Feathering the nest

Nope, not pregnant, but lately I have really been in the mood to decorate my home. We have been living in this house almost a year and many photos were hung. When we go the entertainment center, all 37 photos had to be taken down, the holes patched, and the paint touched up. It has been hard to get in the mood for that again -- until now. Maybe it is that I've been at friends' homes who had everything looking ready for the magazine photo shoots or that I just need a creative outlet. Yesterday, I got four pictures off the dining table and onto a wall. Will was so proud to help me -- it is such a huge help, of course, to hand me a nail when I'm ready for it. Okay, he wasn't a huge help, but I let him think I couldn't do it without him, and he was so happy to assist me. Then Allen go home, and I set him to working on the big wall of photos while I made dinner. If it looks tough, well, it wasn't easy, but they are in the same positions as they were on the other wall. To do it, I taped several large pieces of cardboard together and laid out the frames (on the floor) until I liked the arrangement. When I had everything where I wanted them, I traced each frame and marked an X where the nail would go. I also jotted a note of who was in the photo so I'd remember which went where. Then we centered the cardboard on the wall and started putting nails in the Xs, took the cardboard down, hammered the nails in and hung the photos. I was so, so lucky I still had the board in the garage from the last time we hung them all, so most of the work was already done. I love the arrangement -- just a collage of 7 generations of our families (our kids aren't on there, but Allen & I are). Today I got brave and ventured to Hobby Lobby with the four kids. It wasn't too bad since I did eventually convince Will to sit in the cart (I mean race car, wink wink) and the triplets were in the circus train. After awhile, my arms ached from steering one-handed, but such is life. I found a few things, but there were some places I couldn't get to without risk of breaking things, so I'll go back without kids sometime soon. I did get a bunch of fake ferns for on top of the entertainment center, but with the other things and Will in the cart, it got crowded. I put all the ferns around him in the seat which made him mad at first. Then I explained to him that he was sort of camouflaged, like a tiger hiding in the jungle stalking his prey. That was all it took for him to have a blast the rest of the time. He would duck low behind the leaves every time we were near someone. Then he would jump up and roar. I'd roll my eyes and chuckle. It was pretty funny, but it kept him from being cranky. My other trick -- Teddy Grahams. They work every time, but now anytime we are in a store Jon will sign cookie, say "cah-ker" (cracker) and do this pouty nod that says to me, "I know you have them." It is rough when I don't have them, but today I did. All four kids were happy with their graham crackers. And Will was especially nice since I bribed him with McDonalds for lunch.

After we left the jungle, we packed up the car and headed for the drive thru at Micky-D's. We had never had the chicken strips before, and they were pretty tasty. I had a salad, everyone else had chicken and apples. That's about as healthy as it gets at McDonald's, but I was getting tired of PB&J. When we got home, we had an early lunch and all the kids took naps while I played with the decor. It still needs something, but I'm not sure what. We'll have to go through our photos and trinkets and see what will fit. Tonight, I will try to convince Allen to help me hang our photos in our room and bathroom. Next, I want to start thinking about decorating kids' rooms, but first I have to get all our pictures off my dining room table and on the walls.

Here is a picture of the entertainment center. Notice the little TV - I think it's cute, but the furniture delivery guys looked at me strangely when I told them that was the TV going on the shelf. One of these days we'll get the bigger one ordered, but I want the blinds up first. Maybe that's what I'll work on tomorrow.

100th Post!

Wow, I have actually kept it up! When I started this blog late last December, I wasn't sure if it would be something that turned boring. Nope, I can definitely say it is now part of my routine, and when I am away from the computer, I go find paper and pen to write the things I want to blog. It is also exciting to me that the 100th blog post and 3000th visitor happened at the same time, so thanks to all of you readers for making that number jump. It is always fun to see who is reading. Since I was never very convincing about getting readers to leave comments, I put on a live feed. Now I can see people from many states read about my crazy life, and Allen pointed out that now my stories are read internationally too. I don't know how many people find The Update, but when I do find out, it always fascinates me -- sort of like the 6-degrees of separation game.

Yesterday was my blah day. I was tired and cranky all day, and I was guilt-ridden for desparately wanting to escape the whiney kids. We did break out of the house for a few minutes to run to Best Buy for a new DVD player and some computer cables. It was great to get out. I have a had a flat tire on the van for over a week, and I have stayed home for about 2 weeks straight. It has been too hot to play outside, and the cabin fever finally caught up to me.

This morning I dragged my butt out of bed, and plodded up to get the babies. I passed Will on the way up, looking about like he does every morning when I get up: laying on the couch, not quite awake, watching the Magic School Bus on TV. I snapped a picture of that, and then headed up to greet the little ones. I meant to take a photo, too, but in my pre-coffee state of mind, I forgot. Here is a triple good morning for you. (If you listen VERY carefully, you might here Maddie saying "oo-ssah?" as she points to the camara. That is her say of saying "What's that?")

ETA: No children were harmed during the making of this film. Jon head-butted (aka: kissed) the mic on the camera, and I didn't realize how bad it sounded until I saw the video.

