Music to My Ears!

So, I had an appointment this morning and it went wonderfully!! Everything is looking great, I'm healthy, haven't gained weight since the last visit (which is a little hard to believe...not that I've been stuffing my face, but because a lot of the things I have been eating aren't the healthiest!), AND.....I got to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat! It took the nurse a few minutes to find it.....cue the slight panic! She had to switch from the newer doppler model, to the older one. Go figure! She found the heartbeat and I knew right away that's what it was! We looked at each other and smiled so big! She's the sweetest nurse! It was at about 160 bpm and the nurse guessed that it was a girl...but of course, I know not to bank on that and go out and buy bedding and paint for the room! HA! I recorded it on my phone so Joseph, family, and friends could hear it! It is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard! I've been texting them this morning with the audio. I love to keep them involved in the pregnancy! Poor Joseph has a meeting that he can't miss every Thursday morning (which is the only day my doc is in the office in my city...and I'm not going all the way downtown...a 35 min+ drive just for a 15 minute appointment), so from now on, I'm going to make my appointments later in the morning so he can go to the ones he wants to go to. I hate for him to feel left out. It's our first child and I want him there with me!! But it sure is convenient to go first thing in the morning to get it over with, and to beat the crowd!

I feel so incredibly blessed to know that everything is progressing just as it should. Especially after the issues I had in the beginning, I am so thankful that God has taken care of me and this sweet baby. I go back in 4 weeks, and I will take Joseph with me so he can hear the heartbeat firsthand. It will probably be a little stronger by then and I can't wait to compare the beats per minute to the one today!

My sweet husband put together a "montage" that he is SO proud of. You can see it here.

I also tried a new recipe last night. Well, I've had it hundreds of times before, but have never made it myself! Growing up, one of my favorite meals was my mom's swiss steak & vegetables. It's kind of like a stew, but a little thicker. She'd always serve it with cornbread, sliced tomato, and some bunches of green onion. It has great flavor and is so simple to put together. It's something that you can put in a crockpot in the morning, but I had it made in about 2 hours last night.
Here's the recipe...again, super easy!

Swiss Steak & Vegetables
1 large slab of sirlion meat cut into 1-2" pieces - or top round, which is what I used
Flour, make sure you salt and pepper it
1- 1/2 cans French Onion Soup (if you want more flavor, use 1 1/2, possibly 2 cans)
1 can water
Carrots
Gold potatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 or Bay leaves
Parsley - I just shook in about 1-2 tbsp

1. Dredge meat in flour, don't worry if it's not all completely coated perfectly.
2. In a large dutch oven (or pot) on the stove, brown meat in appr. 1-2 tbsp olive oil.
3. Add parsley and bay leaves. I like to do this with just the meat for a few minutes to let the herbs penetrate the meat well.
4. Add soup and water, cover, and cook at medium to medium low for about 45 minutes. You can do it longer on a lower setting if desired. Check pot and stir occasionally.
5. Add carrots and potatoes until they are tender. You can uncover for the last several minutes to allow it to thicken.

I served mine with (a big piece of) cornbread. It was delicious, and I have some for lunch today too! You can also add other veggies you like, such as, corn, peas, or green beans.
Thank you Mom, for the wonderful recipe! It made me feel like I was a kid at home again!!

Couple Survey

I saw this survey on another blog and thought I'd try it out!



What are your middle names?
Joseph David and Lauren Elise

How long have you been together?
We started dating December 9, 2000. Had a break of almost a year in '04, and got married December 9, 2006! So, on and off for almost 10 years! WOW!

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Well, we grew up in church together....so, like 8 or 9-ish years?

Who asked whom out?
Joseph asked Lauren out! :)

How old are each of you?
Lauren - 26
Joseph - 25, 26 in November

Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Well, seeing as how I'm an only child, I'd have to say his! :-)

Do you have any children together?
We are expecting our first child around 4/25/2011!!

What about pets?
We have two crazy, but precious, dogs. Bryant, the Boxer, and Marley, the lab-pitbull mix!

