My Little Life

With the holidays just around the corner (wait...did I just say that?! It's not even Halloween yet...but have you been to any local retailer? Kohl's? Macy's? WalMart? CHRISTMAS IS EVERYWHERE.) Gram and I thought it would be very apropos to bring this "Gram Original" recipe to you! "Thanksgiving in a Bite" are meatballs (we used the Swedish Meatballs recipe as a guide...and if you haven't made those yet, you are SERIOUSLY missing out!) that incorporate all of the flavors of Thanksgiving...in one little bite! Seriously, so good. Okay, so start with your ground turkey and ground pork...(raw meat just looks so appetizing, no? Or not. Grody.) Add onion and egg: And process a bunch of celery: Make the stuffing into crumbs, and add it in: Now, get that "Gram handful" out and ready!  Salt! Pepper! Sage! (Or maybe...Poultry Seasoning! Or Thyme! I can't tell the difference! Why am I using exclamation poin...

Today was an emotional roller coaster. Our sweet, lovable pup, Nikki, passed away this morning...while we're not sure exactly what it was, she was being treated for an ear infection, and had had a couple of seizures with it. We woke to her seizing, and can't be certain how long it had been going on. When she came out of the seizure, her breathing was labored...the kind of labored breathing that made my nurse's brain know that it wasn't good. BUT...she had had odd behaviors in the past (which we now think were probably post seizure behaviors) and had come out of it just fine. However, when the Mr. went to check on her at lunch time, she was gone. And then I had to break my Belle's sweet, soft heart when she came to my office after school. There were tears. Many. And sorrowful squeaks and sobs...my heart broke for her, even while I tried to explain that Nikki wasn't suffering any more.  Oh, yeah...and Belle lost a chick this morning. It was a super tou...

A couple of weeks ago, I received a fun little email informing me of something...well...fun! It was the day after I accepted the "new gig" and I was kind of already flying high on excitement (and fear!) and when I opened the email from "Morgan" that read, "Ree Drummond would like to send you an advance copy of her 'A Year of Holidays Cookbook'"...well, I got a little giddy, it was like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae! Only I don't like cherries on sundaes. But, you get the idea, right? :) So, last Saturday, when one of my kiddos came running in from outside with a package that looked suspiciously like a book, I tore it open and sure enough...this was inside: Squeeeeee!!! I quickly thumbed through it, and guys? I love Ree's style of cookbook writing. (No, I haven't been paid, or encouraged, or even asked to say anything at all about the cookbook...just doing so 'cuz I like what I see!) She intersperses her rec...

Well, here I sit, with my family scattered about the house, basking in the goodness that is life,  and recuperating from yesterday... Last night I was the "hostess" for a smashing party for my sweet Tara and her soon-to-groom. I'll level with you guys, I'm not much of a planner...cake? Oh, yeah, cake. Nametags? Whodathunk it? Games? Gah. But, thankfully for me, Tara has amazing people. And, with the new job starting and some photo sessions planned prior to the new gig and a rescheduled birthday party (want some fun? Take five 12 year old girls to a haunted hayride/house...hilarity!!)...and on Wednesday I was panicking...I hadn't been able to give the party the attention I'd wanted to and holy moly I was about to sink. Tara's friend Reggie saved the day (and my life) when she helped with the games and basically just agreed to stand by my side. Then, she also stepped up and manned the door and directed people on where to go/what to do. She was SUCH a b...

As I sit here, Sunday night, writing this post, my eyes are misty with goodbye tears. I worked one of my final "regular" shifts at the hospital tonight and wow, it was tougher than I thought it would be, saying goodbye to those amazing ladies. My "work mom" started my tears off, by asking me to come out of my patient's room so that she could give me a hug...when I walked out, there she stood, eyes welling with tears, and before I knew it, my own tears were falling as we hugged and laughed and cried. This lady literally taught me everything I know...she trained me in as a postpartum nurse, then as a labor nurse a year later, and then as a lactation consultant a couple of years after that. And when I hugged her goodbye, I realized just how much of my life I've shared with my L&D family over the last 14 years. They were there when I became a "Mrs.". They helped welcome 80% of my children. Basically, they were by my side as I became a wom...

So, I'm about to do something. Something that will likely cause the weather to abruptly make a turn for the worse. I'm about to change out my summer clothes for winter clothes. Now, this exchange usually bears more weight in the Spring, when the last thing we want is to be jinxed with more snow, but I'm pretty sure the summer clothes exchanges bodes just as poorly for us. Our fall has (so far) been absolutely glorious. Beautiful.  Breathtaking. (In fact, our world is MORE green now, than it was in August!) Sometimes hedging on "hot", even. But, I fear with this swapping of clothes, that I'm about to ruin the weather... And so, I am apologizing to everyone. Please forgive me for causing the dreadful weather that is likely to come within the next several days. Respectfully yours,

Sitting here, going through oodles of paperwork for my new career...still feeling simultaneously excited and scared silly about the new job! Excited about the new challenge and working with a great team...scared, 'cuz well, you know, IT'S NEW. Talked with my big boy who just got home from work...he's been a hunting fool lately, deer, duck, goose, you name it, he's after it. Had our second night of religion tonight and man, after teaching the same curriculum for two years, then switching? Well, shoot...it's tough! The new books are so different from our old ones, that just figuring out what was what confused the heck out of us. Oooooh, guess what? I went shopping today and bought three, THREE, pairs of shoes!! It was like Christmas morning for me! But...the new shoes are for work, I've been wearing pajamas (scrubs) to work for the last 14 years, so this whole "getting dressed for work" thing is foreign to me! And now, I bid you adieu...this Mama...

So, I've been keeping a little secret.  Annnnnd, at this point 97% of you are assuming I'm about to change my blog name to "Six Crooked Halos", aren'tcha? Well, no, I'm not. There is no bun in the oven...but, there is  something else  that's been cooking. In one week from today, I will be starting a new job!!  Yup, in one week, I will be starting a new position as District Nurse for the school district that my kiddos are in! I am amazed at how this whole thing worked out, and without going into ALL the details, let's just say it all played out in a way that could only serve to prove that THIS was the right decision to make and that God had His hand in it! Y'all know how much I love babies, so I have decided to stay at the hospital in a "casual" position, so that I can still sniff baby heads and yell, "PUSH" from time to time. ;) I am thrilled to be gaining the opportunity to work with some pretty amazing people...stu...

This recipe is a recreation of a delectable dish my gram would order at a quaint little restaurant in Venice, Fl, back when they were snow birds down there!  I believe she said the restaurant was "Le Petite Jardin"...doesn't it sound delightful?! Just that name makes me want to go there and lunch! Okay, first up, make yourself some crepes (I'll put the link below to our previous crepe recipe we posted): Then, make some "asparagus puree"...um...yum? (Trust me, it will be...) Cook some asparagus until just  that side of al dente. Which side? Well, whichever side it is that you prefer your asparagus cooked to...I like it just beyond  al dente. However, forget to take a photo of this, cuz that how we roll... Whip up a bechamel sauce...butter, Flour, Milk, Salt and some nutmeg! Now, mix some of that bechamel sauce with your asparagus puree: And line up your wrap ingredients...ham, asparagus, crepe...