Productivity...What's That???

In the title of my blog, I say "wonderfully blessed by chaos"; here's an example of chaos in our house...

While I was in my staff meeting this morning, I made a mental list of what all I'm going to accomplish today (yeah, I know, I should have been focusing on work, not my list of things to do):
-go for a run
-go to the grocery store
-bake cookies
-decorate the house for Christmas
-do 2 loads of laundry
-start wrapping some gifts
-and play with my little munchkin

After I got home from work this morning (Monday's are my 1/2 day), I did get my run in...3 miles...gearing up for the Mistletoe 5K this weekend (yikes).  And I made it to the grocery store, but after that things sorta fell apart.  I walk into my house and get to deal with this:

And this was only one area of food...it went from one end of the kitchen to the other.  Apparently, the dogs decided they prefer their food all over the floor!

And while I cleaned up dog food, my sweet little munchkin had gone from a happy baby to something like this:

Now, is that a face or what?!?  So in about 2 minutes time, productivity was out the window and chaos had taken over.  Much later in the day I was able to do 1 load of laundry and bake some cookies...and of course, I got in some playtime with little one!  :)  I also got to wrap up my day, listening to my husband tickling Ali and listening to her giggle and squeal in delight...melts my heart!  I'll get to the rest of my "to-do" list when I have another free day (if that ever occurs)...until then I'll just enjoy the chaos, laughter, and love.

Ali's First Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was a busy day in the James house.  We did enjoy a little "downtime" yesterday morning before chaos ensued.  :)  We headed to Brandon's aunt's house for Thanksgiving lunch with his whole side of the family.  There were about 22 of us there...big crowd.  It was lots of fun to see our precious little niece running around playing.  She is getting soooo big!  And fun to see Emma and Ali "playing" together.  I think Emma was doing more playing and Ali watching, but it won't be too long before they can actually play together.  And of course, we ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed some great time with family.  Here's some pictures from the James' side Thanksgiving:

After that meal, we headed off for another meal...yep, 2 huge meals in one day!  We went to my parent's house for dinner with my family and the Eskew family and my Nana.  I was wondering how Ali would do since we were gone all day and there would be no downtime once we left our house that morning, but she was great.  Took a little catnap in the car on the way and was fine until we laid her down at my parent's house for bed.  Such a trooper.  Now, all I'm gonna say about this meal is it was fun and interesting!  My family is legitimately crazy (a fun crazy, but still crazy) and I'm not even gonna expand any further than that, but I have decided that I'm going to have to buy this bib that I saw one day, for Ali...it reads "seriously, are these people really my relatives?".  Perfect for the next family gathering!  But it was a fun, delicious meal with lots of fun family time.  Here's some pics from dinner with Collins' and Eskew's:

Overall, we had a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving and were very thankful to be able to spend it with all of our families!

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving...

At the beginning of this month I decided that, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, when I said my daily prayer I would give thanks for something different everyday.  Although I already knew that we had a lot to be thankful for, this experience made me realize just how blessed we are.  I encourage you to do it, even if you haven't done it this month, just sit down and make a list (in your head or write it down) for everyday in the month of November...trust me, you'll enjoy seeing just how blessed you are.  Here's my list:

November 1-thankful for my health
November 2-thankful for my family and friend's health
November 3-thankful for my loving and supportive husband, who's also my best friend

November 4-thankful for a beautiful, healthy, and happy baby girl

November 5-thankful for the excitement and fun that my 4 pets bring to our life

November 6-thankful that I was able to go to part-time after Ali was born, so that I can be home more with her and still do a job that I love
November 7-thankful for our incredible families

November 8-thankful that my husband has a successful job and works so hard to support us
November 9-thankful that we have a warm and comfy home
November 10-thankful for lifelong friends

November 11-thankful that we are able to put food on the table at every meal
November 12-thankful that my mom was able to arrange her work schedule to keep Ali on the days that I work
November 13-thankful for the delightful squeals that we get to hear (frequently) out of Ali's mouth
November 14-thankful that we're able to travel and take family vacations

November 15-thankful that my husband is such a wonderful, hands-on daddy
November 16-thankful for growing families in the last year and the coming year (of course, our little Ali and baby Foster #2 and Diane and Josh's wedding)

