Swiss Chicken

It was a desperate night, where dinner had to be made, groceries were running low, and I only had a few moments to prepare and cook it before husband came home. It was in that desperate moment that we discovered the Swiss Chicken recipe. 

What you'll need:
2-4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup + 1 can water
Swiss Cheese slices (about 4-8 slices total)
Bread Crumbs

How to do it:
In a baking dish, spray with cooking spray. Lay chicken breasts out in dish, cover each breast with a piece of Swiss cheese. Add Salt or Pepper if desired (I did not do this part because I wanted to wait and see what the flavor would be- frankly, it didn't need it.)
In a separate bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup and the water. Pour over chicken in dish well.
Cover with bread crumbs. This will take about 3-4 slices of bread.

Bake covered at 350 for 60 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes.

We added Swiss cheese on top of the chicken once cooked for extra ooey-gooey-goodness. We're cheese-a-holics, what can we say? 

Enjoy! 

Cousins make the best friends.

After a busy weekend we just needed some time to let the kiddos play. So, we took to Grandmas house, where cousins become best friends. Enjoy the photos, we sure had fun watching them all play!

Grandmas house: Shirts Optional.

These two are six months apart. They're going to have some fun growing up together.

There were lots of giggles. 

And snuggles.

Makeup Monday: May IPSY Glam Bag!

Funny thing happened on the way to the mailbox to get this baby! One of our neighbors stopped me and asked me about my Glam Bag. She mentioned she noticed that I always got one, and hers came a few days later. She wanted to know what I was doing so right to get it a little earlier than her! We peeked though my bag together, and she promised to come find me if she ever wanted to trade items.
Guys I have a Glam Bag buddy now!
Anyways, onto the goods!

Isn't this Bag GREAT! I love it! Perfect for summer!

Yaby Concealer. I just got eyeshadow from them last month and LOVED it. Can't wait to try this baby!
Buy HERE.

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalatic. I LOVE Urban Decay products and was so excited to find out I was getting another product from them this month!
Buy HERE.

Juice Beauty "Reflecting Gloss" in Pink. Juice Beauty is all-natural all-organic. The quality of the products I've gotten from them in the past is great, and I love how long their products do last me, even with daily use.
Buy HERE.

Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Body Butter. I've never tried this brand before, but it smells divine! And in a   hot Utah summer, we all need a little Body Buttah.
Buy HERE.

Zoya Nail Polish in BLU. We all know I love nail polish, and Zoya is a brand I've never tried, but am so excited to try! After browsing their website, Bubba is really lucky I didn't buy anything -so many cute colors!
Buy HERE.

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Roll on Perfume. I am always so hesitant to try new Perfumes, and am always kidnapping swatches from Ulta or the mall on a hunt, but I stick with what I know and love. I tried this on immediately after opening the bag, and ended up IN LOVE with it! It barely holds a scent, but has the most faint and perfect flowery scent to it. It was Bubba approved, so I get to wear it as often as I'd like! Yay!
Buy HERE. 

That brings the grand total of the Glam Bag products up to $66.85 - if I would've paid it all myself. Instead, I have my IPSY subscription and pay only $10- which includes the shipping! Still not convinced? I'll let IPSY do the talking for me then, check them out HERE.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This recipe originally looked like one that we were going to have to take some time to do. Come to find out, its really, really easy. And quite delicious as well.

I got this recipe here. She's got an awesome blog, go check it out! 

What You'll Need:

3 cups Chicken - shredded... I used a Rotisserie Chicken to make it easy

2 cups Broccoli - cooked
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 1/2 cups cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 c bread crumbs

1 1/2 stick butter - melted

pepper to taste

How to do it
1. Mix chicken, broccoli, cream of chicken soup, 1 cup cheese and sour cream into a bowl. Mix well
2. Spray a baking dish and add mix into the bowl.
3. Top with bread crumbs. Pour melted butter over the bread crumbs. Top with 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake at 375 for 30 mins, or until cheese is bubbling.

Emma's First Birthday!

