Along the Daisy Path

Diaper Disaster

2011-06-30T04:16:00.001-07:00

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a $200 giveaway entitled "Share Your Diaper Disaster Story." That is what I am going to do right here so if you are faint of heart or weak of stomach, you may want to bypass this post.

When our 2nd daughter was born my husband worked the weekends. He would leave on Friday and we would not see him again until Monday morning. It made for long weekends for me with a 2 year old and brand new baby. That being said we didn't make it to church as often as I would have liked. It was so much effort for an exhausted mom sometimes.

One weekend though I decided we were going to do it. We were going to get up and go to church. We were going to see friends and it would be glorious. Wouldn't everyone be so impressed to see me walk in with my two small children? Wouldn't I look like I had it all together?

My baby daughter slept through most of the service just until the very end. I took her out to the nursing room to feed her. I rocked her, feeling very proud of our accomplishment.

Let me add here that I had chosen to wear a very light, almost white pair of capris that spring morning. That is a critical piece of information.

As I rocked her and let her nurse, I noticed her sweet little face strain and heard the gates of baby poop open and there was no closing them. Immediately I felt the warm sensation all over my legs. The pride that I had been feeling just moments ago turned to dread. I picked up that sweet little baby to find that she had not just "blown out", she had EXPLODED all over my nearly white capris and all over her sweet little outfit.

I just sat there and stared. I had no idea what to do. It was running all down my legs. I had never in my life seen so much poop. I was mortified.

I had a small pack of baby wipes in my bag but no change of clothes for my daughter or FOR ME for that matter! What was I thinking? Why did I not have a change of clothes FOR ME in there? I grabbed the wet wipes and just started wiping and may have shed a couple of tears. I wiped my daughter down and somehow managed to get her "SOILED" outfit off then wiped her down again. I wiped down the chair I was sitting in because you know it had to run somewhere. Then I wiped my capris down but there would have been no amount of wet wipes to clean nearly white capris from the obvious stains of yellow runny baby poop.

I wrapped my daughter up in her blanket and grabbed the mountain high pile of wet wipes and the one dirty diaper because of course there was no trash can in the nursing room and walked out trying to hold my head high and praying no one would see the yellow stain all over the front of me. I got my two year old daughter out of nursery and walked passed many a person who said, "You're leaving early?" I would just smile and say, "Yes, we need to get going."

I did see our family doctor and he expressed his concern wondering if everything was ok. I smiled weakly and moved my daughter's blanket that I had strategically placed in front of me. He just grinned and said, "Ahhh, yes."

Just another lesson in not getting too proud of an accomplishment because as every new mom knows, pride cometh before the POOP explosion!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-06-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on a really awesome food blog called Our Best Bites. Great recipes and pictures to show the step by step process. I have a few recipes flagged to try out soon. I made one last night and it was a keeper so I am sharing it here. If you love Mexican food then this is a must try. It was so easy! It was Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos. You can find the recipe HERE.

I doubled the mixture recipe because I used the larger flour tortillas. It made 10 taquitos. The next time I make them I want to try out THIS dressing to use as a dipping sauce for them.re

Veggies and Dip

2011-06-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have been MIA lately. It's summer. We've been doing play dates, going to the park and all sorts of things. By the time I sit down in the evening, I'm pooped. I have found a few recipes that I wanted to share here because there were so yummy!

We love veggies and dip. My hubby would eat this all of the time. He LOVES veggie trays at parties. My oldest loves carrots and ranch as a snack even for breakfast now and then. I am always on the search for healthier dips. One of our faves is hummus so when I stumbled on this recipe I knew I had to try it. I found it on the Weelicious site which I am a huge fan on. Catherine is amazing!

The recipe is White Bean Basil Hummus. OH MY GOODNESS! I have found my favorite dip ever. It is so easy and so cheap! I do not have tahini because I use a dab of peanut butter instead in my regular hummus recipe so I just left that out altogether in this and it is marvelous. The Weelicous recipe is HERE. The following is my adaptation.

White Bean Basil Hummus (Makes 1 1/2 Cups)

1 Can Cannelini or Northern White Beans, rinsed and drained (Reserve the liquid.)
1 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Small Garlic Clove
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add some of the bean liquid to blender if extra liquid is needed to completely blend. Dip your veggies and pita and be prepared for a taste sensation!

Letting Go

2011-04-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

We are considering a move this summer. My dream is to be moving back into a house. I LOVE to drive around our town and look at homes stashing away ideas for someday. We are blessed to live in a community where there are many beautiful homes. My idea of a beautiful home is a place filled with character or A.K.A. it has been around for awhile. I love older homes. There are certainly some beautiful new homes but the older ones have character. You can't build character. It comes over years and from families who fill a home with laughter and tears and memories.

I've been perusing Flickr to find some examples of homes that I am drawn to.

(Original image can be found HERE.)

(Original image can be found HERE.)

(Original image can be found HERE.)

(Original image can be found HERE.)

(Original image can be found HERE.)

A big porch is a MUST!

(Original image can be found HERE.)

Alas....I have let go of these dreams for now. If we move it will more than likely be to yet another apartment that has much better rates for rent but is smaller with much less storage space. BUT the rent is extremely better for our budget AND there is a nice little fenced in back yard for us to play in and playground areas all over the complex.

When we began talking about this I felt so let down. I want a house. But then something changed. I let it go and I began to feel this twinge of excitement about something different, about change. It may not be what I had dreamed of but it may be something so much better when viewing it from God's perspective. So we consider and ponder and see if this is what God has for us. I'll tuck my dreams away for now and maybe someday I'll have a little bungalow with an amazing porch. As long as I am with my little family, I'm home.

Contentment

2011-04-11T07:29:00.001-07:00

I am still reading One Thousand Gifts and loving it. Anne Voskamp is really an artist when it comes to writing. The way she writes is beautiful like she is painting a picture. And the words that she writes are profound and moving.

This past week I have really been struggling with being content. Currently we live in a townhouse apartment and I find myself saying/thinking, "When we are in a house....." I am not content in our current housing. We don't have a yard and I don't feel like I can really decorate the way I want to. We just kind of moved in and that's that. The book has made me see that I have so much more than so many people and I am so blessed. It's a daily struggle. Ok, who am I kidding? Sometimes it is a minute to minute struggle. I want to be content.

We will be living the college life two more years and I am having a really hard time finding contentment. I am longing for the next chapter. The one where I have the house with a white picket fence and a hubby who loves his work, our bills are paid and maybe there is a third sweet little babe in tow. I really am in a constant struggle with longing for these things and reminding myself to be content where God has me. He has me HERE, RIGHT HERE for a reason.

I stumbled on this quote online last night and...WHACK it hit me between my eyes! "The longer you wait for the future the shorter it will be." Loesje

I constantly have a running play list like the following in my head:
When we have a house....
When we know for sure where we'll end up....
When Hubby is done with college....
When Hubby has a job....
When I lose weight.....
When......blah, blah, blah!!!!

What about RIGHT NOW? What about living this moment right now that God has given me?

If I am not content right now, why in the world would God bless me with more? Isn't He always teaching me? Why can't I learn what I need to learn? It feels as though I need to be taught over and over again the same lessons. I just don't get it, which leads me to believe I am a slow learner when it comes to life lessons.

I am so moved by certain songs that hit me deep within my soul and feel as if they were written only for me. A couple of weeks ago at Bible study after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan we sang a song that I had not heard before and WHACK it hit me right between the eyes. It is on my short list of songs that have really stirred something within me. It is called Beautiful Things by Gungor. I want to share the song and lyrics here in this space of mine because it has meant so much to me. I have played it over and over in the van. My oldest daughter calls it her favorite song now and sings along with me as we listen over and over to the truth in the words.
(Remember to pause the play list at the bottom of the page to hear the song in the video player.)

You can find the lyrics HERE. They are very inspirational so take a moment to read them.

It is my prayer this week to live in contentment and watch my life be made beautiful. It is beautiful..."Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing!"

Chimichangas

2011-04-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

We love Mexican food....alot. I am always anxious to try out new Mexican recipes to add to our favorite recipes. This is one I found in a Food Network magazine and decided to try out this week. Hubby and I loved it but the littles were less than thrilled with it. I won't give up though. We'll try it again and again. I'm sure one of those times, they'll realize how good it is.

Chimichangas
2 T. butter
4 T. vegetable oil
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat) (I didn't use a jalapeno.)
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
salt
1 small tomato, chopped
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (I forgot to buy this, so it didn't make it into mine.)
2 1/2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1/4 c. sour cream
1 15 oz. can refried beans
tortillas (The recipe calls for 4 but I was able to fill 8!)
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 45o degrees. Melt the butter with 2 T. vegetable oil in a skillet and transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 T. vegetable oil in skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 t. salt; toast 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook until slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and sour cream and warm through. Remove from the heat.
Brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the butter-oil mixture. Spread 2 T. refried beans down the center of of each tortilla, leaving a 2 in. border on both ends. Top with one cup chicken mixture and 1/4 c. cheese. (I didn't use this much chicken or cheese in each tortilla so it stretched farther.) Fold in the ends and roll up. Put the chimichanga seam-side down on the baking sheet; brush with the butter-oil mixture. Bake 8-10 minutes per side, brushing again after you flip.

Serve with more cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Serve with rice, beans, and guacamole.

I think the next time I make these I will do everything the same except I will omit the cinnamon. I wasn't crazy about that taste in it. I like cinnamon in my desserts not main dishes.

Banana Oat Smoothie

2011-04-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

Three quarters of my family love smoothies. My oldest daughter does not. She thinks she does but when I offer her one, she will rarely finish it. I can't figure this out because really a smoothie is like a milkshake! My youngest daughter LOVES them and I know it is one way I can get good, healthy things in her as she is my pickier eater.

I tried a smoothie recipe that I found in an Everyday Food magazine a while back. This was a winner! I was interested in how the oats would taste in it and they were so good.

Banana Oat Smoothie
1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. plain yogurt
2 ripe bananas, cut into thirds
1 c. milk
4 t. honey
1/2 t. cinnamon

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Quiche

2011-04-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

My hubby LOVES quiche. If we are out at a restaurant and he spots it on the menu, he will more than likely order it. Sadly, I have never made it for him here at home. Strange, since it is an easy thing to make and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. I had found this recipe in a Kraft Foods magazine that I used to get and pulled it out this week to try. It's a keeper and very easy! It is called Weeknight 4 Cheese Quiche but only has one type of cheese in it, so I don't quite get that. I'm sure I can remedy that next time, though.

Weeknight 4 Cheese Quiche
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. chopped onion
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained *
1/3 c. Miracle Whip
1/3 c. milk
4 eggs
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 prepared pie shell (9 in.) (I made my own.)
1/4 c. real bacon bits or crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 min. or until tender. Stir in spinach; mix well. Mix dressing, milk, and eggs until well blended. Add spinach mixture and cheese. Pour into pie shell; sprinkle with bacon bits. Bake 50 min. or until golden. Makes 6 servings.

* I learned a great trick from Rachael Ray about thawing and draining spinach because who really remembers to let the spinach thaw. Pop it in the microwave and defrost it. Then dump in in a towel, wrap it up and while running cold water over, squeeze the water out. Once it isn't so hot just squeeze until no more water comes out. It works great. I even have a special spinach towel that I use just for this because it has a nice green stain on it.

I am anxious to try this again with the same egg base but different veggies and cheese.

Trusting

2011-03-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I had a sweet visit with a friend one morning this week. God pretty much plopped her right down into my life after our move and said, "Here you go! Here is a sister in Christ who will walk alongside you for this phase of the journey I have called you on." He is so cool like that! (We won't mention that she will be moving away this summer. No, we won't talk about that.) Anywho...we were chatting amongst children fighting over toys, children writing on dry erase boards with ink pens, and children laughing in delight. A certain book came up. This certain book has come up in so many various ways the past few weeks. I know God keeps bringing it to my mind and in conversation for a reason.

It is A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Have you heard of it? Have you read it? I am thoroughly excited about reading it. I can't wait to get my hands on it, read it, highlight the parts that hit me between the eyes and really, really, really contemplate all of the things that I am grateful for because I take so much, SO MUCH for granted in this life. I am a "see the glass half empty" kind of person typically.

It drives my heart nuts when my head is so full of worry and anxiety over really stupid things. I have never had to worry about life and death situations with my kids. They are healthy. God has seen us through a couple of very scary things, but I have not had to worry over a pronouncement of terminal illness. I have never had to worry about a phone call from the bank saying that something that belonged to us no longer did due to finances. There have been bills paid late here and there, reconnection fees have been paid before, but it has always worked out. I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in our pantry. The other stuff is truly just the cream on top that we can live with or without and I take it for granted.

My friend told me about his statement from the book that WHACKED me hard between the eyes. It was something about how when we worry or stress out about our circumstances or issues at hand, we are basically calling ourselves atheists because if we truly believe, then we know He WILL take care of us and we have no need to worry or stress. WHACK! I am so guilty of worry and stress, like I need to be totally convicted and the key needs to be thrown away guilty. How can I call myself a Christian when I don't LET myself just trust? Has He EVER let go of me? Has He ever not provided in His way, in His time? No!

So today at Bible study I started a new study called Plan B by Pete Wilson and guess what...It totally falls into line with what I am wrestling with. Will I truly trust Him when my plan doesn't go the way I think it should go? So excited from what I will glean over the next 5 weeks in this study!

During our worship time, they played a video of a song that I had not heard before and am kind of embarrassed to say I didn't realize it was J.J. Heller. Hello! Where have I been? But this song hit me between the eyes again! WHACK! Like by the end of the very first line, I was choking back tears and hoping I wouldn't go into sobbing hysterics. It was beautiful. Just beautiful. I want to share it with you here. (Remember to scroll down and pause my music player to be able to hear the video.)

And by the way....I bought the Ann Voskamp book today and can't wait to start it and just soak it in!

The Favorite

2011-03-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

My hubby is home in between classes today and will be eating supper with us this evening! This is exciting stuff because usually the girls and I eat alone and my big plans for having something home made and yummy are thrown out the window when supper time rolls around. Tonight though I need to cook since we are eating as a family so I am making a family favorite. It doesn't get made that often but when it does....WOW! Everyone loves it...it is easy....it is so good. I haven't shared the recipe here before so I better get on that.

Chicken Enchiladas
1/2 c. chopped onion
4 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
1 t. chicken bouillon
8 oz. sour cream, room temp
3 c. shredded, cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheese
4 oz. can green chiles, drained
1 t. chili powder
10 - 12 tortillas

Sautee onion in butter until tender. Whisk in flour and add chicken broth and bouillon. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add sour cream. In large bowl combine chicken, 1 c. sauce, 1 c. cheese, chiles, and chili powder. Mix well. Fill each tortilla with mixture. Roll up and arrange in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spoon remaining sauce over tortillas. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

YUM! This is a recipe that I have made since the early days of married life and it is still a winner in hubby's heart!

Great Cathedrals

2011-03-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

I've had this post floating around in my head for a week now. I joined a Bible study at a local church with a friend of mine. It is entitled Ruth: Loss, Love and Legacy by Kelly Minter. Our last session for this study is this coming week. It is an excellent study and I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to do it.

I didn't really sit down and pick a study that I wanted to join. I joined because my friend asked me to and I just picked the one she was doing. When I saw the cover of the book something struck deep within me...loss, love, and legacy. Wow! Those are three really meaning-filled and profound words.

Loss: I have been aching lately with loss and missing my mom. It was much stronger during the holidays this year than last. I think it has alot to do with all that is on our plate as a family and being away from my extended family. Sometimes I feel really alone tucked down here and just want to call her. When I am at the end of my rope with tattling and kids not sharing and Hubby has been gone for the third entire day in a row, I just want to call and beg her to come and help me, just be with me. So "loss" is a huge thing that I am struggling with. My loss isn't as huge as Naomi's loss was but it's still a loss and it is where I am.

Love: At my church's Mom's group a few sessions back we had a speaker come in and talk to us about grace. She ended by reading I Corinthians 13 from the perspective of a Mother. It brought tears to my eyes and struck a chord in my heart. I have not been the most loving of moms lately. I have been short, impatient and easily frustrated lately. I think it has alot to do with just being cooped up due the winter weather and lots of illness, but still...

"Love is patient, love is kind (even when we've cooped up for days upon days and we feel loopy). It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud (even when I feel frumpy and out of place, or my kid is throwing a fit and no one else's is). It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (even when I am at the end of my rope dealing with the terrible pre-twos and emotional 4 year old and I am tired from interrupted sleep and feel like I am single-parenting). Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (That is my take on it.)

Legacy: I really, really, really want to leave a legacy for my girls that is filled with love, constant, cherishing, unconditional. I want them to look back and remember their mom was kind, loving, giving, and strong only when under the wings of her Jesus.

As I said this is our last week and we will be moving on to another study called "Plan B." That one has piqued my interests too. I know one thing for sure that I have adored being with these other women each Friday morning knowing that they are real and striving for the same goal as I. As I work on the last week of this study, a skit by Nicole Johnson came flooding my memory. It totally speaks about building legacies even in the midst of the mundane task of life. I want to share it here with you and hope that maybe it will resonate with you as it has with me!
(Remember to pause the music player at the bottom of the page before you hit play.)

These are my cathedrals. Aren't they grand???? I sure think so and can not comprehend why I am allowed to build within their little walls!

Pipe Cleaners

2011-02-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is another activity I did with my girls one snowy morning. This actually held their interest for awhile. All you need is a colander and some pipe cleaners. Show them how to shove the pipe cleaners into the small holes in the colander and you're all set. They were entertained for probably 30 minutes or so. And 30 minutes of peace when you are all suffering from cabin fever is awesome!

Barrettes

2011-02-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I bought a bag of hair clips from Hobby Lobby promising myself I was going to make clips for my girls but I just haven't found the time to do it. Yesterday the little one went down for a nap and the biggest one fell asleep on the couch so I rounded up my felt, fabric scraps, hot glue and got to work. I was only able to crank out 5 since the oldest didn't sleep very long and was feeling sick when she woke up.

I was happy with my results though and can't wait to make more. They were so easy and much cheaper to make than buy!

Snail Mail

2011-02-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

I really have been looking for new activities to keep the kiddos busy during these last days of winter. A friend of mine posted THIS link on Facebook and I have found some great new ideas there Last night while I made supper, I employed one of them...Snail Mail. I got out all of my Stampin' Up stamps that I haven't used in years, a washable ink pad, crayons, a load of stickers, and cardstock. I told the girls to just decorate the papers and we would send their mail creations to friends.

Newspaper Sculpting

2011-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Another great cabin fever idea that I got from the same friend who gave me the "Clean Mud" idea is newspaper sculpting. All you need is a stack of newspapers and masking tape. Just roll up the newspapers, tape and let the kiddos create.

We made a teepee for our Little People to camp out in.

Clean Mud

2011-02-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

I am seriously experiencing some cabin fever, running out of things to do and trying to keep my girls from fighting most of the day. We have been cooped up quite a bit due to weather and illness. SO.....I went online looking for some new ideas. I had a friend of mine mention that her son's preschool class had made "Clean Mud" and it was so easy. I googled it and found a recipe and we made it.

Basically you shred up 2 toilet paper rolls, grate a bar of Ivory soap, and add warm water until you get the consistency that you want. My youngest daughter (almost 2) had the most fun shredding the toilet paper up because she tries to do this frequently throughout the day and we usually tell her, "NO!" My oldest daughter (4 1/2) had more fun actually playing with the clean mud.

It was not quite the hit I was hoping it to be but it was still fun, cheap, and easy! I used the recipe that I found HERE. There are also lots of other recipes on this site too for fun things to do.

Lisa Leonard

2011-01-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

You know who Lisa Leonard is, right? I ADORE her stuff but currently have none. BUT a fellow blogger is having a $50 gift certificate giveaway to the Lisa Leonard store so I am blogging about the giveaway so I can earn another chance to win! Lisa is an amazing artist who makes beautiful jewelry. I would love to have one of her pieces. This could be my chance!

Thanks flower patch farm girl for having the giveaway. Now get over to her blog and try to win along with me on THIS POST.

New Mercies

2011-01-18T15:34:00.001-08:00

It's 6:34 p.m. and I am drinking a cup of coffee because it has been one of those days...actually a few of those days. We have been dealing with sick kids and now a sick hubby. I am not sure which is worse but I think it might be the sick hubby. I have forbidden the girls to go near him as I don't want the little one sick again or the big one sick at all so that means I am flying solo while he lies miserably on the couch.

I am PLUM WORE OUT! I've tried to catch up on all our regular laundry plus sickie laundry like blankets and such. There are also more dishes it seems when we are sick so I've been trying to keep up with that. There is also the extra runs to the grocery store for Sprite, yogurt, chicken noodle soup, toilet paper, and such.

