Happy Birthday Stacy!!!!

Happy Birthday to my dearest friend, Stacy!

Here we are on the NJ side of the Hudson River during my visit last November.

Hmmm...where should I begin? How can I possibly describe this amazing person in just one post? I'll just speak from the heart and hope it turns out well.

This dear friend of mine is the kind of friend everyone hopes to find. She is so kindhearted and is very sympathetic to those around her. Anytime she is able to, she will lend a hand and more to help someone. I have witnessed her give what she really doesn't even have to give at the time, not worrying about how she will be able to make due. (This is about her but I just wanted to add that her hubby is the same way & that makes them all the more special as a couple.) She knows how to make a person feel comfortable and is great at listening & giving advice. She is also a great example to me of how to be a good wife and loving mother.

She and I have a special kind of friendship, a "treasure to be cherished" is how we'd describe it. Over the years, we have shared many, many laughs, tears, embarrassing moments, and even our deepest secrets with one another. I don't deserve a friend so special but I am ever so grateful to have her in my life. She is always there to lift up my spirits and encourage me when I'm feeling down. She has definitely saved me thousands of dollars with all the free 'therapy sessions' she's given me over the years. Lol

We can go weeks without speaking and now that we live miles away from each other, months without seeing each other. Yet, when we get an opportunity to do one or the other, it's as if we'd just been together yesterday. 

I remember when we first met, she asked me to be in her quinceanera (a Hispanic celebration for young women when they reach 15 years old) and I just thought she was the sweetest girl. It wasn't until I was planning my wedding that our friendship really began to grow. She had married shortly before I did so with that, we had something in common. We were two young girls entering into a new chapter in our lives. We had the fortune of being neighbors for almost two years which gave our friendship an opportunity to grow even more.

One of our favorite outings when she lived nearby was to hit our local QuickTrip for a drink and go grocery shopping late at night. Sometimes, we'd just drive around for a while, only to end up parked outside my house for hours on end chatting about random topics some meaningful and some just plain silly.

We were there when we each married, we were there for the births of one each others'  children, and we've been there for countless other events whether big or small. Our husbands and children are close too which makes it all the more wonderful. So many cherished memories over the years, I only hope we're able to add to them in the years to come.

Stacy, on this special day my birthday wish for you is that you know and feel loved by your family and friends. I'm sure your family has something special for you and you'll have a day filled with sweet little smiles, lots of hugs & kisses, and the gift of being surrounded loved ones. I hope that this new year is filled with many blessings from above. I'm so sorry I can't be there in person to celebrate with you but I'm working really hard to get there as soon as I can for a visit so we can have our day of fun in the big city. Love you! :)

Delicious Chicken Bowl

My family and I love eating 'bowl meals' of all kinds. This is one of our faves and is so simple and quick to make.

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked white rice (or brown)
• 2 potatoes
• 1 zucchini squash
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 white onion
• 1 1/2 cups of baby carrots 
• 1 1/2 cups of broccoli
• 4 eggs

Serving Size: 4-5

1. Season chicken on both sides with your favorite rub recipe or a store bought rub. We used McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb this time.

2. Cook chicken and slice into cubes when finished. We sometimes grill the chicken outside but this time I used the waterless cooking method and cooked it stove top.

(I just have to add that if you're in the market for new pans, I highly recommend surgical stainless steel cookware.  They can run for over a $1000 (or so I've heard) but my mother-in-law was able to get an incredible deal on Amazon. These were a gift from her last Christmas and  they have become my new best friends in the kitchen.)

3.  While chicken is cooking: Chop all the veggies. (If adding carrots and potatoes, boil them until fork tender after chopping.)

4.  Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray and add onion and bell pepper to pan. Cook until onion begins to soften. Add all other veggies and cook for about 5-7 minutes.

5.  Add eggs, chicken and rice and cook until eggs are done.

And here is this yummy dish in a bowl and ready to eat:

We like to add soy sauce in our bowl, but this is optional.

You can pretty much add or remove any ingredients to your liking.

Some other ingredients we like to use are:

*brussel sprouts

*Yellow squash

*corn

*green beans

*red bell pepper

*green onion

Thanks for stopping by. If you have a favorite 'bowl meal', please share your recipe. 

I'd love to try it. :)

Sinuses, Allegeries, Infections....Oh My!

