Before you even ask, the hubby wasn't home when I made these. I tried talking to him about this idea, and he turned up his nose at it. This was a bit much for him. He'll do things without meat... but try to give him something instead of meat and it's an immediate shut down.

However, these are delicious. I'm pretty sure they could easily be made vegan, too. Just leave out the cheese and use an egg substitute.

These aren't that time consuming. But when you have a toddler who's afraid of the food processor... it gets a bit interesting.

Ingredients:

- 1.5 cans (15 oz each) Bush's Cannellini Beans

- 1 green (or red) pepper
- 1/2 onion (white, yellow, red-- your preference)
- 1/4 C chopped parsley
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 egg
- 3/4 C breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper

Your favorite Marinara
Parmesan Cheese, if you want it
Favorite Type of Pasta

Directions:

- Combine your beans, pepper, and onion in your food processor. Pulse until well combined, but not completely pureed. You want them to be somewhat course. Not like whole-beans-course, but bean-pepper-onion-pieces course.

- Move the mix to a bowl and add your spices, egg, and breadcrumbs. Stir until well combined, but don't kill the mix. You are making "meatballs" after all.

- Scoop the mix (about 2 tablespoons for each one) and round them out. Place them on a baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray (optional). *Note: As you can tell, I did not take the time to round mine out because Michael was about ready to kill me for taking so long preparing these. Don't let it fool you! I'm sure they are easily made "pretty" (aka to look more "meat-like").

- Bake until they are ever so slightly golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.

- While they are cooking, heat your marinara in a large saucepan. When they are finished cooking, add the "meatballs" to the pan and stir gently so they are coated with sauce. Cover and let it simmer for another five to ten minutes, stirring occasionally.*This recipe makes around 30 "meatballs"... I was just preparing a single serving for myself with the sauce. And I actually only ate half of what is shown-- they are VERY filling!*

- Serve with your favorite pasta and *optional* Parmesan cheese.

Michael actually really liked these! They did do a bit of a number on his belly, but nothing that made him cry like he was hurting... it was just noisy... if you know what I mean!


Check out the original recipe at: Cookin' Canuck.

(Imagine from Amazon.com) Let me start off by saying that I'm just in the beginning pages of this book. I'm not sure how I'll feel about it once I get further in, but I have a feeling that my attitude will only get better, not worsen.

As you may know from past posts such as my Power-Pushes, Realities, and my Super-Stay-At-Home-Mom/Wife, I have some self-image issues. Everyone these days does, and it seems more and more "popular" to admit it. Well, here I am doing just that. I've done it time and time again. And as you may have noticed, I still haven't reached my goal-weight or started making any true healthier decisions. I mean, I've been exercising when I can and not eating certain things, but I haven't been making it a priority.

Well, within the first few pages this book addressed that issue.

"But the thought of taking the plunge and signing up for another diet made me want to sit down and cry. And eat. And cry some more. Then eat some more. Well, you get the not-so-flattering picture."


This. Is. So. ME.

I keep saying over and over again that I'm going to start. That I'm going to get better. That I'm going to DO something. The thing is, I haven't really been in it. My focus has been everywhere it shouldn't be. I have been consumed by so many unimportant things that I keep forgetting the most important thing ever.

My relationship with God.

This book is all about curving my cravings. We were "made to crave"... but we were made to crave God.

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, event faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God," (Psalm 84:1-2).


I am not saying that this book is my perfect-fix. In fact, the author even points out that's not what the book is for. It's there to help me confront myself and what I'm lacking, what I'm letting consume me, and help me re-focus.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Fahter is not in him. For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world," (1 John 2:15-16).

There are so many things that this can be applied to in my life, honestly. Here I am being completely open and honest and hoping I don't scare away some of you readers. While this book is mainly for my diet, here are a couple other things I want to use its guidelines and such for.

1. My physical health. This includes diet choices, exercise, and so forth. While Christmas time may seem like the worst place to start, that also makes it the best. Never fear... I'll still be making and sharing wonderful sweets for you to enjoy/bake, but I have a feeling slowly but surely I may be making the super-horrible-not-worth-it ones less and less.

