Back to Blogging…..

I am slipping back into bloggin’ mode with just a few changes…..

Check me out here:  http://fiddledeedee-jen.blogspot.com/ .

I can’t wait to catch up with you all! 

~Jen

A Photo Update

Here is  a little bit of what is keeping us hopping.  I miss you all and will return soon.

Madeline is playing her fifth season of soccer; her first year with assigned positions.  She is playing forward and doing a very good job!

After taking last year off, Bradley is playing his fourth year of baseball.  He is alternating left and right field.

Kenzie-Grace celebrated the end of her recreation league basketball with a banquet only three days after tryouts for the 2009 middle school team….which we knew she would make!

Our Rose garden is planted and already growing beautifully.

I might also add that the chicken coop is finished and the birds (all 25 of them) have moved in!

And a very Happy Easter to give spring the kick-off it really needed!

Transitions

When you were younger did you ever map out how your life was going to be? 

If your dreams for the future were anything like mine, you probably saw a perfect life with everything coming together like puzzle pieces.  It’s funny to look back at those dreams and realize what a great imagination that I had.  Audley and I were talking the other night about this very thing.  It’s funny, but fifteen years ago as a junior in college I never even pictured this life I live.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my life!  It is truly beautiful and so happy!  I have a fabulous Christian husband and healthy, motivated children.  It’s just funny to look back at the dreams of a wannabe career girl living in the big city and see that she is a SAHM living in the country.  My marriage to Audley has been one grand adventure after another.  We have traveled a lot and experienced various lifestyles from Iowa to Georgia.  I have enjoyed my “city” living, and tolerated the moments in small town, USA. 

Our move from the Atlanta suburbs to North Alabama last summer appears to be the last we’ll make for years to come.  Audley has a secure job that involves travel, but not relocation. This has so many wonderful advantages for the whole family, especially the children. 

While I have learned to be content where I am or at least tried, small town, USA has never been my dream.  We first moved to this area when I was in high school and I couldn’t wait to leave!  Audley grew up here and loves the slow-paced country life.  We have owned a house here for nine years that we knew one day would become our permanent home, instead of a stop-off between jobs.   My Audley is so happy to have his land to play on and at the same time the job he always wanted.  You can’t help but thank God for his blessings.  

But, this time of transition has been a challenge for me.  It has also taken much of my spirit as it’s emotionally overwhelming.  Packing up over and over, leaving friends behind (It’s tough to find your place as a “new” adult), and living in an area I never really wanted to call home has begun to affect me.  Everyone else here has made the transition and are all happy.

So, my friends, I am taking a break from blogging while I find my place here.  My heart has not been in it and I am all over the page with my writing.  Major life changes tend to make that happen.  It is time that I make a few transitions of my own and focus on getting my heart back where it belongs.  I also have  few projects that I want to finish.

 I don’t know how long I will be away, but I will continue visiting my friends and if you want to e-mail, I am all for it!  When I am ready to return, I will start with a clean slate to fill with the wonderful things that are my life, and be assured it will be full of heart!

Thank you for your friendships! 

 

Celebrations

   Bradley is nine today.  While he is so excited and celebrating (”Only one year ’til double digits!”), his momma is feeling quite stunned that her baby is getting so big. 

Bradley was the most wonderful surprise I have ever received!  He arrived 13 months after Madeline, so chubby and cuddly, and has brought us much joy.  Bradley’s personality has always been so optimistic and calm.  His laid-back personality is such a contrast to my girls, but his steak of mischievousness far outweighs anything the girls can get into.  He truly cares about people, and is full of compassion including his relationships at home.  He makes his daddy and I so proud!

We celebrated with my family on Saturday night at Chuck E. Cheese’s with games, pizza and cake.  I am still recovering from this trip, but it was worth it to see how much fun he had with his cousins and sisters.

 Bradley with his sisters and three younger cousins, ready for a little cake.

Bradley loved opening all of his presents as they were full of new baseball gear.  He is playing his fourth season this year.

Bradley’s Aunt Dawn spoiled him quite a bit with a new batting helmet, batting gloves, eye-black, and the one thing every ball player needs……..

….BUBBLE GUM!

Dawn’s hubby, David is a huge baseball fan.  He loves to share that with Bradley.

Bradley with his Pop and Nana.

My brother Wil and wonderful sister-in-law, Holly. 

Silliness is hereditary.

But I LOVE watching my family have a fabulous time together!

Happy Birthday, Bradley!

I made his cake that we enjoyed on Saturday.  It is supposed to be a baseball field.

