The Peanut Post

Looking Back at 2013

2013-12-31T13:18:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.

Our family just one year ago

So much has happened in 2013. Some things I will always remember and some things I hope to forget. It's been a year of smiles, new starts, laughter, and lots of illness. Through it all, I have had my family by my side, each step of the way. Good or bad, easy or tough, it's life and I'm so thankful I'm living it with my precious family.

Join me on a trip back through the past year...

Our Christmas

2013-12-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas week has been one of the most relaxed that I can remember. Andy was out of town the week before Christmas so we have just been enjoying spending time together. We've spent many hours in our pajamas, watching Christmas movies, baking Christmas cookies, and relaxing by the fire.

Oh, this kid.

We spent Christmas Eve with my in-laws for our traditional celebration. It was crazy to see how much the girls had grown from last year. They did amazing at church and their excitement about everything was so much fun to witness.

Once we got home, we set out Santa's cookies, read The Night Before Christmas, and said our goodbyes to Lana the Elf.

Christmas morning came fairly early and the girls dove into their gifts. We had breakfast and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus at the top of our lungs.

Each Christmas seems to get better and better. These sweet girls love Christmas and they blow me away with their love for Jesus and the reason we celebrate on this special day. I am so blessed to have these two precious babies to celebrate each day with.

Mmm, Mmm Monday- Chicken Noodle Soup

2013-12-01T19:01:00.001-05:00

Our family has definitely needed it's fair share of chicken soup this year. We've battled one illness after the other and it's only December! I make this soup often because it's comforting and delicious. It has become our favorite meal, along with a loaf of crusty bread. I hope that your family enjoys it too!

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small white onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 tsp. salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat oil 1 Tbsp. of butter of medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Saute the onion, carrots, and celery until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the remaining Tbsp. of butter and let it melt. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir and cook for a minute. Slowly stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10-15 minutes.

Add the chicken, seasonings, and noodles and stir to combine. Cook until the noodles are al dente, about 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and other seasonings if needed (I used low sodium broth, so I needed to add a lot more salt). Serve with warm bread and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2013-11-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had! I can't remember a more relaxing holiday, which is exactly the way we wanted it!

The girls slept in and we spent the morning watching the parade and just spending time together. We had a delicious dinner and the girls loved everything. They were so excited about dinner and especially the pie. They each had special things that they made at school to wear for dinner and they looked so cute!

I am so thankful for my sweet husband and these two precious girls. I love them so much and I am so blessed to be their mom. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with the special people in your life!

Mmm, Mmm Monday: Mediterranean Pork Chops

2013-11-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

In August I spent a Sunday afternoon preparing a bunch of freezer meals for the upcoming busy school year. It's been great for those days when both Andy and I have things going on and won't get home until late and when I just don't feel like preparing a crockpot meal the night before or in the morning before work.

One of the recipes we tried were these Mediterranean Pork Chops. I found this recipe from Aimee's website. I found many recipes on her site, and they were all great. These were a great change from the usual pork chops we make. They have great flavor and are super easy. The best part is that this recipe made two meals. I froze them in Ziploc bags and when we were ready to use them, I put them in the refrigerator the night before and popped them in the crockpot the next morning, partially frozen.

Mediterranean Pork Chops

adapted from Six Cents

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups chick broth

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

6-8 thick cut pork chops

salt

Directions: Split all ingredients into two bags. Add a little salt to each bag, to taste. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Easy peasy!

Here's how I put them into the freezer. Everything was assembled right in the bags. I just squish everything around to mix it up. No clean up!

These are great with salad, rice, pasta, whatever! We've had them several times now and they've definitely become a new favorite. I hope you give them a try!

Pumpkin Carving

2013-10-27T18:52:00.003-04:00

I LOVE Halloween. Next to Christmas, it's my favorite holiday. It's just so much fun and it makes me feel like such a kid. I was really excited about this year because the girls were going to carve pumpkins instead of paint them.

The girls grew their own pumpkins at their Mimi and Papa's house and they were very excited about that. They had perfect pumpkins to carve!

