Are you chicken?

Have you read about Glamour magazine's new cookbook?  It's called 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know, and they do all sound scrumptious!

Actually after listening to Gayle King's show (on XM) this morning, we (me and you!) HAVE to make this chicken!  They have 72 attributed cases of engagement to this delicious, juicy chicken that's both simple and impressive all at once.  Now, I know I'm already married (and probably you too), but why not treat the men that once asked for our hand in marriage to Engagement Chicken too? : )  They'll be so thankful they chose US.  (well, my husband will be glad he chose me, yours will be glad he chose you...you know how it works ; ) heehee)


For time's sake, here is the recipe:

Engagement Chicken
1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 whole lemons, including 1 sliced for garnish
1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Fresh herbs for garnish (4 each rosemary and sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley)
Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary; if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast-side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180 degrees and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350 degrees takes approximately 18 to 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken — this is the “Marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
Serves 2 to 4.

And here is your extra! : )

Secretly Good for You Banana Soft Serve
Secretly Good for You Banana Soft Serve
2 to 3 frozen peeled bananas, broken into pieces
Cocoa powder or ground cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)
Fresh berries, chopped nuts, whipped cream, or favorite liqueur (optional)
In a food processor, process the bananas for about 5 minutes, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides. As each minute passes, the bananas will get light and fluffy, and take on a creamy texture — sort of like soft serve.
Scrape the banana “ice cream” into serving bowls. For an extra flavor kick, sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder or cinnamon on top, or get creative by adding other toppings such as berries, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and/or a drizzle of your favorite liqueur.

Umm?  Delish!  And one last one since I love you (and we always love for the family to think we are doing a great job!):

Impress His Family Chardonnay Cake (Creamy White Bundt Cake with Chardonnay Glaze)
Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more for buttering the pan
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
One 3.5-ounce package regular or instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup chardonnay or another medium or full-bodied white wine, such as Chablis or Viognier
1 cup whole milk, warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan or a 9-by-9-inch pan, shaking off any excess flour. Set aside.
With a stand mixer or hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, pudding mix, chardonnay, milk, and vanilla until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. If it looks a little lumpy due to specks of butter, that’s OK; do not over mix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the edges of the cake appear light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reduces by one fourth.
When the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and pierce it several times with a skewer or carving fork. Immediately pour the hot glaze onto the cake and let stand for about 15 minutes, until the glaze has been absorbed.
If using a Bundt pan, carefully turn it over onto a plate and tap the edges a bit. The cake should glide out easily. Serve immediately. Save a slice or two to enjoy with coffee the next morning.
Serves 10.


Chicken sounded so good that I decided to get one (yes..precooked, so I couldn't mess up) this evening (with a crazy night of dance, a baseball game (that went into overtime-these poor boys need their sleep!), and our two favorite shows ending!), but when I got it home and started cutting it up...it had red liquid between the leg/thigh and the breast.  Umm..in my book-red liquid is only one thing.  GROSS!!  I was so sickened.  We piled up the chicken, and put it back in the "box".  We are taking it back.  I really wish I'd gotten a fresh chicken and cooked it myself (with lemon and fresh herbs!).  It sounded so good tonight.  I've learned.

When I took Mary Claire to dance tonight, she was really nervous.  She missed dance last week since we were in Florida, and she's becoming more anxious about her dance recital this Sunday.  They practiced tonight, and I talked to her teachers about her not coming Sunday, but they encouraged her to stay and be brave.  I also video taped her practice, so I could help her tomorrow and Saturday night (don't laugh!).

Please pray for my girl that she'll get better and gain confidence in herself.  Sometimes being a parent is harder than making a chicken..or taking one back.

He Heard

The little daily calendar on my desk is calling my name.. "In my distress I screamed to the Lord for His help, and He heard me from Heaven." Psalm 18:6

Sometimes I totally feel like I'm screaming for help! : )  We had a friend airflighted to Little Rock on Tuesday.  She is five and a half weeks pregnant, and her uterine lining was thinning, and she was starting to contract.  We've been praying for her (even before we knew what to pray!), but she's okay.  Somehow, they surgically strengthened it (um, wow?), and she'll be on bedrest, but they are both okay.  Prayers answered.

I see more now than ever that me making it through the pregnancies I did was a miracle.  I remember preeclampsia with Clay, the horrible swelling, then the awful magnesium to relax my muscles, my endless contractions then super-fast birth with Mary Claire that caused so much bruising and her ruptured blood vessels in her eyes (probably all contributing to diabetes!), and Ethan's missed heart beat at 10 weeks that required an ultrasound to confirm and then a c-section...am I thankful enough that when I cried out to God, that He heard me from Heaven, and brought us through the darkness?  They are well and healthy, and funny and so full of life!  I know not all my kiddies made it, but these three did, and I'm grateful.

