What I do in my spare time!

Switching Platforms!

2010-11-07T19:29:00.002-06:00

I have decided to switch blogging platforms. I have been wanting to do some things to my blog and I can't for the life of me figure them out on Blogger. So now I will be over on Wordpress.
I did change the title of my blog to Pampered Mommy: Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom!

I am going to try and move some of my archived posts over to the new blog but that is going to take me awhile.

I also am going to revamp what I write about. I will still write about our family and our adventures and stories. But I am also wanting to branch out into sharing recipes, review, deals of the week, Pampered Chef info, crafts and daily tips. I want you to be able to use the information in your own life. With life being a little hectic right now it will probably take me the next week or so to get things set up the way I want them.

So come check me out!
http://pamperedmommy.wordpress.com/

In need of some helpful tips!

2010-11-02T21:25:00.003-05:00

Jason and I are trying to think of ways to channel Joel's energy and love for "destroying" things.
We Love him so much but we are at our wits end as to know what to do. I fall so far behind with keeping the house up, when I have to follow him around the house and pick up messes that he makes. Now Joel isn't completely to blame, Bo encourages him sometimes. I know he needs to go outside everyday, but we don't have a backyard they can play in and the park in our courtyard is not fenced so the boys can't go out there by themselves because Joel will wander away. I however can't sit out there everyday because I have stuff to get done around the house. Plus, it is getting cold out now and I am not comfortable with Quinn being out there for long periods of time.

Joel loves to build things like with legos, blocks etc.(then destroy them). He loves books but tends to rip the pages. He wants to be potty trained. He likes to be independent. Joel loves eggs, he has now taken the carton out of the fridge and broken them 4 or 5 times now. He loves to climb on things and then jump off them. He is a thinker and contemplater.

So taking all these different things that he likes we are trying to think of ways to channel that energy so that there are fewer messes, melt downs and getting into everything. We were thinking maybe getting play food for him, investing in more board books, maybe getting one of those circular baby gates to put him in at a specified time each day and give him different activities to do? I don't know. Do you have any suggestions, activities, ideas that could help?

Preschool!

2010-10-17T23:09:00.002-05:00

For several months now Bo has wanted to go to school and would occasionally ask me to actually go. Recently, though is has been asking me everyday. I have been saying that I should just do his preschool workbook with him two or three days a week, but it is so easy to not do it because 1) I am not organized or set up 2) don't keep a regular calendar or schedule and 3) don't have the supplies to teach him properly.

So Monday morning I will be going to my local teacher supply store to get a few things to help keep me organized and on schedule. I also want to get a craft/game/song/activity book to get ideas from and use in our "little classroom".

Now, I am going to through this disclaimer in here...Just because I am going to be teaching Bo preschool does not mean I am going to Home school him, but it also doesn't mean that I won't. We haven't decided yet as to what we are going to do once he starts school. I feel there are advantages to both home schooling and public school or a private school. So I guess we will cross that bridge in a year or two.

Now to make things flow at home there are a few changes I will be making to help me stay organized. The first is I will be moving my craft stuff to the guest room closet. That way the closet in out family room can be dedicated to storage for preschool stuff and my Pampered chef office stuff. It will also work better if I move my craft stuff because Bo will be able to sit at my desk in the family room and Joel will be able to read books, color or play toys and I will be able to keep and eye on them both.

I need to work on a "schedule". Something I really suck at. I like having the freedom to do whatever whenever, BUT I know that if I want this to work and be effective I will need to have a schedule in place. I need to decide how long we want to do school, what days we want to do crafts, what field trips we want to take, when we take breaks etc... That is why we will be going to the store tomorrow, so that I can properly plan for the coming months.

Any thought, ideas or suggestions on what curriculum to use, good Dayton field trip destinations, themes, crafts etc..? I am open to all ideas!

Bo is so excited to do school, he really wants to learn! I am excited that he is excited!

Beef Noodle Bake

2010-10-12T19:27:00.002-05:00

Tonight I didn't know what to make for dinner, I had a pound of ground beef thawed, and I stared at my cupboards thinking "nothing sounded good." So what did I do? I got online to see if I could find a recipe that sounded good! I found Beef Noodle Bake! It was a huge hit and I must say as I was making the sauce I could have eaten all of it! YUM! So here ya go! Let me know what you think when you try it!

1 pkg Egg noodles cooked and drained
1lb ground beef (Season with your favorite seasoning while browning, I used a southwest seasoning)
1 small onion chopped (I did not have an onion and it tasted fine without it)
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
1 cup Sour Cream
4 oz Cream Cheese softened and cubed
1 tsp. sugar
2-3 cloves minced garlic or substitute garlic salt
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic until meat is no longer pink. Add cream cheese cubes, tomato sauce, sour cream and sugar. Mix until creamy. In a 9 x 13 pan place half the noodles in bottom of pan and add half the sauce on top of the noodles. sprinkle half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Serve with fresh green beans or a tossed salad!
Enjoy!

Cooking Light!

2010-10-12T16:23:00.002-05:00

Ok in my pervious post I talked about the "Cooking Light: Holiday cookbook" and I must say after spending about an hour looking through it my mouth started to water! I haven't tried any of the recipes but man they sure do look good!

couple of cool things about this cookbook:
*Provides you with full menu +additional options for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, dinner for two and more!
* It has a section with recipes to make jams, syrups, cookies and more to use as gifts. It also give recommendations on how to wrap and package the items you make!
* It has an appetizer, side dish, main dish, breads, soups and salads, vegetarian and dessert sections.
* There is a Holiday Entertaining section. Basically your personal party planner with menu, entertaining and decorating ideas!
* The recipes use normal ingredients non of that fake butter stuff. The quantity is what is different compared to the original recipes!

I am seriously in love with this book I am sure everything will taste fabulous! You can get it now on Amazon for as little as $1.99 used. Yes I will be buying mine tonight! I know I will get a lot of use out of it.

If you own this book let me know what you think of it and how you have used it!

New cookbooks!!!

2010-10-12T13:13:00.003-05:00

I love to bake bread but sometimes it takes so long and usually when i think of baking bread my day is half over. My friend Sarah recommended this book and I just bought it on Amazon!!!
It is called "Artisan Bread in Five minutes a Day: The discovery that revolutionizes home baking"!
I am so excited to try it and the book should arrive by Friday hopefully!

I also checked out a cookbook from the library today called "Cooking Lite: Holiday Baking"!
I am going to browse through the book and see if it would be worth buying. I am curious to see how they make the deliciousness of the holiday season "lighter". I am not willing sacrifice normal healthy, quality ingredients for plastic fake garbage. So I will be spending the rest of my afternoon browsing this cookbook and maybe get adventurous to try a recipe this afternoon...we'll see.

What are some new recipes or cookbooks you are trying?

Make your own Kabobs!

2010-10-10T20:41:00.002-05:00

Do you ever get sick of having the same old same old at your BBQ's? I know I do, I can only eat so many burgers, brats and hotdogs before I am so sick of them I never want to eat them again. Tonight we had a BBQ and we did something different for most people. We did make your own kabobs! So I thought I would share with you how to build your own kabobs and give your guests a unique fun experience!

Meat:
You can use pretty much any meat you like. We use Chicken and Steak. Cut meat into 1 inch x 1 inch pieces, place in ziplock bag and add your favorite marinade. I really like the Lawrys marinades that you can get at any major grocery store. You will want the meat to sit in the marinade for a good hour or two. The longer it sits the more tender and flavorful the meat will be!

Veggies:
The possibilities are endless when it comes to veggies. Some of our favorites are:
onions
cherry tomatoes
Bell peppers (all colors)
Zucchini
Squash
The key to the veggies is when you cut them up, don't cut them to small otherwise they will fall off the skewers when they get tender.

Fruit:
Yes we use fruit! There is something about the sweet with the meat and veggies that is to die for! YUM! My favorite fruit is Pineapple and I have been wanting to try Mango!

Once you have everything cut up and marinated place each different item in a bowl and set up an assembly line. Then using skewers add whatever items you want and place on a hot grill! It's that easy!

TIPS***
1) Soak you bamboo or wooden skewers in water at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. This prevents the end of the skewers from burning.
2) When adding the items to the skewers be sure to separate each meat pieces with a veggie or fruit. This helps cook the meat evenly and prevents burning of the veggies.
3) After you have eaten and are done making the kabobs. Throw the remaining meat, fruits and veggies into a grill basket and cook them. More than likely the raw meat juices have come in contact with the fruits and veggies so be sure to cook them if you want to save them...Otherwise throw them out.

Side suggestions:
Rice Pilaf
Potato salad
Chips
Fruit salad
Really you can have anything as a side!

So there you have it! Make your own kabobs! Give them a try and be sure to tell me how they turn out! Happy eating!

Birth Story!

2010-10-07T21:16:00.007-05:00

Wednesday September 29th at 8:00 in the evening my mom, Jason and I arrived at the hospital for me to be induced.

I was being induced with a Foley Bulb. I had never heard of it before but it sounded less painful than getting straight cervadel and pitocin. Basically the Doctor places this bulb looking thing on my cervix and water is pumped into it and it will dilate me to 4 cm and the bulb would fall out. Then if contractions haven't started on there own by then I would then start a low dosage of pitocin. I started the evening off with having some blood drawn for lab work and then the Foley bulb was put in place. One of the labs came back and it showed I was low on Potassium, so I was given a supplement to last through the night and then when they start my IV in the morning I would be given potassium through that.

After talking with the doctor and nurses they said that even if the Foley bulb came out in the middle of the night they would not start pitocin or do anything really until at least 8:00 in the morning. So at 11:00 my mom went home to get some sleep and would come back in the morning. Jason and I then tried to get some sleep...Jason slept a bit but I had a hard time actually sleeping. The anticipation alone was enough to keep me up but I also had to pee every hour or so.

At about 3:00 in the morning the "contractions" that I had been feeling from the Foley bulb suddenly disappeared...I woke Jason up and told him that I think the bulb fell out. He said to try and get some sleep because they weren't going to do anything anyways. I managed to sleep from 3 till 5:00 when the nurses came in to draw some more blood and to remove the Foley bulb. I then couldn't fall back asleep and the nurses suggested that I take a shower and order some breakfast before they start me on the IV and Pitocin. By 7:00 I was eating breakfast and Jason was taking a shower. He then went downstairs to get some breakfast for himself.

The doctor and nurses came in at 8:00 and discussed how everything would go for the day and checked me to see how I was progressing. I was 4 cm 60% effaced and the baby was at -2 station. They then started me on a low dosage of pitocin at 8:15....My labor is officially starting. The contractions I was having were very mild and extremely manageable...I was even like "they can increase the pitocin" My mom and dad arrived with Bo and Joel at about 8:45 and they hung out for awhile. My dad took the boys home at about 12:30 so they could eat and get in a nap.

The nurse was increasing my pitocin every hour or so, but my contractions seemed to pick up for a bit and then die back down, every time the doctor checked me I was always about the same 4-5 cm 60-70% effaced and the baby was at -2 station. Uhg....at about 3:00 in the afternoon the midwife came in to check me to see if I had progressed enough for them to break my water. I was 6cm 70-80% effaced and the baby was still at -2 station. She did break my water and I could instantly feel my contractions get harder and stronger. I knew I wanted to get an epidural but I didn't need it just yet but I decided to have them call the anesthesiologist so that by the time I did need it they would be up there. Well after about 15 minutes she was there ready to give me the epidural so I went ahead and got it. I felt like it took awhile to start working...I could feel it working on my right side but not so much on my left. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together, still manageable for the most part, but definitely increasing in intensity. After about 45 minutes or so of trying to get my left side numb and under control I decided to have the doctor adjust the epidural. Contractions were starting to get to the unbearable stage. The doctor explained that I was having a Hot Spot, were the epidural was not reaching that part of my left side for whatever reason. She then adjusted it and gave me another dose of the medicine. The midwife checked me again and I was pretty much the same. 7 cm 80% effaced and the baby was at -2 -1 station. I was getting really frustrated.

The epidural was still not working on my left side. My contractions were really intense and I was extremely uncomfortable. The anesthesiologist said that she could try removing the existing epidural and placing a new one. I was nervous about doing it because the doc said it may or may not work. I knew I wanted it to work while I was pushing and the thought of not having one made me a little nervous. Jason then said to just do it. So by this time it is 6:00 and the doctor gave me a new epidural and gave me several doses of the medicine. 6:20 the new on is placed and is still not working...The contractions were unbearable and I was in sooo much pain on my left side. I was at the "I can't do this anymore" panicking stage.
It is now 6:40 and the nurse asks me if I have the urge to push I say no but i can't really feel anything. My right side was really numb because I had so much of the epidural trying to get my left side numb. The nurse then says she is going to check me since I can't feel anything.
The next 5 minutes were a whirlwind. The nurse was like "Holy cow we have a baby. She is at +3 station." My doctor was in a C-section and non of the staff doctors or pediatricians were there. Since it was taking me so long to progress they were all off seeing other patients. In a matter of 5 minutes there were so many people in and out of my room. I was in so much pain. It hurt so bad I couldn't cry and I felt like vomiting. It was chaos in my room, the door was open and people were walking in and out. Since I was delivering early they needed to have the staff doctors and pediatricians in my room just in case anything went wrong. My doctor walks in and she throws on a gown says push and she catches the baby. Seriously one push that's all it took. 6:55pm and she was out!

My doctor places her on my chest and things are looking good. Everybody was crying, Jason, me, my mom, the baby...All was looking good. Jason leans over and we both decide on her name Quinn Kaia Bindewald, needless to say my mom was happy! Quinn was perfect weighing in at 6lbs 12ozs 18 3/4 inches long.

The doctor got me all cleaned up and then Bo, Joel, my dad and brothers came into the room. Bo was very happy to see his baby sister. Joel was a little uneasy and wasn't sure what was going on. They all stayed for about 20 minutes and then my mom and dad took them all home.
At about 7:00 Jason ordered us a pizza! After we were done eating I got up and took a shower and Jason started moving my things to the recovery room.

I felt amazing. I was not sore and I did not feel like I just had a baby. I was tired however. Jason got Quinn and I all settled in the recovery room and then her headed home to sleep. I was able to nurse Quinn almost right away after giving birth and she was a pro! I nursed her once we were in the new room and then we slept.
Quinn was doing great. She did loose a little bit of weight and when we left the hospital on Saturday she weighed 6lbs 5ozs. It was so great to be home...Sleeping in my own bed. When I woke up Sunday morning my back was a little sore and my stomach muscle were sore from getting up so much during the night. I still don't feel like I had a baby, I have been out and about and up and moving. Adding the 3rd child has been an easy transition. The boys are in Love with Quinn. They want to hold her and kiss her and hug her! Bo wants to go buy her toys...LOL

My mom left on Thursday morning and it was great having her here to help with everything. Jason's mom is getting here on Friday night and it will be great having her here as well!

Anyways, I think that does it. Uffda!

Baby to Do List!

2010-09-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

We officially only have 3 days before I am induced. YAY!!! I am so excited =) I am creating a "Baby to do list" so that I can focus and get things done. Plus if I do not fill up my time I will be sitting around getting anxious and impatient. So here is what the next few days look like for me!

Sunday:
finish baby announcements
do dishes
clean out fridge
stay on top of the messes the boys make =)
Charge cameras and find camera cable

Monday:
NST test and Dr. appointment
make a menu and grocery list
finish sewing receiving blankets
put away clean laundry
Baby shower

Tuesday:
redeem gymbucks
make sure guest room is cleaned and ready for my parents
wash ALL the dirty laundry
wash baby clothes and blankets
fold clothes and put them away
pack baby's hospital bag

Wednesday:
Go grocery shopping at Trader Joes
pack my hospital bag
make sure Jason gets his hospital bag packed
vacuum out van and install car seat
put away and organize case lot sale stuff
TAKE A LONG NAP
Go to hospital at 7:30 pm

Wednesday night and Thursday morning:
HAVE A BABY!!!

Friday:
Hopefully come home from the hospital!

I am sure I am forgetting something and I am also sure that stuff will come up that "I just have to do" =) On Wednesday it may seem like I am doing a lot and I am because I will go nuts if I just sit around doing nothing. I will however have my mom's help that day and Jason is home that day as well, so I am not doing it all by myself.

We have also been trying to do a lot with the boys the last couple of days. Bo understands that he is getting a baby sister but he doesn't understand the process and Joel is kinda clueless. It is going to be a big change and adjustment for them so we have been talking with them saying baby sister is coming this week and trying to help them understand that she will be coming home with us! They have both come down with a little cold so we are getting the humidifier going in their room and trying to make them rest so that by Thursday when they can come to the hospital they will be able to come up and see the baby!

Update on a Name:
Still working on that one. I am having problems narrowing it down to my top 3 or 4 favorite names and Jason is having the opposite problem. He doesn't like many girl names. Hopefully we can agree on something in the next day or two. =) I really want to have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 names by the time we get to the hospital.

Anyways, that about does it for now.
Oh I did want to let you know that as far as Pampered Chef goes, this month the cookware is on Host special for 60% off!!! If anyone is interested in hosting a catalog show starting October 1-31 let me know or if you would be interested in me cooking you and some of your friends dinner I can do that starting October 11th. As always if you just want to place a personal order you can do that 24/7 on my personal website at www.pamperedchef.biz.abindewald

I will have some fabulous specials to announce towards the middle of October, but you are going to have to wait and see! =) Stay tuned!