Ping Pong Sheriffs

Today Will and I went to the library while Allen stayed home with napping babies. Last time, we were too crunched with the wagon and trio, so I've been looking forward to having an opportunity to go with just Will. We searched the children's section for "just the right one" and left with 6 or 7 books for Will, 3 movies, and 2 novels for me. Will wanted to find some books he could read himself, and I think we found some Seuss-style books he will enjoy. He also really wanted a Star Wars kids book. Since I couldn't find an updated card catalog or search computer, I suggested he ask the librarian to help him. He politely waited his turn to talk to her, and asked her, "Please, would you mind helping me find a kids Star Wars book?" I was nearly tearing up with pride he was so incredibly polite as he stood on his toes and tipped his nose up to peek over the counter at her. She used her computer to search and gently told him that they did have one, but some one had it checked out. She put it on request for him and then took him and showed him an audio book they had (she did ask me if we had a tape player first.) He was excited to get the kind of book that we explained he could read along with and it would tell him when to turn the pages.

As we left the librarian told us we should check out the party that the library was hosting at the park next door . Since Will hadn't played at that park before, we had to stop and try out each of the obstacles. I was impressed that the see-saws had half tires buried in the dirt so that the seat never crashed to the ground. Even when I tried to land hard, it was only a soft bounce. Why don't all parks do that? At the "party" the kids summer reading group had a hotdog cookout and Old West re-enactors. Will was startled away from the slide with the gun pops as the Texas Ranger "shot" the bad guy. So we wandered over for him to check out the cowboys. As we headed that way, Will asked me if they were going to play ping-pong. I was confused and asked him why they would do that. "All sheriffs, should play a good game of ping-pong, Mama," he confidently explained to me with the You-should-know-this look. Sometimes its easier to agree than ask for an explanation, so I bit my lip, held back the grin, and nodded, "Absolutely!"

When we got to the four actors, they were explaining gun and bullet safety to the children. Big Kate, a hefty woman in a saloon get-up, came and introduced herself to Will. He shook her hand and asked, "What are you?" She grinned at me and had the twinkle in her eye that immediately told me she hadn't ever had to explain her persona to a child. She was quick and creative, though, and I give her kudos for that.
"Wah, Will, sir, I am a sal-oon woh-man."
"What's that?"
"Hmmm. Way-ell, that is whar the men come to pla-uh caads. Do you pla-uh caads, Will?"
He looked down and shook his head no.
"Oh come aahn, Aa'm shoa you pla-uh Go Fish or Old Maid."
"Oh yeah, I've played that."
"That's whaat Aa do."
She winked and grinned at him, and as a feather blew off her black boa, she snatched it out of the air and handed it to Will.
"Next time I come here, I'll bring my black cowboy hat," he told her, then quickly added, "Hey, do you play ping-pong?"
"A little, but Aa'm not as good as you aare. Do you play?" (the odd accent was there sometimes, a mix between Old South and Texas twang, she tried hard to keep her persona, but realized the little kids couldn't understand the accent so she'd switch.)
"No. I never did."

After a few more gun-fights, a couple of rides on the slides and swings, and a hotdog, we headed back to the car to come home. He was telling me as we walked that she was a Claire-girl. I still don't understand that either, but he patiently explained to me that a Claire-girl wore a purple cowgirl hat and played ping pong better than the bandits. Where is this coming from???!!!

When we got home and told Daddy all about the adventures, I took Allen aside and tried to retell him about the ping-pong obsession. Allen laughed at me like I was silly NOT to know all about it. Then Allen told me he and Will saw an episode of the BackYardigans where it was an old-west theme and rather than the gun shoot-outs, they had ping pong battles. The sheriff came to save the day by being better at ping-pong than the bandits. Although Allen said he thought it was Uniqua, not Claire, who was the sheriff. Will agreed that it was Uniqua. I shook my head -- of course, Mama, you should KNOW these things.

Will told me, "Mama, I had a great time. Thank you for taking me." I love the days when his manners shine and so far this has definitely been one of them.

PS - don't forget I write this blog for me to remember. I am not trying to brag about his manners, but rather write about the good times so that on a bad day I can read it and be a little hopeful.

Hobbies collide

Oh, boy, am I in trouble. . . look at this.

Do you know what this is?? It is not candy or a sweet roll, but it is more dangerous to me than they are. I have just found out that my absolute favorite scrapbook paper line, Basic Grey, is now fabric, too. ARG! I haven't had my sewing machine out since we moved a year ago. Last time I made quilts was the summer of 2006 when I made each of the triplets a quilt. Now, I find out this is happening and I wish I could just UNknow it.

Hobbies are something I always have plenty of desire for, but I am not always good about making time or space for them. Some of my past hobbies were fun for awhile, but then I moved on to something else. When I was a kid, my granddad got me interested in collecting stamps (I still have all my collections.) Then I loved dolls but since I couldn't afford the beautiful collectible dolls (a 10-year-old's allowance doesn't go that far), I collected the pictures of the dolls; pitiful, really, I'd trim them neatly out of magazines, then find the perfect color of paper to glue them onto, then I'd put them in my collection -- a 3-inch 3-ring binder, and yes, it was full. That was probably the goofiest hobby I remember having. During college, I was really into miniatures. I always wanted a Victorian dollhouse, but I never had the room for it. I found some dollhouse furniture at a garage sale and scooped it up for a dollar. I created all things small, including hand painting beads to be Christmas tree ornaments. I remember making my friend Norla a scrapbook about our high school days, and thinking, "this scrapbooking stuff is ridiculous. Why would anyone go get all this commercially-produced stuff?"