2. My mental health. I've been watching WAY too much TV. Which is funny, considering we don't have cable. Still I'll find things on Netflix or Hulu and watch entire series when I'm bored. OK, that's an exaggeration, but still. I feel like the TV takes away my focus on my family and my life, and I really need to work on that.

3. My attitude. This may fall into line with my mental health, but I have such an attitude problem sometimes. I need to stop worrying about people judging me and just be who I am meant to be through Christ.

4. My spiritual relationship. Boy have I been lacking. While we attend church (every now and then, if I'm being honest), we aren't involved. I need to find a way to be involved and start setting an example for Michael while lifting and mending my own spirit as well. Even if this makes me uncomfortable at first (I always seem to skulk in social situations I'm introducing myself into), it is a need.

Well, there you have it. I hope you'll embark on this journey with me, if not by just supporting me through posts that may relate.

Hello! My older sister (over at Standpipe & Sprinkles) was gracious enough to send me a temporary camera. Obviously that means I'm finally back on blogging schedule. So sorry that I went missing for a little while.

The good news is a lieutenant from our local police department drove over today to let us know that they caught the person who was stealing in our area! Now we just need prayers that our camera can be recovered.

This recipe is super easy, incredibly delicious... and did I mention easy? I am IN LOVE with my crock pot. Seriously. Especially when the hubs isn't around to help, it makes it so much easier to throw ingredients in the crock pot and let it work the magic so I have an easy-to-retrieve-dinner that won't create super fuss and panic in our house at "that time of day".

Ingredients:

- 1 lb stew beef
- 1/2 C cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 C Sprite zero
- 1/2 onion, quartered
- 1 package of dry onion soup (I used Lipton)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

- Put everything in your crockpot. (Doesn't THAT look appetizing?)

- Cook on low for six hours, or high for about 3 to 4. Check on it half way through to give it a good stir and make sure nothing's overcooking or anything like that.

- Serve warm with some yummy sides!

Yep... that's it. What did I tell you? Super easy.

My husband said he imagined it was something like Julia Child would make (this is his way of paying me a compliment that he thinks I'll receive extraordinarily well... and it works). He did request that next time he thinks it would taste extra delicious served over mashed potatoes or something. I'm not sure that's Julia Child's style... but we'll go with it.

Inspiration for this recipe came from: LaaLoosh.com.

Want some more crock pot recipes? Check these out!
Kansas-Style BBQ

Baked Potato Soup

Spicy-Sweet Crock Pot Barbecue

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

(Picture taken from Facebook.)

I find it hard to make a list of things I'm thankful for. I actually started to do the 30 days of thankfulness on Facebook, and then stopped because I was struggling with it. This isn't exactly the attitude I should have had. I mean, it's about being thankful. Even when things aren't going precisely my way, I have so much more than others, and I have to remember that.

If I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and food in my belly-- I'm above something like 75% of others in the world. To me that is an outrageous statistic, but it's true. We all have so much to be thankful for... there really should be no complaining.

Today, I am mostly thankful for my family. Even if I don't always see eye to eye with the extended members, they are all so wonderful. I have amazing parents, siblings, in-laws, the list goes on. I am especially grateful for my sisters and parents. I can say over and over again how blessed I am that my family happens to contain my best friends.

This, of course, brings to light MY family. By this I mean Clark and Michael. I am beyond amazingly blessed to have these two boys in my life. I really don't know what I would do without Clark's love and support, my best friend and love of my life. And Michael has brought out more love than I thought either Clark or I could feel. I suppose parenthood does that to you. I have so many emotions surrounding the little guy that it can be so hard to decipher just what I'm feeling in a moment. It's overwhelming in a magical/wonderful/beautiful way.

OK... an American Airlines commercial about the military just made me tear up. Distraction. Sorry. I am thankful for those in uniform. Growing up with a father in the military, as well as a husband, my brother in-laws, my father in-law, my best friend... I have such a love and appreciate for those who have and continue to serve.

I count my friends to be in the 'family' category. This is because those who have stuck with me through so much have become my family. Those closest to me can just walk into my house without knocking and know that they're always going to be welcome, no matter the situation.

Now comes the quick list. I am thankful for my animals, Luna and Coconut. I am thankful for the town we are starting to get established in. I'm thankful for my education, and thankful that I have the opportunity to continue it again some day. I am thankful for the ability to write (blog). I am thankful for music. I am thankful for the seasons. I am thankful for church.

Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for God's amazing grace. This has been a rough year for us, but God has continued to see us through it. I should never question being thankful, because it is with a thankful heart that I run to him... even when there are tears in my eyes or sorrows in my heart. He takes care of me, sees me through, and continues to use me for his glory. Who could ask for more?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope it is filled with love, grace, and humbleness.

Do you remember back in July when I asked the lovely Nikki over at Mrs. Healthy Ever After to be the Wife (to be) of the Month? Well now she's truly hitched! To add to it, I've asked her to write monthly (idealy) for me because, let's face it, she's pretty amazing.

Since I've been slacking on posts this past week or so, thanks to be Camera-less as well as being out of town, I thought I'd give you the treat of finally getting the most recent post Nikki wrote for me! So, without futer-a-do, here she is!


I grew up with independence always on the mind. I was always taught that I was in control, no guy could push me around, and I could do anything boys could do.
So imagine my surprise when I realized that my greatest honor as a wife was packing my husband’s lunch and doing laundry.

Say what? Ok…come on Mrs. 50s Housewife. What are you trying to say? Women have come too far to regress into the subservient doormats we once were.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come as a society. But it’s also amazing how much we’ve forgotten. Sure, it’s never okay to be a man’s slave. But believe me when I say, there is an amazing joy that can be found in serving your husband when it comes from the right place.

I honestly cannot take credit for this lesson. The month we got married, we joined a newlywed small group from our church led by a couple who has been married for 31 years (who claim that they are the 30 happiest years of their lives. Haha!).

We had a whole lesson on serving our spouse. The men were downstairs and the ladies were all huddled around the fireplace with cider upstairs. We had just spent a good while in a previous gathering talking about how awful it was trying to get our husbands to do the dishes. We laughed. We joked. We had a grand time.

I went into this particular lesson think, “PSSH! I got this. I do TONS of stuff for my husband. I already know how to serve him. Hopefully he picks up a few tips downstairs.”

But by the end of the discussion, I realized how wrong I was. Serving your spouse is more than just doing household chores. It’s a state of mind and a state of heart.

Our leader told a story about how she always hated doing laundry (because let’s get real, who actually likes doing laundry?). But when she visited a friend during a tragedy, her whole perspective changed. Her friend’s 18-year-old son had suddenly died. When she finally saw her, the mourning woman was sitting in a pile of her son’s dirty laundry, crying into it, trying to smell it and for the whole funeral weekend, she wore one of his shirts over her shoulder to dry her tears so she could salvage the last smells of her son.

This woman would never get to do her son’s laundry ever again. Not everyone gets to do their loved ones laundry anymore. It’s a sobering thing to think about.
It was from that moment on, my leader said she viewed laundry completely differently. Doing laundry for her family was a privilege that she won’t always have. And now, instead of begrudgingly doing it and folding the clothes, she decided to use that time to pray for her family and for her husband.

I was completely convicted by the idea of praying while doing household chores—and even by the idea of finding a way to do it with a joyful heart. I mean…who does the dishes while think, “Boy, I am SO happy to clean the house…again.”

But I gave it a try and an amazing thing happened. Changing my perspective actually made me love doing chores and things for my husband. Sure, I’d be lying if I said 100% of the time I’m like “Oh, yay! Vacuuming!” But finding joy in the mundane housework that I used to nag my husband about changed my entire demeanor. If I found myself slipping into the “#@%&” thoughts of a slightly angered woman, I tried to pray instead, or switch on positive music.

And the most amazing thing? It had an effect on my husband too.

Sure, guys don’t always notice the hard work we put into things all the time. But something happened to where my joyful efforts made my husband want to do more for me too. He started saying things like, “You work too hard” or “you do so much” and then try to surprise me by doing the dishes before I got home.

Forget the fact that I had definitely done the dishes before now. But instead of making it World War III in the Miller house by nagging him about the dishes or throwing it in his face that I had done it AGAIN, by just happily doing it myself, it made him want to do more for me and for our house.