Did you go to the same school?
Joseph went to Westbrook Christian up until the 10th grade, then transferred to my school, Emma Sansom, for the music program and to get a change of scenery. We started dating a few months later. We also went to Alabama together for a year. Then I transferred to JSU, where I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. Joseph graduated (a year early BTW) with a degree in Finance...minor in Economics. Smartypants!

Who is more sensitive?
That would definitely be Lauren!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Well, before I got pregnant, we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Habaneros, every Friday night. Now that I don't really like the smell (I'm real sensitive to smells right now, and I'm not supposed to have queso) we just go where ever I can eat something that won't make me hurl. Since I haven't been much for cooking lately, we've been bad about getting take-out. We love Habaneros and Joe's Italian in Alabaster though!

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Hawaii!!

Who has the worst temper?
Um, Lauren.....

Who does the cooking?
Lauren! Joseph does the grilling though!

Who is more social?
Joseph!

Who is the neat-freak?
Lauren!

Who is more stubborn?
Lauren

Who hogs the bed?
Joseph

Who wakes up earlier?
Joseph....I could sleep all day, especially in my current state!

Where was your first date?
The movies...we saw "The Grinch"

Do you get flowers often?
Not often, but he does get me flowers for special occasions...birthdays(sometimes), Valentine's Day, anniversaries...

How do you spend the holidays?
Since both of our families live in the same city, it's pretty easy. For Thanksgiving, we usually do lunch with my fam, dinner with his. Hopefully we can start doing one big meal all together! My family has always done Christmas Eve, so we still do that. Then, we spend Christmas with his family, but I do see my parents on Christmas when we run to visit my dad's parents. Like I said, we're hoping to start having everyone over together all at once.

Who is more jealous?
Neither one of us is really jealous...but if I had to answer...Lauren.

How long did it take to get serious?
A couple months.

Who eats more?
Joseph....but ask again in a few months and it might be a different story! HA!

Who does/did the laundry?
We both do our own laundry. Thank goodness! I don't touch other people's dirty clothes!

Who’s better with the computer?
I'm pretty good, but Joseph is the self-proclaimed computer nerd!

Who drives when you are together?
Joseph doesn't like me to drive. No idea why! Maybe I speed sometimes? Get road rage? Other than that, I'm fine! We won't mention, though, who got a ticket for going about 85 in a 70.......*cough* Joseph *cough*! FYI: I've been lucky and have never gotten a ticket or even been pulled over....of course, now I'll probably get one in the next week just for saying that!

Feel free to steal this and do it yourself! I'd love to see your answers!

Oh, and it's Hump Day! **raises the roof!** The week is more than halfway over! Ready for this weekend. Lazy days on the couch, eating RoTel dip(which I bought ingredients for yesterday), watching the Tide help themselves to some Gator stew! (hopefully!) I really do not care for Florida and have not for about 5 years, and if you know what their fans did during the game in '05 that ended Tyrone Prothro's football career, you know why. That's all I'm gonna say!

Y'all have a great rest of the week....I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning...really hoping they try to hear the heartbeat with the fetal doppler. :-)

