For the New Year.....

Well, I am sure you can guess that on my list of New Years Resolutions is to become more consistant with this blog!!!!!!!! Uuuuggghhh, what is the secret people?

I have GOT to become better at it, on the list is also to learn how to post pics inside a post. I know there are tons of cool things to do with these blogs, I just need to learn them. Anyone have a copy of "Blogging for Dummies"?

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and are getting ready for the New Year. We had a busy fall, and to be honest I don't even remember much of September and October! Adam and I had our 8th anniversary at the end of November and took an awesome trip to New York to celebrate. Then our sweet little baby ChanChan (what we call Channing)turned one. On a side note-she is seriously the cutest thing we have ever seen! Then we had all kinds of fun Christmas stuff to do. I turned 26 (again) on Christmas and we had all our family over for dinner Christmas evening. I feel so blessed to still have my grandparents with them and love that my kids have the opportunity to know them.

I am looking forward to a new year, with all its hopes, promises, and possibilities!

Fabulous Finds Friday....

So, I don't have anything super "fabulous" for my find this week, but I am pretty excited about it. Those of you who know me know I am a HUGE fan of Charlotte's YMCAs. I just recently found out that they do a FREE parents night out...usually once a month at 10 of the metro area YMCAs. Of course it was completely booked when I decided to sign my little chicklets up, but I will definately be on the look out for the next one! SO, if you are a Y member...take advantage of that, just think- a meal that could consist of more than mac n cheese, spilt milk, and endless conversations about bodily functions! SIGN ME UP!

Have a FAB-U-LOUS Friday ya'll! :)

September?????

Is it really September already??? I have NO idea where August went...or the rest of the summer for that matter!

Let's see, August was filled with pool time, a birthday, my fabulous trip to the Emmy's in L.A, and lots of other fun stuff! It just seemed like August was so busy. I was looking over my September calendar this past weekend and realized this isn't going to be a slow month for the Wilsons either. Between Siena's preschool and dance lessons, my co-leading the Charlotte Film Community, Adam running two businesses and coaching a youth football league, and our intent to be more involved in our church family...it's looking like it will be a very busy fall!

I LOVE this time of year! I start getting excited now about all the "fallish" things I get to cook and go do now. For some reason I just cannot bring myself to cook anything pumpkin flavored until at LEAST September...just doesn't seem right. I can't wait to take the kids to an apple orchard again this year and come back and make homemade applesauce. I love getting to take them to the pumpkin patch and seeing what beauties they pick out for us to carve. I will just stop there....if I keep daydreaming about this time of year I will be getting out the Christmas Cd's before you know it!

One of these days I will figure out how to post pictures in a post and that would make these a whole lot more interesting!

My Princess is 5!

I heard a quote once that went something like this: "Having a child is like letting your heart fly around outside your body". Exactly five years ago today I came to truly understand the meaning of that saying. Siena Leigh Wilson came into my life and forever changed me as a person, for the good. I am more sensitive, more selfless, more compassionate, and more patient since becoming a mother.

I always pictured I would have a large family, I wanted 4-6 kids. I also wanted ALL boys! When I found out I was pregnant with a girl I think it was more fear than disappointment that I felt. I know that those mother/daughter relationships can be so difficult sometimes and I thought if I just had boys I could avoid that completely! I didn't avoid it, I hit it dead on, and she could not be more girl if she tried. I wouldn't trade her or our relationship for anything. I love that I can look forward to always having someone to do "girly" things with.

In the last five years I have learned more about myself as a woman and a girl through Siena than I have in my entire life. The innocence she has and the inate things we as girls/women need are just in us, that's how we are wired....I see those things everyday in her and it makes me smile. Today was a bittersweet day for me. I love all the things she is learning and just enjoying watching her grow and change. I hate that it has to happen so fast. I feel like these last five years have just flown by and I wish I could slow them down. I always tell Siena that she is not allowed to grow up, and she always says, "Yes, I'm going to!". The other day when I told her that she said, "Well, I am going to grow up mommy, but I'll still be your little girl." Of course I turned around, walked into my bathroom...and cried!

Happy Birthday my sweet Siena girl! I love you.

Thankful Thursday.....

I am thankful for a ton of things! The one thing that I am most thankful for today is the opportunity I have to stay at home with my kiddos. I am thankful for all the things this allows me the time to do with them. I am loving every second of it...temper tanrums and all!

What are you thankful for today????

Dinner on the fly

For those of you who have worked in the restaurant business you know that anything "on the fly" means.....QUICK! I was usually running back to the kitchen asking for something on the fly when I realized I had forgotten to put an order in.

Occaisionally dinner is like that for me! I will completely space thawing something out or even forget to look at my menu for the week to see what we were "supposed" to be having that night. Oh well...it happens.

In the words of the great Rachel Ray...."this meal is YUMMO". I found this recipe one day when I realized I had gotten a little excited at the Farmers Market and bought WAY too much Zucchini. I have now made it several times and its even a hit with the kids.

Most of the ingredients are things I tend to have on hand. To make it even quicker I will put frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot just by themselves first thing in the morning. Then I have cooked chicken that I can cut up and use in this recipe, I usually do extra and freeze the rest of the cooked chicken to use for another recipe.

Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Zucchini-Casserole/Detail.aspx

It's Tuesday again....

It's time for a terrific tip....but I was wondering if anyone had one for me??? I am really interested in getting this blog all fixed up! I would LOVE to know how to add pics to a post...you know, how they are actually in the text of your post? I would also love to know how to change my layout...so it's not so generic. I see all these beautified blogs and I only see the option to use their pre-made templates. I realize I am missing something...so anyone got a tip for me??? :)