Emma dove right into the cleaning and once she got over the initial sliminess, she never looked back. Sophia wouldn't hear of using her hands and stuck to using the scoop. Emma drew out her own design and was SO serious about it. It was so cute to watch her. I drew out Sophia's design, which was scary per her request. Andy and I did the carving and I think they came out great!

Boo at the Zoo

2013-10-27T09:36:00.001-04:00

Last night we took the girls to Boo at the Zoo which is one of my favorite Halloween events in our town. I had originally decided that the girls were going to be bees this year, but I was quickly vetoed. Emma decided that she wanted to be Supergirl and since Sophia wants to do whatever Emma does, she went as Batgirl. Their costumes are super cute (ha) and when I found some superhero t-shirts for Andy and I, our family costume was complete.

The girls had a great time, as always. We kept commenting on how quickly the candy trail went this year, with both girls being all business. They got lots of candy and treats and now they can't wait for Halloween.

Doing The Twist. ;)

That Time We Got the Plague

2013-09-04T22:16:00.002-04:00

This has been the craziest, most exhausting week. We were looking forward to a long, relaxing Labor Day weekend, but our immune systems had other plans.

It all started on Sunday morning when Sophia woke up in the middle of the night, crying. This rarely happens, but we chalked it up to teeth, calmed her down, and put her back to sleep. She woke up early the next morning and cried that her tummy hurt. Again, I didn't think too much of it because she tells me that when she has to...you know.

We were sitting on the couch watching a cartoon when she screamed bloody murder and made me jump out of my skin. I barely had to time to ask what was wrong when she threw up. Everywhere. I grabbed her and ran for the bathroom, but she made sure to...ahem...make her mark twice more on the way. I yelled for Andy and we calmed her down and cleaned her up. We hoped it wasn't anything serious, but it was.

We fed her a very bland breakfast and she wasn't able to keep that down either. We kept the girls separated for the rest of the day and Sophia didn't get sick for the rest of the day. We were hopeful that it was a quick bug and that it would pass quickly.

Our hopes were dashed on Monday evening, when both Andy and I felt unsettled and didn't eat much for dinner. Emma complained that her stomach felt "full" and I just knew what was coming.

I went to bed early, but couldn't sleep and around midnight, it hit. Both Andy and I were battling for spots in the bathroom. I'll spare you the gross details, but let's just say it was horrific. Literally horrific. Emma woke up crying and I had to dash from comforting her to the bathroom. I was dizzy, nauseous, and achy all over. I couldn't take care of Emma and I had to completely leave it to Andy, who, thankfully, was able to function. On top of the illness, we had a major thunderstorm that kept Emma up instead of allowing her to sleep for a few precious minutes.

The morning was a blur. Andy and I tried to sleep when we could, alternating sleep and bathroom trips with caring for the girls.

Since then, we've slowly, slowly been trying to recover. We thought we were in the clear with both girls on Tuesday night, but both girls had a relapse. Wednesday was sickness free, but everyone is still so weak and not ready to go back to real life. We are surviving on chicken noodle soup, toast, and crackers, but just barely.

We've received lots of well wishes and they've been such bright spots in our gloomy days. We've had two "porch" visits that we were so thankful for. Andy's parents dropped off some supplies and my sister and Kimi dropped off a care package. The girls were thrilled with both deliveries and each was like a visit from the Red Cross.

Even though the girls appear to be feeling better, I've decided to take another day off tomorrow to give them more time to recover, rest, and make sure this illness has passed. They're having a tough time doing anything active for very long. Truthfully, I need the extra day too.

I have the utmost respect and awe for families that deal with illness every day. I'm thankful to have two healthy girls that will recover and be back to their old selves soon. This week has been very tough but our family has become even closer as we work through this together. I couldn't ask for three other people to be stuck in a house with for four days. Next time though, I'd like to stick with other methods of bonding. ;) Continue to pray for our family as we heal and recover!