Count down to Baby!

2010-09-22T21:52:00.004-05:00

This week has been crazy, I know I say that a lot but this week it is especially true. So sit back relax because this may be a long post. =)

As you know Jason and I are expecting a baby girl and my due date is October 20th. When we moved to Dayton, I got all set up at the hospital on base and I started having appointments with several different doctors. I didn't really like that but I realize that, that is how some military hospitals are. At one appointment I was telling the Nurse practitioner of several new symptoms and concerns and she did not listen to me and wrote everything off as being "normal" pregnancy symptoms. I walked away from that appointment really frustrated and I even cried when I got to my car, because I knew in my gut that what I was experiencing was not "normal." I have had 2 kids prior to this one.

Anyways, the week after having that awful appointment I started doing some online research because my symptoms were getting worse, I was not sleeping, I was frustrated and I was getting worn out. My symptoms were all over body itching, I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin, there was no rash or anything just itching. I had really bad back pain, cramping and I thought at one point I was having real contractions. But the main thing I was really concerned about was the itching. It was keeping me up at night and it was very, very frustration because nothing seemed to work to get rid of it. So I googled itching during pregnancy and the first thing it came up with was a link to the Mayo clinic, so I clicked it and this is what it came up with, Cholestasis of Pregnancy . After reading about it I knew this is what I had. (If you don't already know I had a gallbladder attack at about 14 weeks.) So I called the OB clinic and asked to speak with a real doctor. The nurse was really nice and asked me what was going on, I told her what I was feeling and she then went to talk to the doctor. They had me come in the next morning to have some blood drawn and to run some labs, they also wanted me to have an appointment with a doc after my labs were done.

So last Thursday I had my labs done and a doctors appointment. Right of the bat the doctor said that one thing that I could possibly have was Cholestasis.....ha go figure. She reviewed one of the labs was ready almost right away and it showed elevated levels in my liver. They then did an ultrasound to make sure there was enough fluid around the baby and then they did a non-stress test...which those two things looked good! They sent me home saying that we had to wait for the other labs to come back and they would be ready the following week. They also had me do a 24 hour urine collection...eeewwww....right. They wanted to test and see if there was protein in it.

Monday morning I was chatting with Jason as he was getting ready for work and he asked when i would hear back from the lab and i said they should be done early this week sometime and I will for sure know by Thursday which was my next doctors appointment. No news is good news right! Jason goes down stairs and I proceed to find my clothes and get in the shower. Literally 2 minutes after he goes downstairs he runs up and says that the OB nurse left him a message and I was to call them back ASAP.

So I call them back and they got the results back from my 24 hour urine and it had protein in it. So they had me come in that day for an ultrasound to measure fluid and to do a non stress test and then the doc wanted to talk and they were hoping my other labs would be back by the time I got there. I go in and the baby looks good and fluid levels were fine but the protein was really high. Then my labs did get back and my bile acids in my liver and gallbladder were high and backed up. So I was officially diagnosed with Cholestasis. The doctor sat me down and said "Now that we know you do have this we are going to deliver you early" I was like "How early?" She said at 37 week. I did the math and exclaimed..."That's next week" YES...She asked me to come in the following morning to have a normal prenatal appointment and then we were going to discuss the induction and set the date.

Jason was able to go with me to the appointment! The baby sounds good and I was measuring right on track at 36 weeks. My doctor then said there were two ways to do the induction, one being the most common cervadel and pitocin and the other being a Foley Bulb. I had never heard of the Foley Bulb. Basically the foley bulb in placed on my cervix and then water is pumped into it to stretch and dilate my cervix. I chose to do this because there is a chance I will not have to get Pitocin if my contractions start on their own. But if they don't then I will get Pitocin. Which I am ok with.

We also got a tour of the Labor and delivery unit and it is awesome!!! So nice. The rooms are really big and updated! I also like that they do everything in the same room you deliver in. I mean everything, the first bath, the finger prints and foot prints....everything. The only reason they take the baby out of the room is to do the hearing test and circumcision. So for us the hearing test! The baby rooms in with me at all times! So I am really excited about that!

The Plan: My mom comes in on Tuesday and she is staying through the following weekend. I am being induced Wednesday night at 8pm. Everyone thinks that this is going to be a fast delivery...even with the induction. I think so too. Hopefully by Thursday morning we will have a baby! Jason and I are soooo excited to finally meet her! We still have to come up with a name. We are stuck. We have thrown out names that we both like but nothing is sticking out like WOW we have to name her that. So we are really coming down to the wire with name picking =)

Now for the fun part: Comment here and give me your top two name suggestions (first, middle) the birth date and time and how much she will weigh. Clues: We are not into the really common names, we like people to know what they are and to have heard of them but you don't know a million people with the same name (ex. Sarah, Anna, Emily etc...) My original due date was October 20th and I am being induced on September 30th. Bo weighed 7lbs 14 oz and Joel weighed 8lbs 2 oz. Those are your clues and I am looking forward to seeing what you guys think!!! And who knows you may use your name!!! But you won't know for sure until she is born =)

Anyways, I have been frantically trying to get things done and unpacked. I went from having a month to having a week to get things done. My neighbor Sarah has been a life saver helping me with the boys while I go to doctors appointments and she even helped me unpack my room! She rocks! She is even throwing me a baby shower on Monday! The rest of the week I am working on baby announcements, staying on top of laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, finishing sewing the receiving blankets, taking naps, having 2 non-stress tests done, meal planning and going to an apple fest on Saturday!

That's it for now...stay tuned because you know me....I will probably be blogging and facebooking while in labor =) =)

4 rooms down and 7 to go...

2010-08-27T21:11:00.008-05:00

I know it seems like it has taken me forever to actually finish a room in my new house, that's because it has taken me a long time. Who knew it would be so much work moving with two toddlers while almost 8 months pregnant. LOL. Anyways, I have been able to complete my Kitchen, Dining room, Living room and half bath that are all on the main level.

The first room I completed was my kitchen. I spent many long hours on this room. The cupboards are really small...esp on the bottom half...and it has no pantry. So we have had to be creative with the coat closet that is in the little room off the kitchen.

The next room I completed was the dining room. The living room and dining room share one long wall, so when it came to picking out a wall color, I had to pick a color that went with both color schemes I have going on in each room. The color I ended up choosing is called "Root Beer" and I absolutely LOVE it!

I was finally able to finish the Living room today. That has also taken me many long hours and days to complete. I had unpacked boxes that go in the laundry closet, piles of decorations, pictures, rugs, lamps and curtains that belonged in different rooms. Before I could put any of that stuff away I needed to paint the family room so that I could put things in there and I also needed to get some of the upstairs rooms at least organized and stack the boxes and set up the furniture before I could start putting loose decor items in them. That is why it took me so long.

This is the view of the living room standing in the doorway of the kitchen. The dinning room is off to the right and if you keep going to the left you will find the front hall, stairs leading upstairs, family room and it eventually comes back around into the kitchen.

The curtains are usually covering the whole window, but it was so nice out today that I opened all the windows to let the fresh air in. I need to get some tie backs for when I want to let more light and air in!

The only other room that I have finished...if you can even call it a room...is the half bath that is in the fron hallway off the living room!

That's it for now. I hope to have the upstairs finished by the end of this weekend. There will be a few changes in the near future to some of the rooms. The first being we are looking for a couch for the living room. That love seat actually goes in the family room, but until we get one, that is what we are using. We are also looking for a twin bed for the Bo. He is currently in a toddler bed, but Joel will have that so that the baby can have the crib. So sometime before October 20th we will have a twin bed in there. If you or someone you know has one for sale let me know! =) We will also be purchasing a washer and dryer next week. We had to leave our old ones behind because they would not fit in the truck. So once we get those I can take pics of the laundry area!

It's coming along!

Quick update...

2010-08-20T22:53:00.002-05:00

We finally made it to Ohio! It has been a crazy busy week and I am so exhausted. I just want the house to unpack itself =) It has been very interesting unpacking my kitchen and pantry. The cupboards are really small size and width wise and nothing seems to fit, so it is taking me a lot longer to get things unpacked as I find the perfect home for everything.
As for the rest of the house, the living room and dining room and family room have all been painted. I have gotten most of the decorating done in the living room and I have started the dining room. I hope to have all the decoration done tomorrow.
I have not really started on the bedrooms yet...Jason has set up our bed and he put his clothes away but I have not done anything with mine yet. Some of the Boy's clothes are unpacked but that is about it. I really want to get everything done so that I can start decorating the babys' room! I am ready for some pink and purple!!!
Speaking of baby, she is wearing me out. She has dropped a lot over the past few days. So I have been experiencing a lot of pressure and stretching pains. Needless to say I have not had very much motivation to do any unpacking the last two days. I also feel like I could sleep for 24 hours straight...I am so tired. I am going to try and catch a nap tomorrow after Jason is done running.

Bo and Joel are doing good! I think they are happy to finally be "Home" and not traveling or packing. We unpacked all there toys and you would of thought that it was Christmas morning. They were so excited to have their toys back! Now I just wish that they would stop going through my boxes and piles of stuff needing to be put away. =) It has also been nice to actually have dinner at home in our dining room. I am so sick of eating out. I swear I think I have gained 5 pounds just from eating out for the last month.

On top of getting everything set up at home, we are going to a BBQ next week that a family in our courtyard is throwing! I am excited to meet people. I have a Spouses meeting next week for AFIT Spouses, I am looking forward to meeting some of the other wives of people in Jasons class. I am also planning a Fall kick off Pampered Chef Show! We have great Fall products being released that I am excited to share with everyone, and I want to use this show as a way to get to know people in my neighborhood! If you want a New Fall catalog (released September 1st) let me know and I can send you one!

Well I am hoping to be able to take pictures of the House and main floor on Sunday, assuming that everything is put away and all the decorating is done. I know many of you want to see pictures and I promise I will post some, I just want everything to be done!
Goodnight....Zzzzz

30 Weeks and more!

2010-08-11T11:33:00.003-05:00

Today I am 30 weeks! Holy Cow only 10 weeks left!!! I can't wait. This has been a stressful pregnancy. So many weird things happened with my body, moving, and a full busy summer are all contributors to the stressfulness.

I think in my last post I mentioned that I failed my 1 hour glucose test and I had to go back to take the 3 hour test. Well I took that test yesterday and it was aweful...I was extremely jittery and hungry and they had to draw blood 5 times and I was stuck with the needle about 10 times because they had problems finding my veins. Anyways, at the 3 hour blood draw, which was the last one, I was feeling very weak and lightheaded. Once they gave me the ok to leave I barely made it to my car because I felt like I was going to pass out. Needless to say I stopped and got a chicken sandwich and a coke...I needed to eat something.
Come to find out when my doctor called with the results I did not have gestational diabetes, but at the 3 hour blood draw my blood sugar levels were extremely low. Explains a lot! Anyways, I have to eat 3 or 4 smaller meals a day with snacks in between the meals. I am just really happy and thankful that I did not have gestational diabetes!!! Thank you Jesus. I don't know what I would have done?
Another part of the stress is moving. Overall everything has been going really smoothly, but its the living in a packed house, the boys driving me nuts because it's to hot to play outside and all their toys are packed up and not getting enough sleep due to being uncomfortable.

Now this week we are in full Moving Mode. Tomorrow we are moving to TLF on base so that we have the house free to finish packing, clean and repair. Today and Thursday we are packing everything up. Friday we are making repairs and wrapping and packing furniture. Saturday is the BIG cleaning day, the kind where you pull the appliances out and clean behind them, dust vents, fans, and window blinds, mow the lawn, weed the flowers beds, clean out the trash cans etc... Needless to say it is going to be a busy day. We are trying to find someone to watch the boys for us while we clean that way it won't be stressful =)

Once all the cleaning is done on Saturday then we are going to with a few friends to the Casino Queen to eat dinner and play some cards for a much needed break. we are also looking for a sitter while we do that so again it can be relaxing.

Sunday is the BIG day. We pick up the truck around 11:30 and we then have to go get it weighed empty. I will be picking up food, probably subway, beer, water etc....while Jason picks up the truck. Then we have a few people coming to hep us load the truck around 12:30. All the boxes are in the garage and the furniture will be in the living room and the garage. That way there will be no going up and down stairs =) After everything is loaded in the truck we will then have to steam clean the downstairs carpet one final time, sweep, mop, and make sure everything is clean!

Monday morning I drive out with the boys early so I can get to the house and start painting before Jason gets there with the truck. Jason is staying here for the final inspection that will happen at 9:30, once he is done with that then he will hit the road and when he gets there we are hoping to unload the truck right away. It will all depend on what time he gets there and how tired we are. If it doesn't get unloaded Monday night then we will do it first thing Tuesday morning.

So anyways, that is what are week is like and if you have any free time to either help with loading the truck, cleaning or watching kids please let me know!
I am so excited that my next post will be from our new house!

28 weeks, moving update, and more...

2010-08-03T08:47:00.005-05:00

I am going to apologize in advance for fitting everything into one post. It is a busy week and I am not going to have time to do more than one post. So here it goes!

The photo was taken 2 1/2 weeks ago, but it was the most recent one I had. I will try and get a better one at the 30 week mark. I had my 28 week doctors appointment yesterday. All went well for the most part. Due to me retaining a bunch of water and having a high blood pressure reading, my doctor thinks I may be at risk for developing pre-eclampsia (spelling?) Which is having high blood pressure during pregnancy. I have never had blood pressure issues, but I guess every pregnancy is different. So I am supposed to take some preventative measures, so that I lower my risk.

1) I am not supposed to lift anything....this is going to be hard since we are in the middle of moving but since we are going to have help moving it will be easier.
2) We have been doing a lot of walking and packing and cleaning the past few weeks due to getting ready for the move, family vacations, PC conference etc... and I have noticed that when I walk for long periods of time I get constant cramps. So the doctor doesn't want me to do as much walking, we don't want those cramps to turn into contractions.
3) I need to put my feet up more often...again this is going to be hard since we have soooo much going on. But I am going to make it a goal to take at least two 30 minute breaks a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
4) Drink more water....enough said
5) I need to monitor my fat intake again. Which I should be doing anyways, but I guess since I have already had 2 gallbladder attacks with this pregnancy she doesn't want me to have another. Having another gallbladder attack would just make everything worse...ugh

This week I am also going in for some routine tests, I have a Glucose test and an Iron test that I am going to do on Thursday. Hopefully those all come back normal!
On a side note I was measuring a little big...only about a week bigger, but hey.

Now as for moving, things are coming along smoothly! We don't feel rushed or overwhelmed. I personally think that we did a really good job of planning when things need to be done in order to avoid complete chaos. There is not to much to do the next couple of days except pack one box in the dinning room. The rest of this week we have things like doctors appointments, going away luncheons, picking up friends from the airport, I have some Pampered Chef meetings, planning Joel's 2nd birthday party etc.

Speaking of Joel, he is turning 2. Holy cow time flies. We are having his birthday party a week early so that we can celebrate with friends. So on Saturday we are having a Handy Manny party in the park! Since everything is packed up at our house we are doing the party at the park that he loves!

In other news, I am very excited to move my Pampered Chef business! I am excited for the new people I will be meeting. So many great things are happening with the business and I am very excited for the fall season! I wanted to put out there that with me moving I have very little time for actual cooking shows, so if you would like to earn additional free products in August I have several openings for catalog shows! Hosts get 50% more in free products plus 60% off the Mesh colanders or the green color coated Knife collection.
If are not interested in doing a catalog show then I have a great referral program. For EVERY person that you refer to me and holds a catalog show in the month of August or September I will give you $15 in Free Pampered Chef products.

OR if you just want to place a personal order you can do so on my personal website:
www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald

Thanks for your support as I move my business!

Also Pampered Chef has a down loadable Celebrity Cookbook. For every download of this FREE Celebrity Cookbook The Pampered Chef will donate one meal to Feeding America! So everyone wins, the cookbook is FREE and it helps support a great cause! Visit The Pampered Chef Facebook Page and download the cookbook under the celebrities tab.

Well I think that is it for now...I am sure I am missing something. Again sorry for the long post. Here is a fun tip for you in closing. Enjoy!
Adults and kids alike love apples but not brown apples right? When packing snacks or school lunches wedge your apple but not all the way. Spoon peanut butter around the core of the apple. Close the wedges back together and pack into your lunch. The peanut butter will prevent the apple from turning brown and then you have peanut butter for dipping your apple! Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata Pasta Review!

2010-07-23T19:21:00.002-05:00

So I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it turned out really yummy! However the 1/2 block of cream cheese that I had was moldy so it didn't have any cream cheese. I think it is a key ingredient to have for this recipe. It had great lemon-pepper flavor. I think the cream cheese would have been a nice creamy touch and would have toned the lemon flavor down a bit. I liked that it was not sauce heavy! It was a liter pasta dish. Serve with a salad and some garlic bread and you will have a perfect dinner the whole family is sure to LOVE!

Chicken Piccata Pasta!

