So Long

If anyone still reads this blog, this will be my last post. I created it when I made my family blog private because I didn't want to lose one of my favorite aspects of blogging - connecting with people that I haven't seen in a while. However, since the arrival of my second child, I haven't had much time to keep up the second blog. So, this is goodbye.

If you are a friend, I'd love to add you to the private blog's invitation list. Just send me an email at lhowell2@yahoo.com. I'd love for you to follow us there.

Fallen Princesses

By now, my daughter's princess obsession has me singing Disney songs in my sleep and endlessly picking up ball gowns and plastic high heels from the living room floor. I've gotten my fill of princesses, but Dina Goldstein's Fallen Princess project puts a new spin on the fairy tale princesses that we all know. Her photos put princesses in real life situations (like poor Snow White above). Check out the rest at http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/11918.

Nora Has Arrived!

Eleanor Rose

12:51 pm 8 pounds 10 ounces 20 3/4 inches

Baby Sister

We'll be welcoming Baby Sister into the world tomorrow! We're so excited that she'll finally be here! I'll update soon! Please keep us in your prayers!

Advice

I just love the concept behind this blog! 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter is written by a mother (obviously). The advice is great. It's inspiration to start a list for my girls.

Some examples:

#82 Anytime you are debating whether to shower or not, take the shower.

#81 Champagne is for sipping.

#80 Not everyone is going to like you, and that's just fine.

A Party

My daughter won't turn 3 until next week, but we had her birthday party Memorial Day Weekend. Since Baby Sister is due to arrive soon, we wanted to avoid her crashing it - not a good introduction to your new little sister. Anyway, the party was wonderful, and I (finally) have lots of pictures to share.

The invitation:

The castle cake:


Decorations:
A treasure chest of party favors
The gifts:

The food:
Our family were all great sports about dressing up.



Aaaarrrrggghh!


The bouncy house:



Greeting the guests:

Grandma wore her Maleficent, the bad witch, costume but had to promise the birthday girl that she would "be good" at the party (No sleeping spells, please!).
Snow White and Ariel



Singing "Happy Birthday":



What a fun day! Thank you, family, for all of your help!

Freedom Rider

We had quite an inspirational guest for our school assembly this week. It was Freedom Rider, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. She participated in the 1963 sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Jackson and was immortalized in the, now-famous, photograph below.

Joan is in the center and Anne Moody (Coming of Age in Mississippi - a book I highly recommend) is on the right.

The events recorded in that photo are hard for me to comprehend. I just can't imagine people treating other people so badly while spectators (some of them police) looked on. I'm so thankful for people like Joan Trumpauer Mulholland who are brave enough to stand up for what is right.

Read more about how she came to our school here.

Happy Mothers' Day!

I had a great Mothers' Day, and I hope you did, too. I was able to spend time with all the mothers in life my mother-in-law, my mom, and both of my grandmothers. It was a nice and rare treat to see them all in one day. The longer I'm a mom, the more I appreciate moms.

Did any of you moms get any really bad gifts? I love this article on "Really Bad Ideas for Mothers' Day" at Parenting.com. For my Mothers' Day treat, I get to pick out a much-needed rug for our living room. It's a great gift, and I'm super excited!

Here's my pick for next year: These Custom Silhouette Pendants at Craftbury Kids are just precious! Seeing them has me ready to meet Baby Sister. Wonder what her silhouette will look like.

Old Friends Green Goods

Our "Old Friends" booth at the Cotton District Arts Festival a few weeks ago was so much fun and pretty successful, too! We had such a great time that we're working on some designs for the Canton Flea Market in the fall!



All of our items were printed on reused materials. We found shirts and dresses at thrift shops and made bibs from remnants and tote bags out of t-shirts. Elizabeth's hat (below) is made out of a sleeve from turtleneck I'd make into a bag.

I think The 3/50 Project is a great idea! This is something I can really get behind, especially since my sister, along with my mom and dad, are opening the MINT home store in on Friday. Why don't you check it out and support your local economy?

The Naming of a Child

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. -Proverbs 22-1

Have you ever been responsible for the naming of a person? Naming a pet is hard enough because you know you'll spend a lot of time calling that name. Naming another human being, on the other hand, is a daunting task. In naming Baby Sister, we've taken many factors into account. Well, I have at least. I think Jason either likes, or doesn't like, the way a name sounds. Being a mom, and a worrier, I've taken much more than that into consideration.



