Mama Wuz Here

Daddy loves his new Droid so much that he decided he'd be behind the camera for once.  Too bad you two weren't the least bit interested in it!  (But hey, I'm with you in a picture!  YAY!)  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Canon DSLR, so I can't wait to go back to the zoo and take some seriously good ones. 

Recipes

I feel like I'm misleading you by that title, because I'd hardly call these "recipes"... more like, a few ingredients I throw into a bowl/crock and they turn out really good.

Also, I probably got a lot of your hopes up by dubbing a dish "jerk chicken."  I told Nathan that a few of you were really interested in it, and we both laughed because really, it's not that jerk at all.  It's a spicy-ish chicken that we love, and that's the closest thing I could think of to describe it. 

So without further ado, here are the "recipes" requested.  Don't laugh at the fact that they're simple and without exact measurements... I just throw a little of this & a little of that until it suits our fancy.  Let me know if you try them!

Not-Really-JERK-Chicken
Pour enough EVOO to cover the bottom of your slow cooker.  Add 2-3 chicken breasts (or any type of chicken you like), and poke holes through them with a fork.  Take a bottle of worstershire and sprinkle it generously over the chicken, enough to coat them well and forming a marinade with the EVOO.  Then sprinkle garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper over each breast.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.

With this one, I periodically check it to see how my flavors are coming along.  I often add more of everything except the EVOO, just to really get the marinade well-set.  Once the chicken is tender enough, you'll shred it with a fork and let it sit in the marinade another hour. 

When it's to your liking, serve with this:

NC BBQ Slaw
Head of cabbage, shredded with a food processor
1-2 cups of ketchup
6 tbs cider vinegar
2 tbs white sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Again, there is not an exact science to this one.  Any of you from good ol' Rutherford County who read my blog can figure out that this is my attempt to recreate the best bbq slaw in the world (from Hickory Log, duh).  I go by these measurements at first, but then add different things as I feel they're needed to get "the taste" down.  I like mine a little spicy, so I'm heavy on the pepper.

This final "recipe" is another one that I dump, taste, and add more to.  (Are you guys irritated yet?  I figured so). 

Yummy Salsa
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juices
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice

Once all ingredients have been mixed together in a large bowl, I put them in my blender and pulse a few times.  Pour back into the serving bowl and wah-lah! :)

Has it really been a week? Oh well, MENU PLAN MONDAY!

I guess it's technically been more than a week.  I'm sorry, y'all!  I have a few pretty good excuses as to why it's just too dang hard to blog, such as one child with temps in the 105 range who couldn't bear to be anywhere but on my hip for three days.  I actually fed Caroline frozen waffles for breakfast for two days because it was the only thing I could fix with one hand (Tyler was the sick one).  She was a little trooper, though, and entertained herself well while I sat on the couch and stroked Tyler's head for hours on end.  Nathan was off today, thankfully, but he was pulling a 30-hour shift when the sickness began.  That was real fun.

But!  I'm going to get better this week.  I have some cute pictures that we took at the zoo last week, and I'm going to actually post one or two because I'm in them and I want to prove to Tyler & Caroline that I really did exist on all these fun outings we enjoy. 

As for our meal plan, I'm going to do it a little differently and tell you what is in store for the coming week.  Given the fact that we traveled to the lake last weekend for Papa's birthday, I got behind on making a plan for the week and thus shopping for it.  Instead, we winged it... and I didn't like that at all.  Not one bit.  I realized then (as if I didn't already know), we make seriously poor choices when we don't establish a plan each week.  We need meal-structure, because without it we eat things like Chick-Fil-A and Dominoes within a five-day span.  And I make 24 cupcakes that somehow disappear within a 48-hour span.  How does that even happen?  Yack.  This week we're going to do better, swear.  :)

Monday:  Nathan's "bomb-diggity" Chili with corn chips & shredded cheese  *It's COLD tonight, so this made perfect sense to us.

