Making a House a Home

I LOVE to cook!! I remember being in the kitchen with my mom when I was little and "helping" as much as any 5 year old can. Then the teenage years set it and, boy, was I selfish!! I remember my mother asking me "How in the world are you ever going to cook for your family if you never help me cook now?" My answer? "Mom, I'll just read the directions."

Okay, so I was Miss Smarty Pants and not very honoring to my mother. I've repented, believe me. When Mr. U and I married, I had to call my mom SEVERAL times a week to ask her (what are now) simple cooking questions- "How long do you boil chicken?", "How long do you boil eggs?", "How in the WORLD do you cook fresh green beans???" and on and on and on. Things I would have learned had I been less selfish and continued under the tutelage of my mother.

Mr. U and I married in 1998 and around that time Food Network was just starting to become popular in my area. I remember watching The Iron Chef and thinking "NO WAY am I cooking that for my family!!!" Then I discovered Rachael Ray and I was in heaven!! Between what I remembered from my mom when I was young, calling her on the phone almost daily for cooking help, and watching Rachael Ray, I have learned to cook- and I LOVE it!!

But, sadly, all the cooking shows these days seem to cook pretty much the same things. I'm not saying I'm an expert cook, but I LOVE to learn new methods instead of the "same old same old". I used to tape my favorite cooking shows and watch them in any spare (and rare) moments. But nothing really excites me anymore about the cooking shows.

Thankfully, Food Network has a new show on called The Gourmet Next Door with Amy Finley and I LOVE this show!!!!! Amy seems to really want her viewers to learn more about cooking. I can't wait to see more of her shows.


Also, I just discovered that PBS has Julia Child videos ONLINE!!! You can view her cooking with guest chefs for free!!! I remember my mom watching her show a few times and I remember her voice, but I've never watched an episode of her cooking shows. I love that I can watch her online. Wow! Modern technology!!!!


What about you? Do you enjoy cooking or is it something you do because you have to feed your family? How did you learn to cook? I would love to hear from y'all!!

I found this recipe years ago in a magazine. It's been so long that I don't remember what magazine it came from!! But I DO know that this is easy, delicious and something my whole family just loves!!!

Chicken Enchiladas in Cream
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 (7 ounces) can salsa verde
1 (4 ounces) can chopped green chilies
10 flour tortillas (8 inch diameter)
2 1/2 cups of cream *
2 cups shredded cheese **

Mix chicken, salsa verde and green chilies in a bowl and spoon mixture evenly into the 10 tortillas. Roll up and place them in a prepared 9x13 pan. Pour cream on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees until golden and most of cream is absorbed.

* I have used half and half instead of cream and had equally delicious results.
** In this photo, I used 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of mozzarella. Yum!

I stumbled across a WONDERFUL website recently. The website is called Miss Laurie's Smart Guide and Miss Laurie has a DVD on, get this, a common sense approach to cleaning your home!! How great is that??? How many ladies do you know that could benefit from a DVD actually teaching them HOW to clean and WHY things should be done certain ways?

Here's what the website says about the DVD...

Whether you're clueless about cleaning or just want to learn more, here's a common sense approach to cleaning for your own home or a home you care for.

-Organize your cleaning time and tasks.
-Learn the specifics needed to attack the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and laundry.
-Don't fire your help (the kids, your mate or your maid)...buy them the video!

Remember, it's a great gift for high school grads, new brides and grooms or a messy mensch.

Okay, so I am not just telling y'all this because it sounds like a neat DVD or anything. I'm telling y'all this because I HAVE the DVD and LOVE it!! Miss Laurie offers soo many practical tips and cleaning tidbits. The only thing I didn't like about the DVD was that it was too short! LOL!! I love learning about taking care of my home and Miss Laurie had such wonderful ideas and helps, I could have sat and watched about a lot longer!!!

I've already started using some of Miss Laurie's tips. Y'all just head on over and visit with Miss Laurie. A DVD on how to clean your home- I LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you, Miss Laurie, for sharing this with us!!!

The weather here in my area has gotten rather chilly lately. While I am quite happy to be leaving the hot, humid days of summer behind us (finally!!!), I often find myself unprepared in my wardrobe for the winter months.

