Snow pictures

I bundled up this morning, in my pajamas, to take some pictures of the snow. Because of the thick layer of ice on top of the snow, everything is so beautiful and sparkly! On my way out, I asked Brady if I looked good, and he said, "by good, do you mean warm?" Hmmm...I think I've taught him too much. :)
Anyway, here are my favorites...

Eating snow!

I know, they shouldn't really eat snow, but at least I made them pick areas that were white, not yellow, and where no one had walked. I love Chloe's method!

Some action shots!

Now that's more like it!

We have had a wonderful snow day, and I have some pictures to share, but I'm just too tired tonight. We just enjoyed some homemade pasta fagioli soup, with homemade french bread! It was delicious, if I do say so myself, but now I'm ready to go veg in front of the tv, not post pictures. So, I just put this one on here until I get around to the others tomorrow. We all enjoyed having Keith home today, and it looks to me like he enjoyed it as well. :)

I love living in the south!

I don't care if other people make fun of us for getting out of school on the prediction of snow. I don't care if they laugh and think we're silly. It doesn't bother me at all. I love that about the south. It's fun for the kids, and I still remember how I felt as a kid. I'm always disappointed when we don't actually get snow, but not because I wish the kids were in school. I just really love snow that much!
Last night Avery and Brady were sitting at the computer, hitting refresh every few seconds (literally) to see if our county was listed among those that were out. And when they finally saw our county on there, they were so excited! It reminds me, even more, how it felt when I was in school. The only difference was we were watching the local news, and waiting for Snowbird to call out our county!! Times have definitely changed!
So, here we are, waiting....and waiting to see if we'll get anything at all. Looking at the radar, it's hard to deny that we'll get something, but I'm just hoping it's not all ice. As I've been typing, something has begun to fall outside. I looks like a mix of sleet and snow. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what's in store for us...

Sperrys

I know that I'm not up on the latest trends or anything. That's not something I've ever cared about, or at least not for quite a while now. Somehow, Avery wanting these shoes, still surprised me. Of course Avery liking American Eagle clothes surprised me too, but not like this. I just didn't know he knew about AE. This time I'm really surprised that he likes these shoes. They remind me of Dexters from when I was in school. He liked these so much that he spent some Christmas money to buy them!

You can tell it's going to be a good day when...

you have a child that is a little under the weather, and every time she sneezes snot gets all over her face. Good times.

Chloe 2006

I was looking through old pictures recently, and just fell in love with these. I have the first one as my screen saver right now. Just look at those squishy cheeks, and her little mouth, and the rolls on her legs!!
This seems like so long ago, but also like it was just yesterday, at the same time. Can you tell I've been thinking about her going to kindergarten in the fall?!

Chloe quote of the day

Chloe came downstairs this morning and sat down on the floor. Then she said, "I'm not in the mood to walk today." Well, me either. Let's just sit on the floor all day together!!

Cooking with the kids

The kids all love helping me cook, and I enjoy the time with them. They offer to help pretty regularly, but I don't always take them up on it because I know I can get it done quicker by myself. I'm trying to get better at letting them help because I really do enjoy it. Plus I love the thought of them being able to cook when they're on their own. Everyone loves helping with pizza, and Chloe was the one to ask this time. Brady helped me with the cheese muffins I tried recently, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture. Avery helped me the other day with chocolate oatmeal cookies. He's able to do a little more than the other two, especially Chloe. I'm hoping to include them more in the future.

Double-Crusted Chicken Pot Pie

This is the second new recipe I've tried recently. Three of us really liked it, and the other two tolerated it. It will definitely be put in the rotation. Keith had mentioned several times recently that he would love for me to make chicken pot pie. I used to make it when we first got married, but haven't made it in years. The one I used to make wasn't from scratch, but I found this recipe and wanted to give it a try. Next time I'll have to take a picture because it was pretty. Not pretty in the perfect sort of way, but I can't believe I made that pretty. :)

