10 on 10 December

It's time for another 10 on 10!

Making lunch for school...

Doing hair...

Making "the good hot chocolate" for Mom2Mom...

I'm not going to lie, I skipped an hour when the speaker was speaking, because I would have felt a little weird taking her picture :)

Table decorations and my friend Kathy's arm during our discussion time :) ...

Unpacking my stuff from Mom2Mom and finding one of the ornaments Maggie and Gracie got...

Cutie-palooza aftermath...

Hacking up a ham to fit in the slow cooker for our First Annual Thanksmas...

Maggie was so happy to be up from her rest...

Leah was going through her drawer-of-"special"-things...

Homework time...

I was with Gracie all day, but for whatever reason, she didn't end up in any pictures.  Hm.

It was a good day!  Picture taking ended before our Thanksmas meal...more about that on Friday!

Previous Posts:
Chocolate Chip Bars and The Sound of Music
Maggie's Birthday Week
The Doctor Prescribed Crocs
Maggie Turns 5

I'm linking up here:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and The Sound of Music Thoughts

I like chocolate chip cookies as much as the next person...which is a lot, I'm guessing!

But, then there's the whole actually making the cookies.

I feel like I'm babysitting.  Bake it for 9-11 minutes.  Check.  Maybe bake some more.  Load up the cookie sheet again.  

Sheesh.

Obviously, it's not that big of a deal, but if I can simplify the process, all the better!

I thought about pressing my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough into a 9x13 inch pan and calling it good.

I figured that I should at least check around a little bit online to see if I could find a real recipe.

The first place I checked had just what I was looking for!

Mel's recipe and my favorite recipe are both adaptations from Cook's Illustrated.

You only need basic ingredients.

Cute drumming Gracie optional :)

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (that's 1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups (which is 1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl (or bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer), cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.  Mix well.  

Stir in the flour mixture until just barely combined.  Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Press into a 9x13 inch pan that you've sprayed with nonstick spray.  

Bake at 325 degrees for 24-28 minutes or until the top is lightly browned, slightly firm to the touch, and the edges start to pull away from the sides.

Learn from me and let it cool before you slice it :)

So what do these awesome chocolate chip cookie bars have to do with The Sound of Music?

Um, nothing really, except that I made these the day that The Sound of Music was on TV.

I was nerd-tastic-ly excited about The Sound of Music!

I lined the girls up on the couch with hot chocolate and popcorn

and we watched together (with our friend, Karina, and then Aaron, Andy, and Steph joined us at the end).

We all enjoyed it!

I almost think it's unfair to compare it to the original movie.  

Almost apples and oranges, really!

I mean, there's just no way that a stage production can compare to the movie which is actually filmed in Salzburg and Upper Austria.  

Carrie Underwood had a rough start with the acting in the beginning (and kind of throughout), but I think she did well vocally.

It's really hard to take on a role as iconic as Maria in The Sound of Music.  When she would sing, I'd find myself thinking, "She didn't sound like Julie Andrews."

Duh.  Obviously she didn't sound like Julie Andrews because she's Carrie Underwood, and I bet she would have been criticized for trying to imitate Julie Andrews if she sounded like her.

There was the slight buzzing when everyone spoke and what seemed like a missed line towards the end.

All of that being said, I really enjoyed it!  

I loved introducing the girls to an awesome musical!  I liked that the end was less scary than the movie, so when we get a DVD of the show they can watch the end without being freaked out.

The girls have never seen the movie, so they had nothing to compare it to.

And they loved it!

They loved seeing the kids and figuring out which kid was their age.  

They loved the singing and the dancing.

They also loved hot chocolate, popcorn, and getting to stay up until a little after 8:30.

I did have to attempt explaining Hitler and Nazis to Leah.

That was...interesting?

If you watched it, what did you think?

Oh, and you should make the chocolate chip cookie bars :)

Maggie's Birthday Week!

It was a good week to be Maggie; she got to celebrate her birthday 3 times!

Her actual birthday was last Monday which is actually a school day for her.  It was another friend's birthday on Sunday, so he celebrated on Monday and Maggie got to celebrate on Thursday!

Anyway, Maggie got to open up her presents before school!

The great irony in the life of my daughters is that they are terrified of real dogs, but they love stuffed puppies!

She got a super cute outfit

and loved playing with some new Lalaloopsy girls.

I ran out and got doughnuts for breakfast...with sprinkles, of course!

