Living with the Langleys

Guess What??

2011-10-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

In ONE MONTH, I will be going on a mission trip with my good friend Catherine Harvey to PORTUGAL. I am psyched about this trip and can't wait to see what God plans to do there! We will be working with missionary family Michael and Cristi Gerecke in Coimbra, who were placed there through the IMB. They are AGGIES - WHOOP! - and were members at our church before they were called to go overseas.

We plan to minister to families and students they have built relationships with through teaching them about the American custom of Thanksgiving. There will be LOTS of cooking!! And I'm sure LITTLE sleep! If you will, please pray for me these next few weeks as it sinks in that this will be the FIRST long trip away from the little guy. I'm okay right now, but I'm feeling like the next few weeks will be harder for me to focus on the MISSION and not how I'm feeling about being away from my family. And did I mention that I usually get air sick? Dramamine is my friend, but I've never had to fly more than 3 hours at a time. YIKES. And most importantly, please pray for the people in Portugal... that their hearts would be open, that the Lord would give us opportunities to share the gospel with them, and that they would see a radiant reflection of Christ through us.

If you're interested in hearing more about the trip, shoot me an email at michelle.langley@ymail.com. CAN'T WAIT!!!

Vacation 2011 - Part 3

2011-10-14T15:57:00.001-05:00

I guess I really didn't go into detail about some of the other things we did while we were in San Antonio. We didn't spend every day at Sea World. I think that the 2 days were plenty!

We pretty much SHOPPED the first day... I made the boys stop in San Marcos for some "outlet" shopping. Keep in mind that most of my clothes are from Old Navy. If they get more expensive than that, I usually will pass. SO, we did more window shopping than anything. I DO, HOWEVER, HAVE A WEAKNESS FOR FOSSIL. They have TWO Fossil outlets in San Marcos... not sure why. I was determined to go home with something. So, this is what I purchased. I got it on sale. It's my favorite color. I love it.

Josh didn't get a single thing, and we purchased a couple of overpriced toys for Jack. That's how we roll these days. I'm sure some of you totally feel me out there!

We stayed at the Westin La Cantera Resort on the north side of town. LOVED IT. We didn't get to golf or do anything at the spa because Jack wasn't old enough to do the day camp they have at the resort for the kids. They had a play room for the kids to play with trains, do a craft, watch a movie, and some other stuff, but a parent had to be in the room. Each night, you could roast smores at the fire pit and they played some movie on the green. And for the families with older kids, they had video game nights and pool competitions. VERY kid friendly. (I think they should pay me for this free advertising!)

We ate at a couple of neat places for dinner. Chris Madrid's is apparently a favorite burger joint in San Antonio. They're known for their Tostada Burger that has refried beans, salsa and chips on it. Josh tried it out and said it was pretty good! I wasn't that brave. Jack was so tired from the day that he slept through part of dinner - and it was NOISY!!

We also ate at Big Lou's Pizza. It was 30 minutes away, but well worth it! This is the place that was featured on Man vs. Food for their 42" pizza. SO GOOD. And we saw a TON of large parties that ordered the 42" pizza. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos. Bummer.

Here are our photos from the hotel...

Jack in the kid's pool.

He wasn't this happy when he discovered that bee sitting on his right arm.

LOVED this beach entry.

The pool area had a fun slide that Jack loved - you can see it in background. This particular day it was closed so he was sad when we told him he couldn't go down it. :(

Played SO much in the water that his lips turned BLUE!

FUNNY FACES.

Smores at the Fire Pit by the pool. (I forgot a change of shorts for Jack and was too lazy to run upstairs to get a pair. Classy, I know.)

Smores ALL over their faces.

Leftover pizza for breakfast one morning. YUM!!

On our drive back home, we stopped in Gruene to eat at the Gristmill. We sat outside overlooking the river and it was beautiful. And of course, the food was yummy, too.

And that concludes our 2011 Family Vacation!! Now, I'd like to take out WITHOUT the kid! (No offense, Jack.)

Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-10-11T19:24:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures from our second day at Sea World. There's a neat kid's area with rides, a splash park, and large jungle gym area (not sure if that's what you call it). Jack loved his first carousel ride with his daddy.

