tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497023971067641802024-03-13T22:32:07.986-07:00And the two become one - Davis familyWendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-10495492274058652772014-11-03T17:18:00.003-08:002014-11-03T17:18:51.220-08:0025 days of ChristmasFor the last two years, I have come up with fun things to do for each day leading up to Christmas. I put them on a cute card and label the envelopes 1-25. Each day there is an activity that we can do together to get in the Christmas Spirit.<br />
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Here are the ideas for this year:<br />
-Ride around the neighborhood and look at Christmas lights while drinking a hot beverage (mine will probably be mother's milk tea...see last post)<br />
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-Go see Santa<br />
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- Make hand-made gifts for grandparents<br />
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- Go see the Nutcracker (we'll be leaving Benson at home for this one). http://www.gcsu.edu/theatre/docs/gcsuseasonbrochureposterfinalfortheatrewebsite201415_1_.pdf This is the performance at Georgia College December 12, 13, 14.<br />
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- Watch Christmas movies (this is usually more than one day)<br />
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- Read Christmas books (I need to put some on hold at the library- suggestions welcome)<br />
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- Shop for someone we adopted for Christmas<br />
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- Make ornaments http://www.pinterest.com/pin/104497653825475064/ (all you do is fill a clear ornament with marshmallows and decorate the outside)<br />
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- Make Christmas trees out of paper rings http://www.pinterest.com/pin/104497653825554514/<br />
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- Callaway Gardens drive through lights- the groupon is over in 7 hours (http://www.groupon.com/deals/callaway-gardens-4?utm_source=rvs&utm_medium=afl&utm_campaign=3125087)<br />
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- Christmas parade in Jones County (December 9th)<br />
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- Bake / decorate cookies<br />
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- Deliver a special something to the neighbors<br />
- Make reindeer hands <img src="http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2012/12/reindeer-hand-print-ornaments.jpg" /><br />
- make a marshmallow snowman <img alt="Marshmallow Snowman" src="http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2012/12/marshmallow-snowman.jpg" /><br />
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- Lake Wildwood boat ride and Christmas lights (another one we may need to leave Benson at home for, but we'll see)- they have not released the information for this year, but here is the website for when they do post the dates http://www.lakewildwood.org/cotl/<br />
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- Gray UMC Drive-thru nativity (free hot chocolate- date is TBA)<br />
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- Make Gingerbread Houses<br />
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-breakfast with mommy and buy gifts for daddy.<br />
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- breakfast with daddy and buy gifts for mommy.<br />
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- chick-fil-a on Tom Hill to drive-thru lights<br />
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I only need 3 more, but they will probably either be a book, a movie or another craft!<br />
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What do you have planned for December? Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-7726536471631274892014-11-03T13:49:00.001-08:002014-11-03T13:49:24.877-08:00Catching up...but this is really about lactation!So I haven't posted in about three years, but now that I have two babies and have successfully completed my Master's degree, I'm back at it!<br />
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Today I'm going to post a few of my go-to recipes for helping with lactation. These are three recipes that I have used in the last few weeks to try to boost my supply. They have been somewhat successful. My supply has been down for a few reasons, but these all seem to help.<br />
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The first, baked lactation cookies:<br />
http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies-by-noel-trujillo-192346<br />
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These are pretty good. The hubs thought they were good too.<br />
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Next, no-bake lactation cookies:<br />
http://www.milkandbaby.com/blogs/milk-baby/15915915-no-bake-lactation-cookie-recipe<br />
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I only made 1/4 of this recipe and it lasted all week. It was very rich since instead of nuts, I put chocolate chips! I will say, they made me really thirsty, so that helped with drinking lots of water!<br />
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And the last, which is my breakfast all week, banana chocolate chip lactation muffins:<br />
http://mylittlepoppyseed.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/a-recipe-chocolate-chip-banana-lactation-muffins/<br />
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They are very good, and quite satisfying. According to my fitness pal there are 582 calories in 2 muffins. I've been trying to reach around 2,500 calories each day, so that breakfast is good for me.<br />
