Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is about the extent of our celebrating- wearing green! Is anyone making corn beef and cabbage? I kind of want to.


Samuel didn't want to take a picture because he had just hurt his thumb. But, he did anyway! haha















{image credit: weheartit.com}

Oh

And, guess who rolled over for the first time yesterday?



I usually do tummy time on the boppy, but yesterday I put Finley on the floor on the blanket. I turned around to talk to Judah and when I turned back around she was on her back. Yay for our little princess!

(The super cute princess onesie was made by Kristin.)

Conversations

My conversation with Judah in the car:

Judah: Did Jesus die on July 8th? Or the 20th?

Mama: We don't know what day, but it was over 2000 years ago. But, he didn't stay dead, remember? He came back to life and now He's in heaven with God.

J: When did God die?

M: He didn't die because He never came to earth. He's in heaven. But, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us.

J: What's the Holy Spirit?

M: He's God.

J: No He's not, God is God. Do you mean the Holy Ghost?

M: Yeah, they're the same thing. The Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost.

J: Well, then say the Holy Ghost because I don't know what you're talking about when you say the Holy Spirit.

M: Ok

He sure put me in my place, didn't he?

__________________

This morning for homeschool Judah was reading us a book. Samuel was having fun listening, when Silas came over and grabbed the book out of Judah's hands. Judah grabbed it back, but Samuel went over and pinched Silas.

Mama: Did it make you angry when Silas took the book?

Samuel: Yeah

M: Did you pinch Silas?

S: Yeah

M: Do you think that hurt him and made him sad?

S: Yeah

M: Do you want to hurt him?

S: No, because he's my little brother. (My favorite part of the conversation. He said it with such conviction.)

M: What could you do next time if he makes you angry?

S: Ask him to give Judah and me the book back.

M: That's right, now go tell Silas sorry and then you can play.

S: (to Silas) Sorry for pinching you Silas.

_________

Right now, as I'm typing this, I hear Judah saying to Samuel, "t-h-e spells THE!"


Sometimes my kids amaze me. They are so smart!! :)

Menu Planning Monday: Quiche

So, I think on Mondays, instead of posting my menu for the week (which is really boring!) I'll post a recipe or meal I really enjoy. I always love finding new meal ideas, so I hope you will use and enjoy these!

Quiche is one of my favorite things to make for dinner. It's easy, delicious, and healthy (especially when you make a few substitutions). My favorite base recipe is from Real Simple. I just tweak it to make it my own.


First, saute your vegetables in olive oil over medium heat.

You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I've used broccoli, peppers, olives, fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, summer squash, etc. This time I had onions, marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and spinach.
I marinated the artichokes and onions in the oil from the artichoke jar until the onions were soft and translucent.Then, I added in the mushrooms.


Turn off the heat and add in a large handful (or two) of spinach.

I LOVE the organic spinach from Costco and buy a big thing of it every time I go.


Stir in spinach until wilted.



Get your crust ready.

I've used store bought frozen crust a lot and it's definitely the easiest. This time I used the Pioneer Woman's pie crust recipe and replaced whole wheat flour for the white. After I made the crusts I froze them in individual plastic bags. It didn't look very pretty (which is probably because I rolled out the crust before taking it out of the bag, instead of after), but it tasted good!


Break four eggs into a bowl.

One of our pool customers gives us these delicious organic eggs. We get fresh eggs without the hassle of a chicken coop!


Mix together eggs, milk/half and half, salt, pepper, and spices.

I use whatever milk I have on hand (which happened to be Safeways organic 2%) and whatever spices (which was just some dried parsley). The recipe calls for gruyere cheese, which I've used before, but it's expensive and the quiche, for me, is all about using what I have. This time I used mozzarella and cheddar. My favorite is probably swiss.


Add your vegetables to the egg mixture, stir together, and pour in the crust. Cook at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.


And, serve. This was after Eric already served our plates. We had it with a salad and delicious wheat bread from, again, Costco!


Basic Quiche Recipe from Real Simple Magazine

Serves 6
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 1hr 00m

Ingredients
1 9-inch refrigerated piecrust
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 large eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces Gruyere, grated
4 cups mixed greens

Directions
Heat oven to 375° F. Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Place on a baking sheet.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in the onion mixture and the Gruyère.
Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle the greens with the remaining tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the quiche.

eye candy

It's a good day because...

A pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans fit.

We went to the Comedy Pet Circus with my mom.

I'm on the look out for a cute Spring dress.

I have some fun blog posts coming up.

I got to do a tiny bit of sewing today.

As soon as the kids are in bed Eric and I plan to watch this.

Finley slept nine hours straight last night. NINE HOURS.

{image credit: weheartit}

Thankful Thursday: Dog People

I'm thankful for this squishy little face. For the joy he brings my husband and boys.



I don't consider myself an animal person. And, until six months ago, I wouldn't have considered Eric one either.

Until he got it in his little heart to get a bulldog. And, now, he is in love.



Poor Captain (or Cappy or Capistrano, as I like to call him) would be much more spoiled if there wasn't four kids to take care of.



I love reading about the bulldog, Kingsley, on Rockstar Diaries. They are a part of a bulldog club and recently went to a birthday party for one of the other bulldogs. When I showed Eric this post he LOVED it. He wishes there was a bulldog club here.

Do you think telling him to start one would be a mistake?

Happy Baby Smiles!

Aren't baby smiles the best? You can't not smile when you see a baby smile.



I remember so many times with my boys they would start to giggle and that would make me giggle and that would make them laugh harder and the cycle was endless.



I can't wait until this girl giggles.



But, for now we're loving her smiles.



Yes, the boys adore their little sister.





And, she is smitten with them.