Walking, Talking(trying to), Toddler

A lot has changed in the Citti Household lately. Now that Hartley is walking everywhere, every second of the day, I can say I'm one beat mom. It's kind of funny because I kept saying, "I just can't wait until she walks!!!!" --but boy that just made things much more tiring for this momma. Not to mention--Hartley has always been pretty good in restaurants, but that changed the second she started walking because now she doesn't want to sit. I'm learning that being a mom can make you feel pretty awkward and embarrassed sometimes....(or maybe that's just me) following your child around as they walk up to random strangers and stare at them for five minutes. Anyways, she is growing up so fast and I feel like my life has been on fast forward since she was born. It seems like yesterday when I had her and now she is walking, trying to say words, and already showing me a glimpse of the "terrible two's". She is so smart, too! She loves to read books and look at pictures. Everywhere we go, all day long- she wants to point to things and know what they are. She understands most everything I say and loves when I ask her to do things. Although it is tiring and frustrating at times, (this toddler phase), I still can't believe that she is my little girl. She's my whole world and when she smiles and laughs, my heart just leaps with joy. I had no idea I would love her as much as I do and love her more every day. It's kind of crazy, having a baby....you get to relive childhood in a completely different and whole new way. It's incredible!

On another note, I've been really into cooking lately. I have always loved cooking, but now that I'm staying at home, I've been having so much fun trying recipes and using my crock pot. I'm not sure why I love the crock pot so much--maybe it's just because you can dump everything in one big pot and turn a knob, i'm not sure. haha!  I am surprisingly proud of myself though, for trying recipes and being brave enough to make them my own and spice them up a bit. Here is a list of my favorite recipes so far:

1) Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Five Stars*****

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-pot-roast/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=crockpot%20pot%20roast&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

This is by far the best pot roast I have had. I have tried several in the past month or two and decided that this recipe was the best. The only thing that I thought was missing was the delicious flavor that I had loved from Paula Dean's Pot Roast recipe....so, I added to this recipe: a tablespoon of Worcestershire, 1 cup of red wine, a dash or two of Garlic salt, and lots of salt and pepper. It is DELISH!!!

2) Slow Cooker Chicken with Mushroom Wine Sauce


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-with-mushroom-wine-sauce/

This Recipe was absolutely delicious too! The only thing I changed was the amount of wine in the sauce. I'm pretty sure I added a whole cup instead of just a quarter. YUM YUM!!!

3) Easy French Onion Soup


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/french-onion-soup-recipe2/index.html

This was by far the most delicious French Onion Soup I have ever had. Not only was it super tasty, it was very easy to make! The only thing I added to the recipe was using my own choice of cheese as well as sandwich rolls to open and pour the soup in and over the top. It's to die for!


Happy Thursday!

<3 SaRaH