Real Life... {Pintrest}: Week Two

This week, I totally slacked on the picture process! (It could be because two little monkeys were not happy about mommy taking 5 minutes to prepare dinner!)

Anyhow, on the menu from {Pintrest} this week is Salsa chicken in... you guessed it, THE CROCKPOT!

(I am in love with my crock, okay?)

Its pretty easy, and its another household fave!

 All you do, put in your chicken (I used a full breast), A can of Cream of Chicken, a cup of Salsa, and it calls for a package of taco seasoning, (I used dried, diced jalepanos, mesquite seasoning and a dash of cumin)

Then, you let it cook.

I took off the lid to check on it, and used a fork to pull the chicken apart. The aroma was amazing. I was so excited for dinner. 

This wasnt dinner. I ended up getting to go out to eat with my Mama. Hubby had it straight out of the crock pot, and loved it. I had it as tacos the next day for lunch. I added a little sour cream and some home canned corn salsa. DELISH! 

So there you have it, another meal off of pintrest, that I could make all by myself!!

Are you following me on {Pintrest} yet??

Real Life... {Pintrest} Week:One

So, after my failed attempt at Waffle Brownies, I was a little discouraged. But, not enough to give up!!!

This week for dinner I made Crock Pot Lasagna!!! It looks so good in the picture, and a meal in the crock pot... what a cinch! (yup, I really just said "cinch") 

Even though it looks really easy, could it possibly be??? 

Oh yes. It is THAT easy!

Brown your meat. (We use ground turkey in our house, but you can use beef, or chicken or whatever suits your fancy!)

This was probably the hardest part. I have a very big "issue" with touching raw meat. It grosses me out, and gives me the heeby jeebys. 

Hey look, non cooked noodles! (I told you this was easy!)

A few layers of dry noodles and a mix of cottage cheese and mozzarella, then a final layer of turkey.

Right before I was ready to serve it, I threw some cheese on top, and let me tell you, when I opened the lid, it smelled amazing. :)

It also tasted amazing. I got a big thumbs up from Hubby for cooking something delish all on my own!!

I would use a little more cheese next time, but other than that, this is one "pin" that is here to stay!

Real Life... {Pintrest}

I am not a good cook. At All. Like, really bad. So Pintrest has been a new fun way for me to try and tackle my cooking skills. 

Which brings me to the new series I am going to be bringing to you every week! I am going to be trying out one of the pins on my board (are you following me on PINTREST yet?) and I will take pictures and talk my whole way through it. I will let you know how it tastes, how it smelt, and if I failed or not. LOL! {Oh it happens, missed the first fail?? Check It Out} 

So get ready for a whole bunch of laughs {because, me cooking, is hysterical on its own, without unexpected disasters}

 

Pintrest Adventure!

I am in love with pintrest, (who isnt right?) So while I was pinning, I found something yummy that Brax and I could do together. 5 Minute Waffle Browies! 5 minutes, for brownies, in my waffle maker??? Score! 

So, we make the batter (totally from a box, thanks BC) 

Got the Waffle Maker Preped!

Insert boxed Brownie Batter

Now, this is where it gets tricky... According to the pin, it says, Heat the iron to the lowest setting, and 5 minutes, Tahdah... Here is what I got 5 minutes in...

A Big Gooey Mess. 

So I adjusted my setting to medium, and tried again. Again... FAIL. A little better, but it would have been more like a 20 minute brownie. Finally, I turned it all the way up, and 

Tahdah!

 I GOT ONE! (dont mind that it was crunchy, and totally inedible) 

So I have a bag full of brownie crumbles... and lets pretend that some of them went with my granola and yogurt this morning... I would say, It would be delicious, fail and all!

Boredom?

So a few weeks ago, I had a man ask me if I got bored being a stay at home mom. {wait, what?}

 I took a moment to collect my thoughts before answering. How on earth could I ever possibly get bored? It is not like I sit around all day in fuzzy slippers and watch soap operas, {although my MIL does record General Hospital for me, so when I go to her house I can indulge}

I spend my days 

cooking, 

cleaning, 

constantly picking up Bo from falling down,

giving out cuddles and kisses to boo-boos,

wiping butts and buggers,

resolving fights,

doing laundry,

giving baths, 

working on school skills with Brax,

reading books to both kiddos,

paying bills,

going grocery shopping,

trying to make time during naps to run on the elliptical,

squeezing in time to write on here,

update the Shop,

cut coupons {Yup, it takes some time to organize that disaster!}

if I'm lucky I get to shower. 