Double-Crusted Chicken Pot Pie

6 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbls butter or margarine, melted
1 stalk celery, chopped
1.5 cups frozen English peas and carrots, thawed and drained
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (you know how I feel about that!)
1 cup peeled, chopped potato
1 cup chicken broth
.25 cup dry white wine
.5 tsp dried parsley flakes
.25 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 Tbls cornstarch
2 Tbls water
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
.25 cup sour cream
Pot pie pastry (recipe down below)
1 egg yolk
1 Tbls milk

Cook chicken and onion in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until chicken is browned and onion is tender. Stir in celery and next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.
Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbls water, stirring until smooth; add to chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in soup, cheese, and sour cream.
Roll half of pot pie pastry to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; fit pastry into an ungreased 2-quart casserole. Spoon chicken mixture into casserole. Roll remaining pastry to 1.8 inch thickness, and place over chicken mixture; trim, seal, and crimp edges. Cut slits in pastry. Combine egg yolk and milk; brush over pastry.
Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden, shielding pastry with aluminum foil during last 5 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

Pot Pie Pastry
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
6 to 8 Tbls cold water

Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle cold water 1 Tbls at a time, evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball; chill.

*I posted this last night, but forgot that I had to adjust the recipe a little. First of all, the recipe calls for six chicken breast halves, but I only used four. I buy a big bag a Sams, and I don't know if they're bigger than normal, but six would have been way too much. Also, I had to use a bigger casserole dish than it called for because everything wouldn't fit in a 2-quart dish.
I used chicken bouillon cubes for the chicken broth, and I didn't have any white wine, so I just used extra bouillon for that as well.
I replaced the cream of mushroom with cream of chicken because that's what I had here.
I think that was all I had to change. My pot pie pastry was a bit crumbly, so it didn't seal like it was supposed to, but it didn't matter. I turned out fine.
And lastly, don't let the length of the recipe discourage you. I was really worth the time!!

Bible verse

Chloe and I were in the kitchen this morning, and she spotted something on the floor. I told her I would get it in just a minute. I guess she was trying to figure out what it was, because she said, "we can't lick the floor, can we?" Then she said, "keep your tongue from evil." That was one of her memory verses at preschool. I guess if we don't lick the floor, then we're keeping our tongue from evil! I love how her mind works.

New recipes

One of the things I really want to get better at this year is trying new recipes. I'm always reading about my sister-in-law trying all sorts of interesting recipes, and now my sister. I need to get in on the action too!! Mostly I'm just really tired of having the same things over and over. It gets boring, for everyone. I'm also hoping that this will help us eat at home more. So far I've tried two new recipes. They were both really good, or at least the majority thought so. It's a bit difficult to cook new things with two picky kids. I'm thankful that at least Avery is willing to try most things.

The first recipe I tried was cashew chicken. It was pretty good, except for the water chestnuts. They didn't have any flavor, but I couldn't take the consistency. I was trying to hide my disdain for them until the kids ate some. I wanted to see what they thought without me saying anything. They didn't like them either. Keith was the only one that liked them, so I guess next time he gets them all!!
Also, I can't stand mushrooms. I think they are the food equivalent to cockroaches. So I will always omit them, but I'll put the whole recipe on here, in case you guys don't feel the same!
I would like to make this again, but I would add more veggies. It didn't have as much flavor as if we ate out, but it was definitely a nice change, and worth making again.

Cashew Chicken

2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 cup hot water
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbls vegetable oil
1Tbls cornstarch
2 Tbls soy sauce
.5 cup sliced green onions
2 tsp brown sugar
.5 tsp ground ginger
1 (8 oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1(8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
.5 cup cashews, toasted
3 cups hot cooked rice

Dissolve bouillon granules in hot water; set aside.
Brown chicken in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken, reserving drippings in skillet; set chicken aside.
Combine cornstarch and soy sauce; stir until smooth. Stir in bouillon mixture, green onions, brown sugar, and ginger. Set aside.
Cook mushrooms, green pepper, and water chestnuts in drippings over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until tender.
Add chicken and bouillon mixture to vegetable mixture; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cashews.
Serve over rice.


*Funny story...I was at kroger getting all the ingredients, and for most of the time, I smelled something like b.0. I kept wondering what the smell was, and more importantly, who it was. I never could figure it out, but I was happy to get away from it. So, fast forward a little bit...I was at publix(i shop at both stores to get the best deals), and I was loading my stuff into the van. It was then that I realized the smell in kroger was me. Or really my green onions. Don't you love realizing that YOU were the one that stunk up the whole store?!?

