"The Fondest Memories are Made When Gathered Around the Table"

{Our dining room post addition}

It's the decal on the wall of my dining room. I remember scouring Michael's Craft store for almost an hour, hemming and hawing over which phrase would best capture the sentiment I was trying to share. When I came across it finally, I was very happy with the look and how it was going to work with the ambiance of my dining room.

And it's true. There's something about food that does bring people together. Is it the act of eating together? The love that went into making the meal or particular dish? The laughs that are shared when eating together and congregating in a single space? The memories associated with a dish or the smell of a certain meal being prepared? Whatever it is, it inspires family and friends alike to share food and recipes to be passed on and along through the ages.

Recipes {and even more specifically the actual recipe cards that house the path to constructing such a dish} are really mini story books. They tell a story, regardless of whether we intend for the card to do so or not. I refer to my {and my hubby's} favorite Christmas cutout cookie recipe. It has been passed down through the years from one of the women in my church congregation. But it's a family favorite. And for as long as we've been together, I've made these cookies for several holiday {or not} occasions. As our family has grown, my daughters have become part of the recipe, in that I have added them into the process - adding ingredients, using the Kitchen Aid mixer, cutting out the cookies, and of course, frosting, decorating, and most importantly, eating them. Upon closer inspection of the card, and what you might not see as part of the story, is how loved this recipe card is. It's been floured, spilled on, folded, shared, photocopied, and who knows what else. The edges are watermarked and stained with food coloring. But it quietly divulges those less obvious elements to my family's story.

{Barb Smith's Christmas Cutouts}

And so, when I was asked to share some "family" recipes for a family bridal shower, I wasn't sure which way to go. Dessert? Well, my husband's late grandmother has the market stronghold on sugar cookies, though it's a known fact that now that she's gone, the cookies will never be quite the same as when she made them, regardless of who tries or how often the recipe is practiced. But I digress.

So what did I do? I rifled through my recipe box {which is in terrible and dire need of reorganization} and sought out those "go to" recipes that I always keep handy. And actually, I make them regularly enough to have no need of the physical card any longer. But again, I digress.

So here goes.

One is a main course casserole, and the other is a vegetarian friendly pasta salad side dish. Both are equally yummy, especially when made either in the winter or summer months respectively.

{Creamy Chicken Casserole}

My stepmother shared this recipe with me over a decade ago, and it has been a staple in all things shower - bridal and baby - and so I thought it fitting to put into the Bridal Shower Cookbook. It's so easy and so comforting that it's sure to be a favorite of yours too if you love chicken!

Ingredients:

• one package of chicken tenderloins or three to four chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
• one box of pork stuffing (unprepared)
• one can of cream of mushroom soup (note: if you choose the fat free soup, your casserole will be very watery. Moral of the story: use the good stuff)
• one package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• one 12 oz container of sour cream (you can use reduced fat here if you'd like)
• butter

Instructions:
{I have to tell you that I just eyeball everything at this point. Remember, this isn't a baked good, so there's much more flexibility in the actual prep}.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Boil water to parboil the chicken.
Cook the chicken through.
When chicken is cooked, remove meat from water and set aside to cool. Save cooking liquid.

{Buttered and Stuffing-ed Baking Dish}

Butter your baking dish.
Open the dry stuffing mix and spread about 1/3 of the dry stuffing onto the bottom of the baking dish.
Using the cooking liquid from the chicken, saturate the stuffing, but do not let any liquid stand in the dish.

{Cooking with Munkis}

Once the chicken has cooled, combine the chicken, the sour cream, the shredded cheddar cheese, and the cream of mushroom soup in a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine all ingredients evenly.

Spread chicken and soup mixture over the saturated stuffing in the baking dish.

Using the remaining stuffing, cover the chicken and soup mixture, again saturating the stuffing with some of the cooking liquid.

Bake, uncovered, for an hour. Serve hot.