I also feel like a deer staring at headlights as 1/2 of my family has had the flu and my oldest has been running a fever today but no other signs of being sick. I don't want to get sick. It's not good when Mama is sick.

And oh my, the little one...well she has been a SPITFIRE since being sick last Wednesday. Last night was bad, bad, bad and today hasn't been much better. It didn't help that she had to get some shots yesterday either...they made her even more grouchy. I'm about ready to pull my hair out right now...but I won't since I don't think it's a good look for me.

So it has been a movie, tomato soup (from a can) and grilled cheese kind of night. My attitude has been sour and I am ready to put these littles to bed and collapse into a pile.

I am so grateful that His mercies are new every morning because tonight I am clinging to that.

Holiday Recipes

2011-01-11T05:56:00.001-08:00

I tried out some new recipes this past Christmas and New Year season that I wanted to share with you here and so I can remember where I found them. They were all winners but things that I probably would only make for a holiday or party. We ate well as you can see from this picture taken on New Year's Eve at my in-law's cabin.

I am a big believer in having a yummy special breakfast on Christmas morning after the opening of presents. I had found a recipe on The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog a few weeks back and knew I had found what would be made for my family. The recipe is called Make Ahead Muffin Melts and you can find it HERE. These were so, so, so, so good and so easy. You make the egg mixture the night before so all you have to do the morning of is scoop the mixture on english muffins and broil. They were superb and got rave reviews!

On Christmas Eve we had snacks to eat while watching Despicable Me. I made homemade French Onion Dip from an Alton Brown recipe on the Food Network site. You can find the recipe HERE. This again was an easy recipe to make and the results were 1,000x's better than the plastic container stuff from the grocery.

On New Year's Eve my mother-in-law and I made an incredible ham from a Neely's recipe. We had watched them make it on their show and knew that this was to be our New Year's Eve masterpiece and that it was! It was a show stopper as you can see from the below picture. The recipe is found HERE.

And now it's a new year and we're all looking for light, low calorie recipes!!!

A Handmade Christmas

2011-01-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

This year I tried to make things to give as presents. I love getting handmade things myself. There is something about knowing the work that someone went to make a beautiful thing out of a creative heart. I think handmade gifts are special and full of love. I wanted to share this with others this year. I wanted to share here what I made and where I found the ideas.

I have two knitters in my life and stumbled across a tutorial on making a knitting needle case...PERFECT! This was really not difficult to make and I was so happy with how it turned out. I found the idea on the blog Multicrafty. The actual tutorial can be found HERE.

When I was a preschool teacher I received a Hot Rice Pack that was handmade. It is one of my favorite things to use when I am not feeling well. I found a tutorial on line for making these. They were insanely easy!!!! I foresee many more of these in my future. The tutorial I used is HERE on the Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles blog.

I also made a few of the Felt Rose Wreaths to give as gifts. This is such an easy project and can literally be done in one evening. If you don't sew, this is a good crafty project for you as long as you are armed with good scissors and a hot glue gun. I got the idea from The Pretty Poppy on THIS blog post.
\

Each year I want to make something my for my girls with my own hands. This year I decided on handmade dolls. I found an incredible book called Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love (which my mother-in-law ended up buying for me for my birthday after I raved about it). It is awesome and has such fun ideas in it. I made a boy doll and a girl doll for my girls. They love them which makes my heart happy!

I made one more thing but forgot to take a picture to share here. I made an iPod cozy for one of my nieces using THIS tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew!

Other Christmas Cookies

2010-12-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

Today was cookie making day at our house. The biggest girl helped add the ingredients to the mixer while the littlest girl screamed in protest that she was not able to eat the dough or even reach the mixer. We had fun to say the least.

We made three different kinds of cookies...all types that I have never made before for Christmas, two of which I have never made at all before. They have all been tasted and passed with flying colors!

The first cookie we made was the Homemade Oreos which you can find at Smitten Kitchen and my tips in this post.

The other two I found in my current issue of Ladies Home Journal. (I have no idea how I got a subscription to. It comes in my name but I never paid for one. It is not a magazine I would generally look at but it's free and it comes to my mailbox.)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (found on a Betty Crocker advertisement in the magazine)
1 pouch or box of sugar cookie mix
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 t. mint extract
6-8 drops green food coloring
1 egg
1 c. creme de menthe baking chips (***see note below)
1. c. semisweet chocolate chunks

Mix cookie mix, butter, extract, food coloring and egg in bowl, until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.

***I could not find creme de menthe baking chips so I bough a box of Andes chocolate mints, unwrapped them (with the help of two beautiful little girls), and chopped them up.

White Chocolate Thumbprints
2 2/3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract
9 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and salt. In another bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium high until fluffy, about 4 min. then beat in egg and vanilla. On low speed, stir in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Roll 1 inch balls of dough and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly; using your finger or a round half teaspoon, make an indentation in the center of each. Bake cookies about 15 minutes until cooked through but not golden. Re-indent center if needed and cool on baking sheets. Melt chocolate in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring between each pass until just melted, 1 - 2 minutes total. Spoon white chocolate into cookie indents. Let set about 1 hour. Makes 5 1/2 dozen.

***I also sprinkled green and red sugar on the white chocolate before it set. They look really pretty with that.

So...go bake! YUM!

Homemade Oreos

2010-12-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

That title alone should have you drooling! I stumbled on a recipe for Homemade Oreos from Smitten Kitchen a couple of months ago and knew they would be made some point at Christmas. They have now been made twice. I made a batch for my mom's group cookie exchange and have a batch ready to be filled on the counter.

They are delicious! I do not get as many cookies as the recipe says it will yield. I actually only get like half so hers must be much smaller. I LOVE using my mini ice cream scoop for cookie dough so it must not be small enough. She also says to use your fingers to flatten the cookie, I dipped a glass with a flat bottom in warm water and flattened them. I thought that worked much better.

Also follow the recipes directions! When I made them the first time I creamed my butter and sugar then added the dry ingredients like I was taught to without paying attention the actual recipe until after I was done. This time I followed the directions and they turned out a little different, probably how they are supposed to turn out.

The filling is super, super thick and sweet. When I make it today, I'm going to add a little milk to the mixture. Last time I also did the peppermint extract in place of the vanilla which I will do again because peppermint screams Christmas! Then I divided the frosting in half and made half green and half red. They were so cute!

You definitely need to try these!

Brunch Treats

2010-12-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today was one of my mom's group's Christmas craft workshop. We got to sit around, eat yummy food and make some really fun things all while our children were in the care of some awesome people. BLISS!!!! I had signed up to bring something for the amazing food spread. I wanted to share with you what I made because both items were oh so yummy!

I had put my name under "Egg Casserole" when I signed up and I wanted to make something a little different from the normal breakfast casserole. After scouring Pioneer Woman's breakfast recipes, I came across Eggs Florentine Casserole. It was scrumptious and different from the norm. It makes a 9 x 13" dish of casserole and I came home with two tiny corner pieces left. That's always a good sign.

I used frozen hasbrowns...DO NOT TELL PIONEER WOMAN! It's just so much easier than grating potatoes and it tasted good anyways. I also used a 1 lb. package of breakfast sausage and fried it up while crumbling it.

I absolutely LOVE Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. It is my favorite recipe magazine. I always learn something and find recipes that I want to make. I treated myself to buying the December issue since I usually just check it out at the library. I found another recipe that I wanted to make to take to my mom's group also.

Sausage-Cheddar Balls

45 sausage balls

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups grated cheddar

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage

1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, ground pepper, cayenne pepper and baking powder. Add grated cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, grated onion and melted butter.

3. With your hands, mix until well blended and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

***I chopped my onion finely instead of grating it but next time might grate it to get even smaller pieces. I would also use just a little bit less of the cayenne. They had a good kick to them but were still so very yummy!

Pillowcase Dresses

2010-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have been in love with pillowcase dresses for a long time. I have a beautiful vintage pillowcase just waiting to be made into a summer dress for my oldest daughter. Alas I kept procrastinating and/or forgetting. The other day I was in JoAnne's and decided my girls needed matching Christmas pillowcase dresses and it was time for me to do it! So I picked out some fabric. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but it works and they turned out cute.

I used the tutorial found HERE on Naptime Crafts. I added a trim to the bottom of their dresses to set them off. Between the main dress fabric and the trim fabric I sewed on a red pom-pom trim which really added to the dresses, I think.

I am happy with how they turned out. I especially LOVE seeing my girls in something I made for them. Obviously since it is winter and blustery out we added the red leggings and white turtlenecks.

Felted Sweater Garland

2010-12-10T10:26:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I was able to get together with a really sweet friend who loves to make crafts. She had a really sweet project started that we got to finish together. (A friend, a craft, yummy food, awesome conversation and lots of laughs equates bliss.) She had bought some wool sweaters and felted them. (Washing in hot water and drying.) Then she cut out mitten, heart, and star shapes and glued matching sweater pairs together with fabric glue except for one small hole where she stuffed the shapes with stuffing.

This was what she had done already. Then together we stitched all the way around the edges with black embroidery thread. We stitched some small hearts onto some of the shapes and added button and rafia. To finish we strung all of our shapes onto twine to make a garland. At home I tied on strips of Homespun fabric for a finishing touch. The garland is hanging in my kitchen entry. I love how it turned out.

To give it a homey look I used clothespins to hang it. I attached those sticky removable strips to the clothespins and tied the twine to the two end clothespins then hung it from the wall.

Cranberry Pork

2010-12-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

I discovered this recipe on a Facebook friend's page and have made it several times since. We LOVE it. It is probably our family favorite right now.

Cranberry Pork Roast
1 (3 lb.) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed ***See note below
2 cans jellied whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 c. steak sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. prepared mustard
4 T. water
4 T. cornstarch

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium high heat. Add roast; cook until browned on all sides. Place roast in 4-5 qt. electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Combine cranberry sauce, steak sauce, brown sugar, and mustard; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat 4-5 hours. Remove roast from sauce, cover and keep warm. Combine water and cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce in slow cooker. Pour mixture (very carefully) into a 1 quart microwave safe glass dish. Microwave at high heat for 2 minutes, stirring after one minute. Serve roast with cranberry sauce.

***I have been using pork loin chops instead of the roast because they have been on sale and they were wonderfully in the recipe. I also never have steak sauce so I just mix up some ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to make a 1/2 cup mixture.

You really need to make this. It is so easy and the flavor is AMAZING! It is really good served with a side of couscous and a vegetable like sauteed spinach with fresh mushrooms, onions and balsamic vinegar.

A Little Sweet Treat

2010-12-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday we had a couple friends over to decorate cookies. I wanted to make a little snack for us and wanted it to be easy after making bunches of sugar cookies. I found this little gem in my recipe box and decided to finally try it. Super easy, super good!

Honey Cream Filled Crescents
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. honey
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1 pkg. crescent roll

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cream cheese and 2 T. honey; stir in almonds. Unroll crescent roll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Spread 1 rounded T. of the cream cheese mixture onto each triangle; roll each up loosely. Place rolls on ungreased baking sheet; curve each into crescent shape. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve rolls warm, drizzled with remaining honey.

The Best Part of the Thanksgiving Meal

2010-11-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

In my opinion the very best part of the Thanksgiving meal is the dressing, stuffing...whichever you call it. My great aunt shared with me her recipe for the dressing many yearer recipe for the dressing many years back and it is what I use every year. It has never failed me and is always, always, always delicious and continues to be my favorite part of the meal. It also is really nice because it is cooked in the crock-pot making for one less thing to have to cram into the oven.

Crockpot Dressing
1 c. butter
2 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. parsley
2 cans mushrooms, drained (8 oz. cans)
12-13 c. bread cubes
2 well beaten eggs
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. sage
1 t. thyme
1/2 t. pepper
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 c. broth

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sautee the celery and onion until tender. Add in the mushrooms. Add in the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, sage, thyme and pepper. Pour over bread cubes. Toss well. Pour in broth to moisten. Add eggs. Mix well. Pack lightly into crockpot. Cover. Set on high for 45 minutes. Reduce to low and cook 4-8 hours.

Birthday Gifts

2010-11-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

My girls were invited to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Our budget is pretty tight with Daddy in school so I decided to make a couple of things to give to the birthday girl. I made her a little cupcake fabric apron to use when she helps her mommy in the kitchen.

I like to make the neck loop a little big so they can grow into the apron. I just knot the excess so it fits better.

I also made her a little crayon roll out of the same fabric. I am not really that great of a seamstress when it comes to following a pattern. I like to think through the project and just kind of do it my own way and that is what I did here. My mother-in-law had made my oldest daughter one a few years ago so I just looked hers over well and came up with my own design.

I was so happy with how it turned out and it was really pretty easy.

There is something about a handmade gift that is so fun to give and to receive. These two gifts didn't take much fabric so I was able to use things I had on hand. They also really didn't take alot of time to make. Handmade is great!

Look Ma, No Recipe

2010-11-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

First off I need to answer a question from the comments in my previous post because I just know some of you are losing sleep over wondering. The question pertained to how the neighbors responded to our peace offering. Well....I don't know. They didn't answer the door when we knocked so we hung our treats from their door knobs. Nothing has been said to us, but that is ok.

Now on to what I want to share today. I have always and forever been a fan of recipes. Like...I can't cook without a recipe. I do not just whip things up. There needs to be a plan otherwise known as a recipe.

Well, I have made 3 things in the past few weeks solely on what I know about cooking now from watching umpteen Food Network shows at my mother-in-law's house "back in the day" and having seen a recipe at one point or another.

The first thing was turkey burgers. We loooooove these and they are easy! I learned from Rachael Ray that you must add veggies to turkey meat because it is drier. The veggies will boost the flavor and juiciness. I rarely buy beef anymore and was craving burgers so I jumped in. I chopped up some carrots, onion, and garlic. I mixed this in with the turkey meat and fried them up in the pan. YUM! They were awesome. I went a bit overboard with the veggies but it worked. I have also used fresh basil and spinach in them. So good!!!!!!

The next thing that I made was Chicken Pot Pie. I had made THIS recipe a couple of weeks back so I had a basic idea. I started by sautéing carrots, onion, celery and garlic in butter. Then I whisked in some flour then added some milk and chicken stock. I let that thicken up and added some shredded chicken, sage, salt, pepper, and a bag of frozen peas.

For the pot pie part of the meal I used an old family recipe which goes like this:
Whisk one egg, add enough milk to make a cup. Add enough flour to make a sticky dough. Roll out and cut into strips or squares.

I cut mine into small-ish squares and dropped them in the pan. They cooked quickly. This was a hit with the family too. My oldest daughter had 3 servings!

My last thing was just something that I decided to try. There was no recipe that I had seen at one time or another. I melted half a stick of butter in a frying pan and threw in cubed summer squash. I stirred it around and covered it with a lid. Once the squash was tender, I added some dark brown sugar and let it get all syrupy. This was AMAZING! Again my daughter said, "Mommy, this squash is really good!"

I just need to share because I am a teensy, weensy bit proud that I can now just sort of throw some things together. It is a great feeling.

BUT I still love recipes and will be using them for probably 90% of my cooking!

The Peace Offering

2010-11-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

It all began at 6:00 a.m. yesterday morning. She awoke screaming and crying as she has almost everyday of her 19 month old life. This time the morning cuddle did not help. She cried, she screamed, she squawked, she threw herself the floor in fits. IT.WAS.BAD. I knew it was bad because I heard the neighbors slamming doors and Daddy awoke from his deep sleeping state. Finally we were able to calm her down and she fell asleep in my arms for another 45 minutes.

Later while getting ready for church Daddy said, "Maybe we owe the neighbors an apology." IT.WAS.THAT.BAD. I decided my oldest daughter and I would make pumpkin cookies to give to the neighbors as a peace offering.

That is exactly what we did. We made these Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and they were so good. I love making cookies for others because after you've given some away there aren't many left to tempt you.

The cookies were so good too! I love oatmeal raisin so the addition of pumpkin, well that just puts it over the top!

Simple Crafting

2010-10-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have made a few things over the past couple of weeks that I wanted to share with you because they were ridiculously easy.

The first were super girl capes for my girls. I just cut out a rectangle piece of fabric, angled it a bit going up the long sides. Then I stitched a hem all around it and sewed a piece of ribbon to the top for them to tie their capes on with. I also cut their initials out of felt and sewed those to the capes. EASY!

My oldest daughter is OBSESSED with baby dolls (well, so is the younger one) so I made her a sling to carry her babies around in. I do have to admit I was so excited for her to play with this and she hasn't been that into it. I'm hoping that over time she will.

This again was so easy! I just cut a large rectangle out making sure it was long enough to go around her like a baby sling and wide enough to fold in half. Then I sewed the long sides together and then the middle seam. EASY!

The last thing I made was trick or treat bags for the girls to use on Halloween and in the years to come. I got the idea from this post Kayla Aimee wrote (If you don't read her blog, you need to. She is HILARIOUS!) and she got the idea from HERE.

I am in love with banners/buntings...whatever you call them so I went with that for my bags and because I try to stay away from the "spooky" side of Halloween. I tried out Liquid Stitch for this project because sewing things on to a canvas bag with the sewing machine is too frustrating. This was awesome stuff. It was messy on the fingers but it washed right off. It has held up through one night of trick or treating so far too! I made sure to put the glue as close to the edge of the fabric so that it would not fray which seems to have worked. To finish the bags I stenciled the word "CANDY" across the top with orange paint.

Love these!

Blessing Others

2010-10-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am so guilty of getting stuck in my own little world and not reaching out to others. This is an even bigger problem now that we are in a newer community. I don't know a lot of people here so I don't have anyone to reach out to, right? WRONG!

I have really been feeling the need to bless others around me. I want my girls to look back and remember the times we reached out to those around us. I want them to know it is important to show kindness to others.

A couple of weeks ago at our church's mom's group a woman from within the church came to speak to us about our true value. This was a quote that she shared with us that I have been trying to cling to:
"Comparison is the thief of joy."

It is!!!!! Comparing myself to anyone robs me of joy and the blessings that God has given me and the desire to bless others. It makes me feel dissatisfied with how things are. A direct result of that is that I don't reach out to others. We are called to pursue people but when I am selfishly consumed with me and comparing myself, I don't.

I am so bad about comparing myself. It's not what God wants from me. I am enough. I am perfectly and wonderfully made.

So....last week my daughter and I made 10 dozen cookies that we bagged up and took to some of our new friends. We blessed them with something so small as cookies but it was a delight to see smiles on their faces when we knocked on doors and handed over a bag with a yummy fall snack in it. My daughter and I talked about how it made our friends feel that we did this for them and how it made us feel. She was so excited about this little thing.

I am brainstorming other things we can do together that will bless others and hope to make this a part of our routine for years to come!

We made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from THIS recipe. They were yummy and it made 10 dozen which is perfect for giving away.

Comforty Food

2010-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

It is fall. I am basking in the glory of cooking comfort food type things. They go hand in hand with the colors and smells of the season. Tonight for supper I made a recipe from Everyday food : Fresh Flavor Fast : 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day. I tweaked the recipe a bit by changing one thing and adding some other things. I will give you my tweaked recipe.

Chicken and Dumplings
3 T. butter
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 t. sage (or thyme)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. flour (divided into 1/4 c. and 3/4 c.)
1 - 1 1/2 cans of chicken broth
1 1/2 lb. chicken thighs, cut into 2" pieces
3/4 t. dill
1 3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas

Melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and sage. Cook 5 min. Add 1/4 c. flour stirring into vegetable mixture. Add chicken broth, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken in the pot, reduce heat to med. low. Cover, cook 20 min.

Dumplings: Whisk 3/4 c. flour with dill, baking powder, and 1/2 t. salt. With fork gradually stir in 1/2 c. milk.

Stir peas in the pot. Return to simmer and drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls, leaving space between dumplings. Cover and simmer 20 or until dumplings are cooked.

***Tonight I boiled a whole chicken for one hour then took the meat off the bones. I used about half of the meat in this recipe so I didn't need to cook the chicken for 20 minutes. It worked fine!

The Yumminess of Fall

2010-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Fall has been so majestic this year. It is simply divine. We had some rain move through earlier and I am hoping beyond hope those drops that quenched our dry earth did not take down the beauty on the tree tops.

I took my girls to an apple orchard last week to pick apples (only to discover that there were no more apples to pick) and discovered a new favorite fall treat, the apple cider slushy! It was so good that when I saw a sign for another orchard two days ago on a quick trip to the zoo, we stopped so Mama could get a slushy!

I also needed another half gallon of fresh apple cider. My favorite thing to do this time of year is warm a mug of cider at the end of the day. It's fall in a cup!

