Recipes

Last night on my facebook page, i asked what everyone was having for dinner and shared what i was making!! I always love hearing the meals that others prepare and getting new ideas!! I made honey garlic chicken, cilantro lime rice & steamed asparagus and had a couple of people ask for the recipes, so i figured i would post them here! It was a super simple meal and very very tasty!!

*Honey Garlic Chicken*

3 lg chicken breasts (i used skinless/boneless but the recipe says any chicken pieces will work!)
1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 C honey

lay the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.

spread each ingredient over the chicken in order and do NOT mix.

bake uncovered for 1 hour in 350 degree oven & enjoy!

**i only cooked the chicken for 45 minutes and it was even a little dry at that point ~ the cooking time will need to be adjusted to what kind of chicken pieces you use!**

**i think i am going to try this in the crockpot next time i make it, so i'll be sure to let you know how that turns out!!**


*Cilantro Lime Rice*

1 C uncooked long grain white rice
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can chicken broth
1 C water

In saucepan, combine all of these ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat.

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In a small bowl, combine these 3 ingredients. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice. Enjoy!!

**we all really enjoyed this rice ~ the flavor was perfect! not too much and just enough!!**

So what did y'all have for dinner last night?! Or what are you making tonight?! We are going to have crockpot creamy italian chicken over pasta w/ broccoli tonight!! I have a little love affair with the crockpot y'all! Hope you all have a blessed day!!

catch up & belly shots!

okay. so trying to actually catch up after so many months of not blogging is kinda difficult. so i guess i will just share whatever comes to mind! ready, set, go...

In some ways this pregnancy is flying by and in alot of ways it seems to be going so slowly! I am almost 23 weeks now and definitely feeling pregnant!

16 weeks!

As i shared in my last post the first 4 1/2 months were brutal. I was very sick and struggled w/ weight loss. But, i am very happy to report that i am feeling SO much better and while i do deal with the typical pregnancy stuff like horrible heartburn (this kiddo better have a head FULL of gorgeous hair!), lots of hip and groin pain (i'm carrying SO low this time!), and exhaustion, I am overwhelmed with how blessed i am to be carrying this little miracle!!

22 weeks!

And now for a random list of stuff thats been going on the last few months & thoughts that come to mind....


* ITS A BOY!!! His name is Dylan Joseph and we are thrilled to be adding lil man #3 to our brood!!!

*did y'all watch the Bachelor?! Cause you know i did and i LOVE Brad & Emily together!! And i truly believe they will make it and are one of the more "real" couples to come out of the show!

* Colby had pneumonia last month (and has asthma which is a yucky combo!) and we go in this week for follow up chest films ~ praying they come back clear as he has just in the last few days started w/a productive cough again. its just no fun to have sickly babies! (yeah...i said baby even tho he is almost 10!)

*i seriously have the best husband. like EVER! he just makes life so much more fun and i can't imagine having to live a day w/o his support and corny jokes! ;) i am so blessed!

* last month i had 6 friends have babies!!! so fun!! and what's even better?! they were ALL boys ~ Dylan totally has a built in peer group! ha! (and several more friends will have boys in the next couple of months!) (and?! one friend is having a girl in a couple of months ~ can we say arranged marriage?!! i'm totally calling dibs!)

* this is the most active baby i have ever carried!! we had to go back a second time for the sonogram tech to be able to get all the pics they needed and both times they commented on how crazy active he is! (you don't have to tell me twice ~ i feel it and i love it!) hubby & both of the boys have already been able to feel him move!! =)

*our kids spring break isn't until the last week of april! isn't that weird?! but we are looking forward to it because we will be traveling for the last time as a family of 4!! we will be spending the week in atlanta doing all kinds of fun stuff!! & if you have recommendations for good restaurants in the downtown area i'd love to hear 'em!!

* the weather here has been AHmazing. we have so been enjoying windows open, riding bikes, (the boys of course~not me!) fresh air and breezes, sunshine and highs in the 70's!! here is where i tell you that i am all too aware of the impending heat and humidity and that i'm SO not looking forward to putting up w/ all that while being huge and pregnant. but it will be so worth it! ;)



and i think thats it for now!! life is good, we are blessed and getting more and more excited about baby Dylan's arrival all the time!! happy 1st week of spring!!

Our Big News!

Our family is growing!!!!!

We are very excited to announce here that we are expecting baby #3!!!
This is something we have prayed for and wanted for quite some time and we could not be more thrilled! God is so good and His timing is always perfect! Our due date is July 20th!

Here is a first glimpse at our newest addition......

Baby Miculka ~ 9 1/2 weeks =)

This first trimester has been very difficult but i must say that i am so blessed with an amazing husband who has stepped up and been such a huge help! I don't know how i could do it without him!! Laundry, cooking, cleaning....you name it and he's doing it right now! {sorry ladies ~ he's all mine!!} So....that's what has been going on in our world for the last couple of months! I'm going to try my hardest to be better about blogging because i want to remember everything about this pregnancy and i sure miss all of my blog friends! (hopefully ya'll still remember me!)