{Creamy Chicken Casserole}

{Summer Orzo Salad}

This is a Mediterranean side dish I stole from Rachael Ray by way of my good friend Nicole, who is very in touch with her native Greek roots. And, well, it's awesome. I have to adapt it depending on the audience, but it's a hit however and wherever . . . 

Ingredients:

{Ingredients - Summer Orzo Salad}

• one pint cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
• four ozs baby spinach, chopped roughly
• zest of one lemon
• one box orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

{optional}

• feta cheese to crumble
• kalamata olives

Instructions:

Prepare and cook the orzo according to the package directions (and remember to salt the water - super important). Drain when finished.

{Can't go wrong with FRESH}

While the pasta is cooking, chop the baby spinach, halve the tomatoes, and zest the lemon. Add those ingredients into your presentation bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

{Drop drained hot pasta on top}

As soon as the pasta is drained, and while still hot, add the pasta to the bowl with the tomatoes, baby spinach, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. The heat will wilt the baby spinach and perfume your kitchen with the aroma of lemon and tomato - totally delish - I promise!

Once all ingredients have been combined, drizzle (again, according to taste, but enough to keep salad moist) with olive oil. Salt and pepper again to your personal taste.

Serve hot or cold - it's delicious either way. And for a more Mediterranean flair, add in sliced kalamata olives and Feta cheese.

{Kid friendly version - no olives/cheese}

So . . . For Garen and Meredith, these are especially for you. For everyone else, I hope that if you try these, you let me know what you think of them, or how you might throw your own spin on them.

Voila, and mangia! {So much for English as a FIRST language . . . }

Hibernation . . .

{Today's Focus: Those Lucky Hibernating Bears}

Well, we got out of the house a little earlier this morning so that we could attend story hour at the library . . . And I learned something. I think that, in a previous life, I must have been a big old brown bear. Not the nasty ones that pick through garbage {though far be it from me to go rummaging through a good garage sale} but rather the ones who enjoy the whole hibernation process. As I sat, listening and watching to the librarian read about the bears who enjoyed sleeping through the winter, fat and happy, I realized I felt a kinship with the gigantic animal. Okay, so maybe it was a little bit of envy. I'll be honest - sleeping for more than an hour at any given time lately is an enticing prospect to me these days.

{Coloring story books}

{Eldest in stripes, listening closely}

But what fun I had watching my two little cubs soak up the reading time and activities that someone else had planned for them. Both girls love to be active, but sometimes, the simple acts of sitting and listening to someone share a story or coloring a small page in a book that is soon to become one's own is just as appreciated.

{Getting ready to show}

One of the greatest joys I have as a mom is to watch the sheer happiness creep over the faces of my kids. Watching Munkis share her creation is as priceless a gift as receiving the Hope Diamond. Here she was playing coy before she showed off her work of art!

{And voila!}

But of course, as all good things must, story hour came to an end and it was time to pack up, head over to Gram's house, and get ready for school. 

So, while Munkis and Gram took a few minutes by themselves to search out some good reading material for the week, Eldest and I traversed the quarter of a mile back to Gram's to eat a little homemade minestrone soup, some fresh fruit, and enjoy some big girl chat time.

{"Mmm . . . Lunch!"}

{Just before hopping on the bus!}

So, at this point, I'm off to go and get some minor tasks completed around the house before welcoming Eldest home from school, waking Munkis up from a nap, and having Gram take Eldest back to school for some jazz class tonight.

{Fall 2011}

And hopefully, before too long, I'll be able to snuggle in close next to my two boys, propped in between them, praying that I have enough room to secure myself a cushion on the couch for a nice little snooze on this dreariest of January days.