Dinner tonight has been requested by Bradley.  He wants a salad with eggs, cucumbers, carrots, olives and real bacon bits.  He also wants corn-on-the-cob and for dessert a berry cobbler with homemade ice cream.  I think his meat loving father is grilling a little chicken to accompany it.

********************************************

While I am showing cakes that I have made, here is one that I did for one of my girlfriend’s last weekend.  Her little girl turned one.

Have a wonderful week!

 

Better Than WHAT?!

Over the weekend Audley and I slipped away to Huntsville to do a little grocery shopping at Costco and were able to enjoy some quality time together after his trip out of town last week.  We ate lunch at the Olive Garden, ran our errands and as we were heading home Audley saw that the “HOT” light was on at Krispy Kreme and just had to stop. 

While I was waiting in line, Audley went to wash his hands and when he came back, he gave me a hug and a little kiss.  The lady standing in line in front of us with her children looked at me commented about how sweet that it was and asked, “new?”  I told her no and she asked how long.  When I told her nearly fourteen years she was obviously shocked, laughed and mentioned that we had earned the right for a little PDA.  I laughed with her, but felt a little sad, too.

Is it so rare for couples to still be happy and in love after fourteen years?  Marriage is no easy task as it is filled with many challenges, but when you stick with it and work on it, remembering love is powerful, and the good times far outweigh the bad.

Here are a few ways we keep the love in our marriage:

**  Laugh together.  Let’s face it, when you live together a long time little things can get on your nerves, so you have to find the humor in yourselves.  It may be a burnt batch of rolls or your husbands midlife crisis that has your yard looking like a zoo, but laugh loud and often!

**Remember that you didn’t marry the in-laws.  Your marriage and home belong to you and your spouse, not the people around you who “just want to help.”  You didn’t stand before God and take dad, mom and siblings to be your beloved.  Even the Bible tells us in Genesis “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”.  And Jesus repeated it in Matthew 19, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,and the two will become one flesh .   So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” 

 When you ask for advice it is one thing, but don’t let anyone else dictate how your marriage should be.

    ** Put the kids to bed early.  Yes, they will beg and plead to stay up, but have you ever tried to have a serious conversation with your spouse when he comes in from work, you are trying to get dinner on the table, run to sports practice, get homework finished, and baths taken?  Yeah, it’s not going to happen.  Just pick a night or two a week and send them on their merry way.  If they are older, let them read a book, just tell them they have to stay in their room for the night. 

** Cook together.  Oh boy can we come up with some fabulous meals when Audley hits the grill and I take care of the sides!  Need some ideas?  I have a great set of cookbooks called “Cooking in the Nude” (cooking for couples).  They have great menus for a romantic feast on the nights the kiddos go to bed early.  The two books I have are “Playful Gourmets” and “Red Hot Lovers” (I can post a few recipes if you would like).  Add a few candles and your favorite music and BAM!…..you have a cheap date!

**Find something that you can do together and do it often.  I’m not talking about watching football or NASCAR in your living room, make a day of it and go to the races, tailgate with another couple before a big game!  Pack a picnic and head to a local park for lunch one afternoon.  Go for a walk around the block letting the kids ride their bikes ahead of you.  Audley enjoys decorating with me, and together we are slowly making this house a home.  You would be surprised how much weeding a garden together can be strengthening for your marriage.

**The old cliche don’t go to bed mad at each other is a really good thought, but sometimes just leaving a situation alone, taking the time to calm down,  and discussing it later is the best thing you can do.   If that means you hop in your van and head off to Starbucks for a venti caramel light Frappuccino  (go ahead and add the whip),  wrapping up in a cozy blanket and watching a classic movie on TCM until your hubby is loudly snoring, DO IT!  No one can truly settle a problem while hot heads prevail.  Sometimes it is best to respect one another and just agree to disagree.

and finally,

**Pray together.  If you want to grow closer with you mate, spend time together with God.  I’ll tell you now, if God isn’t at the center of your marriage and home, Satan will rip it apart or destroy you trying.

“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:6

There are so many more things we do, but these are a few to give you a peak into our marriage.

In honor of my sweet hubby and our imperfect but great marriage I made our favorite dessert…. my “Better than Bow Chica Bow Bow” cake! (This is a “G” rated blog)

It is so easy and so yummy. 

1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions

1 can of Eagle Brand milk

1 small jar of caramel ice cream topping

cool whip

heath bars or toffee bits

melted chocolate

pecans

*After baking your cake, let it cool and put on your serving plate.  Mix together your eagle brand milk and caramel topping.  Poke holes in your cake (I use a chopstick) and pour 2/3 of your caramel/milk mixture over the top of the cake. 

