Chicken Squares

I tried this recipe last night. So easy and so good. I didn't use pimento (not even sure what that is) and substituted parsley flakes for chives and they still turned out tasty. If you like crescent rolls (and who doesn't:)) this will be a winner.


8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c cooked chopped or shredded chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 TB chives
1 TB chopped pimento (I buy it in a jar-usually found near can veggies I think)
3 TB butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TB milk
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
3/4 c. seasoned croutons, crushed
Preheat to 350. In bowl blend cream cheese and about 2 TB melted butter. (save 1 TB for later). Add the chicken, salt, pepper, pimento, chives, & milk. Mix well. Seperate crescent dough into rectangles (by pressing two triangles together in the middle). Spoon mixture in the center of the dough. Pull the four corners of the rectangles up to create a little pouch and seal the edges. Brush with melted butter and dip into croutons crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (should make 6-8 total)

The Power of a Middle Name

Never in all of my life did I think I would pull out the middle name approach to discipline. But I find myself doing it over and over. Right in this small window of time(which I know is rapidly closing) I can use a good stern "Kate Elizabeth!" to make my daughter sit up and take notice. This use of her middle name and maybe the tone of my voice makes her immediately look at me and stop what she's doing. Oh I am enjoying this brief "power" over her as I know that this will soon not be enough.The other night while I was giving Kate and Carson a bath I even pulled out "the look." Every parent knows that sideways look that says, "Don't even think about it!" As Kate raised a stacking cup to hit her brother over the head I pulled out "the look". And it worked.No words, just "the look". I thought to myself, "Good grief! I really am a Mom!"

Yummy Dinner Recipe

A couple of posts back I asked for some dinner recipes and have since then found a few of my own. I found this one on Kelly's Korner blog and we tried it last night. It was so delicious and easy (very important) I had to post it.


Santa Fe Chicken Bread Bowls

2 (11-oz.) cans Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 (16-oz.) can chili beans, drained
1 (11-oz.) can Green Giant® Super Sweet Yellow and White Corn, drained
1 (10-oz.) can Old El Paso® Red Enchilada Sauce
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ketchup
1 (1-oz.) pkg. Old El Paso® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Remove dough from cans. Cut each loaf into 3 pieces; shape each into ball, placing seam at bottom so dough is smooth on top. Place dough balls, seam side down, on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F. for 22 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.


2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, bell pepper and onion; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally.


3. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 7 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.


4. With sharp knife, cut small portion off top of each loaf. Lightly press center of bread down to form bowls. Place each bread bowl on individual serving plate. Spoon about 1 cup chicken mixture into each. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Place top of each bread bowl next to filled bread bowl.

Close Very Close

He's ALMOST there! It's so awesome to see him just on the brink of this important milestone. I love seeing him try to figure it all out. Kate was trying to give him crawling lessons last night. We are all watching and waiting......

Rice Krispies T Shirt

As every Mom with a toddler knows, they want to do things all on their own. Although this is enriching and very essential to them it can also end up with some messy results. Case in point, Saturday night when I let Kate feed herself a bowl of Rice Krispies for the very first time. More krispies ended up on her than in her mouth but she loved it and it proved to be quite hilarious.


Don't you just love Kate's new Rice Krispies T Shirt?

Unauthorized Use

I'm pretty sure the manufacturers did not have this riding style in mind but this is Kate's new favorite way to ride. She wants Carson in the driver seat and will try to pick him up by herself to put him in there. Jared started this new way to ride and is kind of sorry he did. Because after Kate and Carson are in their places the new way to ride involves pushing them around and around. So it's tiring for us but Kate and Carson laugh their heads off so it is definitely worth it. Oh the things we do for these kids!

TuTu Cute

I recently made this tutu for Kate. It involved no sewing and took me about an hour. It was SUPER easy and so much fun! I see more tutus in her future! Click here to see a short video on how to make one for the little girl in your life. :)

New To Me

When it comes to kids clothes I am a big believer in buying second hand. I figure if other kids grow out of their clothes as fast as mine do they weren't worn very much and are therefore practically new. That's my logic anyway. A couple of weekends ago my friends and I went to a huge consignment sale that is big around here called Just Between Friends. When I say huge I mean convention center huge. It would have taken me all day just to go through all of the clothes in Kate's size. Kate has only one disadvantage in our family. She is the only girl on both sides. She does not get any hand me down clothes. Being one of 7 boy cousins Carson has a lot of great hand me downs just waiting for him to where. Kate on the other hand has just what we buy her so I tend to focus more on her when we go to these sales. This year my main goal was dresses. I found some good casual dresses and some good dressier dresses. Kate being a girly girl loves to try on clothes. She agreed to model 2 of the fashions for us. I love the black and red combo with bright red shoes. The flowered hat and yellow dress did not come together but Kate thought they were a great match!

