Ellie's Belly

Ellie has the cutest little Buddha belly, which she has recently discovered. Her new favorite game is to play peek-a-boo with her own tummy. She says, "Where's belly?" Then she lifts up her shirt as far as it will go and pats her belly saying, "belly, belly, belly."

Today while playing this little game, she discovered that she also has a belly button. She can feel it with her fingers, but she can't see it. But that doesn't stop her from trying. It's hilarious watching her twist and turn and bend in the effort to find that elusive belly button.

Hmm...I wonder if that's what I look like when trying to find my feet while 9 months pregnant. Although, I'm sure I'm not as cute as Ellie.

Chicken over Curly Noodles

This is what I made for Kasey and myself for lunch today.

(picture taken from this website)

It's so easy and takes less than 30 minutes. Plus, I didn't have to make a special trip to the grocery store because the recipe uses ingredients that I already had in my kitchen. How handy is that?

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 packages chicken ramen noodles
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil


In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce and garlic; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs and contents of two noodle seasoning packets. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.


In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.


Remove chicken and keep warm. Add peanut butter mixture to skillet; cook and stir until heated though. Drain noodles. Add noodles to skillet; toss to coat. Serve with chicken.


Those are the directions for the original recipe. These are the changes I will make next time we have this:

• reduce the amount of peanut butter by about 1 tablespoon
• add a pinch of sugar to the sauce
• pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thickness for more even cooking
• add something to the noodles such as peanuts, green onions, water chestnuts, or broccoli

If anyone tries this, let me know what you think.

Three Years Going On Sixteen

Today I was tying up a few loose ends before the girls and I could go over to a friend's house. Makayla came into the kitchen wearing a sun dress from last summer. And while I don't mind her wearing it around the house, I don't want her to wear it outside (it's not that warm yet) or at a friend's house while she is playing.

I said, "Makayla, you need to put some pants on before we go to your friend's house."

"But I can just wear this dress."

"No you can't. Go change your clothes."

"Nooooo!! I want to wear this dress."

"Go change your clothes right now! You are not going anywhere in that outfit!"

After I said that I stopped abruptly and thought to myself, Wow! Now that's a conversation I didn't expect to have for a few more years.

Dinner Time at Our House

Ellie loves chili....

but only if she gets to eat it with her hands!

Birthday Card

Makayla and Ellie's cousin is turning 4 this week. He absolutely loves anything John Deere. While I was at the scrapbook store yesterday, I found these awesome tractor brads. They were my inspiration for this card that I made for him.

Another Personality Test

I got an email with a link for a visual personality test. I was a little skeptical at first, but I did it anyway. It was nice having a new twist on the same old personality test. I think it was fairly accurate of my personality and outlook on life. Why not try it yourself?

Chicken Pasta Salad--Oh Baby!!

Do you have a recipe that you love so much you can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3 days straight without getting tired of it? I do. And this is it.

Chicken Pasta Salad

I got this recipe from my sister about 4 or 5 years ago, and I love it!! I made it last night so Kasey could take some to work this morning. I had it for breakfast this morning. I plan on having it for lunch. And it's very likely that I will forego our chili dinner tonight in favor of chicken pasta salad.

Here's the recipe:

6 oz cooked Radiator pasta

6 oz cooked Bowtie pasta

6 oz cooked Rotilla pasta

4 chicken breasts cooked and diced (I only used 3 and it was enough for me)
2-3 stalks of celery, diced

2-3 cups of grapes, halved (I always use 3 cups--my family loves grapes)

2-3 green onions (I left those out of this particular batch)

1 cup mayo

1-16 oz bottle Coleslaw dressing

Mix everything together and refrigerate for several hours. It's definitely better the second day.

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This makes a HUGE salad. So I'd recommend making it for a potluck the first time. That way if you don't like it, there are 50 other people to help you eat it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to sneak a forkful right now. Yum-O!!