Damn, it's like that...

It's a beautiful day...unseasonably warm after the completely unexpected artic blast we recently had. So, despite every thing on my to-do list, I had to take the kids outside. They played. I painted. It lead to them both taking a nap, well just a "rest" for Madeline, I can still hear her playing in her bed. And to me having a minute to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea. I'm going to add that to things that people could easily take advantage of....sitting down to enjoy a hot beverage. My morning tea is cold by the time I get to it...as is every meal, usually. I said to Anthony the other day, "I don't care if we have to pay someone to watch the kids, we will take a small trip for our 10th anniversary". Damn, it's like that, planning something 5 years from now. HAHA! I think these past couple months have just been stressful, considering that Anthony leaves before anyone is up and returns home at just about bedtime. Every.single.day. I think it wouldn't affect me as much if I weren't pregnant, but man, these kids wear me the heck out while the one on the inside is sucking away my energy. Anthony tries to give me a break on the weekend, but I can tell he is just as tired as I am. We are in rare form right now. Thank God our normalcy will return soon. The move is on Saturday, and I am counting down the days that Anthony only has a 15 minute ride home and I have my energetic partner back....because I need him...and he needs his time back with us. I think this period in our lives has proven so many things to us and maybe that's why we had to go through it. It has revealed how strong we are and how much we need each other...because we are all we have in this crazy chaos of children.haha. We love every second of our child chaos, it's just been extra hectic lately.

Alright, enough sitting and tea time. If I sit any longer, a nap will sound SO nice. Back to the list.

Oh, 2 more recipes I tried from Pinterest that were good....

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers - Definitely good and will make again. Even Joshua liked them and that's rare!!! Oh, I left out the onions, of course.

Tuscan Tortellini Soup - Oh my YUM. Amazing. This is how I normally make tortellini soup, except I've never added milk...I think that added a certain depth that made it so much better. Make it. Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread...Mmmm. I actually ate this soup for 5 days straight..warning, it gets spicier each day.haha.

And our little Pinteresty project for the kids new bathroom...

Joseph painted the "WASH" and Madeline painted the "BRUSH". They will be so proud to see them hanging on their bathroom wall. Madeline also painted an M for her room...love her little grin.

And here's some more cute..

I will need to be rolled out of the house soon

*sings* It's beginning to look a lot like cold season...Vicks vaporizers in every room....

Yep, the kids were sick and it smelled like a menthol bomb had been dropped on our house for the past week. It's bound to happen...probably from the damn bouncy place last week, I think I could see the germs floating around us. Pretty sure it has finally moved past us now though. We are just stuck with a lingering runny nose from Joseph.

It's a rainy day, kids are napping, and I'm having an afternoon pick-me-up of tea and cheesecake...it's ok because I had carrot sticks (and spinach dip) for lunch. I've mentioned I have no willpower during this pregnancy, well my husband knows this and is constantly surprising me with these foods that are sure to stick around long after our new little boy is born. Anyway, bottom line is cheesecake has to be one of my favorite things in the world, so it's a lovely treat during nap time.

I've been in a cooking mood and have been trying some new recipes from Pinterest. Translation: I will need to be rolled out of the house soon. I've been pinning to this "Cold Weather Comfort Food" board and I probably drive Anthony crazy talking about all the food I'm going to cook and eat. I've prepared 3 from that board so far. I was only impressed with one, was eh about another, and I'll warn you to steer clear from this other one...I didn't even take a picture, and trust me, it was not from "chef" error. I'm horrible at taking food pictures anyway, it never looks as good in my pictures as it did sitting in front of us. Maybe it's because I use my phone, but who wants to get the good camera out and hold up dinner? Oh, the looks my family would give me.


Creamy Black Bean Chicken Soup. Amazing. But, I knew it would be because it's super simple ingredients, thrown into a crockpot, and makes your house smell of Mexican seasonings all day....possibly turning you into a "hangry" witch by the time your husband gets home for dinner. Did I mention you can eat it by scooping it up with tortilla chips? Mmmm. Anyway, so easy. Chicken, broth, black beans, corn, salsa (I used On the Border because I don't like onions, and there are no chunks, plus it was mild enough for the little guy to enjoy), taco seasoning, crockpot. Boom. Here's the link....Creamy Black Bean Chicken Soup
And my quick picture...

