Holy Guacamole I Love the Holidays

Happy Holiday weekend!!! Even though I'm no longer working I still get excited for Holiday weekends because I love having the extra day to spend with my husband and baby.  One of the first things I remember about my husband early on in our dating relationship was the fact that I never tired of hanging out with him. I know, I know, that is usually pretty typical early on in any relationship, but this was something different. It was one of those "I just know he will be my best friend forever" type of feeling. And he is, without a doubt, my absolute best friend--my love.  So yes, I look forward to our long weekends together regardless of big plans or no plans just as long as it involves the two cutest blue-eyed boys and perhaps a dutch bros. or two.....and of course good food.

You can't have a Memorial Day without some kind of chip and dip....and when I think dip I think guacamole.  I am a sucker for all things avocado, especially when in the form of a creamy and dreamy, spicy yet sweet, chunky and chewy guac of all guacs.....I give you none other than my all-time fave....Charred Corn Guacamole!  This has been a tried and true hit, it's pure delightful, it screams summer and it always...ALWAYS screams my name. I mean, just look at that chip filled with that glorified goodness.  

I want to eat my screen right now, but I won't...what I will do is share the recipe so you can go get your dip n' chip on.  

Charred Corn Guacamole
From Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

• 1/2-3/4 c frozen corn
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• 1/2-1(depending on how much you like) red onion finely diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In hot pan add oil and frozen corn, saute until charred, set aside to cool.  (you can also grill corn on the cob and add that if you have the time)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chips.

Now I don't know about you, but I could eat guacamole any day of the week for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  But I do find it quite pleases my palate to pair it with a good taco.  This next recipe does the trick for the taco pairing. It was originally intended for a slow-cooker pork taco found here at  Tasty Kitchen, but I changed things around to make a quick stove top chicken verde taco. Because honestly, I don't know that I would have the patience to smell this all day long waiting for it to finish cooking in a slow cooker. I might dig in too early and that would be bad. So here is my shortened version.

Photo from: Tasty Kitchen

 
Chicken Verde Tacos:

Ingredients:

2 lbs poached and shredded chicken breast
1 jar (16 oz or more) salsa verde
3 Tbls lime juice
1 whole onion
1 c chopped cilantro
1 c halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
corn tortillas
sour cream (optional)
olives (optional)
mozzarella cheese (optional) 
charred corn guacamole (optional....but highly recommended!)

Directions:
Mix  together salsa and lime juice. Heat large pan over medium/high heat. Add 1/2 onion and saute until onion becomes tender. Add in salsa mixture and shredded chicken, cook until heated through. Add 1/4 c tomatoes and 1/2 c cilantro and cook for about 5 more minutes.  in separate bowl mix remaining 1/2 onion, 1/2 c cilantro,3/4 c tomatoes, this creates a simple fresh salsa that can top of your taco....or you can omit this step altogether.  I like the combo of the hot chicken with the crunch of the fresh onion and sweet tomatoes. Next warm up your corn tortillas, pile on all the toppings to your liking, and take a big bite.

I have been known to add so many topping to my tacos that they burst when attempting to make it in my mouth...but that's ok, the messier the better. Besides, that's what forks are for! This chicken also makes a great chicken taco salad the next day.  Just throw on top of a heap of shredded romaine lettuce and doctor it up with refried beans, olives, cheese, guacamole and devour.  Perfect for a holiday weekend.  Enjoy my friends.

Oh What a Morning.....

Can I just say that yesterday was a "magical" day.  Nothing over the top happened, it was just a very precious day....one that I will remember for years and years to come.  Let me try to explain, see this past week I have not been feeling well, I have been fighting off an infection that hindered breastfeeding and taking care of my baby.  It wore me out, but thanks to antibiotics I am getting back to working order.  I learned that it is a lot harder to take care of yourself when you are caring for another little human being 24/7.  And even harder to try and recoop in a timely manner.  So most of this week consisted of me just trying to keep my head above water and get through each day until yesterday.  Yesterday I finally felt more like myself, and Cole was just a super better dose of himself.  We had a good day.  We played, we laughed, we learned, Cole slept, Cole tried new things, and Cole showed his mama yet another layer of this thing called motherly love.  The whole day was just smooth sailing from start to finish...I don't really know why...and it's not like it's ever been a big chore taking care of my little coco.  But for some reason his smile seemed bigger, his eyes a bit brighter, and his tug at my heart a lot stronger.  We just soaked up one anothers company...I remember being exhausted as my head hit my pillow last night,  I couldn't help but smile and think of how perfect the day had been and how deep my love for that sweet boy was.

