New years Resolutions

This time every year people begin talking about New Years resolutions. The majority of the time they set goals to lose weight, eat better, and things of that nature. In years past I always followed suit and set a resolution and it was always to "get in shape." This year my resolution is far bigger.

God blessed me so much in 2011. I brought my baby girl into the world, and that is the biggest blessing I have ever received. In the 4 short months that she has been here she has already brought me such joy. I have never been this happy in my entire life.

I feel like I owe God for this wonderful gift her has given me, so here is my list for 2012:

1) Grow with my walk with God. Read my bible daily, pray daily, and start praying as a family more. It is so important to me that Little Miss grow up in a solid Christian home knowing and loving the lord.

2) Be the best mommy to Little Miss that I can. Play on the floor as much as possible, hold her close while she naps, cuddle whenever she lets me, laugh with her, stare at her, just enjoy her all the time.

3) Be the best wife I can be. Become more domestic ;) Cook more meals from scratch, greet my husband with a smile when he comes home no matter how my day has been, and invest myself more in our marriage.

4) Take at least 1 picture everyday. Little Miss is already growing up so fast I do not want to miss anything.

That is all I have right now. I hope I can live up to it with the best of my ability. What are your resolutions?

The ABC's Of Being Me Review

I love reading to Little Miss, and she seems to enjoy it too when she is in the right mood. I try to make it a point to read at least one story book to her a day. It is just such a bonding experience to hold her in my lap and read to her. I want to instill the love of books in her like I had as a child. I think it is really important.

When I was given the opportunity to review Theresa McKeown's book, The ABC's Of Being Me, I was excited to share it with Little Miss. It is such a sweet book that goes through the alphabet and has a poem addressing a character trait for each letter. Each is to show the child of the importance of character and how many different characteristics we possess. The book has 26 different poems, so with Little Miss it took 2 days to read. I love that it is easy to just stop and start as you please.

The illustrations are all done in watercolor which I thought was neat, because you never really see that in children's books. Each picture shows the characteristic being displayed somehow and they do a very good job of it. 

The book obviously is a little over Little Miss's head and will be for a while, but I will keep reading it to her so she knows the importance of each characteristic she possesses.

If you are interested in learning more about this book you can check it out over at Dorrance Publishing.

 I received a complimentary copy of "The ABC's Of Being Me, as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team.  Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.  I was in no way compensated for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Christmas Recap

So I am finally back into the groove of normal everyday life. The tree is down, husbands back to work, and toys are everywhere! We had a GREAT Christmas. It was probably the best Christmas I have ever had. Having my beautiful little girl here made it so special.

We started off Christmas Eve by going to my Dad's to do presents. Then we came home to start our own family traditions. We made a cheese ball and frozen pizza, and Little Miss got to open 2 gifts. A Christmas Movie and Christmas PJ's. Then we all snuggled and watched the movie. It was a GREAT night and I can't wait to carry on this tradition every year.

On Christmas we woke up and opened presents just the 3 of us. I love my little family and this time we have just us is so special. Little Miss had a ton to open and she LOVED the paper. She would scream if you took it away from her. 

After doing present with just us, we went to the Christmas service at church. Then we went to my grandparents and opened gifts with all of Little Miss's cousins. Then we ventured off to my husband's aunt's house where his side of the family was gathered. We had a big meal and opened gifts there as well. The we were off to my In-Law's for another meal and presents. We ran like CRAZY that day, but it was a lot of fun.

My In-Law's got us bikes and Little Miss a seat for the back. She LOVED it. She giggled every time the bike moved. It was so sweet. 

We took mostly video footage so I don't have too many photos on my camera. It was a really great day and I am so blessed to have great people in my life to share it with. I hope all  of you had as good of a day as we did.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday: Personality

I love seeing Little Miss grow and develop her own personality and boy oh boy does she have a personality. She is kooky, silly, funny, and sassy all rolled into one. She is constantly making silly faces and she just lights up the room with her smile. She thinks she is hilarious when she throws up on you or pulls your hair. If you do something that she does not like she will jabber on for what seems like forever letting you know that you made her mad. It is so funny to listen to her complain because she just gives you the most serious look and has such a complaining tone when she is jabbering. She already knows how to fake cry and it is so funny when she wants to but you are making her laugh and she doesn't know which to do. She is daddy's best friend if mommy is in the other room, but the minute she sees me she looks at him and tries to make a whine so she can come back to me. She already wants to crawl so bad so I know once she actually becomes mobile I am going to have my hands full. She is a little spitfire already but we love watching her, she lights up our days.

These pictures show her personality so well. I love them.