Two posts I've come across lately have greatly encouraged me and given me goals in my wintertime shopping. Tammy has shared about Wearing Dresses in Winter and Mrs. Wilt has shared Fall and Winter Wardrobe Basics.

I wear dresses and skirts only and I really appreciate these two ladies taking time to share with us about their wardrobes- keeping warm and the "basics" of a warm wardrobe. So, no more aimless shopping for me! I am using them as my shopping guides this year!! Thank you ladies!!

Oh y'all!!! I made a delicious recipe!!! I found it at the Kraft Foods website. It's called Made Over Chicken Tetrazzini and it is yummmmmy!!! So yummy, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of it!! It's all gone now and there's not a noodle in sight.

Made Over Chicken Tetrazzini

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.

PLACE Neufchatel cheese, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

I do plan on making this dish again for my family but I will make just a few changes. Why oh why I must change every recipe is beyond me. Sigh. But, change it up, I will.

Here's my future changes...
-I will season the chicken with salt and pepper when I put it in the skillet with the peppers and mushrooms. The chicken had no taste and needed seasoning.
-I will put 2 cloves of garlic in the skillet when I am cooking the chicken, peppers and mushrooms. Again, it needed "something" and, for my family, garlic is it.
-I will use 16 ounces of chicken broth instead of 14 ounces. It needed, in my opinion, just a little more liquid in it. It came out a tad too dry for us.

If any of y'all happen to make or already have made it, please let me know if y'all made any substitutions.

And frequent commenter, Bob's Wife, let me know if you try it, too!! :)

Please pray for my mom. She has had severe rheumatoid arthritis for several years and had several surgeries for joint replacements. She is pretty much always in pain. Through it all, she is the godliest lady I know.

Last week, her hip started hurting very badly. My mom NEVER says she is in pain. Well, she said her pain was 10 on a scale of 1 to 10!! So that meant she was in BIG pain!! Turns out, she has shingles.

Last night (Wednesday night), she was getting up at 1:30 to go to the bathroom and fell. She has broken her hip and hit her head pretty badly and has stitches. She broke her hip in 3 places and they need to do surgery. They can’t do the surgery right away because she is on coumadin to thin her blood (she has blood pressure issues, too). She is in MUCH pain.

My dad has very bad health, too, and is at the hospital, worried and exhausted. Please pray for him, too.

My sweet parents are only 65 (dad) and 62 (mom).

Ahhhhh.... home... I LOVE being home! The older I get, the more of a "homebody" I am. Anyone else that way?

We went to Callaway Gardens in Georgia last Thursday and got home Sunday. It was beautiful there!! I hadn't been there since I was in middle school so it was sort of a trip down memory lane for me (goodness, that makes me sound old!! HA!!!).

My parents decided a few months ago to take our family, my sister, and my brother and his family to Callway Gardens. They rented one of their villas. It was fun with all of us staying together and even more fun out sight-seeing all over the beautiful gardens. Oh, and my brother's daughter is only 1 1/2 months older than Elizabeth so the two of them had a big time playing together.

This week so far has been catching up on laundry (WHY do you wear more clothes when you are on vacation?????? I'll never figure that mystery out!!!) and doing regular housework. While I very much enjoyed being away, I missed the little daily things I do around our home to tidy it and keep it homey.

Ah, it is SO good to be home!!!

Whew!!! Life's been SO busy lately!! Last weekend, Mr. U's father and mother came to visit us. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them. Whenever we go visit them, other relatives are always around so we hardly ever get them to ourselves. :)

Tomorrow we are leaving on a little family vacation for a few days. We are going to be staying in a villa that has a kitchen, so I've been trying to get some food together so that we don't have to eat out all the time.

I do look forward to being gone a few days and r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g!!!! Church is starting to head into a busy season with the holidays coming up. It'll be nice to catch our breath for a few days.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit your blogs lately. I have checked Julieann's because I've been worried about the fire in California being near her family. If you or a blogger you know is near the fire or their home is IN the fire, please let me know. I want to PRAY!!! I cannot imagine what it must be like to see flames like I've seen on TV.