This is the face that was embedded in my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

And then came the morning....someone woke up way way on the wrong side of bed, and it wasn't me.

This is the look that seems to be the most popular so far....

Yep, it's been one of  those kind of days.

But that's ok...we all need a good cry and a chance to stomp our feet every once in awhile. I'm sure we will have plenty more "magical" days to come. I will take them one by one and will never stop being thankful for my precious little boy....nap fights and all.

Just Because....

Just because I can't help but share the smiles that melt my heart every day.  Seriously, if you need a pick-me-up today take a quick peak at my little coco bean.  My little sister took some amazing pictures and captured about every expression he makes on a daily basis, except for his mad face...but that rarely happens.  They are priceless....but then again I am biased.  Enjoy!

"Give me a Kiss" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"Sweet Eyes" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"I'm not having any fun" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"I'm such a natural" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"Mr Cool" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"You want me to look cute?" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"I feel like such a model" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

"Melting Heart" Photo By: Shannon Dickman

Hope that made you smile, it did me. Have a great Wednesday!

Conviction

This morning I have been convicted.  I feel as if I have settled into my life and have become quite comfortable. I am happy-- there's no doubt about that. I have a kind, sweet and patient husband who loves me.  I have an adorably-addicting-blue-eyed-baby boy who has cried, cooed, wiggled and crawled into every nook and cranny of my overflowing heart.  I have been blessed with an amazingly supportive family who love Jesus and have been a constant example of what it looks like to follow Christ....In-laws included (double bonus!).

Sure, I have had my trials and times when it honestly hurt too much to breathe and get out of bed each morning. Times when I had to learn to allow Jesus to take my hand and walk me through those "valleys of the shadow of death".  Looking back I realized that in those dark moments I clung to the hope that God would bring brighter days, I clung to knowledge that God wouldn't give me more than I could handle. And I clung to the existence of God and that if I fell to my knees He would pick me up.  And He did.  In fact, He not only picked me up off the floor, He wiped my tear-stained face, dusted off my knees, and tenderly guided my wounded heart to life abundant.  He became my Almighty, my El Roi (The God who sees), and my Jehovah- Rapha (the Lord who heals). I realized that when times were bleak my faith was actively stronger, I actively pursued my Maker, and I actively grew in the knowledge of who I was in Christ.  However, when life is good it is easy for me to sit back and enjoy the ride.  But that is not how I want to get accustomed to live my life, I don't want to forget the fact that I was made to bring glory to my creator. I don't want to lose the fervor that drove me through  tough times, and I want my life to be a constant reflection of Christ.  For in the end everything else will fade except for who we are in Christ.  Bottom line, I need to be more Heaven focused in both the good and the bad times. I need to have more discipline and I want to passionate and active spiritual life with my Heavenly Father.  Charles Swindoll said it perfectly in his book So, You Want to Be Like Christ?.

"The Kingdom of God as a real part of our daily lives....But the hardest thing in the world, it seems, is for God to have our full attention so that intimacy with Him glows from within and can be seen by others as a passion that is authentic.  He wants no mere show religion but a passionate spirituality, where God still does miraculous things through His people--often in spite of us--where God reveals His will in ways that are full of mystery and surprise and wonder.  A humble spirituality that leaves us, the clay, willingly soft and malleable in the hands of the Potter, our Sovereign God."

That is my conviction. I want pure authentic passion in all aspects of my life, every single day.

"For my determined purpose is that I may know Him--that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed to His death." Philippians 3:10 AMP

We're celebrating 7 month style

So I knew that time would fly by...but I really had no idea it would go this incredibly fast.  My little bugaboo is 7 months old today, that is equivalent to turning 27 in my eyes.  It seems when you reach 27 there really is no turning back to your early twenties, you are officially considered an "adult" and more so expected to act as one.  6 months was a big milestone...but for some reason 7 months seems like such a leap in months.  We are no longer in that little bitty baby stage, he can no longer be called an infant or newborn....instead he just keeps growing, growing, and growing.  (Someone please tell my back to get the memo that it needs to buck up because my baby aint getting any smaller!) So it is with mixed emotions that I celebrate 7 amazing months with my mini man.  I feel like I can already see a glimmer of what he will be like in 20 years to come.  SWEET.  No doubt in my mind he is going to be one sweet, darling man...just like his daddy.  But before I get all teary eyed thinking of my baby being old enough to drive, date, and be independent....I want to relish in who he is now and where we have come in the blink-of-an-eye 7 months ago today.  Cole bug I love you more than you will ever know.  Happy 7 month to you!

