try something new

I love to cook and I love to try new recipes. But it seems like for about every 5 new recipes I try- maybe only one of them is a keeper. Well, I have set a record... out of the 2 new recipes I have tried in the last week- both of them will be going into my recipe box!

What qualifies them as keepers? Easy/quick to make, delicious of course and the hubby/kids enjoy them as much as I do. These were both super yummy and the kids and Aaron were commenting over dinner- how much they liked them. Even better- they make a lot, so we had leftovers for the next night, too. Perfect! Give them a try and let me know what you think- you won't be sorry!

Chicken Spaghetti
from The Pioneer Women Cooks

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil)


Chicken Pot Pie
from allrecipes.com (definitely my favorite recipe website!)

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes.

And last, a picture of my pretty girl who started Primary today.
When did she get so big?

catch up... and the news!

I told you I'd be back... it just took me awhile.

I've definitely fallen off the "blog-wagon." I've had more than one email and phone call, asking me if I'm ok. Yes, I am ok. Just been really busy, and have lost a little motivation to blog. I will try to be better, because I really do enjoy having this journal, to read back through.

To catch you up... I"ve been a busy girl. Last December, I decided to get serious about loosing weight. I changed my eating habits, quite a bit, and started exercising, a lot. I have been very dedicated and consistent, and as of the end of October, I have lost 52 pounds. It feels wonderful and I am a much happier person, because of it. Someday, I would liket to write a post about my journey- but for now, I will just say that every early morning at the gym, every skipped dessert and every workout, has been worth it. I hope I never go back to that place again.

On that note- it is time for me to stop loosing weight because... I am pregnant!

That's right, little Edmonds #5 is coming this June. I am 13 weeks along, and still feeling pretty yucky. Hopefully, things will start to get better in the next couple weeks. We are so excited for this new little person to join our family. This seems like the first time that the kids are really aware of what's going on, and they are thrilled. They keep asking me when the baby is coming, and since I'm not even showing yet- I have to remind them that mommy's tummy is going to get really big, before our baby comes.

This last June, I decided to sign up for a triathlon, and started my training. After getting pregnant, I wasn't sure if I would keep it up, but after talking with my doctor and my husband, I decided to keep up my training and do it! Aaron and I both ran in the Anthem, AZ triathlon last Saturday. I will post more about it later- but I met both of my goals, which were to cross the finish line and to complete it in under 2 hours. It was hard, but I felt like my training really paid off and I was prepared. I will not be working out so hard anymore, but definitely will still be exrecising. I am excited to do another traithlon, after this baby comes. My amazing husband completed the whole thing in 1 hour and 18 minutes. He did the run (which is after the swim and bike) in 21 minutes. That's awesome!! I am so proud of him and he is such a motivation to me. (it was soooo cold in AZ! I was freezing the whole time!)

So there's a quick catch-up. I will be back with more posts soon, but it's hard right now. I usually do my blogging in the evenings, while the kids are sleeping, but the evenings are the worst for me. I feel like I am just doing the basics right now: being a mom, wife and keeping the house up. Anything else is taking a backseat. Hope your all having a great December!

coming soon!

A new post is coming soon.... I promise!

After several emails, wondering if my family and I are still alive and well-
I decided it was time to get back on the wagon.

My laptop is being fixed as we speak, and very soon, I will be back in business.

Check back very soon (like after Thanksgiving) ...
I have some news!

happy campers

We took our new motorhome for it's maiden voyage a couple weekends ago. We didn't go far- but we didn't need to, we had such a fun weekend together. I am not an "outdoorsy" person- at all- but I could totally get used to this motorhome thing. We had a blast and I really enjoyed being out in nature with my family, but I also really enjoyed my cozy home at night- with it's warm blankets, fans, and bathroom. We're taking it to the beach this weekend for Labor Day and I can't wait! I really think we have opened a new door in our families life- camping!

(Ok Melissa- no negative comments about my camping style- I'm making progress! :-) )

Enjoy the pictures... there's a lot!

On our way out- 2 thumbs up for vacation!!


Movie time- popcorn and M&M's for dessert!

Dinner time- hot dogs, fruit, pasta salad and Pringles- yum!!

Poor Addie- she fell off her scooter and got an ouchy! The boys were so concerned about her.

We took a scooter ride together around the campground- I really got going on the boys scooter- it was fun!
Making brownies to enjoy by the campfire.

The kids making "ice-cream." Did anyone else do this as a kid? I remember doing it all the time with my bike. I can't believe I have kids that are doing this now. Wierd!
Hanging out at the water park- after a fun afternoon in the sun. (part of the campground)

Little game of Tiddlywinks- I bought some toys/games, just for the motorhome. It's fun to bring out some new stuff!