Have a blessed weekend, y'all!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I have had my "Fall vitamins". Today, as a matter of fact.

Have you had your "Fall vitamins" yet?

Surely these MUST hold some special nutrients for Fall, don't you think? Tee hee!!!

Ladies, when was the last time you received a hand written letter? When was the last time you sent a hand written letter?

Why not take some time this week to sit down and write a note to a dear friend or family member. There's nothing like opening the mailbox to find a letter from a friend!!!

Most of y'all have already heard by now that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. So, when was the last time that you thanked your pastor for following the Lord and leading the sheep in your church? Write him a note of encouragment, tell him how thankful you are for him and is faithfulness to the Lord and PRAY for him!! Pastoring a church is a hard job and pastors deal with so many issues that the majority of church members don't know about. He needs your encouragment and your prayers, so please tell him how much your family appreciates him.

I found a wonderful link at Revive Our Hearts entitled "31 days of praying for your Pastor". This would be a great tool to use to lift your pastor up in prayer!! Why not start today!!

Look what I found waiting for me in my mailbox yesterday!!!



Yes, Victoria Magazine is in full swing and I am one happy lady!! Oh and their website has wonderful treasures, too! I can't wait to spend time there, too!!

So, you all know what I am going to be doing today!!

Okay, so I do not normally wear cleaning gloves... but when I saw the super cute gloves that Kim and Aggie were wearing, I knew I needed to find some!!!

While I can't find their exact gloves, I did find a website with adorable cleaning gloves! It's called ComfyBath and the gloves are called Gloveables (how cute is that?). So in case anyone is interested in purchasing something besides the standard yellow gloves that we can find at any store, we now have a choice!!

Do any of you wear cleaning gloves on a regular basis? If so, how long have you been wearing them to clean?

(And yes, those are the cleaning gloves that I want!! TOOO CUTE!!!)

I LOVE to read!! I love to curl up with a good book and get lost in the pages. Be it homemaking, historical fiction, biography, cookbooks or Christian fiction, I LOVE to read!!

One of my favorite places to purchase books from is Vision Forum. They have wholesome, Christian literature that is encouraging, challenging and uplifting. They have wonderful sales, too!! When one of their catalogs arrives in the mail, you will find me all alone, s-l-o-w-l-y pouring over the pages to figure out what newest adventure I want to go on through the pages of a book.

I just LOVE to read!!!

What about you? Where do you like to purchase your books? Do you LOVE to read, too??

This is the recipe for the Taco Soup that we had yesterday. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and we all love it. It's easy to make and pleases everyone who eats it. This freezes well, too, so doubling it would be a great idea!!


Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, diced
1 package taco seasoning*
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 small (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour Cream

In a stock pot, brown ground beef. Drain if it is greasy. Add diced onions to the beef as well as the taco seasoning. Cook about 10 minutes over medium high heat until onions start turning translucent. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes until all the flavors are combined. When you serve it, top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This is also very good on top of fritos!! YUM!!

*I did not use a taco seasoning package. I always make my own. Here's the recipe I use.

Taco Seasoning Mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

"Depending on how spicy you and your family like your dishes, use as little or as much as you want."

I just love walking outside in the mornings and being greeted by these happy morning glories!!! The Lord is SO sweet to give us such beautiful things to look at and be reminded of Him and His creation.

Today is going to be a rather quiet day around our home. Just normal household chores to be done- Elizabeth's laundry, vacuum the house, clean the master bathroom. For lunch today (lunch is our main meal of the day), I am making my sister-in-law's Taco Soup. YUM! And I just may make Kelli's Maple Cookies. They look SO delicious!!!

I look forward to days like this that aren't so busy. I get time to read more, make a few phone calls to friends I haven't spoken with in a while, and I will take time to read some of the deeper, more meatier blogs that I don't always get around to.

So, what are you up to today? Is it a busy day in your household?

Choose the biscuit that you would like to eat.


If you cannot pick up the entire biscuit, carefully pick up a piece in your hand.


Take a bite of your biscuit.


Enjoy eating your biscuit (but please try to keep your mouth closed while you are chewing).


