Monday Meals - Meatballs over Buttered Noodles

I got this recipe ......

Easy Pleasy Meatballs over buttered Noodles

from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of celery soup
1 (10.5 oz) can of french onion soup
1/2 (16 oz) container sour cream
3 pounds frozen italian-style meatballs
1 (16 oz) package un cooked egg noodles
1/4 butter

Directions:
In a large slow cooker, mix together the soups, sour cream, and stir in meatballs.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours
Boil egg noodles until they are al dente and then drain.
Combine the meatball mixture and noodles.


Meal preparation: ………………...... 5 stars Very easy to prepare this meal

Baking/Cooking: …………………... 4 stars You have to boil the pasta, but everything else is in the slow cooker.

Versatility: ………………………..... 5 stars You can definately change the type of pasta, or add veggies. 

Amount of time to make meal:…….... 4 stars Very little time to make meal

Total price of meal:……………….... 5 stars A money saving meal.
cream of celery soup - $1.50, french onion soup - $1.50, sour cream - $1.50, frozen meatballs - $8.99, egg noodles - $3.00, butter - N/A already had in the house. 

TOTAL $16.49  6 MEALS  PRICE PER MEAL $2.74

Total Rating:……..…………….... 4.5 stars

I loved this meal!!!! I could eat it all the time.!!!!!  

Working Mom Wednesday

How Exciting, this is the first time I am playing

Working Mom Wednesday: Christmas Edition by Sweet as Punkin Pie

I am looking forward to playing this every Wednesday!







Our Chritstmas Card!

It took us a while to take this picture.  Balboa is still a little weary of Anthony and needed tons of treats to even sit next to him.  I like the idea of taking a Thanksgiving photo for our Christmas Card.  Next year, I hope we can get a few pics, so we can add a family photo.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Truthful Tuesdays

This weeks Truthful Tuesdays: Is there a Santa Claus? by Confessions from a Working Mother

I believe in the magic of Santa Claus. Everytime you wrap a gift, give a gift, get excited when you watch someone open a gift you bought....YOU ARE KEEPING THE MAGIC OF SANTA CLAUSE ALIVE!

I can't wait till Athony is older and understand Christmas and Santa Claus.  How exciting it will be watching him open Santa's gifts.

Overall Crazieness & Monday Meals

So, it has just been crazy beyond belief these past few days.

First off, my son is doing much better, he is no longer wheezing and is only on the nebulizer twice a day.  My DH is taking him to the doctors today to just make sure and find out when to start the prevenative medicine in the nebulizer. 

Even though the weekend just past, I feel like I got nothing done.  I still have Christmas shopping to do, but no money.  My DH has said that it is okay to get his gifts late, I will be able to buy his gift cards when I get paid on the 23rd.  So at least he will know what I got him but won't get them in the mail till after Christmas.

We are having Chrismtas Eve at my house, my parents, sister and BIL will be over.  I have a wonderful modified Itallian Christmas Eve planned.  I will let you know more about my menu next post.

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Next:
Since I missed Savory Saturday post, I decided to do a Monday Meals post instead.  I know I should pick and day and stay with it.  I wont; change anymore.  This is it MONDAY MEALS, where I will rate a meal I made and let you know how many individual dinners I got out of it and how much it cost all together and per dinner.

Hey if its a good meal but too expensive and time consuming I won't be making it again.  I want to build of recipes that are budget and time friendly. 

I got this recipe Now and Later Baked Ziti from

ttp://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup frozen chopped onions 

1 jar (4 lbs 3 oz) pasta sauce

1 1/2 lbs ziti - cooked but al-dente

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

cook the beef and onion in saucepot until meat is browned, pour out any fat. 

Mix in the sauce, ziti, 2 cups mozzarella.

Spoon the mixture into TWO 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch disposable foil pans.  Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meal preparation: ………………...... 3 stars a lot to do.... cook the beef, boil the pasta

Baking/Cooking: …………………... 4 stars After I put the ziti in the oven it was done

Versatility: ………………………..... 4 stars I think you can add sausage if you want or change the pasta, so its as versatile as ziti can be.

Amount of time to make meal:…….... 4 stars after the preperation and cleaning the actual time cooking was only 30 minutes.  Next time I might cook the beef ahead of time.

Total price of meal:……………….... 5 stars I think the price of the meal was pretty good.  

2 lbs ground beef - $9.74 frozen chopped onions - (already had)

1 jar of pasta sauce - $5.29

ziti - $3.00

mozzarella cheese - $6.00

parmesean cheese - $5.00 

together the meal was $29.03. We got 8 dinners out of the meal, so that is $3.63 a dinner! And that was without any coupons.  If I got smart and used coupoons it would have been even cheaper. 

Total Rating:……..…………….... 4 stars

Give-a-way & Can it Get any Worse?????

