Cupid Time ... I Mustache you a Question (Valentine Cards)

Next on the Valentines Card to do was for Cole's Class.  Since he wanted something fun but a little more grown up.  I found these I mustache you a question on The Craft Monkey.  They are super cute, I went to PicMonkey and edited my photo.  NOW I couldn't get one just right 4x6 so I made a 5x7 and then cropped it down to the right size at Walgreen's.  They didn't become perfect but I think they came out pretty darn cute!  I hit up Micheal's and bought felt with sticky back.  I did a Google search for mustache templates and came across some I liked on See Cate Create.  I traced my mustaches on the back of the felt and then cut them out!

What You Need:

Photo 

Photo Edited 

Black Felt w/ Sticky Backing 

Hot Glue

Here's the photo I made up (with out the added mustache).

Take a picture of your young one with a mustache on.  I then added the photo and added the saying to the side and some fun hearts etc on the photo.  I added a little hot glue and stuck a different mustache onto each photo that the kids can peel off and put on if they would like.

Are you making Valentines?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

I leave you with some funny Cole Faces :)

Cupid Time ... Fan"tache"tic Valentines Cards

It's time to put together valentines day cards again!  Since Mustache's are the rage this time, I had to make these for Caden's class.  I found these free printables Fan"tache"tic Valentines Cards on Plum Adorable.  I love her site I bought the thankful Thumb print tree last year on her site.  She has great printables you have to check her site out.   She had 4 colors to choose from I did the red and blue.

What you Need:
White Card Stock
Printer
Cutter (Scissors)
Hot Glue
Suckers

I printed her printable on some white card stock then took my paper cutter to trim them up.  I had Caden write his name on them.  I then took my handy hot glue gun and glued the suckers to the cards.  I found these really cool suckers at the Dollar Tree that had different sayings on each wrapper (like those nasty little heart candies).

Are you making Valentines?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Proud Mama Moments

Two Sunday's a go Cole asked to come sit with me in church instead of going to the kids zone.  He has been wanting more and more to come sit with me.  Which is not too bad since he does sit and listen and doesn't talk too much to me.   Our pastor was having his sermon and when he was closing he said I will baptize anyone who wants to.  Cole looked at me and said mom I would like to go up.  I said ok honey if you want that would be awesome.  At first he was a little scared since I wouldn't be walking up with him but the he said Mom I'm going to do it!  He walked up to the front of the church (in front of 600 to 1000 people).  He was the youngest of our service.  And the claps and tears from all was amazing.  I'm so proud of him and his decision.

During my recovery for eye surgery, we had a few more proud mama moments.

Caden got his second award at school.  This time he got an award for Math.  I was so proud of him I did venture out for this appointment but man did my eyes hurt and I went right to bed afterwards. 

Cole also had his first basketball game on Saturday and I was sadly in no shape to leave the house I sent the boys with my parents with my camera.  Sadly I looked at the pictures and all except this one was blurry :(. 

I'm so proud of my boys and and the amazing people they are becoming!

Have a wonderful Weekend!! 

My Adventure in PRK Eye Surgery

I posted this on FB and wanted to share my experience:

If you have the choice between Lasik and PRK I suggest Lasik. I asked over and over if I would be able to work, yes not problem. WELL here I am on day 4 and unable to see my computer. I even adjusted it so it's magnified 150%! Did they think I was joking or being over dramatic when I said I don't get paid when I don't work?? I would have went for the instant benefit of Lasik if I knew this would be the case! I feel I was lied to, I understand this may be a better surgery down the road. BUT I'm not a person that can take a week of down time, as I told them 9+ times!! VERY frustrated that it's a blur (better then before but still not where I was told I would be by today). Nurse said again well it should be better by Monday. Wait what happened to it will be better by Friday then by Saturday. EVERY TIME I talk to her she adds more days in!!! 

Day 1 - Surgery late in the day which was great able to work almost a full day.  My dad drove me since when I was done I could not drive myself.  My eyes were sensitive to light and I wasn't told to bring sunglasses!! This is an important thing because if not you will sport these throw away's that suck!  PLUS my dad was so sweet and wanted to take me to coffee and I had to look like this at the coffee shop.  YUP we actually sat down had a treat and coffee. 

I went home and went to bed.  My right eye started to hurt and throbbing shooting pain started!  I took a pm Tylenol and slept the night away.  My vision was blurry so I just kept TV on for noise.

Day 2 I woke up seeing the TV kind of better then if I wasn't wearing glasses before!  I was doing good sat on the couch was able to kind of see and I was happy.  I planned one day off with out pay so I was doing good.  I also planned for a friend to pick up boys to take to school so that worked out.

That was until the afternoon hit!  Shoot pain started in my left eye!  I was in so much pain had to call the clinic and they called me in Vicodin.  Had to wait for Rick to come home and drive me to the pharmacy to pick it up.  I was not feeling well and I thought I wanted to pull my eyes out!

