Runnin’ nose

Meg’s had a perpetual runny nose recently with no other symptoms, so I haven’t worried about it. She usually wants help managing the inevitable kleenex that accompanies runny noses.

Megan (running up to me): My nose is runnin’!

Me (while wiping her nose): Can you run as fast as your nose?

Megan (turning away and taking three quick steps in a half circle in front of me): I can run this fast.

Mama (as Meg returns with her nose to my hand and kleenex): Oh. Yes. Did you need more wipes?

Megan: Yeah.

Christmas Frugal Fashionista

This post is for the Frugal Fashionista Fashion Show at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. I’m definitely no fashionista, but I sure do like to be frugal and buy second hand!

I know Christmas is long past, but this was my go-to Christmas outfit last month, I mean, year! I got the skirt for $2 and the sweater for 75 cents!! Both are super soft, comfy fabric with some stretch. Also, you can’t tell from the picture, but the skirt is two layers with a cool gathered thingy at one side – fun to wear.

Around the same time I also found black and grey dress pants (something that has been missing from my wardrobe since Daniel was born) for $1 each. And I’ve gotten compliments on all of them – not just from my mom, either. Love you, Mom.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my (frugal) closet!

Chicken ‘n rice

1) Spray glass 9 by 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Add milk, cream soup and any spices you’d like – I use garlic, rosemary, oregano, basil, and oregano. Mix well.

3) Put chicken pieces on top – I like to use hindquarters, thighs or legs.

4) Put in 250 degree oven for three hours.

5) Feel smug because a hot meal will be ready when your husband comes home from church. (And because you’re done with it at 9:30 in the morning.)

6) Go to clean ingredients off the kitchen table.

7) Notice the (unopened and unused) container of rice.

8 ) RUN to the oven and grab the pan back out.

9) Keep curious one-year-old out of the hot oven.

10) Add rice to the pan, trying to mix it in well around the chicken.

11) Return pan, now with chicken AND rice, to the oven.

12) Don’t feel too smug. But lunch is still cooking.

And the toddler is not.

Not that he ever was.

But he looked sideways at the oven while I was rescuing the the rice-less pan of chicken.

(Note: I loosely base my chicken ‘n rice on a recipe I received from a friend several years ago. But you know me. I can’t just leave a recipe alone … so it’s not really worth it to type it out since I change it so much anyway.)

Another note: I’m linking this to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Definitely worth checking out!

Ice

There’s been quite a bit of this slippery, beautiful substance around our house and town this winter. Our painted front porch and brick steps are particularly hazardous. Thankfully no one has been hurt sliding down … yet. (A hand rail is in the plans for summer projects!)

Here’s some on the trees a couple weeks ago:

And, since at that point we weren’t all sick of ice, snow and winter, the girls enjoyed playing outside and seeing the ice on the trees.

But today I can see it coating the trees and porch swing from my window, and it must be on the power lines, too, because the lights have blinked several times!

Ick.

I hope we have power all day today.

And all night tonight.

And tomorrow too.

And I hope you have power too – or at least some wool socks!

Pot Pie

If you were hoping for a recipe, sorry.

The girls were playing with playdough and I overheard them saying they were making Little Bo Peep Pot Pie.

So I asked what was in Little Bo Peep Pot Pie. Kate told me.

“Playdough, Mama. It’s pretend.”

Ok, Kate. Then I asked what you’d put in it if you were making it “for real.”

“First you’d roll it out, like a pie.”

“Like the crust?”

“Yes, and then you put spinach in. And then another crust on top.”

“Is that all that’s inside? Just spinach?”

“Yes.”

“If I made it for real, would you eat it?”

“If you make it, I’ll let you eat it.” (smiling sweetly)

Onion snack

No, I don’t usually (ever) serve onion for a snack to my children.

But while I was chopping onion to use in soup, Daniel asked for some (he uses the sign for “more” as in, more please). I couldn’t talk him out of it – you know, logic doesn’t work great with 15 month olds – so I gave him a small piece of raw onion.

He ate it.

And asked for another bite! Which he also ate.

Then he was done.

In my washer

This morning as I transfered the laundry from the washer to the dryer, I found two unexpectedly clean things:

- one pacifier

- one foam bathtub letter – the letter K

**Updated** Foam bathtub letter G made it all the way through the dryer!

What if …

Kate: What if an apple was my head, and my belly was hungry, would my belly eat my head-apple?

Me: I don’t know.

Kate: That would be a silly thing. Could my belly really eat my head?

Meg: Noooo – because it doesn’t have a mouth!

A Random Thankyou

Yesterday Megan was playing in the snow. I had stepped inside for a minute. She comes to the door, knocks and I let her in.

She said, “Mama, I just need to tell you one thing.”

Me: Ok, Meg, what do you need to tell me?

Megan: I need to tell you thank you for cutting out the hearts. (very seriously and shyly) Thank you for cutting out the hearts.

Me: What hearts?

Megan: The hearts I wanted for some of my friends.

Me (melting): Ok, sweetie, you’re welcome.

Note: We cut out paper hearts to color two days ago.

The kids