Cranberry-Citrus Cookies and Care Packages

A while back, we did a post on ParentLife Online about mailing care packages overseas to active military troops.  It's one of those things I've meant to do for a long time and just never have. The next time I was at the post office, I went ahead and got a flat-rate box and promised myself I WAS going to follow through on something this time!

My thoughts went to a new friend of mine whose husband has been overseas the whole time I've known her - and most of her son's life. Her baby is two days younger than David, and I can't imagine spending most of that first year on my own. No help with night wakings. No "please take the baby so I can take a 10-minute bath." It's all her.

I never hear her complain, though, and she has been nothing but an encouragement to me as our parenting styles are similar. I wanted to bless her family and show our thanks by sending her husband a package. My friend insisted it go to his whole unit, since they don't all get packages. She is so kind!

I searched the Internet for cookies that would hold up to being mailed overseas during the dead of summer. No chocolate. Nothing soft. I finally found these Cranberry Cookies and modified them slightly. They are chewy, citrusy, and delightful; and from what I heard, the unit in Iraq thought they were pretty darn good, too!

Cranberry and Citrus Butter Cookies

Adapted from Blisstree.com
Makes about 6 dozen

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 T lemon juice
1 T orange zest (dried or fresh)
1 large egg
3 cups AP or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 to 1-1/2 cups dried cranberries (sweetened is fine, and you can sub any dried fruit you like, although I don't think raisins would work very well)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy and combined. On low speed, mix in lemon juice, orange zest, and egg.

Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add pecans and cranberries and fold to combine well.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges are brown. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks.

To package for shipping, put cookies in gallon plastic bags. Pop popcorn and cool; then put it in additional plastic bags. Pad the bag of cookies with the bags of popcorn inside a box. Add letters, cards (kid-decorated are fun!), magazines, or toiletries items. Send off!

Added to Foodie Fridays at Designs by Gollum and Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-N-Son. 

I recommend:

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Pajamas for Kelly: THANK YOU!!!

Y'all, I have been totally BLOWN AWAY by the response of Pajamas for Kelly! I literally wept seeing all the donations flow in on Friday. I am constantly astonished what we are able to do as bloggers when we work together. It makes all the work totally worth it!!

We received over 70 donations totaling more than $450!!!!!!!! Plus donations from a few sweet Etsy sellers.

Here is what Kelly will receive:

• 5-6 pairs of nice, comfy pajamas
• A gift card of at least $125 to Whole Foods
• tickets for Simon and one adult to the Baltimore Aquarium, the Maryland Zoo, and the Port Discovery Children's Museum
• $100 to Twiggie Makes 
• $15 to Moxie Mandie 
• $20 to 4 Crazy Ladies / Name That Thing

Thank you so much for making this happen. And please be in prayer for Kelly and her family as they travel to Baltimore this week.

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Why I Want You to Help a Fellow Mommy Blogger

I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Kelly. She blogs at miskellany. Many of you may know what a small world blogging creates. Kelly and I went to high school together in Richmond, Virginia. Now she lives in Mississippi and I live in Tennessee. We haven't seen each other since high school graduation, but we keep in touch ... because we reconnected through our blogs.

A few weeks ago, Kelly was your everyday mommy blogger: a frugal, vegetarian, natural and green living, PhD student, living in Mississippi with her husband and almost two-year-old son, Simon. When her vision started blurring, Kelly thought she needed some more sleep and less time at the library staring at a computer screen.


As her vision worsened, however, Kelly underwent medical tests and found out she has a rare type of brain tumor sitting on her optic nerve. She will travel to Johns Hopkins next week for consultation and surgery. In the best case scenario, Kelly will be in the hospital for five days and recovering nearby for two weeks. If the surgery is less successful, Kelly will lose her eyesight. She would need to stay in Baltimore at least a month to go to rehab and learn to live as a blind woman.

Kelly is 29 years old and has a toddler. She could be me. I can't even imagine what she is going through right now.

The Plan

A group of us want to help Kelly have the most comfortable hospital stay and recovery possible. We're asking if you would consider donating just $3 by clicking on the "donate" button. The money will be used to fulfill Kelly's wish of having some wonderful, new, comfy pajamas for her time in Baltimore. We're hoping to have enough to throw in a gift card to Trader Joe's, so her husband can buy some prepared foods for their family that fit with their dietary preferences.

Will you help by pitching in $3? We'll let you know on Monday how much has been raised!

