Yummy (and Healthy) Recipe!!!

So it's another snow day here in Arkansas. Which, for a stay-at-home mom with a child under one (for one more week. Tear. My baby will be 1 a week from today...) it really is like any other day except I can't go anywhere which drives me BONKERS! Ugh. Anyway, I find that it is really hard to eat right as a stay at home mom, especially on snow days when there isn't anything else to do.

But I recently found a recipe for a Weight Watchers Eggs Florentine that is just too good and filling not to share. Now I haven't started WW. Yet. BUT my mom has lost over 100lbs. on WW and so I am very familiar with the principles behind the plan. I really like that it is all about portions and HOW to eat, as opposed to what to eat or pre-packaged food. So I plan on joining soon. But I have started trying out some new recipes that are WW or WW friendly, or could be made to be. And this one is a winner!!!


Yum, right?!?! And only 3 pts per serving!!!! So this plate only cost me 6 pts! So for the "cost" of a frozen lean cuisine, I got a hot, cheesy, filling homemade meal in like 10-15 minutes! Plus, I think I get extra credit for cooking and not just heating up. But that is another post.

So here is the recipe! If you try it, I hope you enjoy!!!

You will need:
4 large egg whites
1 tsp of water
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp red onion, finely minced
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves
2 slices of WW cheese singles (these have saved my diet plan!)
1 WW wheat english muffin, split and toasted. NOTE: I couldn't find the WW brand, so I got the Thomas 100 Calorie brand. Not sure if this impacted the points, but I don't think it would matter much as it is wheat and high fiber.

1. Combine egg whites, water, salt, and pepper in bowl and set aside. Do not whisk or beat.
2. Heat medium saute pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray (I like the kind made with olive oil). Add onion and saute until soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until spinach wilts. Add egg white mix and cook until egg whites are opaque. With large spatula, flip and cook other side (I am awful with eggs, so mine ended up being more scrambled. But still the same taste.) Combine the eggs and veggies, then cover with cheese slices. Let the cheese melt over the eggs and veggies. Divide with spatula and place on top of the muffin halves. I divided my eggs/veggies first and then added the cheese. I think this makes more sense. :)

The recipe came from a WW ad in the Feb/March edition of Taste of Home magazine, a subscription from my Nana as one of my Christmas gifts! Thank you Nana!!!

Bon Appetit!!!

New (pseudo) Window Treatments...

I have been unhappy with the curtains in our living room for a long time. Really, I was never really happy with them. We don't have any windows in the room, just double french doors to the back deck. So window treatments are more for look than function, as we never closed them- just the blinds. My friend from high school, Shannon, is a fabulous home decorator, and she "cheats" on a lot of her window treatments. When she posted about her living room curtains, I knew I wanted to borrow...ok, STEAL, her idea. She purchased her drape hardware at HobLob, so this morning Ava and braved the cold and headed to the mecca of home decor! I went in search of some similar hardware (which are just wall hooks) and I found (I think) the very ones she used!

I was going to use the idea with my existing curtains, but I have really been wanting to brighten the room up a bit. So while looking at the fabrics, I fell in LURV with this beautiful upholstery fabric!

Of course, it was one of the most expensive ones...BUT it was 30% off. So I got it for like 19.00/sqft. I bought 2 1/2 yards, and some hem (no sew, iron on, heavy duty) tape. And off I went to make my pseudo window treatments...

Here are a few pictures of what was there....

Sorry it is so hard to see. I have already told you all about the darkness of this room and my plan to lighten it up in my last post. :)

First I took the fabric and cut in in half long ways. Because these are not functional, the width doesn't really matter. In fact, I am glad that they are pretty narrow so you can see the pattern and design. You will understand it more when you see the finished project, promise.

So after cutting the fabric in half, I got out my rarely used iron (it is used more for crafts than clothes. I am a throw it in the dryer type girl!) and got to work!

I trimmed the edges so that they were not showing from the front.