Check out the Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? GIVEAWAY from Confessions from a Working Mom.  Go over to her site and put your name in. 

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My son has been so sick see previous post. My dad is retired and watching him during the day since he is too sick to go to daycare.  When I got home from work, Anthony was not doing any better, in fact he was coughing non stop and wheezing so bad.  I called the doctors office and got an emergecny sick appointment for 5:45 pm. 

When we finally got to the appointment, Anthony's hands and feet were purple!!!!!!!  I was terrified and could only think of the worst.  The doctor on duty thoroughly checked him out and sent him over for an x-ray.  Thankfully he did not have pnemonia, but has bronchiolitis - which can lead to hosptilization if not treated.  This doctor told me to increase the number of times I give him the nebulizer. 

My DH is bringing him back in tomorrow for a follow-up with Anthony's pediatrician. We have a lot of questions...... I am worried that my son will be suseptible to respiratory infections because of this and being 5 weeks premature.  I told DH he is not allowed to leave until he feels he knows what is going on with our son. 

Truthful Tuesdays & Rough Weekend

This weeks's Truthfull Tuesday, from Confessions of a Working Mom, is about Ghost Stories.

Do you believe in Ghosts?



I absolutely believe in ghosts and spirits. I think of as ghosts scary and harmful, but spirits as benevolant.  I have always believed that spirits surrounded us and protected us, loved ones here to keep a watch over us. 

Soon after I got pregnant, after many years of trying, I was laying in bed at night.  The light from the TV cast a shadow on the vacuum, up on the ceiling was a shadow of an angel. NO JOKE!  It looked exactly like an angel kneeling down with a halo above her head.  I tried to get a picture but flash threw off the shadow.  For months I would not let my husband move the vacuum. 

My son was born early and had a rough.  I was home alone with him many times, and I would hold him in my arms he would look at me as I talked to him and then suddenly he would look over my shoulder and give the biggest cheese grin ever! I got this feeling that someone was standing over me, scared that someone was in the house I slowly turned around to see nothing.  This happened so many times when I was alone with Anthony.   They became few and far between as he approached 2 1/2 months. 

I truly believe my Grandma Angie was there.  I know everyone says that when a newborn baby smiles it just gas.  I think it is more than that, I had a feeling that she was there. Or was it another benevolant relative wanting to protect and love my miracle boy.

Rough Weekend

What a weekend!  My little man has been so sick, he had a cold and it just gets worse and worse.  He was wheezing and had a rattling in his chest.  So Sunday morning, I called for a sick appt at our doctors office.  We got an appointment for 11:45, just as we were leaving my in-laws arrived.  My MIL came with me, thankfully I did not go alone.  So we get to the doctors office, and while we are in the room being treated an ice storm starts!!!!!! Everything is coated in ice, highways and roads are closed, and accidents everywhere.   So my MIL, Anthony and I are stuck in at the doctors office, I am totally freaking out because I don't have new snow tires on my Saturn Vue yet (the tires are bald) and we only had a bottle for him.  I hadn't eaten figuring I would eat after the appointment. 

We waited in the hallway for 1 hour playing with Anthony, then once it started raining and melting we drove to CVS to get baby food and then the diner so I could eat on the way home.  Since all the highways were closed since they were still iced we took the side roads home.  I don't like driving in this weather, but now with Anthony in the car, it was so scared for him.  Thankfully he slept the whole time since he was so tired and sick.

It took forever to get home, the roads were icy in some spots.  We left the house at 10:50 to make the appointment and didn't get home till 3:15!  Once my MIL and I got home we chugged down wine like it was water.  My in-laws had to spend the night, since they couldn't drive home (FIL can't drive in the dark - but that's another story). 

Now on to Anthony:  he is still sick and using the nebulizer, which he probably should have been given at the last sick visit.  He is still wheezing when he breathes and is stuffed up and coughing up a storm.  I hate to see him like this.  He is such a happy little guy, he smiles and laughs all the time, and to see him like this is so unsettling. 

My FIL has asthma and allergies, my two nephews have allergies and one has asthma.  I am so scared that Anthony will have asthma too, or even be allergic to our dog.  I know its not the worst that could happen and I should be thankful thats all it is.  I still feel guilty for stopping nursing. I know I couldn't continue due to repeated breast infections and he never latched on and was still pumping when he was two months.  I had to stop for my own health in order to care for him.  I still wonder if I had continued would he not have these health issues???????

Getting Ready for Christmas

Our tree has a history.  After two years of buying real trees, we decided to buy a fake tree.  well my husband took it upon himself and bought went out and bought a fake tree.  He came home all proud and opened the box up.  Well out came the sickest looking fake tree ever. It was so thin and looked like it was missing a whole bunch of branches.  This year when we put it out and decorated it, we needed to secure the top of tree to the wall with fishing line, it looked like the tree was going to fall over.  Needless to say we need a new tree for  next year.