I have also been stocking my pantry with canned pumpkin. I am afraid of another shortage so every time we hit the grocery, I grab a couple more cans. The other night for supper my daughter voted for pancakes so I found a great recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes HERE on allrecipes. It was scrumptious. I loved that they weren't too sweet since you add just a bit of brown sugar. That way when you add the syrup you aren't getting a sugar overload. I also loved how they became light and cakey. This is a keeper recipe for me!

Tonight as the weather cooled during the rain, I made a new soup recipe, Roasted Vegetable Minestrone found HERE from the one and only Pioneer Woman! It was really easy and very good. I did add a few cloves of garlic to the onion, celery, and carrot sauté. This recipe made a huge pot of soup, so we have left-overs for tomorrow plus a big container freezing for later use. Next time I think I would add a can of tomato sauce as I like my minestrone more tomatoey. (I know that isn't actually a word.)

What are you cooking this fall?

Grab a Straw!

2010-10-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

As I approached the street my heart skipped a few beats. I flicked my turn signal so I could make the left hand turn. Two sweet little girls were sound asleep behind me in the van so I could lose myself in memories. How is it over a year already? It feels like just yesterday we walked down that familiar block to the little park with a picnic in hand and a baby in the stroller.

I came to a complete stop at the three way stop as I always did after being kindly reminded by an officer a few years back. There were the two Victorian homes that looked like they belong in the pages of a book about doll houses. There was the chain link fence marking our driveway which was now filled with two cars that I don't recognize.

There is the house...our home. Oh, my heart almost floated away. I have missed that house so much. It looked so different yet so much the same to me. I wanted to turn in to that driveway, take my girls out of the van, and scurry in to get supper started but I drove on. I drove on down the street to the end and turned.

I saw a new mother pushing her new baby in the stroller with tears streaming down her face as she fought feelings of inadequacy and being overwhelmed. (She was on her phone so I am sure she was talking to her best friend who told her she was doing just fine and it would get so much easier.) Then I passed a mom pushing a little girl who was a bit older and she had that pregnant glow on her face. Then there just a ways up the street was a mother pushing a brand new baby with her big sister in front. She looked pretty sleep deprived but she was beaming with pride over her brood.

Then I came back to the main street, the beautiful tree lined main street and turned to head out of town back to my new home.

I kind of wished I could go back in time to that younger mom and tell her, "Enjoy this moment. Live it to it's fullest. Don't take it for granted. Change will come as it always does. Suck the marrow out of what you have now and hang on during the ride."

As I drove south with those two older girls asleep in the back, I realized that is what I need to do now. Suck the marrow out of this moment. (I love that line that I got from Kelle Hampton. She has inspired me to want to suck out the marrow!) Yes, I live in an apartment. Yes, my husband goes to school full time. Yes, we are in a way, starting over in our mid-30's while everyone else around us seems settled. Yes, change scared the heck fire out of me. BUT I have this moment. I will never get it back. So, pull up the stool, grab a straw and start sucking out the good stuff.

I found this quote on a friend's Facebook page today and boy, did it hit me in between the eyes.
"You are the way you are because that's the way you want to be. If you really wanted to be any different, you would be in the process of changing right now." (I couldn't make out the name of the person who said this quote. Sorry!)

Start looking at the glass being half full and not half empty!

A Delightful Recipe

2010-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks I was up north visiting family and friends and a sweet friend shared with me one of her favorite recipes with me. I promptly came back home and tested it out. It is being added here because it was delightful! The ingredient list sounds a bit strange but when mixed together and baked into a gooey masterpiece it is really good.

Curry Chicken Delight

4 chicken breasts
1/3 c. flour
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 c. honey
2 T. mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. curry powder

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry, then coat with flour. Brown chicken in bacon drippings (or oil). Transfer chicken to an 8x8 dish. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes. Combine honey, mustard, salt, and curry powder. Drizzle this over the chicken. Bake uncovered 15 minutes longer. Top with bacon and serve over rice.

*I used a couple more chicken breasts and a 9x13 dish but needed more of the ooey gooey goodness so I would recommend sticking to 4 chicken breasts in the smaller pan or making a double batch of the ooey gooey goodness.

Pumpkin Bread

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

PUMPKIN SEASON IS HERE! Can we get an Hallelujah Chorus there? And even better...there is canned pumpkin in the store. Hello sweet nectar of fall!!!!

Last year I couldn't find it anywhere and was a bit perplexed as to what I was going to do this year without pumpkin treats. Yes, I know...pie pumpkins! I've never done that but I was ready to slice and dice a pumpkin for treats. But then my sweet friend emailed me last week and told me she had discovered the canned yummy goodness at our local grocery store and it was on sale so OFF I WENT with bells on.

I bought 4 cans right then and there! I have since made a pumpkin pie for hubby (his all time favorite pie) which disappeared last night. Where did that pie go? I can not for the life of me figure that one out. Haha!

This afternoon our home smelled of spices and pumpkin as 2 stunning loaves of pumpkin bread baked in our oven. I just know they would have been pinned with blue ribbons back in the day of 4-H!

Speaking of 4-H, that is where my trusty Pumpkin Bread recipe came from and it has not failed me since those awkward days of teenagedom. I would like to share this recipe with you.

Pumpkin Bread
3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1 lb. pumpkin
2/3 c. water
3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
(I always substitute my spices with pumpkin pie spice. I used 3 1/2 t. of pumpkin pie spice.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 bread pans. Mix sugar and oil. Add beaten eggs. Mix in pumpkin and water. Add dry ingredients. Mix 3-4 minutes. Pour into prepared bread pans, spreading into corners. Bake 1` 1/2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. (My bread baked in 1 hour 20 minutes.)

Recharge

2010-09-27T17:21:00.001-07:00

I feel it. I feel the lack of patience creeping in and the burden of being easily frustrated. I have said it here before but I'm going to say it again, my personality type needs time alone to rejuvenate and time alone has not been a common thing in these parts. Oh, I love my girls to the moon and back and a bushel and a peck, but mama's feeling it again.

I am heading home this weekend for a cousin's wedding and mentioned to someone that my hubby will be HOME.ALONE.ALL.WEEKEND and I felt the jealousies creep in. Now he will be working and studying but he will be alone.

Then I found myself wondering, "What would I do with that much time to myself?" and my mouth started salivating and my head spinning. I would read, a novel, not a children's book. I would go to the bathroom ALONE! I would SLEEP IN past 6:00 a.m. I would watch a chick flick in the middle of the day. I would steal away to some coffee shop with said novel and my computer and WASTE TIME! I would eat hummus and pita chips for supper. I would end the day curled up on the couch with another chick flick.

But then by the end of the first day...I would probably miss my curly headed little girls and long to kiss their sweet lips and smell their freshly bathed heads. I am so blessed, I do know that.

A weekend alone is probably not going to happen so I may have to test the hubby waters for an afternoon of solitude so I can recharge my mama batteries.

Laundry Soap

2010-09-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. I have been wanting to do it for so long. I have friends who have done it and are singing it's praises! So....I did it! I made my own laundry soap.

I followed the recipe found HERE! The only thing I did different was use Kirk's Castile soap. Someone told me to stay away from Fels Naptha as it is a carcinogen. Kirk's is all natural. Hubby struggles with some skin sensitivities so I thought Kirk's would work better for us.

The detergent is supposed to turn into a glob (very illustrious word, don't ya think?). Mine did not. After 24 hours it was still very liquidy. After talking to several friends who make their own detergent, they all thought I should go ahead and use it because it had what it needed in it. Instead of using 3/4 c., I have been using 1 c. After a couple of weeks I have noticed it is turning globbier and globbier than it had been. (I know...globbier is not a word! But it works here.)

I think when I make it next time, I will just make the powdered version and not cook the soap down.

A great idea I got from another friend is to take a bottle of Downy and mix it in a bucket of water. Cut some cheap sponges in half and throw those in the bucket. When you put your clothes in the dryer, ring out the excess liquid from one sponge and throw it in the dryer too. This will replace your fabric softener/softener sheets. I want to try this too!

By doing these two simple things, we are saving a bunch of money on cleaning items! How great is that?

A Blessing from Afar

2010-09-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I am in NO way trying to toot my own horn. I just want to share with you a really great idea! After our car accident last May I had a friend who lives 4 hours away message me on Facebook. She said she wanted to order pizza for us to be delivered to our home since she didn't live close enough to bring us a meal. What a great idea!!!! How very clever.

I can not tell you the times when I have thought how nice it would be to take a meal to a friend or family member but distance was an issue.

Having meals provided for me after having our children and after our car accident have been such times of blessing to our family. Do you take meals to loved ones who live close by during times of need? It is a HUGE blessing! I urge you to do that if you haven't done it before.

And for those who live far away? Call in a pizza order to a pizza place (or some other restaurant that delivers) and pay for it with your credit/bank card.

We just did this for my hubby's cousin who just had a baby. It felt so good to know she was eating a meal she didn't have to make after having her baby. One thing: be sure to tell the person you are ordering from the situation and that you are paying with your credit card but won't be at the home the order is being delivered to. Pizza Hut would not let me do this since the credit card had to be shown when the order was delivered. I ended up using Papa John's and they had no problem with the situation.

What a great way to bless a family that isn't near! We were so blessed when this was done for us.

Anticipating

2010-09-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

My long lost friend is coming.

I can feel it.

I am filled with anticipation and excitement.

I am ready to go dig out the box of decorations I have tucked away in our basement for her arrival.

I bought two small mini-pumpkins at the Farmer's Market to mark the nearness of her visit.

I hope beyond hope that her stay is prolonged this year.

She typically comes and then just as soon as she is here, she is gone.

I'm hoping that this year, she will linger and that she will bring with her a vibrant wardrobe of color.

The trees looks as if they are ready to burst too as they prepare this wardrobe of colors for her.

I want to pick out one special candle in a scent that reminds me of her.

I washed my living room windows and sliding glass door today so I can watch for her.

I will probably bake something in her honor soon too.

I hear Starbucks is anticipating her arrival too with Pumpkin Spice Lattes returning to their menu so I'll have to have one soon to thank them for thinking of her too.

I think she would be delighted to find a mum waiting on our front porch for her.

The sweatshirts and jackets are washed and ready so we can take strolls outside with her to breathe in her scent and hear her sounds.

Come soon, friend and stay awhile!

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

2010-08-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

We love black beans! I found this recipe awhile back but decided to make it on one of the hottest days of summer because we all know how great a hot bowl of soup is on a hot summer day! Ha! Our place is air conditioned so it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was awesome. This was a hit with my hubby and oldest daughter.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans
1 T. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. chili powder
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn
1 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 T. lime juice

Heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and chili powder for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, corn and 1 c. water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add chips; cook until softened. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Your family will love you, but might love you more if you wait until a cooler day next time to make this!

Tuesday Night Rambling

2010-08-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

IT.IS.HOT! We are under a heat advisory and watch for the rest of today and all day tomorrow. It is miserable outside. I don't like heat like this. If I have to be out in it, I get grumpy. I thoroughly enjoy the temperatures that come with fall. I am not ashamed to say that I am very much looking forward to fall.

I could not live in an area that doesn't have seasonal changes because I could not make it without seeing my world transform from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. It is magical. I love everything about fall, the aromas and the sights. I also dearly love to walk outside and not be hit by a wall of heat and humidity.

My one hope for fall is that is will last. It seems to be over as soon as it arrives. I am hopeful for a fall that will hang on this year so that we can enjoy each and every minute of beauty and crisp air.

Watching God's hand at work as he creates a masterpiece of color in the trees is absolutely brilliant. His is an amazing artist in each season.

We purchased a new children's Bible story book for our daughter's 4th birthday. I had read about the book on Angie Smith's blog Bring the Rain. I also knew some friends that had it for their children. I can't say enough about it. Peanut looks forward to it each night, anticipating the upcoming story. She sleeps with it and some nights I hear her retelling the stories that we have already read or making up stories about the ones we haven't. I love that each story ends with foreshadowing of what or Who is to come.

The name of the book is PERFECT, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. That is exactly how each story ends. The story doesn't end, it fills you with anticipation for what is to come, the Rescuer. I have enjoyed reading it with her each night almost as much as she enjoys hearing the stories.

I am thrilled to see her excited about these stories and for her to hear how God has helped his people since the beginning of time. How He has never given up on us, even when we are in the mire of sin.

I highly recommend this book if you have littles at home or for a family with littles.

On a completely different note, I am getting close to 150 posts. I am thinking of doing a giveaway or something for that post. I'll keep you in suspense though! A giveaway would be a great way to actually get some comments on here again though. Ha! Keep checking back to see if I do it or wait until 200 posts.

Butter Chicken

2010-08-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

There is a block on a beautiful tree lined street in our community filled with old homes that have been turned into ethnic restaurants. There is Korean, Mediterranean, Tibetan, Irish, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indian (among a few others). Each place we have tried has been so good. My favorite has been Indian. There is a newer Indian restaurant on this block that we have tried a couple of times and where I found the most amazing chicken dish, Butter Chicken.

After having it the first time I came home and looked for a recipe online. The recipes that I found all called for a bunch of spices that I didn't have and probably wouldn't use that much.

Then lo and behold the Pioneer Woman wrote about a recipe she had found on her Tasty Kitchen site for Butter Chicken. Upon checking it out I found that I had all the spices it needed except one, ground coriander. I made the recipe on Sunday and it was fantastic. It tasted pretty similar to what we had at the restaurant too.

Hubby was a happy man and proclaimed, "I would pay $15.00 to eat something like that." Later he said, "I could eat like that all of the time." I replied with, "Ummm...no you wouldn't. That was made with a full pint of heavy whipping cream." Haha!

I served the butter chicken over brown rice. Also the recipe calls for 1/2 t. of cayenne pepper and says that you might need to cut back as it can make it spicy. I used the full amount and we didn't think it was very spicy at all.

Peaches

2010-08-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

All summer long I find myself saying that my favorite fruit is whatever is in season...strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, raspberries...BUT THEN peach season comes and I remember...Peaches are my favorite. I love peaches. They are delectable. They are pricey too but today I splurged and bought a box at our local farmer's market.
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oil
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 T. milk
Mix together all ingredients with pastry blender. Pat into pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Go...Buy peaches...Make this pie!

Buntings

2010-08-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

I AM IN LOVE WITH BUNTINGS! I have been looking at them online for ages, wanting to make some but I hadn't. Then my oldest daughter's birthday came and I brought out the scrapbook paper, hole punch, yarn and went to work. It was so easy! Why did I think it wouldn't be? It added just right amount of pop and festiveness that I wanted for our simple little party.

So then I looked at the big window in my living room that has no cute curtains and thought, "Hmmm...Why couldn't I make a more elegant paper banner and hang that over the window?" I did and I love it! We live in an apartment so I am trying not to put too many holes in the walls so the bunting is perfect. I just have it taped up and it looks so simple but elegant.

This space needs something more but it really helped it not look so plain and expansive. This is so cheap too! I found the beautiful papers at JoAnne's. I had the ribbon already so it was only a few dollars to decorate!

This all spurred me on to finish a fabric bunting that I had started last January but got overwhelmed and quit. After looking at different ideas online I came up with a way to really simplify the bunting I wanted to make for the girls' room and LOVED it. It again was super easy and cheap.

I used 3 different fabrics and cut out a bunch of triangles using a template. I also cut triangles out of batting. I then sandwiched a triangle of batting between two pieces of fabric and sewed around the triangle edge. Then I sewed a few more inside. I did not worry about being exact. I was totally going for a shabby, scrappy look.

Next I cut around the outside seam leaving about a 1/4 inch edge. Then snip all the way around the triangle just to the seam. Throw the triangles in the washer and then the dryer. When they come out, the edges will be frayed to give them a scrappy look. I then sewed all the triangles together with a long piece of ribbon.

I love how it turned out and want to make more! I have yet to decide where I will actually hang this in the girls' room. That is why it is draped over their mirror, but I kind of like it there for now.

I love buntings!!!!! I love crafts that do not have to be exact! That is so freeing!

New Recipes for the File

2010-08-05T18:12:00.001-07:00

I made a couple of new recipes this week for the family and wanted to share them with you. I know we all need some encouragement in the area of cooking once in awhile. I was in a cooking rut again. I hate getting stuck there but this week I jumped out and my Hubby is so happy.

One of the things that I made was a Tomato Mozzerella Tart with Basil Garlic Crust. This was super, super good. It was very rich so I probably wouldn't make it alot, only when I need to a recipe for tomatoes and basil.

Today for lunch I made a WINNER that will be made more frequently. It was a Chicken Alfredo Pizza. It was superb! Hubby was grinning from ear to ear after biting into this delightful taste adventure. The next time I make it, I will:

1.) Make a roux at the beginning of the sauce. I will add flour to the butter so the sauce thickens up. She does not call for flour so the sauce was very runny. I added 1 T. of flour to the sauce and that worked. It thickened right up.

2.) Be sure to add spincach again. I added a layer of spinach after spreading the sauce and it made it even extra yummy. It also helped me think it was a little healthy!

Also I sliced some chicken breasts and sauteed them in olive oil with salt and pepper. They were delicious on the pizza and cheaper than buying the pre-made chicken slices.

I had a girl's day out on Tuesday with some really great friends and needed a crock pot meal for Hubby and the girl. I used another one from The Farmer's Wife. It was Crockpot Baked Ziti. It was really good. I do recommend making sure you have enough sauce. I used 26 oz. instead of the 32 oz. the recipe calls for and it needed more sauce. Don't skimp on the sauce. This was good and a great go-to recipe when I need something in the crockpot quick. I really like her blog. I found some great recipes that I want to try.

Then yesterday I was craving chocolate and remembered we had a container of chocolate frosting, so my daughter and I made a Wacky Cake. YUM! I love this cake because it isn't overly sweet and you don't need eggs or milk for it. It always turns out great.

Wreath

2010-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

The only wreath I have to hang on my door is a Christmas wreath. For obvious reasons I don't leave it hanging year round. I have been looking online for a low costing wreath to make that I like. I had found some ideas but then I found THE ONE on The Pretty Poppy. It was so super cute and the items needed were so cheap.

All you need is felt, a grapevine wreath, some ribbon, an old cd, scissors, and a hot glue gun.

You will need to cut out a BUNCH of felt circles using the cd as a template. I just held the cd on the felt and cut around it. Then start from the outside edge and cut a spiral all the way to the center.

Next start wrapping the spiral from the center out to shape a rose. The bottom of the rose will be flat. Hot glue the end of the spiral to the flower so it will stay together and hold its shape.

Once you have a large pile of roses, start hot gluing them to the wreath. Be sure to attach a loop of ribbon that you can use to hang the wreath if you want to.

This was so easy, so cheap and I LOVE the results. I want to make some more roses but make them into hair clips or head bands. The uses for these are limitless.

I love my new wreath!

Birthday Crafting

2010-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

I am still here. Summer has been an especially hectic time for us. It started off with being in a horrible car accident over Memorial Day weekend. God totally watched over my family and only by His grace did we all get out with no major injuries. My hubby and I could hardly move for a few days but we healed up pretty quickly considering what could have been.

We bought a new-to-us vehicle, went on a few trips to see family, sold our house that had been on the market for 10 months, and in between all of that the girls have been sick off and on. We have battled Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease and I believe my youngest had Roseola.

Just last week my oldest turned 4! I can't believe it. I was determined to do some sewing for her for her birthday and I did. It felt so good to get a bit crafty again. It had been so long. I think my girls can play in the basement play/sewing room without killing each other for a longer period of time now. That helped alot!

So what did I make? Well, let me show you....

The first thing I did was find a small white T-Shirt at the Dollar Store and appliqued a number 4 out of vintage kitty fabric on the front. I added some pink ric-rac trim to the collar. Here's a piece of advice....When adding ric-rac trim to the collar of a t-shirt, do NOT sew it around the entire collar. The excited birthday child will not be able to squeeze her 4 year old head through the hole opening. You will then have to rip out half of the trim while your family is waiting to go out for lunch at Olive Garden and you will be so embarrassed for not thinking of this beforehand. So there! Free advice!

I also wanted to make a cute headband for her to wear with her birthday shirt. I found this great tutorial on making Scrap Flowers and went with it. I also sewed together two long skinny rectangles right sides together, turned them right side out, and sewed a finishing seam all around the outside. WAH-LAH...a head band that you can tie around your child's head. I hot glued my scrap flowers to the head band and felt all proud of myself. I think it turned out very cute.

As you probably know I make and decorate my girls' birthday cakes. I have so enjoyed this tradition. This year since Peanut was old enough to decide what she would like on her cake, I came up with 4 choices for her from ideas I found online. She got to choose from Strawberry Shortcake, Mr. Potato Head, Curious George and Cookie Monster. She picked Mr. Potato Head which actually became Mrs. Potato Head when I was decorating it. This was such an easy cake because I just used a star tip and grass tip to decorate then Potato Head pieces. So easy and so cute.

