Wedding Weekend

Well, the weekend is over and Brooke and Clay are now married!!! We all had a blast at the wedding and now they are off enjoying some R & R in Mexico. Here are some pics of the weekend...and yes, I stole these from Brittany, so if you've looked at her pics on Facebook, these will look very familiar :)

Me and Brittany at the rehearsal dinner.

Bailey at the hair salon the day of the wedding.

A great pic of Bailey from the Bridal luncheon.

The beautiful bride at the luncheon.

One of my fav pics!!

The 3 amigos, not long before the ceremony began.

Giving the speech, and somehow I managed not to cry!!

Kickin' it with the kiddos!

Me singing a little Bon Jovi to the group...

The whole table singing...

And then me and Nick singing something, I think this was "Stand by Me"

And no wedding would be complete without a little karaoke version of "Baby got Back". We sang it at my wedding, Brittany's and now Brooke's...Shana, you have to carry on the tradition! :)

The girls :)

And our whole crazy group.

Mommy Musings

Things I never thought I would say...until I became a mother: 1. Please don't put your fingers in your butt crack. 2. Don't drink the bath water, it's dirty. 3. No! Don't play in the toilet!! And I said all of these last night!!

Tag-a-long and Menu

Here's a question I've been debating...is it ok to bring your child to work with you if you're in a pinch? Sunday I was showing houses and had an open house to do and Nick had a soccer game in Woodford County. I just packed miss Bailey up and she tagged along to the house hunting with my client and I. Luckily, my client didn't mind one bit and she had her two little boys with her, so the kids pretty much kept each other entertained. But I'm not sure if this makes me less professional or not? I guess it all depends on who the client/boss is in the situation, but I was just wondering what you all think! My client has two sons and the youngest will be 3 in June, and Bailey and him were so cute together!! He kept holding her hand and sharing his little toys with her, it was so sweet!! And Bailey was an angel! I was really nervous because we met Kim at 11:00 and went to look at 3 houses. Bailey is a very routine kind of baby. She takes her first nap at about 10:30 in the morning and then eats lunch about 12:00. Well, yesterday she missed her nap and lunch. But she never got fussy! Nick met me at my open house right as it was starting at 1:00 and picked her up. The plan was to feed her a late lunch and then nap, but she was too tired! He did get her to eat a little bit, but she just wanted to sleep! Menu: Saturday - Bailey and I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas. Nick had pork chops instead of meat loaf. Sunday - Grilled sirloin steaks and baked potatoes. Monday - Breakfast! Buttermilk waffles, bacon and fruit. Tuesday - Beef tacos and rice. Wednesday - Grilled chicken and fingerling potatoes with roasted garlic and oregano vinaigrette and a salad. Thursday - Buffalo chicken calzones Friday - Rehearsal dinner for Brooke's wedding! Saturday - Wedding! Ok, so I was almost embarrassed to include my menu this week...we have a side dish dilemma, we always eat potatoes!!! I need some ideas for less starchy side dishes...anyone?!

Down with Diapers!

Last night was such an exciting night in the Maxwell household...Bailey pee-peed in the potty!!! TWICE! Before bath time I always have her sit on her potty just to get used to it. Last night she sat there for about 5 minutes and when I told her she could go ahead and take her bath she stood up, and then peed! Oh well, no use crying over pee on the floor. After a longer than normal bath I asked her if she wanted to try and sit on the potty again and she said yes, and it wasn't 30 seconds later that she peed! I know I literally jumped up and down, I didn't really expect her to do anything. I was so excited and clapping, and she was clapping and squealing.

Nick had a soccer game last night and was supposed to be home a little after 8:00, so we decided to let Bailey stay up a little past her bedtime so he could see her. Well, a little after 8:00 turned into almost 9:00! But I had already decided as long as she wasn't losing her mind she could stay up so daddy could tell her how proud he was of her. Well, right before he got home I was asking her if she was going to tell daddy that she had pee-peed in the potty, and she took off running to the bathroom saying "potty, potty!" So I followed her in there, she got on the potty and peed again! The jumping and clapping and hugging started all over again!