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<br />Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-48195291409820886012012-03-04T15:58:00.003-08:002012-03-04T16:14:28.828-08:00Little girlsI'm a very terrible blogger! Hopefully I'll get a little better when my little princess decides to make her appearance. <br /><br />On January 31, 2012 at 10:36AM my precious little baby showed us her goods! We are so excited! The sonographer asked us if we wanted to know the gender. We of course said yes.<br /><br />*I must add this little tidbit*- on the way to the doctor, I commented that I have been having TERRIBLE problems with my vision. I cannot see screens / technology that are not right up to my face. It's all terrible blur. <br /><br />Back to the story...the sonographer put that dopler on my belly and said "oh, it wants you to know too". Then she typed something and everyone (mom, dad, hubby) got to read it and were smiling. I said "well, does it say boy?" The sonographer said "Are you blind?" Then she told me "It's a girl!" Then she was very nice to turn her nifty machine to where I could see it since I could not see the monitor on the wall at ALL. The very first sonogram shot that we have is of our little girl with her legs spread wide open (her daddy does not aprove). <br /><br />Brandon just knew I would cry. I did not cry. I am totally excited though! Usually I cry with joy, and that's why he thought there'd be some tears. I did cry two days before our appointment just thinking about hearing "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!"<br /><br />We have done almost nothing to get ready for our baby. We have received TONS of clothes and today we picked out a paint color. Next weekend we'll be working on the baby room: moving the current furniture upstairs and painting the walls.<br /><br />Luckily, the baby is due 4 weeks after our last day of school, so hopefully we'll have plenty of time to think about things then. <br /><br />I would like to end this post by giving a big shout out to the wonderful young man at Kroger that cleaned up my puke today. I feel terrible for you, but you didn't even bat an eye at my poor husbands request. I went 18 weeks of throwing up every day (and not ONCE in public) and although I no longer puke EVERY day...today was a different story...However, I do feel wonderful now and I am SO thankful for that dude at Kroger.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-53643249084546397072011-12-20T06:53:00.000-08:002011-12-20T07:10:01.448-08:00Another tradition- StockingsI know there are tons of stocking traditions out there. I personally love the way my dad's family does stockings. We used to exchange gifts and do stockings, but now that there are at least 27 people present every year, we only do stockings. <br /><br />When we were little, someone would go to the grocery store and get a bunch of brown paper sacks. They would bring them home and we would all decorate them with lots of Christmas spirit and put our names on them. Now that there are no little children, my Grandmother has opted to get the humongous gift bags and put our names on them.<br /><br />You're probably thinking surely these bags don't get filled, but oh no...most years they are pretty full. Everyone is supposed to pick a small gift under $5 for everyone. We always get socks, underwear, lotion, etc. We also get lots of really fun stuff like card games, earrings, bubble bath. Sometimes these gifts are homemade and other years they are store bought. We have gotten lots of homemade scarves or ornaments. <br /><br />This used to be a morning tradition, but now that we all live in the real world and have jobs and are married, it seems we are doing it at night. So, this is how it works. Before dinner, all of the stockings get lined up in the garage. They are usually grouped by "family" (this makes it easier to find your siblings). Each person takes turns going out to the garage and putting their items in the stockings. After dinner the stockings get carried in to the living room and dug in to. Last year all of the guys got styrofoam swords and had a blast outside when we were done opening.<br /><br />I love these stockings! We hardly ever know who anything is from, but usually it is announced at some point. Someone may shout "who did the coffee mugs this year?" and that person would say, "me!"....of course this has to be repeated 10 times to help the old folks, but it is still lots of fun! Usually I am REALLY good at stocking up through out the year, but not this year. I have lots of things for my nephew, and I handmade some gifts for my immediate family, but that's all the good ones I have so far. <br /><br />Another great thing is that this is ALWAYS celebrated after Christmas, so if you need some more things for stockings they are usually dirt cheap. I will be hitting up Bath & Body works on December 26/27 while they are having their huge 70% off sale.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-54407232604392372402011-12-19T04:27:00.000-08:002011-12-19T04:44:30.580-08:00Christmas Traditions- opening giftsWhen families combine, you have to adapt to each other's traditions. Last year was our first "shared" Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve and up until lunch on Christmas day with Brandon's family, and then we drove to my parents. It was wonderful and different.<br /><br />I've always had this thing about opening presents. If I spent the time to pick out the perfect gift for you, I want to see you open it. Last year was my first chaotic Davis family gift opening experience. Someone passes you all of your presents and you open them in a hurry and then you're done. When the little one's are done opening their gifts and parents ask "who was that from?" the response is "I don't know". I think I'm just slow when it comes to opening gifts, but I try to pay special attention to who the gift is from. I'm just glad Brandon and I sat next to each other, because we decided to exchange our gifts to each other at his family gathering as well.