For the actual cake I made a homemade Pink Lemonade cake. I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to try it out for Peanut's birthday. It was so much yummier than something out of a box. Yum!

When she made her decision I remembered a tutorial I had seen online for felt Potato Heads so of course, I had to make one for her in honor of her cake choice. I also made a drawstring bag for her to keep the pieces in. I used sticky velcro on the pieces but have realized very quickly I am going to need to actually stitch them to the felt pieces.

I had so much fun making things for Peanut. It spurred me on to get busy on a bunting I had started making during winter but put aside. My triangles are currently in the dryer getting their perfectly frayed edges. I will be sewing them together hopefully tonight. Once the finished product is hung in the girls' room, I will post a picture. I am very excited to see how it turns out.

I also have a wreath and felt sitting on my kitchen table waiting to be turned into a something pretty to hang on my front door!

Spring Rolls

2010-07-16T17:39:00.001-07:00

This is something I made up on my own after watching a PBS cooking show and seeing how spring rolls are made. These were so easy and a hit with my hubby. They didn't go over as well with the kids. Mom and Dad will enjoy these without the kiddos!

Chop up half a head of cabbage, 2 big carrots, an onion and a 2-3 cloves of garlic. Sautee the cabbage and carrots in some olive oil. Add onions once cabbage and carrots are softened. Add in garlic when onions are soft. Season with salt and pepper. This should all take only maybe 10 minutes.

You will need a package of egg roll wrappers. I found these in the healthy food refrigerated section at my grocery store. Put a clump of the cabbage mixture in center of egg roll wrapper and wrap up. Fill as many as you would like. Heat an inch of olive oil in a deep skillet. Place spring rolls in hot oil. Let fry for just a minute or less and turn.

These were so yummy!

Yummy, Easy Salsa

2010-07-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Do you know how easy it is to make salsa? Do you know how much better it is than the stuff in the jar? Well, I am going to teach you and you'll thank me. I know you will because my husband does every time I make it.

The bliss of the recipe is you can really do whatever you want. This is what I do, but you can change anything and do your own thing.

Chop up 1-2 tomatoes, 1 medium onion (1/2 of a big one), 1 avocado and a handful of cilantro. Mix together in a bowl. Dump in a rinsed can of black beans and a can of corn. Add salt and pepper to taste and a big splash of lemon juice. Grab a bag of chips and there you have it! YUM!

Recipe Critiques

2010-05-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have been busy trying some new recipes out and wanted to post my critiques here more for myself than anyone else. (Except for my Back Door friend)

I have to say that I am thrilled with the new additions to my recipe box. I don't really add them to my recipe box much anymore. I can find them here on my blog which is really nice since my recipe box is bursting at the hinges.

We have a Hispanic restaurant that we love to frequent downtown. I usually end up getting the same thing but finally ordered something new a few weeks ago and LOVED it. I loved it so much that I came home and searched online for a recipe. The entree is Chilaquiles Verdes and the recipe I found is EASY and really good. It was not as good as the restaurant version but I will make this again for sure. The restaurant version had more of a vinegar/sour taste that I really liked. I am not sure if it was the salsa verde that I got. I will have to try a different brand next time. You can find the recipe that I used HERE. Next time I wouldn't worry about adding the milk to the sour cream, I would just serve it with regular sour cream.

Today I made the graham crackers and they are awesome. It was definitely more work than popping open a box of store bought ones BUT I can give them to my girls and I know exactly what is in them and I can verify that there is NO HFCS! Awesome! I used THIS RECIPE found on the Martha Stewart website. It calls for untoasted wheat germ but I had toasted. It worked fine! Also I don't think that Wal-Mart honey is considered high-quality but it worked too! The girls have been scarfing them down all day along with Hubby. I baked half of the "sheets" and froze the others to bake in a few days.

I have also made the 4 Weelicious recipes that I blogged about in the previous post. Hubby can't stay out of the avocado dip. I was super surprised at how yummy it was. I love avocados so I had a hunch but it was even better than my hunch.

The Lasagna Roll-Ups were superb too. Everyone loved these and it provided us with left-overs which I love. I used 10 lasagna noodles instead of 8 and a 9x13" dish. I also chopped up fresh mushrooms and added them. Yum!

I can NOT say enough good things about the Veggie Pancakes. The only bad thing I can say is that Pumpkin my 1 year old was less than thrilled but I am having a hard time getting her to eat veggies in general but I AM NOT GIVING UP! These were absolutely delicious, absolutely! I will be making these frequently. I did chop up some green onions that I had on hand and added them to the mix for a little extra pizazz.

Ok, the Spinach Gnocchi...well...yeah. Let me just say...READING THE RECIPE THOROUGHLY while using said recipe helps alot. I used a whole egg and totally missed the 2 T. flour, so when I added the cute little spinach balls to the boiling water, they completely fell apart. YIKES! I ruined the whole batch. I will try again though and let you know how it goes.

My next attempt at homemade versions of things I have bought pre-made will be granola bars and tortillas! Oh, and these Spring Rolls look delectable!

You have checked out the Weelicious site, right? Get over there if you haven't. I'm in love!

Leaning

2010-05-19T13:32:00.001-07:00

Have you seen the documentary Food, Inc.? Did it completely freak you out like it did me? Did it make you mad like it did me? Did it make you think about the stuff you buy at the grocery store or at the restaurant like it did me? Did it make you look at your kids and want the best for them like it did me?

One evening I flipped through our 4 local PBS stations, the only stations we get. I am completely fine with that except for this coming Sunday when I NEED ABC to watch the 5 hours dedicated to the LOST series finale. I am a wreck about not having ABC and trying to figure something out....but that is a completely different topic.

I landed on a station that was talking about food and where it comes from. After a few minutes I began to wonder if this was the documentary I had been hearing so much about. I searched the TV schedule online and sure enough, it was. To be perfectly honest, I could only watch an hour of the movie. It was uncomfortable for me as a mother to watch it. It made me sick to my stomach to think about what is put in my kids' bodies everyday.

I would LOVE to switch my family to only organic and whole foods but honestly that is not in our budget. My grocery trip each week almost kills me as it is and these things are more expensive. Like the movie said, they can make the "yucky" stuff cheap.

I recalled seeing a clip of the Oprah show when the man behind the movie was interviewed. They talked about "leaning into this concept" and that is what I am trying to do. I want to provide the best for my family and give healthy options. I have a 3 year old with a serious sweet tooth for candy which I really try to limit. If it were up to me, we would just throw that stuff out but I want to teach her how to make healthy choices and when we do have sweets that we do so in moderation.

I have really been paying attention to High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oils in our food. They are in almost everything....salad dressing, cereal, graham crackers, bread, juice...on and on. I'm trying to watch and keep things on hand that do not have these horrible things in them. I am also trying to make snacks to keep on hand for the girls and for us. If I make it, I know what goes into it.

I have been making hummus for us (which has been a hard sell for the girls but I won't give up). I currently have a batch of granola in the oven for us to snack on. You can find that recipe HERE on one of my friend's blogs. I am also trying to buy some of our produce from the Farmer's market and can find some things cheaper than at the grocery store and I know it was locally grown and trust that it is free from pesticides. I am also depending on my dad to put out a garden and get some produce from him later this summer. I also watch the sale fliers for things that are better for us that are on sale. We also have a stovetop popcorn popper so we make our popcorn on the stove top and stay far, far away from microwave popcorn.

So we are leaning...we're trying to provide healthier food choices for our girls. I hope one day that my grocery budget can expand a little and I can lean much more.

I've also been diving into the Weelicious site for great, healthy idea for my family. This week I will be making the following from her site.

I have lots more tagged to try also. I'm also going to attempt at some point in the near future making homemade graham crackers from HERE or HERE since my girls love them and the store bought ones have the nasties in them.

So...this is what I'm doing, small changes. Every little bit helps! What are you doing to encourage healthier food choices for your family?

Instinct

2010-05-18T19:18:00.001-07:00

Imagine...

It is the spring of 1998. It is the middle of the night along a desolate highway as a young engaged couple speed along. The young woman is asleep in the passenger seat dreaming of picking out fabric for her wedding gown with her soon to be mother-in-law the next day. Her seat is laid back. She awakes as the car comes to a stop. The young man looks at her and says, "I need to use the restroom. Keep the doors locked." As he jumps out of the car, the young woman thinks to herself, "He doesn't worry about car doors being locked. That's strange."

She lifts herself up to look around. As she looks out the side window she looks directly into a car parked one space over. In the car is a man and he is looking directly at her and in that moment instinct tells her, "This is not right. He is up to no good." She lays back down immediately, heart pounding as her mind fills with fear. As she pulls the seat up, the man in a long black trench coat is in front of her car walking to the bathroom. He does not take his eyes off of the young woman as he walks past the car. She is frozen with fear because she knows where he is going and fears she knows what he is up to.

She watches him disappear into the men's restroom and while praying over and over in her head, slides into the driver's seat, fumbles with the outdated car phone with shaking hands. She dials 9-1-1 and tells the operator what is happening. The operator asks where she is and she replies, "I was asleep. I know we already passed through Fort Wayne but not quite to Ohio on US 30. " The operator isn't sure she can help but says she will alert the patrols who are out to stop at rest stops in that vicinity to check on things. The young woman knows that help is not quickly on it's way.

The young woman is frantic as the man in the trench coat does indeed come out. He walks to his car, gets in and watches her. The young woman is hysterical as she watches and waits for the young man but he doesn't come. She doesn't know what to do but realizes the safest place is in the car with the doors locked and the key in the ignition not running to the bathroom to look for the young man. She makes a plan in her head. If the man in the trench coat heads for her, she will take matters into her own hands and use her car as a weapon of defense if she must.

After what seems to be an eternity the young man appears and rapidly approaches the car, jumps in and she throws the car into reverse, backs up and speeds off, with tears streaming down her face and hands shaking uncontrollably. It takes almost an hour for her to stop looking in her rear view mirror for headlights following them, but there are none.

The young man tells her he went into the stall in the bathroom, heard the man in the trench coat come in soon after. He went into the stall next to him and things were silent. The young man heard no noises and he was unsure what to do as he felt this stranger was up to no good. He then heard the man in the trench coat leave and all the young man could think of was the young woman alone out in the car. The young man flew out of the bathroom to the car, thankful that they were both safe within the car and it's locked doors.

He apologized to the young woman as he felt that something wasn't right that night on the desolate highway. He vowed to never stop at a rest stop in the middle of the night again.

And to this day Hubby has done no such thing and if he even thinks about it, I quickly remind him that the side of the road is a safer option after our experience 12 years ago.

I honestly with all of my heart know the power of prayer protected both of us that night 12 years ago. Hubby and I had no doubt in our minds that this stranger had awful plans for that night. In fact we scoured the newspaper and news the next day to see if anything had happened but thankfully found nothing.

It was a terrifying thing and to this day, I haven't had a moment like it. I am thankful for that! I do know that my instincts were kicking in high gear and screaming that things were not right. Listen to those instincts. They were given to us for a reason. Sometimes we think we may be assuming too much but I believe it is safer too assume to0 much and be safe, rather than to muffle those instincts and pay an awful price.

My heart is racing again even as I think back on that night.....

The House

2010-05-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to sew...yet. I took the girls to the basement sewing area/toy room yesterday and realized that each project I had picked needed something that I didn't have and would need before I could begin sewing. So today I'm off in search of a magnetic closure after a quiet respite at Starbucks.

I begged Hubby to watch the girls after church today so that I could have some time alone. I love those girls so much it makes me ache inside, but I needed some alone time. As said before my personality type needs alone time to be re-energized. I was lacking quite a bit in that area. Do you think they would mind if I curled up in one of the leather chairs and took a nap? That would just be perfecta. Lunch at therls to the basement sewing area/toy room and realized that each project I had picked needed something that I didn't have and would need before I could begin sewing. So today I'm off in search of a magnetic closure after a quiet respite at Starbucks.

I know this is the internet and I know anyone can read this and I know most of my loyal readers...errr...my one loyal reader knows who I am, but at this point I don't care. I need you all to join me in prayer if you know me or not. I don't think I had mentioned it here but 2 weeks ago we got word that our house had sold. Hubby was ecstatic. I was so glad but a bit more reserved in my celebratory spirit as somewhere inside me I knew we still had to pass inspections and make it to the closing with nothing amiss.

Yesterday as I dropped Hubby off at work he told me that our house didn't fail the inspection but it didn't pass it either. The realtor didn't know what the buyer would do, if she would proceed, want to discuss how to approach the issues or just back out. So now we wait. The ball is in her court and we are left holding our rackets waiting.

After I dropped Hubby off at work I drove around our town and cried. Pumpkin was asleep in her car seat and Peanut was content watching the sights out the car window. I begged God to show my why it seems that things just don't fall into place. It seems that the past two years have been one hard thing after another. I am ready for easy. I need easy. I need a season of peace. I crave it so much it makes my heart hurt.

Will you please pray with me about this. I am praying that the buyer will not see the "issues" as huge and will continue with the process. Pray that I will hold tightly to faith! I have more swimming in my head about this and a blog post I read a few weeks ago that I know was written for me but it is loud in here and I just can't think. Maybe I will go take a nap in that comfy leather chair now. Haha!

Thank you for praying.

Inspiring

2010-05-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

I checked this book out of the library a few weeks ago after reading about it on a blog. I fell in love. It is a great book bursting with fun ideas. I have been in a crafting lull and just not motivated to do anything with my sewing machine or crafting. Like you hadn't noticed due to the lack of posts on projects I've been up to.

This book filled me with excitement as I looked through the patterns and fun things to make. My in-laws were here visting for a day. She leafed through it and I told her how excited I was about this book and that I was hoping to buy it.

Wouldn't you know it....a week later this book showed up in my mailbox! Have I mentioned that I have a sweet Mama-in-law who loves to do little things like this? She is the best!

So today it is cloudy. Today I have no car to tempt me in running around town. Today I have my sewing area ready to go. Today I have a bunch of one yard pieces of fabric stashed away. So the real question is will I GET to sew today? Will my littles let me have some time? We will see. We will try. Hoping to be back with pictures of something that I created.

If you are a sewer you really should take a peek at this book. It is so fun and you only need ONE YARD OF FABRIC for all of the projects. That is what appealed to me so much. Fabric is so expensive but one yard, I can swing that. So grab a copy and take a peek or mention it to a loved one and maybe it will show up in your mailbox too.

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

You have seen this, right? I think I am the last one to see it. I've seen it posted everywhere and didn't give it a look. Today was the day. The stars aligned, I had a few minutes and I watched...AND I LAUGHED LIKE CRAZY! This is just too stinky funny and cute. LOVE IT! If you haven't seen it, you must indulge and take a peek especially if you are the proud owner of a mini-van. Someday I will be....I want to be, especially now.

(Remember to pause my playlist at the bottom of the page to hear the video.)

By the way...I do realize that the full video is not being displayed on the right side. I don't want to change my template to make it fit, so if you feel like seeing the whole thing you can go to youtube and see it HERE.

Banana Bites

2010-05-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on the coolest website a few weeks ago. A friend of mine became a fan of the site on Facebook so I checked it out. It is a fabulous site filled with recipes for kids of all ages. The creator focuses on healthy foods and all types of them. If you have a school aged child and need some creative, healthy ideas for lunches to pack she has TONS!

The website is Weelicious. I am so excited to dig through her posts and try some of the things for my family especially snacks. Snacks are a hard thing. It's so easy to pop open a bag of goldfish crackers and call it a snack. I desperately want to give my kids a foundation of healthy eating habits and Weelicious offers some excellent ideas for these.

My girls LOVE pancakes so yesterday I tried making Banana Bites. I have to admit that I only made them for Pumpkin, the toddler. The reason being was the toddler having a fit at my feet and Daddy was on the couch suffering from a bad case of Gout so I had to HURRY. I made a banana's worth of Banana Bites and then just plain pancakes.

I will definitely be making these again. They were warm and gooey and YUMMY! Pumpkin scarfed them down and begged for more. Ha! Make sure you slice the bananas thinly or the pancake batter won't cook on the edges.

Be sure to stop by and check out the Weelicious site. I know you will find some great, healthy ideas!

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies

2010-05-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

The rhubarb in my fridge has been screaming my name for a few days so today I quieted down and made Frosted Rhubarb Cookies. This is a recipe that I found in a Taste of Home magazine a few years ago and it is scrumptious!

I am happy to say I have enough rhubarb left for one more recipe! YEAH! That is even better to me than eating the cookies. Ha! I have to make something for my Mom's group on Thursday so I will definitely be making some rhubarb muffins to take with me.

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies

1 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. diced fresh rhubarb

3/4. flaked coconut

Cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in rhubarb and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

(I have never used the coconut. I never have any on hand and they are superb without.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 T. butter

3 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually add in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies. Store in fridge.

Yield: 5 dozen

These do freeze well. It is also best to use tender stalks of rhubarb.

Blissful

2010-05-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

IT.IS.RHUBARB.SEASON!!!!!!!

Why is there no rhubarb festival that I know of? Why? Rhubarb is wonderful. I do know that it is something you either LOVE or HATE. I LOVE it.

While I was up north I raided my dad's rhubarb patch. I used part of the treasure to make the following recipe and it was simply divine. DIVINE! I even cheated and used a store bought pie crust and it was still awesome!

Homemade Rhubarb Custard Pie

1 1/2 c. rhubarb, diced

2 T. flour

2 eggs

1 1/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. cream

In a large bowl stir together all of the ingredients except the rhubarb. Beat well. Add rhubarb and pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

This is my new favorite rhubarb recipe.

I will be back with more rhubarb bliss though.

I have more in my fridge.

Stocking the Fridge

2010-05-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I headed north to have a visit with my in-laws who were in town and my dad. It was a great time and went way too fast. Before leaving I knew I had one big task ahead of me...stocking the fridge, freezer and pantry for Hubby. Eating out every meal is just not a choice in our budget (although I did notice several fast food sacks in the car that were quickly thrown away when I got home).

It became an even bigger task as our youngest got the flu and gave it to me the day I was supposed to be preparing all of this food. I worked like a mad woman the morning before I left. I was utterly exhausted but it felt so good to know Hubby had good, home-cooked meals for the week I was gone.

I made 4 meals that I was able to split up and freeze for him. I wanted to share the recipes with you as they turned out really good.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

Hubby loves those CHEAP-O frozen bean burritos. I on the other-hand do not and wanted to give him a healthier version so I made my own. I used this recipe for Bean and Cheese Burritos. I didn't bake them in a 9x13 pan with salsa over the top, though. I just wrapped them up and baked them individually on a cookie sheet. After they had cooled, I wrapped them in plastic wrap and froze them so Hubby could throw them in the microwave at work or home.

Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes

I found this recipe on a friend's blog and knew I wanted to try it as we really do like lentils. The recipe for can be found here and is actually from The Barefoot Contessa. I love her show but haven't been able to see it in months as my in-laws were my source for The Food Network. Ha! I am anxious to try this out tonight for supper. There is one container left in the freezer and I have claimed it.

Calazones

I had made a batch of these hand-held pizza pockets before for Hubby from a different recipe but wasn't crazy about them so I improvised and did my own thing. They turned out much better. I used a recipe for pizza dough that I have and divided it into a bunch of little balls of dough. I then rolled each out into a small circle, spread half of the circle with pizza sauce and topped with olives, pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese. I baked them, let them cool, and wrapped them up in plastic wrap to freeze for Hubby. Yum!

White Chicken Chili

Hubby ADORES soup so I had to make one good soup for him while I was away. He did comment that it was a bit spicy so I would cut back on the cayenne pepper next time for us. After making the soup and letting it cool, I just ladled it into small plastic containers (that do not contain BPA) and froze them. I did the same with the lentil recipe.

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, mince

1 T. olive oil

4 cooked, boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped

2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth

1 can chopped green chilies

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. dried oregano

1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper

(I will cut back to 1 t. next time.)

3 cans (14.5 oz. each) great northern beans, drained, divided

In large saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in oil for 10 min. or until onions are tender. Add chicken, chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low. With a potato masher, mash one can of beans until smooth. Add to saucepan. Add remaining beans also. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Yield: 10 servings

So hubby was well stocked with food and the girls and I had a great visit with family. Now I am back to the reality of cooking, cleaning, and all other Mama duties. That's ok though. It's my favorite job in the world.

Better Than a Hallelujah

2010-05-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have been an Amy Grant fan since the beginning of my junior high years. I sang all of her songs into my hairbrush. I went to her concerts. I sported her concert t-shirts with pride. I haven't followed her much in the recent years but I caught her newest song on the radio and loved it. It is so simple, so real just like many of her lyrics. She can hammer the nail on it's head pretty well. I read her new book Mosaic also this past winter and it was really well done. I was inspired by her honesty.

