we have a winner, folks

While I had been feeling like this for the past year and a half:

I'm now getting to this:

Currently we are on a night five 'winning' streak. While last night she woke up and did not fall back asleep on her own, the previous four nights she either slept all the way through, or put her self back to sleep after minimal whimpering. The key seems to use the paci only for sleep times whether it be for a nap or bedtime; this way it's used strictly as a comfort measure. She has adjusted well during the day to the point she will bring me a stray paci she found laying around if I ask her.



The winter sun is calling my name.
Leia

mid-week meal share: creamy baked macaroni & cheese

A little while back, I received this Snapchat from my husband:

A. I love that he reads the blog.

B. Of course I can oblige!

After sharing this with friends, I got a couple recipes sent my way and I "combined" two that were somewhat similar. Thanks Granny and Jennifer!

One is a recipe is for creamy no drain skillet macaroni and cheese and the other is for baked macaroni and cheese. The ingredients between the both were pretty similar; the ingredient list and recipe is a little more extensive for the baked version so I just picked a few things to add to the already amazing skillet version. Let me say if you are not interested in baking the recipe from Mel's is perfect.

Cost effective: yes, $10-12 for a decent sized batch.

Easy to concoct: Lots of mixing and measuring.

Here's what you'll need for my slightly larger combined recipe with notes:
*'d items are things I added/substituted in the skillet recipe from the baked
If you're not going to bake I would recommend using only 3½ cups water and 1 can evaporated milk

16 oz elbow macaroni (because what is anyone literally going to do 

with the 4 oz leftover from the original recipe)

4 cups water

 2 cans of evaporated milk (14 oz + needed)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cornstarch (wahoo I finally found it!)

½ tsp dried mustard

*½ tsp paprika

*1 bay leaf (pictured, but I forgot to add it)

¾-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¾-1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

2 tbsp butter

topping

*3 tbsp butter

*1 cup bread crumbs

1. In a large skillet combine together your noodles, water, 1¼ cup evaporated milk, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until noodles are tender and the sauce thickens. Admittedly, I didn't notice a thickening but a 'lessening'. This will take between 9 and 12 minutes. (Oh, and this is when I would've added my bay leaf)

2. Once your sauce In a separate bowl whisk together your cornstarch, dried mustard, paprika and ½ cup of evaporated milk and combine into your skillet and simmer for an additional minute.

3. Preheat your oven to 350°F if you are baking.

4. Remove your noodles from the heat add in 2 tbsp of butter and slowly add in your cheese. Oh my god, the cheeeeeeeeeese!

 

Looooook at it!  Now if you're not going to bake your pasta, you're done! If you're doing the oven baked deal, you're gonna transfer your pasta into a baking dish to prepare for the next steps. No one is watching if you want to take a couple bites for the hard work you've put in thus far...

5. If you're like me and like to take the easy way out, you're going to melt 3 tbsp of butter in the microwave and combine your bread crumbs in a bowl vs dirtying up another pot by melting it on the stove.

6. Top with some more shredded cheese and your bread crumb mixture.

7. Bake for a torturous 30 minutes.

8. ENJOY!

This recipe is the best either way. If you want to be done after the cheese is melted because you know there is nothing that compares to being hangry, by my guest. But waiting it out the 30 minutes in the oven makes for a nice competition to see if you can get all your shit cleaned up before it's done. If I were to go through the process again and bake it, I would add a little bit more milk and water before transferring it into the baking dish. It was not dry, but it totes could have been creamier.

I think you'll like it guys. Try it.

"Me likey the mac n cheesey." - Brendon

Leia

experimenting with sleep

Over the past 7-10 days I have felt completely at my wits end with Miss Piper. She has truly given us a run for our money in the sleep department. Yes, I guess this is 'normal' behavior for babies and toddlers, but we are 100% not used to it and have never really adjusted to it.

When Kennedy was born we were prepared to deal with all stereotypical baby things. Never sleeping. Up all night and day. Crying when you leave the room. Crying when you put them down. Nope. Little did we know she would wind up being the most stellar specimen. From 6 weeks on she slept through the night and would typically sleep until 10-11am (which was especially helpful since I was one working til midnight like I am now).

So DOI! Of course we thought having another would be the same amazing experience! In the back our minds though we kept conjuring up images of this hellish child because of how wonderful Kennedy was. This has come true when it comes to certain things; mainly sleep. I'm not really sure where the problem arises. We've never been ones to let her fall asleep each night in our bed, or on the couch with us. She's been in her own sleep space (whether a portable crib/bassinet in our room in the very beginning to her own bed) and she's had a mainly normal bedtime routine aside from the time slightly differing from night to night. It's not has if we've given her improper sleep training.

Things I took into consideration were her diet which is why I first tried eliminating large amounts of dairy and why I initially switched her to almond and soy milk. We haven't seen a large difference when it comes to this. Other allergies that may be causing her to be congested a lot and/or battling a runny nose. Yah, it's no fun to try and sleep when you can't breath or have a drippy nostril all night.