Minutes Old...

1 day old...

2 weeks old

1 month

2 Months

3 months...nope, not happy at all.

4 1/2 almost 5 months

5 1/2 almost 6 months

6 months!!!!

 We just had pictures taken by my talented little sister, so I will post his 7 months pics as soon as I get them! I can't wait, they turned out really good!

So since today is all about celebrating 7 months with my little bug.... what would a celebration be without good food and dessert?  Well, no celebration at all.  And we can't have that

If you need good party food I have the easiest and tastiest suggestion,  BBQ pulled pork. Oh, how I love a good BBQ, in fact both my husband and I love it so much we served it at our wedding.  This recipe is a gem that will knock your socks off. And the best part, your crockpot does all the work. I will be honest,  lately I have had a love-hate relationship with my crockpot.  The past couple times it has decided to cook the bejeebies out of my dishes turning it into more of a jerkey-like substance.  It reminded me of the Griswold's Christmas where they were all gnawing on the turkey in good spirits while "snots" was "hacking on a bone".   After that whole episode, and visions of "snots" in my head...I was a bit reluctant to try it again, that is, until I saw this recipe:  Baking Bites: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork. Boy, am I ever glad I did.  Crockpot, you have redeemed yourself.

Here is the recipe, I modified it a little from the above site to what I had on hand. I wish I had a picture to show you, so you could drool with me....but I was too hungry and scarfed my dinner down that night. But if you must need a picture go to the above site and you will be hooked-- line and sinker just like I was.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork:

(Original recipe from Baking Bites)

2 lb pork tenderloin, mine was also frozen solid (original recipe called for 5-6lb pork shoulder/butt)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp mustard
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper ( I left this out, as I have to be careful with the spice in my life)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup water

Instructions:

Place onion on the bottom of your slow cooker. Place pork shoulder, trimmed of any obvious excess fat, into slow cooker on top of onions.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients to form the barbecue sauce. Feel free to adjust salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Pour half of the sauce over the pork and cover. Set remaining sauce aside.
Cook over low heat for about 8 hours ( Because I was using a smaller and leaner cut of meat that was frozen, I first cooked on high for 1 1/2 hr, then turned to low for 3 hours...checked it, and then put it on high for one more hour until the meat fell apart to the touch).
Remove pork to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Transfer meat back into slow cooker and cook for a few more minutes, until meat has soaked up the sauce. Pulled pork can be held on the “warm” setting in the slow cooker for serving.
Serve over brown rice topped with remaining BBQ sauce, or top it off with a little Sweet Baby Rays to kick it up yet another notch.  Also great served on rolls.

I paired the finished dish with corn and creamy, whipped sweet potatoes. Yum. 

Serves 10-12

And please don't forget about dessert.....we're celebrating here....

This recipe holds a special place in my heart, and I find it perfect that I am sharing it with you on Cole's 7 month birthday.  See, before I even knew that the little baby inside my belly was a little man....I had a horrifying scare.  At 18 weeks I called my doctor around 10:00 AM in hysterical tears.  I thought for sure I had lost my baby. I remember in sheer panic trying to listen to the nurse as she told me to remain calm (um, yeah right.), go home, lay on my left side and they would fit me in for an ultrasound asap. Kyle picked me up and I cried.  I pulled myself together right before walking into the waiting room and then breaking into tears as soon as I checked in.  They whisked us into the room to get ready for the ultrasound ( I think more so I wouldn't give the other expectant mother's anxiety watching me ball my eyes out).  Let me tell you this, never did a heart beat sound so refreshing and refined as it did in that moment....it was heavenly.  Bottom line, they couldn't find anything wrong and the little man was growing stronger by the minute...wait, what? Yep, the little stinker decided to spread his legs showing us his goods.  So what started as started as a terrifying trip to the doctor ended in joyful celebration of our sweet baby BOY.  With such an emotional day I knew one thing for sure.....ok, two things...we were having a boy and we needed cupcakes.  So I whipped up a batch of these bad "boys" (ha ha) and had a fun "gender reveal party" by hiding blue peanut butter M&M's in the middle for my family to find.

