Random Pictures

I am so blessed.  I've been reflecting on God's amazing beauty, His grace and His amazing love this week.  His love is amazing and never ending.  Cooper sings this song at church every Sunday and it might be one of my favorites: "My God is SO big, so strong and so mighty, there is NOTHING my God cannot do!"  On my way to bible study on Wednesday night, a storm was ending, and from the parking lot of church, I saw this beautify sight.  God was showing us some of his beauty.

Cooper last night, inspecting his car to make sure the "engine" was all fueled up and running well.

Tim playing with Soup last night, she was in such a good mood and is such a cutie.  Grandpa loves his grandbaby.

Here she is again!  Isn't she a dollbaby?  She's sitting up so pretty in the Bumbo.  She really wants to sit up so she can look around at the world.  And she's so smiley just makes me want to kiss her cheeks!



If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you've seen most of these pictures.  I apologize, but wanted to get them into my journal here too!

Have a great weekend friends! :)

Misc & MP Monday

I’m linking up with Carissa today for Miscellany Monday, and also going to share our Meal Plan for this week as well. 

• I’m lucky my husband is still with us right now.  His car caught on fire at the gas station the other day when he stopped to get gas.  He could have been on the highway and then only God knows what would have happened.  So, I’m blessed beyond measure that he is ok, and that his car was a fairly easy fix.
• Mr. Cooper had a fever this weekend.  It started Saturday night. he was fine all day on Sunday but came back last night.  He seems to be okay this morning, so we’ll just have to see how it goes today.  That was until I took his temperature, and sure enough, we're staying home today, 100.9 degrees! 
• Ryan, Steph and Soup came over on Saturday and had dinner with us, it was so great to see them.  Love those kids!
• I worked in the 3 year old preschool class at church yesterday.  I think I’m signed up to work there weekly for the rest of the school year.  I have many good things to say about those workers, they have patience beyond measure.  I know working with lots of 3 year olds each week will help my patience and I will be praying for it daily.
• We made a “Thanksgiving” dinner yesterday.  We had to defrost our deep freezer, and we had a whole turkey in there, so we went ahead and made it.  We’ll have turkey meals all week.  Yum!
• Big Brother is by far my favorite reality show.  I love the drama.
• We’ve had Direct TV for two months now and I still do not know the channel line up, nor where any of my shows are.  I take that as a good thing – maybe I’m not watching as much TV as I used to?!?
• Are all 3 year olds such a mess?  My Cooper has toys out everywhere all of the time.  I can pick them up multiple times per day and within an hour, he’s got all of them pulled out.  We pick them up and put them away constantly.

Now onto our meal plan for this week.  We are trying to stick to our grocery budget this week since we went way over our budget the last couple of weeks.  Way over by at least $150.  OUCH!  Why is it so easy to spend so much money on groceries?  Anyhow, the reason I tell you this is to express that we’re trying to eat lots of the food we have here instead of splurging as much as we did last week.

• Grilled Salmon with salad, steamed broccoli, and tropical fruit.
• Turkey Pot Pies with salad, baked beans and tropical fruit.
• Ground Turkey Tacos with green beans and tropical fruit.
• Turkey rice casserole with salad, corn and tropical fruit.
• Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells with salad and tropical fruit.

Do you see a trend?  We like tropical fruit around here, in a big fat way!  I’m pretty sure we’ll throw in a buffalo chicken/bbq chicken pizza over the next weekend too, I’ve been craving that stuff.
Ok, long enough picture-less post for me, oh wait, I’ll go ahead and add a picture for fun.  This is my little guy on his 2nd birthday.  Cannot believe this he is going to be 3 in just over 1 month.  Craziness.

Happy Monday Y’all!

Pictures

I'm going to share a few random pictures with you from the past week. 

Last weekend, Tim and I decided to tackle cleaning out the garage.  It was terribly gross again, and there was no room to walk, so certainly no room for a car.  So, Cooper was out with us a lot.  He decided he'd play in his "toot, toot, chugga, chugga, big red car."  He didn't want to drive it, he only wanted to sit in it.  And of course, he's got his batting gloves on.  Cheesing it up much Coop?

Kampbell (Soup from here out) is one month old!  Isn't she a cutie pie?  I've gotten to see her two times this week!  They've been over to the house the last two nights and I'm going to get to see her again on Saturday, *excited!*  I just love snuggling with her and giving her kisses :)

The little boy doing his studies on the way to the babysitter today.  He loves his "computer" and he calls the dog "Blue" from Blue's Clues even though the dog's name is Scout.  Oh well, we hope this is helping him learn his alphabet, but I doubt it.  