The joke was on me, that's for sure. I still think a little Stickles pixie overheard that, giggled evilly and waved her glue stick at me and zapped me with glitter. Sure enough, I got hooked. Who would've known I'd eventually be so hooked I had to move out of the house with all my supplies. Jennie and I opened Chasing Rainbows Scrapbook Store in 2004, and I was in heaven. Will was about 9 months old when we were opening it, and I remember Mom calling me on the phone to ask, "How is the baby?" I was a bit confused since she always called him Will, not baby. Then she said she meant the other baby -- the shop. I had to quit working there in August of 2006 when I was pregnant with the triplets, they were born, they came home and had to be away from germs, then we moved. That means I am coming up to about 2 years of being away from the shop and yes, I miss it a lot. Jennie and I talk regularly, but it is hard to be as passionate about scrapbooking as I was when I could share it with people every day. I think that's what I loved more than anything -- the people. So if you are one of those people I knew from Chasing Rainbows, I miss you, too.

Sometime just before I was pregnant with Will, Norla convinced me to take a quilting class. I always wanted to learn, so it didn't take too much hassling on her part. It didn't take long until I was burning the midnight oil whirring my Singer with a hot iron next to me. That summer, when I was pregnant and not engineering, the owner of the quilt shop asked me if I'd be interested in helping during the summer while her employees were on vacation. I said sure. Allen joked that that was probably how they converted me to their religion. Turned out he was right. I was really enjoying quilting and it was a passion. I worked with Debbie at Lillie's Classic Quilts off and on, as needed, until about a month after we opened Chasing Rainbows.

So now what are my hobbies? I still love to read, but I think that's the only hobby-constant my whole life. I still love to scrapbook. Now I cut out pictures of my little dolls and mount them on pretty papers (hmmm, is that where that hobby was heading?). I have started piddling around with digital scrapbooking, but my fingers itch to dive into the pile of Basic Grey papers on my desk. My little secret. . .in the mail, on the way, is a book about making creatures out of socks. Hehehe. Now it's not a secret, but I am excited to see the book. I may have to get the sewing machine out, after all.

Birthdays, Vacations, and Chicken in a Bag

In a Bag. . . that's my theme for the day. Somedays I do just a little bit here and there and don't feel very, well, accomplished. I know, I know, I can just look at my children and feel accomplished, . . . but only if they are sleeping (hehehe). Today, I am feeling accomplished. I have just received four emails stating that my packages are on the way. What packages? The birthday gifts for the triplets, the birthday gift for my niece, the birthday gift for Will, and a Christmas gift for my niece. Seeing that I won't need any of wrapped until October, November, and December, I feel really great. Yup, the gifts are in the mail. . . soon to be in the bag.

I have also found time to finish planning our vacations. Allen and I are heading to New Hampshire and Maine for our anniversary. The flights and B&B are booked, but I need to get tickets for a bluegrass concert and for a scenic rail trip. I have everything I need to do that & I am hoping for a few quiet minutes at naptime to accomplish that. It seems when I pick up a telephone, all h3ll breaks loose: the house bricks start falling, someone makes me think an ER trip is in the planning stages, and the dog starts hacking up little toys or loose change. So, I am hopeful about the phone calls, but realistically, it may not happen until Allen is home. New England vacation. . . in the bag.

We have been planning another trip for October, and I finally made a decision and booked the hotel. The flights are arranged, and now I need to make the phone calls for dinner reservations. Cross your fingers or pray that we can get the ones we want. I am not sharing all the details yet, but I need to go find my Mouseket-EARS. DON'T TELL WILL! The things that haven't been done yet, well, they don't matter a whole lot. We know we are going, we have a way to get there, and we have a place to stay. Everything else can work itself out, even if it isn't what we had in mind. Secret trip . . . in the bag.

Here is a favorite meal of ours. It is uncreatively named Chicken in a bag. This is another recipe that is in my Super Suppers cookbook. It has my doodled stars all over it – yes, I LOVE this recipe. It is full of flavor and is so easy to put together. When we do meal prep days we do everything except cook it. Just be sure to put it in another bag, too, so the roasting bag doesn’t get torn in the freezer. When you are ready to have it, thaw chicken in the refrigerator for two days then proceed with cooking directions. Change it up by using your favorite spices; we’ve enjoyed adding juniper berries, rosemary, oregano, or basil, I forget what else -- if you like it, just try it.