10 Weeks

Well, there it is. More of the bloat that I'm living with. It fluctuates every day and throughout the day, so some days it's bigger than others. I can't suck it in anymore at all. Friday night when I got home, I looked about 5 months pregnant! Nice! I can't wait until it goes down and then turns into an actual baby bump. :-) As I get bigger, I'll have Joseph take real pictures of me so it looks better. For now, this will suffice!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 10 Weeks! Double digits already, wow!
Size of baby: Prune, about 1.5 in. long.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still haven't weighed, but I would guess a few pounds.
Maternity Clothes: I'm thinking that may be coming in the next few weeks. Today, I am wearing my Be Band with my black dress pants because there is no way they will button. I'm in need of more low-rise pants and jeans that I can wear until I'm ready for maternity clothes. All of my dress pants for work are not the kind you can rig with a ponytail holder...and the Be Band isn't the most comfortable thing in the world.
Gender: Your guess is as good as mine!
Movement: Too early for that.
Food Cravings: Still don't really have any specific cravings. I just eat what I can stomach.....literally! I'm still liking carbs, and do NOT like things that are real flavorful or rich.(pastas with heavy sauces, real herby chicken, not into meat much, etc.) My husband has been so sweet and will go out and get us something for dinner on a Saturday or something, then by the time the food is in front of me I am repulsed by it. I feel so bad about it, but he is so sweet and never complains. I am liking fruit and yogurt, though...as well as lots of water, and the occasional Sprite.
What I miss: Good sleep and not being nauseous on and off all day.
Sleep: Well, last night I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in(meaning I didn't move)!! But I also didn't go to sleep until after midnight...I was watching a movie. Bad, I know. I'm still having some of the problems I've been having, and it doesn't help that my husband has been snoring bad the last few nights. :-) Sorry babe.
Symptoms: Fatigue, nausea (especially when I get too hungry, which happens a lot faster now), I have random "close-calls" where I will dry heave and gag (hot, I know). It just happens when I least expect it...driving in the car, fixing my hair, putting on my makeup, sitting on the couch...yeah....lovely; I'm also moody and irritable, taking frequent trips to the bathroom, have a bloated belly that starts out pretty small in the morning, and pretty big (as in I look like I'm 5 months pregnant) at night, and food aversions!
Best Moment this week: Getting to spend time with our friends Friday at the Greek Festival. It was the first time we'd seen them since we made our announcement and they are so excited for us!!! Catherine got the baby his/her first stuffed elephant. It's so cute and precious, and so soft too!! Thanks a bunch Catherine!!!
What I am looking forward to: Getting closer to the second trimester...only a couple weeks left...crazy! I have an appointment Thursday. It's just a regular monthly appointment, but I'm hoping that we'll listen to the heartbeat with the doppler. I'm dying to hear it!!

Y'all have a wonderful week!! Oh, and ROLL TIDE!! :-)

Things I'm Loving Right Now.....

In no particular order....okay, in the order in which my crazy pregnant brain thought of them:

1. My precious husband, Joseph!(of course he's first!) He is the sweetest, most loving man and is always checking to see if I'm feeling okay and that I have everything I need. He pretty much waits on me hand-and-foot at home, gives me some back rubs every now and then and I feel so blessed to have him with me through all of this. I love seeing how excited he's getting. He's going to be an amazing daddy! (and I love him ALL the time, NOT just right now!) :-)

2. Sweet friends and family who have called, texted, Facebooked(?), emailed, etc. The fact that they would take the time to do these things to congratulate us is amazing. They have all been incredibly kind, supportive, and excited! That makes ME even more excited, and I feel blessed beyond measure! (love them all the time, too!)



3. Carbs - This is no surprise, as I said in my last post, I am LOVING carbs right now....which is totally bad, but hey, they're keeping me from hurling up everything I eat. Two nights this week I ended up pretty much being repulsed by the dinner I cooked. One night, we grilled burgers (b/c we have like 85 buns left from last weekend!) and had some tater tots. I was SO psyched about the burgers, but by the time they were ready and it was in front of me, I wanted NOTHING to do with the thing. I had a couple of bites, ate ALL my tots(again with the carbs), but ended up throwing over half of the burger away. I felt SO bad, because my sweet husband cooked it, but I just couldn't do it. The next night, I made one of those Wanchai Ferry frozen Chinese dinners. They are really good....usually! I made the orange chicken and also baked a couple of egg rolls to go with it. Let's see, I ate about 3 bites of the orange chicken, 2 bites of the egg roll, and decided if I ate anymore I was going to vomit. (Lovely image, right?) I don't even remember what I did end up eating for dinner both nights....I think it was some yogurt later on? Maybe some crackers? It's so weird the kinds of foods that turn you off when you're pregnant. By the way....anyone know what that first picture is from? "You gonna eat your tots?"