Pin IT Tuesday: Christmas Cookies

I love the Christmas season because it is also baking season. I do not do a whole lot of baking during the year and I make up for it during Christmas. I love the way it makes the house smell, and this year I have a little one to sit in the kitchen and keep me company :) We love to listen to Christmas music and dance around and act silly. She is a child after my own heart. Here are some yummy Christmas cookies I'm thinking about trying out this year.

Source: insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: theidearoom.net via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: crazydomestic.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com via April on Pinterest

Do you have any special cookies you bake?

Design by Maya Nursery Art review

Every since I discover Pinterest I have become hooked. One day while browsing I found a quote that I absolutely fell in love with. "No One else will ever know the strength of my love for you, after all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."
It's such a sweet quote and so true. After reading it, I was determined I would find somehow to get that quote on something for Little Miss's wall.

Low and behold I found the PERFECT wall art with this exact quote on it. Design By Maya has the cutest prints, with some of the cutest quotes. She even allows you to custom order, so if you find a quote you love and she does not have it shown in her shop, just let her know! How neat is that?!

The print i choose was the Pink elephants. We LOVE elephants and the print was just too cute.

The print is on very high quality photo paper and looks great! Many prints are printed on flimsy card stock but this was very high quality. I am very pleased with this wonderful brightly colored print.

All of Maya's prints can be made to match the color of your little ones nursery. All of her prints are original and made in the USA. They are all so unique and she is constantly adding new artwork to her shop. Without a doubt you are sure to find something you will love!

 These prints would make GREAT baby shower gifts or just a great addition to your little ones bedroom decor. So go check her out, you will not regret it!

Thankful Thursday

Lately I have been thanking God for my husband and his fantastic work ethic. He is such a hard worker, he blows my mind. He works full time, goes to school full time, works side jobs, and still manages to be there for me and little miss. I am so thankful that he is such a hard worker and allows me to stay home and take care of our beautiful little girl. That is the biggest gift he has ever given me.

This man is so devoted to his family, I could have not asked for a better father for my daughter. We have been together since we were 16 and basically grew up and grew together as one. We know one another better than we know ourselves and can finish each others sentences. I want to strive to be the best wife I could be for him, and sometimes I feel as though I do not do the best I could. I hope he always knows how thankful I am that I can call him mine.

Wordless Wednesday: Jumper

Little miss LOVES her jumperoo. She still can't reach the ground so we put books under her and she goes to town. She is so fun to watch because she gets so excited. She is growing soo fast :(

M.I.A

I know I have been neglecting the blog these past couple days, but I have been spending all my time with these two wonderful people

The husband had a few days off and we have been having some quality family time, and I felt like interrupting by taking time out for the blog would be unfair. I love my family and the time we have together is so special. I am so thankful for each and everyday with them.

he husband had to return to work, so now I can take time to blog during nap time :)

Priavate Selections Review

I was recently given the opportunity to join the Private Selections Campaign over at Bzzagent. Bzzagent is a great program where consumers get the opportunity to try great products in exchange for word of mouth sharing. If you haven't ever checked them out head over to their website now!

In our home frozen pizza is a staple food. We use it for dinners on busy nights, for lunches, and just for a quick snack. My husband loves it and makes sure to put it on my grocery list every two weeks. We were both pretty excited to be able to try a new brand of pizza. We usually stick to one brand, and haven't ever ventured out to try anything else.

Bzzagent and Private selections sent me a coupon for a pizza, appetizer, and dessert of my choice, as well as an awesome little oven mitt.

For our pizza we selected the  Pepperoni and roasted garlic. There were not too many other options that sparked any interest. The pizza is package in a very nice box, and looks rather fancy. The price is around $5 which was not too bad for the quality of the pizza. It was on the smaller end ( maybe could serve 3), but the taste was actually very good. The garlic made the pizza have a bit of a pizazz to it and it did not taste like a boxed frozen pizza. It reminded me of the local Italian restaurants pizza. The crust is very thin, and I usually do not like thin crust pizza but this one was very enjoyable.

For our appetizer we selected the Southwest Style Chicken Trumpets. The box made these things look amazing! However I was a bit disappointed. They were very bland. They cost about 6 or 7 dollars. In my opinion they are not worth the price. You only get about 8 in a package and for the quality they were not worth it. 

The selection of the Private Selections desserts was much better than the pizza and appetizer selections. There was much more to choose from. we ended up settling on the Cream Puffs. They were priced at about $4. Once again the box mad them look terrific. They were not bad, and for the price I would say they are a good quality dessert. There were quite a few cream puffs in the package and were were able to take some out and seal the bag to enjoy more later. We probably will be buying these again when we have company over because they were so reasonably priced.

