A Picture Update

 Caroline and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Japenese food.  We are enjoying fresh sushi and fried rice at one of our favorite eateries.

 Last summer (I think).  We were in one of our favorite malls and she just "had" to have this Aerial doll.  hahaha

 Caroline is showing off her pumpkin cakepop she got at Halloween at school. 

 This picture was taken at Disney World in February....GREAT time!!

This picture was taken last week at school for spring pictures.  It was a refreshing change to NOT have to wear a school uniform.  But, secretly...I LOVE not having to battle over clothes in the morning!

Yep, still here...

Yep, still here.  Now I'm waiting on a new camera to appear under the Christmas tree to upload some new pics of Caroline.  Things have drastically changed around here on the homefront.  We are getting along, but it seems to be quite chaotic!  hahahha 

YIKES!

Yes, we are alive!  But, I totally forgot my password and haven't been able to access my account until now!  Yep, I'm that person!  Here's to hoping that people still care and read us! :)

Happy Spring!

I thought I would post the pictures first so you do know that we are still alive and kicking! Who knew that it would have taken me FOREVER to post a few pics??? CRAZY!

Put Me In Coach....

I'm adopting the phrase, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play..." as one of my new sayings. I really hate making resolutions, since I usually break them within the first month. :( I have only kept one and I am proud to say that I have gone 15 years without drinking soda. I honestly don't miss it...but anyway...back to my point.

As you know, the economy tanked out about the time we were finishing up our adoption (not to mention the extra expenses added onto our CRAZY adoption). It was a horrible time to be a stay at home mom, but it was a VERY important decision to help with Caroline's adjustment into our family and we were financially able to do this. As a way of saving money, I began clipping coupons. Little did I know how our lives were going to change with this new 'hobby'. We were paying VERY LITTLE for our groceries and were eating filet mignon at least once a week! As time went on, the 'free' newspapers started dwindling and my patience/energy started going down too. Clipping coupons became a HUGE chore since I was obsessed with it!! I kinda just stopped....yes, it was sad! I was still mindful of what I purchased but wasn't saving the obscene amounts of money like in the past.

Now that I am back to work, I can't even remember the last time I bought a paper. Finances are tighter and extra time is nonexistent. So, I decided my "Put Me In Coach..." moment will be to begin clipping coupons AGAIN. I bought two papers on Sunday and will start out slow and easy. I DO NOT have the time to run all over the place for the best deals. My stockpile will not be trophy-worthy, but I WILL start saving money again. I have even planned my grocery lists for this week and next week at Publix. As usual, I am VERY excited to see how much money just a few coupons can save me. It's about time to get back in the game...

I wish that I could stay accountable to this by taking pictures of my purchases/deals once again, but TIME is of the essence and I have NO extra time. I'm still having a difficult time balancing my work/home/Caroline/tennis and I just don't think I could do that. I'll see what I can manage to come up with since accountability is VERY important. Stay tuned and let's see how many 'points' I'll be able to score.

Christmas Baking

Caroline and I did quite a bit of baking over the Christmas break. She LOVES mixing and stirring and of course, eating the batter! The pictures are a bit backwards, but I wanted to capture some of the moments for our family members and friends out of town.

On Christmas Eve, we made Reindeer Food. It's to help Santa's reindeer find our house from the sky and to give the reindeer some food to nibble on while Santa is doing his job! It was super easy to make and she LOVED sprinkling it on the lawn and the sidewalk.

We also make a special ornament each year to hang on the tree with Caroline's handprint. I paint her entire hand in white paint and then paint the fingers to look like snowmen. We use the clear ornaments and add 'snow' to the inside. Super cute and super easy! I didn't take a picture of the finished project, but I'll add it to next year's list, hahahahaha.

This year, we made Reindeer Magic Food. Caroline knows how much Papa loves to munch on goodies, so she made this for him. It consists of pretzels, peanuts, rice chex mix, fruit loops, m&m's, and white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate and mix ingredients. Pour onto wax paper and let dry. Break up into pieces and enjoy!

On Christmas Eve, we baked Santa some special cookies. Unfortunately, the cookies turned out AWFUL! I think we used too much flour during the 'cutting out' process which weighed the cookies down. But, Caroline had fun and they looked cute!

In case you're wondering, we have several trees in our house. This one is in our kitchen/breakfast room. It started out with just initials (our monograms) but then we started adding our homemade ornaments from Caroline. I think it may just be one of my favorite trees! And yes, we are VERY southern, so we bake in our new smocked dresses! :)

It's OFFICIAL!! We have a girl!

On December 16th, we finalized our adoption in the United States and the book is SEALED! We are officially the parents of a beautiful three year old girl!!! I must say this process has been an intense three years of labor pain. But, it has been totally worth it!!!

Posing in front of the courthouse with her 'present'
Caroline wore pink for her Embassy appointment and she wore pink for her readoption appointment!

