Slow Cooking Thursday

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

BUFFALO CHICKEN LASAGNA

--uncooked traditional lasagna noodles (I used Tinkyada brand)
--4 already cooked chicken breast halves
--jar of prepared pasta sauce
--1 cup buffalo wing sauce
--3 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
--tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)
--2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend)
--1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
--1/4 cup of water (add at very end)

The Directions.

use at least a 5qt crockpot, or cut back on the amount of ingredients.

In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce, and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.

Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crockpot. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get a proper fit.

Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded cheese.

Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.

Add the bleu cheese crumbles, if desired. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take off the lid of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into. Or it will fall apart. Ask me how I know this...

{ Wanna Try That Wednesday }

-- I'm hoping to start feeling better so that I can make some of these dandelions with the kids. What sweet decorations they will make for the house.

-- I also want to finish making some of these, I started some for Jasmine's birthday and then got sick so had to put them aside. They're the cutest little Blossom Fairies.

-- A sweet treat of Butterscotch Confetti sounds really good right about now.

-- We've made flubber, next we're making Gak. Pretty much same thing but using Starch instead of Borax. I think the kids will have fun making this one too.

-- And if that doesn't get them happy, then this Puff Paint will. I only wish I had ever thought of doing this, how neat?

-- I'm all out of bread, so this afternoon I'll be trying this easy bread recipe.

-- Do you have a lot of tea towels and no idea what to do with them all? Apartment Therapy has a great post giving us 8 Uses for Tea Towels....go on and check it out.

Slowly.....very slowly coming around

Nicholas came down with whatever I had, he's been home from school with the exact same symptoms, so this morning, I hauled us both to the doctor and said "ok....enough now, fix it once and for all".

Turns out we have Respiratory Infections and let me tell you, for someone who had never had anything like this, it is awful and draining and frustrating to boot. The worst for me? The coughing that makes my chest burn...the pits!

Both Nicholas and I are on antibiotics, Azithromycin, he on the kid dose and I'm on the Z Pack....we also got prescribed stuff for the horrible coughs we have and Nicholas got an inhaler too. I feel better knowing exactly what we have and getting the right medication for it, I'm pretty tired of dragging these things out, this way we can knock it out once and for all.

Just a quick question for those out there either on the Z Pack right now or have been before. It says to take it on an empty stomach but I took my first dose and goodness gracious, I had the runs and bad stomach cramps. Now I know it's one of the side effects, but should I try taking it with food and seeing if that helps out a bit? Any suggestions for taking this antibiotic?

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever, I'm so completely out of the loop, I haven't done anything but be at home trying to keep this house together and cooking and driving while slowly moving through this terrible virus.

To all those who have emailed me, I apologize, I haven't had the strength to do much but open the email program every morning and shut it down right away, just don't have the energy to sit on the computer for more than a minute or two.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. Please keep us in your prayers, I'm hoping Nicholas can head back to school tomorrow and that I can handle the antibiotics long enough for them to work.

Hugs and kisses and God Bless,

Happy Homemaker Monday

On my bedside table:
Knit Two
Vicks, Kleenex, Motrin, Tylenol etc etc


On my TV:
Five Mile Creek Season 1
Paranormal State


On the menu for tonight:
Chicken in a Cream Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes


On my To Do List:
Get some cleaning done, since I've pretty much been sick for a week everything's just fallen behind.


New Recipe I tried last week:
Nothing


In the craft basket:
Bread Bags - still
Fairies for Jasmine


Looking forward to:
This ridiculous virus leaving our home for GOOD. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.


Homemaking Tip for this week:
The best birthday you could give your kids, is to let them have their own day...from deciding what they want for meals, to what kind of cake to what activities they do.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
Didn't read any blogs last week, so I'll leave this one empty for today


Favorite photo from last week:

Lesson learned the past few days:
When you suddenly find yourself in bed because of sickness, allow your children to pamper you. You would be surprised at just how much they'll make you smile and how much better you will feel.


On my Prayer List:
My family
My husband and children
My family in South Africa


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

10 years old today.....10 years old. It feels weird even saying it, I can't believe my baby girl is entering the Tween age when it seems like just yesterday I was watching her take her first steps, seeing her smile and flashing her first teeth.

Now, she is an absolutely gorgeous red head with a killer smile and the biggest heart. She's everything we could have ever wished for and more and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't sit back and marvel at the wonderful young lady she is becoming.