Race Day

Well the 10k race is in my rear view mirror. It was a great day for the run. The weather was perfect and the course was pretty awesome. It was mostly flat or down hill with just one big uphill climb. I was actually looking forward to it so that I could get a break from running the same old routes that I run in my neighborhood. It was right on a lake and it was very beautiful and scenic. The race took place at the Dallas Arboretum. I had never been there and I was very impressed. It was decked out for Halloween. All of the paths were lined with Pumpkins. It made me want to take the kids back to show them and to have our picture taken. I ran the race ahead of the time that I thought I would and I completed my goal which was to run the entire thing. I would also like to brag on my brother Burke who did an olympic distance triathlon in DC yesterday. He placed first in his division and 7th in his age group which is extremely impressive. I am so proud of him because it takes a lot of time and dedication to train for one of those races. Tomorrow I start my 12 week training program for the half marathon in December........

Just Call Her Imelda

You know... the lady in the Phillipines with all of the shoes? Just in case you needed a reference. Anywho! Kate LOVES shoes. Everytime I wake her up the first thing she does is look at her shoes lined up on the table and say, "Shoes!" She wants to wear shoes all of the time. The other day she was hanging out in a onesie and wanted her new pair of shoes on. So picture her with just a onesie and those wonderfully chubby legs with big chunky shoes on. Too cute! She is a definitely girly girl. Perhaps even more girly than her Mom! This is her 2 newest pair of shoes. She is very drawn to the pink pair and wants to wear them all of the time.

Cozy Coupe Couple

I bless the day we bought the cozy coupe. Kate loves this toy above any toy that she has. It is by far the most popular toy when other kids come over. She loves to put her sippy cup, food, and other items in her trusty car. In fact, when I am missing something I look in the cozy coupe first to see if she's stashed it in there. The other day she decided Carson could join in on the fun. This is what transpired.


Hey Kate, what do you think about me taking a spin in the ole cozy coupe?


Bubba is pleased as punch that Kate considered him cozy coupe material

Man! Pushing this kid around is very.....


VERY hard work!


Stopping to get some gas


Alright Bubba fun times over, out you go!


Back in the saddle again..

The Little Engine that ALMOST Could

Carson is ready to crawl. He's still trying to figure out how to put it together, but when he does...... look out!!
He's got the arms square...

And he's got the knees down

I'm trying Mom! I'm THIS close!

Right Now

My heart is as full as this sink!

Kate's First Day

This morning Kate started a Mother's Day Out program at our church. She did really well. She went right in and sat down at the table. Me? I was another story. I find it really amazing that even though I dropped her off nearly everyday at daycare I still had to fight back the tears this morning. It never gets easier. We acquired 2 new things for Kate's big adventure, a little backpack and a lady bug nap mat. Both are as cute as they can be and both are monogrammed which seems to be my new passion lately. I let Kate try on each one and both of them almost sent her backwards. She's such a little one. She loves her nap mat and wanted me and Bubba to lay on it with her. To tell you the truth I am thinking about getting one of my own. It looks so comfortable. Thanks to Randi and Sharon at Sweetest Stitches I was able to get Kate's nap mat yesterday morning at the last minute. They do amazing work and have thr cutest things. And everything is monogrammed.:)

A 7 Month Old Boy

We have a 7 month old boy on our hands. Carson's main wish is for mobility right now. I have never seen a baby that is so frustrated by his immobility. He wants to MOVE! And it doesn't help that Kate is whizzing by him every second. Another thing Carson wants to do? EAT!! This boy packs it away and it is my prediction that he will eat us out of house and home as a teenager. He REALLY wants to eat real food and tries to grab Kate's food every chance that he gets. She thinks it is funny and tries to hand him her food when I am not looking. Carson will put it in his mouth but generally not know what do with it. I am getting wise to their little charade because Kate will suddenly say, "No Bubba!" Then I know that I have to go into his mouth for a search and rescue mission. One thing Carson does not want to do? Sleep!! At night once I can get him down he stays down for a good 12 hours but I am finding that naps are another story. I can tell that he will be the one I will have to say, "Now Carson it's nap time, you don't have to go to sleep but you do have to have some quiet time in your room." Carson has 2 new teeth to call his own. They both came through in the same week and boy did we hear about it! He loves to play with Kate now and is very content to play by himself. His favorite things to do include standing with support on anything he can find, pouncing on things with his hands, splashing in the bath tub, and saying, "Da da da da da" over and over. He has a smile that melts my heart and at the same time makes me wonder what is going on in that little boy mind of his. Well, as usual I hear him "fighting" his nap. Must go tend to the little boy.

Chaos!!! Need Help!

I absolutely love being home with my kids and seeing the everyday stuff that I had missed for so long. But for some reason I thought that I would have all of this time to keep our house in tip top shape and get dinner on the table by the time Jared came home from work. So far the house is a wreck and 0 meals have been on the table. Can anyone help me? How do you keep your house clean? And does anyone have any good recipes? I could also use some suggestions for stuff to do with the kids that is cheap or free.Also any products that you have tried baby or house cleaning wise that you could not do with out? I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants here. Or maybe this is the way it always is in stay at home Mommy world. If that's true please feel free to leave a comment about that.:)