More Spring Break...

Baseball game at Trustmark Park...  MSU v.s USM

Grady has been to only a couple of MSU games in Starkville... so I wasn't sure how he'd do.  He did awesome!  He was the best little fan!  Sat through the whole game until the 8th inning when he claimed he was sleepy.  He paid attention the entire time, asking questions about the batters, the umpire, the different positions...all the while, cheering at all the appropriate times!  The people in front of us commented on how much he was paying attention to the game and that they were impressed.  I was amazed!  Erin, you would have been SO proud!  :)  I made the comment to my dad that I am SO glad that he loves football for Josh's sake, and equally glad that he enjoys baseball just as much for my sake!  I think the kid loves sports even more than his parents if that is possible! 

We got to see the Diamond Dawgs pull out a victory over the Golden Eagles!  Can't wait to take Grady to Starkville for a series this spring!  GO DAWGS!

(p.s., THANK YOU, DeeDee and Susan for keeping Vera!!!)

 I promised Grady we'd make a trip to his favorite place during spring break... The Children's Museum!  He'd go there every day if I offered...  He is all over the place and into everything there!

 The weather here is SO beautiful...  PERFECT for spring break!  Hope it stays this way!  I am SO excited it is finally spring and we can get outside!!!!

Spring Break

Yippeeee for Spring Break!  We are enjoying this wonderful weather!  We've already been to the Zoo, a baseball game, and had spring pictures taken.  Hope it stays this pretty weather-wise the rest of the week!  Yesterday when we got home from taking pictures, Vera was so animated that I decided to take some more at our house...  Another little kiddo who shall remain nameless did NOT want to participate because he was DONE with pictures for the day...

Special Prayer Request

I have some very dear friends who could use some major prayers right now.  Emily and Michael Hunt and their family are some of my family's oldest friends.  Their little boy, Fisher, is Grady's age.  He has been through such a tough year.  He was diagnosed with a condition that is called aplastic anemia.  The best way I know how to describe that to you is that it affects his immune system severely in that his blood platelet count is extremely low.  There are three "levels" of this disorder and his is the most severe of the three kinds.  The only "cure" for it is for Fisher to undergo a bone marrow transplant.  It is tricky to get a match for bone marrow because it has to be a near perfect match.  Thankfully, one of his twin sisters (Sophie), is a match and they are praying for a transplant really soon.  Fisher came down with RSV just as they were about to be ready for the procedures for the transplant to start.  In order for them to go through with everything, his body can't have any infections whatsoever.  He will have to take chemotherapy before the transplant to kill all of the bone marrow he has now.  But until the RSV is gone, they can't proceed.  Please pray that his body can somehow fight the infection.  He hasn't been able to get over it because of his weakened immune system. 

 This sweet little man has been so brave!  They have been making trips to St. Jude about every 3 or 4 days to get platelet injections and this has been going on for quite some time.  They are being so strong and are totally trusting God with the situation.  I know they would appreciate all of your prayers.  Please pray for this sweet family.  On my blog sidebar, I put a link to Fisher's Caring Bridge page that Emily set up if you want to read more of their story.

This is Grady and Fisher a couple of years ago at a tailgate in Starkville...  Praying for this little man to get well soon so we can have some more play dates!

My First Memory of Jenny

So I was just thinking about this day 27 years ago and I thought I would share...  Because it just made me laugh...

It was a Sunday morning.  I was 5.  Susan and I were bunched up on the very back pew of Westwood Baptist Church's sanctuary.  Susan was squirming around in Mamaw's lap and I was fighting my almost-two-year-old sister for a place in the lap as well.  There was no one else in the pew but the three of us, but we were sitting as close to the end of the pew as possible so that Mamaw could make the quickest get-away when the time came for the big "announcement."  Papaw was still sitting in his regular spot...right in the front of the church.  Even the big announcement couldn't pry him away from his seat.  ha.  (No offense, Jen!)

(****I must insert a note to my readers who aren't familiar with the church I grew up in at home...  it was TINY and there were probably all of 20-30 people in attendance on a given Sunday morning!)

