Sopapilla Cheesecake

If you are lucky enough to have tasted this dessert then you know what I mean when I say your life will be changed after eating one bite of sopapilla cheesecake. It is DIVINE. A few nights ago I made a Mexican casserole for dinner and wanted something "Mexican-ey" for dessert. So I thought about making sopapillas, hoewver I don't own a fryer so that idea was out. The next obvious choice was to search "sopapiilla" on Pinterest and see what popped up. That's when I found the wonderful recipe that is sopapilla cheesecake. I read it over and decided it couldn't hurt to try, sounded pretty good. I'm happy to report it is more than "pretty good". Try it for yourself, you won't regret it. 

Ingredients

2 cans Crescent Roll

 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (softened)

 1 cup sugar

 1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 tbsp cinnamon 

Directions 

- Using a 9 x 13 baking pan, unroll one package of Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough and line the bottom of the pan. 

- Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and extract.

- Spread over the crescent rolls. 

- Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.

- Pour melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

- Serve warm or chilled. {I prefer mine COLD!}

So I'm not going to lie to y'all. I intended to take pictures of each step of this process. Totally didn't happen. I had a screaming child at my feet and I just forgot to take more pictures. Forgive me?

 

Obviously there are several steps missing between the last picture and this one. I spread the cream cheese mixture onto the first layer of crescents. Then in order to get the top on just right I rolled it out on parchment paper and then transferred it to the baking dish. Then I poured the melted butter on top and this part isn't pictures but I generously doused with cinnamon sugar. 

A very happy ending, indeed. 

So go, my friends. Go make this heavenly dessert. It is quick, easy, and your taste buds will thank you for it. 

This is an adaptation of the Pillsbury Sopapilla Cheesecake recipe. 

 

Back in the Swing of Things

So I don't know about y'all but I always love the feeling of peace that comes along in January. The busy {constant always sometimes stressful} holiday season is behind us, and it's time to take a breather, clean out some closets, and get back to normal life. I always get the itch to clean and organize my entire house the second that Christmas decor is put away. This year has been no different. I have stayed on top of cleaning and am slowly getting into deep cleaning/organization mode.

We've been pretty busy this week and I LOVE it! Monday we had a fun playdate with our friend Bekah from church, Tuesday EC and I went to the library with our favorite twins, had a lunch date with them at CFA, and ran a bunch of errands. Today we went to bible study, and it was so nice to connect with my group and hear the word of God. Tomorrow I am doing my first "official" newborn photo shoot and could not be more excited! And we are rounding out the week with MOPS on Friday! Saturday we have a little break but I'm sure we'll find something to do and Sunday is church day. WHEW! I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back in the swing of things!

My little monkey has been ALL ABOUT feeding herself lately! She loves using her fork and spoon. At EVERY meal.

Library time on Tuesday!

Chick-fil-A with EC's favorite little guys! As unamused as all three of them look they really did have fun! ha!

Another exciting development at our house this week is that Daddy is working during the day which means he will be home for dinner EACH NIGHT this week! Woo hoo! AKA I've been able to cook nice, hot meals and have someone {other than me} to enjoy them! 

Last night I made a Mexican casserole that was amazing! 

Emma Claire tucked Daddy into bed last night. Sweet girl.  

{She was up late and he went to bed pretty early}

 9:30 is not the norm for bedtime around these parts, but Daddy was home so Emma Claire was extra crazy before bed.

And this happened today. I looked over at dixie to see that she not only had a cheerio stuck in her fur, but she also had some cheese {from a little lady's grilled cheese sandwich YESTERDAY} stuck in there too. Poor dog. 

And Emma Claire has also roped the dog into playing dress up. No one is safe in our house anymore ;-)

Sweet thing before nap time today. Excuse the poor quality, we had the camera flipped so we could see it. She is just so sweet and loving these days. I can't get enough of it.

Mastitis...One Year Later?

Well folks, I think this title is pretty self explanatory. I came down with a bout of mastitis about a week and a half ago. I know I mentioned I had been sick last week but didn't go into details.Now I'm back to 100% and am ready to document my "experience".

Well after a busy few days I noticed a painful lump in my right breast. (yes, this blog post will contain talk of the tata's. Sorry, it's a post about a breast infection. ha!) Emma Claire and I were leaving a birthday party so I nursed her right as I felt the pain, hoping some massage and emptying the breast would clear up whatever was causing the pain. It did help at first but I continued to feel pain. We stopped at the grocery on the way home and I was feeling okay. By the time we got back home and I took off my shirt to examine what was going on my breast had swollen to about twice it's normal size. Once I put EC to bed I took a hot bath, massaged, and pumped to fully empty the breast. Then I headed to bed hoping that all of my efforts to unclog what I thought was a plugged duct had worked. When I woke my breast had swollen even more and was very tender. I still didn't have a fever and was convinced it was just a clogged duct. I slept in, massaged, nursed, pumped and did all I could to make it better. Thinking that it was going to resolve itself I sent the husband on to work and proceeded with my day. 

