Addictions:

As some of you may or may not know, I have some struggles with addictions.  None that are particularly harmful to my health--mostly just my bank balance.  :)  We'll get into more detail about this later, but for now, I have an addiction/confession to tell you....

Hello - My name is Callie and I am addicted to EVOO, Garlic, Lemon, and healthy noodles.
I have been whipping up this little concoction for lunch lately and I am just WILD about it.  I have fallen madly in love with Barilla "Plus" AND Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat noodles.  I just boil these in a little bit of salted water and then toss them with the Magical Mixture. 

Here it is:
EVOO - about a TBS or so
Garlic - 1 clove, just smashed or grated
Lemon - juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon
Salt/Pepper just to season everything
Noodles - how ever much will make your heart happy and your tummy satisfied
Cheese - this is strictly for added pleasure, but if you have any freshly grated Parmesan on hand, it will just blow you away how delicious it is in this dish

I heat the EVOO, garlic, lemon, S/P to "marry" all the flavors while the noodles are cooking.  Once the noodles are finished, just drain them and dump them into the Magical Mixture.  Add cheese if you please and ENJOY!

Today I had a leftover grilled chicken breast and heated it up as well, cut it up and threw it in with the noodles. 
All I can say is Y-U-M-M-Y!  Here's what it looked like:

Give it a try sometime....but, don't say I didn't warn you. 

Morning Milestone!

So, as some of you may know, my little man is somewhat of a super-duper picky eater.  As much as I know it "won't last forever" and he WILL someday eat more than just pizza, chicken and fish sticks....it still weighs heavy on my heart and I truly long for him to find new things to eat.

Well....today was a GOOD day in that department.  The other day he mentioned something about eating eggs (which he NEVER eats) and as surprised as I was, I really didn't pay a whole lot of attention thinking he just saw something on TV or something about eggs and "thought" that he wanted them.  Then, this morning he said it again!!....So, as fast I could I asked him if he wanted to make "Eggs in the Nest" with me and he, very excitedly said "YES!".  

I made each of us an egg and nest hoping that if I was eating it as well, it would help keep him committed to the task at hand.  Guess what??....HE ATE IT!!!  And, he wanted another one when he finished the first!  So, of course, I made another and he ate about 1/3 of it. 

I know it may seem small and silly, but this was a GREAT way to start my day!  :)

Long time, no blog....

Hello Blog.  It's been quite a while since we have talked, but it's really nice to see you again!

Well, February was not a very good month for the Winter household.  All three of us were sick....over and over and over.  First it started with RSV for Hudson.  Then I got it.  Then Hudson got pink-eye.  Then I got pink-eye.  Then Greg got the upper respiratory bug.  Then he got pink-eye. 
The weather didn't help things.  Cold, warm, freezing, warm, windy, snowing, warm....etc.  Needless to say, we were VERY happy to see the "short month" of the year headed right on out the door and we are already welcoming March with open arms.  We're ready for more sunshine, warmer days, shorter sleeves, signs of new life in the flower beds and maybe even a day or two flip-flops!  :)

Obviously, it wasn't a great month for picture taking, new adventures, or anything much exciting to blog about....but I did try to capture a few little fun moments here and there.  :)  Here ya go!

Here's Hudson taking one of his breathing treatments....he was a real trooper.

He has really been interested in coloring and "drawling"...this is one item that I was particularly impressed with...

He had pink-eye here....poor buddy!

He even made his very own turtle costume....all on his own!

He has also been very "into" building and designing what I consider to be future masterpieces...

 

And last....but not least, my favorite pics of February 2010...

A few favorite Christmas pics

Callie & Angie

CHEEESE!

Chris-16    Jessie-11    Hudson-3

Chase....the 'favorite'

Don - Bonnie

                               The Gang!

My little mix-master!

Chase & Alex

My Favorite Monkey!