I can't believe I'm sharing this!

One of the things I've noticed about blogs I enjoy reading, is that the writer doesn't come across as perfect. They show you all sides, or at least most, of themselves. I'm able to relate to them. So, that's one thing I want to work on with my blog. I'm hoping to be less self conscious about what I share with you all. There are so many times in life when something embarrassing or uncomfortable happens, and I think I'm the only one going through that. Even though I know it's not true, I still think it. But when I read or hear about someone that had the same experience, it makes me feel less alone. So, here's my first (and possibly last) embarrassing story. And naturally it's a conversation with my youngest.
Chloe and I were eating lunch one, and talking. She was being silly, and talking about her milk mustache. I was drinking water, so I said I could have a water mustache. Well, since that wasn't very interesting, I decided to go with a soup mustache. After I wiped it off, I asked Chloe if I got it all. She studied my mouth for a few seconds, and then said, "I see some dark stuff still." She pointed to my upper lip. By this time, I knew what was coming. She said, "Maybe you're growing a mustache! A girl with a mustache, that's so funny!" She was cracking up the whole time, while I was shrinking in my seat, trying to change the subject. It's funny how such a little person can take away every last shred of dignity I had, without even knowing it. Ahhh...the joys of motherhood!
Any of you have any embarrassing stories to share?!

I wish I had never seen this recipe!

Have you ever been to a restaurant, or at a friends' house, or even at a potluck, and ate something that was so yummy that you wanted to have the recipe? I've been there many times, but most of the time I decide I don't want the recipe because I don't NEED the recipe. You know? Well, I crossed the line this time, and not only found a recipe online, but I actually made it! Ahhh! Someone help me! The recipe is for Jim n' Nick's cheese biscuits or muffins, whatever you want to call them. We've only been there twice, but we all loved the bread(except Chloe. i'm not sure what's wrong with her!) So, I found a couple of recipes online, and one site had pictures. The muffins looked exactly like the real thing, so I went with that one. (actually I kind of used both recipes) There were so yummy!! I don't think they tasted exactly like the ones at the restaurant, but they were pretty close. They tasted a little sweeter than I remembered, but once you put butter on there, they were good.
So, since I'm regretting ever making these, I've decided to share it with you. I'm just nice like that!

Cheese muffins

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder (*see adjustments below)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded cheddar

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan.

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, milk, *butter, and vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend.

Incorporate shredded cheese into batter. Do not over mix.

Divide batter evenly among greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the biscuits will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the biscuits will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each biscuit from its mold.

Makes 10 to 12 biscuits.

*I copied the directions from the website that had pictures, and I included a link, in case you wanted to see for yourself. There are a few adjustments that I had to make. First, I found another recipe, and the amount of baking soda and sugar were different. I decided to go with 3/4 cup of sugar, like this recipe suggested. (the other one said 1 cup) Also, the other one called for 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder, so I split the difference, and did 2.

Also, the first time I tried to mix all the liquid ingredients, the butter curdled(isn't that what you call it?) the eggs. I tried to mix it slowly, but it didn't help. So, the next time, I waited to mix the butter until everything but the cheese was mixed together. That seemed to work. If you have a better way, let me know!

Give them a try, and enjoy!! (hehehe!)

Barbie

Chloe got a Barbie for Christmas. It was a last minute purchase on my part. A few weeks before Christmas Chloe started talking about wanting a Barbie house from Santa. Well, I had a feeling that Santa wasn't bringing her that. She had been asking for a guitar and legos, until this. I think she must have heard a friend at school talk about it, or she saw a commercial, but I really didn't think she would play with it that much. Plus she really doesn't have room for it. So, I bought her first Barbie, so she wouldn't be too disappointed. I got the plainest, most clothed one I could find, and two outfits to go with it. It was one of her least expensive presents, but one of her favorites. She plays with it pretty regularly, but she hasn't really cared that she didn't get the house. Whew! Anyway, I shared all that to tell you this story.
Chloe asked me to help her change her barbie's clothes. As I'm doing this she's watching and asks me why barbie has 'this', and points to her chest. I tried to skirt it a little, but she wasn't about to let me off easy. (this makes me think of a regular post i might try. it's going to be titled, "now i understand how my mom felt!") So Chloe asks again why barbie has that when she's so little. I just explained that even though barbie was smaller than her, she was like a grown-up. This seemed to pacify her...for the moment anyway.