I also wanted to gather a few sellers of homemade items who would donate store credit to Kelly. She is a huge fan of Etsy and homemade and upcycled items. I want to thank Moxie Mandie and Candace from Twiggie Makes for donating to that project. If you sell handmade items and would like to donate store credit, you can e-mail me: jessie at vanderbiltwife dot com.


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Remarkable Faith: A Funeral

I was just shy of 18 when one of my friends died in a car accident.

I'd been to very few funerals up to that point: a great-grandfather when I was very small; my best friend's mother when I was 12.

I remember the day of her funeral vividly, in slow-motion. Setting up. Hearing the song "Tears in Heaven" practiced what seemed like a hundred times. Crying so much someone from the family section handed me tissues. The urn. The multitude of faces, people she had touched in one way or another.

I felt broken, sitting there, staring at the urn, the senior picture, the mother who never expected to bury a daughter.

My faith was a little broken at that point, too. That summer after my senior year may be the low point of my faith, despite the fact that I was entering college as a Virginia Baptist Scholar. God felt far. Freedom felt close as a new 18-year-old with a job, a boyfriend, independence looming.

God slowly worked at my heart as I entered college, and I discovered a new passion for service. It was nearly two years after the funeral that I was doing a Disciple Now weekend, trying to lead and counsel a group of middle-school girls. (Have I mentioned how much middle-schoolers scare me?) I knew the church felt familiar, but it wasn't until I stepped into the sanctuary for our closing service that it hit me.

This was the church where we had my friend's funeral.

I panicked and ran out. My then-boyfriend, Mr. V, came with me to the playground of the church as I cried, unable to fathom reentering the holy place, a sanctuary's carpet that held my tears.

As he sat there with me and tried to make me smile by telling me his favorite "math love poem," I think I realized that he was the one. Broken by death, healed by love.

But I still have a very violent reaction to "Tears in Heaven."

Thanks, Mary, for the inspiration to write about a funeral that affected my faith. This is part of her Remarkable Faith series at Giving Up on Perfect. 

I'm sharing my Sunday Best at Feels Like Home. 

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A Good Measure

I couldn't tell you the names of the children who live next door, but my neighbors Ann and Bill have become the local grandparents my babies don't have. They are an integral part of my life.

When Libbie and I first moved here, they brought us a plant and banana bread. People just don't DO that anymore. In their early 70s, Ann and Bill are retired but certainly not sedentary. Last Spring, Bill and I planted a garden together, but he did most of the work!

We spent many warm mornings on their back porch as they shared their morning pot of coffee with me, fed Libbie the Teddy Grahams and fruit snacks they stock just for her, and let Libbie play with a bag of old Happy Meal toys that belonged to their granddaughters.

Bill has infinite patience for Libbie despite the fact that he won't touch the baby (too fragile, he says). He will let her sit in his truck and change every single thing he has adjusted as she buckles and unbuckles a seatbelt 13,000 times.

Ann and Bill have lived in the same house for 40+ years--and so have many of the neighbors on their street. (Our backyards are catty-cornered from one another; they live on a much less busy street in more of a "neighborhood.") Two doors down lived a lady named Martha.

Martha had no family to speak of, so Ann and Bill adopted her into theirs (much as they have done with us). In May, Martha slipped and fell at the Food Lion and broke her hip.

Since then, she's been in and out of the hospital to the nursing home to the rehab center. At 80 she's no spring chicken and could not seem to recover from the hip break and bouts with pneumonia. Ann and Bill have done everything you could possibly think of: taken over her finances, including being landlords to the other occupant of the duplex Martha owned; done all her laundry; fed her cat and then found the cat a new home; cleaned and modified the house so Martha could come home just to find there was no way she could. They have tirelessly attended to her every need, visited her nearly every day--despite the fact that from what I understand she was slightly, er, curmudgeonly.

{The day they did try to bring her home from the nursing home, she only pointed out one thing in the house Ann and Bill had gone to great lengths to clean and prepare: the tear strip on the box of Tide was not torn off correctly.}

Martha died Sunday morning after one final battle with pneumonia. It was her choice to be sedated and drift to sleep rather than have them put her on a ventilator.

Only then did Bill and Ann find out Martha had left them her house in her will.

I am tickled pink that my friends have received such an unexpected blessing when they have given tirelessly out of the goodness of their humongous hearts.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38

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Five Fabulous Bloggers

Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend's wish!

