Making a House a Home

I'm a big fan of Mad Hungry (the cookbook AND the cooking show).  Lucinda Scala Quinn's recipes have all been super delicious and easy to follow.  This Spaghetti Bolognese of hers is DELICIOUS! Our whole family heartily recommends this!

Our family has a tradition of celebrating the change of each season with a special tea.  Elizabeth really gets excited about these and even counts down the days!  She was so happy when I told her she could pick out our special dessert for our Springtime tea and she chose these Chocolate Bird Nests.   They were very simple to make and she LOVED being so involved with all the ingredients.  Her favorite part?  Licking the bowl, of course!!!!

Cookie Monster's Homemade Peanut Butter

1 pound (3 cups) dry roasted peanuts, unsalted or lightly salted

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

In large bowl, combine peanuts with oil. With a spoon, stir to mix well.

Pour the oiled peanuts into a food processor (I used a blender). Process until very smooth, about 3-4 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the peanut butter to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

I'm linking up with....

Today at Raising Homemakers...

Over the years, the “picture” of what a homemaker is, or should be, has faded into one of drudgery, where a dull-minded, incapable woman fulfills her endless, boring duties of cleaning toilets, washing dishes, and vacuuming, reaping no rewards or satisfaction. She has a few children, which makes her job even harder, and the best she can hope for is the day they start school. This picture is being constantly promoted, devastating the sanctity of home and any desire to guard and keep it....(keep reading)...

Okay, well, yes, I will admit that I am a day late, but still, y'all, let's CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do have a good excuse for missing yesterday. A sweet lady from church and her granddaughter and grandson-in-law invited us to go out to eat with them after church. I had planned on celebrating National Pie Day yesterday, but I think celebrating dear friends visiting is way more important!!!

On with the pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In honor of the day, I chose to celebrate with a simple quiche this year!!! Nope, no dessert pie here this year, but in it's stead a yummy and super easy bacon and cheese quiche. Yum!!

Bacon and Cheese Quiche
1/2 lb cooked bacon, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used mozzarella and parmesan)
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust (uncooked)
4 eggs
1 cup half and half OR whipping cream
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
dash of garlic powder

Place bacon and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes until center is puffed. Allow quiche to stand 5 minutes before cutting.

(Note: I usually use PioneerWoman's pie crust recipe, but this time I used the Cream Cheese Pastry Dough from Mad Hungry.)

What's on YOUR to do list today?

Are any of y'all involved with Good Morning Girls?  The next session is starting up on January 15th and I'd love to be part of a group!!  Let me know if anyone is interested!

His,
Mrs. U

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to start deciding what pie you will be baking for your family to celebrate National Pie Day this year!! It'll be celebrated on Sunday, January 23, so you've still got a bit of time to pick the pie you want to bake and serve that day!!

So, anyone else want to celebrate National Pie Day with me this year?

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1722-1723)

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

read the rest here....

Love never fails.

On December 12, 1998, I married the man of my dreams and my very best friend.  I am shocked that these 12 years have gone by so very quickly!!!  How I love my sweet husband!!  He is FAR too good for me!!  I truly thank the Lord daily for allowing me to be his wife. 

“Do we as a society believe that family is so important that we uphold caring for home and children as the best and most important job a woman might ever have?”...continued...

I enjoy reading what Courtney shares at Women Living Well.   She is so encouraging to remind her readers to get in the Word and focus on the Lord.  Right now she has a giveaway for a book entitled "Putting God Back in the Holidays".  Y"all be sure and head over there and enter to win!! 

“Yes, I read the Bible this morning. Don’t ask me what it said, because I don’t remember!”... read more....

 Who's up for a cleaning challenge????

Here's a GREAT challenge from FlyLady if any of y'all want to do this!  I am BAD about stuffing things in the closet, closing the door and walking away and forgetting about it.  I appreciate how FlyLady believes in baby steps- something THIS perfectionist needs to be able to get my homekeeping done!!!

...especially when I get sweet little pictures like this!!

I LOOOOOVE this Writing Claw!!! It's made it so much easier for Elizabeth to hold her pencil. Her fingers simply fit into the little cups and away she goes!!! She would hold it so improperly before that I knew it would lead to handwriting issues later on. I was happy to find this Writing CLAW at our local teacher supply store.

Am I the only person NOT on facebook????

Continue reading here at Mrs. Fuentes' blog...

We've all had recipes that have called for "cold butter, diced".  It's such a pain, in my opinion, to try to dice butter. Even when it's straight out of the refrigerator, it still starts melting pretty fast once your hand starts touching it.