Okay, back to the story...

On most regular Sunday mornings, I was doing my "usual" in the pew...playing with paperdolls, going through Mamaw's sack of a purse, "writing" on steno pads with Mamaw's pens,...anything but listening of course!

But THIS was not a regular Sunday morning.  It was a big day!  I was not allowed to have paper dolls out.  The purse was off limits.  No pens.  Susan and I were both very squirmy. 

The preacher was in the middle of his sermon when he was interrupted by the loud ringing of a telephone.

(***Another note to the readers who need extra details...  Westwood's church "office" was right behind the pew we were sitting on.  It housed the only telephone in the building.)

What followed the loud ringing (I am MOST certain) was far worse of a commotion than the actual ringing of the phone...  I can just hear Mamaw's voice, "Come ON, girls!!!!!" as we scrambled out of our seats noisily and made haste for the office and the ringing of the loud telephone, slamming the office door shut behind us.

Now of course I wasn't there to see what actually happened during all of this commotion as I was jerked out of the sanctuary by my extremely-exicted grandmother, but my guess is that Papaw kept on looking straight ahead at the preacher, never moving a muscle, and the majority of the rest of the congregation turned to face the door to the church office as they listened intently to hear Mamaw's conversation with my dad on the telephone.

While my grandmother oohed and aahed (loudly, of course) on the phone to my dad, Susan and I jumped up and down, squealing with delight to find out the big news that we now were the proud big sisters of a new baby girl! (Well, I take that back...I jumped up and down with delight over the news, and Susan just jumped up and down because I was doing the same...  she really had no clue what she was excited about.  ha!)

After hanging up the phone, Mamaw made no qualms about it,..she just BURST back through the doors to the sanctuary, loudly announcing to the congregation who was all silent and staring at HER and not the preacher, that Jerry and Delores had welcomed their THIRD little girl into the world!

I do not remember much of anything else about church that day.  That poor preacher!  But this is my very first memory of Jenny!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!
I love you!

~Jules

SOUPS ON! Day 7

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is my most recently-discovered soup recipe, but it has become one of my favorites!  I think I like it better than taco soup!  You can make it more spicy by substituting the spicy rotel for mild, or adding "hot" enchilada sauce instead of just regular.  This is a crock pot recipe, but it kind of has a bit of preparation before putting everything in the crock pot...  So I usually do not make this one on a weekday morning, but on a Saturday or Sunday when I have more time in the mornings.

3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk, divided
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen corn
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
1 can Enchilada sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can do fresh or frozen)
Toppings:  shredded cheese, cour cream, tortilla chips

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir in flour and stir until smooth and bubbly.

Remove from heat and add chicken broth and 1/2 c. milk a little at a time, stirring to keep it smooth.

Return mixture to the heat and bring sauce to a gentle boil.  Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.

In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and chicken broth mixture.  Gradually whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 c. milk until smooth.  Set sauce aside.

In crockpot, combine beans, Rotel tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper.  Place chicken on top.

Pour sauce over the ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, of high for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, take out chicken breasts and shred.  Return to the pot.  Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well.

Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.


If you have any great soup recipes, please send them my way!!!!

SOUPS ON! Day 6

Tomato Florentine Soup

When I was a kid, we ate at Shoney's all the time.  Guess that was a thing of my generation...there aren't that many Shoney's restaurants anymore, but when I was little, there was one in every town.  Anyway, my grandmother and I used to LOVE their Tomato Florentine Soup.  Once again, one day I had a craving for it and so I searched for a copy-cat recipe.  Couldn't really find one that I thought was similar, so I kind of put several things together from different recipes and came up with this soup.  If you like spinach, pasta, and tomatoes, you'll probably like it.

Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 c. finely chopped celery
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. water
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, undrained
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 c. uncooked small seashell pasta
4 c. fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and celery.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. 

Add water, broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in the pasta (uncooked) and cook for 8 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes, or until spinach wilts and pasta is done.

Stir in salt and pepper. 

Top each bowl of soup with parmesan cheese.

