kelly

2009 Thankful List, Post 7

November 15, 2009 By kelly Leave a Comment

I am thankful for weekends. In particular, I am thankful for beautiful fall weekends. We are having the most beautiful fall this year. We’ve had more rain than we are used to, but I am not going to dwell on that. Instead, I’m going to be thankful for all the beautiful days we’ve been having lately. The temperatures are just perfect if you ask me. The mornings are crisp and cool with just a little nip to the air. The days warm up nicely to the low to mid-70s with sunshine and a light breeze. The skies are the bluest of blue. And, the leaves are putting on quite a colorful show this year too. It’s a wonderful time of year! Our Creator is so good to reveal so much beauty to us here on this earth. I mean, really. It could very well be an ugly place, but He’s good to us and lets us see and experience beauty every day. So awesome!!

This weekend has been really nice for our family. Yesterday the girls and I got to take our friend Alexis out on a girls day out. First we had brunch which was SO yummy! Then we went to Build-a-Bear and the three girls had a ball! Each got something different – Macey got a horse, Mariana got a leopard and Alexis got a cool blue peace sign bear. After the mall, Alexis and I brought the girls home and Alexis got to meet our puppy, Daisy-Belle. And, then Alexis and I got to visit while I drove her home. It was just a great morning/early afternoon for us. On Saturday afternoon, our sweet friend Donna met us at the church and took family photos for us. I am so excited about this because, honestly, in the three and a half years since we have become a family of four, we have never gotten a really great family portrait. (No kidding) I know that Donna captured some great ones for us. She’s a great photographer and such a dear church family member and friend!! We had a nice little dinner at Willy’s last night and a quiet evening at home. Perfect! Today, Mickey and Mariana are going to church while Macey and I stay home. Macey has been a little under the weather lately and yesterday wiped her out, so we’re going to have a laid back day at home for her today. It hasn’t been a very eventful weekend, but it’s been wonderful just the same. AND…next weekend we’re heading to Disney, so we are very excited about that already!!

I’m going to close this post with a few fall pictures from our October trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Have a blessed day!!

2009 Thankful List, Post 6

November 14, 2009 By kelly Leave a Comment

I’m still posting daily, y’all. WOO HOO!! If anyone is still reading my blog, I hope the shock of my regular posting isn’t too much for you. Ha!! It has honestly been great for me to get back into the swing of things with my blog. I’m enjoying it.

Today, I am thankful for no-bake cookies. That’s right, cookies. Ever since I read Kim’s blog entry on no-bakes over at Stirring the Pot, I have had a craving for these wonderful cookies. I remember the first time I ever made and tried these cookies. It was one summer at 4-H camp in cooking class. They were delicious then and they still are! I haven’t made any no-bake cookies in ages, but I got a recipe together last night and whipped up a half batch. Oh, they did NOT disappoint. So ooey, gooey good when they were still warm and continued to be good as they cooled and set. YUM YUM YUM!! I’ll post the recipe to share because I’m nice like that. Enjoy!

kelly_recipe_card

No-Bake Cookies

Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-bake cookies

2 cups sugar

½ stick butter

1 ½ cups peanut butter

½ cup sugar

4 tbsp. Hershey’s cocoa

½ tsp. Vanilla

2 ½ cups minute oats

Mix all ingredients except oats. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly, w/o stopping, add oats and spoon out onto wax paper.

2 cups sugar
½ stick butter
1 ½ cups peanut butter (I used chunky)
½ cup sugar
4 tbsp. Hershey’s cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups old fashioned oats

Mix all ingredients except oats. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly, w/o stopping, add oats and stir well to coat. Spoon out onto wax paper. Let cool to set.

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I halved that recipe and it made a dozen cookies. I used a scoop to form the cookies and they turned out just right. I love the chunky peanut butter because the little chunks of peanut give so much flavor.

2009 Thankful List, Post 5

November 13, 2009 By kelly Leave a Comment

I am thankful for my children. I have two beautiful daughters that are the most beautiful, incredible and amazing blessings I could ever imagine.

All my life I dreamed of becoming a mommy. When I was a little girl, I loved playing with my dolls and I was very serious about their care. Being a mom has always been a desire of my heart. That dream first came to blessed fruition on July 1, 2003 when Macey was born. I fell in love right away! With Macey, Mickey and I learned how to be parents. We learned that we could love even deeper than we ever imagined. We learned we could get by on far less sleep that we thought possible. We learned that some things really aren’t that gross when they are from your own kid. 😉 We learned the precious value of snuggles and baby kisses. And, we learned just how quickly time really does pass. Our firstborn is now six and is a first grader who is compassionate, smart, artistic, gentle and funny. She’s no longer our baby girl, but still gives some of the best snuggles in the world.

