She Makes Me Smile

Two can be trying at times.  Not just two kids, but the age of two.  There have been many moments of...what was she thinking, followed by what was I thinking.  However, we are almost through it.  I don't expect things to get magically better at age 3.  My little girl is an independent spirit, who loves people.  Caelyn is so sweet and so compassionate.  

Caelyn has started her own card ministry. Almost every morning when Jackson goes down for his nap Caelyn proclaims "Mommy, it is morning and I get to make cards." So off we go to the dining room where there are cheap stickers, markers, and note cards for her to decorate.  Each one has a purpose and a recipient in mind.  After she is done she asks that I put them in the envelope and then in the mailbox, so that whom ever receives the card "will be happy."

Caelyn has recently started picking out her own clothes.  Pink is Caelyn favorite color, mine is purple, Phil's is green, and Jackson's blue.  Why? Because she says so.  Also, pink matches.  Today she was wearing four shades of pink and loving every minute of it.  She loves to dress her self, especially in dresses and most especially in pink.

I love her and she makes me smile.

Francine Rivers Giveaway

I love Francine River books.  I was introduced to them in college and have been reading them ever since then.  Tyndale House is currently offering a free e-book of Leota's Garden.  You can read about it on this blogpost.

In celebration of Francine almost reaching 100,000 fans on Facebook Tyndale is doing a drawing, with the Grand Prize being the complete Francine Rivers library.  If you have a moment head over to the Tyndale House blog and enter.

Sorta Chicken Parmesan

I adapted this from the back of the canister of Panko bread crumbs.  It was pretty tasty and pretty easy too.  I meant to take a picture, but we were really hungry and I completely forgot.  I took the chicken breast and pounded them out and cut them in half so the would cook faster, which worked out well for our hungry tummys.  I am still working on my recipe writing skills, if you see that something is missing...please let me know.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 Tablespoon Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/3 Cup Mozzarella or Parmesan Cheese...or whatever you have in the fridge
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Large Chicken Breast
Marinara Sauce
Favorite Pasta

Preheat Oven to 350.

Put water for pasta on to boil.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Pound chicken out, it doesn't have to be thin, just a consistent thickness.  Tip:  I put the chicken in a ziplock bag and only close it half way.  This keeps the juices from splattering everywhere.  I also use either a metal water bottle or my rolling pin to pound it out, rather than buying a meat tenderizer.  Cut each piece in half so you have 4 pieces total.

Put the flour in one shallow dish.  Put the egg, milk, and pepper in a second shallow dish and beat until blended.  Then place the bread crumbs and cheese into a third shallow dish.

First, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour and coat evenly.  Next, dip the chicken in the egg mixture.  Finally coat the chicken with the bread crumb and cheese mixture.  Place in the baking pan.

Once you have done all four pieces sprinkle the chicken with the olive oil.

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Once the water has come to a boil cook pasta according to directions on the package.

Warm the marinara on the stove for 10 minutes.

Serve!

March 20-26 Meal Plan

This weekend was packed full of stuff, so we enjoyed staying home yesterday and today.  I am considering doing it again tomorrow if we can swing not going to the grocery store another day.  It has been good for all of us to stay in our jammies as long as possible.  So, here are our meals for this week.

SUNDAY: Sorta Chicken Parmesan
MONDAY: Taco Night
TUESDAY: Fish & Chips (we didn't eat it last week)
WEDNESDAY: Pulled Pork Sandwiches (I finally pulled the meat out of the freezer) & Baked Sweet Potatoes
THURSDAY: Enchiladas
FRIDAY: Maple Glazed Pork Roll & Mashed Potatoes
SATURDAY: Black Bean Casserole

Concoction

I really didn't feel like making Chicken Pot Pie this week.  It doesn't take too long, but there are several steps and I didn't do a good job planning ahead.  So, on Friday night I made this, a wonderful marinara based concoction with the food I had in my refrigerator.

I had planned on posting the recipe, but I forgot to write everything down.  So I will just show you the picture.  The basics are a jar of marinara sauce, some spinach, carrots, pepperoni and a bunch of meatballs.  It was so good.  Try it some time, dump whatever is on the verge of going bad into a pan with some spaghetti sauce and serve with your favorite pasta.

March 14-19 Meal Plan

I have a plan this week.  My plan is to keep my grocery bill under $50 this week.  We typically spend between $75-90, including any formula and home items.  My pantry and freezer are quite full based on some great deals I got last week.  I have a short list with mostly fresh items and a few things to make more baby food for Jackson.

MONDAY: Salisbury Steak & Mashed Potatoes
TUESDAY: Homemade Chicken & Noodles
WEDNESDAY: Chili & Corn Bread
THURSDAY: Fried Fish & Baked Sweet Potatoes
FRIDAY: Chicken Pot Pie (it got bumped off the list last week)
SATURDAY: Pork Chops and Homestyle Potatoes

Progress

Tonight Phil left Jackson alone in his chair for a few seconds to go get Caelyn.  He also left Jackson's bowl on his tray.  This time he didn't make as big a mess.