Tuesday:  Crock pot jerk chicken with red barbecue slaw & veggies
Wednesday:  London broil pot roast with mushrooms, carrots & mashed potatoes
Thursday:  Chinese sweet & sour chicken with fried rice
Friday:  Tortellini soup with garlic-parmesan french bread

Saturday:  Chicken fajitas & bell pepper blend with homemade chips & salsa

Sunday:  Cheesy chicken, broccoli & rice casserole

I linked up the tortellini soup for my mom's benefit, just in case she needs this recipe again.  Since I first posted it here, I'm not kidding when I tell you we've eaten it at least once a week.  I even made it for mom at her house, and although skeptical at the name of it, she ended up loving it as much as we do.  I'm serious, guys, it is the easiest thing you'll ever make and SO FREAKING GOOD.  I use low-sodium chicken broth and lots of spinach, so I feel like it's super healthy as well.  The kids won't touch anything but the tortellini, but as far as toddlers go, that's a win because it's not on the floor.

If you're interested in any of the other recipes, comment below and I'll be glad to post them!  I just don't want to type anything out that you're not interested in, but I'll be glad to do it if you are :)

Riverbanks Private Zoo

Disclaimer:  If you are scared to open this post in fear that you'll encounter more elephant feces, I apologize.  Have no fear!

Yesterday was a perfect day for the zoo.  It was overcast, close to 70 degrees, and a weekday.  Nathan had gotten over four hours sleep at the hospital, so he felt rested enough to take on the challenge of a stroller-free-zoo-experience.  I have been enough now to know that sketchy weather (drizzling was predicted) and mid-week days mean absolutely no one is there, so it was the perfect opportunity to give Caroline and Tyler a bit of freedom.  They wore their "backpacks" the entire time, and thoroughly enjoyed being big kids.  The upside?  Not only did they run themselves to death and passed out immediately when we got back in the car, but by bedtime they barely fought it.  (If only the "backpacks" were more manageable when I didn't have Nathan's help I'd be in business, but it's not.  They would end up roping me, I just know it.)

Caroline was absolutely precious the entire time, and she loved being able to hold my hand and "lead" me.  I held the tail of her backpack around my wrist while she gripped my fingers, and it was simply the cutest thing ever.  Tyler, on the other hand, was way too independent to hold anyone's hand or let anyone hold his tail.  If you grabbed it, he would grab it from you and insist that he hold it instead.  We were ok with this since we were literally four of the ten people in the entire zoo, but I'd be way too nervous to try him out in a crowded scene just yet.  He listened well, though, and stayed with us the entire time. 

The cutest part of the whole experience was their excitement and amazement at seeing all the animals.  We'd either lift them up and let them sit on the fencing at the higher exhibits or they'd stand on the rails or point through the gates at everything else.  Caroline seemed to enjoy "roaring" at the lion, and they especially loved the parakeet exhibit.  It is an enclosed area with at least fifty parakeets, and they'll fly up and land right on you.  Another current obsession with T & C is birds, so the minute we walked in they were enamored.  Both pointed up and shouted "buuuuuh!" over and over, and although they tried to touch the birds as we held them, they never got close enough before the birds took off.  I was surprised at their tenacity!

I didn't have my camera with me, so these were from my blackberry.  I couldn't let the day go by without at least trying to capture the cuteness!

Handy Mandy

After the rivoting Bachelor finale and ATFR, I mosied upstairs bleary eyed and started to get ready for bed.  I had been soaking my wedding rings in jewelry cleaner all day, so I decided to rinse them off before brushing my teeth. 

It all happened so fast... Just as I was reaching over to flush them with cool running water, my wedding band plunked into the bowl and swirled down the drain before I could blink.  Panicking, I turned off the water and desperately attempted to unscrew the drain stopper in hopes that it was caught within reaching distance. 

No such luck.  I tore through the closet and found a lone wire hanger, and after fancying some form of a long hook, I dredged the pipes as far as I could to no avail.  Nathan was on overnight call, so after waking him up (he loved me for that, not to mention the great news I called to tell him!), he told me he'd just take care of it tomorrow.  Unfortunately, I'm not one to wait when it involves diamonds, so I decided to roll up the pj sleeves and channel my old Black & Decker plumbing know-how. 