On a side note, nothing says Happy Birthday to your sister quite like wearing a box and becoming Robot Head!

I got cupcakes at the store for Maggie's actual birthday!

They gave me some Lalaloopsy ring toppers instead of the candy can ones which was quite nice.  They would have replaced all of the candy canes, but I figured we didn't need a million (ok, 12) Lalaloopsy rings to keep track of.  They also picked out the same Lalaloopsy ring so we didn't have drama over who got which girl on their ring.

Walmart bakery customer service for the win!

Then, on Thursday, Aaron, Gracie, and I joined Maggie at school for lunch!

Her teacher does such a good job making the kids feel special on their birthday!  

On Saturday, the grandparents came which was a celebration in and of itself!

Maggie got lots of fun gifts!

Among other things, she got kitty bank from Auntie Mindy,

an adorable Minnie Mouse sweatshirt from Grandma Linda and Grandpa Chuck,

and a plush Lalaloopsy pet from Nana and Papa!

Leah happily read Maggie her cards

and was in on much of the gift opening.

We had a really yummy supper of pork tenderloin, rice, green beans, and apple nachos.

Maggie wanted a Lalaloopsy cake and even picked some girls and pets to put on it!

We had a great time celebrating an even greater girl <3

December Menu

Once again, the monthly menu is better late than never.  

I thought about not doing a monthly menu, but then I remembered how stressed out I get without a plan.  December is not the time to invite more stress into my life.

Here it is!

Sunday, December 1  Sandwiches  SCS
Monday, December 2  Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Tuesday, December 3  Turkey Tetrazzini and Spring Rolls
Wednesday, December 4  Copycat Panera Frontega Chicken Panini
Thursday, December 5  Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
Friday, December 6  Pizza 
Saturday, December 7  Leftovers  Pork Tenderloin with Apple Salsa 

Sunday, December 8  Sandwiches  SCS
Monday, December 9  Restaurant Style Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tuesday, December 10  Thanksmas!  Find some sort of ham recipe :)
Wednesday, December 11  Breakfast Quesadillas
Thursday, December 12  Beef Stir Fry
Friday, December 13  Pizza 
Saturday, December 14  Baked French Toast Sticks  Ham Sandwiches (use leftover ham)

Sunday, December 15  Sandwiches  SCS
Monday, December 16  Potato Cheese Soup (my mom's recipe)
Tuesday, December 17  Hamburger Steak with Onion and Mushroom Gravy
Wednesday, December 18  Garlic Lime Chipotle Roasted Chicken
Thursday, December 19  Egg Sandwiches
Friday, December 20  Pizza
Saturday, December 21  Carnitas (from freezer)  Lazy Girl's Ravioli Lasagna

Sunday, December 22  Sandwiches  SCS
Monday, December 23  Chicken Chipotle Chowder (use chicken from Dec. 18)
Tuesday, December 24  Out of Town
Wednesday, December 25  Out of Town
Thursday, December 26  Not Sure
Friday, December 27  Wedding (girls with babysitter)
Saturday, December 28  Sloppy Joes  Lime Chicken with Coconut Rice 

Sunday, December 29  Sandwiches  SCS
Monday, December 30  Black Bean Soup
Tuesday, December 31  My birthday, so I'm not sure...

We will be going to Aaron's parents' house at some point, too, I'm just not sure when yet, so the menu will get switched up a bunch.  I'm glad to have something to switch around, though, so I feel less like a crazy person :)

In case you're curious, here are previous menus!

November Menu
October Menu
September Menu
August Menu
July Menu
June Menu
May Menu
April Menu
March Menu

Pretend Panera

Mmmmmm, Panera!

We don't have a Panera where we live, so you can bet I'm super excited when I find a copycat recipe.

Here's the thing about this recipe, though.  I've never actually had the Frontega Chicken Panini, so I can't personally attest to the copycat-ness of this recipe.

But, I did know 2 things:

• The recipe is from Iowa Girl Eats, one of my favorite food blogs.  I've liked everything I've ever made from her blog.  I knew this would be a winner!
• This is my kind of recipe.  I like making fun things with simple ingredients that have a special element...in this case, the chipotle mayo.

I wanted to make this right away, before it got lost in the recesses of my entree board on pinterest!

I made the chipotle mayo in the afternoon so that I could let the flavors meld and become awesomer.