Roasted Chicken (6-8 servings)

1 5-7 lb. roaster chicken
2 TB. Vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. black pepper
1 large oven cooking bag
1 16-oz bag of peeled baby carrots
1 lb. new potatoes (small red potatoes) – use the ones in the produce section, not canned
1 12-oz package of celery sticks
1 large onion, sliced
½ C. chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse cavity of chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Prepare cooking bag according to manufacturer’s directions. Place chicken in bag. Rub outside of chicken with oil, sprinkle on salt, thyme, and pepper. Surround chicken with carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions. Add stock to bag and close bag according to manufacturer’s directions. Place cooking bag with chicken and veggies on large baking sheet. Bake for 1 ½ hours until chicken reaches 160F, the remove from oven. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Jumbalaya Recipe

This is one of our favorites now. The original recipe called for shrimp instead of cod, but Allen is allergic to shrimp. A short discussion with the lady at the fish counted pointed us toward the cod, and we loved it. Use shrimp instead or leave the cod out if you aren’t in the mood for the seafood, but it does add a nice flavor without being overly fishy. We usually double the recipe and add cod to half. It freezes well, so then we have two different tasting dishes with no added effort. If you don’t have time for all the veggie prep, look in the frozen vegetable section for a bag of frozen diced onions or you might be lucky enough to find the bag of a mix of celery, onion, and green peppers. I prefer the fresh versions, but the frozen will work well, too. Instead of chopping the fresh tomatoes, you can use canned without changing the flavors much. If you don’t normally have bay leaves in your pantry, it’s worth investing in some for this recipe.

Jumbalaya (6 servings)

2 TB vegetable oil
½ lb. andouille or other smoked sausage (Allen prefers the andouille (spicy), but I like the other), chopped
1 ½ C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery
¾ C chopped green bell pepper
2/3 C. chopped cooked ham
2 tsp. minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. tomato sauce
1 ½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp Tobasco sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
3 bay leaves
½ C. chopped green onion
Creole seasoning (we like Tony Cachere’s)
1 lb. cod, cut to bite-sized pieces (optional)

Preheat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, ham, and garlic to pot and sauté about 5 minutes. Add chicken and stir for another minute. Add tomato, broth, tomato sauce, salt, Tobasco, pepper, bay leaves, and green onion. Cook 15 minutes, stirring often. Season to taste with Creole seasoning. Add cod and cook until fish is done (easy to pull apart). Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve over cooked white rice.

Yet ANOTHER bathroom story

Story One:
The babies, Will, and I were having fun in the playroom. Will, the play boss, tells me what we will play:
Mama, let's play McDonalds?
How?
Well, let's play Happy Meal. You be the chicken, I'll be the Power Ranger.
How do I play like I'm a chicken nugget? Can I put barbeque sauce on and take a nap?
Mama, you're weird.

Story Two:
Will and I were upstairs. I was vacuuming (yes, I can now say I have done that once) and he was getting the toys off the floor. The triplets were all safely in the pen downstairs watching Baby Einstein.
(Here is where I start making suppositions since I wasn't actually there to see it all.)
Ben figured out how to twist a doorknob and opened the door to the bathroom.
Ben entered the bathroom and was followed by Maddie & Jon.
Someone shut the door.
Someone opened the cabinet and got the toilet brush out.
Someone got out 4 towels.
Someone tried scrubbing the potty.
Someone tried drying the potty with a towel (yes, the inside).
Someone tried using another towel. . .
. . . .and another. . .and another.
Someone tried brushing his hair with the bowl brush.
Someone tried hugging all the wet towels.
Someone tried pouring all the water out of the bowl onto the floor.
Three someones tried to get out of the bathroom but couldn't.
Three someones started hollering for mama.
Mama ran to see why the little ones were crying.
Will said "I didn't do it."
Babies got a new set of clothes.
Part of the upstairs was vacuumed today.
The bathroom got cleaned. . . and mopped. . . with four wet towels, and another dry one.
Thanks a bunch, guys. You are such a big help!

Don't you ever do that again.

Pot au Feu Recipe

I am not sure why this wasn't just called a stew, but maybe because a stew simmers and this is boiled. Nonetheless, it made a tasty dish. I checked out a cookbook called the 8-Week Cholesterol Cure because we are trying to pay more attention to what we are eating and the effects it has on our health. This is a French boiled dinner, and I just liked saying I was finally making something French (other than toast or fries). This recipe is what I did based on one in that book.

Pot au feu (6 servings)

1 bag baby carrots, cut in half (1" long)
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (rutabaga would work, too, if you can't find turnips)
2 C. shredded cabbage (I used slaw mix)
2 onion, cut into 8 wedges each
1 leek, washed and cut into 1" lengths
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or more to taste)
1 14-oz can stewed tomatoes
1/2 lb. smoked ham (96% fat-free) , cut into 1/2" chucks
1/2 lb. lean stew beef, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 C. cooked navy beans (or drained canned beans)
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 qts. chicken broth

In a large pot, put everything except the beans, chicken, pepper and fresh parsley. Cover with broth. Slowly bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, adding water to keep level constant. Add beans and chicken and simmer until shicken is done (around 10 minutes). Season with pepper and stir in parsley.

This recipe had enough prep work that we doubled it, but then I had to use two pots to cook it. If you are used to a regular beef stew, this isn't that much different since the turnips or rutabagas have the consistency and taste similar to a potato but not as starchy. It was a nice change for us, and it was easy to feed the babies by just giving them the veggies and meat without the "soupy" parts.