Ladies, if you ever find yourself in such a predicament, rule #1 is to TURN THE WATER OFF.  No, not at the sink, under it.  When that's taken care of, unscrew your nuts and bolts and such until you can tear that sucker apart.  It only took a few minutes before one of my most prized possessions had been retained, but I learned a good lesson.  ALWAYS, always, stop your drain when cleaning your jewelry.  I probably would've died before ever getting to disassembling the ol' lavatory if it'd been my actual engagement ring.  *shudders*

Anyway, I'm quite proud of myself nonetheless.  I guess plumbing is like riding a bike... my old customers would be so very proud.

17 Months

To celebrate our one "golden weekend" of the month, we took off to the beach on Friday.  It is always great to get away, and this time of year is so nice and relaxing.  No one is around, the weather is mild, and all five of us (including Connor, of course) are happier just breathing in salt air.  The kids and I had been battling nasty colds all week, so it was especially nice for us to get a change of scenery. 

This trip to the beach was a little different, though.  I realized that my babies have grown up so much over the past few months (not that it hasn't already been evident...).  When we rode around in the golf cart, they often wanted to stand up or sit side-by-side between us.  In past trips, we kept them on our laps with a death-grip, but they're pretty much too cool for such antics now.  When we went to the pool, they completely exhausted us.  Long gone are the days of cute baby floats and "swirling" in the water... now we must catch them every 2 seconds as they lurch off the side of the pool, giggling uncontrollably as they make huge splashes.  As usual, everyone is drawn to watching our little party of four in public, but this time was even more fun for the crowd.  There were about 10 people enjoying the heated pool and hot tub, and every single one of them (lifeguard included) smiled as they watched both Tyler and Caroline having the time of their lives.  They tried to blow bubbles in the water and kick it onto each other's heads at times, but for the most part, we got serious upper body workouts from catching them as they jumped.  As I was explaining to Caroline that "we have to go home now, mommy is worn out," the lifeguard laughed and said "I would be too."  This coming from a 17 year old boy, nonetheless.

I have so many pictures from our time spent on the beach that it's going to be hard to narrow them down.  We attempted to spend some time on the sand Saturday, but the wind was excruciating and we couldn't take it for more than a few minutes.  On Sunday, though, it was 70 degrees and slightly breezy.  In other words, perfect.  We brought Connor's runner (so he could pick up his dig to China where he left off) and let the kids go wild.  They both darted for the water, but after one freezing cold wave rushed over Caroline's little foot she looked up at me in horror and headed back for the shells.  Tyler, on the other hand, was a wild man.  He couldn't get enough of that ocean, and we had to physically remove him from it every time we turned around.  His clothes were soaked, his feet and legs were freezing, but he was having an absolute ball.  Thankfully, his energetic daddy took charge of that situation while I sat in the sand taking pictures and scouring the shells with Caroline :) 

Day 1

Day 2

I know it shouldn't be so shocking, but the fact that these little folks are so independent and smart and funny just knocks my socks off.  At 17 months old, their personalities are so full and fun that it makes me incredibly happy to think about the months and years to come. 

A few funny things that they're doing this month:

* Tyler loves saying "mommy," and I love hearing it even more.  I ask him five million times a day what my name is, just so he'll say it again.

* Caroline decided that her favorite word is "bobby."  We don't know where it came from, but she says it constantly.  When she's in her crib, riding in the car, walking around the house, all. the. time. 

* She sometimes says "mommy," but usually it's just "ommy," so Nathan and I decided we are "ommy & bobby" until further notice.

* When Nathan walks in the door, both of them run to him and scream "DAAA!"  So stinkin cute.

* During the wrestling match otherwise known as a diaper change, I have to sing songs in order to keep them halfway still.  They find it hysterical if they've gone #2 and I have a reaction to it, usually in the form of "sheeeewww!!"  Caroline loves to take the "sheeeew" diapers to the trash for me.

* They both follow directions perfectly, and I am always shocked at how sharp their minds are.  They can find anything, anywhere, when I ask them to.

