Farm Fresh Eggs

 

My family loves eggs! John Brooks and Ben love them scrambled and I L-O-V-E a fried egg. One of the few items at the grocery store that I “splurge” on is eggs. I usually buy cage free and love it when I can buy cage free organic eggs because I truly think that they taste better than an egg raised by traditional means. I have wanted to try to find locally raised eggs for quite some time but have been out of luck until the other day.

So, I was SUPER EXCITED when my mother-in-law informed me that one of the ladies at her church has some laying hens that have free-range of her yard and this lady has been selling the eggs at church. Y’all for $5.00 I was able to get 18 eggs. In the grocery store, a dozen organic eggs is about $4.00 so I think that 18 for $5 is a great deal!

I could hardly wait to try them for breakfast this morning and I was not disappointed. Look at that pretty yolk! My subpar photography skills do not do these beauties justice. The egg went great with some avocado guacamole and bacon on toast with Siracha sauce as a breakfast sandwich. I am so happy about this find!

Tough Guy

 

At around 5:00 pm yesterday I decided to workout. Ben was home for the day. He and John Brooks were playing outside and Bo was napping in his crib. Perfect time to sneak in a quick sweat session. Just as I hit play on the You Tube Video I heard Bo start crying (of course) so I hit pause and went to pick him up. As I was walking back outside with Bo I watched John Brooks reach for the water hose that was rolled up against the wall of the house on one of those water hose holding thingys that attaches to the house (apologies for my lack of knowledge of the terminology of home maintenance paraphernalia). Unfortunately for John Brooks there was a mean ol’ wasp taking up residence on that particular hose property and he like most wasps did not take kindly to the rapscallion who was trying to adios him from his new domicile.

Short Version: John Brooks was stung by a wasp.

Sorry about the poor picture quality. I couldn’t get a clear shot of the wound. Not that anyone but a RN would want to see a wound.

You can imagine the theatrics, whaling and gnashing of teeth that ensued. John Brooks was upset too. Ben and I switched kids in midair. Ben held Bo (who increasingly likes to be in on the action) while I took John Brooks to the bathroom. I washed out the sting while watching John Brooks’ face to make sure he wasn’t swelling or having trouble breathing (drama). Then I gave him a dose of Benadryl to be on the safe side. I also gave him a dose of Tylenol to help with the pain and discovered that my not so little baby has graduated to a new dose level which made me sad. By that point, John Brooks declared himself healed and ready to go back outside and play. I was impressed by his tough guy attitude and ability to not let a little injury inhibit his pursuit of a good time.

After consulting Web MD, Nurse Mama decided it best for the little patient to rest on the couch with an ice pack while I cooked him a get well supper of chicken and French fries. In an ugly twist of fate, the Benadryl kicked in before supper was ready and the poor little guy missed out on his favorite meal. Don’t worry Mama made sure to save him some for his lunch box today. Plus, now he has a war story to share!

P.S. If you are looking for a good chicken nugget recipe this one is a winner! I tweaked it a little by adding a tablespoon of sugar to the flour mixture. Delish!

Our Weekend

 

Hi there! How was your weekend? Is it just me or does anyone else think that time is going by at record pace these days? I can remember when I was a kid (tween?) wishing for time to speed up so that I could get to the fun adult days and now, I’m here and while I don’t feel like much of an adult, the husband, two kids, mortgage and car payment tend to disagree with me (Ha).

Our weekend was a good one. Ben’s Mom called me on Friday morning and asked to pick up John Brooks from school. He loves to go over to Grandma and Grandaddy’s house because he pretty much has free rein of the television, the couch, the juice boxes and the chips. A couple of his big boy (high school age) cousins were going to be at Grandma’s on Friday too so it worked out well for him to go over, visit and “help” get Grandma’s flowers out of the greenhouse.

With our car pick up responsibilities relinquished, Bo and I were free to have a rare, lazy afternoon. It was so refreshing to be able to rest, snuggle and relax at our own pace.

Friday night, Ben and I had an impromptu date night with our new little sidekick. The Gilchrist County Education Foundation hosted their annual “Fishing for Scholarships” Fish Fry. Mrs. Colson offered to keep John Brooks at her house if we would bring them supper after we were finished. At first, I declined the offer because I am crazy and think that John Brooks should be with us so he doesn’t miss out on town fun but then I came to my senses and remembered that 1. We don’t get out much. 2. We don’t get out much with two kids 3. John Brooks doesn’t like fish 4. John Brooks, while fun and exciting, definitely keeps us on our toes…all…the…time. I thought it would be nice for Ben to be able to eat and socialize without the stress of wondering what John Brooks will be into next. So, Ben, Bo and I had a nice leisurely supper of mullet, catfish and fixins’. We enjoyed visiting with several friends and Bo even got to nap on a sweet lady’s shoulder. What is it about “Grandmas” that makes babies feel instantly safe and secure and sleepy?