Lazy Day

I had plenty that should've been done today, but I chose to play instead. I am excited to figure out how to make my digital pages look inked. Leave a comment if you want to see credits for the elements I used.Sometimes fewer words can say more. Here is my first installment of Happiness Is. . . I have many more to finish, but it can be challenging to pick the one word and three photos to define Happiness.

I know I'm behind on recipes. Not because they weren't good, but because we had a left-over meal last night. I'll catch up this weekend.
Have a great weekend

Official Report: Prisoner Escapes

It was naptime and I was updating the blog. . . .

Giggle, giggle, heehee, heehee, giggle

WAHHHH! WAHHHH! WAHHHH! WAHHHH!

Guess who climbed out of the crib??

Tell me who is reading and leave your guess in the comment section.

Cute Little Strippers --- LIVE!!

Today after naps, I went in to get the babies and was surprised by the sight that greeted me. Ben was completely naked, swinging his blanket over his head, jumping on his bed, and showing me his, um, . . . beep-beep (that's what he calls it.) I have gotten to where I put pants on both Jon and Ben at nighttime and nap time and snap their onesies on top of them so they can't get to the diapers (like with tights on little girls). However, Ben figured out how to unsnap the four snaps, take off the shirt and pants, and undo the diaper. All of the clothes were on a heap on the floor as he danced giddily on the wet sheets. It was cute in a not-so-cute kind of way. I got the other two changed before I dressed him and stripped the sheets.


Jon has discovered a neat trick that really makes us wonder what he will be when he grows up. When he has shorts on, be can reach into the leg of the shorts, do a little jig, and proudly yank out the diaper with one hand. He is thrilled to perform this antic, but it reminds me of those male dancers who yank their shorts off just as fast. I've never watched a real performance, just the mocked dances on television, so I might be wrong.

Maybe I should rename those two Chip & Dale and get them matching bow ties.

Digital scrapbooking

Although I did get another 8 meals packed up today, I like to make time to dawdle. I have been blog hopping and was inspired by a technique on the Digitreats site. It didn't take too long, and I love the way the words are part of the picture. This was one of my favorite photos from Memorial Day.

Here is another page I did last week with more favorite pictures. I am really enjoying the simplicity of digital scrapping since I don't have to clean off my desk to do it.

Blackened Chicken Salad

Last night we had another great dinner that we preassembled this weekend. Like yesterday's recipe, this is from Top Secret Recipes Lite. According to the book this is how Applebee's restaurant makes their Low-fat Blackened Chicken Salad, but I made a few changes so I won't call it that anymore.

The hardest thing about cooking this meal was that all three babies were screaming their lungs out -- VERY frustrating, especially when combined with a hot and smoky kitchen (due to the blackening.) Allen was a sweetie and took care of the chicken while I assembled salads. When I premade the meal, I put the chicken and marinade in a 1-gallon ziplock bag. In another little bag, put the dry spice rub. Put both of those bags in another 1-gallon bag and freeze it for when you are ready to have the meal. Rather than putting all the ingredients in the recipe for the salad part, we just grabbed what we had in our fridge, but I'll list below what I used. For the dressing, I made a double batch and store it in the refrigerator.

The babies are not into salads yet, but they still had a healthy meal, too. On their trays were little piles of cabbage, tomato, cheese, meat, and I cooked some edemame for them to eat, too.

Low-Fat Blackened Chicken Salad (2 VERY large servings, was enough for all 6 of us)

Dressing - combine these in order
1/4 C. low-free mayo
1/4 C. dijon mustard
1 TBSP. prepared mustard (we used French's)
1/4 C. honey
1 TBSP. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. paprika

Chicken marinade - combine and marinade chicken overnight.
1 C. chicken broth
3 TBSP. lime juice
2 TBSP. soy sauce
1/2 TBSP. Worcestershire
2 large chicken breast fillets

Spice Blend - combine in bowl or zip bag
1/2 TBSP salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper

Preheat iron skillet over med/high heat and preheat grill. Sprinkle spice blen on chicken covering the entire surface. Melt 1/2 tsp. butter in hot pan and saute chicken 2-3 minutes per side. Sover with more of the spice blend. (Go silence on the smoke alarms.) Grill chicken 2-3 minutes per side until done. Slice chicken to 1/2" strips and serve over salad with dressing.

Salad (divide among plates)
1 bag of salad greens with veggies
1/2 C. shredded cabbage
1/2 C. shredded carrots
1/2 C. shredded low-fat mozzerella cheese
1/2 C. shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 large tomato diced

We all really enjoyed this recipe, and I can't wait to have it again. It was a fresh salad and great for a summer day, but the chicken made it meaty enough I wasn't starving later. The spice blends well with the honey-dijon dressing for explosive taste. Enjoy!

Gardenburger Recipe

I checked out a few cookbooks at the library last week and several of the recipes we tried this weekend were from those books. So far we have had two winners for the Top Secret Recipes Lite. with several others in that book left to taste. I think this is the same type sold in the frozen food section at the grocery store, so we may go that route next time just to compare.

