Unseasonable weather

Yesterday the high reached 70 degrees, or at least came very close. It's the middle of January; I was led to believe that normal weather for January is cold (see: 30s) and rainy. Well, we have gotten rain, but we also have seen sun and a lot of warm weather. It's been great! Addison has enjoyed the fact that warm sunny weather means more time at the playground.

Yes, we live spitting distance from a park with a playground. So far the slide is a big hit with Addison, but the swings don't go over so well. In fact, she holds her breath and then turns purple and screams bloody murder when we sit her in the baby swing. And when she watches other people on the swings, she gets a nervous giggle going on. So it might be a while before we enjoy the swings... Oh well. For now the slides keep everyone happy. And thankfully this playground has 3 different slides. Yay!

Now even though it's still January, the weather has fooled the flowers. I can see the daffodils starting pop up among the rocks in the front yard, which means that my winter reprieve from having to tackle the yard is coming to an end. I thought I had more time to get the house put together before the yard started to wake up. But I guess I need to begin thinking about planting and landscaping. Goodbye monkey grass and hello marigolds!

So I'll wrap up this somewhat boring post with a fresh veggie recipe in honor of the warm weather. Now I am not a big fan of Brussels sprouts, but I try to keep an open mind since they are one of Derek's favorite vegetables. So after reading good reviews of this recipe in Better Homes & Gardens, I decided to give it a try. It was good! And that is coming from a non Brussels sprouts fan, so if you're willing to try it, I think you'll like it. Enjoy!


Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts
2 tbsp water
A few tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice

First, clean and slice the Brussel sprouts lengthwise. Drizzle some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Lay the sprouts cut-side down in the pan. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the sprouts and cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the water and recover for 2 more minutes. Then uncover and turn heat up to caramelize the cut side of the sprouts. Once they begin to caramelize, turn heat off and toss with a sprinkle of lemon juice. Enjoy!

Warm 1-yr old

I am now the proud mother of a one year old. A walking, not-quite-talking, squirming, screaming toddler. And she may not know how to talk yet, but she sure knows how to throw a tantrum. When she doesn't get her point across (or when we don't do what she wants), she arches her back and lets her voice hit registers I didn't know humans could get to. Of course, despite all of this she really is adorable and a lot of fun. She has now started to interact more with her toys and other playmates; she's growing up before my eyes!

The oh-so-happy birthday girl

For her birthday we stayed home and had a simple celebration with just the 3 of us. Turned out to be the best thing because our gas ended up getting turned off. Yep, I learned the hard way that when you smell a gas leak, you do NOT call the gas company (which is also the city of Huntsville). It worked out ok in the end, but they will look at and tell you to fix everything they see that's not up to code, not just why you asked them to come. They came out and not only noticed a leak, but also found that our furnace was venting improperly, causing a lot of carbon monoxide to pool out underneath our house. Thank goodness we have a crawl space fan, but it was still scary to learn how dangerous it was. So, that simple little call resulted in a week without hot water, heat, or a stove/oven. And in the end we now have a beautiful brand new furnace. Ha!

How Derek and I celebrated

It was so fortunate that I had already baked Addison's cake and only had to frost it (which did not require heat). Well, Derek and I enjoyed the cake even if Addison didn't dive in like we expected her to. Such a cautious little one!




And now that our heat is back on, and my fingers are thawed a bit, I have been able to get back into cooking. I don't think of myself as an amazing chef, but I do find that I'm happier when I have a few minutes to come up with something yummy for dinner. I used to get so stressed about dinner when both Derek and I worked grueling jobs. Now I still have days where Addison decides not to nap, or when we're too busy to get time to cook, but overall it is much better. Yesterday was one of those days, but thankfully I did have a few minutes in the morning to make a chicken soup in our crock pot.



Crockpot Chicken Soup

3 chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
4 carrots chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tsp basil
Dash of oregano
Sprig of rosemary
6 cubes chicken bullion
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
7 cups water

Put all ingredients in your Crockpot. The chicken can be frozen and whole. Set the timer for 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 on low. Right before you are ready to eat, remove the rosemary sprig and discard. Then take the chicken pieces out and shred them with a fork. Return them to the pot and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!