What a Busy Monday

Whew!! We have had such a busy day! It started off with Sophie Clare getting up around 7:45.......doing our normal routine (change the diaper, eating breakfast and getting on the computer) Continuing trying to get the bathroom finished I needed to paint the base of the bath tub, dressing table and another little cabinet in there! In between all of these: there were clothes that needed to be done! GUESS WHAT??? WE DID IT ALL! Painting, 4 loads of clothes(wash, folded, and put away) put the dishes up, washed bottles, made bottles and we made dinner! We even worked in a 2 hour nap......well Sophie Clare napped and I watched some Lifetime movie!AS I WAS PREPARING DINNER.......SHE FELL ASLEEP IN HER BOUNCY SEAT!
SHE IS THE BEST!


So to all those that cook, you should try this.


One Dish Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Bake


INGREDIENTS
1 (10.75 ounce) can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup water
1 (6 ounce) package seasoned long-grain and wild rice mix
1 (16 ounce) package frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Paprika

DIRECTIONS
Mix soup, water, rice, seasoning mix, vegetables and half the cheese in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until done.
Top with remaining cheese.

I did not use the veggies.....and I only used white rice because that is what I had. I know what your thinking..........you really did not make this at all........it is basically the same..hehe

On a scale 1-10 10 being the best........Jamie gives it a 9

Sweet Sundays

Today has been such a great day! As I mentioned in yesterday's blog , we ate at church and the food was delish! The choir had practice so that meant that Angie, Emily and Gracie were coming for a visit! It is so fun to have all the girls together! Sophie Clare was not in the best of moods, I think she had a little tummy ache! But she loves hanging with the girls!
Can you believe that Sophie Clare is 4 months old today??? Seems like only yesterday that we were traveling back and forth to Birmingham! I am so thankful! We go to the dr. soon and I can not wait to see how much she weighs!

We hope you all have a very blessed week!

Progress on the Bathroom

Well Jamie did not get started on the bathroom till about 3:oo and we ran out of paint so we headed out to get some more..........it is now 10:45 and he is finished with the walls! It looks awesome! I love it! Now it is my turn......lots and lots of details now have to be added! I will post a final pic hopefully by the end of the week....if Sophie Clare allows me to put her down but if she does not that is when my mom (GRAN) will come in handy! I hope you all have a great Sunday! We are eating at church and that always makes for a good day!

Tablescapes at the Girlfriend Gala

Who would have ever thought hanging out with more than 400 women was such a blast! The Girlfriend Gala is going to be something that I hope to attend next year! The Fishmarket in Southside catered the event....buffet style....very tasty. There were around 60 tables decorated to a different theme and they were all great! Here are only a few of the tables

Natural Beauty

Drama Queen
Underwater Sea Fantasy
In the Garden

Here is Paint the Town.....If you have ever been to Sips and Strokes, it is the same idea...just local! How great is that??

If you love chocolate, you would have loved sitting at this table!

A Fresh Look

Tomorrow is the start of what I hope to be a beautiful thing. I have tons of projects that I am ready to get started on.....1st is the bathroom.....you see it as looked basically the same way for about 10 yrs and I am still not really tired of it but when we painted Sophie Clare's room pink....the bathroom looked a little dull! I LOVE PINK! This is my color scheme that I am going with.........Stay tuned for before and after pics!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday

Here is our picture of the day. Is she not just a doll?

Tonight I am going to the "Girlfriend Gala" in Gadsden. It is celebrating friendships and child literacy. Each table is set to a different theme of what girls enjoy doing together! Our table (Oral Surgery Associates) is the beach! I can not wait to post pics, so stay tuned!

Another great recipe to try.......talk about yummy, especially if you like hot wings!

Buffalo Chicken Stomboli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 to 4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, such as rotisserie, leftovers from the night before or cooked chicken breasts
1/2 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot, for extra spicy or 1/4 cup tomato sauce or juice mixed with 2 tablespoons hot sauce, for mild
1 pizza dough, defrosted
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 scallions, sliced
1 egg
A sprinkle of sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the EVOO and cook the celery and carrots until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken and hot sauce to the pan and toss everything together with some salt and ground black pepper. Set aside and let cool.

When the filling is cool, roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the cooled filling evenly out onto the entire dough, making sure not to get too close the any of the edges. Top with cheeses and scallions.

Roll the stromboli, starting at one of the long sides, tucking in both ends firmly. Press the seam with you fingers to seal. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of water then lightly brush it over the stromboli, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Cubbies

This is my 3rd year with Cubbies and I absolutely love it! It is awesome to hear them say there bible verses and it is amazing what they remember. These are just a few of them.....I think some of them have Spring fever.