The same came with making my husband’s lunch. Yes, I make my husband’s lunch like the mother of a third grader. I used to do it when we first got married because I thought it was cute and then it became a huge burden at one point and I’d holler at him to make sure he made his own lunch on some mornings when I was particularly rushed. Come to find out, if I don’t pack my husband’s lunch, he won’t eat for the whole day until dinner. Really? It would piss me off like you couldn’t believe.

But after trying to change my attitude about chores, I decided to give packing his lunch a second try. Because let’s be honest, making him a sandwich takes less than a minute. How can something like that be a burden? Throw in a few apples and maybe some crackers and you’re done. Where did I get the idea that I was too busy for that?

And as a result of a few minutes of my morning, my husband would have a reminder for midday that he was loved.

That simple act does so much for my marriage. My husband shows his appreciation more, we live more at peace and we’re just generally happier. Why? We’re not arguing over the things that “normal” people argue about. Instead, we work more at finding the joy within ourselves to serve each other instead of working extra hard to win points over who does more and who’s turn it is to do what.

Best lesson I ever learned. I’m not going to lie. It takes work. I still struggle with it from time to time, but it can be done and it makes a world of difference.

Do you find it hard to serve your husband with a happy heart?

Family day came before I even realized it. Family Day is the day the family of the Marine gets to experience what they have been doing for the past thirteen weeks. They get to see where they were living, where they were eating, meet the drill instructors, etc.

Family day was so stressful. I was so worried about everyone getting to where we needed to be on time. I was so worried about not recognizing Clark. I was just... worried.

Driving over to the stadium, we had to sit and listen to a few people talk about their training. What they went through, what we should expect, and what they could and could not do for family day/graduation/their ten days of leave. It was so obnoxious.

Then they marched in the recruits. We were sitting in the section that we thought was Clark's batallion. I was so flighty that day that I just couldn't even remember. I was staring at all the faces, searching for Clark's eyes. I caught a pair that I thought, perhaps, it was him. How could I not recognize my own husband?

Then they started naming the drill instrcutors... and I realized that we were in the wrong section. Clark wasn't in 1050, he was in 1056. All the way at the other end. They were about to be dismissed. Clark would be wandering around thinking I wasn't there. I couldn't let that happen. I leaned over to Clark's dad, who had already realized that we were in the wrong place. We had elderly grandparents. There was no way we were all going to make it over there in time. He waived me away, telling me I better hurry.

I scurried out of the bleachers and went around the outside, making my way to the very end.

It was like in a movie. I stood at the top of the bleachers, and as they were being dismissed ran down the bleachers and saw Clark immediately, and just ran into his arms.

It. Was. Perfect.

I was so thankful that we had been sitting in the wrong section. So thankful I was the first to see my husband, to hold him, to love him. We had some wonderful minutes to ourselves before the rest of his family appeared. I couldn't have planned it better if I had seated us in the wrong section on purpose.

After Clark's family finally arrived where we were, we truly began family day. I was especially excited to meet Staff Sergeant. The man wouldn't even look me in the eye. He shook my head, called me "ma'am", and went on to talk to Clark's parents. Imagine that. The man didn't have the cahones to face me. It made me beam with pride.

As the day came to a close, I was rather devastated that I had to say good-bye when I had Clark for a mere few hours. I couldn't stand that we had to be seperated, again, before I finally got him to myself for a full ten days. It was a long night of tossing and turning before graduation day.

This was supposed to be a hot apple cider recipe. I bet you're disappointed!

Last night I went in search of our camera to upload the pictures I had taken of this warm-your-soul-and-bones-delicious-drink. Much to my dismay, our camera was nowhere to be found. This seemed odd to me since my husband had cleaned out my car just that morning, and I had recently been in the vehicle to go meet a friend for a walk.

Let's back up.

Tuesday night we got home a little late from exploring. We went to the Great Smokey Mountains, a nice mix up from our typical Blue Ridge viewings. We had seen elk, turkeys, and plenty of pretty landscapes. Michael loved the elk. We got home late, and irresponsibly left just about everything we had with us that day in the car and tumbled into the house to put the little guy to sleep. OK, so late may mean around eight o'clock. Still, it was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that Clark didn't go back to the car to get our stuff.

Fast forward to that morning. Clark went out to the car to get our things. He came inside and asked if I had been out to the car recently (I got up almost two hours before I dragged him out of bed). I said no.

