Spring cleaning in the fall

The last few weeks i have been in a cleaning frenzy. I have felt like i have too much "stuff" and am not organized enough. Part of the problem was i was living out of 2 bedrooms. I started off sharing a room with Kendall when she was a baby but it got to the point where she was older and if either of us were going to get any sleep we had to stay in separate rooms at night. So I started sleeping in the guest room and when family would come to stay i would just deal with it and share a room with Kendall for a couple days. All my clothes were in the closet in Kendall's room but i was sleeping in the guest room and by the end of the week i would have this pile of clothes in my "sleeping room" because i could never get into the other room to put them away because when i did have the time Kendall was sleeping.

I was looking for a dresser to put things in and couldn't find a decent used one. The underneath of my bed was filled with purses (yes i have a problem). The shelves in my closet were loaded with things that didn't need to be hung up. Kendall's toy box was overflowing in the living room but there was no place in the bedroom to put any of her toys. The bathroom cabinets where full of stuff from when we were all kids living at home and there was no room to put anything. It was stressing me out and one day i just couldn't take it anymore.

I went through the bathroom and threw away (almost) everything that was in the cabinets but hasn't been used in years. I got rid of all the half empty bottles of lotion that were "someday" going to be empty. I probably filled a garbage bag full of stuff we didn't need anymore and boy did it feel good. There is now room for everything although it is still a little unorganized it all has a place.

I finally convinced my parents to let me just move into the guest room since i was pretty much living in it anyways. Sunday my mom helped me clean out the closet and moved beds around. There was a dresser in the guest room that is now filled with clothes that didn't have a place before and my purses now get to live on a shelf in the closet instead of under the bed. Kendall's room still has an extra bed but it is smaller then the one that was in it so when we have company i will just sleep in there and they can have my room. We will be able to move her toy box to her room and just keep a few things out on a shelf in the living room so it cant get as cluttered as it did before. Plus with the holidays coming up who knows how many more toys she is going to end up with.

Its amazing how much stuff we have. At the beginning of the summer we gave 4 truck loads of stuff away to a high school for a fundraiser yard sale and just a few months later we have at least 1 more full truckload of stuff that we are giving away to a church rummage sale. There is still so much more stuff but it feels good that we were able to downsize and get rid of some more "stuff" that other people will be able to use.

On a (kind of) sad note, my phone is being stupid and wont let me post pictures. Something to do with being out of data although that has nothing to do with being able to send pictures. It should be back to normal in a few days. I can't wait to show off Kendall's Halloween costume.

Guess What?!?!?

In her "snack cup" is crunch berries, she has already shown some signs of OCD she has to pick out all the berries before she eats any of the cereal

 This sweet little gem of a child has some how contracted a staph infection in her leg. It started about a week ago and i noticed a little lump on her leg and she didn't really like it being messed with so i just left it alone figuring it would go away. A couple days later it was as big as a quarter and red. So I took her in to the doctor on Tuesday and she informed me it was a staph infection and put her on antibiotics. Later that afternoon stuff started oozing out of it which is good for healing but just plain disgusting. 

We have had enough staph infections between the 3 of us and my brother to last a lifetime it seems. I randomly got a couple that had to be lanced open (which hurt so bad i would compare it to having a baby) and then a month later got a couple more that also had to be lanced open, it was not fun. After a month long stint on antibiotics i (knock on wood) haven't got anymore. My brother got a couple while he was away in GA for basic training and since then has gotten several more. Jason got one in his hand and it got so bad he had to take several trips to the ER and had to have stuff cut out of his finger and then had to go see a hand specialist. He now has another one which isn't super bad but he is taking antibiotics for it.

I have no idea what is causing any of this or why we keep getting them. But i can only imagine how bad it must hurt Kendall. They are extremely painful for an adult i can only imagine how it would feel for a toddler. So since she has an infection and is on antibiotics her surgery is once again rescheduled.

Lastly, I couldn't help but show this picture again. She loves her daddy and since i have started Zumba again they are getting a lot of quality daddy/daughter time. He takes her out to dinner or to go watch football and they really have a good time together. Plus it helps that she actually listens to him unlike for whenever i tell her something she just ignores me. We definitely know who her favorite is :)

Picture overload

About 2 weeks ago we ventured out to the local park with a family friend to take some Fall pictures of Kendall. At first i was thinking her jacket would be to "bright" for the fall decor going on outside. But it turned out perfect making her stand out.

I was really worried she wouldn't be interested in getting her picture taken. She is rather unpredictable when it comes to pictures. She is either obsessed with them or will turn her head and run the other way. I brought a baggie of marshmallows with me and at times it felt like i was training a puppy with treats. I would give her a marshmallow and she would go do what i asked and then come running back or another.

I think we picked the perfect weekend to go. There were a lot of leaves on the ground but there were still a lot on the trees so it didn't look like all the foliage was dead.

She loved the little bridge. Running back and forth from one end to the other so she could get as many treats as possible.

Look at that sweet face. We only had a couple little mishaps the hour we were at the park. I brought a ball to entertain her and it decided to roll away into a little pond. We did get it back but it was a little adventure. The best one was when the girl taking the pictures almost stepped on a water snake, EEK!!! I figured this time of year they would be off in hibernation.

She did so well the whole time. She loves being outside and its been a while since she just got to run around and have fun at the park.

This one is my absolute favorite. The scenery in the top one is beautiful and I couldn't have asked for better pictures or a better model.

We only got a couple with Kendall and I in them. I don't think it looks that great but she was ready to be done by then cause we were out of marshmallows and i look like i am scared of something. You can kind of see how crossed her eye is in this one. I call her my cross-eyed monkey. She goes in for surgery this Friday. Cross your fingers and knock on wood she doesn't end up with some another ailment 2 days before surgery. Hope these were able to cheer your Monday up a little :)

Parmesan Chicken Bake

MmmMm I saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day and thought it was worthy of trying. That plan is to make it tomorrow for dinner, that is is if I can sneak the mayo in it past Jason (my plan is to hide the mayo and make the sauce while he is at the gym). I have had this recipe before but on halibut. It is nice and creamy and it just tastes really good.

Parmesan Chicken Bake
(adapted from Food.com)
6 chicken breasts
1 C light mayonnaise or greek yogurt (I have done 1/2 of each as well)
1/2 c fresh Parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray the inside of a 9x13 glass pan.  Lay the chicken inside the pan.
2.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and spread evenly over each piece of chicken, being sure to cover all the exposed raw meat (so it doesn't dry out.)  Sprinkle on a bit more fresh Parmesan over all the chicken.
3.  Bake for 45 minutes.  

I am going to try the 1/2 mayo, 1/2 yogurt. If Jason asks, its sour cream. The guy is weird and doesn't like mayo, mustard or cream cheese. I can understand not liking mayo and mustard but come on cream cheese??? Who doesn't like that, you can mix it into sooo many different dishes and dips. I am going to pair it with a salad and some garlic bread.

On a completely unrelated note, i am having one heck of a time finding leggings and workout pants that aren't see-through. Yea i bought a few cheapo pairs and figured that was why. So i splurged a little and bought a pair from Victoria's Secret. I got them in the mail yesterday and guess what??? They are see-through. I can understand the cheap ones being see-through but I should not be able to see skin OR my undies through a pair of $20 leggings. I don't remember having this problem in the last couple years or even last year. But this summer/fall i haven't been able to find a pair of decent leggings or workout pants. Thank goodness i have a few shirts that are long enough to cover my rear so i can get away with wearing them out in public. Where do you all get your leggings from???