December bucket list

Don't mind the ugly background... Santa made a quick visit to our church Christmas party :)

headband c/o Sunnie Jae

Since these bucket lists seem to be going so well for me (in some areas) I figured I better make one for this month, the most special month of the year! We get to celebrate the birth of Christ AND the birth of our own miracle baby!

1- Buy a candle from B&BW's. I KNOW!! I still haven't done this! But I kept missing the sales in store and I'd forget the scents I liked so I didn't buy them online! But I finally remembered which scent I want so the next sale that comes? I'm buying it online or in store... whichever is most convenient ;)

2- Do a couple of DIY decor for Mia's birthday party! I'm keeping it super simple but I want her to have her own special decor besides the fun, pretty, sparkly Christmas decor! Side note: Each year after this I want to give Mia her own mini birthday tree with "Mia ornaments" and stick her birthday gifts under it. Fun way to incorporate her birthday with Christmas since it's only 5 days before, right?! I think she'll enjoy it so much when she's a little older!

3- Take Mia to see the Christmas lights at the Temple! They are always so pretty and I think Mia would love to look at them! And I really think Eric would love to get a family picture in front of these lights ;)

4- Set up a little playgroup. I didn't make that happen last month but I've started planning one for Mia's birthday. She loves humans of all shapes and sizes (ha ha) so it would be so special to get everyone together even though Mia won't understand the reason I'm doing it!

5- Visit Santa as many times as possible. I'm either going to traumatize Mia for the rest of her life, or get her to fall in love with Santa this season ;) ha ha!

6- Play, snuggle, kiss, enjoy and squeeze Mia as often as I can! My baby turns 1 on the 20th (and she is officially accepting birthday gifts now, ha!) and I need to soak up every moment of my baby!! This past year flew by too fast, but I'm excited for the years to come!

I know there are so many fun things I'm leaving off the list but this month is so crazy that I'm trying to keep it simple. If it happens, great! If not? There's always next year :) What's on your bucket list?!

all I ever wanted

 crappy cell phone picture :)

A couple mornings ago I turned on the Christmas tree lights, blasted my Josh Groban Christmas CD (my all time favorite) and was about to bust out some cleaning while Mia played. Of course I had to sit with Mia for a minute to "ooh and aah" over the lights... then I couldn't help but bust a few moves with my sweet babe who was loving the music... until my laughing turned into crying. I mean, the ugly cry.
I remember listening to this music and staring at my Christmas tree every single day until Mia was born, wondering and day dreaming about what it would be like to enjoy it all with my baby. And here I was, watching Mia rock out to Little Drummer Boy (check out the video on IG) when it hit me-- This is all I ever wanted! I have an amazing, dedicated, loving husband who helped me bring this perfect baby into the world. God has blessed our little family so much with her perfect little soul!
Now I wonder why I was dreading this month. Yes, Mia is growing too quickly but what a miracle each day with her truly is! I am so thankful that God trusted me to be her mother. I am so grateful for this season to remind us of all our blessings! I am so grateful for our loving Heavenly Father and His son, our brother, Jesus Christ. Without them we would cease to be... along with the joy (and sorrows) we experience in this life.
In case you're wondering, I didn't get my cleaning done. I cried and played with Mia all morning long :) This is going to be a fun birthday month for Mia! And yet again, the best Christmas ever! (I'm sure I'll be saying that every year!)

winter recipe {creamy tomato mushroom pasta}

For more than 144 years, Campbell Soup Company has been making meals fun and delicious. I personally use Campbell's soup once every week to two weeks in my recipes! My pantry is always stocked with Campbell's cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, golden mushroom and chicken noodle soup (because let's face it. If I'm sick, there's no way I'm making a bath of homemade soup!) I will be sharing one of my favorite recipes, but if you're ever having a hard time coming up with an idea for dinner, Campbell will give you inspiration just when you need it at Campbellskitchen.com.
Before I share my recipe, let's talk about kids and their eating habits. My daughter loves food! She will eat anything. I love to dump a bunch of fruits and veggies on her plate and watch her pick out what she's going to put in her mouth next. But I know that won't always be the case! As she grows up she will become pickier, and instead of pulling my hair out, I will be using this site to find delicious recipes my kid(s) won’t be able to refuse (thanks to The Wisest Kid in the Whole World™ and Campbell’s soup)!
Okay, now for my recipe! I actually don't know the title of it, so we'll call it, "Creamy Tomato Mushroom Pasta." (So original, I know!)

Creamy Tomato Mushroom Pasta

3-5 Chicken Breasts

2 cans Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup

2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes

Oregano to taste

Italian Seasoning to taste

3/4 pound pasta (any kind will do, but I use penne)

 *If you'd like to throw in some extra veggies, add spinach to the list.

Combine chicken, Golden Mushroom soup and tomatoes (and spinach if you choose) in crock pot. Sprinkle Oregano and Italian seasoning until you can see flecks of seasonings everywhere when you stir. Cook in crock pot for 4-6 hours. You can add more seasoning while it's cooking and after. There's no way you can go wrong with the seasoning!

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Shred chicken and add cooked pasta minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving was super low key this year, but totally perfect! I participated in my first ever Thanksgiving day run (called The Gobbler) and I'm definitely patting myself on the back about it :) I ran the 5k in 26:38 and got 8th place in women ages 20-29. I haven't been able to run nearly as much as I used to between cold weather and snow so I was really surprised and really happy with my time!
Thanksgiving dinner was different this year! Since it was just us, my parents and my younger brother, my parents treated us to a Thanksgiving buffet at the opening of Zion National Park. We were able to eat more food than you can imagine with the gorgeous mountains in the background. It was so nice! This is a pretty popular idea in southern Utah because we knew half the people at the buffet :) Eric fed Mia her first pie(s) and it's safe to say that she's a fan! (She also ate more food than we've ever seen her eat!) He was a proud daddy!
We spent the rest of our day trying to stay awake as we all relaxed together. Even though it was a quiet holiday, we had an amazing day with my family! And I'm pretty sure Mia can't wait for Thanksgiving next year :)

Datevitation {Christmas gift} giveaway

I have a special treat for you today! If you're looking for a fun, different Christmas gift for your love, I have just the info and giveaway for you :)
Datevitation.com is the web's first online platform to create a custom love coupon book. Unlike the pre-packaged love coupon books on the market, you pick the dates and can customize the text to your liking.  Once you are done customizing the text in your book, Datevitation will print it out and ship it to you. It's so easy!
Their library contains over 500 date ideas ranging from skydiving to stargazing to steamy adult-only activities. They also have over 100 book cover options to suit any occasion.
In addition to being the perfect romantic gift for your sweetie, Datevitation now has "boy" and "girl" characters with over 200 new activity illustrations specifically for kids and parents.  There’s also an exciting feature that allows you to add photos of your own faces to the illustrations! (I suggest using photos that have been edited the same. Eric kind of looks like a vampire because I used two completely different pictures :) oops!)
Books normally start at just $25 so it makes for a thoughtful yet economical gift.  But as a special treat for you all, you can use the code 'TOETERNITY' for $10 off your purchase plus free shipping (total value of $13.50) That means you can get your loved one a one-of-a-kind gift for Christmas starting at just $15!  The order cut-off date for guaranteed delivery by Christmas is December 13 so make sure to get your order in before then!

 I really should have filled the whole book with this. Eric would have LOVED that! But I know he will love the other surprises I added!

For a chance to win your own adorable Datevitatation book, just enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway