Planting My Herbs Today

I am so excited for Spring! It's practically here!

I started my day with my coffee and a book and the usual house chores while the kids ate their breakfast and played with their toys. We aren't radical with schooling just yet, and when we do more curricular type things it's always later. Right now they are just too young to go all day every day.

Once awake and finished with chores, I went straight outside to gather as much snow into my bucket as possible. Some melted already so I didn't get as much as I had hoped, fortunately I left pails outside last night which caught a good amount of snow in it along with the buckets and containers that have rain water up to the brim in them. I took my water bottles and filled all of them up as much as I could. I am conserving the remaining rain water/snow for later.

I try to do this each year. It's a blessing for my thirsty plants and I would rather nourish them with rain water than anything from our city tap. I know, I am just finicky that way. It's a personal preference. It isn't that tap water won't help plants, but I feel rain water is best whenever possible. It's why I will collect water from a well known lake if I am all out of rain water at home. Last year we were very dry so I wasn't able to have such an abundance of water as I already have this year. Not even snow, as we barely had any snow to speak of all winter two eyars ago.

I hope this year is different. The large snow banks which turned to pools of puddles outside are instantly soaked up into the earth. Mother Earth is parched.

The rainy days make things a bit more challenging, and stressful, kids hate being cooped up just as much as I do. But at the same time I am so, so grateful for this rain!

I put new potting soil into my pots, sowing and digging as much as I am supposed to for my herbal plants. I'm not planting too much ahead of time, because I don't know when the weather will warm enough for me to replant them outdoors. But I did plant my lavender because germinating will take some time and by that point the weather should be much better and less hostile for it.

I also planted my cilantro, but only one because I prefer to use it fresh when I do and I don't plan to dry it.

I went outside and collected snow to put into the pots that will melt into the soil so as not to overwater them. So far that has been my day, and I feel really accomplished. The kids have managed to keep their toys off the floors so far (which is more than I can say for the bathroom and the tub, but whatever). I see flurries drifting around outside right now. I wonder if it will snow some more? I plan to get the kids outside today, we may even skip over to the park for a bit if the weather permits. :)

Let the Christmas Shopping Begin!

Call me a lunatic, but I really enjoy Christmas shopping. I look forward to it every year! This year was a little more exciting because now we have two kids, and our first is older and easier to shop for now, and we know what things he is really into this year. (One of those things you automatically do, even though I was restricted by my parents from celebrating Christmas, it comes so naturally for me now, is taking mental notes to self throughout the year.) ;)

Well, we had a very wonderful Thanksgiving with family this year (just like every year). I was super excited for it, we prioritized and had all of our Thanksgiving shopping done by the 17th, leaving only a few small items like french fried onions and green onions. Other than that everything was done and we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the two weeks leading up to the big day.

My mother in-law, (Mama Gail), and father in-law (Papa Larry), arrived Wednesday night, and stayed until Sunday. We were so happy to have them here with us longer than one day. Unfortunately, my brother in-law (Nathan) and sister in-law (Melissa) couldn't stay but they did make it for dinner :).

Well, with the grandparents here early, we decided to get the kids' Christmas shopping done while we had the chance. Our work schedules have been so hectic lately (it always is this time of year), and we wanted to go shop for their gifts sometime before or after Thanksgiving.

We did a little shopping online, because we don't have a Toys R' Us nearby us anymore, we ended up having to do that online, but that was great, because it saved us time and everything. I actually decided I prefer Christmas shopping online, and next year we may just do that, except we like getting out of the house together while the kids stay home and going to explore the toy land at Farm and Fleet ;). Both of us are still kids at heart. Me more so since I didn't get to do this as a kid :).

So that was our weekend. And we got all of the kids' Christmas shopping done, and just need to wrap everything soon. Since I am still pretty new to this Christmas thing and gifts and the kids presents, I am following Tim's lead on most everything haha. If I don't know what to do or how to do it, he does!

We also found really great bargains at JCPenny!

Ahhhh so excited!!! Less than one week!! The big day is coming up FAST! :D

I don't know where the time went, but I am so happy with the date we planned for our wedding celebration! I love it because it is right before the holidays, and it's also my favorite time of year. I love when the weather gets cold, snow is on the way, and the beauty comes with colored leaves and crystal snow.

I am not sure when I can blog again, but I will need to soon! :)

Getting Excited!!!

It's almost October! I have been so busy going crazy with wedding plans that I didn't notice how fast this year was going by. And my son started preschool this year, so I've been busy teaching and studying, which on top of wedding planning makes things pretty exhausting and hectic. But it's so rewarding!

The thing about planning a wedding only a month before the crazy holidays get here is that my year will not be slowing down whatsoever after the wedding is done. Which is okay, because I love love LOVE the holidays!! And I also really love teaching, so it will all work out.

We still have to figure out exactly what we are doing for the kids for Halloween (I know, we have plenty of time for that yet, but I am one to majorly prioritize and I am a huge planner, I like all my ducks in a row haha). Lukas' favorite superhero is Iron Man, so I would love to find him a character costume for that!

Well, I am just frantic over wedding stuff. People keep telling me once the day is over I'll forget about everything, but I don't think so. I am one of those people who lives for the memories, I think back on good memories a lot and I just really want it to go smoothly and look beautiful. :)

I didn't ever think I would be scrambling around planning my wedding. I wasn't one of the many girls who daydreamed about her wedding since she was 12. I've always been very independent and I always said I would never get married. But here I am! And, technically already married.

My husband and I tied the knot in a private ceremony a few years ago. We never had a wedding reception or celebration with our close friends and family, though. So, we decided this year would be the year that we would do it all. We wanted the cake, the party, the venues, the music, the photographer, the whole nine yards. So we started planning our wedding as soon as our venues were booked about a year ago. And, in my opinion, even one year was not plenty of time (that's how jittery I've become haha.)

But at the same time I am so excited and looking forward to our big day! I can't believe it's finally happening.

Crockpot Kickin' BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bottle sweet baby ray's bbq sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions 

Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder.

Place chicken in crockpot (still frozen is ok). Pour sauce mixture over chicken.

Cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

Recipe courtesy: Tamara Martin

Easy Homemade Fried Rice from Scratch

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

Trisha Yearwood's Baked Potato Soup

This is my husband's favorite soup! He looks forward to it every time I make it.

Source of Recipe
From "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen" by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes *

6 bacon slices

2/3 cup (1-1/3 sticks) butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups milk

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

5 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces sour cream


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Wash the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork. Wrap them individually in foil, and bake them for 1 hour, or until they are soft when squeezed. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

While the potatoes bake, cook the bacon in a small skillet. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, when cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into the thickened milk mixture. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, reserved bacon, and Cheddar. Cook over low heat just until heated through. Stir in the sour cream and serve.

Serves 10

NOTE:
* Leftover baked potatoes may also be used for this recipe. Peel and mash them coarsely before adding to the milk mixture.