SOUPS ON! Day 5

Swensen's Cheese Soup

Oh how I miss going to eat lunch at Swensen's!  I think it was Jenny who introduced me to this fabulous little place to eat in Jackson when I was in Jr. High.  I have so many memories of eating there with my mom and sisters and also with various friends from high school and college on weekends when I was home from MSU.  Every single time, I ordered the same thing:  a cup of their famous cheese soup, half of an egg salad sandwich, and a scoop of chocolate peanutbutter icecream.

 

One day a couple of years back, I was CRAVING some of that yummy cheese soup and so I tried to find one of those "copy-cat" recipes online.  This is what I found.  ***Note:  This isn't exactly the healthiest thing to eat I guess, but it is pretty close to Swensen's cheese soup as I remember it! 

Ingredients:
4 T. Butter
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
4 green onions, chopped fine
2 cans chicken broth
16 slices of Velveeta Cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans full of half-and-half

Saute the celery in butter.  Add green onions and saute some more until both veggies are really soft.  Add broth, cheese slices, and soup.  Stir often so cheese won't stick.  Last, add the half-and-half.

SOUPS ON! Day 4

Taco Soup

I found this recipe when I was in college and my roommates and I used to make it ALL THE TIME!  We'd invite lots of people over for dinner because it makes a TON!  Whenever I make it now, we have leftovers to take to lunch and also eat at dinner for a few days afterwards! 

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1/2 c. salsa
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (14 oz) cans whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (16 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
toppings:  tortilla chips or fritos, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream

In a large pot, brown the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper.  Drain.

Add tomatoes and stir.

Stir in remaining ingredients (except for toppings) and simmer on LOW for 1 hour.

Serve soup topped with choice of toppings.

SOUPS ON! Day 3

Crawfish Bisque

I got this recipe from my cousin who made it one weekend when we were all at the farm.  I've thought about trying it with fresh crabmeat, too!  This is really yummy!  And probably the easiest thing you will ever make!

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/3 c. chopped green onion
8 oz. cream cheese
1 pint half-and-half
2 pkg. frozen crawfish
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)
1 1/2 T. Tony's Seasoning
Hot, cooked rice

Saute onions in butter until soft.  Combine remaining ingredients and heat, stirring occasionally.  Serve over rice.

SOUPS ON! Day 2

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I got this recipe from a Southern Living magazine a long time ago and have changed it up a bit over the years.  It makes a TON and is so delicious!  You cook it in the crock pot all day and it's so easy to make!

Ingredients:
6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs.)
1 large onion, chopped
3 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
4 - 6 cloves garlic, chopped
Parsley flakes (to your liking)
1/4 c. butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 c. half-and-half
1/2 to 1 c. milk
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 T. fresh, chopped chives
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions, chopped

In a greased crock pot, combine potatoes, onion, chicken broth, garlic, parsley, butter, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Mash potato mixture until potatoes are coarsely shopped and soup is slightly thickened.  Stir in half and half.  Add milk slowly until soup reaches desired consistency.  (Sometimes it is too think for me with just the half-and-half, so I add milk and stir in to make it a bit thinner.)  Then add the cheese and chives.

Serve soup topped with choice of toppings:  grated cheddar, more chives, sour cream, bacon, and green onions.

SOUPS ON! Day One

In my family, we LOVE to eat some soup! Especially during this time of year when it's cold outside.  I think I could probably live off of soup and sandwiches if I had to.  I have lots of soup recipes and they all make a huge pot, so we have leftovers sometimes for two more days!  Not having to cook one night is AWESOME to this working mom!  Plus, soup is SO easy to make!

 

So anyway, I thought I would share some of our favorite soups with you!  I have a week's worth of recipes to share...  We'll start with our family favorite...

 

Creamy Tomato Soup

 

Ingredients:

4 c. whole milk

3 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, lightly drained

2 rounded tablespoons tomato paste

1 medium onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. sugar

4 T. all-purpose flour

2 T. butter, cut into pieces

1 stalk celery, coarsely shopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

toppings:  pesto and grated parmesan

 

Heat milk over medium-low heat in large pot.