So I thought, as all these things were running through my head and my kids were trying to jump out of the grocery cart, about the answer I would give, this very sweet, and very clueless man. "I wouldn't say I get bored, I would say it's very challenging." He smiled and apparently that was a good enough answer. 

Oh to be a man, just for a day! ;)

Postpartum Struggle

 I have had a very rocky road with  postpartum after having my second son Boden. I want to share my story with all of you, in the hopes, that someone out there wont feel so alone.  
After I had my little Bo, I started realizing that something wasn't right. I thought "oh, I'm just tired, it'll go away once i get some sleep." "oh its just tough having two babies, it'll go away once I get in a routine." "oh, its just the baby blues, it'll go away in a few weeks on its own." Then one day, {when Bo was 6 1/2 months old} my husband finally broke down, and told me that he was worried about me. At first, my reaction was, deny, deny, deny. But I finally broke down and realized, I needed help. My sister-in-law noticed it, my mother-in-law saw it too, but I was so temperamental everyone was afraid to say something.  I truly don't think I would have ever said anything, if it wasn't for my husband. I was quick to lose my patience with hubby (which is never fair!)  I was always depressed. I had these self-imposed ideas of what a stay at home mom should do, and would become overly critical of  myself when I couldn't live up to my own expectations. (Hubby was nothing but supportive, and never expected anything but for me to care for the kiddos.) I cried, I was always tired, I became a hermit, if you looked at me the wrong way I would lose it. 
So, after trying to talk it out with my family, and openly admitting that I knew I had a bigger issue that I couldn't deal with on my own, I finally took the right step, and called my Dr. It was so terribly embarrassing for me to say the words, "I have  postpartum depression" that I started crying on the phone with the appointment maker. {whom I went to high school with, to make it even more embarrassing.} When I went in for my appointment, all my Dr. did was ask how I was, and I started bawling. I didn't have thoughts of hurting my children, but I felt like the biggest failure. He hugged me, and said that I wasn't a bad mom. {which doesn't make a bit of difference when you fail to live up to your own standards.} I was opposed to taking any medication, because I was nursing. But at this point I didn't know what else to do. Then my Dr. said something that really hit home. He said that if I wasn't taking the best care of myself, I would never be able to give 100% to my babies, and they deserve it. So,  he gave me a super low dose, and assured me that it wouldn't hurt my baby. That made me feel like an even bigger failure. 
My husband has been the hugest help and support. Once I was finally able to admit what was wrong, my life took a complete 180. My relationship with my husband, is better than it had ever been. My attitude towards being a stay at home mom has changed. {although I still have days where I feel like I need to be super mom, and have a spotless house, crafts done, dinner made, desert baking and be 115 lbs.} My babies have a happier, healthier mama, and that right there is the most important thing in the world.
I thank God everyday that my husband finally said something to me. It changed my life. I always thought, it wouldn't happen to me, and I felt so bad for the moms that had to go through postpartum depression.  IT is true that you never fully understand something until it happens to you.
The one thing I learned, is to ask for help. If you ever feel like you cant do it, or you become so overwhelmed your life becomes unlivable, ask for help. {from your significant other, from God, from your Dr., from a stranger in a chat room.} Having support is the key to getting through all of this. For me it was a very lonely and embarrassing thing to go though as a mother, but I feel like a stronger person for it. I think the most important thing is to not feel ashamed, and to ask for help as soon as you feel like its all too much, I waited way too long, and only hurt myself. 

(Boden and Braxton, my angels)

Thank you for letting me share my story with you all today. :) 

Settling Back in, Just in Time for Chaos!

