Wednesday Hello

Just a quick check in...

I have a lot to pack in this beautiful day. Literally and figuratively.

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for TX. I'm frantically doing laundry so I have something to wear.

The last four days have been so much fun. I am excited for my visit with my mom's group, but I am also a little sad to end this time with the kids and The Mister. We've visited the botanical gardens, had bagels and coffee, shopped, played in the yard, gone on walks, painted cabinets while the kids rode their bikes, watched movies and generally enjoyed the relaxed pace of just being together.

I am going to miss it next Monday morning when we all go back to the general routine.

I hope to post over the next few days, but if things are more quiet around here, its because i'm hanging with my peeps. I am excited because not only will I see my mom's group but I will be staying with the Ant Ranchers Wife on Thursday. 

If you've read my blog long enough, you'll know that one my favorite places in North Texas is the Ant Ranch. Its just the most relaxing place to be, and the people who live there are some of my favorite Texans on earth.

The Ant Ranchers Wife has graciously allowed me to invite a few friends over tomorrow night for a little visit. Very excited about that!

Also, on Saturday morn I plan to meet a blogging buddy. Kelly from Simplistic Treasures and I have plans to get together. I love getting to meet bloggers IRL (in real life!)

All right, the laundry isn't going to do itself. Although I keep waiting to see if it will.

I also have HUGE plans for making it to Central Market. My favorite grocery store on the planet. I will not be coming home without tortillas and coffee. I guarantee. 

All right. I gotta get on with the day. Y'all have a great end of the week and weekend!

Happy Wednesday!

Glatitude

They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Gretchen should be flattered.

Gretchen started this whole Glatitude Monday shtuff, and since Mer, Tiff and Carpoolqueen have joined, I will too.

In this case, I'm glad for peer pressure. (Although there was none. So as you can see I am easily influenced.)

Here are a few others things I am grateful for:

*Glad that my 18 oz. coffee cup is full. The coffee tastes amazing this morning.

*Glad that the weather is already beautiful. It's not even 7 a.m., and I am have windows open.

*Glad for friends. New and Old.

*Glad that Them Mister has this entire week off of work.

*Glad that he spent the entire weekend helping me transform my kitchen into what I have envisioned for a long time. 

 

*Glad for these books: For devotional - The Valley of Vision: A Collection  of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

For Fiction: The Shape of Mercy, Susan Meissner

(Its a book that I have had trouble putting down and couldn't sleep last night thinking about it....so good!)

*Glad that I am living in the most beautiful state in the nation. North Carolina is everything I romantically dreamed about since I was a little girl. Can't believe I live here. (Bugs, snakes, and such...but I won't write about them since I'm having glatitude and all.)

*Glad that winter is over.

*Glad that this post is done!

Happy Monday!

PS:

*Glad to give you a sneak peek at what we did this weekend. We are half-way finished! Yay!

Illegal Blogging

As I type this, The Mister is using a large sander to sand down the cabinets in prep for primer and paint...

Since its really loud he can't hear me sneaking a little typing break. 

Since I don't have time to type (and spellcheck and re-type...I'm not a fast typer) i will just do a pictorial. 

Kellie

PS: It is a beautiful day in this neighborhood. Can I tell you how happy I am to be living in North Carolina? It's just gorgeous! The flower shots were all taken this morning around 8:ooam. And that wasn't even all of them....our neighbors front yard has all sort of colored Iris' (is that what they are?): Yellow, pink, orange...just beautiful!

This is me, doing what I should be doing right now.

OK...gotta go.

You didn't see me.

Where in the World is CoffeeGal going?

In one week from this very moment, I should be boarding an aircraft for the top secret location. Flying in for a weekend retreat with my old Moms' Group. 

Today we are scattered between four different cities and three different states. We don't keep up as much as we'd all like in between our visits, but when we are together we fall right back into that sweet place in friendship that cannot be broken by time or space.

I'm looking forward to seeing these gals...

The picture above was taken when we were young, and had enough energy to think that 9 moms and 19 children in one photo studio would be fun.

Honestly, it was VERY fun. 

Now we are all about 6 years older and there are 8 children that have since been born.

The picture above is beautiful, and is the one shot that managed to get all of us looking toward the camera.

But, I wouldn't trade the picture below for the world. 

Its one of the many pictures that "didn't turn out". 

I bought it anyway. It's so true to life and represents what seven years of Mom's group was all about: Laughter, Tears, Joy, Love, Grace and  Comfort...

