Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hands Free Momma

        Hello!  So onto another one of my new years resolutions- spending less time on my iPhone, iPad, mac book, etc while Ella is awake! I named yesterday "Text Free Tuesday" and put away all of my devices while Ella was awake & only checked email, Pintrest, Houzz, Facebook & text while she was napping! (I'm pretty into the internet world unfortunately) At first I was kinda nervous.... as I have gotten in the habit of checking these "outlets" on a routine/hourly basis! It's my way of staying in contact with the outside world & other adults while Jon is at work! I know I shouldn't, but it's so easy that I can't seem to help myself!~ Plus Ell doesn't mind right?!  Wrong- she now knows exactly what the iPad and iPhone do and constantly wants to play with them (or eat them)! Her obsessive iPad/iPhone behavior made me realize that maybe I shouldn't always be on them in front of her- maybe I should spend my time acutally interacting with her- teaching her a few things. Genius idea right?! Not really! What did moms do before apple products, blogs, and texts? They played with their children! So I'm going to play with Ella more!

    At 8am as Ella awoke I turned my Iphone on "Do Not Disturb" mode (allowing emergency phone calls) and placed my iPad up on a shelf! I was ready to play with Ella! Our day was great! In the morning we went to the indoor playground at the mall where she climbed stairs, went down the slide, walked around everywhere and smiled at everyone! Our afternoon was spend reading books, learning new "tricks," getting a few snuggles in, and eating yummy food! While I was so nervous I would feel like I was missing out on things, in actuality I wasn't missing out on anything at all. The world didn't end, Facebook didn't crash & my friends were still there to text after she went to bed! Plus I got to spend all day with my little girl! Something not every mom gets to do! I'm a lucky lady with a very amazing daughter!  Maybe it took my a whole year to realize that I need a "Text Free Tuesday" every once in a while!


Pretty Blue Eyes



Always smiling

Gimme some more milk! 



Wild hair! But still smiling :) 

  I must also brag again about my MN friends- they truly are amazing! The support they give me & Ella has been unbelievable! Before I had Ella I remember reading a blog about how the first year of your child's life is a roller-coaster and about how important support from friends & family really is! I remember thinking "eh" I'm sure I can handle it!  Wrong! Boy oh boy did I need some friends when we moved here! And I found the perfect ones! "It takes a village to raise a child" is a very accurate statement!  And these women have helped raise Miss Ella into the fun little thing she is and helped keep her momma sane!  So if you know of anyone who's having a baby or just had one- go out of your way to touch there lives! Whether is friendly emails, texts, or phone calls- to bringing meals or just meeting them out for coffee..... it can really make a difference! 

Breakfast is fun! 

Daddy got home in time to read too

I love him! 

I'll turn the page thank you very much! 

It goes this way mom! I sure do LOVE to read! 

So silly! 

Do you want some mom? 

That was good! (Mostly on the floor)

Ella's FAVORITE book- she can Moo like a cow now! 

We are in full learning mode here! 

Lets read them again mom! 

HOLLYWOOD

That's all people! 

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the rest of your week!


Monday, January 28, 2013

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchilada's

  Happy Monday!! As promised- I am going to try to blog a new recipe once a week! So here it is- Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada's that we intend to have for dinner! YUM! Any suggestions for recipes would be appreciated too!

Must have my morning coffee.... this is getting out of hand Ella! 


    Let me first tell you that I am completely new to food blogging, therefore my pictures aren't that good & I forgot to take pictures of each step! Oops! Hopefully I will get better! I got this recipe from the Six Sisters blog (http://www.sixsistersstuff.com), which is an awesome blog with great recipes! Ive made 3 or 4 and we've liked every one of the

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas:


First I boiled 4 chicken breasts in boiling water for 15 minutes on high, then 10 minutes on medium heat until they were done. I then let them rest for 5 minutes & easily shredded the chicken with two forks! I'd never tried boiling chicken before and boy was it easy to shred! I'll be doing that from now on!!


   I was out of chili powder so I substituted Taco Seasoning & I added Cumin because I love that spice! I mixed my marinade in a bowl, then added my shredded chicken!  I put it in a zip lock baggie in the fridge for 5 hours.



  Then I poured my 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into my baking dish & mixed together the remaining sauce & 2% milk in a bowl. (I don't keep heavy cream in the house & it was snowing, so I substituted!) I didn't have any remaining marinade (next time I'll double the marinade recipe I think) to mix in the sauce.  




  I then combine my chicken mixture, some cheese & a little bit of the milk/enchilada sauce in a bowl.  I filled my tortillas shells with the chicken mixture, rolled them up and lined my baking dish with them! I then poured the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkled with the remaining cheese! 

Ella playing with her toys on the fridge with a tortilla in her mouth while I cook- this girl LOVES tortillas!




  It looks yummy!! We will be baking this & having it for dinner tonight! Along with some refried beans and rice! A little Mexican fiesta in Minnesota!~   

     I hope you get a chance to make these one night!  Super easy freezer meal too! And great to bring over to someones house that is sick, swamped, or just had a baby!  Great meal to feed to a big crowd! In fact my mom friends & I have started our "meal exchange" back up and this is what I made for them!! So 4 batches & then I get 3 yummy meals from them! Makes cooking for the week easy! And it's a nice variety from the same old things I typically cook! Jon & I can now say we like an Indian food dish! 