I finally  have my little monster back! (He was visiting his daddy for the last 13 days!) He had a great time, and Bo got his very first real one on one time with mama. It was nice to be able to focus solely on him, and read with him, and take showers during the day, go to lunch with my mom, and have quiet time at nap time! (I horribly missed Brax every single day, dont get me wrong here!)
So yesterday was preschool, and my errand running. woohoo This morning, I Bo woke me up at 630, which is better than the 540 its been the last few days! We got up, had a mini snuggle sesh, and I decided to make muffins for Brax for breakfast. I was feeling ammmazing. (I have struggled for a very very long time to be that "together" mom) Monster wakes up, comes and gives me cuddles, Bo is eating breakfast, and I tell Brax about the muffins.... just as the oven beeps, he gets way excited. As I go to get them out, they look awfully brown on top, YUP. I.BURNT.THE.MUFFINS. So, there goes my "together" day. LOL. I was feeling brave enough to take both of the kids to the grocery store with me, but not so much anymore. Perhaps I'll see what my mom is doing!
Hope you guys are all having a beautiful Wednesday!

Guest Blogging!

Today I am guest blogging over at Nap Time Is My Time, Head on over and read about my struggle with Postpartum.
Thanks Emily for letting me get my story out there, and hopefully helping someone else not feel so alone!
:)

My First Awkward and Awesome Thursday!!

Awkward:
-Having my 3 (almost 4) year old tell me "Girls dont watch boys" when I went into the bathroom to make sure he hadnt fallen in after 10 minutes.
-Having this cute little old lady glare at me all through my birthday lunch because, well I'll admit it, my children were terrors. :)
-Having two sweet friends come into bingo in the middle of the games, and wish me happy birthday.... I definately get embarassed at any unnecessary attention!


Awesome:
- Waking up to little sheets of paper stuck all around the house singing Happy Birthday, with an LED candle on top of a chocolate chip cookie! (Hubby leaves for work before my eyes tend to open!)
-Aforementioned Hubby winning $205 at Bingo at the elks club... ON MY BIRTHDAY! (and being able to afford to buy Modern Warfare3. yipeee... Lol)
-Winning $25 all by myself at bingo!
-My sweet Brax singing me happy birthday, and all day sing-songing: "Its mommys birthday, Its mommys birthday"
-The number of FB happy birthdays I got.. (lame right, but hey, that 30 seconds it took for all those people to type out Happy Birthday means something!)
-Getting my sewing maching back out, and making some fun new things! (on of which might be an upcoming tute!!!)


So there you have it! My very first awkward and awesome thursday! This week I will focus more on the pictures to go along with the post!
I hope everyones week was just a smidge more awesome than awkward... after all, awkward does make for funnier stories!

Yup. Its here!

So, the mid-life crisis, has been renamed the quarter-life crisis.(i sure hope i make it past 50!) Its been kind of wierd. I dont know why its bothering me. I have 2 beautiful boys, and an amazing husband. We own our home, and life is generally really good. So what is the matter with turning 25? It doesnt change my life, truly, the only thing it affects is our car insurance premium. I dont know when this sinking feeling will pass, but I do know that I am truly blessed, 25 or 24 or 48. Life is good. I will leave you with some pictures of my life up until now!

New Years 2006

6 months preggo with my Braxton Bear

21st Birthday In Monterey, CA

Mexico 2009

Honeymoon in Vegas

7 months preggo with Baby Boden (Big difference with baby #2!)

My Sweet Boys

So Here is to hoping for an amazing next 25 years watching my babies grow, and continuing on with the best husband, and family a girl could ask for!

Happy Birthday To Me and YOU! Check out the shop and enter the code "sillybirthday25" for 40% off all day today! :)

Halloween!

Yes, I am going to admit this out loud. I only took pictures of my oldest at halloween. I feel like this makes me the worst mom ever. In my defense, my little monster's head was too big for his banana hat, so he didnt quite look like a monkey anyways. (I do feel like there will be a "staged" halloween pictures session this week!) But I have to share my little lion with you all! :)

Hope you all had a safe Halloween!

My Crazy Coupon Weekend!

