new year... new beginings...

I love the thought of a new year. something about January 1st makes me feel like i can accomplish anything in the upcoming year. Ironically, i am HORRIBLE at keeping up with my new years goals. Last year we had two huge goals,
#1. Get pregnant.
#2. Buy a house.
Check and check.
However, all of my small goals fell by the wayside, i had wanted to...
Clean greener.
Learn to bake.
be a better budgeter.
keep a journal.
eat healthier.
declutter.
have more patience.
take a photo of beau and i at least once a week.
drink more water.
love more.
the two in green are the only two that i can honestly say that i accomplished. sad i know. But this year i WILL do better, i will, i promise! I'm re-committing to some old resolutions, and adding some new ones.... so here are my 2011 New years Resolutions....

#1. Learn to bake. i need to be a little more specific though. i want to learn to bake the perfect rolls, bread, and pizza crust. i suck at baking, i just have to say, so this is a big challenge for me. But i really want to master those 3 things.

#2. Cook more adventurously (is that a word?) We basically eat the same few meals over and over. tacos, french dips, homemade pizza, things like that. So i bought a new cookbook yesterday, and i went through every page and marked the recipes that we would actually eat, i probably marked around 50ish. and i want to try all of them at some point, i just need to get out of my food rut.

#3. Lose 36 lbs. odd # right? yeah here's why... i have 6 lbs to go before i am back to what i weighed pre-pregnancy, at least that's what it was a week or two ago. On top of that i want to lose another 20-30 lbs. Basically i want to weigh what i did in high school. or less :) i really should research and see what my 'healthy weight' is, but for now, that's what i want to lose.

#4. eat more nutritiously. Now i don't just mean eat healthier, I mean add more nutrients to the food we already eat, as well as try to cut out some of the additives and preservatives that are in our food. I've tried to do this a little already, i add spinach to a lot of casseroles, and replace regular lettuce with it. I want to use more fresh vegetables instead of canned. Eat leaner meats. and again, drink more water.

#5. Dress better. i have zero sense of style, period. I get so frustrated when i go clothes shopping because i feel like i just keep buying my high school clothes over and over and over. I want to look like a grown up. I already started this one, i went shopping yesterday, and i was pretty proud of what i came home with :) not one t-shirt!

#6. Expand my business. I really want to get more serious about photography. i have a bad habit of making excuses not to do people i don't know. And i really need to get out of it. I want to learn more about photoshop, and possibly save up for another lens :)

#7. Become closer to my Heavenly Father. I wouldn't go as far as saying that i am a 'Sunday Mormon', but i know that i can do better at my personal prayers, personal scripture study and put more effort into our calling.

We had an AMAZING 2010, and i am really not sure how 2011 can top it, but I'm positive that it is going to be a great year. I hope it is for all of you as well! :)

selling some cricut cartidges

time to clean out the closet! let me know if your interested! L to R
Stamped - ZooBalloo -My community

-mini monograms - opposites attract

$25 each

Merry Christmas!

i guess i better start with christmas eve, we went to my Grandma Jolley's for Christmas Eve dinner. we do this every year, im kind of a stickler for traditions. anyways, we had to leave early because i was sick, and we didnt think blake felt very good either. So we got home and started our OWN family traditions! Blake opened his christmas jammies, and yes he actually opened them! we were surprised at how well he was able to pull off the paper! he is getting so smart! these were his christmas jams, he LOVED them! he just stared at all of the words.then we opened our Christmas Eve book and Beau read it to us, blake liked the first half, then he got bored, so we had to speed read!then we took a quick family picture before we went to bed, please dont mind what i look like, i was super sick. We had an awesome christmas! I still felt like crap, so beau was the one who decided when to get out of bed, we got up at about 730ish and opened gifts. Blake loved all the wrapping paper! we all got super spoiled, but i think i got it the most!! I wont go into to detail about everything we got, but i have to thank my sweet husband for my new laptop :) i love it! i feel so lazy sitting on the couch blogging :) he also got me a skill saw. Beau's big gift was a miter saw, which he picked out, and picked up. and he got lots of clothes :), blake got spoiled rotten. he got lots of books, binkies, tons of toys, clothes, and a super fun playmat that he cant get enough of!! after we got done at our house, we preceded to our other stops :) and there were lots! we didnt get home till about 6:00 ish. Beau says that next year everyone is going to come to us :)Beau got to talk to his Step brother Gary who is on a mission in Honduras, and His brother Kade. I got to talk to my cousin Addison for a second, which was wonderful! i miss that kid like CRAZY!
Beau's Grandpa was at his moms house, so we got to see him. And we finally got their 4 generation picture. Im really glad we got it! His grandpa is starting to have a hard time remembering things, but he ALWAYS remembers beau and me, and he even remembered that we had a baby!Blake loves his playmat, and i love that it keeps him busy!!!
We hope you all had a great Christmas! And now i am on my way to take down all my decorations! i have to admit, im ready for life to get back to normal!!

