New Take on the Blog

I've found that I am quite absent from the blog world unless I'm in a 'mode'. Lately I've been doing a lot of research into fun summer things for E and I to do, and also foods to grow her palette that are also quick and easy for me to make. Being a working mom, I know the pressures of both a professional and personal life and I don't want to take away from either.

That being said, I think I'm going to start focusing more on the blog and sharing things that I find are fun, entertaining, useful, practical and frugal. Why break the bank trying to do things with your kids. A lot of the posts will be family-oriented, and I'm okay with that. I hope you are too. I'll post later today on some phenomenal recipes I've found lately that have gone over great with E and the neighbors.

Quick and Easy Toddler Food

I love that E is now eating real food.  I hate that I still have to cut it super tiny, but it's much better than spoon-feeding her.  She loves to feed herself, and I wanted to make sure she has a variety of food at Ryan's house (and April's while Ryan is recovering).

Here are two really quick and easy recipes I found that E loves (disclosure - Josh and I love them too).

Pizza Muffins - found on Once a Month Mom
Ingredients:

• Package of refrigerated biscuits (I prefer Pillsbury Grands Jr)
• 8 oz of pizza sauce
• 2 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Meat and veggies to taste
• Garlic and Italian spices to taste

Preheat your oven to 375.  Using a non-stick muffin pan (or a greased muffin pan), press a biscuit into each muffin cup, creating a bowl.  Spoon a couple of tablespoons of pizza sauce (veggies/meats premixed into sauce) into each biscuit bowl.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Allow the biscuits to cool before you remove them from the pan.  

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls - found on Big Oven

Ingredients:

• Package of crescent rolls (8)
• 4 slices of ham
• 4 slices of cheese

Preheat your oven based on the package of crescent rolls.  Using a cutting board or other flat surface, unroll each crescent roll.  Tear or cut 1/2 piece of cheese to fit inside of the unrolled crescent.  Top with 1/2 slice of ham.  Roll into crescent shape.  Place on nonstick or greased pan.  Repeat process until all crescents are rolled.  Allow the crescents to cool before you remove them from the pan and serve.

The really great thing about these recipes is that they can be frozen for up to 14 days.  I like to use Glad containers to freeze in individual servings so that I can grab one on the go for E and not worry about the entire batch going bad.  

Time to Renew

It's been quite some time since my last post and I think it's high time I get back into the blogging world. It's a great outlet for me and I miss it.  So, here's a recap of the last year or so of life (this may get a little long).

October 2011 - Put on bedrest with a period of 5 minutes per hour to get up to use the bathroom, shower, make food, etc.

November 2011 - Put on strict bedrest after a crazy hospital stay.  Went off my strict bedrest at 37 weeks and saw Breaking Dawn Part 1.

December 2011 - Welcomed the most precious little girl, Emily, into the world on the 1st.  Celebrated our first Christmas as a family of 3.

February 2012 - Returned to work and left Emily in the capable hands of my good friend, Ryan.

April 2012 - Upgraded my old Chevy Prizm to a Subaru Forester.  Love love love my new car!

July 2012 - Our first family vacation!  We drove to Minoqua, Wisconsin for a family reunion and it was awesome!  Emily went on her first boat ride and loved the lake and the fireworks.  Josh also took on a new career as a Firefighter/EMT for HFPD.

September 2012 - I started a new job and love it!

So those are the major highlights of the past year.  I can't wait to begin blogging again and (hopefully) entertaining you!

Life Shaped by Thoughts

'Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts' Proverbs 4:23. 

This is obviously where this blog title came from.  This is not my first blog, nor is it likely to be my last.  I have a few others, but all very focused.  I want to use this to post my random thoughts, daily interactions, things that touched my life and those things I hope will touch yours. Life can be crazy, and it's so true how your state of mind (your thoughts) can alter your reality. 

So, what is the thought that is most eating at me today?  Well, like the rest of the world, I woke up and when I turned on the news, I was bombarded with news on the Royal Wedding.  Am I a huge Prince William fan?  No.  Am I a huge Kate Middleton fan?  No.  Am I a huge royal family fan?  No.  However, I do think they are important to worldly interactions and society.  And, while I do not think it is necessary that EVERY station be broadcasting the wedding and the events of the day, I welcome it.  Why?  The world is filled with such tragedy, trial, turmoil and overall negative news, that it was nice to have a morning full of hopeful and joyous news. 

I'll leave you with this to marinate on - all of the bad news will still be there tomorrow, so why not take a few hours and just celebrate the good that is left in the world?