This morning when I got her up I asked her if she wanted to go sit on the big girl potty, she went running, and peed again! (We have one of the convertible potty seats and last night she had peed in her potty) We tried pooping on it this morning, but she wasn't having any of that. The potty seat went to grammy's with her this morning, so hopefully she'll keep up the good work today.

Kreative Blogger

Thanks to Danielle, I have been deemed as a "Kreative Blogger". Blogging is, in many ways, it's own little world. It's so nice to be able to talk about what's going on in your life and be able to relate to others who are going through the same things...some of which I've actually never met...Sarah and Danielle! I love our little blogging community full of mommies! To do as I'm instructed, here are 7 things that I love.

1. Surprise, surprise...my family!

2. Fall. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Spring coming up, but Fall is my absolute favorite season. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but something about that time of year just gives off a sense of family to me. I love the color of the leaves and going to the pumpkin patch, and having just a little nip in the air, I love it all! 3. Houses. Which is a good thing since I'm a Realtor! It was my love of houses that originally drew me towards this career. And while I live in a new construction home that we built, my true love is for older homes. They just have so much more character. However, being married to man who is anything but handy and not having the money to pay someone to fix up an older house, newer is probably the best bet for us. 4. Books. I've not been able to read as much as I would like to, but when I have the time I love a good book. My two favs are Nicholas Sparks (although I've been a little disappointed by his latest) and Jennifer Weiner. 5. Baking. Where this love came from, I have no idea! I'm the oddball in the family when it comes to cooking and baking. My mom didn't really cook much when I was growing up, mainly because she was working 50 hour work weeks in a factory, and partly because she didn't like to. And my grandmother can't understand why I love to cook, even though when she does cook it's great! But somewhere along the road I found Food Network and I've been hooked ever since. I'm also blessed being married to a man who loves to cook. And let me tell you, he makes a mean cheesecake!

Note: This is not my cupcake! I didn't have a picture of any baked goods saved on my computer!

6. Being the hostess. My husband and I both love having people over. It can be stressful at times, but I love my home being filled with friends and family, laughter, good conversations and good food.

7. TV series. I just love a good series! My current favs: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, House and Lie to Me. Alright, now to name 7 others who I think are "Kreative Bloggers" Terri - Always has fun finds and great design ideas. Jadi - A stay at home mom who offers so many fun activities for kiddos that I couldn't even begin to describe them here! Sarah - A part time teacher and full time momma, always sharing the good, the bad and the hilarious things about motherhood. Brooke - A friend from high school who is now a teacher and a mom raising miss Ella Chase in one of the cutest houses I've ever been in. Ashley - Another friend from high school who is an elementary school teacher with an adorable little boy. I also appreciate the honesty in her posts and questions. Brittany - Sharing some of the newest books that she's read. Brigitte - Always has great recipes! Also shares her adventures from her many cooking challenges, she's been on Ultimate Recipe Showdown on Food Network, Build a Better Burger, cooked for the Olympians, getting ready to go to the National Chicken Cook-off and I'm proud to call her a friend!

Oreo & Fish Faces...and weekly menu

One would think that a baby, a husband and a dog would be enough for any woman to want to take care of, but apparently not for me. Friday I got to my mom's house to pick up Bailey for story time and there was this cat inside my mom's garage. She was so cute! I felt bad as I was driving away, worrying about where its owners were (you could tell it was a pet) and hoping it didn't end up getting hit. During story time my mind kept drifting towards the cat...part of me hoped the cat was gone when I got back to drop Bailey off, but then another part was hoping the cat was still there, so I knew that it was ok. Well, sure enough, the cat had never left. As I was leaving (and my mom was trying to get the cat to leave) I couldn't bare the thought of something happening to her. Now, let me say, I am not a cat person. I am a dog lover through and through. But for some reason I found myself sitting in my car with the cat on my lap! I drove home before going back to work to drop the cat off in my garage. I have never owned a cat (and never intended to), but I tell you, I'm quickly becoming attached to Oreo...oh yeah, I forgot to mention I've already named her :) We are still looking for a new home, and also hoping someone will come around my mom's neighborhood looking for her. I was worried about how Jackson (my dog) would do with the cat. So the first night we let Oreo sleep in the laundry room. Yesterday I decided to bring her in and see how they did together...she ends up chasing the dog! Guess I don't have much of a watch dog :) She has to be the laziest animal I've ever seen!!! She has slept all day today! She loves to snuggle and be rubbed on and Bailey just adores her. She squeals every time she sees her and says "Kitty", which sounds like "Key". We have friends who are getting married in 2 weeks, and they have said they may want her once they get back from their honeymoon. So we'll see what happens, but for now, she's our newest family member. Welcome Oreo! This weekend we broke out a Christmas gift that Bailey had gotten that she had been too small to play with at the time, a Sit 'n Spin. Bailey still doesn't quite get how to turn herself, but she enjoyed being spun around!