This week is a little bittersweet for me. For the past two years, I've been able to attend the Blissdom Conference in Nashville. Going to #Blissdom '09 really changed the course of my blogging--and had me come home with some new great blogging friends!

I am not going to the conference because David will be less than 6 weeks old, and I figured I wouldn't actually get to go to any of the sessions. I would spend most of the time nursing him somewhere. But I am sad I won't get to see many of the fabulous bloggers I've met. And I am missing the chance to connect with new friends who "get" what I do here.

The Clever Girls asked me to write about five fabulous bloggers and I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially in light of my unrequited bloggy-friend love this week.

It's no secret how much I love Amanda (OhAmanda, Impress Your Kids, Motherhood Your Way). I've read her blog longer than anyone else's and consider her one of my mommy mentors. I've never met anyone so passionate about teaching her children about the Bible and Jesus and that is something I want to emulate! I've been lucky enough to count Amanda as a "real-life friend" now that I live a little closer to Atlanta. It's so much fun to get to spend time together in person.

How could I not love Mary (Giving Up on Perfect, (in)courage), with our shared love for grammar? As with most blogs, I have no idea when I found hers, but I am glad I did! (I know it was after Blissdom '09, because Mary was there but we didn't know each other and didn't meet.) Mary is fun, honest, and not afraid to share her struggles. I admit I am jealous of her ability to crank out quality writing each and every day at Giving Up on Perfect. Her posts are always well thought-out, well-written, and cohesive. Unlike someone's I can think of ...

I've already given you 10 reasons I love Robin (Pensieve, (in)courage, Therapon). Mostly my reasons haven't changed: she is kind, sincere, fun-loving, and willing to step on some toes. And she wants marriages to thrive, so much so that she will talk openly about the s-word. Plus today I got word she was making me pecan pie for a post-baby meal, which is enough to gain my love forever.

I just recently subscribed to Mylestones, written by Jo. We found on (in)courage that we have very similar stories right now when it comes to waiting and having to forgo our plans. She is a superb writer and I am so glad to have found her and her blog!

How can you not love The Nester (Nesting Place, (in)courage)? She is quirky, hilarious, and willing to share mistakes and successes. Trust me, I have zero decorating mojo so it makes zero sense for me to subscribe to a decorating blog. But Nester makes me believe some day I might be able to do it.

Do you subscribe to these ladies' blogs? Do you have a favorite blogger of your own? Share the blog in the comments!

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.


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10 Things That Help Me Survive Pregnancy

Well, friends, I am getting down to the wire (I HOPE!). On Wednesday I will be 39 weeks. Most of the time I feel like death. It is not a pretty picture.

But on a happier and hopefully helpful note, here are ten things that help me survive pregnancy. Whether you're a happy preggo (and thus I hate you) or more on my side of "my body hates being pregnant," these essentials can help you make it all 40 weeks!

1. Snoogle

 

I have intended to write a poem/haiku/ode to my Snoogle, but as that hasn't happened I will just say this is the ONLY way I generally sleep during pregnancy. The piece that goes between your legs helps align your back, and it gives me something to cuddle with. I don't know why it's magical, but it is!

2. Once-a-month/batch/freezer cooking

Although doing a complete once-a-month menu is nearly impossible for me when I am pregnant, I have done several mini sessions that help me keep the freezer somewhat stocked. It's totally worth a few hours' work to have meals for a week or two!

3. Decent maternity clothes

I literally have six of this shirt at this point (all different colors). So even if I can't find any maternity pants, I have tops. For me, these particular shirts are comfy, not revealing, and actually cover my belly, even when I am full-term. And ... let's just say the length seems to balance out "the girls" when I am nursing as well.

4. My mom

My moms flies from Philadelphia to wherever I am several times when I am pregnant, and she's coming WEDNESDAY!!! to help me not kill take care of Libbie and get my house in order. She's also mentioned stocking my freezer with meals from my Whole Foods in a Hurry menu. I don't know what I would have done without her when I had Libbie, and I hope she will be right there in the room when David is born, too!

5. My sisterchicks

These girls have put up with a lot from me over the last several months, and they haven't yet blocked me from our Skype room. One of them is always there to give advice or just a listening ear to my latest complaint. I love you, girls!