On Saturday we had the chance to go to my brother and sister in laws home in Logan for my niece's first birthday! The whole day was just wonderful and I am thrilled Rachel understands me and my blog, or me taking these photos would've seemed so strange to her! I HAVE to show you guys how cute this party was though guys, she did such a great job!

Our party favors - Cupcakes in a jar! So adorable!

And this cake! Darling! I love the martini glass with M&M's (a nice touch, and kept the little fingers out of it!), the photo of the birthday girl is darling and the cupcake cake... I LOVE IT! 

Opening presents. Miss Emma is well loved! I just adore this photo of Rachel - so beautiful!

The high chair was decorated perfectly as well! And the cake photos begin... I just love her face. Even when eating a big ole birthday cake, little miss Emma is a lady! 

 

Psst. This is her "digging in" to the cake. So lady like!
Meanwhile, my son is in the corner doing this... 

Mani Monday: Nails by Emily

My cousin Emily loves nails as much as I do. We had a nail night the other night, and I fell in love with the design she went with! She told me I could post some photos and show off this cute mani!

Pink Polish: Cotton Candy
Silver Polish: OPI 

200 Follower Giveaway

200 Followers? Well, we better give away some ad space to celebrate!
Use the widget below and see what you can score!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crockpot Chocolate Cookie Cake

Bubba found this recipe and made it for me as a surprise last week. I was more than impressed with him, I had laid down with the baby to take a nap, and when we awoke, the kitchen was clean, cake was cooking in the crockpot, and I had a new Cosmo magazine lying on my desk. I was so excited and it was the start to a wonderful and relaxing night. 

Crockpot Cake:

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Bownie mix

1 Pouch Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip cookie mix

4 eggs

8 tblspns (1/2 cup) butter

How to do it:

1. Grab two large mixing bowls, do the brownie mix in one bowl with 1/4 cup butter and two eggs, and in the separate mixing bowl, mix the cookie mix, 1/4 cup butter and two eggs. 

2. Alternating spoonfuls mix the brownie mix to the cookie dough, to create a marbled look. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

3. Serve, top with whipped cream, ice cream (pictured), chocolate sauce (also pictured) or sprinkles.
Enjoy!

Workman Weds: Mothers Day

This year Mother's Day was stretched out over an entire weekend. We were able to do so much in so little time, and I am so thankful we have the ability (read: endurance) to do it all!


My mothers day was on Thursday. Bubba took Brayden to the mall and went on a random adventure to find my gift. He told me a secret, the people who worked at the stores honed in on him and tried to up-sell him. He told me he was thankful I'm not a prissy woman, because in his words "girls buy some expensive stuff!"


He ended up buying me the most beautiful maxi skirt, some studded earrings, and made dinner to boot! It was a great night, and little dude was happy. While they were gone I was able to get some cleaning and cooking done for the next little while. I was very excited.



Friday I was able to have a girls night with my cousin, my ONLY cousin, Emily. She and I went for Mexican food, enjoyed laughs and conversation and painted our nails. It was a great night, and little dude got to hang out with Omie, Opa and Daddy, before coming home to play with Momma and Emily.


Saturday was busy! Besides the typical morning of helping Oma with her yardwork and housework chores, (and a work out for Momma, I take Brayden for about a 1 1/2-2 mile walk through the SLC Avenues), we went to Bubba's soccer game. The game was rough, the opposing team played dirty, and the ref was playing the game in fear of the sport - thanks to the asshole that injured a ref and killed him last week. After about 60 minutes of pushing, shoving, an injured elbow and a sprained wrist, Bubba had enough. He (plays as the keeper) had the ball, picked it up, and the guy didn't stop running, so Bubba turned down his shoulder and the guy flipped up and over him. Bubba felt justified, the game finally was somewhat leveled-out, and everything worked out- except for the tie game.


We then had to head to dinner with some dear friends for a farewell dinner. We had never been to Market Street Grill, and we were so excited to get to try out with friends. It was actually, wait for it, my co-workers. They rock and I was so excited to go out with them. We enjoyed great stories, seafood, laughs, and after dinner, a beautiful night walk through Salt Lake City. The streets were empty and the weather perfect. I could not have asked for a better night!