He climbed this large net wall and through netted tunnels...

He LOVED the splash area!!

We watched Elmo and his friends have a dance party.

Got a picture with Grover (I think that's who this is... we don't watch it at our house).

We watched a neat acrobatic show with dolphins and beluga whales.

And one final carousel ride before we leave the park...

Next post will be on the hotel. :)

Vacation 2011 - Part 1

2011-10-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

In September, our family took our very first FAMILY VACATION. Yes, I know. Jack is 2 and we are just now getting to it. Since it was our first, we didn't want to go too far from home. We picked San Antonio as our destination. I had a blast and have already asked if we can go back in the Spring!! Jack LOVED Sea World and all the fun things that they had for us to do at the hotel. We got a pretty good deal on Sea World admission - Josh and I each got kid's price admission (which only saved us $10 a piece), but we got a second day free. Jack got in free because he's 2. I'm going to miss the free things he gets at that age!!

Here's Jack and Shamu.

He LOVED watching the fish.

My two favorite "cookie monsters".

J got to ride a few of the rides with Daddy.

At one of the shows in Sea World - it really kept his attention!!

That's a sea otter standing on a HUGE walrus, waving at the crowd. I'm amazed at all the things the trainers are able to get these animals to do!

Photo with Pete the Penguin.

J had so much fun!! Here he is showing off his shark.

Part 2 to follow...

Today's CVS Trip

2011-10-03T16:20:00.000-05:00

I was really proud of this trip and thought it was blog worthy. Here's what I purchased:

(1) Jumbo Pack of Slip-on Huggies - On sale for $8.99

(5) Dove Shampoo/Conditioners - On sale for $3 each

(2) Covergirl Eye Shadows - Not on sale - $3.89 each

My total should've been about $34 with tax.

After several coupons and $3 worth of Extra Care Bucks, I spent $1.40 out of pocket. THEN, I got back $6 worth of Extra Care Bucks back. So I made a little money today. My hubby will be proud.

Here's what I used:

-$4 off of $20 CVS coupon

-$2 ECB for pledging to not be a "money trasher" - CLICK HERE

-$1 ECB that printed at the kiosk

-$8 off of 2 Covergirl face items coupon

-$2.50 off of Huggies Slip-on CVS coupon

-Stacked a $3.00 off Slip-on coupon I received in the mail

-(2) BOGO Free Dove Hair care product coupon

-$1 off a Dove hair care product coupon

I just noticed that they took off the regular price instead of the sale price of the Dove shampoo and conditioner for my BOGO coupon. Interesting.

YAY for making some money!!

Contest for Single Moms or Dads

2011-09-02T17:15:00.000-05:00

Hey friends! My sweet friend Liana at Liana Randel Photography has set up a contest for single moms and dads. She grew up in a single parent home for part of her life, so this is very near and dear to her. Her heart is wanting to BLESS a deserving family with a free session and a package of photos. And get this. ALL participants will get $50 off of a session fee!! You can enter personally, or send an entry in for someone else. Check out her contest rules on her blog here:

http://lianarandelphotography.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/giving-back-to-single-parents/

Contest ends September 21st, and the winner will be announced October 1st.

GOOD LUCK!!

Slip and Slide

2011-08-26T23:05:00.001-05:00

J and I recently had a play date with some friends that involved a slip and slide. J had SO much fun, so this week I decided that I would go on a hunt to find one for us to use in our own backyard. My friend Courtney said she found her's at Marshalls, so I had Josh take me and I found the exact same one on clearance for $4. Hot dog! What a deal! From the videos below, I hope you can tell that it was the best $4 I spent this week!! Enjoy!

Jack's 2nd Birthday

2011-07-26T16:21:00.001-05:00

I know I'm about 2 months late at posting these pictures, but better late than never, right? I've got the rest up on facebook, so if you already seen those, you've seen these. Jack turned 2 at the end of May and we had the party in our backyard. His party was construction themed - he LOVES "bump bumps" (that's what he calls tractors). It was super windy and super hot, but we still had a blast!

We served popcorn from Le' Popcorn in Southlake - had TONS of leftover!!

I made popcorn cups with leftover scrapbook paper from his banner shown in another picture below...