2010-07-23T15:53:00.002-05:00

This is a New recipe from the Pampered Chef that I will be trying out tonight! It looks so yummy I can't wait to taste it!
Here is what you will need:
1 1/4 lbs of boneless Chicken breasts
2 tbsp Olive Oil Divided
1 1/2 tbsp Lemon Pepper Rub
3 Cans chicken broth (reduced sodium)
1/2 Onion
12 oz uncooked angel hair pasta
1 Lemon
2 oz Cream Cheese softened
1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/2 cup capers, drained and rinsed
chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1) Cut Chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine 1 tbsp of the oil and rub in mixing bowl; Toss to coat. Heat remaining oil in skillet pver medium heat or until shimmering. Add chicken to skillet; Cook and stir 10 minutes or until center is no longer pink. Remover chicken and set aside.

2)Meanwhile, pour broth into Large Micro cooker and microwave on high 8 minutes or until broth comes to a boil. Chop onion using the food chopper. Add onion to skillet; Cook 10-20 seconds or until onion is fragrant. Carefully add the broth and pasta to skillet; Cook uncovered 7-8 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

3) Zest Lemon to measure 1 tbsp. Juice Lemon to measure 2 tbsp. Add zest, juice, cream cheese to skillet; Stir until cream cheese is fully incorporated. Add chicken and artichokes to skillet. Cook uncovered 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Remover from skillet and stir in capers. Garnish with Parsley and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings
calories: 440, Fat 10g, Saturated fat 3g, cholesterol 65mg, carbs 53g, protien 35mg, sodium 1410mg, fiber 6g.

Want more tasty recipes. Visit my website and subscribe to my monthly newsletter!
You will receive a tasty recipe each month, host and guest specials, plus great little tips that you can use everyday in your own kitchen!!!

We are HOME!!!

2010-07-22T08:35:00.003-05:00

The past couple weeks have been really busy. They have been fun but also tiring. It all started with out Trip to Ohio to house hunt. After 2 days of looking at different apartments and condos we decided that we are going to live on base! We were able to lock in a rent rate that is lower than we expected, YAY!

Here is our house! We get keys on August 16th! This picture was taken from the park/playground area that is literally just a few steps out the front door! I will be able to sit in the family room, living room or porch and watch the boys play!

If you would like to see the floor plan of the house here it is! Ours is titled "Type 28" 4 Bedroom 2 1/2 bath. We are very excited to move in....and best of all we are allowed to paint! Woohoo!!!

My mom met us in Ohio to take the boys back to NY with her. Jason and I then went home and I got ready to leave for Chicago! My Pampered Chef conference was fantastic! I learned a lot through the workshops and just being around my team gave me so much inspiration for the fall season! The new fall products coming out September 1st are sure to be a hit! I can't wait to share them with you all!

Here is my team that went to conference this year! I had so much fun with everyone and i look forward to our fall kick off!!!

From Chicago Jason picked me up and we drove to New York for the Isum Family reunion! Again it was so nice to see everyone, relax and really do nothing! We enjoyed various activities from playing cards, cooking meals, the family auction, being rained out (lol), and just chatting and relaxing with everyone!

All in all it has been a great couple of weeks. I am happy we were able to do so much and see so many people! I have more pictures coming from some of our various excursions but that will have to wait till tomorrow.

For now it's back to working on the house getting it all packed up and cleaned. While I was at my Pampered Chef conference, Jason did a fabulous job getting things packed up and organized. The only things really left to pack are a few thing in the master bedroom, everything remaining in the kitchen and a little bit that is left in the laundry room. He really got a lot done as far as cleaning goes, carpets are cleaned, walls are painted, garage is cleaned and organized and all the empty rooms are vacuumed! This week I am going to focus on getting the dirt smudges and marks off the walls and doorways, finish packing up the laundry room and going through my pantry to see what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of.

More to come next week!

New Pampered Chef Promo!!!

2010-07-16T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have had a Fabulous week attending Pampered Chef National Conference! I am so excited to share with you, some of the new and exciting things that will be happening this fall. Right now I want to share with you a huge goal that I am working towards and I will not be able to accomplish this without your help.

Pampered Chef has a new promotion going on for all their consultants from July 1st through September 31st and it is called "Shopping Spree of 53" YES I want to be one of the 53. To help me reach this goal I have some fabulous incentives for you.

First, Host a cooking show or catalog show within the next 3 weeks and receive a $25 Pampered Chef gift certificate that you can use at your show, or anytime you want.

Second, Ask me how you can have a DEBT FREE Holiday season and set up a time to talk to me about having your own Pampered Chef business and receive a Free Cookbook of your choice!
OR
Start your own Pampered Chef business for as little as $80 between now and August 31st and receive a $50 gift certificate from me that you can use on products, paperwork, or logo wear!!! Also, The Pampered Chef is giving away $170 in NEW Fall Products to every consultant that starts their own business between now and august 31st!!! That is in addition to your consultant kit!!!! ASK ME HOW!!!

Third, refer a friend to me that would be interested in hosting a show or earning some extra income and receive a $20 gift certificate at their show!!!

Visit my website at www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald and send me a request more information form. I will then contact you within 24hours! If you have my email address or phone number you can get a hold of me that way as well!
I hope to talk to you soon!!!!!!

24 Weeks

2010-07-02T23:27:00.002-05:00

Not to much to report this week... Baby has been moving a lot! So cool!!! I have had an increase in acid reflux which kinda sucks. It makes it hard to fall asleep sometimes. I have been taking a bath almost every night before I go to bed. It helps relax my sore back, legs, feet etc.. and I tend to sleep better if I take a bath, So I do! I also went and treated myself to a pedicure today! I got to sit on one of those big over-sized massage chairs and it was heavenly...I almost fell asleep I was so relaxed.

We are getting a lot done as far as packing goes. My house constantly looks like a tornado went through it, even though I have a TON of stuff packed. I have piles going...this goes with the boys to NY, this is for the Family reunion, this is for my PC conference or show, then the infamous pile of "I don't know what to do with that, so just put it there." I noticed that it is getting harder for me to bend down for long periods of time...like when packing boxes. My abdomen really starts to hurt after awhile. So I need to remember to sit down as much as possible while packing. Easier said than done. My kitchen is packed though, with the exception of some of my PC stuff. We are now living on paper plates, bowls, and cups. Less dishes to worry about right!

We are also just throwing a bunch of junk away. It amazes me how much stuff accumulates over just a couple of years. Stupid stuff... like coupons that we never used and expired a year ago, magazines that I never cut that recipe out of, the random lone sock that I probably threw the other match away, saved shopping bags from like bath and body works, starbucks, VS etc...
So we have several garbage bags scattered around the house and things are getting tossed left and right. It feels good to purge and get rid of junk but man my house looks like one big mess. It always seems to look worse before it gets better.

As for the Fourth of July weekend, Jason is running 15 miles Saturday morning. He is in the middle of training for the AF marathon. Then we are going to work on some straightening up and more packing. Then we haven't decided if we are going to go to a BBQ or go into ST. Louis to see John Legend at a free concert. I guess we will have to see how tired we are after all is said and done. On Sunday we are going to Church and then from there we are taking the Metro into STL for fair St. Louis and then fireworks on the levy at sundown! So it will be a long day but I am so looking forward to just chilling out downtown, eating some good food, playing in the downtown water park fountains and watching the fireworks!!! Good thing I have my sit and stand!!! YAY!!!

On Monday we are starting the whole house hunting process. We are going to spend a couple of days in OH looking at houses and apartments and hopefully make a decision and sign a lease while we are there. I am hoping that it is a stress free process, because that will be the only thing that we have to focus on. My mom is meeting us there to pick the boys up and she will be able to help us out for two days while we house hunt! So my fingers are crossed and I am hoping we can actually breath and relax for a couple of days!

Anyways, I think I am going to take a hot bath and then hit the hay, I am so exhausted. So much to do this weekend.

23 Weeks!

2010-06-24T08:43:00.002-05:00

Today marks 23 weeks! Nothing has really changed from last week as far as how I am feeling. I have realized though that I need to drink more water, esp with it being so hot out. Other than that I am feeling great! I have a Doctors appointment on Monday and then I will have one the end of July and then I will be getting a new Doctor when we move. That means I will probably get another ultrasound! YAY!

In other news, Jason and I have been packing each room a little every night. I think we are going to need a few more boxes. =) Our goal is to have the house completely packed by the first week of August, that way we can take that last week we are here and try and do a few things in the local area that we have been wanting to do. We will also have Joel's birthday party that last week. So since we are gone for 3 weeks in July we are trying to do much as possible before we leave. To help us do that as of July 1st our direct TV will be put into suspension. Which means we are still customers but we are not paying for service while we are moving and packing. Once we figure out where we will be living the we will reactivate service. Plus, we are really not going to have time to watch much TV while we are trying to get all this stuff done. It will also save us a little money in the meantime.

So around here we are just packing and getting things ready for the big move!

This weeks activities...

2010-06-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

This week has already been a crazy one. The weekend was relaxing though, we did absolutely nothing except catch up on sleep. It was the first weekend in a long time where we were not entertaining, making dinner for someone, traveling some where, or have any type of commitment at all! As a family we needed this weekend to rest up and get energized again.

Here it is Tuesday and I feel like I need another two days to re-energize. I have a feeling though that the next 6-8 weeks will be kinda crazy and busy. We are doing as much as we can to minimize the stress of moving. However yesterday was very stressful for me. The day started out fine everyone was in a good mood, I was able to get a few things done around the house and I was able to run some errands. Then once nap time came everything took a turn for the worse. Bo wasn't listening, Joel kept getting out of bed, I was starting to get a headache and the baby was sitting on a nerve that was sending shooting pains down the back of my leg. That made it hard to get things done. Things just got worse from there. I was stressing about all that needed to be done the next few weeks. I was trying to finish up making some baby blankets and my sewing machine was acting up. Then I made dinner and the rice was over cooked. Then, I was trying to clean my bathroom and Bo decides to write on the wall with permanent marker. By this time dinner is not sitting well in my stomach and I feel like throwing up. On top of it all I was still extremely tired. So I decided to go to bed early.

Today was much better except I woke up with a stiff sore neck from sleeping on it wrong. I am still tired but not irritated. We'll see how the rest of the day goes...=) I have been working on laundry all day and now it is time for the boys to take a nap. I think I may have to take a small one as well! Then I can focus on making dinner and doing some more packing this evening while Jason and Bo are at Boy Scouts!

Our goal by the end of this week is to have Bo's old bedroom and the guest room completely packed and cleaned. I would also like to have most of the master bedroom packed. I am also going to take the boys to the pool one afternoon, so they can get out of the house. So hopefully i can stay on task and get everything done!

I will work on posting a new menu later tonight!

22 Weeks, updates and more

2010-06-16T14:53:00.004-05:00

Actually I am going into Month 6! Not month 5 like the picture says. I am 22 Weeks and man has this past week just flown by. It has been a whirlwind really. I am really starting to feel the baby kicking, sometimes it really hurts and it happens out of nowhere and it is extremely painful. It feels like I pulled a muscle for the brief second. However feeling the baby kick and move around is my most favorite part of being pregnant! I am still having restless nights, except the last few I have slept really well. Probably due to complete exhaustion.

Jason's birthday party ended up being a lot of fun but there was some major stress and drama all day Friday trying to get things ready. I will spare you the long drawn out story, but basically I forgot several things for different recipes, Bo had VBS, I had to pick the Keg up, Clean my house, Make all the food and still take care of the boys. The Keg is a whole another story. Basically we ended up not getting a keg because the guy at the class six store was a COMPLETE jerk and they didn't get our keg delivered. So All day Friday I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Over all the though the party was a lot of fun.

We had so much beer left over that we decided to continue the party Saturday night with some of our close friends! Saturday was go, go, go as well. Jason had some Boy scout stuff to do, we had a retirement party to go to, things to clean up around the house and then people were coming back over at 6 Saturday night.
Sunday was more of a down day. I was so exhausted and burnt out that we stayed home from Church and just slept. How bad is it that I don't even remember what we did Sunday afternoon?

This week I have been exhausted as well. Our Friends Mike and Laura and their 3 kids have been staying with us for the past week while they wait to close on their house. It has been so much fun having them stay with us! It just makes for Late nights, Early mornings and busy days. Just because us adults stay up till midnight/1:00 doesn't mean the kids will sleep past 6:00 LOL All this week with the exception of today it has been raining outside so the kids, I think all got cabin fever yesterday and my patience was wearing thin with the boys. They really needed to get outside and play. Luckly tonight is supposed to be nice so I think we are all going to try and go to the park down the street after dinner!

Now on to the chaos that is coming up. I realized today that I have exactly 18 days before we leave to go house hunting, Pampered Chef conference and the Family Reunion in NY. Eeeek. I have so much to do. I really need to get my butt in gear and get some stuff packed. I have gotten a few boxes packed here and there but I really just need to keep out the essentials and get everything packed up. I also need to finish up some sewing projects that are for the family reunion. I need to start getting my pampered chef stuff put together for the conference. I need to do some more house hunting online and set up a time to view the houses when we will be in Dayton to house hunt. I have a Pampered Chef show that I have to do next week and finish getting ready for! I also have to start a cleaning list of things that need to be or can be done prior to moving out. So my list is getting longer and longer everyday. I mean I am really down to the wire. I basically have 2 1/2 weeks to get most of this done. My July is shot. When I do get home I have the pre-inspection walk through and then it's August. I have Joel's Birthday party on the 7th and then we are cleaning the house and packing the truck all that next week and we will be living in TLF come that week.

Anyways, I am feeling discontent and a little overwhelmed at the moment. I need to be content in where we are at. I am so anxious to move and for August to be here that I feel like I am missing out on just enjoying the moment however busy it may be. My patience is also wearing thin, I try to get certain things done and with the boys running around getting into stuff just makes me loose it sometimes. Maybe I will have a packing party! Have some friends come over and help me pack and take care of the boys and get all the stuff they get into packed up and then I just don't have to worry about.....What a great Idea! =)
Ok so Saturday June 19 if you want to come hang out and help for awhile I will be here packing away and I will feed you and make Iced Coffees!

Ok sorry for such a long post I always seem to go on and on. But thanks for reading and I will give updates later this week!

Jason's Birthday Party Update!!!

2010-06-09T14:18:00.002-05:00

I have been planning Jason's birthday party now for two weeks and the time has finally come to actually put things together! I am so excited! About a week about i post a menu but I have since then modified it =)

I ordered the keg today and I pick it up on Friday! I also did the grocery shopping today and tomorrow afternoon I get to start baking some of the dessert. It is going to be hard not to eat any of it till Friday...lol

We are going to have outdoor games, water balloons for the kids, the fire pit going for smores and music playing! It should be a good time to relax and just hang out.

Anyways, here is the revised menu:

Garlic butter Cheeseburgers
Hot dogs
Fresh strawberries w/creamy lime filling
Homemade Au Gratin potatoes
Angie's Baked beans
Cole slaw
Strawberry Spinach Salad

Desserts:
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Strawberry cobbler
Cinnamon sticky buns
Cheese Cake with fresh strawberries

Drinks:
Keg of Bud
MGD
Killians
Lemonade
Sweet tea
Various soda
Water

If you feel like dropping by feel free we will have plenty of food and drinks!!!

20 Weeks update...

2010-06-07T22:46:00.003-05:00

I am a few days behind again on posting. Oops. Anyways, at my Ultrasound last week the doctor told me that the baby weighs almost 1 pound and is about 7 inches long.

This past week and a half or so I have REALLY started to notice this baby get all up in my ribs and stretch out and kick up into my lungs. I get winded doing the simplest tasks (like walking up the stairs) that I used to be able to do fine before baby.

I have also been having problems sleeping. REALLY ALREADY....UGH. I get hot really easily because the air circulation sucks in our house, yes it is a brand new house, but that is another story. I have also noticed that my feet and hands fall asleep really easily and my feet are swelling sometimes. All of these wake me up in the middle of the night. So I have been feeling a lot more tired come 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon.

I am really enjoying being able to feel the baby move! It's my favorite part of being pregnant! Jason and I are also staring to work on names....Any suggestions? There are so many of them out there.

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and I am nervous about getting on the scale. I have been trying so hard to keep my weight down and in control, but I feel like the baby has gotten really big over the past 5 weeks since my last doctors appointment. I guess we'll see tomorrow.

I hope to be getting to the pool a lot over the next few weeks. The boys love it and it relieves a lot of the pressure in my lower back.

I am really excited for this baby! I am having so much fun looking at little girl things! I have been trying to decide on bedding and the colors I want to do in the nursery. I found a set at The Land of Nod which is the kid/baby section of Crate and Barrel. I absolutely love it...I think. I like that is is girly without being really babyish. I also love the fact that it has purple, pink, orange and green in it! The only thing that I am not happy about is the price. The cool thing about this site is if you request swatches they will send them to you free of charge. So they are sending me some, and that way I can take the fabric to the store to see if I can't find something similar and then my mom and I can just make the bedding. I really only want to make the bumper, bed skirt and blanket. I am fine with buying sheets and throws at the store because they are more reasonable price wise.
Let me know your opinion about the bedding!

Well that about does it for now

Deep Covered Baker Placed on STOP SELL LIST...

