Hadassah had a basketball tournament on Friday afternoon and evening. She was pumped about the games and they were thrilled to the bone to finally get their first win!!! They played at 3:30 and won! Hadassah scored three baskets!!! The whole team played well! That put them in the winners bracket and so their next game wasn't till 8 PM. Some of the moms went for pizza and food for the girls team while I went with Matthew and Ashlyn to get us something to eat too. Matthew wanted Chinese but I wasn't sure that would agree with me so well. I was not in the mode for heartburn while I cheered on the basketball game. :) We got him take outs and then went to Subway for Ashlyn and I. Ashlyn eats so many black olives right now and it by far her favorite food now! She begs to open up a can and she eats the whole entire can! She sat in the booth eating a small container of black olives while I ate a warm turkey sub and Matthew ate Chinese. We then headed back for Hadassah's next game. Mike met us there too and we cheered! They lost that game but was happy to come home with a second place trophy! :)
That finished up her basketball season on the A team. She still has a few school games to play yet and then they will start to focus on track.
....................................................
It's cold outside and we've had more icy roads this year instead of a whole bunch of snow. I think it would be fun to see a blizzard come yet but the delays instead of no school works so well with the school calendar!!!
I can't help but think of the greenhouses this time of year too. When we bundle up and think that it's sooo cold outside, because it really is, there is growth starting in the greenhouses! I'm a greenhouse hopper when Spring comes and I absolutely love to see the fresh herbs, the colorful flowers and smell spring! Seeds are being planted now so that when spring does arrive, people like me can thrive on the sights and smells! :) I know planting flowers this year will be at a minimum for me this year. Hopefully by spring, our outside will be in construction! There's no promise on a garden this year either. Our garden is going to get a make over and with baby coming in July, it will be hard to keep after the weeds! I know myself, and I'm sure I'll still have to visit a few of my favorite greenhouses! :)
Winter time brings warm soups to our dinner table often! Ashlyn and I love having soup and salad for lunch! I opened my last jar of beef vegetable soup that I canned the other day. This is Ashlyn's favorite! I decided to cook up a batch last week and got all 17 jars filled and sealed! I had to adjust the recipe a little because I didn't have the tasty beef broth I used the last time. Instead, I made a broth and didn't add the beef cubes because that's usually something we pick out of the soup and it's our least favorite ingredient. However, it does give an extra delicious taste to the soup that now my new batch does not have. This time it has more of a tomato base taste. I like it. Ashlyn chose to eat just black olives when I set the soup in front of her. This girls is eating so many black olives these days! I know there could be a hundred worse things she could be asking for ... so, for now, it's jars of black olives in the pantry! :)
My little helper loves to be in her pj's! She's peeling potatoes!
After we mixed all the ingredients, I filled the jars and cooked it on my cooker in the garage for 3 hours. The canning shelves will look great with this colorful soup on them!
...........................................................
Winter fun days are going on at school this week. Yesterday was twin day! Hadassah and Courtney dressed alike. Today is character day. When we went shopping on Saturday, Hadassah was looking for an outfit. I know it would have been better if she would have chosen her character first and went from there. We came home with nothing for a character so this morning she was glad for the two hour school delay to allow her extra time to curl up her hair and gather clothes for her "Goldilocks" character! :) She looked cute as she walked out the front door for the bus! A basket with teddy bears was her prop! She has some more fun days coming up. :)
..........................................................
Baseball practice has begun for my guys. After a yummy supper, they went for Mike's first practice.
Yes, it's only February, but spring will arrive in a few weeks! Last night, Mike and Matthew headed to Andy's house to hit balls in his barn. Mike also got a weight ball that weighs 10 pounds and they have been lifting and throwing it up in the air and catching it to strengthen their arms. Matthew had a sore back and Hadassah had sore muscles from playing around with this ball! :) That must mean it works! Mike came home with a salve that he rubbed into his ankle. When he was at the gym the other week with Matthew and guys from church, he twisted his ankle. It was really sore for the first day or two and now it is still healing up. He still wears a brace on it that he is borrowing from Allen. He's hoping that it will be completing healed before ball season really does start! He's also applying some Swedish Bitters on his elbow. He had issues with this elbow one summer and when it feels a little sore, he starts up the bitters rub again. :)
Matthew is training in a new glove. He lost his at the end of the summer last year and so they took a fun trip to the sports store last Saturday and bought a new black glove. (Mike was brave and took two other nephews along. They even stopped for pizza on the way home and they all had a blast!) I can't wait to see Matthew on the ball field again because, like his dad, he loves the game so much!