The First Day of School

2013-08-12T21:07:00.001-04:00

Well, the girls had their first day of school today and it was a big success! Andy takes the girls to school so he sent me an update on how their morning went. I was so nervous about how it was going to go, but I was busy all morning and didn't have much time to think about it.

Both girls went straight into class, introduced themselves to their teachers and there were no tears. Yay! When I picked the girls up, they were both happy and excited to tell me about the fun they'd had at school. I can't even tell you how relieved I am that they enjoyed their day.

This picture cracks me up (for many reasons)! Sophia's sign says:

She's 2 years old
She loves Rosie, blue & pink, and pickles
When I grow up I want to eat food. Ha!

Emma:

4 years old
Loves football, green & blue, and spaghetti
When I grow up I want to be a firefighter

Here are both of my big girls on their first day. I'm dying over how big Sophia's backpack is. What a cutie!!!

Funny note: Andy didn't realize that Sophia wasn't wearing shoes until they were getting into the car. Mornings can be hectic. ;)

Girls,

Mommy and Daddy are so happy that you love your teachers and new friends. We hope that you always love school as much as you do now. We are so proud of both of you and we love you very much!

Back to School

2013-08-11T20:45:00.001-04:00

It's a very big week at the Stegner house. Not only am I going back to school, but the girls will both be in full-time Pre-K this year! I'm excited for them, but VERY nervous. Emma loves her school and is thrilled to go five days a week now. Sophia, on the other hand, doesn't like change and is pretty much a homebody. I know that she will also learn to love school but it just may take some getting used to.

We've been prepping the girls for weeks now, talking about the big changes that would be happening, talking about their new schedule, praying for their teachers, etc. Today we spent the day together and having fun. Emma has been begging to go to the mall, so to the mall we went. We didn't buy a single thing...Emma just wanted to ride the escalators and go to the Disney Store. :)

After naps, the girls and I read The Kissing Hand. This is my absolute favorite back-to-school book and I never make it through the book without crying. The girls and I loaded up each other's hands with kisses to get us ready for our first day of school.

After our story, we made our own cookie kissing hands. I used a hand shaped cutter for most of the cookies but each girl got to make their own special cookie by tracing their hand in the cookie dough. Each hand was topped with a kiss to make it complete.

The girls loved making their kissing hands and loved eating them even more. I told the girls that now they have a little love in their hands and tummies. ;)

Sophia with her special cookie.

Emma with her special cookie.

I'm so excited for them, and for me, as we all begin a new school year. I pray that they will love their teachers. I pray that their teachers will love them. I pray that I can remember my own sweet girls when I might lose my patience with one of my students and react how I hope their teachers react. I pray that we can all have a happy, safe, and wonderful year at school!

Waterfalls, Deer, and Bears, Oh My!

2013-08-04T10:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took a trip up to the mountains to visit Cade's Cove. Cade's Cove is a section of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The valley was home to early settlers in the mountains. Many buildings are still standing and it's a great place for sightseeing. We drove the 11 mile loop and made a few pit stops to take in some history.

The girls enjoyed the old buildings and settlements, especially Emma, who has been reading Little House on the Prairie. She loved making comparisons to the book with the houses we saw and seeing a mill, just like the one where Charles Ingalls worked.

Of course, they were more interested in the wildlife and became expert animal spotters. We saw horses and wild turkeys, but their favorites were the deer and bears. Poor Sophia fell asleep and missed the bear, but loved hearing all about it!

This spider completely freaked me out. Even though I tend to exaggerate about the actual size of spiders, I'm not exaggerating when I say this monster was the size of Sophia's hand. Not that I let her near it for comparison...it might have eaten her.

For me, my favorite part was spending time with my sweet family and enjoying the peace and quiet of the mountains. The trees, the woods, the rivers...it makes me a little homesick for my beloved Grass Valley, but it's a joy to be so close to such a beautiful place that I can visit and share with my girls.

Squeezing in Some Fun!

2013-07-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

The countdown is on...less than a week until I go back to work. Two weeks until the girls start full-time preschool. I can't even believe it. I didn't even get a chance to do a "Day in the Life" post like I usually do in the summer. I guess I'll have to wait until Winter Break!

