Lent: Day 1

Today is Ash Wednesday.  The beginning of Lent.  The day Jesus left for the desert where he stayed for 40 days and 40 nights to fast and pray before his death.  So in honor of his commitment and sacrifice, some give things up as a sacrifice during the days before Easter.  Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent are all meatless days also because, again, it is a sacrifice.  So when one sacrifices, one must remember to think of Jesus in the desert and his purpose there.

And this year, right out of the gate, I failed. 

It wasn't like I thought, "screw Lent, I'm eating chicken!"  It was more like an epiphany around 2:00.  "Oh crap!  I'm not supposed to eat meat today."  That was right after enjoying the chicken salad I had for lunch.  Whoops!  So, as of 2:00 tomorrow, I'll be off the hook. 

That's another thing about Lent.  Sure, I can sneak a chicken salad in at lunch time on Ash Wednesday; no one held me accountable.  Katie didn't care if I had roast beef or chicken or pork.  No one minds what you do, it's just the Big Guy who always seems to be checking over my shoulder.  He has a way of knowing those little cheats.

I am giving up pop this year.  This is a sacrifice like one I haven't had in awhile.  I strive big during Lent.  One year it was potatoes, another red meat.  Last year it was money to charity.  But pop, well that's a whole new realm of commitment.  Part of my determination comes from the fact that I am an addict and it's time to break the bad habit.  Part of my commitment comes from the denial of faith from my husband.  Little does he know that besides today, I've never cheated, not once.  I should've bet him.

So here we are.  Day 1 of a 40+ day journey on the path to cleansing myself from aspartame and caramel color (no one said anything specifically about caffeine here people).  I have a headache.  I am without my usual jolt of life from the caffeine that is a staple in my bloodstream.  I am grouchy and I want a steak.  But, a sacrifice it is.  No one said anything about it being easy.  And it shouldn't be.  Because really, the only one you have to prove a point to is paying attention and I sure don't want to let Him down.

Wordless Wednesday

Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

Today I made this recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Blog.  It was absolutely wonderful! Our entire family devoured it and couldn't think of a single thing we didn't like about it.  So I wanted to share how I made it since it is a little different than the actual recipe.  And it is full of things that are common to have around.  I felt a little sinful not sharing it too, it was great.

First, I roasted the chicken breasts in the oven at 425 with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  The recipe calls for boiled chicken but I hate the smell of boiled chicken so I chose to do the more flavorful option. 

Then I cut up carrots, celery, and half an onion to saute in 1/2 a stick of butter.

I also grated up some garlic into the pot.  In with the veggies I sprinkled thyme and some pepper.  I didn't use salt because the butter was salted already.

After the veggies got pretty soft and the onions translucent, I spooned in a huge spoonful of sour cream and a can of cream of mushroom soup.  The original recipe calls for a can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom but I cut it down for our family and just used one can. 

The next step was to boil some pasta.  The recipe called for quite a bit but I cut it down.  You'll have to check the recipe for sure and then I used about 3/4 of what it said.  The noodles can overpower it and we really loved all the chunks of other stuff.  And if you use too much pasta it can get a little dry.  The recipe also called for angel hair pasta, I thought that was perfect.  I got a lot of lip about it from Dustin (he thought they should've been fettuccine noodles) but when it was finished he agreed that those were perfect.

About this time, I checked in and of course my lovely assistant was up to no good.  You might not be able to see it here, but she was covered in green, as in crayon, that she had been eating.  Yes, she is missing a shoe and yes, we need to sweep our floor (or let the vacuuming dogs take a stroll through)!

Once the pasta is cooked, the chicken is probably cool enough to chunk up into smallish pieces.

Then I mixed everything together in a big bowl.  Mix it really well because I do have to admit that the only complaint we had was that the chicken wasn't distributed enough.  Also, I broke the pasta in half to help with this step too.  At this point, Dustin came in and asked if he could just put his face in the pan and start eating.  It smelled awesome already and it really looked great.  I couldn't help but agree with his thought!

This goes in the oven at 375 for about 30-35 minutes.  In the meantime, clean up the green crayon, sweep the floor and read a few books to your baby.  She'll appreciate the extra love.

And then once your casserole has been cooking for awhile, crunch up a whole sleeve of Ritz crackers.  I used the whole wheat kind and they were delish.   Let it cook about 10 minutes more after that. 

This is what comes out of the oven!  YUM!! 

And this is what the crowd thought.