When Clark had gone to the car, one of the inside lights had been on, CDs were strewn over the driver's seat, and the arm-rest-counsel had been open. He went back out to the car to check if anything else had been taken. We checked everything that had been in the car. Nothing missing except an envelope we kept in the car. Our tithe money (only about $40, but still). I shrugged it off, happy that there had been no damage to the car and that nothing seriously valuable had been stolen.

Boy was I wrong.

Here I was getting ready to put together a fabulous post for you, and it has to be one that is horribly depressing.

My. Camera. Is. Gone.

I went through all our stuff, not even thinking about the camera. I mean, our check book was there with no missing checks. All of Michael's things. The CDs. The climbing gear. The surefire flashlight. The phone chargers. Everything you would THINK someone may try to pocket and pawn off. I wasn't even thinking about our camera. I guess I just assumed Clark had put it away in our camera bag when he brought it in.

Well, it's not in the camera bag. The diaper bag. The Deuter pack. It's not anywhere.

I never quite realized how much my camera meant to me. Well, that's not true. I live for my camera. Clark complains that I take 200 shots of the same thing and then I don't narrow it down enough (which I do so... I usually narrow it down to about 80 if I'm lucky).

So, please forgive me if I'm absent for a while. Sadly I don't have a backup, and it may take a while before I have a new one. I will still be posting recipes and such, they just won't be accompanies by my fabulous photography skills. Filing a police report and all that jazz, so I'll keep you posted.

I am looking for a Wife (wife to be, or mom) of the Month for December! You can share anything from your holiday traditions, to love stories, to crafts, to recipes! If you're interested, please send me an e-mail (newfangledhousewife@gmail.com). I would need the post by November 28th at the latest.

This bread is AMAZING. I mean, I'm one of those people who loves cheesy biscuits, breads, snacks... you name it. So, when I came across this I just knew I had to try it. Needless to say, I will be finding ways to make this whenever we have company over. For holidays. For parties. You get the idea.

Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 C all purpose, unbleached flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
The salt is optional. If you put the maximum amount of cheese, I really wouldn't suggest cutting this down to just a pinch.
- 3 eggs, at room temp, whisked
- 1/3 C milk
- 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 to 1/2 C smoked Gouda, shredded
- 1/3 to 1/2 C smoked Cheddar, shredded
- 1/2 C chopped/minced chives


Directions:

- Spray/Coat with Butter/ Prepare a standard bread pan. Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mix together your try ingredients. Add your prepared eggs, milk, and olive oil. Mix until the dough comes together (but don't go overboard-- you want it just together before adding the cheese and chives).

- Add your cheese and chives. The dough will be thick, but that's how you want it.
Transfer the dough to your bread pan and even it the best you can with a spatula.

- Bake for at least forty minutes. Let sit for one to two minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Definitely suggest letting it cool a bit outside the bread pan before serving/enjoying.




While I'm sure this bread would make a great side to just about any meal, I find it goes best with these soups:

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Bean and Bacon Soup

Deliciously Easy Chili



This recipe was adapted from: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

OK, so I'm a little late on the end of daylight savings time post.

We've been adjusting to this time change. It used to be no big deal. In fact, I wasn't one of those people that worshiped the weekend "falling back" came around. Why? Because I was (and ultimately still am) a morning person. My internal clock went off around 6:30am, so when daylight savings time ended, I would go to 5:30am until my clock reset.

I didn't think I was going to have that problem this year, since we typically don't roll out of bed until 7:30am with Michael. 6:30am didn't seem like too big of a deal. I figured it would take a few days and Michael would readjust to his usual morning schedule.

Boy was I wrong.

For whatever reason, Sunday morning came and Michael woke up at 5:30am. Ummm... what? I didn't understand. He didn't go to bed until 9pm the night before. I'm assuming this had more to do with his teething than with daylight savings time, but it still just happened to fall on the day the time change came around.

Then Monday he woke up at 4:30am.

Then Tuesday he woke up at five.

Monday and Tuesday he also took his afternoon naps way later than usual, and wouldn't take them lying down. In fact, we had to turn on a show/movie and he would sit in my lap until he finally laid back on me and fell asleep. In which case I stayed where I was, enjoying the time to relax myself.

