I made an accidental discovery last night. I discovered a way to make baked barbecue chicken with a crispy crust using only two ingredients and in only 20-25 minutes. I am NOT kidding (beat that Racheal Ray.....ok...don't take that wrong, I LOVE her) !
So, every time I bake chicken, hubby always sits down with a bottle of barbecue sauce to dip his chicken in, so I thought I'd beat him to the punch by baking the chicken in the barbecue sauce. He gets his barbecue and we still eat the healthier baked chicken.
All you have to do is dip or brush a boneless chicken breast into some barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce). After it's good and coated with the yummy barbecue sauce, dip the chicken breast into some Shake N' Bake (don't use the bag and don't ask how I know......use a bowl or something) to coat it with the crust. Bake it at 350 for 20-25 minutes and YUMMY!! Hubby LOVED it! I have to admit, I did too! Fast, easy, yummy.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A letter to my Son - 2010
My Dearest Nicholas,
Every year, I write you a letter on your birthday. This year is no exception. This year is very special because this year, you turn 5. I can't believe it. It's the last year you will be able to show how old you are using only one hand! This year, you turn 5 on Mother's Day; you were born the day after Mother's Day in 2005. I remember that day like it was yesterday and can't believe it has been 5 whole years! You will always be the best Mother's Day gift I have ever received.
In the past, I have read your letters to you. This year, you can read your letter yourself. I am so proud. What a great year it has been. My sweet boy, you became a big brother! I knew you would be an extraordinary big brother, but even I couldn't have known how extraordinary. Some people tried to warn me that you would be jealous or act out once the "newness" of the baby wore off. Mama knew better. I know your heart and how special it is. You have never, not once, shown an ounce of jealousy towards your brother. You have always been so sweet and caring and protective of him. You help take care of him, you love him and you make him laugh. I can not believe what a special bond the two of you already share. My beloved son, you fill my heart with so much happiness, especially when I see how precious and loving your heart is.
This year, you sang your first solo at church and I cried. I had to explain to you that they were happy tears; I was so moved by how you stood up in that spotlight at our church and sang to the Lord. Everyone who had the good fortune of being there was moved. To you, it was no big deal, it was just something in your heart that you wanted to do, you wanted to sing for Jesus. I remember Rev. Kilgore asked if I wanted to go up on the stage with you, but you didn't need me, so I stayed back. You were such a big boy and had no fear. What I was most proud of, is how you knew the reason you were singing the song and when you sang it, you really sang it for Jesus.
This is your last year of preschool. It's so wonderful to see how much you love school and how easily you make friends. You are truly a social butterfly who has never met a stranger. You will talk to anyone at anytime. I can't believe you start Kindergarten next year. For the first time in your life, you will be away from me for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. That will take some adjustment for me, but I know you will do just fine! You are so looking forward to kindergarten and I know you will absolutely love it! I wish I could keep you here with me always, safe in our home but, being a parent you learn to do what's best for your child, not what is best for you. You also learn that when you do what is best for your child, it turns out to be what is best for you also, because as long as your child is happy, you are happy. I would sacrifice anything to make sure you are always full of joy and healthy. As long as you and your brother are happy, Mama is happy too! One day, you will be a father and you will completely understand how that works!
Our bedtime routine changed a little this year too. From the time you were still in my tummy, I started reading to you. Now, instead of just me reading to you, you like to read to me. I hope your love of learning and reading continues throughout your life. Mommy LOVES to read, I hope you continue with that love as well.
Oh my, and how can I forget Maximus? Your first puppy. Yes, this has been an eventful year. You do a great job at helping with Maximus, you water him and take him out to go potty and you play with him until the poor puppy can no longer run! Of course, there are times when you just like to see how far you can go with him, like the time you decided he would like to be pushed down the slide, even though it was obvious the poor puppy was terrified! He loves you though, and you love him. It is so sweet to witness.
You still say you want to be an astronaut when you grow up. You can name the planets, constellations and are a whiz with numbers. My brilliant son, with your brains, outgoing nature and with your determination, I have no doubt you can do it. Let's just hope NASA is still around!