* Since enclosing the deck steps with a deck box, I can open the sliding glass door and let them have free reign of outside while I'm cooking or cleaning up.  They are safe, so I let them have a bit of independence in this department.  Yesterday, I looked out and saw them taking turns pushing each other in their cozy coupe, and as one would sit down, the other would make sure they were "all in" and shut the door for them.  After that got old, they would stand on either side of the glass door and kiss each other, smooshing their faces and laughing hysterically. 

* When in their room, I cannot keep them off my recliner.  They climb onto the arms of the chair and pull off their sound machine every single time, loving all the different sounds and settings.

Happy 17 Months, Tyler & Caroline!

The dumbest post I've ever written.

I don't know about you, but I have a few acquaintances who are reality "stars."  I thought that was great for a while.  It was enjoyable to watch the shows they were on, and I even rooted them on from the comfort of my couch.  I might have even posted a facebook status or two in hopes that my other friends would be "fans" of theirs and root them on, too.

This was a year or more ago, and I can honestly say that I am so irritated by a few of these people now.  A few of them have done it the right way, and have used their time on The Biggest Loser to pay it forward and excite others to lose weight and change their lives.  Bravo, Phil & Amy, bravo. 

But then there's that girl I used to work with at Black & Decker.  Ugh.

She was fun, outgoing, smart, pretty.  All the things that add up to being cast on.... all together now... THE BACHELOR!  I could hardly believe my eyes when the previously blonde, spikey-haired spitfire I'd trained with in California was sashaying out of the limo towards Jake whatever-his-name-was.  Except she was now a dark brunette with a longer name and an exorbitant amount of confidence (which I applauded at the time).  Good for you, girlfriend.  Go get that man!

If only that was where she stayed.  From episode to episode, I watched her turn into some game-playing-fame-whore.  I still pulled for her, nonetheless, because I remembered the real person she was and knew that this was probably in efforts of being "memorable" and whatnot.  She got the boot about midway through the season, but not to worry, she got a second chance at stardom when cast on the illustrious Bachelor Pad. 

I could go on for decades about how ridiculous the behavior was on that show, but that's not the point.  I loved watching it for the same reasons everyone else did, so I'm not going to hate on any of those people for trying to win some money.  Do what you gotta do, especially if your career is hanging on the fame you'll receive after this show.  What I'm hating on (the the reason I've decided to word-vomit all over my cute little baby blog) is the aftermath of it all.  I abhor the fact that every status update on facebook tells us what online column she's appearing in, done an interview for, or that might mention her.  She's even kind enough to post the link, multiple times.  If that weren't enough, every other status mentions how she does what she does "for the fans,"  and we get regularly updated photo albums of all things Bachelor.  Photos that I can only assume were on abc.com, and she wants to make sure none of us miss them. 

With all that said, I sure sound like Bitter Betty, huh?  Haha!  I don't know why this irks me so badly, but I've seriously been stewing these thoughts in my head for months (usually after every update I see on fb).  My husband couldn't care less, much like everyone else I might tell around me, so to the blog it goes!  Lucky you!  I guess I just feel like Snookie and company have a right to "have fans," when they get millions of dollars for every move they make now.  They are reality gold.  A top 20 girl on the Bachelor?  Get over yourself!  As we all witnessed on the Women Tell All episode this week, it seems as though a lot of these people think that they're famous after being cast on this show.  They go to Bachelor/ette themed events in hopes that they'll be raunchy enough to get cast on another spin-off, and most of them live in some intertwined world where everyone is a star!  All 500+ of them!

Stepping off soapbox now, and shocked at the ridiculousness of this post.  Don't be surprised if it's gone in 5 minutes!  Ha!

Off to pack for the beach! :)

Menu Plan Monday

Maybe I should coin a phrase for every day of the week.  Maybe then I'd actually drag myself to the computer every night, feeling compelled to uphold whatever "thing of the day" I'd promised you.  If you haven't already noticed, I'm on the ball with this menu stuff, so perhaps my blog would be much more fabulous if I had a topic to bring to you each day.  Instead, I find myself knee-deep in weeds at 6pm, with a husband asking if KFC is ok for dinner tonight since clearly I missed the mark on cooking at home this evening.  Such is life, eh?