In the fall of 2005, we found out that I was expecting again. On December 30, 3005 we found out that our new baby was a girl. Baby Sister was on her way! We were elated. Two girls. WOW!! Mariana was born on Mother’s Day of 2006 – May 14th. Again, we fell in love immediately. With Mariana, we learned that in families love multiplies, it does not divide. We learned that parenting is a balancing act and we’re not always going to get it perfectly right, but what matters most is that we do our best for our girls. We were blessed to see Macey blossom as a big sister. We watched in awe as the bond of sisterhood grew and continues to grow. We sometimes have to intervene in the midst of arguments, but we experience incredible joy when they laugh, play and share things only sisters can share. Our baby girl is three now. She attends preschool three mornings a week and loves it. Mariana is spunky, smart, loving, active and sweet. She will tell you in a heartbeat that she’s NOT a baby, but she’s still our baby.

We are so blessed. Our girls are amazing. They bring so much joy and completeness to our family. I thank God for that He entrusted Macey and Mariana to Mickey and me. I pray that we can be the parents they deserve us to be. I pray that we show Jesus to them and that they grow to love and serve Him. I pray for their health and protection as they go through life. Mickey and I are honored, blessed and thankful to be the parents of these precious girls.

Sharing a sister moment on a hayride in October 2009

Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Psalm 127: 3 (NLT)

Baked Penne Recipe

November 12, 2009 By kelly Leave a Comment

I haven’t posted any recipes in awhile, so I decided today to create some posts sharing some of our favorites. I won’t post them all at once – gotta save “blog fodder” for other days, of course. Today, I’m sharing a recipe that is a definite hit in our house. Macey LOVES this baked pasta. And, guess what? It’s from The Biggest Loser cookbook (listed there as Baked Ziti), so it’s a healthy way to eat pasta. That’s a plus in my book. I serve this with a salad and it’s just perfect for lunch or dinner. YUM!

kelly_recipe_card

Baked Penne
Makes 8 servings

Olive oil spray
1 (14 1/2 oz) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (such as Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 (15-oz) container fat-free ricotta
2 large egg whites
8-oz (2 cups) finely shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Main Event Marinara or 3 1/2 cups other low-fat, low-sodium marinara
2T grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven 425. Lightly mist a 13x9x2″ ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the pasta according to package until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites and all but one cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the dish evenly with another 1 cup sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the top with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes or longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon among 8 bowls and serve.

350 calories, 22g protein, 57g carb, 6g fat (3g sat), 20mg chol, 8g fiber, 429mg sodium

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Main Event Marinara

Makes 7 (1/2 cup) servings

Olive oil spray
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
2T freshly minced garlic
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2T no-salt-added tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
1T dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste (optional)

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender, but not brown, about 4-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil and pepper flakes until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with salt, if needed.

Serving size: 1/2 cup

63 calories, 3g protein, 15g carb, less than 1g fat (trace saturated), 0mg chol, 3g fiber, 156mg sodium

2009 Thankful List, Post 4

November 12, 2009 By kelly Leave a Comment

I am thankful for my husband, Mickey. We just celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary on October 27. In some ways, it’s hard to believe it’s already been eight years. Over these eight years we’ve lived in five different homes (one on two separate occasions) in two states. We have traveled many a mile. We’ve changed jobs and vehicles a few times. We have belonged to two churches – our church home here and the church in AL where Mickey worked for a couple of years. We have shared many laughs, smiles and moments of the heart. We’ve held onto each other through some sad times and clung even closer to faith in tough times. We have made new friends and welcomed new members to each side of our family. We have had to say our final farewells to dear family members and a close friend. We’ve done all this and more, together. I think if you asked us the greatest joy and blessings to come out of these eight years, we’d both tell you that it’s been the birth of our two girls. Macey was born in AL in 2003 and Mariana was born in GA in 2006. With them, our immediate family grew and became complete. We are so blessed. And, I know that I am a blessed wife to have a Godly, faithful husband who loves me unconditionally. Mickey is a brilliant, devoted, loving, generous and kind Christian. I could never have guessed that a Southern girl like me would marry a Michigan boy like him, so thank God for His plan for both of us. I’m grateful for my Mickey.

kmwd

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 (NIV)