<br /><br />This year, even though my family Christmas will be a week late, I can hardly wait to open gifts in our special way. One person sits by the tree with the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">santa</span> hat on and passes out gifts. There is always a "no, they can't open that one yet" kind of thing going on. Lots of years gifts are numbered "1" to open first "2" to open after, etc. We go youngest to oldest and "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">santa</span>" passes the gift to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">whoever's</span> turn it is. So, if it is my turn to open, "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">santa</span>" can just pass me a gift, or someone in the group can say "she needs to open mine". It is a slow process, but I thoroughly enjoy it. I get to see everyone unwrap the gifts from me and I can see what everyone got.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-43159892947300826412011-12-18T18:24:00.000-08:002011-12-18T18:50:11.893-08:00A little blogging breakI must admit that I LOVE to blog...but mostly I love reading other people's blogs and not writing my own.<br /><br />I was totally ready to do my "thankful" blogs every day in November...however all I could think of was "I am so thankful for this amazing little life growing inside me". Since I had not gone public with this info, I just had to stop. I know there are a MILLION other things that I could say I am thankful for. God is SO great and I am thankful for all of the many blessings in my life. Since I was just busting at the seems to tell, I had to quit posting. I swear I only made like 2 posts on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> the whole time I was waiting to tell. It was pure torture.<br /><br />I'm so glad that we waited to tell though. I am very thankful for so many things and all of the supportive people I have in my life. Today I am 15 weeks and our baby's heart is thumping really well. <br /><br />My very favorite season is here. I have been so unmotivated to decorate, so all we have is a red glittery "Merry Christmas" sign above our television, and a naked Christmas tree. Every day when I get home from school I throw up and then sleep, so decorating has not been on my agenda. Next year I will decorate with all the wonderful ornaments that I have and take a million pictures. I am pretty proud of myself that ALL of our shopping is done and everything is wrapped.<br /><br />Our neighbors houses all look AMAZING with all of their lights. We've gotten a few gift cards lately as "late wedding presents". They are all to Lowe's or Home Depot, so I'm hoping they will have good after Christmas sales on the light up <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">reindeer's</span> for outside or <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=548&tbm=isch&tbnid=E-c0eVLnf9MLqM:&imgrefurl=http://www.photos-public-domain.com/2010/11/29/spiral-christmas-tree-and-lights/&docid=C5tJh8wOKMan1M&imgurl=http://www.photos-public-domain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/spiral_christmas_tree_and_lights.jpg&w=2668&h=2228&ei=w6TuTv2uI8KItgezloWECw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=360&sig=108580978481560975518&page=4&tbnh=152&tbnw=182&start=34&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:34&tx=71&ty=59">these</a>. One house in our neighborhood, that has a LOT of windows facing the road, has lights in the shape of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Christmas</span> ornaments in every window. I think it looks FANTASTIC!<br /><br />On a really horrible note, I saw a nativity on my drive to Brandon's parents house a couple of weeks ago. It had Mary on one side, Joseph on the other and a HUGE <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Santa</span> in the middle instead of a manger...It has been bothering me ever since. It has to have been the most horrid thing I have seen in a while.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-45177672249221174322011-11-03T17:03:00.000-07:002011-11-03T17:05:09.690-07:00Thankful day 3Today I am thankful for massages. I had a great hour long massage today after school at the massage therapy school...it was WONDERFUL.<br /><br />I am also thankful for one of my best friends in the whole world Crystal Newby. She's pretty awesome- world's best maid of honor and a GREAT friend :)Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-27362356376831993512011-11-02T15:38:00.001-07:002011-11-02T15:41:23.469-07:00Thankful day 1 and 2I didn't start last month, but I'm going to do it this month. Yesterday I had a migraine, so I did not stay awake long enough to blog after I got home.<br /><br />Day 1- I am thankful for pictures, doctors and medicine.<br /><br />Day 2- I am thankful for:<br />my family and especially my husband<br />learning to sew using a sewing machine<br />puppies<br />the ability to learn new thingsWendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-49138622516078538892011-09-10T12:49:00.000-07:002011-09-10T13:04:57.342-07:00Lately...The last four weeks have FLOWN by! <br />We started school, softball season is in full swing, AND Brandon started his master's! It's been a little busy around here. The nights we are both home at the same time I have cooked. All others- we have either not eaten or picked up something on the go. A couple of weeks ago there were 9 softball games in one week! Craziness, but it's been fine.