The lyrics to this new song are so simple but so insightful. This is just how God wants us to come to Him in a simple way. He doesn't want us to be fake. He longs for us to be real, authentic right where we are, whatever moment we are in.

The first two lines are what really caught my attention and spoke right to me.

"God loves a lullaby in a mother's tears in the dead of night.

Better than a hallelujah sometimes."

I had some very rough days with my littlest girl. She has such extreme moods either the happiest, funniest little thing or really unhappy.

Tonight my oldest daughter chose a Mother Goose book before bed and we read the following nursery rhyme.

"Once there was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead

When she was good,

She was very good,

But when she was bad,

She was horrid."

This had to be written for my curly headed sweetie! I'm telling you, it had to be.

She was in a very grumpy mood this past week and this mommy was at the end of her rope. It didn't help that we were away from home without Hubby and out of our routine. We were staying with my dad and bless his heart, he kept both girls one day so I could sneak off and get refreshed over a lunch with my best friend.

All that being said, the way that I choose to react to Miss Grumpy Pants is a way of worshiping Him. When I react out of love and patience, He honors that. And He did. We got through the rough days. We are back home and had a DELIGHTFUL day together today. Can I tell you that when she is in a good mood...it's just THEE best thing ever. Her joy is contagious. It is better than a hallelujah!

(Remember to pause my playlist at the bottom of this page to hear the video.)

Silly Spaghetti Dogs

2010-04-23T05:11:00.001-07:00

Confession time. Yes, I serve hot dogs to my oldest. She doesn't have them all of the time but they are on the lunch rotation.

I had seen some silly hot dog business on a few websites and decided yesterday that we needed to instill some of that same silliness into our lunch. I taught Peanut how to make Silly Spaghetti Dogs. She had great fun poking the uncooked spaghetti noodles in the hot dog pieces.

They do look a bit strange sitting there waiting for the water to boil.

Next I dunked them in the boiling water and waited for the noodles to cook. They were even sillier after being cooked. Peanut thought they were great.

They were so easy to make. Peanut got to help make them and then got quite a kick out of her lunch. This is certainly not something we would do everyday but now and then.

I do have to share a funny story regarding this creation. I sent my hubby a picture via our cell phones of Peanut eating her Silly Spaghetti Dog while he was at school. I try to do this off and on so he can see his sweeties throughout his chaotic days. Anyways...later we were talking about it and he asked, "How in the world did you get the spaghetti in the hot dog? Did you poke a hole with a toothpick and string it through?" HAHA!

I assured him that we had poked the uncooked noodles through so it was easy and I had not boiled them and threaded them through a needle to poke through the hot dog.

Comfort Food

2010-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

It is fitting to write about comfort food right after writing about my bestie...right?

If you know me at all, if you have ever sent one of those silly quiz emails (That I can not resist! Don't judge!), you will know that my all time favorite comfort food is...drumroll, please....Mac and Cheese.

Why mac and cheese? Well, it goes back to my mom. She made a killer baked macaroni and cheese that we had for every holiday and on my birthday. It was a special thing and I loved it. She poured more love into that big ol' baked dish of cheesy goodness than actual cheese. I always remember her when I am making it for my family.

I also used to be a box mac and cheese gal too, but that has changed. Move over Kraft...here comes homemade! I discovered WHITE SAUCE... or the fancier Bechamel Sauce. (I feel like Julia Child saying that.) Mom would make a quick mac and cheese by boiling the macaroni, draining, add chunks of cheese, and some milk. Stir until cheese is melted. This is really good too but (Sorry, Mom!) I have found a new love.

I feel like the only one that doesn't know about Bechamel Sauce. It is YUMMY and so easy and worth the extra few minutes it takes to make AND you know exactly what the ingredients are. There is no mystery cheese powder floating in the air.

This is what I do....

Boil my macaroni and drain.

Melt 2 -3 T. butter in a saucepan.

Add 1/4 c. flour and whisk into the melted butter for a few minutes.

This will make a pasty substance.

Slowly add some milk and whisk until thick.

Add some more milk and whisk until thickened.

I add around 1 1/2 c. milk or so just add A LITTLE at a time. (I just guess at the milk amount or go until I have the consistency I want.)

I have heard if you warm the milk up it will thicken faster.

Then pour in the shredded cheese....again as much or as little as you want.

(If you shred your own from a block of cheese it will melt much better. The shredded cheese has an ingredient that keeps it from caking together and also makes it harder to melt to a smooth consistency.)

Stir until melted and pour in macaroni.

At this point...you can serve it or pour into a baking dish, top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 20ish minutes.

I will not go back to boxed macaroni...EVER! Even the $0.49 sale won't sway me because I can buy a box of pasta that will last for awhile for CHEAP and I always have the other ingredients on hand.

And now I will share my mom's beloved baked Macaroni recipe. My recipe is even in her handwriting! I don't need the recipe anymore, but I always use it because it is her writing...a piece of her. This I still make, but only on special occasions and only when there is a group of people because Hubby doesn't care for Mac and Cheese. (Polar opposites, I tell ya!)

Mom's Baked Macaroni and Cheese

4 c. elbow macaroni

2 T. butter

Cheese

Salt

Pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3 c. milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients. Beat milk and eggs together and pour over macaroni. Mix up a bit. Bake 40-50 minutes.

I just cube the cheese in small squares. I also have started adding bread crumbs or cracker crumbs mixed with melted butter over top to give it a crunchy topping.

Comfort food at it's best!

THE Friend

2010-04-17T16:58:00.001-07:00

It's time to share with you about someone whom I love to death. She is my best friend. She is just an amazing person yet I know when she reads this she is going to tell me I shouldn't have posted it. She doesn't think she is all that special but she is. She knows that there is only one real reason how she is able to continue on the remarkable journey that she is on. She will tell you straight up that it is not by her academic prowess (but she is STINKING smart), her discipline or anything of her. She is an amazing person but she knows she is making it through each day because she is doing exactly what she has been called to do by Jesus.

She is currently in the army and a pre-med student in her 2nd year of studies. I do not know how she does it all. When I am having a rough day, I remember my best friend and realize I can do this if she is doing what she is doing. On top of all of her crazy studies, she is an incredible mom. She adores the two beautiful kids that God has blessed her and her husband with.

How did I meet this Wonder Woman? Well, that is a funny story. It was 1997 and I had started seeing this guy that I met at college. He started telling me about his two best friends who were engaged to be married. She was having some medical problems at the time and he asked me to pray for her.

Now this guy (whom I currently have two beautiful little girls with) was, shall we say...edgy. He wasn't a preppy type in his style. He was more...maybe on the hippy side. So I being a conservative dresser was envisioning his two best friends in the whole world in my head and what I envisioned for her was a hippy. I imagined prairie dresses, hairy legs and arm pits...well you get the idea. I wasn't sure they would approve of their best friend's new gal and her collection of Amy Grant CDs.

As our meeting drew nearer, I knew what a big deal this was. They were his best friends and I was completely smitten with this guy and I wanted their blessing and I SHAVE MY LEGS! We were to meet on the weekend of their wedding. We headed to Ohio for the big weekend in which not only was I meeting the best friends, but the parents too. NO PRESSURE there!

The parent meeting was awesome. I adore my in-laws and it started right at the first meeting. They were so kind and welcoming so I was hoping for the same when meeting said friends.

We took off for the rehearsal dinner. We entered the banquet room. I scoped it out for this girl who I had perfectly pictured in my head. This guy with this infectious laugh and strong handshake introduced himself as "Future Hubby's" best friend. Then I was introduced to the sweetest girl who was clean shaven (heehee) and in a dress she probably had found at the mall.

From that moment we met a friendship formed and grew and over time we became best friends. I do NOT know what I would do without her friendship today. I can't even begin to count the tears we have cried together and the laughs we have had. When she hurts, I hurt and I know that is vice versa too. I love her kiddos to the moon and back as she loves mine. I feel like I have gained so much from her and given so little in return. I will never forget the moment she met my firstborn for the first time. She cried like she was seeing her own baby. It was one of the sweetest moments. She is an honorary auntie to my kids as I am to hers.

Due to our move this last fall and her very stressful school schedule, we no longer get to see each other much BUT it does make me cherish our times together even more. We may run up the minutes on our cell phones but we can always pick up where we left off.

At one point in time we did in fact live in the same town and her daughter was enrolled in my preschool class. One evening I had her family over for supper and gave them some belated birthday gifts. I had written in her hubby's card how thankful I was that they lived so close and how much it meant to me and if he ever moved her away I would be ticked off. After he read his card he said, "We have something to tell you. We are moving." Tears came and kept coming even after they said they were moving only 30 minutes away. We laugh about it now especially that we are 3 1/2 hours from each other but at the time I was devastated.

I do dream of a day when we will live on the same block and she will be my kids' doctor. I don't know if this will ever happen as it appears we are becoming farther and farther apart as far as miles go. One thing I know for sure, no matter how far the miles are she will always be my best friend. There are countless more laughs and tears to share. I'm hoping more laughs than tears.

I love you dear, dear, dear friend. I am so proud of you and what you are doing. You truly are a jar of clay!

2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Beauty in the Mess

2010-04-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

My hubby is a news junkie extraordinaire. He knows what is going on in the world especially in the world of politics. If you are his Facebook friend you will know this from the news links he posts hourly.

I have a hard time discussing events of our world with him because frankly if it wasn't on Caillou or Curious George, I'm really out of the loop. So...he fills me in. He lets me know what has been happening while I have been changing diapers, filling juice cups, and maintaining peace between two little ones who need to share.

Some days though, it's hard to listen to. I mean really I do care. I care what is going on in our world, but when you are fed everything in a huge nutshell it is so overwhelming. (Let me mention that I overwhelm VERY easily which is a huge pet peeve of Hubby's.) There are times when I have to say, "Enough. That is all my mind can take."

He tells me every time there is an earthquake reported and is currently listening to all video clips regarding the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

This stuff really freaks me out. I'll be honest. I hate to be all "End Times" but...Wow! Between the many natural disasters happening almost daily and the economic downfall our country...it's so much to take in.

Tonight I was watching the series finale of a show that I might not admit to watching depending upon whom I was talking to but I just couldn't help myself from viewing and watching this adorable "UGLY" duckling transform into a beautiful Betty....I mean swan. Anyways....the show closed with a song that I just loved. Typically R&B music isn't my style but this song was fun and it made me smile. I just had to share it here because frankly the world is a REAL Debbie Downer but then again it really always has been BUT there is still beauty in the world.

The flowers are blooming, the sky is blue, the leaves are unfolding before my very eyes, my girls are amazing....yes, indeed, amidst all of the heart ache and hurt, there is still beauty in the world. Thank you, Lord for your creative artistry and knack at amazing details.

(If you want to hear the song that inspired this post, here it is. Remember to pause my playlist at the bottom of the page before playing the video.)

Macy Gray - Beauty in the World

Random Thoughts

2010-04-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts from a random week:

* This morning when I washed my hair, I noticed that my shampoo bottle is almost empty while my conditioner bottle was not nearly that empty. Someone has been using my shampoo because I HATE when they are not nearing empty at the same rate so I go to great lengths to make sure this doesn't happen. This bothers me alot. I mean...do I buy more conditioner and then always have this problem? How annoying is that!!! So I just use less shampoo and a GLOB of conditioner and gently remind Hubby that I have in fact restocked his shampoo and to leave mine alone!

* This probably goes hand in hand with the above issue. Each morning I open our front windows, I make sure that the two windows are level with each other when opened. I also make sure the blinds are level when I let them down. I do not like when one side is higher or lower than the other. Is that what you call anal?

* I have two grocery items that I can not give up even though they cost more to buy and probably are not green. I love the cleaning wipes! I use them all of the time. I hate spraying gunk all over but love these handy dandy little cleaning things. I also LOVE the Crisco you can buy in sticks. I hate plopping globs of Crisco in measuring cups. What a mess! The sticks are so convenient. I rarely use Crisco so I don't feel too bad about buying these rather than that big old can of lard.

* I finally jumped on board with reusable shopping bags. Kroger had the cutest ones 2 for $1.00 yesterday so I bought 4 and felt really good about myself. I am so tired of plastic shopping bags falling out every time I open my pantry door!

* The lilacs are in FULL bloom here. I wish I had a picture to share with you but I didn't have time to stop and get one today. I LOVE lilacs!

* The lifestyle change...not going so hot right now. I've been in a funk. The girls have been sick, we had Easter...I got out of my habit changes but I will get there. We're still eating healthier. My grocery cart had a lot of produce today which makes me as happy as a lark.

* I made homemade chicken strips the other night and they were lovely. Have you used Panko bread crumbs? I've heard so much about them but had never bought them. The chicken strip recipe I used called for them and all I have to say is, "SO LONG BREADCRUMBS!" Here is the recipe for Jill's Crispy Herbed Chicken Strips. These will be made again!

* Our realtor emailed my hubby to let him know that someone who had been in to look at our house had poked at a patch of paint above our fireplace that was a bit bubbled. We lived in that house for 7 years with that bubble and never bothered it. We didn't pick at it when we were looking at the house interested in buying it. But now someone felt the need to poke and we have a hole in the paint that looks redneck. Thank you dear, sweet person for doing that. Thanks for thinking that it was polite to POKE the bubble. It sure was thoughtful!!!!! Grrrrr!

(Up-date: A friend of ours stopped by to see the damage and it isn't just chipped paint. The person pushed hard enough to go all the way through and we now have a HOLE the size of a baby food jar lid!!!! The hole goes all the way through...like there is nothing behind the hole..no wall, just nothingness! She didn't think it was something we would be able to just patch up. It could involve redoing the entire arched wall above our fire place!!!!! She said she pushed on the area a little to see how much give it had and it had none. This means that the thoughtful person SHOVED until it gave and made the hole. I'm having a hard time feeling kindhearted towards this lovely person!)

*That leads me to the house. We had two people very interested in taking a step towards putting an offer on the house 2 weeks ago. Here we are two weeks later and nothing. It is so discouraging. I know there are others who have been on the market for much longer and I try to remember that, but it is getting exceedingly harder. I've been in a mood for awhile now and I think this is why. I just know that with warm weather comes alot more upkeep and it is so hard to get up there. And then there is the whole thing about money. It is discouraging. And it doesn't help that I miss my house so much. I loved that house. I still do. Right now I miss my yard, my flower beds. Spring has really put this ache in me for the house. It is the sweetest home. I miss my park down the street. I miss our neighborhood. I miss it.

* What kind of person facebooks you to ask if she can stop by your house that is for sale to mow the yard for you and offers to do it for you off and on over the summer months? AN AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, THOUGHTFUL friend. Thank you so much!!!!! She even scored a blister and didn't mind a bit. Wow! I need to be more like that!!!!! It spoke so much to me about serving others.

Asian Yumminess

2010-04-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a while ago and tucked it in my memory bank for later use. I finally got around to making it last week and it was scrumptious! It was super easy too.

The blogger whose site I found it on used a rotisserie chicken. I had made a roast chicken for supper one night and just used the left-overs to make the salad. I also used whole wheat pasta in place of the regular.

And to make it even simpler, I cheated. I used a bottle of Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing which is currently my FAVORITE salad dressing.

The recipe made a BUNCH! I had two huge bowls of salad after I was finished. I also have a sweet friend with a new baby, so I shared my salad abundance with her. If I was going to make it again and just for us, I would halve everything except the oranges and almonds.

You click here to find the recipe for Asian Chicken Pasta Salad. You definitely need to try out this recipe. It will be in full rotation on my summer menus.

Jessica's Theme

2010-04-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was visiting a blog that I have mentioned here before Isabel Hope. Their story is heart breaking but they have faith and believe that God will see them through their heart ache. While I was reading her beautiful insights from this journey they are on, the second song in her playlist began to play and something stirred within me. I knew that song. It flooded my heart with memories and longing. Where was it from? Why did it move me so? Why were there tears forming in my eyes?

I checked the title and I knew. It was "Jessica's Theme" from the movie "The Man from Snowy River." Have you ever seen this movie? It is a good old chick flick straight from the 80's. I can pretty much guarantee my hubby would be sneaking peeks at his iPod if I made him watch it.

But why did this song strike such a chord with me? It took me right back to 1989(ish). My dad had to go out of town for work for a while and we had a pretty new VCR. My mom and I had a girl's night. We rented The Man from Snowy River having no idea what it was. We loved this movie so much! I believe we had also rented The Man from Snowy River 2. We fell in love with Jim and Jessica and rooted them on. I was in junior high so I was falling all over this Jim character. I dreamed of owning a horse farm in Australia.

This song took me right back to that living room and my mom. It stirred so many emotions in me and made me cry as I missed her so much again.

Isn't it totally amazing how music or a certain smell or taste can invoke such strong emotions or memories. It is so powerful.

The smell of smoke or the way the wind blows a certain way takes me instantly back to my mission trip to Grenada while I was in college. The smell of coffee in the morning can take me right back to spending the night at my Grandma's house as a little girl.

"Jessica's Theme" is a beautiful song. You can listen to it here. Remember to pause my playlist at the bottom before watching the video which is from the movie. If you are in need of a good romance you should try to locate this movie. I think I am going to hunt it down at our library for some quiet evening when I am all alone and can wrap myself in the memory of Mom.

Book Recommendations

2010-04-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett last night. It was excellent. I actually picked it up from the library on Friday and couldn't put it down. It is a huge book so I was surprised how fast I got through it. Beware though if you read it, you just might never eat chocolate pie again, at least a pie someone else has made for you.

I wanted to share with you some other books that I have read over the years that have stuck with me and I would HIGHLY recommend to you. The only order they are in is the order they popped into my head.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Someone Knows my Name by Lawrence Hill

The Shack by William P. Young
PHENOMENAL!!!! (I must add that if this is ever made into a movie, Queen Latifah must play Papa because she is who I pictured while I read it.)

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
This was a very quick read, but it really did move me. It was an emotional book.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
(I have her next book on hold at the library, Broken Horses.)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This was one of the most powerful books that I have ever read. I had seen the movie first and was so incredibly moved by it that I made a bee line for the library to get the book.

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

What are some of your favorite books? I am looking for a new one to read and need some recommendations.

Baby Einstein Cake

2010-03-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned one on Tuesday. We celebrated a day early since Hubby had school and work all day on her actual birthday. I had a TOUGH time this year trying to decide how to decorate her cake. I could not make a decision to save my life and once I made a decision, I would change my mind. I couldn't keep track in my head what I was doing.

I kept searching online for ideas and had some of my own but they just didn't seem right to me. Can I just mention something here? Oh, yeah, I can, this is my blog. :) Some people out there...well they are spending way toooo much on baby's first birthday party. OH MY WORD! When you out-do yourself for the first birthday how in the heckfire (got that from Kayla Aimee) are you going to pay for the wedding? Come on, really? I feel bad for spending what I did and it surely was not much. I just was in awe of some of the party ideas and pictures floating on the world wide web.

I spent like one millioneth of what others might spend and we had a sweet time with preicous memories made. That really is what is important, isn't it. I would so love to link up some of those parties I saw, but I'm not the mean spirited or judgemental type so I won't.

So back to me trying to make a decision. FINALLY it hit me...the Baby Einstein caterpillar. We have a Baby Einstein dvd, Baby's First Signs that she loves. This 20 minute movie has saved my butt so many times during trying moments with my sweet little ornery girl. I can plop her in the Baby Einstein exersaucer that my beloved sister-in-law is letting us borrow, click on the movie, and say, "Do you want to watch the caterpillar?" She smiles, she giggles, she's content! Thank you caterpillar! And to show my gratitude to you, I honored you by decorating you on her first birthday cake.

He was so easy to make. It would have gone so much faster IF I had a couple more star tips and frosting bags. I had to stop a bunch of times to wash my one tip and bag and refill with another color. I wanted to put some purple on here but I had to add so much food coloring to the frosting to get the color bright, that when I added some red to my blue frosting, it looked horrible. Like pukey purple, so no purple! And there is a reason why the number one is in M&M's. I totally screwed up the frosting one, so I scraped and plopped on red M&M's!

I made a small "smash" cake for her to eat.

I used a dark chocolate cake mix because, frankly I think box cake mixes turn out so much better than homemade. I did make homemade Buttercream Frosting though. (I did not use clear vanilla like the recipe calls for and my white turned out fine.) YUM!
If you have never decorated a cake, it really isn't awful and hard. You can do almost anything with that star tip. It's crazy. I know the rage is fondant these days and I would like to give that a try some time, but that little star tips invokes so much nostalgia to me as I remember my mom piping out gorgeous cakes for loved ones so many times. She was super talented at cake decorating. I have just a fraction of that talent but am thankful that I have a fraction so my little girls can get Mommy-made birthday cakes each year filled with love.