   This is what we had to deal with yesterday!  About 3 inches! It did make everything look so pretty for a while! 


Why does it always have to snow momma??

Have a great start to your week!! And I should let you know that my new "adventurous" self ate fried tofu & a jalapeno pepper that was hotter than Hades over the weekend!  Go me! Ha!




Sunday, January 27, 2013

Silly faces!


Mommy's happy hummus face! 

             Oh has it been a blessed week!!  Jon was on an "academic" week this past week, which meant lots of time to play with him as he didn't have to go to work everyday!  It was such a great week! Ella started walking & Jon was able to be home to see it! Talk about a blessing!  Plus it's just so nice to have him around! Ella adores her daddy! He's become a "novelty" around the house! Her face just lights up when he comes home!! We played, we read books, we went to the mall and we even got some snuggles & kisses in!!  Her daddy introduced her to doughnuts & milk- both of which she loved!

What? No I didn't have any doughnut's mommy....nope. ;) 

    Our house is also coming along nicely!  Lots of decisions to make, but so far everything is going really smoothly!! 21 weeks till the Kirkland's are home for good! This week we picked out paint colors & cabinets, decided on a ice maker (I absolutely love stand alone ice makers...they make the BEST ice) and designed a built in desk for Jon to work from home at!  Yay! 

  Today on our last day of Jon's "break" we plan to take Ella to an indoor play gym, eat lunch out & enjoy the 33 degree heat wave that is hitting Minneapolis for a few days! I hope you all enjoyed your weeks & weekends just as much as we did! It's those little things in life that make them so special!! 

I'm a BIG girl now :)  (Thanks G for my cute outfit)

Mommy- I've got my purse.... let's go shopping

Breakfast of champions! 


Bedtime Mohawk! 

Mini Jenny 

Thanks for reading, caring & loving on our little Miss Ella!  I'll be featuring a Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada recipe tomorrow! So excited!



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Happy LATE New Year

  Happy New Year to you all!! (Ok- I'm 23 days late but at least I'm saying it) I hope you all had a fun and blessed Christmas's like we did! After we recovered from the nasty flu we all shared, we played with or toys, started planning/decorating our house & got back into the swing of things!

    As we being this new year I have decided to make a few resolutions myself besides the typical "lose 5 lbs."  My resolutions  include:
1-  Blogging 3 times a week, even if it's just a short little blip.  And make one of those blogs a recipe!
2-  Spending more "hands free" time with my daughter (i.e. cell phone & IPad off)
3-  Be a more generous & giving individual
4-  Be more adventurous in my cooking & eating habits!

   Hopefully I can make these things happen

  Well it's been forever since I've blogged so I'll update you on Jon, Ella & I's lives!


          Ella is almost 1... I can barely believe it! Where did the time go?! She truly is the most joyful, fun and silly little girl around! She has started walking around the house, but still prefers to crawl most of the time as she is much faster this way. She recently got 3 new top teeth for a total of 5 (which she loves to brush). She has expanded her vocabulary to say "duck" and can now shake her head "no"(which Jon loves) when she doesn't want something, she gives open mouth kisses & hugs, she can give high fives & show you where her tongue & bebo are (belly button for those of you who haven't read the Bebo Book)!  She loves to read books and has her 3 favorites with her at all times. We recently started going to a local rec center once a week where Ella loves to play with their toys, play dress up, jump on the trampoline & the bounce house, and push shopping carts around the room with the other kids.  It's fun to see her interact with her friends!
We LOVE to read & flip the pages! Peak A Boo books are our favorite!

My little bath Owl :) 

Ready to go play!

What? I'm not gonna sit still for pictures mommy

We love to go to the aquarium & look at the fish! 

Sting Rays!! 

Bed Head

Being a Dr just like daddy, Papa & Auntie K

Ready to go swimming in my bikini

Does this make my butt look big? 



Pull to sound alarm.... just kidding, I only chew on these things. 

It's a rough life, but somebody has go to live it

   Jon is busy working away.  During his fellowship he submitted an outline for a research paper to be displayed at an Interventional conference and it was accepted, he recently finished this big project! Whew! He has planned a trip to Cali in the spring to practice his arterial skills in a lab with some IR company called Gore.  He also informed me that he only has 22 weeks left of his fellowship which he is both nervous & excited about! Time flies when you're having fun I guess.... Jon loves to read and play with Ella when he gets home and on the weekends!  She even started letting him put her to bed at night, which he cherishes!  Night time snuggles are THE BEST! It's pretty much the only time she will sit still and cuddle during the day, aside from a few hugs here & there.

  I've kept myself busy practicing how to make different types of bread, baking, and cooking new recipes!  I still hang out with my mom friends 2-3 times a week, which is time Ella & I love! I've started to gather decorating "ideas" for our new house and am super excited to do some DIY projects once the weather gets warmer!  I bought the perfect dresser to re-do at the church rummage sale! Super excited! I think my addiction to Houzz is just as bad as my addiction to Pinterest. Other than that my days are spent loving on and playing with Miss E! Which is the best way to spend a day! 

We got a front door!! Woo hoo!! 

Homemade pizza night! 
Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

Loaf of French Bread

Cinnamon Rolls (just imagine the smell...ahhh)
Chillin, chillin minding my business 



Ready for Oklahoma!  Got my cowgirl boots on!! 

Enjoy your day! Thanks for reading!

   - Jenny