And we have a winner.....

I am all about a good, easy, Crock Pot recipe, but I have struck out lately on a few that I have tried.  If it's not voted to stay, then the recipe is trashed and I start looking for more new ones to wow and amaze my family with my out of this world cooking skills.  (I know what you're thinking...it does take skills to follow the directions & make sure not to leave anything out, keep a 10 month old from slamming his fingers in the cabinets, answering 20 million questions from a 4 year old on every subject imaginable, and anything else that might happen in the 10 or 15 minutes it takes to get a Crock Pot Recipe together.)

Anyways, I have finally found a new Crock Pot Recipe that was voted to stay and be cooked again in our house.  Actually, it would have been cooked again whether they liked it or not because I liked it so, the vote was kind of pointless.  I found this recipe and a few others over at Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour.

Angel Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 8oz. pkg. baby bella sliced mushrooms

1 can condensed golden mushroom soup

1 stick of butter

1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 of an 8oz. tub of cream cheese spread with chive & onion

rice or pasta (I used Angel Hair Pasta, she used rice)

Melt butter in a saucepan and add the Italian salad dressing packet.  Stir in the soup, chicken broth, and cream cheese until it combines and melts.

Place the mushrooms on the bottom of your crock pot and place the chicken breasts on top.

Pour the sauce mix on top of the chicken, cover with lid, and cook on low for 5 hours.

The only thing I might do differently next time is cut the chicken breasts in half so they are a little thinner which might shorten my cook time a little.  To me, it tasted a lot like Chicken Marsala, one of my fav dishes.  Enjoy!!

We are still rocking along getting ready for the next few weeks.  We are getting close to the end of PeeWee Football (oh darn...), trying to wait patiently for baby Logan to make his debut, and I am busy planning Easton's first birthday party.  We have a lot going on every weekend, but the weather has been amazing lately!

Worn out after cheering!

Refuses to leave my basket of blankets alone!

Love to swing!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Caramie

Crock Pot Dinner & a sick baby

Yesterday I was home with a sick baby boy.  Poor guy woke up with a 101.1 degree fever and was not a happy camper.  Of course he wasn't pulling at his ears, puking, or any other obvious signs to help me figure out what might be wrong.  After he woke up from his morning nap, which he wasn't really ready to wake up from, he let me hold and cuddle with him for another hour and a half.  I don't get to hold and cuddle with him very much anymore because he's not still long enough.  I enjoyed every second of it!  I just wish he wouldn't have been sick.

Kinnley got out of school early yesterday because of parent/teacher conferences.  I had planned on cooking a crock pot dinner while I was at work yesterday, so before Easton and I went to get her I got everything put together for it.  It was a new recipe and I have to say that it turned out yummy!

Crock Pot Provolone Chicken Casserole

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

4 to 6 slices Provolone Cheese (or you could use Swiss & I actually used 7 or 8 slices)

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup White Wine or Milk (I used Milk)

2 cups Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix (that's pretty close to the whole box, so I just used the whole thing

1/2 stick Butter (melted)

Spray bottom of crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot. Cover chicken with slices of cheese. In separate bowl, mix soup with milk/white wine and spread over cheese slices. Combine stuffing mix with melted butter. Spread mixture on top of everything else. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

It was so yummy.  I think the next time I am going to add some fresh sliced mushrooms, maybe on top of the chicken with the cheese on top of that.  I also might use a full stick of butter instead of just half of a stick.  Ben thought the chicken was bland by itself, so I might add some seasoning to it next time, but it's a casserole, so you're not suppose to eat it by itself...duh!  (I thought it tasted fine with everything together...it actually might have been a little too salty with all the cheese and the stuffing mix.)  Sorry, I don't have a picture.  I got this recipe and a few more that I have tried from the Crock Pot Girls on Facebook.  You can find their website here.

Easton turned 10 months old Sunday.  I can't believe that he will be a year old in less than 2 months!  We have finally cut our first tooth.  He's still not walking by himself, but he will walk around everything and behind his walking toy and anything else he can hold onto and push.  He loves to aggravate his sister and crawls thru the house yelling for his 'Dada' trying to find him.  His vocabulary is growing.  He of course says Dada, Mama, Dog, Ball, and has started saying Nana.  He points to things he wants, gives high (or low) fives, gives kisses (the more slobber the better, right?), and claps when he does something he's proud of.

We still have our red hair and blue eyes.  I had their pictures made by my cousin a month or so ago and I will share those soon.  She's a very gifted photographer and I love all of the pictures!  She definately caught Easton's personality coming thru in a few!  Life right now for us is a little calmer than it has been, so I am taking this time to start planning my little man's first birthday party.  It will be a barnyard theme & I've already gotten some big, little surprises lined up.  I don't know who will be more excited, Easton or me!  There will definately be pictures to come. 