Ok, I am not extreme... yet. But I know that I could be. I'll let you in on a little secret (I have a shopping problem). Couponing, is addicting. Buying things my family needs and saving a ton of money is like an amazing high for me. (Lame, I know)  I Just recently bought myself a plain little binder, and the baseball card holder inserts!
This weekend, the P&G inserts came out, along with the AMAZING Albertsons doublers. So I of course, bought 8 newspapers. ok, i might be a little crazy. But I dilegently clipped, looked at the ones expiring, and made my plan. I will say, I am happy with the outcome. It is definately not TLC worthy, but it makes me giddy. (yes, couponing makes me giddy like a school girl!)
Here is my Albertsons trip:

4 cans of Pringles, 6 jars of Prego pasta sauce, 10 Yoplait yogurts, 6 Gerber baby snacks, 2 Oral B toothbrushes, 4 packages of Bar S hot dogs, 1 2pack of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, 2 Fabreze Air Effects cans, 1 Nature's Valley Granola Thins, 2 Boxes of Triscuits, 1 Saralee 100% whole wheat bread, 1 Challange butter package, and 1 Crest toothpaste. All for a grand total of....

$31.81! I saved $52.62. Which means, my total before coupons and Albertsons card was $84.43! I saved 62% on my grocery bill. 

Then I went to Walgreens. 

There I did a few transactions to get the most out of my Register Rewards. (Check It Out Here) My first transaction there was 2 Crest toothpastes. I Paid $5.25 and got a $5 off my next purchase coupon, so really, $0.25 cents.

My Next transaction was 4 packets of Tide Stain Release and 2 Downy Liquid Fabric Softners. I paid $20.44 and got a $5 off my next transaction coupon so really, $15.44.

My final transaction is the whole reason I went to Walgreens. I bought Crest 3D 2hr express white strips (ON SALE for 49.99, Keep that in mind)  I bought 3 packs of Trident gum, 1 Sunday Mail Tribune, 1 walgreens brand medicine and 1 package of Pretzel M&M's. ( I needed a filler) and my total for that transaction was $35.04 with a $10 Coupon on my next purchase, so really, $25.04. 

So after all of those transactions, My total was $50.73. (I used my two previous rewards on the Whitestrips purchase) I got everything for the price of the Whitestrips. :)

Couponing does take a little bit of research, finding the best deals here and there, and finding the manufactures coupons, but it does save money, and for my family, that is a must. I started couponing because my husband and I have chosen to be a one income family. To us, it was important for me to stay home with the babies, and be there with them. We just bought our first house, and it was a little bit of a shock, (even though I knew exactly how our finances were going to be). So I caught an episode of extreme couponing, and thought, I can do that... and slowly but surely, I am getting there! :)

Happy November everyone!

I am...{some fun little glimpses of me}

I am a total procrastinator! (I start 15 projects at one time, and am lucky to finish one in a timely fashion, because I am so busy volunteering myself for 10 other things!)

           *Cute bird feeder right? only took me three months! LOL*
I am a slight ditz. {This is serious, and I dont know if it is just lack of thought before I talk or what, BUT I once asked if chickens lived through the winter because it is so cold.}
I am a word vomit extraordinaire. (I really need to figure out how to insert a filter, because too often I am inserting my foot!)
I am a horrible cook! {Hubby does all the cooking, I occasionally make mac n cheese}
I am a fabric hoarder. ( I havent had my sewing machine out in at least 6 months, and I am still buying fabric waaaay too often)
I am organized. {No one else may ever understand the way my things are organized, but I do, and thats all that matters!}

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday, Im off to go finish a necklace that is haunting me! :)

Interview day!!!!

Today I have my very first interview, on a blog!!! Diana over at :dianapantz: is a super cool gal! She is my pen pal, annnnd she actually let me put an ad on her blog! Super supportive and creative! Check out my *interview* and show Ms. Diana some love!
Fallon*

Very First Shop Sale!!!