Overall Private Selection is a good option for a quick dinner. All except the appetizers are reasonably priced, and have great quality taste. 

Wordless Wednesday: Santa

We ran into Santa at the Christmas Village a couple weeks ago. I was really excited for little miss to sit on his lap!

PIN IT TUESDAY: Advent Calendars

As a child, my family never took part in the whole advent calendar idea. I love the idea and creativeness of some I have seen and when little miss is old enough to understand we will definitely be starting the tradition. These are some of the neat ones I have found:

Source: skimbacolifestyle.com via Heike on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Candice on Pinterest

Source: christmas.yourway.net via Claire on Pinterest

Source: ohhhmhhh.de via Malinda on Pinterest

Source: danimariedesigns.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: christmas.yourway.net via Sonya on Pinterest

There were so many more neat ones, I always get sucked into Pintrest.

Do you and your family partake in the advent calendar tradition?

Menu Plan Monday

I have found that by making a weekly menu plan helps so much with cutting cost on going to the grocery. without the weekly plan I always think of something last minute, run to the store to grab an ingredient and end up buying a bunch of junk I didn't need. I have become more strict on myself and have been doing very well. I went to the grocery a week and a half ago and still have a week full of meals in my freezer and cabinets. I am very proud of myself, because this is a real change for me.

Most of the time I make the extra trips to Wal-mart and buy stuff for little miss that she did not need or junk food that we did not need. I really like the way this menu planning has worked. Here is my menu plan for this week:

Monday- Dinner with the In-laws

Tuesday- Hamburgers and homemade fries (We LOVE homemade fries, we no longer buy store bought.)

Wednesday- Pork chops, Fried Potatoes, and green beans. ( I am trying my mother in laws recipe for green beans because my husband loves them. If they turn out like hers I will post the recipe)

Thursday- Pulled Pork sandwiches

Friday- Boneless Wings ( I learned how to make the wings taste and look just like Lees Famous recipe, I will definitely be posting this recipe)

Saturday- Spaghetti, Garlic bread, Salad

Sunday- Dinner with the In-Laws

Best friends for life

Growing up I didn't have any family members around my age. My mother had me at a young age, so I had no cousins around my age or brothers or sisters. shortly after having me, my mother developed a brain tumor and become disabled so my grandmother took over the responsibility of me. I was raised with my aunts and uncle being my brother and sisters. However the youngest was 10 years older than me so there was quite an age gap. 

I am very happy that my daughter will not have to have this problem. Shortly before I found out I was pregnant, my "sister" announced that she was. When I found out I was expecting we were very excited that our children would grow up together. About 8 weeks after announcing that I was pregnant, my "brothers" wife announced they were expecting. It was very funny and exciting.

Now all the babies are here and starting their bonding. My daughter is so lucky to have her cousins so close in age. They are sure to be best friends for life.

Cooking With Mommy

Little miss has found a new favorite thing to do. She loves to hang out in the kitchen and "help" me cook in her bumbo chair. She is so funny. She watches everything I do as if she is trying to learn how. She loves when I give her some utensils or oven mitts to play with. She thinks she is a big girl.

I love spending the days with my little girl. I am so grateful that my husband works so hard so I can stay home with her. This baby has become my best friend, I can not imagine not being with her everyday.

Maybelline Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Maybelline giveaway is Kristine with comment number 30:

kristine said...[Reply]

I'm following you on GFC! kristinemjones at hotmail dot com

The winner was chosen through random.org

Congrats Kristine! I hope you enjoy your prize!

Wordless Wednesday:Tummy Time

We have a new love for playing on our tummy now.

PIN IT TUESDAY: Homeade gifts

I love homeade gifts! I could get ideas for hours on pinterest, but here are a few that caught my eye.

Source: alleventsadviser.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: themcclenahans.blogspot.com via Elena on Pinterest

Source: texascottage.blogspot.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: thinkgarnishblog.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: jengrantmorris.blogspot.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: thecreativemama.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Nativity Bear

Recently my husband and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby to look for Christmas decorations. While browsing around I took Little miss over to the singing animals to play.  After listening to a couple of singing dogs I saw a big fluffy bear, so we took him off the shelf to see what he would do. I was very very surprised. I pushed his hand and low and behold he started telling the Christmas story. He tells the whole story is a cute little bear voice. The story last for a couple minutes, which really surprised me. I couldn’t resist, I had to buy him.

I am very glad I did. Little Miss loves hugging and chewing on him while he tells her the story of Jesus’ birth.  I want her growing up knowing and loving the lord. This bear is a very precious gift to her that I hope she cherishes and possibly passes down to her children.

I would definitely recommend any Christian parent pick this Nativity bear up at their local Hobby Lobby this holiday season.