My little girl turned 5!

How is it that one moment you are looking at a newborn and the next moment it seems you are looking at a 5 year old?? That is what happened to me on Monday. My oldest,  Rebecca, turned 5 years old.

What can I say about her? She is bright, funny, silly, wonderfully caring, sweet, very sociable, artistic, opinionated and just very lovable! She is a dream daughter--even with the opinionated part!

We had a birthday party for her on Sunday and it was a lot of fun.

She wanted a "strawberry Belle cake with yellow and pink icing." That was her request so that is what she got.

We had a lot of family over, as well as some close family friends. The girls (Rebecca, her cousin Lacie, and her friend Kimi) had a blast playing dress up and eating cake together!

She received many wonderful gifts, including clothes and toys. I just think she had a blast being around all the people who love her. She is blessed with many friends and family members who love her dearly.

On Monday, she went to school and got to wear a birthday crown all day and she took in ice cream as a snack for her class! Then I went and got her Burger King for dinner as that was her request. When I asked her if she had had a good birthday, she smiled real big and said it was "a GREAT birthday!" Yay!

The past 5 years have been challenging and rewarding as her mother. I never knew what unconditional love was until the nurses laid her on my chest for the first time on November 28, 2006. That day changed my life for the better and I am so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter. I hope she enjoyed her birthday party and her birthday!

The truly AWESOME chocolate chip cookie by Kroger

As a Bzzagent, I have the opportunity to try out products and review them. This past week I was so excited to receive my bzzagent package for "The truly AWESOME chocolate chip cookie" by Kroger. Inside I received 2 boxes of cookies, my bzzguide, and coupons to share with friends and family.

Rebecca thought it was HILARIOUS that Mommy got boxes of cookies in the mail!
But she couldn't wait to try one. 

So we dived right in , after Daddy got home from work that is. Upon opening the package, I was a little disappointed that there were not more cookies in the package. (They come 8 to a package) But once I took a bite, my disappointment went away--mostly!



My impression was that the cookies were a great size. You actually only needed to eat 1 at a time to get your cookie fix. There was a nice chocolate chip flavor to them. In my opinion they were not as great as homemade, right out of the oven, BUT they are as good, or better than other packaged cookies that I have had in the past. Even my husband, who is a die-hard Chunky Chips-Ahoy fan, LOVED these cookies! In fact I had to hide the second box, because they were almost all gone within 24 hours!



This is one of the cookies next to an ordinary teaspoon to show the actual size.



According to Kroger, the truly AWESOME chocolate chip cookies:

• Taste as if mom baked them herself, thanks to real, wholesome ingredients
• Warm them up a few seconds in the microwave and they taste like they just came out of the oven
• Free of added preservatives and artificial colors
• Almost 2x the size of other chocolate chip cookies
• Just hit shelves earlier this year
• Come eight delicious cookies to a pack
• Suggested to retail for $2.79
• Exclusively available at Kroger, Fred Meyer and Ralph's stores (Kroger Family of Stores)
• Sure to please and delight the entire family

Overall, my opinion is that these are great for a quick fix snack.They taste great and they seem to be healthier than other brands of cookies. However, if you have a family like mine that LOVES cookies these might be best saved for a special occasion as there are only 8 cookies in a package and are priced a little higher than other brands that have more cookies in a package. As for our house, I WILL be buying these cookies again, but for Hubby and myself. The kids can get other cookies!

Disclaimer:  As a bzzagent, I received these products and coupons free for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanksgiving Recap...

Thanksgiving Day for us is about spending time with family and friends, watching football and eating LOTS of food. This year was special because it was my nephew Ethan's first Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day we spent the afternoon and evening at my Mom and Dad's house along with my sister, brother, brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephews x2, and family friends and their kids. It was a BLAST! There was LOTS of laughter, LOTS of good food, and LOTS of great memories! I hope your Thanksgiving was just as great!