November 17-thankful that our parents have set such a wonderful example of a long, loving marriage and family
November 18-thankful for health insurance (because there are so many without)
November 19-thankful for 2 working cars
November 20-thankful for our church
November 21-thankful for so many wonderful memories with family and friends...and so many more to come
November 22-thankful for already getting about half of our Christmas shopping done
November 23-thankful for our wonderful, fun, and crazy life!
Thanksgiving-thankful for a quiet morning at home with Brandon and Ali before heading off to celebrate with both sets of our families

I think it's safe to say...we are pretty blessed!  :)

Running or at least an attempt at running...

So I've been training for a 5K for the last couple of months.  Now those of you that know me, know that I really HATE running and always have hated it.  So you're probably wondering why would you sign up for a 5K???...it does involve running!  Well, I wanted a little motivation to get back into working out after Miss Ali arrived.  Also, I must say, one of my best friends, Bethanye, has really motivated me to try my hand (or feet) at this running thing (also at this blogging thing, come to think of it).  Thanks Bethanye!  You see, Bethanye and I ran track in high school.  I use the term "ran track" very loosely...we were the slowest people on the team!  My mom would sit at the meets and crack up laughing at us because everyone else would finish and be celebrating and Bethanye and I would still be taking our own sweet time crossing that finish line.  So when Bethanye REALLY got into running (has run multiple 5ks and her 1st 1/2 marathon!  I'm sooo proud of her!), I thought well if she can learn to like this, so can I!  Although I'm not certain that is the case for me...but I'll still keep trying.

The date of my 1st 5k is quickly approaching...December 3rd...the Mistletoe 5K!  I'm getting a little anxious about the whole thing.  My training came to a screeching halt several weeks ago with a toe injury, which resulted in a little minor toe "procedure", but I'm trying to get back on track now.  I'm not confident that I'll be able to run the whole thing straight, but I'll be able to run most of it and I will finish it...no matter what my time is!  :)   So anyways, I've been mostly running on the treadmill because I joined a gym after having Ali, so I wanted to put my membership to good use.  I've been doing pretty good on the treadmill, so I thought today would be a good day to do a pretty long run, outside in my parent's neighborhood, before picking up Ali from mom's.  WOW, I forgot how different running outside on the pavement is compared to the treadmill!  I'm going to be hurting tomorrow, but I feel pretty good about how the run went.  Don't get me wrong...I still think I HATE the actual run, but I've realized that I think I LOVE the feeling I have after running.  Throughout the whole run I find myself setting goals for myself when I feel like I'm loosing steam (an example of my internal monologue: "if you can make it to that next sign, you can slow down...well now that you made it to that sign, see if you can make it to the next sign...ok, now let's see if you can run 2 more minutes...").  When I get done I feel like I've accomplished such a huge goal and I feel so refreshed.  So the verdict is still up in the air about whether I'll become a "runner", but for now I think I might be at least enjoying the process!

Home-cooked deliciousness!

So with the craziness of the work week and a 5 month old, I don't get to cook a big meal as much as I'd like.  I'm usually cooking something easy and quick during the week, rather than what one of my best friends, Christy, calls "a good home-cooked meal".  So about a week or so ago, Christy calls and the question that she asks is: "I've been craving a good home-cooked meal...what are some ideas that may fulfill that craving?"  So ever since that day that we threw around lots of options like oven-fried chicken, chicken casseroles, and meatloaf, I've been craving a "good home-cooked meal".  Since Brandon's parents hadn't seen Ali in awhile, we invited them over to have dinner with us last night...a perfect excuse to make a "good home-cooked meal"!  I cooked some recipes from my 4 favorite cooks:my mom's famous meatloaf, Brandon's mom's green bean casserole, Paula Deen's baked macaroni and cheese, and the Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Cream Pie.