The big BOY reveal

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes:

Cupcake:
2 c sugar
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c strong black coffee or instant espresso with 1 c boiling water
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
In large bowl stir together first 6 ingredients until mixed. Add in remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fill lined cupcake pans 3/4 full and bake 18-25 minutes. If making mini cupcakes bake 9-11 minutes. Cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

2 c powder sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
10 tbls unsalted butter; room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c heavy cream

Instructions:
in medium bowl mix all ingredients through vanilla on low speed until creamy. Add cream and beat on high until light and smooth. Frost cupcakes.

You will think you died and went to Reese's heaven.  Enjoy!

If Giada Says So

So last night's dinner proved to be a fail.  Not because it didn't taste good, but because it kept the little turkey up with gas pains.  He woke up every hour it seemed until about 2:00 in the morning.  And this was not the first time this has happened. We realized almost immediately that he had a very sensitive little belly.In fact,  I am pretty sure he came out of the womb roota-tootin'!  I quickly learned that broccoli, onions, garlic, chocolate, and milk proved to be the most upsetting.  Which in return was quite upsetting to me.....because when I cook the more onions and garlic the better....and don't get me started on my love of chocolate, I have learned to indulge in small bits here and there which seem to work out for the both of us.  I started avoiding the things I knew caused the most problems and only consumed some of them in light moderation.  We seemed to be on a good road to recovery, as he had been sleeping well and we weren't using the gas drops as profusely as before. So when I came up with last night's dinner I thought, "what the heck" a caramelized onion loaded pizza was no big deal. See, there is one thing I love more than onions themselves....onions that have been  slowly cooked to a sweet candy-like state....hence the title "caramelized".  The art of caramelization is something that took me many years to master, you have to cook the perfectly sliced onions over low heat, tending to them with love and finesse.  Patience is definitely not my strongest virtue (ask my parents not my husband, as he is much to sweet to admit it.).  I usually attack a situation in hopes of getting the best and short-framed outcome as possible.  And that is how I used to make my caramelized onions...I would crank up the gas heat and literally fry the living daylights out of them. I didn't want to stand there stirring and stirring and waiting and waiting.  But as with most things in life....patience brings out a better quality, a more pronounced sweetness that could easily get overlooked if handled to hastily. Trust me when I say this, you don't want to cook your onions to quickly. You will regret it, I did.

One little tip if you have some little ones at home and the idea of making homemade pizza makes you want to crawl into a corner and frantically speed dial the closest delivery man.  Choose your toppings wisely, AND use store bought pizza dough.  I am usually all about making things from scratch, but recently I was watching Giada....and would you guess what she pulled out of her refrigerator....store prepared pizza dough!  Kyle always gives me a hard time saying I "LOVE" Giada....and, well....maybe I do.  Whats not to love?  She is brilliant when it comes to easy, flavorful and truly authentic Italian dishes.  She always does a cute little smack, followed by a "num-num" when she tastes her food.  And sometimes when she gets really excited she does a little happy dance....personally, I like happy dances.  So I decided if it's good enough for Giada is good enough for me. The end. 

So after all of that, here is the simplest pizza to make, and it might even be faster than waiting for the delivery guy to show up with your soggy pizza anyways.

 Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza:



Ingredients:

1 store bought pizza dough ( I used Trader Joes)
1 red onion, thinly sliced and caramelized
1 Tbls olive oil
Prosciutto (you can choose how much or how little you want, I like to slice in strips and cover the entired pizza)
pizza sauce ( again, you can choose the amount...do you like it saucy?)
5-6 slices of fresh mozzarella rounds ( fresh makes all the difference in the world)
handful of fresh baby arugula
olive oil for drizzling, optional
fresh parmesan cheese
fresh pepper for sprinkling, also optional

Instructions: 
Preheat over 425 (or as otherwise directed on pizza dough package)

Place pizza stone in preheated over to warm up.

In pan over low heat add olive oil and sliced onions, cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often until nice caramel-like consistency is achieved. 

On lightly floured surface either roll or stretch dough into a 12 inch diameter circle.  Top with sauce, prosciutto, onions and cheese. Bake until edges of dough get lightly browned and the cheese is melted about 20-25 minutes...again this depends on the dough you use and the thickness you make it.