<br /><br />This is the absolute BEST start to the school year that I've ever experienced. I hope and pray that every year gets better and better, but I am in touch with reality- every year is different. I have even gotten some amazing compliments from my students: "Mrs. Davis- why aren't you boring like all of our other teachers?" I told them that's just my personality- I love to be moving and I hate to sit or stand still and I hate boring things, so I try my best to make it as exciting as possible. Half the time you don't even know you're learning! Another student commented that it was probably because I was young, and to give me 10 years. To which I responded- "My goal is to be just as excited and energetic in ten years as I am today- you'll have to keep me on my toes".<br /><br />I have to say that I have been lacking my me exercise goals since school started. This week I did a lot better- as long as I go exercise today I'll be good. Hopefully now that I'm back in the swing of things I can make myself go work out every day. And since the weather is getting cooler I may be able to get it taken care of during lunch. Last year I walked 3 miles a day during my lunch break. It was SO great!<br /><br />I've been begging my husband to tell me something he used to eat when he was younger. His mom is not a good cook and never really cooked anything he liked. He's happy with any home cooked meal, but I wanted to know if there was something that a grandma (one which is not living and one which is in a nursing home) used to make that he missed. So, he FINALLY told me it was country fried steak. I have made it once and I'm making it again. I'm usually very anti- fried foods, but it's not TOO terrible for you. I did use deer steaks, and they were SO delicious. He said they were wonderful and "when are you making this again?" was a quick question after dinner. We're having them again tonight with mashed potatoes and gravy during our football marathon. UGA at 4:30 and Georgia Tech after that.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-34262999701731214402011-08-04T15:27:00.000-07:002011-08-04T15:36:17.435-07:00What we've been eatingWell, it's been a full 2.5 weeks of no eating out in our household. Don't get me wrong, we've picked up something really quick for lunch, but we've eaten a home cooked meal every night for dinner.<br /><br />So, to assure you all that we're not bored by what we've been eating, here's a list of several things we've done.<br /><br />Grilled chicken<br />Chicken nuggets<br />Campbell's chicken and rice casserole<br />Chicken Spaghetti<br />Baked chicken<br />Venison spaghetti<br />Meat loaf (it was AMAZING- I used betty crocker's recipe I found online)<br />Hamburgers<br />Hamburger helper<br />Deer steaks<br />Lasagna<br />Grilled pork chops<br />Honey bbq grilled salmon<br />Potato crusted tilapia<br />Sloppy Joe's<br /><br />Some of our sides have included:<br />Garlic mashed potatoes<br />Potatoe casserole<br />Tater tots<br />Mac n cheese<br />Wild rice<br />Pasta salad<br />Squash<br />Butter beans<br />broccoli<br />asparagus<br />corn on the cob<br />creamed corn<br />chowder peas<br />field peas<br />black eyed peas<br />cucumbers<br />salad<br /><br />So far (with the exception of sides) we have not eaten the same thing twice! I know that is about to change for this coming week, but I think we're doing pretty great! <br /><br />We're cooking for my friends for my birthday- Steak, chicken, corn on the cob, potato casserole, salad, key lime pie....yum!<br /><br />I'm so proud of us!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-90491835804018804122011-08-03T16:50:00.000-07:002011-08-03T16:57:34.226-07:00Ode to SummerOh summer, how I will miss you!!! <br /><br />I will miss waking up whenever I please.<br /><br />I will miss my morning gym routine (I'm sorry that you will have to be moved to the afternoon)<br /><br />I will miss doing absolutely nothing.<br /><br />I will miss cooking and eating whenever I want.<br /><br />I will miss driving around.<br /><br />I will miss going to the lake whenever I want to lay in the sand and soak up the sun.<br /><br />I will miss cuddling with my puppy all day.<br /><br />I will miss not spending the whole weekend washing laundry.<br /><br />I will miss staying in my pj's all day if I want.<br /><br />I will miss playing on my cell phone all day because there's nothing better to do.<br /><br />I will miss skipping breakfast because I woke up at lunch time.<br /><br />So- until next end of May....I'll miss you lots!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-35264612277112880142011-07-31T16:01:00.000-07:002011-07-31T16:12:39.761-07:00And the summer comes to an endSo, just for a quick update about not eating out- we're doing AWESOME! We have been to chick-fil-a a couple of times on our way to the beach, but we have cooked every night since I started this whole business. My hubby is keeping me honest too...the other day I was REALLY wanting some zaxby's and he said "we're not eating out- fix yourself a sandwich". What a great husband.<br /><br />On Thursday we will return to work! Yikes! I feel very much not ready to return, but it'll be fine. I'm going to need a LOT of prayer for my attitude. I got some MAJOR low blows this summer that were VERY unfair in my opinion. I'm trying VERY hard to get past them, but it's very hard when the negative things KEEP piling up.<br /><br />I don't usually whine, but my husband has gotten a full dose of Negative Nancy these last few weeks. He's ready for Possitive Polly to come back. So, this will be a very different kind of year for me, but I'm hoping and praying for the best and for God to shine His light through me. He's only going to be able to do that if I adjust my attitude and stay possitive, so here's to that!<br /><br />On another note- I rearranged my classroom this week. It works. Today we got some school supplies. This is the first year that I have bought the bare minimum, but let's be honest- there were NO back to school sales around here AND I don't have the money to buy everything I usually buy. No penny paper, no penny pencils, no penny anything! So, I spent a giftcard to target on some supplies a couple of weeks ago, and today I spent $20 on some other stuff.