* * * * *

My van is, however, not quite so thankful for my little darlings.  Yesterday my littlest kiddies were having dinner in the van on the way to Clay's baseball game, and when I had to slow down to turn (and the cars in front of me slammed on their brakes for a person in the turning lane)...and the plates (and pasta, nuts, and yogurt) (are you getting the idea?) hit the floor.  Ick.  I had to clean nuts from under my feet (yes, they rolled up front!) and then clean the yogurt off the floor mats (for the seventeenth time I'm super thankful for those all-weather mats over my carpet!) (except for two places where the yogurt got on the carpet.  God help me this summer in the heat!) (and the heated up dairy..)

Today my littlest kiddie wanted a big water bottle, he was so thirsty after school.  We had barely turned out of the parking lot, and he dropped the brand new bottle...on the floor.  I pulled over as quickly as I could to try to sop it up, but it was soaking in already, and I only had napkins-gross.  The mats helped a little, but the water rolled off the edges and soaked the carpet.  Umm..thank goodness it was water?


I'm trying super-hard to find the silver lining in my messy life!  I'm thankful for my new vacuum that works (and sucks, hahaha!), and for Curious George videos for Ethan during Mary Claire's dance class, and for pink flower flats when I bust my toenail (and half of it comes off..in the shower!) (and I lose at least a month of sandal-time, boohoo), and for a straightened bracket today after my teeth obeyed my crooked bracket..knowing my tight, sore teeth will one day be all straight...and for ibuprofen to make my world bearable.  Still blessed in the middle of my mess.  He heard me crying out today, and the best?  ..He hears me. : )


What are you thankful for today?

Sometimes We Hear

Sissy came home early from school again today, so we made a little visit to our doctor again-it was seriously getting to be a problem!
She's just fine-that ear infection (I think he called it "junk in her ear") is still hanging around.  I wanted a new antibiotic, and he gave me a prescription, but thinks the first one might be working..to give it a couple more days.  I told him it was getting old that she kept having a fever at school and having to come home, so he wrote a note that she was checked and fine to stay at school.  That might get me one day!  I've got copies to make and stuff to do.  I love my kids, but I have a crazy schedule to keep!
My friend Danielle came over to help with the Hoedown tickets-I think we bagged about 3500-4000.  I know whole one roll was 2000, one was about 1000, and we started another-maybe another 1000?  We were fast!  (even though we had Fairy chatter and recipes from a non-sick child!) (and two boys who were precious and played sooo well together!)
After our doctor's appointment, Mary Claire had dance.  She's been leaning on me to let her quit ballet, and only stay in jazz (or take tap).  I've never been fond of the idea, since we joined there so she could take ballet with her friend!  (and me and her mom get to TaLk!!)  So, in the van she tells me she's "not trying to break up my friendship!" hahaha!  She is getting so much more personality-it cracks me up! : )  Then she asks if I'm going to cry. (ha!-it takes SO much more!)  So, since it's costume deposit time for spring recital, I decide it's as good a time as any to face facts.  I went ahead and dropped her from ballet (BiG sad face), and she's trying tap next week.  I've got to get her some tap shoes between now and then.  Tap isn't really something you can do without the shoes! : )
I got the best news in a long time today: my wonderful friend is pregnant!  I'm really so, so, so happy for her-she needs this!  She was starting to worry, and was losing faith, and said she wanted to quit trying (No!), so praise the Lord!  Pray that it is healthy, and will see sunny days with its family.  God is good.  Now we are working on me.. heehee : )


Here is an amazing song that stuck a chord with me-Waiting Room by Jonny Diaz-it is so my life.  I'm still in the waiting room, and God has given me a No, but I'm still waiting for the miracle that is a Yes. (and I'll praise Him in the No's!)

Hope you have an amazing Friday! Hugs sweet friends! : )

Dancing with Diabetes

Mary Claire's blood sugar was CrAzY today!  I think she was excited about the Walk, her friends coming to town, getting her shirts, getting walkers (we have the *second largest team*!), just excitement in general.  Adrenaline (a hormone like insulin) affects her blood sugar!  She is running on excitement, and her blood sugar is reflecting that.  She was 75 when she got up this morning, only had her pump off for 15 minutes while I gave her a bath (remember I forgot to do it last night?), then had breakfast and a bolus.  At 9:40, she was 362!  See? Crazy!  I had her wash her hands and recheck.  I was just sure it was wrong, and she'd touched something sticky or sugary-powered.  Nope.  Just high.  She stayed high through the day, but dropped just low enough by lunch so that she could eat (under 240)-then rebounded back up to 240 by 1:40pm.  When I checked her before snack this evening (after dance), she was a perfect 101. : ) Yay!  I think exercise is the best insulin!


Here is her in her first class, ballet:
(She's the second one at the center barre.)