1. Popularity. I steer clear of the most popular names simply because my name (Laura) was everywhere when I was growing up. In a high school graduating class of 47, I was one of four! And there were at least 7 variations (Laura, Lauren, Laurie, etc.) on my hall in the freshman dorm. So, to me, originality is important.

2. Originality. Okay, so I just said I wanted something original, but not too original. I don't want to burden my daughter with having to spell or correct the pronunciation of her name over and over again.

3. Family. I just love family names, so I've listed all of our known relatives and even looked at a few family trees. Big Sister, Anne Parks, is named after her great-grandparents, and I want Baby Sis to have a family name, too.

4. Sound. How does it sound with our last name? Does it sound like anything else that will result in an undesirable nickname? How will it sound when I yell it across the yard? How will it sound when her teacher calls the roll? These are the things that keep me up at night. Crazy, huh?

5. Writing. How does it look on paper? on a diploma? in lights? on the cover of a novel? (Mothers can dream.)

6. Initials. What will her monogram look like? Do the initials spell anything embarrassing?

7. Opinions. While I try to focus on what Jason and I like, others' opinions do factor in. In fact, my #1 choice was shot down by not only, Jason, but my mom, and my sister, among others. If only Jason had been against it, I probably would have fought for the name a little harder, but with that much opposition, sadly, it was immediately removed from the list.

8. Looks. The final factor in the naming of a child, for me, is her looks. We didn't reveal AP's name until after she was born because, in my mind, she had to look a certain way to be an AP. This was the cause of much consternation for family and friends aching to have something monogrammed.

This time around, we've done it early! With about 9 weeks until Baby Sister arrives, we have finally decided on a name. It's a family name that's not too popular and not too original. It looks good on paper, and I like the way it sounds.
Let's hope she looks like an Eleanor Rose or a Nora.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Some Rockin' Gowns

How much do you love these gowns by "This Mama Makes Stuff" ? She's got a great tutorioal here.
I hope I can take some time to make a few of these before baby sister arrives.

Town Hall for Hope

Tonight is Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope. I've told you before about his Financial Peace University and how much we learned. Dave's latest endeavor is to encourage and give hope during these hard economic times. Town Hall will take place in locations across the country. You can go here to find a location near you.

Sadly, I can't attend because of other commitments, but I will tune in by radio or watch it on Fox Business. Let me know if you go!

Freezer Cooking

Do you freezer cook? There are loads of resources online on once a month cooking (OAMC). Cooking just once a month would be great if I could only be that organized (and have the freezer space)! I haven't attempted any OAMC, but I do, occasionally, do what I call "freezer cooking". For example, if I'm making chicken casserole, I'll go ahead and double the recipe and freeze one for later. Lately, I've been inspired by Crystal, the author of the blog "Mom of Littles", to do some major freezer cooking before the baby gets here (She's also the inspiration behind the checklist) to make life a little simpler after sister's arrival.

I was off on Monday for the Easter holiday, and AP was with my husband's parents for a few days, so I seized the opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen. I decided I'd cook and freeze three chicken recipes that had similar ingredients but very different flavors. Then, I hit the grocery store. In addition to buying all the ingredients for my freezer cooking, I did my weekly shopping as well. My bill was higher than usual, but only by about a quarter. I can see how cooking once a month could really save on your grocery bill. Because I was cooking recipes with similar ingredients, I was able to buy things (like sour cream that usually go bad in my fridge before I use them) in bulk.

These are the ingredients that went into my three dishes...
plus a large bag of frozen chicken breasts, cooked and chopped. Boy, was I tired!
I doubled the recipes for chicken casserole, chicken tetrazini, and chicken enchiladas (recipes below). Since one of those recipes is too big for my family of three, I split most of them into 9 in square pans. Here are the fruits of my labor: 8 nights worths of freedom from the kitchen (not counting the inevitable left-overs)!
The whole ordeal took me about 3 hours. The hardest part was the Tetris game I had to play to get them all to fit in the freezer! I was totally worn out, but it was well worth it. I'll probably do one more round with a few beef dishes and maybe some muffins.