**Sprinkle the cake with toffee bits and pecans, then top with your cool whip.  Drizzle a little more of the caramel/milk topping over the cool whip and top with chocolate & toffee bits.

**Serve it up with a tall glass of milk.

And decide for yourself, Is it better than “bow chica bow bow”? 

How do you keep the love in your marriage?

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day to You!

 

• 4 lb corned brisket of beef
• 3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
• 6 to 8 small onions
• 1 teaspoon dry English mustard
• large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together
• 1 cabbage
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the brisket into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs. Cover with cold water, and bring gently to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut in quarters and add to the pot. Cook for a further 1 to 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are soft and tender.

Serve the corned beef in slices, surrounded by the vegetables and cooking liquid. Serve with lots of floury potatoes and freshly made mustard.

Feeding the Fam

When I gave birth to children, I never realized how much of my life would be consumed by food. 

From the moment they awake in the morning, to the moment they are handcuffed sweetly tucked into bed at night it’s a constant “What’s to eat?” 

“What is for breakfast?” “What did you put in our lunches?” “What’s for snack?” What’s for supper?”

“I’m still hungry!”

If they are this hungry at 11, 10, and nearly 9, I wonder how I am going to afford to feed them through the teen years! 

This week is spring break and it has been raining since Friday.  They are eating me out of house and home.  I bought groceries at Costco last week, and have already run out of cracker snacks. 

*GASP!*  Horror of horrors, we may starve to death!

 I honestly don’t worry about the amount of food that they consume as they work most of it off.  Except for the rare dessert (I have a recipe for you later this week), we don’t eat a lot of sweets and high fat foods.  All three are very active playing sports, jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes, and helping with the outdoor chores just to share a few activities. We don’t own a single video game and they aren’t even allowed to watch TV on school days (it’s limited otherwise) so sitting around isn’t a problem.

Seriously, while my kids do eat a lot, and I have to be prepared for weeks of rainy days, we try to keep it healthy.  Snacks around here usually consist of fresh fruit, cheese, peanut butter crackers, sliced carrots, cucumbers, or celery with ranch.  Sometimes I have a plate of chocolate chip cookies to greet them.  No matter what it is, they eat it quickly and run off to do homework or play!

Hopefully this week’s dinner menu will keep them full, or at least satisfied for fifteen minutes an hour or two…….

Monday:  Grilled Turkey drumsticks, fresh green beans

Tuesday (soccer):  Corned Beef Brisket, potatoes, cabbage, Irish Soda bread

Wednesday (Bible study):  Mixed sausage grill, navy beans, marinated cucumber & Onions, cornbread

Thursday (Baseball & Soccer):  pork tenderloin, glazed carrots, salad

Friday:  Gourmet Hamburgers, roasted potatoes

How do you keep your family full and the grocery bill down?

******************

While I am on the subject of feeding this family, we are set to plant our garden the first of April.

So far I have 25 each of beefsteak and brandywine tomatoes, 25 leaf lettuce plants, basil, sage, cilantro, 10 Roma tomato plants, 25 green bean shrubs, a few black beans, black-eye peas, cucumbers, carrots, white squash, shallots, red onion, garlic, and sweet onion.  All of this is started and will be ready to plant!

I still have cabbages to plant when Audley finishes my raised beds this weekend as well as several other herbs.  We are also going to plant okra, pumpkins, brussel sprouts, bell peppers, and possibly potatoes if I feel brave.

We are really excited about planting a full garden this year and I can’t wait to see how it turns out! 

I do have a question for you all.

How do I keep a cat from digging up my flowers?

He has made it his personal playground which is really irritating me!

I have thought about selling him to the local Chinese restaurant, but……

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Days of Sunshine, Days of Rain

While we are in the middle of a small cold front and rainy days, I count my blessings for the beautiful spring days we were able to enjoy for a little over a week!

We have had so much fun watching the kids practice soccer and baseball, working out in the yard, planting flowers and getting our garden ready for planting while soaking up those warm and glorious rays of light.

But the sun doesn’t shine just in the sky.  Sometimes it arrives in the mail in the form of an unexpected package!

I opened my package to find delightful treats wrapped so sweetly, welcoming the spring.

As I unpacked the box with Madeline eagerly checking it out, we discovered cheerful pot holders filled with lovely colors of spring,

and then we found a fun apron to wear as I do a little spring baking.