Here are some of my favorite ornaments:

We bought this at a Christmas Superstore while on vacation in Pennsylvavia. I loved that we would have four stockings in our home instead of three.  They personalized it for free!

Then we of course had to get one for our new son. 

My mom bought this ornament the fisrt Christmas we had Balboa, I still love looking at it.  It brings back so many great memories.

Then of course our first Christmas as a married couple.  How could I leave this out. 

SAVORY SATURDAY - Slowcooker Chicken & Dumplings

Welcome to my first SAVORY SATURDAY post.  As mentioned in a previous post, I make a five meal plan and order all my groceries through Pea Pod.  It saves me time, since my DH work different shifts and I home alone with Anthony and Balboa.    I cook at night and freeze the meals into smaller one person dinners.

It has been working out great.  So, I decided to post about my my favorite meal each Saturday and where I found the recipe.

Any other suggestions or ideas?

SO HERE IS THE MEAL.......

I got this recipe Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 onion, finely diced

2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions:

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.

Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High.

About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Meal preparation: ………………...... 5 stars It was easy to prepare, very little to do, just plop in the chicken, soup, and onions.  I used frozen chopped onions and added garlic powder. 


Baking/Cooking: …………………... 4 stars I just set the slow cooker and walked away.  I only opened it up to add the biscut dough.

Versatility: ………………………..... 4 stars Can easily be doubled or tripled.  If you like you can add veggies.

Amount of time to make meal:…….... 5 stars No time at all to make meal.  One of the quickest meals I made. Even easy to clean up. 


Total price of meal:……………….... 5 stars A money saving meal.  4 pieces of skinless boneless chicken breast was Chicken was $6.56, campbells condensed cream of chicken soup was $1.00 a can x2, 12oz bag of frozen chopped onions was a $1.00, we already had butter, the 8ct of biscuits was $2.29 x2.  All together the meal was $11.60.  We got 4 dinners out of the meal, so that is $2.80 a meal! And that was without any coupons. 

Total Rating:……..…………….... 4.5 stars

Five Question Friday - Dec 11th

Its Five Question Friday by Mama M.  I just love this game!!!!!!!  I



Copy and paste the questions on your blog and answer the questions.

1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?  All presents are wrapped at our house, even if we know what Santa is bringing.  It is so much fun to open a wrapped gift.  Our dog Balboa loves to destroy boxes, so we even wrap a few empty boxes just for him.  This year will be fun with our little miracle Anthony.  I can't wait to see how he reacts to the presents, he just might like the paper more than the toys. 


2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...
Definately Christmas Eve.  It is at our place again.  Last year it was just DH and me ( I was preggo with Anthony). This year will be a big celebration.  Our first Chrsitmas as parents, my parents's First Christmas as Grandparents.  My sister and her husband are coming up too.  

We waited many years to be blessed with a child, so to be able to celebrate the holiday through his eyes will be wonderful.


3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year? Absolutely!  Now that we have a family of our own, it is so much easier to stick with traditions.  Christmas Eve at our place, modified Italian Chrsitmas Eve (mixture of seafood and more basic Italian food). I have always wanted to have an Italian Christmas Eve, but who was I to make any demands.  Well now that we have a family, this is what we are going to do EVERY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!  

This year we used a Thanksgiving photo for our Christmas card, I will keep that tradition going. While everyone uses Christmas photos, I like the idea of being different and showing both holidays on one card. 



4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?  I just LOVE white lights. I prefer snowmen, snowflakes and white lights.  I had a nice collection of snowmen and snowflak ornaments, but now we have been getting many "Baby's First Christmas" type ornaments.  While they are special, there is nothing like a tree covered in all white.  Just makes me feel like a winter wonderland in my house.


5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?  Unfortunately, no.  We live in a condo and can't decorate the outside.  Luckily I have truly awesome neighbors/friends right next to us (we share the same upper hallway).  I try to decorate with a few winter wonderland themed decoreations.   The two downstairs condos can't complain caue the decorations in no way affect them getting into their condos. 

Getting Easier

So, as I mentioned before my DH and I work different shifts.  I am a reading specialist and DH is a custodian, he works the night schedule.

Therefore I am alone with our son Anthony and our dog Balboa from when I get home from work. By the time DH gets home Anthony is sound asleep for the night.  DH gets up in the morning to help, by warming up the car and bringing Anthoy out to the car.

How is it getting easier?????  Well, I put an add out for a middle/high school student to take out Balboa in the evening (around dinner time)  This works out because then when DH gets home he takes Balboa out again.  A high school student responded and comes every day (M-F) around 5:15 to take Balboa out.  She loves dogs and even let Balboa kiss her face.  She lives in our complex, so it's an easy walk to and from her house. 