The Cousins coloring

Ethan's First Thanksgiving



Getting lots of yummy food



The kids' table

SOME of the yummy food

Good memories: My sister Mary holding our nephew Ethan for the very FIRST time ever!

The men watching football

Menu Plan for the week

Just a REMINDER that my 100 followers giveaway ends TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST.  Entries must be made on THE ORIGINAL POST!!! Thanks and good luck!

NOW ON TO REGULAR BLOGGING:::

This weekend was VERY busy, with Thanksgiving, cleaning, Rebecca's birthday party, etc. Couple that with Bill getting sick Saturday night and all day Sunday and yesterday, and Jacob being sick yesterday morning. Made for a rough, tiring weekend. I think I am finally getting back into the routine of life. I think....

That being said, one of the ways to stay in the routine is to make a menu plan....I try to get these done on Monday, but a day late is better than not at all....

Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Birthday girl's choice---she chose Burger King

Tuesday: Chicken and Cheese casserole for Bill and I, hot dogs and baked beans (leftover from party) for kids

Wednesday: Manwich sandwiches, veggies

Thursday: Spaghetti

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Baked Fish (for Bill), macaroni and cheese, green beans

Sunday: Baked ham, julienne potatoes, broccoli

So there you have it. What are you eating this week?

Christmas Bucket List

I have seen several versions of "bucket lists" around the blogging world. I have seen fall bucket lists, yearlong bucket list, as well as several other varieties. It finally dawned on me that this was a GREAT idea, especially since I have been known to feel bad after a holiday or a season for not planning things that I had wanted to do with my family.

So I have decided that this year, I will create a bucket list for the Christmas season.

This will include all the things that I would like to do with my kids and husband this year. Most of these I would like to accomplish before Christmas, but if I have to wait until after the New Year to do a couple of them (especially the ones that have to do with snow) that is okay too.

So here is my 2011 Christmas Season Bucket List

• Build a snowman with the kids and use our snowman making kit I bought 2 years ago
• Have a family snowball fight
• Host a Christmas cookie party (with coworkers?)
• Hang up Christmas lights outside 
• Make and decorate a gingerbread house with Rebecca
• Have Holiday movie nights with themed desserts (eg. watch Rudolph, while eating reindeer shaped cookies)
• Take the kids to our city's Christmas parade
• Take pictures in the snow
• Take kids to Dinner with St. Nick at Rebecca's school
• Go see Santa Claus at the mall
• Purge and donate toys
• Read a Christmas themed book every night of December with BOTH kids
• Put up and decorate Christmas tree

So there you have it. There is my families Christmas bucket list. I hope that this means that this Christmas season will be one to remember.

What are you planning on doing this Christmas season?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Today is a day where we take the time to say what we are thankful for. Today I am thankful for:

• My husband and children--they are the light of my life and the reason I do what I do.
• My family---although I don't always agree with their actions and/or decisions, they are my family and I love them all dearly.
• My friends---I am thankful for all my friends near and far. Life sometimes gets in the way of spending much time together, but at the end of the day I am grateful that I have the friends that I do.
• My job---In this economy, I am thankful that I have a job that I love and that allows me to still have time be mom and wife.
• My blog followers--- I am thankful for each of you. Even if we have never met, you are a special group of supporters who remind me that I am not the only one going through life's challenges. Thank you.

What are some things you are thankful for?

Quote of the Day

Books that I have been reading

Although I haven't posted about my reading in a while, that does not mean that I have slacked off on reading. In fact, there are days where I will read a whole book in one day. That being said, here are a few of the books that I have read recently....

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know what they are.

100 Followers and a Giveaway!

Yay! I can't believe that I have 100 blog followers! That is so cool! Thank you to everyone of you! And a special thank you to my 100th follower:

Antie Eboo from My Life Journey!!

YAY!!!!

NOW ON TO THE PROMISED GIVEAWAY!!....