Here's another one-
still second at the barre: 

She's learning! : )  I didn't get any good ones at Jazz-they did tons of stretching, some jumps (which I can't catch without a flash-it reflects off the glass!), then water break, then some free-style dancing in the dark (it helps them be confident since no one can really see them!)  So.  Sweet.

I took the boys with me today, since Ches had a late meeting.  He came to pick them up, but they'd already settled down with Nora (Emily's sister), since she was sharing her iPad and a great Donald Duck movie (I think it was Chip-n-Dale!)-she's a doll!

Precious, precious friends.  We've been truly blessed with the greatest friends around us.  My kids have all found some sweet, pure kids that they get along with great-I am so, so very thankful that God has surrounded us with those He loves.  I know now that it's not just our prayers, but everyone else's that have supported us-we are blessed beyond measure.

Thank you, Lord, for your wings of shelter that protect us from the storms in life.  We praise you, for we are wonderfully and fearfully made in Your image-and You've given us all we need to weather our days.  Please bless our friends and family and answer their prayers.  Send them our love, and help them feel Your arms around them today.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Dad & Dance

Every day is a new day.  Dad's been feeling yucky for the last few days-since Saturday.  Mom thought maybe it was food poisoning, then maybe a silent heart attack, then a virus, it was so hard to determine with his general, common symptoms.  He had a little chest pain, had a headache, and was very weak.  He could barely get up to go to the bathroom or eat-he was so weak.
Well, Tuesday night John and Christine went over there and told him to go straight to the hospital!  He did, and come to find out-he was severely anemic, and was low on blood!  They did a transfusion, always scary, and gave him two pints of blood.  It is scary when it first starts, because your body can refuse it, or you can have an allergic reaction.  The nurse wouldn't leave the room, and kept checking his vital signs.  He did fine.  He was on oxygen, since his hemoglobin was so low-the oxygen binds to it to be carried around the body, and it was LOW.
Yesterday was better, he has now had an EEG, a CAT scan, and a EGD.  They thought it might be his aorta, but it wasn't.  It was a bleeding ulcer.  They are giving him lots of Protonix via his IV, and it has helped.  That's actually what I take when I have a flare-up!  They wanted to do a colonoscopy, but he wasn't strong enough for the prep.

Today, he's better, but he can't leave until his hemoglobin is up..may be a couple days.  He's getting a steady stream of visitors, so he's entertained. :  )

Later..Ok-more bloodwork showed that his hemoglobin is back down to 9.3-going down.  He got some sleeping meds for night if he needs them, still no appetite, and he's either still loosing blood, or not making new.  He may need more blood soon.  Keep him and his doctors in your prayers!

We are still busy-Mary Claire starts dance tonight, and we've gotten her shoes-two trips and frantic dance-shop-shopping/searching-you can't find them just anywhere!  We found the Red Shoe in Fayetteville, so helpful!  She got some Capezio Foot Undeez for jazz-they look like little underwear for feet-heehee-she loves them! and we got some dance shorts for after ballet-she really won't have time to change out of her leotard, but it'll kinda be like changing clothes.  Maybe I will have time to post pix tonight after class.  Tomorrow I'm headed to Branson for our fall trip, but I don't think I'll be able to post-I'm not sure we have internet! : )

Say some prayers, and THANK YOU to everyone who has registered to walk with us on September 18th-we are super excited!!! : )  We Love You and Appreciate You! : )

We should learn when to shut up

Downloading pix from today...should be done by the time I finish writing.

Mary Claire had fun at the dance. She was quite the princess. I think it's great if the first dance you go to is with your dad. Then you have great memories of your first dance, and of your dad! It's also nice if the first time you really dress up (outside of Easter) is not for a boyfriend. Today was a small rite of passage-pantyhose and all. It was the first time we got her hair to curl on a curling iron (with some Vavoom! and hair spray), first for pantyhose (she just thought the very word was hilarious), and of course, the dance. She got to wear her new little sweater, pearls, carry her white purse, and a new bow. Just pure fun. I put some lip gloss on her as they were leaving, she blew me kisses, and was just a picture of pure happiness. If all our first memories could be that grand! : )

Then Ethan woke up, sick. Hot, irritable, coughing. He continued to cough, felt hot, and wouldn't chew any medicine. I tried to put him in the bath to cool/calm him down, but he wanted none of it. Big shock. He wanted his shirt back on. We went into the kitchen and I figured out he was having an asthma attack. He only does it when he's sick, but I could hear him wheezing on the exhale. I gave him a breathing treatment, and he totally quit coughing. He sat with me for about an hour an a half.

