating, removing the buttons and adding details but keeping it simple.


Lastly, I picked out a fun red yarn for a little red knit hat that she is going to make for him!!  These are going to be some of the special treasures we will keep forever!!  So sweet!! I can't wait to wrap this baby in handmade love!

Freezable Meals Day 1: 2 soups

Yesterday, I got very organized here is a mini break down:

• narrowed down my recipes making sure I had several recipes for each type of meat and that included lots of vegetables
• then catorgized them by type of meat, as of right now I am going to have 4 big days of cooking, but I will add more if I have time and freezer space. 
• Beef-ground and cubed:  Santa Fe Soup, Zesty Beef Veggie Soup, Shepherds Pie
• Chicken Breast: Rosemary Chicken, Cream Cheese Italian Chicken, Chicken Tortilla Soup 
• Spiral Honey Glazed Ham: Ham and Hash Brown Casserole, Corn Flake Hash Browns, Corn Chowder (any left overs will be frozen seperatly and are GREAT for a quick pre-cooked meat)
• Ground Turkey:  Turkey Chilli (I would like to find another recipe to add to this day.)
• printed all the recipes or pulled out of my go to recipe box
• made a HUGE grocery list divided by each meat category. To keep costs down I am buying in bulk where possible, but I am also just buying right before I cook those meals so that the fresh food won't go bad. 
• Double checked my pantry for items: found a quite a few things!
• Looked for coupons in my coupon file and online
• Headed to Walley World

Here are all the items for the first 3 recipes!

The first two recipes that I did are the Santa Fe Soup and Zesty Beef  Veggie Soup.

I have cooked the Santa Fe Soup many times and I have forgotten how freaking easy it is to make and so yummy!!!  Right now it is cooling before I put it into the freezable containers.

Santa Fe Soup  

Since you cook the ground beef at the beginning you only have to let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Here is the recipe if you are interested; I have no clue where I got it from as I have been making it since early in our marriage.

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef: (I usually get the lowest fat percentage I can find at the store)
1 onion chopped (I usually use white)
2 cans, 11oz, of white corn (I had yellow in the pantry so that's what I used this time)
1 can, 16 oz, of pinto beans (ops forgot to buy them, but luckily had red kidney beans to substitute!)
1 can, 10 oz, of Rotel tomatoes with chillies (I used mild)
1 can, 16 oz, black beans
2 cups water (ended up adding more b/c I wanted it more soupy which will be better for freezing)
2 packages of taco seasoning
2 packages of ranch dressing mix (or about a half of cup if you have the big bottle like us!)

Directions:
Brown ground beef with the onions.  Throw in the rest of the ingredients, draining the corn and beans.  Simmer 30-45 minutes.

Either serve with Fritos, sour cream, cheddar cheese or in a bread bowl or like I am doing freeze in containers that are the correct proportions for your family.

Next, I made the Zesty Beef Veggie Soup.

Zesty Beef Veggie Soup (before)

Here it is in raw form, it needs to cook in the crock pot for next 6 hours on high.

Recipe: (somewhere off line, I hope this is good)

1 lb beef stew meat, cubed (I bought almost a 1 1/2 because my husband likes eating meat)

1/2 cup white onion chopped

2 tsp garlic, minced (or garlic powder that I had on hand, starting off a little at a time)

2 cups shredded cabbage (I bought this pre-shredded in the bag and it had white and red cabbage and some carrots, but I figured it would still work, more veggies the better!)

2 cups frozen corn

2 cups frozen green beans

2 cups carrots, sliced (I used baby carrots so I didn't have to peel them)

4 cups V8 Hot and Spicy tomato vegetable juice (used almost the whole container)

1 can, 14.5 oz, Italian diced tomatoes (never used these before, but they smelled good!)

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (we buy the low sodium)

1 teaspoon basil leaves

1 Tablespoon sugar (thought about using splenda, but then didn't)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients into the slow cooker, stir.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours.   Taste to make sure its good before letting cool and freezing in serving sized containers or freezer bags.

*I have an awesome husband who is great at seasoning and he ended up adding the following:

Here is our final Zesty Soup!

By this point my feet are killing me and my belly is hard as a rock from all the running around today.  Did I mention I did laundry, dishes and general picking up around the house before the shopping trip?  Thankfully, Chris worked from home on paperwork and was able to help me get the groceries in the house.

Whew!  If you made it this far WOW and thanks for reading!!  

cooking in January

So, I am working on my list of items to cook and freeze and would love your help.  Please let me know if any of you have any recipes or suggestions to round out my list!

Dinners:

• Mild Chicken Chili
• Marinated Cream Cheese Italian Chicken Breast
• Zesty Beef and Vegetable Soup
• Ham and Hash Brown
• McCormick Crock Pot Chili with ground Turkey
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Shepherds Pie
• Santa Fe Soup

Sides:

• Corn Flake Hashbrowns

So, it looks like I am covered on the soups!  So, I was thinking if I cook 3 meals a week and each meal I can freeze 2 that would be 6 meals and I have at least 4 weeks so....that would be 24 meals!  Throw in the stouffers lasagna and chicken and rice meals and our new favorite PF Changs frozen meal bags and we will have at least the first month or so covered.  Thank goodness we have a stand up freezer waiting to be filled up!!

lil spark: 33 weeks

Oh my goodness 4 weeks until Owen is full term!!  Thank you Lord, you are so good!!!

How far along: 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: will find out Tuesday at my next OB apt
Maternity clothes: I really only like to wear pj's at this point.
Stretch marks: realized my new lotion was for FIRMING, ops, guess we will use that in about 6 weeks after this man makes his appearance!  I did buy the Mama Bee's belly balm, it is annoying getting it out of the tin, but it really does moisturize my skin!  I am really diggin' it right now. 
Sleep:  spent the first night of the new year in the guest bedroom, but hey I gotta do what I gotta do to get some zzzz!
Best moments this week:  Ringing in the new year with our bestest friends and their daughter.  It was low key, but fun!  We talked baby stuff all night!  Strollers, breast pumps, etc.
Belly button in or out?: working its way out
Craving: organic skim milk (have I mentioned this?)
What I am looking forward to: the u/s on the 13th!!!

By the way: 
I have approximately a four pound
pineapple in my belly!