I sure hope I never end up on Cake Wrecks, though. Yikes! ;)

Happy Birthday, Pumpkin!

Cheesy Potato Soup

2010-03-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I made this for my family a few days ago and it was really good. I tweeked the recipe that I had and loved the additions. It was a really easy soup to make and fun to see Hubby and my girls gobble it down.

Cheesy Potato Soup
4 T. butter
1 c. diced carrots
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 c. chicken broth
5 c. peeled, cubed potatoes
1 t. dried basil
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (2 c.)
2-3 c. spinach, chopped

Melt 1 T. butter in a large sauce pan. Saute onions, garlic, and carrots. (You could also dice some celery and add at this point.) Add chicken broth, potatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt 3 T. butter in another sauce pan. Stir in flour for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk adding a bit at a time. Cook until thickened, 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Pour cheese mixture into soup and stir thoroughly. Add chopped spinach and stir until spinach is wilted.

Not So Cute Moment

2010-03-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Kayla Aimee's blog. Do you know who she is? Have you ever read her blog? I try to wait until the end of the day before I sit down to read what she has shared on that day. 99.9% of the time find myself laughing out loud over what is found there. She is a hoot to read and has such a great style of writing. I just love her.

A few posts ago she shared her most awkward moment. You can find it HERE. Oh my word. I think I would have DIED if this had happened to me!

I thought it would be fun to share an awkward moment from my life with you. Now this moment is really not comparable at all to Kayla's but it was pretty awkward for me.

This "fun" moment happened one earlyu spring night back in 2006. Hubby had gone white water rafting with our church's youth group for the weekend. My mother-in-law had just dropped me off from an evening out shopping. It was already pretty late so I quickly put on my VERY OLD pjs which consisted of some shorts and a t-shirt. Let me also mention here that I was about 5-6 months pregnant, so my loose fitting pjs were not so loose. Let me also say again that they were OLD. They were not a cute matching set, by NO means. And it was pj time so I had also let the girls free.

So glad I can't see the mental picture you have right now but you probably have it just about right.

I got busy doing some things around the house before bed. I had some boxes that needed to be thrown into the garage so took them out and CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND MYSELF. Immediately I knew what I had just done. OH NO! I was in pjs, no shoes and no socks and I had just locked myself out of my house. It was at least 10:00 p.m. and it was cold out. GREAT!

I ran to the front of the house to check the front door which automatically locks but I was hoping against hope that for one time it had malfunctioned and was not locked. IT WAS LOCKED! GREAT!

I had no idea what to do. These are the totally rational options that went through my head and I spent at least 10 minutes trying to decide which was the best route to go.

1.) Break the kitchen window!

2.) Walk uptown to a pay phone and call my mother-in-law to come rescue me. Oh, wait...I don't know her phone number because they only used a cell phone and I had it on speed dial in my phone. Oh, wait....I had no money to make a phone call. (I had found a yucky pair of flip-flops in the garage by this point.)

3.) Curl up in my car and wait for hubby to come rescue me. Hubby would be home the next afternoon.

4.) Go to the neighbors to ask for help.

*The eastern neighbors were in their 80's, asleep and hard of hearing. They wouldn't hear me knock and if they did, I would wake them up and the whole neighborhood would know of my predicament after their breakfast at the uptown dinerz. (The hubby was seriously hard of hearing. We had a dog named Petie that would bark alot. He was convinced the dog's name was Beanie and would constantly shout, "Beanie! Quiet!")

*The western neighbors still had lights on in the house. I hardly knew them.

I sucked up ALL of my pride and knocked on the door. Their teen-age daughter answered the door and got her DAD! Yeah! Get the DAD! Just what I wanted. I explained what had happend while shivering and crossing my arms over my chest, while trying to stand behind the bush by their door. I did explain that I was pregnant and doing stupid things all of the time. (That was my worst pregnancy symptom with my first daughter.)

He was SOOOO nice and quickly came to my rescue. His daughter tagged along. It was a fun family adventure for them. I'm so glad I could provide late night entertainment.

He assessed the situation and figured we would have to break the window and I did not care. He had one more idea, trying to break in! He tried his method and it worked! I could have cried. I was so happy to finally be in my warm home.

I did make a plate of cookies to take to them for helping me.

Do you have an embarassing moment? Be sure to blog about it and then let me know in my comments.

Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop

2010-03-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

Easter is right around the corner, and you’re probably thinking about what to put in the kids’ baskets this year. Hershey just introduced a new line of Easter products sold exclusively at Walmart.

To celebrate their new launch, Hershey is hosting a Better Basket Blog Hop to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. For every blogger who participates, Hershey will donate $10, up to a total of $5000, to CMN. You can help spread the word, and raise money by participating in the blog hop.

Here are the rules for the blog hop:

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

* Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

* Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

* Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.

* Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.

* Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

* Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).

* Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

I received a virtual basket from Mommie Daze.

I'm passing one on to:

Midwestern Housewife

The Person of God

2010-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Two personal, deep posts in a row. Can you handle it? I had to make up for that ridiculous one a few posts ago that might have made you blush. Ha!

Seriously. I have had an emotionally draining day today. I'd rather not share specifics as they are personal but it's been one of those days when I can't wait for it to be over and start over tomorrow because I know His mercies are new every morning. These days make that little line from a well loved verse so powerful to me.

It's rough this time of the month to keep on trusting with our rent and house payment due. I get very overwhelmed. This then causes me to do very stupid things and I did one of those today and got into "trouble" with the hubby. It's been a rough day, but His mercies are new every morning!

I have really been struggling with the fact that our house is not selling up north. I totally know I am not alone. I bumped into a mom at one of my mom's groups a few weeks ago who was so relieved to have just sold their home and after paying two house payments for 18 months! My blood ran cold when I heard her say that length of time. She was still alive and she still looked sane, so there is hope.

When we took this step of faith to uproot our family and put Hubby through school, I truly believed our home would sell quick. I thought by winter it would be off our hands. Well it is spring and things are not looking too promising.

As I mentioned before we went to my dad's last week and while we were there, we visited our old church. What a blessing this was to me. It felt so good to be hugged so many times! I love those friends dearly. We were also anxious to hear the brand new pastor speak. I have heard amazing things about this man and was so excited to hear him. His sermon was really good but the most interesting thing was when he started talking about the selling of a home during his sermon!

They are trying to sell a home too. He said something like this, "Is it still God's will for you to be where you are when your home hasn't sold after 6 weeks?" Ummm...well how about after 7 months. This hit me between the eyes because, well, I'm there. Is it still God's will? Why won't He just let it sell? What is He trying to do? Does He know what He is doing? Yikes! Scary questions....they spiral me right into that yucky place. That place that I've become way too familiar with...that place that I abhor, but I still take myself there...LACK OF FAITH!

The point was that yes, you can still be in the center of God's will even when things are not going the way you want them to go.

Then he hit me with this, "Honor the person of God before the product of God." When we do this, when we just trust Him even when things are not happening the way we would prefer them to go, we can have joy because WE KNOW God is true. If I focus only on what He does, it will lead to disappointment.

OH MY WORD! Did he crawl into my messed up head to find this out? This is something I struggle with so much. I get disappointed so easily because things don't go the way I want them to go.

Am I honoring God for who He is or am I more focused on what He is or isn't doing for me?

I leaned over to my sweet friend that I was sitting by and said, "Isn't it crazy that we are here for THIS sermon? Of all the Sundays, it's this one!"

I would love to say to you, "Issue fixed!" but alas, I can not, at least not yet. Again this is a moment by moment thing.

This season of life is hard. I have to choose each day...each moment to focus on the good. I have to choose to focus on God for who He is, not on what I want Him to do. I am trying. Today was hard and I failed miserably, BUT HIS MERCIES ARE NEW TOMORROW MORNING!

***Side Note: I am signed up on Spark People but it's a bit overwhelming as there is so much on there. I'm going to ease into that. I am enjoying searching for recipes. Yesterday was a dreary, rainy, cold day, so we couldn't go for our daily walk. I.DUG.OUT.A.KATHY.SMITH.DVD! She kicked my butt!!! I do love her though. She is my favorite exercise instructor on dvd. She seems so real and isn't overly perky. Those perky ones, they DRIVE me nuts when I'm melting into a puddle of sweat and about ready to keel over! Do you have a favorite work-out DVD? Funny story! I did the dvd with my oldest daughter. She thought it was so fun. When she saw that I had on shoes to do it, she wanted her shoes too. A couple minutes later I looked down to see that she had chosen truly appropriate work-out shoes...red rubber ladybug boots! Perfect! She also used two cylinder blocks for her weights! She loved it so much that she asked to do it tonight while I was making supper! She was trying to do the moves! LOVE IT! And that folks, is why I want to do this!

(Above Photo found Here)

Vulnerable

2010-03-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is a hard post to write but I know it needs to be done. If I don't write it, if I don't let you know what I'm attempting, I won't do it. There is something about putting all right out there for the world to see that is...shall we say...motivating? I need motivation so here we go.

I need to lose weight. I need to in the worst way. This has always been my struggle. It stinks because it's all out there for everyone to see and know. I have tried so many times and failed. I have done so well before and then stopped and ended up right where I started.

The thing I am craving the most right now is a lifestyle change. My weight keeps me from doing so many things because it has made me a VERY insecure person. I hate that. I hate feeling insecure when I know how very secure I am in a Jesus who loves me passionately.

And now I have been entrusted with these two amazing little girls and I long to be a good role model for them. I have been talking to my oldest a lot about wise food decisions and how keeping busy is good for us. I feel like I'm a hypocrite at times when I tell her these things then turn around and make horrible decisions for myself.

So I'm attempting. The thing is that when I have started to do this in the past, I jump all on board giving it my all, then fail one time and throw it out the window. So I'm trying to make small steps and work myself into it not just jump in head first and get discouraged. I have been reading Annie Blogs lately. She has started her own journey and it made me want to do it too but in my own way.

We'll see. I don't know what will happen but I want change. I long for some good change. I guess moving to a brand new place with brand new people makes you want to change some things. I don't know. But I do know that I do not want to pass weight issues on to my sweet, precious little ones.

So bring on the spinach! Thankfully I had already started a love affair with spinach so I'm planning many spinach salads for lunch in the coming days. YUM! I have also been making a conscious effort to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. You do know about this right? The major part of your grocery shopping should be done in the perimeter of the store for things like produce, meats, and dairy. (I go to one store that has ice cream on the perimeter. Does that count?) I do not buy snacky things at all anymore either. Pretzels are about the only snack that makes their way into our home.

I'm going to check out Spark People too. I have several friends who have used this site and loved it.

Now that the weather is nice I have started taking the girls on walks around our neighborhood. It's much different walking here than it was up north. There are hills and it is a work-out. I also push both girls in the double stroller so that makes it even harder. I just keep repeating, "One step at a time, one step at a time."

I won't be posting how many pounds lost here. We don't own a scale. Honestly seeing the number flash on the scale is more of a deterrent for me than a help. It overwhelms me so I judge by how my clothes are fitting. Someday I will own a scale and I will estimate how much.

So, if you would pray for me as I start this journey yet again. It would mean more to me than anything. I can not do this alone. This is a battle from the moment I open my eyes to the moment I close them. I could also use a jump start on the metabolism so you could pray for that too. :)

I do have to say that this is a HIGHLY personal battle to me. Posting this here...well I might have an anxiety attack. I do NOT talk about weight, dieting, exercising with anyone. It makes me feel very vulnerable and weak. EXTREMELY. So if you do happen to talk to me about this on the street and you get the "I don't want to talk about this" vibe, slap me in the face and remind me, "I'm your friend and I only want the best for you." :)

Now I'm going to go sign up at Spark People.

Cake Balls

2010-03-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was able to get to my dad's home for almost a week long visit. It was wonderful, just wonderful. I was missing home so much and aching to see friends from up north. It was truly a sweet visit. Part of the sweetness was getting together with a group of girlfriends from our old church and making Bakerella's cake balls. Yum! You do know who Bakerella is, right? If you don't, you must stop by HERE and visit with her. She is amazingness!

She created these little balls of sweet, yummy cake delight. They are adorable and can even be turned into cake pops. (I'm very sure they are low calorie too.)

My sweet friend at The Back Door opened her new home in the countryside for us. I was dying to see the homestead and her. She is a delight! (I just want to say something here for the public to read. I was thinking the other day that I used to live less than a block from her and I didn't take the time to get to know her. HOW SAD!!!! I wish I would have taken the time to step out of my comfort zone and gotten to know her then. I mean, she was a stone's throw away from my little green house. There would have been some extra sweet Back Door memories with her. Love you, Friend and thank you for hostessing!)

Now let me just say for a moment here...go ahead and giggle. Just go ahead and get it over with. You know you want to. I mean...cake balls???? What grown person can NOT giggle over that name. Oh, okay...so you're more mature than we are? Your mind isn't in the gutter like ours were? Maybe we had a bit too much fun with the name. But come on...all of us who were there are married, we're all grown-up, and we were starving for adult conversation, so yes....we giggled and cracked many jokes about the sweet little name of cake balls. A very sweet friend thought maybe we should call them cake bites when telling people about them. Oh Bakerella...did you have any idea when you named your sweet treats?

Ok...breathe...no more giggling. Grow UP!

We had fun. We crumbled. We mixed. We froze. We melted. We dipped. We tasted. YUM!

A piece of advice if you do find yourself craving some cake balls (no giggling). Melt your chocolate in small batches and do it in the microwave. We did some in a double boiler and it did not work well. The almond bark we melted in the microwave worked so much better. If you do it in small batches, you will have less crumbs in your melted chocolate to deal with too.

We made all sorts of cake balls. (I see that giggly sparkle in your eye. Focus...focus...focus!) The different types were cherry, strawberry, dark chocolate, confetti, lemon, and brownie. I did have a favorite. Is it ok to voice it here? No hurt feelings co-cake ball makers. The dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting mixed in and dipped in white almond bark were wonderful.

And before BFF posts it in my comments...Hubby's nickname is NOT sweet cake balls.

Come on people.....GROW UP!

(For the record...this will be by far my most rebellious post. Heehee!)

Homemade Playdough

2010-03-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Last week Peanut and I made some homemade play dough. I found the recipe HERE on Ramblings of a Crazy Woman's blog.

It was really easy. This recipe is special because you use kool-aid which makes it smell wonderful. We made grape and orange. It turned out really well. I was a little skeptical at first but once we really started playing with it and squishing it, the play dough got easier to work with. Peanut thought it was so neat to make our very own play dough in our kitchen. Here are some pictures from our play dough playing adventure.

Note to play dough makers: Be sure to label your play dough when you store it in the fridge so that your unsuspecting hubby does not eat your creation!

And the Beep Goes On!

2010-03-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

For a few years now, I have been beeping.

You know those security gates that you walk through to get into a store and out of it? I set those things off. The really crazy part is that it is only certain stores and not others. I have always set off Walgreen's and CVS and most Targets. It is very annoying and embarrassing. If I set the alarms off when I walk in, I always say to the cashier before I leave, "Just so you know, I'm going to beep when I leave because I did when I came in."

It gets even weirder because sometimes I will beep when I go in but not when I go out or vice versa. This happened today at Target. I have never set off the alarm at our Target here in our new town. It felt so freeing to walk into a Target, wait for the beeps with my heart beating a bit quicker, then NO BEEP! Ahh...relief. No judging eyes turning my way. Just walk in and walk out and not worry about it.

Ok, so today, I walk in to Target for diapers. (Target brand diapers are my favorite right now. They work, they're cute and THEY ARE CHEAP! And it gives me an honest reason to go to Target. How could it be any better?) I get the goods and score a super cute shirt on clearance for me. I pay. I leave. I BEEP!!!!!!!! What in the world??? I'm totally cluelesss.

I have tried everything to figure out what causes me to beep. Cashiers are always sure it is my winter coat BUT I can beep without it. (I even had one ask if I wanted her to run my coat over there de-beeping device thingamajig in the scanner because she thought for sure it was a security device left in my coat.) My 12 year old niece was sure it was my earrings BUT when I took them out and let her carry them out, I beeped.

I think it might be that super cute red wallet that I "misplaced" last week. I don't know for sure. I thought my beeping days were over but alas I have brought my beepage south with us. It got packed and put in a box and moved with us only to be discovered today at Target.

(Ok, so I have beeped at some other stores down here, but that was just too cute a paragraph to pass on.)

So a word to you if you are ever shopping with me...I am NOT a kleptomaniac. I mean if I beep when I go in, that should at least say something about my honor.

And can I just tell you something? I have NEVER, NOT ONCE been asked to show what was in my bags or anything by anyone if I beep on my way out. Typically I stop, turn around and wait for Mr. Security Guard to come bounding over the check-out lane to pull me aside and check my bags. He never does. A lone, bored out of her mind cashier will usually say, "You're fine." I mean, what if I had a Flat Screen TV jammed under my coat? What IF???? What really is the purpose of those security gates if they don't check? One purpose is to make EVERY other person near the security gate look at you like you are a criminal and should be sentenced to jail time. Fun, fun, fun!

I guess...maybe...I don't look like a criminal type to store employees. I guess...maybe...I look more like the "Please, leave me alone and let me get these two worn out crying children to the car, so I can get them home and fed" Mom type.

Felt Board

2010-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of friends who have made felt boards for their kiddos. I finally got around to making one for my daughters. (Well, it is mostly for the older one as the baby would just like to eat the felt.)

I used a foam board that I found at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. I then purchased one yard of the light blue felt and got a cute spool of ribbon. I wrapped the light blue felt around the foam board and hot glued it in place on the back. I then hot glued one long piece of ribbon to the top so the board can be hung on a door knob. (One of my friends also used a foam board but said she needed to add some extra support as it was bending. I am hope that since we will hang it, this will prevent it from bending.)

Then I dug through my felt stash and cut out hearts, the girls' names, a little girl with clothes and spring flowers. The other day Peanut and I added more colors to our felt stash. You can buy 8x11" sheets of felt for super cheap. I got mine at JoAnne's and I think they were $0.29 a sheet. We worked together to cut out more fun things for our felt board. (You are not allowed to make fun of my lack of artistic cutting skills!!!!)

Peanut cut out some happening shoes and bows for our little friends.

We made a rainbow to work on color recognition skills and an apple tree to work on counting .

I foresee alot of fun with this little activity which is a great thing to pull out during baby sister's naptime. Easy, peasy and cheap!

Twirl

2010-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

I was busy all day entertaining my father and my aunt who came down to visit us. It was a sweet visit. I cherish these times even more now that we are not close by. I really took for granted just jumping in the car and going to see my parents or hubby's parents. I am blessed beyond measure to have family that I love and appreciate. I wish I could box everyone up and bring them here to live within easy-peasy driving distance. I love family and I cherish the moments my girls have with our families.

After they left, I had my typical "after-being-with-family-Debby-Downer" moment, wishing they were here or I was there. Then I got on my computer and saw that I have so much to be thankful for today. I read that one family has lost a sweet precious 5 year old daughter and another has lost a sweet newborn child. I was quickly reminded how insignificant my longings are in comparison to what these families are longing for...to hold their sweet little ones again, to see their precious smiling faces again, to smell those intoxicating little heads again.

It is difficult to keep my mind focused on the grand scheme of things when I get caught up in, "Why isn't our house selling,""Why is the car making that noise again," "Why are living away from family????" I get weighted down and have a very hard time living in each moment. I don't feel like being joyful when I get so weighted down.

On Sunday morning at church the service was wrapping up in worship after a wonderful sermon on mercy. Two rows ahead of me was a sweet little girl around the age of 8. She stood in the center aisle, having a wonderful time singing and dancing. She was not holding anything back. She didn't care that everyone was watching her. She was praising her Jesus. She was full of joy. She even broke out into the full jumping jacks dance. It was so moving to me. I watched her and my eyes filled with tears as she twirled.

(Image via Flickr)

She was not weighted down by financial worries, longings for family, car problems. She just floated and worshiped. I long to be like this child. To praise Him and not be weighted down. To hand it all over to Him and twirl.

Tonight after hearing of the enormous losses that two families are grappling with today, it made me long even more to twirl before Jesus. To shout and praise Him and not take another moment with sweet little ones for granted. To get down on the floor and play more. To get the paint out more. To model a life of gratefulness before them. To show them everyday how to twirl.

"'Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the SIMPLICITY of a child, you'll never get in.' Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them." Mark 10: 14-16 The Message

I long to have child-like, unweighted, twirling faith.

I hope that someday my daughters can have this same little conversation from one of my fave movies, You've Got Mail, with someone but in regards to their faith and pure, divine love with Jesus.
Joe: Um, is that you in the photograph? What are you doing?
Kathleen: Twirling. My mother and I used to twirl.