It makes me proud and it also saddens me to know that she's growing up so fast, I want her to stay little so that I can protect her and shelter her from the world, but we know that is not going to happen.

It's been such a blessing being her parents, she makes us laugh until our sides hurt and there's also times she pushes our buttons until we can't take it anymore, but through it all she's been the best daughter.

We love watching her grow, watching her become independent and change from a little girl into a young lady.

A whole new chapter is beginning for her AND for us and we can't wait to go down this path with her.

Happy Birthday baby girl, we love you so very much and wish nothing but the best of the best for you.

102.3, cough, congestion and so forth

I'm sure you're wondering where I disappeared to especially since I haven't even made it to the Slow Cooking Links from yesterday.

I'm sorry, but I'm in bed with a high fever, cough, sore throat and bad congestion. I feel absolutely horrid, but of course it's not surprising. And when it rains it absolutely pours for me, my cars water pump is broken AND it's that time of the month. How wonderful.

When Jasmine got sick last weekend, you'll remember that I was going through a stomach flu, my poor immune system was already weak, so of course, I caught whatever she had.

I'll be in bed, I can't seem to bring down the fever and it's just draining me. I WILL come in tomorrow morning to wish my baby girl a Happy Birthday. Until then, please please say a prayer for us both, for her to get completely better and for me to get over this fever.

I can handle the cough and the congestion but I can't bear the fever, not when I have to drive little ones around and cook and clean. It's just too much, so much so that I burst into tears earlier, which is something I don't do very often, that's how desperate I am.

Have yourselves a wonderful Friday, I miss everyone but I need to get better first.

God Bless,

Slow Cooking Thursday

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Gayle’s Honey Orange Chicken

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs — frozen
1/2 cup honey
1 cup orange juice
1 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tsps. worcestershire sauce
2 tsps. fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp. wasabi paste
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 12 oz pkg. frozen broccoli cuts
2 tbsps. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup orange juice (optional)

Directions

1. Put the frozen chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Good luck prying it out of the package.
2. Whisk together all the ingredients, up to the broccoli. You won’t need the broccoli until later and it will just muck up your whisk, anyway.
3. Pour the liquid mix over the chicken. Put the lid on, set your crockpot to either low (cooking time is about 7-8 hours) or high (5-6 hours) depending on how patient you are. Now, walk away.
4. About one hour before you want to eat, throw in the frozen broccoli. Do not stir. Cover the pot and walk away again.

He always knows best!

Yet for some unknown reason I still question and wonder and get frustrated and sometimes I downright demand answers from Him, as if I think I deserve anything with the attitude.

See it's always been a struggle for me, the whole control issue has been exhausted in my life and even on my blog, I've mentioned it quite a bit so you would think by this point in time I would be a pro, an expert at dealing with the Lord, a know it all and been through it all. Quite wrong actually, so this is why I'm writing this post today, in the hopes that others out there will share with me, and you, their personal experiences in a way to maybe get some insight and learn a lesson or two.

When Jasmine got sick again on Saturday I didn't think much of it, kids get sick all the time. Ok, MY kids seem to get sick all the time, but that's neither here nor there, the point is that I didn't really worry about it, until monday morning when the fever kept getting higher and she kept getting weaker and more miserable etc.

Then I stopped, and during my prayers, asked the Lord to please take the fever away, to make her better, to step in and heal her. Then I sat back with a stupid grin on my face and thanked Him for doing it.


Again, it's the control thing and the ignorance on my part, because no matter how many times I've heard the saying "all in His time" I still tend to think I have some special line to Him, that He will put everything and everyone else aside for my problems and issues. How ridiculously unfair and quite pathetic on my part....but you know, I'm human and I err and continually stumble and mess up. This is why I love my blog, because on here I can be ME, the real me, without hiding behind a facade or pretending to be something I'm not.

By Monday afternoon I began feeling extremely irritable, I couldn't understand why such a simple request for my child to be better, was not being answered. The truth is that it WAS, I was just too blinded by my need to have things done on MY time that I wasn't seeing anything else.

When Curt and I had to take her to Urgent Care yesterday I was beyond annoyed. Yes, I get annoyed at the Lord and anyone who says they don't, is lying....with me it doesn't last for long but there's that split second where I think "Come on, why are You not answering my prayers?"

