A Day At The Park

The weather was just spectacular today, so we took advantage of it by going to the park. We actually made the quick trip down to Gadsden to have lunch with my parents and grandparents, and watched Hudson play his little heart out. We may have played too. Hudson loves being outside so he was in heaven. 

When we went to the pumpkin patch back in October, the swing experience went about like this....

Today's experience....

 Maybe it was because he's a little older or because he was sitting in it by himself, in his own little enclosed seat where he felt safe. Whatever the reason, he LOVED it this time around!

Happy boy!!

We also took a stroll on a dinosaur's back.

 Did a little more swinging, and G-Nana joined in on the fun!

And don't forget the super cool slide.

He'll climb all day long.

Sweet moment with G-Nana. Papa was there but he was behind his camera. The camera-men/women are typically left out of pics. I'm cool with that.

Sometimes going down the slide on your belly is fun too.

You can't visit Noccalula Falls without looking at...well, the Falls! 

We even caught a beautiful rainbow in it.

Beautiful day well-spent, outside wearing this little guy outside watching this little dude have a ball.

Sweet boy slept just about the whole way home this afternoon, where we greeted daddy to help him get our new furniture in. We bought a new leather reclining couch/loveseat set from a friend(Thanks Chastity!!) and they are awesome!! Super comfy and going to be SO great with 2 dogs slobbering and a toddler spilling things on them. Hello easy cleanup!!! 

I hope you had a great day and were able to get out and feel the sun on your face. If I wasn't already ready for Spring, I most definitely am after this beautiful day!!

Burger & Veggie Packets

This is such a quick, easy, & versatile meal to throw together any night of the week. We had these for dinner last night and they were so good and just the right amount of food.

Burger & Veggie Packets

(Recipe for 2 servings)

Ingredients

- 1/2 lb lean ground beef

- 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- 1-2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp onion powder (or you can use sliced onion)

- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper

- appr 1/2 cup per packet of various veggies to accompany your packets(I used carrots, halved lengthwise to help them cook faster, diced potatoes, onion slices in mine and a corn on cob in the hubs') You can use peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, a frozen mixed assortment, etc. It's SUPER versatile!

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Tear 2 sheets of foil, appr. 16 in x 12 in. This will leave you plenty of room to pile veggies, and fold over packets to seal them.

Mix beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt & pepper. Shape beef into 2 patties.

Place 1 patty each on a piece of foil. Top each patty with a pile of veggies. Place corn on cob right next to patty if using one. Sprinkle veggies with appr. 1/4 tsp garlic powder and salt/pepper. Don't be afraid to over-season! 

Bring up sides of foil so edges meet. Seal foil and fold into a tight 1/2 inch fold. Fold again. Fold other sides to seal. Allow a little room in packet for heat expansion. Just make sure it's sealed tightly and folded over well. Place packets on large cookie sheet and bake 35-40 minutes, until meat is cooked through and veggies are tender.

Serve and enjoy!!! So stinkin' good with some Heinz 57! YUM! These things are so easy, quick, and healthy! Change the veggies up with your favorites, or whatever's in season. I even served some green beans alongside as well.

I hope you give it a try for an easy, weeknight meal!

So I Eat Like a 12 Year Old Girl...

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Random...that's all I can say about this post.

Now, I consider myself a foodie. I think I have a pretty sophisticated pallet. (I've really just always wanted to say that!) In all actuality, I do really love eating the finer of dishes, but I also love me some good ol' "normal" food too. ;) Gimme a cheeseburger, fries, chicken fingers, a nice "cream of" casserole....those all sound super sophisticated, right? OK, perhaps not, but dangit if they're not delicious!!

Then there's things like this...

Thus enters 12 year old Lauren.
(The 16 year old Lauren comes out when Destiny's Child reunites during the Super Bowl halftime show, but that's neither here nor there.)

I could seriously eat gummy candy all day long. It's kind of embarrassing, but also kind of awesome. And you may notice the insane amount of green/yellow sour worms left..that'd be 'cause I pick through those...with every kind of candy. Skittles...starburst....gummy bears....gag. I hate the yellows and greens of anything!!! Weird? Why, yes...yes I am! :)

I may be 28 (approaching 29) but sometimes I like to flashback about 16 years, if only for a minute.

So....what brings out your inner 12 year old??

Any Excuse to Eat...

Tonight is the big game!! I'd like to say we're having a huge Super Bowl party filled with tons of guests, the most unhealthy foods imaginable, and an all around good ol time. Well, if you consider sitting around in our PJs with a 21 month old, eating some Dominos pizza and wings(OK, so the unhealthy food thing is there) a good time, then we're gettin' crazy up in here! We may even throw in some Bubble Guppies or Legos in the mix. I told you...crazy!

The truth is, we're not really NFL fans. I know, I know. We catch a game every now and then, but we're more college football fans. ROLL TIDE, am I right?!?! ;) But, since it's the last chance we'll get to watch some football for a while, we'll watch the game.

Since we don't really follow NFL, we aren't loyal to any one team. This year, we've got some Bama boys playing for one team so, of course, we have to cheer for them!

If you don't believe me, just look what snuck its way into my cart at Publix earlier.

Sneaky cookie cake...

First of all.....I die!!!! Get in my face! Cookie cake is this girl's weakness. (along with pasta, fries, cupcakes, cheeseburgers, ranch dressing, shoes, lip gloss, anything chevron print....I mean...as I was saying...)

Second of all....grocery store....on Super Bowl Sunday....not my best call. I got out alive and that's all that counts. 

I'm also entirely too excited to learn that my Publix is now carrying Essie nail polish!!! Take it from a girl who has tried every brand out there, and considers herself a nail polish connoisseur....Essie is THE best polish EVER! I mean, I can get it at Target (which I do...pretty much every visit), but I go to Publix more often so the fact that they now have it has just made my life!

So, pizza, wings, cookie cake, football, and Essie......as you can see, it doesn't take much to please me. 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, y'all!! What kind of commercials are you looking forward to?
Who will you be rootin' for??

High Five for Friday!

Linking up with Lauren to share my favorite things from this week. Only, this week, I'll share 5 of my favorite pictures of Hudson I took the last few days.

1. It's been either cold and/or rainy a lot this week, so we haven't gone out much. The weather was somewhat decent for a bit one afternoon and someone insisted on going outside to run around for a bit. This child would live outside if I let him!

2. He also has no problem making himself comfortable....anywhere. Can you say "Big Foot"??

3. Just a little dancing to the Bubble Guppies. Typical. And all of his toy groceries strewn about the floor. Again...typical.

4. Checking out mommy's coffee. (it's empty) He's obsessed with my coffee cup. Grrr.

5. Chillaxin', listening to some tunes on his iPod. He has an old, hand-me-down iPod Touch that runs so slow it's maddening, but hey, it keeps him entertained!

How was your week? What were some of your favorite things, moments, or pictures? 

Link up to share yours too!!

Have a super duper weekend!!