The Gardenburger recipe was a lot of work for us since we have a itsy bitsy food processor. However, they were tasty, so I would take back some of those bad words I was saying when I had the pasty goop all over my hands and had to fill and empty the bowl a dozen times. We made a double recipe and everything worked out okay in the end. I recommend you have margarita ingredients on hand if you only have a little food processor -- you might get as grumpy as I need and need the "break."

Garden Burger Veggie Patties (makes 6 patties)

2 TBSP Bulger wheat (we found it near the flour at the store)
1 LB. mushrooms, quartered
1 C. diced onion
1/2 C. rolled oats
2/3 C. cooked brown rice
1/2 C. shredded low-fat mozzerella cheese
2 TBSP shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
2 TBSP low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash of pepper
2 TBSP corn starch
olive oil cooking spray

1. Add 1/4 C. boiling water to wheat in small bowl and let set about an hour.

2. Add 1/2 C. water to oats and let them soak until soft (about 10 minutes.)

3. Steam mushrooms about 10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Steam onions about 15 minutes until translucent. Keep separate from mushrooms, but set aside.
5. Drain excess water from wheat and oats, then combine wheat, oats, rice, mushrooms, cheeses and spices in a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times until ingredients are chopped fine but not pureed. You want it to be coarse with some chunks.
6. Pour mixture in bowl with onion and corn starch and mix well.
7. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, and set large skillet over medium/low heat.
8. Spray skillet with olive oil spray. Make patties (1/2 cup flattened to 1/2" thick). Cook patties 2-4 minutes per side until light brown on surface.
9. After skillet cooking all patties, arrange them on lightly sprayed baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes in oven turning over half way through cook time.

Serve immediately on bun with burger condiments, tomato, onion, lettuce & pickle. After cooking, they can be frozen, too. To reheat, thaw completely, spray skillet, and cook each patty 3-4 minutes per side or grill until hot.

These were very tasty and healthy, too. 135 cal per patty, 3 g. fat.

Time for some cookin'

Since we've been travelling more than normal lately, we have let our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer supplies deplete. Now it's time for a refill. I started working on a menu and grocery list on Monday, and on Tuesday I was pleasently surprise to get the Albertson's grocery flier in the mail. Usually it is scanned quickly and trashed, but I saw that they were doing a big "Buy One Get One Free" sale and was thrilled. In case you are new to my blog, we cook only once in a while, but then we cook a lot. I planned for 31 meals -- that gets us through at least 6 weeks since there are leftovers, we eat out occassionally, and sometimes we are out of town. I prepared to get as much for my dollar as I could, and that took only a bit more planning. With my mega-list in hand, I loaded the kids in the car, and drove to the store where Allen met me after work in his car.

Together we had two carts each with two kids. Two hours later, we went through two check-out lanes, and we loaded two cars and headed home. In all we spent $443.88 and saved $216.50 just from the sales. I found it funny that we only paid $1.51 in sales tax for the freezer bags that I store our meals in -- everything else was food, mostly produce and around 40 pounds of meat. It took a long time to put everything away when we got home, but we finished.

What do we do with all of it? Allen and I spend a weekend cooking and freezing so that all we do on a daily basis is thaw, heat, then eat. Since all of the recipes are new to us, I won't post the recipe until we know if it is worth sharing, but here is our task list (aka: menu.)

Done today - 19 meals
2 meals - Blackened chicken salad & dressing (I will blacken chicken for 2 meals, but we always have salad stuff on hand.)
3 meals - Gardenburger patties
2 meals - Brazilian beef and black bean casserole
2 meals - Salmon packs (salmon steaks, veggies, & spices)
3 meals - Sweet & Sour pork
3 meals - Chicken dijon
2 meals - Chicken a la Provencal
2 meals - Roast Chicken in a bag

To work on tomorrow
2 meals - Creole bean patties (eaten as sandwich)
2 meals - Beef & veggie 5-spice stir fry
3 meals - Stay-in-bed stew
3 meals - Pot au feu
2 meals - Pasta Primavera with Chicken

We had the garden burgers tonight -- a vegetable and whole grain patty that we ate like a burger (on a bun, with tomato, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mayo, etc.) They turned out very tasty, so I'll share that recipe tomorrow. Now I am going to get a drink and sit down with Allen and watch Iron Chef America.

In the Bathroom - another story

I may give up on this before the weekend hits. Imagine, if you can:

1. Three little potties lined up by the sink (2 with whiz-gaurds, 1 without.)

2. Jon took his dirty diaper off in the crib, then peed

3. Since it was already off, I sit him on a whiz-gaurded throne

4. I go back for Maddie and was just going to change her, but she wants to "pobby" too (that's her pronunciation of potty)

5. Ben was dry, he would stay dressed

6. Oops, Ben notices Jon and Maddie sitting bare-butt

7. Ben tries to take off his clothes, gives up and just sits . . . on Jon

8. Jon shoves Ben off his lap and stands up

9. Jon, completely naked, bends over to back into the step-stool, looking through his legs to see where it is until his bottom touches the stool