My darling, the older you get, the more and more I love you. Every
day, when I think it's just not possible; I wake up and realize that I love you even more than the previous day. You have been a true blessing in my life, a wonderful gift from God. I could never thank Him enough for picking me, out of all the Mommies in the world, to be yours.
And, in case you want to read your letter from last year, here it is sweetheart: A Letter to My Son - 2009
Love always,
Mama
Every year, I write you a letter on your birthday. This year is no exception. This year is very special because this year, you turn 5. I can't believe it. It's the last year you will be able to show how old you are using only one hand! This year, you turn 5 on Mother's Day; you were born the day after Mother's Day in 2005. I remember that day like it was yesterday and can't believe it has been 5 whole years! You will always be the best Mother's Day gift I have ever received.
In the past, I have read your letters to you. This year, you can read your letter yourself. I am so proud. What a great year it has been. My sweet boy, you became a big brother! I knew you would be an extraordinary big brother, but even I couldn't have known how extraordinary. Some people tried to warn me that you would be jealous or act out once the "newness" of the baby wore off. Mama knew better. I know your heart and how special it is. You have never, not once, shown an ounce of jealousy towards your brother. You have always been so sweet and caring and protective of him. You help take care of him, you love him and you make him laugh. I can not believe what a special bond the two of you already share. My beloved son, you fill my heart with so much happiness, especially when I see how precious and loving your heart is.
This year, you sang your first solo at church and I cried. I had to explain to you that they were happy tears; I was so moved by how you stood up in that spotlight at our church and sang to the Lord. Everyone who had the good fortune of being there was moved. To you, it was no big deal, it was just something in your heart that you wanted to do, you wanted to sing for Jesus. I remember Rev. Kilgore asked if I wanted to go up on the stage with you, but you didn't need me, so I stayed back. You were such a big boy and had no fear. What I was most proud of, is how you knew the reason you were singing the song and when you sang it, you really sang it for Jesus.
This is your last year of preschool. It's so wonderful to see how much you love school and how easily you make friends. You are truly a social butterfly who has never met a stranger. You will talk to anyone at anytime. I can't believe you start Kindergarten next year. For the first time in your life, you will be away from me for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. That will take some adjustment for me, but I know you will do just fine! You are so looking forward to kindergarten and I know you will absolutely love it! I wish I could keep you here with me always, safe in our home but, being a parent you learn to do what's best for your child, not what is best for you. You also learn that when you do what is best for your child, it turns out to be what is best for you also, because as long as your child is happy, you are happy. I would sacrifice anything to make sure you are always full of joy and healthy. As long as you and your brother are happy, Mama is happy too! One day, you will be a father and you will completely understand how that works!
Our bedtime routine changed a little this year too. From the time you were still in my tummy, I started reading to you. Now, instead of just me reading to you, you like to read to me. I hope your love of learning and reading continues throughout your life. Mommy LOVES to read, I hope you continue with that love as well.
Oh my, and how can I forget Maximus? Your first puppy. Yes, this has been an eventful year. You do a great job at helping with Maximus, you water him and take him out to go potty and you play with him until the poor puppy can no longer run! Of course, there are times when you just like to see how far you can go with him, like the time you decided he would like to be pushed down the slide, even though it was obvious the poor puppy was terrified! He loves you though, and you love him. It is so sweet to witness.
You still say you want to be an astronaut when you grow up. You can name the planets, constellations and are a whiz with numbers. My brilliant son, with your brains, outgoing nature and with your determination, I have no doubt you can do it. Let's just hope NASA is still around!
My darling, the older you get, the more and more I love you. Every
day, when I think it's just not possible; I wake up and realize that I love you even more than the previous day. You have been a true blessing in my life, a wonderful gift from God. I could never thank Him enough for picking me, out of all the Mommies in the world, to be yours.And, in case you want to read your letter from last year, here it is sweetheart: A Letter to My Son - 2009
Love always,
Mama
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Health
It's Thursday and I'm thankful. This week, every member of my family is healthy. Everyone knows that is truly something to be thankful for, but if you have been where I have been in life, you would know even more so why this means so much to me. As long as my family and I are healthy, I can deal with whatever else happens to come my way (ummm...God, if you are listening, don't take that as a challenge, please).
