Completion!

Our patio is finished! I am soooo excited that project is done, lol! We had our first supper out there tonight, spaghetti. The girls were very excited that we can now eat outside! It was wonderful and peaceful eating out there. Now Brad is busy with landscaping around it. today we went and bought a bunch of plants and flowers and he dug everything up and edged it. Tomorrow morning he hopes to lay the landscape fabric, plant everything and put in the mulch. Can't wait to see how it looks.

Today was a great day, the older two decided to stay at Grandma's to play with their cousins so it was just Alayna and I. She plays so nice when she's by herself. She helped me make cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow, because she is the "spesal helper, mom!" I started this new thing in daycare where everyone gets a turn to be the "special helper" for the day. It's quite a big hit right now. Thursday was Alayna's day, and that night we walked over to the farm to visit. We were sitting outside and Alayna had to use the bathroom. I told her to ask daddy, so she told him, "daddy, you're the winner! You get to come with me because I'm the spesal helper!" Oh, it was priceless!

Busted Burgers

I didn't use the recipe from my Pampered Chef recipe, but one from AllRecipes.com. It called for ranch dressing packet, 1/4 c worcestershire sauce and an egg. The taste was VERY strong, too much worcestershire. Plus, they didn't stay together well. Oh well, we still ate them! Tonight is going to be leftover night, I think.

Last night was a great night, we all picked weeds in the garden, woohoo! No really, it was fun! Rachel helped Brad and I pick weeds, and Alayna and Emma fed the cows that came to watch. Our garden is looking awesome, the tomatoes are out of control, lol. We also have sweet corn, potatoes, peas, lettuce, green peppers, pumpkins, melon, squash, and garlic. I'm so stoked to finally have a garden! I look forward to canning this Fall.

Speaking of Fall, call me a nut, but I have already started school shopping. I ordered the girls' backpacks from Lands End, they had a deal on free shipping. Plus, the ones we have always bought at Target always fall apart. Then I ordered a bunch of clothes from LL Bean. Everything I got was on clearance, plus I found an online coupon for free shipping. I'm happy to at least have a head start on things and not spend a ton of money at one time:) It's hard to think of the girl's going back to school, I really love having them home. They both have turned into such wonderful helpers.

And Time Goes On.....

Yikes, it's been awhile since I've written. With the fourth of July, vacation, and a death in the family, so much has gone on. We had a WONDERFUL vacation! The weather was perfect, the girls were perfect, it was truly one of those perfect vacations! We went to the lake Sunday the 5th through Thursday. Thursday night I had gotten Brad and I tickets to see the River Bats play. Afterwards we went to the Legion for a couple drinks, it was nice to just hang out with each other. Friday, Rachel and I went to Alexandria to do some antique shopping, we had such a blast! It's fun that she is at the age to enjoy that with me, although she couldn't quite understand why I would want to buy old used things, lol. Friday night Emma and Rachel went to Moms for the weekend for "cousins camp" so it was just Alayna for the weekend! I got my fill of playing Barbies:) (Also, we had bought an old Barbie house at an antique shop) All in all, fab vacation!

I was ready to get back to work though, I thrive on schedules, lol. It was long enough for me to miss all my little munchkins:)

Last Tuesday (the 14th) we lost my Grandma "Omi" (I *think* that name came from either me or Patrick who couldn't say Naomi). She had been ill for over a year, so it was truly a blessing. Although it doesn't make it much easier:( The visitation and funeral was so nice, it's always good to see everyone, and the kids had fun with their cousins. I was happy that one of the last times I was at their house when Grandma still lived there, I went through her recipes and took some in her handwriting. I would love to compile a cookbook with recipes from both Grandmas to pass down to my girls.

Speaking of cooking, I bought a new cookbook from Pampered Chef called, "29 Minutes Until Dinner". FABULOUS cookbook, fabulous!!! I have already made three recipes out of it, and each one was superb! Rachel has been helping me cook dinner at night, she does the chopping (yes Dad, with a knife!) and mixing, and of course loves it:) Tonight we are having "Ultimate Peppercorn Burgers", last night I made "Toasted Angel Hair Pasta with Sausage and Peppers" I think one will be a mega favorite of mine! Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend this cookbook!

I am including a picture that we were so excited to see, a DEER!!! In almost 4 years that we have lived here, the only deer I've seen was a few running in the woods next to our house the first winter we were here. We all enjoyed watching her!!

Oh how I love technology AND great suppers!!!

So, a few weeks ago I mentioned that we got a laptop, which was great, until it quit working. Grrrr. So, yesterday Brad took it back in and they fixed it, something about the webcam (that I didn't even know we had) that can screw up these models, or something. When we first got the laptop, Brad wasn't able to get the wireless working, which was fine, and then he was gone off and on for a few weeks. Well now he figured it out and it is fabulous!! This morning I wanted a new recipe for pancakes so I flipped up my little laptop and clicked away while in the kitchen!! This is so awesome!! I feel so technologized:)

For breakfast I found a recipe for light and fluffy pancakes. They were really good and very fluffy. I might add a bit of brown sugar next time, but they are super healthy, and the kids all gobbled them up.