Eat only as much as needed. You do not need to finish the entire biscuit if you aren't that hungry. Oh, and mommy will happily clean up your dishes. :)

I am so blessed. This past Sunday, September 23, my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. 40 YEARS!!!!! Can you believe that?

In a day and age of quickie divorces, these two have stayed the course. They haven't had an easy time, either. Aside from the fact that they had three children (two of which are very strong-willed!!!), both of them have dealt with major health issues. They could have easily given up and walked away thinking, "I deserve better than this!", "I don't have to do this kind of stuff!", "I want to be able what I want to do!!!". But they haven't. They have truly modeled a godly marriage to my brother, sister and I.

Are they perfect? No. But they sure have given me an earthly example of what unselfish love looks like. I am so blessed, indeed.

I love you Dad and Mom!!!

A dear lady left a comment on one of the posts yesterday asking for recommendations for safe, non-toxic cleaning products while she is pregnant. PLEASE forgive me, but I do not remember who asked! I cannot find the comment either! Oh dear!!

I did a little research and it all led back to my favorite cleaning ingredients plus a fresh smelling ingredient- vinegar, baking soda and lemons!!!

Here are some sites that give wonderful information about cleaning with these products:

Vinegar Tips

27 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda

3 Homemade Natural Cleaning Products

Vinegar, Baking Soda and Lemon Cleaning Resources

As with anything, please check with your doctor or midwife before using any products while pregnant.

Happy cleaning!!

Oh ladies!!!! A wonderful new book will be out soon!! Jennie Chancey (Ladies Against Feminism) and Stacy McDonald ("Raising Maidens of Virtue") have collaborated on a new book entitled "Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God".

Here's a little bit about it from Mrs. McDonald's blog...

Have you struggled to reconcile God’s vision of virtuous womanhood with worldly myths that marginalize and mock the role of the homemaker? Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker’s calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman—the wife whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, or her money-making skills? Such is the image of the “desperate housewife” that the modern media, culture, and feminism are promoting with great energy.(You can read more here.)

I so look forward to reading this book!! The only problem is that I have to wait about a month until it comes out- oh dear!!

We LOVE lentils here in our home and I was so excited to try a recipe from a friend. She makes the BEST lentil soup!! Her secret? Ham hocks.

Now, I know that most of y'all probably don't think twice about using ham hocks in cooking. But I've never used them before and, quite frankly, I was a little scared of them. I'M NOT JOKING!!!!! They are used a lot in Southern cooking, and though I am Southern, my mom never used them in cooking. I just didn't know what to do with them.

Well, I'll tell you what!! I definitely know what to do with them now! They flavored this soup sooo beautifully! If you haven't used them before in cooking, try it! You just may LOVE the flavor!!!


Crock Pot Lentil Soup

1 bag of Lentils, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 smoked ham hocks
5 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste


Add all ingredients to crock pot. Set on low and cook for 7 hours. Serve with fresh baked rolls.

6-8 servings

Don't you just love it when you are "walking" through blogland and you come across a post that just makes you smile?

Recently, I read a post entitled Simple Pleasures over at Hope in Laodicea. Here, the author, Ingrid Schlueter, talks about how the simple things in taking care of her family make her so very happy.

I love this quote,

"There’s something in most women that God placed there that if given the chance, really thrives on the simple work of serving our families."

The entire article is so encouraging! Be sure and take time to read it.

This morning, Mr. U and I decided to go to a local park for our morning walk. Elizabeth was MORE than happy to get out in this cool weather and enjoy her stroller. The temperature was 58 degrees when we arrived and the skies the clearest blue.



After we walked, we headed over to the children's play area. Mr. U held Elizabeth and slid her down the slide. Then he climbed to the top of the slides and gently let Elizabeth slide down to me. I grabbed her about 1/3 of the way down the slide (it was a short slide, too) because I was worried she would be scared. Silly me. She was all smiles and held her arms out to daddy to slide again!!! We'll be heading back to the park soon so she can slide more.


As we were leaving the park, I spied the first "official" sign of autumn- the leaves!!! Finally I found some leaves around here that have changed to their glorious fall colors!! Yippee!!! Now... I just need a hot mug of apple cider and I'll be set for today!!!

The weather this morning is a sure sign that fall is on it's way. HOORAY!!!

I walk two days a week with a dear friend at a nearby school. We were both quite surprised this morning when arrived at the walking track to find how chilly it was!! Shivering, we walked and talked and were both VERY excited to have left those 100 plus temperatures and have this lovely cool weather to welcome us outside.

The windows in my home are wide open right now and I can smell that nice "outside" smell drifting in on the breeze. Today is a busy day with homekeeping duties, meeting good friends for lunch and running errands, but I am SO happy to be doing these on a much cooler day!!

What are your plans today?

How is the weather where you are? Can you tell that fall is on the way?

Just to let you know, our family is usually a little behind times when it comes to TV shows. So I won't be the least bit surprised when y'all tell me that you've been watching this show for years!! What show? "How Clean is Your House?" on BBC America.

Last night was the first time I had seen the show. These two ladies, Kim and Aggie, went into a DISGUSTING house to help the lady get it cleaned and taught her how to keep it clean. I was shocked that the house was soooo dirty!! However, I loved learning the cleaning tips they gave (like using lemonade to remove hard stains in the toilet!!!). They really gave the house a good scrubbing and the lady was SO happy with the end result.

Another interesting thing I learned about was about...well...I hate to share such icky things... but... dust mite fecal. UGH!!! Kim and Aggie kept referring to all the germs that dust mites carry and how they leave their fecal (albeit microscopic) all over the house!!!! MY STARS!! I could barely go to sleep last night!! All I could think of was the dust mites on my pillow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have no idea how this dear lady's home got to be the horrible condition that it was, but, ladies, make sure that you are taking care of your home so that it never gets to that point! Please!!!!

Just in case you've ever wondered, when a recipe for roasting chicken breasts says to "rinse and pat dry" each breast, please do so.

The recipe was simple.

"Rinse and pat dry" chicken breasts. Place them in a roasting pan and drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven 45-55 minutes until juices from chicken run clear.

I learned a hard and smelly lesson this morning. I thought "Why should I pat the chicken dry? It's going in the oven. The heat from the oven will make the water evaporate." WRONG!! Why? Because when you roast chicken in the oven, you always use some olive oil, too. The mixture of oil and water in the oven caused a whole lot of smoke!!!! There wasn't enough smoke to make the smoke alarms go off (thank the Lord!!!), but the oven is VERY dirty from the chicken popping all over the place!!!!

So, the chicken breasts are finally done. They don't smell nor do they look funny. All that's left for me to do is to do is to let the chicken cool down and shred it.

Oh, and clean the oven. Can't forget to do THAT today!!

Lesson learned.

Hi y'all! Yes, I am alive and well. I just needed a little time off from blogging. I do apologize for not sharing that beforehand. Very rude of me indeed. Please forgive me.

I'm going through a blogging slump. Last week I found myself thinking "I should blog!!" but then couldn't, for the life of me, come up with anything to blog about. I think I just needed a mindless week to do my day to day jobs, put Melissa & Doug puzzles together for the millionth time, play with the Tupperware Shape-O ball yet again and just watch Elizabeth have a joyful time eating spaghetti and meatballs while feeding HERSELF!!!!

So, here I am, back and semi-refreshed and ready to visit y'all's blogs!! I'm still in a fog about what to blog about, but I'm sure if the Lord wants me to share something, then He will make it clear.

Have a blessed day and be SURE and spend time with the Lord today!! What an honor it is to be able to open His Word, sit at His Feet and truly KNOW the Creator of the World!!!!

What does this picture of Elizabeth have to do with this post? Nothing. I just think she's adorably cute and wanted to share!! :)

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Do y'all ever procrastinate about anything? My son and I have referred to ourselves as the king and queen of procrastination. HAHA!!

Yesterday I did two things in our home that I have put off and put off. First I needed to clean above the door frames. You know that little section above that door frame that sticks out from the door? I have noticed dust up there and it's been driving me NUTS looking at it. But, of course, I noticed it LAST WEEK and just yesterday finally cleaned it off. LOL!! And you know what? I cleaned that part of every door in our home and it took only about 20 minutes to do it!! Just two quick wipes was all it took above each door frame and ta-da they are clean!!!