Because I have 100 FABULOUS followers, I will be giving away 3 great coupons to 1 lucky reader!



The coupons I am giving away are:

• 2 -$5 off you next purchase of Del Monte Fresh fruits and vegetables coupons, including Avocados, Bananas, Melons, Fresh-Cut Fruit, Fresh-Cut Vegetables, Grapes, Pineapples and Tomatoes
• These have an expiration date of April 30, 2012
• 1 Free Any Bottle of Ken's Steak House Marinade
• This has NO expiration date

So there you have it...a giveaway worth: $13.79! That would definitely help with the rising cost of food!

To enter:

Mandatory entry: You MUST be a follower on Google Friend Connect and comment that you are.

Extra Entry: tell me your favorite vegetable or fruit

That's all there is to it! This giveaway ends on Wednesday November 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. And I will pick the winner, using Random.org, on Thursday Morning, December 1.

Thank you again for following and good luck!

5 Question Friday--Its been a while

One of the things I like to read about online is other people's lives. Who are they? What makes them tick? Why do they write about the things they do? One of the things that I have seen on some of the blogs that I frequent is a link to the Five Question Friday blog hop, sponsored by My Little Life . This week I have decided to join in.....
  1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood? There are a lot of songs that put me in a good mood. It really depends on the time of year. Most of the year it is anything that is old school country---think Alan Jackson, George Strait, vintage Reba, etc. This time of year though it is Christmas music. I went to Walmart yesterday and just hearing the Christmas music over the store's radio system cheered me up!
 2. Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one? I like the idea of a real tree, but not the mess. So I am and will probably always be a fake tree kinda person.
 3. What are you thankful for? There is so much I am thankful for....including

• My husband
• My kids
• a good ultrasound this past week
• my parents
• my friends
• my blogging friends
• my coworkers

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today? There really isn't any that I wish that I could wear, although I will say that I love the 70s inspired shirts, especially now that I am pregnant.
5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank? Personally it annoys me when the gas tank gets that low in my car. My husband lets it get really low, but I HATE that. It is a pet peeve of mine. I try to fill up when it gets to 1/4 of a tank during the spring, summer and fall. And I don't like it to get less than 1/2 tank in the winter. But that is just me.   So there you have it. A little bit more about me in 5 Question Friday hosted by My Little Life.   

Right now I am.....

Right now I am....

--Looking forward to the holidays. I LOVE Thanksgiving and Christmas!

--Surprised at how tired I have been lately. I have been going to bed around 9pm every night, as soon as I put Rebecca and Jacob to bed. This pregnancy is definitely making me tired a lot more than my previous pregnancies.

--Hoping for a good doctor's appointment this afternoon. I always get nervous when I go to the doctor for a pregnancy check-up. I am hoping that this one goes well.

--Looking forward to having today off of work. I love my job, but this week the kiddos have been CRAZY! And quite honestly I need a break from them today.

--Wondering what kind of cake I should make my niece for her 7th birthday this weekend?

--Thinking that I should call my brother and find out what Lacie wants for her birthday.

-- Grateful for a wonderful, crazy, funny husband who is working REALLY hard for our family.

--Happy that I have 2 healthy, adorable kids and a husband that I love!

-- Laughing at my crazy kids!

--Wishing that I had more energy.

-- Feeling a little down this morning because I once again did not clean up the kitchen before I went to bed. I really need to not be so hard on myself.

--Remembering things that are on my to-do list.

--Hoping for a good day today for myself, my family, friends and all my blog readers!

This post was inspired by the The Frugal Girl's post on Right Now I am.... I would like to thank her for inspiration for today's post.

Wordless Wednesday: ultrasound pictures

As you can tell from my new ticker on my sidebar, my pregnancy is still going on...I am now a little over 18 weeks and feeling good. I had an anatomy ultrasound scan yesterday and we found out that we are having a boy! Yippee!

We are excited!

Quote of the Day