We always try to squeeze in a couple of day trips before summer ends for some last minute family time. This weekend, we took a trip to the zoo. Our zoo has made some major improvements over the years and we always have so much fun.

The weather here lately has been on the cooler side and we had perfect weather for our trip. We packed a lunch and made a day out of it. It was a great day spent with my little family!

A Visit From Big Papa

2013-07-30T14:40:00.001-04:00

Last week, Andy's grandfather, whom the girls call "Big Papa," came to visit from Minnesota. It had been three years since we had last seen him. Emma was 15 months old and I had just found out that I was pregnant with Sophia. Needless to say, we were very excited about the visit!

The girls made posters to welcome Big Papa to Tennessee and were thrilled to meet him at the airport.

It was such a blessing to see the girls with their great-grandfather! The girls still ask about him every day and wonder if Big Papa is on every airplane they see. They miss him so much already!

Growing Up

2013-07-27T18:23:00.004-04:00

I thought it was time to change out the girls' photos on the sidebar of the blog and I was amazed at how different they look!

These pictures were taken just a little over a year apart. Emma's face has lost so much of it's baby look and Sophia looks like a completely different kid!

Where did my little babies go???

Mmm, Mmm Monday-Buffalo Chicken Burgers

2013-07-22T10:32:00.002-04:00

I really thought I had already posted this recipe because it's one of our favorites! If you like the Chicken Zucchini Burgers, it might become a favorite of yours too.

I actually like this recipe a little more that the zucchini burgers. These have a ton of flavor and the sauce gives them a little something extra.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
adapted from Weight Watchers

1/4 cup bbq sauce
1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
1 pound uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
1/2 cup scallion, sliced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp. minced gralic
1/2 tsp. salt

Here's your ingredient list. Pretty simple, but the result is tasty! Combine the barbeque sauce and hot sauce together in a small bowl. I added about a teaspoon of hot sauce and it wasn't too spicy for our family.

Combine your other ingredients into a small bowl. The kids like the veggies on the softer side so I saute them a little before adding them to the mixture, but you can leave them uncooked if you like some crunch. Add one tablespoon of the sauce to the chicken mixture.

Combine well and form into four patties. The mixture will be sticky, so I usually cut out four pieces of wax paper and form the patties on the paper. Then I can flip them directly onto the grill and peel the paper off. Brush the tops of the patties with half of the sauce. Place them sauce side down onto the grill and baste the tops with the rest of the sauce.

Grill on medium-high for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn once if you're using a regular grill.

If you want the true Buffalo chicken taste, you can add some blue cheese crumbles.

Reviews from The Peanut Gallery

Me: 5 out of 5 stars. I really love these. We always have one extra patty and I enjoy it the next day cut up with a salad.

Andy: 5 out of 5 stars. These have great flavor. He likes them better when the veggies are sauteed.

Emma:

She doesn't like any type of meat, especially when she can see "green stuff." She says she loves these but it took a lot of coaxing to get her to eat it.

Sophia:

She loved them! No complaints out of her and she asked for seconds.

Playing Catchup

2013-07-12T13:58:00.001-04:00

Yeah, so it's July 12th and I'm finally posting photos from the Fourth of July. Yikes! We had a rainy Fourth, but it was still lots of fun. We were able to shoot fireworks, which Emma loved and Sophia did not. They sure looked cute in their holiday outfits, despite the crummy weather.

I've been trying to have a little school time each day with the girls. Emma has been practicing her writing and Sophia has been working on colors and numbers. They love learning and are so proud when they accomplish a new task. They've been great little students!

Sophia has been doing a great job with counting. Here's a little video of what she can do.

Our Weekend

2013-07-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

We had such a fun weekend! It was action packed from start to finish. Weekends like this are always fun, but SO tiring! I feel like we need another weekend to recover from our weekend.

On Saturday, Emma's sweet friend, Mia, had a birthday party. There were tons of water games for the kids and it was the perfect day for it. Emma had so much fun and I loved watching her play with her school friends.