 

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine all other ingredients (except for toppings) and grind until very smooth.  (**Note:  My food processor won't hold it all, so I have to do it in two batches.  Depends on how large yours is!)  Pour tomato mixture into milk and raise heat to bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes uncovered.

 

Serve soup with a spoonful of pesto (stir into soup to blend in) and sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

 

We like ours with grilled cheese sandwiches or cheesesticks for dipping!  This is truly my favorite soup in the entire world!

 

Catching up on January....

Now that January is almost over, I thought I should catch up...  ha.  Just kidding.  Actually, for some reason, I have been having problems with blogger.  Turns out it was my computer.  I tried to make posts several times over the last few weeks and I couldn't upload pictures.  Anyway, it's resolved now...  So get ready for a picture overload!

 

Vera turned 9 months old just before Christmas, but I never did a 9-month post because I was waiting to get her check-up results from the doctor to post with the pictures at 9 months...  She had a great check-up.  Her stats:





height-- 30 inches --95th percentile

weight-- 18 lb., 15 oz. --45th percentile

head-- 17.75 inches --75th percentile

So she is going to be tall like Grady!

 

At Grady's 9 month checkup, his iron levels were HIGH, and so the doctor let us go ahead and switch him from formula to whole milk.  I was afraid that Vera wouldn't make that transition yet and I was right.  Grady started taking cereal REALLY early due to all of his reflux issues, and so he got lots of extra iron that Vera didn't get.  She was super close, but her iron levels weren't quite where the doctor likes for them to be in order for them to stop formula.  RATS!  So he put her on an iron supplement and we are going to test it again in February. 

 She loves her "face blocks."  I think she recognizes all of her family members when she plays with them...she just giggles and "talks" to the faces.  We have heard her say "MaMaMaMaMa" and "DaDaDaDaDa" several times and I will pridefully note that she says "MaMaMaMaMa" more than any other name!  ha ha!  (I have to rub that in because Grady chanted "Da-Da" over and over before he EVER said my name once and Josh gloated about it forever!)

 Miss Vera still loves her brother's toys.  She and Grady actually play really well together despite the age difference.  She wants to be right where he is at all times and he is usually very patient with her and shares what he is playing with.

 (I know, I know...we REALLY need a haircut!!!!!)

 

January 21st meant 10 MONTHS OLD!!!!!!  I cannot believe it!  Two months til ONE!  Sometimes I want to stop time because I feel like it is running away with my kids!

 Reading to her "babies"...

 

 If I haven't mentioned it before, Vera has totally picked up CRAWLING this month.  In December, she was mostly rolling and doing a tad of scooting...  But now she is ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE!!!!  And in to every single thing she can get her hands on.

 This isn't the greatest picture, but you can see her up on all fours...something Grady never did.  He army crawled and never ever used his legs.  He just drug them around behind him.  But she is a little speedy crawler compared to him.  We have to watch her like a hawk. 

 

We got Grady new booster seats and we are giving Vera his toddler carseats.  I cannot believe she is ready to be out of the infant carrier!  Josh and Grady built a "car" out of the booster seat box.  Grady couldn't understand why it wouldn't actually "go."

 

The End....

I will do better in February, I promise!  :)



Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!  We enjoyed getting to spend a few days with Paw-Paw.  There were two little turkeys in particular that adored all of the attention that they got from him while he was here!  :)

And on another note...

LOOK WHO STARTED CRAWLING THIS WEEKEND!!!! 

Well, it's more of an "army crawl" with arms only.  She's still dragging her legs, but she is getting pretty fast and we now have to watch her like a hawk!  Grady never did "real crawling" either.  Just the same "army crawl" Vera is doing now.  Weird...

Needless to say, I have my hands full these days!

I will leave you with a quote that my principal sent in an email to our staff today...  It's from Anne Frank, one of my all-time heroes.  Hope it inspires you to make the most of every moment in 2013!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!    ~Love, Jules

"How lovely to think that no one need to wait a moment.  We can start now, start slowly, changing the world.  How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightway.  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!"  Anne Frank