6. Good bath products - I am a bath junkie, even during my "regular" life. But during these last few weeks of pregnancy I could basically live in my bathtub. It is a big jacuzzi tub, although I don't use the jets. But I fit in it, so that's nice. And nice bath oils go a long way to making a girl feel good and less like a hippo. My best friend got me this pregnancy bath set from Uncommon Goods for an early Christmas present, and I love the milk bath and oils!

7. PBS

I do not love the amount of TV that Libbie is now accustomed to watching. But there are days--especially lately--where I just cannot get off the couch. (And at the beginning when I was super sick, it was the same.) I have an appreciation for PBS now! Libbie likes Sesame Street, Curious George, and Sid the Science Kid. We watch Play with Me Sesame almost every day (from PBS Sprout) and an occasional Chloe's Closet as well.

8. Sonic

I hate to even admit this, but nothing tastes better than an icy-cold Sonic drink during happy hour when you're pregnant. Especially when there is nothing in the whole wide world you want to eat. Cranberry limeade is my drug of choice.

9. A really good child.

Libbie does drive me crazy some days, but seriously? She is SUCH a good kid. She plays independently. She doesn't throw temper tantrums, usually. She helps me get things and throw things away and puts away her toys ... if asked. For being just 2, she is actually helpful, caring, and sweet.


10. What helps you survive pregnancy? I'd love to know for next time oh please help I can't even think about a next time.


Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.

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When Bloggy Friends Become Real Friends

I am pretty sure I've been reading OhAmanda's blog as long as I've been blogging. I honestly have NO idea how I found her blog, but I am sure glad I did! We've had two Blissdoms of fun and yesterday was the second time I've driven down to her house just to hang out.

And for the past few months, I've gotten much closer to some of Amanda's real-life friends and fellow bloggers: Staci, Mandi, and Becky.

Yesterday Staci, Mandi, Amanda, and I were all able to get together with our five kids running around like small crazy people. It was a blast, and I treasure having these friends I can truly talk about anything with (including and not limited to who to leave our children to if we died and how many craft blogs I have never heard of).

Here are our sweet kiddos!

Libbie loved all the play jewelry

Libbie and Asa--and yes, this IS the best picture I could get!

Adorable Lydia

Megan was all about this Flounder hat ... and strawberries!

And for a flashback, here's Libbie and Asa (and their mommas!) at Blissdom 2009.

Having online friends become true friends is a wonderful finer thing!


{Apparently Evan, Mandi's older son, didn't actually stand still long enough to get a picture of him!}

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Overdue Grief

I was in sixth grade when my best friend's mother died.

After months and months of treatments and transplants for leukemia, she had gone into remission. The luminescent Cheryl, at whose house I watched Fried Green Tomatoes and learned to play penny poker. Her daughter--also Jessie--was my constant companion from the time we moved to Timbercreek Court. I remember meeting her when one of our homes was still being built. They sat next door to one another, separated only by a large oak tree.

I don't remember too much about Cheryl, except for her willowy blonde hair and calming presence. She was willing to let us try experiments in the kitchen or seclude ourselves in a bedroom with Sonic the Hedgehog.

As I can remember, she played a tune on a recorder infected by a sick someone. The cancer came back upon her weakened body.

I will never forget standing in our kitchen in Richmond. We were in the corner by the microwave. My mom turned to me and barely holding it together, said, "It's time for the big cry. Cheryl's dead."

I had the big cry. And months of feeling lost, of not knowing what to say to my very best friend. I didn't know what it was like to lose my mother.

Gradually, the other Jessie flew away from my life. She moved in with her aunt and uncle in another school district. We visited when she came to stay with her dad, but her house was full of smoke and go-carts and other women now, and it left me smelling disgusting and with a heavy heart.

I was always heart-sick that I didn't know the right words.

When my Michelle's mom died this past May of ovarian cancer, the same feelings washed over me. Why is it that when someone needs you the most you can't seem to eke out any words? I felt like the most useless friend on the planet. I still didn't know what it was like and I had nothing to offer. Not being able to see her in person, I couldn't even share a hug and cry with her.

I am sorry, friends.




This post includes Amazon affiliate links. Read more in my disclosure policy. 

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The "Oughts"

My friend Ashley did a beautiful recap on Facebook of each year of the "oughts," 2000-2009. The end of a decade. Wow. As I watched this video from Newsweek last week, I realized that although I "grew up" in the 90s, I became a grown up this decade!

On New Year's Eve 1999 I was just 17, a senior in high school. I celebrated at church with my youth group and watched Ten Things I Hate About You.

