Yesterday Elsie was talking to Poppy on the phone and this is what she said...
Friday, December 18, 2009
Posted by Megan at 1:30 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Smiles

Posted by Megan at 2:29 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Decor at our house


Posted by Megan at 3:35 PM 0 comments
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
30
The big 3-0 has come. I decided to make a bit of a memory on my blog about myself. Normally this blog is all about my kids, but I thought it would be good to have something like this so I can read it again in 10 years and remember. A few serious, a few random, and a few facts. So, here's my list of 30 things to share...
Posted by Megan at 10:25 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
A few things we have been up to...






Posted by Megan at 3:54 PM 4 comments
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Another Thanksgiving craft
Her first two lines under I am so thankful says Haley (neighbor). Actually, she started writing the "I" of "I am so thankful" but then I told her she could skip that part.
I thought this one up all by myself :) I put an X where she should glue the legs, and a O where she should glue the body, then she glued on the feathers, and lastly the head and beak and details. It was fun and cute. Oh, and I pulled the feathers off of a dress up boa that we have.
Posted by Megan at 11:52 AM 2 comments
Labels: crafting idea
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving craft



Posted by Megan at 10:31 AM 1 comments
Labels: crafting idea
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Happenings...
I haven't posted pictures in a while, so I thought I would do that today to give a little update on what's going on around here...









Posted by Megan at 11:32 AM 1 comments
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Main Dish Recipes!

Chicken Enchiladas (serves 6)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
Kosher salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
28-ounce can tomato sauce
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
½ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray
1 lime, cut into wedges and sour cream (for serving)
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat,9 add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, eight to ten minutes.
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and green chilies and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has slightly thickened, about five minutes.
Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on the instant read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
If you are in a hurry, I am all the time it seems, shred the chicken with two forks into bite-sized pieces. If not wait until it is cool enough to handle then shred with your hands. Toss together the shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 45 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place the chicken mixture, cheese and cilantro evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13×9-inch baking dish.
Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour one cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to cover them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about five minutes longer. Place extra sauce, lime wedges and sour cream on table along with the piping hot enchiladas and devour!

A's Chicken
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T minced parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cut chicken (or 4 boneless chicken breasts)
Melt butter with garlic, dip chicken in garlic butter. Then roll in crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for about one hour (or bake at 350 for around 45 minutes for boneless chicken).

k, I know we're gonna do crock pot recipies later on, but I feel like that's all I'm doing these days...I love my crockpot! :) I have lots more recipies for when we do more slow cooker stuff.
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/3 cup water
1 package (8 ozs.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (10 3/4 ozs.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (4 ozs.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
Hot cooked rice or noodles
Preparation:
Place the chicken breast halves in a slow cooker.
Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken. Cook 1 to 3 hours longer or until chicken juices run clear. Serve Italian chicken with rice or hot cooked noodles.
Serves 4.
S*xy Joes :)
1 lb extra lean ground chicken (I use ground turkey)
1 T white vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 t. Worcestershire
1 1/2 t. honey
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
2/3 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. chopped green pepper
3/4 c. low sodium tomato sauce
3/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 t. chili pwd
4 whole-grain or whole wheat hamburger buns
Cook chicken or turkey until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, worcestershire, honey, and hot pepper sauce. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Drain off any liquid from the cooked meat. Add the onion, green pepper, tomato sauce, chili sauce, chili powder and the reserved vinegar mixture to the pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 mins or until thickened. Spoon onto buns and serve with french fries to balance out the healthyness :)
PS-I usually double this recipe so we can have leftovers for lunch the next day

