Name that recipe?!?!?!?!?

I was in the mood for something different for dinner tonight, so I combined 2 very yummy dishes and made my own recipe. I am not sure what to call it though. What do you think?

Here is the recipe!

1 bag of broccoli slaw

2 packages of ramen noodles but I only used 1 tonight and I will add more to the left overs

1 can each of: low sodium: Pinto Beans, Black beans, Garbanzo Beans, and corn

1 avocado cubed

1/2 each of a red and orange bell peppers cubed *optional or whatever color you have

green onions*optional

I used cashews but any kind of nut would be fine or you can leave them out but just make sure to add them on top as they get really soggy.

Dressing: 2 ramen noodle packets

juice from 1 lime

sesame oil about 1tsp

regular cooking oil I use smart balance about 2-3 TBS

spoonful of sugar

a couple TBS of vinegar (i used rice wine because I had it but you can use regular)

I didn't really measure I just poured in so use your best judgement.

Whisk all together until the sugar and seasoning packet are dissolved.

Dice and slice all the ingredients and toss together. pour over the dressing and toss again.

I let it sit for 5-10 minutes before I served it but if its going to be longer then that before you serve it I would wait to put the dressing on as the noodles get soggy.

And this is what it looked like!!!

Yummy huh? I thought so and so did Steve, Makayla, and my sister.

You could put your own twist on this salad. It is going to be perfect for summer BBQ's and friendly get togethers!

I wanted to add cilantro but the store was out of it. You could also add tomatoes, grilled chicken, any other kind of bean or veggie. You could even add red pepper flake to the dressing for a spicy touch. Or taco seasoning for a kick! Give it a try and let me know what you think and what you change.

But first lets give this salad a NAME!!!!

Name that recipe I dare you!!!!!

Disney Live on Stage

A few Saturdays ago I got the chance to take Makayla to Disney Live on Stage. We went with our friends Jen and Hannah. It was great show and if I didn't know any better I would think Disney had created this show just for her. It had all of her favorites.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy (who she loves

by the )

She got so annoyed every time I tried to take her picture

because I was interrupting the show.

Staring the whole time!!!

She got so excited to see Cinderella and was singing

"Dream along with her"

Then it was Woody, Jessie, and Buzz

I thought she might pass out from excitement

She was screaming "Woody, Buzz" the whole time they were on stage.

What is more exciting then a bouncing tigger? Nothing to a 2 year old

She was bouncing right along with him!

The girls really enjoyed the show and I am so glad we decided to take Makayla. I wasn't sure if she would sit through the whole show but she did and could have stayed longer. We got her some popcorn during intermission and she was all set. She is growing up so fast and it is so much fun to watch her get excited. It makes it all worth everything we do for her! If you have the chance to go and see this show DO IT!!! It was great.

Lazy Sunday

Today is a very nasty rainy day. So we cleaned a little bit this morning and now we are enjoying the sound of the rain. We have all the lights out and TV's off and a few candles lit. We did some Easter art this morning and now Makayla is relaxing in her playroom reading books and listening to the sound of the rain and thunder.

We didn't even brush our hair this morning! Can't you tell?

What a nice relaxing sunday!

Which one???

I need a new pair of sneakers desperately. In fact I couldn't tell you the last time I purchased a pair or sneakers for myself. I have decided I want a pair of Puma's but I can't decide which ones I want. Which ones do you like better???

I can wear both with short or pants and they both look comfy. They are about the same price so that is not a deciding factor either. Help!!!!

Now once I decide it will just be finding the time to go all the way to international mall to try them on without Makayla. She is not a shoe shopper when shopping for me only when it's for her, but then again when is not all about her???

Shhhhh

Makayla LOVES her new bed and how cute is she in it?

More pictures of her room coming soon!

St. Patrick's day Meal

Since Makayla was still not feeling well and I stayed home from work to take care of her we decided to stay in this year. Makayla and I made the traditional Corned beef and cabbage for Steve to enjoy when he got home.

My little leprechaun!

First layer in the crock pot

Washed small red potatoes.

Carrots

Thinly sliced onions, garlic powder, S&P

The star of the show

The Corned beef and its seasoning packet

Then I poured a box of chicken stock and let it cook all day.When the meat was ready I took it out and shredded it up and then put it back in the crock pot and sliced up the cabbage and laid it on top about 3 hours before we were ready to eat!

This is the finished pot

Steve LOVED it and so did Makayla. It tried it. It was good but not something I would eat all the time. Though it was easy enough I think it will be a new tradition in the Bower house!

The next day I made a Mexican chicken soup in the crock pot that was delish but I didn't take any pictures. I will however post that recipe soon. It is a must try!

So a few days late Happy St. Patty's day Hope you didn't get pinched to much!

A visit to the ER (Warning Kinda long)

This last Sunday we went to the Crawfish festival down in St. Pete. It was a beautiful day and Makayla had been feeling kinda crummy the previous days but woke up Sunday feeling good so we thought she would enjoy being outside in the cool air and sunshine. She was in a pretty good mood on the way down there and seem to be enjoying her self- listening to the music and dancing, running in the open field and looking at all the people. She would not eat a crawfish but..she did finally touch one.

