Happy Thanksgiving!

So I have spent almost all day in the kitchen and I could not be any happier! The boys were perfect angels today and allowed me to cook and bake to my hearts content! So I wanted to share my two Thanksgiving Desserts with you! Hope you enjoy them! One is an old favorite and the other is a new recipe for me! Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly Recipe

This is a great meal to make and freeze! I did this before I had Titan and have them waiting in the freezer for an easy meal later! We are all looking forward to eating it! Hope you enjoy my Southwestern Eggrolls!

Introducing... Titan Eli Prikazsky!

Titan Eli Prikazsky arrived at 2:40pm on September 26, 2011 weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce and 21.9 inches long! The whole labor and delivery process was truly a miracle! Titan's due date was actually October 2, 2011. But at 38 weeks I was already dilated 3 cm so the doctors thought he could come any day. However, I didn't believe them. I had a scheduled induction for Friday September 30th which I was sure would happen. So when I went into labor on Monday September 26, 2011 at 7am I was very surprised!

I was induced with my first son so I had never really experienced "going into labor" on my own. I woke up at 7 am and felt what could be contractions but not really sure. I called labor & deliver at Fort Belvoir to tell them what I was experiencing. They suspected I was in early labor. They said to wait to come in until my contractions were 5 minutes apart for 2 hours. Well... my contractions started out at 5 minutes apart! There was no 10 or 15 minutes apart... no build up! Also, for those of you who don't know, Fort Belvoir hospital is 45 minutes north of us... NORTH... on a Monday morning at 8am driving on 95 North (towards DC) in rush hour traffic! On a good day it would take about 40-45 minutes. On a bad day with 1 or maybe even 2 car accidents somewhere along the way it could take 2 hours. So we had to decide... do we try to make it to Fort Belvoir or do we just go to the Stafford Hospital. Well we decided to attempt to go to Fort Belvoir.

We first had to get a hold of our dear friend Michela so that she could come over and watch Matias. (I say dear friend because she knows I love her, but that morning I was not loving her... you will see why) We tried calling Michela multiple times. We could not get a hold of her! (added stress) After trying for about 15 minutes we just decided we were going to have to drive over to Michela's house (I in Peter's truck and Peter and Matias in my SUV). Remember, I am having contractions 3 minutes apart at this time. I prayed the entire way there (which is only 5 minutes) that she would be home. Otherwise, Matias was going with us to the hospital! Praise the Lord, Michela was home. She had just forgotten to charge her phone and it was dead!!! REALLY! Anyway, it all worked out and Matias had a great time with Michela and her dog, Roxy while we were in the hospital for 2 days.  Ok, so Peter dropped off Matias with Michela and got in the truck with me and we began the crazy drive up to Fort Belvoir. The whole way I kept thinking... "We aren't going to make it! We aren't going to make it!". I don't know how... well actually I do, only by God's divine intervention we made it to Fort Belvoir hospital in 30 minutes during rush hour traffic on a Monday morning. It was TRULY a miracle! By the time I got there I was 6 cm and ready for an epidural! They quickly rushed me through and I soon had my epidural. I had to have antibiotics due to the Group B strep and they wanted the antibiotics to be in my system for 4 hours before I had Titan.... so we waited. Which was fine because I had my epidural and was feeling good! Finally at 2:20 they broke my water and after about 8 minutes of pushing Titan arrived at 2:40pm!  

God had answered all of my prayers! I had prayed I would go into labor on my own, that we would make it to Fort Belvoir, that Matias would be good when we left him and that I would have a quick & healthy delivery! And I have to say recovery from a 7 hour labor compared to recovery from a 36 hour labor is so much better! The recovery has been amazing! I am feeling great and enjoying every minute with my boys!  

Matias loves his little brother and has adjusted very well! He loves giving him kisses and started saying the word "baby" the day we brought Titan home! Praise the Lord for so many blessings and so many answered prayers!

Kitchen Remodel

It is finally finished... well besides some window treatments (still need to find some fabric for that). I have been meaning to post this for a while. The counter tops were installed on August 31st! About 8 weeks longer than it was supposed to be! The counter top color that we initially chose is still on back order! We actually ended up choosing a different color just so the kitchen would be finished. The color is one shade lighter than my original, but I actually really like it! I am very pleased with the outcome! Thank you to my parents, Peter's Dad and Peter for all of the hard work!

