3 in 1

Woo hoo for the day of love. I love love. It's nice.

The big V Day means lots of things around here. I may as well get the first off my chest - it's so embarrassing. I mean it's just so cheesy. Cliche. Anyway, it's our anniversary. I know, I know. Laugh.

Also it is the day we brought Schyler home from the hospital. It was freezing and rainy and she was tiny and hooked up to monitors and we were scared to death. I wanted to turn around and go back to those sweet nurses and the NICU within our first hour home. But we've survived thus far!

Thirdly, it is my mother's-in-law birthday. Which actually happened before any of those other things.

So we had a little birthday dinner. Always good for the person who has everything.

I'm so glad she likes to help in the kitchen.

Now when it comes to decorating, we are more of the "let's cut it out of construction paper and tape it up!" type people. Hence the following -

Dangling from the light fixture! Genius!

But I have to say, I think these are pretty cute.

I mean look! We spray painted pine cones pink, wild fern leaves white, then hot glued them all together and made them place card holders! Kind of obvious we went on a hike today.

Waiting and dreaming...

Now we are just waiting. Watching. Hoping. Looking up at the sky. Please don't be wrong. Please give us 1-3 inches, they're begging! Mom! Do those look like snow clouds??

About 3:30 they ask, is it supper time yet? Because that's what time the snow is supposed to arrive.

But this is Alabama. This is Alabama, right?

Was I dreaming or was it just a few weeks ago that my yard was a sheet of ice...

...and I had to send my husband to work with an overnight bag complete with food provisions in an over sized military survivalist looking get-up...

Oh yeah. That was a few weeks ago. And it wasn't a dream. Even the last part.

Why I like...

Why I like not watching television:



Ballroom dancing

and chess lessons.

Why I like homeschooling:

Sneaking off to read and

trying to convince others to do the same. (Even if they're obviously not buying it.)

It's really not something to joke about.

So yes, it was our anniversary yesterday. Fourteen years. Yes, I did get married at twelve. Fourteen is definitely the year of chocolate. Brandon bought me a ton of dark chocolate. It's an antioxidant. It IS good for you.

I'm pretty sure when you're husband comes home with bags of chocolate in a plastic grocery sack and a card that has a picture of a chimp in heart boxers on the front, that means your marriage has reached a new level of holiness.



Which is good (the chocolate part)because we'll have some put up when it's rationed again.

I heard someone making a joke about that the other day and I chuckled, oh haha, yeah...


3....2....1....



*mad racing thoughts*mad racing thoughts*


Babe!??!! (I know it's horrible, but this is what I call my husband, especially when I feel a crisis coming on) Do you think there could really be a chocolate shortage? And do you really think the governement would ration it??




You don't want to know his response. We've been having some insurance issues and between that and his work, government is not on his top 10 right now.


Now, I don't eat a lot of junk. If I want a cookie or cake then I bake it myself (I don't buy it already made) and that takes time and ingredients that I don't always have, so I either super enjoy it or go without. But I am pretty sure I would sell blood for two things: dark chocolate and coffee.


(Just so you know, if it truly comes to that I will be deleting this blog. There will be no evidence of me stockpiling chocolate. Or coffee.)



Anyhoos peeps - did everyone have a good day today? B-E-A-Youteeful.





Here's my little chicken charmer.

And my chicken defender.

Which is more than I can say for Luna. This was the look I got when I asked her to keep the chickens off my patio. I think she is still milking the shaved belly.

Again, and again, and again.

I hate to say it again but it is cooold.



It has not stopped these kids from playing outside though. My poor Grandmother-in-law has about worried herself to death over it. She just knows that they are certainly going to die from playing outside during the winter. I just don't know how you northerners do it. I guess you stay on the verge of death constantly. How sad.

I would like to tell my Granny thank you for all the embroidery floss she gave to me. Especially the red. That is wrapped around the cardboard. That has a picture of a naked woman giving herself a breast examination on it. That my daughter saw first...and screamed. It's okay, we had a talk and I explained what was going on. Now her favorite question to ask is if you have examined your breasts because you could have cancer.