Makayla and Nenny

Then we went over to the boat show where it all went down hill from there! Last week Makayla was running a low fever but only in the evenings and it was low like 100.5 and under, so we thought it was her teeth. She had been kinda cranky but again "EYE Teeth" can really be hard to cut. Her fever got up to 105.5 at the boat show and she started to turn pale and kind of green then it seemed like she was having a hard time breathing. We left the boat show right away and rushed her to the ER. I had given her Tylenol in the meantime. When we got to the ER they took her temp and it was still 103.5. They gave her Motrin and did all kinds of test. They took chest X-rays, and blood, and urine and a strep test. When we left they said everything came back fine and that she had something viral and to let it run its course.

As a mom I was not happy with this answer but I said ok. The next day she seems a little better but that night up went the fever and she started to look like the pictures below again. So I was planning on taking her back to the Dr. the next morning. I knew this was something more then viral.

Tuesday Morning the hospital called and said she had a UTI cause by ECOLI in her urine! I took her to the Dr. first thing, where they took more urine and put her on an antibiotic. We are still waiting on the results from the urine test but Makayla is doing much better.

She still ran a low fever for the next few days but it getting back to her old self---playing, watching movies, eating and running around! It is so nice to have our girl back, and not have to see this sad face anymore!

How sad is that?

Laying in the hospital bed with her blanket "Mockie" as she calls it.

"CHEESE"

(she was starting to feel better)

Laying with Daddy!

She is still using the potty and has been dry for a week and a half. We even took our first trip out of the house with panties on and it was successful. Her big girl bed is working out great and we even redid her room. I have those pictures to share soon. She loves it!!! She climbs right in for her nap and bed time and stays in it all night or all nap. Bad thing though is she learned how to turn the door knob and open the door. She is growing up too fast!

We go back to the Dr. in 3 weeks for them to test her urine again and then she might have to have a procedure to check her ureteral reflux. But we will have to wait and see how the next week goes, I am hoping to avoid this for her sake.

Hope all is well with everyone! I will keep you updated the next few weeks on how things go for us!

BUSY BUSY

We have been super busy this month. We went to Disney where Makayla is now loving Princesses and Cinderella "rella" is her favorite. I took alot of pictures but how many times can I post about our trips to Disney....I won't bore you with all of them just these TWO!!!!But she still loves Nemo and Woody and Buzz.
We took Makayla to the Strawberry festival last Sunday and this is the only picture I took! She was not feeling to good and didn't really seem to be into it. There was LOTS of fried food and LOTS of people. It wasn't quit the same as I remember it and I can't say we will be returning next year. That is unless we feel the need to eat a hand batter ANYTHING, or chocolate dipped bacon (GROSS). We didn't eat much or stay long but I did win the newest member of our family but she deserves her own post so that will come later.
Unfortunately last month we lost a member of our family. Steve's Grandmother went in the hospital for a routine surgery and did not recover well and past away. She was great women with a wit of a personalty. We had a memorial lunch where we gathered to look at old pictures, tell stories of her time here and relived her memories. She will be missed dearly.

Family picture at Nana's memorial lunch.

This past week we went to a petting farm and Makayla got to see, feed and pet lots of animals..I am working on that post as well. We hope all is well with everyone!

20 months and BIG CHANGES

I feel like things these days are changing at a rapid pace.

This girl is no longer a baby...She is now an independent, potty training, about to start sleeping in a big girl bed kind of girl.

Makayla is now 20 months old! Can you believe it? I can't! She is growing up so fast. After much back and forth between Steve and I we decided Miss M is ready for school..well in the fall at least. She will be going to Preschool 2 days a week. Tuesdays will be a half day and Thursdays will be a full day at SCHOOL. I still cannot believe my baby is old enough to talk about school, but she is. I think it will be good for her and we are all excited to see what all she can learn.

Another big change is Makayla is potty training!!!! I was really not ready for this but she was. A few month ago we got a little potty and showed her what it was and how to use it. She would go here and there before a bath or whatever but nothing on a regular basis. When we came home on Sunday evening she asked to use the potty and has been in panties ever since. She has had 1 accident but been dry other then that. She is still in diapers at night time but panties or a pull up the rest of the time. We are SO proud of her but so sad at the same time.

She is also going to start sleeping in a toddler bed as of tonight. She loves her bed but is starting to climb out and she likes to crawl in and out of the day bed we have in the office, so we figured now is a better time that any. We ordered the bed rail for her crib to become a toddler bed and it just came in today. I will let you know how the next few nights go, as Makayla makes the transition from baby to big girl.

She is going through changes within her self and some days are worse then others. She is talking like crazy and tells you what she needs and wants which is nice but leaves a lot of room for arguments LOL. She is going through a clingy faze which we are hoping won't last forever. She is getting picky about what she eats and wants to do it herself ALL OF THE TIME!

She is independent and smart and loving and grumpy and has tantrums and throw fits and gives big hugs and kisses, and knows how to charm you when she wants something.

She is changing and it is happening before our eyes and we are so thankful for it everyday.