BEFORE...

Demolition...

It got really noisy!

Just making sure they are sturdy.

AFTER...

Our newest addition to the kitchen... the Keurig! Love it!

Weekly Recipe

Ok, so I haven't been cooking as much because I am just WAY too pregnant to be spending that much time in the kitchen. However, I did make Peter a special Birthday dessert recently. Hope you enjoy this decadent dessert! Check out my Lemony White Chocolate Cheesecake!

Weekly Recipe

This is a great one dish recipe that your family will love! It is easy and yet so cheesy! Check out my 4 Cheese Chicken & Broccoli Fettuccine!

Meeting Annie Rice Prikazsky

I am late posting this... but mid-July we had the privilege of meeting our new niece (and cousin) Annie Rice Prikazsky! Peter's brother, Kaz, and his wife, Amy, adopted an 11 month old towards the end of June! We were so excited for them and could not wait to meet Annie Rice! They came up to visit mid-July and we enjoyed every minute of it! It is always interesting to see how your child will react to other children in their home playing with their toys. It was good practice for Matias. He tends to be a little rough. So we have been slightly worried about how he is going to be around his new little brother... (2 more months until baby boy #2 arrives)! We have been trying to teach him the meaning of the word "gentle". Thankfully he was very good with Annie Rice! He shared his toys and was fairly gentle. He had to be reminded a few times, but for the most part he was very good! We all loved seeing them interact! You always wonder what they are thinking. They went to the DC Zoo, played in the pool and bath together and seemed to enjoy it all! We had such a great time playing with Annie Rice and we are so happy that she is now a part of the family! We are leaving tomorrow to go down to South Carolina to visit with Annie Rice again... oh, and Kaz & Amy! We love you Annie Rice!

Playing!

Sharing in the pool!

BATH TIME!!! One of our favorite things!

Sharing in the bath tub!

Sitting still for a picture... this does not happen often! They are so cute!

Weekly Recipe

So though I have an incomplete kitchen, I still have to cook! I just miss it too much! So here is one of the recipes I have made recently in my half finished kitchen. It was really easy and really good! I hope you enjoy it! Click here to check out my Chicken Nacho Bake!

MIA/Kitchen Incomplete

I know I have been MIA for a while. We have had a lot going on around here. This month has flown by! I can't believe that July is almost over! We started our kitchen remodel on June 25th. Well that was the date that we tore out the cabinets.

Before Pictures...

Demo... didn't take long at all!

 The following week we patched, painted and did whatever needed to be done before the cabinets could be installed.

Cabinet installation went well! Peter, my Dad and brother had the cabinets installed in 2 days (July 2 & 3). So everything was going very well and getting done quick! It was so nice to see it come together so quickly... then they came to measure for the counter top...

My new cabinets!

Still missing the pantry in this pic.

Making sure the cabinets are strong enough to hold all of Mommy's dishes.

here comes the bad news! The counter top is on back order... 3-4 weeks! Well that was what they told us on July 5th. It has now been 3 weeks today... still waiting on a phone call! Thankfully we have part of our old counter top temporarily sitting on top of the cabinets and we have our old sink temporarily set up. I had already gone without a workable kitchen for almost 2 weeks, so I was so happy just to get a temporary set up! However, I am beginning to become more and more frustrated with the counter top company! I just want my kitchen finished! Anyway, this is part of the reason I have been MIA! Once the kitchen remodel started things got kinda crazy around here. And I haven't been posting recipes because I haven't been cooking... which I really miss. I am a much happier person when I am cooking! Hope to be posting my finished kitchen sometime next week!

Weekly Recipe

Garlic Asparagus and Squash in Lemon Cream Sauce Yes, I know, I am posting a recipe with asparagus again. But all 3 of us love it so much and it was on sale this week... how could I not cook with asparagus? Anyway, I also used some of the free pasta I bought a few weeks ago at Bloom. It was a very healthy, yet amazing dish that actually turned out to be very inexpensive. Check it out!

Weekly Recipe

Check out my new recipe this week! It is a great easy healthy recipe! And if you like asparagus, this recipe is for you! Chicken & Asparagus Kabobs!

A Steal of a Deal!

