A quick crock pot recipe to share...

I made this very easy and very quick crock pot dish for dinner tonight. I'm almost embarrassed by how easy this was. It literally takes 5 minutes to throw it together...THAT'S IT!!! That's how we roll around here...we are both way too busy to cook elaborate meals on a regular basis. Here is the original recipe, along with the changes that I made.

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Chicken & Rice Casserole

4 large chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used reduced sodium)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup diced celery (I used carrots instead)
1 cup minute rice (I used 1 1/2 cups of brown rice)

Mix the 3 cans of soup and rice in crock pot. Place the chicken on top of the mixture, then add the celery. Cook for 3 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Chicken will shred easily with a fork after cooking and you can mix it in with the rice/soup mixture. Top with cheese for extra flavor. Serves 4-5.

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The best thing about this recipe is that Hannah LOVES it! Apparently I've been depriving my child of a vegetable that she actually really likes. I had no idea that she likes carrots. She picked them out and ate them first! I was dumbfounded! I'm so glad to have found something else that all 3 of us will eat...I don't have to make Hannah a separate dinner. Both Mark and Hannah went back for seconds. One point for Mom :)

New Furniture for Hannah

Yesterday we ordered Hannah's new bedroom furniture! She's getting real "big girl" furniture. Our hope is that this is the furniture that she'll use until she goes off to college. I didn't want anything juvenile, so while this is sort of "grown-up" looking, I think it will grow with her for the next 16 years. We got these three pieces in the dark wood and we have a trundle (for under-the-bed storage) coming too.

Now I get to shop for big girl bedding and get the new baby's nursery ready. The new baby will use Hannah's baby furniture and I think we've decided on this gender-neutral bedding. It will match with the rocker that I used for Hannah. I'm trying not to buy anything that I don't have to have.

By the time I finish all of this and set up our new guest room in the upstairs bonus room, we'll probably (finally) sell the house. That would be just my luck! But until then, I'm going to enjoy redecorating :)

New Jammies Part 2

I let Hannah pick out her own jammies when we are at the store and this is what she chose.

They didn't make them in her size, so this was the smallest one they had. It's a size 4/5. I think it's supposed to be a knee length gown rather than floor length. Needless to say, she'll get a few seasons of wear out of these! She's so proud of the things she picks out herself :)

We are having a...

SURPRISE baby! We have decided not to find out the sex of the baby this time around. I know that may drive some of you crazy, but when else will we have the opportunity to have such a wonderful surprise?!?! Unless there turns out to be some medical need to know the gender, we will ask the ultrasound tech to keep it a secret when we go for our next ultrasound in November.

I have posted a poll on the right side of the blog so that you can cast your guess on the gender of Baby Malueg!

One for the record book!!

Tonight for dinner we had grilled chicken, whole grain brown rice, black beans, and peaches. And by "we" I mean that all three of us ate the same thing. I didn't have to give Hannah anything different from what Mark and I ate! That's huge for her! I didn't think she would touch the black beans, but after she tried one she said "Yummy! Hannah likes this!" I thought the peaches might be a battle to get down as well...but nope! She was a champ and ate those too. She's been eating really well lately and has been much more adventurous with trying new things. It's the little things that can make a mommy so happy :)

New Jammies!

I bought Hannah a new pair of jammies yesterday. I wasn't planning on her wearing these for a while since it's a little out of season, but she insisted on wearing them as soon as we got home. She calls them her "bone jammies." The cool thing is that glow in the dark!

If I don't get on the ball, these jammies will also serve as Hannah's halloween costume!

Thankful Thoughts

For a while now I have been thinking about doing a weekly post about the things that I am thankful for. It's something I always think about, but I thought it might be good to write those things down as a reminder about what is really important for those times when I'm feeling down or frustrated. Weekly posts might be a bit ambitious since I just haven't felt much like blogging lately (who am I kidding...I don't feel like doing much of anything lately)...so maybe I'll try bi-weekly posts.

Here is what I'm thankful for this week:

1. My silly daughter - Hannah has really been testing the limits this week. It's a good thing she has been full of silliness because it really helps make up for those times when she doesn't listen. She has spent a LOT more time than usual in timeout. It's amazing how a few minutes in the timeout corner straighten her out! Thank goodness it works because I'm not sure what approach we would take if it didn't.

If it were up to Hannah, she would be naked (or "nakey" as she says) all the time! Here she is making silly faces tonight and wearing her sunglasses inside - totally hamming it up!

2. My job - I have never been so thankful to have a job. Two weeks ago, my company went through a major restructuring and 2/3 of the people in my position across the country were let go. The day the announcement was made was one of the scariest and stressful days I've had in a very long time. I didn't know if I would have a job the next day. I was concerned about losing maternity benefits and being able to afford all the expenses that go along with having two young children. I had prepared myself to be a stay at home mom for a while (seeing as no one would want to hire a pregnant woman!). Fortunately everything worked out. My job will be changing a lot over the next few months and I'll have a lot more responsibilities, but it's a job and I'm very glad to have it!

3. Naps - Mark has been very understanding about the way this pregnancy is affecting me. He lets me sleep in some on weekends and take naps in the afternoons. If it weren't for those naps, I wouldn't make it through the day. I REALLY appreciate his efforts to help me and keep Hannah quiet for a little bit while I get some rest. Only two more weeks until I'll be in the second trimester and hopefully things will improve!

Until next time...let's all be thankful for the blessings, no matter how small, in our lives!

Guess what!!

We are so excited to announce that Hannah is going to be a big sister!!!

I am 10 weeks along and we got to see the baby and the heartbeat today for the first time. Everything looks great and it sure helped put my mind at ease! My official due date is April 3rd, 2010 (one day before Hannah's 3rd birthday). However, since I'll be having a repeat c-section, the baby should be here a week or two before that if I don't end up pre-eclamptic again.

I don't remember being this tired when I was pregnant with Hannah. I think that has been the hardest part for me. The morning sickness isn't pleasant either, but I know it will pass soon enough. Now Mark and I will continue to debate whether or not we find out the sex. I vote no and Mark votes yes. I don't think I'll win this one, but it really doesn't matter as long as we have a healthy baby.

Hannah seems to have accepted the "big sister" term, but I know she doesn't really understand what that will mean for her life. She knows there is a baby in my tummy and will try to kiss and hug it. Sometimes she asks if I can "take it out" so she can "see it." I think it will become more real to her when I start to show and she can feel the baby kick. I'm anxiously awaiting those first signs of movement!

We are excited about what this new chapter of our lives will hold!