(Also, please note that I nearly fell over when I stood up to drag the four trash bags of dirt, weeds, roots and whatnot I'd pulled from underneath the bushes below our front porch.  Do you think it's because I'm 30?  I don't remember feeling so decrepit at 29...).

I digress.  Menu Plan Monday is where we are! 

We tried a few new things this week, but we also ate a little bit of crap this week.  I blame it on the fact that my Mothers of Twins Club meeting was on Tuesday, and that prompted Nathan to order Domino's since I eat at the meeting.  I was ok with this solution for dinner, and as it turns out, I made it last for a few more meals while he was on call for the 30 hours afterward.  I'm Frugal Fanny when it comes down to it, and even if it's not-made-from-scratch-and-God-knows-how-many-processed-ingredients-went-in-it, I will not waste it.  Nope, not me.  So here's what we had:

Monday:  Homemade chicken tenders & waffle fries
Tuesday:  Pizza, a la Domino's
I made an amazing spinach quiche for lunch on Wednesday that the kids loved.  They each ate an entire piece, then finished it off for breakfast the next morning.  I'd highly recommend it as one of the easiest quiches you can make!
Wednesday:  Leftover pizza
Thursday:  Chicken fajita quesadillas, crockpot refried beans & rice
Friday:  Spaghetti with meaty spinach & cheese sauce
Saturday:  Chicken pie & green bean casserole
Sunday:  Crockpot Italian Chicken with potatoes & onion  *Tyler and Caroline tore this up.  Like, they inhaled as much chicken as I did.  Recipe below with my notes in parentheses.

Dessert:  Pecan Pie, or aka, "the pie that will make you cry" by the Pioneer Woman.  I did, indeed, almost cry.

Crockpot Italian Chicken
2-3 chicken breasts (I used 2 large)
1/2 c Italian dressing (I made the kind from the packet and used the entire amount, which was more than one cup)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or mix basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4-6 medium potatoes (I did about 1 lb small red potatoes, cut into wedges)
1 onion, sliced

Place chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with half of the dressing, spices & grated cheese.  Put the potatoes & onion over the chicken, then pour the rest of the dressing, spices & cheese.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Edit:  Someone asked for the chicken pie recipe, so I'll go ahead and post that here.  It was unthinkably easy!

Chicken Pie
1 c shredded chicken
2 c chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2  c self-rising flour
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c butter or margarine

Place the chicken in a baking dish.  Bring chicken broth and soup to a boil, then pour over chicken and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix melted butter or margarine with the flour and buttermilk (it will have a pancake batter consistency).  Spoon the mix over the chicken, and spread evenly across the top.  Bake at 350 for one hour, or until the top is golden brown.

I should be ashamed to tell you (but I'm not) that we devoured the whole thing in one sitting.  If my husband weren't so picky, I would be inclined to put a vegetable medley into the chicken mix and make it more chicken pot pie-esque.  Unfortunately I've learned the hard way that he doesn't like it when I throw in some random peas & carrots here or there, so I just serve them on the side for Tyler & Caroline now.  If you don't have a picky husband, throw those bad boys in there and it will be just as good :)

One time, when I was 12...

I went to the zoo with my husband and kids.  Oh wait, except I'm 30.  But surely an adult of such age wouldn't be doubled over with laughter at the sight of this?  Much less taking physical pictures of each stage of an elephant's excrement, right?

The funny thing about it is that I was not alone.  Adults everywhere were roaring with laughter, simultaneously pointing to their children to "look at the elephants, honey!  Ahahahahahha!"  We all about died when elephant numero dos walked up and began munching on the leftovers.  That resulted in an uproar of another kind - ewww.

I tried taking pictures of our family enjoying the rest of the zoo, but there were so many people there it was pretty hard to get anyone to focus.  Tyler & Caroline wanted out of the wagon, and anytime we stopped for more than two seconds they would throw their arms up to be lifted to freedom.  The only time they sat still was to feed the goats, which was also pretty funny.  Some random little boy decided he'd like to feed them, too.

Maybe we'll head over to Riverbanks on a week day rather than a warm, sunny Saturday next time.  We bought a season pass so I'll undoubtedly be spending lots of time there, but let's hope I can hold it together from now on.