life....

chicken soup in the crock-pot. homemade bread in the oven. sweatshirts.the "clean" smell of homemade laundry soap. little hands helping mama shape the pie crust for the pumpkin pie baking in the oven.snuggles under quilts and Beatrix Potter before naps. mama does their "makeup". playing tractors with Andrew.phone calls from my baby.watching the leaves fall. Inhaling the smell of apple pie candles.working on christmas gifts.watching Anne of Green Gables. curling up with THE Good Book and a cup of hot tea. Praying......quiet uninterrupted time with my Savior. ahhhh....so blessed.

Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee (pie dough).....

Pate brisee is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. Pressing the dough into a disc rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly. (From Martha Stewart Living)

*Julie's note: MUST keep EVERYTHING refrigerated for approximately 15 -20 minutes before making the crust! So much easier to work with,the colder the better!

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(chilled)
• 1 teaspoon salt(chilled)
• 1 teaspoon sugar(chilled)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces (Julie's note: frozen and grated)
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor (I freeze & grate my butter and then proceed in my KitchenAide with paddle attachment; although the Cuisinart does work extremely well, also), combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

*This is the absolute BEST pie crust I have ever made!! The dough is like fabric....it just moves so well and it's just wonderfully easy to work with. The crust is a little messed up in this picture because Charlie checked on the pie and took a bite out of the crust to see if it was done!! :) Also, the slightly brown spots are where I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the crust. YUM!!

Blackberry Pie:

4 cups fresh blackberries or 2 bags frozen

3-4 TBS. a.p. flour

2 cups sugar

1 T. vanilla

1 T. lemon juice

1-2 T. cinnamon

2 T. butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Line a 9 inch pie pan with half the pastry. Save remaining pastry for top crust & cut into lattice strips. Chill both while preparing the blackberries.
3. Combine berries, flour, sugar,cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice. Spoon into pie shell, and dot with butter or margarine.
4. Place lattice strips on top of berry mixture. Dot with butter & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
   

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes, or until browned.

~Julie

supper menus.....

*I am just going to post supper menus this week. We have enough in the freezer to get by on for breakfast & lunches. So, here we go:


Monday- leftovers (scroll down to recipes)


Tuesday- Hoppin' John, Buttermilk cornbread (will post recipes here, tomorrow), sweet tea


Wednesday- Crescent Roll Chicken/Jessica Simpson's Chicken & Dumplings combination (sounds interesting, doesn't it?), Baked Sweet Potatoes with cinnamon, brown sugar butter, sweet tea *edited: here's the combination I came up with if you are interested!


Thursday- Crockpot Roast, mashed potatoes, fresh steamed broccoli, corn on the cob, sweet tea


Friday- Hash, Corncakes, sweet tea


Saturday- Italian sandwiches, sweet tea


Sunday- Super Bowl Sunday (don't know yet)


dessert: Coconut Cream Pie (didn't make last week)(recipe posted tomorrow)



*I will try my very best to get the recipes posted on my recipe blog tomorrow. I do have young children so this may not happen until tomorrow night or later. Please continue to check back. I appreciate your patience! :)



*Go to OrgJunkie for more menu plans!!

my daybook today....

Julie's daybook...For Monday, January 26th, 2009

*Bible verse: (Titus 2:3-8)
3.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4.
That they may teach the young women to be sober , to love their husbands, to love their children,
5.
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed .
6.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded .
7.
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
8.
Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed , having no evil thing to say of you.


*recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Casserole, Julia Child's white bread, Texas Sheet Cake (supper last night; leftovers tonight) :)


*activity with kids: bundling up & taking a nature walk after naps; watching a movie and eating snacks

*today's target cleaning areas: organize & vaccum our bedroom closet, girls closet. * Clean ALL appliances * Do ALL laundry; fold & put away (this is ALL done already except the laundry; 1:45 pm)

*Something Charlie needs for me to do: take his phone to get fixed or get new one; make breakfast & lunch for him for entire week (put in freezer & refrigerator) (ALL done except the phone will have to do that tomorrow; 2:00 pm)

Something special for my husband: write love notes to put in his lunch ;)

Something special for my children: let the girls wear my high heels to play dress up; spend time just talking silly & cuddling all of them.

project: menu plan; Drew's baby book (my project for this week, lol)

In our schoolhouse: Slow & Steady Get Me Ready ( I will try and put these in a different post; maybe I will get it done today) :)

*For now, I am posting a picture that I love:

Claire, Lily, Drew & my sweet niece, Sarah, at church :)

Please join in if you wish! I have been doing this as often as I can (I just don't post it) but my little sister inspired me today! To read her wonderful daybook, go here! Have a wonderful and productive week, everyone!