The Recipes
Warning: These are in no way diet dishes. They all include at least one or all of the ingredients essential to Southern cuisine: cream of mushroom soup, cream or chicken soup, sour cream, and butter.

*When I heat these from frozen, I double the baking time and bake covered with foil for 1/2 the time.

Mama's Chicken Casserole
When we were young, this is the dish my sister and I would always request on special occasions, like our birthdays. It's probably my number 1 comfort food still today.
You'll need:
- chicken (about 2 cups, , cooked and chopped)
- can of cream of mushroom soup
- can of cream of chicken soup
- sour cream (8 oz.)
- butter (1/2 stick, melted)
- two sleeves (at least) of crackers (My mom's always used Townhouse, but when I started making this mysef, I thought it was Ritz, so I ended up altering the recipe. I still use Ritz, but either will do.)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Smash up crackers (I just squeeze them in the sleeve.) and pour them into a bowl.
3. Pour butter over crackers and stir until coated.
4. Put 1/2 of the crackers in the bottom of a casserole dish.
5. Mix the first 4 ingredients together and pour them in the casserole dish.
6. Top with the remaining crackers.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas
At our house, we call them "fajita things". I think a more accuate term is "enchiladas". They're great the next day as left-overs - maybe even better than the first time around.
You'll need:
- chicken (about 2 cups, , cooked and chopped)
- sour cream (8 oz.)
- shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar, but you can use whatever you want).
- butter (1/2 stick, melted, or spray butter)
- flour tortillas (burrito or fajita size will do)
- jar of salsa

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly butter the tortillas, wrap in foil, and warm in the oven for about 5 mins.
3. Mix chicken, sour cream, and a handful of cheese. (At this stage you could also add in diced onion or any other veggie you'd like. My family likes 'em plain.)
4. Spoon some of the chicken mixture into the centers of the tortillas, roll them up, then place them width-wise in a casserole dish.
5. Spoon salsa over the top.
6. Bake for about 30 mins, or until the edges of the tortillas start to brown.
7. Top with cheese and bake a few more minutes until melted. (If you're freezing this one, don't add the cheese until you're ready to eat it.)

Chicken Tetrazini
I found this recipe in Bully's Best Bites. I believe it came from Beverly Hooks. I think I've added a few ingredients along the way. It super-easy and oh, so good!
You'll need:
- chicken (about 2 cups, cooked and chopped)
- thin spaghetti (12 oz., cooked and drained)
- small can of chopped mushrooms
- small can of peas
- butter (1 stick, cut into pieces)
- cream of chicken soup
- sour cream (8 oz.)
- cheddar cheese (1 cup)
- chicken broth (1 cup)

1. Mix all ingredients (leaving out 1/2 cup cheese) in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave for 12 mins., stirring occasionally.
3. Add the rest of the cheese.
4. If eating right away, mircrowave for two more minutes, then serve.
If freezing, spoon into freezer pans. When ready to eat, bake at 350 for about an hour.

Garage Sale Junkie

I think I'm addicted.
Sister and I spent Saturday garage and estate sale hopping. We found some great deals and had so much fun. We arrived at the first sale at 5:00 am and hit about 5 garage sales; then, after stopping at home to unload our treasures, we went to at an estate auction where we spent the rest of the day.

Emily and her garage sale "finds": three pairs of shoes, blue sandals for Smith, Banana Republic jeans, a blue cardigan, two blue trays, a Radio Flyer push wagon, a green vineyard ladder, three frames, a mirror, a small planter, two topiaries, a shelf, and a mirrored tray.




This lemonade stand at one sale was just precious.


I spent a total of $130, and these are my all of my "treasures":

four of these antique dining chairs

2 full-sized bedspreads

a pink pillow for AP's new "big sister" room


a camera for my favorite photographer


a Melissa & Doug clock puzzle
an apron and oven mitts for AP

one of my very favorite Disney movies

a small painting

a framed print

CD's to put me in a good mood on the way to work

a box full of craft, art, and sewing books and magazines

a cookbook

a Shel Silverstein book

a birthday cake book

three books: Wild at Heart, The Millionaire Mind, and You: The Owner's Manual

We got all of this before 7:00 am! There's so much more to tell about our experience at the estate sale, but I'll save that for another post.
Right now, we're planning our next garage sale shopping spree!