Won't you be my neighbor?

I was a surprise baby. Not an "oops" but a flat out Shock!  My mom had her tubes tied and then I was born three years later.  Crazy, huh!?  Because I was not in the plans, my brother and sister were a bit older than me.  Old enough that we didn't have a whole lot in common to play with.  So what did that mean for me?  I had to make my own friends.  My target?  The neighbors.  There was a sweet old man that lived next door with a quiet wife and children that did not live near.  If I ever caught him in his yard, I was over chatting his ear off.  Most days, I would find him in his garage tinkering on his old VW van (he offered it to me once I could drive, but I declined).  I'm not sure exactly what we talked about, but he would show me his tools and we would chat about life until mom called me home.  I don't think he minded. At least he never showed it.  He was at my wedding and has given a gift when each of my children were born. 
So why am I telling you about my neighbor?  A new generation of friends has bloomed.  My sweet daughters have now become friends with my neighbor.  Whenever we go visit at my mom's house, if I can't find them in her back yard, I know they are at the neighbors.  It's funny, they still seem to be the same age as they were when I was friends with them.  I know it warms their heart to have more sweet little girls to chat with about life.  I know it does my girls good to chat with an older couple. 
Today we stopped by my mom's for lunch. Caroline ran out of the van straight to our neighbors to show the teeth she had just lost.  I got so tickled when she came back.  They knew their name started with an "R", but had mixed up the sounds.  So she let me know all about her visit with "Mr. Rogers."  Too cute, huh! :)  She was pretty much right, that would be a good name for him!

Garbanzo Bean Salad

photo taken from allrecipes.com

 

Again, in a quest to find a recipe to fit the ingredients around the house, I found this lovely bean salad!  It was so simple to make and very tasty.  I admit, the girls didn't eat much of it; they pretty much just picked out the apples.  I did make a side of mac n' cheese to help fill their bellies.  If I were to make it again, and I plan to, I think I would at least add some sunflower seeds.  If you were wanting a little meat, I would add some cooked chicken and just make extra dressing.  This will be a new staple in my house for a quick lunch, especially for company!  Click the link to check out the recipe for Garbanzo Bean Salad!

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

Every so often I am behind in my menu planning (what, with 5 kids 6 and under? imagine that!).  I love to browse through Allrecipes.com typing in various items I do and don't have around the house and see what exciting meals I can come up with.  Many times I get the basic idea of a meal and then tweak it a little.   Yesterday I came across this yummy recipe for Chicken Parmesan Bundles.  Since I prefer to use a few pre-packaged items as possible, this is how I adjusted the recipe for our natural diet:
4 ounces Trader Joe's cream cheese
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/4 cups raw mozzarella cheese, divided
6 tablespoons Trader Joe's Parmesan cheese, divided
2 Tb. parsley
4 thin cut Trader Joes' chicken breast
1 egg
a couple slices of stale bread chopped into bread crumbs
garlic salt (to taste, optional)
Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozz., 3Tb. Parmesan and parsley. 
2. Pound down chicken breast until they are 1/4 inch thickness, easy to stuff and roll.
3. Drop a scoop of spinach mixture on flat chicken and roll up.
4.  Put your bread crumbs, left over Parmesan, and some garlic salt in a baggie. 
5. Mix an egg in a small dish.
6. Coat each chicken roll in egg and then shake to coat in bread crumbs
7. Lay seam side down in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes
8. Top with heated Marinara sauce and some cheese.

Sugar and Spice

Homemade spice gifts from my garden

Today was fun in the kitchen day!  We were stuck in the house because one of the kiddos had a fever.  I decided to make the most of it and do some work in the kitchen.  I had to make some loaves of bread today anyways, so that must have got me started.  Plus I had some great looking pumpkins still sitting on my front steps that totally didn't match our Christmas decor :)  I love making my own pumpkin puree and all the pumpkin treats that go with it.  I had big dreams for today, but limited supplies of oil, so we could only do so much. I even felt generous enough to let the girls watch and help.  Serious patience...serious. 



Spices from the back, so pretty!

Two summers ago I had so much fun growing my own Oregano, that this past summer I decided to use my front flower bed to grow herbs and spices.  The two top pictures show my results.  After leaving a little behind for my own supplies, I was able to fill 12 baby food jars with my own harvested spices.  It was a long process, weeding, harvesting, drying and crushing the plants.  But the end result makes it all worth it! I look forward to expanding my herbs next year.  We did attempt at growing our own pumpkins from last year's seeds, but I think we started too late, because we never had any flowers turn into pumpkins :(


Pumpkin seeds to eat and for next year's garden

10 cups of homemade pumpkin puree

Lovely pumpkin bread with my new pumpkin loaf pan

 Our children are growing like weeds, our other little Sugar and Spices :)  Makayla has lost a total of 5 teeth, what a busy Tooth Fairy!  Caroline continues to grow in her reading skills, I am very proud of how far she has come this year.  We are trying to teach Sydney to potty train...trying...and trying.  Julianna has learned how to stand herself up on her own, we are just waiting for her to take that first step!  Abigail just smiles and smiles, she is so close to a giggle. Our 5 little blessings!


Our Little Family



We have 5, FIVE, daughters!  When and how did that happen? We are still in shock and awe of the blessings with which we have been entrusted.  Life is a pleasant, but sometimes crazy, busy; filled with lots of diapers and dishes, laundry and laughter, crying and chatter, playing and peace.  I am in love with my little family!

 

I have finally been able to get out of the house some.  I was so thankful to be Churched (a little "ceremony" where the Priest welcomes a new mother back to services) this past Sunday.  Although a bit crazy (there are no nurseries in the Orthodox church), it was so nice to be back worshipping as a family with our "family."

 

I have also been able to start school back with Makayla and Caroline.  It adds a nice business and structure to our day.  I know the girls enjoy having some constructive to do and I like that they are kept busy with some worthwhile.  They have been such GREAT helpers this time around, getting my breakfast ready and even attempting to prepare a bottle (without being asked...)  Even Sydney is ready to insert a paci any time Abby lets out a whimper.

 

Sydney is getting more and more independent everyday.  "No Help" is heard often as she attempts to clothe herself and drink from a big girl cup.  She is not yet willing to perform on the potty yet, but once she decides to, I think it will come quickly for her.  She is so sweet and kind, always thinking of others and being willing to help.  She still loves her "dee-dee" (blanky) and carries it around with her throughout the day.  She will leave it in the car when asked (thankfully!)

 

Julianna has surprised us all by starting to pull up in her crib!  She has been seen crawling a few steps from time to time.  We are pleased with the progress we are seeing in her gross motor skills.  She likes to feed herself, including spaghetti, so meals are a pretty messy time, but any help we can get from her is great!

 

Abigail poops, pees, eats and sleeps :)  A few weeks ago some friends from church came over and did a photo shoot, so I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures that they sent me.  If you like their work and would like to schedule your own photo shoot, check out their websites: www.pelikanportraits.com and www.reinieday.com/photography