As you all know, I love couponing! Lately I have become even more crazy about it! I get so excited when the Bloom, CVS and Rite Aid ads come out. I now have a "coupon binder" which holds close to 100 card collector pages of coupons! So of course when I found out that Bloom was doubling coupons up to $1.99 this Wednesday and next Tuesday... I just knew I was going to find some great deals! I starting planning out my trip on Monday and was the first person in the door at Bloom 7am Wednesday morning! I went straight for the items I was going to make money on (yes, they were paying me to take it out of the store) and then went for the free items! It was awesome! Just wanted to share all of my deals with you! Here are the pics, list of items and what I paid for my "Steal of a Deal"!

Bloom will only double 20 coupons in one transaction. So this is 2 separate transactions.

I paid $6.23 for all of this!
With out coupons it was $119.53!

The list:

4 bottles of BBQ sauce

3 tubs of Mayo

4 half gallons of Organic Milk (that alone would have cost me $15)

6 bags Sweet Potato Fries

4 Stouffers harvest frozen meals

2 Yo Crunch Parfaits (4 pack)

8 Yo Crunch Yogurt (individual)

4 Luncables

4 Suddenly Salads

6 Garden Delight Pastas

2 Reynolds Wrap Foil

1 Pack Orbit gum

I had to buy a pack of gum at the end of the second transaction because Bloom actually owed me $.58!!! They cannot give you money back so I just quickly grabbed a pack of gum and only paid $.13 for that transaction!

Peter, Matias and I went back later that day and did 2 more transactions!

I paid $10.92 for all of this!
With out coupons it was $124.71!

The List:

8 boxes of Suddenly Salad

8 boxes of Healthy Harvest Pasta

8 boxes of Smart Taste Pasta

2 Reynolds Wrap Foils

15 packs of Orbit gum

2 packs Jello Temptations

4 Lunchables with fruit

2 Lawry's Marinades

2 boxes Oatmeal

2 Back to Nature Crackers

3 bags Tortilla Chips

2 half gallons Organic Milk

At the end of the second transaction Bloom owed me $7.28!!! So I had Peter run back and pick up 2 half gallons of Organic Milk which I thought would cover it! But they still owed us $.03! I told the cashier she could keep the $.03 and I would just not pay anything. But she said she couldn't do that. So I picked up another pack of Orbit gum and ended up paying $.68 for the second transaction!

I know some of you might think this is a little crazy and maybe even wrong! But I truly enjoy doing it and I am saving my family a lot of money! If you would like to know how to do this kind of crazy couponing just email me and I will explain the basics! It takes a while getting used to but once you get the hang of it you will love it!

4 Favorite Things to Eat... This Pregnancy

You would think that I would be craving the same things as I did with my last pregnancy. I mean I am having another boy, so why would it be any different? However, it is very different! With Matias I ate a lot of bacon... like 1-2 pieces for breakfast and lunch (BLT usually). I just ate a lot of protein with Matias... which is weird for me because I am not big on protein. I also wanted a lot of sweets... ice cream, cake, pretty much any kind of dessert. But this pregnancy is totally different! I find myself not really wanting dessert. I want something sweet, but not overly sweet so most of the time I turn to...
1. Fruit! Which is really weird for me because I normally am not a big fan of fruit. I am eating more fruit now than I have ever eaten in my life! See normally I only like seasonal fruit... nectarines, peaches, plums, strawberries. But I have actually been eating apples, grapes and oranges! It is awesome because I actually want to eat it and am not just eating it because I know I need to!

When I was pregnant with Matias I ate a lot of cereal. Which is pretty normal for me. I love eating a bowl of cereal in the morning and a bowl before I go to bed. However, this pregnancy I have been slightly lactose intolerant... more so in the morning than in the evening. Lately I have been able to eat a bowl of cereal before bed, but I just started that about a month ago, before that it would have made me nauseous. But I still cannot eat cereal in the morning, so I had to come up with something else for breakfast and lately it has been...
2. Chocolate Chip Pancakes or Waffles! Yum! Just thinking about them makes me want to go eat one now! I know they don't sound very healthy... but I actually buy the Fiber Plus Waffles and if I make pancakes I make whole wheat pancakes with flax seed. They are slightly healthier than the regular version. But I think when you add butter and syrup to them it kind of defeats the purpose! Anyway, they are amazing and usually what I have for breakfast every morning!

Due to the fact that I was having lactose intolerance issues this pregnancy the doctor was worried about me not getting enough calcium. She suggested ice cream... still made me nauseous. So I tried yogurt... still made me nauseous. And obviously I couldn't just drink a glass of milk... though I love milk and really wish I could! So I finally tried cottage cheese... NO NAUSEA!
3. Cottage Cheese is my 3rd favorite thing to eat this pregnancy! I used to love cottage cheese and ate it a lot. But is kind of one of those things I had forgotten I loved so much! And now I have gotten Matias to eating it! He and I will sit and share a bowl of cottage cheese for lunch. Lately I have been going through 1 1/2 (16 oz) containers a week! It is really good plain... but sometimes I add in stewed tomatoes and onions (I know sounds gross, but it is really good) or other times I will add in peaches or some other kind of fruit. I am so glad I found a dairy product that does not bring on nausea!

I saved this one for last. Mostly because it is the most unhealthy thing on my list. It really has no nutritional value. But I have been craving sour things... lemonade, sour fruit, pickles and... sour candy! So my 4th and final favorite thing to eat this pregnancy is
4. AirHeads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Belts! Before I was pregnant I probably would have never even noticed this in the candy aisle! I really do not care for sour things. But now that I am craving sour things I have realized that good sour candy is really hard to find! This was the only sour candy they had at CVS! (besides those gummy worm things which just weird me out) This is the only sour candy I have found that soothes my craving for sour! I usually eat only a half a pack a day... so only like 4 belts. But for those of you who have not tried them, I highly recommend them! I have posted a picture below for those of you who do not know what I am talking about!

 

 

As you can see the package is empty!

 

 

 

So far, these are the foods I am craving! I'm sure I will add a few more things along the way, but for now these are the things that keep me happy!

Weekly Recipe

This is a great summer recipe that I hope you all enjoy! It is great for parties because it is easy and can be prepared ahead of time. It also is a great side dish for grilled foods! Maybe you can even use this weekend for Memorial Day! Check it out! Edamame Garden Salad.

Matias's 1st Birthday Party

You know how you always want their first birthday to be special and memorable (at least for you)... Well, we will definitely remember this birthday! My parents arrived on Thursday evening. We spent Friday preparing all the baked goods for the party. Matias seemed very happy that day and had an overall good day. We were celebrating his birthday on Saturday even though his birthday was not until Monday. Saturday started out pretty good. Things were going as planned and the meal was on the table on time. I made pizza, Pasta House salad and Teriyaki wings. Matias loves pizza so I knew he was going to eat it up...but he didn't. He didn't really want to eat at all! He was fussy through the entire meal and just didn't seem interested. I just thought that he might be tired, but we powered through opening gifts before nap time.

He normally loves opening gifts, but we kind of had to force him to open them. He still seemed to enjoy it, just not as much as I had expected. After opening gifts, I put him down for a nap. He took a nap, but was very restless. After his nap we did the "Cake Smashing". Again, I thought he would love this...not so much. He did it, but he didn't act like he was really enjoying it. Once he got icing all over his hands he got really frustrated and was done! I took him inside and gave him a bath. He felt kind of warm to me so I took his temperature. 100.5!!! The poor kid had probably been running a fever all day and felt awful! But to please his Mommy he just kept on truckin'!!! I felt so bad! We gave him Tylenol, which brought down his fever for a while. I gave him another dose of Tylenol before he went to bed at 10:00pm. Peter checked his temperature at 11:30 and it was 103!!! So I called the doctor and was told to go straight to the Emergency Room!!! The Tylenol should have been working by then. We arrived at the ER around midnight. They gave Matias Motrin and his fever went down. But of course you all know how the ER works... We were there from 12:00-3:30am! I was soooo tired! Thankfully Matias was feeling better. He actually was ready to play as soon as his fever went down! We had a hard time keeping him in the room! Anyway, I saved his ID bracelet from the hospital to keep as a memento. We weren't able to go to church on Easter Sunday or wear our Easter outfits, but we are thankful that Matias is feeling better and praise God for all He has blessed us with!

The Spread!

The Dessert!

The Name Stool my Dad made for Matias.

My on Camelback!

Cake Smashing!

Milk break.

The clean up!