To say I've had my plate full lately is an understatement. For the past month, I had-and still have-a very bad sinus infection. It started with massive daily headaches and last Friday I began feeling very dizzy and nauseous. Oh, and I had lots of pressure in my ears. By Monday, I'd had enough why the heck did I wait so long so I went to get checked out and get some meds. I never knew sinus infections could be so horrendous. Meds have been helping a lot but I still feel the symptoms from time to time throughout the day.
On Tuesday night, my daughter told me that her legs were itching and that they had been since Sunday night. Since she had gone a few days without mentioning it, I assumed it wasn't that bad. I had her soak in an oatmeal bath and then lathered her up with Eucerin lotion. She slept well through the night. Yesterday, I see that it is spreading more and more on her legs, even to the bottom of her feet! It didn't look quite like chicken pox but since it went to the bottom of her feet, I thought maybe it was so I took her in to get checked out. Turns out it's just a bad insect bite infection. They gave me a prescription for over-the-counter hydrocortizone and tell me to use that and also continue to give her the oatmeal baths.
Tuesday and Wednesday my son had allergies which made for one fussy boy. His eyes were burning throughout the day and he was overly sensitive to anything and everything around him.
As I write this I think, "Well aren't we just a big group of whiners." Lol It sounds like it but believe me, we had reason. None of us felt too great, each with our own personal issue. Oh dear, another thought just came to mind: MY POOR HUSBAND! He's had to endure these days attending to us, running errands for me, and being patient with us. I think he deserves an award, I'll have to get on top of that ASAP.
On the upside, I was able to read quite a bit during my time in bed. And as if I wasn't already hooked on pinterest, I was able to add lots of pins to my boards. I even made some cute little yarns dolls for the kids (my sons' is a "yarn man", he told me) from a pin I was inspired by. I can't promise that I'll post about that tonight, but I will def try to soon.
I should also add that as of today, we're all better for the most part and in this very moment, kids are running around pretending they're a prince and princess in a castle. They notified me that they decided I'm the queen and even put a crown on me. Yay! That works for me. :)

I feel like I'm cheating you guys if I don't post any pics, so I'll leave you with this sweet one of my kiddos with two of my besties' children on a lovely summer evening.

Mason Jar Love

So, a few months ago I came across this amazing website called Pinterest. Anyone heard of it before? Of course you have! This site has quickly become a "must join site" for many in the blog world and for good reason. You can create boards about anything and everything and can collect pictures of things that inspire you from practically anywhere online.
I recently created a new board for myself simply titled "mason jars". I thought I'd share with you all some of the the mason jar love and maybe even inspire you. :)

This is a great idea that could be used for a wedding or even a backyard party. Source is unknown but it
was too cute not to share. If anyone knows the source, please let me know so I can update.

Cute mason jar chandelier by Beth from Home Stories A to Z. 
She shares a great tutorial on how to make this on your own.

Chalk paint always adds a fun touch to things!
Source: etsy




 Cute way to personalize jars for a party
weddingbee.com

This is another way to creatively personalize mason jars with just a little chalk paint.
www.stylemepretty.com

This looks so tasty and refreshing. Perfect on a hot summer day!
Hostess With The Mostest (she has some a lot of really cute party ideas :)

Flowers in a jar is always a winner in my book!
meggielynne.tumblr.com

Treats in jar. You can find out how to make this yummy treat & more at mycakies.blogspot.com

atlbellecasa.tumblr.com

There are so many more ideas I've come across but these are some of my faves. :)

Creating a Place for Quiet Rest

It’s amazing how your surroundings affect how well you sleep. Most of us assume that if we're tired, then once we lay down, we should be able to fall asleep without a problem. This was definitely not the case for us. Hubby and I have been having trouble sleeping for some time now so we decided to give a try at making over our bedroom in an attempt to provide a room we could fall asleep in each night without so much trouble. We were pleasantly surprised when our attempt deemed a success. Having a comfortable atmosphere to rest in each day helps relax our mind, easing our way into having a good night's sleep. I've tried to create it to where we are able to wind down if we need to forget about the stresses or busyness of the day by providing a calm, clean (most of the time), and inviting room.
Lots of changes have been made in our master bedroom but we still have a few details that need attention. Not sure when I’ll be able to get to those, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures of what I’ve done so far.
This is the dreary look we had going on before. I knew it was plain, but I didn’t realize just how bad it was until I saw these pictures.Talk about having a bare room.


The first thing I did was paint the walls. We used Silver Screen by Behr paint. For the baseboards and window trim, I used white semi satin paint that I already had. Once that was done, I sanded & painted the bedside chest.



Here is the cardstock modern gallery wall I created above the bed. I had a different idea in mind but when I hung these up, I decided to leave them We really like the simplicity and are happy with the outcome.  For the bedding, I bought a solid navy comforter and I already had the white sheets. I have some extra pillows from my living room set so I just bought a set of standard size navy pillowcases and tucked in the excess in the back. Seriously, you can’t tell from the front.  As mentioned in a previous post, I was on a mission to get this makeover done spending as little as possible and I was able to find the pair of green pillows and cute accent pillow on clearance.



Hubby and I are sleeping like logs in our cozy new room. It's even become the new family hangout. I sometimes find my kids sneaking in during the day with a book in hand laying on my bed or sometimes just tucked into the sheets relaxing. My little guy loves his Legos so I sometimes find him with a small pile of Legos on my bed making his creation for the day be it a spaceship, car, house, etc. I’m glad to have been able to create a place where the whole family could find rest and comfort.
I’ve added a few more touches to the room but I’ll share those with you once we’re completely finished—or at least 90% finished. For some reason, I tend to hop around from project to project so I can leave jobs unfinished at times. Can anyone relate? Lol In the meantime, let me know what you think of the work in progress, I’d love to hear from you.