16/52

16/52: She's not falling, I promise. She was skipping and I managed to take a pic of her like this....

16/52, Sunday: I love this dress, and she does too :)

Desperation in the Kitchen: The best baked chicken EVER

I love chicken. Like, LOVE. Gabe and Ella do too.

But everytime I make a baked chicken, it's O.K. Just O.K.

Yesterday, I literally googled "the best way to bake a chicken."

I didn't necessarily follow all of the steps, but I did do this.


*I didn't rinse my chicken. Something about cross-contamination and all sorts of other terrible stuff.

*I roasted a bunch of veggies along with it.

*I made seasoned butter (softened butter, dill, roasted garlic, salt, pepper)

*The basic directions:

* DO not rinse your chicken
*Rub the seasoned butter all over it
*Lay onions and other veggies in the pan
*Put the chicken in at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn it down to 375 for another hour/hour and a half
*Wrap the chicken in foil and let it rest after it's baked, for 15 minutes breast side-up, then flip over and let it rest for another 15 minutes in its little foil tent

It was awesome. Way more than just "O.K."  We have leftovers for enchilada casserole tonight, whoop whoop!

Meal Plan Monday (Kind of), and Taking the High Road

I hate, hate, hate taking the high road. It's seriously that much easier to talk snark about someone who's done me wrong, or tell them off on the phone/via text.

This, right here, is the first instance where I'm choosing to do neither. Those closest to me know what the situation is. My husband, of course, is furious with the person in question. I'm just tired. I'm tired of thinking people will change, only to see that they never really have.

I have so much going on right now, that the Meal Planning has suffered terribly. I'm not at liberty to post about it just yet, but we're about to undergo some major changes. Good ones :) My next few months will be spent

1) Working on my relationship with Christ
2) Enjoying my family
3) Basking in the major change my little family will be undergoing
4) Repairing a broken relationship that means more to me than I realized
5) Finishing up our homeschool year
6) Planning a trip
7) Taking aforementioned trip, and bonding with my Ella while on said trip
8) Hopefully, not neglecting this little blog
9) Learning to sew better, and maybe even learning more about machine sewing
10) Taking measures to pursue my dream job
11) Trying new recipes
12) Helping my husband to expand his cooking horizons
13) Meeting new people
14) Helping others the best that I can


And my next week will be spent preparing the following meals, in no particular order (I'm letting Ella plan this week)
*Baked chicken and potatoes
*Pita Pizzas
*Drunken Noodles (need to make again because the first time was an amazing success, recipe soon)
*Winter Soup
*Wicked Chicken (recipe also to follow, first time making it)

And some other stuff, I'm sure. It's pretty informal around here this week


Have a blessed week!

15/52

15/52: Her hair! Actually this was a foray into the world of dry shampoo. The directions said to "rub vigorously" bwahahahah

15/52, Sunday: This is her happy dress. The picture above didn't do the details any justice, so I took another picture to show them :)

14/52

14/52: I LOVE that she loves Grandma Jean. I was raised by my awesome Grandmother til I was 9. It kind of stinks that Ella can't enjoy a relationship with either of her grandmothers (my Mom is not a nurturing Grandma, and Gabe's Mom is in Texas, and that relationship isn't without its problem either) Enter Jean, who is of no relation to either of us, but has been amazing to us nonetheless.

14/52, Sunday. Easter dress. I look at this kid and I could honestly cry. Because she's growing up before my eyes.

Why We Did Easter Differently This Year

In the nearly 9 years that I've raised my living daughter, we've had so many egg hunts.

When Ella was 4, she hunted so hard she got tired out....

Last year, we had a Resurrection egg hunt....

...one year, we even hunted for glow-in-the-dark eggs.

This year, Ella will turn 9. We've been focusing on caring for others, and learning about loving our fellow human beings. Ella knows that the reason we have Easter is not because of eggs and bunnies, but because our Savior made the ultimate sacrifice for us. He gave His life so that we could live. Easter is to celebrate the fact that He triumphed over death.

This year, Ella decided that instead of hunting eggs, she would play Easter Bunny. She willingly gave up her Easter treats so that other kids in the neighborhood could have a nice surprise.

We did a bit of shopping and she loaded eggs with candy and other treats, and then she was on her way.

We almost got busted by one little girl who screamed "THE EASTER BUNNY IS A LITTLE GIRL LIKE ME!!!!"

I had one parent in our neighborhood pull me aside to ask "What's WRONG with you? aren't you doing anything for her easter? What exactly are you teaching this kid?"

For the record, Ella did get an Easter basket. She got candy, bubbles, and some books she's been wanting. And her room got decorated with glow in the dark stars.

As far as what I'm "teaching this kid"....
*I'm trying to teach her to think of others before she thinks of herself.
*I'm trying to teach her that selflessness and sacrifice are important
*I'm trying to teach her about Christian love.

But you know what?
I think this kid's figured all of that out on her own.

Because Sometimes....

...I just need a break.

Sometimes, Ella and I need to get away from the every day. And, so, we escape to Grandma's house for a while.