Can you tell it's time for a hair cut? Yikes!

Bailey has always enjoyed it when I make the fish face, but she's just recently started trying to imitate me. It is hilarious!! This video doesn't quite do it justice, so I think I'm going to try and get her again.

Weekly Menu

Saturday - Out to eat, Mexican (what else?!)

Sunday - Fried, boneless pork chops, baked mac 'n cheese, green beans, cheddar bay biscuits

Now I know this may not be the healthiest meal, but sometimes you just need a good, stick to your ribs meal! At least that's what I tell myself! :)

Monday - Chicken 'n Dumplins & cornbread

Which, I went ahead and made tonight while the biscuits were baking, so tomorrow night all I have to do is heat it up and make the cornbread (from the box!)

Tuesday - Grilled hamburgers, baked beans and potato wedges This will be the first time I've made potato wedges at home, hopefully they turn out good!

Wednesday - Baked spaghetti, salad & garlic bread

Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwiches, salad & baked potatoes

Friday - Out to eat

And yes, probably Mexican!

Just Browsing

So, I don't really get that excited about shopping anymore, but I love buying new clothes for Bailey! With Spring right around the corner, she is in need of some new clothes. This morning I've been browsing some of my fav sites and I've found SO many things that I like. Just thought I would share some of the cute clothes I've found. Click on the pictures to go the website...some of the links are not wanting to work though...the first outfits are from gymboree. Apparently Old Navy is having a BIG Fundamentals sale! I'll definitely be ordering some play clothes while the sale is going on. Seriously, shorts & tops for $4! And while Baby Gap is one of my favorites, we don't buy too many things from there since they are quite pricey! But here are some adorable clothes! And these are very dressy, but I thought they were beautiful!

Weekend Fun (and menu)

This weekend has definitely made me even more ready for Spring!!

Saturday I threw a bridal shower for my friend Brooke, who is getting married on the 28th! I think it went really well, and she said she had a great time, which is all that matters. Two of the women at the shower had their girls with them (around 4 years old) and Bailey had such a good time playing with them! She was so tired when everyone left that she took a 2 hour nap :) Of course I forgot to take any pictures, so hopefully Brittany will post the ones she took so I can steal a couple!

Sunday, Nick's select soccer team that he coaches had their first game. Me and Bailey went out to watch, even though it was extremely windy!! She had a good time. It takes her a while to warm up to new locations, so she sat next to me for most of the game, but by the end she was taking off everywhere! We took her soccer ball so she could play with it during the game, but she really enjoyed watching the kids behind us play with theirs. She did kick hers a little. Nick taught her to do this during one of the many snow days, and he was so proud! I know he hopes that she loves soccer.

We also found the dress that Bailey is going to wear to Brooke's wedding. It's a little long on her (all they had was 2T), but it is soooo cute!

And since you never know what kind of weather we could be having at the end of March, she's got her little sweater to keep warm. I can't wait to see her dancing at the reception :)

So, this week's menu is by no means exciting or inspiring. I guess neither of us were very creative when we were making it out.

Sunday - last night we had grilled hamburgers, scalloped potatoes and green beans.

Monday - Hamburger Helper (yay for boxed meals every now and then!)

Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan and homemade garlic cheese bread and salad

Wednesday - Spaghetti (and left over bread and salad!)

