Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Saturday began before the sun as G and I headed out to meet one of my dearest friends at a consignment sale about an hour from home. It was quaint but I found several great deals and enjoyed adding some much needed items to G's Spring wardrobe. We then visited a local toy store that I have been eager to go to since my friend told me about the place. I picked up a book and a couple goodies for G's Easter basket. After a morning of walking around downtown we made our way back to a local eatery for lunch. I enjoyed their classic Buffalo Chicken Fingers while my friend enjoyed her Smothered Chicken. You know something is good when it tastes just like the delicious smell outside.

Girls Day 3.22.14

I loved catching up. She filled me in on her pregnancy (yay!!!) and other exciting tidbits regarding her family. Our friendship has grown so much over the last several years and I always looking forward to picking up right where we left off. Amidst the laughter and conversation, my poor baby became quite sick. Let's just say she went through two outfits, a blanket and several napkins...not to mention she lost her shoe, which my friend graciously retraced our many steps to find. We decided to call it a day and head home. She had a low grade fever and was very clingy. She also did not want to eat, which is a sure sign that my child is sick.

After a pretty restless night for both myself and G, Sunday morning brought about a need want for some comfort food...something that soothes the soul while it fills the tummy. While I missed my church family, I knew it was best to give her a day to recuperate.

I opted for a new recipe that I found on Pinterest. It was a delicious Baked Apple Oatmeal. I enjoyed a slightly altered version of that from The Dietitian Diaries.

Mommy's Little Helper

I began by halving the recipe. As where she combines everything in a casserole dish, I chose to mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

I then evenly distributed the mixture into two smaller baking dishes. I topped the mixture with another sprinkling of brown sugar and a tablespoon of chopped pecans.

I then poured 3/4c. evaporated milk over the oatmeal and placed them in the oven to bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. (I would have used regular milk had I not run out. This would probably cut down on the calories).

Yum! This dish was perfect! The only thing that could possibly make it better would be a dainty drizzle of caramel sauce...hmm...maybe next time? By the way, I took left overs for lunch and they were just as good!

 

 

 

 



 

Five on Friday!

What a week! The weather has gone from winter to spring in a matter of days (with more winter weather possibly to come...really?!) Combining the weather, meetings and G's random waking at odd hours of the night, I'm grateful that Friday has come. I've missed you friend! Please join me and others for this week's Five on Friday!

[one]
We had a nice bit of snow at the beginning of the week that provided two unexpected snow days at home. We thoroughly enjoyed getting G out in the snow.

 

[two]
Our precious GEM turned 11 months old this week! It's hard to believe that we'll soon be celebrating her first birthday. I began a journal for her when I found out I was expecting and I've recently been thumbing through the pages. There is a mingling of joy and sadness among the pages but I look forward to giving it to her one day. I hope it will reaffirm the love we have for her and that it will serve as a constant reminder of just how much she was is wanted, how much she was prayed for and how much hope we invested into God's goodness and provision.

[three]
With her birthday, now less than a month away, I thought I should really begin planning. I've tried to savor every milestone and moment with her this past year. While crunch time is just around the corner, I've started getting serious about some of the ideas I've pinned to a secret Pinterest board. I also sent out her invitations this week. I found many designs that I like but had a hard time justifying the cost...so I came up with my own, sent the design to Walmart, and had them printed and sent to my house, all for around $4.00.

 

 

[four]
A few weeks ago my principal, who is amazing by the way, requested some "shamrock shake" cupcakes. I have never had a Shamrock Shake but from what everyone has said, it is a basic mint flavored shake. I looked over several variations for this type of cupcake, but in the end, came up with my own. While it is similar to many you'll find, I opted for a mint flavored butter cream and of course, it was all homemade. I can't wait to surprise her with them today!

 

[five]
My students set a behavior goal a few months ago that would reward them with an outdoor reading time. They recently met their goal and today is the day! We've waited for nice weather and, for at least today, it has arrived. My students, along with some of their parents, will be throwing blankets on the ground with a few good books, and will soak up the sunshine as they read. I'm really excited for this opportunity to get them outside and to further encourage their love of reading. We'll be having a "picnic" as well with various goodies that have been graciously provided by some of the parents.



11

At 1:33am this morning our beautiful little girl turned 11 months old. I can't believe she has graced our lives for almost a year now. To celebrate our miracle, here are 11 of our favorite things about her...

1. Your facial expressions keep us laughing.

2. You love to turn the lights on and off.

3. You are pulling up on everything!

4. You love to eat spaghetti.

5. If you are fussy in the car, we put on the Frozen soundtrack and you instantly calm down and often "sing" along.

6. When you wake up, you sit up and play with things in your crib.

7. We love to hear you "talking" over the baby monitor.

8. You've started giving kisses.

9. You pat and rub our shoulders when we pick you up.

10. You love it when we act like your shoes or feet are stinky.

11. You snuggle blankets like they are your best friends.



We can't imagine our lives without our miracle. Soon we'll be celebrating her first birthday...how the days fly.

Once Upon a Snowy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! The weekend was filled with wonderful things, as was today. G and I began the weekend with some errands and a few odds and ends. We woke up really early on Sunday morning to head out of town for a long awaited visit with some of our closest friends. They had their first child on Christmas day and, due to sickness and schedule conflicts, we've not been able to visit. It was such a joy to see C and her parents. We were in awe of how just a few months ago G was that little. They in turn were looking towards the future when their little one would be almost a year old. It's crazy how time flies!

 

We left early afternoon in the hope that we'd beat the incoming winter storm. We began with some rain which quickly turned to sleet and then as the evening approached, the precipitation turned to snow. We gained about 3 inches, which probably would have been more had we not had such nice warm weather just the day before.