Love,

Julie

tomorrow, I will be....

Baking these with my daughters. And these. Oh, so yummy! :) Playing dolls, playing house (me really ironing clothes while Claire & Lily iron on their little ironing boards with irons that MeMe & Papaw bought them for Christmas), playing in the "castle" with Claire & Lily that Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Greg gave them, watching "Gideon-A lesson in trusting God" Claire's current fave movie, a present from Aunt Crystal& Uncle Paul and playing dress up (present from Aunt Tammy/Uncle Jeremy), playing my keyboard while Claire & Lily rock out on their keyboard (from Aunt Lynn/Uncle Billy), reading James and some in my chronological plan (still trying to follow it as much as I can; it's just been hard), doing the "love dare", making something light for supper (due to the sickness), getting lots of cuddles from Drew & listening to his precious little baby laugh! Listening to my sweet little girls carry on adorable conversations with each other and seeing their sweet relationship develop right before my very eyes. :),washing/drying/folding/putting away laundry, calling the dr.'s office,getting paperwork done for taxes,cleaning the bathroom,breaking up little arguments, kissing owies, (hopefully NOT cleaning up puke & poop)doing school with the girls, organizing mine & Charlie's bedroom, scrubbing floors, and whatever else comes up?!!!!

This is only the tip of the list of things I have to get done this week!!! Is it any wonder that we as stay home Mom's (and working mom's too) just never get ahead?! That we feel "overwhelmed" if we stop and think about all we have to do?! The best solution, I have found, is not to THINK, it is to just DO IT and GET IT DONE!!!! :)

I may have a lot to do tomorrow but I am SO looking forward to it!! I am really looking forward to the play time with my babies & a clean house after I get it all done this week! Nothing like those two feelings, well, that & a happy husband!!! :) So, please pray for me tomorrow so that I may be focused on my tasks! We all know how much the enemy loves to distract us!!!


Love you all & have a great day!! (I won't be on the computer tomorrow; taking a break!)

Julie

supper menus.....

Monday- potato soup, buttermilk cornbread,sweet tea

Tuesday- hamburger steak with brown gravy &mushrooms, mashed potatoes, sauteed cabbage,sweet tea

Wednesday- poppyseed chicken, green beans, baked sweet potatoes w/cinnamon butter & brown sugar, sweet tea

Thursday-frito chili pie, sweet tea

Friday- chef salads, sweet tea

desserts: cowboy cookies & pumpkin gooey butter cake (taking some dessert to bible study)

*breakfasts and lunches are almost the same as last week. Finishing up frozen breakfast burritos & muffins and just the usual for lunch (leftovers, grilled cheese & pb&j)

Visit orgjunkie for more than 400 menu plans!!! :)

*If you have me on reader, I am so sorry for all of the edited posts!! It takes me a while to get this right!! :)

happenings...

still cleaning up puke. lily has it SO much worse than claire. poor baby is still throwing up and she is crying a lot. :( she has been asleep for about an hour now so i am checking up on my email and doing laundry and making cookies for charlie's lunch this week. they say that mom's are multitaskers extraordinarre and i believe it! :)

Hey, feeling bad about the economy? check this out!

please continue to send prayers our way!

love,
Julie

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. ~Edith Sitwell

*poster courtesy of allposters.com

reflections for wives....

"Wives, in light of the Lord's instruction to us, we have to ask ourselves the hard questions on a regular basis: Do I care for my home in a way that helps my husband or serves me? Do I manage my time in a manner that assists my husband or serves my own agenda? Does the way I serve others support my husband or promote me? Do I ask for my husband's input before committing myself to a plan? Am I oriented to him and the work to which God has called him? We honor the Lord when we minister to our husbands in ways that enhance our God-given roles as companions and helpers.

~Carolyn Mahaney

*image courtesy of allposters.com

We did some baking this morning..

We made these! They are oh so yummy! The only substitutions I made were to use 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. I also used canola oil instead of olive oil (I was out). Very moist and a wonderful taste! Claire helped with the streusel topping. Very easy for her to do. Lily helped put the paper cups in the muffin tin! And Drew sat in his swing and watched us; he is training to be a chef at an early age! =)

Well, that's been our morning so far. We load up and travel 1 & 1/2 hrs. away to the doctor this afternoon. 3 babies in a car for a totoal of 3 hrs. PRAY for me, PLEASE!! (maybe the muffins will soothe Claire & Lily in the car; I hope!)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

To make the filling:

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar.

Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the streusel topping:

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffin batter:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla.

Beat together until smooth.

Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full.

Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter.

Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.
Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipes

I really (heart) this slow cooker; it's my dream crock-pot!! Sadly, it costs $150!!! I doubt I will be receiving one anytime soon. That's okay, though, my wal-mart ones work just as well!! =) There is just something about a crockpot! I always feel like I am being a good wife and mother when I have supper already planned out & going in the morning! My day runs so much smoother and I achieve so much more! I just feel like I am accomplishing something & that makes me motivated to do more and more! Maybe I am crazy, but that's what a crockpot does for me! =)

So, I am sharing some crockpot recipes with you today! I have a lot of time on my hands because the baby is on a good schedule (eats every 3 hrs and naps at regular times), supper is already going and my house is (almost) in great shape today! =) Laundry done, floors mopped, bathrooms cleaned, kitchen spotless, beds freshly laundered and made up, I even dusted today! Anyway, here are the crockpot recipes!

Crockpot Lasagna (so simple it should be illegal and it tastes GREAT)

1 28-oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
1 package frozen cheese ravioli (about 24-oz.)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom and layer with half of the ravioli. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and another cup of sauce. Layer the remaining ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake on low for 3-5 hours, depending on how hot your crockpot cooks.

And, on tonight's menu (I double this for leftovers):

Maple BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Crockpot) (source: Razzledazzlerecipes.com)

1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup maple flavored syrup 2 tbsp. prepared mustard 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 4 boneless, skinned chicken breasts Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on LOW for about 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is done. Remove meat, shred and return to sauce. Place on buns for sandwiches or serve over hot rice.

Have a great rest of the week!!! Happy crock-potting!!! =)

Rattling around in my head...

*Updated with pictures at the bottom of the post!!!!!

Um, yeah. The best title I could come up with for all that I have been dwelling on lately. Must be the horomones! =)

* Is baby a boy for sure? How do I know? (See, how useless is it to worry about this? And, so what if it is a girl?! Either one is fine with me & Charlie!)

* I get up at 4am with Charlie almost every day and don't get to sleep until around 10:30 or 11 pm. After I get up with him, it takes me about an hour to go back to sleep and then Claire is up at 6 am. So, I am just a little tired all of the time!

* I am really ready for Fall!!! It's raining a lot here and cooling down some already which is extremely strange for August where we live! It's usually so dry and HOT all month and into September! I am loving this weather even if our finances aren't (Charlie can't work much when it rains).

* Still not completely ready for Andrew. I just can't seem to get it all together with this 3rd baby. I desperately want to but I am just so tired and occupied with taking care of Charlie & the girls. So, I am feeling some Mommy guilt already.

* Read Romans this morning. I don't really remember which chapter! LOL. =) I could not go back to sleep so I read and then I fell asleep reading. I think it was the 8th chapter! I do remember reading about our sin nature and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. =)

* Thinking about posting about a serious issue. Trying to figure out exactly what to say. I usually don't like to deal with the aftermath I get when I post about things like that but I feel this is important. We'll see.

* Making a ham in the crockpot and cooking pinto beans, steamed cabbage and mashed potatoes with it. Of course, sweet tea. And little Miss Clairee made her Daddy a cake this morning. =)

* My dr.'s appt. got rescheduled today. Going early next week and I am actually hoping to have the baby before then. I am shooting for Paul (the 24th?) or Kylie's (the 27th?) birthdays!!!! =)

*Did "school" with Claire today! We made circles and stars and cut and pasted them on construction paper. We also worked on her counting and the letter "R". She is doing so great and I am SO proud of my babies!! Lily is scribbling away on her construction paper while Sissy works!!! I will post the pictures I took of their artwork sometime today. My computer still does not cooperate with that very well so I have to use my Mom's to load my pictures until we can afford a new one!

* Charlie's home for the 3rd day this week. Check will be small but the Lord will provide. HE always does. =)

*Lily has a head cold and Claire is getting one. They are stuffed up pretty bad right now. =(

* Going to go and play catch with Claire and go for a walk. Hope I can get baby to come on down!!! Pray for us please as we near the birth of our precious little one!

Lily can do school, too!

Claire's circles & stars(the stars were traced with a cookie cutter, I know they are funny looking but I think they are the cutest stars, ever! She also cut and pasted these with VERY little of Mama's help, I am so proud!!!

Love and Prayers to all,
Julie

Menu Plan Wednesday?