Its small business month, and I have just jumped on the Linkin' up bandwagon! (woohoo go me!)Im linking up overe here:

So, on to the topic... your first etsy sale. My story is only spectacular for the lives that were touched. A very close relative of mine was my first sale. (and my grandfather was my second... thats family love!!) I have these beautiful rock beads that were given to me from an amazing woman who was over in Ghana with the Peace Corps. I was so excited when I got them, as I wasnt sure what to expect from handmade beads of a third world country. But these things are beautiful, earthy, and just plain inspiring! Anyways, that was almost 4 years ago. I finally got around to making a few anklets for the shop using these beads. My relative is a courtroom clerk, and they are going through some really hard times down in California. Layoffs, mandatory days off, short staffed, the works. She had 8 friends leaving her courthouse, and she decided to buy them anklets... FROM MY SHOP! I told her there was no way she was going to pay for them, and guess what... she sneaked into the shop and did it anyway! I was so excited. I literally kept clicking to look at that revenue change! Even though it was from someone dear to my heart, it was still the huge first step I was waiting for!
After she gave the anklets, many of the women felt empowered, and inspired, and could just feel the strength of the bond of women through these anklets. The beads were hand made by women striving to provide for their families doing anything they can to make it, then strung and finished with so much love I cant even explain  how much my heart goes into my pieces, then given from a woman who is so insipiring herself, and deeply touches everyone around her. I got amazing feedback, and I couldnt be anymore pleased!
That is my first sale story...  Link up over at Three's 4 Me and read more about other amazing womens first sale! :)
Have a great Tuesday!

Shopping For A Cause

So I have decided I want my shop to have a purpose. One day while I was out thinking about how bad our lawn needed to be mowed I made a decision. Each month, proceeds from each sale will be donated to the "cause of the month". Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, it was really easy to start there. We all love to shop, and do it because we can, so why not help out other people while we're doing it? Everyday I think about my life, and unfortunately tend to dwell on the things I dont have, cant do, cant be. I am making a change. Now, I am going to focus on the things I DO have, I CAN DO, and what I CAN BE. What I DO have is a husband who works his tail off so I can stay home with our healthy, happy babies. I CAN help other people by doing what I love. I CAN give back simply by making and selling my passion. (of course I need your help there) I CAN be that woman who is a great mom, loving wife, and a difference maker! I challange all of you to think about what you can do, even if its buying an extra box of cereal on sale and donating it to your local food bank. We can all make a difference, but we need to work together! Lets start making that change... NOW!

Here are the pictures from our vacation to Grass Valley/Tahoe!

Brax walking Izzy!

My Boys at the "salmony kokanee" (as according to Brax) run.

Goregous view from the creek trail!

Brax and Mama (and my lovely!)

The spawning Salmon!

Mrs. Salmon doing her thing! :)


Id like to hear your ideas on what we can all do, to make our communities, and families, and lives better! :)

Silly... Try Crazy!

My life. Perhaps I should have titled my blog something much different.... Silly is not the word I would use today. Maybe hectic, crazy, intense, overwhelming, bizarre, rushed. Insert any word here ___________.Beautiful.Life
that means I feel like Im losing it.
I keep pushing myself to these unreasonable limits, and then I lose it.
Relax.
My inquistive babies seem to know when I am on the brink, and continue to ask a million questions they know the answers to.
Breathe.
I worry myself sick over things that havent happened, and more honestly, probably wont happen.
Be Calm.
All the while, I know I need to turn it over to the Lord, and let him take control. Slowly but surely I am trying... but for someone who prides themselves on organization, control and lists... its sure difficult. On days like today, I know I need to put my trust and faith in the One trust constant.
Be Faithful.

On another note, have you ever tried to take a self portrait with your DSLR while driving 80 on the freeway because the lighting is amazing??? Lets just say is kinda difficult! However, I am wearing my new lovely!! It truly is an addiction. (Dont know what I'm talking about?? See for yourself Here)
Tomorrow we leave for vacation (well, a long weekend) with my sister in law in Grass Valley. We are making a day trip to Tahoe, too! There will be tons of pictures, so be prepared! :)

Canning!

Between all of my busyness, I have started canning. I am a little behind this year, and I have been longing to do it! Hubbys coworker brought in a box of apples for us, so, after having them on my kitchen counter for 4 days, I made a few quarts of applesauce.

Then, I found a pretty good deal on strawberries at Albertsons, so I impulsively bought them, not having a clue what to do... TAH DAH! Strawberry jam!!!

THEN... I found a recipe for corn salsa, and Hubby helped me finish that up this afternoon while I was emailing and creating.It smells so good, this might be my favorite new thing! (Ill let you know how it tastes when we use it! Im thinking it would be great on chicken tacos!)