Finally by Wednesday we were to just before six, yesterday we were at just before seven, and again today we were at 6:45am. Not bad. I'll take it.

The first couple days were rough. We ended up changing our morning routine around completely by just getting up and watching a movie. Michael didn't seem to want to do much else, but he certainly didn't want to lay in bed. He wanted to be up.

One thing that came into play this week, though, was a true night time routine. This is something we had been struggling with FOREVER. I tried setting a routine to stick to, but it only seemed to make Michael want to stay up later. He wouldn't go to sleep until between nine and ten at night.

We are at eight, exactly. Except last night when he was super grumpy (thanks to not napping) and went to bed at seven. But, for the entire week he's starting rubbing his eyes and acting grumpy around 7:30pm, so we'd crawl into bed and it would take precisely 30 minutes before he was completely asleep. I'm loving it. I'm really hoping this development sticks around, because it means I get some time in the evenings to get things done/relax/spend time with the hubby (when he's not working, that is).

How did your family do with the end to daylight savings time? Have a happy weekend!

Clark isn't a huge fan of pumpkin. I'm not sure why, since I think it's one of the best things EVER (especially in autumn), but I've definitely been winning him over these past couple of months. His favorite? These babies. Clark LOVES gingersnaps.

These are soft. They're not exactly "snappy"... I'm still working on legitimate gingersnaps. So, for now, enjoy these fabulously delicious soft pumpkin gingersnaps!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C butter, at room temperature
- 1 C sugar
- 1/2 C pumpkin puree (I used canned)
- 1/8 C Molasses
- 1/8 C honey
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 1/3 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- 3/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Raw or Granulated sugar, for rolling

Directions:

- Mix together your butter, sugar, pumpkin, molasses, honey, vanilla, and egg.

- Add your dry ingredients (premixed or not) in sections until you need to switch to a spoon or spatula.
- Let the dough sit in the fridge for at least an hour. I let mine sit for longer.
If you need to add a little extra flour so it's not super sticky, that's OK-- but don't go overboard!
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare your cookie sheet as needed.
- Use about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll the cookie in raw or granulated sugar and place on your cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Let cookies sit for a minute before transferring to a wire cooling rack.


This recipe makes around three dozen cookies, more or less depending on how big you make them. It was adapted from: Two Peas & Their Pod.

Yep. I'm doing it again. I can't help myself. I mean... look at him!


So, our favorite thing is still to play outside.


But he has discovered getting into the kitchen cabinets, now that he's actually allowed in the kitchen.
The room becomes off limits if he goes for anything like the cat food or the water bowl. He seems to get it, though, and just sticks to trying to pull out all the pots and pans. He also loves to get into the refrigerator, especially now that he knows he can open it himself if he gives it a couple good tugs.
(Sorry for the quality. I have an old Android phone, not a handy-dandy iPhone.)

Does anyone know if they sell locks for the fridge? I would think Michael's not the only one who likes to get in there and attempt to get himself a snack.

It seems Michael is shooting up like a weed. Around his birthday he could still fit in 12 months clothes (go figure), but these days he's styling 18 months. He can still get into 12 to 18 months, and some 12 months shirts... but he's just getting so tall! Of course he's got the adorable baby belly, but that's probably from his amazing eating habits!

And we used to be worried. Michael's favorite things these days are:

1. Bananas
2. Greek Yogurt (shared with Mama)
3. Cheese
4. Frozen Berries (to help with the teething)

Anything else is a day-to-day sort of thing. One day he'll love tuna, the next day he doesn't want it. One day he'll eat a whole grilled cheese, the next day he just wants the cheese, hold the bread. Tonight I "spoiled" him with a Gerber dinner which he absolutely loved. BBQ Turkey, anyone?

Oh, and the peas phase? Yeah. It was just that. A phase. He's now squishing them like a normal baby. Veggies are more of a "miss" these days. He'll eat corn. Other than that, it has to be hidden. Like in Plum Organics squeezables or something. He LOVES those. We call them "smoothies".

Music is our thing. Michael has this lovely new thing that he does. It's called dancing. He stomps his feet or bends his knees and "bounces". It's positively adorable. It used to just be head-bobbing, but we've added actual moves to the agenda. I love playing music while I'm cleaning or we're just hanging out, because every now and then he'll just break into his dance. It makes my heart melt. The other day he even pulled out my flute. So I played for him, and then he clapped. Talk about motivation to start playing music again.