Last Sunday after church we went to Ruby Tuesday to eat lunch.  Cooper loves getting these big ole cups from restaurants.  He thinks he's such a big boy! 

Cooper and Max.  Best friends.  Yesterday was Max's last day at the sitter's house.  Next week he's headed to preschool and they'll be forever separated.  It's going to be tough on both of them, but I know they'll be fine.  Jill and I are going to make sure we get them together at least once a month to keep their friendship alive.  This was a picture I took yesterday at the beginning of their last day together at the sitters.

What fun have you gotten into over the last week?

TGIF and Happy Weekend to you all!

Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe came from Shannon, but I made it tonight so I'm sharing it with you!

 

 

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb. Ground beef

¾ cup chopped onion

¾ cup diced carrots

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Parsley

4 Tbsp. Butter

3 cups Chicken Broth

4 cups cubed potatoes

¼ cup flour

2 cups cubed Velveeta

1 ½ cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

 

In a large pot, melt 1 tbsp. Butter over medium heat; cook and stir vegetables and beef, until beef is brown.  Stir in basil and parsely.  Add broth and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 – 12 minutes.  Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flout in a separate dish.  Add the milk, stirring until smooth.  Gradually add the milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Stir in cheese.  When cheese is melted add sour cream and heat through.  It is really good if you add some shredded cheese on top!

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

I must admit, I stole this recipe from Jenny @ The Box and the B, and she got it from Southern Living.  Well, where ever it came from, it's yummy!  I am so thrilled with the outcome, I think you should take some of that left over turkey you have and make some yourself!

 

Here is the recipe, Jenny said that she used Uncle Ben's wild rice, and it turned out fine and saved time.  I didn't do this because when I was shopping I didn't remember that she had said this.....  I used real wild rice and it took me an hour to cook it just like the recipe states.  I think next time I'll opt for using Uncle Ben's!

 

Without further adieu, here's the recipe, enjoy!!

 

 

Image courtesy of Jenny @ The Box and the B

 

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

(via Christmas with Southern Living 2010)

 

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. salt, divided

1 cup uncooked wild rice

4 bacon slices

1 medium onion, chopped (2 cups)

3 celery ribs, chopped (1 1/4 cups)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

3 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

 

1. Bring 4 cups water, butter, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in rice. Return to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and cook 55 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain if necessary, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippins in skillet. Crumble bacon.

3. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in hot drippings until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, broth, and next 2 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in rice, bacon, and cream. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in Parsley and serve.

3 Soups!

Ladies, let me tell you, I've been a soup making queen lately.  Thanks to Jenny over at Picky Palate for all of her wonderful recipes!

 

Jenny is a WONDERFUL photographer and AWESOME cook and recipe creator!! 

 

If you don't follow her yet, please start, everytime I need a new recipe, or something to make for dinner - I look to Picky Palate!

 

I am going to share THREE recipes with you tonight.....

1. BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup
2. Chicken, Ranch & Rice Soup
3. 15 Minute Warm & Hearty Taco Soup

I mean look at this one:

 

 BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup

 

 

BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup!

 Here are the ingredients, but go on over to Picky Palate to get the entire recipe.

 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic

11 oz can corn with peppers, drained

2 12 oz cans Swanson’s Chicken, drained

1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

 

Number 2.  Again, I'm listing the soup, the picture and the ingredients, click the links to go see the recipe and many pictures!

Chicken, Ranch & Rice Soup

 

Chicken Rance & Rice Soup

 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

3 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Cup dry rice, steamed….comes out to about 3 Cups cooked

64 oz  chicken broth

1 Tablespoon dry Ranch Dressing seasoning

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco (optional)

 

And finally, number 3!

 

15 Minute Warm & Harty Taco Soup

 

15 Minute Warm & Hearty Taco Soup



2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 15 oz cans chicken broth
1 oz pkg Lawry’s taco seasoning (or 2Tablespoons of your own taco seasoning mix)
1 oz pkg dry Ranch Dressing Mix
2 10 oz cans rotel mild tomatoes

4 oz can diced green chilies
1lb can or frozen corn, drained
15 oz can black beans, drained
15 oz can red kidney beans, drained
15 oz can white beans, drained

 

These soups were soooooooooo good, I will be making them again and again and again!!!

 

 

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