Check out my sister's new blog!

Renee has started a new blog! I'm so excited that she's back to blogging, and that Carrie (B.) decided not to quit. It's so much more fun when you feel like there are other people out there! Anyway, be sure to check out Renee's new blog. I know one of her new features will be a workout every Monday(not sure if it'll start this coming Mon, but it'll be soon). I'm pretty excited about that. I think we should all go beg her to do video workouts!! :) Wouldn't that be so cool Renee?! Well, I better stop before she blocks me.

Snow day (sort of)

While we didn't get the snow day we were hoping for, we did get a day off from school, and we got to watch it snow for a little bit. As soon as Chloe saw it snowing, she said she wanted to go outside and catch a snowflake on her tongue. I thought it would be fun to be outside while it was snowing, so we bundled up and went outside(in our pjs). That's about the closest we'll get to playing in the snow. We had fun, and as you can see Chloe was able to catch a snowflake! We stayed outside just long enough to get good and cold, then we headed back inside. Gotta love a Tennessee snow day!!

Why am I the only person in my house to notice...

• that we have a dishwasher?
• that when you take the trash bag out of the can, you have to put a new bag in it?
  
• that there's pee on the toilet seat, or floor, or shower curtain, or cabinets?
• that the dirty laundry goes in the laundry room?
• that clean clothes have a home?
• and that the correct home for the clothes is not on your floor or bed?
  
• that the trash is full?
• that the children need to be fed?
• that it's bedtime?
• that the children might need to bathe occasionally?
• that there are numerous house projects to be done?
• the tags that you took off your new clothes still lying where you left them?
• that the floors need to be swept or vacuumed?
• that there are better places to put your belongings than on my kitchen table?
• that if we eat upstairs, the dishes do have to actually be brought down to get clean?
  
• ANYTHING?

Renee, I posted this for you! I originally wrote this right after Thanksgiving. I was just needing an outlet for a bit of frustration, but I felt like I shouldn't post it because it was the holidays. I figured I'm not supposed to be complaining about my family around Christmas, or Santa wouldn't bring me anything!!
(here's your favorite part Renee, the apologies!) I love my husband and kids, and even though this post is about them, it's more about the differences between men and women. We just notice different things...apparently. I was really just having a moment, and I happened to write it down so I can remember it forever.

Lessons from Chloe

Chloe and I were coloring together today, and we had an interesting conversation. She told me I was a good sharer. I was joking that I wasn't, and she said."remember when you shared your chinese food?" (We went to Pei Wei a couple of weeks ago, and she ate off of my plate. She didn't really like it, or at least that's what she said that day.) She mentioned how she didn't like it, and said, "maybe God made me that way. Maybe He made me different." I couldn't really argue with that. The girl is too smart for her own good. I've known this for quite a while, but somehow it still surprises me.

Happy New Year!

I got a text from my dad yesterday, asking if and when I was ever going to blog. I'm pretty sure he's the only one that still checks it, but it was enough to motivate me to put something on here. I really do miss blogging, and I'm not quite sure why I don't find the time to do it anymore. I enjoy looking back through it, and I know I want to keep it going, but I just can't think of anything to say lately. I'm not making resolutions this year(or at least I'm not calling them that!), but I would like to get back to blogging. We'll see how it goes, but no promises. Keith and I watched Julie and Julia the other day, so that made me want to blog even more.
Just to get it started I put a recent picture of the kids on here. If you tell me how old Avery looks, your comment will be deleted!! :) Anyway, maybe one day soon I'll add a few pics from Christmas. We had a wonderful time with all our family, and were sad it had to come to an end. The boys are back in school today, and Chloe and I are just hanging out this morning. I have so many things I need to get done, but so far I've just blogged!
Well, hope everyone stays warm! See you soon...