Kid tested, mother approved.

I am always up for new crock-pot recipes, especially with #5 on the way. This one in particular looked simple enough to give a try and let me tell you.......I knew very early on in the day that this was going to be a good one....I could smell the yumminess. The icing on the cake for me was that Beckett loved this stuff!!!! He popped it in his mouth faster than I could dish it out! So here it is, easy, simple, delicious and best of all, baby friendly!

Bacon Ranch Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. real bacon bits

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

egg noodles

Place chicken in the crock pot. Mix soup, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, garlic, and bacon bits in a bowl, then pour over chicken. Cook on high (I actually cooked on low for a tad longer) for 3-4 hours. Then shred the chicken, cook up the egg noodles (half of a large bag was plenty for us) and mix together. Enjoy!!!!

Buckeye Tea

Today I started packing away summer clothes and unpacking boxes full of fall clothes. Fall is fast approaching and at our house we couldn't be more thrilled! This pregnant mama was over all the hot sweaty summer days. Plus....living in East TN means lots and lots of beautiful fall landscapes. One of my favorite things about fall is cuddling up with a nice hot cup of buckeye tea. This is my mama's tea that she used to make for me whenever I would get sick as a teenager. I love it. To me, it is comfort in a cup! It is super easy to make and goes great with the cooler weather coming upon us.

Buckeye Tea

2 C. Tang

2 C. Sugar (you didn't think I would post one of those healthy tea recipes did you???)

1/2 C. Instant tea with lemon

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

I always put two spoon fulls in a mug and fill up with hot water. Serve with honey and enjoy!!!

10 Months Old!!!!

Labor day weekend kicks off UT football, finishes out swimming season, and marks Beckett's ten month birthday!!!!! Daddy was very proud of how handsome lil man looks in orange. I have to admit........he does look pretty cute. When I moved to Tennessee I loathed the orange that surrounded me.....I even had dreams about it! It has only been in the past two years that I have agreed to dress my children in orange on game day....that is of course if I can find something cute at babygap. Anyway, back to Beckett. Ten months is a blast! He is such a lil character! He loves to cruise around furniture, chase his sisters around the floor, and make us all laugh. Some of his favorite activities include beating on anything like it's a drum....blowing raspberries on the couches.....playing with his food....I love it! I can't believe we are just a few months away from Beckett's first birthday........and I really can't believe that in less than six months my baby boy will be a big brother. Life is going to be crazy....and I can't wait!!!!!

BFF Chicken Pot Pie

I love my BFF......we've been friends for eleven years.....she knows me well and she still choses to be my friend....it's amazing. Over the past eleven years she has given me wisdom, encouragement, fellowship, and sometimes a swift kick to the pants when I need it. One of my favorite things that she has given me is a good recipe!!!!!!! Tonight my kiddos and I enjoyed her Chicken Pot Pie recipe and I thought it was so good that it needed sharing. So thank you dear BFF!!!! I love you dearly and I will always be amazed that you put up with me so well!!!

BFF Chicken Pot Pie

Crust

2 TB Butter

1 Cup Bisquick

2 TB Milk

Filling

1/4 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup Bisquick

2 TB Chopped onion

1/8 tsp Pepper

1 1/4 Cup Chicken broth

1 Cup Mixed veggies

1 1/2 Cup Chicken

Top

1/2 Cup Bisquick

1/3 Cup Milk

1 TB Butter

Mix crust and press onto the bottom of a pie plate. Back at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Meanwhile melt your butter in a pan and stir in the onion and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Add the chicken broth and veggies Heat to a boil, and after a minute add chicken and bisquick. Stir up well. Pour into your pie plate. Mix up your crust then pour on top. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy!!!

A Family Fav: Poppyseed Chicken!!!!

I just had to share.....this recipe has been a family favorite of ours ever since......well ever since we became a family! I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and I am forever thankful!!!!!!

Poppyseed Chicken

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

8oz sour cream

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

2 cups of ritz crackers crushed (I always just use one sleeve)

3Tbs poppyseeds

1 1/2 sticks of butter melted

Boil the chicken cubes until tender. Place in a buttered 9 by 13 pan. Mix soup and sour cream together. Pour over chicken and spread evenly. Mix crushed crackers and poppyseeds. Pour over entire casserole covering the top. Melt butter and pour evenly over casserole. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. Done!!!! See wasn't that easy!??!?! Enjoy Y'all!!!!

Conversations with a six year old...

Last night the kids and I were gathered around the dinner table, enjoying our gourmet meal of taco pizza, and somehow the topic of world religions came up. What followed was a very interesting conversation in which the words in my head and the words coming out of my mouth didn't match up very well. At the end of the conversation I was very aware of how much I need God's grace to raise my children and point them towards truth.......and I was even more aware of the fact that Ellie thinks she is an adult......here is how it all went down......

E: *sigh* I just dont know what I believe

Me: (Thinking that this is news to me.....) What do you mean??

E: I just haven't decided yet....

Me: Well.....do you believe in the Bible?

E: Yeah...

Me: Do you believe Jesus is our Saviour?

E: Yeah.....but.....I just haven't decided what I believe.....I don't have all my options yet

Me: (Thinking.....OPTIONS?!?!!?!? The child wants OPTIONS?!?!?! What kind of options does she want?!?!?!?!?!?!?!......notice the presence of panic) *very calmly* Well babe there are a lot of other beliefs out there in the world.....wrong beliefs mind you but....

E: *looking far off in the distance* Maybe I will just ask my husband

Me: (100% sure that I have failed as a mother....) Um......babe.....I'm pretty sure that by the time you meet your husband you will know what you believe.....

E: *bigger sigh* I just haven't decided yet.....

Me: Who wants more pizza??!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

9 Months!!!

Do you see that smile?????? I cannot get enough of that smile!!!!!!! I am so thankful for that smile!!!! It blows my mind just how much I get to see it!!!!! Becks is such a happy little guy...so full of joy and laughs!! This past week he turned 9 months old. We had a great visit with out pediatrician (whom we adore if you are looking). Beckett is 17lbs 5oz......which places him in the 5th percentile for his weight.......obviously he takes after his Daddy. He fell in the 75th percentile for his head measurements.......so I suppose he has a little of my family in him as well. These days lil man motors around the house, and has started pulling up, and cruising!! I think he knows there is another baby on the way, so he is just growing up super duper fast!! He is such a gift to our family. He is our lil miracle baby, and I will never stop giving thanks for him!