On New Year's Eve 2009, I am 27 and grateful to not be 17. I have a husband and a gorgeous-beyond-belief-still-can't-fathom-that-she's-mine daughter.

More for my benefit than yours, here's what my decade has looked like.


2000
Graduated from high school at GSGIS
Went on a mission trip to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana and saw the amazing Glacier Park
Started college at the University of Richmond
Met Michelle, the truest soul friend a woman could have
Made stupid mistakes when it came to the male species
Met Mr. V in December when we visited a church together
Joined the Baptist Student Union

2001
Sang "professionally" at a community church and wrote a few songs
Was a summer missionary with IMPACT Virginia
Spent a whole lot of time watching movies in Dennis Hall
Started dating Mr. V on November 5
Realized a great love for literature while taking "Great Novels" class

2002
Became Worship Coordinator for the Baptist Student Union
Interned at The Religous Herald newspaper and wrote, researched, and edited many pieces
Studied abroad for 6 weeks in Beijiing, China, while Mr. V was doing research at CERN in Switzerland
Went to Mr. V's parents' house for the first time
Spent Christmas at Disney World where my sister and dad almost killed each other

2003
Was immensely surprised when Mr. V proposed at our Junior Ring Dance--and I, of course, said yes!
Spent the summer doing...something that I can't remember!
Proudly saw my sister graduate high school and start at Mary Washington College (now University of Mary Washington)
Was in Amanda and Darin's wedding Thanksgiving weekend
Became president of the BSU
Lived with Michelle in an on-campus apartment next door to Mr. V, Dan, Dan, and Van
Went to my Uncle Steve and Debby's wedding in December

2004
Finished planning my wedding
Graduated from UR cum laude with a major in English and minor in Chinese
One day after graduation, came to Nashville with Mr. V to find an apartment
One day after that, my daddy's best friend died of liver cancer
Worked for a month for a bankruptcy lawyer
On July 31, married my best friend and had a gorgeous reception at the Science Museum of Virginia, then honeymooned at El Dorado Royale in Mexico
Two days after we got back, moved to Nashville
Joined Forest Hills Baptist Church in October
Started at LifeWay as a universal customer service rep on November 1

2005
Adopted Chester, a cocker spaniel puppy
Learned what it meant to be a wife, helpmate, and real friend to my husband
Visited our home in Virginia for what I didn't know would be the last time in May
Let God break down some things in my life through the Believing God journal
Hosted Thanksgiving for both sides of the family in our apartment in Nashville
Spent Christmas in Dayton with my parents, sister, and extended family

2006
Sang in the Broadway Revue at church
Traveled to Thailand for 2 weeks to do tsunami relief
Started my job as a copy editor in Leadership & Adult Publishing for LifeWay
Bought our first home
Began volunteering weekly at Cottage Cove
Did Believing God study taught by the amazing Shawn Lantz (and with Tammy and Angie and a few other women I adore)
Started this blog in July as a weight-loss journal (that lasted about 3 entries and I never lost any weight)

2007
Sang in the Broadway Revue again (big role: Evil Stepsister from Cinderella)
Had a small meltdown about turning 25, but spent it very nicely at Maggiano's with Mr. V and our dear friends Jake and Nicole
Led, edited, and wrote the leader guide for No Other Gods Bible study
Trekked to PA and VA for vacation and went to Elise and Jesse's wedding
Was able to truly forgive several people after MANY years of anger
Traveled to Brazil for a very strange but incredible mission trip
Visited St. Louis with Mr. V
Was in a terrible and scary car accident on October 30
Started trying to conceive but dealt with an anovulatory winter


2008
Officially diagnosed with PCOS
Found out I was pregnant on February 19 and spent nine months enjoying and hating the bumpy ride of pregnancy
Went to Colorado with work
Went on a cruise with Mr. V
Found out we were having a baby GIRL
After 36 hours of labor, welcomed gorgeous baby Libbie into our life
Learned the insanity and heavy weight of a mother's love, as well as the incredible joy
Enjoyed 10 weeks of maternity leave
Took the Great American Road Trip for Christmas

2009
Loved on my baby girl immensely
Went to Blissdom and began to take the blog thing a little more seriously
Went to the funeral of a friend's little brother, who died in Iraq
My best friend's mother died of ovarian cancer
Celebrated 5 years of marriage to my husband
My grandfather died
Experienced a much more difficult year than I had anticipated
Spent four months as a single mom
Had a house on the market for six months+
Prepared for a new life in Chattanooga as a work-at-home/stay-at-home mom
Loved my work as production editor for LifeWay Small Groups/Serendipity
Celebrated Libbie's first birthday and all her firsts
Spent Christmas in North Carolina with Mr. V's family
Spent WAY too long writing this recap!