The tree men showed up, and we watched them for a while. They were scary. One climbed about 50 feet up, and went out on a limb to trim the hanging branches. So very scary, I had to quit watching. And every time a big limb fell, it would kind of shake the ground. Some would fall like daggers, and stab the ground-and stay standing up straight. The other two guys would come and pull them out of the ground, and load them on their trailer. Scary business. Now I know why they charge $100 an hour.

Anyway, we decided to order pizza and have mom and dad go by and get it on the way over. About that time is when Ethan started throwing up. All over my new Valentine's clothes. Ick. and it was red V8 Splash Juice. Did I say red? And he began the crying that didn't stop. I ran a bath-still no luck. I just washed him off with a washcloth while he was shaking, and put some jammies on him. I cleaned off, and he just wanted me to hold him. Ches got home soon after, and we waited on Mom and Dad to come. I gave him an Acephen (sounds like ass-and it goes there too). I also gave him ibuprofen in some root beer, which he eventually drank. I really just needed the fever to come down. He was so inconsolable. He finally perked up when the pizza came, and he actually ate-amazing. I was so worried he'd throw it back up, but he didn't. I'm not sure if it was the coughing gagging him, or the throw up girl from the ENT office on Thursday (spreading her germs!), or maybe the albuterol jacking him up too much. Who knows, just wash it all away, Kill The Germs!

Later, we had some fun with the kids, and read with them. Oh, and Mom decided to tell a secret. To Ches. Yeah, guess what that one was (Uh-huh, the blinky light car). She just thought she was so funny. He didn't think so. He's requested not to know some things. For a reason. Just like if a movie looks gross and scary, I send him alone, and ask him NOT to talk about it. Same thing. He doesn't want to know about Expensive Things Which Don't Concern Him. (Like having a dog spayed which doesn't belong to us. Tomorrow. Oh, but that's another story.) Anyway, she thinks it's so very funny to tell him this. He really has no other reaction, but, "Really? Again?" My sweetie. So she's disappointed. And then owes me Big Time. So she tries to be funny again, and gets a Forgiveness Flower (cute glittery art project from VBS last summer) from the kitchen and gives it to me. Ha. Ha.

Ok, so the story has gone cold, but needs to be told. Lexi stayed with mom while we were in Houston. She was precious and cute, but had trouble minding her poop and pee. She made on the bed, loveseat, floor, and occasionally the papers or pads. Mom was just sure she could potty train her. She thought I just didn't try hard enough. Well, she did her best, and to no avail. When we got back, we discussed where Lexi would stay, as we'd had the problem a couple weeks before when I was worried about how she was being treated here. So, we decided mom would keep her at her house, and I'd pay to have her spayed, and for her food/needs. Especially since Mom wasn't planning on having another dog. Well, it got harder. And the messes continued.

So story continues...There was a sweet couple that said they'd take Lexi, if we wanted them to have her. The husband is home all day, mostly in a wheelchair (Lexi just wants to sit and be held), and it sounded perfect for her. Mom took her over there, and the woman's name was the same as mom's, and it just seemed perfect, a Godsend. Mom took over all the stuff I'd given her for Lexi, and left her. When she called me, we both lost it (me crying in WM), but it seemed like the best thing for Lexi, which is what counted. Well, since I told Mom I'd have her spayed, it got around to the lady, and she asked for me to pay for it. Let's see. $650 for the dog, $177 for supplies, $94 for vet and rabies shot. Sure, let me shell out some more. This is the back story on why Ches does NOT want to know about expensive things that he doesn't need to know about that cause him unnecessary grief. Every time he thinks about it, he gets madder. So tomorrow is the day she loses her womanhood. So the piper shall be paid. I guess it's our last gift to her (the only way I can think about it). Maybe not having a baby in that tiny 2.5 pound frame will save her life. Anyway, we've mourned the loss of Lexi (and Clay has cried himself to sleep over her), but we still think she's better off with a family that can sit with her all day and is patient and can work with her constantly to potty train. We just worked as hard as we could, and couldn't do it. Sometimes love is just not enough (as Dr. Dobson tells us).

So, seriously when Ches says he doesn't want to know stuff (like I request Not to know what was on the 10pm news), he means it. He really doesn't get mad often. Like maybe two or three times a year. But they are ugly, and don't add to his life span. So, why inflict stress? By the way, don't tell me ugly things that I don't need to know. Don't gossip to me. Don't tell me yucky things that people do to each other, or other people. I can't handle it. I like to cure the world, and I can't fix those ugly things. So they just cause me to lose sleep and wish I didn't know. I have enough to handle that I wish I didn't know about. Prayer comes hard and fast around here. Try to find an hour in the day that I'm not conversing with God (well, sometimes he just wants me to shut up and do some listening).

So, everyday we learn little lessons. When to talk, when to shut up. When to feed red juice to the baby, when not to. When to introduce pantyhose. When to call in a specialist to climb your (they-don't-look-that-high) trees. When to call it quits. And now is a good time to shut up.