thought of the day

Happy Weekend All!

Broccoli Cheese and Rice

The other night I was making dinner. Chicken Breasts were getting ready to be grilled and I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted as a side dish. I had some rice left over from the night before and I didn't want plain rice. ick!

I decided it sounded good to have some form of Cheesy Rice. So I started making a roux like I would if I was starting to make homemade mac-n-cheese. Put in some milk and cheese. Microwaved some frozen broccoli and chopped it up real fine, then added my cooked brown rice.

Recipe:

4T of butter

2T flour

3 c milk

1t onion powder

1t garlic powder

1/2 black pepper

1/2 salt

2 1/2 c graded cheddar

1 1/2 c chopped broccoli

2 1/2 c rice

Start by getting broccoli ready by microwaving or steaming and chop finely and set aside.

Then put butter into bottom of pan ( I use my deep teflon pan - a pan I also use for making goulash type dishes)

add flour and on medium heat cook the flour - making sure to move it around with a whisk. Cook for about 4 good minutes. Add seasonings at this point.

Add milk and make sure to whisk briskly - mixture will thicken. Once it is thick to the point of coating the back of your spoon and leaves a line when you draw through it with your finger - you know it is thick enough.

Add cheese - mix thoroughly then add broccoli and rice. Make sure it is cooked down and not too runny before your serve (cooking on a medium heat).

Pauly kept taking bites and saying "yum yum mom!" FINALLY! He will eat something. I guess this is going to be a regular - for him anyways :) He even ate it for lunch the next day!

Hope your family likes it too!!!

noteworthy neighbors

Last Thursday, Pauly and I put together

a surprise for our sweet neighbors -

English Tea Cakes.

I wrapped it all up in tissue and pretty paper.

I tied it all up with a blue paper bow.

Attached a lovely card -

letting them know how thankful we are for them.

Pauly delivered it for me.

He loved delivering it. And I heard... they loved the cookies.

A new outlet.

I love sitting outside on my patio, watching Pauly on the swing set and playing in the mud. I take Billy out in his car seat around his nap time and he gets to nap in the fresh air. Of course, I take along my coffee and a notebook to jot down some thoughts, make to-do lists, menus and grocery lists. Pauly loves to bring me his latest mud concoction masterpiece to taste - ick. I pretend with my best yummy yum yum and send him back to create me another. (Don't you love the mud beauty mark?)

The weather has been sunny for a few days and then we get these awesome thunder storms (i love!) & right now it is contemplating another.

This past weekend we did a lot of "outside time"! It was sooooooooo nice! Why can't it stay like this all year? I really don't like the heat and honestly if there were no heat - it would be absolutely perfect here in Idaho. The winters don't bother me at all - just that darn heat! Our little house doesn't have a.c. so summers are interesting to say the least. (Especially when I'm pregnant - which I'm NOT this year! Yeah!)

Anyhow, to help in making our life easier and to make it so we can put up Christmas Lights easier and listen to music outside - we put in a new electrical outlet outside. See our little house was built in 1943 - (hence no air conditioning) The electrical outlet, of course, was my husband's idea... I thought it was quite silly and a waste of money - BUT being able to not string an extension cord through doors and windows sounds like a pretty fabulous idea when I go outside with my laptop to blog, which is fabulous if you haven't done it yet! So - another year will go by and I won't have a plug-in in the bathroom (yes one bathroom - no plug-in or storage- What was I thinking when I bought this house!!!? Easy fixes is what I was thinking - So easy 4 years later we haven't FIXED THEM!) but all is good because I can have twinkle lights galore under my carport, which is somewhat... divine!

I'm doing it!

I'm finally going to let it grow.

Look what I can do!!!

When I watch movies at night, I braid my hair - some people eat popcorn, some people doodle, some people read (Ben), not me. I braid my hair - my long long locks of hair.

Not really but, it's getting there. So proud of myself for not cutting it.... yet. *tee hee*

Holy Moly!

Did any of you all know that one of the quirky songs down below had a swear word in it? I just like these little quirky love songs. They sound sweet, they make me happy and their bubbly and fun. BUT I was listening to one of them (mind you, I totally didn't review every single WHOLE song before adding it - WHO has the time to do that when making a play list - I just listen to the first few seconds and think - Well, that sounds fun and I add it.) Arrrrg! Next time tell me - if you notice - I'm not saying you noticed and didn't tell me- but if you do - please! tell me. I don't want trashy music chasing off all of my lovely friends. I want light, bubbly, fun music that makes your day happy and cheerful. So - sorry about that. Forgive me?