This week my MIL and I are going to attempt to get some tomatoes done. We use them so much, between salsa, spaghetti sauce and stews that we need ALOT. Our friends grandparents have a farm down the street a little ways, so we will go buy out there! Yum!!! It makes me feel good to see the food that I have prepared in the pantry, and to be able to share it with our family!

Yard Sale Saturday!

I Looooooooove yard sales. Today I only had a few that I really wanted to go to... and well, I ended up at a few more, and a few more and a few more! I have a minor  (ok, MAJOR) shopping problem. BUT I love deals and saving money too, so it works out for me that yard saleing is fun!
I found a ton of vintage fabric, some flour sack kitchen cloths (my fave!) a small dresser, a few embroidery rings for a super cute thing i saw on Katie's blog (she has a love of vintage pyrex that makes me happy! check her out here! http://ktsewsitall.blogspot.com/) 4 Calliou books for Brax, 2 Hooked on phonix dry erase books (also for Brax) 3 little board books for Bo, and my best find of the day.... a 8 serving set of International China Company Stoneware dishes (Festive) for.... $3.00!!!!!
For a grandtotal for the day, (including the newspaper I decided I needed)
23.50!

I know yard sale time is winding down, so I am stocking up now on all the crafty things to keep my babies and I occupied on those yucky days!!
Hope you are all having a great weekend!

PS, here is the beautiful scene I saw as I went into Yreka on Friday morning!

Those tiny little specks are hot air balloons. Shortly after my anger at not being able to get the balloons better, I asked hubby for a new lens for my camera! :)

Weekend Wrap-up!

Hubby mowing the yard!

My special tomato plants, LOL! i planted them too late, but we ate the first tomato off of one, and it was soooo yummy!

ANNNNND, a new pretty! More details on this special piece, coming soon!

Of course we watched football... the Raiders just barely lost! :( (but i am truly a tom brady fan... can we say "HOTTIE") Had a family dinner at the mils, and snuggle time at home before bed! I love the weekends, but i always feel more stressed out. Like i should be doing something worth while, or more exciting. Oh well, we had a great weekend! Hope you did too!

21.

Today my little sister turns 21.

This does two things for me.. 1) makes me feel reallllly old (and i am only 4 years older than she is!) and 2) makes me reflect on where I was on my 21st birthday.
Heres my story:
On my 21st birthday I was 8 months pregnant with little Braxton Lucas (who at that time might have been a Noah Thomas). For my birthday Braxtons dad and I went for a weekend, to Monterey. I looooooooove Monterey. We went to the aquarium, walked around down town, walked on the beach, and went to a comedy show. It was the best 21st birthday a mama to be could have had. 
I think about where I was, and look at where my sister is. It is incredible what becoming a mother does to you. (Not in a bad way, I love the "older" me.) I thank God everyday He gave me the strength and courage to become a young mom, and I am praying all day long for paitence. But in the end, I wouldnt have it any other way.


Happy Birthday to my best friend, and sweet sister, Courtney. I love you Babe!

BIG steps for my LITTLE man!

Today was a tough day... not for Braxton, but for me. It was his first full day of preschool. We walked to school this morning, and he wasnt sure he wanted to stay. However, when I went to pick him up, he didnt want to leave, and proceeded to throw a HUGE fit! At least I know he loves school.

This morning was new for me. After our walk, I came home, Boden ate breakfast, and then napped. I got to start working right away on listing new pretties in the shop![ www.sillybeautifullife.etsy.com ] It is exciting to start this new venture!! After we picked up Brax, we took Nick lunch, and came home and had our own lunch. (well, I did. My boys didnt feel like eating today!)
After baths this evening, my boys were full of it!

My Braxton angel loves to read his "magazines" and then asks a million questions. My favorite tonight was "why does Donald Duck has his hands on his face.... I think its because he is thinking!" (I never really get to answer his questions)

Boden was dancing around the kitchen singing! I love seeing him in Braxtons old jammies. It is wierd though, to think that I have two beautiful boys, and they have shared clothes! Sometimes I feel like yesterday I was graduating high school. It is so true how they say the older you are the faster time goes!

Time for some quality snuggle time with my hubby and some ice cream! Yum yum yum!!! :)