Valentine’s Day Weekend

Friday was a little rough. I didn't feel well thanks to an ear infection and my mood wasn't as cheery as it usually is. I was frustrated with a lot of things and quite honestly,  I felt in need of a good pout session. Then, as the Lord sees fit, my mood was lifted...in the sweetest of ways.

A student whom I totally adore, came and gave me a spontaneous hug in the hallway. His sweet smile never fails to warm my heart. Later that same day I received a special "turtle-rific" surpise valentine. The kids could pay to send these little goodies to their friends. I received one from one of my former students. Despite having been out of my class for 3 years now, she still takes the time to make me feel appreciated. 

After a long day, I came home to a sweet surprise. My husband had gotten me flowers! Mind you, we said no gifts this year. He's just sweet that way. He had to work on Saturday and was not sure if he'd get to come home on Sunday so he gave them to me early.

On Saturday,  G and I headed out in the bitter cold to her friend's birthday party. The kids had a blast and I had a good time catching up with my adult friends.

We came home and warmed up the rest of the day. G came down with a cold and quickly became a pitiful mess.

Sunday was a creature all of its own. My earache was still going strong and G's cold (i.e. runny nose and congestion) had gotten worse. We didn't go to church since she had been up almost every two hours the night before. She had thrown up because she gagged on the mucus and she just couldn't get rested. Of course this means Mommy was up too. I'd do anything to help her feel better. She and I ended up in the living room on the couch. We finally slept a solid 3 hours before N woke up ready for the day

Eventually my hubby came home and I made our Valentine breakfast. We loved on the kids, gave them their goodies and celebrated N's first Valentine's Day. 

My husband surprised me again, only this time I felt awful. Grateful and in love, but awful. We said no gifts and he gave me this!

Of course he had a super sweet explanation that made me fall in love with him all over again...but I still felt bad that he only got a card.

I did make up for it some baking the meal he requested. I began cooking around 2pm and finished around 6pm. Things like this take lots of prep...a true labor of love.

Homemade...Bacon Wrapped Green Beans, Bang Bang Shrimp, and BBQ Ribs. 

We ended the evening by putting the kids to bed and cuddling on the couch. He had to leave for work since the weather was going to get bad. He left a little after 9pm and I was in bed by 10pm.

I am so thankful for all the love in my life. Above all, I'm thankful that God loved me enough to send Jesus in my place, to forgive my sins, and to provide a light when all seems hopeless. He is truly Love.

Here Comes Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow!!! We’ve opted to spend a low key evening at home with each other. We’re really working on reigning in our budget (even though I think we’re doing pretty good) to better adapt to the coming of our second child. July will be here before we know it! I thought I’d share a few things that Valentine’s Day 2015 will hold.

[Good Food]

I adore my husband. I love seeing a smile on his face and often times this comes from my cooking. There really is something to the old adage, "the way to a man's heart is through is stomach." Once again this year I have a tasty menu planned. We will enjoy a rare treat of savory cooked rib eye steaks, a special potato casserole, green beans and homemade brownie sundaes. We found an excellent deal on the steaks and even with that splurge, we’ll still be spending so much less than if we went out to eat.

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[Goodies for G]

Last year I had a snow day on Valentine’s Day and got to spend G’s first V-day with her at home. It does not appear that I’ll have the same luxery this year. Regardless, she still gets a few goodies. I opted to get her a couple of books (shocker, I know) that go along with the holiday theme.

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[Sweet Attire]

I’m quickly growing my way out of my standard wardrobe. I’ll be doing good to find something red or pink in my closet to wear that fits. I do have some pretty cute heart socks that I’ll sport. G is in a much better position to wear cute Valentine attire. I picked up this cute shirt at Crazy 8 on sale…



Crazy 8 Sparkle Stripe Heart Tee

[Homemade Goodies]

I made some yummy red velvet cookies and cute Kool-aid Valentine treats for my students. I’ll send a few of the cookies to my awesome babysitter as well. I also made these cute applesauce Valentines for my daughter’s daycare.

 

[Above All Else]

Of course, while I savor the memories and treasure the sweet moments with my friends and family, I also remember that the ultimate gift of love has been given by Jesus Christ. He is our example of how to love unselfishly and unconditionally.

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I hope you have a sweet Valentine’s Day!