Thursday - Chicken Fajitas and rice

Friday - Grilled salmon with orange habanero sauce (finally found somewhere in Georgetown to get a habanero!), steamed broccoli and baked potatoes

Where's Bailey?

Where's Bailey? > > > > > > > > > > > If you said BEHIND the shower curtain....you're right!! I guess we didn't get to the bathroom fast enough to suit her, so she decided to get behind the curtain and start throwing her toys in!

Recommended Recipe

As I had shared on our weekly menu, I tried another new recipe last night, chicken scampi...it was great! My husband never gets excited about anything and he kept going on and on about good it was. And it was easy to make, which was a good thing since I didn't feel well last night and Bailey was very needy, crying almost the whole time I was cooking. As I had mentioned, I prepared the sauce ahead of time. I was cooking dinner Sunday night and just went ahead and made the sauce then. If you're already cooking, it takes much less time and effort to go ahead and get a head start than it would have for me to make the whole dish last night. On a side note, I have a new found appreciation for food photographers, its harder than you think to take a good picture of food!

Ingredients:

Scampi Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons minced white onion

1/4 cup minced garlic (8-12 cloves)

1 1/2 cups Chablis wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Make scampi sauce by melting butter in a preheated pan over medium/low heat. Add minced white onions and saute for 2-4 minutes, or until the onion begins to brown. (If the butter begins to burn, turn down the heat)

2. Once the onion is beginning to brown, add the minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Don't let the garlic burn.

3. Add the wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15-18 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.

4. Add the parsley and the heavy cream and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Do NOT let the mixture reach a boil.

If you're not making the dinner at this time, remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool. Pour into a Tupperware container and store in the refrigerator. When you're ready to prepare the meal, pour the sauce into a pan over low heat to warm through.

Chicken & Pasta:

2-3 quarts water

8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken breasts sliced into small strips or 6 chicken tenderloins

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the angel hair pasta and cook for 4 minutes or until mostly tender. Drain the pasta in a colander or sieve, then hit it with some cold water to prevent sticking and to keep it from cooking further. (The cold water is important, I did not do this and my noodles did stick together!)

2. Preheat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken, then coat each one in the flour.

3. Cook the tenderloins 3-5 minutes on one side or until golden brown.

4. When the chicken is brown on one side, flip each of the pieces and move them to the side of the pan. Add the chopped peppers to the center of the skillet. Continue cooking until the chicken is brown and the veggies are beginning to brown on the edges.

5. Pour the scampi sauce over the chicken and peppers in the pan. Then add the pasta and toss everything together and continue cooking until the pasta is heated through.

Makes 2 large servings (you'll definitely have enough for leftovers!)

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu

I never managed to get this up on here this weekend, but here goes... Now that soccer season is in full swing, that means that the cooking is pretty much solely my job during the week now. Usually me and Nick take turns cooking dinner, depending on what we're having that week, which really helps since we both work all day. But with practices and games, it's up to mommy, so I'm trying to get creative with finding ways to still have good meals, but without demanding recipes that take too much time. Sunday - Lasagna, salad, garlic cheese bread Monday - Chicken Scampi. This is a new recipe I'm trying from the same cookbook the Cheddar biscuits came from. I made the scampi sauce last night since that's the lengthiest part of the recipe. Tonight all I'll have to do is cook the Angel Hair pasta and saute the chicken tenderloins and add the sauce! Tuesday - Buffalo Chicken Pizza. This is a fast fix with the help of Pillsbury ready made pizza crust. Just roll out, add some hot sauce and sauteed chicken and cheese and whatever other ingredients you like and bake! Wednesday - Beef tacos & rice Thursday - Grilled chicken and fingerling potatoes with a roasted garlic and oregano vinaigrette. This is one of Nick's specialties. I could eat this vinaigrette almost everyday!! I'll have to get the recipe from him so I can share with everyone. It's a Bobby Flay recipe, but he has made some changes to it. Friday - Out to eat at Camino Grande (yummy Mexican!) Saturday - Beer can chicken Yes, we're trying it again! Nick says he has it all worked out so there will be no fire extinguisher needed this time :)