Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I originally found a recipe called Cheater Pot Pie and tweaked it a little to make it my own. 

Let me just tell you, this turned out phenomenal. Seriously.

I've already made this meal three times within the last four weeks.

I believe I could eat it once a week, it's that good. 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 (15 oz) Can Mixed Vegetables (or frozen I've used both and they both turned out great. I also used two cans because we like veggies.)
1 (5 oz) can chicken chunks, drained
2 (11 oz) cans of condensed cream of chicken soup (I used FitActive it's less fattening.)
1/2 cup milk
1 (10 oz) can refrigerated layered biscuits (I used buttermilk biscuits this previous time but used crescent rolls the first time and I liked them better.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with melted butter; reserve some of the melted butter.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mixed vegetables and chicken; cook until vegetables are tender. Fold in soup; mix well. Pour in milk and mix until smooth; mixture should not be runny. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and spread mixture in bottom of pie pan. Separate biscuits into layers and place gently on top of mixture. Drizzle remaining butter on top of biscuit layers.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Wallah.

I've Earned My Stripes

With all of the birthdays, weddings & events this month I thought it was unrealistic to challenge myself to Blog Everyday in May. I've also conclusion that I don't have to blog everyday if I don't want to or if I don't have enough time or topic. However, some of the prompts were awesome and I knew I wanted to participate in a few days of the challenge.

Day 20

Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.

I am a mother. My body has been stretched, torn and has changed more than I thought was possible. I struggle with the baby weight that I still have and how I view my body. Wyatt is one. By now, I thought I'd definitely be back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I thought I'd be like one of these models on TV that didn't get a stretch mark one and would be back to my pre-baby weight in no time. Well, I'm not. I shouldn't have set my expectations that high.



I'm 5'1 and 140 lbs. My entire life I have always been itty bitty, my top weight was 125 before I got pregnant with Wyatt. Now, I'm not saying that I look awful, I've lost a lot of the weight but I'm still struggling to be comfortable in my own body. I have "marks of love" and as KC tells me, I should be proud of my stretch marks. I held a baby for eight months, I was swollen everywhere, was eventually put on bed rest and then induced. My pregnancy wasn't by any means glamorous or easy but I have a beautiful little boy from all of it. My body and all of the marks are worth it because I have him. I know that, I've earned my stripes. 

However, it's difficult to accept that my body will never be the way it was before. I'll never feel comfortable in a bikini or showing off my midriff section. But, I know that I'm working on it, I'm working on bettering myself and accepting what I cannot change. I'm watching what I eat and trying to take walks and be active outside. I'm not going by the weight on a scale (we actually don't even own a scale). I'm focusing on being healthier and happier with my body and appearance.  I know I have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with my body but I have the satisfaction that I'm working on it and I'm putting effort into this change.

Happy 1st Birthday, Wyatt!

Dear Wyatt,

Happy 1st Birthday pumpkin! I'm overwhelmed with how fast this past year has went by. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was holding you for the very first time. You were so tiny and precious. I didn't truly know what love was until the day I held you in my arms. You are by far the best gift I have ever received and I can't imagine my life without you. You have brought mommy & daddy so much joy over this past year & you have taught us so much; patience, love, tolerance and joy. 

You have daddy's humor and momma's smile but you're so unique and independent. You're the happiest, silliest, most loving child I have yet to meet and I'm honored to be your momma. This month you've learned to say blue "blu", boo "bu" and Gigi. You're constantly babbling but we're not quite sure what you're saying just yet. Last month you were standing without realizing it, getting scared and falling down but now you stand allll the time, but you're still not walkin'.

You've grown so much this year, you're not a little baby anymore but I'm excited to see you as a little man. You're absolutely darling and I love you so much. Momma can't wait to see you smash into your cake tonight! 

Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet boy. You are my sunshine. 

Love, Momma

Friday Letters & More 1st Birthday Pictures!

Dear husband, Thanks again for my awesome Mother's Day present, I love it more than I should. Also, thank you for putting together our new grill last night until midnight. You're sometimes kind of great. Now get ready for some serious cleaning this weekend for Wyatt's birthday party on Sunday! Ahhhhh! Love you! (:

Dear Wyatt, Holy bananas. You're going to be one on Sunday. ONE. Already! How is that even possible? Weren't you just 5 lbs 7 oz um, yesterday? You're getting so big. Stop growing. Momma isn't ready for a little man already, I want my baby back! Also, momma got your birthday pictures back yesterday & they're amazing! I'm biased, whatevs.

Dear DIY projects, I seriously need to stay off of Pinterest. I keep finding more and more awesome projects to do but don't have the time with everything going on this month. Ugh, why are you so addicting?!

Dear Wyatt's Birthday Party, can you just you know, plan and decorate yourself? Also, while you're at it if you could clean our entire house that would be phenomenal. 

Dear crazy month, if you could just slow down and stop being so damn busy that would be great. We have 2 birthday parties, & 1 bridal shower to go to this weekend. And, then next weekend we have a wedding and another birthday party. Then the following weekend is even more birthday parties. I'm partied out and ready for a weekend with absolutely no plans. I'm dreaming, clearly. 

Dear Devon, I'm in love with these pictures. You're getting to be such a great photographer & I'm so happy that we can be your guinea pigs and let you get some practice from photographing us. You're amazing. Thank you, again! 

I just love all of them!

I think they all turned out really great! 

The cake pictures weren't as awesome as it was in person;

but you win some, you lose some.

Go Vote!

Have y'all met the beautiful Samantha from Hooah & Hiccups? She's one of my favorite fellow army wives and such a dear friend. She's also a fashionista & needs YOUR help!

___________________________________________________________

Ok ladies... I need your help and votes!! A few months back, Onlineshoes.com contacted me in regards to a Blogger Styling Contest! Of course, I was ALL over it!

How it works: myself and three other bloggers each received the same pair of shoes. We were all told to style it our own way and then the public would be voting on who styled the pair of shoes the best!

So here's how I styled them! 

The Naya Shoes are absolutely adorable! Not to mention they're super comfortable and perfect for shorts and a tee, a maxi dress, or really any casual look you want to pair them with. My Bubba Bear has been giving me a run for my money recently and these shoes are comfortable enough for me to chase him around! 

I also love that they are made using eco-friendly materials; cork, bamboo and chrome-free leather are among the materials used. 

So now I need your help!! These shoes are totally down my fashion alley and I hope that you love how I styled them; enough so that you'll vote for me to win!

Want to win a pair too? You can enter to win a pair on the voting page after casting your vote! (Hopefully for me ;)) 

So please, vote here! Leave me a little comment here if you voted... I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and help! Love you ALL!

In case you missed it... VOTE HERE!