Totally Yum!!!!!!

I have set a goal of trying a new recipe every week. Of course the recipe needs to meet a certain standard before I give it the ok......must be inexpensive.....must have ingredients I can actually pronounce.....must be fairly simple......and must be relatively quick to make. I am always pleased when the new recipe turns out good......and simply tickled when it turns out to be totally yum!!! So to my faithful blog followers (all 3 of you...) I would like to introduce you to my new favorite recipe!!!!!

Chicken and Rosemary Pizza

2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 C. cooked chicken, chopped

1 C. red onion sliced

1/4 C. fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs fresh rosemary chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Tube of pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough

In a bowl, toss together 1 1/2 cup cheese and remaining ingredients (except for pizza dough) . Roll out pizza dough onto lightly greased baking sheet. Top with chicken mixture, then top with remaining cheese. Bake according to pizza dough instructions.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 months old!!!

My baby boy is growing up so fast.....too fast if you ask me. It amazes me how much I want him to stay little forever. When the girls were babies I just could not wait until they reached the next milestone (crawling, walking, talking). But with Becks, I just want to enjoy every minute of him as a cuddly sweet little baby boy. Maybe it's because he is my only boy.........but probably because Brett says we are done =) At six months old Beckett is 14 lbs 6 oz (OBVIOUSLY he takes after his daddy) and just over 26 inches long. He is sleeping through the night (praise the Lord!!) and eating solid food like a champ (there is some Mennel in him!). He loves to be held, but also loves to play! He rolls over both ways, and is starting to show signs of scooting. He is such a gift to us and I pray that I can continue to enjoy every minute with him, not taking anything for granted.

Precious Gift

I just cannot believe it. My baby girl is not a baby anymore. Elle turned six years old today. Thoughts of her birth and early years flooded my memory today and it is hard to grasp that she is really six! A friend of mine, who is a much better mother than I am, has a tradition of interviewing her children each year on their birthday to keep a record of what life was like for that child. I thought this idea was brilliant, so of course I stole it =) Here is my interview with Ellie

1) What is your favorite color: Red

2) What is your favorite food: Fruit

3) What is your favorite movie: Berenstain Bears

4) What is your favorite TV show: Curious George

5) What is your favorite book: The American Girl Books

6) What is your favorite subject in school: Science (she soooooo does not take after me in this area)

7) What is your favorite thing about Daddy: Doing fun school projects

8) What is your favorite thing about Mommy: Reading American Girl books

9) What is your favorite thing about Ava: Sleeping in the same room at night

10) What is your favorite thing about Beckett: He is so smiley

11) Who is your best friend: Samuel Alft (I asked her if she was sure SEVERAL times....since Sam is two years old.....but she insisted)

12) Where is your favorite place to go: The Beach

13) What do you want to be when you grow up: A Veterinarian

14) What are you thankful for the most today: Flowers

We are so blessed by our precious baby girl! I have watched the Lord work in her life and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for our Ellie!

Miracles do happen.........learning to love veggies!!!

I've never been known as a heathly eater..........loud, yes.....gullible, yes....healthy eater...no. I love to eat breads, sugars, carbs, almost anything but vegetables. My favorite veggie has always been the waffle fries at Chic-fil-a. So when I found myself snaking on broccoli and asparagus this week, I knew a miracle had taken place!! One of the perks of going to a church with lots and lots of amazing women who love to cook is that I have added a few fabulous recipes to my cookbooks. Here are a few that have proved to be life changing......

Oven roasted Broccoli

(Even our picky eater loves this recipe!)

Bunch of broccoli

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
Pressed garlic

1) Wash and cut the broccoli into small pieces with long stems

2) Toss broccoli in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and garlic

3) Spread broccoli out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

4) Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until tender and slightly browned

5) Serve

Baked Carrots

6 Large carrots- I use baby carrots and cut them fairly small

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1) Cut each carrot into 2 inch long sections

2) Cut each section into thick sticks

3) In a large bowl toss carrots with olive oil and salt

4) Spread out carrots on a parchment paper baking sheet

5) Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes

6) Serve

Oven Roasted Asparagus

One bunch of asparagus

4 to 5 Tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

1) Wash asparagus and cut off about an inch of the bottom

2) Lay asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and pat dry

3) Drizzle with olive oil

4) Top with salt and pepper as you desire

5) Bake at 425 degrees for about ten minutes

6) Serve

Comfort food at its best!

One of my favorite things to eat is my mamma's potato soup. It's so yummy and simple that I wanted to share it with the world! For mamma's with little ones, this is super easy!

Grami's Potato Soup

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

2 cups potato chopped

1/2 cup onion chopped

1/2 tsp. dill weed

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

(shredded cheese-optional)

(bacon bits-optional)

In a saucepan combine chicken broth, onion, potato, and dill weed and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potato chunks are tender (you can blend if you choose....I like mine chunky). Set aside. In a separate sauce pan melt butter. Take off heat and blend flour, salt, pepper and milk. Return to heat, stirring, until thick and bubbly. Stir into first mixture, heat and serve. We sprinkle cheese and bacon bits on the top and typically eat this soup with butter ham rolls. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Starting the week with Thanksgiving

Beckett has his first cold, which means we canceled our trip to Mamatill's house. When my heart grows discouraged, when things don't go according to plan, it is wise to turn our mourning into gladness! So today when I am tempted to be disappointed I will turn to giving Praise!! Here is my list of things I am thankful for today...

1) A husband who loves the Word of God

2) The opportunity to stay home with my children

3) The flexibility of homeschooling

4) Smiley babies

5) Sweet heart girls

6) My parents live 3 miles from here

7) A commentary on the book of Mark given to me to borrow from a sweet friend

8) The YMCA

9) Living in the south where spring comes sooner

10) God's grace and provision

11) A niece set to arrive soon in North Carolina

12) Internet

13) Girlfriends who make me laugh

Here are a few more reasons to be thankful.....

Has it been 4 months already?!?!

Wow is all I can say. My sweet little bambino is already four months old!!! He is changing so fast and continues to delight us every day! Our fabulous pediatrician informed us that he weighs 12 and a half pounds and looks absolutely perfect (was there any doubt?) hehehe. This month has been tons of fun because Beckett is so much more playful and interactive. He loves to play in his play gym and his exersaucer. Sadly this month also brought a new milestone, his first cold. What amazes me about this lil' man is that he can be coughing and feeling down, and yet he still smiles! It warms my heart. I cannot wait to see what new joys await us in the next month!