Sitting Up

I have been pretty much convinced that Jackson will never sit up, not because he can't, but because sitting still doesn't get you anywhere.  He has been scooting around and Army crawling for about a month now, but has had no real interest in sitting up.  He even gets up on his hands and knees, he doesn't know what do do with it and ends up nose diving into the floor, but none the less he tries.

Today we had some progress, he stayed up long enough for me to get the camera.

However, he doesn't like it when he falls over.

Pizza!

Pizza has become one of my favorite things to make.  Not anything fancy, we like it simple.  I like it simple, Phil will take whatever I throw on top of it.  Caelyn likes just cheese, which makes her pretty easy to please.  I make pizza a lot of Wednesdays because it doesn't take very long to prepare or cook.

I like to make the dough the night before and pull it out of the fridge about 1 1/2 before it is time to cook.  This lets the dough rise slowly overnight and finish up on the countertop.  I adapted my recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  In her cookbook she says that you can make the dough up to 3 days before or freeze it for up to 6 months.  I don't have the foresight to make the dough 3 days ahead, the night before is about as good as it gets.

Here is my recipe for 2 crusts:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp yeast
4 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top of the water.  Let it sit while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients.

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to your mixer bowl.

Using the dough attachment, turn your mixer on low and slowly add the olive oil until just combined.

Next, stir the water and yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the yeast and water.  Mix until the dough forms a ball.

Add a little olive oil to a mixing bowl and place the dough inside the bowl.

If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator

If using "immediately", cover with a damp dish towel in a warm spot and let rise 1-2 hours.

The pizza itself can be as plain or fancy as you want it.  I make my own crust, but then use mostly pre-packaged toppings.  I know that makes no sense, but for right now it is what works.  For dinner last night I made one pepperoni and one mushroom (fresh, that I sauteed myself).

Now for the assembly and baking portion:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Stretch out or roll out your dough on a rimless baking pan or pizza stone.
Add toppings and cheese.
Bake 10-12 minutes on a lower shelf until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

It may not be a good last minute recipe, but it sure beats paying for delivery.

A Link of Encouragement

My friend Leah posted this link on her Facebook page this morning and I in turn and sharing it with you.  It is a short read full of encouragement for those of us with little ones.  Someone else has been there, done that, and made it through.

Princess Caelyn

Last night our local Chick-fil-a had Princess and Super Hero night.  Translation: free food and fun.  Caelyn got dressed up in her best princess duds and off we went.  I forgot my camera while we were there, but here are the pictures I snapped before we left.

All Dressed Up

A Cinderella Moment

A princess not afraid of a little hard work

Jackson is wondering why his sister has more tools that he does.

Happy 6 Month Birthday Jackson!

Today Jackson turns 6 months old.  It has been quite the adventure and worth every minute!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY JACK-JACK!

Potty Humor

We started potty training a week ago.  Just like every other time, unplanned and Caelyn initiated.  This time, however, we followed through with it.  We tried potty training twice before, in the middle of moving and having Jackson, so we gave up.  This time we decided to finish it.

Day 1 was great.  Day 2 we went through 4 pairs of Dora underwear before 10 am. After that things went so much smoother.  We are pretty much done with the training part, there is still some hesitancy with the #2s, but they still end up where they are supposed to...is that TMI?  Anyways.

We have had a lot of good laughs over the last week, mostly over poop.

Here are some of the good ones:

Caelyn running out of the bathroom "There is a giant in my potty!"  - Interpretation:  Her first poop, she had never really gotten a good look at one before

Phil: "How does it feel to poop on the big girl potty?"
Caelyn:"...Stinky"

Me: "Caelyn, do you need to go potty?"
Caelyn: "No, the poops are at the bottom of my belly getting ready to come out."

Caelyn: "Mommy, can I wear my princess underwear?"
Me: "No, you are already wearing Dora underwear."
10 minutes later
Caelyn: "Mommy, I am just a little bit wet, I need my new princess underwear."
I don't think it was an "accident."

I hope you found some smiles from our week.

Taking Initiative

Jackson has been sick for the last few days and really not interested in eating "solid" foods.  We have being trying to get him to eat, but he really didn't want it.  By that I mean, start screaming and letting the food slide out of his mouth.

Since he is feeling better I decided to try again today.  He wasn't really into the first few bites, but wasn't screaming.  Not thinking I left to help Caelyn in the bathroom and left the bowl of squash sitting on his tray.

When I came back, this is what I saw.

I guess he got tired of having to wait for me to feed him.

The bowl and the spoon were there too, but I removed them before any more damage was done while I went to get my camera.

Stuffed Pepper Update

They were okay.  I think that is the best I can say about them.  When we ate the leftovers they were a little better, the flavors had blended a little more.  I think next time instead of hamburger I am going to use sausage and add more spinach.  Here is the picture, they looked delicious...but not good enough to share.

Side Note:  I am no food photographer and that is Caelyn's plate.