I've discovered a tip that works for me!!  I put the butter in the FREEZER about 20 minutes and then take it out and cut it into sticks and then dice it up.  It's firmer so it cuts more easily and it doesn't melt as quickly when my hands touch it.  After I dice it, I'll put it in a bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes just to make sure it's cold when I use it.  This way it's perfectly cold for my biscuits or pie crust or whatever I need "cold butter, diced" for!!!

UPDATE: Problem fixed!! Mr. U realized that Firefox was my problem and did something to fix it (I am NOT computer savvy AT ALL, so I have no idea what he did). If anyone else encounters this strange problem, it may be Firefox!!!!

Is anyone else having trouble posting pictures on blogger??? When I try to, at the bottom left of the screen, it says "waiting to connect to blogger.com" and then changes to "connecting to draft.blogger.com" and they flash back and forth SUPER DUPER fast.

ACK!!!

Any ideas? I've already restarted the computer with no luck.

Yesterday was our first day of school here in our homeschool.  I consider Elizabeth to be in PreK even though her work is all K and 1st.  She is SO excited about learning more. 

Some of y'all may remember me blogging about the pumpkin shortage. As you can tell by the above photo, I HAVE PUMPKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sweet, real-life friend, Melissa, found the Libby's cans at a grocery store near her and her granny found the other cans at another grocery store!! I was SOOOOO excited when I got them!!

So can you guess what we had today for our meal? Yes, something with pumpkin in it!! Pumpkin Sausage Pasta that my family adores.

I just can't help it, y'all.  I am SOOO ready for Fall!!  I am OVER the extreme heat we've had all summer long here down South and ready for cooler days and changing leaves.  The nights have been a tad cooler lately so it only makes me want Fall all the more. 

Anyone else ready for Fall?

I cleaned my sink.  Yessireebob, I did.  I did it the Flylady way and it is SPARKLING clean now!!!  It is amazing how simply cleaning the sink has gotten me into a cleaning mood!!  Look out dirt and dust, here I come!!!

For years, I have done all I thought I could do for my poor dry, cracked heels and NOTHING seemed to help.   I figured I was going to have to deal with them for the rest of my life.  What a pain!!

And then, I bought a Ped Egg while grocery shopping at Walmart last week.

Did you hear the Hallelujah Chorus last week from the South?  Yep, that was ME!  I LOOOOVE my Ped Egg!!!  It is the ONLY thing that has ever helped my icky heels.  Elizabeth asked me what I was doing and I told her, laughingly, that I was trying to make my heels as nice and pretty as her 4 year old heels are.  HA!  Well, y'all, guess what?  THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!   Okay, well, not EXACTLY as nice as a 4 year olds, but a MILLION times better than they were!  I am super excited about my Ped Egg!!

I know I'm not the only one who has had to deal with nasty, dry, cracked, sore heels, am I??  If that's you, definitely give your feet a break and buy a Ped Egg.  You will be SO happy with it!!

And no, I'm not getting any money from Ped Egg. I just want to help out anyone else who has the same problem I was dealing with. 

YAY!! Soft heels are here to stay!!!!

Groceries.  Oh dear.  The cost of buying groceries has gone up SOO much in the past few years!!  I'd love to know what your family is paying each month on groceries. 

Also, how much does your family eat out??

I shop right after each payday- the 10th and the 25th.  Just last week, our bill was $260!!!!  And that didn't even include any meat!!!!  There are 3 adults in our home and a 4 year old.  I'm not even counting formula for Caroline in this purchase.   I buy store brands as much as possible and don't buy anything premade (no chips or cookies or frozen meals) because I enjoy making things from scratch.  Coupons aren't always helpful since the store brand is usually much cheaper.  Wow, that totals $520 a month!! 

What does your family do to keep the cost of food down?

Tammy shared yesterday that she made a homemade Green Enchilada Sauce and WOW does it look YUMMY!!! I've made several enchilada recipes, but I'd REALLY love to know YOUR favorite enchilada recipe that uses green enchilada sauce! I'm just dying to try this new recipe.

Would y'all share?? Pretty please???

I remember well when we first brought Elizabeth home from China. I was in a fog for about 6 months, it seems, trying to figure out how to do things around the home and still watch her AND include her in what I was doing. Somewhere along the way, it all clicked in my brain and we found a routine that worked very nicely.