The comfort to be just who we were...a bunch of young women who, in a certain time and place, needed each other...

Goodness, I love these girls....

Can't wait to see you!

iPod Meme

I don't know if you have seen this meme or not, but I have to tell you it had me laughing yesterday afternoon as I prepared for this post. 

Whoever thought of this one was very clever.  If you decide to do this let me know so I can come read it!

A Meme for your iPod

Instructions:

1. Put your iPod (or MP3 player) on shuffle. 

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN AS YOUR ANSWER, NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Tag some Moms you admire who could use a laugh and a song.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MOM?

I Feel for You (Chaka Khan)

WHAT DID YOU THINK THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW YOUR BABY?

A Heart Like Mine (Bryan Duncan)

WHAT DID YOU DO THE FIRST MORNING AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT?

I Need the Every Hour (Amy Grant & Vince Gill)

WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN SOMEONE COLORS ON THE WALL? 

It Takes Two (Zac Efron: Hairspray)

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A TODDLER’S BODILY FLUID ISSUES? 

The Way He Was Raised (Josh Turner)

IF SOMEONE SAYS “Can I have a snack?” YOU SAY?

You’ll Be There (Cindy Morgan)

IF SOMEONE LEAVES THEIR STUFF ON THE FLOOR, YOU SAY? 

Sangria (Relaxing Guitar Solo)

IF SOMEONE ISN’T SICK TODAY, YOU SAY? 

What A Friend We Have in Jesus (Amy Grant)

HOW DO YOUR KIDS ENJOY YOUR COOKING? 

Will You Still Love Me (Relaxing Guitar Solo)

HOW DID YOUR KIDS DO IN SCHOOL TODAY?

Run and Tell That (Hairspray)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHILE SITTING IN CARPOOL LINE? 

Through Every Season ( Guitar solo)

HOMESCHOOLERS, WHAT IS THE FIRST SUBJECT TAUGHT OF THE DAY? 

Walk Away (Tony Moran)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS WANT TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP? 

Where I Wanna Be (V*Enna)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY AS A MOM? 

Soulmate ( Josh Turner)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE AS A MOM? 

The Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO AS A MOM? 

Come So Far, Got So Far to Go (Hairspray)

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE REALLY A MOM?

Come Thou Font Of Every Blessing (Chris Rice) 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MOST OFTEN AS A MOM? 

Baby, I Go Crazy (Josh Turner)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY AS A MOM? 

What You Already Own (Amy Grant)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET AS A MOM? 

The Longer The Waiting (The Sweeter the Kiss) (Turner)

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE AS A MOM?

Moment to Moment (Guitar Solo)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? 

If You See Him, If You See Her (Reba)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO THAT MAKES YOU CRY? 

Everything is Fine (Josh Turner)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO THAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? 

Little Did I Know (Barlow Girl)

HOW DO YOUR KIDS DESCRIBE YOU AS THEIR MOM? 

This is My Fathers World ( Amy Grant)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Never Look Back (Guitar solo)

WHAT WILL YOUR MOM OF THE YEAR CERTIFICATE SAY?

Have a Nice Day (Bon Jovi)

Tag...you're it!

What I Have Learned This Week: Coffee Punch

People! Did you know there was such a thing as Coffee Punch?

How did I not know this?

This morning, my running partner, E, was sharing her menu for a baby shower brunch she'll be having next week.

She talked of egg casserole and fruit, but she got my attention when she spoke of making coffee punch.

The minute we were finished I ran inside and Googled Coffee Punch, and sure enough, its TRUE!

Here is just one recipe that sounds amazing. 

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 6  cups  hot brewed coffee
• 1/2  gallon vanilla ice cream
• 1/2  gallon chocolate ice cream
• 1/2  to 3/4 cup coffee liqueur

• Toppings: whipped cream, chocolate syrup

Preparation

Stir together sugar and hot coffee until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill mixture 30 to 45 minutes.

Spoon ice cream into a large punch bowl. Pour coffee mixture over ice cream; stir in coffee liqueur. Serve with desired toppings.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used hazelnut coffee. Makes 23 cups.

Southern Living, MARCH 2001 

Coffee AND ice cream. A match made in heaven.

To check out what others are learning head over to Jo-Lynn@Musings of a Housewife.