"Movin' on Up!" {Or Down, in This Case . . .}

{Home Renovation Summer 2010}

For the last year and a half or so, my two girls have been sharing a room upstairs as we renovated our home with an addition during the summer of 2010. We now have a renovated Cape Cod styled home, and so we moved the two girls into our old master bedroom. I have to say, the last year and a half has been chock full of funny memories - especially when I think back to all the nights that we could hear them talking, babbling, yelling at each other, and telling secrets in the ways that only sisters can, and in the ways that only a four and a half year-old and her one year-old little sister can.

{Getting ready to make Birthday Cupcakes}

But my oldest has turned six {insert Mommy meltdown here} and is finding that, as much as she loves her little sister, with the addition of a second {and FINAL} sister pending, it's time for her own space. And since the nesting phase is in full swing, Hubs and I decided that yes, it is now time to give Eldest her own room.


So what used to be the nursery has now been deemed Operation Movin' on Up {Or Down, in This Case} for our oldest daughter.


After arriving home from church, we decided to move her mattress and box spring downstairs, and we'll use the old furniture that we have on hand until the new furniture comes in.


She helped to move her clothes downstairs as well, and so we're finishing up the transport of some of the more mundane objects like books, toys, etc. that will be also trickling back downstairs.

{Beginning the unloading/sorting phase}

We're getting there, slowly but surely. I have to admit, I am in a bit of a tizzy. It's the Type A Control Freak in me that, when a project is started, I need to have it finished. Like that same day. Call me impatient. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I know what I want it to look like in my head, and when it's not quite there, I'm  a mess. I've always been this way. I LOATHE being unsettled in ANY WAY. But these are the beginnings of progress.

{Making just a little bit of headway}

{Still sorting and unloading}

And we're on our way. New furniture will be forthcoming, thank you Target. The headboard, bed, dresser, and desk will all be from the Delaney Collection in white. I'm hoping that, since it's not from our usual Raymour and Flanigan that I'm not super disappointed, but we talked about it and decided that this will have to do until she's old enough to choose her own {within reason} bedroom set. {My hope is that this might happen when all girls are out of cribs and toddler beds, which, at this given point in time, doesn't seem like it will EVER get here}.

I'm excited to get the ball rolling and moving ahead. And I can't WAIT until all of the new {and MATCHING} furniture is in place. But until then, I'm really hoping that this is the space that our daughter enjoys and loves as she calls it her very own.

{The first quasi organized space}

While it's winter, what can we do?

{March 2011}

Oh so much!


Sledding anyone?


January is always a crazy beginning. From closing out the holiday season {which is always sad in its own rite} to beginning the new year, my family adds in a whole bunch of birthdays to my depleted budget. 


So, in order to save a little cash, I scoured Pinterest again. {Shocking, I know}! 
My lovely sister-in-law turned the big 3-0! {Sorry, but I had to divulge the age in order to share}.


I don't know about you, but I really actually enjoyed 30. Good things came and went in my 30th year, but a good gag gift was in order. When I found this whole "30 Sucks!" idea, I had to go with it. {And while I am an ADAMANT opponent to the phrase "sucks," the English teacher in me opted to honor the play on words}.


So, what did we make to send to Aunt Tiffy? The best gag gift ever!




Well, she LOVES popsicles. 

{From NY to CA with LOVE}

Slight problem.




We live on opposite ends of the country.




The next best thing was to use lollipops instead.


So, off to Michaels and Target I went.


I purchased a medium sized empty plastic paint "can," which I placed a small styrofoam cone into, narrow end up. I also purchased one of the large swirly lollipops, old-fashion styled. 
Because this was a thirtieth birthday, I also chose to purchase fun sticky leopard-print letters from the scrapbooking section. 

{Clear plastic paint can} - Purchased at Michaels

With green being one of Tiffany's favorite colors, I grabbed a spool of wrapping ribbon in a lime color as well. 


Onto Target.


Lollipops, lollipops, and more lollipops. I could have purchased any number of assorted lollipops, but I love Jolly Ranchers {and who knew they make lollipops these days?!} and also a bag of traditional Blow Pops. {I'm a sucker for the good old standbys - no pun intended}.