Since Caroline's been home (she was born here in the South), I'm finding myself in that same fog that I was in in 2007. Cooking is easier because Caroline is younger than Elizabeth was when she first came home and I can find more time to cook during all her napping. Hosuework hasn't been too difficult, either, but, I must admit, my house isn't nearly as clean or tidy as it was just a couple of months ago. With car seat carriers, boxes of clothes, Sam's-sized diaper purchases and soon-to-be-used Bumbo seats, I'm finding that our tiny home is feeling quite cluttered these days.

My main confusion these days, however, has been in trying to handle Elizabeth!! HA! She is SOOO excited about being big sister that she wants to pick up Caroline and do all kinds of things with her! LOL!! I told her in a few months she'll be sitting up and will be able to play more. Of course, to a 4 year old, "a few months" seems like an eternity!!!

But OOOOH am I thankful for my two little ones!!! They'll grow up and become wives and mothers all too soon. And I pray that, above all, they'll grow up into women of God- ladies that truly have a heart to follow the Lord no matter the cost.

For now? For now I'll enjoy the clutter and the smiles and the giggles. What sweet blessings I've been given!!!

I made this up today because this was all I had on hand. Surprisingly, it was GOOD!! I love when a recipe comes together so nicely!!




1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 piece bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced *
4 cups chicken stock
1 (14 oz) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, NOT drained
3 T freshly minced rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano reggiano

In stock pot, heat extra virgin olive oil. Stir in bacon and cook until crisp. Add onions and ground beef and cook until pink is gone from meat and onions are translucent. Stir in garlic and cook until you start to smell the garlic fragrance (maybe 1 minute). Stir in stock, beans, tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Let come to a boil and then simmer about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano before serving.

*I have to tell y'all, we are BIG TIME garlic fans in our home. You don't have to use 4 garlic cloves if you don't want to. Please change it to make YOUR family happy. :)

Here's our little Caroline at 2 months old. WOW how much she has changed!! So full of love and life and SMILES and giggles! I LOOOOVE it!!

It's no secret. I LOVE to cook. And I really enjoy watching the Next Food Network Star. My favorite this year? Hands down, Aarti!!

If any other NFNS fans are reading this, be aware that you can go vote for the Fan Favorite!! You can vote up to 10 times a day until August 16th and the winner will be 6 episode web-only show. FUN!! I want Aarti to win the whole thing AND win the web show, too! Go Aarti!!!

Our family has been in San Antonio, Texas, attending The Baby Conference. What FUN we've had here!! We were blessed to meet some old friends, make new friends, visit a beautiful city and be encouraged in our family vision! It's been wonderful!!

Were any of y'all here?

I know I can't be the only one out there that has looked EVERYWHERE for canned pumpkin lately, can I? If you're like me and cannot find it, I just found out there is a pumpkin shortage!! For real! Read about it here...

Still, this doesn't AT ALL change the fact that my family and I are really craving Pumpkin Sausage Pasta and Thai Style Chicken Pumpkin Soup!!!

Yep, I just finished a nice little 30 minute nap. I've always loved being able to take a quick nap, but now that we're still adjusting to Caroline, I'm definitely in need of them!!! And how wonderful to know that naps are good for you!!! While Elizabeth and Caroline are napping away, this mommy will certainly find time to fit in a little shut eye.

Yep!! A BABY!!!! Caroline Elaine was born May 12 and we were able to bring her home yesterday, June 16. We are SO blessed!!!

Thank you all for your prayers and support of our adoption! I am quite sure more stories and photos of her will be on this blog soon!

Regeneration

O God of the Highest Heaven,
occupy the throne of my heart,
take full possession and reign supreme, lay low every rebel lust,
let no vile passion resist thy holy war;
manifest thy mighty power,
and make me thine for ever.
Thou art worthy to be praised with my every breath,
loved with my every faculty of soul.
served with my every act of life.
Thou has loved me, espoused me, received me,
purchased, washed, favoured, clothed, adorned me,
when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted.
I was dead in iniquities,
having no eyes to see thee,
ne ears to hear thee,
no taste to relish thy joys,
no intelligence to know thee; But thy Spirit has quickened me,
has brought me into a new world as a new creature,
has given me spiritual perception,
has opened to me thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy.
Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace;
No provocation can part me from thy sympathy,
for thou hast drawn me with cords of love,
and dost forgive me daily, hourly.
O help me then to walk worthy of thy love,
of my hopes, and my vocation.
Keep me, for I cannot keep myself;
Protect me that no evil befall me;
let me lay aside every sin admired of many;
Help me to walk by thy side, lean on thy arm,
hold converse with thee,
That henceforth I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all.

HT- A Portrait of a Lady

I am SO looking forward to learning from this blog!! Y'all be sure and check it out!!