We picked John Brooks up from Grandma and Grandaddy’s around 7:30 pm. We stayed and visited with Mr. and Mrs. Colson and while we were there, Ben’s sister Amy arrived so we visited with her as well before going home to the usual bath and bedtime routine.

John Brooks and Ben both woke up bright and early on Saturday morning around 6:30 am (when do they start sleeping in again?). John Brooks woke up because that is when John Brooks wakes up and Ben woke up because he got to go fishing on Saturday! Ben’s boss owns a boat and offered to take Ben fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico (best boss ever). They had a great time and caught a bunch of Spanish Mackerel which we enjoyed grilled last night in fish tacos with a makeshift Mango Salsa that I whipped up with onions, green chilis, and cilantro.

While Ben was away catching dinner, Bo, John Brooks and I entertained ourselves at home. We had a nice day of playing, reading, watching tv and eating. My aunt Diane (Di-Di if you are John Brooks) came up to visit with the boys some which broke up the monotony of the day (thank you Di-Di). Both boys were very good! Bo has started (knock on wood) getting a little better at napping in his crib though he still prefers to nap on Mama. Ben came home around 6:00 pm with takeout Chinese. We had decided to wait and cook the fish on Sunday night because we had eaten fish for supper on Friday night and we needed a buffer zone. We tried a new Chinese restaurant that recently opened in our town. It is Delicious! We sampled the Wonton Soup (great broth, big dumplings), vegetable lo-mein (loved this! Lots of veggies!) and the Sweet and Sour Chicken (quite possibly the least Chinese food dish ever but we like the sauce) along with egg rolls and fried cream cheese filled deliciousness that I just realized I probably shouldn’t have eaten and then nursed Bo (poor baby). Oops!

On Sunday, Ben stayed home from church with Bo and John Brooks and I ventured out to Sunday School and church. John Brooks went to Children’s Church where apparently he was “combative” but they didn’t come get me out of church so I am of the belief that he wasn’t that “combative”. It was so refreshing to be able to worship God without the usual (welcome wonderful) distraction of a sweet baby who likes to snuggle and have his bottles warmed before he with scarf them down.

Sunday afternoon was spent, eating Subway, resting, running, eating fish tacos and reading. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to get ready for a school night again! Speaking of running, I am starting a new fitness challenge today through these super fun, motivating gals! For the next eight weeks I will be trying to complete some fitness “challenges” as well as trying to eat “lean, clean and green” in the hopes of being able to be comfortable in a swim suit this summer. I’m excited that I’ve lost 12 pounds since the middle of February but I still have about 20 pounds to get to my pre-preggo weight. Wish me luck!

Have a great week!

Easter 2015

Happy Friday Folks!

I’m popping in to do a little Easter Weekend Recap that I’ve been meaning to do all week but our Easter festivities kinda stretched all the way to yesterday so this is the first time I’ve had a free moment to sit and think and type.

We had a wonderful weekend. It really began last Wednesday with the Easter Egg Hunt at church. On Thursday, Ben’s parents kept the boys (Thanks Colsons!) so that Ben and I could attend the Spring Supper hosted by the Gilchrist Farm Bureau Board of Directors. It was a great meal of Ham, peas, beans, and other deliciousness as well as good fellowship with people we don’t get the opportunity to see very often.

My fellowship was cut short however because I had to be at church for the final dress rehearsal l for an Easter musical (cantata) that the church produced called “He Is Risen”. It was an amazing tribute to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so impressed by the work put in by our Music Minister Brother Emanuel Harris as well as all of the people who volunteered to make costumes, create sets, handle lighting, sound, props, act and sing. I really just showed up to sing every night but there were many, many others who really went above and beyond to make the cantata a success. There were performances on Friday and Saturday night as well as on Sunday morning for the Easter service. Ben watched the boys on Friday and Saturday night (with help from his sisters on Saturday) so that I could participate. On a side note: Bo actually went to all of the practices with me. I would wear him in the Ergo and believe it or not (I have witnesses) he would sleep then ENTIRE TIME we would practice – with all that noise and music.

