The Sweetness

My kids say some pretty amusing things these days. For all the time they spend driving me batty, they can be kind of  endearing. Davis is talking up a blue streak these days, and he's funny as can be. Definitely the comic of the family. Ava is pretty witty herself, and has recently taken to making up lullabies for Davis. Here are the lyrics to her latest:

Stars shine bright

In the night

Twinkling in your window at night.

A farmer sees a star,

He thinks it's the North one,

But he doesn't know very much about stars.

Stars shine bright

In the night

Twinkling in your window at night.

That's one of Davis' nightly requests. No idea where that farmer stuff came from. 

When Ava doesn't like something I've done or said, she'll say, "That's one thing that's weird about you, Mommy. You never do so-and-so." 

I don't want to think about what the teenage years bring. Thankfully for her, when she isn't analyzing my oddities, she's pretty sweet. And quite attached to me. Probably way too attached.

Now, for the sweetest thing: for the first time ever, without any prompting, Davis told me he loves me. 

*swoon*

I had just gotten back from a run this morning, and Davis and Morgan were in the kitchen. I got a very enthusiastic, "MOMMY!!!" when I walked in, followed by a huge smile, and then, "I wuv you, Mommy." 

That just about makes up for the ceramic bowl he smashed the other day. On purpose. 

Also, I'm sure that all of that was made even sweeter with the knowledge that I will have a child-free, husband-free 48 hours this weekend. I'm only a TEENSY bit excited. 

Time alone will include a little of this:

Some reading (this book is SO good)

Maybe this:

And maybe even a little tax-free shopping. 

That's all for now!

Chicken, Spinach, and Orzo casserole: Meal Planning Made Easy link-up

Leigh over at Hines-Sight Blog is throwing us all a huge bone right now. She's doing a blog link-up called "August Meal Planning Made Easy." Other bloggers are linking up to share their easy recipes, which I'm pretty sure we can all benefit from. I know I'm terrible about meal planning, which just adds stress to my life and dollars to my grocery bills. One of my big plans for fall is more and better meal planning!







Plus, if you haven't already checked out Leigh's blog, you're going to love it. She shares great tales of raising kids, travelling, cooking, and generally living life. Plus, she's a fellow Raleigh blogger.

One of my go-to recipes is a Chicken, Spinach, and Orzo casserole, from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It's easy, tasty, and will take care of at least 2 nights of dinner in my house. Plus, even though it's a casserole, it's pretty healthy. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but trust me, it's good.

Chicken, Orzo, and Spinach Casserole

4 (6-oz) skinned and boned chicken breasts
2/3 cup uncooked orzo
1 (8 oz) package sliced fresh mushrooms
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 (10.5 oz) can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat mayo
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1. Boil chicken and enough water to cover in a large pot (Dutch oven) about 12 minutes, or until done. Remove chicken, reserving broth. Chop chicken and set it aside.
2. Cook pasta in the reserved broth according to package directions (omit salt).
3. Saute mushrooms until tender in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking  spray. Remove from heat.
4.Stir in chicken, pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and next 4 ingredients. Spoon mixture into a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Wish List

I have a birthday coming up next week. Historically, I love my birthday, and really think it should be celebrated for a whole week. I guess I'm finally growing up, though, because I'm just not all that fired up about this birthday. And I'm not depressed about turning the big 3-5, but I do kind of feel like this is the age that really makes me a full-fledged adult. As if marriage and two kids doesn't do that.

Lack of desire to celebrate aside, I do have a few little things I’d like to have. (hint, hint, hubby)

So, without further delay, here is my birthday wish list. 

1. I adore what J.Crew is doing this fall. It looks a little more like old J.Crew....yay! Love all the jackets, bright colors, and tailored looks. I don't know if I could pull off the hot pink and red, but on this model, it looks great.