As many of you know, health has been at the forefront for me over the past week. My little guy had strep, complicated by bacteremia. It was AWFUL. He had an extremely high fever (101-105.8) for 7 days! He had to take 2 different types of antibiotics, get 2 very long, painful shots of antibiotics and have his bloodwork done 3 times over the course of 3 days. That's 5 sticks in 3 days. It was not pleasant. I was terrified and kept thinking back to the time when he was hospitalized for a week when he was 6 months old due to RSV. He doesn't get sick often, but when he does, he really does it right! Maybe he's an overachiever :-).
There was a point last week when I was really afraid he would have to be hospitalized, I reached out to my friends and family and asked for prayers. I can testify that the prayers truly worked because it is at that point that he started to turn the corner. He is now back 100% and you'd never know that he had been sick!
My newborn baby has had some health issues already as well. The poor guy had to have an Upper GI done when he was only 2 1/2 months. He has very bad reflux and is now on Zantac twice a day. The Zantac has really helped though. He eats like a horse now so feeding time isn't as stressful. He has also had an upper respiratory infection already and was on a decongestant for that. All is well now, though. He is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen in my life! He laughs and coo's constantly!
Then there is me. You name it, I've had to deal with it. I even went blind when I was 21 years old from an eye disease that is so rare, the doctor I went to specialized in it and I was the first ACTUAL case he had seen. It's called MEWDS. Heard of it? Yeah, didn't think so. You have a better chance at getting struck by lightening 5 times in a row than getting this disease. So, I was blind, but now I see (thank you, Amazing Grace). It lasted a couple of months and when my sight came back, I was color blind, which lasted a couple of years. I can see colors now, but still have trouble with dark blue, black, red and orange. I also have thyroid disease. I am hypothyroid and it took several years to get a proper diagnosis, which means I went several years without treatment. I think this is why I still have to fight this disease today. Most people can take a pill once a day and they are fine. My thyroid can not be controlled. I have to have blood work done every couple of months and my dosage has to be changed every couple of months as well. Oh, and I'm hypoglycemic. Oh...and I had cancer.
Shall I continue?? Nah, I didn't want to relive my medical history in this post. The point of this post is to give thanks to God for my healthy family today and for seeing us through our illnesses of the past. He has taken care of us through everything and we have all come out just fine. Yes, I still have medical issues to deal with, but I can deal with them well, they don't hold me back or keep me from doing anything. That is a blessing from God.
If you and your family are healthy, take a moment right now to thank God! Don't take a healthy second for granted.
As many of you know, health has been at the forefront for me over the past week. My little guy had strep, complicated by bacteremia. It was AWFUL. He had an extremely high fever (101-105.8) for 7 days! He had to take 2 different types of antibiotics, get 2 very long, painful shots of antibiotics and have his bloodwork done 3 times over the course of 3 days. That's 5 sticks in 3 days. It was not pleasant. I was terrified and kept thinking back to the time when he was hospitalized for a week when he was 6 months old due to RSV. He doesn't get sick often, but when he does, he really does it right! Maybe he's an overachiever :-).
There was a point last week when I was really afraid he would have to be hospitalized, I reached out to my friends and family and asked for prayers. I can testify that the prayers truly worked because it is at that point that he started to turn the corner. He is now back 100% and you'd never know that he had been sick!
My newborn baby has had some health issues already as well. The poor guy had to have an Upper GI done when he was only 2 1/2 months. He has very bad reflux and is now on Zantac twice a day. The Zantac has really helped though. He eats like a horse now so feeding time isn't as stressful. He has also had an upper respiratory infection already and was on a decongestant for that. All is well now, though. He is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen in my life! He laughs and coo's constantly!