We're still teething.

(Note: I keep saying "we", because as you know everything Michael goes through, I go through as well. Sorry if it's annoying or confusing.)

Michael has four teeth working their way in up top. I can see one already that has officially broken through (along with the four he already has), but he's definitely feeling it. YAY for frozen berries! His favorite is the banana/peach/strawberry mix. He just gums them until he can eat them. Make sure if you give them to your baby, you observe/watch/monitor, though. Choking is possible (as it is with everything, I suppose).

As much as I say I want to "crib train" Michael, I can't bring myself to do it. I absolutely love my little cuddle-bug. I mean, who wouldn't love to sleep next to this?

In other news, Michael has discovered throwing tantrums. Any suggestions on how to put your one-year-old in time out somehow? I'm all ears!

This soup is to die for. Seriously. When I was younger my mom made this amazing potato soup, but it was in a class of its own. This one is the same way. By that I mean a class in its own. It's ok for me to brag, since I borrowed this recipe from Mama Loves Food! You should really check out that blog! I did, of course, change a few things here and there to give it my special touch. Hoping that made some of a difference!

Ingredients:

- 4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into cubes
I bought a five pound bag, but it was a bit much for my crock pot. Plus, this made the flavor go that much farther.
- 1 onion, quartered
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 heaping tsp garlic salt
- 8 C chicken stock/ water + chicken bouillon
- 16 oz low fat or fat free cream cheese
- 1/2 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Optional: Cheddar Cheese and Chives

Directions:

- Put your chopped up potatoes in your crock pot, along with the onion, garlic, garlic salt, and chicken bouillon. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.

- After 4 to 6 hours, remove 1/3 to half of the potatoes (around three to four cups, I'd say). Try to get as much, if not all, of the onion as well. Put it into a blender along with the 16 oz of cream cheese.

- Blend until you have a nice, creamy mix.

- Put this back into your crock pot and mix well. Add the bacon crumbles. Let this cook for another 30 minutes to an hour on low. Make sure to check on it and stir occasionally.

If you're a vegetarian, just leave the bacon out and maybe add a bit more salt! Or use a bacon substitute!

- Serve with your cut up scallions and cheddar cheese to make it even more tasty!

Want some more delicious soup recipes? Check these out!

Black Bean Soup

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup


Bean and Bacon Soup


Easy Taco Soup

Before I knew it, it was time to leave for Clark's graduation. I had lost track of time amidst working and having a roommate. We were having such a good time that I seemed to be ignoring all the stress that was revolving around me.

For instance, Clark's family had planned a Hawaiian vacation for his ten days of leave before his next step of training. While this was fabulous, I had soon realized it wasn't a good idea. We had to find a new place to live (our current landlord was not a fan of Luna and wanted to rent the house as a whole rather than two units). Clark had to look into jobs for when he returned. And there was the possibility that he would be late, which the Marine Corps would not accept, thanks to the flights his parents had reserved.

It was irresponsible to go. This I knew. Convincing Clark was going to be something else. As I drove to my in-law's, I started to think about this.

I was going to spend a night in Fayetteville before we left for South Carolina. The plan was to leave in the morning, bright and early, with plenty of time to spare. We didn't leave until the afternoon. I probably should have just up and left with my sister-in-law in tow in the mini-van, but I waited for my mother-in-law to join us. Clark's paternal grandparents were having some health issues, so Clark's father stayed behind to help, in hopes that he'd get there in time for the following day's festivities.

Driving there wasn't too bad. At this point I wasn't exactly a skilled driver. I had barely had my license for two years, and would still let others drive as much as possible when the opportunity presented itself. After coming to a fork in a road with my mother-in-law shouting, "Right, right, right!" I went left. It's just how I function. If someone is yelling at me to do one thing while driving, I do the exact opposite. Never mind that I was intending all along to go right, I went left.

The best part about this? Clark's little sister said, "Mom, that's left."

We all laughed it off over dinner, and then Clark's mom took the wheel. There was no way I was driving at dark in an unfamiliar area. As you may remember from M.I.C.: Defending My "Crown", I'm not exactly a fan of night driving.