But what I found at the bottom of the box has turned my home upside-down…….sinfully scrumptious chocolate popcorn!  Oh my, how yummy it is!

All of these delightful treats came from Beth at Aunties with Advice from her “pay it forward” giveaway. 

I love sunshiney days!

Thank you Beth for making the sun shine brighter!  I absolutely love, love, love my gifts!

The sunshine was in our home as well as outside as my sweet hubby treated me to a gorgeous burst of spring flowers “just because” before he left to go on his trip this week.  He is always doing sweet things like this for me. 

I think it is so that I will miss him more. 

But He doesn’t have to buy flowers for me to miss him.  That is a natural reaction to him being on the road.

Sometimes on sunshiney days, it’s flowers from Audley, but sometimes, on rainy days, it’s…………

…………puppies!

Two six week old beagle puppies to be exact. 

You see, this particular rainy day was really bad as my precious Uno decided not to ride with me to pick the kids up from school as he does EVERYday.  He wanted me to chase him and play because he had been inside all day while it rained, so I left him to run and play.  I guess Uno changed his mind and decided to follow me. 

He was hit by a car while I was gone. 

It broke my heart and it tore up my babies.  For the first time in my life, I cried over a dog. 

So as Audley was returning home from his trip, he made arrangements to cheer me up and last night we went and picked up his sweet gesture.   And while my heart has been broken, it is healing as “Winston” and “Banner” are making themselves at home.

It’s amazing how love makes the sun shine, even when it is raining.

I hope your weekend is filled with rays of sunshine, even if it’s rainy and cold outside!

In the Kitchen With Bradley

Audley is out of town this week, visiting projects in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.  For him, it is week filled with drive-thru’s and hotel breakfasts.  Here at home it is a week of quick meals as we race from baseball to soccer to cub scouts to Bible study.  I am NOT a fan of the drive-thru meal, so dinner at home has to be appealing for us all, even if we are on the go! 

   All three of my kiddos are real “foodies”!  They are quick to try new things, and not picky at all!   What a blessing that is!  While Audley is on the road I have begun to take the opportunity to let our children dictate what’s for dinner during the week, often letting them prepare a meal themselves. 

I have discovered that letting my kids cook is a real confidence builder for them and this world definitely needs more children with a high self-esteem.  Not only do they have a completed project to share with the family, but they are learning skills that will benefit them as an adult.   Cooking with the kids is a learning experience for me as well as them.  I am learning about my children, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses outside of academics and sports.  All three have very different personalities and I love them dearly for it!  Cooking has become a time that we can talk, a time they can open up about whats on their mind.  It’s also a time we can laugh or sing or make a great big mess!  It is a time to treasure.

Audley is not a fan of pasta at all, so when he is gone, that is one of the first things the kids want for dinner.  I am always on the lookout for quick and delicious meals that fit in our busy schedule and a few months back I discovered these great box dinners where all you add is chicken.  I was leery to try them as “Hamburger Helper” is not something we eat a lot of, but one of my girlfriends recommended this, so I picked up a box. 

This week was Bradley’s night in the kitchen.  Of course he wanted pasta, so I pulled this out of the cabinet for him. After washing his hands for an eternity (he washes longer than a surgeon prepping for surgery),  he gathered all of the necessary items together that he needed to prepare dinner and followed the directions perfectly.

Bradley cut up boneless chicken breast using my kitchen scissors.  I’m not ready to hand him a big knife yet, despite his control when he chops veggies!

  I love all of the faces he makes as he gets into his work!  What a little entertainer! 

 

After cutting the chicken up, he sauteed it in one of my skillets sprayed with olive oil.  He has his own spatula ( a rocket ship) that I purchased from Williams-Sonoma. 

The girls have one shaped like a flower.

The topping that comes with this dinner is actually Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.  I think that is why I like this particular dinner, no powdery mix to add.

Bradley takes working in the kitchen very serious.  We try to keep safety first (his dad is a safety director), by using a step-stool to reach the stove comfortably,  showing him to point the scissors away from him so that if they slip he won’t stab himself,  taught him to hold the skillet steady when stirring, and to keep the handles turned away from him. 

He has mentioned that he might like to be a chef when he grows up (especially after we’ve eaten out at the Japanese restaurant), but he also wants to go into the Navy like his dad and design buildings like his uncle Wil. Who knows, he may be a man of many talents!

Time to prepare this particular dinner is only about thirty minutes.  The tomato sauce is actually quite good to be prepackaged.  We like to add extra mushrooms to ours.  You can also add a cup of heavy cream for a creamier flavored sauce.

