Can you keep a secret???

Marty had a rare overnight for work, and I let Maddie Grace sleep with me. We never let the kids sleep in our bed, but we had fun being sneaky!!

Tasty Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti

What you need:
Thin Spaghetti
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 lb ground beef
1-2 jars spaghetti sauce
2-4 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti noodles
Brown ground beef and mix in with favorite spaghetti sauce
Mix sour cream and cream cheese together
Put the noodles in the bottom of the 9X13 pan
Spread noodles with sour cream/cream cheese mixture and top with mozzarella cheese
Top with meat sauce

Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes - until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve with breadsticks.

First Cookout of the Year!

Daddy trying out the new grill. Our old one was fine...until we had tornadic winds and it flipped multiple times down the hill. In case you're wondering, that is NOT covered under the warranty.














I know this isn't the best pic of P, but look close. See his hair? His big sister decided to pour milk on his head and give him a new "do".

Go Big Orange??

Okay, you better look fast. This could quite possibly be the only time you see Maddie in a UT outfit. My mom got this dress for her, and it is precious. It even has Go Vols on the toosh!

Lexi's 1st Birthday!

Kristi couldn't have picked a better day for the party. We really enjoyed the great weather. Amy...how did we not get a picture together??


The sweet birthday girl, Lexi, and Kristi












Kristi had Lexi's party at her parent's house. This is their yard. Don't you hate it for them??

Maddie loved the pier.

















Kristi let us borrow a sippie cup. Do you see the front of it?!? It's probably a good thing that daddy couldn't make the party.












What a treat! My dear friend Sherry came by the party. Years ago, she introduced me to Kristi. I was hoping that her son and daugher-in-law would be able to bring their kids, but they were out of town. On a side note...do you see Maddie in the background riding off on Lexi's new 4 wheeler?

Cake time! Everyone's favorite.
Isn't this cake cute?

We had a great Saturday! Daddy decided to work, so I took the kids to a birthday party in Kingston. My parents met us for lunch prior to the party, and we had a great time visiting with each other.



Daddy isn't going to like this! At least he has his Michigan bib on.

Shoes!

Preston has been taking 5 to 6 steps lately. He get's so excited, his upper half moves faster than his lower half, then he falls. He will be moving to the one year old's class at school in a few weeks (I want to cry just thinking about it), and that class requires shoes and socks. He has been wearing shoes for 2 days now, and he will NOT walk in them! He just stands. I guess I shouldn't have waited so long to try them out.

Tasty Tuesday - Cheesecake Pie

This is my mom's famous cheesecake recipe. It is simple, but so good. Every family holiday requires at least 5 of these, and there are never any leftovers.

My Mom's Cheesecake Pie - Pat Arwood

Filling
1 Graham Cracker Crust
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla

Topping
8 oz sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp sugar

Mix cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 Tsp vanilla until smooth. Pour into uncooked crust and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Make sure the center is not liquified. If it is, cook a couple of more minutes. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Mix sour cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 2 Tbsp sugar. Pour on top of bottom layer. Bake 8 minutes. Refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Great with cherries or strawberries.

Our Easter Picnic

Marty and I wanted to do something special after church, so we decided to take a picnic to the Iris Garden. Neither of our kids have been there, and it is so beautiful this time of year. The weather was perfect! We had our picnic in the exact spot where Marty and I got married!

The iris are just beginning to grow buds. I hope we can go back in a couple of weeks to see the blooms. There was an egg hunt in the garden yesterday, and Maddie found 3 that were left over.




Yep, that's a pickle.



She spotted an egg!

The Easter Bunny (sort of)

Marty was excited to tell Maddie that the Easter Bunny left her something by the back door this morning. As you can see, it takes her a while to think clearly after she wakes up (she get's it honest). She kept looking out the window until Marty told her to look at her feet.














We aren't overly into the Easter Bunny. Marty and I have been talking to Maddie about the Cross and Jesus' ressurection. I know she is young to fully comprehend His gift to us, but it is never too early to start talking about it. My parents always had an Easter basket for me (until like 5 or 6 years ago!!!), but it was never the focus of our celebration. I want to share that tradition with my kids as long as they know why we celebrate. Preston's basket was filled with candy too. He isn't going to get any of it, but we just couldn't let it go to waste! :)

Egg Hunt at the Zoo

Marty took Maddie to the Zoo for their egg hunt yesterday. The Patton's met them there. The weather guy was wrong...way wrong. He said sunny and 70. It was cold, windy, and 50 at the most. My poor girl nearly froze, but Aunt Christa snuggled her to keep her warm.















Preston and I were at the doctor's office while they were at the Zoo. He has another ear infection, so we are going to proceed with ear tubes. Just for fun, I want to share that he weighs 22 pounds 12 ounces. Maddie barely weighs 26 pounds.

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken and Dumplings

My friend Nicki made this for our Bible study group Sunday night. It's so good!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

3 rolls of reduced-fat croissant rolls, divided (recommended brand Pillsbury)
1 small rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat removed from bones OR 3 boneless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the cans of croissant sheets and separate into diamond shaped sections. Place a small handful of chicken on each diamond, fold dough over and press ends together to create dumplings. Cut up any excess dough into strips. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with one layer of dumplings. Pour the can of cream of chicken soup over the layer of dumplings, followed by the can of cream of mushroom soup and chicken broth. Place strips of dough in a crisscross pattern on the top of the dumplings and soup mixture, season dish with salt and ground black pepper and bake until the dumplings are tender and cooked through and the top is bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes.

Our Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Preston and Madi Claire had as much fun as the big kids!



We actually got a pic with the Easter Bunny this year.

A good big sister

Tasty Tuesday - One Day Late

I am still out of town...it has been a busy week. I get to come home tomorrow! I cannot wait to get my hand on my babies. Random - I got stuck in an elevator with 15other people for 45 minutes yesterday!! We were stuck between floors and packed in like sardines (which explains why the elevator stopped working). All I will say is that I will never get on a full elevator again for the rest of my life.


Crockpot Angel Hair Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 tub of cream cheese with chives
1 basket of mushrooms
1 stick of butter
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg Good Season Italian Dressing
½ cup white wine

Cook 5 hours on low in your crockpot
Serve over angel hair pasta