I'm A Soccer Mom

My baby boy had his first and second soccer practices this week. The first practice included: lots of playing with dirt, minimal listening & a tad bit of soccer.  Not to forget, an overly nervous mama who was constantly correcting.  When we left the first practice, his main concern was "I need a whistle like the coach has!!"

By the second practice, I'd had a pep talk with Kade.  He'd been told that we have plenty of dirt at home to play with and at soccer we were to play with friends, listen to coach & kick the ball.  And at the second practice, he applied what he'd been told.  And he's actually getting good.  We have another week of practice ahead next week and then games begin.  Wish us luck, i'll keep you updated on this new adventure ;)

My 1st Attempt @ Chicken Pot Pie

One of my absolute FAVORITE foods ever is Chicken Pot Pie.

I found a recipe that seemed simple enough.  Again, my food isn't Pinterest quality as far as looks go but was devoured in no time.

1 box refrigerated pie crust (on a Monday I have NO time for made from scratch)
1 1/2 lb rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
3 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a pot, boil water and add potatoes & carrots. Cook until tender.

Next, in a seperate saucepan, saute onion with butter.

Add garlic & celery, cook until tender.  Then stir in flour, whisk until well-blended.

Slowly add & whisk chicken broth.

Add seasonings & continue to mix.

Add milk & keep on medium heat until you have reached your desired thickness.

Add carrots, potatoes, peas & chicken.

Roll crust into 9 inch pie pan. Add filling & then layer with other piece of crust.

Bake 50 minutes.  You may want to let the pie sit for a few hours to keep it intact when you cut.  I wasn't so patient ;)

We're....Buying a house!

My hubby and I finally put our house on the market about 2 weeks ago after looking at a house 3 miles down the road from my parents.  We had originally had every intention of building on the 2 acres in front of my parents' house.  But after living with them for the 7 months, we decided having our own little place with more acreage would be nice.  

This brick house has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath on the main floor & a full unfinished basement.  It belonged to an older couple who'd passed away & their children inherited it.  We looked at the house and land several times, got pre-approved & put in our offer (which was accepted!)

Needless to say it's just a tad outdated.  BUT my hubby & I have every intention to make it totally awesome & modern.  The house is the reason I haven't blogged as much as I'd hope to this year.  Bank paperwork galore, applications here, inspections there.  WHEW.  It's been an exhausting 2 weeks and that doesn't even include all of the kids' activities and sickness.  Kade had pinkeye, Kyleigh had an ear infection.  And, we also signed Kade up for soccer.  This is sure to be our busiest year yet.  But it's super exciting.

Just wanted to give you guys an update ;)

Snow Cream

We got snow yesterday and it hasn't quite melted away today.  I decided since I found some clean snow to make some snow cream for my babies.  My neighbor introduced it to me a few years back.

You take::

4 cups CLEAN snow

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients & enjoy 

It's a win with Kyleigh

My poor baby couldn't even feel his fingers well enough to hold his spoon right but LOVED it.

Hubby's New Favorite ;)

So, I joined in on the Mason Jar Salad thing.

My hubby said this is his new favorite lunch.  He loves Burger King's Apple Cranberry Salad.  I didn't have apples to make them but I improvised with what I had.

Baked Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

Grape Tomatoes

Cucumber

Lettuce

Cranberries

Hubby isn't a fan of a lot of dressing on his salads so he carried his Balsamic Vinegar Dressing with him. 

Just wanted to share on the possibility anybody's looking for some possible combinations.

Ooey Gooey Bars

Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. Something I tried off Pinterest that looked flawless wasn't so hot looking coming from my kitchen but BOY is it yummy! Anywho, here's the recipe.

Crust::

1 box butter-recipe cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling::

1  8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1  16 oz. box powdered sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Light grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg & butter with an electric mixer.  Mix well.  Pat into the bottom of prepared pan & set aside.  Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs & vanilla.  Dump powdered sugar & beat very well.  Reduce the speed of the mixer & slowly pour in the melted butter.  Mix Well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour filling onto cake mixture & spread evenly.  Bake for 40-50 minutes (closer to 50 so it's not too ooey & gooey).  You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't let it stay in too long.  Remove from oven & allow to cool completely.  You can add chocolate & drizzle it on top after cooling for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least an hour & then cut into bars and enjoy!

Pinkeye Remedy

This Monday, My baby girl's eye started draining.  My husband had been complaining of his eyes watering a lot from allergies so early Monday, I'd written this off as just allergies as well (her daddy and her are both super sensitive to a lot of the same things!)  By Monday evening, the draining turned to GUNK.  Red Flag.  I knew it either had to be pinkeye or an ear infection because the last time hers did this, it was her ears.  I started frantically looking for something I could do at home to ease this.  

Honey.  Seriously, the best stuff ever.  

3 tablespoons of honey & 1 cup of water.  Heat in the microwave (or boil if you prefer).  Then apply the entire amount to the affected eye.  We keep real-deal honey at our house at all times.  I started this Monday evening at her bath time.  On Tuesday, I scheduled an appointment to see her doctor.  They'd told me with my son that sometimes pinkeye can cause drainage and lead to an ear infection.  I couldn't get her in until Wednesday afternoon.  I continued to clean her eye with this solution once a day.  Her eye NEVER matted shut.  The picture below is her eye (the right one) after having pinkeye for 2 days.  No matting.  Today it's slightly pink around the eye, but not severe & not hurting as bad. 

 I will also add that since she had viral conjunctivitis, she ended up with a fever shortly after her doctor's appointment.  But by 5 am today, it's been gone since.  This was a picture of my baby sleeping last night.  Again, with NO matted eye =) 

So mamas, if your babies get cursed with this crud, try the honey ;)