Once you remove from the oven top with arugula and if you wish sprinkle with olive oil, parmesan cheese and pepper.

Most important step....Eat.

(Another helpful hint to busy moms: you can prepare the caramelized onions ahead of time, I made mine while the little man slept, and I also sliced the cheese and had the prosciutto all prepped and ready.  So when the time came to build the pizza I literally threw on the toppings and tossed in the oven...voila!)

When the Day Gets Away From You--Eat Soup.

I think sometimes people wonder what one does when they are a stay at home mom.  I will tell you it's not as if I spend all day with my feet kicked up and coffee in my hand....the truth is I usually only make it through a half cup of coffee, and later find it cold and old sitting on some forgotten place of landing.  I feel as if I am on go, go, go mode from the moment I am met with morning yawns and the sweet breath of baby boy.

We are working on keeping a schedule here, as I find that predictability works best for both mama and baby. Cole actually adapted quite well to the sleep, eat, play schedule as outlined in several books, and it really helped me to be able to organize and plan my days. So after feeding baby then comes feeding mama.  Lately, my breakfast consists of about 3 different cereals mixed together to create the perfect pairing of sweetness and fiber....yes, fiber people. It does a body good. For the past 6 1/2 almost 7 months now I have rarely strayed from my cereal eating ways, in fact, we go through such a copious amount of cereal here that you would think were serving it to an army. I like to blame it on my inability to eat it throughout most of my pregnancy.  I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and the morning proved to be the hardest to control my sugar levels....so gone were the cereal carb pits and hello to....eggs. I used to stare longingly at the boxes of Life and then drag my feet while making yet another breakfast sandwich consisting of an egg, cheese, and sometimes bacon smooshed between a high fiber/whole wheat english muffin (this was often doused with ketchup.....Mmmmm, ketchup.) I never ate so many eggs in my life, its a wonder that I still enjoy them after the fact.  So....When I'm finished relishing in my cereal goodness, I usually try to do something responsible such as any remaining dishes hangin' in the sink while Cole bug jumps away in his jumperoo ( if you have a 4 or 5 month old and do not have one of these yet, get one. They are genius....you will thank me later). 

We then move on to exer-play where we work on playing but also strengthening the muscles he needs for further development.  Lately we have been working extra hard on tummy time and getting his little tush tush in the air for crawling. People keep telling me I will regret trying to convince him to crawl and be mobile... but I am honestly looking forward to each stage and can't wait to chase him around the house, at least then I could say I cardio is added to my daily routine! 

When the laughs turn to a fine mixture of giggle-cry and I get a face that looks like this....

I know that it must be close to nap time. Once he is down and sound asleep I can finally get myself ready for the day, check FB, write a blog, plan weekly meals, etc.  I try to cram as much productivity into the time that I have just to myself....because once he is up we begin the whole eat, play, sleep pattern all over again.

I do try to get the two of us out at least once a day in between his morning and afternoon nap, I feel that we are both in much better moods with a little change of scenery.  By the time we return it's nap time...for baby that is.  And this is the time of day I really have to kick it into high gear, I have a  small window of time where I try to get dinner prepped.  It helps so I can throw everything together quickly and easily when I am juggling entertaining Mr. Bean, fixing dinner and awaiting the arrival of the hubs.  However, I have never been good with time management and sometimes my dreams of having a beautiful spread of food for my honey and I to consume is shattered when I look at the time and realize "Oh crap"  only 15 minutes until eat time.  For days like these I like to keep a secret weapon up my sleeve...SOUP.  I have always loved soup and the warmth it brings to my soul.  Not to mention that you can pretty much throw together a wonderful soup in no time flat. And that is what happened last night...I had plans of making homemade pizza....but one look at the clock as I was feeding the bug I knew I needed plan B. And this proved to be a success. It was warm, it was satisfying, it got a thumbs up from Kyle and it was FAST.  I changed the recipe and preparation a little from the original to make it faster and more convenient with items I had on hand.  I would highly recommend this soup if you want something healthy, quick and full of flavor.