2010-06-07T14:30:00.001-05:00

I had some important information regarding the Deep Covered Baker that I needed to share with you. Effective June 15, 2010 The White Deep Covered Baker will be placed on the STOP SELL LIST until further notice. Due to the high demand over the past year the manufacturers can not keep up with production for this amazing product. ALSO, Effective July 1, 2010 The Cranberry Deep Covered Baker will be available for HOST's ONLY.

If you have wanted the Deep Covered Baker NOW is the time to get it! I am offering a 10% discount on your order. If you want the WHITE Deep Covered Baker I need to have your order NO LATER THAN June 15. If you want the Cranberry Deep Covered Baker I will be taking orders for them until June 30th. If you are a past host that is 20% off!!! In order to get the 10% off you need to respond to this email, call me, comment on this post or Facebook me!!! Order 2 or more Deep Covered Bakers are Receive another 10% OFF!!! PLUS with your purchase of the Deep Covered Baker receive a FREE Deep Covered Baker Cookbook!!!

If you are interested in getting the Deep Covered Baker for FREE I have a few June and July dates available, contact me for available dates.

It's A Girl!!!

2010-06-01T19:23:00.003-05:00

Today I had m 20 week ultrasound! I totally went in expecting it to be a boy, I mean I was hoping for a girl, but I for sure thought it was going to be a boy. As the tech was doing the measuring part of the ultrasound I was watching the screen hoping for a glimpse or a clue as to whether it was a boy or girl. The tech was measuring the legs and I was thinking "There is nothing there...am I really getting a girl?" After the Tech was done he went and got Jason and the boys who were in the waiting room. The got to see the baby on the screen and Bo was excited! The tech then went on to say that he was 95% sure that it was a little girl. He said he saw nothing during the whole ultrasound that would indicate otherwise! Jason and the boys and I were very excited! The tech gave us 2 photos and we let Bo hold them. He walked out of the hospital saying I gunna have a sisster, one sisster and two sissters. We were like no There is only one sister. He couldn't wrap his head around that there was only one baby in my belly, why would, he he was holding two pictures. He hasn't stopped talking about how he is going to have a sister!

When we got home we called the Grandmas and they are sooo excited. Then I called close friends and other family members and of course posted it on Facebook! Everyone is so excited, I am no longer going to be the only girl! YAY

Now when it comes to babies I think everyone is special and should get a shower. I wouldn't think twice about it when a friend is on her second, third or however many and has a registry and baby shower. However when it's my own, I feel bad. I don't know....People have been telling me not to feel bad esp, since I have never had a girl and therefore have nothing.
So I decided to get over feeling bad and just enjoy the celebrating! So I did go and create a registry at Babies "R" Us. I don't want people to feel like they have to get anything because you so don't have to. I did the registry so that people know the room theme, colors etc.. There are a few things on there that we do really "Need" and then there are some things that would be fun to have or just make life easier now that we will have 3 kids.

Here is the link to the registry for those of you who have asked.

Ahhh I am so excited!!!

June is Jumpin with the Pampered Chef!!!

2010-06-01T10:49:00.003-05:00

JUNE IS JUMPIN' WITH THE PAMPERED CHEF!!!!!!

CHECK OUT THE RECIPES AT THE END OF THIS POST!
I am jumping with joy to tell you about why June is so exciting with The Pampered Chef ~ A COOL NEW PRODUCT and FANTASTIC FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL!

By reading this post, you have the exclusive opportunity to PRE ORDER BOTH!!!!!!!!!!! AND you can get a Triple Bonus Special from me!

1. Just in time for Father's Day ~ Save $5 on the GREAT GRILLING SET!
Now thru June 5 only $14 - (Past Hosts pay only $12.60)

Click here to see the amazing flyer and special!

FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL - Grill It Quick Set!

Set includes the Chipotle Rub, the BBQ Rub, and the Jamaican Jerk Rub, Grill it Quick spiral bound cookbook, plus a gift bag.
Want to add to the Great Grilling Set? Choose from multiple grill tools to make a complete grilling package!

Check out all the great grilling tools on my website:
www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald

BBQ Turner $17.50,

BBQ Cleaning Brush $15.00,

BBQ Jumbo Turner $18.50,

BBQ Basting Brush $17.50,

BBQ Tongs $18.50,

BBQ Flexible Turner $18.50,

BBQ Skewer Set $18.00,

BBQ Basting Bottle $15.00

2. Just in time to beat the summer heat ~ the new COOL & SERVE TRAY is only $42! (Past Hosts pay only $37.80).

See the new cool serve on this June Host Bonus Flyer!

Cool & Serve - June special!

Brand new and available starting June 1, the new Cool & Serve is definitely the must-have this summer! The green trays stay cold for 6 hours, keeping your eggs, veggies, fruits, meats, and dips cool and safe to eat in the summer sun! The tray completely configures a multitude of ways and is the most versatile "chilled product" we have ever offered! You can
pre-order your new Cool & Serve with me through this post.

See end of post for multiple recipes!

3. Just in time to save you more money ~ a TRIPLE BONUS FROM ME!
Because you have read this post, I want you to enjoy some exclusive bonuses!

· First, with your purchase through this post of $60 (before shipping and tax), you will receive for free your choice of either the Kernel Cutter or the Corn Cob Nobs and Corn Butterer Set for FREE!

· As an added bonus, if your order is $120 (before shipping and tax), you will receive the Kernel Cutter or the Corn Cob Nobs and Corn Butterer Set PLUS 2 SPICES/RUBS of your choice for FREE!

SPICES & RUBS
Asian, Dill, Southwestern, Italian, Rosemary, Korintje Cinnamon, Cinnamon Spice Blend; Thai Red Curry, Lemon Pepper Rub, Chipotle Rub, Crushed Peppercorn Garlic
Rub, Citrus Basil Rub, Smoky Barbeque Rub, Creole Rub, Jamaican Jerk Rub, Greek Rub, Moroccan Rub

· For your TRIPLE BONUS, if your order is $150 (before shipping and tax), you will receive everything mentioned above PLUS, FREE SHIPPING AND your choice of one item for 60% off - either

the set of all 3 Collapsible Bowls - $24

the set of Outdoor Party Sticks - $15.60

the Grill Basket or the new Grill Tray - Basket $10.60, Tray $11.80

Keep in mind that these totals can be your personal order or get together with some friends and send me a combined order!

Be sure to order by June 5 for pre-orders and for Father's Day delivery!

WANT A FREE COOL & SERVE TRAY?
If you book one of my open cooking show dates in June or July you can get the cool and serve tray FREE! Email me today for a list of my open dates!

To get you in the spirit of using your new Cool & Serve with great summer
dips (both sweet and savory), below are a collection of easy and impressive
dips you can use with your new Cool & Serve!

Butterscotch Dip
Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butterscotch ice cream topping
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in Small Batter Bowl; mix with Bamboo Spoon until smooth.
2. Chill. Serve with fresh fruit.
Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Caramel Apple Dip
Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
5 apples or pears, wedged
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except peanuts and apples in Small Batter Bowl; mix well. Chop peanuts using Food Chopper; add to Batter Bowl. Mix well; chill.
2. Wedge apples using Apple Wedger; arrange around dip and serve.
Yield: 16 servings (2 cups)
Cook's Tips: Apple butter can be found in the jams and jellies section of most grocery stores. Substitute 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained, for the apple butter.

Cheesy Bacon Dip
Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
1 large tomato, seeded and diced, divided (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sliced green onions with tops, divided
Cocktail bread slices or crackers (optional)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and garlic; whisk until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, bacon, half of the tomato and half of the green onions to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Spoon into Mini Baker.
2. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining tomato and green onions. Serve with cocktail bread slices or crackers, if desired.
Yield: Yield: 3 cups (24 servings)

MAKE A DIP WITH OUR RUBS AND SPICES!

Try Barbecue Rub, Chipotle Rub, Dill. Southwestern - Try them ALL!

Ingredients:
1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
1 cup (250 mL) sour cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) Rub or Spice
Assorted fresh vegetables or potato chips (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and rub in medium bowl; mix well.
Cover; refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
2. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables or potato chips, if desired.
Yield: 16 servings (2 cups/500 mL dip)

Cool & Creamy Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 teaspoon Pantry Korintje Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon rum or vanilla extract (optional)
Assorted fresh fruit dippers such as whole strawberries, apple, peach or pear wedges (optional)
Directions:
1. Place chocolate morsels and half of the whipped topping in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. Fold in remaining whipped topping, cinnamon and rum extract, if desired; mix until smooth.
Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. To serve, spoon fondue into small bowl. Serve with fruit dippers, if desired.
Yield: 2 cups (16 servings)
Cook's Tips: Ground cinnamon can be substituted for the Korintje Cinnamon, if desired.
Use the Apple Wedger to easily cut apples and pears into uniform wedges.
Dip the apple, peach and pear wedges into lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
If preparing the fondue ahead of time, store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons milk for a creamier consistency.

Stick with what works

2010-05-31T21:34:00.002-05:00

Since having kids things about my body have been different...which is to be expected. One of the things that have changed is my hair. Before kids I used to never have problems with it. Now the roots get really greasy and the ends are frizzy and split. I don't know how much money I have spent over the past 6 months trying to find a shampoo and conditioner that would take care of the problem. I have tried generic, name brand, organic, you name it I have tried it I even tried asking people that worked in various salons for solutions. I was getting really frustrated because nothing seemed to take care of the problem.

One day I went in to get my eyebrows waxed and I was talking with the gal doing them and mentioned my hair problem and she said she had a solution. I was thinking to myself that ya, ya, I have tried everything out there. She recommended a brand I have never heard of before, Joico. I was like what the hell I will give it a try. So I tried it and Oh my gosh I loved it. I instantly saw s difference in my hair! I have been using Joico for 2 months now and I won't use anything else now.

So then after finding this brand that I love and will continue to use got me thinking about other things that I am brand loyal to and why I am willing to pay the extra money for them. So here is a short list of some of my "Brands"

1) Shampoo and conditioner: Joico Balancing $11-13 a bottle, My hair is soft, full, not greasy and not frizzy=me happy and not having to spen a lot of time on my hair!
2) Jeans: GAP $35-$65 Jeans are really hard for me to find that actually fit my body. I have a smaller waist and wider hips so I am willing to pay a little extra for my jeans because I like them to fit.
3) Make-up: I use Clinique. $14-$24. I have sensitive skin and Clinique has been the only skin care system that doesn't make it worse.
4) Bath Products: I use Victoria Secret body wash, lotion, and body splash. $8-$10 I love the scents and I love that my skin is soft and smooth!
5) Coke: I Love Coke! Pepsi is to sweet

Are you brand loyal? If so What are some of your favorite brands?

Boys will be Boys!

2010-05-30T22:41:00.002-05:00

When we went camping a week ago, Bo learned how to pee on a tree. He doesn't pee standing up yet because he is to short and that is just a mess that I am not ready to start cleaning up. So he still sits down. Our friends Dan and Lizzies son Blake taught Bo how to pee on a tree, and Bo is loving this new "Trick". Ever since we got home he thinks it is cool to pee in the back yard. He just stops what he is doing and pee's in the grass.

At first I am like Boys will be Boys, they pee outside, BUT he took this new found freedom to the next level and started Pooping in the back yard. He just squats down and poops. The first time it happened I couldn't help but laugh...It was so funny and the way he was so excited was hilarious. However, he has continued to use the backyard as his anytime restroom.

If you are friends with Jason on Facebook you may have seen some of the many funny conversation quotes between us and Bo. One of which goes like this...
Bo: "I can pee in the grass!!!"
Jason: "No, do not pee in the grass"
Bo: "Ok I go pee in the pool!!!"

We have been trying to explain to Bo that you cannot just drop your pants and go potty in the backyard. He has been getting better He is not pooping anymore, he still pees sometimes, but I am ok with that. I guess I can't be to mad at him for using the backyard as a bathroom, since I am the one who lets him run around the back yard naked. Again I am ok with that because we have a privacy fence and it is just Bo and Joel. If other kids were over I would make hime wear clothes.

But hey Boy will be Boys, right?

I love this kid! Bo is always so happy, energetic and full of life. You never know what he is going to do next! I love that about him!

Weekly Menu 1

2010-05-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

All the mommy blogs that I read tend to publish recipes, menus and shopping lists for a week. I get so many good ideas from these people that I decided to try and do it myself. My menus will include recipes from various cookbooks, blogs, family, and some of my own. It will also include lunch ideas and snacks for the week. If I get the recipe from someone's blog then I will link to it! Anyways, your feedback is more than welcome. I will try and makes things as easy as possible and I hope you enjoy this weeks menu!

1) Loaded Baked potatoes with homemade cheese sauce!
2) Chicken Satay with Balinese Peanut Sauce
3) Lasagna with Garlic bread
4) Tex Mes Chicken and Rice
5) Chicken Garden Pizza

Lunches this week include:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches
Fish sticks and mac and cheese
Chef salads
Deli sandwhiches
Left Overs

Snacks and sides for lunches include:
Fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, apple slices etc..)
String cheese
Pickles (we all love pickles =))
Sun chips
Cheese and crackers
Popcorn
Mixed nuts

That about does it I think. Enjoy and Happy cooking. Please feel free to ask questions if you have them!

Menu for Jason's Birthday Party!

2010-05-27T14:19:00.003-05:00

Jason is turning 27 this year and I am throwing him a party laid back style since I know he is not that big into parties. Here is a sneak peak of some of the things on the menu!!!

Meat:
Beer Brats
Cheeseburgers
Hot Dogs

Desserts:
Mini Root Beer Float cupcakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Torte
Strawberry Angel Food Cake Truffle
Sticky Cinnamon Rolls
S'mores

Sides:
Homemade potato skins and Sweet Potato chips
Deviled eggs
Strawberry spinach salad

Drinks:
MGD keg
Sweet tea
Lemonade
Pop
Water

Then I have some people who are attending bringing side dishes! I am so excited, the food is going to be sooo good!!!

Recipes, menus, and more

2010-05-27T11:26:00.003-05:00

I read a lot of mommy blogs! Something that I love about all of them is that they always share their weekly menus, favorite recipes, little tricks to make cooking easier and faster, and shopping lists. I love that they do this because it helps me plan my weekly menus, meals and snacks. When I do this I find that I spend less money and I buy healthier things for meals and snacks. The last couple of weeks I have gotten lazy about planning a menu. Which, fine we were traveling and camping and what not, but now I don't have an excuse not to do it. So tonight I will be working on my menu for the week and I want to start sharing my menus with you! Whether you use one recipe, or the whole menu I hope that it will help you in some way to stay on budget, to eat healthier foods and snacks and in the long run save time and money! I will try and make it as simple and easy as possible for you! I will also be doing some rearranging on my blog, maybe adding some tabs and folders so check back for the changes and menu tonight!

18 and 19 weeks...

2010-05-26T12:47:00.002-05:00

I have gotten a little behind in my posts, due to some traveling and trying to get caught up on things around the house. So here is last weeks and this weeks post in one! Last Thursday was my 18 week mark. The baby is about the size of a sweet Potato. I have been having a lot of acid reflux and indigestion lately. Which I hate...but I can manage it pretty well. If it gets worse though I may ask for something from the doctor, we'll see.
As for week 19 the baby is the size of a Mango. I have started to feel a lot more movement over the past week or two! That is my favorite part of being pregnant. I just think it is amazing that this little baby is growing stronger everyday and I can feel it move around...so cool! This week is dragging for me, probably because I am so anxious for my ultrasound next Tuesday. I can't wait to fin out if we are having a boy or girl. Up until last week I thought we were going to have another boy but now I feel it's a girl, Jason also thinks we are having a girl. I guess we will have to wait and see!!! But, honestly I will be happy with either! Babies are so precious!

Other happenings this weekend include more packing, house hunting, planning Jason's birthday party, cleaning my house for a BBQ on Monday, Bo's friends birthday party, grocery shopping, helping friends move, farmers market, Greek festival, Shakespeare festival, Church and shopping. WOW we have a lot going on =)

Friday is my shopping day, I will be going to Trader Joes, Target, Sams, the Commissary and babies r us! It's the only day I can do my shopping. Saturday we are going to the farmers market. I am excited to get some fresh fruits and veggies! I am going to be making fresh home made salsa and guacamole! Then we are going to stop by the Greek festival, come home and give the boys a nap, I am then going to help my friend Laura clean her house, then go to a birthday party, and then we are going to relax in Forest park while enjoying the Shakespeare in the park!
Sunday we have Church and then a big BBQ to go to all afternoon.
Monday I will be straightening up the house and getting ready for our small group BBQ!

Anyways, that's is what I have going on this weekend! Do you have any big plans for Memorial day?

17 weeks

2010-05-18T16:34:00.007-05:00

Sorry I didn't post on my official 17 week day, we were headed up to Minneapolis for a wedding that day so technically I am closer to 18 weeks. The baby is the size of an onion, although I feel bigger...LOL... Weight gain is still under control, which I am extremely happy about! I even had a couple people tell me that I look like I have lost weight even though I am almost 18 weeks pregnant! YAY!
I feel great! I finally look like I have a pregnant belly and not just a fat belly. I am carrying very high which I think makes me look bigger than I really am but whatever. I do have a little trouble sleeping at night, not to bad but when I have to switch from side to side I wake up because it is like an 8 point turn...LOL But otherwise I am sleeping well. I am eating well I have my appetite back completely except for not being able to eat or drink a few things, but at least I am not vomiting anymore!
I have my 20 week ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday June 1st! Exactly 2 weeks from today!!! I am so excited to find out if we are having a boy or girl. I really want a girl but I think it will be a boy. Jason thinks it will be a girl.....so we are taking bets!

