Cold.. Yucky cold.

I suppose it's that time of year.. Avery has a cold and just can't get rid of it! It's so frustrating, when your baby is sick, you just wish you could take it away and ensure the pain yourself.  I have been praying so hard for God to take her sickness away and to be healthy again. I know He is watching over her, and I just need to be patient. I just feel so bad for her. Took her to the dr on Wednesday and he said her lungs sound great, so that's a plus! I guess we will just wait it out, cold medicine, Vicks and the humidifier! 

              

I have to admit, I have finally decided to catch up with what's "fashionable" and got some skinny jeans/leggings and boots. I wore the first outfit today and everyone was shocked! Good shock! I don't take compliments well, but was glad I got good comments and that I didn't just look stupid!! Lol.  Here's a pic of my boots 

Teeth

Oh the joys of teething. The crying, the whining, the foot stopping oh my! I think we just have a few left & we will be in the clear.. But she has gotten a bunch all at once is why it has been sooo bad! We will overcome it! 

Christmas is just around the corner and I am really getting excited! Lots of fun to come.   Jesus is the reason for the season! I know that saying may seem silly and overused to some.. But I just like it! 

Here's the chalkboard in my office. I like to put all sorts of sayings, quotes, just whatever's up there-people are always on me at work when I don't change it every week!  I found this saying and I really like it! 

Here's a few more pics! Enjoy! 

^above is my friend SarahJesse with Avery and her daughter Lydia! This was at cookies & cocoa with Santa. Avery wasn't a fan! Maybe next year! 

Little Missy

She is growing up! 18 month checkup and Avery is FINALLY 20 lbs, and 14 ounces!!! Yay!! 

She is definitely a momma's girl still.. But she is really starting to take up with her daddy quite a bit. 

We had a stint of really warm weather so we took advantage and played outside! She loved it! 

She also started a new school (we call it school, even tho it's really daycare) and she has done so well! She is really learning and I'm so glad! 

Full time mom, with lots of side jobs too.

Recently someone made the comment that when they were my age they held down 2 jobs, while having children at home as well. Let me also mention, this was a man who was telling me a little about his life. 

<br>

I proceeded to explain that I work 8-5 and although I do not get monetary funds  from all my "other" jobs... I am working all the time. Not only do I work a Monday thru Friday job, I'm also a wife (that's the biggest job sometimes..haha), I'm a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend.. Oh yeh I'm also a Tupperware consultant! So there! 

Do you think I have time for much more? Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to defend myself.. But it's all just came to the surface here recently. I'm not just an 8-5 gal and that's it.. I've got plenty of "work" going on!   Don't we all? There's never enough time, never enough $$, but we make it work. We choose how we live our lives, and that is how it goes.   I work 24/7, and that's how I like it!   Rant over.. Haha 

Apples & Rashes.. oh my!

Things have got quite busy lately- Avery is walking like crazy, getting into everything, growing, talking-- saying Momma (every 2 seconds), which don't get me wrong, I could NOT wait for her to say momma... but I knew in the back of my mind, it might get a tad bit annoying, especially when EVERYTHING is momma.. everything! I would not trade it for anything else in the world, and I know that one day "momma" will be the last thing she even wants to say (ya know, when she's a teenager and she hates me..i know that day will come way sooner than I can imagine). But nevertheless, I will take it all day, every day! A couple of weeks ago, Avery was up and down with a on again/off again fever all week, and then just when we thought it was all over--a rash breaks out. Now let me tell you, she has never had an allergic reaction to anything (so far, knock on wood)- we have been so fortunate, she is such an easy going, healthy girl-- I just about panicked.. but of course I did my online research and figured she probably had roseola. She had all the symptoms, but I made a doctors appt just to be sure- my mom thought she had measles, my mother in law thought it was chickenpox... so I needed an expert opinion- Roseola was the verdict. No big deal, should go away by the weekend the doc said- and he was right. She was all better by Sunday evening, but boy did she look miserable.. Poor baby.

On another note, I have not made one apple pie this year (which is totally unlike me)-but I have found, things aren't as easy when you have a little one. Spur of the moment ideas just don't happen so easily anymore- but babies do take naps! Just enough time for me to get in the kitchen. So I whipped up my all time favorite, homemade, all from scratch apple pie.. (obviously I did not grow the apples or anything..hahaha- but you get the idea)

Also, look at this awesome kitchen towel I got at Target-on clearance I might add, I was stoked!! I am really into kitchen stuff, especially Mixers, so I was so happy that I found these.

Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole

2 lbs of squash (about 6) –diced into half moons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
1 cup of cheese (cheddar, Colby jack, or pepper jack)
2 large eggs
¾ cup of milk
1 stick of butter (melted)
Salt & pepper

In a bowl, combine the sleeve of crackers (crushed) with half of your shredded cheese and set aside. Whisk the milk & eggs together. In another large bowl, combine your squash & onion, put in half of the cracker mixture and then add all of the milk/eggs. Season with salt & pepper and pour half of the melted butter in and combine. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and put in the squash mix-top with the remaining cracker mix and then pour the remaining butter on top. Add extra shredded cheese on top if you like. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and brown.
Enjoy!!
I took my leftovers to work and they ate it up within minutes!

Stay with me..

Life is all over the place-as will this blog be..
I am really into the song "Stay with Me" by Sam Smith.. love love love it. I could seriously listen to it over and over. And I just might do that from time to time! My husband says its just depressing music- but to each is own right?
I've been in constant prayer that my husband gets hired on at this temporary job-the process has been approved, so I'm still praying that it continues and he is hired on-it would definitely not only be an answered prayer, but a great stress reliever for our family-financially and emotionally.
I want to start doing some work to our home, make some changes so we can enjoy it more. I would like to paint the kitchen cabinets, paint the wainscoting in the dining room (have I mentioned how much I hate that stuff-its the cheap peel and stick on kind and it sucks-just thought you should know). Avery isn't able to enjoy our home, besides being in her own bedroom b/c we don't have carpet in the living area, & sense we have dogs I don't want her getting all nasty-which is totally unfair to her b/c she is walking and really wants to explore & I feel as though I am holding her back because of our pets. Don't get me wrong, I love our dogs, but I want Avery to go wherever she pleases and not to be so paranoid about it.

Did I mention that I have a 1 year old (13 months to be exact) that is walking and talking (she may only say "daddy" but still)- I can not get over how big she is getting and so fast! Its crazy. She has 2 teeth-and 2 more coming in. Teething has been a slow process but I've heard the longer it takes for them to come in, the better her teeth will be in the long run- I sure hope that's right. I will have to get her birthday pictures posted-she loved having everyone over, but did NOT like the cake, which is fine by me. I made a cake a few weeks ago and she ate it though, plain of course, no icing.. haha! Momma's girl for sure! She loves to read her books, even if they are upside down, she doesn't mind haha! She is beginning to do better about sleeping her bed at night- but always ends up in the bed with me sometime in the night. She is still a good shopper, loves to go out and wave at everybody. I'm pleasantly surprised and blessed I know, bc she is such an easy going kid-she was like that as an infant and it continues-so far so good!

My babe is about to be 1. Yep, reality is about to smack me in the face, but I'm just going to ignore it. I was looking through "old" pictures of her and it just makes me think back to when she was so little and couldn't even hold her head up by herself. (makes me want another baby real bad-- but I still have my baby, and my husband says not soooo soon) But honey-- I already have a name picked out! haha!
Avery is definitely growing up on me, crawling 90 miles an hour, standing up on everything-- about to start walking, I just know it. Saying dadada. Eating and drinking everything in site. I miss her being little little, but I'm excited to watch her grow and explore.
Being a mom is the most stressful and rewarding job I have ever had- lots of ups and downs, smiles and tears, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I wish it would all slow down a bit, but that's life.. it just keeps on going, whether you can keep up or not.