New House Before and After

Here are the pictures as promised. I didn't take pictures of the play room or office because they are a mess. The office if the room off of the dining room. That was a big formal dining/living that we put a wall up to add the office. I couldn't find a picture of the actual master bath before but it was tiny. It had the tub, toilet and one small vanity. Anyway, I am glad it is all done. Now for the decorating.

Easter 2008

Easter Egg Hunt #1

Alyssa caught on really quick!

Mallory's teacher helped her while I helped Alyssa. She caught on too!

The girls had their first Easter egg hunt this morning at MDO. It was fun. It lasted about 10 minutes but it was fun. I had really cute Easter outfits for the girls to wear but it was 40 degrees when we woke up this morning so I changed my plan. The looked really cute in the dresses Uncle Bryan gave them for Christmas. That is the great thing about girls. A spring dress can be worn with sandals or tights and dress shoes. I just threw a sweater on them and they were ready to go. We have 2 more egg hunts this weekend. They should definitely get the hang of it by Sunday! Oh, and big news......

MALLORY IS FINALLY 20 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!! Now she can face forward instead of turning her head around the whole time we are driving!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week:

Monday - We were in Shreveport

Tuesday - Shrimp Gumbo Casserole (Paula Deen)

Wednesday - Grilled Tilapia w/ lemon butter sauce and baked rice

Thursday - BUNCO! Which means leftovers or cereal for Trey

Friday - No cooking

Saturday - We will be in Carthage

Sunday - I am sure we will be so stuffed from Easter lunch there will be no dinner.

You can check out other recipes at I'm am Organizing Junkie.

Alyssa is 2!

Let's eat some cake!

She had a Mickey Mouse theme party so it was only appropriate that she got a Mickey Mouse DVD from Mimi. She was so excited!

Papaw got her this cool fire truck!

We got Alyssa a big girl table. She ate breakfast on it this morning.

Mallory loves the fire truck too!

We had a great day! Alyssa had lots of friends and family come and play. Uncle Andy & Aunt Kelly even got to watch it on the computer! The only disappointment was the cake. Chris was out of own this weekend so we had to buy a cake from Super 1. It tasted okay but looked HORRIBLE! I was so embarassed! Oh well, it will soon be forgotten. We got to debut our new house. We were working on it up until last minute. I will post pictures sometime this week. My baby is 2! I can't believe it. She is getting soooo big! So that was our weekend. Today will be a day of rest and relaxation. This will be the first day we have been able to do that.

Menu Plan Monday

So my friend Elaine has started doing this Menu Plan Monday on her blog so I decided to give it a try. I actually have a full kitchen now so I can cook for the first time in weeks. I promise I will post pictures of the house soon. There are still boxes everywhere. I know I should be unpacking instead of blogging but I am doing it anyway! Here is my menu:

Monday - We ate Cane's because Trey didn't get a chance to hook up the cook top but he is doing it right now!

Tuesday - Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells (see below)

Wednesday - BBQ Chicken Packets (see below), Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Thursday - Fabulous Fajita Pizza (Pampered Chef)

Friday & Saturday- I don't cook on the weekends (that is a house rule!)

Sunday - Spaghetti w/meat sauce, Strawberry Spinach Salad & Garlic Bread

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

16 dried jumbo pasta shells, prepared according to package rinsed & drained

1 lb ground beef

1 16oz can refried beans

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 T taco seasoning

1 1/2 C salsa

Heat oven to 350. Cook beef & drain. Add beans, 3/4 C cheese & taco seasoning; mix well. Spread 1/4 C salsa over bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Fill pasta shells w/ beef mixture; place shells filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells. Cover baking dish w/ foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle w/ remaining cheese.

BBQ chicken packets

foil

chicken breasts

BBQ sauce

Tony's

Tear off a piece of foil big enough to wrap the chicken. Place raw (I use frozen) chicken breast on foil and sprinkle with Tony's then cover with BBQ sauce. Wrap chicken up in foil and place on baking sheet. Wrap as many pieces of chicken as you want. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until done.

To view additional MPM's go to I'm am Organizing Junkie.

Where am I?

It's a blizzard here! Well, the closest thing to a blizzard I have ever seen! It is really snowing. I don't mean ice - snow! It is very hard to unpack boxes when all I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch the snow fall in the backyard! Our counter tops were installed yesterday and look FABULOUS! The plumber will be here today to connect my sink and dishwasher. Our backsplash is being installed Monday & Tuesday so hopefully by the end of next week I can post before and after pictures. Alyssa's birthday party is next Saturday so we are determined to have everything completely finished by then. Well, inside anyway. The yard is another story!!!

A Day in the Park