This past weekend we were in Minneapolis, a high school buddy of Jason's got married and Jason was one of the Groomsmen. The boys and I were not going to go but we changed our minds last minute! We surprised Grandma and grandpa! We let the boys wake them up at midnight when we got in! It was fun!
The wedding went well and was a lot of fun seeing catching up with friends! Everyone was able to enjoy the open bar since I was the built in designated driver!
On Sunday we went to Canterbury park and had a great time! Bo got to ride a pony...Joel did not enjoy it however. It was such a beautiful day and it was so nice to just relax and hang out with family and friends!

This week I am unpacking and straightening things up as well as plan and pack for our camping trip this weekend. So I will be pretty busy, but we are looking forward to camping with the boys and our friends Dan and Lizzie!

Well that about does it for this past week! Oh Ya, I cute my hair! I love it so here is my first pregnancy photos!!!

Time Management

2010-05-11T09:16:00.003-05:00

How do you manage your time. Mine always seems to get away from me. I "like" the idea of getting up at 7am and starting my day while the boys are still sleeping but I am such a night owl that I don't. I would rather sleep. So my day really doesn't start until 8 or 9 and then I need to wake up...have my coffee, check my email etc... I do feed the boys and get them changed before I do that, but it seems like we just take it easy in the mornings and really don't get anything productive done till noon. By then half the day is gone and I feel like I am not going to get anything done, everything from chores, cleaning, shopping and errands.
I was thinking over the past couple of days what i could do to fix this problem of getting up earlier and here is what i have come up with. I am going to start slow, but jump in full force if that makes sense. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I am going to commit to getting up by 7 and starting my day while the boys are still asleep, whether its putting in a load of laundry, emptying the dish washer or picking up the living room, I will be doing something productive while my coffee brews and once that's done then I can sit down enjoy my coffee and check my email stuff. That way when the boys wake up I am that much more ahead of schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be mornings that we can take it easy, I can sleep that extra hour and start the day a little later. Maybe once i get used to this schedule I can bump it up to getting up at 7 everyday, or if this schedule works then just keep up with it!
Anyways that was my thought for the day, I am hoping that this will stick and not just be another "great idea" that I had. I tend to have a lot of those, I think i get it from my parents....=)

16 weeks and organization

2010-05-05T14:34:00.003-05:00

Well tomorrow marks the 16th week for me. I am feeling great! Nothing weird has been happening so that makes me happy. The baby is the size of a large avocado, 4.5 inches long and still only about 4 oz. Really the next big thing is to find out if we are having a boy or girl, then we need to start thinking of names. Any Suggestions? We do keep the name we decide a secret until the baby is born but I would love to hear your suggestions! Give me both boy and girl names since we don't know what we are having yet! I am excited to see what you guys come up with....Now I am talking serious names. Jason always has a tendency to throw out names like Latonya or weird combination names not that there is anything wrong with names like that but I wouldn't name my kids that. It is hard sometimes to tell if Jason is being serious or joking when it comes to names.

Anyways, I feel like I have been drowning again lately in "stuff" that needs to be put away, picked up, or cleaned. I Know I have written about this before and here I go again. This is the thing that I struggle with the most when it comes to keeping an organized house....the fact that I really don't know how to organize my whole house. I do fine with little parts of the house but overall I suck at it. I also am very organized when it comes to planning a vacation or a party but why I can't organize my house I have no idea. I have tried so many different things, all of which have failed miserably except one and that was the way I organized toys.
I know for a fact there are a couple of things that will help with the overall organization of the house I just need to find a good routine to stay on top of it. Some of which include:
Doing the dishes right after dinner
Doing a load of laundry every day
Bringing the "need to go upstairs" pile sitting at the bottom of the steps, upstairs every night
Putting the load of laundry that is folded away once I am done folding it

Those 4 things alone would help a lot. But yet I can't seem to stay on top of it. Simple tasks and I can't stay on top of it...What is wrong with me. I know I get easily side tracked...hehe and that is half my problem, whether it be a phone call, shopping, meeting with friends, finding some project that I started last month and decide to finish, playing with the boys, being so tired that I don't care or just being on the computer. All have become excuses for not getting something done at one point or another.

So again I am going to attempt to try and stay on top of those 4 things. I want to do it for a good week so that I get used to the routine and then it will just be second nature. I want to accomplish those 4 things before I start to make a set schedule for things like, mopping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms. One thing at a time right? One way I am going to try and do this is every night before Jason or I go to bed we will take 5-10 minutes and just pick up the random things that get left out and put them away. The dishes will get done right after dinner. Every night, No exceptions. After I get the boys there breakfast and before I sit down with my coffee and check my email I will put in a load of laundry and then change it out before I take my shower. Then once the load of laundry is done drying I will take it upstairs, fold it and put it away right then and there. With me doing this I think it will cut down on the "to go upstairs" pile so then at the end of the day when Jason and I go to bed we each can take the few things and put them away upstairs.
Thats my plan and I am stickin to it! Let's hope that I can force myself to do these few simple things without getting side tracked. I can always do most of the things that side tracked me when the boys take a nap or go to bed. I will let you know how I am doing come this weekend. Feel free to ask me as well. Accountability! =)

UltraSound findings...

2010-04-30T16:32:00.003-05:00

Today I had my 15 week doctors appointment. The baby is doing well and it's heartbeat is 153! I was able to discuss with my Doctor the finding from the renal ultrasounds that I had done earlier this week. Good News....Everything came back normal, no fluids, stones or masses! YAY! I am so thanksful. She said that the back pain that I continuously have is probably pregnancy related. I guess it really is true that Every pregnancy is different! She said that she wants me to go to physical therapy once a week to have my back stretched out to keep the pain down to a minimum, but I told her it would be really hard for me to do that because that would require Jason to take time off each week so he could watch the boys for me to go. So then she said that I should go buy a pregnancy yoga video that I could do at home 3-4 times a week! Score, I will do that! So now the search begins for a video that has both the streching and fitness yoga on one dvd. Figure I can kill two birds with one stone.

Couple other things, I am very happy that I am able to start eating real food again! She did say that I probably did have a gallbladder attack that weekend I went to the ER, but things look back to normal. She did say to take it easy on fatty, greasy foods, but I can start eating dairy again! YAY, I can handle the no greasy food but I am missing my dairy!
I am also very proud of myself when it comes to weight, I have only gained about 3/4 of a pound! But I still have about 3 more pounds to gain before I am back at my pre-pregnancy weight, so that makes me very happy! I am hoping that with continued diet monitering and moderation and now that I am going to be doing yoga and yoga fitness 3-4 times a week that I can maintian a low weight gain!

My next appointment will be to find out the sex of the baby!!! I am so excited!!! But I sitll have like 3-4 weeks!

15 Weeks

2010-04-28T17:48:00.002-05:00

This week the baby is the size of a Naval Orange! Other than the back pain that I have constantly I have been feeling good. I was finally able to get a hold of radiology to schedule my ultrasound appoinments, the Kidney and gallbladder were yesterday and then an OB one was today. Yesterday the tech didn't say much other than the results will be sent to my doctor. I am really hoping there is nothing major wrong because if there is my doctor said I may have to do surgery. So fingers crossed if there is something wrong it can be fixed with medicine/diet change etc...

My ultrasound today was uneventful other than getting to take home a picture of the little pumpkin! I was really hoping that they may be able to tell me if it's a boy or girl...but the Tech said she couldn't get a good look of that area. Things were still a little to small.

I have my next actual Doctors visit on Friday. So I should know more about the results of the ultrasounds then. We will also be talking about the diet that I have been on since my ER visit. I am hoping that I can start slowley introducing things back into my diet, like Milk and cheese! It all just depends on what the ultrasound findings are.

Tomorrow I have a Phonix Spouse luncheon to go to, grocery shopping to get done, baking to do for the Pampered Chef Quarters Auction, and prep work to do for the quarters auction tomorrow night! So I have a busy day. I am just happy that I have been feeling better overall and a lot less tired during the day. I still get really tired come 7 or 8 in the evening but for the most part I can get stuff done during the day!

Anyways, I will let you all know how things go on Friday!

Bo overcame a huge hurdle!!!

2010-04-28T13:58:00.002-05:00

For months now Bo will go pee on the potty! The candy method worked like a charm for him. Everytime he would pee on the potty he would get a piece of candy. Once he accomplished peeing on the potty we started to work on getting him to poop on the potty. Getting him to go was a chore, he just didn't want to go. I don't think he was scared, he would just rather hold it in until we put a diaper on him at night and go poop then. We tried candy, that didn't work. we tried telling him that once he went poo on the potty we could go to the toy store and get a new toy, that didn't work. Stickers don't work either. I was running out of ideas and this morning Bo asked me if we could go to Monkey Joes. Then I told him "If you go poo poos on th potty we can go to Monkey Joes!" He said Ok, but I didn't think anything of it because he told me ok when we offered other things to get him to go on the potty and he doesn't go.
Well Bo was sitting on the floor playing Legos and all of a sudden he jumps up hold his butt and yells "Mommy, Mommy I need to go poo poos...." and he takes off running for the bathroom. I ran in there thinking he probably already went in his underwear. But I sat him down on the potty and he had not gone in his big boy underwear! YAY So then I asked him if he wanted me to leave the bathroom He said yes. So I stood outside the door and just waited for him to call me when he was done. I hear lots of grunting, and little whines like he was scared to let it come out and then all of a sudden he Yells "Mommy I went Poo poos...SEE...you wanna see" Sure enough he had gone! I praised him and told he did a good job and I was proud of him. I got him cleaned up dumped the potty and wiped it out and then Bo says "Mommy I got to go poo poo again, I went big poo poo now I need to go little poo poo." I was like OKAY....are you sure cuz you just went and there was a lot of it. I let him sit back down and no joke he went again! I was shocked and yet so proud of him!
We have been trying to get him to go poo on the potty for months and I guess Going to Monkey Joes was a big enough incentive for him! I am hoping now that he has gone that he will continue to go...We won't be going to Monkey Joes every time but I will have to fill up my jar of candy to give him a little reward for when he does go!
YAY BOAZ!!! Way to Go!!!

Help Whip Cancer Cooking Shows!!!

2010-04-23T13:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Spring!
I am so EXCITED to share with you the Help Whip Cancer Pink Products that The Pampered Chef has to offer this year! There is a reusable shopping bag, Pink and white martini glasses, a pink tomato knife just to name a few!
In the month of May if you Host a Help Whip Cancer Cooking show, part of the proceeds will be donated to the cause!
I am looking to FILL my calendar in the month of May with Help Whip Cancer cooking shows! This is a cause that is very important to me and I would like to raise money for the cause. We all know someone who has been affected by this disease.

So to kick things off I am offering you your choice of the Pink Products FREE, when you host a show with me in the month of may. Plus I will provide the cooking ingredients for the recipes we will cook, I will send your invites out for you and I will pamper you and your girlfriends with some yummy food! All you have to do is give me your guest list and I will do ALL the work!!!
The first 4 People to pick a date for the month of May will be entered to win an additional $40 Free in product!!!
If your Guest sales are $500-$1000 then you receive an additional special gift from me!!!
Refer a friend to host their own Help Whip Cancer Cooking show and receive one of our new spices FREE!!!

As you can see we have several GREAT specials going on and I would love to help you get all the free product you want!
Contact me today to schedule your Help Whip Cancer Cooking Show!!!
Andrea Bindewald
www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald

Feeling better

2010-04-19T10:21:00.002-05:00

Since this past weekends episode, I am feeling much better! My stomach is not in knots and whatever was "eating it" is now gone. My back still hurts and is pretty sore, but that's what the medicine if for right? My diet has changed drastically, I still don't know how I am going to do this. but I must say that since I have cut out dairy, grease, fat, and spicy foods I have not had any stomach pains, which is a huge relief.
I am going to have to sit down and really plan out my meals. I have always done meal planning to some extent, but now I am really going to have to crack the whip. It is a little overwhelming but at least I feel better. If any of you have an recipes that will be good for the while family that are dairy free, low in fat, and aren't spicy or cream based I would love for you to share them with me!
I need to call my doctor today and schedule a follow up appointment and then I have the ultra-sounds this week. So I will know more after I talk to my Doc.
Today I would like to start packing my craft room. I realized we have just over 3 months left here at this Base. I want to be prepared for when it comes time to move. I am going to be huge and prego come August and I just don't want to wait till the last minute to pack everything and then completely stressed out and over exhausted. So I decided to start with things that I can "live without" for a couple months. Besides, I haven't been scrapbooking because I need to order and print pictures and get them organized, I haven't printed any since Joel was born, so maybe I can work on that and then work on my scrapbooks when we get all moved in this fall.
I also need to work on laundry today. I am just going to get it washed and dried and then work on folding it tonight.
That's all for now, I will keep you all posted!

Night and Day from Hell....

2010-04-17T21:15:00.004-05:00

Friday was the first day of our yard sale and it went really well! I was extremely exhausted though Friday night. We went to Jasons vollyball game and then went to Thips Thai for dinner, because I was to tired to cook. I got Pad Thai and a Thai ice tea and all of us split an order of crab rangoon. After we finished eating I started to not feel good. I thought maybe I had just eaten to much and needed to digest it a bit. That was not the case. We came home and I was feeling like CRAP....I had major stomach pain and back pain. I tried to sleep but it was very difficult, it felt like something was eating the inside of my stomach and that was causing back pain from my lower back all the way up to my shoulder blades....Not fun. it hurt to lay down, it hurt to sit up....frankly it just hurt. I hurt more than Labor when I had the boys. Needless to say I did not sleep very well last night. This morning, I got up and showered. I stepped out of the shower and asked Jason to get me some OJ (the only thing that calms my stomach) and before he could put his feet on the floor I was over the toilet vomiting. My stomach was still in knots and my back was hurting even more because I did not sleep well.
I mosey on over to the garage sale and still feel like crap, but for those of you who know me being sick was not going to stop me. It should but it didn't. I help get the yard sale going and then just sit down manning the money station, all the while enduring the excruciating pain. Finally around noon I was starting to break down because I was in sooooo much pain, and my friends finally convinced me to go lay down and they were going to call Jason. Because I wouldn't....Do you think I'm stubborn? Jason get's there a little after 2:00 and takes me to the ER. While there they did some blood work and took a urine sample. While we were waiting for the lab to process everything they gave me a shot to ease the pain. I felt like a NEW woman! The pain was gone and I was able to relax. Exhaustion soon set in. The doc finally comes back and says that My gallbladder levels were elevated. So they diagnosed me with abdominal irritability and possible gall-stones. They put me on a NO dairy, fat, creamy, spicey diet and told me eat lots of fiber to clean all my systems. They also prescribed me Tylenol with codeine in it.
I am supposed to follow up with my doc on Monday or Tuesday. They are still going to do the ultra-sounds of my kidneys to make sure I don't have kidney stone....I hope not...
SOOO needless to say I think the Thai food put me over the edge, I guess my body can't handle certain things right now.

Anyways, please pray that this diet will help clear things out and that the pain goes away, because it is so unbearable. I must say that through all this Jason and the boys did great! They helped me out a lot and Bo is very good at empathy! I love my boys and my Husband!

13 weeks

2010-04-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

Today marks 13 weeks! Overall I am feeling a ton better, aside from being tired, which probably won't go away. LOL. (TMI) I got the results from the UTI lab that was done and everything came back normal! YAY! My doctor wants to do another ultra-sound to see if there is anything that could be causing the cramping that I have been having. At my last doctors appointment she had to use ultra-sound to find the baby's heart beat and everything was looking fine then, so she expects things will be fine now. If everything is A-OK then she wants to do and ultra-sound of my kidneys and make sure I don't have a kidney stone. I have never had one but that just sound horrible. Another possibility is constipation, which I have had a lot of. UGH....She did prescribe me some collace to see if that helps, we'll see. Hopefully that's what is causing the cramping. She just wants to be on the safe side and do the other ultra-sounds. I am not going to complain, cuz that means I get to see baby!

Anyways, I am still down almost 6 pounds. I have really been watching my diet and trying to be good. Now that doesn't mean I don't indulge in some of my craving, because I totally do. If I do then I just know, that if I have taco bell for lunch then we are having salads for dinner, or grilled chicken and broccoli ect... I am very happy with my diet, I feel like I am getting the right amount of vitamins and nutrients, while still maintaining my weight!

Well that about does is it for this post. I will be busy with the yard sale all weekend and then we are hanging out with some friends on Saturday night, who are moving next week. So it will be a busy weekend! Ta ta for now!

Mothering frustrations...