What's For Dinner:

Tried a new recipe tonight and all I can say is YUMMMMMMY!!! 
Here's the link to the recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sharshs-white-bean-chicken-chili-recipe/index.html

I followed it exactly, except I did not add the jalapeno and I roasted the tomatillos, 1 of the three onions and 2 cloves of garlic in the oven before putting it in the food processer. (375 for about 15-20 mins)
I also substituted Cumin for the "other" chili powder that the recipe called for...(I couldn't find it in the store)

Garnishes..Mmmmm

If you are looking for an easy, but just a tad bit time consuming with the charring/steaming/peeling of the poblanos recipe, this is the PERFECT chili to shake things up a bit during this "Arctic Blast".
Oh!  And I made a little cornbread to sop it up with....extra yummy!   ENJOY!

UPDATE:  So once I thought about it for a minute, I realized how HEALTHY this soup is!  There is literally no fat in this besides the olive oil I used to saute the veggies in.  I had leftovers for lunch today and it was just as fabulous...and there was no fat "floating" on top of the soup.  AWESOME!!!

The Battle at Bedtime

Ok, so Hudson doesn't really "fight" going to bed.....he just always prefers for Greg or I to lie down with him.  We have gotten to where we don't do it anymore, but he still ALWAYS asks (or begs) us to. 

Last night, we learned how 'crafty' he is becoming is his ways of trying to persuade us.  Let me preface this by saying that he had a very short nap at school and was pretty cranky all evening.  This combination typically makes bedtime pretty easy b/c he is so tired, but not this night.  Not this night at all....

So, at 8:30 lights out.  Ahhhh....peace and quiet for mom and dad.  WRONG.  Hudson starts yelling "DAD!" from his bed and I give Greg the "I will kill you if you go in there look".  He stays.
So, after a few minutes Hudson starts yelling "MOM!, MOMMY!!!"  From my comfy seat in the living room I finally respond, "WHAT?" to which he replies "I need you".  Sooo, I get up out of my comfy seat and go in and he says he needs his blankie - aka "lanky" and babydoll.  A perfectly legitimate request.  (Yes, he now sleeps with a babydoll.  Not just any babydoll....it was MY babydoll when I was little.  That's just too sweet and too sentimental, so I let him do it.  Knowing full-well that it is certain that there will be ramifications of doing so.)  Anywho, I get the lanky and babydoll, kiss him once again and tell him goodnight. 

A few minutes later, more "MOMMY, DADDY!!".....we try as long as we can to ignore it, but then finally my fuse had "met it's maker" and I stormed into the room and said "WHAT!" again.  His reply was this: "Mom, it is YOUR bedtime too.  You are very tired and your eyes are closing and you are yawning and you need to come to bed RIGHT NOW."  Then his voice softens and continues...."Mom, you are sooo sleepy and you are yawning.  You just need to come to bed with me.  Right now."  

Yikes.

If I wouldn't have known better, he might have actually convinced me he was right.  So, what Greg and I determined last night is that we are in trouble.  BIG trouble.  This kid is the master-of-all-masters of manipulation and while WE do our best not to give in and let him know that we are "the boss", I know we are in for the battle of our lives with this one.  And yet somehow, I'm looking forward to every bit of it. 

Well, better get ready for the day ahead....I"m shopping for a suit-of-armor today.  :)

Back to reality...

Well, it's been an extremely lazy start to the new year for us and we have LOVED it!  Greg took off work Thurs/Friday and so we have had 4 full days of being home and hanging out.  We went to Odessa yesterday to visit family (always fun!) and then were home in time to watch the Red Raiders give Michigan State a pretty good 'whoopin'.  (I cannot discuss any of the TTU/Leach drama as it causes my blood pressure to rise to unhealthy levels and I will lose sleep, again, tonight)...stay tuned for comments on this subject for a later date. 

Today consisted of a yummy breakfast, cleaning out a few toys here and there, playing outside, grabbing a few groceries, and more laziness on the couch watching more football.  :)  Life is good. 

Tomorrow....back to work for all of us!  I'm grateful for this time off and especially for the blessing of the beautiful sunshine we had today.  Thankful for the safe travels for all of my family/friends and all-in-all, just grateful to be alive.  Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead!!!!  CW