Johnson and Johnson: January 2012

1/29/12

Thank God for His provisions.

When I quit my job last May to become a stay-at-home-mom, Brian and I knew our financial situation would be different.

We knew that sometimes it would be difficult.

And we believed more than anything that the Lord would provide.

And He has...

Countless times.

Through BIG things and little things.

He has provided.

Today we went to Publix to get groceries. I had some coupons for formula that were pretty great and expire kind of soon so I thought I would pick up a pack while we were there... just to stay ahead of the game.

As I grabbed the formula off the shelf, I noticed it was $4 less than it normally is. Woo hoo! If we could use anything, it would be a little bit less $$ on formula- let's just say that baby girl eats a lot.

I walk up to the register, put our formula on the conveyer and walk to the register.

It rang up at it's old price, not the $4 less price.

If you are a Publix shopper, you know what that means- any item that rings up wrong is given to the customer free.

We walked away with a $35 double refill pack of formula for free.

That is 1.5 weeks worth of food for our sweet girl.

*And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus.*

Philippians 4:19

Praise God for His provisions!

1/26/12

Rainy day.

Today is the first day EA and I have just stayed at home in a LONG time.

We couldn't have picked a more perfect day. It has been raining since she woke me up this morning at 8:30 (did I mention my daughter is dreamy? Totally is.)

So far we have watched Matlock, worked on a few banners, and now I am catching up on what feels like months of my favorite blogs as I listen to her talk on our bed.

I don't have much to say but wanted to leave a note saying I am still here and I hope you are enjoying the fabulously rainy day.

Happy Thursday my friends!

1/15/12

On a roll.

So, this week I have been on a roll with cooking dinner.

We managed to eat out alot over the holidays so I was anxious to get back into some normalcy.

Monday night was the National Championship, so we opted out of real dinner to enjoy football snacks. Congrats to the Tide, but let's just say I liked last year's winner a whole lot better. Ah, well, we win some, we lose some. War eagle.

Tuesday night I tried a new lasagna recipe that knocked my socks off. It was CRAZY simple and amazingly tasty. And Brian has mentioned how good it was at least 5 times since we sat down to enjoy the meal. (Go to the bottom of the post for the lasagna recipe!)

I won't deny it- I was tempted to go out Wednesday night. We were supposed to have crockpot chili, but I conveniently forgot to get the crockpot ready until about 2 (AKA naptime.) We had Bible study at 6, so it seemed like the best thing to do would be to grab something before we went, but instead I decided to try crockpot potatoes. Folks, this was the answer to all my potato woes. I wrapped my 2 clean, holy baked potatoes in aluminum foil, placed them in the crockpot on high, let them cook for about 3.5 hours and voila- done! Spread on the toppings and had a great dinner. I will never go back to potato confusion again. Ladies, you must try it.

Finally, the caramel to my apple.... Thursday night's meal. As I mentioned in my Football Friday posts, I really enjoying following Plain Chicken's blog... she has amazing recipes that are made with normal ingredients... I don't do fancy or over the top, so she is my recipe hero. A week or so ago she posted about her Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili. The recipe is so simple and the results were fantastic. I had never made a chicken chili before but will definitely make this deliciousness again. Heavenly.

Classic Lasagna with a Johnson twist
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
2 1/2 c. Kraft Italian cheese
1 container of ricotta cheese
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1 egg
1 jar spaghetti sauce
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Mix 1 1/4 c. Italian cheeses, ricotta, parsley, and egg until well until blended, then set aside.
Brown meat and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add 1 cup of water to meat mixture. Stir until well blended.
In a 9x13 baking dish, layer 1 c. meat sauce, uncooked pasta shells, and cheese mixture. Top with another cup of meat sauce. Repeat with remaining noodles, meat sauce, and cheese.

Cover with fail and bake at 350* for 1 hour or until heated through. Remove the foil after 45 min. and finish cooking.

What are your favorite go-to meals for week nights? I would love some suggestions to keep this roll... rolling!

1/12/12

Cereal.

Emily Ann had cereal for the first time on Tuesday night.

She was okay with it the first few bites, but became continually more disgruntled with every passing bite.

We have tried it in a bottle a few times since then and have had much more success, so I think it was just the spoon that was throwing her off. We will try again tonight and hope for a better attitude!

Have a great Thursday my friends!

1/7/12

A day at the park.

January 1, 2012

1/6/12

Emily Ann- 4 months

Emily Ann, you are the best. I could not ask for a better daughter and I am loving every minute of watching you learn and grow. You are absolutely precious and your Daddy and I adore you.

We love you baby girl.

Firsts: Trip to the beach, trip to the Grand, first time in the swimming pool, Christmas, visit to Daddy's work, New Year's Eve and New Years

Milestones: Holding yourself up in your Exer-Saucer, talking loudly on a regular basis

Measurements: 14 lbs. 2 oz (60th percentile), 25 inches long (90th percentile), size 2 diapers, 3-6 month clothes

Like Mommy: Big blue eyes

Like Daddy: Sometimes gets fussy when shopping....tee hee.

Food: You are eating about 6.5 oz. every 4 hours. You got the go-ahead to start on baby food at your 4 month appt!

Sleep: Most of the time, you are sleeping about 12 hours at night. You usually take a nap in the morning somewhere around the house and a nap in the afternoon in your crib. You also snooze in your pumpkin seat/ in the car when we go out during the day.

Challenges: At the beginning of the month, you fought with your bottle every time we fed you. This made feeding a verrrrrrry long process. We moved your feeding schedule from every 3 hours to every 4 hours and changed your bottles from Medela to Dr. Brown. This has made the feeding situation much much better.

Our Days: You wake up at 8:00 each morning and have breakfast. After you eat, you usually play in the Exer-Saucer or on Mommy's bed as she gets ready for the day. If we have plans for the day, we usually plan for about 10:00. This gives us time to go out before your next feeding. You eat again at 12:00 then we play from the end of that feeding until 2:00 when I lay you down for a nap in your crib. You sleep from 2:00-4:00 (unswaddled). At 4:00 you eat again, then spend some time with Daddy. You sit in your Bumbo as Mommy and Daddy eat dinner, then we play a little more before bedtime. You take a bath every other evening right before your 8:00 meal. We feed you at 8:00 and you go to bed at 8:30 (swaddled).

Favorite Moments

Mommy's Favorite: Hearing you talk and giggle.

Daddy's Favorite: Seeing you smile when you wake up in the morning.

Nicknames: EA, Doodle Bug, Baby Girl

Photo ops:

Meeting Santa at the mall with Mommy and Grandma