Have a great Thursday!

Caramie

What's for Lunch?

I shared the 'recipe', if you can call it that a couple of months ago for Mini Pizzas.  I have made them a few times for Kinnley's lunch and she loves them!  So, I thought I'd share some pictures and the recipe again.

Mini Pizzas

-English Muffins
-Pizza Sauce
-Cheese
-Any other toppings you want

Cut the English muffins in half.  Cover with desired amount of pizza sauce.  Top with cheese and toppings.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

It really is that easy!  And they are yummy.  Remember to cover your baking sheet with foil so that clean up is super easy too!  You won't have to scrub melted/burned on cheese off of the baking sheet. 

Enjoy!
Caramie

A Little About Me

Name: Caramie Ann Perry

Birthday: December 28, 1985

Brothers/Sisters: 3 sisters & 1 brother

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Season: Fall - I LOVE how pretty the trees are when the leaves are changing colors, the cool mornings, pumpkins, the smell of apples and cinnamon, and everything else about fall time!

Some of the Things I love: cheesecake, books, cookbooks, Food Network, The Pioneer Woman, towels straight from the dryer, long showers, candles, rain & the smell of rain, flip-flops, Burt's Bees lip gloss & chapstick, purses, shoes, lemon in my tea, painted toenails, snuggling (especially with my babies), hoodies, Hobby Lobby, Target, Old Navy, steamed broccoli, cooking, stars, fireworks, fireplaces, walks, smell of freshly mowed grass, puppies, dove hunting (a new one for me this year), chocolate (milk & white)....I'll have to keep thinking of more

Some of the Things I'm Not a Fan of: brussell sprouts, snakes, frogs, anything that is slimy, slithers, and is just gross, mice/rats, nails on a chalkboard, dark chocolate, washing dishes, people touching my feet, slow computers, doing laundry, washing dishes, Wal-Mart, upsetting my friends/family, conflict, cleaning the bathroom...I know there's more but it's not coming to me, so, to be continued....

My Biggest Strength/Weakness: I think my biggest strength and weakness is one in the same, I care too much.  I care too much about what others think.  I get my feelings hurt too easily because I care so much.  If we're friends, I not only care about you, but I'm going to be there for you no matter what.  I can't turn off my caring.  You may tell me it's not me, but I'm going to worry that it is.  Your mind can do funny things to you when you care too much about what others think about you.

My Biggest Goal: To be happy in my own skin doing something that I love and that not only makes me excited to get up in the mornings, but also challenges me so that I don't get bored.

If I could have any animal as a pet, it would be a: Giraffe!  I love their spots & long necks.

Favorite Disney Movie: Beauty & the Beast

I'll think of some more and post another night.  Have a great Wednesday!
Caramie

Baby Shower for Logan Ryker!

I have finished up the two weeks of non-stop stuff going on and I am happy to say I made it thru it!  Last week we had a Baby Shower for my sister, Breanna and baby Logan.  I don't have many pictures during the shower because I was busy trying to host/entertain and writing down gifts.  I so enjoy doing stuff like this, but I tend to shoot for the stars, bite off more than I can chew, and nearly kill myself trying to get it all done.  But, in the end, I don't think I would change it at all.

Yummy Cupcakes!

Mock Sangria Punch



Brown Sugar Bites...yummy!





Chicken Salad Sandwiches



Cesar Pasta Salad



Italian Pasta Salad

Mini Cheese Balls

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Bre's Corsage



Poor baby was all partied out!

I need to get more pictures from my mom so that I have some of Bre at her own baby shower!  The cupcakes were delicious!  Easton, of course, wanted some cupcake, so after having to feed it to him, I decided to let him eat it all by himself!


I really get to do this all by myself?



It's so yummy!

One happy boy!



We made it!

We got up this morning and got ready for Kinnley's very first day of school.  She was so excited.  We got to school and she never looked back!  I held back all tears until I got back into my car and then this mommy cried.  She told me that she likes school and can't wait to go back tomorrow.  I'm so glad that she likes school and wants to keep going.  It makes it easier on mommy!

McKinnley ready for school!

Easton didn't want his picture taken this morning.

Kinnley Girl & Mommy

 I thought I would share a couple of lunch ideas for school lunches.  These are two that I have planned for this week.

'Lazy' Grilled Cheeses

2 pieces of bread toasted

Cheese

   -Place cheese on toasted bread and cover with second slice of bread.  Heat in oven (or microwave) until cheese is melted.

Mini Pizzas

1/2 English Muffin

Pizza Sauce

Cheese

Toppings

  -Spread sauce on English muffin, top with cheese and toppings.  Bake in oven until cheese is melted.