When we got home, we got Emma cleaned up and ready for a date with her daddy. He was taking her to see Monsters University. They were both really excited about their special time.

Andy's parents invited us over for pizza, so we headed out to their house for dinner. They have a garden for the girls there and they love to visit and see how much it has grown. They were thrilled to see how big the corn and pumpkins have gotten!

On Sunday, we met my sister and Aunt Kimi at Circle G ranch. We had so much fun the last time we went and this time was no different. The animals get SO close and personal!

The girls also loved the petting zoo and pony rides. Funny story: When we asked Emma if she'd like to ride a pony, she asked us if it went up and down and if she could ride a green one. Ha! Our poor little city girls!

Beach Photos

2013-06-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

We haven't taken a family photo in a long time, so I was really looking forward to taking some pictures at the beach. On the day we decided to try, the weather was beautiful but very windy. We had lots and lots of outtakes with hair in our faces! Thankfully, we got several great photos to cherish.

Myrtle Beach-Day 3

2013-06-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

On our third and final full day, we spent the morning at the water park and the beach. After we had been at the beach for a while, Emma said she was getting hungry and so we packed up and got ready to leave. As we were walking back from the water I noticed a little girl on the beach that looked familiar. It turns out that it was one of Emma's friends from her dance class who was vacationing with her family.

Emma was so excited to run into her friend that she forgot that she had said she was hungry. The girls played for a while longer and had a great time together.

That night, we decided to go to Broadway at the Beach, which is a shopping center of sorts that also has restaurants, rides, and other attractions. The girls loved shopping and walking around, seeing all of the people and lights. We had diner at a pirate themed restaurant, which thrilled the girls!

Andy wanted to take the girls to MagiQuest, which I had never heard of. I was a little skeptical about the girl's being able to participate, but it turned out to be lots of fun. The girls loved using their magic wands to go on quests solve puzzles.

When we got back we took the girls onto the beach to see the moon over the water and to try to catch the fireworks. We didn't see the fireworks but we did get to see someone send off a paper lantern, which made the girls think of Rapunzel.

It was a great way to end a wonderful trip with our family!

Myrtle Beach-Day 2

2013-06-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

Well, we are back from vacation and now we're up to our eyeballs in laundry and adjusting to life in the real world. It's so nice to go back through these pictures and remember the stories behind them. I wish the quality was better, but it was so much easier to take my phone along instead of my real camera. They'll suffice though.

We got a much earlier start on our second day. We all got to bed much earlier than our first night and were ready to go after a quick breakfast. We started out playing in the hotel's playground while we waited for the day to warm up. Emma wanted to swim in the pool, so that was the plan for the morning.

The girls played with two boys that were visiting from Virginia and they made fast friends. We heard about Omar and Zane for the reminder of the trip!

Once it warmed up, we headed to the pool so Emma could swim. She was so excited to use her new goggles and didn't want to stop swimming.

Sophia, on the other hand, tired out quickly so we stopped and had lunch.

It was a beautiful day, so we headed back out to the beach to enjoy it. We had a great time looking for shells, playing in the sand, and jumping in the waves.

After we napped, we headed out to dinner. Emma requested pizza so we tried out Ultimate California Pizza, which was highly recommended. We each got a personal pizza and I was thrilled that I didn't have to settle for plain cheese or pepperoni (the #1 choice for Andy and the girls). I was able to splurge and I chose the Black and Blue pizza with steak and blue cheese. Oh my, yum!

When we got back to the hotel, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and decided to take some photos on the beach (I'll save those for another post). I promised the girls that if they cooperated that we could play mini-golf at the hotel's little course. Yeah, I bribe my kids. It works. ;)

They had a lot of fun playing even if they had no idea what they were doing. Sophia saved herself the aggravation of hitting with the club and just picked the ball up and put it straight into the hole. She got a hole-in-one everytime! :)

Myrtle Beach-Day 1

2013-06-20T08:13:00.002-04:00

So far, we are having a wonderful time on our first family trip to Myrtle Beach. I was so excited to take the girls on vacation, but I was also nervous that the girls wouldn't do well with the 8 hour car ride or sleeping in a room that wasn't their own.