I should mention...this all happened on a Saturday, if it had happened on a weekday I would have already been to the doctor, no questions asked. I was dreading having to go to urgent care or the emergency room. By the evening I was still convinced I could make it until Monday to see my regular doctor. At about 5:30 I started feeling even worse. I took my temp and it was 101. Then I re-examined my breast and saw that it was bright red. It appeared out of no where. So I was convinced by this point that I did indeed have mastitis. 

So there I was, running a fever, a boob the size of a cantaloupe, a screaming child, and a husband at work. I knew I had to go get medical attention because it would only get worse and I really didn't want to end up in the hospital at 3am. So I called up my friend Sonja to see if there was any way she could go with me to the doctor and if her hubby could keep EC. She said of course, so we headed over to their house. By the time we were on our way I decided to call the hubs and have him go ahead and leave work and come home. I knew I was in too much pain to care for EC alone that night. 

 Emma Claire and Tylar had a great time together and when I left her they were both squealing in the ball pit. Made my momma heart happy to know she would be well taken care of when I was gone. 

All I have to say about the time spent in the urgent care clinic is SONJA IS AWESOME. Not only did she sit in a clinic full of sick people with me, she came back in the room with me, watched me get blood drawn, heard me talk about my boobs constantly, and texted the husband updates for me. Oh and she took this rockin' picture of me.

You can actually SEE how swollen my boob was. It was awful. ha!

The doctor confirmed that I did have mastitis. She put me on some pretty strong antibiotics and one co-pay and $10 for meds later I was on my way. I have to say I was pretty pleased with my urgent care visit. Much quicker than the ER and everyone was so nice and helpful. 

When I got home I ate some food and took my first round of antibiotics. Well a little while later I started feeling worse and sure enough my temp had spiked to 103. Thankfully I had the husband at home to care for EC. Once she was in bed I took a hot bath and went to sleep around 9. I woke in the middle of the night and my fever had broken, praise the Lord. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt that crummy. I was so out of it and remember saying, "this is worse than giving birth." It was bad, y'all. 

The next morning we all got up early so that I could get some more antibiotics in my system and the little lady and daddy got dressed and ready for church. While they were gone I relaxed and enjoyed the quiet house.
 

They are both darling. She was SO excited to go to church with her Daddy. 

God puts you through certain things for a reason, of this I am certain. While I was most definitely miserable and in terrible pain, several great things came out of this for us. For one the hubs was able to get an unexpected reprieve from work. Well from his "job", ha! He worked his hiney off at home. He was such an amazing help and I couldn't' have done it without him. We were also covered in prayers from all of our wonderful church family. And we were served several delicious meals from sweet friends.

The first night we had a meal delivered our friends brought us barbeque and it was AMAZING. I had just been telling the hubs that barbeque sounded great and then next thing I knew my friend was emailing me with a few dinner options and barbeque was one of them! Prayer answered. It's the simple things.

Along with dinner our friends brought over their kiddos and Emma Claire was in HEAVEN. She LOVES this sweet little girl and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. They played and giggled together while we chatted. EC was dancing in this picture and showing off her new toys to her friend. 

 On New Years Eve we had some more great friends drop by a TON of yummy food. We snacked on it for days. I was so grateful.

Also, since I was on antibiotics I couldn't indulge in the typical "holiday" drinks so I made myself a fun little strawberry lime-aid. It was quite tasty. 

My sweet little girl on NYE. I couldn't get all dressed up but she could! I loved her outfit. It was a birthday gift from EC's friend Zoey.

I am happy to report that my boob has returned to normal size, my milk production didn't decrease, and I am feeling 100% again. Mastisis is a nasty infection that is NOT to be taken lightly. I'm thankful I got medical attention quickly and was able to get started on antibiotics right away. Who knew you could get mastisis this late in the nursing game. It really isn't common at all when nursing past one year. But anything is possible I suppose!

 I am so grateful for all of the help I got from friends and my husband. Being sick is such a different ballgame when you're the mom. It takes a village to cure a sick mommy ;-)

2012: A Wordy Review

Since my last two 2012 review blog posts have been ALL pictures, I decided I would do a little month by month recap. I know when I'm looking back on this blog in the years to come I will enjoy reading about the little details of 2012 that I no longer remember. 

January was an exciting month for us as a family. The husband graduated from his academy and finally started his official job. The road to this stage of life was a long one, but it was all worth it to watch him graduate! Proud wife moment for sure! Emma Claire also met Aunt Paige, and traveled into DC for the first time this month. 

February was a big month, full of love and family. Emma Claire and I made our first trip out to Texas to visit friends and family and had a wonderful time. She even got to visit momma and daddy's alma mater {Baylor University} for the first time. In February the hubs and I also became iPhone owners, and the rest is history! ha! This was a big month for us sleep wise because we started sleep training with EC. Our lives were forever changed! 