The kids' tables were wrapped with plan sheets from one of Josh's old projects. We wrapped the food tables this way, too. We also used a TON of caution tape - tape around each of the chairs and also around the posts of the pergola. What's a construction party without caution tape??

I made a '2' sign out of cardboard and wrapped it with more plan sheets.

This is one of the banners I had hanging. I used construction themed paper (brick/lumber/yard stick) and strung them with ribbon. I H-E-A-R-T ribbon.

The treat table. We had cupcakes with oreo icing, brownies in a dump truck (to resemble dirt), and some candy as part of favors to take home. The cupcake wrappers and toppers were from ETSY.

For the party favors, I made chocolate dump truck lollipops. I got the molds off of Amazon.com and they were super easy and fun to make!

I had my friend Catherine Harvey at Everything Design make some labels for me to use on the favor bags below, treat bags for the candy bar, and labels for water bottles. You can check out her website HERE. Aren't the labels great?! We stuffed the favor bags with Home Depot aprons (donated by Home Depot - I love free things!), Cracker Jacks, the dump truck lollipops, and little construction worker rubber duckies.

I made an applique for his birthday shirt... a houndstooth tie on a yellow t-shirt from Target - I also LOVE Target!! I also made tablecloths with the houndstooth fabric and used some of it on the serving tables.

Here are some of Jack's best buddies playing in the sandbox Daddy made.

His buddies playing with the blocks.

Jack having his birthday cake.

Playing with his new toys with C and B.

P.S. If you are planning on having a construction themed party any time soon, I have a ton of leftover items that you might be able to use!! :)

Bluebonnet Pictures

2011-05-02T00:09:00.003-05:00

In early April, we took Jack out to a bluebonnet field to take some pictures of him, since that's the thing to do here in Texas. We were supposed to go with some friends, but their little girl got the stomach bug. STINK! Jack had JUST recovered from the stomach bug, so we totally understood what she was going through! It was NO FUN. We grabbed one of his desk chairs and his rocking horse to use as props as we headed out the door, and I'm so glad we did. He was not wanting to sit in the field! Anywho, between the wind and NO COOPERATION from J-Dub, we still managed to get a few favorites out of the 200 million shots we took of the little guy. Please excuse the crazy hair. ENJOY!!

By the way, he is turning TWO at the end of the month. I can't believe it. Can you??

Beef and Broccoli Recipe

2011-03-24T16:07:00.002-05:00

A few of you have asked for me to share my beef and broccoli recipe. I prepared this for dinner a couple of weekends ago when my brother was in town, and was able to take note of how much of which ingredient I was using. If you are trying this recipe out, use this as a base and play with it a little until you create what you like. Hope you enjoy!

Beef and Broccoli
-3/4 to 1 lb of meat (I used a petite sirloin - my mom likes to use a round roast)
-1 or 2 heads of broccoli (I like more)
-1 yellow onion, sliced
-1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped/sliced
-Vegetable Oil
-Sugar

Marinade
-1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

-1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (The brand you use REALLY makes a difference in the taste of your food. I use the Golden Mountain brand.)

-1 Tbsp Water
-1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Sauce
-2 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce
-1-2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce

-3 Tbsp of Water

-A dash of Garlic Salt

-A dash of Pepper

-Dried Onion Flakes and/or Onion Powder

-1 tsp of sugar

Thickener

-1 Tbsp Cornstarch

-2 Tbsp Water

Prepare the beef. Cut the beef into thin strips and throw into ziploc bag. Mix the marinade ingredients with the beef, rubbing the cornstarch onto the beef strips last. Let the beef marinate in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare the sauce and thickener. For the sauce, mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and spices together and set aside. For the thickener, mix the cornstarch and water and set aside.

Prepare the broccoli. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Wash and cut up the broccoli. (While you're waiting for the water to boil, you can also slice your onion and garlic if you haven't already done so.) When the water is ready, drop the cut broccoli into the boiling water. The broccoli will quickly change to a bright green color. Once all of it has changed to this bright green color, drain and set aside. This process takes about a minute or two. I hardly ever cook the broccoli longer than a minute because I like my broccoli crisp.