My cute girl with her new scooter. She worked hard to earn it and this was her first time using it.
Breakfast... we used to (and still do) go to Palm Springs every summer for family vacation. When we were kids, my mom would always bring Trix and powdered sugar doughnuts for breakfast. It's kind of a random b-fast, but that combo always reminds me of family vacations- so I brought it for the kids and they were in heaven! Sugar cereal AND doughnuts- yum!! We ate so much junk food on this trip- I had to work out HARD all week- to counteract the damage.

Puzzle time! Maggie came with us and was perfect.
I thought this was so cute- she loves her brothers!


Addie in her cozy little bed. The kids slept SO good!

multi-tasking mommy

What do I do while Aaron has the kids at swim lessons,
I have the baby and the kitchen needs to be cleaned?

Well, of course... I put him in the sink for a bath- with a chocolate popsicle!He's happy, I'm happy and my kitchen gets cleaned!
(don't worry, he was clean at the end, too!)

the first day

My little boys had their first day of school today... Tyler started first grade with Miss Dannewitz and Jake started kindergarten with Mrs. DeBruyne (Tyler's K teacher last year). As many of you know, I was sad to send the kids back to school. I went through this last year too, and I have a feeling that it will happen every summer before school starts. I remember my mom telling me that every September all of her friends would be so excited to send their kids back to school and she would be the only one that wished they could stay home. She loved having all of her kids around her during the summer. Funny coincidence- I was talking to my grandma about this exact thing a couple days ago and she said she did the same thing. I guess it runs in our family!

We had a special dinner last night, our Back to School feast, to celebrate the upcoming school year. I decorated the table with our china. My Dad bought this china in 1971 in Vietnam when he was there for the war. He brought it back for my grandma and after much use, she passed it on to me. I absolutely love it and it is such a treasure. It has service for 12 people and contains all the serving dishes. It is beautiful and I love the history behind it. We also used the crystal goblets we got for our wedding. I hesitated as I was pulling them out, but then I realized that we have never used them in 10 1/2 years! That's terrible. I decided tonight was as good as any and if something broke, then oh well- we'd buy a new one. We had candles and roses and I had a little gift for each of the school kids. Aaron had taken them out for the afternoon and when they came home they were just thrilled and so excited for our celebration. We ate all their favorites: homemade lasagna, garlic bread, caesar salad and watermelon with rice krispy cakes for dessert and sparkling raspberry lemonade to drink. After our yummy dinner, we went around the table and each person said their goal for the year (mom and dad, too!) and we toasted each other. It was fun to have this special dinner together and to kick-off the upcoming school year. It really was a celebration! Then Aaron have them their special school blessings, we read "The Night Before Kindergarten" and they were in bed by 7:15.They were definitely excited this morning- when Aaron woke them up this morning Jacob yelled "Yee-Haw" It was hilarious! They looked so cute and handsome in their school clothes. Jake was more than ready to get to class and say good-bye. After we dropped him off, we headed over to Tyler's classroom. He was definitely more hesitant and wanted us to hang around until school started. I was worried about him. He is more timid and quiet than Jake. He kept grabbing my hand and laying his head on my side. It was sweet. The bell rang and we walked him to his classroom, he found his desk and after hanging out for a minutes, we left him there. I hve to admit, I did cry as we left his classroom. Just a little. I really worried about him all day. Jake- not so much. I knew he would be totally fine. But I couldn't wait to pick Ty up and hear all about his day. He didn't disappoint- I got all the details while I took the boys to get ice cream cones. They both loved their first days and are excited to go back tomorrow! Tyler loves his teacher and said that "she is the best teacher he's ever had" and "this is the best first day of school ever." I was so relieved and honestly, I am glad this day is over. I am strange... change has always been hard for me and causes me some anxiety, so I like it that we know what to expect now and that everyone will have a great year!They asked us to take this picture of them. Best friends... and brothers, too!Jacob- patiently waiting for school to start.
Tyler at his new desk- I think this is his nervous smile. Cute boy.

our tri athlete

This is not the first triathlon Aaron has completed, but it is the first one I have good pictures of. I wasn't able to be there, I had to attend a crazy lottery to get Addison a place for preschool, but my family and the boys went, so they were there to cheer Aaron on at the finish line. He did great, as usual, and had fun doing it, too. I think the only hard part was the swim, since it was in the ocean. Yikes- I am sooo glad that the tri we are doing in December is in a pool! I am proud of Aaron. He is so disciplined with his eating and also exercise. If he puts his mind to it, then he gets it done. There's no sleeping in, relaxing or cheating with his routine- he means business. So even though I wasn't there, I hope he knows how proud of him I am. I think he's amazing and he is great motivation for me!
My younger (but much taller) brother Mike also did the tri with Aaron, they ended up together at the run and were able to finish together.
The boys love jumping in at the end and crossing the finish line with Aaron. They are asking when they get to do a triathlon- the do actually have kids ones- so we'll have to sign them up.

My boys- minus one- maybe next summer he can jump in there, too!
Great job, Aaron! You're amazing!!!