Mac, Mac n' Cheese!!!

We sing a Mac n' Cheese song to Keegan whenever we eat it. It goes something like, "Mac, Mac n' Cheese! We love our Mac, Mac n' Cheese!" Kris may or may not have been the one to write this really deep song... Ha!

Okay, so anyone else see that crock pot recipe for Mac n' Cheese on Pinterest?!

Well, I used it, with a couple of adjustments, to make the most delicious lunch ever.

Here's the recipe:

2 1/4 cups of milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups of pasta (online it called for elbow, but I had shells!)

Add everything except the pasta in the crock pot and mix well.

Slowly stir in the noodles.

Cook for about 3 hours on low. After about 2 hours, when the cheese mix is nice and thick, sprinkle with Italian bread crumbs... Okay, the Pinterest recipe didn't call for the bread crumbs, but SO good!!!

I sprinkled cayenne pepper on my serving. Keegan ate the whole plateful of his!

I wish I had some leftovers but we ate it all. Next time I might even double it so we can actually have leftovers...

And just for good measure I'm adding a picture of my little buttsy boy who I love so much.

"Southern" Okra Recipe

I got this recipe by reading a few online when I bought okra for the first time at the Farmers Market last summer... Now it's one of my fav's... Now, just keep in mind, okra's a little slimey, so that's why I prefer it over brown rice like THIS:

Cut up a pint of okra, leaving behind the tips and butts.

In a sauté pan, put a couple teaspoons of butter or margarine with about a teaspoon of minced garlic and about the same of chopped onion.

Once they're getting a little browned, sprinkle about 3 teaspoons of sugar. Add the okra and cook a little.

Then pour a little jar of tomato sauce over it and let it simmer about 15 minutes or so...

Serve over brown rice or just eat it regular. Even Keegan LOVED it.

Mmmm...

I'm hungry now!

Sweet Saturday...

Yesterday was a sweet day.

I almost teared up a couple of times because at so many moments it was exactly how I would want to be spending that moment if I had been given the choice to do absolutely anything in the world.

Kris and I both woke up early and were able to enjoy our coffee before Keegan woke up. We went to Walmart and Home Depot before lunch. I had wanted to pick up some paint to touch up our outdoor trim along with a couple of pieces of outdoor furniture and outdoor pillows for our deck to replace the stackable plastic furniture that we've had since we moved in for our deck to make it feel more like a little living space.

Keegan took a nap while I painted and arranged furniture, and Kris totally emptied and cleaned the garage and threw out junk. That, too, we've been wanting to do since we moved in.

Keegan woke up after over 2 hours and we started making dinner.. Probably one of my absolute favorite summer meals: BBQ chicken on the grill, and southern style Okra over brown rice... Mmmm... I'm stuffed and my mouth is still salivating thinking about it. I'll have to post a recipe for southern Okra, because IT. IS. GOOD. And up north we just don't serve it enough!

After dinner and a long hot day working outside, we loaded up in the car to hit up the new Coldstone in Okemos (right at Okemos and Jolly, Lansing people! And this is like a gorgeous coffee shop inside!).

We all got cake batter ice cream. Keegan loved his and got a definite sugar rush! Ha! ... I guess Kris and I liked ours too... Bahahaha! Psych! What's not to LOVE about cake batter ice cream filled with brownies and cookie dough?!

After Coldstone we took a little drive around Okemos and made our way to Target to pick up a citronella candle for my new two person outdoor living space (HA! My DECK.).

Keegan went to bed and Kris and I settled down with a wine spritzer (courtesy of Dr. Oz- club soda and white wine- we used Moscato) on the deck. We sat for an hour unwinding an enjoying each others company. It almost felt like a date and or a mini vacation all wrapped into one.

Life is good.

God is good.

I am feeling good!

Keegan's Words

My baby boy doesn't say a lot of words yet, but it's so cute to hear him try and mimic us. Lately, when I ask him questions, he easily answers with a confident, "Yeah! YEAH!" Haha!

Speaking of haha- I taught him how to say, "HA-HA-HA!" Oh boy. Now he says it all the time and it's hysterical. When he's trying to be sneaky getting into something he shouldn't he sweetly laughs a VERY pronounced, "HA-HA-HA!" Not as sneaky as you think my friend!!!

He calls everything a "snack" right now, but he can't really say it. He says, "Na! Na!"

