Sheriff Jessie

There's a new Sheriff in town…..

The Cardboard Castle

This is the tale of the cardboard castle.  Once upon a time there were 2 little princesses & a nice king who lived in a land that was always winter.  Seeing as how it was so cold all the time, the little princesses were made to stay indoors, by their evil stepmother everyday until Spring came.  King Daddy felt sorry for his little princesses & built them their very own castle from the magical material of cardboard.  The girls' daddy had all the architectural skills to build the castle, but lacked the artistic skills to make the castle pretty.  With the help of the stepmother, the girls painted the castle & reinstalled it in the living room.  The girls decided the stepmother wasn't so bad & even invited her into their castle to read books to them from time to time.  They all lived happily ever after…..The End!

Me & my princesses

Trying out some new editing techniques to get this effect in photoshop.  Grabbed the girls & did a quick picture with them yesterday.  Aren't they cute??  Love them so :)


Remember I paid a professional to take this one when Ella was a new born:

Ok, so her color is better than mine, but I think the effect is similar :)

Happiness in the simple things

"When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things - not the great occasions - that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness."

~Bob Hope

So true, isn't?  To Ella, dress up in her heels from the consignment store is better than the expensive electronic toys that she has.  Food for thought on this Wednesday, Have a great day!

January Blues

I don't know about you guys, but these cold, cold days have got me having the blues.  It is always tough for me when the weather is so cold, I don't think I'll ever be used to this weather, no matter how long I live north of the Mason-Dixon line :)  Yesterday, the girls & I decided to get out as the remainder of the week the weather will be even colder.  They always have fun playing in the snow…ok, so mostly they eat snow, but you know what I mean.  Thankfully, they have only had a couple sicknesses this winter so we have been able to get out to play in the snow a little more than last year, although the weather has been so much colder, so maybe we truly haven't been out that much more…I like to tell myself we have.  Jessica, especially, totally embraces the cold weather, she could stay out much longer than Ella & I.  She builds snow castles & snow piles.  Ella just mostly wants to tackle me & play snow monster with her sister.  The other thing they like to do is pretend the elevated flower bed near our garage is the Jolly Roger…you know, Captain Hooks' pirate ship.  Jessica is Captain Hook & Ella is Mr. Smee…poor Ella!  Anyway, here's to an early spring :)

"Hoist the sails, Mr. Smee"….

Lately with Ella

So what's going on with Ms. Ella these days?  She's 4 months from 3 years old & it seems like everyday she's growing up on me.  She continues to follow her sister's every command & often does things that I wish she wouldn't like running through the house or jumping off of the couch....*palm to head* I always thought my kids wouldn't do these things...God has a way of humbling us with our kids, doesn't He :)  Dress up with Ella has become a lot more fun recently.  She is more interested in wearing my jewelry & in being good with it.  She is an absolute nut about reading, we read no less than 10-15 books per day, sometimes Jessica will sit with us, but most of the time it is Ella & I.  Ella continues to be a wonderful little eater & will try anything.  I am so thankful for a child that will eat no problem...her sister is not that way.  Ella has really come into her own when it comes to art.  She likes to paint with water colors & always uses many colors & then tells me she made a circus.  If you use your imagination & squint you can almost see the circus :)  She loves My Little Pony.  She tells me everyday that daddy is getting her a roller skating My Little Pony for her birthday.  Daddy has no clue about this, but at Build-a-Bear they do have a My Little Pony on roller skates that she wanted so badly, maybe, she'll get one for her special day!  Ella's days are spent as Jessica's little sidekick and as part of her sister's grand plays.  Often Ella plays the role of sleeping beauty or (wait for it) the Beast--from Beauty & the Beast.  However, Ella always tells us that she is a pretty Beast or a friendly Beast. Her costume for playing the beast is a brown blanket wrapped around her shoulders.  Jessica is, of course, Belle in her yellow dress that daddy got her for the princess ball.   Ella also plays the role of Ariel, while Jessica is Ursula.  The imaginary play between the two of them is great, it is something I look forward to seeing/hearing everyday.  Sometimes I even get in on the action & I am asked to dress in my "princess gown" & join them for a princess tea party or to play the role of the stepmother to Cinderella (Ella is usually her)....kinda mean I know, but Jessica usually plays the stepsister & of course, daddy is always the prince.  My princess gown consists of a $4 used bridesmaids dress from the thrift store.  It is perfect for this kind of thing & the girls also like to play in it....see below, Ella is wearing it.  Ella also loves gummy candy of any kind, I really have to limit her on these types of things.  She loves to sing any little kid songs, alphabet song, itsy-bitsy spider, & wheels on the bus are her favorites...we often sing these while Jessie is at school.  She likes to help unload the dishwasher, she is only allowed to unload her plastic dishes, load & unload the washer/dryer, & put away the socks.  That's about all I can think of right now.  Can't believe how big she is getting & how much fun we all have together.  Thankful for all the joy she brings to our lives.