Naan

2010-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I finally made Naan for the family. I found a recipe online that looked very easy with common ingredients so I tried it. It was yummy and I will make it again and actually follow the directions. Ha! I was in a hurry and not able to let my dough rest as long as it should have. My Naan didn't puff like it was supposed to when I transferred it to the oven. I think the lack of rest could have been why but not too sure. I used the following recipe that I found on Recipe Zaar for Naan.

I made the chicken curry that I posted a recipe for here. This time I added chopped carrots and potatoes and I threw in a can of diced tomatoes (well I mean I took them dumped them out of the can). This really added to the flavor of the meal and gave us more left-overs. We love left-overs especially since I am usually sending two meals with Hubby for his long day at school and work.

Yum!

Friday This and That

2010-02-26T20:07:00.001-08:00

Ok...so I don't know if I'll stick to this but I like doing a random this and that post. It may not always happen on Friday, but that makes it very exciting for you, the reader, doesn't it? Indulge me here. You could leave a comment and let me know how you feel about this kind of post. ;)

I told you in my last this and that post that I love to look at tutorials and craft ideas online but don't get around to making anything. Well, I'm going to share with you a few things that I am desperately wanting to make. I have even left a few of these open in tabs on my computer so they stare me down every time I open up the computer. My plan is to go to the fabric store tomorrow to get some needed supplies which will be a great use to the rest of that birthday money burning a hole in my retrieved wallet.

Sidenote - Can I just mention here that money does NOT burn a hole in my pocket? I save it and wait until I know for sure what I want. My hubby on the other hand, well his birthday money was GONE the next day after his birthday. Any of you who know both of us will SURELY not be surprised by this. Yet another characteristic of our polar oppositeness.

On to my list of "to be made" items...errrr...I mean "hopefully to be made."

*Pillowcase Dress - Do you know what these are? Have you seen them? They are to die for cute and my girls WILL have matching ones this spring. THEY WILL! This is the tutorial I plan to use because it has POMPOMS! Need I say more????? Hopefully the baby won't try to chew them off.

*Wallpaper Decals - I just stumbled on these today and think they are so cute. I am seeing these in my future, maybe not here in apartment land, but in my future, definitely.

*Polka Dot Circles - I love this simple craft. I found a link here and here to make these really cute circles out of embroidery hoops. So simple and what a great effect when finished. I want to make a set to hang in my girls' room. I have had this idea tucked away since before we had our second baby but never made them because I knew we were moving. Now would be a good time.

*Tote Bag - I love totes and think this would be a great library bag for us to use. There are so many cute prints out now and this looks very easy.

*Cute Curtains - I need to hang curtains! Isn't that HORRIBLE? We've been here since August and there are no curtains and seriously I only need to put up 3 sets! BAD, BAD, BAD! The really horrible, awful thing is that I have curtains for 2 of those 3 sets. The third that I am in need of is for the girls' room. I want to make something cutesy and found this idea. I'm hoping to get this done soon. I can invision some birdies appliqued (possibly) to the front since they both have the cutest birdie quilts made by my amazing mother-in-law.

OK....I really could keep going, but I can't. I will be overwhelmed and won't do any of it. So my goal is to make something in the next week. I will try. I promise. I need to let my creative juices flow. Not sure what I'll start with, but I will return triumphant!

Still Good in the World

2010-02-24T17:19:00.000-08:00

I seriously wonder some days if I am slowly losing my mind. I do these things that I have never done before and am very disturbed by it. Let's see...it all starting going to pot in October of 2005. What happened that month? My first child was conceived! I really do believe that child bearing and rearing rob you slowly of brain cells. I used to be "with it," not so much anymore. Can I get an AMEN?

Another notch in the "not so with it" belt came to me on Tuesday. Monday night I scurried out to get my hair cut. I was in the mood to get my hair cut and I had a two hour window in which to do it. Wouldn't you know it, everyone on the west side of town was getting their hair cut also so I had to wait 45 minutes. Oh well...there was a CATO next door and I still had birthday money. I found some killer deals! I got a pair of jeans for $10.99 and a pair of awesome shoes for $7.99. I.LOVE.CATO!

So...back to my story...I rushed back and had missed my time slot so I had to wait again. (Don't tell hubby that part of the story.) Hubby had a study group at 7:00 p.m. and it was 6:30 p.m. My name was called and I said, "CUT IT!!!!! I want it above my shoulder in the front in an A-line to the back and a bit stacked." I know this cut well...it's my fave and it works. The stylist was MORTIFIED that I wanted so much cut off and kept asking if I was sure. Oh yes...do it! We finished at 7:00 p.m. I paid and RAN to my car with wet hair, jumped in and got home fast. Hubby grabbed his bag and ran out the door. (He is never upset if I am late. I always think he is going to be, but he NEVER is! He's so stinking laid back! Ha!)

Proceed to the next morning...I wake up thinking (I have no idea why I was thinking about this), "Huh, I don't remember putting my gift card back in my wallet. I need to check and make sure I have the gift card." (My mother-in-law had given me a Fiesta gift card awhile back. There was enough on there for another hair cut so I wanted to be sure I had it!)

We get ready, I dump my purse on my bed to find my lipstick and there is NO wallet! Where is my wallet???? I panic, I search, I panic some more, I search. It is nowhere! I call Fiesta and they don't see it anywhere. I do find out that the stylist who did my hair will be in at 12:30 and I should call back to talk to her. By this time we have to leave so Hubby can get to class but we drive to the parking lot where Fiesta is hoping it might be laying there. No wallet! It is big, it is red...we would have seen it. Hubby calms me down as I am not handling this very calmly and calls the police to see if anything was turned in. Nothing was. He calmly calls the bank and cancels my bank card. All I can think about are the precious gift cards, my stash of birthday money, the pics of my sweet girls, AND the tiny pink bow in my coin pocket that Pumpkin wore in the hospital.

I go to my mom's group as I had planned to because there isn't much I can do until 12:30 and if I go back home, I will just stew about my wallet. I go...I have a blessed time and actually forget about the wallet. At 12:30 I walk into Fiesta and make eye contact with the stylist and she says, "Did you lose something?" THANK YOU!!!!!!!

I guess I had dropped it in the parking lot. A man who was leaving the Chinese restaurant next door saw the wallet and saw me pulling out of the parking spot in my car. He assumed it belonged to me but had no way of getting my attention. (Remember, I was in a hurry.) He picked it up and took it home. He had to go through it and do some detective work and Praise the Lord , he did! He called information but couldn't get my current info as the address on my driver's license is still from up north. He found my receipts and happened upon one from Fiesta that was from 7:01 p.m. that night. He called them and my stylist happened to answer. He told her the story and she remembered me saying we had moved here from up north and figured out who I was! He gave her his phone number since they assumed I would be in asking about my wallet. I got his number, called him and got my wallet back safe and sound. I am amazed!

All this to encourage you and me that there are still good, honest people in this world! I am so very thankful!

Guess who went to the grocery after getting back her wallet, filled the grocery cart, unloaded the grocery cart to pay for it all, gave the nice cashier her grocery card, pulled out her bank card, and REMEMBERED that it was now canceled and she had no other form of payment? Take a guess. Go ahead. No idea? Well that would have been ME! DRATS! And that nice cashier turned very UN-NICE when I mentioned my little predicament and she had to void out each item and reload my grocery cart. GEESH! Don't worry...I got Hubby's bank card and got my groceries from a DIFFERENT cashier! Thank goodness the bag boy was nice about the whole thing!

All this to say...being a mother kills ALL of the remaining brain cells that are left after giving birth to a baby.

Sorting

2010-02-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

The other day after I laid the baby down for her nap, I started dumping things into a large cake pan. Peanut who is 3 1/2 years old was instantly curious as to what I was doing. I just kept dumping and finding things.

I then presented the cake pan to her and a bunch of small bowls. I told her she could look through all of the loot and sort it. She had a splendid time sorting and worked on this activity for some time. If you are looking for a quick activity for these LONG winter days, this one works great!

Meme Enthusiast

2010-02-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

I.CAN'T.HELP.MYSELF! I love to do those silly survey emails. I know, I know...they're silly but I just love it. I have one dear faithful friend who does them too and we just send them back and forth, back and forth. Ha! She knows by now that my ultimate favorite comfort food is homemade mac and cheese! Yum! So when getting caught up in my current addiction of blog reading, I stumbled on this meme and I had to do it. Humor me! I love them. And really, this IS my blog so I can do whatever my heart desires here and I desire to meme! I do realize you're technically supposed to be tagged to do this, so I tag...ME!

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater? Up which was last summer. It was in a drive-in, does that count?

What Book Are You Reading? Anne of Green Gables: I love, love Anne. Thanks to my friend at Mommie Daze who told me she was reading it again and I decided to do so again too. My dream is to someday visit Prince Edward Island.

Favorite Board Game? With just hubby it is Scrabble, in a group it is Apples to Apples

Favorite Magazine? Everday Food...I adore this little magazine packed full of recipes and great tips. So glad I can borrow them from the library.

Favorite Smells? I LOVE the smell of my daughters' heads especially after bath time.

Favorite Sounds? The giggles of my girls when they are playing together.

Worst Feeling In The World? Lack of Security

First Thing You Think of When You Wake? Will she go back to sleep for just a little bit longer because I am typically woken up by the hungry cries of a baby.

Favorite Fast Food Place? Subway

Future Child’s Name? Right now I really love the name Charlotte for a girl, Isaac for a boy...not saying there will be future children and if there are these could change!

Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,” pay off all of our debt and get a bigger vehicle!!!!!

Do You Drive Fast? No, I typically am only 5 over the speed limit.

Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal? Yes, if my hubby has eaten his typical bowl of popcorn before bed....oh wait! He isn't an animal. I guess I don't.

Storms—cool or scary? Cool if I am not alone.

What Was Your First Car? Red Dodge Daytona

Favorite Drink? Coffee or Diet Pepsi

Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…” scrapbook and sew.

Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? Yes

If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? I have joined the ranks of those who dye their hair. Not liking the gray highlights that have started appearing with aggressiveness! I dye it close to my natural hair color with a hint of auburn in it.

Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived. I like to keep some things private in bloggyland, but I have lived in 4 different cities.

Favorite Sport to Watch? Not too much into sports but I do enjoy ice skating.

What’s Under Your Bed? Nothing right now.

Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again? Well, they say hindsight is 20/20. There are certainly things that I would like to do over.

Morning Person or Night Owl? Night owl due to my hubby's schedule. It's the only time we have to spend together these days.

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? Scrambled with cheese and spinach mixed in.

Favorite Place to Relax? Coffee shop with a book and my journal. (Oh and no kids.)

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Turkey Hill's Moose Tracks and Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby

I am not tagging anyone but if you want to do this, go ahead. Let me know if you do!

This and That

2010-02-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just alot of randomness that I've been thinking about and doing....

* I have found a new blog that I love. I will be adding it to my blog list over there on the left. Super great ideas to be found at No Biggie. I made THIS last night for Hubby and I for our movie time. It was yummy!!!! We love hummus but I have never made it before. I loved this recipe because it called for peanut butter instead of tahini. I do not have a food processor so just did it in my blender. It worked okay, definitely wasn't as smooth as it would have been but still very good.

* We love spinach. I add it to almost everything...casseroles, quesadillas, scrambled eggs, sandwiches. LOVE it!

* Finally made something a few weeks ago. I made a ton of yo-yos, added a button to each, hot glued a pipe cleaner stem and wah-lah...an everlasting bouquet of flowers.

* And this brightened my day yesterday. My friend over at Midwestern Housewife sent me this Sunshine Award! Sunshine Awards are peer awards, and each blog is allowed to pass the award on to their 12 favorite blogs! (Thanks Friend!) A funny story about this friend...she is actually the niece of my cousin's wife. I met her almost 12 years ago when she was visiting her aunt and I had literally just gotten married. In fact she came along to watch us open our wedding gifts. How terribly exciting for her! But the funny part is that she ended up writing down the list of who gave us what. Without her, there would have been no thank you notes. Heehee! I haven't seen her since that afternoon many moons ago BUT now we live in the same town and we're both bloggers. We really do need to get together!

So here is my first blog award...isn't it pretty?!?

Sunshine Awards are peer awards, and each blog is allowed to pass the award on to their 12 favorite blogs!

Here are my 12 favorite blogs in NO particular order!

MommieDaze
The Back Door
My Crazy Blessed Life as a Jar of Clay
Some Days are Like That
One Day at a Time
The Buckle Family
Frankly Speaking
Smiling's My Favorite
Only Slightly Neurotic
More Left Unseen
WhiMSy love
Kelly's Recipes

Rules of Acceptance...
Put the logo on the sidebar or within a post.
Pass the award on to 12 bloggers who brighten your day.
Link to the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they received this award.
Link back to the person who gave you this award.

---So there is alot of randomness for you. Enjoy!

Snow Day Fun

2010-02-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

We got hit with quite a bit of snow Sunday through Monday. This makes it very difficult to get out with two little ones as any Mommy in a snowy zone will tell you. We have just been at home the past couple of days. I think I might have a bit of cabin fever. I am really ready for spring this year. I have never been so cooped up for so long. We are all anxious to go to the park and to go on walks.

But since it is still cold and snowy, we're trying to make the most of it. I am so thankful that I get to be with my two little girls each day. I just love them to pieces and want to enjoy each moment with them.

One thing that we did was bring the winter inside. We haven't ventured out much to play in the snow because:
1. I don't like being cold.
2. I am usually by myself with a baby and 3 year old...sounds too hard.
3. The baby, Pumpkin would probably crawl into a snowdrift and get lost.
4. I don't like being cold.

So...we brought the snow inside. I filled a big pan with snow and let the girls go at it. They enjoyed this but it didn't last as long as I thought it would. Perhaps their little fingers were freezing? I don't know.

(Yep, that little one, she's still in her pajamas. Changing her clothes and/or diaper is as easy as changing a greased pig! I have never actually done that, but I think I know what it would be like now.)

I also filled my Kitchen-Aid mixing bowl with snow and whipped up some snow ice cream. I have never done this before. It had never crossed my mind that it could even be done. Several Mommy friends have been talking about doing it, so we did it with fresh, clean snow. You can click HERE for the recipe that I used from allrecipes.com. It was good...definitely not homemade ice cream good, but good.

We've been painting. We made Kool-Aid to make scratch and sniff paintings. That idea was found HERE.

I got finger-paint paper to do the Kool-Aid painting. Peanut was very concerned that we didn't have finger-paint. I remembered stumbling on a recipe to make homemade finger-paint so we did that the other day. You can find that recipe HERE. In the post you can read that the mixture gets VERY thick. She wasn't kidding. It reminded me of congealed lard, not that I have had alot of experience with that, but I think I know what it would be like now. I almost threw it out but Peanut was so excited so I forged ahead and mixed in the food coloring. It was very goopy but it worked and we had fun. That is ALL that matters. Oh, and it was a whole lot cheaper than buying finger-paint.

Being the good Mommy that I am, I let her "wash dishes" after doing the finger paint. Ok, really it was because her hands were a MESS and I thought that would be the best approach to cleaning them. It worked and she had more fun. Look how cute she is!

That's what we have been doing. Having fun. Enjoying each other. Staying warm. What fun things have you been doing to make the winter days pass?

Trust

2010-02-15T18:29:00.001-08:00

Have you ever sat listening to someone speak and you knew? You knew that moment was meant for you. You knew those words were spoken directly to you, to your heart. They were words that took your breath away and brought tears of awe to your eyes. That happened to me on Sunday morning at church.

Let me begin by saying that since the holidays we haven't made it to church as much as we would like. This or that happens and we just don't get there. We were determined to make it this past Sunday. With Sundays being our ONLY day together as a family, sometimes it is just hard. BUT we made it. We were late but we were there. As the guest speaker started talking, I knew...he was there for me. He knew what my heart was struggling with and he was going to speak to me. Even though there were 500 plus or minus people there, it felt like it was just me (except when I leaned over to my hubby and asked what he had just said as I frantically took notes).

I held back tears of amazement as I realized that the Lord had brought me to that place and was longing to speak to me through this man, a stranger. I did hold back the tears because I was sitting next to a young college girl who did not seem to be having the same awe-struck experience as me. I did not think she would be too thrilled to have this 35 year old mommy sobbing beside her so I held it together. Can I just ask...when did those college students get so young????

So the topic of the message....TRUST. Yeowzers! Ouch! How do we survive the squalls of life? These are the main points that I got from the message.
*Trust in the Lord MUST characterize our lives.

*The one who really trusts in God will know how to respond when times of crisis arise. When things are at their worst, it's really when it's the best because then we MUST rely on God. Crisis lays bare what really matters so that we can pursue who really matters.

*The one who really trusts in God will live an effective life not an affected life.

*The one who really trusts in God knows that circumstances are ALWAYS in the Lord's hand. It is not my battle, it is God's so I need to take my stand FIRMLY. It is so much easier to just despair and be discouraged because then we don't have to do anything.

*The one who really trusts in God can offer unconditional obedience to His will. If I trust firmly then I will stand firmly. The plans of God will supercede my will, even the best of my human plans. He is not taken by surprise. I must wait on Him. I must refuse to act before His will is revealed. Our plans are subject to His approval. Trust is the alert expectation that God is God and He will do what He says.

*The one who really trusts God will experience the true joy of unanticipated blessings from God.

*I can welcome each new day with joy because I trust in Him. The future lies beyond my competence because it is in His hands. I can act even without a guarantee of the outcome because God is with me.

So why did this hit me so profoundly? Well, it is exactly what I have been struggling with. Moving away to a place where I knew not one soul last August was a HUGE step of trust. I really felt like we were doing the right thing although on paper it sure didn't look right. It looked pretty scary. I had so many tell me that they saw a transformation of my heart and felt like we were doing the right thing once I jumped on board with my hubby. I was trusting. I was trusting that God would take what looked like a mess on paper and create something truly beautiful.

The past couple of months, my trust has been wavering. We have been trying to sell our house up north, but NOTHING was happening. The money that we had set aside was quickly dwindling and I knew that we only had enough to get us through March. With March fast approaching, panic began settling in. Did we do the right thing? What were we thinking? How is this going to work?

I have lost so much sleep in the past few weeks. Laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, that is when the reality hits and my mind spirals into the pit of anxiety and worry. Then come the tears. Then comes the doubt. Will He really take care of us? Does He really care about our house selling? Does He really, truly care that the only place I want to be is with my two precious little girls, not at a job? Is He going to see us through this?

I suggest that you don't go there. Nothing good comes out of this spot. Poor parenting skills come out of it. The wrong tone of voice when talking to your hubby comes out of it. Feeling despair and discouraged come out of it.

Sooooo....then comes Sunday and WHACK in my face. TRUST ME! I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HANG. I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. JUST TRUST ME.

At the end of the service we sang the song "All Things are Possible" which I had not heard for years but it was perfect and with tears streaming down my face I sang my heart out. This line BLEW me away, "I will praise you with a new song." I will praise Him with a new song...a new song in my heart, a new attitude, a new thought process. I will trust Him.

So that, my friends brings us to today. At 11:50 a.m. I got a text from my hubby who was at school saying, "We had a showing at the house and the person thinks it is a possibility." SERIOUSLY!!!! I mean, did you hear that? WE.HAD.A.SHOWING.AND.IT.IS.PROMISING! That is huge. My flesh is trying not to get excited. I know that this can fall through because it has a couple of times for us already but I know that He chose today to show me, He is still in control. All he asks of me is to trust Him. I'm going to. It's a decision I have to make not just each morning, but each moment. When the fear sets in, I have to take a deep breath and say, "NO! I trust Him. He will provide something, someway, somehow."

There is a song that has spoken to my soul so deeply since I heard it the first time many years ago and again in this time. The music is gorgeous, the lyrics profound. I can not think of a time that I have listened to this song without tears streaming down my face. I sang it time and time to my oldest daughter when she was a baby and I was in the midst of my mom's failing health or when we lost our second baby. I want her to trust Him. I want her to see her Mommy trust Him. The song is by Sixpence None the Richer and is called Trust. (Remember to pause the music at the bottom of my page so you can hear this song.)

Curry

2010-02-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

I am having a love affair with Indian food. There are a bunch of ethnic restaurants in our new community. The first one that I was taken to was the Indian place and I loved it. I didn't think I would but I did. I have no idea what most of it is but it is good!

So on Sunday I was going through my recipe box looking for recipes to plan my menu and found a recipe for Curry from a friend back home. We were in a small group with her and her husband and a few other people from the church we were attending at the time. They had invited us all over one evening for supper as they had guests in town from Australia. She made this recipe and it was so good. I had never had curry before so I asked for the recipe. I stashed it away in my box and never made it until now. Can you believe this? We are talking about 8-10 years of it just sitting in my box waiting to be used. Don't you feel sad for this little recipe? I have a dear, sweet friend who would have tossed it out after a week, ok maybe a few days of just sitting there not being used and especially if it wasn't on the cute recipe cards. (Love ya, Friend!)