Day 3 Woke up to work to find out I no longer had ok vision I had extremely blurry vision and I could not work.  I knew I couldn't drive safely so I had to call my friend to come pick up boys.  This is not something I planned on so that was a little disappointing also!!  Had to call into work, which did NOT make me happy that is day 2 with no pay!  I called the office to find the doc and assistant don't work on Fridays.  Was told to come in Monday.  Texted the tech to be now told oh yeah I usually tell people with PRK to take Thurs, Fri and the weekend off!  WELL that is great for people who have paid vacation and don't work the weeekend like I do!!!

Day 4 Work up again couldn't work, yup day 3 off of work!!!  I couldn't drive again so the boys missed swimming and other activities which was not cool! Cole had his first basketball game that I missed since my eyes were so light sensitive. I had better but still very blurry vision couldn't look at computer (my job) for long periods of time!  NOT happy

Day 5 by mid day I could see semi ok!  I could work on the computer for a few hours to help make up the pay I was loosing and the work I was behind on!

Day 6 I could work, vision was blurry but manageable for a work day.  By the end of the day had a splitting headache and couldn't work out like I was told I could do right away.  I did drive while it was light out to the grocery store down the street!

Day 7 I could work again vision blurry but manageable for a work day.  By the end of the day again a splitting headache and couldn't work out.  I didn't feel safe to drive to my women's group in the dark :(.

Day 8 I woke up today still blurry but ready to get the contact lens they put in to protect my eye after surgery.  I have an apt later this morning after I take boys to school.  

I'll update more later!  In my opinion this is not surgery for someone who NEEDS to work right away.  I've now have talked to many others and all have recommended LASIK instead and were able to get right back to work.  ALSO found other places a few towns over a lot cheaper which also makes me kick myself.  Yes my mom paid for surgery but don't want to waste the money.

Yes I (or my mom) paid for surgery nothing was given to me.

This is just my opinion.

The Doctor and Staff are very nice, the price is rather high for the area.

I would recommend the office just not this surgery.

Dr. Kopstein - Tacoma Eye Surgereons

Address: 3602 S 19th St, Tacoma, WA 98405

Phone:(253) 759-5555

Soups On ... Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup (WW 6 Points)

Next on our soup journey is from another GREAT weight watcher website.  I found this Chicken Enchilada Soup on Slender Kitchen.  It was another easy soup that I threw into the crockpot in the morning and let it be until it was time for dinner.  The boys love Mexican dishes and this was perfect combo of their favorite food and a soup which was easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz. can tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel)
• 1 14 oz. can red enchilada sauce
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup masa harina (or corn meal)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Toppings: chopped tortilla strips, chips, cilantro, onions, avocado, chopped jalapenos, cheese, Greek yogurt, light sour cream, etc.

Instructions

1. Add the chicken breast, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, garlic cloves, salt, onion, peppers, tomatoes with green chiles, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and tomato paste to the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for four hours. Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks. Return to soup and add the beans.
3. Mix the masa harina (corn meal) with 1/4-1/2 cup of water (more if needed) until smooth. Add to the soup and let cook for 30 more minutes. Top with 2 tbsp. cheese. You can also stir it in depending on your preference.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used a frozen chicken like I always do, right before I serve I put it in my mixer with the paddle and shred the chicken.  I used black beans that I made earlier and froze (that is why they look like a blog of black there).  I accidentally bought stewed tomatoes instead of diced so I put them in my ninja and diced them :).  

Enjoy you will love this one!

Something to keep your belly warm in this cold season.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Soups On ... Cheeseburger Soup (WW 7 Points)

Keeping with warming up our belly in this cold weather with out all the extra pounds that can come with that.  I hit up Emily Bites again for another yummy recipe.  I knew this would be a HUGE hit with the boys, and I was right they ate 2 bowls each (EVEN Rick did which he never does).  I've made a version of this before but I really loved this version of Cheeseburger Soup.

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons light butter, divided

1 hamburger bun with sesame seeds

A pinch of garlic powder and salt

1 celery stalk, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ lb of 95% lean ground beef

1 ½ - 2 teaspoons McCormick Hamburger Seasoning 

1 ½ cups fat free, low sodium beef broth

1 (10.75 oz) can of Campbell’s Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup

½ cup fat free half and half

½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Using kitchen shears, cut the hamburger bun into bite sized cubes (about 25). Melt a tablespoon of the butter and toss the cubes in it until coated. Sprinkle a pinch of garlic powder and another of salt over the bread cubes. Lay the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until they have a crouton texture. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, bring the remaining ½ tablespoon of light butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onions and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute until vegetables are softened. Remove vegetables to a side plate.

3. Keep the pot over medium heat and add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the meat with the hamburger seasoning and continue cooking until browned. 

4. Add the vegetables to the meat in the pot along with the broth, cheese soup, half and half, yogurt, and about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir the mixture together until well combined and increase the heat to high. Once the mixture starts to bubble, reduce the heat to a simmer (low) and let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve topped with remaining cheese and reserved croutons.

ALEXIS NOTES: I couldn't fid the hamburger seasoning so I just used salt and pepper.  I couldn't find the Healthy Choice soup version so I did use the regular version making the points a little off on my version.  I also made more croutons since the boys aren't watching their diet and I knew they would love them!

Enjoy you will love this one!

Something to keep your belly warm in this cold season.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.