I sat there with my little girl running a fever of 103.4, out of it, extremely sick and as I look down at her I felt helpless, like I had never felt in my entire life. That overpowering feeling of knowing that you've done everything you can but yet it's not enough, it's not up to you anymore. That's when I had that brief meltdown and inwardly told the Lord that I was really upset with Him.

But after being to the doctor, getting the antibiotics, coming home and now watching my girl starting to get better, it suddenly hit me.

He didn't ignore my prayers, Yes, he didn't take away the fever and make her all better when I asked him, but it doesn't mean He wasn't at work. He was. The proof is in the fact that any other time I would have kept doing what I was doing, giving the Motrin and doing the washcloths and the baths and the fluids and hoped that she would feel better. But I didn't, I scooped her up and took her to Urgent Care all the time questioning the Lord, wondering why I was having to go this far when it was nothing more than a cold.

Now I look back and think "You were right, You couldn't take the fever away on monday and just make it all go away, because she needed the antibiotics, she needed to have a doctor look at her and see that her ear is red and her throat is red and she's really sick".

And once again I was hit with the reality of it all. STOP trying to control things, STOP trying to tell the Lord what His timeline should be. Let go and Let God! So simple but yet so so hard for me to grasp. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever quite get it, I would like to think that one day I will but for now.....not quite there yet. Still stumbling, still learning.

What about you? I want to know if at any time you asked for something from the Lord and got irritated that it wasn't done when you wanted it, only to have it come to fruition at a later date and making you realize that it was for the best. That it really wouldn't have been the same or good if it had happened when you asked.

Won't you share with us?

{ Wanna Try That Wednesday }

Image credit: LuckyKate Crafts

-- Oh these are just too adorable NOT to try. Imagine how cute your Jam jars will look with these toppers on.

-- When Nicholas was born, the Squadron Commander's wife came over with a gift. It was this adorable hooded towel and since then I've wanted to make more and never got around to it. But now, I am going to jump right in and get to it with this great tutorial from Make and Takes.

Image credit: Annie's Eats

-- This Bacon, Mushroom and Broccoli Quiche is beckoning me, and really, who am I to deny it?

Image credit: Daisy Cottage

-- Mixing two of my passions in life, books and pretty fabrics...I can't wait to try these Book Cozies from Daisy Cottage.

Image credit: sewtakeahike

-- How about a cute kitchen scrubbie that is crocheted with tulle? Yes you heard right, I said TULLE. Well I'll be.....Sewtakeahike is amazing with her work.

Image credit: Dinners for a Year and Beyond

-- Roasted Bacon and Parmesan Stuffed Chicken. Need I say more? Yeah, I didn't think so *snicker*

Sweet Child of Mine!

You always hear "follow your instincts as a parent" and today was one of those days. One of the days to take that lesson to heart and follow through on it, no matter how many doubts may have plagued you or how you may question what you're doing. It's not what others think that matters, it's what YOU think.

Jasmine came down with a fever again on Saturday late afternoon, this morning, she was still running the fever, and it spiked to 103.4, at which point I said ....that's it...that's enough, I don't care if anyone thinks I'm crazy or that I'm overreacting. It's been two days since she's had good nourishment, she is sleeping all the time, doesn't want to eat or play and is weak and her body aches from the high temperatures.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that my kids have been sick with colds for what seems like ever. It's every other month one or both is down with fevers and runny noses, sore throats etc.
You'll also remember that the doctor on base we have been to a few times is really not cutting it....and that's putting it mildly.

So Curt and I took her to Urgent Care this morning and I'm so thankful we did. We had the best doctor, very attentive, used to children with little ones of his own and within a few minutes of examining her, he told us she has Strep Throat and an Ear Infection....plus, get this....what seems to be conjunctivitis which seems to hit her every time she gets a bad cold.

My poor child was absolutely miserable, but I'm SO glad I made the decision to just take her in and not sit around thinking this is just another bout of the cold and she'll be fine in no time.

The doctor gave her some Motrin right away to bring down that really high fever, and prescribed Antibiotics and Eye Drops.....he says by tomorrow she'll be feeling so much better. In the meantime we are going to keep filling her with fluids, trying to make her eat and alternating motrin and tylenol as per doctors orders.

I just hope she feels much better by Thursday and can return to school, her birthday is on Saturday and I would hate for her to be miserable and unhappy then.

