Happy New Year, Friends! It's been a while since I've been blogging. Noelle, m.s.inspired, and life have really kept me busy the past few months! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and that you all have a fantastic 2014. I am certain that 2014 will be a great year for our family and look forward to what it will bring very much!

A while ago my mom wrote this short essay that she shared with my sister and me. In the spirit of the New Year and the hundreds of thousands of people who will make a resolution to lose weight, eat better, be  healthier, etc. I thought it would be the perfect time to share it with you all (with mom's permission of course).

My wish for you this New Year is to be happy, whatever that is for you.

Another weekend is in the books. This one was a bigger one, too.

The return of college football, and Labor Day which meant a long weekend for mom.

(Unfortunately, dad had to work on Saturday, and Monday, but we soaked up every bit of Sunday!)

 After a quick run to Target for a few essentials, we were home and rooting on the

Wolverines in the first game of the season. Touchdown! Go Blue!

Instead of photographing Sunday's events we enjoyed them.

Daddy worked on a project for Noelle and her little friends,

while we (Nono and me) got some chores done, watched a chick flick, and relaxed indoors. 

 Monday started with a walk to Starbucks.

Night terrors have started, and "they" must have known that mom didn't work the next day.

Baby girl and I had lots of sleepy snuggles (on the couch, almost all night,) so coffee for mom was a necessity!

 During Nono's morning nap I finished sewing her birthday banner.

Now all that's left is some stenciling, and a final once over ironing.

This has inspired me to possibly make a holiday banner.

I'm enjoying the whimsical touch it adds to the apartment. We'll see!

 Our next door neighbor's Great Neice was over for a family bbq,

so before all of their company arrived, we had a little play time.

It was so cute. They're just a month apart in age, so were perfect for each other!

Noelle explored the toy cabinet. 

 Tried on some shoes for fall. Baby's first Stuart Weitzmans, compliments of Aunt Erica!

And, continued her musical education with Glastonbury 2013. Thank you, Palladia!

So, I'm a little late on this one. But, as they say "better late than never" right?! We had an awesome 4th of July, and I think Noelle had a good time too.

We started the day with breakfast made by David, and drinks made by Mallory.

*Strawberry Lemonade*

Breakfast and beverages were followed by running around in Nono's DJ booth (her not us), Skyping with Nene and Da in Las Vegas, and playing in the backyard.

In the late afternoon we headed to the suburbs to families house for dinner, fireworks and fun. They live on a beautiful small, no motor boat lake. It's always a great time. The dogs (all three of them) run around the yard, we eat good food, and blow off a ton of fireworks when the sun goes down.

It was one of my favorite Fourth of Julys to date.

I cannot think of a better place to spend Memorial Day weekend than Higgins Lake. So, a last minute decision was made, and we prepared to head north for a much needed family weekend away from reality.

The weekend was filled with relaxation (well, for Noelle and me at least, TBD put his favorite son-in-law to work right away), good food, family, and even a couple of bon fires!

We visited with old neighbors, and met the new neighbors. We took Nono to the party store for her first  of many trips to Good Times, and she got to meet the rest of the kiddos that will carry on our traditions at Higgins one day.

Noelle is already looking forward to August when we'll be back at Higgins to wrap up the end of the summer.

I promise that I will get back to regularly posting very soon. Things have been VERY hectic around these parts lately. More on that later in the week.

Right now though, I just need to say happy Mother's Day!

Great Grandma, Cammy, Noelle (2 months) & me

Cammy, Noelle (3.5 months) & me

Noelle (5 months) & me

I have been slacking majorly on the writing lately, but am trying to pick up the pace a bit. For whatever reason my blog motivation has been at an all time low. I have plenty to write about, but just haven't been able to drag myself to the computer and put my fingers to the keys. Anyways, whats important is that I'm here now.

Celebrating Noelle's first Easter was very low key. Over the course of the past few weeks she received Easter baskets from Nene and Da, as well as Cammy and TBD. Without knowing, both sets of Grandparents got Noelle singing and dancing "stuffed" (with a battery pack, not so snuggly) animals. Noelle is a bit young to really appreciate them now (as you'll see in the video with the bunny) but they'll be fun keepsakes to pull out for many Easters to come. They sure did act as good props though for our mini Easter photo shoot.

On Easter we went to the suburbs for a small Easter gathering with those of us left in Illinois. It was actually really nice just the six of us. Great Aunt Pam put together a little Easter basket hunt for Sophia and Noelle. Sophia lead the way, showing Noelle how it's done, and found their baskets outside. They're pals already!

Pam had a big spread including the traditional "pot-o-meat" and horseradish for brunch, and I provided dessert. This year I decided that, with our new family, I would start our own Easter tradition. Pistachio cake has always been a favorite in my family, so I decided that with it's light green color it would be the perfect Easter dessert. I promise, although it may sound strange, it is delicious. Here is the recipe.

cake ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
1 package pistachio instant pudding
1 cup club soda
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped

how to:
mix together (beat about 3 minutes)
grease 9X13 pan
bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes

frosting ingredients:
1 package pistachio instant pudding
1 cup milk

how to:

beat together
fold in 8 oz. cool whip (thawed)

*I recommend letting the cake cool in the fridge over night, though a few hours would probably be enough. It will then be ready for frosting, and you won't have to worry about it melting off the cake.

Enjoy!

Finally! As I mentioned in my OTG update, we made Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Paddy's Day. It was easy and delicious.

ingredients:

3-4 lbs corned beef

4 carrots, cut into thirds 

2 onions, quartered

1 head of cabbage, quartered

*These amounts should be adjusted to what will actually fit in your slow cooker. I did not think of this, and everything almost did not fit. Lesson? I need a bigger slow cooker!

how to:

put your meat and the veggies (minus the cabbage) in your cooker

cook on low for 6 hours

remove corned beef and slice into smaller pieces to be served

return corned beef to cooker

add the cabbage

cook on low for another 2 hours

The corned beef I purchased had already been cured and spiced, so all I had to do was throw it in with the veggies. It was super easy, and we had plenty left over, too. Dave actually liked it better as left overs so it had even more time to marinate. 

Next time I make this I might add some red skin potatoes, but its definitely not necessary. And, I like to dip mine in a nice, grainy, horseradishy mustard. YUM! Serve it along side of your favorite porter or stout beer, and your good to go.

Enjoy!

Hey ya'll! Well, I'm a bit behind in my writing lately, but I've taken a bit of a break since my first OTGS. I was inspired and have definitely given my computer the back seat. We have lots of catching up to do.

First, OTGS was awesome. At the beginning of the day it was a bit strange, but when bed time rolled around I realized that I didn't miss the computer/internet too much. I find myself needing to use it less and "worrying" about it less too, actually. Today I've even been thinking that I don't need these online social media accounts at all! Keeping up is just getting to be a bit much. Wow. Did you ever think I'd say type those words?

The inaugural OTGS was also St. Paddy's Day, and my six year anniversary with Chicago. We spent the day indoors mostly. We relaxed, caught up on some tv, and tried some delicious new beers at home while our corned beef and cabbage cooked in the slow cooker. (Recipe to follow soon. SO easy!)

Since then we've managed to stay busy with a few visitors. First, with Aunt Erica in from New York. She was here on business and was nice to get the opportunity to visit with her. Then over the weekend we spent time with Dave's parents who were in town from Las Vegas. We had a lot of good meals, including our usual, and favorite, corned beef sandwiches. Noelle got lots of love during Nene and Da's time here. No doubt though not enough to last until their next visit in July.

This week I also started crocheting! I'm still very much a beginner, but it's a good outlet for my creative side, really relaxing, and enjoyable. I managed to whip up two headbands for Noelle in about a day.

Finally, I've started reading Lean In, and am so inspired. Seriously, you should probably read this. Man or woman, it doesn't really matter. I'm only part way through the book and it really has some interesting facts and observations that are beneficial to all of us in workforce today. Great food for thought!

So, that's that, really. Did any of you participate in the OTGS challenge? How did it go?