4. Sprite and water - obviously...Sprite (Zero, preferably...no cals) makes my tummy feel better and water keeps me hydrated. I am thirsty A LOT of the time! I always have a bottle of water with me....always! I have been really good about not drinking caffeine...which isn't a problem because I cut it out around January anyway. All I drink is water, except the occasional cup of Sprite I need for my queasiness.

5. Low-rise pants- that's really all I can wear. Normally I'm not a huge fan of low-rise pants for various reasons, but right now, I'm LOVIN' 'em! Higher-rise pants are doable IF I am able to wear my Be Band with them (which isn't the most comfortable thing in the world), use the ponytail holder trick, or just go with them unbuttoned under a flowy shirt. (tacky, right?) I'm trying to wear dresses as much as possible(but I need some more), because pants are just SO uncomfortable right now since I have all of this bloat! Yuck! BUT, it's a good thing, and is somewhat comforting to have. The bloat fluctuates and usually is worse in the evening, but hopefully in a few weeks it will go away and become a little baby bump...instead of a bloat LUMP! HA!

6. The What To Expect iPhone App. I downloaded it like right after I found out I was pregnant. I love it! It has some great info about the baby's size and development, as well as what's going on with me that week. It also has daily tips with topics like morning sickness, mood swings, eating right, etc. It's a great tool...my husband even has it on his phone. Cute. :-)












7. Fruit & Yogurt - I always love fruit, but it seems to taste better now...yes, I'm probably a little crazy. My favorites right now are strawberries and grapes. I LOVE yogurt anyway, but I'm having at least a cup of Dannon Light & Fit a day. I love theirs the best. 80 calories, for a nice serving, and they have great flavors. My fave is the strawberry cheesecake. What can I say? I adore strawberries!


8. Grey's Anatomy! - Okay, this obviously isn't pregnancy related whatsoever, but I love it! It's back on for a new season!! The premiere was last night and it was great! I can't wait to see what happens this season!

9. God - He has provided for us and blessed us beyond what we deserve. He has given us an incredible gift that we are so grateful to Him for! I trust the Lord to keep me and our sweet baby safe throughout the next 7 months, and I seek his guidance as I embark on this journey to motherhood!

I am also loving a fun evening tonight with great friends. We are going to the local Greek Food Festival tonight with our good friends, Forrest and Catherine Bailey. We are going to meet some other friends, Gusty and Katie Gulas, and Jay Hedgspeth and his girlfriend, Claire, there too! We have never been to the festival, but Catherine tells me that it is a lot of fun, with some great food and music! We are so excited to do something out of the norm, and to hang out with friends we don't see much. Other than that, our weekend will be pretty boring. We'll be cheering on the Tide from our comfy couch on Saturday as they play the Arkansas Razorbacks! It should be a good game..and I may be a little nervous!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and your favorite football team wins.....unless, of course, you're an Arkansas Razorback! ;-)

9 Weeks - First "Bump"date!

I know I don't even need to post a picture yet, and there's really nothing to see in this one, except some bloated belly. Although it is pretty much impossible to suck it in now(believe me, I tried!!), it's not an actual baby bump yet...but it sure is making some pants uncomfortable! :-)

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 9 Weeks!
Size of baby: Green Olive, about an inch long.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't even know....I'm afraid to look. Probably a few pounds of bloat.
Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but some pants are uncomfortable and I'm already wearing a Be Band with some, as well as using the ol' ponytail holder trick.
Gender: Can't wait to find out!
Movement: Umm, not yet!
Food Cravings: When I'm actually in the mood to eat, I want carbs carbs and more carbs!
What I miss: Not waking up feeling like I'm going to throw up my insides.
Sleep: Sleep is OK...I get a little hot at night, sometimes can't get comfortable, and have a little trouble going back to sleep if I wake up. (which happens at least once a night)
Symptoms: Tired, nausea (no vomiting..yet!), and a couple other things you probably don't want to know about! :-) Sprite and Gingerale have become my good friends recently.
Best Moment this week: Hitting the 9 week mark - the baby is officially a fetus! Woo hoo!
What I am looking forward to: Continuing to have a healthy pregnancy. I also have an appointment next Thursday!

