Chicken and Dumplings with Roasted Brussels Sprouts My Way.

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe.

I'm not sure what we've been eating lately.

Apparently, nothing too exciting...

So, tonight's dinner was a welcome change:

Chicken and Dumplings with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Chicken and Dumplings My Way

Sauce:

Chicken, cooked and shredded - I used a package of organic chicken legs.

Box of chicken stock

Carrots, sliced

Onion, diced

Garlic, minced

Dill, salt and pepper

Olive oil

Dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon white sugar

.5 teapsoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup almond milk

1. Mix dry dumplings ingredients together.

2. Cut butter into dry ingredients until it is crumbly.  

3. Add milk and mix just until everything is incorporated.

• 4. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in olive oil.
• 5. Add box of chicken stock, carrots and chicken.  Bring to a boil
• 6. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough into boiling chicken stock.
• 7. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting lid.
• 
  
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• 
  
• Fresh brussels sprouts
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 425.
• 2. Cut woody ends off brussels sprouts.
• 3. Use a cookie sheet to toss sprouts with olive oil and add plenty of salt and pepper.
• 4. Bake for 20 minutes, regularly shaking the pan to evenly cook sprouts.
• 5. They are cooked when fork tender and blackened on the outside.
• 
  
• *This is the best dinner I've cooked in recent memory.  It seems like a lot of work typed out but it was really very quick and easy.  I cooked the chicken the night before and shredded the chicken and cut the veggies while the kids napped.  
• In the past, I've made Bisquick dumplings and these were a million times better and didn't take any more time or effort than using Bisquick.  And, of course, Henry loved the dumplings or "baba".

With his faithful friend by his side.

1st jump:

2nd jump:

Yeah.

He liked it.

"I need more."

a winter's walk.

 Pre-walk:

Post-walk:

Please notice that Liza is a 'blanket in the face' type sleeper when unswaddled.

Brown eyes blue eyes.

Liza may very well have Big Daddy's blue eyes.  She's the ocular trendsetter in our family.  

Henry got to play at Christmas and saw Big Daddy's interesting dogs:  

Ole Ivan, a shepard, still sweet and one-eyed.  Shaking hands is his favorite trick.  

The Beagles who may or may not be named Bendaryl.

ahem. cough.

The unpictured dog hospital.

Woof woof?

Right now.

Very proud.

Liza is officially a baby and no longer a scrunched up newborn.

She wants to watch her world and chew on whatever objects are within her reach.

Definitely teething, her moods shift quickly but most of the time she is still a super smiley happy little thing.

Taylor memorialized the event of her first "roll" this morning while I was still asleep:

What can I say?

I'm proud of my girl for rolling and I'm proud of my husband for thinking to take a picture.

Good job, guys!

Mary on my mind.

Henry's Christmas books are in a basket on our coffee table.

We have a nice variety: 

 board books about Santa and Christmas traditions,

long story books about the importance of family during the holiday season,

a beautifully illustrated book about the Christmas star,

and of course, several books about the nativity and the birth of baby Jesus.

Henry loves babies so he is naturally drawn to the nativity story.

We talk about how baby Jesus was in his mama's belly just like Liza was in my belly.

Mary was his mama and Joseph was his dada but he was God's son.

I explain the story of Christmas in terms that Henry understands.

He nods and says "yeah, a baby".

We finish reading the book on hand and move on to Henry's next whim.  

But, I am always left with Mary on my mind.

Was Joseph really the only person there or did he ask the innkeeper to find a midwife to help Mary?

Did that long donkey ride turn Jesus towards her back or was he in optimal position for birth?

Had Mary attended other births and therefore knew what to expect during childbirth?

Was her labor and delivery short and intense or long and drawn out?

Was transition as painful for Mary as it was for me?

Did Jesus latch on her breast perfectly the first time?

 Did she experience breastfeeding issues and have to consult women in her community for support and help?

Did Mary use diapers, elimination communication or a combination of both?

Did she wear Jesus as an infant and toddler?

Mary was a mother.

Like me.

And, Jesus was her baby.

It's easy for me to understand.

Our morning:

 Wake up at 7:00 am.
 Drink my coffee, shower, and get dressed.
 Tend to Henry's relentless pleas for food.
 Help Taylor buzz his head.
 Get the kids dressed in Christmas gear.
 Take pictures of kids dressed in their Christmas gear.
 Be thankful the ^ first picture ^ turned out so well because the photo session quickly devolved into tears.
 Put Liza down for one of her many cat naps.  She is quickly becoming our little napless wonder.
 Tend to Henry's relentless pleas for food.
 Grab the diaper bag, both kids and my checkbook and head to the Starkville Holiday Bazaar!
 Get to the Sportsplex, put Liza in the sling, remind Henry that he loves loves loves the umbrella stroller.
 Smile and thank every body we pass in the Bazaar for complimenting my precious children.
 Wish I had more snacks after Henry inhales his apple slices -- snacks = more shopping time
 Make several holiday gift purchases and wish I had lots of money to buy some fantastic local artwork.
 Go home.
 Tend to Henry's relentless pleas for food.
 Listen to Henry make Liza giggle in lieu of finishing his snack because finishing his snack means it is naptime.
 Throw Henry in the bed, shut the door and listen to him say "no na" approximately 3 times before crashing.
 Wear Liza in the Ergo so she will nap for more than 15 minutes.
 Clean our messy messy house and pack for two night at Pops and Meme's house in Madison.

--------------------------------

I saw a former coworker last night who asked how I like being a stay-at-home-mom.  

I love it.

Duh.

  She stayed home with her babies so she understands the life of a full-time mama. 

