Easy fall dinner

Fall is here and as the end of October approaches the fall recipes come out! This year I decided to try my hand at butternut squash soup and pumpkin filled crescent rolls. Both the recipes I came up with were inspired by ones I saw on the web and in magazines. I ended up doing my own recipes because none of the ones I saw online were exactly what I wanted, but they were good jumping off points. Here are the two recipes I ended up with. Enjoy~

Butternut Squash & Sage Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
1/2 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves minced
2 cans chicken broth (all natural&no msg)but not low sodium
1/2 cup milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste

Place enough oil in bottom of large pot (I used an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven)to saute your onions, garlic and squash over medium heat. Saute until the onions turn translucent,stirring often so your garlic does not brown. Once your onions are done add both cans chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20min or until squash is tender. Using a slotted spoon remove squash from broth and place in a food processor or blender. Add milk or cream and blend until smooth. Pour broth from pot into a large bowl. Place squash puree back into pot and add ladles of broth until you have the soup the consistency you are looking for. Salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh sage and serve hot. Would be great garnished with Crispy bacon!


Pumpkin Maple Crescent rolls

1/2 can Pumpkin
cinnamon to taste
sugar to taste
2 Tbsp melted butter
2tsp maple syrup
dash of salt
1 can crescent rolls
4 marshmallows

Combine pumpkin,sugar,cinnamon,melted butter,syrup and salt in a bowl and mix well. Unroll crescent dough and divide into triangles. Flatten each triangle with your fingers until they are a little wider. Add one spoon full of pumpkin mixture at the base of the triangle and top with half a marshmallow. Roll up triangle starting at the base and fold ends over to seal in pumpkin mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake according to package directions until browned. Let cool a few minutes before enjoying this treat! You can add pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin pie spice to these if you like!

The natural look...AKA, the mom look

Well, I'm happy to say the natural look is back. At least according to magazines and television. I'm personally more than happy that my stay at home mom makeup is considered in style now, haha. Its kind of nice that you can do this look without spending a lot of money. I have always believed that being pretty doesn't have to be expensive anyways. Also, if you are a stay at home mom you owe it to yourself to get dressed and at least put some mascara on during nap time!!! Now, I don't profess to be a master at makeup or know what I'm really talking about but here is my "stay at home moms guide to the natural look".

1. Get a good moisturizer with at least spf 15. I like Biore Nourish. AND it is under 10$

2. Use Tinted moisturizer as your foundation for a more natural look. I LOVE Aveeno postively radiant tinted moisturizer. But I do add the Biore underneath first because my skin is really dry this time of year. You can also use Neutrogena healthy skin enhancer . It is actually a bit lighter weight than the Aveeno and goes on super easy. Also, they are about the same price.

3. Use a lightweight powder to hold it all on. I like coverGirl clean powder Under 10$ bucks for one and it lasts a long time and won't break you out!

4. I skip blush because when I'm bumming around the house with the little guy I don't need it and it doesn't really go with the natural look.

5. Skip the eyeliner girls and go straight for a nice neutral shade all over your eye lid and brow area. I really like Mary Kay mineral eye color in moonstone I then use the Silver Satin color lightly just ABOVE the crease and blend it in well. Best part about this eye color is it is 6.50$ for 1 and it has lasted me since December of LAST YEAR.

6.Add some black mascara. If you want to go for a more subtle look you can use a brown or whatever shade you normally use. When I buy my mascara I use maybelline great lash because it is super affordable and has always gotten great reviews. However, I currently have Lancome Hypnose Doll lash mascara which was given to me and I love it. It is budget buster though but if you splurge on one thing it should be mascara. ... right?

7.Add some sheer color to your lips. I am in love with burts bees pomegranate lip balm. For about 3 bucks, who can beat that?!

For hair I am in love with this style!Super easy, fast and great for those little hands that like to grab any hair that is hanging down..and it needs day old hair which is perfect for us mommies!