The other job that I've been putting off is washing our windows. In the past, I have said that mopping is my most dreaded part of cleaning. Nope. I've discovered that I washing windows is worse!!! That would definitely explain why I haven't cleaned our windows since JANUARY this year!!! Oh my!!! And before that it had been TWO YEARS since they were last clean!!!!!! Yes, it's true!!!! So, I have decided to mend my ways and put myself on a monthly window cleaning schedule!!! When they are cleaned more often, it's MUCH easier to clean them!

Anyway... I started cleaning the windows and I cleaned all of them in our house in about 45 minutes!!! That was MUCH faster than I had anticipated! I was very happy to be done with cleaning them AND that it was much faster that I had expected!!!

So... what dreaded task have YOU been putting off? Tackle it today!!! I bet it'll take a whole lot less time and energy than you think!

I am FAR from in shape. In fact, I need to lose a good bit of weight. I've been trying to exercise several days of week. Do I like exercising? No. Do I like that it is good for my body? Oh yes! And I want to be healthy so that I can care for my family until I am 100 years old or more!!

I really enjoyed reading Elizabeth's post entitled "The Physical Demands of Homemaking: Specificity of Training" over at A Merry Rose. After I read the article, I was motivated to get up and exercise! I want to be better at my tasks as a homemaker and exercising is a way to accomplish just that.

Do you exercise? Why? Do you feel that it helps you as your role as a homemaker?

Y'ALL!! Giveaway alert! And it's for a super cute bag!! Head on over to Musings of a Housewife and enter! Oooooh!!! Cute bag for fall! I would LOVE to win this!

Now, this isn't a fairy tale, ladies. I'm talking real life here. "The king" is your husband. "Where he lays his head" is, obviously, your bed. What about where he lays his head??

After reading Mommy Bee's post over a month ago entitled A Heavenly Bed, I've been on a mission to make the place where Mr. U, the king of our home, lays his head more comfortable. Mr. U works so very hard. When he is resting at night, I want him to sleep well.

Mommy Bee's post has been swirling around in my head for a while now. The first step I took was to purchase a fluffy mattress pad!!! I was looking online at different mattress pads and knew I could never afford the super nice one I was eyeing. I did, however, find a very fluffy and comfortable mattress pad at Target!!! I put it on our bed last Tuesday night and Mr. U said the bed is very soft! He didn't realize how hard the bed felt before we put this new mattress pad on.

This is only my first step in making our bedroom more comfortable for Mr. U. I love him so much. He is such a good, kind, loving, godly and SUPER SMART man!! I want to take extra special care of him!! After all, he is the king of our home!! :)

Okay, well, my family isn't going on a picnic and neither am I, for that matter. I am hostessing the ladies fellowship at our church in September and I have chosen the theme of "Picnics". That sounded fine and dandy at first. It actually sounded kind of FUN even. But now... I'm lost. What kind of decorating do you do for a picnic when the picnic is going to be indoors with ladies of all ages? We can't very well sit on the floor, nor can we have any three-legged races. (HAHA!! Now that would be fun!!!)

If y'all have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share them. I did think of red-checked table cloths and purchased them already. But how else can I decorate (with a small budget, please) to make it nice for all the ladies??

I do have the guest speaker all lined up for the night. Shhh. Don't tell any of the ladies, but our beloved pastor is going to be the speaker!!! He's the most talented, most godly, most HANDSOME pastor I've ever met!! (Please see my profile in the "About Me" section on the right.)

I look forward to any help/advice y'all can give!! :)

Thank you in advance!!!

Photo found here.

Many of us Southerners LOVE iced tea. For fun, I would love to know...

-which brand of tea does your family prefer to drink?

-how much sugar do you add to a gallon of tea?


This should be fun and interesting!! :)

Oh, I suppose I should answer, too! We currently use Luzianne (decaf) and I prefer 1 1/2 cups of sugar, but Mr. U prefers only 2/3 of a cup of sugar in his gallon of tea!! LOL!!