 

 

 

 

We took great joy in celebrating G's first St. Patrick's Day today. She sported her green, and even so, we could not help but pinch those cute cheeks! We also took her out into the snow for a little play time. She and daddy had a blast with the wheel barrow. She made her first snow angel and dug little holes in the snow. All of this was made possible thanks to today's snow day. Only time will tell if tomorrow will be yet another.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

 



 

 

 

Playtime in the Snow!!!

 

 

(Pardon the reindeer socks...she kept getting a gap between her shoes and her snow suit...socks solved the problem.)

 

 

Liking the Hard to Love

This week has brought about a roller coaster of emotions. Between looking back on "what would have been" and looking forward to "what could be", my heart and mind have been on overload. You add to that the fact that the crazies have come out of the wood work this week, I'm done. Praise the Lord it is the weekend.

With all of the criticism, bad attitudes and hurtful words that I've experienced this week, I've had to do a "check up from the neck up" as my Sunday School teacher would say. It would be so easy to fall into bitterness and bite back...but such does not please the heart of my God. Instead, I've had to step back and remember a few simple truths...

These people were put in my life for a reason. Whether I like it or not, God has ordained our connections. He knew I would encounter these people and he knew these times would come. Because of this, I've had to both hold back and move forward. The truth is, either they or I are meant to learn something from all of this.

 

 

::via::

 

 

Words hurt. I do my best to remain truthful but tactful. Others do not. I'm always amazed at how hurtful and hateful some people can be. This week I've been floored by some of the words that have alluded to personal opinions of me. This has taken its toll on me. I abide by the "do unto others" and sometimes it is hard to treat others the way I know the Lord expects me to treat them. It's times like this that I am so grateful for those who truly know me, love me, and give encouragement when it's needed.

::via::

 

I am called to love everyone...that doesn't mean I like them. While this may sound a bit contradictory, I stand by it. I am called to love everyone, and I do my best to love them where they are. God forgives me moment by moment and loves me in spite of my flaws. It is only right that I do the same. Does that mean He likes everything I do? No. This rings true in my own life. I've had to remind myself almost daily this week that I am meant to love these people, though they hurt or offend. That does not mean I have to like their actions, attitudes, or remarks.

::via::

 

Cling to the good. My God is good. My husband is good. My daughter is good. There are so many wonderful things in my life that can be easily overshadowed if I don't keep myself in check. Thanks to mercy and grace, each morning I wake up is a new day to make big and small contributions towards the Kingdom. Despite the week it has been, I am reminded that my God is enough. He will sustain me through these tough times. I will count it all joy.

::via::

Five on Friday: Odds and Ends

Five on Friday has arrived once again!

[one]

Spring is coming!!! Two days of 70 degree weather has me ready for flip flops and sunshine! I put together our Spring chalkboard sign which is already being displayed in the living room.

[two]

We are inching towards G's first birthday...we're only about a month away...(we're also less than a month away from the last birthday I'll celebrate in my 20's. It's hard to believe!)

[three]

I couldn't resist this little owl fabric. It's perfect as a little Spring skirt for G. I also had to pick up this Tinkerbell material...my mom is a huge fan.

[four]

We're trying to decide what to do with our bathroom. We did a renovation on it a couple years ago. Unfortunately, we didn't get the quality that we'd hoped for...I'll save that rant for a later time. We're at a point where everything we do to our home will hopefully make it more sellable in the semi-near future. With that being said, we're working on a plan to vamp up the bathroom...a new coat of paint, a new toilet, possibly new flooring...etc. Here are some ideas. I love the idea of a brown and yellow or a grey and yellow combo. I do have some khaki colored paint that I could paint the walls. I bought it for another room but opted for something else. Thoughts? You can check out some of our ideas here...

[five]

Birthday Challenge: I've decided to give this workout a go. Here is my goal...complete this routine 4x every other day until my birthday (I began this March 9 and will end it April 9). Here's to hoping I hang in there!

Sworkit! My Next Step...and a Birthday Challenge

I've added a new resource to my workout bag...and it requires NO EQUIPMENT! I ran across this awesome app called Sworkit*. I currently utilize the free app and find it adequate at this point. Sworkit offers strength training, stretching, cardio and yoga exercises. You can use a pre-structured workout or you can customize your own. One of the best perks about this app is that it can link directly to my MyFitnessPal account and will sync any workouts I complete with a touch of the screen. It's super easy!!! I completed my first strength training circuit today and was surprised at how much I am already feeling it.

I've known that at some point I would need to begin adding in strength building exercises...and I decided today would be the day. I've also decided to set another challenge before myself. If you remember, I made a 30 before 30 bucket list a while back. I've been able to scratch several things off of that list, but one thing that will take time (and might I add that I'm half way there...) is losing 30lbs before I'm 30. Now in reality, this may have to be postponed if the Lord blesses us with another pregnancy (which I am WAY OKAY with!). However, until such time as we are blessed again, my goal is to lose those 30lbs...15 more to go! Sorry for the rabbit trail...the challenge I've set before myself is this...complete the At Home Crossfit Workout every other day. I have input the exercises into Sworkit and will be using it to help me complete this challenge. This challenge runs from today (March 9) to April 9 which will be my 29th birthday. I feel like it will take a bit more encouragement to complete this circuit training than it does to do my regular cardio...so this challenge plus my regular cardio, which is prepping me for my upcoming 5k, will hopefully result in some great change.

I'd love it if you'd join me. Check out the app and find motivation where you can. Here's to wishing everyone a safe and wonderful upcoming week!

*I was not compensated to promote any of the resources mentioned in this post.