He is always talking to and asking about Dada or Deeda (His version of Daddy). He's FINALLY starting to say Momma more consistently, too.

He knows "Dog" and "Baba" even though we've really weened the bottles. We have to spell out B-O-T-T-L-E because he'll whine for one if he hears the word... And nobody likes a Mr. Whiney Pants!

Keegan always seems to say something that's pretty close to, "I did that!" but it's actually more like, "I dee da!" So cute.

Finally, he warmed my heart so much this week. When I said, "I love you," he responded with what sounded like "I love you," but it was more like "I yuh youuu!"

What a joy. Is he not such a sweet pea?! I love him. What fun.

Time to spend this perfect weather weekend with my fabulous little family!

I lied.

I lied. My last post I promised I would blog the next day, and I didn't. Sorry.

I've been so absolutely scattered the past couple weeks. I feel like things have been such a juggling act for the past month, and I've been dropping the ball so much!

Oh well. Just have to keep going one day at a time and keep trying to do as best I can on all fronts!

I don't know what to do in regards to the gallbladder surgery. I know it needs to come out, but we've had nothing but headaches with the new insurance at Coca-Cola. Neither of the hospitals in Lansing participate with them (I know, right?!) so I'd have to go to either Detroit or Grand Rapids to get it done. Not THAT big of a deal, but in conjunction with the fact that Keegan is still so young and doesn't walk very much yet, and needs to be carried quite a bit- plus it's pretty much SUMMER. I would hate to have to be so careful with my wounds during the summer when you're so much more active.

Plus, as of yesterday, the only two other homes in our neighborhood that were for sale are now sold (ours has been off the market since my hospital stay), which would mean that if we got our house back on the market right now, we could take advantage of being the only available home for sale in the neighborhood during the summer, which might be really good.

I don't know though. I might try and hold off on the surgery until the earlier fall, when-Lord willing- Keegan will be walking a little more and a little more independent so that 2-4 weeks of not being able to carry him shouldn't be as difficult to achieve.

Ahhh.

What a headache.

Also, on another note... We found tr BEST frozen pizza...

It's the Target brand one, and it's only like, $4.50 or something! It's the thin crust Spinach, Tomato and Goat Cheese pizza. SO good! We keep a few in our freezer at a time.

Plus, 1/3 of a pizza is a serving, and there's only 330 calories/ serving. Is that just me, or is that really low for 1/3 a pizza?!?!

Anyway...

I suppose I should go get my workout on while my busy boy takes his morning nap!

These are a few of my favorite things

Hi, I'm Mandy, and I'm bad at blogging again. I still need to post about Keegan's birthday party, because I am pretty proud of how it turned out. I'm really detail oriented so I spent a lot of time preparing, and it ended up so worth it. But for now, let's talk about some random goodness.

#1) We're getting a new car on Wednesday! So pumped. We're getting a navy blue Chevy Traverse. Such a great incentive right now- and they're built right here in good ol' Lansing!!! Coke is getting rid of company cars, and we've put off getting a new one for a few months. We're right up to the wire and have to turn in the old company car on June 1. We are excited!!! We will miss the free gas that came with the old Ford Focus, but are looking forward to a little more reliable of a ride, and having some room to grow our family in the future.

#2) I learned the trick to the BEST chicken you've ever had on CBS This Morning a few weeks ago, and I've made it twice so far and it was even better the 2nd time.

Wanna know the secret?!

Take an entire roaster chicken (thawed) and pop it in a roasting pan with a tiny bit if water on the bottom. Cover that chicken with delicious raw bacon. By cover, I mean seriously cover it. I've found that its best with a little fatter bacon because it really makes it juicy.

Then, you just bake it (UNCOVERED!!!) at 350 degrees for about 3 hours.

That's it!!!! No basting at all!

Next!

#3) I got lucky a couple weeks ago when I went to Marshall's... I got there WHILE they were doing mark downs. Hahahaha it was T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

I had to have help carrying stuff up to the counter! I've been wanting to find a piece to put up on our landing at the top of our staircase to make it seem more like some useful living space, and I found a side table, a lamp and little bird statue all for $60!!!

I am so pleased with it, and here is a photo below.

I promise. I'll blog tomorrow to try and get caught up, since I know everyone's been on the edge of their seats wondering where the heck I've been on the blogging front (psych!).