I love my happy child!  He is a ray of sunshine in my life.  God has richly blessed me with happy children and it is a blessing I count daily.

While the chicken was cooking, Bradley fixed the penne pasta…we also add extra noodles to the mix.

I don’t have to tell Bradley the names of common kitchen items anymore.  When I tell one of the kids that they need a colander, they go right to it and know what and how to use it.  Bradley did well to remember that he needs to use both hands to steady this hot pan of noodles that he was draining.

As Bradley mixes everything in the skillet, he gets really excited that dinner is almost ready.

And you can’t beat the service with a smile from this adorable little chef!

If you want to check out more of my children in the kitchen, Kenzie-Grace makes a mean mac and cheese.  You can find her recipe here.

How have you stepped outside the box to create special memories with your children?

Have a great Wednesday!  Audley will be home on Friday night and I hope to have a little more time to post!

Our Main Bath Renovation~Before & After

Without a doubt, the worst part of moving around with Audley’s job is renting out our house.  Three different times we have had to rent it out and each time we have come home to vandalism that usually takes a year (or more) to fix. 

 I can’t imagine not taking care of your home, but there are obviously people who don’t.

I don’t know if I have ever mentioned it or not, but we live in a modular home which require more upkeep as it is.  A few examples of the things we have had to face because of renters have included bb’s in the door, pulling anchors out of the wall where the towel bars hang, bleach on the carpet, holes in the walls, rotting floor (didn’t bother to tell us there was a problem until it was months too late), gouges in the bar top, broken faucets (some just replaced before our last move), and bags of trash and junk in general thrown in the woods right behind the house.  The list can just keep going.  It makes me sick. 

The main bathroom in our house was a big mess when we returned here in June, so it has been a priority on the “fix-it” list.  It took longer than expected as we have had to replace the entire heat/ac unit which was pricey to say the least! 

Now we have finished it and I cannot begin to describe how excited I am!

Here are the BEFORE pictures of this room, that has FINALLY coming together.

The black toile shower curtain was one I picked out before our move back.  It was the piece that I was working around when decorating this room.

The bathroom is not very big, but it is the one all of our guests use when they are here as well as our children, so we had a lot to consider when choosing how we wanted it to look. 

Here is Audley cleaning up and getting ready to work on the walls.  You can tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t too happy with the mess, but he did a great job!

Unfortunately you can’t see all of the patches in the walls.  There were several, including on where the toilet paper roller and towel bar used to hang.

The first thing we did was to take down the big mirror and put it away for another use.

Audley pulled down all the strips (that are standard sheet-rock finishing in a trailer) and finished out the walls.  If you have ever had sheet-rock work done, you know it is a lengthy process due to all the steps it involves.

We have made several other changes for the improvement of the room and I am so excited about how it turned out!   

I gave you this glimpse last week….

…and hopefully you’ll like the final project as much as we do. 

 

I wanted a refreshing look to this room.  Since it is so small, I didn’t want it to feel cramped with dark color, so we picked ”Mineral Water” by Behr paints.  I pulled out  cream for our towels and rug to bring out the cream in the shower curtain.  They look nice with all the black accents.

 

The mirror was an old one that belonged to my sister.  A coat of black paint and I have a new mirror for my space.

 

I found my towel bars and hooks (Sienna by Moen) at Lowes.  We decided to hang up both so that  could keep fresh clean towels out for guests and still leave a place to hang damp towels up to dry.  We put hand-towel rings on either side of the mirror because Audley felt it gave balance.  We had originally planned to put one ring up, elsewhere, but Audley felt that it was too high for the children to reach and was afraid that it might get pulled down.

 

The pictures are architectural elements from buildings in two of our favorite towns that we have lived in: Rome and Carrollton.  It adds a bit of a contemporary touch to a cottage look.

The sconce was one I picked up at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago and painted over some of the gold.  It’s topped off with a picture of the kids so that they will have a feeling of belonging in the more grown-up bathroom.  The “BATH” letters were bought at a interior decorating store in Rome before we moved for only 4.00 for the set.  They were green and I painted the black. 

Don’t you just LOVE paint?

 

I am really excited about the bath to say the least!

What do you think?  Would you ”Rate My Space” for me? 

 We are expecting sunny skies and temps in the 70’s this weekend.  Audley and I are planning to be out in the yard finishing our great spring clean after soccer and baseball practices.  I’ll share our progress on the outdoor projects next week.  Have a great weekend!