Cook the beef. Heat a little bit of oil in the wok. When it's ready, cook your beef, stirring occassionally. When cooked, remove from the wok and set aside.

Stir Fry the Veggies. Wipe out the wok and add a little bit of fresh oil. Stir fry the onions and garlic until tender to your desire. Add the broccoli to the wok. Sprinkle a little bit of sugar (about 1 tsp) over the broccoli and stir fry for about a minute, then stir in the cooked meat.

Add the Sauce. Make a well in the middle of the wok. Pour in your sauce, then stir in the thickener. Mix everything together.

Serve. Serve over steamed rice. And if you don't own a rice cooker, I think you should. :)

Time Saving Tips:

-When meat goes on sale, I purchase what I can fit into the budget that week and freeze it. In this instance, I already had the meat sliced and frozen in a ziploc bag labeled for this meal. I just took it out to thaw in the fridge the day before, cutting out the step of having to slice my meat when preparing this meal. (I also do this with chicken when it goes on sale.)

-I buy a bag of onions at a time and freeze what I don't use. I recently got a 3lb bag of onions from ALDI for $0.75. I KNOW! A SUPER GREAT DEAL! So, I chopped some, and sliced some, and have them stored in my freezer. The onions I used went straight from the freezer to the wok. (I do this with bell peppers, too. Onions and peppers seem to be the vegetables I cook with most often.)

Project "Table and Chairs"

2011-03-08T16:54:00.002-06:00

We've (well, mostly my fantastic handy-dandy husband) been working on painting and sanding a few things for J-Dub's playroom as of late. I'm super excited to show you guys the outcome! I'm loving all the colors!

Back in November, I approached an old co-worker and friend of mine, Dennis, to see if he could build Jack a children's table for Christmas. He happily agreed to do so and I am so glad he did! Dennis is a super talented wood worker and let me tell you, this table is PERFECT. The table top is made from the lumber of Ash trees that were planted in his father's backyard when Dennis was just 2 years old. His father took great care of the trees, so when Dennis' father passed, Dennis had the trees cut into lumber and brought it with him on his move to Texas (from Michigan). Every piece he builds with this lumber is a memory of his father. I am SO grateful to have a piece of his family's legacy in our home, too! Thank you Dennis!

We've had the table since Christmas and J-Dub has been enjoying it since, but we never took the time to finish it until just a couple of weeks ago. I wish we had before and after pictures, but we don't. Bummer. Just imagine all UNFINISHED furniture.

The chairs we purchased through Amazon.com. I earned a $100 Amazon gift card through MyPoints and had a $20 Amazon credit, so I was able to purchase four unfinished, FULLY ASSEMBLED (this was the best part!) chairs for about $16 TOTAL (that includes the shipping). I'm kicking myself in the rear end because if I had purchased them the day prior, I would've gotten them for $6. They just happened to increase their price the day I decided to make the purchase. I guess I can't complain too much about $16 out of pocket.
Lime Green and Blue...

Red and Yellow...

Do you like?!! :) The yellow chair is my favorite.

The little guy also got an unfinished rocking horse for Christmas from the grandparents, so we worked on him, too. We matched the horse and table.

Now I'm ready to start on our next project! Not sure what it is yet, but I already know Josh isn't as excited about it as I am!

FREE Starbucks and Luggage Tags

2011-03-08T16:03:00.001-06:00

I just snagged a couple of great deals today thanks to Money Saving Mom and The Frugal Girls. WOOHOO!

First Offer:
Beget is offering a $5 Starbucks gift card to those who register on their site. Beget is a new daily deal site. They also have a facebook page. AND if you 'like' their facebook page, you can earn a $5 credit!

Click HERE to find out more about the Starbucks deal through Beget. Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Second Offer:
Go 'like' KLM's facebook page and you will be able to upload a photo and create your luggage tag. They will be shipped to you for FREE.

Click HERE to learn more about getting your free luggage tags. Thank you The Frugal Girls!

