Look Who's Nine Months Old!

Happy nine month birthday, George! 

 

Oh month nine!

Sadly with this child now on the move, this is literally the best picture I could get.

 

This month has provided lots of fun with the little man.  Trying new food {meat!}, standing in his crib {now lowered to the very bottom level} and his first trip to the beach {a huge fan of the water}.

 

The biggest milestone of month nine has been bidding farewell to our wonderful nanny share.  G and Lil parted ways and started school this month.  G loves it!  He is making new friends and loves his teachers. 

 

Cannot believe how big my little man has become.  I need time to slow down.  Seriously. J

Healthy Shrimp and Grits

I love Fall.  Especially all the warm and cozy comfort food that comes along with it.  What I don’t love is all the extra calories. L 

One of our favorite dishes is shrimp and grits {B's mom makes a killer version!}, and I was thrilled to find this healthy version on Pinterest.  Since I have not cooked in an eternity, I thought I would whip this up last night, and it did not disappoint!

 

 Healthy Shrimp and Grits

 

 

Parmesan Grits:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 

Creamy Shrimp Sauce:

1 pound unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Vegetable cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

2 cups firmly packed fresh baby spinach

 

Preparation

1. Prepare Parmesan Grits: Bring 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in cheese and pepper. Keep warm.
2. Prepare Creamy Shrimp Sauce: Peel shrimp; devein, if desired. Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and 1/8 tsp. salt. Cook in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add oil; heat 30 seconds. Whisk in flour; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in broth and next 5 ingredients; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in shrimp and spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach is slightly wilted. Serve immediately over grits

I made a few adjustments using stone ground grits {i.e. adding butter and milk…oops!} and extra Louisiana hot sauce.  All in all, super easy and super yummy!  I certainly enjoyed an extra helping of the parm grits.  Guess that’s okay considering I may or may not have accidentally put on maternity tights this morning.  Ha!

Get in the picture!

Ok all you moms out there…have you read this??

 

 The Mom Stays in the Picture

 

Allison Tate speaks such truth in this article.  I saw this post floating around Facebook the other day, and it really resonated with me.  But then last night I was looking over my post from yesterday.  Really?  Was I even there this weekend? J  I joke that George will think I was an absent mother because there will be no proof of me around during his early years.  Aside from not loving my hair, skin, body, etc. {insert anything and everything these days}, I actually want to be in the picture.  The problem, no photographer!  I swear I am the only one who takes pics.  Don’t get me wrong, I love being behind the camera {I can ensure no blurriness, capture the moment, etc.}, but I want documentation of these precious times with my little man.  My problem, I wait for the perfect moment.  I want the perfect picture with the perfect hair {does not exist!} and perfect smiles for all.  Well I am going to be picture-less if this is what I am waiting for. Ha!  So you know what I’ll take from Allison’s article, get in the picture when you can, ask others to snap some shots and in the meantime, be thankful for iPhone’s reverse camera.

 

It's bad hair, comfys and no make-up, but with that kid's smile, it's picture perfect in my eyes!

Scenes from the weekend...

Is it really already over?  Where did the weekend go?  I know I say that every Monday.  This weekend was a rare treat for us as it was the first weekend in a long time {and the last for a while} where we were in town with no plans {amen!}.  And let me tell you, we needed the downtime.  Friday was such a gorgeous day that after work we got the little man, picked up some grub and headed to the park for a picnic.  Could not think of a better Friday night than a picnic date with my two guys.  Slept in Saturday, strolled Edgehill Village and stocked up on pumpkins and mums {I love Fall!}.  It was a big sports weekend in our house, and G managed to rock gear for three out of his four teams {Mizzou-huh?  What happened boys??}.  Saturday night dinner at friends’ found a new love for G…Mr. Potato Head {and all his tasty accessories!}.  Nursery duty for me Sunday morning {with the 2 year olds…holy moly, a peak at what’s to come!} and then all day lounging on the couch, snuggling by the fire and watching our teams.  Perfect end to a perfect weekend.

 

I'm goin’ through the Big D…

And yes, I mean Dallas!

 

What a fast and furious trip to Big D last weekend.  Time with Oma and Poppa, a baby shower celebrating a beautiful mama-to-be {for the second time!}, the worst rain storm I’ve seen in Dallas, an outdoor wedding moved to a barn {complete with no electricity}, an anniversary celebration brunch, G meeting new friends, catching up with old friends and a Cajun themed dinner with the fam. I don’t think we sat still the entire trip, but it was so worth it.  There is never enough time when we go home {I didn’t even get to eat Mexican!}, but I will take what I can and always make the most of it.  Love all my Dallas peeps!

 

 

Six years ago today...

Happy anniversary to my amazing husband.  

The love of my life, my partner always by my side, my best friend.  

I love you more today than I did six years ago.  Thank you for the most incredible journey of my life and here's to the many, many more adventures together.

Here's what...

So here’s what I’m loving these days…
 

The Newsroom

 With what little time I have to watch TV, I found time to get caught up on the Newsroom.  Best. Show. Ever. Takes me back to the good old days here. Sadly now that it’s over, I’m filling my TV time with Real Housewives. Cannot wait for the Jersey reunion!

 

Gone Girl

 So we all know I’m a reality TV junkie and not much of a reader, but I have heard more and more people talking about Gone Girl.  A friend let me borrow it for the beach trip, and although I barely made a dent in it, I’m really loving it! Just hope I can find some time to actually finish it {the last book I read took me almost a year. And it was The Help. Not exactly a tough read.}.

 

Farmers' Market Skillet

Found this amazing dish on Pinterest, and we have been making it literally every week for the last couple of months. It is that good. And yes, it is crazy easy. I double the recipe and then we eat the leftovers for lunch. B is such a fan which is rare when it comes to my vegetarian dishes. Thinking this might have been our last week to make it since it is officially Fall, which means…

Fall clothes! Oh I am SO loving the Fall trends and am ready to ditch all open toed shoes and bare legs and jump straight into boots, tights and jackets. Sadly, my shopping budget is being shared with diapers and formula these days. So, I am all about a deal…and believe me there are many to be had!

 

I was eying these adorable oxfords at Anthro {which are now sold out but you can find them at Shopbop} and actually thought the $79.00 price tag was a steal...

That was until I saw these...

At Target for $19.99! They look identical to the Dolce Vita ones.  Sadly my Tar-jay was out my size, but I think I’m going to snag these when I find a seven.

 

I’ve also been salivating over this bad boy from J.Crew. 

Love the colors. Love the print. Don’t love the price tag. I could not justify paying $268, especially when I saw this…

$24 .94 at Old Navy! 

I ordered this immediately and have been living it! What Fall finds are you loving?