RaisingHomemakers.com was born out of a desire grow, learn, and be encouraged by women who were living out Titus 2 and who were managing their homes well for the glory of God.

From Nancy Leigh DeMoss

It seems there’s a lot of emphasis in the church today on freedom, love, and worship, as there should be. But we need to remember that God has established a process that leads to true freedom, love, and worship—and there are no short-cuts.

True worship begins with brokenness and humility over our sin. Mourning over our sin leads to repentance and then forgiveness. That produces freedom from guilt and bondage. Freedom gives us a greater capacity for love and then for worship.

And of course, true love and worship will lead us back to a new level of brokenness, deeper repentance, increased forgiveness, freedom, love, and worship.

So there’s nothing wrong with popping in a worship CD. But remember, we can’t experience true freedom, love, and worship unless we enter by way of humility, repentance, and forgiveness.

My sister just found this over at GirlTalk and OH is it cute!!!!

I have made Congo Bars before and they were good. But these? Oh dear. Trouble. Nothing but trouble. The recipe is slightly different but WOW is there a big difference in taste!!!

Thank you, Bakerella, for sharing this recipe!!

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

By mixer:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour and mix until combined.
Stir in chips and then pecans.

By hand:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Yep, that's my Joshua!!! He graduated this past Saturday from Liberty University! YAY!!! He's now working toward a degree in Masters of Arts and Religion with a concentration in Biblical Studies. It is so hard to believe that this is the same little boy that used to snuggle with me. Who said he could grow up so quickly???? But WOW am I proud of him!!!

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, he completed his undergraduate degree (and now working on his Masters degree) through Liberty University Online. He LOVES it!! Feel free to contact him through his blog if you have any questions.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped support our next adoption by shopping with Blessings Unlimited!!! We were so blessed by Charree for allowing us to have her commission for the sales.

Now... just to bring a baby home...

.... to my blog party!!!!

Yep, I'm very excited to announce that I am having a Blessings Unlimited party!! My sweet friend (and new mommy!!) Charree, at Held in His Hands, is a representative with them and is very kindly giving all her commission from the sales of this party of us for our next adoption!!!! I am soooo humbled by this!!!



Anyway, y'all be sure and head over to Blessings Unlimited and place an order. Mother's Day is coming up and this would be the perfect place to find a gift for your mother or grandmother or the special mother in your life that you want to bless that day. Or you could find something super cute to go in your own home.

Here's what I found out about Blessings Unlimited...

At Blessings Unlimited, our Mission Statement is "To pursue the heart of God and bring blessings to others." We are a company which operates upon Christian principles for the purpose of Christian ministry, not just a company that sells religious products.

Not only does buying from them help our adoption, but it also supports a Christian company, too!

This online party will be over Friday, April 30th. Thank you to EVERYONE who can help us through this party!!!

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon shortening
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1/2 cup colored candy sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the 1 cup of butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the ricotta cheese and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda, stir into the ricotta mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting warm the milk, 1/2 teaspoon of butter and shortening, in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until solids are melted. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar and lemon extract. Dip each cookie into the icing then dip in colored sugar or sprinkles.


See, even Elizabeth loved them! Of course, I think her favorite part was putting sprinkles on each cookie.

I love trying different enchilada recipes and I was excited when I saw Kelli share this recently. They are really good!! I'm thinking that it's the cilantro (my FAVORITE herb in the world!!!!) that made it sooo delicous!!!

Thank you, Kelli!!!


Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup cilantro
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Mix sour cream, enchilada sauce, salsa, green chiles, and cilantro together in bowl. Set aside.

2. In separate bowl, mix shredded chicken, 1 cup of the sour cream mixture, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. I also seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, and a little cumin.

3. Heat tortillas in microwave oven until soft. Pour enough of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat bottom.

3. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbling.

These are crispy cookies with a very slight chew in the middle. Yum. My normal sugar cookie recipe is very soft and almost cakelike in the middle. This is a nice change.

Mr. U, who normally doesn't like sugar cookies, said these were quite tasty and that they reminded him of pound cake!! WOW! I think it must be the sour cream in the recipe. They don't make me think of pound cake, but they are good!!!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
-adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees line cookie sheets with parchment paper (my FAVORITE thing in the kitchen these days!!!). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.

With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture; mix just until smooth. (Dough will be stiff; you may need to finish mixing it by hand with a wooden spoon.)

Scoop 1 1/2 T of dough into your hand and roll into a ball and then roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges of cookies are just firm and tops are barely beginning to brown, 13-17 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.