Friday, February 26, 2010

Potty Training

Potty training - ughhhhhhhhh!! But I really need to begin, and to be honest I just don't want to deal with it! I had it easy with Emma - she was in full time daycare and her daycare provider basically did it all.  I only had to worry about nights and weekends with her and she was successfully potty trained by 2 1/2.  Hannah is now past that age and we've made little progress! We've started a few times before now and the mornings are always great - I'll take her consistently and she goes, but the afternoons are filled with a bit more craziness with Emma coming home, the girls playing upstairs, me finishing my school work, beginning dinner, cleaning up, etc. etc. and I forget to take her as often as I should.  She's been in pull ups for awhile and has even had her own potty seat for awhile now, but I just keep finding myself giving up in the afternoons!  It's easier to not do it than deal with it!

We really want to put Hannah in preschool next fall twice a week, not only will it be good for my own sanity :) but we really feel like Hannah needs the socialization and extra learning! Both preschools I called recently require the kids to be potty trained so I feel like now I have a goal.  It gives me 6 months to train her, which should be plenty of time to have her ready in time for "big girl school"!  
It's just so tedious! I'll be in the middle of wal-mart and she'll want to go and I'll have to race to the bathrooms and hopefully get there before she does.  And I have to keep pull-ups with me at all times in case she wants to go and we're out.  I normally keep her bag in the truck with wipes and pull-ups and I won't always remember to bring them into a restaurant or store and of course that is when she wants to go! 

But I need to start - she's ready, she's been ready - I just need to make myself ready!

So come tomorrow I hope to make a full, valiant effort in getting her potty trained -wish me luck! Preschool is only 6 months away....

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 "Pops Pizza" in the shape of a heart just for Valentine's Day - better than any fancy dinner reservation out there!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Michael's Slow Cooker Chicken 'n' Dumplings

A few people have requested the recipe for the chicken 'n' dumplings I made the other night so I thought I'd post on here for you all to enjoy!  These are so scrumptious they about beat out my grandmothers recipe (sorry Gramma!) and Matt really liked them and he is not a fan of chicken 'n' dumplings at all.  This recipe comes from my Paula Deen Family Cookbook I got for Christmas and is actually her husbands recipe. It is a bit of work, but so worth it in the end!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
One 3 1/2 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces (I bought a Perdue chicken that was already cut up - made life so much easier!)
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons butter, softened


Directions:
1.  Put the chicken in a 3 to 5 quart slow cooker.  Add water to cover, about 3 cups*.  Add the parsley sprigs, celery, carrots, onion, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and bay leaves.  Cook for 3 hours on high or for 7 hours on low, until the meat falls off the bone.
2.  In a bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk and shortening; stir  the liquid into the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chopped parsley.  Drop the dumplings by tablespoons into the chicken broth.  Cover the slow cooker and simmer on low for 40 to 45 minutes, until tender and cooked through.
3.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a bowl; transfer the chicken to another bowl.  Once its cool enough to handle, separate the chicken meat from the skin and bones and discard the skin and bones.  Strain the broth into a medium saucepan and discard the vegetables.
4.  Mix the butter and the 3 tablespoons flour to form a paste.  Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.  Whisk in the paste and let simmer until thick, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the chicken to the sauce; then spoon the mixture over the dumplings to serve.


Yum! 
*It took me about 6 cups of water to cover my chicken and it seemed to turn out ok!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Accountability

Accountability is so important for many different things.  When I set my New Year's Resolutions, I posted them here not only so I could share my thoughts about what I want to accomplish this year, but so I could be held accountable at anytime in regards to them.  Anyone can ask me, hey how are you coming along in your goal to be happy? Or how's your weight loss going?  It keeps me in check and helps me stay accountable to the goals I've set.  So here's a look at the resolutions I've set and how it's going so far:

1.  The 2010 challenge is going very well.  I have been making time to read my Bible at least 5 days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes.  I usually end up reading about 45 minutes almost every night.  I have finished the book of John and will finish up Proverbs tomorrow night.  It's amazing to me that I believe in Jesus Christ yet never made a valient effort at reading His Word.  Sure, I've tried to read my Bible before, but never made it very far.  This time it's different, I'm fascinate, intrigued, most nights I can't get enough and it has definitely made my relationship with Christ much stronger.

2.  Finish my Associates Degree.  Still working non-stop!  I am still on par to finish September 12, 2010.  If I am able to maintain an A in my math class (where I go up and down one point weekly which keeps me between an A and A-minus), my GPA will go up!  I will probably take a short break after I finish before I start my bachelors program.