I'm Thrilled To Announce.....

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!!!

We have kept this secret for the last 5 weeks or so, and it has been killing us!! We surprised the family with the news yesterday when we had them over for the Bama/Duke game. Both of our parents were in on the secret, but that was it. Like I said in my previous post, we had a lot of our family over for the game, and for a couple of birthdays. So....ya know that cake I ordered from Edgar's for the birthdays???!?!!

THIS is what it looked like:

We used it to announce our news, and it did a great job! Joseph lit the candles, brought the cake out, and started singing. As he brought it closer to Melissa (my sister-in-law and the Aunt-to-Be) and Grandpa Lovell, I kept waiting for a reaction. It wasn't long until there was a pause of silence..then a HUGE scream from Melissa!!! As soon as she screamed, I just started laughing and crying at the same time! It was the perfect way to announce it and everyone was so incredibly excited! Evidently, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had a bet going about when we'd have a baby. Adam thought it'd be around this time next year. I told him if I had anything to do with it, I would NOT be 9 months pregnant in the heat of Summer! Kudos to those who do it! Now, there's a bet going between a few people on whether it will be a boy or a girl. HA! I don't really have a feeling either way...yet, anyway. I may start to get a feeling over the next several weeks, but not right now.

Of course, I took pictures of the pregnancy tests I took....I took about 5 total :-), but only took pictures of a few.

And because everyone likes to see for themselves....

I took these two tests first. Notice they are faint lines. I hate traditional tests for this very reason. They're too subjective for me! Even though I knew it was positive, there's still something awesome about seeing that little word pop up on the screen! SOOOO....a couple days later I took THIS:

Ah, MUCH better! Can't deny that one!

And because I'm a little crazy, I may have taken another test or two over the next several days. Now this next picture is one I seriously debated about putting up. But, hey, I guess I better get used to people seeing me in awkward situations, right? What do I mean, you ask? Well....see for yourself:


Yep, that's right.....NO MAKEUP!! Dark circles and all! If you know me, you know I go NOWHERE without makeup, therefore, NO ONE sees me without it. I don't even go to the beach or the gym without makeup on....yes, I'm serious! But, I wanted to capture this moment (even if it is the third positive test I took) so I figure I might as well share it. :-)

So, tomorrow I will be 9 weeks! Hard to believe I'm already almost in the double-digits. It has already gone by so fast. At about 5 1/2 weeks I started having very light (like, EXTREMELY light) spotting. Sorry....nothing is really TMI to me anymore. This can happen in a healthy pregnancy, but it can also be a sign that something is wrong. Well, after about the 4th day of it (AGAIN, VERY LIGHT, and sporadic) I was freaked and called the doctor. They had me come in to see the on-call doctor. They took some blood to check my beta levels, progesterone, etc. The doctor checked me out and said he was pretty certain everything was OK, but we would see what the bloodwork showed. Well, my beta levels were good, but I would have to go back 2 days later to make sure they doubled, but my progesterone was toward the lower side.(Which, apparently, is a common problem) So, they started me on Prometrium, a progesterone supplement, which I have been taking for about 3 weeks now, and will continue to take until probably the second trimester when the placenta takes over. This could have been causing the issues I was having. After the second round of bloodwork, they determined that my levels WERE doubling (PRAISE THE LORD!), but they still wanted me to call and schedule an ultrasound JUST to be sure. A few days later I went in for the ultrasound. Joseph couldn't go, so I had my mom go with me. I had to tell her the news the day before, because I was so scared and had to talk to someone (besides Joseph). I didn't want her to find out that way, but I'm so glad she was there with me through it all. As soon as the ultrasound tech said "Everything looks great!", the tears started flowing! I couldn't control them, so I didn't even try to! I was exactly as far along as I thought I was, which was 6 weeks, 4 days, and we got to see the little heartbeat..beautiful sight!! That moment changed my life and made all(well, most) of my worries go away! The doctor said that there was a small bruise underneath the gestational sac that was more than likely causing the spotting and it would reabsorb so things should be fine. Sure enough, she was right. I actually hadn't had any that day or really the day before, and I haven't had any since! I have been able to enjoy this pregnancy and stop worrying so much. (But I am a worry wart by nature so no worrying is never gonna happen!) So there's a little information to catch you up on things so far. I don't have another appointment until next Thursday, 9/30, where I'll finally get to see my ACTUAL doctor! :) I've only seen the on-call docs at my appointments so far. But they're great too!

