cooking for two

tonight is chicken quesadilla night.

• 1 medium sized chicken breast - cubed, bite size
• 4 soft taco shells
• 1 medium sized onion - chopped
• 1 garlic clove - minced (i used 5. love lots of garlic)
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• salt, garlic powder, pepper, balsamic vinegar, lemon, worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, dried oregano (to taste)
• a couple handful of grated cheddar cheese

in a heated pan with olive oil, saute onions & garlic. add chicken & all seasonings. simmer for 6 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. mix in spinach & cook for another 3 minutes. remove from heat & set aside.

place one soft taco shell in a heated flat pan.
layer half of the taco with shredded cheese & chicken.



then fold over & press. heat both sides until cheese starts to melt.
slice in the middle & serve with sour cream. (you can also add salsa)

and our little girly had peanut butter quesadilla for dinner also. =)

photo collage

i love taking pictures. ever since avery was born, my camera was just working non-stop. yes, all the first 365 days after she was born, i took pictures of her everyday. and i'm glad i did. its amazing to see how she has grown in a year!

taking a lot of pictures doesn't mean ill end up printing all of it. making a photo album or scrap booking is not my thing either. then i discovered photo collage in walmart.com. all i had to do was upload photos to their website, choose the size of my collage, pick a border color and shuffle the photos until i find the best arrangement i like. yes, this is my thing! (no brainer) some months i get lucky they have free shipping at walmart but most of the time i pick up the collage in the store. also, walgreens.com has weekly specials & sometimes the collage is free.

and here is our precious little angel...all in just a year....

f i r s t  3 0  d a y s

o n e  m o n t h

t w o  m o n t h s

t h r e e  m o n t h s

f o u r  m o n t h s

f i v e  m o n t h s

s i x  m o n t h s

s e v e n  m o n t h s

e i g h t  m o n t h s

n i n e  m o n t h s

t e n  m o n t h s

e l e v e n  m o n t h s

t w e l v e  m o n t h s

an eye for bargain (1)

i'm a firm believer that everyone should & always spend wisely. and it makes me feel much better if i can get the most out of my money. as they say: "bang for your buck."

i rarely go out to shop for clothes for the three of us. my hubby is very picky, and shopping for him/with him is almost a once-in-a-blue-moon event. this leaves me more time to shop for myself & our little girl (but mostly for her).

my favorite stores: macy's & kohl's. i always go straight to the clearance items. if i get lucky, i find lots of pretty cute toddler outfits. shopko, target & dollar general are some stores that i also find good bargains for kids' clothes.

shopping with a tight budget is an art & a skill for me (for most women, for sure). my number 1 rule of thumb: never spend beyond $10. and what better way for me to share the good finds & great deals that i've found with my bargain hunting so far....

*dollar general - fischer price long sleeved t-shirt & denim jeans (4T) $2.

they have a clearance rack & everything was priced for only $2.

*shopko - little lass halter top & matching skirt (2T) $2.29.

attached to the hanger was a white pair of leggings (2T).

*kohl's - love, love, love koh'ls! i get emails for $10 coupons or they send me $10 gift cards in the mail. this is basically shopping for free! here's the cute outfits i found.

jumping beans long sleeved turtleneck (18 mos) $3 & sonoma pants (2T) $5.40

jumping beans long sleeved tshirt (3T) $1.20 & two capris (3T) $3.90 each.

*macy's - it's my lucky day if i stop at macy's & their clearance rack was just replenished. but they go really quick, so i don't think twice & find the perfect bargain.

carter's summer dress (2T) $2.40

greendog denim jeans (2T) $2.19

bonniejean summer dress (2T) $6.40

greendog summer blouse & leggings (18 mos) $9.97

rare editions long sleeved shirt & pants (2T) $8.40 this will be her outfit for christmas this year

carter's summer outfits (18 mos) onesie + dress $6.30 & blouse + leggings $9.99

three greendog long sleeved tshirts & pair of leggings (2T & 18 mos) $6.99 each

best buy for the month: baby headquarters puffy vest with hood, long sleeved tshirt & fleece pants (2T) $8.80

and a little something for me...hooked up black jacket (M) $6.99

need i say (write) more? all of this items were marked down to 60-90% of the original price. total retail price was $392.93 & i only paid $86.70. do the math and see how much i saved. til my next shopping trip.