The next day we were to have all the Mothers Day activities crammed into one. We started the day off with breakfast with my Oma, my dad, my mom and brother. Breakfast was great, and after nearly being in a food coma, my dad decided we ought to enjoy the beautiful morning in Salt Lake City.


So we went down to City Creek Mall (Which was closed, with the exception of the fountains), enjoyed the day, enjoyed the quiet, and little dude got to enjoy the fountains. If you've never been to City Creek, you need to go. It is so beautiful and so peaceful. I just love it.


After that we headed home, ready to take a nap, which was exactly what we did. We enjoyed some quiet time at home, then went over to the Workmans for their Mother's Day fun.


My mother-in-law had a hankering for some Thanksgiving...so thats what we had for supper! It was fantastic and so much fun to go over, help make Thanksgiving Dinner and to enjoy some time with family. We ended up hanging out, enjoying food, talking, and looking at the family photos we finally got back from Sears (long story there). We laughed, danced, and even gave my husband a haircut. Over all it was fantastic, and we got to enjoy everyone we know and love in our lives this weekend.

Happy Mothers Day! I hope you enjoyed it!

Fourteen Things You Don't Know About Me

Lets be honest here, I'm a strange person. I try to hide it with a semi-cute haircut and photos of my cute baby, but when it comes down to it. I am not your typical chick. Here are fourteen reasons why:

My cousin used me for modeling/photography

1. I can lick my elbow. Honestly! I used to be able to do both, but after my shoulder surgery on my left side, I haven't been able to dislocate my shoulder to lick my elbow. However, my right elbow is within tongues reach.
2. My husband and I have a "music only" night at our home. We refuse to watch movies or TV, and the only reason we have the television on is for using the Xbox for Youtube or IheartRadio. We listen to a different genre each time so we can gain music appreciation and find new artists. We're very big on music and enjoying all the music we can. 
3. When I was in seventh grade, my mother allowed me to take an eggplant to school. Just because I wanted to. She wanted me to "express myself." I'm all for that...but with an eggplant? Mom, come on. Help your poor kid out when shes lost!
4. At one point, I attended a Mormon private school. It was about a 6 month stint, and while the experience was . . . interesting (thats another post for another day), I learned a LOT, met new people and was able to grow up in my own sense. 
5. I can play the Piano, but only by ear. I have no idea how to read sheet music, but I can sit and play out a tune by ear. Enya is my favorite to play by ear.
6. When Bubba and I got married, I could only make cheap pasta. I used Pinterest shortly after Brayden was born and my Oma's vintage cookbooks to teach myself how to cook. 
7. I'm about 75% German (if not more) and about 25% Scottish. This accounts for my temper, lack of patience, go-getter attitude, and my good looks. Ha!
8. I have PCOS, and have for years. It went undiagnosed until Bubba and I started dating, when meeting with a new M.D, who recognized my acne pattern and diagnosed it. I had suffered a LOT of cysts bursting throughout high school and in life, and didn't realize how many had

   

   Anything for a great photo.

   burst til an ultrasound just before my first miscarriage (shortly before we conceived Brayden), when an ultrasound tech said my cysts "look like I've lived a painful life."
9. This leads me to my next one: I have a ridiculously high pain tolerance. Between the PCOS, between the dislocated shoulder I lived with for years, between the L1-S1 disc bulge, I'm a tough cookie.
10. While I am a medial professional. I do not act like it when it comes to my own health. I'm the person that puts two cough drops in a Rockstar juiced and call it a cure for the common cold. (P.s. Please don't do it. Its NOT good for you). 
11. I used to be a BMX racer. I was one of a few girls who raced, and raced against Arielle Martin, who actually took some time to do training sessions with me. BTW, she's amazing. 
12. My family is ridiculously small. On my moms side of the family we have seven people, where on my dads side of the family, we have three aside from my parents and brother. I married into a BIG family, and it has been an adjustment to say the least.
13. When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer. My grandparents would buy me office supplies for all

    

    This is my headshot from when I was an actress. Not kidding.