Also, the schoolboy blazer is so darn cute:

And the Booker Boots aren’t too shabby, either:

2. Lilly’s fall collection, part 1:

Okay, I’ll be honest. So far, I don’t LOVE the LP fall stuff. The Minnie’s collection is adorable, and I want all of it for Ava, but the women’s line just isn’t doing all that much for me yet. However, there are a few things I think I need:

Joanie dress, Jonah dress, and Adelie dress. All totally wearable all fall and winter. First with sandals or wedges, then with boots. I’m especially in love with the print on the Jonah.

(All images via)

3. A Vita Mix blender.

Now, there is absolutely no way I could ever talk Morgan into a $450 blender. But the Vita Mix seems to be so much more than a blender. You can make perfect smoothies, shakes, soups, nut butters, juices, dips….entire Vita Mix’d meals! Seriously, I hate how I have to run my blender forever just to get the ice to blend, and nothing is ever as smooth as I want it to be. I just really want one of these. Please?

4. You know, I could really use a new bag. And I think this Prada  would really never go out of style. It’s kind of perfect. And I think I need it. Let’s just call it an investment, okay?

(image via)

That should do it. If anyone needs my address, I can send it to you. Gift cards are also welcome.

I’ll be back again tomorrow sharing one of my go-to recipes, and linking up with Leigh at Hines-Sight blog for her Meal Planning Made Easy feature. See you then!

Vacation recovery

Good morning, friends, and my apologies for the lack of blogging. We were at the beach all last week, and I didn’t even bring my computer. I supposed I could have blogged via iPad, but I just didn’t have it it me.

Usually we go to the beach with my parents, but last week, it was just my little family. We had a really good time, and I think we sufficiently wore the kids out on a daily basis.

 

We had  a little rain early in the week, which led us to do the unthinkable and make a short road trip into Myrtle Beach. Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a lot of fun stuff for kids at Myrtle. I warn you, however: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO THERE IN JULY. EVER.

We ventured to the Ripley’s Aquarium, which is really nice. Being there with the masses, though, is not so nice. It’s Americana at it’s no-so-finest. Beware of alarming numbers of jorts and tank tops. On babies!

I should also mention that it was so crowded that you could only move at a snail’s pace. That led me to feeling not only claustrophobic, but also highly anxious that I would lose one of my kids in the crowd.

We survived, though, and the rest of the week was filled with sunny, hot days on the beach. Ava got into boogie boarding, Davis buried himself in the sand, we all ate too much, exercised too little, and generally had a great time.

I do feel like a need a vacation from my vacation, though. Luckily, I have one coming this weekend, in the form of my parents taking my kids for TWO WHOLE NIGHTS! (Cheers and applause!). I really need a couple of days to work on some organizational house stuff. We’re less than a month from the start of school now, and it’s time to get back into that mindset. Plus, next weekend is tax-free shopping, so I may need to get out there and take advantage.

I’ll be back to blogging tomorrow with my birthday/fall clothing wish list. Until then, have a good Monday!

Tomato Pie

Would you believe there was a time in my life when I wouldn’t touch a tomato? Crazy, I know. I’ve come to my senses, though, and now tomatoes are right up there with peaches and watermelon as my favorite summer foods.

A couple of summers ago, I was introduced to the wonderfulness that is known in these parts as Tomato Pie. It’s pretty much just what it sounds like. Tomatoes. In pie. Duh. With lots of cheese. And mayo. Southern goodness, my friends. That’s what it is.

image via

For the last couple of summers, we have purchased a tomato pie or two from this lady at the beach. Alas, this summer, her little shop is closed, so I had to resort to my own devices.

Thank goodness for The Google. Tomato Pie recipes were no problem to find.

My first question, though, was whether to use store-bought crust or try to make one from scratch. Then I remembered that I have two small kids and lots of other things I like to do, so pie crust from scratch was out of the question. I also remembered complimenting the Pie Lady’s crust, and being told that it was Wal-Mart brand. That should have been the point at which I stopped paying $15 for her pies.