Excuse the bruise on her right cheek, she went flying superman style into the chair at our island, I couldn't edit it out in this one!

Could have been amazing, missed focus slightly, but still liked it enough to include it

Italian Chicken Stew



So last night, Michael was out late with a work commitment & normally, I just skip dinner or eat cereal, but since I've been trying to eat healthier since the New Year, I thought I'd try a recipe for a chicken stew.  Two of my main concerns when making a meal are 1) will the picky eaters in my family eat it & 2) How many ingredients do I need?

 

 

One of the problems I have is that my loving, wonderful husband does not like a lot of vegetables, making it more difficult to find a healthy soup that we can enjoy.  He will however, eat black beans, spinach, & tomatoes--as long as they are diced very finely or sauce. So anytime I find a recipe that satisfies those requirements, I give it a try.

 

I found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma catalog & made it in my new Lodge brand cast iron Dutch oven.  I am totally loving this Dutch oven--it was a Christmas gift from Michael's folks, thanks guys!  It will brown a roast like magic & has a great coating that allows you to develop flavors for one pot meals without the mess :)

I would say if I made this again for non-picky eaters, I might consider adding mushrooms &/or kale, maybe even zucchini, all of these would work nicely with the rich, yet not overpowering sauce for the stew.

 

I did add/substitute a few ingredients, as noted below in recipe, but that is just me trying to play chef, you do as you wish & Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Stew--adapted from Williams-Sonoma

1 large onion--I substituted 2 shallots
5-7 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb chicken cut into small pieces--I used 2 large chicken breasts
4 C low sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in sauce (I used 1 6 oz can tomato paste)
1/2 tsp. cumin
*1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (totally added this in for myself, not in original)*
1 tablespoon rosemary, dried, 2 tablespoons if using fresh
1/2 C red wine
*I added 1 chicken bullion cube, I feel like recipe needed a little extra something*
1 15 oz can black beans
2 bags baby spinach or one of those big boxes from Sams
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta shells, cooked until al dente, but not overly soft, as they will cook more in soup
Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Heat olive oil over med/high heat & sweat onion & garlic, add chicken to pot & cook through (be careful not to burn garlic), then add all other ingredients except spinach.  Cook for 20 min on med heat until sauce begins to thicken a little & flavors have developed. Finally, add spinach & stir to incorporate.  Serve with a little parmesan cheese on top.  Enjoy!

P.S.  Ella gobbled up 2 helpings & Michael is having some for lunch today, hope he likes it also, I thought it was great :)  Jessica, well, she lives on fruit & hot dogs, so she didn't eat it, despite my best efforts.

























 

Tall Tales with Jessica Marie

Jessica is really into telling stories to any & all that will listen right now.  This morning, she made a point to say that she wanted to tell us about her dream.  She said her dream was about a magic beanstalk.  She & Ella (who was apparently wearing pjs filled with food) climbed the magic beanstalk & found a new world at the top of the beanstalk.  She said there was a giant living at the top of the beanstalk & I asked her if he was wearing boots & she said "no, mommy, just shoes".  I often wonder what a glimpse inside her little mind might look like.   Have a good day!

Smiles + giggles = Joy!

These smiles/giggles equal joy to me.  Thankful that they are mine :)  Brought this song to mind as I was editing.

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

Down in my heart

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

Down in my heart to stay

And I'm so happy

So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart

And I'm so happy

So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart

P.S.  To the mom's out there, I'm currently reading a book called Desperate: Hope for the mom who needs to breathe.  It's a great read & one which I recommend to those mom's who have little ones.  One of the biggest points I'm getting so far, is that of course, we love our kids so much, but even though motherhood is wonderful, it is also hard.  And it's ok to admit that, I used to think it was wrong to say that out loud, but it's true!  The other point which we will be a take home point for me, is that child rearing is easier in community, when you have limited community/family support, it becomes harder yet; that is one of the problems in our very individualistic society, we don't support each other as we should.  Very encouraging & comforting to see that some of my struggles/guilt are the same as the author.  Anyway, if you're in a similar season to me, you might want to check it out!  Have a great Friday :)