Media that affected me this decade:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
This Time Around by Hanson, in particular the songs "This Time Around" and "Dying to Be Alive"
First by Carl Cartee
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
The Bible
Tara Road and Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Many, many musicals and their songs

Goals and hopes for the next decade:
--Be healthy. Lose weight, eat whole foods, exercise, and teach Libbie these habits.
--Have three more children, biologically or through adoption
--Do more attachment parenting. Be a wonderful mother to Libbie and other children.
--Volunteer.
--Continually strengthen my relationship with my husband. Be his helpmate. Support him.
--Really make our home a haven, wherever we are. Learn to clean, whether I like it or not. Make home a warm, calm environment where my children can welcome friends, we can host on the spur of the moment, and my kids aren't worried about just being kids.
--Grow closer and closer to Christ. Read the whole Bible, multiple times. Serve in His name. Have family Bible study.
--Establish a successful career as a freelance writer. Finish writing my chicklit novel.
--Teach children (not just mine) a love for missions. Go on a family mission trip. Share my faith continually. Help others to grow in Christ.
--Live with purpose and without fear.

Well, if you've made it to the end of this monstrous post, you must share. What are some of the highlights of the "oughts" for you? What are some goals for the next decade?

Sell My House

My friend Meredith is coming over tonight to help stage our house. We have, of course, moved out tons of furniture to Chattanooga trying desperately to make it look bigger. But I will be the first to admit I have very little decorating sense. If I could pay The Nester to come fix my house, I totally would. But unfortunately that would involve money, since I take it she couldn't just work with the two Pier One baskets I have.

Y'all want to chime in with your two cents? I really want to paint our rocker kelly green to cheer up the front. What do you think? (I have a quart of kelly green paint from some company who gave it away online.)

[Not comfortable putting a picture of front of house here. But we have a double Adirondack glider sort of like this in a cherry-ish wood. Front of house is brick with dark green shutters.]


I know the computer in the living room is taking up space, but y'all, I cannot live alone without my computer! How would I blog? How would I Tweet? I might have to clean or watch TV or something? And I don't have a laptop (since the crappy Gateway we had died 2 weeks after its 1-year warranty was up.)



I love the kitchen! Does it need something else?



Our bedroom is the worst room in the house. I hope Meredith is coming armed with color. I had a duvet cover that matched the pillow shams, but I hate how duvets slip and slide inside the cover. This room needs help, but too late now for us. Maybe in the next place...



I doubt we'll do much in Libbie's room. It's a nursery! We honestly moved out a TON of stuff from here: glider, dresser, bookshelf ...



So, darling friends who have taste, what would you do?

A Dinner, in Pictures

My sweet friend Megs and I have been trying to get together every couple weeks. We have dinner at my house on a Thursday night, Mr. V's night out with the boys, and get to talk while the baby is asleep.

This Thursday, Megs asked if she could make Crispy Yogurt Chicken from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Um, YES! And then she suggested we take lots of pictures so we could both blog about it.

I decided to stick mostly with the PW theme and made her Fresh Corn Casserole as a side dish. I also made my mother-in-law's salsa with a kick of fresh parsley that we had from the chicken. It was all delicious!

Here is the corn casserole before it went in the oven. I forgot the butter (PW would never forgive me) but it still turned out awesome. I used peaches-and-cream corn from the Nashville farmer's market that Carolyn picked up for me--YUM!

Libbie wanted to help, but I wasn't so sure about letting her touch raw chicken and sharp knives, so she ate banana instead.

Here's Megs posing with her Parmesan cheese. She added some to the panko for the chicken breading--it was perfect. The chicken was phenomenal!

Beautiful ingredients for the salsa--onions, tomatoes, green pepper, and jalapenos all from the farmer's market.

Finished chicken. We used legs and thighs from Megan's farm share. We kind of forgot to take a picture before we started digging in.

And the corn casserole ... also only remembered once we were serving seconds!