Blake Pictures

cheesy tots

So i used to work at Taco Time, yes it's true. actually, beau confessed that when we first met, he had a hard time remembering my name, so he and his buds called me 'Taco Time Girl'. awaesome i know. anyways, we still love taco time, i never ever got sick of it. sometimes we even make "homemade" taco time. like these little nuggets of cheesy goodness.Cheddar Fries
1/2 a bag of frozen tator tots
Seasoned Salt
Lots and lots of grated cheese

Microwave tots until they are thawed. Put them under the broiler until they get cripsy. transfer to a plate and sprinkle with seasoned salt (just however salty you like them) top with TONS of cheese, and microwave until cheese is just barely melted. dip in salsa/hot sauce/ketchup and ENJOY!!!! OOHH YUM! we had these with tacos for lunch today. and i want them again for dinner.
At taco time we also did these as nachos, just top with your basic nacho toppings (meat, beans, corn,enchilada sauce etc.) then you have got a whole meal!!

vinyl palooza

i've been on a vinyl kick lately... can ya tell?

sorry all my walls look funny colors, i promise they are all the same!

EASY Chili

So i decided this time i would write down what i put in the chili while i made it, and now i cant find the paper, so i guess ill do this from memory!

1/2 lb cooked Ground beef (or more if you want it meatier)
1 can corn 16 oz drained
1 can kidney beans 16 oz drained and rinsed
1 can great northern beans 16 oz drained and rinsed
1 can crushed tomatoes 15 0z
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 TBS molasses (optional)
1 TBS Honey
1/2 TBS-1 TBS chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 TBS brown sugar
3-4 slices of jalapenos (the kind from the jar) (optional)
1 TBS jalapeno juice
Cornbread
Cheese

Throw everything into a bit pot and simmer for an hour! Top with cornbread and cheese and EAT!

this is a SUPER sweet chili! if you dont want it too sweet, leave out the molasses and brown sugar at the first and then add at the end when you can taste it, but we like it sweet! oh, and its super thick, i guess if you wanted it thinner you could add more crushed tomatoes or just some water. beau always wants me to make it on rainy days! its lovely to curl up on the couch and eat while watching Christmas movies!! oh, and dont skip the cornbread. it's a must!

*i add a TBS of honey and a TSP of jalapeno juice to my cornbread mix before i bake it and then drizzle with more honey like 2 minutes before its done. Yeah, we like honey.

Jolley Family Christmas Party

I look forward to the Jolley family christmas party every year! it really starts to feel like christmas! i was so excited to take blake to his first one! we had a lot of fun! and ate way too much! i LOVE my family!

blake pictures

mr. b is growing like a weed! this is his " PLEASE give it to me" facetrying to get to his toy bar!

he loves his baths now!

the yards

beau has been working SO hard on the yards! its hard when he only has one day a week, if that, to work on them, but they are coming along great!! these are a few of the rock walls he has built

Curious...

so i decided to add up our usual grocery list, and see about how much we spend monthly... i got around $300 a month, and thats including diapers, formula and beau's work food/drinks.
personally, i dont think that is bad? but im curious as to how much you spend monthly? are we WAY overspending? and how do you save on your groceries, besides coupons? would you care to share? :)

3 Months

i cant believe my baby is 3 months today! he is the best baby! i love getting to spend every day with him!

a few things about Blake at 3 Months:

-he holds his binky in a lot better

-he is eating 5-6 oz. every 3 hours

-he sleeps from 9-7 most every night

-he is in anywhere from 3-6 to 6-9 month clothes depending on the brand

-i weighed him this morning... 14 lbs 3 oz!!

-he is getting the chubbiest cheeks!!

-he notices the tv, and still loves football, i think its just because everyone is moving

-he hates getting dressed, hence a lot of pictures are in just a diaper

-he loves fuzzy blankets and chews on them constantly

-he still has the BIGGEST smile

-he loves loud noises like the vacuum, the blow dryer etc.