My man and older boy both had the day off on Good Friday. The weather was beautiful and we (they) spent much of the day outside putting our yard back into shape after the dreary winter months. Ben planted flowers down the sidewalk and even purchased a couple of hanging plants for the porch. Some mysterious nemesis has gotten into our grass and killed it so Ben also spent time on Friday and Saturday using the Roto-tiller to till up the soil and spread new grass seed. We are hoping that with rain, sunlight and prayer the grass will grow so that we don’t have to spend money on new sod.

Saturday afternoon was spent celebrating the 80th birthday of Ben’s Aunt Margaret. Aunt Margaret’s birthday was actually in January but some of her family lives in Virginia and were not able to make it down to Florida in January so we celebrated with warm weather in April. Three of Aunt Margaret’s four children were able to attend the celebration as well as many of her grandchildren and even some great-grands. Aunt Margaret is Ben’s Mom’s sister, so her children are Ben’s first cousins but really her grand children are closer in age to Ben and I. Aunt Margaret’s family did a wonderful job with the celebration! They cooked mullet, fried chicken, gumbo, cheese grits, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, peas, swamp cabbage, hush puppies plus more that I can’t remember. It was a variable buffet of “Old Florida Fixins’”. Basically all of my favorite foods in one place. I ate more than I should but was still sad that I couldn’t eat more because I was afraid of what more food would do to my singing voice. I thought that belching on stage may have detracted from the drama of the crucifixion story. I was sad to leave early and wish I could’ve stayed longer to visit. John Brooks had a wonderful time eating and playing with his cousins and was gloriously covered in dirt from the top of his head to his toes by the time that I left.

Sunday morning broke bright and early. The Easter bunny found our house and left some fun goodies for John Brooks and a few fun things for Baby Bo as well. We continued the celebration with a Hershey’s peanut butter cup/cinnamon roll breakfast then somehow all managed to be dressed and out the door to Sunday School relatively on time. John Brooks and Ben went to their Sunday School classes and I kept Bo with me as long as I could as I got ready for the Easter performance of “He Is Risen”. We had decided earlier that Bo would go to the nursery for the first time that day but to be honest I was pretty nervous to leave him. Thankfully a friend of ours, Emily, who has three young girls and is a nurse was the nursery worker that day so I felt as comfortable as I could leaving him there. In a last minute decision, we decided to let John Brooks go into the bigger kid nursery as well due to the violence and length of the Easter program. I was thankful that they allowed John Brooks to stay in the nursery so that Ben was able to enjoy the program with out distractions.

After celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus at church we went to lunch at Pa and Aha Hardee’s house. Robin’s parents (Ellison and Mary Alice) are so sweet to our boys, especially John Brooks and really go a long way to give him cool experiences at their house with their horses. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and fellowship with my Dad and Robin and our extended family. We relaxed and enjoyed being on the back porch after lunch while John Brooks entertained us with song and dance. John Brooks has become quite the performer recently and enjoys an audience much like one of his parent’s did when she was his age. Side note: I adore watching my kids’ personalities develop! It is like a mystery that unravels a little bit at a time.

By late Sunday afternoon we were full, happy and exhausted from a wonderful Easter week(end) spent with family and friends celebrating our Risen Savior!

Easter Egg Gathering

 

 

Last evening John Brooks and I left the men and babies at home and set out to find us some eggs. The church where we are members hosted its annual Easter Egg (Resurrection Egg?) Event last night and John Brooks and I were excited for some food, fellowship and good old fashioned competition organized sweet-natured fun.

We ate hotdogs and hamburgers for supper with a brownie for dessert. I admit the brownie was a risk. Too much sugar and my sweet, spirited boy becomes the living embodiment of the “Tasmanian Devil”. I am, however, a big softie so when he had eaten all of his hotdogs and some of his chips I couldn’t be the bad guy and say no to the brownie. 

Though there were some nail-biting moments and I may have found myself silently praying that my child wouldn’t whack the Children’s Minister with his “Resurrection Basket” I am happy to report that the evening went off without any injuries or permanent damage done. The Lord does answer prayers.

The children were split into groups by age. The age group that John Brooks was in heard the crucifixion story in a way that was completely safe and not scary. They also completed a craft that reminds us of the price Jesus paid for our sins (p.s. sin is a hard thing to explain to a preschooler).

 

There was quite a bit of sitting and waiting patiently before the egg-hunt chaos could begin. I was proud of John Brooks for not completely losing his mind with all of the waiting. At one point I thought he might explode with excitement but he was able to contain it as best he could.