My mom is an awesome cook and pretty much everything she makes is amazing...but what I consider her "signature dish" has got to be her meatloaf!  It's absolutely the best thing ever...Here's the recipe:

Mom's Famous Meatloaf

1/2 c. ketchup

1/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 t. dry mustard

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs (about 2 1/2 slices)

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 t. instant beef bouillon

Preheat oven to 350.  In a sm. bowl, combine ketchup, sugar, 1 T. lemon juice, and mustard; set aside. In lg. bowl, combine remaining ingredients and 1/3 c. of sauce; mix well.  In shallow baking dish, shape into loaf.  Bake for 1 hour, pour off fat. Pour remaining sauce over top of meatloaf; continue baking for 10 minutes.

And here's the link to the pumpkin cream pie:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/pumpkin-cream-pie/

 Yummy!  The Pioneer Woman is one of my newest, favorite cooks...also, thanks to Christy telling me about her website.  You must try her recipes...everything that I've made is absolutely delicious.  And while, we're discussing her pumpkin recipes...try her pumpkin muffins (you can find them on the website).

It must have been good because I assumed that as much food as I'd made, we'd have tons of leftovers...there are very few leftovers in my fridge, as we speak!  :)

Temper Tantrums at 5 months old???

Let me first start this post by saying how blessed we feel to have an easy, happy, and smiley baby.  For instance, my mom and I always go to the Southern Living Craft Show in Charlotte.  So this year my mom, nana, Ali and I all went.  We were gone ALL day long and Ali never once cried...a couple of whines when she wanted to be picked up and have a break from the stroller, but that's it.  In fact everyone that saw her commented on how happy she was and how much she smiled.  Here's a picture for proof!

And then we got home...I figured that she would be tired since we were gone all day and her naps were limited.  So when bedtime rolled around, we did our normal thing (rice cereal, a little playtime, bottle, etc...), Ali started rubbing her eyes and sucking on her fingers (usual signs that it's bedtime), we said goodnight and laid her in the crib around 7:15 (typical bedtime for her).  I came downstairs...ahhh, relaxation with the hubby and some Papa John's pizza...or so we thought!  That's when it happened.  All hell breaks loose over the monitor.  My sweet, happy, laid back little girl is pitching a "terrible-two" caliber temper tantrum!  Brandon and I just looked at eachother, sorta laughed, mostly in disbelief that our little Ali was capable of such a tantrum.  I went up and checked on her, and as soon as I walked in, she stopped crying and smiled.  I turned and walked out (thinking she'd "cry it out") and the high-pitched tantrum started again.  This in and out, off and on crying went on for a little bit before she finally was ready to go to sleep.  I think it's safe to say, we've been spoiled by how laid back she is.  We may be seeing a new side of our little "angel".  :)  Although, I have a feeling that this is mostly the teething stage that we're entering.

Good news is that Brandon and I did finally get to enjoy some relaxation that night, once the temper tantrum was over...

Mmmm....sitting by the chimnea, roasting marshmallows, and making smores! :)

Giving this a try...

Well, I've been following some friend's blogs and other blogs that friends have recommended for quite some time now, and I've decided I'd like to give blogging a try.  So in all my free time (*sarcasm*), I'm going to attempt blogging our crazy, chaotic, but wonderfully blessed life!  Being that our household is made up of Brandon, myself, an infant, 2 dogs, and 2 cats, things are never boring around here!  In fact, as I sit here entering this first post, Ali is squealing (happily), one cat is running through the living room and jumping up in the air (like she's lost her mind), and a doorbell on TV just rang so both dogs are running through barking.  I can't remember the last time we had "quiet time" in the house, but that's okay because all of this chaos makes our life incredibly fun and entertaining and we wouldn't trade it for a second.  

As Thanksgiving rolls around, I find myself reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for this year.  The most obvious is our beautiful, healthy, and happy 5 month old baby girl.  We're completely in love with our little sweetheart!  I am also thankful for the journey that Brandon and I have had to get to this point in our lives.  We've been together since we were 15 and 16, so we've practically grown up together and gone through most big events in our lives together.  For that, I am so thankful...I believe this has given us a wonderful foundation for a long and loving marriage.  I am reminded, daily, how blessed we are to have one another and how blessed I am to have such an amazing, supportive husband and father to our little girl.  More on thankfulness to come in later posts! :)

Well, Ali's squealing has gone from delight to "come and pick me up" and the dogs are crying at the back door to be let out, so my "blogging break" is over....until next time!