2010-04-10T18:43:00.002-05:00

I recently read this post about loosing the joy in mothering and it really hit home for me. I have been feeling that lately. I get so frustrated sometimes because I feel like things don't get done because I have been chasing after the boys all day cleaning up the stuff they manage to get into. For instance, literally 10 minutes ago I was on the phone with my friend Tami talking about yard sale stuff and I wasn't on the phone with her but maybe 5 minutes and I here Bo say "Oh NOOoooo" I get off the phone and walk into the kitchen and Joel had taken the box of tea bags I had in the pantry and opened them all up and there is Bo with my swiffer mop trying to mop it up without a pad on it. So now I have wet sticky tea and tea bags all over my kitchen floor. I tell the boys to go sit on the couch while I swept the mess up and then ran the mop to clean up any excess cleaner. It took me maybe 5 minutes to get it all cleaned up. I go back into the living room to "Chat" with the boys and there they were sitting in a huge pile of Cheezit crackers....Yup they took the box and dumped it on the living room floor, where sitting in the pile and breaking the crackers up. I just sat on the couch and started crying. It was all so overwhelming.

Things like this happen allllllll the time and I do not know how to get in control of it. I have tried every trick in the book and nothing seems to work. They do this with everything...my make-up, fresh fruit, bread, games, movies, things in the pantry and even their dresser drawers. Now some of you may be thinking that I should put these things away and keep them out of reach of the boys. Well, I do. My make up is in a trunk on my bathroom counter, Fruit and bread are in containers on the kitchen counters, they open their dresser drawers and just pull clothes and blankets out (why? I have no idea) Movies are in a Cd type case in a drawer in the living room and yet they still seem to get into everything. When things like this happen, I get overwhelmed and once I fall behind in keeping things picked up I get even more overwhelmed and then don't know where to start with the mess and I just shut down. I know that shutting down doesn't help anything...When that happens is where I need to stop and deal with that selfishness. I struggle with that for sure and sometimes don't know how to move forward...Only by the Grace of God do I move forward and eventually pick things up again.

I do love being a stay at home mom, I just wish I knew how to manage and deal with the chaos when things like this happen, because I KNOW they are GOING to happen. It is just a matter of being prepared, patient and staying ahead of the game.

Spring Cleaning!

2010-04-09T13:38:00.002-05:00

Today I woke up really tired, I even went to bed a little earlier than I usually do but I was still tired and had no motivation to do anything. Last night Jason and I worked on folding all the clean laundry, which was about 7 or 8 loads that we got washed over the past two days! So this morning I put it all in laundry baskets and now it is ready to be taken up stairs and be put away. I took a few things upstairs on my way to go shower and while I was in my room I was like "man I really need to dust". See, Joel somehow managed to rip the curtain rod out of our wall so my curtains were sitting there needing to be hung back up, so I had a ton of sunlight coming into my room and it showed me that probably 2 or 3 months worth of dust was waiting to be cleaned. So I grabbed my rag and windex and went to work. Once I got done dusting and cleaning off the dresser and end tables I changed the linens, put some clothes away and went through a few more things for the yard sale. So now my room is all shinny and clean! I just need to vacuum and bring the yard sale stuff down to the garage. My hope is that tonight, while Jason is working at the Blues game, I can focus on finishing that up and then get to work on pricing garage sale stuff. I am going to make it a goal to not go anywhere, turn the tv on, or "play" on the computer till I get this stuff accomplished!
So here is my list to do tonight and this weekend: (Hopefully I can do most of it tonight)
vacuum bedroom
bring yard sale stuff to the garage
finish putting away laundry
straighten up my bathroom
price yard sale stuff
and of course I need to do the dishes!

Things that need spring cleaning:
the boys closets
the guest room
the linen closet
kitchen appliances
front of kitchen cupboards
wash door handles and windows
(I hope to be working on these over the weekend and next week as well!)

What are some things that you do for Spring cleaning? Do you have any tips or tricks that you use?

Anyways, if you don't see me online very much over the next few days that means I am getting things in order around the house (which is good for me) and you should just call or text me if you need to get a hold of me!
Ta Ta for now!

12 Weeks!

2010-04-07T22:35:00.002-05:00

So I will officially be 12 weeks and into my second trimester tomorrow! Wahoo! I am slowly but surely starting to feel better, but I am still tired a lot. I had my first doctors appointment on Tuesday and I have had a couple of ahha and Duh moments to fasten your seat belts this may be a long post....=)

I know last week I posted on having a lot of ear pain and pressure and headaches and eye pain ect...Well last week we went to Subway for dinner and as we were sitting there I had a major DUH moment. I asked Jason and realized that all the pain that I was having with my head is probably due to the stupid root canal that I need to have done. I mean come on I have an exposed nerve in my mouth....Duh... I had a filling fall out last November and due to the holiday schedule, traveling and a bunch of other stuff I was not able to get into the dentist until mid January. I told them that a filling fell out and I needed it fixed. They wanted me to come in for a standard cleaning and then go from there. So I did and thats when the doc said it would be easier to do a root canal and crown to keep it from happening again in the future. So I then scheduled an appointment for February, but in the process I found out I was pregnant and they had to wait until I could get the approval from my doc in order to do it....Good news My doctor says I can have it done! Thank the Lord! Hopefully that will take care of all the pain and pressure. So until I can get in, more like come up with the $600, floss is my new best friend, I carry it with me everywhere!

I had my first doctors appointment on Tuesday! It was really long...I was there for almost 3 hours. I am very happy to report that I am down almost 6 pounds! Which I am sooo stoked about. I am really trying hard to manage my food portions and what I eat in general. Like I have said before I drink a LOT of water and tea, so that is really helping with my craving/binge control. I am really hoping to gain no more than 10 pounds the whole pregnancy. The doctor I saw I really liked, she was down to earth, really nice, listened to what I had to say and overall encouraging! So I am for sure staying with her until we move. (TMI Alert) As with a first appointment they did a pap, full exam and a breast exam. Ugh. Glad that is over. I also talked to the doc about the abdominal pains that I have been having and she was concerned that I may have a UTI (urinary tract infection) So I had to take a test. It came back with a little blood in my urine so they sent it off to the lab to be cultured. I should here back tomorrow with the results. So I will keep you posted on that. Overall the appointment went well. Baby's heartbeat is strong and looking good! I have another appointment in 4 weeks.
I have an ultrasound photo that I will upload tomorrow.

I am very much a go, go, go person. I always seem to be doing something. That is not always a good thing. I think I have posted about this problem before? I always seem to feel ok in the morning and early afternoon, but once 2:00 or 3:00 roll around I am beat. I physically can't get things done unless I take a nap, so I have been indulging in a nap almost everyday. Then I get an energy boost around dinner time (unless I didn't get a nap) and then around 7:00 I am done. My problem, for sure, right now is time management. I need to learn to work around what my body is telling me and adjust to this new schedule. How long this schedule will last I don't know. I would hope not the whole pregnancy but ya just never know. I feel really overwhelmed right now with my list of things to do and get done. I am getting ready for a yard sale next weekend and I have piles of stuff all over my house that are for the yard sale but I don't know where to put everything. My pile of yard sale stuff in the garage is Gigantic and I can't add more to it. So i guess there are some positives...I am getting rid of stuff, We are downsizing for our move in August, hopefully this means my house will be easier to maintain! The down side is a very cluttered looking house for the next week and a half. I figured it will all be worth it in the end. SO FYI, if you stop by my house the next week and half it will probably look like a tornado came through....=) I have a few ideas that I have gotten from a few different friends that i am going to work on putting into motion this week to help "maintain" a clean house...well at least LOOK clean. Like I am going to put toilet bowl cleaner behind each toilet, so that when I notice it is looking dingy I can take the 2 minutes and swish it around and just keep it clean. I LOVE my Swiffer mop! My floors are cleaner in general all the time! plus it is fun to use! I have already put into motion the whole toy system, which I think I have already posted about. It is going well! I am not drowning in toys all the time! I am designating a drawer in this buffet thing we have by our front door for things that need to go upstairs, if it doesn't fit in the drawer it gets taken up right away. My hope is that between Jason and I we can empty it at the end of the day, but more than likely it will probably be once or twice a week. We'll see. But I am tired of things getting piled up that need to go upstairs, cuz they always seem to sit there for 1-10 days. depends on what it is.
I definitely feel like there are times I always fail in keeping up with the house. In some cases I have realized that the bathrooms are still going to be there tomorrow, cuz I don't want to miss out on things with the boys. It's a balancing act for sure, but I guess I am struggling right now though, esp...when I have a limited window of time to get things done right now. If I try to do to much, I break down emotionally, usually because I am so exhausted. I honestly think that once I can get all this "extra" stuff out of my house for the yard sale that it will help a lot with everything. I just need to make it through this next week. Nothing is coming back into my house after the yard sale, whatever doesn't sell will ALL be donated. Less stuff=less stuff to put away and clean!

Well those are my thoughts for this week. I hope that made sense...Sorry again for the long post I tend to ramble. =)

Rough Night...

2010-03-30T10:09:00.002-05:00

For about a week now I have been feeling great, Tired, but at least I am not sick. Yesterday I felt good again and I was able to get some stuff done. I did the dishes, picked up the living room, washed a load of laundry, and I worked on a baby blanket all afternoon. When dinner time rolled around I just grilled up some Chicken breasts and added them to a Zatarans rice mix. While I was cooking my stomach was making some loud rumbling noises, I was sooo hungry. Well we sit down to eat and all of a sudden nothing that I made sounded good, so I only had a few bites of rice and like a half cup of green beans.

Jason had a volleyball game last night and he left around 7. While he was gone I went down hill and fast. I was sitting down to check my email and out of the blue I had this sharp pain run through my right ankle. On a scale of 1-10 it was a 10. I have never felt anything like it. Then I started getting a lot of pressure built up behind my ear and that then caused me to get a headache behind my right eye and it felt like someone was pressing on my eye and it was going to pop out. My heart was also pounding, I had tingling all over my body and my feet and hands and arms would fall asleep. Whenever I get the pressure in my head the right side of my neck gets really tense and sore as well. Between the pressure, headache, and ankle pain I was miserable. I was even crying. I didn't know what was causing it, or how to get rid of it or what I should do. When Jason got home at 8:30 he noticed i was in a lot of pain, but there really wasn't anything that he could do. He told me to go take a hot bath. So I did. I lit candles and shut the lights off so I could relax. I just laid in the tub and soaked for like 45 minutes. Soaking in the tub helped with the pressure and headache. But my ankle would not stop hurting. I was trying to think of what I could have done, but all I did all day was make sew, and do the dishes. So I still have no idea what could have caused that. The ankle pain went on for about another hour. I finally took some tylonal and that helped a little.
While I was sitting there I realized I was really hungry, I thought back to what I ate all day,
Breakfast: a bowl of kashi cereal with milk, Lunch: a cheese and turkey Quesadilla, Snack: Sweet Tea, Dinner: a few bites of rice and some green beans. All in all I didn't eat very much and I started wondering if that would have anything to do with my blood sugar and the tingling and pounding heart? I don't know, I am going to look it up on Web MD. Anyways, I went and had a bowl of cereal and I drank some more water. I started to feel a little better. I also only drank 1 liter of water when I usually drink 3 liters.
Today I feel tired and worn out. I am going to take it easy today drink lots of water and remember to eat. I have some stitching to on the baby blanket and I have a lot of ribbon that needs to be organized, so I am going to work on that today.
I am just curious if any of you have ever had anything like that happen to you during a pregnancy? I have my first doctors appointment next Tuesday and I am for sure going to talk about it with her it just doesn't seem normal.

Almost 10 weeks...

2010-03-23T20:07:00.003-05:00

I know it hasn't been a week since I posted but I had a few things I wanted to share.

With this pregnancy I have not been able to drink any sort of pop or anything sweet. The taste is really weird and just the thought of eating or drinking these things just makes me want to hurl. Now I am not saying this is a bad thing. It will probably help me out a TON with my goal to not gain to much weight. All that to say I have been drinking a lot of tea, water, and the occasional coffee. Well yesterday I think I drank mostly tea, a grape slushie, and like 2 glasses of water. Last night however, I felt like total crap, I couldn't sleep, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, my fingers and face and feet were all tingling and I felt like it wouldn't go away. As I lay in bed at 1:30 in the morning I figured that all this was caused by my lack of water the previous day. Normally it would not have affected me but I seriously think that part of the reason I feel crappy is not enough water. This morning after I peed I could for SURE tell I was completely dehydrated. Today I found out that I need to double my water intake then that of the normal amount of 64 oz. HOLY MOLY that is a lot of water.....but again it will make me less hungry and less likely to munch in the afternoon. So I guess it's a win win situation here!

Overall I have felt really good the past couple of days. I was able to clean my bathroom today!!! YAY I don't even want to tell you how bad it was. I also got the 2 baskets of the boy's clothes put away, I pulled out all their summer clothes and added them to their closets. I was able to go through the time consuming things like make up and jewelry. I tossed old stuff and anything that was still mostly full or in good condition I added to the garage sale pile. It took me awhile to go through those things because I always seem to have a plethera of both make-up, bath products and jewelry. But I feel so much better having gone through them. It's all about purging!!!!

I have noticed that I can't really lift anything heavy, not because I lack the strength to lift it but because I get weird pains on my upper belly and they kind of shoot down the side of my abdomen to make sort of a C shape. So I figure I will just ask Jason to help me move and lift anything heavier than a laundry basket and not try to be Super Woman and end up hurting myself.

Towards the end of this week I can finally call and schedule my first doctors appointment! Hopefully I can talk to her about my sinus issues if they haven't cleared up on their own by then. I also want to make sure that the stomach pains I have are nothing more serious. I doubt it but I just want to make sure.

Anyways, I think that is it for now. I will officially be 10 weeks on Thursday! Tune in next week for an update.

Pregnancy blogging...

2010-03-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

Ok I am going to attempt to blog about this pregnancy. With Bo and Joel I tried to keep a calendar and I would forget to write things down adn then I would end up guessing. So I figured that since I am on the computer a lot that this may be an easier way to keep track of things. Be advised I am not afraid to share things so I will use (TMI Alerts) if i think something may To Much Information for some of you! So here we go!

TMI-First Towards the middle of February I realized that I was five days late from when I should have started my period. I didn't think to much of it because I had been irregular since having Joel. I guess my body had trouble getting readjusted to a normal schedule. Then I noticed I was feeling really tired so I went and bought a pregnancy test. I got home and I expected it to be negative because they all have been in the past. As I am waiting I am holding my breath cuz I start seeing two lines.....I was like NO WAY.....REALLY. I was totally shocked and excited! I was so excited I couldn't calm down. It felt like it was my first pregnancy. I immediately started planning on how I was going to tell Jason, I had about an hour before he was due home from work. I thought about calling him at work, about sending him a hint email, about buying a cute little outfit....but none of them seemed right. So when he got home he dropped his stuff off in the living room where I was sitting and then went into the kitchen to get a drink. I then gave the test to Bo and told him to go give it to daddy. There was silence from the kitchen and a second later Jason walks back into the living room with a smile on his face and says "What is this?" Needless to say he was speechless and excited. We were both sitting there and were like....this is crazy....is it for real! I took a second test just to be sure and it came back positive as well!
We then discussed when we should tell people. Bo's birthday party was a little over two weeks away and my parents and Jason's parents were going to be there so we thought that would be perfect. I want you guys to know that keeping this a secret for two weeks was SOOOOO hard for me. Jason's dad Mike was here visiting and I was feeling sick while he was here and I was trying to hide it...I don't think I did a very good job. LOL

Well on Thursday March 4th, I had a dating ultrasound scheduled because I didn't know how far along I was. It was also the day that both sets of parents were arriving. So I totally made up a "Fake" doctors appointment to get my sinuses checked out so that no one would suspect anything. After talking with Jason we decided that we would tell our parents that night and the rest of the world on Saturday. I get home and and everyone asks how my appointment went and I said "The Doctor says I am Due October 21st" They all stop and were like....uh What.....What did you say. Then I reveal the ultrasound picture!

My dad was on his computer and right away facebooks it before I can tell him to wait. So then I feel like I need to post something so that people find out from me! So the whole idea of telling people on Saturday went out the window. Oh well!

So now I am 9 weeks and the past two weeks have been rough for me. I have been really nauseous, tired and just completely drained. I seriously layed on the couch for like 5 days straight and did nothing other than the basic feeding and changing the boys. and when I say nothing I mean NOTHING...Jason really picked up a lot of the slack by doing the dishes and taking out the garbage and feeding the boys dinner so that I could sleep.

Yesterday and today I have been feeling a lot better!! Wahoo. I took all our Laundry to the Laundromat so that I could get it all caught up, I have been working on getting things ready for a garage sale, and just trying to catch up on some basic things that need to be cleaned.

I will eventually start posting prego pictures but for now I will spare you cuz it just looks like I am getting Fatter than I already am... Although I am down 2 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight! My belly is starting to pop slightly and I just switched to maternity pants even though I could still button my regular jeans they were uncomfortable when I would sit down.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. In the future they won't be so long but I felt like I had to tell the whole finding out story! I think I want to try posting once a week, so be on the look out if you want to follow my journey!

NEW Pampered Chef Products and Catalog!!!!

2010-03-01T19:59:00.006-06:00

I am so EXCITED to share with you the NEW products that Pampered Chef has to offer
To kick off the NEW Catalog I will be doing a VIRTUAL "MYSTERY HOST" party!
Here are just a few of the NEW products!!!!