...........................................................
I'm at week 18 in my pregnancy! Time is going fast and I hope it stays like that! I am feeling movements! I feel good and my energy level is great! There's no hiding my belly bulge. It's there and growing! I'm thinking about baby things and looking in the name book over and over again, but my focus really is on the house project for now! I made a visit for the first cabinet shop last Friday. I laid out our blueprint and we talked about all we will need. Now, we are waiting for a price. Tomorrow, I am going to another cabinet shop to get a second price. The joys of choices has begun! :)
I called JR to see if he could redo our bedroom suit. I would love to get it painted and then let Hadassah use it for her new room. I am searching online for a new headboard for our master bedroom. With the large walk in closet and cabinets in the bathroom, we won't need much bedroom furniture! The house project is well started in our minds and planning but is still on hold with permits. Still waiting to hear from the township! Hopefully, it will be approved and the digging and work start soon.
We are still looking for a house to move into for a few months. There's no panic here though because we do have a few options. Which one will be the best move? We would love something close to home. Something that would be available for a few months. Something not too costly. God knows about it and so this "mom that likes to have her plans in order before we really 'have to'", is patient! :) Just like in our spiritual lives - I need to keep the end in mind! :)
...............................................................
Foods - I still like to write out our weekly menus for our suppers! It just makes it easier when it comes to preparing supper! I'll share a few of our favorite foods and meals right now.
Mike loves to have fiber balls to take along to work with his morning coffee.
That still left me with the chicken at home. I decided to make the Chicken in Basil Cream recipe in the Honeybrook cookbook. So good! I did add a few of my own likings because I wanted veggies with the huge dish! I took two boneless chicken breasts and cut them in half giving me four thinner pieces. I dipped them in milk and then in bread crumbs. I grilled them in some butter until brown and no longer pink inside. Keep warm.
Then in the same pan, I poured in some heavy cream, half and half, sliced pimentos and chicken broth. Boil that and then add parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Cook until heated through.
Meanwhile, I cooked mushrooms, snowpeas and carrots in some basil olive oil, water and butter. They cooked until soft.
I grabbed my big white platter and starting plating my food! I poured cooked penne pasta on the dish. Then I topped it with the cooked chicken. I dished the veggies around the edges and then poured the white sauce on top of everything! I topped it with some freshly grated cheddar cheese! Everyone gave the pretty dish a thumbs up! Ashlyn ate the mushrooms! :)
Another very easy supper right now is hot roast beef sandwiches! I heat up some beef broth with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. (Thanks to Susan Fisher for the recipe idea) Add sliced roast beef and heat till hot. Line up some sub rolls and fill with the hot beef. Top the sandwiches with provolone cheese and broil until the cheese melts. I put a small dish of the broth on the table for dipping our sandwiches in it! The sandwiches are gone in no time flat! I have always made seconds so far!!! It doesn't take long to make! It's only a few ingredients and it's great after Hadassah's basketball games!
We truly are blessed to have good food and nutrition!
...........................................
The roads are now wet and not icy! It's time to get on with the rest of my day! Be a blessing!
(I do have a confession to make! Last week I was annoyed when I saw a broken window in the garage door and my paper towel holder broke ... all from a bouncing basketball. It wasn't that it was broke, but that no one had said anything about it. Where is the responsibility here?
Well, yesterday I went grocery shopping and Ashlyn spilled her small cup of lemonade on the floor. I looked around for an employee to tell to get it cleaned up. I saw only customers. I moved a small rack that was right beside the spill just a bit closer to keep others from walking in it. Then I went on shopping for groceries. I thought a few times about telling someone but I thought they would see it and get to it.
When I came home, I was feeling bad. Why didn't I say something to the cashier or to the bakery people? It was only a small spill but I did not take responsibility! I had to share my story with our son this morning because I wanted to let him know that I mess up at times too. Learning to be responsible for our actions IS important! We must do better at this!!! Life is sometimes learning with our children!)
