Yummy for my Tummy - Lime-y Black Bean Soup

Maybe the correct way of spelling lime-y would be limy...
but it looks funny so we won't do that.

Anyway... this is such a simple, quick, healthy, cheap meal
that it's a staple here at our house. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Newmans Own Tequila Lime Salsa

2 cans drained, rinsed, organic black beans

  (please, use organic so your ingredient list isn't a mile long. 

beans should be beans, don't ya think?)

2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth 

(10 points to anyone who can tell me the difference between stock and broth.)

½ lime

chopped parsley

sour cream

Heat the salsa for a few minutes, stirring often. 

Add beans and stock. Or broth. 

Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer, covered,  for about 15 minutes.

Let the soup cool down for a little bit then ladle about half of it into a magic bullet. Just because you don't have a food processor just yet. Or a blender.

 Puree and return to the rest of the soup.

Squeeze the lime into the soup. Now we like it pretty lime-y. Or limy. Add as much or as little as you like here. 

Add parsley, save some for garnish.

Serve warm with a do do a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled parsley. 

Did you sing that last line too?

Enjoy!

It's Personal - Soaring, Flying

If you want to read about my flying baby then just click on the word below. Why did I pick that word? Click, read, then understand...

FAIRY

Something to do - First Year Calendar

 When E was little I made a calendar of her first year and sent it as a Christmas present to all the grandparents. I started in April and had time to work during her naps all through the year. This time around I had the same plans, but with a non napping three year old (now 4) I didn't get started until - gasp - October. Or was it November? Anyhow, I started LATE! And I was working late nights, often past midnight to finish them all up before Christmas. And still didn't manage to do so. But they are finally finished and I'm hoping to send them out this week. 

Okay, if you are a grandparent to my kids stop reading NOW! Do not scroll down. All I have to say is
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

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(I just figured I should give them a chance to stop scrolling. I'm nice like that.)

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OK, here we go...

This is the binder that will hold the pages once this year is over. The back of the tag says Merry Christmas 2010, or God Jul 2010 depending on what grandparent we're talking about.

This is the 1st page inside the album. The top picture is one of H's newborn pics. My grandmother gave me that little pram (?) stroller and then my talented mom changed the fabric and brought it with her in her suitcase (!!!) for E during one of her trips here. The bottom pic is of H on her first birthday. See how she's grown? She's still a li'l peanut though.

This picture makes me miss her being a little baby so much! She was tiny!

We have pictures of E in the same outfit, with the same heart pillow. I have to show you some time.

Sisters!

I really wanted to make a pool page, but apparently I only took pool pictures in July. I couldn't really skip a 4th of July theme so the American grandparents got the 4th theme and the Swedish ones got the pool pics.  

This is from our apple non picking trip. What a bad year for apples. How could they all be gone by the end of September? We still got some great shots.

 I'm so sorry you can't see the beautiful faces of my girls. Just trust me when I'm telling you that you're missing out on some seriously squeezable cheeks.

 

Sorry Santa. I didn't pixel out your face. But everyone  knows you already. =) 

Well, there you all have it. Maybe some day I'll post E's calendar too.

Something to do - Gardening Fun

One of our "homemade" Christmas gifts that we made for E was a mini garden. She loves, loves, loves to garden and this was such an easy gift to make. We bought a plastic bin, some fake flowers that were on sale and trimmed their stems a bit sins they were super long, some sunflower seeds from the grocery store, a garden trowel and some organic potting soil. And then we waited until the night before Christmas before putting it together. And that's when we noticed it...

I really wanted organic potting soil because the thought of E playing with chemical filled soil wasn't too appealing to me. What I didn't realize what that when you don't use chemicals to nourish the soil you go natural... Yes, our living room smelled like a farm. To put it nicely. We realized that we could not let her play in that soil and stumbled out into our dark backyard, dumped the soil where I think my FIL plated some roses and grabbed some sand from the sandbox.

I have to say that this, easy to make, inexpensive gift was a huge hit. We actually had to remind E a few times that she had more gifts to open. She just wanted to keep planting. I think this is a gift we can keep adding to as little rewards or "just because" gifts here and there. Maybe some more gardening tools, gloves and apron. More seeds and flowers. A watering can. What else? Do you have any suggestions?

It's Personal - maybe a little too personal

If you woke up today wishing someone would talk about their stomach bug you're lucky! I caught it late last night. Stomach bugs always make me wish we weren't a whole grain type of family. Oh how I longed for some saltines and white bread at 2:45am. And what could I find? Triscuits and Arnold Whole Wheat Extra Dark something bread. Was all that I could find. 

So this morning when I woke up I disinfected everything before E had to get ready. She stayed as far away from me as possible all morning because she didn't want my germs to jump onto her. Smart girl!

C is not as smart. But he is sweet, helping me out bringing me water and paper towels as I was having a heart to heart with my porcelain friend. Sorry, but sweetness does not protect you from germs. He just texted me from work not feeling so hot. Sorry babe!

Anyways... did you notice how I didn't link back to my other blog while being this personal? I think that one has become more of an update on how our family is doing and especially how my girls are growing. Fun for grandparents maybe, but I figured I could share some more personal things here too, so you could get to know me better and saving you a click on your mouse.  And what better way of kicking this off than with a stomach bug topic. I bet you feel like you know me a little too well already. I do confess I have a slight TMI problem. 

What blog post would be complete without a picture? (Don't worry, this one will not be stomach bug related.) While E is in preschool and H is napping I will disinfect some more and then relax in the couch in front of this movie.

Just because I love it and didn't get a chance to watch it this Christmas season.

And yes, that is my baby snoozing away in the corner.

Chowder - not just for kids

H is taking her second nap for the day and E just had book time (me reading to her) and now she rests in her room for a little bit. I was so inspired by what we were reading today. 

I ask her every day if she wants to pick a book or if she wants me to read from the Bible. 99% of the time she picks the Bible. Right now we're reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible and this is what I want to share with you today:

(pg 210)

 "Jesus left the desert and set about the Great Rescue. He was going to get God's people back.

 But first he needed to find some helpers and friends. He had a lot to do. He would need some people to help him.

 Who would make good helpers, do you think? Clever ones? Rich ones? Strong, important ones? Some people might think so, but I'm sure by now you don't need me to tell you they'd be wrong. Because the people God uses don't have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of things - they just have to need him a lot."

(emphasis mine)

Do we need Him a lot?

It's Personal - In Denial

I promise,
I will post
something
less personal
here soon.
But if you're
curious like
George to
find out what
I'm in denial
about head
on over to
this post.