The weather finally warmed up in March and Emma Claire and I did lots of gardening and playing out on the deck. We also decorated the patio and got ready for spring. The inside of the house got decorated as well and was decked out in all things pastel. An exciting development for the hubs this month was that he finished his master's degree! WOO HOO! This month also started "operation tooth watch". Emma Claire began producing massive amounts of drool and became a fussy little miss. Someone was working on some TEETH! In March we also started sponsoring our child from Compassion, Felicia. Emma Claire finally rolled from tummy to back and back to tummy in march!

April was the month that the husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We also celebrated Emma Claire's first Easter, met the Easter bunny, and FINALLY found our Jenny Lind high chair. This month was also full of lots of fun foods for Emma Claire. We added solids to her diet and she tried all sorts of foods. Her favorites were avocados and bananas.

In May Emma Claire turned SEVEN months old and was closer to being one than a newborn. We also started seriously garage sale-ing and found LOTS of great deals. Daddy set up Emma Claire's swimming pool and we spent lots of time playing in it, both empty and full. Who says you need water to have fun! The three of us took a little day trip to Fredericksburg, VA and had fun doing some shopping and sight seeing. And the biggest event of the month...Emma Claire got her FIRST TOOTH! It was about time. Sweet thing worked HARD for that sucker! 

 June went by in a flash. We traveled a LOT in June. At the beginning of the month EC and I headed to Texas to visit my family again, and a the end of the month we traveled to Georgia as a family to celebrate the 4th of July {well the weekend before the fourth} with the hubs family. I also took my best friend's engagement pictures in the mountains of North Georgia while visiting. Back in Virginia we continued garage sale-ing, thrifting and, goodwill-ing. 

July was a BIG month for our family. We finally purchased our own home and moved across town! We spent the first night in our new home on July 4th. Emma Claire also started baby gymnastics. This month was mostly full of unpacking, painting, organizing, cleaning, and decorating. Daddy started to travel A LOT for work and was gone frequently. But that was okay, EC and I had plenty of summer fun together. 

August was spent doing more painting, projects, and getting settled in our new house. I finished redecorating our powder bath and entry way. Emma Claire started crawling this month! She never slowed down after that :-) The hubs continued to travel, as did EC and I. This time we drove south to North Carolina to meet and stay with Allie and Raleigh Grace. We had SO much fun and were sad to leave. 

We started September by celebrating my birthday, I turned 24 this year. Seven days later we celebrated hubby's 25th birthday. We also found a new church that we love. I dove right into bible study and MOPS {Mothers of pre-schoolers}. We met many new friends and started forming connections. Finally, we were comfortable that we had found our home away from home. The other big even of September was that Emma Claire started WALKING! Such a big girl!

October was a month full of preparation. The month started with a countdown to Emma Claire's birthday. We happily opened our home to my parents, aunt Paige, and my in-laws. Everyone was in town to celebrate miss Emma Claire's first birthday! We had such a fun birthday party with family and friends. Emma Claire got to dress up this year for Halloween! Last year she was only hours old. She was the most darling little elephant I've ever seen. After Halloween she got to live through her first hurricane! Hurricane Sandy blew through at the end of October. It did lots of damage up in New York and New Jersey but thankfully we didn't have much damage.

November was a busy month. Lots of play dates, church activities, and travel for Daddy. The United States Presidential election season was also in full swing. Emma Claire came with us and got to "vote" for the first time. She stole the show at our polling location. We celebrated our family Thanksgiving on Wednesday because the hubs had that day off. On the "actual" Thanksgiving Emma Claire and I celebrated with friends. We had such a fun time. Our church held a baby dedication in November and we were able to participate. We vowed before our church family to raise Emma Claire in a Godly home. It was a special day. 

We had lots of fun in December. We were as busy as ever with parties, special events, and church functions. Perhaps the biggest event of the year happened on December 9th, 2012. I was finally baptized. It was such a special day! We had a wonderful Christmas season and enjoyed celebrating with friends. Christmas eve was a special day and sadly the hubs had to work. Emma Claire and I were lucky enough to attend our Church Christmas Eve service and spend the evenint with wonderful friends. Thankfully he had Christmas day off. We spent Christmas day relaxing at home and spending quality time together. That was a wonderful gift. 

This past year we had so much fun watching Emma Claire grow and change. We have also loved making our new house our home. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us in 2013!

Top Twentysomething Instagram Moments

I got my iPhone last year in February, so the majority of our year {minus January} has been captured through my phone. In the same breath I post to instagram daily. So it's natural for me to write a favorite instagram pictures post.

I have to admit, this post started out as a "Top TEN instagram Moments". HA. Ten. Like I could just choose ten favorites from my 1,590 IG pictures. Yeah right. So here you go, folks. My all time favorite pictures I captured through instagram this year.

 It is really neat to browse through my IG account and really see what our "real" day to day life was like this year. Emma Claire's daily antics were more than adequately captured. She has grown so much and has been such a fun baby to hang out with this past year. Hope you enjoyed my little trip down insta lane. 

If you want to follow me on IG my username is malloriegayle

Do YOU insta?!