For the most part, I am feeling OK. Mornings are the worst, but even those aren't too bad most days. It's mostly just nausea for now. I've found that if I let myself get too hungry (which happens a lot faster now), it quickly turns into "OMG, I'm absolutely going to hurl if I don't get something to eat!!:..But then there's the fact that the idea of eating most things makes me want to hurl too! Sooo....I've been eating a lot of dry carbs. Chips, crackers, pretzels, etc. I still eat real food though too...mostly at lunch, and a little at dinner. Breakfast is usually saltines or dry cereal.

Well, you're mostly caught up. I will do weekly updates, including pictures. (which are mostly bloat right now, if anything) I'll do my first one tomorrow for 9 weeks.
I will leave you with a couple last pictures. I saved the best for last.....

This is from yesterday after we announced it to the fam! NO, it's NOT twins!! Just two different views of the babe! HA!


Ultrasound from 9/3/2010 - 6 weeks, 4 days. The most beautiful picture I've ever seen!!

Joseph and I feel incredibly blessed that God has given us this gift and we do not take it for granted. We decided to start trying back in May. Even though it only took a few months, every month that test was negative it was devastating. But I know that God always has better plans than we have for ourselves and I am so thankful to Him!
I'll do my first weekly update tomorrow!

Tisk, Tisk......

Yeah, so......I've been a little MIA over the last week. I feel like such a bad blogger. It's the middle of September (HOW is that possible, by the way?) and this is only my 3rd post! Gah, I gotta get better. I've just been going through the motions lately. Work, come home, sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat. Not much has been going on, but I've just been in a blah mood lately. BUT, life is about to get (a little) exciting.....well, ok, not exciting, but it will involve more than just work, come home, sleep. This weekend, we are hosting a "party" for the Bama/Duke game. We will also be celebrating a couple of birthdays in the family. Saturday is Joseph's grandfather's birthday, and Sunday is my sister-in-law, Melissa's, birthday! So, we're going to have everyone over for the game and to celebrate the birthdays. We're going to keep things real simple. I love to entertain and host parties and dinners at our (small) house, but we haven't done it in a while, so we thought it was time. Usually, I'll cook something up, make lots of stuff, appetizers, entree, sides, and desserts, but this time we're letting Jim 'N Nick's do the work for us! We're getting lots of BBQ and some chicken tenders. So we'll have BBQ (Sandwiches if one prefers that), chicken fingers, potato salad and baked beans (courtesy of Publix...who makes awesome potato salad), lots of different chips and dips (Ro-Tel, the best dip ever, and the only thing I'll be "making" Side Note: Good Ro-Tel dip is made with velveeta, Ro-Tel, and sausage....just cheese and Ro-Tel doesn't cut it. I typically do not like sausage, but it's the only way I make my Ro-Tel dip, spinach/artichoke dip with awesome pita chips, and your standard french onion dip),and of course you can't have a birthday (or two) without CAKE! And where else would I get the cake, but from Edgar's Bakery?! Helllooooo!!? I've gotten it ordered and it will be ready on Saturday...I just hope it makes it until the party. HA! It's going to be cute AND delicious! I will most definitely take pictures of everything and post them. I am so glad we're having the food catered. I love cooking and working hard to get stuff ready (No really, I do!) but I'm looking forward to just being able to enjoy my company, the game, and the food. Get this: We're even using plastic plates and cups! Gasp! I NEVER do that.....I repeat....N.E.V.E.R. However, they are nice RED plastic plates and RED plastic cups and RED napkins, BUT this is huge for me. I just want everyone to feel relaxed and at ease, not worrying about dropping a plate or glass, etc. And when they're done....BAM, in the trash it goes!