After I had "hemmed" (via the iron-on tape) the edges, I attached my drapery rings. I wasn't going to "hem" the top, but I ended up going back and doing it because it wouldn't lay down without it. I got the rings at HobLob too, and there were 12 in the package. Since there are 5 hooks per side, I only had to buy one package. SCORE!

Naptime was over before I could do the other side, but here is the first side finished. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out! Just what this room needed I think! They really bring height and character to the room, and because that is the first thing you see when walking into the home from the front door, I am glad that I made them so dramatic!

Here is the top. I

YAY! I plan on finishing the other side when little-bit goes to bed tonight. I just can't wait!!!

So what do you think? What have you cheated at in your decor?

Splish Splash....

Bath time is always a fun and soaking experience with Ava. She is a wiggle worm. And when I say that, I cannot emphasize enough the WIGGLE part!!! In fact, one of the founding members of her pediatric clinic saw her when she was about 3 months...now this lady is, well, advanced in age. Like maybe 70. And she couldn't believe how busy Ava was. She commented that she is the busiest and wiggliest baby she had ever seen in all her years of practice! Nice. I had hoped that Ava would calm a bit after she became mobile and had better motor skills. HAHA! Boy was I wrong! Let's just say, the dogs have had to learn to run faster, and the house is now baby proof for a reason! I am worried about the day she starts walking...because I think running will soon follow!

I just love this face! A little surprise, and a little annoyance!

Oh, what the heck! I guess I can give you a smile! Behind the toy, of course!

Soapy baby! She is cutting teeth #7 and 8, so right now there is ALWAYS something in her mouth!

On a totally different subject, Cole and I (admittedly mostly me) are seriously planning and prepping to put our house on the market. I would love to have it up for sale by early summer, but that might just be a dream. I don't know. At any rate, I am working hard on getting things "buyer ready" and making plans for what I will need to pack away when we do put it on the market. I am even putting off a picture wall for our family photos because I know that I will have to take them down when we list the house. SO not like me!

One thing I have been putting off is the changing of our living room fan. The one that was there when we moved in was HIDEOUS circa 1992. Brass, faux oak blades, the works! It HAD to go. Now I am not a big fan person, and I thought about just hanging a regular light fixture in there. But then I found this guy, and he changed my mind....

Handsome, isn't he? I just fell in love with it! But, like so many things in life, love was blind. And soon, I would be (almost) too. You see, the beautiful textured glass globe conceals three light bulbs. But not just any light bulbs. Three of the hardest to find, weirdest little bulbs ever that burn out in a couple of months and have no compact florescent equivalent. Yes, so sad. And to add insult to injury, the stupid little dinky bulbs put out NO light whatsoever! So to see in my living room, you have to turn on every lamp (three total), the foyer light, open the blinds, AND turn this on. And if it is a cloudy day, you will still stump your toe. GRRR. So he has to go. Function has won out over form for me, this time. And I knew I would have to replace it for these very reasons when we listed anyway. And since that time is coming up, I went shopping...

And a trip to Lowes, Home Depot, and only $100 later, this is the result. He is not as unique as his predecessor, but he is updated, will look nice in the room, and has mass appeal. And that is what you are going for when listing, right? I will miss my old guy. But who knows, maybe there will be a nice place for him in our new digs someday, where his function isn't of such vital importance!!!

I will post pictures when we get the new guy up. It might be a while as my dad took a bad fall last weekend and badly broke his leg. Please be in prayer for him- he finds out tomorrow (Wednesday) if he will be needing surgery or not. And also, please be in prayer for two VERY important people in my life, as they search for and interview for new jobs. This is a hard economy, but they both have so much to offer, I know there is a place out there for them both that will be such a blessing!

And while we are on prayer requests about jobs, I am seriously thinking about going to real estate school. It has been something I have thought about for a while. And I don't think I would want to do it full-time, maybe just be a broker's assistant, or something where I could just show houses (the fun part to me!) and not worry so much about the negotiations and paperwork. I don't know. I just need to pray about it more, but I am the person that looks at mls websites for fun and subscribes to the Sunday paper for the sole purpose of the real estate section. HAHA!