ALL you have to do to join in the fun is Enter Mystery Host as the Host name on my website

Browse the NEW catalog, make your purchase, and you will be entered to win the Host benefits!Receive:
1 ticket for every $10 order
10 tickets for hosting a March or April cooking show
5 tickets for hosting a catalog show
15 tickets for starting your own Pampered Chef Business

I will be closing the Virtual Mystery Host Party on March 10th. I will announce the winners via email or phone call! I will also post the winners right here on my blog!

Remember in March with a $60 purchase you will receive a 3 piece set of bamboo spoons or spatulas!!!

Happy Shopping and Good luck!!!!

Pampered Chef Incentive!

2010-02-04T16:39:00.003-06:00

February and March are huge incentive months for me with the Pampered Chef, so to help me reach those goals I am offering some big incentives for you! If you can help me out that would be awesome. Pick which incentive you would like and either leave a comment on this post, send me an email or give me a call! Thanks!!! Now for the fun stuff:

1) Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Well from now until February 28th The Pampered chef is offering a 50% kit rebate. The full start up kit is normally $155 but you can get the same kit for half the price. That makes it $77.50! How awesome is that! Plus get an extra special gift from me!

2) The February Host special is Fabulous. The top 10 "Host Favorite Items" are 60% off, some of which include the Stainless Steel Cookware, The Complete Knife set, The Stainless steel mixing bowls, The Ultimate Mandoline, The non- stick grill pan and several more! All you have to do is collect $150 in orders...how easy is that!

3) If you host a cooking show or catalog show in February or March with $350 in sales or more, I will personally give you one stoneware item of your choice for free!!! and YES that includes the deep covered baker!!!! An even BIGGER YES is that is in addition to all your free product, discounts and host specials!!!

4) Not interested in hosting a show? Place any $40 order and receive $10 free!!! Place any $100 order and receive $20 free!!! How sweet is that. Stock up now for those upcoming birthdays, house warming parties, anniversaries, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and even Christmas! Just a reminder in February all unglazed stoneware is 20% off, and in March with a $60 order you will receive a 3 piece bamboo spoon set free!

Thanks again in advance for your help! I really hope you enjoy and take advantage of these specials I have going right now! I am thrilled to be your Pampered Chef consultant!!!

Andrea Bindewald
618-406-9478
www.pamperedcjef.biz/abindewald
ajbindewald@gmail.com

To Cute!

2010-01-25T15:51:00.003-06:00

My friend Laura and I were out and about doing some shopping on Saturday and we were both blessed with only having to bring one child with us. I brought Bo and she brought Violet, who is the same age as Bo. While sitting at Chipotle both kids were being really good, eating there food. Bo then takes his cup of sour cream and offers it to Violet to dip her chip in. It went something like this.....

Bo " Here violet....want some"
Violet "Ok, thanks"
Bo "you're welcome"
Smiles and giggles

Me "Awe, you guys are being so nice to each other......(to laura.....maybe they'll get married?=))
Laura to Violet "Violet do you want Bo to be your prince?"
Violet "YEAH!!!!"
Bo "ok"

Steak Gorgonzola!

2010-01-20T10:38:00.003-06:00

YUM! Can I say again YUM!!!! I have been getting almost if not all of my meal ideas from this blog that I am absolutely in love with. Well Monday night Italian food sounded really good and I remembered that one of the meals on my list was Penne Gorgonzola! Score! Well the recipe called for chicken but I was craving steak so Jason fired up the grill and made to delicious fillets! While he was doing that I worked on the pasta. Here is the recipe ! It was sooooo easy to make and it was soooo good! I almost always get the steak Gorgonzola when we go to the olive garden, and I think this recipe even tops that! I would however recommend measuring out the Gorgonzola cheese, it calls for 5oz and my package was 8 ounces and I just eye balled it and though it was still really yummy, I could tell there was a little to much of it in there. I think next time I make it I am going to add red peppers and maybe some broccoli.

If you have some time look around on the eat at home cooks blog! You will find some great recipes. Jason and I would highly recommend the Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins! They are so good! Enjoy!!!

Potty Training...

2010-01-18T11:31:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Jason and I really focused on Bo and his potty training. I am happy to report that I think he has got it a good handle on it! He came to us on Saturday morning and wanted to go potty, so he went and we put underwear on him. He kept them dry all morning and afternoon. He even kept them dry all through his nap. Saturday night we had several friends over and I think there were 7 kids running around the house and he still kept his pants dry up until everyone started leaving, then he had is first accident. But hey only one accident, I can live with that.

On Sunday he had a diaper on during Church but then he was in underwear the rest of the day, again he kept them dry through his nap and for the whole day except during dinner he had a accident, because we forgot he was wearing underwear and while we were eating he asked to go potty and we said he had to finish eating first....oops now I have to remember he is wearing big boy underwear and can't hold longer than a minute or two.

Today he has been doing great as well, no accidents yet! Now he has not gone #2 yet on the potty, I think he might be holding it in cuz he has not gone in his underwear either, but once I put his diaper on for bed within like 10 minutes he has a poopy diaper. So we need to work on that but hey Bo is making huge progress and I am so happy and proud of him!

weight-loss update...

2010-01-09T17:05:00.003-06:00

I know I have failed at posting about my weight-loss fails and successes since I started back in Ohhhh October? Well here is an update on some things that worked and some that didn't.
First Jason and I joined the YMCA back in October. We also invested into some good cookbooks, workout apparel, Shoes, and food journals.

**Let me start off by saying to be effective in your workouts having the right gear is essential, Esp. Shoes. Spend the money and get a good pair of shoes.

Initially when we started this whole thing, we were writing everything we ate down. We were working out on average 3 days a week at the Y and doing a lot of Low fat foods. Now let me expand on what worked and what didn't here. First of all I found that writing things down worked for me initially to help me realize how much I was really eating. After a few weeks though, I found my self eating things just to fill my calorie count for the day and I was not necessarily hungry. I was thinking that if I had calories left for the day I might as well use them. However I think that hindered my weight loss a little. So Now I do not write things down but I do take more time when it comes to menu planning and using a lot of fresh veggies and fruit.

Second, we tried doing a lot of low fat foods or fat free foods. In the end it is disgusting. I found it harder for the body to process the fat free foods esp. when it came to anything dairy. So we will not be doing that anymore. Plus if you think about it there is probably more junk in the fat free stuff that will hinder weight loss than if you were just to eat a smaller portion of the normal healthy versions.

Third, going to the gym is proving to be more difficult that I originally thought. I HATE working out, however when I do I feel good after all is said and done. Up until Jason's job got really crazy with long weird hours we were going together 3 days a week. I have not been going regularly since about the middle of November. I have done the occasional day or two but nothing consistent.
Now since I am not working out regularly I need to be watching what I eat. A friend sent me this website, which I think I posted last week, and I have found it to an absolute life saver. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! Eat at home cooks! Try it! Also with Jason working long hours I have found that I am eating less in the evenings because I am not make huge meals. PORTION SIZE, PORTION SIZE, PORTION SIZE! I started serving dinner on our salad plates instead of the huge dinner plates. I eat less and yet I am satisfied. I also don't eat breakfast, I know there are those of you who will say that is the wrong thing to do, but I am not a big breakfast person. On average I will eat breakfast 3 days a week, and even then it is usually a piece of toast, a granola bar or a bowl of high fiber organic cereal. I almost always have a small glass of juice and a cup of coffee with creamer. Hey it works for me and if I weren't seeing results I wouldn't do it. For lunch I usually eat a deli sandwich, quesadilla, salad, mac and cheese or leftovers. I always have a snack mid afternoon of either popcorn, a handful of candy (for my sweet tooth), whole grain crackers and swiss cheese or pita chips and salsa. I have been making our dinners from the menus on the above website! I drink water, coffee, diet coke and tea a lot. I also love the Hansens sodas and sparkling juices from Trader Joe's! Trader Joe's is my new prefferred grocery store!

One more thing that has helped me is that I am staying busy around the house. I have made a chore chart for myself and I am doing a lot more moving, cleaning, going up and down stairs, and playing with the boys! Now if I can just get ahead and start fresh with all the chores and upkeep then it would be a lot easier. I am really going to tackle the cleaning, organizing and chore cart this coming week. I need to finish the upstairs.....No it is not done yet but I am managing to do a little bit each day. It will get there!

So since the week before Thanksgiving I am proud to say I have lost a total of 14.2 pounds! I have one pair of jeans that actually still fits and all the others are really loose and I have to keep pulling them up and I get the saggy crotch after wearing them for like 10 minutes. I have lost most of the weight in my legs, neck, and a little in my waist/breast area. I would really like to loose another 10 pounds in my waist/stomach in the next month. I am going to TRY and get to the gym at least 2 times a week to do some biking and ab workouts. My ultimate goal is to loose a total of 75 pounds, but I am setting small goals to help me get there otherwise I get overwhelmed and tend to give up. So the small goal would be another 10 pounds by valentines day. I think that would be enough to justify buying a smaller pair of jeans. After that I would like to loose another 30 pounds by July 3, my birthday! Because Jason has told me that once I loose 50 pounds he will give me a $1000 for a new wardrobe! Wouldn't that be an awesome birthday present!

I know this has been a long post but thank you for reading. Let me know your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Also, what has worked for you when it comes to house upkeep, weight-loss, working out and eating well?

Chore Chart...

2009-12-29T20:01:00.002-06:00

This afternoon when I had a free minute I searched online for a chore chart that could help keep me on track to get things done. I Found one that I liked but I didn't want to pay for it. So I changed a few things by adding chores that are unique to me and mt family and this is what I came up with! I am hoping that this will work for me.

Take a look Here

Let me know what you think. The Check boxes are missing, they didn't copy over to Google Documents but you get the gist!

Renewed energy and a cool website!

2009-12-29T17:29:00.002-06:00

So today I took the challenge of setting the timer for 1 hour and getting as much cleaning done as I can get done in that hour. I must admit once the hour was up I still kept working, which is great! I was able to vacuum and edge my living room, clean out and re-organize my TV cabinet, put a new box of diapers away, pick up all the toys, and hang up a few jackets. Then I moved to the kitchen, I did the dishes, organized my spice cupboard and coffee cupboard, cleaned off the counter tops and I made dinner and got that in the oven! I felt so much better after I got that all done. I still have to do about 5 loads of laundry tonight so that I can pack our bags tomorrow for our trip, but other then that I am going to read my book tonight! I think the 1 or 2 hours a day is something that I can keep up with!

As for this cool website, My girlfriend Tiffanie sent me this awesome website that I totally fell in love with after browsing it for about 5 minutes. It is called eatathomecooks.com. This mom plans out a weeks worth of dinners and puts together the recipes, shopping list, side suggestions and even a dessert! Plus within each meal she has some of the recipes that are for the slow cooker, others you make two of so that you can put one in the freezer for later that week of to portion out for lunches. Also, what I like about her site is that she uses a lot of fresh, natural, healthy ingredients. I think she has about 30 weeks of menus planned. It is so easy all you do is open up the menu that you want to use, print it off and then go shopping! Talk about easy!
If you choose to use this site, let me know what you think!

I am going chopping tomorrow! So I will let you know how it goes!

Staying on task...

2009-12-28T22:04:00.003-06:00

Thanks Karen for giving me the idea for this post! I am trying to figure out a routine/organizer/time management/schedule for everything that I have to do around the house. My question for everyone out there is what are some things/tools that you use to stay on top of everything that needs to get done. Everything from feeding the cat, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, meal planning, date nights, bathroom cleaning, play time with the boys and relaxation. Do you set one day aside for laundry or do you do a load everyday? Do you clean all three bathrooms in one day or again space them out? Set specific times each day for relaxing, cleaning, cooking, playing etc....?

I am trying, and failing I might add, at finding a way to manage everything at the same time.
Karen, my sister-in-law, gave me the idea that I should set a timer for an hour and do whatever i can in that hour. Or maybe I will do that twice a day once in the morning and once in the afternoon? So I figured I would try it starting tomorrow!

I make all these lists of things that need to get done and yet nothing seems to get done even though I am working on them? I am also known, at least when it comes to things around the house, for saying that I am going to get something done today and then by the end of the day it is only partially done or not at all. Then I get frustrated and then Jason gets frustrated and that is just not good. So any and all ideas are welcome and hopefully I can get into some kind of routine that works and will stick.

Playing with flour!

2009-12-20T22:59:00.003-06:00

The other day I was doing dishes and the boys were "helping" me load the dish washer. At one point the door bell rang and Bo & I went to answer it. In the time it took me to go answer the door and get back to the kitchen, Joel moved the chair to the island and dumped my canister of flour that I had out because I was going to make cookies. Needless to say I didn't have any flour left to make cookies.

Ooops.....

Aren't I cute mom!

Unfinished projects.......

2009-12-16T10:55:00.003-06:00

For those of you who know me well, know that I have a problem with starting projects and then starting more projects before the other ones are done. This has been something that I am really trying to fix, because not only will it help me be more organized but it will also cut down on the "project clutter piles" that are around the house. The Misc clutter piles are what have really been annoying me lately. All these different projects are sitting there and every time I walk by them it's like they are calling out saying "Finish Me", but something else always seems to come up. Yesterday I started yet another project, that being, I gave the boys their own bedrooms and did a lot of rearranging upstairs. So today's goal is to finish putting everything away, all the toys, clothes, and the decorations. I also need to clean the bathrooms and while I am at it I need to dust upstairs, I don't think I have done that for the past month or two? In my picture perfect world, everything would get put away after using it, the bathrooms would clean themselves, the boys wouldn't get sick, and the laundry wouldn't pile up.....BUT since we live in reality that is not going to happen. I guess what i am saying is that I need to learn to "roll with the punches" better and not let the little things throw of my whole routine. I need to manage my time a little better so that the projects and house cleaning get done in a timely manner...SO I am now off to tackle the unfinished projects upstairs so that it is nice and clean by the time Jason gets home and then I can really relax playing with the boys, making cards, watching old movies all while enjoying a clean house!

Our Christmas Tree:

2009-12-02T09:30:00.003-06:00

For those of you who know me know that I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I love the smells, the lights, the music, the baking, the getting together with family and friends to celebrate Christs birth! This year I got to set up our Christmas tree a little early. I was doing a big open house the day after Thanksgiving and I wanted the house to be all festive and pretty. I always like to do a color theme for my tree. In the past I have done red, silver and black, which I love! I have done red, green and white. This year I did Chocolate brown, red, and green! I love how those colors look together! I get most of my ornaments from Hobby Lobby, they have a great selection and they are always on sale!

I am known for getting tall and fat trees, however this year I was able to find a tall and skinny one that I liked! Well here are a few pictures of the tree, it definitely looks better in person with the lights on at night, I will add some more pictures a little later.

Black Friday Shopping Open House!!!

2009-11-23T15:26:00.000-06:00

Holiday Open House

Friday November 27, 2009

Noon-6:00 PM

4509 Boeing Rd

Lincolns Landing Development

Off HWY 161 By Scott AFB

The Pampered Chef

Close To My heart

Party Light

Mary Kay

Handmade Cards and Gifts

And more.

Enjoy one stop shopping to get everyone on your list something special!

Stop by anytime to enjoy special savings!

Door prizes given away every hour!

Enter to win the Grand door prize valued at

more than $50

SPECIAL SAVINGS:

Shop 12:00-12:59 and receive 20% off your order

Shop 1:00-1:59 and receive 15% off your order

Shop 2:00-2:59 and receive 10% off your order

Shop 3:00-6:00 receive free shipping on your order

Enjoy free refreshments while you shop!

For questions please contact Andrea @ 618-406-9478

To do list part 2

2009-11-19T11:11:00.002-06:00

Well I must say that my to do list has gotten a lot shorter! YAY! I have finished everything for the baby shower and it was a HUGE success! Now I am working on everyday stuff around the house and trying to keep up with it and I am also working on my open house that I am having the day after Thanksgiving! More details and info to follow...

My to do list:

2009-10-29T13:49:00.002-05:00

Well this week and next week I have a lot of stuff to do:
So in no particular order:

- Make Bo some gymnastic pants
- Finish hemming curtains for my bedroom
- Work on making a baby gift
- Finish baby shower invites
- Address and mail 45 baby shower invites
- Work on baby shower party favors
- Work on baby shower menu
- Make baby shower bingo game
- Attend Pampered chef meeting
- Plan Black Friday Vendor Fair Open House (at my house)
- Start planning Christmas lists/gifts
- Go shopping for Baby Shower Decor
- Get Ready for Pampered Chef Vendor Fair next weekend
- Clean house for Halloween party on Saturday
- Close Pampered Chef Catalog show
- Prep for Pampered Chef Show
- Put laundry away
- Do more laundry
-Drink lots of COFFEE!!!!

Childrens Museum Part one...

2009-10-13T23:55:00.002-05:00

You might be asking... What is on Bos face? Well they had a self face painting station, so Bo drew on his face!

Joel loved the hand puppets!

Gone Fishing!

TWINS GAME!!!

2009-10-11T21:17:00.002-05:00

Jason and his cousin Jared at the game!

Jared made an awesome sign!