Garlic Chicken Farfalle. Meh. I was attracted to this because I used the crockpot, my husband prefers shredded chicken rather than pieces in pasta, and it had bacon. It was really just the chicken that was in the crockpot with Mesquite and Lime seasoning then shredded. It was alright. I think Joshua and Joseph enjoyed it the most.  Here's the link...Garlic Chicken Farfelle
And picture...

Apple Crisp Stuffed Apples in the crockpot. NO, just no. If you've ever typed in "crockpot" as a Pinterest search, you've seen them, they look great. That picture is before the crockpot has turned them into a disgusting mess after the 6 hours they are instructed to cook. I can't even post the picture. They looked gross.haha. We still tried them with vanilla ice cream on top. Nope, they tasted ALMOST how they looked. I wanted to try the recipe because it seemed so easy...apples, brown sugar, oats, pecans, cinnamon... Not meant for the crockpot. It happens.

Tonight is Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers. Mmmm.

Alright. 12 days until the big move....big things need to happen in our house before then! What will the kids do when they can no longer play in the empty cabinets???

moving again

This pregnancy is taking a toll on me. If God's plan was to see how much I could handle, I'd say I'm pretty close to my maximum handling capacity. haha. At first, it was the sickness...it still hits me from time to time and all I can do is come out of the bathroom laughing that it still happens. Now, my body is letting me know just how unprepared it was for another occupant. Aches and pains, sure...but, Braxton Hicks already? Totally unfair, by the way, my body "preparing" for something that will never happen. The kicks are constant, I don't think he ever stops....but they are the best feeling in the world. Feeling that little life inside of you, jumping around like he can't wait to join the fun on the outside. My emotions have been extremely hard to control lately...I'm kind of emotional about everything. I should really start writing down the ridiculous things I've cried over because it's quite amusing. Relocating while feeling this way is no picnic, but I'm hanging in there. I didn't even have an emotional breakdown when our moving date changed an entire month and our whole house is currently boxed up.
When you are a family of (soon to be) six on one income, you have to make sacrifices, you have to be willing to accept new adventures, you have to go where the best opportunity for your family is. Right now, that will be near York, Pa...because of our families, my husband has a limited range of where he can be relocated or I'm sure we would be in a warm and sunny state at this point. It is rough, picking up your family and moving away from things you know, but it is what has to be done for the best interest of our large, one income family. That's the wonderful thing about my husband...he is always looking for the best opportunity for us, so we do not go without. So, to answer the question I keep hearing over and over...yes, we are moving again. Hopefully we will be in this new area for way more than a few years because I am SO excited about our new residence....like kid at Christmas excited. We will be going from a 1900 sq ft, 3 bedroom home to a 4500 sq ft, 7 bedroom home. I'm pretty damn giddy that we will no longer be stumbling over each other, staring at a room jam packed with toys at the end of a long day. Do you have any idea how many toys we have and how hard it is to relax when they are all piled in front of you? There will be a playroom!!! The HOA funds a neighborhood pool and community center, there is a large park, basketball courts....all at the end of our road that we can walk to in less than a minute, or maybe 5 with all these kids. I may not leave the development during the summer! haha. Don't get me wrong, our neighborhood now is beautiful...everyone has acres of well groomed land (we somewhat struggled in the well groomed area), it is a quiet and peaceful country setting. Wonderful for someone ready to retire from a busy life. We, however, have restarted our lives and are now back in that family with young children category. The new neighborhood will be our opportunity for our children to play outside with the kids next door and have neighbor friends or walk to the park or play in our smaller, but fenced in, backyard. So, even with all of these emotions about moving again, I am beyond excited about this new adventure.

Playroom? I'm down.

Elsa is too!

Will there be caramel apples?

Of course!