Now I don't have to worry about what to do with Anthony when I have to take Balboa out.  I couldn't keep asking my neighbors to watch Anthony and I can't take Anthony out in the cold.  This works out so perfect!   

Have a Merry & Happy & Thankful

Its SITSmas 2009! Click for all the details.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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HAPPY NEW YEAR

My wishes for 2010 are

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  my famiily and friends y are HEALTHY and HAPPY
  
  
  
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  we are thankful EVERY DAY for what we have
  
  
  
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  we ENJOY our lives together
  
  
  
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Five Question Friday

Awesome friday fun by http://www.fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/

So excited to answer these quetions for the first time. 

The rules? Copy and paste the following questions to your blog, answer them, grab the MckLinky BlogHop code (if you want) and link up! If you don't have a blog, but are dying to answer the questions...just leave your answers in the comments below!

And...we're off!

Questions for Friday, December 4th: (Special thanks to the following for their question suggestions this week!! Liz, Rhonda, Heidi, and Kimberly! If you have an awesome question suggestion, check out the thread in my community!)

1. Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?
a digital photo frame to my parents.  They love looking at photos of their new son, have a wireless connection in their home so it just makes sense to buy them a digital photo frame. 

2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?

two or three.  One for my husbands job, one with the mothers club that I belong to, and maybe one at my job.

3. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Hands down......"All I Want for Christmas" and "Holly Jolly Christmas"

4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?
really did not have a good elementary sdhool experience, so I can't answer this question.  I went to a private catholic school which was run by the weathly and popular parents. 




5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?
Definately 50's the clothes, the style, and of course shaking it all up my attitude. ;)

Anthony - My 6 Month Old Miracle!

Here's my trip down memory lane.  I can't believe how much he has changed in just 6 months, in a year.

We tried for years to get pregnant,. saw fertility doctors then took a break and then tried again.  After our first round of IVF, I was pregnant, after 6 long years I finally had a beautiful life growing inside of me.  Then on June 3rd 2009 my life forever changed for the better. 

How much I have changed in six months.  As I have stated before, this mommy thing has been harder than I though, BUT I WOULDN'T CHANGE ANY OF IT. 

It was not what I expected or planned.  I did not expect to go in on June 2nd for my 35 week visit and be told that I had preeclampsyia and had to go to the hospital to deliver.

         (looking at my mom who came with me to the appointment- see that is why I have my hospital bag packed already......cause you never know.  She didn't understand why I was packing it so early)

I had to call my DH at work and tell him to pick up the hospital bag, diaper bag, and blood cord banking box)  The whole time freaking out wondering if my baby at 35 weeks would be okay. 

After being put on pitocin (did I spell it right) for 24 hours with no results only to later find out that it did not work since it was counteracted by the medicine for high blood pressure.  So, after 24 hours, we decided it was best for me and baby to have a c-section. 

I was so sad to know that I only got to see my son for a few moments and then he was brougth to the NICU.  Thankfully he was perfectly healthy but did not have the suck reflex and therefore could not eat on his own.  So here I am in the hospital recovering from a c-section and while all the other mothers have their babies with them or brought to them, I have to VISIT mine in the NICU.  I had relatives tell me "its okay" or "at least he is healthy" when I would cry uncontrollably.  I was so upset when I was treated like I had postpartom depression.   My son is locked in a room in the hopstial and I have to be let in to see him.  Any normal women would cry under those conditions.  After I was discharged I was given a room in the hospital as a service (as long as a room was available) since Anthony was still in the NICU.  After a few days of livng in the hospital and feeling like a prisoner, I decided to go home - without my son.  It was the best decision I made, I really needed to be back home, in my own bed, cuddling with Balboa.  I would drive to the hosptial every day (still in pain) and spend most of the day in the NICU.  Until one day, he was able to go home. 

So anyway, he is now 6 months old tomorrow, happy and healthy and full of joy and love.  He has such a wonderful personality.  I am so blessed. 

Anthony's Birthday 6/3/09

I remember being wheeled into the NICU (on my bed afer the C-section) and saying hello to him. He reached out with both hands and grabbed my finger.  I wanted so bad to just grab and hold him, but had to enjoy the moment as is.  I took a picture with my camera and looked at it all night long. 

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Anthony 5 days old

(I can't believe how small he was then)

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Anthony 1 month old

(my little peanut, the jumpy seat almost swallowed him)

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Anthony 2 months old
(after one of his baths, he was starting to show his personality)

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Anthony 3 months old

(my happy little man, so full of joy)

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Anthony 4 months old

(once he started sitting with support, a whole new world opened for him)

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Anthony 5 months old

(look at him stretching and strengthning his muscles)

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Anthony 6 months old

I JUST LOVE MY HAPPY LITTLE MAN, MY ABSOLUTE MIRACLE IN EVERY SENSE