Anyway, I'm off to love on my child, just wanted to come in and give everyone and update and remind you that YOU are the voice for your children, do everything in your power and explore every avenue when it comes to their health. They are too precious to deserve anything other.

God Bless,

Breakfast is served!

Good Morning everyone, come on in and have some breakfast with me.

I made some more Homemade Butter yesterday and had a cup of buttermilk left, so I used it to whip up a batch of wonderful fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes. So good!

You'll never used the boxed pancake mixes again.

But for those that are in the mood for something else, I also made a batch of Cream Scones slathered with fresh whipped cream and strawberry jam. Delicious!

So help yourselves, there's coffee and tea as well.

Happy Homemaker Monday

On my bedside table:
The Friday Night Knit Club
Small mason jar with fresh flowers
Country living magazine


On my TV:
Robin Hood Season 3
Paranormal State


On the menu for tonight:
Cowpoke Chili -recipe will be up on the food blog later


On my To Do List:
Just a quick pick up after the weekend....I did all my spring cleaning last week so I have a spotless house.


New Recipe I tried last week:
Hearty Baked Potato Soup - Absolutely love it


In the craft basket:
Bread Bags - I'll show you soon


Looking forward to:
Getting back into my Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred. I got the stomach bug last week and had to stop exercising for 3 days, I miss it.
Also looking forward to Jasmine's birthday this Saturday, my baby girl is turning 10 years old.


Homemaking Tip for this week:
If you have tons of canning jars laying around and not quite sure what to do with them...go on and read Sanity Saving Ideas for Canning Jars.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
My View from my Window....


Favorite photo from last week:

A clean house, nothing like it.

Lesson learned the past few days:
When you suddenly find yourself in bed because of sickness, allow your children to pamper you. You would be surprised at just how much they'll make you smile and how much better you will feel.


On my Prayer List:
My family
My husband and children
My family in South Africa


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Matthew 10:30-31 (NIV)

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without

Image Credit: Debbie Mumm

Remember the old saying?

It seems so fitting for today's struggling economy, doesn't it? For me, personally, I try my best to live by that saying....I use the things I have at hand, wear them out as long as I possibly can, make do with what I have or I just do without.

It's really not that hard to adapt once you realize that pretty much everything you have in your house has more than just one use. It's fun for me, exploring and researching and finding new uses for an item which otherwise I would have just thrown out.

I guess I could attribute this love for the simple things, to my love for anything from days gone by. The pioneer days, the time when they struggled to make a living with what they grew in their gardens, with the tools they had nearby and so many times cooking by candle light.

Their wagons tightly packed with all their belongings....cast iron skillets, kettles.....do you want an idea of what you may have found in one of their Conestoga wagons?

Bedding And Tent Supplies

Blankets, feather beds, ground cloths, pillows, tent, poles, stakes, ropes.

Weaponry

Rifle, pistol, knife, hatchet, gunpowder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, holster.

Food

Flour, bacon, coffee, baking soda, corn meal, hardtack, dried beans, dried beef, dried fruit, molasses, vinegar, pepper, eggs, salt, sugar, rice, tea.

Cooking Utensils

Dutch oven, kettle, skillet, reflector oven, coffee grinder, coffee pot, teapot, butcher knife, ladle, tin tableware, water keg, matches

Miscellaneous Items

Surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, campstool, chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins, thread.

Clothing

Wool sack coats, rubber coats, cotton dresses, wool pantaloons, buckskin pants, duck trousers, cotton shirts, flannel shirts, cotton socks, brogans, boots, felt hats, Palm-leaf sun hats, green goggles, sunbonnets.

Tools And Extra Equipment

Set of augers, gimlet, ax, hammer, hoe, plow, shovel, spade, whetstone, oxbows, axels, kingbolts, linchpins, ox shoes, spokes, wagon tongue, heavy ropes, chains.

Luxuries

Canned foods, plant cuttings, schoolbooks, musical instruments, dolls, family albums, jewelry, china, silverware, fine linens, iron stoves, furniture.

Something I learned through all my reading, is that what we usually see in the movies, you know, the family in the wagon travelling through the rough terrain on their way to a new homestead, is not exactly how things would have been.

The wagons were so small that unless you were injured or very ill, you walked....imagine if you will, walking around 2000 miles to your new home?

Nowadays we complain if we have to walk from the parking lot to the door of the store, we fight for that spot RIGHT in front because really, if it were up to us and it was socially acceptable, we would just drive our vehicles right inside and travel down the aisles shopping.

