Look HOOS wishing you a happy halloween!!

A tale of two trips...

Today you can find me over at the Cajun Cowgirl's blog guest posting about our drive down and back to South Carolina...yes 7 grueling hours of trying to entertain an 11 month old...eeeppp!  It was no easy feat...lessons were learned...but we survived and even started making plans to do it again next year!!  So if you have a few extra minutes to spare....head on over to "When In Doubt, Add More Salt," and check it out!!  And while you are over there...you should definitely check out all of the wonderful recipes, craft ideas, funny stories, and most importantly precious pictures of her adorable little boy whom she lovingly refers to as the Sheriff!!!  I love reading her blog as she always keeps things real, has a wonderful perspective on life, and isn't afraid to share all of her awesome ideas!

J

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday...

Anyone that knows me or follows me on Pinterest...knows I spend ALOT of my time pinning these days.  I love having some virtual space to store all of the fun and wonderful ideas I come across and thought I'd link up with Michelle from The Vintage Apple and share some of my favorites as of late...

To make me laugh...

Source: Uploaded by user via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

To make me drool...

Source: None via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

To remind me of the wonderful holiday season ahead...

Source: None via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

To help inspire me with our current home projects...

Source: None via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

To help me get dressed in the morning...

Source: None via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

If you're new to my blog from the link-up - welcome!!! And if you too are a fan of Pinterest, head on over to The Vintage Apple and link-up or at least check out all of the great things everyone is finding on Pinterest!!!

Quick, Easy, and OH-SO good

I'm no gourmet chef...my husband comes close but I'm more of a recipe girl.  I do well with baking because its pretty precise but I don't do well with those "little of this and little of that" recipes.  So...when I tell you this is quick and easy...trust me, it is.  Which is enough to make it a favorite in our house but when you throw in its amazing comfort food qualities...its a win-win in my book.  I should also admit that this has been a recipe my Grammy made and passed down to my mom so I have no idea what the name of it is...I just know its amazing!  So...here's how to make it happen:

First you'll need these few things:
* 2-3 chicken breasts
* Can of cream of chicken soup (plain or with herbs works great)
* Milk
* 1 stick of butter
* 2 cups of shredded swiss cheese
* 1 box of chicken stuffing (I'm a fan of Stove Top)

in case the visual is easier

Then you'll do this:
* Preheat your oven to 350
* Cut the chicken breasts into strips (or maybe just be smarter than me and buy tenderloins to start with) and layer on the bottom of the baking dish (I use a 9x9 stoneware baking dish)
* In a separate bowl, empty the cream of chicken soup and then re-fill can with milk and add to the bowl.  Mix with a wisk until well combined.
* Pour mixture over chicken
* Layer shredded swiss cheese over chicken mixture
* In a separate bowl, melt butter and then add stuffing to the bowl and mix together until stuffing is well coated.
* Place stuffing mixture on top of cheese
* Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through
* Remove aluminum foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes to crisp up the stuffing
* Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve!!

the finished product - pure delight

This also makes really good leftovers...if there are any!

J

Wordless Wednesday

Fall favorites...

This post may be a month late but the on and off cool/hot weather has really messed with my mental seasonality this year.  I've got a leaf wreath on my front door but Addie's closet is still flanked with tank tops and sun dresses....a slight contradiction.  Anyhow, after visiting the pumpkin patch this weekend and letting my favorite fall candle burn, I think I've finally settled on the fact that fall is here....

I thought I'd share some of my favorite fall things and would love for y'all to share your favorites...

Pumpkins - Orange isn't my favorite color any other time of year but when fall rolls around I can't seem to get enough of it.  I blame it on my extreme love for anything pumpkin....decorations, smells, food, on clothing...anywhere and everywhere...decorated or not...i can't get enough.

Fire pits - There is something romantic about an evening spent with good friends under the stars gathered around a fire pit.  A glass of wine and some s'mores make it even better...

Autumn Air - I love summer...I really do, but the humidity around here is insane and my wavy/curly mess of hair gets quite confused and I end up with perfectly straightened hair in the morning and a frizzy mess by afternoon.  So not only does the cooler air help motivate me to get out and do stuff it also really helps me in the hair department...which is kind of a big deal to me

Fall candles - I love the smell of fall candles and September - December is when I do the bulk of my candle burning.  Something about it just seems right...and I find Yankee Candle's Harvest and Autumn Leaves to be especially dreamy...