<br /><br />It is going to be a fantastic year because I'm going to make it one :)Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-35933694911658542202011-07-22T06:04:00.000-07:002011-07-22T06:08:33.607-07:00Operation don't eat out days 3,4, and 5Day 3- Pork chops, grilled squash, potatoe casserole<br /><br />Day 4- hamburger helper and cucumbers with ranch.<br /><br />I have to admit that yesterday I did pick up chick fil a on the way to the beach for lunch. I didn't have anything in the house that I could throw together to tote to the beach, but we're good with dinners still. Thank goodness!<br /><br />Day 5- Tonight we'll be having hamburgers and grilled corn :) Yummy!<br /><br />We have even vowed to cook out for our friends on my birthday. Yeah!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-78809219862510380302011-07-20T11:58:00.000-07:002011-07-20T12:04:15.174-07:00Operation eat at home day 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IEHkgMQOYGvUhSPKC6uM3XoBAyMkwScdrTI7_MKWLFdDdccEcCDLbvr-7RGmQeH-uGyZ_j1BiRY3m0Uy7ZWBBMRQDAMU0K7eVIFDnWI88U5I2-_MPtr-IicukgHa6qmJpjsOBdEsPVcC/s1600/Wendy%2527s+061.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631511281333506002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IEHkgMQOYGvUhSPKC6uM3XoBAyMkwScdrTI7_MKWLFdDdccEcCDLbvr-7RGmQeH-uGyZ_j1BiRY3m0Uy7ZWBBMRQDAMU0K7eVIFDnWI88U5I2-_MPtr-IicukgHa6qmJpjsOBdEsPVcC/s320/Wendy%2527s+061.jpg" /></a><br />Deer spaghetti and garlic bread.<br /><br />Brown your ground deer with half of a chopped onion and half of a green pepper (or not if you hate those things). FYI- using deer meat will save you half the calories.<br /><br />I used smart pasta, because we like it, and because it is the pasta with the least <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">amount</span> of calories and the most <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">amount</span> of fiber. I think it's 170 calories per servings and 7 grams of fiber!<br /><br />I just broiled 3 pieces of bread spread with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt in the oven. We never buy garlic bread...wast of money.<br /><br />On spaghetti night we usually say no to veggies, but last night I was hungry before my hubby got home so I sliced a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tomato</span> from the garden and ate it.<br /><br />Tonight we'll be grilling.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-76282483153242451212011-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:002011-07-18T19:45:30.910-07:00Night 1 operation don't eat out<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1BxRaNU22xRg3c5dNw-xO8k3k3kKxyAE21M0266IBwRyFWQvp-JfdCKeL9iuSAj7Y013n07x876e1mYrSbVxu0aL9jh2-78LddqtvkRyzy5UlMe_t3rQMxHanrdVuJK1_ZeeIPJ0ErTy/s1600/Wendy%2527s.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630887819800941458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1BxRaNU22xRg3c5dNw-xO8k3k3kKxyAE21M0266IBwRyFWQvp-JfdCKeL9iuSAj7Y013n07x876e1mYrSbVxu0aL9jh2-78LddqtvkRyzy5UlMe_t3rQMxHanrdVuJK1_ZeeIPJ0ErTy/s320/Wendy%2527s.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Tonight we had baked chicken, garlic red potatoes, broccoli and rolls.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Baked chicken- </div><br /><div>2 (or however many chicken breasts)</div><br /><div>Light balsamic vinagrette poured over the breasts until they are well covered</div><br /><div>Cook at 350 for 45 minutes (or until your breasts are done)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Garlic red potatoes-</div><br /><div>Cubed red potatoes</div><br /><div>Garlic salt</div><br /><div>2 tbsp butter</div><br /><div>*These are a favorite around here*</div><br /><div>I have this nifty tupperware round thing that is meant for steaming veggies. I put the ingredients in, cook it for 12 minutes in the microwave and let the potatoes sit an extra 15 minutes- they will melt in your mouth.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Rolls and broccoli were found in the bottom of the freezer.</div>Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-2026164816124665652011-07-18T11:34:00.000-07:002011-07-18T12:01:05.341-07:00Operation don't eat outToday my hubby and I are starting operation don't eat out in our household. I love to cook, but I also have a million excuses as to why I don't cook every day. Even when I go to the grocery store, buy everything for dinners for a week, and cook all of them, I end up eating out for lunch.<br /><br />My husband and I spend roughly $300 a month (probably a lot more) on eating out. We also spend almost $100 a week at the grocery store (which is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ridiculous</span>). Today, not having a lot of money to get through the rest of the month, I went to the grocery store with $53 in cash, a short list, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">without</span> my precious husband (who likes to go to the grocery store when he is really hungry and buy on impulse without a grocery list).<br /><br />Originally I was only going to pick up a few necessities to get through this week with my $20 left from vacation. However, we have 2 more weeks until pay day and I saw a TON of great sales at Kroger, so I decided to shop for 2 weeks with the other $33 I had from selling something on ebay.<br /><br />We are extremely lucky to never have to buy red meats. We have a deep freezer full of yummy deer meat which we use for different things; steak, ground beef, roast, sausage, etc.<br /><br />Basically I just have to be really creative and cook a lot. During the school year it is REALLY hard to work all day and have the desire to cook when I get home. I found this blog <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a> that I hope will help me out. This past year I did a whole chicken in the crockpot several times and deer roast wrapped in bacon in the crockpot (really delicious) almost every week.