Way, way, WAY too much.

1. Today for lunch my kids had chicken nuggets. I had them too.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having homemade pizza made from all the ingredients I have leftover from my meal at the Christmas cabin. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are making pizza for 22 people and you are wondering how much pizza sauce you will need let me assure that two six pound cans in way too much. Way, way, WAY too much.

3. Speaking of Christmas I am usually a very strict adherer to the no Christmas music, decorations, etc. before Thanksgiving rule. I just like to keep Christmas Christmas to keep it feeling as special as it is. This year I cheated, though. I started a week early. I had swine flu about a week and a half before Thanksgiving and it was a pretty gloomy place around here. I decided to brighten it up by busting out the Christmas music early. I feel like it really got us through. Still the day Christmas was over I was over it. Couldn't bear to hear another fa la la. That has never happened to me in my life. So I think I will stick to the not before Thanksgiving rule from now on. No regrets about this year though. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

4. Speaking of swine flu. It wasn't so bad. The fear of it before it hit was worse than the actual sickness. Two out of four of us got it. Those two were the two in the high risk categories. Me'n Ponder. (A child under two and a pregnant lady.) I mean I definitely don't want it again and it was sad seeing my baby so sick but in comparison to what so many people suffer we were lucky. I am trying to find a balance between not taking my children's health for granted and realizing what a gift it is (I know there are parents all over the world with truly sick children who would love to trade places with me on my children's sickest days.) and not fretting over it in a fruitless and faithless way....worrying. I think the happy medium between complaisance and worry is gratitude and I think that is where we are meant to live as Christians. May God give us the grace to do so.

Do Not Be Overcome With Evil But Overcome Evil With Good

1. Today for lunch my kids had apple sauce, provolone, and turkey. With milk. Afton calls provolone "holes cheese". Some might think that is swiss cheese, but not to Afton. For some reason that is the name she has given to provolone.

2. Tonight for dinner we are trying a recipe I got from my friend's blog. Brie Chicken. Oh my goodness that sounds so yummy. Find the recipe here. Not sure if I should use my whole wedge of brie or just part of it. Is there such a thing as too much brie? I doubt it.

3. I've been reading Romans 12 everyday with the kids at lunch. Wow.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil: cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:9-21

I Must Have Been a Pill for my Mom to Feed.

1. Today for lunch the kids had bananas, carrots, and yogurt (or yotes as we like to call them around here). Ponder is getting so good at feeding herself. Not only did I not have to feed her I even went to my bedroom to change clothes while they were feeding themselves lunch....ALONE! This is huge! Ponder also climbed the stairs leading up to our house today all by herself. Also huge. Don't tell her Daddy. :)

2. Tonight for dinner we are having chicken pot pie. I can hardly wait. Another thing I used to HATE as kid, but love now. I must have been a pill for my Mom to feed. Bless her heart. I remember when my family would have hotdogs she would make me a hotdog bun with peanut butter on it. What a sweetie! Our recipe tonight belongs to my mother who somehow made it through 18 years of finding something I was willing to eat.c

3-4 cooked (boiled) chicken breasts, cut up into bite size pieces.

2 cans cream of potato soup

Bag of frozen veggies

About 1/2 cup of milk

Pepper

Two pie shells (the kind you can roll out like Pillsbury)

Put a pie shell in a Pam'd pie plate. In separate bowl combine chicken, potato soup, veggies and milk. Add more milk if you need to ... you want it moist but not running over the edge and swimming in liquid. Pepper everything -- no need to salt it because the soup is salty enough. Put the other pie shell on top. Trim the edges and crimp them shut. Poke several steam holes in the top.

Cook at 375 for about 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Like I said I can't wait!

How Cute is She?

1. Today for lunch my kids had apple sauce and carrots. Apple juice to drink.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having Roman Pasta.

1 lb pasta (supposed to be linguine, but I usually use spaghetti because who has linguine lying around and this definitely a meal of things I just have lying around.)

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

2 T minced garlic

Heat the oil in a pan. Add garlic. Cook it until it is light brown. Toss it with the pound of cooked pasta. If it seems too dry add some of the pasta water. Couldn't be easier. Super yummy. Obviously this is easy to fancy up if you want to....add chicken, add basil or choped green onions... add anything! We like to have ours with fresh tomato slices.

3. How cute is she?

Almost three years old. WAY too big for her britches. Knows how she thinks things should be and demands that they be that way. Very intense. Loving, tenderhearted, so smart it surprises me everyday. Loves to have fun. Loves to be noticed. Loves to be loved. A very good big sister. A daughter so preciously eager to please, eager to learn, eager to understand. An exquisite little eager spirit that I pray for the patience to always treasure and never to squelch. I am blessed beyond accounting to have such a dear soul as my own sweet baby girl.

All in Time.

1. Today for lunch my kids had peas and apple sauce. Separately, of course. Mixed would be disgusting. I hate mixed food which is why I have a really hard time with casseroles. For dinner tonight we are having vegetarian chili. My chili recipe is the epitome of nothing fancy, but it is yummy to me. Here it is:

1 large can tomato sauce.

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans

1 can black beans

2 packs chili seasoning

In a crock pot on low all day. Serve with shredded cheese, diced red onion, and sour cream. You can also add a can of corn if you feel like getting crazy. And I would totally add jalepenos if my family would let me. They won't.

Someday I would like to make my own tomato sauce and dice my own tomatoes for the the chili. Maybe it could even be from tomatoes I grew myself. Maybe I could even develop my own chili seasoning. All in time. Not there yet.

2. If anyone needs a new Pandora station for the day I recommend starting one with the artist Jay Ungar. Let me know what you think!

It's Nothing Fancy.

1. Today my kids had yogurt and whole wheat tortillas for lunch. They had milk to drink. Afton drank hers out of a big girl cup. I am trying to eliminate sippies from her life by the time she turns three.

2. I started a new menu planning system this week. I think it is actually too mundane and obvious to share, though if anyone wants to know what it is I will gladly do so. Anyway I am pumped about it. I feel like it is going to make dinner time so much more fun and also make eating out so much more fun because we won't be doing it out of desperation but because we want to.

Tonight I am making Continental Chicken. It was classic around my house when I was growing up. I hated it then, but I love it now. I have enjoyed my friends sharing recipes and meal planning on their blogs lately so I will give you this recipe. It's nothing fancy...just like me.

Family size can of cream of mushroom soup.

8 oz. Sour Cream

Four chicken breasts.

Pop all that good stuff into a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Voila. Super yummy and super easy. I love crock pots. I just hate cleaning them. Serve over rice.