Now that I've hit desperate levels of sleep exhaustion I've went to the extreme.

That's right, I took to giving my precious, if not exhausting baby daughter melatonin. A million bad mom points? While doctors are unsure what the effects of long term use are and while it should not be used in replace of good sleep habits, there are no immediate life threatening or dangerous side effects. Okay, let's get ready to rumble!

While I had hoped to find liquid drops I only found the 3mg tablets by Nature Made. Recommended doses for small children is 1mg, so I promptly divided the tablet as evenly as possible and disguised it in food as if she were a puppy.

Guys, the effects were almost immediate. She was asleep in under thirty minutes! Lo and behold, this did not last long. She woke up a couple hours later absolutely fretful. I assumed it had something to do with something she had eaten was disagreeing with her because she was irritable and gassy. The next night I tried again and we saw the same immediate sleep, but we also saw the same irritableness. Again, I thought food related. Night three we decided we would remove the paci from the situation since she was falling asleep so incredibly easily with the addition of melatonin. Okay, she's horribly upset again. I took to Google for some more melatonin "research". That's when I found that while UNLIKELY, melatonin can cause abdominal discomfort and irritability. Thanks, Mayo Clinic! Of course Piper would be the exception. OF COURSE!

So now we've just been trying other combinations during her night/bedtime routine.

• Normal dinner, normal bedtime, no paci
• Snacking after dinner, normal bedtime, no paci
• Normal dinner time, up late, no paci
• Snacking after dinner, up late, no paci
• No nap during the day with these other options

In addition to no paci at night we've taken it away during the day as well. I will give it back to her for nap times and possibly bed if her sleep does not improve. She is still very much a baby and I don't want her 'suffering' for no apparent cause.

It's just stressful, but last night we had a little break through. I worked until midnight last night and woke up earlier than normal for school (thanks to this HUGE winter storm we supposed to get hit with.. yeah, not even a dusting of snow) and felt horribly drained but at the same time I couldn't remember being woken up by Piper. My fingers are crossed that she slept the whole night and that this trend continues.

This also helps me through the madness of it all.

Mombie status.

Leia

2/28/16 - the day leo finally got his oscar

I knew this was his year, and I am still ecstatic.

Much deserved.

Leia

leonardo dicaprio

Dear Leo,


I have a feeling this will finally be your year at The Academy Awards. I know, I know. We've all gone a little crazy over the years with accusing The Academy for robbing your of an award that was rightly yours. You have been nominated five times, the first being in 1993 for What's Eating Gilbert Grape and now this year for The Revenant.

While my love for you is undying and I believe that anytime you have been nominated you deserved

the win; this film, more than any before has really showcased your abilities. I am not an actor, and I am not a thespian, but I surely love to watch films.. your films. No, you weren't in your beautiful prime in The Revenant, but in your acting prime? I think yes. For a large portion of the film you were expected to convey emotions ranging from sadness, to anger, to pain without speaking.

Out of nineteen nominations for this film, you've won fourteen of them. Hopefully tonight will make for twenty nominations, and fifteen wins. You landed the Golden Globe and the SAG now my fingers are crossed for an Oscar and more shade to be thrown at Lady Gaga.

You've already arrived on the red carpet and the awards have already started, but I'm slaving away at work. You look dapper as usual (and I still don't see a ring on that finger so I'm hoping the engagement rumors from October are false).

I will be watching tonight hopefully when I get home. It will probably be spoiled for me by then either way, but oh well.

I love you,

Leia

living room "makeover"

While I've been off from school and work I had BIG plans for projects around the house.

• wood floors in the kitchen
• refinish the kitchen cabinets
• maybe paint the kitchen since I've always felt the color to be a little too 'juvenile'
• new white subway tile backsplash to finish off things being neutral in the gray perspective vs tan
• MAYBE check into new countertops but $$$$$$$$$$$
• new vanity for our bathroom
• paint our bathroom

What I ended up doing? Painting the living room and Brendon surprised me by painting our spare bathroom (something I also decided I wanted to do while I was off since all my other to-do's are staying to-do's for awhile).

BEFORE

This isn't even the full before. When we first moved in we put the TV on the back wall. I had never been a fan of this location since it drew so much attention to our fireplace being off center. I hate to call it wacky because I truly love our house.. but wacky af. I'm assuming it had to do with a building code blahdy blahdy blah. So the first thing we did was rotate our sectional and move the TV to it's new 'home'.

LEIA'S PAINTING NECESSITIES

These items will make your life much easier when it comes to painting a room, I guarantee it! In most cases you'll only need one coat of paint and you won't need to tape off ceiling edges or the trim.

