Just like my mom...

I picked Adele up from my mom's a few nights ago and they said come into the living room and see this big frog we caught!  And he is smart too, is what I was told!  I think he was finishing up his arithmetic when I got there.  They wanted to know if I wanted to hold him (well, of course wouldn't everyone). I declined.  

I have shared in past posts that Adele loves all kinds of creepy crawly things and so does my mom.  Whenever Adele goes over there they have all these plans about what they are going to try to catch that day.  It is hilarious and charming all at the same time.  I love that they share that. They love to sew together, bake cookies, work in the garden, chat while Adele potties (did I just write that), do lots of crafts and much more.  They really love and enjoy each other.  

I am glad that Adele and my mom have each other.  They really are "two peas in a pod" (or two frogs on a lilly pad).  I think this post started out about a frog...

Carrot Cake

This is a recipe that I make ALL the time.  I found it in a Farm Bureau magazine about 5 years ago (I always read the last page because that's where the recipes and jokes are).  This carrot cake is actually called "True's Famous Carrot Cake".  I don't have any idea who "True" is or even if "True" is a true person (ha ha).  But, never the less this is the best carrot cake I have ever had.  I love to make this in the fall, it fills the house with that cinnamon scent.  Delicious! 

Ingredients

3 C. flour (all purpose)

2 1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 C. fresh grated carrots (YES fresh grated - it is worth it)

1 1/2 C veg. oil

4 eggs

Icing

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 box 10x powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into three greased 9" round baking pans.  Bake for 30 -35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Yields 10 - 12 servings.  

Optional : 1 cup crushed pecans or walnuts in icing and/or 3/4 cup raisins in batter.

NOTE - These are some changes I make when baking this!

I always mix the dry ingredients first, next add the wet ingredients and then add the grated carrots. I don't make it as a three layer cake, I ALWAYS make it as a sheet cake (9 x 13).  I think this keeps the cake more moist.  I bake it at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).  I also put a piece of tin foil or something over the cake as it cools to help keep the moisture in.   I do use walnuts but I sprinkle them on top of the icing instead of mixing them in.  I have never added the raisins but I am sure that would be good.  

If you like carrot cake you should really try this recipe.  It is very easy and very delicious.

1st day of 1st grade!

The 1st day of 1st grade has finally arrived! Yesterday we went for a "drop in" day.  A drop in day is where you stay for a few minutes to get to know your classmates and teacher.  We stayed for 1 hour and 30 minutes because Adele didn't want to leave.  After the last kid had come and gone I told her that we had to go.  It was cute.  

The Lord has truly blessed us this school year. Back in February we signed Adele up at FCS (Faith Christian School) and shortly after that we started praying for her "new" teacher. Well, about 3 weeks ago I found out that her kindergarten teacher from Englewood Baptist had moved to FCS and was going to be one of the 1st grade teachers.  On Friday we found out that Adele is in her class. Praise God.  I was concerned about how well Adele would transition to a new school.  She sometimes struggles with anxiety.  But, the Lord had already made provisions for her at her new school by giving her Mrs. Creech.  He is so good to us!

This morning while we were getting ready Adele asked could we go ahead and leave so we could get to school early.  We did and like a BIG girl she walked in by herself (and like a scared mama I parked my car and then went in to make sure she had found her class).  She had and was already in her seat doing her work.  I must say that I was very, very proud of her today. But, mostly I am thankful to the Lord who gave Adele comfort and joy (that is the fruit of the spirit that we are talking about this week... how appropriate) on her first day at a new school. PRAISE THE LORD OH MY SOUL!

Here are some pictures of her I took today.  She picked out this shirt to wear on the first day of school because it had a butterfly on it.  Also, she insisted on taking some "silly pose" pictures so I included those too.  Enjoy the pictures and did I say yet how proud I am of her?  

Vacationing with the Powells

For 3 years now we have taken a vacation with our friends the Powells.  That would be Brandon, Tess, Aidan and Carly for those of you that don't know.  We really treasure this time together.  This year and last we stayed at Sea Spray near Fort Macon.  We got there on Thursday morning and stayed until Sunday.  We had lots of FUN!  Of course, we practically lived on the beach (sorry Jason) but we did some other things too like visited Fort Macon, stayed up late playing games and talking (the adults), played twister, did family (and friends) worship each night and lots more.  God has truly blessed us in our friendship with each other. We had a blast.  I look forward to next year already!  Enjoy the pictures and the video.

Carly and Adele learned how to do "flips" into the pool this year.  Carly was a quick learner and got it right from the start but it took Adele a few (OK several) tries but she finally got it!

A few pictures from our trip!

Monday night for supper...

Monday night for supper we had my all time favorite dish.  It is called "Stir-Fry Sunday Supper" and I got it out of the Ladies Home Journal.  They held a Heart-to-Heart Recipe Contest and this recipe won.  It was submitted by Barbara C. Bernard of Holyoke, Mass.  She said she got the recipe from her mother but as she and her husband became more health conscious she changed it around a bit.  So thanks Barbara because I love it!  I cook this almost every week.  

Stir-Fry Sunday Supper

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls. reduced-sodium soy sauce (I don't use reduced)

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 cup fresh orange juice

4 tsp. peanut oil

1 lb. shiitake or portabello mushrooms, stems discarded, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot

2 celery stalks, sliced (I omit the celery)

4 cups cooked brown rice

sliced scallion, for garnish (I omit the scallion)

Pound the chicken slightly to thin and cut crosswise into thin strips (about 1/4 inch thick). Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and the ginger in a large bowl, for marinade.  Add chicken, turning to coat, cover and chill  for 45 minute, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together juice and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl until dissolved.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over high heat, until hot but not smoking.  Remove chicken from marinade and add to skillet, saute' turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, the mushrooms, carrot and celery to the skillet, saute' over moderately high hear until tender, about 5 minutes.  Return chicken to skillet, add juice-cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil.  Stir until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish with scallion (or not).  

It says this serves 8... but not in my house!

The magazine also included the nutritional info.  So if you are interested...  Per serving:  300 calories, 4.5 g. total fat, 1 g. sat. fat, 245 mg. sodium, 33 g. carbs, 37 mg calcium, 66 mg chol, 31 g protein, 3 g fiber.  

Swimming lessons

This was Adele's 3rd year of swimming lessons. NO, the picture on the right is not from this year. That is from 3 years ago when she took swim lessons for the 1st time. That summer during swim lessons she spent most of her time crying (as displayed in the picture). It was quite the experience. I just thought I would share the picture to show just how far she has come.

Thankfully, the past 2 years she has done great and I have been extremely proud of her. My goal (for a 6 year old) was for her to be able to get to the side of the pool by herself should she accidentally fall in. Hopefully, she is comfortable enough in the water now to do that.

This year she learned more about arm movements and how to come up for breaths while swimming (impressive right). Quite a long way from the picture above! Aidan and Carly were in her swim class this year, which was very exciting to her. She enjoyed sharing it with them. On some days after class they would get to go down the slide as a reward and on the last day they "jumped" off of the diving board. Yeah! That was Adele's favorite part. Here are some pictures of the lessons and also a video that I took with my digital camera (that's right a video, I've gone high tech now!).

This video is really cute of Adele, Aidan and Carly jumping off of the diving board on the last day of swim lessons. They were so proud of themselves and so were we!