March 6-10 Meal Plan

The best laid plans...I made a wonderful meal plan last week for this week.  Then on Saturday I defrosted the chicken for Sunday's meal and left it the microwave.  Unfortunately it was the last of the chicken, completely derailing my first day plan.  Then on Sunday I forgot to pull out the pork for the pulled pork sandwiches on Monday.  Fortunately I bough chicken this morning, so I just moved Sunday to Monday and Sunday we had leftovers.

So here is our plan.

SUNDAY: Leftovers

MONDAY:  Bruschetta Chicken Bake

TUESDAY: Chick-fil-a for Princess Night with Caelyn 

WEDNESDAY: Pizza

THURSDAY:  Chicken and Mushrooms with Polenta

FRIDAY: Chicken Pot Pie

SATURDAY:  Taco Bar 

February 27-March 5 Meal Plan

This week we are starting potty training...again.  Hopefully this time we will stick to it.  Caelyn has decided that she wants to wear her Dora underwear, and I told the only way is if she goes in the potty.  We will see how this goes!  That being said, I am trying to do recipes that don't take very long or that I can do most of the prep work during nap or during the morning, that way my time is a little more flexible.

My parents came this weekend so my dad could help Phil do some sound system work in the church.  That caused some slight alterations in our meal planning, mostly we ordered pizza on Saturday instead of cooking so we could spend more time together.  So, instead we had quesadillas on Sunday.  I am trying a new recipe this week, Orzo Stuffed Peppers.  If it turns out ok, then I will post the recipe.  They look DELICIOUS and they had multi-colored packs of peppers at BJs, so it made the list.

On a side note, BJs had Panera's Baked Potato Soup in their refrigerator section.  That made me so happy.  I love their soup, and am hoping it will live up to my expectations.

So, here is the list.

SUNDAY: Quesadillas

MONDAY:  Tortilla & Black Bean Pie

TUESDAY: Orzo Stuffed Peppers 

WEDNESDAY: Apricot Chicken, Peas, & Rice

THURSDAY:  Enchiladas

FRIDAY: Salisbury Steak & Mashed Potatoes

SATURDAY:  Dinner at a Friend's House

I am excited about not cooking on Saturday.  I do have to bring either a dessert or a side.  I think I will Dreamsicle Cookies, always a favorite.

Good Idea/Bad Idea

Good Idea: Buying a large pot of hyacinth flowers
Bad Idea: Setting them next to your 2 year old in the cart

Good Idea: Planting them into new cute small pots
Bad Idea: Doing it on your kitchen floor

Good Idea: Letting 2 year old wash her hands while you clean up
Bad Idea: Spilling water on top of the dirt creating mud

Good Idea:  Let your daughter swiffer up the dirt left on the floor
Good Idea: Put your new cute hyacinths on your shelving to enjoy

We headed to Lowe's today to take a gander at the mis-tint paint shelf before heading to meet some friends for lunch at Chick-fil-a.  Lowe's didn't have any paint that I wanted, so we took a few minutes to look around and see what kind of good deals they had going on.  AND I HIT THE JACKPOT!  The best deal was the hyacinth on manager's special for $2.  I got one pot, which had 14 bulbs in it.  I filled seven different pots with hyacinth.  Five are in the living room and two are on the ledge in between the kitchen and family room.

I also got two sets of 3 baskets for $3.97 each, marked down from 17.97.  My closet upstairs is in need of some serious organization.

I got two curtain tie back hooks for $2.97 each, marked down from 9.97.  I am going to use those as hand towel hooks for our down stairs bathroom.  Right now there is a full size towel bar, which makes no sense in a half bath.

Feb 21 -27 Meal Plan

Here is our meal plan for this week.  I had a meeting tonight so I made dinner for Phil and Caelyn before I left.  Creamed Chicken Over Biscuits is one of our favorites and a quick alternative to chicken pot pie.  The recipe is only for two people, but now there are three.  I just add a little more chicken and more peas which stretches it for the three of us.

MONDAY: Chicken and Veggies Over Biscuits
TUESDAY: Battered Fish and Sweet Potato Fries
WEDNESDAY: Meat Ball Subs and French Fries
THURSDAY: Pork Chops and Butternut Squash Risotto
FRIDAY: Bruschetta Chicken Bake
SATURDAY: Quesadillas

Feb 14-20 Meal Plan

Here is the meal plan as it stands right now.  As always, it is subject to change to fit our ever changing schedule.

MONDAY:  Pulled Pork ( I didn't make it last week because of company)
TUESDAY: Fajitas & Rice
WEDNESDAY:  Homemade Pizza
THURSDAY:  Shepherd's Pie
FRIDAY: Stuffed Shells & Salad
SATURDAY: Valentine's Day Banquet

I leave Sunday as a "Wild Card" day.  I always have the stuff ready to make chicken pot pie or baked spaghetti if we don't have enough leftovers for all of us to eat.  I also have been making larger meals so Phil has leftovers to take for lunch.