We celebrated by going to eat breakfast and then to a local cupcake bakery!

A Little Elf Magic

Percy the Elf baked this yummy cupcake for Caroline at the North Pole!! He surprised her with it on Saturday morning, which she promptly ate for breakfast! Isn't it adorable???!!!

Excuse the bedhead...we hadn't been up long!!!

Eating her cupcake for breakfast....the breakfast of champions, lol!!!

Santa Visit

We went to see Santa this weekend! The pics are acting crazy and somewhat out of order, but oh well! :) I didn't get a great picture since the elf made me stand outside of the fence to take my two personal pics. But the picture we bought turned out GREAT!

Caroline is telling Santa that she wants a 'Pizza Set' and a 'Donut Set'....both from Melissa & Doug (great toys!!) WOW! Taking pictures with and of Caroline is SUPER difficult these days! She wants to 'fake' smile, squint her eyes and be silly. All of these things I love, but not when you're sitting in the floor of a crowded mall, lol!!

My mom HATES having her pictures made, but I BEGGED her to get in the picture with us. I am going to treasure this picture one day! :)

Caroline posing with the book Santa gave her

Warm Mexican Crab Dip Recipe

I don't have a picture of this DELICOUS recipe but trust me...IT IS TO DIE FOR!!! Caroline and I love watching cooking shows and this recipe was featured on Paula Deen's. It looked rather easy and 'smelled' so good!

Warm Mexican Crab Dip Recipe

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp seeded and chopped jalapeno (I omitted this)

1/2 cup light beer

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 package (8 oz) pasteurized cheddar cheese

1 lb lump crab meat (I used 1/2 lb and it was fine)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

1/4 cup minced green onion

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

tortilla chips

In medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Stir in the beer and cook until liquid is reduce to half. Stir in the cream, cream cheese, and cheese block, whisking until melted and smooth.

Stir in crab meat, lime juice, cilantro, green onion, and chili powder and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, cayenne, and cumin. Serve with tortilla chips!

This dip was INCREDIBLE! I omitted the jalapeno peppers since I forgot them at the store and I only used 1/2 lb of crab meat due to expenses. This dip is expensive, but well worth it for special occassions.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

1 lb ground hot pork sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 1/2 cups frozen cubed hashbrowns
5 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 3/4 cup milk

1 cup bisquick

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

topping ingredients: picante sauce, sour cream, salsa

Cook sausage and onion in large skillet over medium high heat until meat crumbles. Stir in hashbrowns and stir for 5-7 minutes. Drain mixture on paper towels. Spoon mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

Stir together eggs, cheese, and next 4 ingredients. Pour evenly over sausage mixture, stirring well. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with assorted toppings.

**I saw this recipe in Southern Living and thought it sounded so good! I made it after Thanksgiving and my family enjoyed it for dinner! It did take some time, but it was well worth it. Add a bit of salt and pepper at the end though... Some fresh fruit would also be a perfect compliment to this if you decide to forget the salsa.**

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and thought I would try it out. It was pretty easy to make (I took some shortcuts) and it made a TON!

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole
About 5 pounds of cubed, peeled sweet potatoes

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

cooking spray

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put potatoes in dutch oven, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 12 minutes until tender. Drain.
Combine half and half and next four ingredients (half and half through egg) in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into 13x9 pan that is sprayed with cooking spray.
Combine flour and sugar in food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over potato mixture.
Bake covered for 15 minutes. Continue cooking uncovered for additional 25 minutes or until topping is browned and potatoes are thoroughly heated.

**I used the Ore Ida Steam and Mash Sweet Potatoes instead of peeling my potatoes and cooking them! SO MUCH EASIER! **

**Also, recipe can be easily halved for less servings**

An Afternoon in Savannah though Caroline's Eyes

On our way home from Hilton Head, we stopped in my FAVORITE city and spent the afternoon. SAVANNAH! I would love to live there!!! Anyway, Gene had never been so Caroline and I decided to show him some of our favorite things. The majority of the photos were taken by Caroline, so I thought I would label the post "....through Caroline's eyes".

We are eating at one of our favorite restaurants in City Market...Tapas Caroline caught Papa eating some yummy She Crab Soup!!!
A snapshot of me waiting on my yummy She Crab soup!
Caroline's view of City Market...isn't it beautiful?

She remembered her carriage ride and desperately wanted to go on another one!

She said this was her 'favorite' horse

The fountains at Ellis Square. Last time we were here, it was under construction

Posing with her lollipop in front of Riverstreet Sweets

A real 'pirate' ship that we got to go on a tour...VERY cool!

Relaxing in front of the Waving Girl Statue

Caroline is telling Papa all about the history of the Waving Girl

The boat Caroline said she bought for Papa and Nana....yes, we wish! ;)

This is a REAL pumpkin sitting in front of a restaurant...couldn't help but pose with it!

I did NOT want my pic taken but when your daughter begs...You give in :)