Day 2...ready or not, here we come!  Have a great week.

Caramie

Tomorrow is the day...

I can't believe that tomorrow is almost here.  Tomorrow I will take McKinnley to school for her very first day of Pre-K.  I am sitting here trying to hold back the tears, but it's not working very well.  Maybe I should just let them flow tonight so that I can be a blubbering, crying, that kind of mommy where nobody else can see me. 

Her backpack is ready to go with her blanket and the packet of 50,000 papers I had to fill out.  (Most of which asked the same questions as the ones before.)  Her lunch is made and waiting in the fridge to be put in her lunch box tomorrow.  We have picked out the first day of school (EVER) dress and a matching bow.  So, with everything packed, I want to share with you a few pictures of my baby girl shortly after she was born, and my baby girl just a few days ago.

To My Kinnley Girl,

Mommy is so proud of you!  I cannot believe that you aren't that tiny little baby any more.  Instead, you are growing up into a smart, beautiful, loving little girl.  Words can't express how much I love you.  I hope that you have a great first day of school tomorrow and a wonderful school year.  I can't wait to hear all about your first day of school tomorrow my pumpkin doodle.

I love you forever & ever & always!

Mommy

Step One: Meet the Teacher - Check

We went, met Kinnley's Pre-K teacher, and mommy didn't cry!  I nearly did, but I was able to hold the tears back.  If only it will be that easy Monday morning.  Here are a few pictures of Kinnley before we left.

Mommy & Kinnley Girl

We moved Kinnley from her toddler bed to a big girl bed last week.  She was so excited and loves her new bed!

Before that she decided to play dress up with her brother...poor Easton!

I feel for you baby boy!  Just get ready...she's very persistent!



Good night all!

Caramie

Last week in pictures

Here's some pictures to show what we have been up to...enjoy.

I surprised Kinnley with her pom-poms for cheerleading and she automatically started cheering and hasn't stopped since then.  No, we are not in a toy store, that's just our living room...a small part of the living room.  You would think they have so many toys that they couldn't possibly play with them all, but I can assure you that Easton has about 95% of them in his mouth at one point or another every day.  Aunt B better get ready because we are fixing to shower baby Logan with all kinds of new toys to play with when he gets here!  (All of those ridiculously loud obnoxious ones are going to be the first to go, but don't tell her that.)

I asked if I could come in and he started waving bye-bye.  So I sat there and cried, which made him laugh.  Then he found buttons that played music he could dance to and mom was forgotten about.

And he's off...slowly.  The only thing this kid gets in a hurry crawling for is a plate of food!  He started out looking like a fish flopping out of water, but he has since mastered the crawling motion.  His poor knees are starting to get rough from crawling all the time.  Which reminds me that I need to start stocking up on more leg warmers...I have missed you my friend Lots of Laughs Boutique (& Jill too).  I have missed nearly a month of Wednesday Specials and this makes me sad.  See you soon!

There's nothing like a cold, yummy, gooey fudgescicle (with a disgusting coating of Easton drool) after swimming.  Kinnley shared a bite with Easton who then decided that was some good stuff.  He then preceded to growl and screech at his sister whenever she would take a bite because she wasn't feeding him instead...the kid doesn't play around when it comes to food!

My baby girl swimming at her cousin's pool party.  I wish I had video on my phone so I could have recorded her showing me her 'back flips'.  I think she is part fish.  Or mermaid...yes we'll go with mermaid because they're so much prettier. 

Tonight we have meet the teacher night and this makes me want to cry.  My baby girl is four years old and going to start school on Monday.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday I was seeing her for the first time.  Now she is a beautiful, loving, caring, bossy, strong willed, smart little girl that I couldn't be more proud of. 

Have a great afternoon!
Caramie

This crazy thing we call life...

I have a to-do list as long as my arm, but I am taking time to sit down and write since it has been FOREVER since I last blogged.  Let's see what has happened since then...I survived a crazy two weeks at work at the end of July, Easton started crawling and is now trying to walk, we took Kinnley school clothes shopping for her first day of school (eek...tears will be flowing Monday morning!), and we have started peewee cheer practice (yes, I am the coach & no, I didn't think that through fully before I said I would do it).

So...with that being said, I have to show you what I found for Easton Wayne!  My little man has become a blankie, passy kind of guy.  When I registered for my baby shower I found a four pack of swaddling blankets by a brand named aden + anais.  They are made from muslin material and the more you wash them, the softer they get.  They are larger than receiving blankets and thinner.  They are cool enough for the summer, but warm enough for the winter.  I LOVED these from the get-go.  They were big enough to swaddle Easton as he got bigger and were great to use as a nursing cover.