First of all, I know this is Wednesday and I apologize!!! I have been slacking off on the menu planning lately and it is driving me insane so, today I made a menu plan and a grocery list and headed out! (Thanks a billion to my wonderful mother-in-law who watched Claire & Lily for me today and for all of that good watermelon!)

So, here's the plan!

Days are not in any particular order, I will just fix whatever sounds good that day! =)

*5 cheese ravioli with spaghetti sauce, Italian bread & salad

* Pigs in a blanket, corn on the cob, green beans

*Cheesy Crockpot Chicken(recipe below), Rice, Lima Beans, Corn on the cob

* Pepperoni Pizza Wraps, Salad

*Broccoli Rice Quiche, Salad

*Loaded Baked Potatoes, Salad

*Frozen Pizza(dr's appt.), Salad

Desserts: Strawberries, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Grapes (a lot of fruit!) Banana Pudding & Blackberry Cheese Pie!!!

*Cheesy Creamy Crockpot Chicken

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 block cream cheese, cut into chunks

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope Good Seasons Dry Italian seasoning mix

1 small can of sliced mushrooms,drained

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine cream cheese, soup and 1 can of milk. Stir in Italian seasoning. Pour over chicken. Add mushrooms. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. (may be done before, just watch it)

Happy Eating!!! =)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday- Grilled Pork Chops, garden veggies, strawberries & cream, sweet tea

Tuesday- Taco Salad, fruit, tea

Wednesday- Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, fruit, tea

Thursday- Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, fruit salad, tea

Friday- Julie's Beef Stroganoff (will try to post the recipe later), corn on the cob, squash, tea

Saturday- whatever sounds good

Sunday- undecided

*I am not putting much energy into this because right now nothing sounds good except fruit! And, because of the heat, we are eating very light meals. I am leaving the weekend up to Charlie because I don't know what our plans are right now. :o)

Have a wonderful week everyone!!!

Zucchini Bread

We have LOTS of zucchini coming off in our garden so I am going to make this zucchini bread tonight!!! Yum. We will see how it goes and I will let you know! Can't wait to get time to post some pictures of our garden and other happenings around here!

Drew's "all boy" nursery...

The color for the nursery walls maybe with the darker brown on bottom, as below:

The bedding that we LOVE, we hope to get this or something very very similar! So, what do you think? Is it "boy" enough?

I am SO excited to be having a boy! I love our little girls so much but I am just really excited to see what having a little boy will bring to our family! Can't wait until Andrew arrives!!! :o) And, our family will be complete!

Things I am dreaming of (and some I hope to get done before Drew arrives!)

We have been trying really hard to remodel our home and finish a lot of projects that have been started but not yet completed. We have a list that is outrageously long! lol. However, with Drew coming in just a few short weeks, I am starting to nest and get nervous about all of the things we need to accomplish! But, I am feeling really good, too, because this is when we get the most done! Under pressure!!! :o)

So, here are a few things that I am wanting to get accomplished before the big day, hopefully at least a month before the big day, which gives us very little time! If we don't get these things done, I am not going to freak out or anything. I have lived here for almost 9 yrs and I can deal with it longer if I have to!(A LOT of this WILL NOT get done; because of the time factor and financial reasons but we will be working on this through out the entire next year and WILL eventually get it exactly how we want it!) I am really excited!!!

This slipcover for the sofa except maybe in the chestnut color below:

These pretty floor lamps!

I LOVE the color of the paint in this bathroom and the metal/wood accesories. Would not use the tile, though.

New carpet for the living room and our bedroom, not sure about the girls room yet.
New tile for the foyer, dining room, kitchen, bathroom & utility room/half bath.

In the next post, I will share with you want I want to accomplish in the bedrooms and Drew's (very small) nursery! Stay tuned.......

Fabric Softener

This is a tip that I am going to start doing today. Just have to go to the store and buy some cheap "Suave" hair conditioner. I have put the conditioner in our laundry(during the rinse cycle) before and that works, too. However, I think I am going to try this and see if I can get more use out of the conditioner (stretch those dollars just a little more). I hope you can use this tip and that it works for you!!

Have a great day!

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

I just found this link and I am going to try this as soon as ours runs out! I am so sick of paying hard earned money for stuff that I can make myself (hence, why I make my own laundry detergent & fabric softener & baby wipes)!!!!

If this interests you, go on over and check it out!

Julie

Fixing A Day- Wow! I SO need this today!!!

Having a hard time getting it all together today? House a mess, you're a wreck, kids fighting, laundry piling, you're pulling your hair out?!
Read this; we all have these days and it's both hilarious & helpful!!! :o)

Your Welcome!