I actually went with Harris Teeter brand. I’ve now made 2 of these in the last week. Last night we had it with fresh, local corn on the cob and a nice salad.

Here’s my slightly-lightened recipe. The best tip I can give is to use tomatoes that are pretty ripe. Other than that, I don’t think you can mess this up:

image via

Tomato Pie
1 deep-dish pie crust
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
½ medium onion
10 basil leaves, chopped
1 cup mayo (I used light)
1 cup sharp cheddar (I used light)
1 cup mozzarella (I used part-skim)

-Thaw and pre-bake the pie crust according to package directions.
-After you slice the tomatoes, set them in a colander and allow them to drain for about 10-20 minutes.
-Layer the tomato slices in the pie crust, then top with onion and basil.
-Mix together the mayo and cheese. Spread the mixture over the top of the tomatoes, onion, and basil.
-Bake at 350 about 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown on top.

Fall Fashion, kid-style

I’m sitting here in my 82  degree house because our A/C decided July would be a fine time to stop functioning properly. The repairman is coming between 5:30 and 6, so we only have to swelter a little bit longer. We’re using a repairman we’ve never used before, but just based on the fact that he gave me a reasonable time frame of when he’s coming (as opposed to “between 8 and 5”), I already feel good about him. Besides, the last guy tried to royally screw us over, so anything is an improvement.

The heat in my house and outside has me longing for fall temperatures, and that  has gotten me to thinking about clothes. Of course, I wonder what I’ll be wearing this fall, but that’s not quite as pressing as what my kids will be wearing.

Davis is still easy. Jon-jons, longalls, and anything appliqued are still fine. This is probably the last year he’ll wear anything one-piece, so I have to milk it. A few things I’m loving for him:

Two longalls from Shrimp and Grits:

both via

From Orient Expressed and Kelly’s Kids:

images here and here

And I love this set from Ragsland: http://www.ragsland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RAG&Product_Code=F1SBPSPL001&Category_Code=NewArrivals

Now, Ava has been harder this year. She’s starting kindergarten in public school, and I kind of feel like we need to tone it down. Plus, at age 6, I just think a lot of smocked clothing looks babyish, even though I still love it.

So, I perused the Orient Expressed catalog this afternoon and found a number of options I can live with. Here’s a peek:

 

From Kelly’s Kids, I think I like these items:

 

Now, I just need to think about what I need. But first, I need to figure out how to get rid of the 5 lbs that have somehow taken up residence on my waistline this summer.

TGIF

I’ve been single-momming it all week while Morgan is out in Phoenix for work. When I say all week, I’m not exaggerating. He left the house at 1:30 Sunday afternoon, and will return around 5:30 tonight. Normally, that’s kind of okay. It’s work, after all. Someone has to make a living around here. However, I did this same stint just 3 weeks ago. The first time was fine. Kids were being good, summer was still new and fresh. This week, however, has just about done me in.

The kids have been  bickering like crazy, Davis’ terrible twos are at what I hope is an all-time high, and Ava seems to think she is 16, complete with constant-eye rolling. Always at me, of course.

I’m definitely looking forward to a little relief this weekend.

The good thing about Morgan travelling, though, is that I get to catch up on all my Bravo shows. Last night I caught latest of episode of Million Dollar Decorators. Is it just me, or does Martyn Lawrence Bullard have to work hard to act so affected? Somehow, I adore him, though.

In fact, all of the designers drive me nuts, but I kind of love them. Except for Nathan Turner. He’s just turned out to be boring. Oh, and that Ross has mighty pretty hair. See?

As for Mary Macdonald, I’d just like for her to design for me. Please.

image via

I hope you all have a great weekend. The cleaning lady is due any minute (yay!), and I’m taking Ava to her last day of Cheerleading camp.

Ta-ta!

PS: As I was wrapping up this post, Davis wandered in with wet hands. He said, “I wash hands, Mommy.”

I said, “Oh, where did you wash your hands, Davis?”

His reply? A very innocent, “In potty?”

Oh, geez.