H&H Photography

I don't have a lot of time to write a big long post, but I just wanted to share with you my best friend's little sister's blog (you got that? okay, good....)

H&H PHOTOGRAPHY

Blakelee Bean is her name, and she is JUST FAB!!! Check out her blog- she has some stunning pictures. In a world where everyone is a "photographer", she is really a standout! She is in the Benton/Bryant area, so if you are in Central Arkansas and looking for a photographer, look her up!!!

Invitation Picture...

Thank you everyone for your opinions on the pictures! I agree with 99% of the feedback from Facebook and the blog...#2!!! It is just so hard to believe that she was that tiny...and that now she is so big! It is funny, when people ask how old she is, I usually get the same response--- "But she is so TINY!" It cracks me up. Because she is very skinny, usually in the 20-25% for weight. But she is usually around the 90% for length! She is just going to be a tall drink of water! LOL!

I added blue border around the pictures. Not sure about that yet...I think I need to live with it for a while. But I like it better than the white. I might try out black and lime green. See how that goes. Thoughts?

I got one of the canvases painted. This is the small canvas that will be on the favor table. I still have to add the words in the middle (it will simply say "thank you"). But I really like the way it turned out.

And yes, I did it freehand. I can usually freehand most things as long as I have something to look at and kind of "cheat" from. I told you before that I am using cute cupcake cups as the inspiration for the theme. I combined it with zebra print, and have taken three bold colors (pink, lime green, and turquoise blue), and that is the party motif. Here is the picture of the cupcake cup, along with the first canvas that I started and then lost. Seriously, I don't know how you loose a canvas, but I did. OH well. I didn't like the way it was turning out anyway! LOL!

I took the yellow and purple out, just so that I have less colors to worry about incorporating and matching. The large (and it is large- it will probably take me a week to paint!) canvas will have the same look, and it will say "Happy Birthday Ava!"

Til next time!!!

Invitations...

I am still working diligently on Ava's party. I never thought I would say this (being the event planner wannabe that I am...) but I am sort of looking forward to those pre-packaged, Dora birthday parties that I know are just a few years away! This is wearing me out (and getting pricey!). Anyway...

Currently, I am working on getting the invitation finished. I did graphic design in my career before I decided to be a SAHM, so I was determined to do my own (although I did borrow an adorable line for the front from a ready made invite I saw online...)

Here is what I have so far... (these pictures are just place holders so you get an idea of what it will look like).
We are having her pictures taken by my friend Whitney's sister, Blakelee! She is so talented, and very affordable! If you are in central Arkansas, you should give her a call for all of your photography needs! I will let you know what her blog is, but look up H and H Photography on facebook! You will NOT be disappointed! Anyway, Blakelee is taking pictures for me at the party, too! I am so excited! So the one year picture will be at the bottom. But I need a good picture for the top. I can't use pictures from our newborn session because I don't have the copyrights to them, so I need to pick from what Cole took. So help me decide!!! I know the one I am leaning towards, but I would like to hear what you think!!!

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

And because I love this picture and it is the first picture I have with my sweet little Ava, I just wanted to share this one with you all. Still brings a tear to my eye when I think about how I felt at that very moment that they handed me my perfect bundle of joy!!!

All for the Firemen...

NOTE: This is a random and pointless post. I feel compelled to share this with you- so forgive me for wasting your time. :)

I do a number of little tasks before bed.

• I unload the dishwasher, and reload if needed.
• I pick up all the shoes around the house and put them in my beloved shoe basket.
• I pick up the toys and put them away.
• I wipe down my counter tops in the kitchen.
• I straighten up the pillows on the couch.
• I close the shower curtains if they are open.

And I do all of these pointless tasks (because they are, for the most part, pointless.) for the firemen. Yes, the firemen. I have this fear that my house is going to catch fire and the firemen are going to come and put it out and I don't want them to think that we are slobs. Silly, I know. But it is what I do. Kinda like worrying you will get in a car accident because you have on your granny panties and worry about what the EMTs will think. What? You don't worry about that? Oh. Well. Neither do I. Just forget I said anything. ;)

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!!!