My mom must haves 6-9 months and up

In honor of Tristan turning nine months today I decided to do another post with a few of my favorite items for the 6-9 month range. Some of these items are more appropriate for 8months and up just depending on how your baby is developing and what activities they like. Here are my must haves

1. Plastic "tossable" toddler spoons.
LOVE these for feeding baby food! They hold the food better than the rubber coated baby spoons so there is less spillage and less mess! Plus, I just wash them and reuse them instead of tossing them but if one gets lost (or melted in the dishwasher) its no big deal.

2. Minute Maid frozen juice bars
Perfect for letting your little one chew on while teething, plus mom can get a nice snack in while sharing with little one.



3. Walker- Tristan loves his walker! Plus I can put him in it when I am getting ready for the day and not have to worry about him getting into things while my back is turned because the bumpers on it keep him away from things he shouldn't be in. (word of caution- if you have stairs PLEASE use caution and keep your baby away from them while in the walker)

4. Baby Mum Mum- I love these snacks! Perfect way to teach self feeding and they help with teething.

5. Grocery cart/high chair cover.
Once your little one is old enough to ride in a grocery cart you should get one of these! Nice and cushy so those little legs don't get hurt on the rough metal and sanitary in case they decide to chew on the grocery cart handle ;)

6. Sippy cup/ bottle holder-
This is a must have once your baby learns what I call the up/down game. Tristan loves to toss his bottle down and watch me pick it up. This was causing problems in stores and restaurants because I would not give him his bottle back because of germs. Now I just strap this onto his chair and he can't throw it on the floor any more! I even use it in the car and strap it to his car seat so he won't lose his bottle in the floor board.


7. Overalls
Yes, Overalls. I have come to believe that these are the best invention made for a little boy who always takes off his pants with elastic waists! They stay on and Tristan is not tripping over his pants or pulling them off because he can. He is in a weird stage and 6 month pants are too small in the butt and 9 months are too big in the waist. My solution is overalls!

8. Board books- If your baby loves to be read to but is drooling and teething on everything then board books are a perfect solution. Tristan's favorite is currently "Moo, Moo Brown Cow", which is a great book that teaches farm animals, animal noises, and counting!

The Outer Banks was...

AMAZING! We stayed in the town of Duck which is quaint and has lots of cute shops and a sound side boardwalk. We visited the aquarium (Tristan LOVED it!) and sat on the beach a lot. I read a whole book and took two wonderful bubble baths in the jacuzzi tub. The only bad part was that Jake could not come, but I returned home nice and relaxed and motivated instead of stressed!!

Goodbye world

after a busy weekend at a friends wedding (which turned out awesome!) I am off to the outer banks to relax and hang out with family. Goodbye world. I'll see you in a week.

Pictures with T-Max

Tristan + mommy+ laughing at self in bathroom mirror =
....note: he was pulling my hair in the first picture, I don't normally have that expression!

New town

I haven't blogged in forever! We have been busy getting settled in our new home. I just have to say that I love our new town. Everywhere I go people are so nice and the church we went to on Sunday was the friendliest church I have ever been to. We will certainly be going back to church there! I'm not saying I don't miss our friends and family in Durham, because I do miss everyone there. However, it is nice to be in a more friendly town that feels a lot safer than where we were living and where people will stop and talk to you in the grocery store instead of shuffling you along with the rest of the crowd because they are too busy to help or are afraid you are a mean spirited person. I guess I should say I miss our friends and family but I do not miss Durham AT ALL. I have started my job search again and have high hopes for finding something soon. Our new apartment also has lots of room and Tristan is thriving with all of the space he now has to play. Family vacation is coming up right after our good friends wedding and I am excited for both events! Lots of pictures will follow :) Here is a cute picture to leave you all with today, Just look at those teeth!! He has 4 now. ...ps. Tristan won the cutest baby contest at the mauldin drug store!! :)