When God made man,
He seemed to think it best
To make him in the East,
And let him travel west.

One of the places I get my inspiration from are books and Amazon has this wonderful series called Historic Communities. With titles like A Child's Day, Games from Long Ago and Old Time Toys.

While browsing through Amazon, I realized I had a $20 gift card to use, so I picked up 3 books.

The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life: How to Sew a Sampler Quilt & 49 Other Pioneer Projects for the Modern Girl

Frontier fun meets a home-spun touch in this heart-warming mixture of pioneer projects and wistful nostalgia. Jennifer Worick teaches readers how to sew a quilt, master the art of bread-and-butter pickles, speak old-time slang, and much much more. This is for the legions of Laura Ingalls Wilder fans who have dreamed of what a pioneer life out on the prairie would be like. Combining step-by-step how-to on crafts, with tongue-in-cheek instructions on prairie slang, winning a spelling bee, and singing a lullaby, The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life allows fans to finally act out their childhood dreams or to simply enjoy the vicarious thrill of reading about it one more time. This is a book that will pull at the heart strings of every childhood Laura and also teach us a few prairie-time crafts along the way.

A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840

There are instructions for simple, fun activities such as growing a potato plant, dyeing fabric using an onion, or making a cardboard jumping jack; pioneer games that will even entertain today's children for hours such as shadow shapes or knucklebones; and recipes that are easy for children.

Secrets of the Great Old-Timey Cooks: Historic Recipes, Lore & Wisdom

Reminisce about a simpler time as four 20th century mountain pioneer women share their cooking secraets. These great old-timey cooks stir in their own wisdom and tales of growing up on rural farms, where they prepared delicious melas by lantern light on wood cookstoves. Included are heirloom recipes, proverbs, folk remedies, 80 vintage photos, 19th century autograph rhymes and lots of stories. 72 pages.

So I leave you with a question? Are you trying to live simpler times? Are you also using it up, wearing it out, making it do or doing without? And if so, why don't you share with us what you've been doing.

Hello everyone.....

Thank you for all the prayers, I feel so much better today, though not 100% yet, but at least I'm able to walk around.

Yesterday was plain awful, I couldn't get out of bed, my body hurt so bad, I was running a fever of 103, tummy aches, nauseated, you name it. It was just horrible. Thankfully I have an amazing husband and children, they took wonderful care of me.

Curt went to pick the kiddos up early yesterday and I was laying on the couch when they came home. Nicholas gave me the biggest surprise ever....he walked in with two backpacks and at first I was confused. "Did he bring someone else's backpack home?" or "is he bringing a friend to play?".

Nope, none of that. The school had each teacher pick the top student to receive an Outstanding Student Certificate and Backpack with all sort of goodies inside. Nicholas was chosen from his classroom....how extremely proud we are of this amazing little boy. He is such a good kid. He gave me a hug and then handed me a piece of paper where he had written in his kindergarten handwriting "I am srre you are sick. I wut you to get betr"....he said he did it during the free time while the other kids were playing. Melts this mommy's heart :)

Jasmine also brought home a handmade card with flowers and hearts and also saying she hopes I feel better and she loves me.

Anyway, enough bragging about my babies....or I could just go on forever.

After Curt left for work, I was so unwell, I climbed into bed. The kids covered me with a blanket, put a ton of soft plush toys around me and then lay next to me watching cartoons.

I was able to drag myself out of bed around 4pm and start some chicken soup, lay down on the couch while it cooked and then we all sat at the kitchen table eating. I tell you, it took EVERYTHING out of me to do that, I was plain worn out by the time dinner was over. Thankfully my wonderful husband walked in through the door, he had told work that I was very sick and they sent him home.

So, here I am....I got plenty of rest and am well on the way to recovery. I do have to watch what I eat today though, I'm sticking to the Bratty diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Tea, Toast and Yogurt.

Curt had to go into work today for 5 hours, so this morning I set about giving the house a really good cleaning, I had already started on thursday so didn't have much to do today, which is a good thing, I am known for overdoing it when I'm sick and I really don't want to push myself.

But, my house is spotless, I mean spotless to the point where I don't have anything to do, there's no laundry waiting to be washed and put away, there are no floors needing to be swept and mopped, there are no dishes needing to be washed or rugs needing to be vacuumed, there aren't even toilets needing scrubbing. It's a great feeling!