I pulled the recipe out due to my new love affair with Indian cuisine and desire to learn to cook some of the dishes. I made it tonight and my family LOVED me. They got on their chairs and they chanted, "You rock our world! You rock our world!" Ok...maybe not...but they devoured it all except for one small bowl that I finally had to put aside so Hubby would have something to take for lunch tomorrow. I won't mention how many helpings Hubby had...4....oh wait...I guess I did mention it. I love that though. I love cooking from scratch and cooking something that they love. AND it was healthy and very cheap!

Curry
Sautee 2 T. oil, 2 onions, minced, and 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3. Love garlic! Thanks Rachael Ray!)
In a bowl mix 2 T. lemon juice (or vinegar) and 2-4 t. curry powder to make a paste. (I only used the 2 as I'm learning and wasn't sure what to expect. Will use more next time.)
Stir the paste into the onions and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 3 lbs. diced chicken. Stir fry briefly.
Add 1 c. tomato sauce, 1 t. salt, and 1-2 c. chicken broth or water. (I used 1 1/2 c. chicken broth and it seemed perfect.)
Simmer 1 hour. Add more liquid if needed.
Serve with hot, steamed rice.

Other options to serve with are:
pineapple
peanuts
coconut
raisins
bananas

I didn't do this but if we were having company I would. I remember those extra additions making it even more scrumptious. I think maybe next time I'll dice up some carrots and potatoes to add to the onion mixture as it is cooking...because there will be a next time!

Now on to figuring out naan!
Also I am a total newbie at Indian cuisine so if you are an expert, please, please do not tell me if I am totally off from real Indian fare. I'm learning. I'll get there...maybe.

Red Lobster Biscuit Knock-Off

2010-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

My dad took us all out to Red Lobster for my hubby's birthday and boy was it good. I had forgotten as we NEVER eat there. Those biscuits, Caesar salad and grilled garlic shrimp have left me salivating for over a week. Tonight for supper I decided to make the knock-off version of the biscuits. Problem is that it calls for Bisquick and I did not have that, so I improvised combing an EASY drop biscuit recipe and the knock-off recipe. I even used half whole wheat flour. I love whole wheat flour. It adds a yummy texture and it just makes you feel good to not always use white flour. I have to admit they did not taste like Red Lobster's BUT they were yummy! I would certainly make them again. I am blogging about them. I don't think I would share recipes here that I would never make again...might make for an interesting blog concept though.

Easy Drop Biscuits (Recipe found at Thrifty Fun)

2 cups flour (can use 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk or water
1/4 cup oil

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Measure water or milk and oil in another container, then dump into the center of the dry ingredients. Stir just until blended, if they are a bit powdery this is just right. Drop large scoops of dough with a soup spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I just added 1/2 t. garlic powder to the biscuit batter and a good handful of shredded cheddar cheese. After they were finished baking I brushed them with a mixture of 2 T. melted butter, 1/2 t. garlic powder, and 1/4 t. dried parsley flakes.

Here is where you can find the recipe for the authentic knock-off Red Lobster Biscuits. I have made these before with the Bisquick and they taste very close to the real thing!

I served the biscuits with Bistro Sensations Chicken, Mozzerella, Artichoke sausages. Have you had these things? They are really good. I can only find them at our Wal-Mart. They are pricey but I do not buy them often, only when I actually see them and can talk myself into spending a bit more. My BFF introduced us to them. They are SUPER grilled. I just baked mine. I also served up chili roasted sweet potato wedges. There aren't many weeks that go by that we do not have these. We love them.

Oscar the Grouch Smoothies

2010-02-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have quite a few recipes and ideas to share with you this evening. I am writing them in 3 separate posts so as not to overwhelm you. I am just having so much fun blogging here again. All day long I find myself thinking, "I need to blog that." I even started a little list (sound familiar Back Door?) to keep my ideas on so I don't forget because I am a mom and I FORGET!

Having moved to a new area last August and not knowing a soul here, I jumped into two Mom's groups. One is at the church that we have been attending. The other one I found on Facebook. Isn't that crazy? Is anyone else out there a little creeped out by the ads that run along the side of your Facebook page? I mean Facebook KNOWS me. It knows what I like and dislike. It knows just what to pop up to tempt me. My hubby has explained the whole engineering of those ads over and over to me...but it's a bit "Big Brother" to me if you know what I mean.

Anyways....I found second Mom's group on Facebook. It was a blessing. I got in contact with the group who had always been a MOPS group but was going out on their own for the first time. I jumped on board with them. I am so thankful for these two groups. I am finding some kindred spirits (love that Anne of Green Gables) and sweet times of fellowship.

At one meeting the topic was "Crunchy Moms." What is a Crunchy Mom, you ask? I had to ask, too. Crunchy mom is a phrase that refers to a hippie-ish, granola loving mom. Ha! Google it! At the meeting we heard about cloth diapering, cleaning with non-toxic cleaners, and healthy snacks. It was very informative and I got some great ideas. One I would like to share with you and I beg of you to try it. I am pretty sure if I read it on some woman's blog and saw the picture, I would be like, "Ummmm...yeah. I don't think so." But I have tasted and it is YUMMY! I was very skeptical when they passed around a sample of what I am sharing, but my mind was changed in one sip.

Oscar the Grouch Smoothies
Pour 1/2 - 1 c. of orange juice into your blender. Fill the rest of the blender with KALE (Yes, that stuff that the restaurants decorate their plates with. I am not crazy...really!) You'll want to tear the leaves off the thick stem part. Blend the juice and kale for a few minutes until all of the kale is broken down. Add one banana and blend. I also added vanilla yogurt but you do not need to do that. There you go. Tell your kids it is an Oscar the Grouch smoothie and let them dig in. This is an incredible way to get those greens into a child's diet and a Mommy's. I LOVE THESE. I am actually craving one right now.

Even the baby liked it. See that green moustache?

BTW...I bought one big bag of Kale for $3.76 at Wal-Mart today. It is washed and ready to go. Love that! There is so much you could do with this too. Add frozen fruit, add flavored yogurt, use spinach instead of kale...limitless, I tell you, limitless!

I dare you, double dog dare you to try it.

Kitchen Creativity

2010-02-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

I ALWAYS follow a recipe. I don't know why. I just have never been a "throw this in, throw that in" kind of cook. I measure and I follow. So when I create something yummy without a recipe, I get pretty proud. I did just that two days in a row. You may look at what I think of as creativity and think, "Boring," but not to me. You will not knock me off my pedestal. I will stand proud and I will share. Watch out Food Network!

First I made mashed potatoes the other night that looked pretty boring so I started adding things. YUM! To start I made them the way I always do (I don't have to use a recipe for this, not for basic stuff) but then I threw in cream cheese and let it melt into a creamy pile of yumminess. Then I chopped up a bunch of spinach and threw that in. Then I got out my parmesan shaker and shook, shook, shook some of this into my potatoes. There must be garlic, so I sprinkled garlic powder over all of that and YUUUUMMMM! It was reminiscent of alfredo. Hubby had two huge helpings.

Then the next day I decided to make pizza for supper. I always make my own dough. It is so easy and CHEAP. My standby recipe makes a pretty thick crust and I wanted to change things up and found a crispy pizza crust recipe at Suite 101. It appears this site has to do with interior design but it is what came up when I searched for these recipes. We loved it. It was crispy and so easy! I will be using this one alot. It does say to make 5 balls out of the dough but I only made 3 and it was perfect. Also I used two of the balls and froze the third. I did not bake it and then freeze it as the recipe says to do. I will find out later if it works ok this way.

Thin Crust Pizza Dough Recipe

¼ ounce (7 gram) package of active dry yeast
1 Cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
2 ½ to 3 Cups flour
Olive Oil
Seasonings

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast into your warm water and stir. While stirring add sugar, salt and butter and begin adding the flour by half cupfuls at a time. Begin kneading by hand when necessary.
When all the flour is added, transfer your dough to a lightly floured surface and begin kneading until dough has a uniform and consistent appearance and feel. This will take about five minutes.
Divide your dough into five balls and let them rest for ten minutes. Each ball will make one 12-inch crust, and once baked they can be frozen for use at a later date. While dough is resting, turn oven on to 400-degrees.
Roll each ball into a very thin 12-inch crust and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Brush the crust with olive oil and sprinkle on seasonings for the crusts you will freeze. For crusts that will be made into pizza immediately, add your toppings. A light covering of fresh garden veggies, mozzarella and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar is recommended, but each pizza can be tailor made to your taste.
Bake time is between 10 and 15 minutes, add a couple minutes for loaded pizzas. Cool crusts completely and seal in a plastic bag for freezer storage.

Now for the creative part...I made one pizza with the normal sauce, cheese and pepperoni. For the second, adult version, I sauteed an onion in butter until is translucent and oozing goodness. I could just eat the onions in a bowl like that. I refrained though. After brushing some melted butter with garlic powder mixed in over my dough, I slathered on the onions. Then I sprinkled on some bleu cheese and mozzerella. DELIGHTFUL, DELECTABLE, DREAMY, DIVINE. Those are just a few of the words that came to mind when I bit into the pizza. It will be made again!

I just remembered one other creatively done thing from my kitchen. The reason I had blue cheese was for hubby's birthday dinner. I made our favorite...salmon. I sprinkled salmon seasoning on top and baked it. Once it was close to being finished, I turned on the broiler, sprinkled the blue cheese on top of the salmon and let it broil into bubbly, crunchy goodness. This was a hit for hubby...two of his favorite things together.

All this being said...I have had fun being creative and creating for my family. What creative things have happened in your kitchen lately?

Cowboy Up

2010-02-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter and I made cookies two days ago. I LOVE to add oats in cookies. Sometimes I just throw a cup in my chocolate chip cookie dough. It just adds yummy texture. These cookies call for oats and are really yummy.

Cowboy Cookies (Not sure why they are called that...I'm assuming cowboys love them????)
1 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
2 c. rolled oats
chocolate chips
nuts
Cream sugar, shortening and vanilla together, add eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

I used dried cranberries instead of nuts since it is what I had on hand. YUM!

Need to Share

2010-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

A friend on Facebook shared the following link on her wall. This story is simply amazing and inspiring. The way this mother shares her honest fear and pain during what should have been a time of joy is amazing. I cried my eyes out while reading her story and must share it with you. It is long but I urge you to read it. Her heartfelt honesty and love that has taken root are so moving. Grab some Kleenex though.

Nella Cordelia: A Birth Story

Valentine Crafts

2010-02-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I made some Valentine crafts this week. The first craft was "stained glass hearts." I thought I was sacrificing my box grater to the craft room as I grated bits and pieces of broken crayons. It did clean up just fine, though. Hoping my shredded cheese doesn't make me think of Crayola. Anyways...I grated the crayons then cut out wax paper hearts. Peanut sprinkled the grated crayon onto the shiny side of one heart. We then placed an exact sized heart on top. This was sitting on top of a piece of newspaper that was on top of a towel. I put another piece of newspaper on top of the heart, then covered that with a cotton dishtowel folded in half. I pressed this with an iron that was set to low to medium heat. After maybe 3 minutes our crayons had melted and we were left with a beautiful "stained glass heart" to hang on a window. Peanut had fun watching the transformation of the crayon pieces.

I also taught Peanut how to cut out hearts. I was beaming with proud at how well she did this. If you do not know the trick to cutting out hearts here is a link to a tutorial that I stumbled on the other night. I almost say that last sentence with a hint of sarcasm because I don't know anyone who does not know the "secret" and yet there is a tutorial. Ha! I think there is a tutorial for anything you can think of.

Once our hearts were cut out, we made some Valentine creatures. We made a mouse using half of a heart, a fish, and a lion. You can make just about any animal out of hearts. Believe me, I know. I spent the last 9 years of my life making animals out of hearts for preschool.

Get out your paper, cut some hearts, and make some crafts!

Prompting

2010-02-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done something for someone just because? Doesn't it make you feel wonderful to see the look on that person's face. I love that feeling. I love following the prompting in my heart which I know is not a coincidence. I truly believe that God prompts us to do things for others, big things and little things. I can not tell you the number of times that I have thought, "I really need to send "So and So" a card," only to get busy with something else and forget. I wonder how that card would have been exactly what "So and So" needed. Now I am not saying that I think anything I could do or say would truly impact someone else but I do believe that God uses my words, my thoughts in the life of that person. Does that make sense?

I have tried to follow those promptings and be a blessing to others over the years and every time I honestly think I am more blessed by being obedient than the person on the receiving end. Sometimes though I get in the way of being obedient. What if the person doesn't like what I am doing? I let my worries and anxieties get in the way so no one is blessed, not me, not the person on my heart.

There is one prompting that sticks out in my mind whenever I think about this topic. I did the following thing totally anonymously and to this day I don't think the recipient has any idea what I did. We have lost touch (which I truly hate) so I am more than sure she won't read this and figure it all out. I went on a missions trip my sophomore year in college which was life changing. I have some INCREDIBLE memories from this trip. God put together an amazing team of people for this trip. One of the girls on the team was having a hard time raising the last little bit of money for the trip. I remember we were all crowded in a room praying about this situation and there it was, the prompting. "Help her!" Now I was a college student and not rolling in the dough but there was a specific amount that kept coming to mind when I thought about helping. I went to the bank took out this amount, put it in an envelope with an anonymous note and shoved it under her door. I will never forget at our next team meeting her sharing how someone on campus had anonymously donated towards her trip and how moved she was from that act. After that the rest of her money came in and she was an important part of our team.

Last week I was on the receiving end of a prompting. A Mom that I have gotten to know in our new community emailed me to let me know she had something for me. When I saw her last week she handed me a beautiful pink box of Ralph Lauren Romance perfume. I was stunned. She said there was a story regarding the gift and she would email it to me. I got the email last night and was so blessed by this new sweet friend who followed a prompting. Here is what she wrote....I have changed only a few things to protect the identity of those involved. (That sounds really important, now doesn't it?)

"So I asked for that perfume 4 years ago for Christmas...2005 I think. I was prego with our first child. I was impatient and bought it for myself when I didn't get it for Christmas, but then got another bottle for my birthday. So I've had 2 since then. I've just selfishly kept it and thought that I'd use it when my first one ran out. Every time I saw it in the drawer, though, I'd wonder if there was something else I needed to do with it instead of keeping it for myself. So this past December, I saw the perfume again and again thought...what to do with this? Mine is almost gone, so I guess I'll just keep it. So that was it. But then as I was blog reading one night I ran across your wish list on your blog! And BAM! I knew God wanted YOU to have the perfume. So I wrapped it up and then never saw you until last week! I hope you're enjoying it!"

Thank you new, sweet friend. I am enjoying it! I was blessed by your act of kindness!

Follow those promptings people! Be a blessing to someone. Even the little things can be huge to someone because the actions behind those small things are HUGE.

The Griddle

2010-02-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight it was the just the girls and I again for supper. I googled pancake recipes and found an Applesauce pancake that I decided to make. Pancakes are such an easy supper and cheap. You just can't go wrong, at least I don't think you can. They are also easy for the baby to eat so that helps quite a bit. I'm always thinking ahead in my meal planning, "What can the baby eat? Is there anything soft for her?" I think I am wearing her out on bananas, peas and cheese.

Back to the pancakes...I have to say that my first impression was that they were bland but once we added the butter and syrup they were really good. I might add a bit of salt to the recipe next time. The batter is pretty thick so don't be worried about that if you make them. They cooked up really nice on my electric griddle. Have I ever shared with you the story of how I became the owner of my current griddle? No, you say, I have not. Well, let me share, because it is priceless.

It was late winter/early spring of 1998. I was engaged to Hubby. We were at Wal-Mart one night getting some things. I was in a bad mood, feeling pretty stressed out about our upcoming wedding. Hubby said, "I'm going to buy you a present to cheer you up." So off he went looking for something to cheer me up. Awhile later we met up with each other, he was beaming with pride and I was eager to be cheered up. Now it was Wal-Mart but I can think of alot of things that would have cheered me up at that moment...well let's just say his idea and mine didn't quite connect. Standing before me he revealed....A GRIDDLE. It was a griddle, people!!! I.DID.NOT.SEE.THE.CHEERING.UP.FACTOR.IN.THAT. Seeing the look on my face which was not utter joy and bliss, he said, "My mom always made pancakes for us on a griddle. Now you can make pancakes for us." THIS.DID.NOT.HELP! I think maybe in that moment of my already bad mood now enhanced by said griddle, there may have been tears shed.

He was willing to put it back and get something else, but the damage had been done! Get the griddle and let's get out of here. Oh, did you get a box of pancake mix? :) He did make pancakes for us when we got back to his house and the griddle lived with him until we got married since I was still living at home.

Now looking back, I know he was trying to be thoughtful. He knew what joy pancakes cooked on a griddle had brought to his family and he wanted to bring the same joy to his new family. It took awhile but I think I get it now, only 12 years later. I have pulled that griddle out numerous times to make pancakes for my little family. Hopefully someday our girls will have fond griddle memories just as their daddy did.

Now for the recipe...oh, the suspense! I found tonight's recipe on AllRecipes. It is called Oatmeal and Applesauce Pancakes.

Oatmeal and Applesauce Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-low heat.
In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir applesauce mixture and milk into the flour mixture until evenly moist and thick.
Scoop about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto the prepared griddle, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.

(I did not have fat free sour cream so I just used the regular, yummier kind.)

Mornings

2010-02-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of something that I could blog about today and decided to share with you my morning routine. It varies from day to day but runs pretty close to the same thing. I get up with the baby who usually nurses at 6:00 a.m. She goes back to bed so I stay up. I jump in the shower and get ready for my day. After getting ready I head downstairs to have a cup of coffee while doing my quiet time and writing in my journal. Then I make a warm, healthy, hearty breakfast for my family and pack my husband's lunch and supper for the day. Inevitably, there is probably some laundry to start too. Around 8:00 a.m. my girls wake up playing happily in their beds until I come to get them. I get them all dressed for the day and teeth brushed. Daddy gets up and gets ready for his day quickly so that we can all sit down together and have breakfast together before he heads out the door. I get my oldest engaged in a craft at our kitchen table and the baby busy building blocks or something like that. We work on these things and some other educational things before lunch time comes. That in a nutshell is our morning routine.

Now I just want to say..IF YOU BELIEVE ALL OF THAT, THEN I HAVE A BRIDGE I WANT TO SELL YOU!

Oh, how I long for my mornings to go like that...even just a part of that. Our mornings are so far from that dreamworld. I am so thankful for PBS Kids and their great morning line-up, well all of them except for that Martha Speaks. I don't get it. Why does the dog talk? Why does everyone around her think it is normal to talk to the dog? Why is the dog's name Martha? Not a favorite of mine but my oldest likes it, so I guess I like it.

My hubby doesn't get home until late in the evening after the girls are in bed so I usually stay up late just so I can spend some time with him or be in the same room as him. He is always busy with studies and writing for his music blog. So after being up way later than I intend to stay up, that 6:00 a.m. wake up call to feed the baby is rough. I always bring her to bed with me and nurse her, praying she will fall back to sleep. She usually spends 20-30 minutes crying before surrendering to sleep which is great fun for both hubby and I.

The alarm goes off at 8:00 a.m. and I stumble out of bed unless the baby woke up prior to that. I pull my hair back in a clip, throw on a sweatshirt over my ridiculously old pajamas and slowly proceed downstairs with baby in tow. I glance in the mirror at the foot of the stairs and remember that I forgot to wash my face the night before as I see the huge black mascara circles under my eyes. (That is IF I had make-up on the day before which ONLY happens if I go out. If I didn't have make-up on then it is just the enormous dark spots from little sleep.)

I stick the baby in the high chair and through bleary eyes dump baby puffs on the tray to keep her busy while I hurry to get things around for Hubby who will be out the door very soon. First things first...the coffee. There must be coffee. I pack Hubby's lunch and down the stairs comes Peanut our oldest. I flip on PBS Kids to keep her occupied while I get her bowl of cereal and apple juice. Hubby rushes in, downs a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee, passes out kisses and hugs, then is out the door for school and work for the whole day.

I feed the baby whatever my brain can muster at that point. Once the children are fed I collapse in a chair with my cup of coffee. The kids watch PBS Kids and play while I check in on my online favorite spots. I glance up at the clock and my jaw drops because the minutes have passed way too quickly and it is time for...LUNCH???? How can that be? So once again lunch is made while we are all in our pjs. How did that happen? How does that happen all of the time? The whole time I am making our lunch I am thinking, "I have got to get to bed earlier tonight." Don't worry, more than likely, I won't.