1. Shur-Line paint edger

2. Shur-Line edger refill pack (depending on how many colors you're doing)

3. 3M ScotchBlue delicate surface tape (you don't need the bulk size but it's all Home Depot's website had - roughly $7-8 for a single roll)

4. Behr Premium Plus - All of Behr's paint is paint and primer in one now and they have different 'intensities'. Premium Plus works well for most light-medium tones but someone in the paint department will be able to advise you. I ALWAYS use satin finish. It is easily cleaned if you have a freak accident and it doesn't give off a bright glare. Eggshell finish still has the tendency to do this.

5. "Best" 3/8 in nap roller cover

6. 3 in mini roller, 3/8 in nap roller cover (make sure the nap is the same between the mini and regular roller)

7. Mini roller cover refill pack

Wahoo! Picking out paint colors! The most exciting yet daunting home improvement task. I picked Chicago Fog (hoping it'd be the perfect light taupe, but resulting in gray. Not mad about it) and Cloudy Sky (a lighter color off the same watch as our high school colored kitchen since I wanted to coordinate and come to terms that our kitchen would not be getting special treatment during my time off).

First you're going to want to prep your walls. Make sure holes are filled in properly and sanded (and then wiped down) and make sure intricate details are taped off (window ledges).

Once you start painting, you'll first want to pick a starting place and paintbrush the corner and begin cutting in with your paint edger. I recommend to run your edger along the bottom/top (depending ceiling/trim) edge of the paint to lessen the chance of there being a visible edge. In addition to this I recommend doing small sections and alternate between edging and rolling. This ensures you're always working with a wet edge.

If you've never used an edger before it takes a minute to get the feel for it. It's important not to load it down with paint; it will leak all around the edges and most likely get paint where you were hoping not to.

While I've always used 3/8 in nap because of the amount of paint that can be applied with one roll depending on the smoothness of your walls you'll want to use something smaller, like 1/4 in nap. This is something someone in the paint department could advise you on. Regardless of which size roller you're using one of the most important things is to never 'stretch' your paint. Don't press harder and harder in an attempt to get every last drop out of your roller before refilling. 

AFTER: PHASE 1

Ooooh yes, I'm liking where this is going!

AFTER: PHASE 2

There are still homey things that need to be done with this space. I have a multitude of photos that will be creating a gallery wall above the fireplace and we have our eye on a gorgeous new entertainment center. The sectional doesn't work in this space but we haven't narrowed down it's replacement yet.

Also, if you know me you know that this is one of the most simple paint jobs I've done in this house and one that any one of you could pull off with ease. If you need help, I'm here for ya!

Good, Better, Behr.

Leia

mid-week meal share: chicken enchilada casserole

It's Wednesday guys and the lovely 55º weather we had over the weekend has turned into snow and school closings (our district has already closed for tomorrow). It's not even the fun type of snow; it's the wet, slushy, heavy shit and it's going to cause major issues with the temperatures dropping below freezing tonight.

But whether the winter weather is troubling you, you want a quick easy dinner, or you are hosting a fiesta themed party here is an easy recipe for you. I present to you chicken enchilada casserole! This could obviously be made with a different filling so I implore you to expand your mind.

Cost effective: ¡SI, 345 pesos! (Spanish punctuation is accurate? I think?)

Easy to concoct: ¡SEGURO!

Head to the store and grab these items:

1½ pounds / 2 cups diced or shredded chicken (I used the Crock-Pot again)

3 cups shredded cheese

1 can of green chiles (4.5 oz, undrained)

flour or corn tortillas

1 16 oz can of refried beans

1 19 oz can of enchilada sauce (we used red)

*½ cup chopped medium green onion
*we also used white rice

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Or if you're going to used shredded chicken from your Crock-Pot, you'll want to cook and shred it first!

2. Mix together your chicken, 1½ cups of cheese, and chiles in a bowl.

3. In your baking dish, add a thin layer of enchilada sauce.

4. Add in two tortillas to cover the bottom and the sides of the dish.
5. Here I substituted a layer of beans for a layer of white rice. Do whichever your hangry little heart desires.

6. Now you shall add a layer of your chicken mixture. I used half the mixture since I didn't think my dish could accommodate three complete layers.

7. The original recipe called to use half the enchilada sauce, but I just spooned an amount that I felt to be appropriate.

8. And time to repeat the process. For the second time around I did tortillas, refried beans, chicken mixture, enchilada sauce.

9. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

10. Cover in foil.. which I did not do because the video recipe didn't show it.. and bake for 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
11. Enjoy the chicken-y, cheese-y, enchilada-y goodness!

Seriously loved this. I half expected it to turn out too soggy to be enjoyable but it was great. I would totes love to spice it up more but with the little one's that's not always feasible. Le sigh. One thing that was not great about this recipe?

The bottom layer was completely baked on to the bottom. I'm assuming if you sprayed a little non-stick spray or used some butter the problem would be solved. Maybe next time I'll try this.



La cucaracha, la cucaracha, enchilada, blah blah blah.
Leia