Family Fun...

We have decided to make biking and hiking a new family adventure this year. Dad purchased us a new trailer and we tested it out for the first time the other night. We had our first official family bike outing last night and we really enjoyed it! We hope to make it to a couple of state parks this summer to take advantage of the biking and hiking trails offered. If you have any suggestions, leave us a note of recommendation.

Claire and Emily Turn 3!!!

Set and ready for the Swiper scavenger hunt in the basement...

Boy that Swiper sure is a rascal, but the Dora loot

in our backbacks was worth it!

Claire & Emily making their birthday wishes This is gooood stuff!

Can you say SUGAR HIGH!!!

Recipe Share March 12th...

Friday Night Quesadillas: (Thank you King family!)

Advance Prep...
In crock pot: cook 2 chicken breasts on low covering with 1 can chicken broth and 1 pkg Archer Farms (Target) taco seasoning (BEST Mexican seasoning kits on the market!) Once cooked shred with 2 forks and allow to marinate.

At Dinner Time...
In Bowl: Mix 1/2 cup corn and black bean salsa, 1/2 cup Mexi-corn mix (drained), 1/2 cup black beans (rinsed) and 1 cup shredded cheese.

Cooking...
On a hot griddle, sprayed with PAM, lay out 2 tortilla shells. Place white American cheese slices covering 1/2 of each tortilla. Spread chicken on top of cheese slices and then top off with the salsa mixture. Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, allowing the quesadilla to brown on one side before flipping. Cut with pizza slicer and enjoy with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Recipe Share March 11th...

Thursday evening we made dinner and ate with the Alhfeld family in honor of their new bitty baby girl. (Pictures to come... Emily did I leave my camera at your house?) Any way, Emily asked for the recipe of the main dish I made so I figured it was worth sharing with everyone.

Italian Creamy Noodles
(This IS NOT healthy or low fat, but it is um, um good!)

brown 2 chicken breasts on low in 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkling with Good Seasons Italian Drsng seasoning (reserve 2 tbsp of seasoning for sauce)

boil 1/2 pkg of large egg noodles, drain

stir in 2 tbsp of butter until completely melted
stir in 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp remaining Italian seasoning and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

cut chicken and serve over noodles with sides of steamed broccoli and garlic bread

(Recipe can be easily doubled for larger gatherings. I also enjoy sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe. Cook's tip... Kroger's Mediterranean olive bar in their deli has awesome marinated sun-dried tomatoes that are delicious!)

Special Delivery...

Stop Paparazzi!!!

Auntie Kay-Kay hooked a girl up! She sent me a very special package from the Disney store. It contained a Tiana beach towel, glittery flip-flops and bedazzled shades. I was so excited that I immediately changed so I could run through the neighbors' back yards showing all of the big girls my newest fashion statements. (Not sure if the 10-12 year olds appreciated my newest accessories, but they put on that I looked ravishing.) I played in the club house, on the swing set and in the sand box all evening... thank goodness it was 73 degrees!

Mary Lou Reusser Dismounts...

"Fantastic Gymnastics"... If you could read my honorable mention ribbon that's what is says. Wednesday night was my last gymnastics class of the winter season. I sure have enjoyed working with Miss Amy... she's the BEST! She has been so encouraging, helping me with my confidence and coordination. I will try and practice some of my skills in my off season, so I can join back up in the fall.

This Week's Adventure...

Ali-oop! Yeah Baby!
Daddy took us out to eat downtown...
have I mentioned, that he's my best buddy!

Family Fun at the Pacer's Game!

Tuesday night we took Addie to her first professional basketball game. She had a blast! Doug got a great deal on club seats, center court, right next to the pep band. Addie was a hoot clapping and cheering on her hometown team. I can't tell you one player's name, but we really enjoyed ourselves! Again, it is just such a blessing experiencing an event through our daughter's eyes.

Spring's Around the Corner...

Notice the hand on the hip position in 2 of the 3 pictures... I was actually instructed by my 3 year old to, "Wait!" then she posed so I could take her picture. It must have been the Oscar buzz in the air this week, posing for the paparazzi and what not, or we have quite the ham on our hands!

Pretty, Pretty Princess...

My daddy is such a good sport...

But, I'm starting to think he rather enjoys this game...

He's such a ham when he glams!

And the winner is... PRINCESS DADDY!!!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

My buddy Fallyn and I didn't get a whole lot of napping in on Sunday...

However there were healthy doses of giggles and wollering around!