Now, because I am kind of like a tiny little baby when it comes to spicy things, I changed the ratios on the mayo.  The recipe said to do 1/4 cup mayo with 1 chipotle in adobo and 1-2 teaspoons of the sauce.  

I used 6 tablespoons of mayo and added 1 teaspoon of the sauce and 1 chipotle in adobo, but I rinsed the seeds ribs out of the pepper which is where most of the spice is.  Just dump the ingredients in a mini food processor or finely chop the pepper and stir it together.  

After that was taken care of, I made the chicken.  I just put some olive oil in a skillet and cooked the chicken breasts which I had sprinkled with salt and pepper ahead of time.

The next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I'll have some sort of chicken earlier in the week and just make more so I'll have the chicken ready for this.

Now you're ready to put this together whenever you want!

I used ciabatta rolls from the deli for this, but you can also use focaccia bread...or any bread that's kind of sturdy. 

In addition to the bread, chicken and chipotle mayo, you'll need sliced tomato, sliced fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, and thinly sliced fresh basil.  As I look at these ingredients, I bet this would be an especially great summer sandwich with the fresh tomatoes and herbs and grilled chicken.  Yum!

Anyway, spread mayo on both pieces of bread.  Then add chicken topped with tomato, then onion, then cheese and lastly basil.  

Put the top on and then press in a preheated panini press or George Foreman grill or something similar.  Cook until cheese is melted and the bread is crispy.  

I really liked the customize-able-ness of this sandwich!  I made mine just like the picture above!  I made Aaron's without the veggies and herbs.  I gave the girls chicken for supper.  I made one meal, but I was able to give everyone what they like and would happily eat. 

And, believe me, friends, that is much easier said than done!

I'm linking up with Jessica!

The Doctor Prescribed Crocs...

In case you were wondering, it's a bad idea to wear flip flops for 8 months a year for 5 years.

It's also a bad idea to change your stride all willy nilly when you're running.

I did both of those things.

I wore flip flops for as long as possible when I worked at camp.  Heck, I even got married wearing flip flops.

And, oh, did the flip flops ever betray me.

Additionally, a few summers ago, I decided to start running. 

I'm totally a non-runner, so I did the From Couch to 5K program.  Yes, in the beginning I ran  jogged around our backyard.

You know how there's apparently such a thing as "runner's high?"

I didn't have that.  Ever.

I have friends who say things like, "I feel so alive when I run!  It clears my head and I can think and pray.  Praise the Lord for running!"

I'm like this, "When I run I pretty much want to die.  Or throw up.  And the only thought going through my head is wondering when I can finally stop.  I'm pretty sure God wants me sitting back on that couch."

Anyway, during my last run of the From Couch to 5K program, I decided to lengthen my stride.  It was an Olympic year, so I saw that the Olympic runners had really long strides.  I figured if the Olympic people had long strides, I could have long strides, too.

Note: I am not an Olympian.

Note 2: Lengthening your stride is a big, huge deal.

So, between all the flip flopping and running, I pretty much destroyed my feet.  I have plantar fasciitis and some small heel spurs.

I realize that doesn't actually count as "destroying," but they hurt a lot.

I went to the podiatrist again, and he was SO nice.  

Literally, I almost started crying when he told me that he understands that I'm so busy taking care of everyone else that I forget that it's important to take care of myself.

But, he also told me that I needed to get new tennis shoes.  Mine were a year and a half old. Did you know that you're supposed to get new running shoes every 6 months even if it doesn't look like they're worn out?  Now we all know.

Believe me when I tell you that the last thing in the world I want to spend money on this time of year (or any time, actually) is expensive running shoes for myself.

I can only wear certain types of running shoes due to the insoles I have to wear.  Ugh.

Not only did the doctor tell me that I needed new running shoes, he literally prescribed Crocs.

See...

Here's the thing: I'm not an incredibly fashionable person.  When you pretty much have to wear running shoes at all times, it can cut down on the styles of clothing that are available to you. This is, by no means, a huge deal.  It's just one of those things.

Although I'm not very fashionable, even I know that Crocs aren't that stylish.  Crocs have come out with some cute shoes, but the cute ones don't have the arch support that I need.  I have to wear the crocs whenever I'm not wearing running shoes.

Aaron and I dragged the girls all over looking for Crocs and couldn't find any, so I ended up ordering 2 pair from amazon.com. 

These...

and these.

I kept the first pair and will be sending the second pair back (for free...thanks amazon!).