While I am VERY well aware that temperatures are soaring in most parts of the US right now (it's been in the 100s everyday for about 3 weeks here), when I discovered this recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup, I just HAD to make it.

Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, made these two recipes on her show recently. Her original recipes can be found here and here on Food Network. Typical me, I had to change the recipe around a bit because, well, simply because I can!! LOL!!


Here's my version...


Mexican Chicken Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
12(6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas*
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, fresh chopped cilantro and tortilla chips

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt , 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, extra fresh cilantro and broken tortilla chips.

*the corn tortillas dissolve in the soup and is a thickener for the soup.


Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melteds, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the onion and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 12 large pieces

Mmmmmmmm... smoothies!!! I LOVE smoothies!!

A friend gave me a bunch of fresh fruit this past Sunday. She had taken it to church for a monthly fellowship and she had a lot left over, so she asked me if our family would like it. Like it? We LOVE fresh fruit! And it was already peeled and chopped, too!! Some of it will be used right away and some of it I can put in the freezer for later.

For our smoothies this morning, I threw some canteloupe, honeydew, pineapple and grapes into the blender and blended them up. Next I put in about a 1/4 of a cup of plain yogurt. While that was blending, I drizzled in some honey (taste it to see if it is the sweetness you like). You can also add some ice cubes to make it colder. Yum!

I used fresh fruit, but this can also be used with frozen as well for an extra cold and refreshing smoothie. I shared another smoothie recipe last summer. You can read about that here.

What did YOU have for breakfast this morning?

No, that is NOT a picture of my microwave!! LOL!! And hopefully yours doesn't look like that one either!!! (Click on the picture for a better view!!)

All microwaves need to be cleaned. Paula over at Of Children and Home has a wonderful and VERY EASY way to clean your microwave!! So... let's all head on over and learn so that we can clean our microwaves TONIGHT!!!

Today was one of those days that I have actually accomplished EVERYTHING on my "to do" list!! I love when that happens!! The only thing left is for me to sit down after church tonight and crochet for a bit. How delightfully restful before bed.

I woke up this morning and immediately started on today's jobs around the house. I washed our sheets and towels as well as our son's sheets and towels. I made a loaf of whole wheat bread. I mopped the kitchen and eating area and then scrubbed the shower walls in the master bathroom. The beds are all made with fresh, clean sheets and ready for sleepy family members tonight. The kitchen floor is gleaming. And the house smells of freshly baked bread. Ahhhh... it sure makes you feel good to get things accomplished, doesn't it?


For lunch today, Mr. U took Elizabeth and I to McDonald's!! I LOOOOOOOOVVVE McDonald's!! Yes, I know most adults will not admit to liking it, much less loving it, but I do. My granddaddy used to take me when I was small. He would buy me two cheeseburgers (after I begged and begged) and he would tell me not to tell my mom- which, of course, I always did anyway. LOL!! I guess my love of McDonald's started with him. What fun memories.

Does Elizabeth eat McDonald's food? Oh no!! I take along some healthy food for her- steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes!! If only *I* ate that healthy!!

Mmmmm... Carrot Cake!!! I really love Carrot Cake. Not only does it taste super yummy, but it just sounds so healthy since it's got plenty of carrots!! Ha ha!!

Our church had Homecoming this past weekend. I took my Mom's Chicken Pot Pie, iced tea ("Southern" sweet, of course) and Carrot Cake, per Mr. U's request.

I had never made Carrot Cake before and Mr. U really likes it, so I decided to try it. I have this "thing" about me... I'm kind of weird... I have a hard time following any recipe. So, true to form, I didn't follow any one recipe for this cake. I combined several recipes for the cake and the icing. Surprisingly, it came out DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!! Mr. U was pleasantly pleased, which means S-U-C-C-E-S-S in my book!

Here's the recipe in case y'all want to give it a try. And if y'all have any changes that you make, please share them!! :)

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated fresh carrots*
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Grease two round cake pans. Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown (cake should spring back when you touch it with your finger). Cool in pans before turning onto cooling racks.

*Do NOT use carrots from the grocery store that have already been shredded. They are too stiff. Buy whole carrots and grate them by hand for a more moist cake.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick salted butter
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans

Make sure that butter and cream cheese are soft and at room temperature. Blend all ingredients together very well and spread on your cake layers. Yum!