SCORE! :)

Living Room/Kitchen Makeover

2011-03-03T15:42:00.004-06:00

So back in January, we decided our house needed a little facelift and took on the challenge of repainting our living room and kitchen (they're kind of connected so we had to paint both). Because we have a toddler, J and I were only able to work in the evenings after the kiddo went to bed. On top of that, we only worked on the weekends. It took us a good six weeks to finish. Okay, maybe five. J doesn't count the first weekend where we painted two walls and we (okay, maybe I) decided the color selection was a thumbs down. J graciously allowed me to change colors and redo the two walls. ANYWHO, we went from a light tan color (called 'Spiced Vinegar') to a taupe color (called 'Winter Delta'). I forgot to do before and after shots, so I pulled an old photo from Jack's birthda party last year.

BEFORE ('Spiced Vinegar' was throughout the whole living/kitchen area - the ceilings are also 'Spiced Vinegar'):

AFTER ('Winter Delta' on all the walls except the front fireplace wall, which is the color of our bedroom):

I also picked up a few fun pieces to add to our space.

I found this water can at an antique store. I love it! It was really gross when I got it, but I have a loving husband that cleaned out all the spider webs and junk that was in it. YUCK.

I've had this vinyl art for a couple of years now and was waiting to put it up until after we painted. Yes, we've been wanting to paint for a couple of years now. It's crazy what a kid can do to your time and schedule! (The ceilings stayed 'Spiced Vinegar'.)

I got a couple of mexican doors for Christmas to put on either side of our TV in the living room. They are my favorite!

And I got this canvas made from Franklin Photography and Wide Format Printing (his prices are FANTABULOUS!). Photo was taken by my sweet friend at Liana Randel Photography.

You'll have to check back soon to see what else we've been working on around here! Okay, maybe J's been doing most of the work. He's the handyman. I'm his little helper. :) Here's a sneak peak...

RED, BLUE, YELLOW, and GREEN....

Sunday's Paper

2011-03-02T16:11:00.000-06:00

Hey Fellow Mommies!

If you haven't snagged a Sunday paper yet (2/27/2011), you might want to. There were Huggies and Pampers coupons (diapers and wipes), Danonino and Danimals coupons, and a few other good ones. It was worth it to me to purchase a double issue. By the way, the double issue Ft. Worth Star Telegram is only $2.89. You can see what other coupons are in last Sunday's paper HERE. They've already posted next Sunday's preview, too. Go check it out!

Today's ALDI Trip

2011-03-01T16:00:00.001-06:00

I braved a shopping trip to ALDI today with J-Dub. Not my favorite place to go, but they have great deals and it's worth making the trip. If you haven't given ALDI a chance, you might try it out. And don't give up after the first trip. You may start finding things you like there. Four things you should know before you go, though:

You have to deposit a quarter to get a cart, but don't worry - you can get it back when you return the cart at the end of your shopping trip.
They DO NOT bag your stuff up for you (like at Sam's). You can purchase bags (paper or plastic) at the register, but you will roll your cart over to a counter to bag up your stuff if you choose to. I bring my own recycled shopping bag. Usually 1 does the trick for me because I don't purchase very much.
You can pay with cash or debit. No credit cards. No coupons.
The store isn't huge. They don't carry hardly any name brand stuff. Most of their products are sold under the ALDI brand (Fit and Active, Mercer, etc.). BUT, ALDI works with big national suppliers to produce their products. I pulled this from their website:

ALDI partners with the best suppliers in the country—often the same ones that produce national brands. In addition, we have a test kitchen to ensure that our products meet or exceed the quality and taste of the national name brands.

So, here's what I typically get when I go there:

Milk - Thanks to ALDI's presence in the market, milk prices have come down. For a long time, you could get milk just about anywhere for about $1. I've noticed that just recently, Walmart has increased their milk price to almost $2. ALDI's price for a gallon of milk is $0.99.
Eggs - ALDI's egg prices have crept up, but I think they are still a reasonable price. Eggs were $0.49 a few weeks ago and I think are now about $0.79? I didn't check because I didn't need any this trip, AND I know I can get them cheaper at Walmart right now. Especially with my INCREDIBLE EGG coupon I printed a while back!
Produce - This week (which I think the new ad cycle starts tomorrow, so really through the end of today), you can get a 6 pack of Roma tomatoes for $0.65, a 3lb bag of yellow onions for $0.75, a 3 pack of red/yellow/orange bell peppers for $1.69, and cucumbers for $0.55.
Snacks (mostly for J-dub) - Apple juice, Applesauce cups, graham crackers, chips (their Sour Cream and Onion, and BBQ chips are VERY similar to Lay's brand - I haven't tried their baked chips), dried fruits, nuts, granola bars.... we are NOT a fan of their "goldfish sharks" or their animal crackers. I'm a cereal snob so I've never tried any of their cereals.
Boxed Pasta - very similar to Pasta Roni. We fix this on lazy dinner nights. Usually the Parmesan flavor and we'll throw in peas and shrimp, and fix a salad. I think it's about $0.69 or 0.79 a box.