-he loves his bath now

-he hates getting his ears cleaned, nose sucked out, and fingernails clipped

-he still loves to stand up and gets mad if you lay him down

-if he is super tired, he will fall asleep instantly in his carseat

-he HATES being on his tummy

-he discovered his feet

there's lots more, but ill leave it at that for now :)

he is so fun to have in our lives, beau informed me that if all our kids are as good as him, we can have 10 kids, i just laughed. silly boy. look at those cheeks!

just one...

i love this little boy more than i can describe :) he makes every day so wonderful!

Christmas traditions....

is it just me, or is there something about having a baby that makes you want to start 10 million new traditions. It's just the absolute perfect time, a new begining! I picked 3 for our family and i am super excited about them, even though blake wont really get it for a few more years :)

#1. Christmas book. we decided to buy a new one every year and open it on Christmas eve and read it as a family before we go to bed. We spent forever in Barnes and Nobel last weekend looking for the perfect book. and oh, we found it:)

#2. Christmas Jammies. I know everyone does this tradition, but i love it. we got him the cutest jammies! of course to open and wear on Christmas eve!

#3. Christmas Ornament. Okay so this one is also one that everyone else does. We plan to buy blake a christmas ornament every year that has something to do with a big milestone that happened the past year. I also want to get one for the family that represents our year.

Anyways those are our new traditions! Im super excited! its so fun to start these new things with my little family, its gives me a whole new appreciation for the holidays!

dinner at the stratton house...

i absolutely hate deciding what is for dinner. the conversation in our house usually goes a little something like this...

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Beau: I dont care.
Me: i dont know how to make that. pick something else.

does anyone else get that answer every time you ask what your family wants to eat? it is highly annoying! so i devised a little plan. i made a list, a long list. of all the dinners i could think of that we like to eat. The method behind my madness, i like to cook in bulk, either a huge elk roast, 3 lbs of ground beef, a whole crockpot of chicken, and freeze most of it. So this list breaks dinners down into categories depending on what meat we have to work with. i use it ALL the time, so i thought maybe it could benefit some of you? maybe not? maybe i am crazy? Some of these dinners might be things you have never heard of, sorry! thats just what we call em!

Ground Beef:
Taco Salad
Stroganoff
Tinfoil dinners
Enchiladas
Tigerlini
Taco casserole
Hamburger Casserole
nachos
Spaghetti
skillet lasagna
soft tacos
sloppy joes
hamburger casserole
hamburgers
meatball sandwiches
homemade chili
taco pizzas
tater tot casserole
meatloaf

chicken:
haystacks
chicken tacos
chinese stir fry
chicken alfredo
chicken salad sandwiches
BBQ chicken
BBQ chicken pizza
stuffing casserole
lettuce wraps
orange chicken
homemade chicken nuggets
chicken parmesan


Shredded Beef:
roast and potatoes
french dips
shredded beef tacos
BBQ beef sandwiches
beef stroganoff
beef stew

Random/no meat:
spaghetti and chili
cornbread and chili
waffles/pancakes/french toast
grilled cheese
homemade pizza
cheesy breadsticks
loaded baked potatoes
bean and cheese quesadillas
hot dogs
burrito enchiladas
mcmuffins
BLT's
Navajo tacos
hoagies
ramen

Other Meats:
Pork chops
Pork Roast
Salmon

Side Dishes:
corn
green beans
rice-a-roni
baked beans
green salad
broccoli
stuffing
mashed potatoes
cowboy potatoes
tater tots
chips and salsa
spanish rice
garlic bread
peas
squash
fruit
fries
biscuits
baked potatoes
rolls

Hopefully this might solve some of your 'whats for dinner' dilemmas!

i ♥ target

i LOVE target... wanna know why? because nothing in this pile was over $2.80. in fact, most of it was $1.25
notice the 4 pairs of toddler basketball shorts? yeah this kid will definetly be his daddy's son!

baby einstein

i need some opinions, on these DVDs... are they worth buying? i rented one from netflix and it kept mr. b's interest for a little while, but i kind of felt guilty with him just lying there watching tv. so i turned it off. but then i thought, i need something to occupy him while i clean. so it came back on. what do you all think?

Blakers

all ready for churchi dont know how well you can see this, but he will kick his blanket off and LAUGH forever! he thinks its SO funny!
whenever he eats, his hands have to be doing something.

he hates tummy time, he'd rather play superman.