Easton has grown attached to his 'blankies' and we usually carry one with us at all times.  Now that he is getting bigger and moving around more in his bed, I was wanting to stop giving him the blankies, but he would cry for one.  So, I went to the Aden + Anais website and found these...



 They are called Issies!  They are the security blankets made out of the same muslin material with a satin edge.  They come in a two pack, one for snuggling while the other is being washed...genious!!  They are the perfect size and exactly what I needed.  It is the same quality and softness as the larger blankets, but in a smaller size.  As soon as Easton got his hands on one, he started chewing on the corners...I think that was his way of saying he loved it.

Aden + Anais not only have swaddle blankets and 'issies', they also have washcloths, towels, sleeper sacks, and bibs.  I love the material and will definately be keeping these blankets and issies for a long time!  You can find them on facebook under aden + anais and on the internet here.

Have a great Thursday tomorrow!

Caramie

Saturday Fun

I love three day weekends.  It gives me that one extra day to spend with my family.  The last two nights we have been staying up late working in the yard.  It's nice to get things done without the sun beating down on your back and you aren't having to worry about having a heat stroke.

Kinnley had her 4 year old check-up yesterday and had to get 4 shots.  We had been trying to 'prep' her for it for the last couple of months and we thought she was ok with it until they brought them in.  I thought we were going to have to tape her down, but she did wonderful.  While she did cry, she didn't kick or really scream.  Poor baby tried to talk us out of giving her the shots as they were giving them to her.  The first two weren't too bad, but the last two stung and hurt pretty bad.  She was a happy camper when we left because they gave her a total of 10 stickers and two prizes.  We love stickers!

After we stayed outside until about 11 last night working in the yard, we were hoping the kids would cooperate and sleep past 7:00 am.  Kinnley woke me up at 6 because she couldn't find 'Little Baby', but after pulling the covers back and finding her right there in bed, she went back to sleep until she woke us up at 7 to let us know that Brother was trying to eat his sheet because he thought it was food....

We've gotten a lot done in the yard between last night and tonight, before Ben got called out.  We still have a lot to do but we're getting there.  After Easton woke up from his morning nap this morning we filled up their little pool and let the two of them go swimming.  They loved it and it was actually pretty nice outside.  Not too hot and a little cloudy.  Here are some pictures from this morning's swim.

I hope everybody has a safe and Happy 4th of July weekend!

McKinnley Leann Perry

McKinnley Leann Perry was born Saturday, June 30, 2007 at 3:30 am.  After a some what rough end to my pregnancy my tiny angel was born.  She came into this world weighing 4 lbs 7 oz and was 17.5 inches long.  We thought she was only 3 weeks early, but after she was born and the nurses had evaluated her, we were told she was really 6-7 weeks early.  She was so very tiny, but had the strongest lungs and could scream!



I had no idea that such a tiny little lady could change my whole life like she did in the very second I first heard her cry and saw her for the first time.  She was absolutely perfect.  From day one she had her own idea of what she wanted, when she wanted it, and her own little opinion of things.  Over the last four years we have been blessed to watch her grow from a tiny baby into a beautiful, smart, strong willed, caring, loving, dramatic, imaginative little girl ( I could go on and on, but I'll stop there).  While she can test our patients, as any young child can do, she brings so much joy, laughter, and happiness into our lives.  She has truly been a blessing to our family and I can't remember what our life was like before Kinnley was born.

She will be starting school this August and I am sad, excited, worried, and hesitant, but then I watch Kinnley with her brother and friends and I know that she is going to do great in school.  She is kind and caring to others.  She is eager to learn and loves to read.  She will firmly stand up for herself in most situations (while that's good, there are times she puts what little weight she has into her stance, if that makes sense, so I'm praying we don't get a phone call that's she's hit somebody because they wouldn't pretend like she wanted them too).

I see so much heartache in the lives of friends and others that I have never met and I thank God every day that He chose me to be McKinnley's mommy and has allowed me to raise such a beautiful little girl.  I pray that He will continue to guide us as she grows older and we face new obstacles and that Kinnley will continue to grow in her faith in God.  For being so young, she never ceases to amaze me at what she understands about faith and God. 

McKinnley Leann (in case you read this one day) I love you to the moon and beyond.  You make me so proud every day and I am so thankful that God trusted me and blessed me with you.  You are an amazing little girl that I know will grow up into a beautiful young lady (although if it were up to me, you'd stay 4 years old forever).  You make me smile just by smiling at me.  Every time you tell me that you love me, my heart melts.  You are my pumpkin doodle and I love being your mommy.  I hope you had a very happy 4th birthday and I love you bunches and bunches, forever and ever!

Happy Birthday McKinnley Leann! ~ Love Mommy