Linking up with Oh Hey Friday! and Five on Friday

You're My Main Squeeze

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I can’t believe that Valentine’s Day is almost here! Doesn’t it seem like New Year’s was just the other day?! Time is flying and as hard as I try, I can’t slow it down. With the holiday quickly approaching, I decided to get a jump start on Valentine goodies for both G’s daycare and my students. I currently have all of my supplies for my students’ gifts at school so I’ll have to post about them later.

Check out Valentine's Day 2014 here

Fortunately, I now have everything I need to make the simple treats for G’s daycare buddies. I don’t know about you, but my daughter is in love with the squeezable apple sauces. In fact, she doesn’t really care what is inside (or so it seems) because she will eat whatever pouch we give her. Her favorite however is the flavored applesauce. Most of the kids at her daycare are at an age where they can eat these pouches independently. I thought they would make a cute Valentine goody. So with the help from some cute (free)clipart and a little creativity, I put together a little Valentine’s Day message and attached them to the applesauce pouches.

I think they turned out really cute and I know G will love sharing them with her friends.

What are you sending with your kids this Valentine’s?

Linking up for Mommy Moments

Five for February

I'm so excited about February...we have so many wonderful things ahead!



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[Superbowl XLIX]

Our Cowboys were rocking it this year! Unfortunately, their final game was a heartbreaker and knocked us out of the running. Despite our feelings, we're really excited about the game. Knowing we should pick a side to cheer for and considering we're pretty anti-Patriots I guess there's only one option left...regardless, there will be friends, food and football come Sunday night. I hate to see football season go...

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[Valentine's Day]

We've decided to have a low key homemade dinner this year. I'm already planning the menu. We've decided to opt out of cards and gifts. With a new baby on the way and a new house in our (prayerfully near) future, we figured we could go without this year. I'm also looking forward to putting together some little goodies for G's friends at day care. I also must say that I'm loving this little outfit from The Hair Bow Company...

[Baby Mine]

We'll be finding out the gender of our littlest miracle this month. I CANNOT WAIT! Can you feel my excitement?! We're trying to decide how we want to share the news. With G we were just so excited that we called everyone...we may aim to be a little more creative this time around...



Baby Mays #2 at 12 weeks

[Birthdays]

We have a few birthdays in February but I must say, two of my favorite to celebrate are that of my hubby and my best friend. Who knew that my wonderful husband and my bestest would share the same birth month? Destiny.

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[Snow]

Okay, so this may be a stretch but a girl can dream. So far this year we have not had a single good snow. I'm one of those crazy people that loves snow. It's like my area is encased in a bubble and the snow falls in all of the surrounding areas...I'm not kidding! They are calling for some possible accumulation this weekend...fingers crossed!



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Linking up for Oh Hey Friday! and Five on Friday

Sweet Valentine

Valentine festivities are finally over and I've gathered some of my favorites to share with you.

 

 

With all of the snow (15 inches or so) I was home bound for a few days. That did not stop me from spreading some love. I dropped G's Valentines off with her sitter on Monday, just in case we got the snow they were calling for. For my sitter I put together a yummy chocolate peanut butter pie and some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (you have to try them!). And for the kiddies...

"I love you "beary" much!" attached to a bag of teddy grahams.

I loved the CC Cookie Dough Balls so much that I put them into sweet little baggies for my co-workers. They were a hit! (Thought I had a picture but alas, I do not). For my students I took some creative liberty from various posts found on Pinterest and put together these adorable little goldfish baggies. The kids adored them!

 

 

I gave a little sneak peek of one of my Valentine projects a while back...and I must say I just loved it! I made G a little red and white heart jumper. She flaunted it proudly.

 

My hubby had to work on Valentine's Day so it was just G and I. We gave her Llama Llama Red Pajama as a little gift. 

 

My hubby and I opted to celebrate the Day of Love on the 15th when he could be home. I planned a very special (and quite ambitious) meal. While everything turned out very tasty, it was a little stressful attempting to cook and manage a 9 1/2 month old (making a mental note for next year).

 

Table Centerpiece

 

The Menu

 

The Table

 

The Dessert

These brownies were AMAZING!!! Try these Knock You Naked Brownies for yourself :)

Overall I probably gained 10lbs but considering this was a week filled with splurges, I don't feel too bad. (Is it crazy that I'm already looking forward to next year? But until then I have a 1st birthday to begin planning...)