We arrived ridiculously late. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere around 10pm. That may not sound late, but even then it was to me. I am an early-to-bed, early-to-ride type of gal.

Clark's mom gave me half of a sleeping pill to calm my nerves. Truly. I was that restless. All the long drive had done was give me even more jitters. Think about it. I had gone thirteen weeks without seeing Clark. Truly without REALLY talking to him. It didn't matter how many letters or how few phone calls there had been, it wasn't the same.

I honestly started to hate that Clark's parents and relatives were there. Don't get me wrong. I knew my in-laws had every right to see their son graduate from bootcamp. His brother and sister and grandparents and all had the right to hug him and congratulate and support him. And I knew he'd want it. But, those first moments, I wanted it to be just me and him. I wanted to love on him and have him tell me how much he'd missed me and tell me that we'd do what was right when it came to his leave. I wanted it to be just me and him, against the world.

That wasn't precisely how it was going to be.

Hello, Newfangled Housewife readers! My name is Diana, and I am a wife and mama who blogs over at Diana Meredith Designs. I share crafts, recipes, stories about my sweet baby girl and husband, and information about my etsy shop of crocheted goodies. Emily and I went to high school together, and she asked me to share a budget-friendly craft with you today.

My husband and I decided not to find out our first baby's gender before she was born. Despite the fact that most people thought we were a little crazy, we are very glad that we waited, and we enjoyed the surprise when our baby girl was born! Not finding out your baby's gender is fun for many reasons, but it does require that you go the gender-neutral route for nursery decor (unless you wait until after baby to decorate!). I was fine with going the gender-neutral route since we live in an apartment and can't paint the walls pink or blue anyway.

We had a very small budget for the nursery. When I say small, I mean that we basically had no budget unless it was something we absolutely needed. I wanted the nursery to be special, so I decided on a very loose theme. We found a nice, gently-used bassinet at a baby consignment store in yellow and gray, so that became the color scheme. I really like owls, so I decided to try to find some owl things for the nursery. After scouring etsy, I was disappointed that the owl art prints I liked were quite pricey. Being the craft-lover that I am, I figured I could make some art for the nursery for much cheaper.

One of my sisters-in-law is a graphic designer and very talented. She and my brother currently live in Italy (he is in the Air Force), but she came to visit us in May. I told her that I wanted to make some kind of nursery art with owls, and she designed a basic owl print for me using a design program (I think she used Adobe Illustrator). Using her print, I created several collages with card stock, and framed them for the nursery.

To make your own art collage, you will need:

• Card stock or scrapbook paper
• Frames (I used 5x7 frames from the Salvation Army that were about $1 each)
• A black and white outline print of an animal or other scene (teachers would call this a "blackline master" - looks like a coloring book page)
• Pencil
• Scissors or exacto blade
• Glue stick

Instructions:

1. Print out or draw the animal or scene that you want to create. Google is a great source if you don't have something already in mind.
2. Choose the papers you want to use. When assembled, this will be similar to a collage. I wanted to use the colors gray, yellow, blue, and green, so I decided which color I wanted to use for each part of the owl. For example, yellow for the beak and feet, gray for the body, blue for the wings, etc.
   

1. With a pencil, completely color the back of the print. This part is a bit messy, but my sister-in-law learned this technique in art school and it works well. :)
   
2. Turn the print back over and place it over the first color you will be using. Trace on the black lines of each part that you want in that color. Press down so that the pencil markings on the back of the print transfer onto the card stock. Repeat with each color as desired until you have all the parts of the animal traced. Some excess pencil marks may rub off onto your paper. You can either erase the marks or turn the paper to the other side to avoid them. If you would rather flip than erase and you are using one-sided paper, you'll need to trace onto the back so that you don't get marks on the desired side.
   
3. Cut out each part of the animal carefully.
4. Assemble all the parts of the animal, then glue each part in the correct place. If you wish, add details in pen or marker. I used marker to create the owl's pupils and some detailing to his wings and ears.
   
5. Frame your cute new art and hang!
   

This project is very versatile and could be adapted for many different projects. If you try it, I'd love to see your finished project! Head on over to my blog and say hello. :)

Thanks, Emily, for having me on your blog today!