Then there is me. You name it, I've had to deal with it. I even went blind when I was 21 years old from an eye disease that is so rare, the doctor I went to specialized in it and I was the first ACTUAL case he had seen. It's called MEWDS. Heard of it? Yeah, didn't think so. You have a better chance at getting struck by lightening 5 times in a row than getting this disease. So, I was blind, but now I see (thank you, Amazing Grace). It lasted a couple of months and when my sight came back, I was color blind, which lasted a couple of years. I can see colors now, but still have trouble with dark blue, black, red and orange. I also have thyroid disease. I am hypothyroid and it took several years to get a proper diagnosis, which means I went several years without treatment. I think this is why I still have to fight this disease today. Most people can take a pill once a day and they are fine. My thyroid can not be controlled. I have to have blood work done every couple of months and my dosage has to be changed every couple of months as well. Oh, and I'm hypoglycemic. Oh...and I had cancer.
Shall I continue?? Nah, I didn't want to relive my medical history in this post. The point of this post is to give thanks to God for my healthy family today and for seeing us through our illnesses of the past. He has taken care of us through everything and we have all come out just fine. Yes, I still have medical issues to deal with, but I can deal with them well, they don't hold me back or keep me from doing anything. That is a blessing from God.
If you and your family are healthy, take a moment right now to thank God! Don't take a healthy second for granted.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thankful Thursday - A Successful Business
This Thursday, I am so very thankful that both my business and my husband's are thriving. Even in this economy, hubby's company, Sams Brothers, Inc. (www.samsbrothers.net) has not slowed down and he has, in fact, had to hire on more employees. I am so proud of him and so thankful to the Lord for His blessings.
My company, CWI Marketing & Printing (www.cwimarketing.com), has some big things on the horizon as well. To read more, check out my business blog: http://bit.ly/3pnsXp
I hope everyone is having a great week. Remember Virginia Tech tomorrow, April 16th.
God bless!
My company, CWI Marketing & Printing (www.cwimarketing.com), has some big things on the horizon as well. To read more, check out my business blog: http://bit.ly/3pnsXp
I hope everyone is having a great week. Remember Virginia Tech tomorrow, April 16th.
God bless!
Friday, March 26, 2010
A Newborn's Thoughts on Family and Healthcare Reform
My blog post this week is actually a video blog and comes from my 9 week old son.. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Spring Blessings - A Promise Kept
Isn't it wonderful? That first warm spring day. The first day the temperature gets into the high 60's or low 70's, while the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. It's beautiful! How could you possibly be in a bad mood on a day like today? It was a LONG, cold, hard winter. Now we have warm sunshine, flowers starting to bloom, life returning. That is what I love the most about spring. The promise of renewal, everything coming back to life
Do you ever wonder if it is a coincidence that Easter occurs in the spring? Easter is a promise kept. Easter is when we all received the greatest gift, a chance for a new, eternal life. The gift of new life comes in the spring. Both new life in Christ and new life in nature here on earth. Are you making the most of your spring gifts?
And that....is what I'm thankful for this Thursday.
Do you ever wonder if it is a coincidence that Easter occurs in the spring? Easter is a promise kept. Easter is when we all received the greatest gift, a chance for a new, eternal life. The gift of new life comes in the spring. Both new life in Christ and new life in nature here on earth. Are you making the most of your spring gifts?
And that....is what I'm thankful for this Thursday.
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Diaper Review - Which One's Stink and Which One's Don't
I'm a bargain hunter. You know how some people are really big into name brands and brag that they paid $200 for their baby's name brand onsie? Not me. I'd rather shout from the rooftops that I got the onsie for $1.00 at a huge sale.
However, when it comes to diapers, this all goes out the window. I will happily pay $5.00 more per box to get a diaper that doesn't leak or give my baby a diaper rash. The way I see it, even though the diapers cost more, they save me in the long run. I go through the "cheap" diapers faster and they leak. Leaky diapers equal more laundry. More laundry equals more money. If I had used the name brand/quality diapers (personally, I prefer the Pampers Swaddlers for newborns), I wouldn't be changing my screaming 2 week old's pj's at 3:00 a.m. I could just change his diaper and get him back to bed. Also, if he didn't have a rash, I wouldn't have to buy some butt paste, Cha-Ching!