I haven't braved getting meat there yet. And really, I think you can get a better deal elsewhere by checking ads.

I hope this posting gives you some courage to try out an ALDI near you. If you've shopped there before and have favorites you buy at ALDI, please do share!

P.S. Please don't be like my friend Whitney and buy a CHEESEBALL on your first ALDI trip! It'll keep you away forever! :) Love ya Whit!

Valentine's Day at the Park

2011-02-28T15:58:00.001-06:00

I know this post is LONG over due, but at least I'm getting it in before the end of the month!

A few of the girls in our Sunday School class got together last minute for a park playdate on Valentine's Day. It was a PERFECT day to be out! The park had a sand volleyball court that Jack LOVED playing in. We brought buckets and shovels and trucks for the boys to play with.

Here's J-Dub with his buddy C. These two have the most fun together!

This picture cracks me up. It looks like J is saying, "What are you doing over there, C? I wonder if I should do that, too."

Can't wait for SPRING! (And Summer, please don't come too soon because I don't like to sweat.)

Michelle's MUST-HAVES

2011-02-11T22:44:00.005-06:00

Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life this week is... Beauty Secrets. I'm linking up even though I'm probably NOT the most qualified to share any information on beauty tips! I don't use a lot of beauty products. I like makeup, but use the same 5 items: concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mascara and blush. Always the same colors. Nothing different unless it's a special occassion. I sometimes go to bed without washing my face. Gross, I know. If I wash my face, it's just a Neutrogena cleanser. So, you may not want to read any further, but I DO have a few MUST-HAVES that I can't hardly live without.

1. Clinique Superfit Foundation

I LOVE this stuff. UNFORTUNATELY, it's been out of stock for the last year or so. I've been salvaging what I have left (only DROPS) and have been holding out on trying something new. The saleswomen at the department stores kept telling me that Clinique was just having a production issue with the product and that it may go back into production "soon". A year later... and I didn't have any luck finding it until a couple weeks ago, but didn't know my color off hand so I couldn't get any. From their website, it sounds like they aren't going to restock the product anymore. Bummer. I think a few places may have just gotten a small stock of it, so I may try to find my color for one more round of this awesome foundation.

I have SUPER STRAIGHT HAIR which means my hair lays FLAT on my head. SO, when I want to feel pretty with super model hair, I use one of these products. They both work great!

2a. Aveda Volumizing Tonic

2b. John Frieda Luxurious Volume Lavish Lift Root Booster

I have SUPER STRAIGHT HAIR which means my hair lays FLAT on my head. SO, when I want to feel pretty with super model hair, I use one of these products. They both work great!

After towel drying my hair, I'll spray either of these products to the root of my hair, working the product in. Then, I blow dry my hair upside down and then style it as I usually would with a round brush. What I love about both of these products is that they aren't sticky and don't leave flakes in your hair. I don't use hairspray in my hair because of those reasons, and the smell of hairspray is too strong for me.

3. Biosilk Silk Therapy

I also have random hairs that stick straight up at my part line. I like this stuff to tame my "fly-aways".

This product lasts FOREVER because you don't need to use a ton of it. I can usually get away with squirting less than a dime size into my palm to work into my hair. And it doesn't leave your hair feeling greasy.

4. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner

I ALWAYS had trouble with smudgy eyeliner until my friend Tasha told me about this stuff. (By the way, she also introduced me to the Biosilk!) I heart this eyeliner! I think it's the best "over the counter" find ever!

Can't wait to read about everyone else's beauty secrets!!

What's Cookin'?