Getting all of the supplies home was easy. Sneaking it past my six and two and a half year-old helpers was another feat in and of itself. It didn't happen. Guess I have to work on my espionage-esque sneaky skills. Note to self: A goal for year 32.


Taking the plastic bucket, and placing the styrofoam cone into the center, I took the large swirly pop {with a LOVELY wooden stick - thank you!} into the center of the cone. While it became a little top heavy, I wasn't too worried. The rest of the lollipops balanced it out just fine.


I had my six year-old helper practice counting to thirty, and she pulled 30 different lollipops from the two bags, which she then proceeded to lay out onto the table. Meanwhile, the other helper was far from wanting to count. She just wanted to dig in.


After counting out the lollipops, we placed {or jammed} the sticks into the top end of the cone. It took a little doing, but we managed. Plus, it was fun to practice our counting again. 

{Our completed project}

When we finished, we took some tissue paper and covered the cone. We also added in curled segments of the lime wrapping ribbon to add some flair.


To spruce things up just a BIT more, we broke out the sticky leopard print letters and my kindergarten helper aided me in spelling out the phrases "30 Sucks! and Happy Birthday!"


While she handed me letters, I placed them accordingly onto the plastic bucket. 


*NOTE:* In hindsight, if I were to do this again, I'd definitely place the lettering on FIRST to avoid all of the lollipops toppling a hundred million times.
When we were finished, we had a fun and silly gag gift for Aunt Tiffy.

Stay at Home, Mom!

It's an English teacher thing, really. It's just like Lynne Truss' book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It's all a matter of correctly placing those moments of pause. If you get the joke, you realize how much a misplaced comma might really affect the meaning of a sentence. 

Well, that's about where I'm at. 

I was pulled from work on 29 December for my final maternity leave. While not officially on full bed rest, I have been advised that working full time {at least for which I am monetarily compensated} would actually be ill advised. So, the doctors chose to keep me from work. But really, am I now a "stay at home mom"? 

Hardly.

I must say that I've enjoyed being home. My mornings are wonderful. The girls and I get to wake up on our own terms and ease into our day. Kind of. That would be between caring for the dogs, changing a diaper here and there, getting the six year-old ready for the day {and she has discovered the joys of a daily shower, which will KILL my water bill}, and everyone out the door just in time for the eldest to attend half-day PM kindergarten - in the district in which I work - which is NOT close to where we actually reside.

But there is a silver lining. I've really gotten the chance to sit back and reorganize the daily "things" in my life. 

Taking a little inspiration from Kate Gosselin {pre-scandal/divorce}, a nudge in the right direction from my husband, advice from friends, and a whole lot of "research" on Pinterest, I've chosen to take the time to bring organization back to the forefront of my life. It went missing for a while. But I'm hoping it's back, and here to stay.

{jaime - just saying}

So, I've taken small steps to organize my morning routine. The foremost important event that aids me along in the morning is the ritualistic making of the coffee. And I will tell you publicly, with this being the fourth pregnancy in six years, I drink a full cup of the high test stuff in the morning. To do otherwise would not allow me to function at all. But moving past the coffee, I settle down for five minutes or so {while said nectar of the Gods is brewing} and plan out my day. I took the idea from a pin on Pinterest. You can find the link here. Rachel hosts the blog {lovely crafty home} and I'm hooked. I was able to replicate the space you see above for about $30.00 at Target {LOVE}, even though I did include some supplies of my own, as my profession would require me to own anyway.

I have to say that it has made my life a little easier when it comes to the daily "stuff" that might get shoved aside in my former life. {You know, rifling through the mail/bills, dinner planning, bill paying, etc.}. Taking the five minutes out of my morning while the girls wolf down their mini pancakes has become the new routine for us. And I have to say, that if I'm told that I need to be a "stay at home mom," I might as well make the most of the precious and limited time that I DO have.