Thank you Miss Aubrey

Where ever my feet take me.

When ever I wear these shoes.

I will remember.

How thoughtful you were to me... a complete stranger.

You brought sunshine to my day.

My crazy day, full of making meals, changing diapers, chasing boys and keeping up with the household chores.

Thank you. I love them.

So long farewell

Well... farewell for only a little while... I'm going to take a blog break. If you haven't noticed my posts have been incredibly boring and short. I'm bored, exhausted, trying to recover from wisdom teeth ickiness and I just need a break. I'm going to take a break from the computer for a week actually. It will be nice. I just let myself look to blogging as my peace rather than cracking open my Bible or talking to an actual person.

I will be back in a week and hopefully have a ton of fun pics and maybe even a clean house. Hmmm that's a wish-upon-a-star kind of thought... but maybe.

Anyhow, other than updating Netflix and email. I'm not going to Facebook (I know, I know Diva) or Blog and hopefully come back with fresh ideas, fun pictures and not be SO BORING.

My husband even told me today that instead of how Lightening McQueen says "Speed, I am Speed." - I should say "Boring, I. am. boring." - This came up because well... as my family knows my toddler is addicted to Cars and most movies for that matter... that's maybe another thing we should try and go without for - for a week. Naaa - I'd go crazy! Anyway, don't you think that's love right there - at least he told me before I bored you all to death.... well I hope you aren't already.... well - any way.

Hugs and Kisses and See ya in a week!!!

Snips and Snails

And puppy dog tails...

i love you

I don't know if you know about this website already - but if you haven't went there yet - you should!

Dear Casi and Mom,

When I think of you I think of this.

Thank you for putting out time, money and giving up your weekend to come and take care of me and my family this past weekend.

I'm feeling pretty good and yes, I'm rinsing with salt water.

I love you to the moon & appreciate you so much.

xoxo, sis

P.S. Aunt Flo came to visit right after you left (ole bitty) she hasn't visited since before I got pregnant with William. Anyhow, glad I'm on heavy drugs while she is here *tee hee*

Really... Wisdom?

I had to get my wisdom teeth out today. I don't understand at all why they are called Wisdom Teeth... stupid teeth.

Dream

pause the music down below...

Enjoy "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn

share time.

My adorable niece.
My beautiful sister-in-law.

My handsome comedian nephew.

Me and my love.

William on Foxy.

Easter Baskets galore.

Pauly being grumpy and William learning how to be.

New hat 1.

New hat 2.

2 boys ready for church.

again

Yes - we've had our precious family here from North Dakota and it was wonderful.

Yes - I made delicious meals and divine desserts.

Yes - I tried to keep up with laundry, dishes, and cleaning.

Yes - my house is a disaster (except for where my visiting family was sleeping - they cleaned downstairs and it is beautiful).

Yes - I planned a special Easter Basket opening session for my boys complete with a new kite, new socks, hats, shoes and a book.

Yes - church was crazy - blessed with a cranky baby and a 2 year old boy repetitively requesting to be able to go play with toys in the nursery the moment he hears we are going to church.

Yes - my 2 year old says "Done!" after every song we sing until daddy finally takes him down to the nursery.

Yes - I missed the message.

Yes - I ate too much of Granny's delicious ham.

Yes - my boys are over stimulated, cranky and way off of their routine.

Yes - my baby boy is extremely spoiled (even more than he already was) from being held by anyone and everyone that could get their fingers on his soft plump baby body.

Yes - he went through a screaming session last night and the night before from not being able to be content with nursing, sleeping, sitting - NOTHING could make him happy.

Yes - I feel like I'm LOSIN' it!

Yes - I went through Easter and got WAY to caught up in making food, visiting with family, shopping, chasing boys and trying to make everyone happy and comfortable without remembering...

what Easter really is supposed to mean.

and for this... I am sorry sweet Jesus.

I love you forever and this is just another example of what I am - without you.

Through your grace -

today, I can start over -

again.

Thank you.