Yum! Something new!

I sometimes feel like I get in a rut with food, and that I'm always making the same things. I try to plan dinners a month at a time, and it seems like each month's dinner calender looks pretty much the same. So the last couple months I've tried to incorporate at least a few new recipes each month. It's been fun trying new recipes, and really there haven't been a lot that we haven't liked. Last night I tried one that I think will be a new favorite for Jared and I (the kids weren't thrilled, but that's okay - I can just make side dishes that they will hopefully like). It was a Taste of Home recipe from one of my cookbooks from a few years ago (2006). The recipe was for Stir-Fried Basil Chicken. It calls for bok choy, and I realized yesterday that I had mistakenly bought chinese cabbage instead, but it still turned out really good! I thought I'd share the recipe with you (sorry - I didn't think to take any pictures):


Stir-Fried Basil Chicken

1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1-3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 green onions, sliced
6 tsp. canola oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
6 C. sliced bok choy
1 C. loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a large resealable bag, combine the water, soy sauce and sugar; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to cot. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a wok or skillet, stir-fry the onions in 1 tsp. oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove and keep warm.

Drain and discard any marinade from chicken. In the same wok, stir-fry chicken in 3 tsp. oil for 4-5 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in another skillet, saute bok choy in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add onion mixture to chicken. Stir in basil; hear through. Serve over the bok choy.

Yield: 4 servings


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

P.S. I'm not sure how many people read or follow this blog, but I'm running short of writing ideas lately, and would love your comments about things you'd like me to write about. God bless!

It's Done!!!!

That's right - my painting project is finally done. I have painted all the rooms in the house (except the laundry room, and I don't plan on painting it). We moved here almost 6 months ago, and it's taken me that long, but it's done! No more brown wood panelling or tacky-printed wallpaper. I really like how the rooms with the wood panelling turned out, and I'm not so sure about the rooms with wallpaper. I just painted over the wallpaper, and I think it would have looked better had I taken the time to remove the wallpaper. But...it's better than it was, and for now it's good enough:) I also got a little redundant with the colors, because I wanted to use up gallons that we had and not have to buy as much paint. But overall I'm very pleased with it. And I'm very happy not to be painting anything else for a long time!!!

Parker's blue room

Ellie's purple room

Our bedroom

The kitchen

The living room

Other end of the living room

The dining room (also the homeschool room)

Kids' bathroom

Our bathroom

Slumber Parties!

Something that I love doing with my kids is having slumber parties. The kind where we stay up late, eat snacks, watch movies, make crafts, play with flashlights in the dark, and just have fun. Ellie and I started having slumber parties just after she turned 2. It was a time that I could spend just with her, when most of my time was being consumed with her baby brother. We had our slumber parties about once every couple months (usually on a night when Daddy was working late or busy elsewhere). We often would make necklaces and paint our toenails at some point during the evening. Well, now Parker has begun to join us at our slumber parties. He's been to two of them, I believe. At this point he usually won't go to sleep when it's time, so he ends up in his own bed after lights out, while Ellie and I sleep on the hide-a-bed in the living room. We have had to change our slumber parties a little, to make them a little less girly. But they're still so much fun! The kids look forward to them, and so do I! Tonight we're having the first slumber party in a few months. I am hoping that Parker can stay with us through the night, but we'll see what happens when it's time to calm down and go to sleep. It's going to be a fun night!

My Focus

This afternoon I was able to take a walk by myself. My hubby was home today, after working many long hours over the past few days, and so he stayed home with the kids while I took a walk. It had been a somewhat frustrating day, with the kids disobeying and arguing, and I was feeling kind of low. I decided to take my mp3 player with me and listen to my "worship" playlist. Wow, was that a good decision! Listening to the words of the songs, I remembered (again) how all I really need to do is focus on my Saviour. When my focus is on anything else, life isn't as good. When I take my eyes off my Heavenly Father and put them on myself, even for a moment, things start to crumble. Only when I am focused on God, truly focused on him, can I be the wife and mother that my family needs me to be. When I wake up and say, "Lord, what would You have me do with this day?," rather than just getting up and making my own to-do list, my day has balance. It is such a simple truth, but one that I seem to so easily forget. And today I was so thankful for the gently reminder to keep my eyes on the Lord, to focus on Him.

Love Day!

This past Monday was Valentine's Day, and I think it was the best Valentine's Day ever! Jared had worked the Saturday before, so he was able to take Valentine's Day off. In the morning I did school with the kids and we had a little Valentine's Day party at the end of school. They opened their Valentine boxes they had made with their Grandma, which had all the Valentines that people had sent to them inside. We had some cupcakes and a few candies, and played a game. Jared gave me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, some chocolates, and a card (which he wrote in!). Then I made the kids a lunch (heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) for them to eat in the car. We dropped the kids off with a friend of ours, and Jared and I went out to lunch. We ate at PF Changs for the first time, and LOVED it! We had amazing conversation and talked about some of our dreams and goals in life. Then we walked around the mall (I even got to buy a whole bunch of new lotions and perfumes), and drove back to pick up the kids. It wasn't probably the most exciting Valentine's Day in the world, but I felt so loved by my hubby (and my kids). For me, it was the best Valentine's Day!

Ellie's Valentine gifts

Parker's Valentine gifts

One of our Valentine pancakes, cooking

The kids opening their Valentines

Winter Projects, Part 5 - The Rest...

Besides the previously described projects, I am also currently working on painting the inside of our house, a few gifts that are secrets at this point, scrapbooks, and several other small projects. There are always several things that I can pick up at any point and work on, if the mood strikes. I love to have projects going, and usually have at least a few unfinished projects at any given time. But for now, that's about it. I guess I'd better think of something else to start blogging about, eh?

Parker's newly-painted blue room (my project this past week,

along with painting our bathroom)

Winter Projects, Part 4 - Placemats

Another thing I've recently decided to make is some placemats. The kids have their plastic placemats, but we don't have anything pretty to make the table look nicer. So, I am making reversible placemats. Like most of my projects, they are not finished yet, but the fabric is cut. I just need to get some batting (for many of my projects) and sew them up. I am also making a few more sets of placemats for gifts.