I'm not going to lie, I didn't have the world's best attitude about the shoe situation.  I really didn't want to spend money on new running shoes.  I really, really didn't want to spend money on Crocs.  I'm also sooooooo tired of my feet hurting.  The whole thing is just really annoying.

Then, I noticed something that helped me find something for which to be thankful.

Look at all of those other supplies I DON'T need!  Gel digital toe pads?  Gel tubes for toes?  I don't even want to know what buttress/metatarsal pads are.  Bunion splints (I may have just gagged thinking about that) and corn pads?  CORN PADS?!?!?!?!?!

Instead of feeling sorry for myself because I have to wear Crocs and spend money on shoes I'd rather not buy, I'm going to be legitimately thankful that I don't need crest pads or horseshoe pads.

I'm also happy that I get to go to physical therapy....also known as spa time.

Now, to be fair, I've never been to an actual spa, but when I go to physical therapy, he uses this ultrasound thing so apply some hydrocortizone cream to the arches of my feet and it's like the world's best foot rub.

Then, he puts tape all over my feet to help support my arches.

They call that the "moccasin."

In addition to the moccasins, spa treatments, and new shoes, the physical therapist gave me some stretches to do.

I'm optimistic that I will someday be done with plantar fasciitis!

But, in the meantime, I'll be thankful I don't need foam toe separators :)

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1st Thessalonians 5:18

Maggie Turns 5

My girl is 5 today!

I just cannot believe it!  I looked through a bunch of pictures from her first year today, and I'll be sharing some of my favorites throughout her birthday letter!

Try not to tear up when you see how adorable, tiny, and chubby she was!

Dear Maggie,

Oh, Mags, you are growing up so fast!

You have been such a sweetheart from the very beginning!

You were such a chilled out baby,

and absolutely a gift to us.

We didn't know what your middle name was going to be until I was literally giving birth to you!

And even though the following picture of your enormous cheeks doesn't capture it,

Joy is the perfect middle name for you!

You bring joy with you wherever you go!

You have been well loved by your daddy and me from the very beginning, and certainly by Leah, too!

I've always thought that, for a baby, having an older sibling must be like living with a cartoon character.  I thought that you would be so relaxed, happy to just sit back and watch what was going on around you.

Let's just say that I was wrong about that!  

You are seriously so, SO funny!  Whether it's saying "apple goose" instead of "apple juice" or making funny faces or saying silly things on purpose, you sure keep us laughing.

You certainly don't sit back and watch!  You join in on all the fun!

And, even though you are funny, you are emotional, too.  You can be kind of sensitive and sometimes cry easily.

But, Daddy and I have seen that your sensitivity has extended to being sensitive towards the things of Jesus.  You pray for people and are happy to talk about Jesus!

Maggie on her 1st birthday!

We've loved seeing you do so well at school!  You are a good friend to your classmates and are so eager to help your teacher!

You are cheerful and happy, and I love to watch people observe you and see what joy you bring to them...just by being yourself.

I know that God has designed you so perfectly!  

I can't wait to see how God continues to grow your sensitive heart to be more and more in tune to Him.

I can't wait to see you grow in your sensitivity to those around you, because you are already concerned about the people in your life.

Maggie on her 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th birthdays!

I love that you could cuddle all day long.

I love that you want to play games with me.

I love that you include your sisters in your play.

I love that you somehow know when you need a little time to yourself.

I love that you like being the middle daughter, because that means you are right in the middle of my heart...and that being the middle one is like you are in a hug all the time!

I love that draw pictures for us.

I love that you can spell your name and all of our names, too!

I love reading to you before your nap.  It is always one of my favorite parts of the day!

I love that you have your own little set of quirks that somehow makes you even more endearing to us...as if that was even possible!

I love that you show me everything in your backpack after school before I even buckle your seat belt!

I love that I get to be by your side as you draw closer to Jesus and see how God will use you to point people to Him.

Maggie's last picture as a 4 year old!

Thank you for being my sweet, little heart.  There's always been something about you that makes me want to fight like crazy to protect you and keep you from being hurt.

But, at the same time, I love watching God make you brave and confident.

I think there will always be some sort of conflict in my heart...knowing that I need to trust God with you and wanting to hold you so tightly at the same time.  It's a good thing that God is in control and not me!

I love you so much, Maggie Joy, and I'm beyond grateful that God made me your mommy!

Love, 

Mommy

one of my very favorite pictures of Maggie.  So, so sweet!