This was an awesome play!!! You had to be there. Bases loaded and Delmon Young hit a
GRAND SLAM!!!!

JOE MAUER warming up!!!!

I am in need of a recipe...

2009-10-11T20:07:00.002-05:00

So yesterday was one of those cool, fall days and Chicken and Dumplings sounded really good. The problem? I have never made Chicken and Dumplings. So I found a Paula Dean recipe online and thought that it would be a good one. The only changes that I made was I added peas and carrots and did not put celery in. I made the dumplings just like the recipe said and the only difference there was that I used wheat flour instead of white flour. Ok now the soup turned out great! It had really good flavor and was hearty. The dumplings however did not turn out. They ended up being little wheat disks that were not good at all. Could using wheat flour make it turn out bad? So now I am looking for a good chicken and dumplings recipe! Do you have one you can recommend? I would love to try it!

Joel's adventure with Powdered sugar.....and mud!

2009-10-07T20:15:00.003-05:00

I thought it was a little to quiet...

Aren't I cute!

Then we walked outside while I was cleaning up the sugar and walked right into the mud...

A rained out Air Show......

2009-10-07T18:17:00.005-05:00

Bo loved to climb in the planes!

All Buckled in!!!

Let's go look at that one mom?

Waiting in line to go into the plane!

Soaking Wet. Joel was sleeping so Jason was with him under the planes wing.

Hopefully next year the Air show won't get rained out.

Bo likes Air Planes...

2009-09-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

This morning Joel woke up at 7:30, so I brought him downstairs for a bottle and I watched a baby story. Bo soon followed by about 8:15-30 and the first thing he asks for is his airplane. He said "Mommy wheres a airplane" he then proceeds to walk around the house looking for his air planes. All of a sudden he come running down the hall screaming with happiness saying"Mommy look there it is!" He hasn't stopped playing with them all morning. By the way, Gail, Bo loves the airplane you guys got him for his birthday!

Ok Let's try again!

2009-09-18T14:31:00.003-05:00

So, lately I have been out of our somewhat normal routine and it is bugging me. I need to get back in the swing of things and in order to do that it is going to make for a very long day.....Usually when the boys wake up I get them ready for the day feed them breakfast put on some cartoons and then I check my email, Facebook and Pampered Chef stuff. Then I work my way to the kitchen and do dishes or I pick up the living room or start laundry etc... By this time Joel is ready for a nap, so I make him a bottle and lay him down. I then go take a shower while Bo is playing in the toy room or watching mickey mouse. Once I am ready, it is lunch time so I make Bo and myself lunch and then he goes down for a nap around 1 or 2. The rest of the afternoon I check email stuff again, work on another chore or do something crafty. Then of course I have the days where I have a bunch of running around to do or a play date for the boys to go to etc... Then comes getting ready for dinner and once dinner is done and we eat, we either go for a walk, watch TV and relax, or we are hanging out with people. That is our typical week. Now of course I have Pampered chef shows, Jason does Boy scouts and we have the occasional date night. But this past week has been so out of whack that it is hard to get back into the swing of things and that is my frustration right now. I don't even now how it got out of whack in the first place? GRRR. Plus now I am having to start getting ready for our trip up to Minneapolis! I can't wait! But for now that means more laundry, cleaning and packing. Anyways, I am going to revamp my blog to not only share craft ideas and family photos, but also how I am feeling, recipes and meal plans, ideas, wishes, Pampered Chef specials, random trivia, photos and the sort! So I hope you enjoy the changes that are going to take place. For now here are a couple photos of the FAM!!!

WOW it's been awhile...

2009-07-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

Well good news! Jason got me a camera for my birthday! So now I have pictures to go along with the stories I have! YAY. So You may be bombarded with pictures and stories from the past few weeks. Plus I have a few recipes people have been asking me for. So Enjoy! If there is something that you want me to blog about feel free to leave a comment!

Breast Cancer Awareness Quarters Auction!

2009-04-15T20:07:00.006-05:00

Pampered Chef
Breast Cancer Awareness Quarters Auction!

May 7, 2009
6:00 pm
Knights of Columbus
Collinsville, IL

All Proceeds go to making strides against Breast Cancer

Bring your friends and your quarters for a night of fun!
We will be auctioning NEW Pampered Chef products ranging in price from 25 cents to $1!!!

Can't Attend???
Submit a $40 order before the auction and receive one of our rubs for free (a $5.50 value) submit an $80 order and receive 2 rubs for free!
Visit my website to place your order:
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald

Spaces are filling up fast so
Call me today to reserve your table!
618-406-9478
ajbindewald@gmail.com

Contact me for more details!!!

Pampered Chef!

2009-04-06T23:59:00.002-05:00

I am sooo excited to tell all of you that I became a Pampered Chef consultant! I have used and loved the products now for several years so I decided to become apart of what I love. Now don't get me wrong I still love to stamp and scrapbook, but I also love to cook and this is a great way to learn easy new exciting recipes! Plus these days people are more interested in cooking at home instead of eating out all the time. Anyways if you or anyone you know would like to host a home cooking show or a catalog show and earn free stuff while helping me get my business off and running, please let me know! What could be better, food and friends!

Click on the link below to visit my website!

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/abindewald?page=home

Oh WOW!

2009-04-06T23:53:00.002-05:00

I am really sorry guys, I have been so bad about updating my blog. Although I must say it isn't totally my fault. My mischievous son Bo lost my camera. I have no idea where it is. I have torn this house apart looking for it. Jason thinks he might have thrown it away. He went through a time where he threw everything away and we think the camera might have been one of the things that got tossed. So I am need of a new one, it's really frustrating not have a camera. I feel like I am missing so many photo memory opportunities. Anyways, I was able to get some pictures from family members so tomorrow I will be working on posting those!

Starbucks Via!!!

2009-02-17T13:19:00.002-06:00

I signed up to get my free sample and am excited to try it!!! So read on and sign up yourself if you would like to try it!

Introducing Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew – Instant coffee, The Starbucks way.

Today at 9:18am

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is our amazing new way to make a truly great cup of coffee, just by adding water. This isn’t like instant coffee you’ve ever tasted before. This is rich, flavorful, aromatic Starbucks® Coffee – in an instant.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is made with the highest-quality, ethically-sourced Arabica beans. We’ve found a way to microgrind them in a way that preserves all their essential oils and flavor – trust us, you won’t find anything like Starbucks VIA™ anywhere else.

As a fan of Starbucks, we want you to be one of the first people to try Starbucks VIA™. Stop by starbucksVIA.com to order a sample. Supplies are limited – so make sure you come by soon.

Crimped Envelope Card!

2009-02-10T23:00:00.002-06:00

I tried this new technique this week and loved it! It was so easy and simple to do, this is not my card, but here are the directions and I will post a photo of my card in the morning! Have fun and happy stamping!

Create a pouch out of a regular envelope.

Supplies

A2 size Envelope

Paper Trimmer

Crimper

Adhesive

Stamps>>(Gina K. stamp set A Year of Flowers used here)

Cardstock (for insert)

Step-by-Step

Step 1

Seal the envelope.

Use your paper trimmer to cut 1 1/4" from one of the short sides of the envelope.

The narrow piece will be the topper and the larger piece will be the crimped pocket portion of the card.
Step 2

Decorate both pieces with stamps, keeping in mind that the bottom piece will be crimped and the images may be slightly distorted.
Step 3

Place the larger piece into the crimping tool with the opening to the side, and crimp.
Step 4

Add stamped/cut images, die cuts and embellishments as desired.
Step 5

To create the insert, cut a piece of card stock to 4" by 4 1/4".

For a layered look, cut additional pieces slightly smaller.
Step 6

Stamp and embellish insert as desired.
Step 7

As a variation you can scale the project down to create gift card holder.

Your turn! Have fun!

Misc. pics.

2009-02-10T22:51:00.001-06:00

My brother kevin.

I thought this was a really cool Candy Castle!

The adults our for lunch at a pub in the Birkshires!

New Years!

2009-02-10T22:39:00.001-06:00

We have a happy Boy!

Kelly and Brian, Jason and Joel!

Brian and Kelly meeting Joel for the first time!

Sale-A-Braion is here!

2009-02-02T12:53:00.004-06:00

Sale-A-Bration details!
Visit my website to place your order today!

Our Sale-A-Bration promotion gives reason for everyone to celebrate!

Customers: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 purchase.

Hostesses: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with a $300 or more workshop, in addition to the normal hostess benefits.

Recruits: Choose any retail stamp set (a value up to $47.95) from the current catalog when signing up during the promotion. Plus, get 15% off the regular $199 price of the Starter Kit--that's $335 worth of products for only $169!

Plus receive a free idea book and catalog with every online purchase!

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa!

2009-02-01T23:31:00.001-06:00

I just love these first two photos! Joel looks so happy and content!

Playing on Grandpa's lap.

All Snuggly.

Bo getting ready to eat dinner!

We did losts of swimming!

2009-02-01T23:20:00.002-06:00

Bo loves the water. He loves it so much that he was starting to shiver because he was getting cold and he didn't want to get out.

Alex and William Murnion and Joel Tigges.

Sledding and Snow Angels!

2009-02-01T23:13:00.002-06:00

Jason tried to teach Bo how to make snow Angels!

Weeeeeeeeee!

We tried to get Boaz to go down the hill by himself but he just sat there.

More Sledding!

2009-02-01T23:00:00.002-06:00

Jason was getting ready to go down the hill with Bo and he went to sit on the sled and it went down the hill without them. =)

Me and my Bo!

New Designer Paper

2009-01-28T21:48:00.004-06:00

Over the past couple days I was able to play a little and use my new Raspberry Tart Stampin' Up Designer paper! I love it. Enjoy!

Here I used a Napkin and gathered it and adhered it to the back of the DP! I love the way it turned out!

Ordering pictures!

2009-01-15T13:16:00.002-06:00

Hi all sorry it has been awhile since I posted last. We are finally slowing down a little bit and we are back from vacation. So I will be uploading pictures from that trip soon!
Well I wanted to let ya'll know that I started a site for family and friends to order pictures. I know several of you ask for pictures and I am so bad about printing them and sending them out. This way I will upload the pictures and you can view them and select the ones you want, order them and they will be shipped right to your house! Plus they are pretty inexpensive to buy I believe they are 19 cents per print, unless you want a 8x10 then its a little more. Please feel free to post messages and leave comments. I will still be posting on this blog, but obviously I can not post all my pictures here, so you will have to check out the other site to seeeee them all. Let me know what you think of this idea and if you think it is easy to understand. If I don't get positive feedback from everyone, then I will quite doing the other site. So let me know as I start this trial run!

Gooey Butter Cookies!

2008-12-20T21:23:00.002-06:00

1/4 tsp. Vanilla
1 egg
1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
1 stick of butter softened
1 yellow cake mix
Powdered sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in dry cake mix. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Lightly coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Drop dough by the teaspoon-fulls into bowl of powdered sugar and roll them to cover completely. Place the dough balls onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes or until a light golden brown. Makes aprx 4 dozen cookies.

Variation: Substitute the yellow cake mix with a devils food cake mix. Both versions are really yummy!!!

I got the recipe from my good friend Tami! She made them for us last summer and we loooooved them! If you cook them longer than 12-13 minutes they will be more cake like cookies rather than soft and chewy. Both are good though! Enjoy! Let me know if you like them!

Another infamous moment from Bo!

2008-12-16T13:59:00.002-06:00

I guess Boaz really liked his lunch. I gave him cheese, pepperoni, Turkey Bacon, crackers, and Raspberries. He had eaten all the raspberries I gave to start off with so I gave him a few more, needless to say I think he really liked them! The funny thing is when I got him up this morning he instantly asked for a bath, I said no we will have one tonight or tomorrow. Well he got one, I think he did it on purpose. LOL!

What a Ham.

Look at it this way, since it was everywhere, the counter, the floor, and the highchair, my floors got mopped! Clean and Sparkly!

Fun Fact about us! Coffee addicts.

2008-12-15T23:43:00.004-06:00

Jason and I have come to notice the different tastes between different brands, blends and roasts of coffee. So here are some tips and some of our favorite coffees:

1: Grind your own beans,the taste of the coffee is so much more fresh!

2. For a stronger coffee taste use a french press.

3. Store coffee beans in an air tight container, that way they do not get dried out and will retain their flavor, the bag it comes in is not good enough and is not air tight.

4. Spend the $2-$4 extra dollars and get a quality package of coffee. The better the quality of the bean the more you will enjoy your coffee experience!

Our favorite brands and roasts of coffee:

1. Caffe Verona- Bold roast by Starbucks

2. Sumatra- Extra bold roast by Starbucks

3. Original Blend-Medium Roast by Duncan Donuts

So what are some of your favorites?

Did your child ever do this?

2008-12-15T23:29:00.002-06:00

Bo did not get his afternoon nap today, because we were out all afternoon running errands. Usually he takes little naps in between stops, however, that did not happen today. So when we got home at 4:15 I set him in his highchair to eat something before he went down for his late nap. He was munching away when I walked into the living room for a couple minutes and when I didn't hear him talking I looked at Jason and asked if he thought that Bo fell asleep? So Jason peaks his head in and sure enough Bo had fallen asleep. This all happened within just a couple minutes of me walking out of the kitchen. He was really tired, so I took him upstairs to sleep a little more comfortably in his crib.

Decorating question?

2008-12-14T23:57:00.002-06:00

So this coming Friday we are hosting our Church Christmas party at our house and I am going to be decorating and preparing for it all week. Jason even took Friday off of work to help me out!
My question is:
What are some Holiday decorating ideas that you have used in the past that people have loved?

You can post all your ideas and answers in the comment section of this post! Thanks and I can't wait to see all the fun ideas!

Recipe of the week:

2008-12-14T23:39:00.002-06:00

Chinese Chicken Salad:

Grill time: 8-12 minutes
Total prep time: 30 minutes

Salad Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
1 cup roughly chopped cashews
1 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup copped fresh chives

Dressing ingredients:
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp black bean sauce with garlic
1 tsp minced garlic-about 2 cloves
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. lightly coat the chicken with oil. Season evenly with chili powder, salt and pepper. Grill Chicken over medium heat. Remove from grill and let cool until you can handle it with your fingers.

2. Using your fingers, pull the meat apart into shreds roughly 1-2 inches long. Place in large bowl. Add the remaining salad ingredients. Mix well

3. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until emulsified. Add enough dressing to the salad to lightly coat the ingredients. Mix well and serve immediately. Serve at room temperature.

Makes four servings.

This is a really yummy cold salad! We love it, plus it's healthy! I hope you like it as much as we do. Try it and let me know what you think!

By the way, I was able to find all the ingredients at my grocery store down the asian/mexican isle.

New promotions and retired list

2008-12-13T00:10:00.002-06:00

Free Shipping on all orders $70 or more from December 9-December 23.
The free shipping special is good on retiring stamp set orders as well.
All stamps sets that are retiring are offered at a 10% discount.

The following link will take you to a list of the retiring stamp sets.

Retired Stamp list

Visit my website to place your order today. Stampin' Up is guaranteeing that your order will ship by December 16th to arrive in time for Christmas. Therefore your order must be placed by December 16th. You can also find the current promotions and flyers on my website.

My website

Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas!

Online Store...

2008-12-11T22:41:00.002-06:00

I have started a new online store for all my crafts and handmade goods. If you or anyone you know is interested you can visit my store at the following link:

http://www.shophandmade.com/Store/Ajbindewald

I will be updating my store on a weekly basis or as stuff becomes available. Check it out!

Cards

2008-12-11T22:29:00.001-06:00

These are a few of the new cards that I made a couple of weeks ago.

Mini Notebooks

2008-12-11T22:24:00.002-06:00

These are some mine notebooks that I altered. I covered them all with SU paper except the second one. Added some ribbon and there you have it. They are perfect for your purse, or to use at your desk!

Magnetic post it note holders, and card sets!

2008-12-11T22:15:00.002-06:00

I think these are just cute! I covered a 4x4 cardboard coaster with SU paper! Addeda cute library clip, some ribbon, and then your post it notes!

The first card set is made with the Organic Grace stamp set, riding hood red, SU paper, and old olive ribbon! This is a set of eight.

This set was made with the pocket silhouettes, SU paper, Baja Breeze and old olive card stock. This is a set of eight.

Desktop post it note holders

2008-12-11T22:08:00.002-06:00

I made these using the plastic picture frames available at walmart. The paper and stamps are all SU.

Chocolate tins:

2008-12-11T22:02:00.002-06:00

These are a few Chocolate tins that I made for my recent craft show.
There are 12 pieces of chocolate nuggets in the tin. Tins can be purchased at papertreyink.com

These tins are currently for sale at my online store:
http://www.shophandmade.com/Store/Ajbindewald

Busted...

2008-12-11T21:52:00.002-06:00

Bo thought Joel needed to learn how to cook. What's for dinner?

So I was feeding Joel one morning and Bo was playing in the family room, so I thought....I walked into the kitchen and found that Bo had taken my canister of powdered sugar out of the pantry and decided to play in it. He even got measuring spoons, a cookie scoop and a spatula out of the drawer. This was one of those situations where you just can't help but laugh, even when you are trying to be serious.

Busted.