Lazy day for a busy weekend

It was a really hectic, crazy week at work and I was ready for the weekend! I had talked to my Dad during the day on Friday and asked if he wanted to go out to dinner. We wanted to spend time with him and get him out of the house. So when we got home from work, we quickly packed ourselves up so we could head right back out the door. Before meeting for dinner, we stopped over at my friend Danielle's house so we could meet sweet baby Avery that was born  2 1/2 weeks ago. I missed girls dinner this week so I didn't get a chance to see her when she made her debut at her first girls night out. She is adorable and tiny. I think I forgot how little they are when they are first born. It was also nice to see her two other boys. After visiting for just a bit, we left to head over to Bar Louie to meet my Dad. On our way there, my Dad called and told us he just wasn't up for it and just felt like staying home. We were bummed, but understood. We went and had dinner and then came back home and got Leah ready for bed.

Saturday morning we were up early and we were out the door by 8:00 am. Our first stop was into my office because we were conducting our annual Wellness Screenings and Rob needed to get his done. (I did mine earlier in the week). Next stop, Oak Brook Mall. I had a haircut appointment at Mario Tricoci at 9:30 am. While I was getting my hair done, Rob and Leah walked around the mall. We were on a mission to find new outfits for the next day since we were supposed to have our family pictures taken. After I was wrapped up with my hair, I met up with them and we spent about another hour and a half at the mall. Of course I didn't find anything. Rob, on the other hand found a few things for himself. We left the mall and stopped at Old Navy, which luckily I was able to find something for myself and for Leah. We grabbed a quick lunch and then were on our way home. It was almost 3:00 pm and Leah had gone the whole day with no nap. She wasn't being crabby, but I knew she was more than ready to go down. We all took a little snooze but then had to get up to start getting ready for the evening.

My bosses had planned a dinner for our HR Team and our spouses. Dinner was at 7:00 pm at Gibsons in Rosemont. My Dad came over around 5:45 pm to watch Leah and we were out the door. There were 11 of us at dinner and it was fun. The food was awesome! I had Filet Mignon and Rob had King Crab Legs. Everything was delicious. We ordered 3 desserts to share and they were ginormous! It was nice to get out with my team!  We didn't get home until almost 11:00 pm. My Dad said that him and Leah had a great time and she was a good little girl. She adores him and loves her "Papa."

Sunday we all slept in and when we woke up it was raining outside. Bummer - we were supposed to have our family pictures at the Naperville River Walk. We ended up rescheduling for next weekend. I hope we have better weather next Saturday. So, since it was raining - it cleared all of our plans for the day. It was a perfect day to do nothing and be lazy! We all layed around in pj's for most of the morning and it felt so good! I got Leah dressed and put on her "Juicy" outfit that my Aunt Debbie bought for her last year. It finally fits her and it is so cute!

While Leah went down for a nap, I pulled out my crock pot. I decided to make Chicken Taco Soup. Luckily, I happened to have all of the ingrediants on hand. Chicken Taco Soup is absolutely one of my favorite meals! You just throw everything in the crockpot, let it simmer for a few hours and then wa-la. It is so easy and delicious!  Today was the perfect day for it since it was chilly and rainy outside. If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipe at the end of this blog.

When Leah got up from her nap, she and I ran to Carters. Leah needed fall clothes and we usually have pretty good luck at Carters. They always have great deals. We found her quite a bit (and most of it was 70% off), so hopefully this will tie her over for a while. We then ran to the grocery store and we happened to run into Jaime. It was great seeing her and catching up for a few minutes. After we got home and unloaded all of the groceries, it was time to just relax and that is what we have been doing ever since! Ahh - it feels so good! I've actually had time to try and catch up on my blog. I feel like I haven't posted very much lately. This coming week is going to be a long one for me. Rob is flying out to Colorado tomorrow morning and will be gone for the whole week. It is back to being a single working mom for the next few days. The days seem much longer and more hectic. We'll manage, but we will sure miss him!

Anyways - hope everyone had a great weekend and here is my recipe for Chicken Taco Soup.

Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I used 12 oz of chicken broth instead)

2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning

2 cups of elbow noodles

3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

Crushed tortilla chips or fritos

Directions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer (or chicken broth), and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

2. Cook elbow noodles until tender. Set aside.

2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve with elbow noodles, topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

**We usually have leftovers, so I will drain the liquid and use the contents to make enchiladas. It is delish!