2011-02-11T21:55:00.003-06:00

J came home tonight from being gone a couple of days on a recruiting trip to the Motherland, i.e. College Station. Yes, I was jealous. He got to eat at Wings and More and saw some of our old professors and friends from college. Trips like this make me miss working in the Construction Industry... almost.

Anyhoo, I figured since he probably ate out every meal that he should have a meal at home. So I fixed this for dinner.

BBQ Chicken, Roasted Asparagus, and Biscuits

Nothing super fancy. It's kind of a random combination, but it's what we had in the fridge and needed to use. I didn't want the asparagus to go bad. Ever run into that situation?

I marinated the chicken with Stubbs Chicken Marinade overnight. J LOVES this stuff.

Then, 10 minutes before it was done in the oven, I brushed the chicken with some BBQ sauce.

On the asparagus: I tossed it on a baking sheet with some olive oil, sea salt, and course pepper, then cooked it in the oven on broil. It took about 8-10 minutes.

The buscuits were frozen. I'm all about easy there.

We didn't have anything for dessert, so I suggested we go around the block to McDonald's for some soft serve.

Doesn't this photo make you salivate? I LOVE McDonald's soft serve ice cream. I even think it's better than Dairy Queen's! If you've never had it, please go try some... and invite me along. We were shocked when our two cones rang up for $1.06. Not sure if the cones go on "sale" for the winter, but we were pleasantly surprised!

The only thing that stinks is I have to share my cone with J-Dub. But he's worth it!

February Special - FREE Digital Files with Photo Session

2011-02-08T22:33:00.010-06:00

My friend Liana is running another GENEROUS special for the month of LOVE.

If you book and pay for a photo session during the month of February, she will THROW IN all the edited, high resolution files from your session, WITH a copy of her signed release form for F-R-E-E!! The CD will contain anywhere from 25-35 photos, depending on what she is able to capture during your shoot.

The only requirement is that the session must be completed by the end of May 2011.

Here is a photo from her latest shoot. Isn't it precious?So book TODAY!! You can find out more information about the February special by clicking here.

I'm guessing you wish you had a generous friend like mine. :)

*Please note that the February special may not be combined with the Free Newborn Special offer.

Little J with Santa

2011-02-08T21:00:00.004-06:00

I know it's already February, but I HAD to share these pictures because J-Dub looks like such a big boy! Here he is with Santa at Josh's company's Christmas party. I didn't get to make it with Josh this year, but our good friends the Kaminski's were able to take a few pictures of J-Dub for us. Thanks Erin and Russell!

"Who are you, and why is your hair so white??!""Oooo.... PRESENTS.....""A reindeer!"Doesn't he look so grown up?Love you J-Dub!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-02-08T20:19:00.003-06:00

I got a picture of my homemade egg noodles in my chicken noodle soup before I devoured it tonight. It was even better tonight! Even J-dub likes it. He had a good 3 servings in his bowl (I'm aware it's pink. We make do with what we have around here.)

Here's how I fix my soup:

Boil chicken until done (I use chicken breasts and thighs). Remove chicken and place in bowl to cool, and save broth in pot.
Saute a couple cloves of chopped garlic, chopped onions and chopped celery until tender.
Add the above to the pot. Add sliced carrots.
Add in some dried basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste.
When chicken is cooled, shred it and throw into soup.
Add your homemade noodles to the soup.
Cook for at least 20-30 minutes on low to medium heat. (I do longer because I like my noodles tender.)
NOTE: To thicken up the soup, I took about 1/2 a cup of the broth and mixed it with about a Tbsp or 2 of cornstarch in a measuring cup. I kept repeating until I got the right thickness I wanted.
ANOTHER NOTE: If you need to add more liquid to your soup, use chicken broth instead of water.

J likes to top his soup with grated cheese. I think that's weird. Anyone else do that out there so I can think it's less weird?