3.  Balance.  Balance is my middle name.  I strive for it in everything.  Almost all of my beliefs in almost everything, especially politics, is deeply rooted in balance.  But I still struggle in balancing life as a mother, wife and student.  I have made an effort these last 2 classes to make sure all of my work is done by Friday so it leaves me Saturday, Sunday and Monday to just be a wife and mom.  I don't know if future classes will allow me to do this, but it's definitely be a start in finding the balance I need.

4.  Make time for myself.  .... and moving on.... :)  This is a hard one and one that I haven't been really working on yet.  I do have plans to attend a concert in a few weeks without the kiddos and tried to attend a home party thing but had to cancel due to the snow.  Good thing there is still a little over 9 months left to accomplish this one!

5.  Lose 30 pounds.  Another one I haven't officially started on yet either.  I debated awhile between joining a gym or getting something for our Wii.  I finally decided on using the wii system and after much research have decided on getting EA Active.  I hope to get it very soon!

6.  Be happy.  While I am much more optimistic these days about things I have discovered a few things about what makes me not happy.  Organization, shopping and "me" time makes me very happy.  I NEED things to be organized.  I may not have mopped since last week or cleaned the mirrors in my bathrooms but if things are organized I am a very happy camper!  Shopping provides an instant high but is definitely something I can't count on to make me happy.  Finally "me" time is needed for my sanity.  I go weeks on end without having time to myself and it's sooo draining.  I wake up with the kids and usually go to bed with at least one of them everyday so I never really get time away.

7.  Finances.  Things are definitely than they were even just a year ago.  We are consistently saving and tithing every week.  Saving has been our number one priority lately.  I have a very organized way I budget and pay the bills and this has definitely helped since I started using it last year.  By saving more and spending less, we're definitely doing a lot better.

8.  Relationships.  I've been working on this one slowly and surely.  My Mom, brother and sister all live in the Richmond area and I live about 2 hours from there so working on my relationship with them can be hard but I'm putting in lots of effort.  I try to get together with at least one of them at least once a month.  Now if only I could get them to come my way :)  Things with my Dad are awesome as always. 

Accountability is a good thing.  I'm glad that I posted this because it allowed me to look at my entire list at once again.  There are always some of them in the back of my head (losing weight, finishing school, money) but I forget about the little other ones.  I think I'm doing good so far and plan on ending the year with a completed new years resolution list!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

My Favorite Things

Being snowed in for days on end makes me very bored! So I've created a list of some of my most favorite things! :) Enjoy!

My favorite color - PINK

My favorite movie - Pearl Harbor

My favorite songs of all time - My Savior My God and Jack and Diane

My favorite number - 8 (also my lucky number)

My favorite bible verse - John 15:5 - "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from you can do nothing."

My favorite books - Chase the Goose by Mark Batterson and A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

My favorite people - Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, Paula Deen

My favorite games - Yahtzee and Life for board games and Phase 10, Texas Hold 'Em, and Kings Corner for card games

My favorite animals - giraffes and elephants

My favorite hobby - scrapbooking (who would ever know that since I rarely do it anymore :)

My favorite food - southern/fried food (Paula Deen Ya'll) and Mexican food

My favorite sport - football - a genuine Redskins fan

My favorite way to relax - watching tv, playing on the internet

My favorite season - summer (this is a change - used to be fall)

My favorite restaurants - fast food - chickfila, arby's, wendy's, "sit down" - Cracker Barrell, any authentic Mexican place

My favorite memories - different ones of my kids, summers at my grandmothers as a kid

My favorite music - christian and country

My favorite shows - Survivor, LOST, Brothers & Sisters (these 3 top the list of many "must-see" weekly shows)

My favorite place I've lived - Richmond area (oh, how I'd go back in a second)

My favorite dessert - cheesecake (no fruit topping, yuck!) or vanilla ice cream with peanut butter sauce

My favorite fruit - oranges

My favorite drink - sweet tea

These are all the things I can think of now - don't be surprised if I share more lists as a result of being snowed in and bored to tears!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Recipe Correction

OK, so it's not really a correction, but I meant to add another Chef Heather suggestion to the corn-sausage chowder recipe I posted the other day.  Not only do I use maple flavored sausage but I use an extra half pound to make it a bit meatier (you know how I like my meat!).  I also cut down on the amount of potatoes I throw in as well - anytime I can add meat and toss out veggies, I go for it!  Just kidding, I just found that there were too many potatoes for my taste.  

I made the correction to the original posting so when you refer to it, its all right there!

Enjoy!  It sure would be good these next several snowy days!