Chubby Baby Car Seat Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Chubby Baby Car Seat Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Another giveaway that I want!

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I want to win this! This is possibly my very first give away that I have tried for!

When left to their own devices....

Odin is constantly getting into things and figuring out all of our electronic contraptions! He knows how to put in and start up our Blu-Ray player and DVD player. He has almost figured out the On Demand menu and he can use a cell phone with the rest of us! He loves to cook in the microwave and turn the dishwasher on. He is great at loading the wet laundry into the dryer and shutting down the XBox. I got home the other day to find a few pictures he had taken of himself with my laptop... I have never used this feature! Leave it up to my 2 year old to figure it out! Now... if he could just figure out the potty training thing then I would only have to look forward to one set of diapers to change!

Happy Halloween 2009...

Thanks to Mimi, Odin was able to have the cutest costume ever this year! Those of us with little boys are limited to the number of nice costumes sold in stores. They are slim for the pickin' and I know I only have a few years left until he actually has an opinion about what he will be for Halloween, so I choose the CUTEST pirate captain ever!

Halloween has evolved so much over the years and I have found that more fun is had at ward/neighborhood parties than door to door trick or treating. We only went up one street and back this year (which is huge compared to the 3 houses we went to last year)The highlight of Odin's night was when Josh caught a frog and he got to hold it and have it pee all over him! It was a really fun night... but between the week of ward parties, $1 movies costume party, my mom's neighborhood party and trick or treating... I AM TIRED! Until next year.... Happy Halloween!

Rhymes with STINK....

"Rhymes with STINK," is our code name for the Bink or binki. Odin has become quite the fan of his binki and I have become very reliant on it as well. I swore by his 1st birthday there would be no more binki and now his 2nd birthday has come and gone and the bink has remained a staple. I know it is more my own laziness that he is still using it and I regretfully admit my failure as a parent to take it away. I know that in January there will be another little man in the house that will probably take a binki and I need to break the big man of his habit before I have TWO of them dependent on them!

Yesterday Odin had the hugest temper tantrum ever! He has been having them quite frequently and in the end he screams for his binki. I usually give in and give it to him, mainly because we are in public and I am humiliated by his tantrum. Luckily we were at home for the latest tantrum and I just had this extreme energy run through me and I looked at him and said, "There are no more binkis!" He was in total shock, as was Josh and I that I was so stern and had such conviction!

It has been 24 hours and no binki.... we didn't get very much sleep last night, but I keep hearing that it will only take 3 days and he will forget about it! I can do this and I will not give in! I will miss his cute binki face, but I will not miss having to find it when he loses it or having him throw it for attention!

Rykr at almost 28 weeks...

Today we went to the OB for our first 3D pics! Rykr wasn't very cooperative... he, like his brother wanted to put his hands up by his face! I love that we get to see him at this stage, he and Odin look SO much alike in their ultra sounds pics! I love it! I am beginning to realize that soon I will have 2 babies in my house and I am a little scared, but SO excited! My mom has been helping make room for the new little guy in the boys' room and I am trying to get Christmas taken care of so I don't have to stress about it in the last few weeks of this pregnancy!

My hobby....

As a child I spent the hot summer hours watching the Food Network and trying out recipes. I once dreamed of becoming a chef, but because my mom was raised in the restaurant business, I was gently pushed into a different direction. I love to cook and my new stay at home status has allowed me the privilege of cooking for my family more often. I have decided to post some of my favorite recipes that I have found... please note that I always change something in the recipe that makes it more suitable for my family... I will post my variation and I do not take full credit unless it is 100% my recipe.

Jalapeno Artichoke Dip

2 (14 oz.) cans of quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped fine(not marinated)
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cups thinly minced scallions
2 can green chilies
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup mozzarella finely shredded
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
3 tsp. Red Hot sauce, or to taste
6 roasted whole jalapenos
1/4 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs (topping)

Put all ingredients in a bowl, except save a little of both cheeses. Stir until well blended. Transfer into a oven safe baking dish then top with both cheeses and bread crumbs. Bake in a 375 oven for 30 mins or until brown and bubbly. Serve with bread, crackers, apples or pears.

This dish always is the first to go at any party I bring it to! It makes a good size portion and is HEAVEN! We like ours spicy, but it seems like the cheeses cut the spice nicely. Tonight I am using the leftover dip as a filler in my easy chicken bakes... I will let you know how they turn out!