Easter Saturday 2011

At least I am running consistently a week behind with all my Easter posts. :-)

Last Saturday, we held my family's annual Easter Saturday egg hunt and get together. The kids had an egg hunt followed by an adult egg hunt and then a delicious dinner. My mom told everyone to bring a "cold salad" to share AND a dish made in a crock pot (I am so proud!). Everything was so yummy and perfectly cooled or warmed when it was time to eat dinner.

My two youngest-youngest cousins, Erin and Devon.

Bryce wins the prize for the best Easter basket. :-)

Gramma helps all the sweet peas start their search.

Once Jake found out there were pretzels in his eggs, he decided to share with Grandpa.

Brooklyn and Nanny

I think this was the only shot I got with both my kids together.

Zoe and Brooklyn are never far apart.

This face just melts me every time.

My beautiful girl all grown up.

Jake asks Silas why he isn't out there collecting eggs.

She's an old pro now!

And Jake is a very quick learner.

These kids aren't spoiled at all, are they? And this was BEFORE the Easter Bunny paid a visit to our house.

An Annual Tradition: Easter Eggs

Jake had the fun of dying eggs at school last week (God bless them!).

So, on Good Friday we let Jake go play with Gramma and Pops while Brooklyn and Zoe dyed Easter eggs at home.

Jake's First Easter Egg Hunt!

Jake had his first Easter party at school last week. It is probably my favorite "school holiday" at this age because I love to see the wee ones run around collecting the eggs. You can't be late to this one because that hunt is over in about 2.8 seconds. :-)

Here are some pics from the day...

Hellloooooo candy!

Our precious "niece" Ansley

Way Back When-esday!

Remember this from a few days ago? Here are Jake, Nanny, and Gramma at a Friday night Girls Night.

But we've actually seen these grandmothers (and this loveseat) at a Girls Night once before!

[May 2008]

Happy Way Back When-esday, y'all!

Just leave me a mustard, darn it!

When you have "Coupons" in the title of your blog, it's naturally going to raise a few questions.
1. Do you use coupons?
2. Do you watch Extreme Couponing on TLC?

I have to say that (1) yes and (2) no. I am not sure why I haven't jumped on the EC bandwagon. I think that parts of me just get so mad by my "local" EC's that I just will refuse to watch a show about the "extremists."

Don't get me wrong. I love a good deal. I do clip coupons weekly and subscribe to my Harris Teeter eVic program. I'll even do a rebate now and again. The "Coupons" part of my blog title simply represents the "home" in me- the wife, mother, supporter, etc. [And the "Thin Mints" represents the "work life." But I try not to mix that into the blog too much. I'd like to KEEP my job. :-)]

But I don't use the online coupons. I don't "borrow" extra Sunday papers. I don't spend hours pouring through ads and flyers and websites comparing who has what on sale and when.

I have a job. And kids. And limited time. And no ink in my printer.

But again, I do love a good deal. And when Harris Teeter has their super doubles or triples, I would like to go and get my mustard for 0.03 cents. And maybe a "free" jar of sauce or box of macaroni.

But by the time I get there, these items are gone because some local EC has just stockpiled 87 jars of mustard for their bunker...ahem, I mean pantry. I mean, come on folks. Leave some for the rest of us. Take two. Keep one and donate the other to the local food pantry. Get three even, and give one to your momma who can't do her own grocery shopping.

Just leave one for me.

One of my favorite author's, Jen Lancaster, wrote this blog post yesterday. If you have not read any of her books (and you are somewhat in my demographic) you will probably find her hilarious! She's so brutally honest, and I love it! Here's what she had to say about "Extreme Couponing." [Because she actually watches the show.]

Oh, I almost forgot!

Remember when I asked you to click here and help me out?

Well, today, my second blog post "aired" on Charlotte Mom Favorites.

This was a pretty popular one I posted back in October.

You know, the one about the boobs.

So, please do me one eensie favor and click here.

And then you can go back and click here.

And then back here.

And maybe even leave a comment or two.

Or tell your friends.

Thanks so much!

Slow Cooker Sunday: Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Did you miss me? We had a crazy Sunday night that started with a baby hacking up a lung and ended with a kindergartner puking in my bathroom.

But don't worry. She didn't eat this chowder. :-)

And I realize that I probably shouldn't talk about ailments in my recipe posts but I am just too exhausted to edit.