Now I can sit back and relax, which is just what I need, thankfully Monday the kids don't have school either, so it's a long weekend.

Oh come look at my plants....remember I was never able to grow anything? I'm so happy with myself for keeping these alive.

Here are the Zinnias

And the Marigold's

Whatever I'm doing, I guess I am doing it right. If only I could transfer this same rate of success to my poor lavender. I just cannot get those to grow.

I finally got around to uploading the video of Jasmine's Dance at school. I'm sure you'll spot her right away, she's wearing tight black leggings and a white shirt.




I just love watching the video, she did so good and remember she didn't even want to go up there, but she said she was doing it for her Aunt Nadine and all her cousins that dance...so Nadine, Tiffany, Taryn-Lee and Alyssa, this one's for you :)

And that's it for me, I'm going to go rest for a bit before heading to the kitchen to start dinner. I'm making some Chicken Egg Rolls which are baked instead of fried. So much healthier but still very tasty....come back later and I'll have the recipe on the Food Blog.

Hope you're all having a great Saturday....see you tomorrow!

I'm out for the count!

Expiration dates are there for a reason....next time you think you're safe to eat or drink something past that date.....think TWICE!

I'm in bed, I can't even bear to stand up, I feel so sick. Stomach issues are so debilitating at times, especially when you have young children to take care of and meals to cook and homes to clean.

I did drive the kids to school this morning but Curt just went to pick them up early because I can't get out of bed.

Keep me in your thoughts, he has to leave for work soon and I'll be taking care of my children while running to the bathroom every 5 minutes.

Slow Cooking Thursday

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Makes about 4 servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed (I misread this part of the original recipe and cooked my chicken whole, then shredded it. I'd prefer it in cubes next time.)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 (4 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 to 2/3 cup of beef broth
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp. butter & 1 Tbsp. olive oil to saute the mushrooms
1 pkg. egg noodles
2 Tbsp. cornstarch added to 1/4 cup cold water for thickening
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

1. Put chicken, butter and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Drain off liquids. Transfer liquids to a saucepan.

2. To the saucepan of liquids, add cream cheese, sour cream and beef broth. Add half of the thickening mixture and bring to a boil. If it is still too thin, add the remaining cornstarch and bring to a boil again. Add sauce back to the chicken cubes.

3. Saute the mushrooms with the butter and olive oil until browned. Add to the chicken and sauce mixture. Turn Crockpot to high and let cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Cook egg noodles according to instructions. Serve chicken and sauce over the egg noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.

Grocery Shopping, Bill Paying, House Cleaning...

So went my day. Pay days are usually the busiest for me, they start early and end late in the evening, when I finally sit down and take the weight off my feet, giving my weary body a much needed break.

This morning started with a trip to the commissary, now for some shopping is frustrating and annoying, but I love it. I love being able to take my time and slowly move around the store, looking through the items, picking the right one for my family and comparing prices.


The food is bought and the refrigerator is full.....and clean. I always give it a good cleaning before I put the new groceries in. But looking at the photo you would think the last shelf was dirty, but it's not....it's scratched. One of the perks of being a military family and constantly being on the move, we know all the appliances in these houses have been used by numerous families.


Bringing the mail in and finding two new Netflix movies to watch. Always makes me smile. If you're wondering what it is, it's Duchess of Duke Street.

After doing some dishes, washing more laundry and and then a quick pick up of the living room area, Curt and I headed to the school.

Jasmine had a Dance Show she was participating in. She was so nervous yesterday and actually told me she would prefer to stay home.

Now here's the thing, I don't ever force my kids to do things they don't want to do, hence the reason why they are not signed up for any after school activities.

I talked to her and told her that I would like her to go, that she would enjoy it and it would be something to remember her Fourth Grade year by....but I also let her know that I wouldn't force her and if she really felt strongly against doing it, I would oblige.

After some thought she decided that she would just go for it and try to have fun. I'm so glad she did, and so is she because she loved it and told us that if she had decided not to participate she would have been regretting it now.

I'll upload the video for you tomorrow....

While I'm typing up this post, the wind is howling outside, the tree branches slamming against our windows. Just look at my lemons falling from the tree.....

Yep, looks like rain is on the way.

I'm going to go switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer, pay some more bills and spend some time with the kiddos.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday.