In a training meeting one day, the teacher brought in a pan of brownies. If you know teachers, we love food! I am not sure why that is, but we really focus on it. Maybe it is the lackluster meals served in the lunchroom that have us craving anything. So keep that in mind when getting a gift for your child's teacher. Food is the way to his or her heart...he he!
Anyway, back to the brownies. These brownies were wonderful. They had a layer of candy bar on the bottom. They were out of this world! I just had to share these with you.
This is what you will need! Plus the eggs, oil, and water for the brownies.
1. Mix the brownie mix as directed on the box. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place Symphony bars in the bottom of your pan after you have sprayed it with cooking spray. I use the toffee bars.
Using my red dish for the UGA v. TN game today! Go DAWGS!
I could've probably used another bar, but it is okay.
3. Pour brownie batter over bars in pan.
4. Follow directions for baking. I baked mine for 25 minutes. I allowed them to cool and then cut one because I wanted to show you what they look like on the inside.
YUMMY!!! (Excuse the open cabinet in the back...he he!)
Not all of the brownies will have a chocolate bar on the bottom, but most of them will. This is a simple recipe that makes a big impact! I just had to share!
So, here is what I think of freezer meals! I love them!!!! I did the last set in July, and we still have five of those left plus two things of shredded chicken. You can read all about that here.
Since my last time doing freezer meals, I have tried to get on the couponing wagon and really paying attention to sales and things like that. I discovered (though apparently everyone else knew but me) that the Harvey's in our area had a Super Saving Wednesday. Chicken was $1.99 a pound and hamburger meat was $1.69 a pound not to mention two gallons of milk for $5.00. I think that made me the most excited! They also had red potatoes buy one get one. Not to mention a lot of their other meats were on sale. I looked like a carnivorous cave woman getting all that meat, but it was worth it. I ended up saving $90. (It really changed the outlook on my day after having my glucose test and flu shot earlier...yuck!)
I went to Publix the next night and got the rest of what I would need. YES, we have a Publix now and I am slightly addicted! I know there are certain things I am going to pay more for at Publix because my bill was a little more than what I was used to, but I just loved shopping in a real grocery store with a huge selection. All in all, I spent around $300 for the freezer meals and they should last me a month or more. I know I am not one of those couponing divas who gets everything for $150 and it last a month, but maybe one day I will be.
Here's the breakdown of my meals:
3 packs of taco meat
2 packs of shredded chicken (we have four now because of the left over we had from before)
8 freezer meals (we have 13 now counting the ones from last time)
5 frozen soups
2 spaghetti sauces
1 meat loaf
2 rotisserie chickens
1 ham
2 pot roasts
That is a grand total of 33 meals (I think I did that math right)! Woo hoo! And a lot of these meals will have leftovers so I am sure we will not go through all of them in a month just like before. Here is the link to the recipes I used. I did all of these in about 3 and a half hours. I am also not including in that number the frozen meats I didn't prepare.
The hubby even got in on the action this time and was a huge help! He told me later, "You like to take care of your family!" and I really do. I felt very accomplished (and tired) when I went to bed last night.
A few words of advice:
I used the gallon bags with the zipper on top and they worked much better.
I didn't lay everything out like I did before. I just pulled it from the fridge as I needed.
I didn't have everything I needed for a few of the recipes, so I just edited them as I needed. Some of the recipes before were bland and I didn't make them again or I changed the recipe a little to spice it up. Most of these were from Ring Around the Rosies.
Sorry there were no pictures this time. I will try to take pictures as I make them so I can have an example to show!
This day, three years ago, I found out that an irreplaceable part of my family was not with us. This family member was my mother and she left me with her favorite thing on Earth (cats were a close second) her grandbaby, Sophie Rae. Sophie was only seven months old when my mom passed. She came to Tifton every weekend to see her and she always there when we needed her. Her passing left a huge hole in our lives.
Thursday night, September 17, 2009, this video of Sophie crawling. Later that night my mom posted that she had watched a video of a baby crawling in Tifton and needed to come see it. She came that Friday night and spent the night and got to watch Sophie crawl and roll all over the house. Saturday, we went out and did some window shopping at some of the little boutiques in town. That day she asked Klint if Prilosec worked for him because she had had heartburn for awhile and it wouldn't go away no matter what she took. Why a warning didn't go off, Klint and I will never know. I did tell her she should call the doctor about it, but that was about it. She stayed the night and then left before church Sunday so she could go to her home church.
Our sweet baby crawling
Sunday, after church we headed down to Valdosta to see my grandma and let her see Sophie crawl. My mom was there and she took lots of pictures and wanted to get a good picture of her and Sophie for Facebook. She still complained of heartburn. We went out to eat that night and that was the last time I saw her. I did get to hug her and tell her I loved her. That was September 20, 2009.
Last picture of mom and Sophie
On Monday, September 21, 2009, I received a text from my mom's friend, Sheree, asking if I had talked to mom. She said that mom had a dentist appointment that morning, but then never came in after that. I called Sheree right away and she told me she was going to go to my mom's and check on her. I thought maybe she had something done at the dentist and didn't feel like making it in, but couldn't call because her mouth was sore....I guess I was grasping at straws. I left work when Sheree headed to my mom's because I knew I would need to head down to Valdosta. Just a gut feeling. I won't go into the specifics, out of respect for all involved and because I just don't like to relive that 20 minute car ride home, but at around 4:00 (I guess), my mom's boss called and told Klint that mom was gone. I went numb from that point on and coasted on autopilot. The coroner said that he thought was a massive heart attack and that she died instantly.
So I type all this to say, chest pain is not a joke! Please, if you have acid reflux and it just want go away, go to the hospital. Even if they say it is just heart burn, you at least will know! I wish so many times I had taken mom that day to the hospital. Who knows what would have happened.
Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I miss talking to her the most. She was truly my best friend and always knew just what to say and what I needed to hear. I told her everything. Klint said he had never seen a mother/daughter relationship like ours and we did truly have a unique relationship. I miss hearing her sing. My voice is just an echo of what hers was. She had the prettiest voice.
She loved the beach. It was like her spirit was free there and all her troubles were released in the wind and washed out with the tides. That is why we let her ashes free on the beach in St. Augustine, FL. She loved that beach. She called it her beach. Now, it will forever be hers.
Picture mom took the summer before she left us
Now, with Maggie on the way, I have missed my mom, but I feel that she is always there. The day we found out Maggie had never left us, I could almost hear my mom laughing at our shock and just knew she was in the room. I know in my heart too that my mom has met Maggie and I am sure she loved on her before she came to Earth. I do hate that there will not be any pictures of the two of them together, but I will do my best to make sure Maggie knows where her middle name name came from and who her Nonnie was.
I had my mom for 28 years. I feel so blessed to have had her for the time I did. I will always miss her and wish that I could just pick the phone up and call her. I wonder what she would say about Sophie's shenanigans. I am sure she would laugh, but also give me wonderful advice.
I love you, mom, and I can't wait to see you again one day!
Sophie has the most personality! Everyone that comes in contaxt with her says she always seems happy go lucky and just ready to go and she really is. Don't get me wrong, we still have our tantrums and moments of "Tumultuous 3s", but for the most part she keeps up laughing and on our toes.
Here is a story from last night. We went to Publix to get a few things. I told her she was going to have to sit in the seat part on the buggy because I was going to be filling up the back where she normally likes to sit now. She wasn't happy, but she lived with it. When we got to the store, we found a buggy that has the steering wheel you can drive. I asked her if she wanted to ride in it and she was totally for it...obviously! It helped me out too because I didn't have a fight on my hands and it kept her occupied!
When we started walking she was driving from place to place and telling me to go faster and just having a good time. Well, that is when it happened. We got behind a lady who was taking her time looking for something. Sophie all of the sudden hollers out, "Come on! Get out of the way!" while waving her hand around and then she proceeds to hit the steering wheel like she is trying to honk the horn! I wanted the floor to swallow me up. The lady turned around and kind of smiled. I just politely said, "She is having some road rage issues. I am just going to pass you." and quickly walked past! So embarrassing. I informed Sophie that if she couldn't be a nice driver I was going to have to go park her buggy and get a regular one. She calmed down after that...thank goodness.
Tonight I got to video tape some of her randomness! I just love that little girl!
Excuse my horrible singing!
Sophie loves to twirl! I just love her position for twirling!
Sophie loves to dance! Here is some of her moves dancing to the 80s! Love it!
We are just so proud of her and her sweetness and always making us happy! I can't wait to see what her little sister has in store for us!
Our weeks are pretty hectic around here. So on Friday I try to make up for it doing something special with Sophie or I will pick up a little surprise for her like a movie from Redbox or a drink from somewhere. Little things go along way with her! I usually try to have cookies on hand to cook Friday night after we eat dinner. She loves helping me cook. That got me thinking about tonight's surprise. I decided that we would make pizzas together. I mentioned it to my friend Tammy as I was leaving work and she said they made a personal size pizza and that her boys loved to make them (they are in 4th grade). I figured that may be the ticket because my appetite is everywhere with this pregnancy and Sophie only wants cheese and Klint wants a pizza with lots of meat! So I ran to Wal-Mart (Ugh!) and got what I needed. Everything cost right at $20 which is about what ordering a pizza would cost.
When I got to Sophie's school, I asked her if she wanted to help me make dinner. She got excited and said yeah....when I said it was pizza, her reaction was priceless! She was ecstatic! That is all she talked about on the way home. She talked about what she was going to put on her pizza and how we would make cookies later and it really made me happy that she was so interested in cooking because it is something I love to do and I wanted her to have that love and joy of it also.
When we got home, she went to her kitchen and found her play pizza. She had to show me what her pizza was going to look like. Excuse her dirty feet! We were fresh from daycare and she wears Crocs...you can only imagine! And her hairstyle is due to the fact we are growing out her bangs! Maggie will never have bangs if I can help it!
I laid out all of our ingredients first and told her what everything was. She loved the cheese and the Canadian bacon. It took some convincing to get her to want to put tomato sauce on her pizza but she finally agreed. Here are a few pictures of her making her pizza!
First we had to spread olive oil on the crust!
Next came the sauce.
Lots of cheese!
Her pizza! (She was chewing up cheese...that is the reason for the goofy face!)
We had the best time. Here are a few more pictures!
Sweet tea break between pizzas!
Daddy's pizza!
Watching them bake....
Looking good!
Our matching hairdos!
All done!
Cheese pizza!!! Yummy!
Here is a movie of her spreading on the oil. Sorry for my nasally, southern hick voice!
If you haven't made pizza with your little ones I highly recommend it! Sophie loved it and I can see it being something we do again one day!
I have heard many women say that every pregnancy is different and I really believe it. While there are a lot of similarities, there are more differences.Below is an ultrasound picture of my babies. They are only a few days apart in these photos. Sophie was 19 weeks 5 days. Maggie is 20 weeks 3 days.
Sophie
Maggie
Similarities
I found out the day before my missed period I was pregnant both times.
I lost weight with both pregnancies due to nausea and lack of appetite.
I was so tired in the beginning with both pregnancies. (My first clue I was pregnant!)
I got a sinus infection right away.
They are both girls (I know that may seem silly to put, but it is a similarity.)
I wanted Taco Bell with both of them.
They are both going to be born in the same season.
Both girls started off measuring smaller than they should have and their heart rates were really low. It took them a week or two to catch up.
Differences
I spotted right after I found out I was pregnant with Maggie. Didn't spot at all with Sophie.
I lost more weight with Sophie than Maggie, but I gained it back a little quicker with Sophie. I have yet to gain any back with Maggie.
I started showing sooner with Maggie, but that happens with a second baby.
With Sophie I craved Taco Bell soft tacos. With Maggie, I craved Taco Bell nachos.
More foods have made me nauseated with Maggie.
I felt Maggie move sooner than I did Sophie (Around 11 weeks). I am not sure if that is just because she moves more than Sophie did or I just knew what to feel.
Maggie moves a whole lot more than Sophie! In all of her ultrasounds, even the one at 8 weeks, she was moving. She just doesn't stop! Sophie moved, but not in her ultrasounds like Maggie and not all the time.
With Sophie I craved more salty snacks and oranges. With Maggie, I want sweets. Mostly chocolate milk or ice cream. I have also craved pickles this pregnancy. I have always loved pickles, but we have three jars in the fridge now which was unheard of before. The other day Klint came home and I was eating sushi with a bowl of chocolate ice cream. I got a weird look! I guess I have developed weird food cravings more with Maggie (however Klint would say my favorite snack with Sophie consisting of cucumbers, bacon bits, cheese and croutons smothered in ranch dressing was pretty weird). I have also craved Coke with Maggie and I am not a Coke drinker. Weird!
Maggie is LOW!!! Sophie always kicked high, but Maggie is always really low when she moves and my muscles in my lower stomach hurt more. Maybe her being low will work to my advantage in the end and she will come a little sooner.
Maggie's heart rate is lower than Sophie's was. Sophie's ranged between 150 and 160. Maggie's runs between 130 to mid 140s.
My hips and lower back have hurt more with Maggie and they started hurting sooner. This is causing me to waddle by the end of the day.
I have started nesting sooner with Maggie, but it probably doesn't help that I have to clean up after a three-year-old.
Sophie reacted to sounds. Maggie reacts to food and the lack of movement.
I was emotional sooner with Maggie. I have already had several emotional breakdowns this pregnancy over stupid stuff!
Here is proof that I am a lot bigger with this pregnancy than I was with Sophie. The first picture is me with Maggie at 19 weeks. The second is with Sophie at 25 weeks. My belly is the same size in both...I am worried!!!
I have loved being pregnant and honestly, minus the confusion with Maggie in the beginning, I have had very easy pregnancies. If I wasn't 30 and scared to have more after Maggie, I may consider having one more (which we still debate sometimes), but for all intents and purposes, this may be my last pregnancy and I am fine with that. I am enjoying every second and relishing every little movement hoping I will never forget it!
Last Monday, I had a little scare and went to the doctor to get checked. I won't go into the specifics, but everything is fine and Maggie was wonderful! While I was there they went ahead and did my anatomy ultrasound so I wouldn't have to come back that Thursday. Maggie was wonderful! Here are some photos from the ultrasound.
A shot of her face! For a brief second I saw a shadow of her mouth and I think her and Sophie are going to have the same mouths. Klint and I can't decide whose mouth it is, but we are leaning more towards mine.
We confirmed that she is a little girl! She is measuring a day ahead, but her weight was a day behind. So, I am saying she is right where she needs to be. I tried to get the technician to predict how much she would weigh when she was born and she wouldn't. I looked at the growth chart and predicted that if she keeps going like she is she will be around the same weight as Sophie. The technician said that I can expect her to be a little bigger....we'll see!
I little hand to the side! Can't wait to meet our little girl!
I didn't take a picture at 20 weeks because I was out of town. This was at 19 weeks. I really didn't change that much between 19 and 20 weeks.
Maggie is a mover and a groover which made me think about the differences in her and Sophie already. I will post about that in my next post!
