Week in Review

Phewww, I'm so glad this week is almost over! What a whirl wind ride around here. I feel like I haven't even had time to breathe. So let see, where do I start?

First off my hard working hubby got a promotion at work and started his first week as patrol Sgt.!!! Very exciting and I'm very proud of him; he was recognized as the only officer in Aurora to move up in ranks as fast as he did; he'll have his 7 year anniversary in February. He has worked so hard for it, but little did we know how much it would change things around home.....we knew that he would be low man on the pole again and we just assumed that he would end up with the crappy shift for the upcoming year (didn't help out in my job search at all). Well we lucked out, he got almost the same schedule that he's had for the last 5 years!!! Different days off, but hey, it works for us. What we weren't expecting was for him to be recruited as a temporary Sgt. for one that was taking paternity leave for the rest of the year. So from now until the 10th of January, he will be working 12 hour days from 6am to 6 pm. YUCK!! He's not a morning person and I'm not used to having him gone so much and the kids are just freaking out. All I heard from them this week was "wherrrre's Dadddddyyyy?" in that god awful whine that they do. So, all we have to do is get through this year and we will be back to smooth sailing!

I've been helping my parents at their pizza restaurant and taking the kids with me since the hubs isnt home. That has been interesting to say the least. But, it did get me back into the swing of working again and thats good since I finally found a job and I start Monday. Definitley NOT what I was looking for though. I'm back in another restaurant waiting tables......maybe some day I will gain some other experience to get me out of this business all together but for now, it pays the bills.

We went Christmas shopping (and no, I didn't even have the mind to do black Friday), we spent way too much money on these kids and now we have to find room for it all! Thank goodness I have a job again, cuz that credit card is looking really scary! Thank goodness for tax returns.

My nephew turned 1 and learned to walk. He is so stinking cute, I just cant stand it some days. He is such a good baby and has one of the best personalities! I offered to make his cake for him and handed down some of our toys as his birthday gift. I got to kill 2 birds with one stone...get rid of big baby toys and make the little stinker happy!

Thanksgiving went pretty well, although it was weird not having my hubby there. He did get to show up later in the evening and have LOTS of leftovers. We had 2 turkeys, 1 ham and 1 pork roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, Brussels sprouts, squash, stuffing, salad and lots of desserts! I was soooo full and couldn't even think about cleaning it all up. It did get cleaned up though.

This morning I finished my book and I loved it! I was reading The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. I think this book was my favorite of her so far. Now I'm on to another one of hers called the wise woman, I think. I'm very excited to start it.

Well that's all for now, so I hope everyone had a wonderful week with their families and starting the Christmas shopping season off with a bang.

Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory....If you know who she is then you have probably read her books. If not, let me tell you, she is a wonderful author and her books are entertaining, educational and a little risque.

My cousin turned me on to her after suggesting that I read The Other Boleyn Girl (aaahhh, now you know what I'm talking about) and I fell in love with her as an author. Not only did I fly right through the book, I also learned a few things. I was never one to be interested in history but when you add a little mischief into it, it can be very interesting!!! Just kidding, but her novels are based on the history of England and the times of King Henry and the many Queens to rule after him, religious battles and treason.

I have read 3 out of 7 of her 16th century series. The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, and now I'm on The Queens fool and from what I have heard they only get better. So, get your booty's out there and read one or more of her books!

Photos courtesy of Philippa's website.

Chicken Stew with a Little History

When it's cold outside and you're hungry, the first thing you think of is comfort food. Comfort food can be different for each person but in my mind, it has the same base or beginnings: hot, hearty, stick to your ribs kind of food.

It's snowing, again, and I'm in the mood for my comfort food! What is my comfort food? I love pot roast, soups and stews and casseroles. Today I'm making chicken stew, on the stove, but you could do it in a crock pot too for convenience. Chicken stew is one of those dishes that can have so many variations, you could have it every day and it would taste totally different each time. You can also customize it to the liking or dis likings in your family. Some of us were blessed with children who tend to stick to what they know. If it's green or looks funny, they aren't going to eat it! For a whole lot of different recipes, click here.

So when you are sitting around bored out of your mind and watching it snow you tend to let your mind stray and you start thinking and asking questions. My question of the day? Where did stew come from? Who invented it and when?

Well come to find out stew is really old!!! It's been dated back to 1 B.C and even further with tribes using any meat they can come across and boiling it with whatever else they could find. Essentially, stew is a mixture of two or more ingredients that are boiled together. There are variations of chicken stew from every corner of the earth. To read up on this oh so interesting information, click here!

But if that doesn't interest you just read on and learn how to make it

1 lb chicken breast

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp chicken bouillon base

5 c water

3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks

4 lg carrots, cut into chunks

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c. white wine

1/3 c. flour

1 c. milk

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. basil

garlic powder (sprinkle over chicken when before saute)

onion powder (sprinkle over chicken before saute)

In a lg stock pot saute the seasoned chicken in the oil until browned. Add 5 cups of water and the chicken base. Let simmer over medium low heat for an hour and remove chicken to a separate plate to shred in large chunks and put back into pot. In a separate skillet, melt the butter and add the flour to make a paste. Whisk well and cook for 1 minute then add the wine. Let it cook another minute and add about 3 ladles full of the broth from your stock pot and 1 cup of milk. Whisk again and cook until thickened, making sure to stir constantly. Add the mixture and veggies to your stock pot along with all of the spices. Simmer another 30 minutes on low, serve hot with some really good bread and enjoy.

A day at the farm

Yesterday I went with Jax and Tiley on the preschool field trip to the Littleton Historical Museum. It's a cool place that has 2 different farms from the 1800's, an old house, a metal shop and lots of barns.

It's fun to see how we would have lived back then but I dont think the kids understood it. They had fun exploring the old buildings and seeing all of the animals and it was a beautiful day for it!

Catching up on a Wordful Wednesday

Yes, I know I suck. I am so not into blogging and I dont know why! So todays post is all about catching up. Hmmmm where do I start?

Halloween was just ok, it's my favorite holiday and I just wasnt into it this year. Maybe it was because it was cold, wet and sloppy out! We had a major snow dump (2 feet of it) 3 days before and then on Halloween it was like 70 degrees out. Made for a very sloppy and wet night!

I have been on a field trip with my son. We went to Roxborough state park and went on a muddy hike with a guide. We actually learned quite a bit and it was a beautiful day for it.

For more exciting Wordful Wednesday posts head on over to 7 Clown Circus and say hi to Angie!