It turns out that my worries weren't necessary. The girls did amazingly well on the trip. The only tears we had were when the rain woke up Sophia and she was still tired. After a few wails, she quieted down and there wasn't another complaint from either girl for the rest of the trip. The rain was the worst part of the trip. I'm pretty sure we won't be that lucky on the way home, but who wants to leave the beach? :)

The rain was too loud, she said. :)

We didn't want Emma to miss two days of school, so we got a late start leaving Knoxville. We got to our hotel around 10 pm. The girls weren't tired at all, and got their second wind. After unpacking and getting settled, they ended up getting to bed around 11, which is definitely the latest they've ever been up. Everyone slept in the next day and was ready to hit the beach.

I was the most excited about seeing the girls' reaction to the waves and I wasn't disappointed. The way they approached the ocean is just the way they approach life itself.

Sophia is a true beach baby. She scared the heck out of me because she had no fear of the water and wanted to dive right in. The beach isn't as relaxing as it used to be! ;) She spent her day digging in the sand, covering herself in sand, rolling in the sand...oh, the sand. I think we'll be finding sand for months after this. In between her sand play, she would run down to the shore and squeal with delight when the waves hit her. She loved having me carry her in, but was so frustrated that I wouldn't let her down on her own.

Emma was a little timid of the waves at first, just barely letting it touch her toes. She was more content finding seashells and crab shells that had been shed. She worked very hard at walking down to the water to fill up her bucket and wash her shells. At the end of the day, she got a little more brave and went in the water with Andy.

After a delicious dinner at Carolina Roadhouse, we enjoyed the hotel's indoor water park and lazy river. Emma was feeling brave and decided to go down the water slide with Andy. Unfortunately, she forgot to close her mouth and ended up with a mouthful of water, which scared her. She was done with the slide after that, but I was so proud of her for trying!

The sweetest part of the day was watching my girls fall asleep. Emma is sleeping on the pull-out sofa and Sophia is sleeping in the pack-n-play right next to her. Andy and I were laying in our bed and we heard some whispering. We saw that Emma had moved all the way to one side of her bed so that she was laying next to Sophia and they were whispering to one another and touching hands through the pack-n-play. It was precious. They're going to have a very hard time going back to sleeping in their own rooms.

We're looking forward to another fun-filled day!

Happy Father's Day!

2013-06-16T15:01:00.001-04:00

Today we will honor the most awesome daddy two little girls could ask for. He's not afraid to get on the floor and play, save the girls from imaginary bears, or don a crown and sit down for tea.

When Andy and I got married, I didn't think it was possible to love him any more than I did not that day. Then we had Emma and that love grew into an amazing respect, and love didn't quite describe it anymore. After Sophia came along, there were no words for how I felt about this man. Each day, that love grows and grows and I am blown away by how blessed I am for my children to have such an incredible father.

Andy, I love you and I hope that you know that the girls and I love you more than one day could ever show. Happy Father's Day! xoxo

Father's Day Gifts

2013-06-13T22:37:00.001-04:00

If you are my husband, dad, or father in law, stop reading this and come back on Sunday. :)

Father's Day is a tricky holiday. In fact, it's might be the toughest holiday for me, gift wise. The men in my family seem to be notorious for not wanting gifts. Every holiday is a battle, but Father's Day is three times the trouble.

I try to keep it simple for Father's Day so that these special dads get a gift, but not something that is as close to nothing as possible. Last year, the dads received a big container of cashews, stating that we were "nuts" about them. The great thing about this gift was that it was consumable!

This year, we kept with the same theme for the grandpas. Their gift from the girls are jars of Kisses, different varieties, with a cute tag. Who doesn't love chocolate???

You can download the printable by clicking the image above.