10. Maddie climbs over her potty armrest and steps into the bowl of Jon's pot and stands up

11. Ben stands inside Maddie's seat

12. I undo Ben's diaper and set him on a gaurded seat

13. I get everyone seated in the proper positions

14. Ben says "bee-bee?"

15. I mistake that for "pee-pee" and smile and enthusiastically say "Yes! Pee!"

16. All three start pushing their belly-buttons enthusiastically singing "beep-beep! beep! BEEEEP!! Yay! beep! Yay-yay!"

17. The boys find their lower button "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Yay-yay! BEEP!"

18. I try again, "No. . .lets all go pssss"

19. All three hiss like snakes, "SSSSSS! Yay! SSSS!"

20. Four minutes have passed since Jon first sat down, but this is exhausting. I give up all too easily and spend ten minutes getting them all dressed.

21. Three adorable little toddlers whine and cry because I won't let them get back in or on the potty chairs. Too bad . . . so sad . . . get over it . . . let's go eat.

In the Bathroom

Allen came home for lunch yesterday. Later he told me that he and Will had this conversation in the bathroom:


Daddy what's wrong with you?
What? Nothing.
What happened to your clothes?
Oh! My Nomex? I'm still wearing clothes under here. It's what I wear when I go in the plant.
Why do you wear those when you go in the refinery?
To keep me safe.
From what? [with a big puzzled look]
From fire.
Oh. . . . . . . Daddy, why do you need to go to work?
You tell me. . . why do I need to go to work? [expecting him to give me the answer we've told him - to get money]
They don't give you money at work. [very serious; adult voice]
They don't?!
You get money from the machine!
What machine?? [baffled]
That machine - you go up to it and type in with the buttons and the money comes out. That's where you get money. Not at work.
Oh! [laughing] Daddy gets money from work and then he puts it in the machine so he doesn't have to carry it around with him all the time. Then when he needs more, he goes to the machine and gets some out.
OK.
Now leave me alone I'm peeing.

Back to normal?

Allen was back to work today after having all of last week off. Now I'm pouting. I miss him already. I love having him around all day, not just for the help, but I enjoy being with him more than anyone else in the whole wide world.

Start, start, start -- finishes are not in today's forecast. Today, I started the laundry, pulling it all from the suitcases. I started a grocery list since we seem to have nothing . . . even the freezer is ready for a refill, so I need to start menu planning again, too. I've gone through all the mail, and now I am ready for another vacation.

Just for something new, I took the kids to the library -- the first time in this town since I didn't want to juggle four kids and try to keep them quiet. Well, quiet they were NOT. Cute they were, so I think the librarian may let us come back sometime.

It was just a bit uncomfortable at the library since the building wasn't much bigger than the wagon I pulled the kids in, but we left with 7 books, 3 movies, a library card, and (let me check) yes, all four kids, and I still had my sense of humor, too.

Since I was already on the same block and the little ones were in the wagon, we walked down the street for a tour of the local YMCA fitness facility.

Since we were at our parents' last week I got to read some of the comic strips I haven't read in ages. Some were clipped for me, but I was inspired to get online and read the archives of some of my favorites. These are some I thought should go on my fridge, just as reminders that I am not alone . . . I know some of you readers can relate.

Happy Independence Day!

I couldn't resist the pretty American flag dress I found for Maddie. Then, of course, guilt set in, and I bought outfits for all the boys, too. So I had little Mr. Americas and little Miss America and I HAD to get photos. The best smile we got from Jon was when we all made funny faces, but that won't be posted because Allen and I looked rediculous. Will is the tall blonde (age 4 1/2), the babies are 20 months. Jon is wearing the white, Ben the navy, and Maddie is in the pigtails and dress.
It was a wonderful day! The kids splashed in a pool for awhile, then we tried to get everyone to nap before the parade (failed attempt). At 5, we went and watched Papa in the parade. The kids enjoyed it and the adults prayed the storm would wait until the end. The thunder and firetruck sirens drowned out any yelps of joy my kids may have had, but Will waved enthusiastically at the paraders, and the little ones watched and pointed the noisy line of cars and wagons while they stuffed animal crackers in their mouths. The raindrops started falling while we headed back to the car. We waited out the storm in the UNquiet of home while the guys did the grilling. After dinner, the babies were so tired we cleaned them up and put them in bed. Allen's parents stayed with them while Jason and Jenn and Allen and I took Will back for the Melissa festivities. Will got to sit in a firetruck, check out a medivac chelicopter, play in the bounce house, and try out some of the inflatable obstacle courses. We sat and watched a great fireworks display, but I was disappointed not to get to hear the Star Spangled Banner. I love to hear that song and it always brings tears to my eyes because it remeinds me how very blessed I am to be an American! After the show, we walked back to the car and Will was in for an awesome surprise. . . the helicopter was taking off right in front of us. Thankfully we thought to stand behind a fence so we didn't get hit by the orange cones that blew around when it lifted, but we still had to cover our eyes to keep the sand out. To Will, it was "AWESOME!"

July memories

The fourth of July has such happy memories for me. . . the American flag, parades, family, cookouts with watermelon and corn, facepainting, fireworks, and my favorite song "The Star Spangled Banner".