Anyway, hope you enjoy! Again, if you have a recipe you'd like to share, please feel free to!! :)

Egg Noodles

2011-02-07T21:52:00.006-06:00

Guess what I did yesterday evening... I made homemade egg noodles to put in my chicken noodle soup that I made for dinner this evening. This was my first attempt to make homemade noodles. My old boss at Key Construction makes some of the best chicken noodle soup and uses this same recipe for his noodles - thanks Teddy for passing the recipe along! (By the way, THE BEST chicken noodle soup is from Panera Bread, so if you've never had their soup, go have some. IT'S MY FAVORITE.) I was pretty pleased with how the noodles turned out.

I forgot to take pictures of the soup tonight, but here's a picture of the noodle making... We had plenty of leftovers, so I'll try and get a soup picture tomorrow night! Oh, and here's the recipe I used (I THINK it's from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, but I'm not sure). If you have a favorite egg noodle recipe, please share!!

Homemade Egg Noodles
2 cups flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 c water (as needed)

Put flour in mixing bowl. Make well in center of flour. Mix in egg yolks, egg and salt. Mix in water 1 tbsp at at time until dough is stiff but easy to roll.

Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll one part at a time into thin rectangle on floured surface. Loosely fold rectangle into thirds and cut crosswise into strips.

Unfold strips and place in single layer on towels for about 2 hours until stiff and dry.

When ready to use, break noodles into shorter strips or desired length.

Snowed In

2011-02-04T21:21:00.003-06:00

Wow. We've been stuck at home since Tuesday. I love little J, but inside all day long is a bit much. We did have a playdate yesterday, though. My friend Hagan and her son came over to play. I think we both needed it (the mommas). Wish I got a picture of the two boys - ADORABLE! I'm so glad she braved the roads for my sanity's sake!

Hagan and I were looking forward to hitting the gym this morning with the kiddos. Unfortunately, we woke up to SNOW. I called the gym and they were not holding classes OR having daycare today. Bummer. Josh ended up staying home and we spent part of the morning outside enjoying the snowfall we had. I did capture a few pics of the little guy. He's such a toot!

FREE Newborn Photo Session

2011-02-03T14:39:00.009-06:00

My amazing photographer friend Liana with Liana Randel Photography is offering FREE newborn photo sessions to build her portfolio. Yes, I said FREE. She typically charges $200 for a newborn session, so she must be feeling pretty generous!! There is no catch - no obligation to buy prints and no hidden costs.

This deal will include the photo session and (1) 5x7 print. AND if you want additional prints made, you can purchase them from her at 25% off (you can find her print pricing here).

There are a few guidelines to qualify for the FREE session:

-You must 'LIKE' her fanpage on Facebook and share her page with your friends

-You must reside within 30 minutes of Fort Worth, TX

-Photo session must take place before the baby is 8 days old

-Photo session must take place within the next 2-3 months

This is a great deal for anyone expecting a child within the next 2-3 months, so please forward this on to your pregnant friends! You can find more information on her blog. Get in touch with her today because space is limited!

(By the way, she took the middle and right photos in my header banner above.)

My New Rainboots

2011-02-03T00:02:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting a pair of rainboots for a while now. BUT, since we are on an allowance system (J and I get a monthly cash allowance that we can spend however we choose), I am pretty careful about my unnecessary purchases. Most of my allowance goes towards lunches for me and little J. It's always a nice treat for us to have lunch out with friends when we can. PB&J and turkey sandwiches get old quickly. I'm sure you other moms know exactly how I feel.

Target was carrying black and white houndstooth rainboots (youth size) that went on clearance about a month or so ago. They were around $10, but I just couldn't bring myself to buying the boots. They now have the black in white in adult size for full price - I think $24.99. Kind of sad I missed out on the black and white ones, but look what I found this week:

PINK houndstooth. These boots were on clearance with the black and white ones last month, but I have to say I disregarded them because I am not a lover of all things pink (sorry pink lover friends). It's a nice color - I don't hate it, but I prefer black and white. These boots were 75% off this week.That's right. A whopping $4.98. I'd rather the boots be in black and white, but I like the pink, too (especially at that price!). They had them in my size... YOUTH size 3. Yep, they fit rather nicely. If you're wondering if they'll fit you, I wear a 6 or 6-1/2 in women's shoes.

I know what you're thinking. "You saved $5. What's the big deal?!" Well, that $5 will buy me and little J lunch somewhere! :) Yay for my very first pair of rainboots ever!