<br /><br />Brandon loves a good sandwich and chips for lunch, so I bought bread. We have 8 pounds of lunch meat left over from our wedding that is in the deep freezer ready to be pulled out. So no need to worry about lunches for a while...just need to buy bread and maybe cheese. I made a huge thing of pasta salad for me to eat for lunch, since I am not a sandwich eater.<br /><br />Breakfast- well I love cereal and oatmeal and Brandon doesn't eat breakfast. That is not the meal we have trouble eating out for.<br /><br />This week I bought all the necessities for the next 2 weeks for just under $40 ($39.96 to be exact). I'm not going to go out and cut a ton of coupons (because this leads to spending where we do not need to), but I'm going to stick to my list and leave my husband at home.<br /><br />So this is what I got-<br /><br />5 chicken breasts (we already had 3 at home and I seperated them into baggies w/ 2 each)<br />4 boneless pork chops (seperated into baggies w/ 2 each)<br />2 ears of corn<br />1 head of lettuce<br />1 bag of butter beans<br />1 jar of chicken bullion cubes<br />6 boxes or rice a roni long grain rice (which has no "roni" and is healthier than the regular and it was only 49 cents today at Kroger)<br />1 box of mac n' cheese<br />1 box of rotini pasta<br />4 large gatorades<br />1 box of active lifestyle granola bars<br />4 cans of pringles<br />1 loaf of bread<br />1 bag of hamburger buns<br />1 tub of butter<br />1 jar of spaghetti sauce<br />1 gallon of milk<br />(I'm sure I've forgotten something)<br /><br />I know you are probably like- what about your fruits and veggies? In our refrigerator we already had 4 plums, a pound of fresh cherries and lots of apple sauce. We also have this wonderful garden with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and squash. We also have a bag of potatoes and lots of cereal. So...hopefully we'll be good for the next couple of weeks. I have $13 left over that I'm planning to go buy the necessities for next week- more milk, bread and probably an onion, maybe another pound of cherries (I<3 fresh cherries)<br /><br />We'll see how this goes, but I think we could probably save around $500 a month by doing this. So this month, we will not eat out any more. And next month, we will be eating out once, but someone else will be paying (I <3 my birthday). This is the goal for us! I'm excited!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-18615946613678503412011-07-13T16:09:00.000-07:002011-07-13T16:20:43.862-07:00You're the crust to my pizzaI've always really hated pizza. I couldn't really tell you why, other than I used to have some stomach issues that made digesting cheese difficult...However, I couldn't really tell you when I started hating pizza. <br /><br />Over the years I have decided I like Papa John's pizza. Don't know why exactly, but I do. I have only had it once since my hubby and I have been together, but it's not my hubby's favorite, so that's fine by me. I have ALWAYS loved pizza crust. I know, I know- most people don't even eat the crust, but I LOVE it. I despise pizza with a horrible crust.<br /><br />My hubby has pizza at least once a week. If it's from pizza hut (which happens to be the only big name pizza place in our small town) he's going to order a stuffed crust meat lover's pizza. I will not eat that, because there is WAY too much cheese for me. I order wings if we decide to order pizza. We have a little italian place in town that serves pizza, but the crust is terrbile, so he always gets a meat lovers calzone. Everything is either meat lovers or pepperoni if he's going to get pizza.<br /><br />Today we were both REALLY hungry and needed to go to Macon (which has far more restaurants) anyways, so I told him he could pick where we ate lunch. He picked Mellow Mushroom, which is fine because they have some GREAT hoagies. I ordered half of a greek salad and half of a steak and veggie hoagie. Hubby ordered pepperoni pizza. My hubby's favorite pizza crust comes from Mellow Mushroom, and I think it could possibly be his favorite pizza place. Today I found myself craving for some pizza crust. I asked him if I could have a bite of his pizza and he said "yes. just not the crust"...I was so bumbed. I declined the offer because I despise hot pepperoni (love it cold though). On his last piece of pizza he gave me his crust, of course after he had explained how much he truly LOVES the crust. I love my man...he knew exactly what I wanted. That crust sprinkled with parmasean cheese....YUM!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-35152272265952611562011-07-11T06:35:00.000-07:002011-07-11T06:47:26.847-07:00Woah doggy!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpcMiFQMGfYy-5a0bdpaEXznCgjV9BPFRgf_JfIY7tSNnJYjzFbv5KvIRjzM5qs-IngOV-J2awr97e8e9ZqCmiVUqwzs9p30MNXPbLs6_BzAt0sflRIp5qyY370B3Kk5Z_dXF8HDqf-oi/s1600/2011-05-29_12-21-40_601.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628090840044634002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpcMiFQMGfYy-5a0bdpaEXznCgjV9BPFRgf_JfIY7tSNnJYjzFbv5KvIRjzM5qs-IngOV-J2awr97e8e9ZqCmiVUqwzs9p30MNXPbLs6_BzAt0sflRIp5qyY370B3Kk5Z_dXF8HDqf-oi/s320/2011-05-29_12-21-40_601.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>My hubby had to work today for the first day since we got married... I can't complain one bit. 22 days of wedded bliss and neither of us has had to work. The next few weeks he just has to go to softball practice for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening...not too bad. And they didn't start until 9, so he still got to sleep in compared to when August hits us.