But before the madness began Sunday, I did manage to get this yumminess rockin' in the crock pot.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
4 cups of chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced in discs
2 potatoes, diced
2 (16 ounce) bags of frozen corn
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 pound of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup cream

Directions:
1. Combine chicken broth, all vegetables, bay leaf, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 cup of water in the slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until all the vegetables are tender. Note: I found that, unfortunately, after 6 hours my vegetables were a bit al dente. I should have done 6 hours on high, but just trust your instincts and watch your pot.
3. Puree three cups of soup in a blender (or Magic Bullet) and return to slow cooker.
4. Stir in shrimp and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until shrimp are pink and done.
5. Stir in cream and cook until warmed through (about 2 minutes).
6. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

This was a great recipe that made a bunch of soup! Now, planning a soup dinner for an 85 degree day was not our smartest move, but Chad wanted corn and shrimp and this was what I came up with thanks to Google and myrecipes.com. :-)

Happy Easter!

This is the extent of our Easter decorating, but we hope you have a blessed Easter holiday today! Cuter pics to come later. :-)

Friday Night Fun!

Ok, so it wasn't THIS Friday night's fun, but it was on a Friday night...and even in April.

I have spoken before about our "Girls Nights" that we host at our house when the dads play poker. It is always a great time and the girls, who have all grown up together, have the best time playing and eating.

This "Girls Night" we had tacos and then cousin Jessica brought over cupcakes to decorate. A craft and a snack in one? Bingo!



But then let's not forget our precious boys at "Girls Night." Jake was the first boy born into the group, and I was a bit worried that he would be the lone ranger.

But then sweet Kyle was born 6 months later, and Jake had a buddy!

And then in January, Silas came along! The "big boys" are just waiting for him to wake and join in the fun!

"Girls Nights" also include my other favorite girls- Nanny and Gramma. Oh boy, I would not survive without them! And Jake and Brooklyn are kinda fond of them, too. :-)

Now, if we can just schedule that night where the dads watch the kids and the moms go out...

Take me out to the ball game....

...and buy me some McDonald's.

Chad had his first church softball game Tuesday night, so we took the kids out to watch and enjoy the beautiful weather. We got them McDonald's to eat as a picnic since we knew they wouldn't wait until 8pm to eat the slow cooker pork chops.

I spent a lot of time watching Jake run around like a fool and Brooklyn play with her BFF, Avery, under the bleachers. But, we did also try to cheer for the church guys as much as we could.

Jake has mastered the art of the "High 5."

One day, Jake. One day. But right now I just want to admire your precious curls.

Way Back When-esday: Easter Edition

I hope everyone has a blessed and beautiful Easter this weekend. I truly enjoyed taking this trip down Memory Lane for Way Back When-esday looking back at the last several Easters. 2005: 2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

Another bonus slow cooker meal...

You never know when I'll spring another slow cooker recipe out on you mid-week. :-) Since Chad and Brooklyn are on Spring Break this week, I seized the opportunity to have Chad start a meal for us in the crock pot. This time we tried...

Simply Delicious Pork Chops (their name, not mine...though they were delicious)

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork loin chops
3 golden delicious apples, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place pork in the slow cooker.
Cover with apple slices.
Mix the cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Sprinkle over apples.
Cook on low 8 hours.

Easter Egg Hunt

After a very stormy Saturday, our church held an Easter egg hunt for the kids on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful morning (however a bit windy for our little guys), but Zoe and Brooklyn had a blast out on the church field. Most of the eggs were empty except for a few that had special notes inside to redeem for a special prize, and all kids left with a goodie bag. I totally preferred that to getting a bunch of candy sent home with my kid. And Brooklyn actually chose a "Golden Egg" that allowed her to leave with some great gardening tools that she used right away planting flowers at Gramma's house that afternoon. Brooklyn and Zoe ready to start! Collecting the eggs... Checking out their loot.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chicken Provencal

There is supposed to be a little tail coming off the bottom of the "c" in Provencal, but y'all get the idea. Basically fancy chicken. :-) It was a yummy Sunday night dinner, and the fact that it is healthy is a great bonus. Chicken Provencal Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into quarters 2 medium red peppers, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices 1 medium yellow pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 can (28 ounces) of plum tomatoes, drained 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 3 strips of orange peel *It also called for 1/4 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds and 1/2 cup of fresh basil (chopped), but I don't like either so I left it out. Directions: Place all ingredients in crock pot and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high 3-4 hours. To serve, sprinkle with basil (if you happen to like basil).

Slow Cooker Sunday: Sweet Baby Ray Ribs

So, tonight was Rib Night in the Johnson house! Woo hoo! Can you tell I now weigh in on Saturday mornings? ha ha! These were the actual ribs:

This was a great recipe (1) because who doesn't love ribs and (2) the last rib recipe I did left them a bit "paler" than I would like and this one allows them to brown up beforehand giving it a more "rib-esque" appearance.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of spareribs

salt and pepper

1 onion, sliced

1 bottle of bbq sauce (we are a Sweet Baby Ray's family)

Directions:

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper.