Anyway, this is as interesting as it's gonna get today. Hopefully some kind of (good) excitement will come along sometime and I'll actually have something to blog about. Like I said, things have been kind of blah around here. As much as I know y'all LOVE to read about what kind of food we're going to eat, and all that....I'm going to try real hard to make the next post or two actually interesting! :-)

I feel like I'm over-using the italics, no? :-)

Blogger's Block

So yeah..I've definitely had some "blogger's block" lately. I just can't think of much to blog about, since there's really nothing going on. I guess I'll talk about our long weekend....exciting stuff here people!! (You know it) Well, we kicked off the weekend with Friday night date to Olive Garden...I know, I know...we skipped the Mexican??!?! What were we thinking?? I don't know, but that Chicken Alfredo was some good stuff!! Saturday, we headed to Tuscaloosa to cheer on the Tide! It was a great game and I'm very excited about the team we have this year. It was awesome to be at Bryant-Denny! In a way I can't believe it's already football season again; and in another way, I wonder what took so long for it to get here. We had a great time and got to see a lot of friends that we don't see very often....shout out to Catherine and Forrest Bailey! (Thanks again for letting us park at your house all the time, you're the best!!)

Joseph and I in front of Denny Chimes.

And here was our view at the game...we were in the nosebleeds, but we could see everything!

We hit up a few of our friends' tailgates and enjoyed catching up with some people we don't see much. We finally got home around midnight, and after being up since around 7:30, I was ready to pass out!! We both slept in until about 10:30 on Sunday (oops), but we felt so well rested yesterday. Sunday we were pretty lazy...shocking, right? ;-) We got some Jim 'n Nick's ribs for dinner, which were delicious, but extremely filling! Today we met some friends at Longhorn for lunch, where my husband proceeded to have..wait for it......RIBS! Really? That whole rack of ribs the night before wasn't enough for ya?? I could hardly look at ribs again after all of that. I like them, but I get tired of them after about 3 ribs. After lunch, we thought about doing some shopping, but instead just did our weekly Publix stop and went home.

Wow....we're so exciting! I bet you're all just wore out after reading about our weekend. HA! We live dangerously, I know. Well, I hope you guys had a fun, restful long weekend too, and you have a really good week! At least it's a short one, right? For most of us anyway...and I hope it is for ALL of us! :-) Maybe I'll have another real exciting post next time. ;) Have a great week!

Poppyseed Chicken

I'm sure everyone knows about Poppyseed Chicken. It's one of those simple, but delicious comforting casseroles we like here in the South. I've been in a comfort food mood lately and decided to make it for dinner tonight. It never lets me down...always a winner!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded into bite-size pieces (not pictured b/c they were boiling) :-)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 16oz container sour cream
Poppyseeds (I love them so I shake in a LOT, probably close to 3+ tbsp.....seriously!)
1 package Ritz crackers, crushed
1 stick melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
1. Mix soup and sour cream until well blended.
2. Add shredded chicken and poppyseeds to soup mixture.

3. Pour mixture into baking dish.
4. Top with crushed Ritz crackers.
5. Pour melted butter over the top and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

The finished product! I like to serve mine with green beans. It's a good combination, and it adds a little color to the plate! :-)It also doesn't hurt to add a veggie when you have a soup/sour cream/butter filled casserole as your main dish. HA!!

P.S. Is it really already September? This year is flying by like something crazy!! But, if I'm being honest...I love it! These next few months are my favorite months!! I love all of the "ber" months....they are filled with Fall, football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, family time, etc. I'm always happy to see September roll around! These months are always the best and the busiest, but I'm ready! Bring it on!! :)