The ever kind Mrs. B has chosen me as one of her "Nice Matters Award" winners!! I am SOOO honored!! Little ole me!!!

This is what I found out about the award...

"This award will be given to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

Thank you Mrs. B!!!

Now... for my winners of "Nice Matters Award"...

-Melissa at Desiring to be a Godly Woman. She's nice in the blog world, yes, but I happen to be blessed to know her in real life!! She's even MORE nice in person!! My dear sister-in-Christ!!!

-Mrs. Pear!! She's a super sweet lady! She is so kind in her emails and in her blog posts. I appreciate all that she shares and she always shares it so graciously.

-Mrs. C at Riverbend Ramblings. Always upbeat and cheerful, Mrs. C DEFINITELY deserves this award!! I always know that I will have a smile on my face and encouragement in the Lord in my heart when I visit her blog.

-Wendi at My Heart is Always Home. Goodness, I feel like Wendi and I are practically twins!!! We both love homemaking and both have recently added a Chinese daughter to our families. What a blessing!! I can see her smiling when I read her posts- now THAT'S not something I run across every day in blogland!!

Please go visit these VERY "nice" ladies blogs!! You will be blessed, too!

I know there are several of y'all that have Etsy shops. Do you like using Etsy? What are the good/bad points about it? Have you actually sold anything?

I'm kust asking for future reference. I don't have anything to sell, yet, but I have a few ideas rolling around in my head. :)

Mr. U and I LOVE to watch The Andy Griffith Show. We have watched reruns after reruns after reruns and we've never tired of it yet.

We just finished an episode and I noticed a few things about his Aunt Bee. She and her friend, Clara Edwards, were at the market purchasing some meat. Clara shared with Aunt Bee about a huge sale on beef, but in order to save, you had to buy the entire side of beef. Aunt Bee bought the side of beef, you know, "to save money", and put it in her deep freezer. The freezer? Well, it was old and ended up being broken and she was left with a big freezer full of stinky beef.

What about THAT taught me a lesson? Well, it wasn't actually the story that I learned from, but when Aunt Bee and Clara were at the market, they both had on lovely dresses, pearls, both had a dainty purse hanging on their arm, their hair in a beautiful updo, and gloves on their hands- at the grocery story!!! They left their homes looking lovely, looking feminine. If Aunt Bee went to that much trouble to look lady-like, I would think I could spend a few minutes tidying myself up to go to the grocery store, too.

Is it necessary that I wear pearls and heels or even gloves? Oh no, not unless I truly want to dress that way. But I think making sure my clothes are clean and pressed is a good place to start. How about my hair? Is it brushed nicely? Is my face clean? Do I need to apply a bit of makeup? What do I smell like? Have I brushed my teeth today? These are just a few things that I could do to make myself more feminine, more lovely. It truly does shock me that there are some ladies who do not even do the most basic of cleaning when leaving their home!!!

What do you wear when you go the grocery store or just running errands? Do you show up in baggy shorts? Or at you dressed up with pearls and gloves? Or are you somewhere in between?

Thank you, Aunt Bee, for setting a lovely example for me of loveliness!!

Have any of y'all ever listened to Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss? Elizabeth and I listen to her almost every day for our "teaching time". I am blessed to be able to hear Miss DeMoss share about the Lord.

On her website, she has lots of wonderful downloads you can print out for free. Things like "30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge", "The Style Quiz", "How to Endure Suffering", and "Evidences of Pride" and many, MANY more!!! All there for you to download and read!!

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has helped me grow in my relationship in the Lord. I appreciate her insight and her always pointing me to the Word of God.

Oh y'all!! I am SOOO excited!! I'm a little late in noticing, but Mrs. Pear is writing a book!!! How exciting!! And guess what?? She needs YOUR help!! So please head on over to her site and help her out with her research for her book.

And guess what else?? She's having a giveaway!! For everyone that helps her, they'll be entered into a drawing for some wonderful prizes. So... don't just sit there, head on over to Mrs. Pear's place!!!