This and That

Tonight has been boring.  I'm talking agonizingly boring.  Dustin made the trek home to do some work tomorrow so Reese and I are here alone and as much as I couldn't wait for her to go to bed, now I wish she was up so I would have something to do.  But she's not.

First things first, this has been one long week.  With the amount of snow days that have been in my schedule lately a full week of school is about the equivalent as a year with no weekends.  It's been brutal.  The kids are at war with one another.  I am at war with the kids.  They need to get smarter in a hurry.  And I mean it.

Secondly, my child has become very interested in what's under the bed.  She pulls out gift bags and stray pictures.  She finds tissue paper and ribbons.  I guess I need some good sturdy storage boxes.  Or I need to get off the couch and tell her no once in awhile.  But the boxes sound easier.

She has also become a hairy troll as of late.  This morning I almost screamed when I saw her.  Talk about some bedhead.  I am now officially done judging mothers of 3rd grade girls who have neither the time nor the energy to get a brush through their tangled manes.  Yikes!  Hair is a battle.  I slip a barrette in, 27.6 seconds later it is out.  And let me tell you about the fight I got when I attempted a pony tail holder today.  She's a feisty one, that kid.

I am filled with apprehension this weekend.  I don't even want to say why out loud.  I am getting ready to branch out and do the unthinkable.  My heart is pumping hard just thinking of it.  Tune in next week and I will tell you all about it.....don't you just love the suspense?  Let's just say Lent is approaching and I'm going for the big guns this year.  I always feel that way, but you know what?  I never give up alcohol, that would be a stretch of the ole faith muscle that's for sure.

My child is also an endless talker these days.  She sings constantly and will repeat the sounds we make often.  I swore she said love to me yesterday after I told her I loved her.  That will be quite an accomplishment.  I love her sweet affections, hugs and kisses, but "I love you" will be a little less wet than when she tries to kiss me with her mouth wide open and her tongue hanging out. Yuck! 

16 Months and Counting....

This is Reese.  She is 16 months old.  She is onery.

This is Reese in her fur coat.  Every girl needs a fur coat, right?  A dry clean only fur coat for babies.  It's practical and beautiful!  Reese thought so too.  She refused to leave her bedroom without the fur coat.  That's the way she rolls. 

This is Reese with her cell phone.  Babies need cell phones too, but you knew that already didn't you?  Her favorite part of the cell phone is when it has a picture on the screen.  Reese likes the picture very much.  She likes it so much that she will throw it down on the ground if there is no picture and scream, "Ugh!" at me until it has a picture.  "Ugh" in baby language translates 16 years later to: "I hate you, you ruined my life."  We are so looking forward to the teenage years. 

This is Reese in her favorite chair.  This chair is her favorite because she can now climb into it all by herself.  She's become an avid climber.  In fact, this morning when she was supposed to be in her room in her crib sleeping, I heard a scream and a few minutes later a child appeared at the shower door.  This translated at 16 looks strikingly like a thud from a 2nd floor window to meet her boyfriend down the block.

And actually, there are many good things about this beautiful girl too.  She loves her blankie and calls it, Nigh-nigh.  She lights up like a candle when she sees it at the end of the day. She pats us on the back when we pick her up to hug her.  She even pats her friends on the back at day care when they are upset.  She loves kisses and snuggles and her thumb.  Reese could gobble up Nutri-Grain bars like candy and she often goes to the kitchen to point to the cabinet that they are in until she gets one.

Reese is our angel.  And we couldn't love her more!

Wordless Wednesday

Baby D

My adorable nephew came and stayed with us over the weekend. He is the funniest little man I think I've ever seen! He has the greatest facial expressions and personality.

Reese loved him too. She kept trying to feed him a "bite" from her spoon. Since there was no actual bite to take, I don't think he was too interested. She got a little aggressive with him and it ended up as more of a whack with the spoon instead. I don't think he minded a whole lot, but there were several demonstrations about being gentle for our little dear.

The toys of the night was our pop up toy. He would laugh and laugh and look expectantly again for me to push the button. I also caught him with a toy piece of corn on the cob several times. I couldn't help but smile at how hilarious that looked.  He and Miller really hit it off too.  They parted ways as the best of friends.



We had a great time with his visit and we hope he comes back very soon. He's the snuggliest little guy and strong as an ox. I love this picture below too because I think he looks just like my sister here. He is his daddy's boy in the looks department (you wouldn't know Lulu and I had any traits) but this one has Lulu written all over it!