Chicken Squares
Ingredients:
• 2 cups chicken, or turkey, or… cooked, and cut up
• 6 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 1 Tbs. parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbs. butter, melted
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 2 pkgs. Pillsbury crescent rolls
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix first 5 ingredients in mixing bowl.
3. Grease baking sheet
4. Melt Butter in small dish
5. Put bread crumbs in small dish next to melted butter
6. Open crescent rolls and separate each can into 4 rectangles by pressing together triangles at the seams. Each rectangle is mad from 2 triangles. Press seams together well so that the filling will not leak out during cooking.
7. Divide filling onto all 8 rectangles.
8. Pull up corners and pinch side seams together, sealing well.
9. Dip the top of each square first into melted butter, then bread crumbs.
10. Place square onto baking sheet ‘dipped’ side up.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
*This recipe is an excellent way to use holiday leftovers. Serve with a salad.
Taco Bake
1 lb. Hamburger
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
1/2 package Taco Seasoning
1 tube Crescent Roll Dough
8 oz. Sour Cream
1-2 cups Shredded Cheese ( a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar usually works well, although just cheddar works too)
Brown and drain the hamburger. Add the tomato sauce and taco seasoning.
Press 4 crescent roll triangles (half of the tube) into the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Spread the hamburger mixture on top. Cover with sour cream and shredded cheese. Top with remaining crescent rolls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
*If you're feeling adventurous, you can trade out the tomato sauce and taco seasoning for some nice, chunky salsa!*
Italian Bean Soup
1/3 lb panchetta, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cans canallini beans (I use low sodium)
6 cups chicken stock (I use about 4 cans, which is more like 7 cups, but makes a nice big pot of soup)
4 cloves garlic, halved
sprig or two of rosemary (leave whole)
S/P to taste
2 cans Canalini Beans
1 can pinto beans
2 medium carrots, chopped fine
1/2 cup milk
In a large soup pot put drizzle a splash of olive oil. Brown panchetta until golden brown, remove from pan and put on paper towels to drain. Add onions, carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Brown veggies until onion is slightly translucent. If bottom of pan begins to darken, deglaze with about 1/4 cup chicken stock. Add beans, chicken stock, garlic and rosemary. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. If you have an imersion (or stick) blender, use to puree the soup right in the pot. If you don't, then spoon soup into a blender (only fill up half way, it's hot!) and blend soup. Return to pot. Add remaining cans of beans, carrots and cooked panchetta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Just be fore serving, stir in milk. Serve it up with some hot crusty bread for dipping!
It's SO delicious. I've done it without the milk and it is just as delicious. (the original calls for cream.)
Have fun!
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients:
½ cup Real Mayo
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
4 boneless chicken breast
4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs
Combine mayo and cheese. Spread on chicken, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 425; 20 mins or until thoroughly cooked through.
A friend of ours would call it "kid bait". These are all approximate measurements.
Cube 2 C. leftover turkey or chicken
Add 1 C. chopped celery (finely chopped and the kiddies won't know it's in there)
Stir in 1/4 C. mayo and 1 T lemon juice
Place in a baking dish.
Grate 1 1/2 C. cheddar cheese over the top
Place enough crushed potato chips on top to cover the cheese. We like Kettle Brand Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper Chips. Kids tend to love cheese or sour cream and onion chips. All are good and make it interestingly different.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Mexican Chicken Lasagna
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1/4 cup milk
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 can (4 oz) green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced black olives
1 cup (8-10) green onions, chopped
3 cups Mexican cheese blend (cheddar and jack)
1 cup crushed nacho cheese tortilla chips
Heat oven to 350. Cook lasagna noodles and drain. While noodles are cooking, mix next 7 ingredients (soup to garlic powder) in large bowl. In a greased 9x13 pan, layer chicken mixture, olives, green onions and cheese like you would a lasagna, starting with a small amount of the chicken mixture at the bottom before adding noodles. Save largest layer of cheese for the top. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and hot in center. Add crushed chips and cook another 5 minutes until chips get slightly brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
So I make this quicker and easier cheater stuffing using Stove top and this chopped celery and onion with herb mix that they usually sell at Safeway before Thanksgiving. It already has the veggies chopping and mixed with the herbs that would go into stuffing.
• Stove top Stuffing and Ingredients to make
• Stuffing veggie mix with herbs
I sauté the Stuffing veggie mix with the butter that goes with the stuffing (sometimes I add a little more depending on if it looks like enough) Cook 5-6 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables. Then add in the rest of the stuffing ingredients until well mixed and moistened. You may need to moisten the stuffing with chicken broth until all of the bread is soft but not wet. Butter 12 muffin cups (two muffin tins or mini muffin tins) liberally with butter or spray. Use an ice cream scoop to fill and mound up the stuffing in muffin tins. Bake until set and crisp on top, about 10-15 minutes. Remove Stuffin' Muffins to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.
This casserole is so easy, and is liked by everyone. It freezes great, so I'll often make 2, 1 for now and 1 for later, or to pull out if I need to bring a meal to someone.
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, sliced
In a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 min. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and add to sauce mixture. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and onions.
In a greased 3-qt. baking dish, layer half of the pasta and sausage mixture. Dollop with half of the cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
a couple things i do differently are i make the meat actual taco meat with the seasoning then add the cream cheese and of course I use fat free or reduced fat whenever possible! Pofta Buna!