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>We happen to have the most wonderful puppy in the world. Her name is Ginny May Davis (Brandon named her before I met her)...we just call her Ginny. She is great about going out in the morning. She's never been on a leash before. We slightly considered it after she got hit by a car, but we moved to a neighborhood instead. We have this lovely yard and she usually does a couple of laps around the house in the morning, finds her a good spot, and takes care of business. Then, she usually comes back to bed if we decide to stay in bed. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>This morning, my hubby took her out before he left, and OH MY GOODNESS...he must have not left her out long enough to finish all of her business. I stayed in bed because I don't have anything to do today, and this little munchkin would not stop pouncing on me. Ginny doesn't bark much, unless there is a knock at the door, but she was whining like a little baby this morning. So I put some decent clothes on (since my next door neighbors always want to conversate in the am) and took this girlie outside. I thought she was playing a joke on me at first like "haha mom I didn't want you to sleep in today"....but after exactly 8 minutes she found her a good little spot.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Gotta love this doggy. Now she's cuddled in my arms as I type. I LOVE cuddling her like a little baby. She weighs all of 15 pounds, and she will never get any bigger. What a sweet baby :)</div>Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-83715395553015526252011-07-08T16:03:00.000-07:002011-07-08T16:32:52.093-07:00Random thingsA few other people have written some random thoughts this week...so I'm following the trend.<br /><br />I have an obsession with frogs. I also have most of them hidden for my children later in life.<br /><br />I LOVE swimming. I could stay in a pool all day long and never get tired of it...I would get tired of sun burn though.<br /><br />I love to paint. I just painted our dining room a beautiful "marina" blue that matches my table cloth and my china.<br /><br />I think puppies are so adorable, and if ours wasn't so darn expensive we would get another. However, she must be groomed every month and she always has ear infections or bladder infections...so she racks up the vet bill very well every month.<br /><br />My mother in law is the BEST at taking lots of pictures. She always has that camera, and immediately goes to a photo printing place and makes a set for everyone that was there. It's GREAT! Brandon hates pictures, so he is not fond of it, but I sure do enjoy it.<br /><br />This summer I can count on my hands how many times I have applied make up. My cheeks get all rosy in the summer time and I just love going make-up-less. Plus once August gets here and I have to work again, it'll be back to putting a little on each morning.<br /><br />I aspire to be a stay at home mommy :)Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-73708647311794869662011-06-28T09:09:00.000-07:002011-06-28T09:22:57.369-07:00Back from the honeymoon :)I'll breifly recap since my last post...<br /><br />January- found the perfect house<br />April- moved into perfect house<br />May- had lots of people over and lots of wedding showers<br />June- our house is still perfect, with lots more decorations and two married people living in it! Got married, went on a honeymoon, now we wait until school starts again (not that we are really looking forward to that)!<br /><br />We were so blessed to have the most perfect wedding day ever. It was supposed to storm - I didn't notice a cloud in the sky all day. I had been so nervous the weeks leading up to it about certain things. On the day of our wedding, NOTHING bothered me. I wasn't nervous, I was just excited to be Mrs. Davis :) I know God took care of all my worries and made everything perfect and wonderful.<br /><br />Some people thought what we did after the reception was kind of wierd. We went to our hotel room for a while, and then we joined my family by the pool. Generations that never get to be together! How could I miss that? Really? So Brandon and I sat by the pool (and Brandon in it half the time) visiting with the family I never spend enough time with. It was wonderful, and my mom even brought out the left over food from the reception for everyone to snack on. Gosh we had some wonderful food there, and I was STARVING. We went to Brandon's parents room and visited them, and then we decided we were still hungry and went across the street to McDonald's for a cheeseburger.<br /><br />The next day was father's day. How could I not see my dad on father's day when we were in the same city? Really? That never happens. I couldn't tell you the last father's day I saw my dad...oh wait, probably the summer before my senior year in high school. So, we told both of our families (thankfully my siblings were still in town and one of Brandon's) that we wanted to all go to ihop for father's day breakfast before everyone headed to the airport. Fantastic! There were 29 people for breakfast on father's day at ihop sitting in our little area. I got to visit with everyone (even my soon to be 104 great grandmother) a little more! It was a great way to spend the morning after our wedding.<br /><br />We went home, did some laundry, packed up and on Monday morning SUPER early headed to Jacksonville, FL to leave for our honeymoon...which by the way was also perfect, but that's for another day.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-62030648590315991482011-01-12T16:51:00.000-08:002011-01-12T16:58:04.390-08:00Back to school!Praise the Lord- we returned to work today! My students were all fairly well behaved after our fabulous four day weekend. I was getting a little bored in this wonderful clean house. Brandon and I even reorganized some cabinets so we could put away our new cookie sheets, pizza pans, and cutting boards that we got for Christmas.