Praying you all have a very merry, wonderful Christmas full of love and laughter and all that truly matters!

sister-friend & pretty piggies ~ the 7th

you know how there are girlfriends and then there are friends that are more like sisters that God blesses you with along your journey thru life?? the kind of girlfriend that always says the right thing. knows what your thinking without you saying a word. the kind that you can go weeks without talking to and then pick right back up like you just chatted hours earlier. the kind that you can truly share your heart with without any fear of judgement ~ the good, the bad, & the ugly. the friend that you know is praying for you without even having to ask. i could go on and on but i'm sure you get the idea!

i was blessed to spend this morning with one of those friends. we grabbed coffee at starbucks and then went and got pedicures. it was blissful! we are both in busy stages of life and don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, so it was a blessing to be able to catch up! and the pedicure was wonderful as always! i left her this morning with a refreshed perspective on struggles i'm facing, pretty piggies, and a smile in my heart ~ full of JOY!! i don't take for granted how blessed i am to have several of these sister-friends and all the joy they bring to my life!!

the 6th

the weather here in the florida panhandle has been slightly cooler the last week or so and it has been glorious. i mean...i never really thought that i would say temps in the low to mid 90's w/ only slight humidity would be glorious...but it has been! tonight, after dinner, we decided to enjoy that slightly better weather and went on a walk as a family! i've missed our walks this summer and it brings me so much joy that we were able to do that again! hopefully we will be able to enjoy our walks more and more over the next few weeks and months! here are a couple of pics i managed to get this evening!

{brayden was tired towards the end and asked for a piggy back ride!}

{LOVE them!}

oops...i'm behind!

so...i'm a few days behind on my joyful posts! this will be a quick bullet style catch up! but the thing is that even though i didn't post them, i chose my favorite thing that brought me joy each day. i love how having this joyful september blogging idea in the back of my mind each day really helps me to just constantly find joy. in everything! i think i want a joyful october, and november, and december...you get the idea!

joyful ~ the 4th

college football brought me joy on saturday! i love football ~ its a fun, energetic game to watch and it brings back so many great memories from my middle school & high school days!! you see...i grew up in a small texas town and well....my fall's revolved around football and i wouldn't change a thing about it! and what's even better?? seeing my 3 favorite guys lined up on the couch watching football together and knowing that my hubby's heart wanted to burst as he was living a dream! watching football w/ his sons (as in they are actually understanding the game and enjoying it!) ~ something he's looked forward to for so long!! all of that wraps up into one big package of joy!

joyful ~ the 5th

we hosted a big young married's get together at our home last night and it was a blast!! opening this home that God has blessed us with and hosting family, friends (new & old), church family....that brings me so much joy! a great time was had by all...there was tons of food, babies, a men vs. kids football game (i know...those big boys ought to be ashamed of themselves!!) ;), fellowship....just plain fun and packed with joy!

and today's joyful post will have to wait! its way too early to choose my favorite source of joy for the day!! =) and i'm hoping to blog about my trip to NYC w/ girlfriends back in march too!! i'm loving being back!! i pray you are all having a wonderful labor day holiday!

Joyful ~ the 3rd

My hot lover boy....oh i mean...my hubby was off work today and it was so much fun to spend the day together! We didn't do anything special ~ dropped the boys at school, went to the case lot sale at the commissary {which for my non-military readers means stood in line to score deals on various items in bulk!}, paid the rent {yes it was late..don't judge! ;)}, did yard work....you know...we did everyday life. but we did it together and doing any task with him by my side is just better. funner. somehow easier. its one of the best parts about marriage in my opinion ~ to have someone to just do life with who actually makes everyday more enJOYable! today my hubby and our nothing special but special to me day was a huge source of JOY!!

and ps...i'd love to hear from y'all! tell me one thing that brings you joy. it can be anything!

Joyful ~ the 2nd!

There are several things about this picture that bring me joy!

*my girlfriends bring me so much joy! i know i share alot here about how much the friendships god has blessed me with mean to me. these girls {along w/ a few who couldn't be there!} are a sure source of joy in my life!


*2 of these girls are pregnant w/ babies we have all been praying for....JOY! so much JOY in that!!


*right before taking this picture, we were all drinking coffee and chatting and those are two things that each bring me joy! combine the the two and its like a joyful jackpot! ;)

Joyful Sept. ~ Day 1

today i was overcome w/ joy during brayden's dinner blessing. the part that plastered a smile on my face went a little something like this....

"and ummm, pwease make it a wonderful food. amen."

geez i love that kid! and his big brother! i had to seriously try not to giggle uncontrollably and i sure hope he thought it was a wonderful food! =)

Joyful September

i'm back! the last 6 months have been full of trial and struggle for our family and my energy & focus needed to be elsewhere for a while! but you know what?! there has been so much growth, joy and love in the midst of all we have been facing and for that i am grateful! and i'm excited to be back to blogging!!

my friend ginger, who blogs over at the small moments, shared that she is going to spend the month of september being more intentional about focusing on the joyful things in her life. and each day she will share in some form or another one thing that brought her joy that day. and she invited anyone who so desired, to join in! i have learned more in the last 6 months than i could ever begin to share here but one of those things is that no matter what life throws your way, there is always joy to be found. there is always good mixed in with the bad and if i choose to focus on the joy, the good, than it makes all the difference in the world in my everyday! so i am joining in on joyful september with ginger! i hope you enjoy my joys this month!! =)

ps...i will also be back tracking a little to share some of the life that has happened while i've been away from blogging!

pps...y'all know i love my reality tv....is anyone watching big brother?!?! thoughts??