Then she asked if I ever got bored.

What do you think? 

load after load.

                             dirty laundry maker #1                                                       dirty laundry maker #2

Laundry:

my never ending nemesis.

Thank goodness I have a cute little laundry helper to ease the pain.

scary.

They look so sweet laying together on Liza's playmat.

Absolutely precious.

I took this picture thinking that Henry is 

the best two-year-old big brother

a baby girl could have.

3 minutes later,

he proved me wrong.

If you are familiar with my house,

my babies were laying on the floor in front of the red leather chair in the living room;

aka

out of my sight when I'm in the kitchen.

I took this sweet picture and then stepped into the kitchen to finish wiping off the counters.

We don't have much counter space. 

I wasn't gone for long.

I peeked around the corner when I heard Henry dancing around saying,

"Hen Hen did it, Hen Hen did it."

I asked him what he did.

He jabbered his usual jabber, pointed to his mouth and then to Liza's mouth.

My stomach sank to the floor.

I asked him to show me what he did.

He pretended to grab something off the floor and put it in Liza's mouth.

My stomach, heart and spleen sank to the floor.

I grabbed our precious, innocent little girl off the mat

and swept out her mouth with my finger.

Out came a piece of waxed paper packaging 

that Henry had gotten out of my dirt pile when I had swept a few hours earlier.

She gagged.

This time, I did the finger sweep down her throat.

Out came a second piece of waxed paper packaging.

A third finger sweep reassured me that I had gotten every piece out of her mouth and throat.

It was scary.

Very very scary.

This happened a few hours ago and my heart is still beating fast at the possibilities.

What if he hadn't been so proud to have shoved that paper in her mouth?

What if it had been a bead rather than a piece of waxed paper?

What if it had been a piece of plastic bag that doesn't come out with the finger sweep?

What if?

What if?

What if?

I'm still freaking out a little bit, if you can't tell....

Thanksgiving 2010.

This Thanksgiving, I am.....

Thankful for my sister and her little family.

Martha and Henry are 6 months apart and better buddies each time we are together.

Thankful for Hen Hen and loving that he can wear a handtowel

like a big person wears a bathtowel.

Thankful for Martha and that at least one kid in the family is an eater.

Thankful that Henry finally woke up from his nap so we could eat Thanksgiving dinner.

Not so thankful that he pitched a fit for butter the entire duration of dinner.

Thankful for lots of of Thanksgiving themed food.

Thankful my mama gave us Thanksgiving presents.

A new tradition, perhaps?

Thankful for my father finally looking at the camera.

Thankful for YaYa helping Henry eat his GoGurt.

Thankful for sweet little Liza and her sweet little ways.

I am also thankful for Taylor.

Duh.

I am not so thankful for poor lighting in the all of the above pictures.....

Not the Santa Maria.

Taylor was beyond excited when we heard that the

Nina and Pinta

were docked at the Columbus Marina

and open for visitors.

Prior to our visit, I talked to Henry about everything I knew about 

Christopher Columbus.

He listened very carefully and when I was finished with my toddler oriented lecture,

he said "boat".  

That's right, buddy.

Christoper Columbus had boats.

together.

Henry 

loves to 

"ho ho"

his little baby sister girl.

safely, responsibly, non-messy manner.

This blog post by MamaBirth has me thinking;

thinking about how the first time I heard about homebirth was when

the 1st Duggar grandbaby was born at home.

That baby was born at home in October 2009.

The concept of giving birth at home seemed

ridiculous

irresponsible

messy.

A little less than a year later,

our little Liza was born

safely

responsibly

and in a non-messy manner

in our home.

Why did we choose homebirth for our daughter when not so long ago
the concept seemed so foreign and crazy?

 I knew I could do it.  And, bravery has nothing to do with it.
If millions of women all over the world could have babies without drugs, why couldn't I?

hospitals = hospital grade germs = paranoid mama

My Dr. Google degree in the process of normal birth taught me that my body is designed to give birth.
Why mess with nature?
Sorry, Hen Hen.  If only we'd realized this for your birth.


I didn't want to be included in the 35% of Mississippi women who give birth via c-section.
1 hour of pain as my body pushed my baby out or recovery from major abdominal surgery?

Midwifes are trained to identify and deal with problems before they become emergencies.

Midwifes "catch" babies.  Mamas "deliver" babies.

If I am so cautious as to give up my morning coffee while pregnant and
suffer through headaches without Tylenol or Advil,
why do I want narcotics during delivery?
Once again, sorry about that, Hen Hen.


And, the question of the night is...........


Why wouldn't I want to labor, give birth and recover in the comfort of my own home
if I have a normal pregnancy?

Ding.  Ding.  Ding.
We have a winner, folks.

There is no reason why you can't labor, give birth and recover in the comfort of your own home
if you have a normal pregnancy.
.

a power snack.

This boy

needed a

power snack

of

edamame

before his big game!

One of those days.

One of those days:

Sick Henry.

Sick Taylor.

Enough said about that....

Thanksgiving is exactly one week away and I am thankful.

Thankful for everything:

Sick Henry and sick Taylor who aren't deathly ill.

Sweet Liza who still likes to nap a lot.

Thankful that my children didn't freeze to death last night 

when we forgot to turn the heat on.

Thankful for my warm bed when my house was so cold last night.

Thankful for the fat reimbursement check we got from our insurance company

from Liza's homebirth. 

 It was cheaper than Henry's hospital birth...as it should be.

They covered 90%, people! 

Most of all,

I'm thankful for my family.

They might make me crazy some days but

they are mine and I love them!