When I was living in Pittsburgh as a kid, the 4th of July meant ice cream sandwiches. Mom and Dad can tell you lots of stories about me running away from fireworks as a kid, and yes, I remember that too. But I also remember that when my family would watch fireworks (or in my case, run) we always, ALWAYS, went to the icecream truck for an icecream sandwich. Maybe mom didn't buy them in the store since they weren't nutritious enough, but as far as I knew, that creamy vanilla ice cream sandwiched by chocolate wafers only came out of the blue and white truck that cranked out Jingle Bells from its magical music box. I think one year I had an orange sherbet push-up instead, but I remember that was icecream sandwich day. Now that I can find those forzen treats so easily at the grocery store, they don't have quite the charm they did when I was a child.

So many of my 4th of July memories are the dry, hot, happy Texas days watching the parade in Lubbock going down Broadway St. I would sit with Mom, my brother Jason, Aunt Kathy and cousins Chris & Mike. We kids (well, I would start, and then as I got louder, they laughed more) would sing in a very silly voice, of course:

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway
They say there's always magic in the air
But when you're walking down that street
And you ain't had enough to eat . . ,

I never did learn all the words, but those silly moments made the Fourth of July my other favorite holiday -- tied with Christmas. Ages 13 to 16 I painted my lips with my blue eye-liner and red and white lipstick. I would get as close as I could to an American flag. It was creepy looking, I am sure, but I did it and I loved it. Some years I wore an outfit mom made for herself in the 70s; I felt like WonderWoman wearing the one piece, red zip-up suit with blue and white stars all over it. Those are probably the shortest shorts I ever wore in my life, and I am sure mom only let me out of the house in that costume because she used to wear it, and that would've been my arguement if she said no. So many of the moments that make me happy about the holiday were created in Lubbock after we moved there when I was 13.

As an adult, I remember a few fourths fondly. . . When we were in college and still engaged, we were in Lubbock with my Aunt Kathy, and joined by my grandma and Aunt Ann, Uncle Jim, and cousins Kathryn and Jamie. I forget if we went to the parade, but I still have photos of us being silly before the fireworks show. Post wedding, but before the kids came along, we were at Allen's parents' house and left the dogs in the backyard while we went to a neighbor's to watch fireworks. When we returned we found the dogs (ours and theirs) stuck in the dog house because they both went in to get away from the noise, but somehow couldn't get turned around to get out. A few years later, Allen and I walked with Will in his stroller to the park in Independence. That's something special too, spending Independence Day in a town called Independence. We listened to the community band and watched fireworks. Two years ago when I was pregnant with the triplets, our college friends and their boys came and we went to the park for fireworks, but the town's display was gone because it caught fire earlier and they all went off. We still got to enjoy other people's efforts while we sat with our friends. Last year was definitely a different one. The kids and I vacated Independence a week earlier than planned because the town flooded and the water was shut off. We were living as flood refugees with Allen's parents for a week before we were able to move into the apartment. It was still a festive day with a parade and fireworks, but Allen was still in Kansas working to get the refinery back together after the flood and subsequent oil spill. They cancelled the celebrations in Indy because there wasn't water to put out fires.

So now our family is in Texas and I am again anxious for the Fourth of July. This weekend we are at Allen's folks again. Tomorrow's menu is full of my favorites: sweet Texas corn-on-the-cob, succulent watermelon, grilled burgers, and some baked beans. We are planning to squeeze dinner in between the parade and fireworks, and hopefully, I can manuipulate the kids' naps so everyone can enjoy it all. That may be asking too much, but my goal is to enjoy the day and savor every bit that I can.

Back for a Bit

We had a wonderful weekend at my parents'. My brother and his family were there this weekend and we kept all the kids busy. Since I haven't gotten to go "shopping" with Mom the last few times I've been there, we took a quick girl-time trip with Maddie. Where did we go? We went to Toys-R-Us and let Maddie run up and down the aisles. Well, that's a bit of an exageration, but we did let her roam and she seemed to enjoy the freedom. I picked up a few pajamas for her and a cute strawberry outfit. Maddie got to pick out a baby-doll and outfit, and we had a little chocolate while we were out, too. A perfect girl-trip always ends with a taste of chocolate, you know. Everyone got to swim in the lake after a cookout and picnic. On Sunday, we celebrated Dad's birthday with another cookout with cake and icecream. It was a hot day so it was mostly an inside playday. Monday we took all the kids to the sprinkler park and with five kids and five adults, it wasn't so bad. My brother even had time to take pictures and I was thrilled that he let me play with his new camera, so I took some, too.

We got home yesterday and have finished up the laundry. It's so easy when it all comes out of the suitcase and goes right back in. We've decided to try to put the triplets in forward-facing carseats, so last night Will and I went to pick out a big-boy booster seat for him. Today, I spent the morning cleaning my car. I figured since we had all the seats out to switch them for the kids, I should clean up the milk spots from eight months ago. I completely emptied and scrubbed the inside, and I am pleased that it now smells fresh instead of like stale baby products. Tomorrow we are off again, this time to Allen's parents for the fourth of July weekend.