I also made a variation on French Yogurt Cake from Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, that Chocolatechic shared back in March. She used orange zest, orange marmalade, and chocolate chips--and so did I! It was soooo good. Very moist and perfect and refined. And it would have been pretty if I'd been able to get it out of the loaf pan in its completeness. Oh well. Go look at Chocolatechic's pictures, they're pretty! And pretend mine looked just like it.

It was a wonderful night.

7 Posts for the Price of 1

Is it Quick Takes Friday, or Write Your Random Thoughts in a List Day?

No? Oh well.

1

I am fed up with pumping. It only took six months. I am tired of feeling frustrated because I can pump for half an hour and only get 3 ounces of milk. I am tired of shutting and locking my door and having people come and knock and yelling at them to go away. I am tired of spending so much of my working day leaning awkwardly against my desk.

I'm thinking that starting tomorrow I am going to pump once a day and supplement whatever else she needs while she is at daycare with formula.

There's a whole other post here: Yes, I am totally pro-breastfeeding; but no, I don't think it should drive you insane; no, they didn't give formula back in the Olde Times, but they didn't have pumps and there were not working moms and there were also wet nurses. Hrm. Anyway, that's that.

2

It's hard for me when I write several posts that I think are good, quality writing and I get no or maybe one or two comments. Why? Blogging builds up narcissism in its own way, where I think my writing is so very good and I don't understand why it doesn't provoke more people to tell me so. I read many blogs that I don't comment on. There is SO MUCH quality writing out there. This is not something which should measure my self-worth.

And yet, it made me really happy when Robin commented on this post like she did.

3

YUMMMMM. Following Southern Living on Twitter makes me really, really hungry.

And Megs is coming over tomorrow night and cooking me Pioneer Woman crispy yogurt chicken. Love.

4

I've been kind of avoiding this subject somewhat, but not a single person has come to see our house yet. Not one.

I am struggling because I want to trust God completely on this. He has a super plan for us and led us to a job where I think Mr. V will be really, really happy. So certainly He will provide a way for us all to be there together. Eventually.

It's difficult to be in that transitional stage and not know when you're moving on.

5

I am so in love with this little girl. Last night I refused to make dinner, needing to snuggle her instead. This morning, I had a very hard time leaving her at daycare. I forgot to fill out the form they make me do every day because I was just distressed.

She's such a sweetie.

6

I ate all my carrots and now I am only have celery to snack on. BLEGH. The carrots were so good, big old fat ones I bought at the farmer's market as part of my Eat Whole Foods plan.

7

And now I am going home. I will be driving the speed limit all the way home as I managed to leave my purse at home this morning (?? so strange!). Let the snuggling and eating of leftovers commence.

Family Recipe Fridays: A Friend and a Casserole

Sometimes family isn't blood.

I've often mentioned my dearest friend Michelle on here. I don't think she reads the blog, as she is an extremely busy PhD student with a very significant other and a dog! I wish she did, but I think she knows how much I adore her.

Since we went to college in my hometown, often Michelle and I would hide out at my parents' house at some point during finals. We'd watch old musicals, paint our toenails, and cook. I remember one time she called her mom and asked for this recipe. We threw the casserole together and ate until our tummies were very happy.

Since her mom, Jackie, recently passed away, I've been thinking about her and her delicious casserole lately. I think I'll make it soon and remember her over dinner and a candle.



Jackie's Broccoli, Chicken, and Stuffing Casserole

1 package Pepperidge Farm stuffing
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package frozen broccoli spears, thawed
1 chicken breast per person (4-6 work well) [either whole or cut into strips or chunks]
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1-2 T butter

Spray a 9x11 pan with cooking spray. Cook stuffing according to package directions. Line pan with stuffing. Add layers of broccoli and chicken. Combine soups; pour over the top. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs; dot with butter.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

(the "Mickey Mouse" picture)



Since Mr. Linky has been tempermental lately, will you please leave your link in the comments? I'll add the links to the end of this post as they come in. Also, I had to try to find the links from last week's carnival and I know I didn't get them all. If you contributed last week and your link hasn't been added, please e-mail it to me!

Caprisio Tortellini Salad (The MawMaw) [I have to interject and say--I made this last summer on MawMaw's recommendation, and it was INCREDIBLE. SO GOOD.]
White Pizza (Lattes and Life)
Peach Crumb Cake (Better is Life)
Ham and Green Onion Cream Cheese Spread (Couponing Mom)
Gingerbread (PhotoGrove)
Italian Chicken Sausage Spaghetti (Cooking During Stolen Moments)