I pretty much love everything about fall...I must admit other than its proximity to winter (which I only enjoy if it is snowing) there is simply nothing about fall I don't enjoy....

our trip to the pumpkin patch

1st birthday party in pics...

In case you're wondering...I've been recovering from the 1st birthday party hangover...add a crazy work schedule on top of that and here I sit a week and half later finally blogging all of the details of Addie's 1st birthday party.  We had a wonderful day spent with family and close friends and a lot of wonderful memories to carry with us....until next year...

So...here's the story - told in pictures.  I've included in the descriptions all of the wonderful vendors that helped make this party such a success...

These ideas are certainly not all my own....I was inspired by so many of my blog friends and of course...pinterest.  Feel free to email me about any of the details...I'd love to share!

quick family pic with the birthday girl!

me and my Ads

the birthday outfit - compliments of Brayla Bees

I love how innocent she looks here

the party room - banner by Kelli

the menu - designed by Kelli

a fun and festive touch

fun with candy

ducky sugar cookies by the Delicious Dozen

the birthday girl's cake by Cupcake Central

the cupcakes (cupcake central) and toppers (kelli) - after scoring a Groupon I opted to have the cupcakes made

to-go boxes for the guests - stickers created by A Touch of Whimsy

welcome to the party...

fingerprint tree by idoityourself

the only picture with the hat on - she wasn't a fan:)

the birthday hat by Dainty Couture

opening presents and...reading the card ;)

Enjoying her cake...ever so delicately...

Photos by my dear friend Lis over at Beach Bum & Baby....

And a HUGE thanks to my parents for letting us host the fiesta at their house and Lis and J for ALL of their help in getting everything set-up and ready for the big day....there is absolutely no way I could have pulled it off without all of their help!!!!

Addie's 12 month update

strolling around the zoo

Thanks to everyone for all of your sweet birthday wishes to my baby girl!!!  I am struggling to say the words "my little girl is 1"...i just want to say "12 months" or "a little over 11 months..." but the truth is we are no longer counting months!!  Anyhow...enough of my pity party - here is everything my busy girl has been up to over the last month!

What she's wearing - Addie is wearing all 6-12, 9 month, and/or 12 month outfits - with this cooler weather finally making an appearance she has been really leaning more towards almost all 12 month outfits but can still fit in alot of her smaller stuff.  Her cloth diapers are still on the second set of snaps and she is still doing well without extra liners at night.

Eats - With her first birthday came the transition to whole milk and we made the move from bottle to sippy cup!!!  She seems to be really enjoying it and was a little gassy on the first day of the change but seems to be fine now.  We've added grapes and a lot more finger foods to her diet.  She does enjoy playing with her food when she's not hungry which creates quite a mess but she's learning!

playing with Diesel through the screen

Moves - Addie is almost a full blown walker these days.  She still crawls from time to time but this last week has really started to walk whenever she wants to get somewhere.  I still can't believe how quickly this all happened!

Teeth coming in and more to say - Addie has added another tooth on the bottom and another on the top (both on the left side).  She still absolutely loves to chat it up but is starting to get a little shy around new people and has really become pretty clingy lately.  She will now point to the dogs and say "doh" and she calls the cat "ki-ki."  It really means so much to me to see her enjoy our furbabies as much as she does!!

Out and about - We took Addie to the zoo for the first time this month and she had a blast.  She really enjoyed the bears and beavers...and by all accounts thought the tigers were pretty cool too!!  We will definitely be going back soon...especially before the cold weather cuts my fall short!  Addie also attended her first Old Dominion University (ODU) football game - which is ironic considering I went into labor with Addie at an ODU football game!  She wasn't all that impressed but like her momma...enjoyed the tailgate the most!

the bear was a big hit!

I'm working on the first birthday post so I can share all of the deets of Addie's big day....and I also wanted to share Addie's stats from her doctor's check-up this week!

Height: 31 inches

Weight: 20.0 pounds

Happy 1st Birthday, baby girl!

Words simply cannot express the joy that our precious baby girl has brought to our lives over the past year...so I'll leave this post with a picture of my girl on her party day and a very very happy birthday wish for the light of my life...my heart and soul.

Happy 1st Birthday, Addie!!