<br /><br />Please say a prayer for us. We would really like to be able to buy a house before our wedding and we are going to see three houses on Saturday. We have already both been approved, now we just have to search for a house that suits us both.<br /><br />Alright, off to bed...I'm exhausted!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-74949318093213706342011-01-10T17:25:00.000-08:002011-01-10T17:39:45.146-08:00amazing under 400 calorie dinnerstuffed shells<div> 1lb ground venison sausage</div><div> 1/2 onion</div><div> 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms</div><div> 1 green pepper</div><div> italian seasonings as you like</div><div> jumbo shells (i only use 18 to fill a casserole dish and the box comes with 36</div><div>1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce</div><div><br /></div><div>instructions:</div><div>boil shells for the time indicated on the box</div><div>brown meat and mix in vegetables (only use what you like i have done it with no veggies and it's just as good.</div><div>add seasonings to meat (again not necessary)</div><div>when shells are done boiling place them in a bowl with cold water. you will not want them to stick.</div><div>fill shells with meat mixture and place in casserole dish</div><div>pour spaghetti sauce on top, place in oven and bake 25 minutes at 375.</div><div><br /></div><div>i made this up using the things brandon and i love. brandon likes mozarella cheese in the meat mixture before i stuff the shells but that's not part of the healthy version.</div><div><br /></div><div>366 calories in 3 jumbo shells the way i make them. i can never eat more than that.</div>Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-79968952948830548032011-01-10T12:11:00.001-08:002011-01-10T12:19:22.790-08:00Snow Day!Even though we have less than an inch of snow, there is enough ice and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">slush</span> on the roads to make them too dangerous to drive. So- No work for me :) Honestly if we stay home tomorrow I won't know what to do in this mostly clean house. The dishes are washed, carpets vacuumed, and clothes washed and put away. <br /><br />In other news- Brandon and I did great with losing weight this week. I really did not think Brandon would do this challenge with me, but since we're competing now I guess that makes it exciting! I lost 3.7 lbs. and Brandon lost 3.6 lbs. I have been watching what I eat and found these great lean cuisine in a bag to take for lunch...the only problem is that they are in a bag. However, they are really delicious compared to boxed healthy choice. The best was asiago cheese tortelini with a creamy tomatoe sauce.<br /><br />I got the wii fit for Christmas so Brandon and I both set our own goals. Brandon's doctor suggested that he give up caffeine because it effects him more than other people...so by simply cutting out coke products Brandon managed to lose 3.6lbs this week...it really stinks how much easier it is for men to lose weight...<br /><br />When all this snow clears up I plan to exercise every day for the rest of this week. I've got some nice new warm gloves, socks, jackets, and ear muffs...I'll be fine in the cold!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-71002575020449591292011-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:002011-01-06T13:57:32.752-08:00Week 1The holiday season has come and gone...thank goodness! I love the holidays, but this season has been particularly busy and I had the flu for the first four days. <br /><br />Monday we had a teacher work day, in which we accomplished planning a big project and the rest of this week. Nothing healthy was eaten. Brandon and I had not yet gone grocery shopping. We went that night though.<br /><br />Tuesday I started eating healthy. Tuesday school started back. I had the worst headache ever. I took three advil migraines when I got home. I woke up two hours later, cooked teryaki chicken, wild grain rice and broccoli.<br /><br />Wednesday I still had a headache from the minute I woke up. I made it through the school day and went straight to the chiropractor. Even though we ate at Red Lobster, I still managed to eat healthy.<br /><br />Today- My headache is GONE! Praise the Lord!!! I had a GREAT day at work and now I'm about the go to the softball banquet.<br /><br />I have not fit in exercise time just yet, but it's coming. Tomorrow I'm going to walk with my maid of honor (MOH) after school. Then I'm going to do the Wii fit.<br /><br />Saturday I'm going to SLEEP IN!!!! For the first time in several weeks. I did not get to sleep in one day over Christmas break.Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849702397106764180.post-11711579723273267552010-12-15T16:37:00.000-08:002010-12-15T16:43:32.262-08:00Freezing FeetAt first I was going to title it "cold feet" and then I thought- no that's when you're afraid to get married...NOT a good title for this since I'm literally talking about FEET!<br /><br />I have always thought that carpet in a bathroom was just wrong. You should have tile floors and at least one floor mat in case you drip out of the shower. However, after being dressed in my flannel pj's and needing to use the potty, I have decided carpet in the winter would be nice...The tile was SO cold! I didn't realize how cold I was until I stepped on it.<br /><br />Lucky for me I have a pair of snoozies, <a href="http://www.sleepyheads.com/Browse_by_Brand/Snoozies_Footies/Snoozies_Womens_Footies_and_Socks">http://www.sleepyheads.com/Browse_by_Brand/Snoozies_Footies/Snoozies_Womens_Footies_and_Socks</a><br /><br />I found them several weeks ago while shopping at the Hane's outlet. I think they were only about $5. Mine are pink and they have sheep on them. They are SO warm...I have even gone to bed with them on before. However, just like socks, they are not on my feet when I wake up. To bad!Wendy Davis :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16682621921468701812noreply@blogger.com0