Now, onto the great supper. My favorite website EVER is allrecipes.com. This is truly a cooks dream website. So last night I was scanning through (while in the living room with my wonderful hubby watching Twins, booooooring) and found a recipe for Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs. They were FABULOUS!!!!! I made up the marinade this morning and let them sit in it all day. I also added chunks of green peppers and red onions to the kabobs. This recipe is definitely a keeper:) I also made scalloped potatoes with my normal white sauce (equal amounts of butter and flour then add milk to right consistency) but then added two cloves of garlic to the butter and let them saute for a minute before adding the flour. After the sauce was made, I added about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the sauce and then mixed in the potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes and then sprinkle more cheese on top. The girls devour this dish whenever I make it.

So, there ya have it, I love, love, love being able to take my computer anywhere, although hubby seems to think we'll never talk again, haha!! Oh, also, if you're like me and love reading foodie blogs you must check out pioneerwoman.com, she is a riot to read and has some wonderful recipes too!!

Always learning....

So, I don't remember if I posted this before, but about 2 months ago our beloved cat, Fluffy was sick. Rachel and I took her in only to find out that she has feline leukemia. We were devastated. He put her on three different medications, and those meds worked MIRACLES on her! She has fully recovered, and has not been ill since. He did say that they can go into remission, so I'm assuming that's what happened to her. So, now the poor thing is in heat. We never got her fixed, assuming that we would get a litter of kitties out of her and then get her fixed. So, two days ago she found a tomcat. Now, remember that I have lived in the city all my life and have never experienced the sounds of cats mating. So, Tuesday night I wake up at 3 am thinking that Alayna is screaming, only to discover it's my sweet Fluffy getting nailed. It was the most HORRIBLE sound I have ever heard. So, what do I do? Get up, get dressed and actually go looking for her, at 3 am!! My husband thinks I'm a little cracked in the head, which probably isn't too far off, lol!!

So, yesterday morning she comes in for awhile to eat, but then wants to go back out. So literally all day we watched those two chase each other, and then Fluffy teasing him by rolling around right in front of him, it was hilarious! However, at lunchtime one of my daycare kids announces that she knows what they are doing, they are playing freeze tag!!!!! I asked her why she thought that and she said because they chase each other around and then he sits on her!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my, I laughed till I cried! Priceless. And that darn tomcat won't leave! He sits on the steps on the patio and waits for her. He was there last night when I went to bed, and he was there at 6:00 this morning too!!

So, we shall see if she is pregnant, I would love to have some baby kitties around, and of course the kids soooo badly want kittens.

Baked Pork Chops

I found a couple of recipes on Allrecipes.com for baked pork chops and sort of combined them both. Turned out very well, and everyone loved them!

Baked Pork Chops
Boneless pork chops (I used 5)
2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup (I only had one can of the golden kind and then used one can of the regular kind. Now, I very rarely use canned cream soups, I always make my own, so I think next time I will do that. The canned kind is too salty for me)
Chopped onion- about half a large onion
Minced garlic, one clove
Mushrooms- I used about a cup of chopped fresh mushrooms
Olive oil

I browned the chops for just a few seconds, and transferred them to a 9x13 pan.
Brown the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a Tbl or 2 of olive oil.
Mix the 2 soups together and add to the onion mixture. Pour over chops and bake for about one hour at 375. (cover it with foil too)

I made mashed potatoes to pour the gravy over, delish!!

I'm not sure what we are having tonight yet. It's a gloomy rainy (YAY!!) day, so I think I might be making some bread this afternoon. Rachel had her first day of theater rehearsal and loved it! They are putting on the show Pinocchio and she is a mean cat, lol!!

Marinated grilled chicken

Last night was one of those "can't find a recipe for what I want" nights. I wanted marinated chicken on the grill, so this is what I came up with:

Marinated Chicken
Coke- yep, that's right, good ole Coca Cola Classic, about 1.5 cups maybe?
Honey- roughly 1/4 cup
Barbecue Sauce- We had some Buffalo Wild Wings honey barbecue sauce on hand, so I put in some of that.

Combine all ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag and marinate all afternoon. The chicken was wonderful, and very tender and juicy!

Steamed Green Beans
I had some fresh grean beans that were about to expire so I steamed those until crisp tender, then combined a little lime juice ( I would try lemon if you have it, lime was a bit bitter), some fresh chopped dill and olive oil. I think I used about 2 Tbl for each the juice and oil. Shake it up well and pour over beans and toss to coat. I liked it, the fam not so much.