With my first son I tried the generic Walmart brand diapers hoping to save money. Big mistake. The leaking wasn't as bad as the horrible diaper rash, though. Now, this could have all been a coincidence, my son could have just had really sensitive skin, there are all kinds of excuses I came up with so that I could try the Walmart diapers once again with my youngest son. I desperately wanted the Walmart diapers to work. Too bad. If possible, I think the diapers are worse now than 4 years ago. They feel like cardboard, chaffe baby's backside and leak. I've had an equally bad experience with Huggies. Luv's are good at stopping leaks, but they are also rough on baby's new skin. After two babies, I have discovered (at least from my experience), that when it comes to diapers, you really do get what you pay for.
The best diaper I have used is, without a doubt, the Pamper's Swaddlers. Once baby gets a little older (about a diaper size 2 or 3), I change to Luvs. They are just as good at stopping leaks as Pampers and not as expensive. They aren't as soft, but as baby get's older, it's not as much of an issue (they don't feel like cardboard, they just aren't as soft as Pampers). As far as the worst diapers I have used, the prize goes to the Walmart "Parent's Choice" diapers. As I mentioned before, they are as hard as cardboard, leak, have poor fit, and the parts that don't feel like cardboard (i.e. the elastic around the legs), feels like scratchy plastic. I would NOT recommend these diapers, although I wish I could. I hate how expensive diapers are. One last brand that I'm not impressed with is Huggies. I tried and tried and tried Huggies and have had no luck with them either. They leaked just as badly as the Walmart brand.
Again, this has been my experience, I'm sure there are people out there who LOVE Huggies and Parent's Choice. For those people, I'm really happy for you, I wish it could be me. My wallet wishes it could be me, but since it's not, I had better get back to work so I can afford to keep my son in diapers!
However, when it comes to diapers, this all goes out the window. I will happily pay $5.00 more per box to get a diaper that doesn't leak or give my baby a diaper rash. The way I see it, even though the diapers cost more, they save me in the long run. I go through the "cheap" diapers faster and they leak. Leaky diapers equal more laundry. More laundry equals more money. If I had used the name brand/quality diapers (personally, I prefer the Pampers Swaddlers for newborns), I wouldn't be changing my screaming 2 week old's pj's at 3:00 a.m. I could just change his diaper and get him back to bed. Also, if he didn't have a rash, I wouldn't have to buy some butt paste, Cha-Ching!
With my first son I tried the generic Walmart brand diapers hoping to save money. Big mistake. The leaking wasn't as bad as the horrible diaper rash, though. Now, this could have all been a coincidence, my son could have just had really sensitive skin, there are all kinds of excuses I came up with so that I could try the Walmart diapers once again with my youngest son. I desperately wanted the Walmart diapers to work. Too bad. If possible, I think the diapers are worse now than 4 years ago. They feel like cardboard, chaffe baby's backside and leak. I've had an equally bad experience with Huggies. Luv's are good at stopping leaks, but they are also rough on baby's new skin. After two babies, I have discovered (at least from my experience), that when it comes to diapers, you really do get what you pay for.
The best diaper I have used is, without a doubt, the Pamper's Swaddlers. Once baby gets a little older (about a diaper size 2 or 3), I change to Luvs. They are just as good at stopping leaks as Pampers and not as expensive. They aren't as soft, but as baby get's older, it's not as much of an issue (they don't feel like cardboard, they just aren't as soft as Pampers). As far as the worst diapers I have used, the prize goes to the Walmart "Parent's Choice" diapers. As I mentioned before, they are as hard as cardboard, leak, have poor fit, and the parts that don't feel like cardboard (i.e. the elastic around the legs), feels like scratchy plastic. I would NOT recommend these diapers, although I wish I could. I hate how expensive diapers are. One last brand that I'm not impressed with is Huggies. I tried and tried and tried Huggies and have had no luck with them either. They leaked just as badly as the Walmart brand.
Again, this has been my experience, I'm sure there are people out there who LOVE Huggies and Parent's Choice. For those people, I'm really happy for you, I wish it could be me. My wallet wishes it could be me, but since it's not, I had better get back to work so I can afford to keep my son in diapers!
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