Chicken Spinach and Pesto Soup:
Adapted from this Recipe:
Eating Well

Ingredients:

• 1 T Olive Oil
• about 10 baby carrots chopped
• 5 chicken tenders poached and shredded
• 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
• 1/2 package of prepared pesto sauce (or add in according to taste preference)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of precooked brown rice (optional) I added this in as an after thought, and because I had some that needed to be used up in the fridge.
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)
• Lots and lots of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top

Preparation:
 In large pot or dutch oven heat the olive oil and add chopped carrots; saute for about 5-6 minutes until tender.  ( you could also add chopped onions and some garlic if preferred). Then add chicken broth, marjarom and cook for 1-2 minutes then bring to a boil. Next add in cannellini beans, spinach, and pesto sauce. Cook for about another 5 minutes until carrots are tender. 

Add in chicken, rice(optional), and fresh pepper.  Allow chicken and rice to get thoroughly heated and incorporated into the soup.  Top with croutons and parmesan cheese right before serving.  Also goes well with crusty cheesy bread. Eat and be satisfied.

The Beginning

I am new to the Blog world and to be honest I have been wanting to start up one for quite some time now.  But as with most of my life I procrastinated until I could no longer ignore the fact that if I don't start one now, I might as well kiss my opportunity bye-bye.  So I worked on my layout, tweaking here and tweaking there and still am not 100% satisfied but decided to get over it for now and move on.  Then came the hard part, where do I start?  I tossed many ideas around and finally decided to begin by letting you  in on the inspiration for my blog.  So here you go...blog post numero uno.

How it All Began:

Photo By: Timeless Impressions

I met a man...a very sweet and darn good looking man.  We dated, we kissed, he put a ring on my finger, we said "til death do us part".... and after 6 whirlwind months of  marital bliss, God had blessed us with a precious  baby bean to care and nurture in my belly for the next 9 months.  Boy, the phrase "Life hits you fast" is no lie...we didn't know the first thing about being parents, but after tears of fear and tears of joy, we knew that life was about to get a whole lot sweeter than we had ever imagined.  And it did.  Much, much sweeter. 

Photo By: Amy W. Photo

Photo By: Amy W. Photo

When my little man entered the world I swear the earth stood still as I gazed into those sweet eyes. I knew that little bundle had reached into the very core of our hearts as I looked up and saw the tears streaming down Kyle's  face.....the first time I had ever seen my husband cry. Probably one of the most tender and most cherished moments in my small history.  Life as we knew it would forever be changed, and we were more than happy to allow this new season to blossom and flourish.

Photo By: Amy W. Photo

Photo By: Amy W. Photo

Oh how we fell deeply, head-over-heals for our little Cole bug.....all the while Kyle was laid off from his job and we really got to soak up being together as a family of 3 for 3 whole months.  I loved that I had the two men that I adored the most around me 24-7. Sure, we had late nights and early mornings, but we felt beyond blessed.  We kept trying to wait in faith that God would provide when we most needed it.  The true trial came when my maternity flew by and it was time to head back to work.  I cried, oh how I cried...in fact I cried the ENTIRE night before I was originally scheduled to go back, not a wink of sleep.... thankfully I had an incredibly understanding boss who allowed me to take a whole extra week to prepare.  

Everyone kept telling me it would get easier, but it never did.  People would ask if I found a good daycare like it was just the typical and expected thing to do with your newborn.  I would say I found the best, he is with his daddy and they are having bonding time. And I would be lying if I didn't have a twinge of anxiety that in the end Cole would love his daddy more than me...the one who birthed him. And just when I about threw in the towel because I was given grief for taking "too many extra long breaks"  for pumping...God intervened.  He gave Kyle his job back and it proved to be a better situation than before with a few stipulations. Which led to the next stage of our lives.


I honestly was going to try and not be long-winded but I want people to fully understand where I am coming from and the basis for my blog.  See,  in the world's eyes it is normal and acceptable to be a working mom....and for some that may be exactly what God called them to do and be.  But for me something was grasping at my heartstrings...it was a blue-eyed-bubbly- boy.  And from the moment I met him I knew God had called me to put on a new pair of shoes.  I whole-heartedly traded in my high heels for wedges, and I gave up that lovely paycheck for cutting coupons.  And you know what? In my eyes I traded up.....I know being a homemaker gets a bad rap and sometimes it can be the brunt of many sitcom jokes.  But I feel privileged that God chose me.  

So here is my blog, join me in my journey to learning how to be a wife, a mom and a homemaker. I will share a little about life, a little about God, and a little about food...a blog with a combo of all my passions. 


Caley