Five on Friday: Sneak Peeks

This winter weather is crazy!!! I won't complain though because it gives me extra time with my little Snickerdoodle and allows me to accomplish things that I might not otherwise get done. I'm excited to share some of these things with you in today's Five on Friday! Don't forget to browse other Five on Friday participants here!

[one]

I thought I'd share a couple sneak peeks of things to come. The first is a sneak peak of G's Valentine's Day dress. I was super excited to get it done on our unexpected Snow Day. While it's nothing fancy, I think it's absolutely adorable and I can't wait to get her in it!

[two]

The next sneak peek is also Valentine's Day related. I'm starting to put together items needed for G's Valentine goodies for her friends at the sitter.

[three]

On Tuesday we kept hearing about the winter storm spreading flakes of joy havoc winter weather across the southern states, the Carolinas and southern sections of Virginia. There was little excitement predicted for those of us nestled in Central VA. In fact, we were told to expect some flurries and in some areas, a light coating. Flurries were happening in the area all throughout the day. They continued into the evening. As the sun set, the snow became heavier. By the time I went to bed that night, we had more than just a "dusting" and by morning we had about an 1 1/2-2 inches. Snow Day!



[four]

For those who have not had a chance to hear or read my post, I am excited to announce that I am down 12.8lbs. I began this journey at the end of December. Check out my update and photos here!

[five]

I've got two fitness events coming up in the next couple of months. The first is my Fitness Minutes Challenge with my Spark Team for the month of February. If you're interested in joining in, stop by DONE at SparkPeople to get more info. The other event that I have coming up is the Run for Mercy 5k. This was supposed to take place last October, but was postponed until this Spring. I'm still waiting for the date but it is on my list of fitness goals this year. This race is taking place in several cities across the country so if you are interested, check them out!

About Mercy Ministries: Mercy Ministries provides a free-of-charge, voluntary Christian residential program to young women aged 13-28 who have been victims of physical and sexual abuse, including sex trafficking, as well as those who face life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, depression and unplanned pregnancy (this information can be directly found here).

I'm also considering doing the Camp Holiday Trails 5k in March, but I do not want to commit without knowing the date for the Mercy Run. I don't know much about this particular race so if anyone has any info, I'd love to know a little more about it.

I wish I could say I love to run...but I don't. My 5ks consist of a walk/jog alternation. I do try to push myself to run for longer periods each time. I just struggle with endurance. I did a few 5ks prior to my pregnancy but have done none since. Wish me luck!

Five on Friday: Let It Snow!

This week was much shorter than anticipated thanks to the welcomed winter weather. The snow was gorgeous and with every flake, I was transported back to my childhood in northern Indiana...and while the amount we ended up getting was no where near the depth of that from my yesteryear, it did provide an opportunity for many fun activities. Please join me, Darci and others for this week's Five on Friday.

 

 

[one]

The week began with a lot of excitement. G finally got to experience snow!!! On Sunday we took a drive about 15 minutes from the house to show her some "good" snow. And then, much to our delight, we received snow on Tuesday! What fun! 

 

 

 

[two]

G had her 9 month well visit on Monday. She is growing like the cutest weed you've ever seen. Our doctor gave me advice on how to begin the transition from formula to more solids. We gave it our first true go on Tuesday. She did really well and did not seem to be hungry or miss her bottle as I had anticipated. She seems to be handling the transition well and is balancing her formula bottles well with her solid food and Sippy cup. She had her first bite of pasta...she's a fan!

 

 



[three]

Tuesday was a wonderful day to just hang out. My hubby was home and G was in bright spirits. I thought it would be great fun to work on a little art project to send to her Granna.

 

 

[four]

Yay for Friday! The first gathering of God's Girls at my church is happening tonight! I am thrilled to join an amazing group of Godly women leaders to work with this special group of young girls. There will be food, fun, a devotion, discussion and other wonderful things that you'd expect at an all girls' lock-in. (I can't stay for the lock-in but will definitely be there to hang out for a while...Woohoo!)

 

 

[five]

G's first Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and I've been searching for a simple idea to send with her for the other kids at the sitter's house. I ran across this idea from Cupcake Cutiees. I'll adapt it to meet my design taste but I love the sweet sentiment. So cute!