*sigh*

So I got told the other day. Flat out told. It was quite comical, the way I was judging someone for being judgmental! Ha! How nice. Ahhh, but I have that right, correct? Me being all spiritually elite and all. Yep. [suspender snap] It's a hard and heavy hat to carry around.

Well If the hat part is true, it's only because I have a big ol' head that I seemingly enjoy banging against the wall.



I swear. Judging someone...for judging. Hullloooo.



The sweet thing was, the girl whom God used to bring it to my attention (I'll leave you nameless, lest I contaminate you with my pridefulness. However, my compliments to your Mom.) was completely oblivious to all this. She wasn't trying to rebuke me in any way. It was just her response. She just truthfully and kindly pointed out that the poor girl didn't have all the facts and she was the one missing out.



There now. Isn't that kindhearted?



Oh but me. Oh nooooooo. I was all blahblah blah, nya nya, mimimimi. (Those are my ugly talk noises, you know, when I mock myself for being dumb.)



Y'all, please. Don't be like me. Be like Jesus.

Seems like I should go with "for the record" here.

best mom ever How cute is that!? I had my new post screen up and then walked away and Schyler snuck over and typed that in! I can't delete it! She is the best one.

Today we were talking about faith and of course one of our reference verses was Hebrews 11:1-Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen (I paraphrased). We had a guest speaker come in and talk to us about what evidence means, i.e.: Dad, being a cop, told us.

Schyler brilliantly observed that since Logan had a flour hand print of my hand on his rear, it was evidence that he misbehaved while we were making biscuits this morning.

Correct.

For the record, everything after that was roses.

I also should, for the record add that I don't cook my dear husband chicken and dumplings just to get what I want. God, in His Wonderful Love for a terrible sinner as myself, set things up in such a way that the more I serve my husband, the more he serves me.

Also, for the record I know we live in a sin filled world and that doesn't work out 100 percent of the time. If you or your children are being abused you should flee immediately. I am certainly no counselor. I have no idea why I felt the need to throw that in there, it's not like I have tons of commenters that disagree or don't usually understand what I'm saying. Or tons of commenters period. (hint, hint)

I have to go now. If I don't go turn on my heated mattress pad now it won't be warm enough by the time I go to bed.

How To Get Whatever You Want.

If you think chicken and dumplings are gross because boiled chicken is absolutely disgusting, you would be right. If you do not think boiled chicken is absolutely disgusting, you need to be taken out by an execution squad. I'm just as sorry as I can be. I don't make the rules.

Let me tell you the key to chicken and dumplings - roasted chicken.

Get your cheap fatty cuts of chicken, thighs are [high pitch voice] fabulous. Put them in an iron skillet, smother them in room temp butter (you can't spread cold butter, duh), salt and pepper, and cook at 400 degrees. I'm not sure how long, but if you can't tell it's done you need to just order take out anyway. It's too late for you. Don't start trying now.

Now take your cooked chicken out and let it cool. When it cools get the meat off. Don't worry about scraping every little piece, just get the big chunks. Then throw the skin and the bones in a big ol' pot with a little water, the chicken fat in the bottom of the iron skillet, a little salt and pepper, and some chopped onion.

This is a good time to add any leftover broth you have in the freezer.

*GASP* WHAT?? ALWAYS save your broth.

I had some left from cabbage I cooked a couple of nights before so I chunked it in.

Let all that cook down for a while then come back and get the rest of the meat off the bones, get the skin out and give it to your cat. But keep the meat.

Make your cream of chicken now. Add a clove of smashed garlic to it if you don't usually. The powder stuff will not be as good. Every kitchen needs fresh garlic. It keeps forever and it is good on everything (unless you ask my grandparents-they hate garlic. I know. I don't understand it either).

Add the cream of chicken and at least half a stick of butter to your broth. Mmmmm buttery goodnessssss.

Make your biscuits, bring your brothy yummaliciousness to a boil and add them cooking for about 5 minutes. Turn off and chunk that chicken in.

Serve to yo' hunny and sit back as he gives in to your every desire after eating the best comfort food eva'.