Finally, the egg “gathering” began. Nobody was tackled. Everyone got eggs. The children’s leaders even gave out prizes to the children in each age group. One cool thing about a kid as wild as mine is that everyone seems to know his name. So when the Children’s Minister announced that “John Brooks” won a chocolate bunny our boy walked proudly to the front with a lot of cheers from the crowd. He may have tried to steal the megaphone from the Minister to give a speech but hey what’s an award without a speech?

All sarcasm aside, I am so thankful that we have found a church home where everyone loves families, loves children and loves Jesus. It is a wonderful feeling to know that there are many people helping our family to grow in our faith and helping our boys to become Jesus followers.

Cheese, I Miss You, Your Friend, P

Around 6 weeks of age we noticed that our newborn Bo would cry pretty much all the time. Part of this was being a newborn and going through what felt like a month long growth spurt but we noticed that his cries were more shrill and painful sounding after he ate. He was also pretty gassy and would arch his back and sometimes spit up. Bo hated to lay flat, would rarely nap unless attached to me and was generally an unpleasant person to be around. Life was fun.
Don’t misunderstand me, I was over the moon ecstatic to have a baby who was eating well and gaining weight and coming out of the barbituate-induced stupor he had lived in for the first 4 weeks of life but at the same time sometimes I needed to take a shower or brush my teeth or use the bathroom. These activities are pretty impossible when someone is screaming THE ENTIRE TIME.
We tried Mylicon drops and Gripe Water which helped but did not eliminate the painful cries until one day, March 5th to be exact (the day before my birthday) I noticed that we had been having a relatively peaceful day. Bo had eaten well and had napped afterward with minimal gas or painful cries. I started to think about what I had eaten recently and it dawned on me that it wasn’t so much what I was eating but what I had not eaten that may have made the difference…dairy.
I am a self-professed cheese addict. I like all the cheese all the time. I could (and did at times) eat cheese at every meal. I also enjoy ice cream, cream in my coffee, butter and chocolate. Well as luck would have it I had not had any of the foods of the milk variety since the afternoon of March 4 and low and behold I had a happy baby on my hands.
So I tested the theory.
On March 6 (my birthday) I indulged (as one does on THEIR BIRTHDAY) with cream in my coffee and butter on my toast. I lived to regret this decision as for my birthday Bo gave me an all day cry fest complete with over-tired painful shrieks and a refusal to nap. Bingo. My baby has a dairy sensitivity. Happy Birthday to ME!
Bo’s pediatrician does not believe that it is a full-blown milk-protein allergy (thank goodness) so he should become better able to handle dairy as his GI system matures. All I know is that when I eat cheese he cries and when I don’t eat cheese he naps so I have decided to not eat the cheese or drink the cream or eat the cream in iced form. I of course have shared my sacrifice with everyone because I crave pity but in all honesty I feel less bloated (sorry TMI) and have lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks which I have never done before in my life so this dairy-hiatus is not all bad.
Plus, I have a happy, healthy, growing, smiling baby and that makes it all worth it in the end.

Eating my way Thin.

This is going to be an attempt for me to keep track of what I eat and when and how often I exercise. As well as just an opportunity to express my opinion on food, dieting, and life in general. I am trying as always to lose 20 pounds. I am not overtly obese, I am probably within my weight range according to God knows what doctor, however, 90% of the time I feel like a blue whale. It is possibly because, A. most of the people I hang around are walking sticks, B. I am 5'2 and 3/4 inches, but can eat like a 6'5" linebacker, C. I am lazy and I know this about myself D. I lack motivation and E. I am too hard on myself. I want to try and lose weight by eating well and exercising without any medication or quick fix strategies. I am thinking that if I keep track of what I eat, how I feel, when I exercise, what I gain/lose etc., it will help me to stay on track, or at least understand what makes me the size that I am. So here goes nothing....

Breakfast: 1/2 wheat bagel, 2 tblspoons 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 1/2 cup orange juice

Snack: 2 slices cantaloupe, 2 summer rolls

Lunch: Weight Watchers Smart Ones 4 cheese pizza (ick, cardboard and cheese)

Snack: half a bag of honey mustard and onion pretzels (probably not worth the calories)

Dinner: God only knows what because I am going to a Farm Bureau dinner so whatever it is it will probably be covered in salt, butter, and oil. Yum-O!

Tomorrow I weigh in...probably not going to be pretty because my husband and I went to Outback Crab Shack on Sunday and ate our weight in fried seafood. What is willpower again?