I saw the most hilarious idea for Andy on Pinterest and I knew it was perfect for his gift from the girls. It was a Car Massage Shirt that had a town map drawn on the back of a t-shirt, which was used for driving toy cars on and thus giving the wearer a massage. Andy loves having the girls walk on his back and drive cars around on his back already, so I knew he'd love it.

I made mine by taping four pieces of paper together and drawing a template. I put the template into the shirt and traced the design using fabric markers. The blog where I got the idea from has a template available, but I made my own, and included our house and the girls. I think it came out pretty cute (pardon my rudimentary drawing skills. ;)).

My girls have the best Daddy and grandfathers in the world and I hope they feel loved every day. Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there!

Mommy and Me

2013-06-13T10:57:00.002-04:00

With two busy girls, it's hard to find one-on-one time with my kiddos. We are together all the time, but there's something about being the "only" kid that makes kids feel special. My mother in law asked if she could take one girl at a time for the day and it was a great way for me to have some Mommy and Me time with the girls.

Sophia was first up and her day started with a necessary haircut. She was as good as gold during her cut and got a sucker, which made her whole day. We had to run to the store really quick after her haircut and she got to show off her new haircut.

I asked her what she wanted to do and she asked to play with the water table and have a picnic, so that's just what we did. She loved having the water table all to herself, without having to share the toys that are in high demand. We had a picnic lunch outside and she was as happy as a clam.

Emma's day was not as relaxing. There was no staying home for that girl! She asked if we could see a movie, but nothing appropriate was playing for her age. Instead, we went to a local bounce house for their free play time. She normally doesn't do too well with the big ones, but she tried every single one of them. I was so proud of how brave she was. So brave, in fact, that she banned me from playing with her, claiming that she was a big girl and could do it on her own. She failed to realize that Mama was having fun too. ;)

After playing, we had lunch at her restaurant of choice, which was, of course, Chick-fil-A. She told everyone that she was having a special day. She was thrilled to get lemonade and ice cream with her meal. What a treat!

After lunch, we headed to the library to get her first library card. I hope this is the start of a lifetime love for reading.

The library was having a special zoo program and there were a few animals for the kids to see and touch. They got to see a turtle, rabbit, and tarantula. Emma was excited to touch the rabbit and was fascinated with the tarantula (yikes!). The tarantula was not for touching though, thank goodness.

I have loved being able to spend some alone time with my girls and have loved each special day with them.

Mimi, thank you for the chance to make memories with these sweet girls!

Mmm, Mmm Monday: Crock-Pot Mongolian Beef

2013-06-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

You all know that I have a love affair with my crock-pot. If it wasn't for that beloved appliance, we would be eating sandwiches everyday during the school year. This was a great meal to throw together on a weekend morning. We get so busy and sometimes forget about dinner on the weekends and end up eating leftovers. We could be out and about all day and come home to a good meal.

I really wanted to try this recipe but I was hesitant because the girls don't eat beef. I figured I'd give it a shot though and it was really good!

Crock-Pot Mongolian Beef
recipe adapted from Not So Perfect Mom

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into stir fry sized strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped

Here's the lineup. Unfortunately, the people in my life won't eat green onions, so I used yellow onion instead. Boo.

Spray your crock-pot with cooking spray. Coat each piece of beef in the cornstarch and place the meat in the pot. Discard any unused cornstarch.

Add the carrots to the pot and mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. I actually left the olive oil out of the mixture and it came out fine. Pour the sauce over the meat and carrots and give it a quick stir. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice and garnish with additional chopped green onions.

Reviews From the Peanut Gallery
Me: 5 out of 5 stars. This was really yummy. The sauce got nice and thick and had a ton of flavor. I would have loved to add broccoli and other veggies to it.

Andy: 4.5 out of 5 stars. He liked the thickness of the sauce and the tenderness of the meat. He would have liked it with a little more of a kick.

Emma: Eh. She ate a couple of bites, but not without complaint. This was not surprising.

Sophia: Tore it UP. She scarfed down her portion before I even got started and asked for more. This girl is definitely not a vegetarian. :)