    holidays and ask me to write the family newsletter. I used to stay up late at night and write stories, fan fiction, journal, etc. This passion continued on until I hit the near end of my high school years, when I refocused onto my healthcare focus.
14. My husband and I met in the most awkward way. A friend asked me to go bowling with him and a friend. I agreed. We had a nice night, bowled, drank soda and danced. Bubba paid, but I didn't think anything of it. Come to find out, the friend who invited me, wanted to take me on a date and couldn't pay, so he asked my now husband to. Bubba, trying to talk him out of it, said he would, but only if he could come. I had no idea, but can technically say Bubba and I had dated for four years before we got married. Realistically though, it was only two years. ;)

Mani Monday: Pure Ice

This was one of those weeks where I painted my nails, took care to protect them, and nearly forgot to post a photo. I give thanks to my husband who asked "were you waiting for my help to get a photo or were you not going to post this one?" Oops. I forgot! 

This is an older color for me, I bought it last fall and just fell in love with the color. Its subtle and durable, but I just don't know it's name! I know its a color I bought at Wal-Mart for about $1.50, and I love it. Its perfect for work! 

On Being a Mommy

My little dude has changed my life in so many ways. He's made my days brighter, more fun, more meaningful. He's made me laugh more than I ever imagined. He's made me more patient than I ever thought I needed to be. Becoming a mommy made me a better person. 

Being a mommy I've learned more about who I am and who I want to be. I've learned what I want to be like and who I don't want to be like. I've had to re-learn so many things in order to teach them to my son. After being a mature person for so many years, being a mommy has allowed me to be immature, silly and have fun.

Being a mommy has allowed me to learn about my family. About how important they are to me, to us as a family unit. Being a mommy has allowed me to learn about how much I appreciate all my family is to me and all they do for us. Being a mommy helped me become a better family member.

Being a mommy has helped me respect and love all those in my life who are mommies themselves. It has helped me learn how important they are to me, to their children and to their families, to their spouses, to the world. Being a mommy has helped me grow in so many ways. 

Happy Mothers Day mommies. 

Foodie Friday: Pizzadillas

Today's Foodie Friday is a "guest post."
It's a recipe from my husband! He actually found this recipe via Pinterest while I was at school one night, made it and even took the photos! So that being said, I told him he had to do the post, and he agreed! Without further ado, here's the husband!

What you need:
Tortillas
Pepperoni
Cheese
Sauces- we used ranch, sour cream and pizza sauce

Guys, I plugged in the Quesadilla maker. I put the tortilla down. Added a LOT of cheese, some pepperonis, a little more cheese and another tortilla.
Then I closed the quesadilla maker.
And then I poured the sauce in cups.
And made dinner look nice, you know, to impress the wife and all.

You really can't mess this one up. 

Thank you husband, for your detailed instructions!
I hope you're all having a great week. Enjoy!

Workman Weds: Wheeler Farm!

We've been focusing on going out, being active and being as educational as possible for the little dude. For Family Home Evening the other night we took a trip to Wheeler Farm. It's a free farm close by our home where you can see all the animals, the old farm house, and the historic monuments. It also has a fantastic park and picnic area, making it ideal for evenings as a family.

Brayden loved the cows, and whenever the cows (or lets be realistic, mommy and daddy) moo'ed he giggled like a madman. 

He also loved this pony. He had a lot of fun watching him eat supper.

This horse struck us as hilarious, because he was sitting there with his tongue out for almost five minutes. I naturally snapped a shot because it was funny.

The baby ewes were so cute! They came right up to the fence and bleated at Brayden, making him giggle, causing them to bleat some more. It was adorable all around.

This guy became buddies with me while I took his photo. What a doll.

I loved that the ducks were so relaxed around us and sitting quietly. Brayden was yelling "duck!" at it and he wasn't budging. 

A tied kiddo enjoying his PB & J

Playing at the playground. Hello mommy!

Daddy and Mommy being silly. Sorry little dude, you'll never have parents that are borig and mature.
I'm not really all that sorry. 

Hope you're having a fantastic week!