Recipe Cooking

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to continue to cook more at home. This week I decided I was going to cook all new recipes out of cookbooks. I had got into a kinda cooking rut and was getting so bored of the same old things each week.
I sat down and picked out some new recipes-this is not an easy task since Bradley does not eat lots of things-like onions-I think there are onions in like every recipe!
I went to the grocery store on Sunday with my loooong list in hand. I am not going to be able to cook like this every week because it cost way too much! However, I do think it is much healthier to cook from recipes because they encourage you to use more fresh, simple ingredients. There is nothing too healthy about Hamburger Helper!!
Here is what my kitchen looked like at about 6:30 on Sunday night. I had plates and bowls everywhere and I think there was about 3 pots/pans on the stove. I was making a few things early so there was so excuse.

My finished product from Sunday night. Pork Chop, Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Bacon and Tomato Salad. Don't worry, Bradley didn't touch that salad!
What is on the menu for the rest of the week? Creamy Shrimp Pasta, Steaks/Roasted Asparagus/Peppered Mashed Potatoes, and Chicken Noodle Soup.

This week I am using a crock pot cookbook, a Rachel Ray cookbook and a Pi Phi cookbook.

Happy Birthday Grace

Cousin Grace turned two years old yesterday. Sorry we could not get you this message sooner!

The Box is Always Better

I know you have been there-or will be there at some point. You go in search of the perfect gift, or so you think and what do they end up playing with more-the packaging! Right now at the office Emma is playing with the Turtle Art Desk BOX. Granddaddy even cut a window and then arm holes in it for her. I go by there various times during the day and there are other little playmates-stuffed animals and baby dolls in her box too. Guess you just never know what kids are going to like.
I a good developement-she has really shown interest in the turtle desk. She thinks the removable seat is a snack storage bin. I lifted the seat up yesterday to find a snack I guess she was saving for later!

I love how her wolf is standing guard above her. I also don't know what is going on in her mouth right here-I think it might be full of raisins. I think Emma is going through a growth spurt-she has been eating all day! Raisins, bread, wheat thins, apples-she has ate them all-and those were snacks!
Our box with added arm holes!

Dancing

Someone got a Barney Singing DVD for Christmas and is loving dancing along to the music.





Don't really know about this dancing style!

New Year's Weekend

I mentioned that we ventured up to the lake for New Year's. Our friends, Erin and Steve, drove over from Nashville to spend the Holiday with us. We didn't take any pictures but we had a fun, laid back night. It consisted of eating a yummy dinner and watching lots of football-and that crazy guy jumping over some water in Vegas in his car. Yep, it was a wild night! I guess our New Year's have become kinda low key, but that is fine with me.
It was bitterly cold in Paris-kinda like it is in Memphis now! I just checked out the weather on my phone and there is not a temp on there over 34 degrees for the next six days. This southern girl needs warmer weather. I don't have clothes for this kind of weather. In about 2 days I am going to have to go back and rewear something! However, some how Emma has clothes to wear-I secretly wish I had some of those fleece pants from the Children's place. Maybe I would pick black instead of pink or red but they sure do look warm. And don't get me started on the fleece jammies-I think you know what I think about those!
Sorry, got off subject. Super cold in Paris. We spent a lot of our days indoors, watching football of course. What else would you do on a New Year's weekend? Emma has a new obsession with Bradley's hats. She likes to tell us they are "daddy's hats" and then put them on her head. Guess it is even better if she puts both kinds of hats on at the same time!
I caught her torturing Cassidy on Saturday morning. I looked over and saw Cassidy with two sets of Mardi Gras beads around her neck. Since I know she did not put them on by herself there was only one other little culprit that would have aided in her fashion statement. Boy, we are super lucky she is an easy going dog.

Friday afternoon Bradley invited me to go shoot his gun with him and Stan. He wants me to know how to use it properly. I don't love guns but I also don't mind them. I know it is good for me to know how to use it correctly. Don't worry-they are stored properly in our house!

Here is our target...we all shot at the same one. I have a few holes on there, but the one I am most proud of is the hole closest to the x-yep, that's mine. So, FYI for any of you robbers out there reading my blog-don't break into my house-haha!
No lake trip would be complete without a golf cart ride. This time we had to get very bundled up. And when I say we, I mean Emma went with her grandparents. I think we already discussed my love of the cold! Needless to say-the ride didn't last too long!

On a completely different note, who is loving all of the new TV shows coming on right now? The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser and next up is American Idol! So excited!!! What shows do you watch?

Starry Nights

Before we left to go to the lake we decided to take Emma to Starry Nights. We weren't sure if we were going to brave the lines this year, but after Emma showed so much interest in Christmas lights on houses we thought she would enjoy it. Boy, were we right-she loved it! I tried to take a video of her during the ride but it was too dark-they make you turn your lights off while driving through the park. She just kept saying "lights, lights" all the way through.

You have to drive so slow-like 5mph or less-that we let Emma sit in Bradley's lap while we went through. Don't worry, when we got finished she went right back to her seat! Doesn't she look totally amazed in the above picture?

You can see some of the lights in the background.

Bradley and I talked about making Starry Nights a yearly tradition...an after Christmas/before New Year's tradition!

Looking Forward to 2010

I have been contemplating writing a resolutions post. I kinda did one last year and I just enjoyed looking back at it. I accomplish some of the things and some I did not. Does it count that some of the things I didn't accomplish in 2009 are already in the works for 2010? I say yes! So here is goes for 2010 in no particular order:

-continue cooking at home more. I am pretty good at doing it during the week and it is a good habit I want to keep

-pray more for others. I have already started working on this. I stole an idea of one of our old neighbors to take the Christmas Cards we received, put them in a basket and pray for one each day.

-work harder on being a wife first and then mother. Being more patient in both of these roles.

-work on getting our house ready to put on the market and rely on God and his plans for where and when we will move-this is a big one because I am a planner!

I can't believe it is only Saturday. We came up to the lake on Thursday afternoon, celebrated New Year's Eve here with Erin and Steve and have just been chilling and watching football ever since. The house is super quiet right now. The hubby and Emmy are asleep and I am watching the Ole Miss game. I am still in my pajamas but I am planning on taking a shower after the game and maybe convincing Bradley to take me to dinner.

We went to shoot guns yesterday afternoon and I took this picture. I mean, would you ever want to leave here? I know I sure don't. In fact, we were going to go home today but we decided to stay longer!