Carlislie Baptist Church

Awanas...Wednesday nights

Picture of the Day

Here is our picture of the day......I realized about 5:00 that I had not taken a single pic and that is very unusual. My mom and dad bought us some yummy chicken casserole....Thanks bunches! So we took Sophie Clare outside to make a few pics! I love this baby more than life!

The Girls

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We sure did! It is always such a treat when the girls come to visit Gran and Pop! It will not be long till Gracie and Sophie Clare can play together.....I would hold her up to Gracie and she would try to get Sophie Clare's hand! Sophie Clare is just not real sure.

She is the best baby.....is she not just a doll??

She does not love the sun....I have got to get her a pair of shades!

Emily posing....I love this girl! She is a total mess!

I hope you all have a great week!

Everything Lo Mein

Remember me telling you about the wonderful meal that Natalie cooked for us while we were visiting.......I thought you might like to try it! It is so so good and seemed to be very easy to fix! OH, this is a Rachael Ray recipe. I hope you try it! ENJOY!




EVERYTHING LO MEIN


Ingredients
Sauce:
3 rounded tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons dark soy, eyeball it
3 tablespoons water, eyeball it
2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
Everything Lo Mein:
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
3 chicken breast cutlets, thinly sliced into strips
3 thin cut pork chops, thinly sliced into strips
Black pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 inches fresh ginger, chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths then sliced lengthwise
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters, seeded, then sliced
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
2 cups fresh bean sprouts, 4 generous handfuls or 1/2 pound shredded cabbage, your choice
Directions
Mix together sauce ingredients and reserve.
Bring pasta water to a boil, salt water and cook spaghetti to al dente.
While pasta cooks, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. When oil ripples, add beaten eggs and scramble them to light golden brown, remove and reserve.
Season the meat with salt, pepper and coriander. Heat the remaining vegetable oil to a ripple, then add meat and stir-fry 4 minutes, push meat to the side and add ginger, garlic and veggies. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes, then drain and add pasta and eggs back to skillet. Pour sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Turn off pan. Toss 30 seconds and let the liquids absorb

GOT MILK

Sweet Sophie Clare is 16 weeks today! From day 1 she has always been a very good eater and she has always been a little messy! I am so blessed! She is prayer answered!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Maggie and Sophie Clare

Bless Her Heart

Here is our picture of the day! Sophie Clare was not in much of a photo mood because she did not want me to put her down. She was in the best mood all day as long as I was holding her! I did not mind of course but someone had to wash the clothes, fold the clothes, and cook the super. So I did most of that with her on my hip! She did sit in her bouncy seat for a few minutes but I was singing the whole time! She lays in my lap while I am on the computer......that is soon going to end she wiggles a lot!

I love her so much! That face just breaks my heart! I am sure some of you are thinking why did you sit her down....It was going to be very hard to hold her and take her picture! I thought she might let me get just one.

A Splash of Color

A splash of color, that is what I am adding to my wardrobe this Spring. I am also doing something I have never done before......WEARING YELLOW! I know, it is so exciting! I have always thought it would wash me out but would white not do the same thing! So I took a leap and love it! BTW Spring begins tomorrow! Good bye dull colors...hello vibrant!
Happy Spring

Road Trip to Natalie's

We headed out Monday afternoon to Natalie's........We went to eat mexican and I ate my 1st Taco Salad and it was so gooood!

Sophie Clare and her 1st chip.....she really wanted some salsa but it was way to spicy.hehe

Don't stress, we only let her hold it.....What you do not see, is Natalie worried that she is going to poke her eye out!

She felt right at home.

As you can see here, she has her St. Patty onsie on! She needed a much bigger bow so that she would not look like my fitness baby! She does not see to mind.....see how happy she is!

This just makes me laugh, next year will be much better! She looks like my little country bumpkin baby.We headed out to do some shopping, so we went to Montgomery. We hit only 3 stores and had lunch.....it took all day but we had so much fun!

We spent about 2 1/2 hours in Target

It was so hot and Sophie Clare was burning up! So I bought her some onsies in Target and we changed her in there! I can never tell her about it, she will be so embarrassed.

Today we went downtown and had lunch and went to some really great shops!
If you are ever in Prattville you should check out these places:

A Touch of New York

Cute as a Button

Cheapskates ( they have jewelry for only $1.oo) I bought some really great earrings!

Natalie and Sophie Clare having a little play time before we left!

Thank you so much for cooking breakfast and cooking dinner! I can not wait to make "Everything Lo Mein" it was so delish! We had a blast and Sophie Clare can not stop talking about you!

We love you bunches!

A Special Visit

Today after church, we all went to Snead for lunch! It was so good! Emily got to go home with Gran and Pop, so they came for a visit! Emily wanted to play in Sophie Clare's room so that is what we did.....we played with My Little Ponies, looked at books and then she got in Sophie Clare's bed! Emily has now spent more time Sophie Clare's bed than she has. I put Sophie Clare's tutu on Em, it looked so cute!