Chili Pie
1lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
1/2 c. salsa
2 - 15 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
1 Tbl chili powder
1 - 8.5 oz box corn bread mix (including the milk and egg) I use the Jiffy box
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook meat and onion over medium heat in an oven safe skillet. Drain the fat. Add the chili powder and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the beans and salsa. Heat to boiling and boil one minute. Prepare the corn bread according to package directions. Stir in cheddar cheese. Remove the chili from the heat and spoon the corn bread batter over top. Place in the oven and cook for 15 - 20 min. until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (If you don't have an oven safe skillet you can always cook it on the stove and transfer the chili to a 9x13 pan, and then spoon the cornbread over top to bake it.)
Posted by Megan at 3:05 PM 16 comments
Labels: recipe
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Jenna quote
In the car Jenna said, "Mom, I can't believe how small Zacheus was! On my new Bible CD it says, 'Zacheus had to take a FLYING LEAF to get up into his chair!" A flying leaf? Oh, a flying leap! Her version of the story makes Zacheus very very small!
Posted by Megan at 4:14 PM 1 comments
Encouraged
Sometimes in the midst of parenting, I loose my focus. I forget my purpose. I get discouraged. I just survive. But in the low times, I fall to God for help and for wisdom and for patience. Praise God who gives these to us freely! The Lord encouraged me and guided me this morning through a wonderful woman named Joy. She spoke at Mom to Mom (a great ministry at Good Shepherd Community Church - if you are a young mom needing encouragement, you should consider checking it out!) this morning and my heart was encouraged, my burden was lightened, my focus was made clear once again. I am so thankful that God takes good care of my heart and my soul. I am back on track, running the race full speed ahead. I LOVE the high calling of following God as a wife and mom!
Posted by Megan at 12:24 PM 1 comments
Labels: God
Thursday, November 05, 2009
quote, elsie's vocab, and pics

Elsie has a pretty cute way of talking right now. She doesn't say her "Js" or her "Th" or "Gs" and a few others too. So, here is a glimpse of how she speaks...

"A boo-boo bunny doh?" (where did the boo-boo bunny go?) "Aah, in da house? it wite der" (is it in the house? It's right there?!)
"da pinedess" a princess
"appo-dase" applesauce
"pinedess you-e-you" (princess ariel)
"de-uh" (jenna)
"two...one...bash...nine...four..." (one, two, three, four, five)

Jenna Quote:
I needed the computer for a moment (Jenna was using it at the time) and so I said, "I'll be done in just a second and then you can play again." And she responded just like this, "Then you will go back to pbs kids dot org slash read?"
Posted by Megan at 12:08 PM 2 comments
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Snow White x 2





Posted by Megan at 7:26 AM 1 comments
Friday, October 30, 2009
His Love
Jenna and I have been doing some home-school pre-school this fall. It is a curriculum that I borrowed from a friend, along with some supplimental material that I find on the internet from sites like this and this. Anyways, yesterday we were learning about the letter D and the word "delight". Our verse was, "God will take great delight in you" from Zepheniah 3. Anyways, I had her go get her blankie, her very very special blankie (the curriculum asked the children to get a special doll, but Jenna cares more for her blankie) and two other blankies from the house. We talked about the differences in the blankets, how some are big and some are small etc etc. Then I asked her which was her favorite. She quickly lunged at her special blankie. I then asked why it was her favorite since it wasn't the most colorful or the biggest or the softest. She said, "Because it is MINE". Exactly. God takes great delight in us because we are His children. My oh my this totally hit home with Jenna. The look on her face was priceless - she truly had a deeper understanding of God's love, and so did I.
Posted by Megan at 2:38 PM 5 comments
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Disney on Ice
Here is a little video from our time at Disney on Ice! As you can see, the girls loved it! And so did Eric :) It was really fun.
Posted by Megan at 7:53 AM 4 comments
Elsie's birthday party





Posted by Megan at 7:45 AM 0 comments
Beach Weekend







Posted by Megan at 7:20 AM 0 comments