Place ribs in broiler pan and broil for 15 minutes to brown and remove excess fat. (Best step ever!) Put sliced onions in the slow cooker.

Slice ribs into serving pieces and put in slow cooker.

Pour in barbeque sauce.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.

What to serve with them?

I heated up a bag of Steamfresh pasta and veggies. You get a starch and a veggie serving in one bag and it took only 4.5 minutes in the microwave.

Here's a random recipe for you...

Have you noticed this in the grocery store before? Those of you who coupon may because when it's extreme doubles or triples at Harris Teeter you can buy it for practically nothing. So, I figured for the 35 cents I paid for it, it was worth trying out a recipe included in the top lid. It was quite yummy and very easy. Each container comes with 3-4 recipes, and there are three different flavors of the Cooking Creme. I used the Savory Garlic and made the Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole. Ingredients: 1.5 pounds of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces 1 package (14 oz) of frozen broccoli florets thawed and drained 1.5 cups of shredded chedder cheese 1 tub of the Savory Garlic Cooking Creme 1/2 cup of milk (I used skim milk.) 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (I used "Reduced fat Goldens" from Harris Teeter.) 3 tablespoons of butter, melted (I used Smart Balance from the tub.) Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a 13x9 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cracker crumbs and butter. Stir chicken mixture; sprinkle with crumb mixture; Bake uncovered for 10 minutes until topping is golden brown. Nutrition notes: The standard serving is 1 cup and 400 calories. Because I used fat free milk, reduced fat crackers, and "fake butter," I am thinking it's a little less than that, but it was so good I had 1.5 servings so it all evens out. :-)

Weigh In Wednesday!

This week ended Season 2 of the Biggest Loser at work. [We also ended Season 1 of Iron Scout, but as I may have mentioned a few weeks ago, I was in no way going to win that but it was still fun to participate and it gave me motivation to work out. All in all, I did work out 41 days out of 84 days (the three winners all worked out all 84 days out of 84- unbelievable!). And 41 days in 12 weeks is probably more than I have worked out the last 7 years total...seriously.] But, anyway, back to the Biggest Loser. As you know, Season 1 proved quite successful for me in the weight loss journey. I lost all my Jake-weight and was veeeeery close to losing my Brooklyn weight at the end of the 18 weeks. This "season," I am proud to say that I placed 3rd place (out of 14 contestants) with a 6.79% weight loss. I lost an additional 11 pounds for a total of 37 pounds since August 1st. I am definitely below my pre-Brooklyn weight now, but I am aiming for the wedding weight (about 6 or so more pounds) and then my ultimate goal will be to lose 50 total pounds by August 1st. This loss will put me well into a healthy BMI range and weighing in at 138.00. So, just for re-caps and because I loved the response it elicited the first time around. I weighed 188.0 in August 2010. I weighed 162.0 in January 2011. And now I weigh 151.0. And I crave working out again. I make it a priority. I make it a necessity if I have eaten a bit too "freely" that day. And I make it fun (thank you Netflix on my smartphone!). Thank you again to all of you who have supported me throughout this journey thus far. Thank you for talking me down from the McDonald's cheeseburgers. Thank you for watching the kids so I can get on the elliptical. And thank you for all the sweet comments and compliments. They truly encourage me and keep me going. And so to continue this journey, we are buying a nice digital scale for home (the "floating needle" one we have is just too subjective), and Chad and I will be weighing in on Saturdays. I will post a sidebar weight loss ticker for both of us (Chad did give me his permission), and we will continue to work towards getting those summer bods we so wish for. :-)

Slow Cooker Sunday: Mac and Cheese

Tonight's slow cooker meal was a definite winner...despite mixed reviews from the website. I started getting a little nervous the more I read, but after sticking to the recipe, but shortening the cook time, we ended up with a great "non-chicken" dinner. I ate it with a green salad and was completely full after 1.5 servings. Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients: 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 4 cups shredded chedder cheese 12 oz can of evaporated milk 1 1/2 cups of milk 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground pepper Directions: Spray the inside of the cooker with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, beat eggs with evaporated milk and regular milk. Mix in un-cooked macaroni and 3 cups of shredded chedder cheese. Transfer to slow cooker and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of chedder cheese on top. Cook on low for4-5 hours. Do not stir or remove lid when cooking. *I forgot to add the salt and pepper to the ingredients so I just sprinkled a bit on before eating.

Animal Noises 2.0

Jake is getting more consistent with his animal sounds. He gets so into them (and I made him repeat some of my personal favorites- ha!). Enjoy!