Recipe Share February 25, 2010

Indian Inspired Cuisine...
This is one of our absolute favorite meals. It may seem extensive, but once we got the hang of timing and order to this fabulous feast it is very simple to make. We have been experimenting with various curries and brands at home to try and recreate our favorite sampler platter at the actual Indian restaurant. Here is what we like best:

Meat Trio:
* Chicken Tenders (frozen or fresh) * marinate 24 hours prior to meal in Patak's Tikka Paste and 1 cup plain yogurt, bake in dish with marinade at 400 for 45 minutes
* Salmon (fresh) cook at 400 for 10 minutes, glaze with HOT Mango Chutney, top with thinly sliced fresh lemon and broil for 5 additional minutes
* Shrimp (frozen, raw, tail off, jumbo sized) Thaw according to package. Sauteed in butter until cooked. Mix in remaining HOT Mango Chutney and allow to simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Salad: (Pronounced rye-E-tah) * make 2 hours prior to dinner, allow to chill
2 cups plain yogurt
sliver onion and cucumber (the thinner the better... I actually use the veggie razor)
chopped fresh cilantro

Veggie Side Dish:
Archer Farms (Target Brand) 1/2 cup Coconut Curry Simmer Sauce stirred in with 2 microwave packages of Bird's Eye Broc/Cauli/Carrot Mix

Bread: (Naun)
Arnold Select Sandwich Thins - Whole Wheat, butter both sides, sprinkle lightly with garlic salt blend, grill on both sides on griddle

Serve each of the above mentioned items on one plate. Serve with Uncle Ben's microwave Basmati Rice and a cold beer to wash it down... it's a little spicy!

The Antidote to Worry...

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:26-34 (MSG)

It is amazing the difference a year can make. One year ago, we found ourselves dealing with the loss of Matilda. Tilly would have been 6 months old. I think of her often, but understand that events have transpired since our loss that ease my pain and know that there is a greater good at work in our lives. It has been a long road to get to this place however.

For months I literally worried about my health, having more children, keeping my family together and just surviving daily life. Had this fearful way of living continued it would have strangled my perception and distracted me spiritually. As I began the new year, I knew that I had to let these fears and worries go. This was no easy task for me to begin tackling, but it has been surprisingly liberating.

Right now, God is doing amazing things in our lives every single day. Through God's blessings our marriage is as strong, if not stronger than it has ever been. It has been nothing short of amazing to see God work on both of our hearts. As we work on our marriage we feel, we have become better parents and better people in general. We are more positive and accepting of each other, because we have begun the process of handing everything over to God. Through patience, partnership and prayer, we have accomplished so much as a family.

For Valentine's Day this year, Doug got me an Adventure Book... you know the one Ellie gives Carl in the movie UP! We have a whole new year before us, full of new adventures for our family. We can't wait to share them all with you. Stay tuned!

Happy 50th Birthday Kathy!!!

Mommy & I made Miss Kathy an extra special birthday cake!

WE LOVE YOU KATHY!!!
Thank you for being such a blessing on our lives.

You fill Addie's day with love and laughter!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY

Recipe Share...

Recently I watched Julie & Julia. I do love to cook and entertain, but I am in nooo way ambitious enough to tackle fancy-shamcy recipes that Julie did in emulating Julia Child in one calendar year. Killing lobsters, gutting chickens, decapitating ducks... I don't think so! However Doug and I are trying to tackle several new recipes a month together. It's sort of our in-home date night venture. As we test them out from various sources such as Taste of Home, Better Home & Gardens, Paula Dean and Betty Crocker, we will share with you the ones that we found worth mentioning. I have included our first recipe below. In the future, I will try to take pictures of the meals as well.

Recipe Share Feb 18, 2010

Creamy Celery Beef Stroganoff
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cans condensed crm of celery, undiluted
1 medium onion chopped
1 jar of mushrooms drained (optional... fungus BLAH!)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (8oz) sour cream

Hot cooked egg noodles

In a 3-qt slow cooker, combine the first 7 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until the beef is tender. Stir in sour cream prior to serving over egg noodles.

This recipe is extremely easy and um, um good! It's the perfect winter comfort food meal. I personally think it's the best stroganoff recipe I've ever made. Try it out and leave me some feedback.

New Window Treatment...

Addie isn't the only one who enjoys art supplies in our household. I figured if I was going to look out the window, it should be the scene I've been wishing for for weeks... SPRING! A little sunshine, rainbow and blooming trees to lighten a cold, dreary winter day is just what this home improvement project needed.

Another Baby Shower... Honoring Lark Sarah

Here Anne, let me help you with that...

I've got this gift paper ripping thing down!
My hair is as wild as these animals are...
My mother has decided some battles are not worth fighting!

Granny Leslie was busy once we found out Anne was having a little girl. The kid is gonna be all decked out with the cutest sweaters, hats, blankets and booties.

Over the long weekend we headed home again for another baby shower. Anne and Lane few in from DC... I think Indiana weather felt like a vacation compared to what they have been dealing with on the east coast! It was so great to see so many family and friends gathering in honor of Anne and her daughter Lark.

A Baby Shower Honoring Francesca Lane...

Raise a glass to Franky... bottoms up! This "punch" sure is yummy!

The baby mama - Auntie GiGi

(Mom take this picture so I can have the M&Ms being promised to me!)

We got to talk and play with our pals Lisa and Sophie too!

Happy Half Birthday to Me!!!

It's official, I'm 3 1/2 years old!
Dressed up with no place to go on a snowy February night!

I guess we'll have to indulge just a little bit tonight!

It Was Bound to Happen...

Tonight we got the panicked call down from the playroom, "Mommy! Mommy! I think I need your help! There is something stuck in my nose!" Sure enough part of the pirate ship was stuck up in her snout. Lucky it came out with a few strong blows... crisis averted for today!