Coffee Gal Calling Back: Be Intentional

Well, its Friday Monday, and I am getting this post out late because sometimes life catches you by surprise...and deadlines become moot.

Anyway, today is the first installment in the CoffeeGal: Calling Back series.

Its been hard to think about where to start, so let's start at the very beginning.....(Go ahead Tiffany...sing away girl).

I've always been a "romantic" domestic. I have always loved the idea of staying home, raising kids, keeping house. I dreamed of sleeping babies; delicious homemade dinners; obedient children; lovely parties set in a clean, home decorated by Pottery Barn...

However, I couldn’t ever get my ideas and reality to matchup in those early baby years.

This was (is) especially true when I compared myself to others who seemed to live their lives seamlessly. 

There came a point in my life (soon after child #2 was born) when I began to get a hunch that the appearance of having it all together didn't really indicate reality. 

So I began to look around and really observe the women around me who were exceptional homemakers, wives, mothers and friends. After almost a year, I came to an interesting conclusion.

The women I observed were independently different: Some had lots of money, some had none. Some had an eye for decor, some didn’t. Some had amazing organizational skills, others had to work at them. Each were uniquely gifted, but these ladies all had one very important thing in common:

They were all intentional.

Intentional with their time.

Intentional in their relationships.

Intentional with their words.

Intentional with their homes.

Intentional in pursuit of the Lord.

These women were intentional in the way they went about their lives. They had a sense of purpose. In this way it didn't really matter how their homes were decorated, or how yummy the dinner tasted. What mattered is that you left their home feeling like you didn't really want to leave.

It was then that I decided this was the key: Don't be worried about what you don't have but be intentional with what you've got.

So, I looked around at what I had and decided to go from there. We had just purchased our first house, a modest home (with horrendous pink carpet), a sweet little family and a handful of friends and neighbors that I loved. I had used furniture, a small backyard, and heart that was willing. 

With these in hand, I realized that my wants weren't all that sophisticated.

In a chaotic world, I wanted my home to be peaceful. I wanted my home to be a place that my family could relax. A place the The Mister would look forward to coming home to at night.

I wanted those who visited my home to feel like they could come and be at ease; to take their shoes off and have a soft place to land. 

This was where my first steps in being intentional took place.

Running a household and being domestic doesn't come from being particularly gifted, or talented or self-disciplined. It isn’t from having an eye for decor, or a well padded budget. Being hospitable and running a home stems from a desire to be intentional with the things that God has purposed me to do, and with the desires of my heart. 

I couldn’t start CoffeeGal: Calling Back without being clear about my humble beginnings. In part because there are a few of you who read this blog that lived those early years with me...as we stumbled (and sometimes failed) together trying to figure it all out...but i also want to start in this place because living isn’t just about a beautiful home and cute kids. Its about actively, purposefully, intentionally pursuing the desires of my heart. 

Even when sometimes they don’t look exactly how I thought it would...

Being intentional isn’t about getting your way, or forcing your hand. Its all about clearly setting about something you desire to do, or have, or be. 

Being intentional has served me well in more than just housekeeping and hospitality. It has helped as we have moved from place to place; it has helped as I have raised my children; it has been pivotal in communication with that hunk of man I am privileged to call The Mister...My Mister. It has helped in long distant relationships, and most importantly in my pursuit of God.

With that said, next time I will write about how I decided to be intentional with the kids regarding Family Traditions...and how it turned out differently (but better!) than I thought it would.

La Vida Dulce!

Irony

Ok! I am laughing at the last post that got published...empty.

Nothing like a post that says I am calling back, with nothing to say.

I am not sure how this happened, except to say that I was working on a post when the computer did something weird and three days of work was gone. Poof!

This happened about an hour ago, and I was so irritated that I thought I might cuss.

Oh, who am I kidding? I totally said bad words...but I seriously thought about spitting. 

So my post isn't up. Its OK because I wasn't all that happy with it. I was trying to get it finished so that I could say I did it when I said it would be done.  

And now its not.

Let me tell you a little bit about my otherwise lovely day. 

I got to eat at a tangy restaurant with CPQ. The restaurant was good and hanging out with Susan was the perfect start to the weekend. 

I didn't buy anything, which is really sad, but for some reason I wasn't rocking the clothes this time. It could've been the gallon of water I drank at the restaurant, but its probably more that I have had several weeks of having to keep my True-isms extra close to my heart (homeschooling = less workout time = not being as toned as I'd like to be). Keeping my eyes on the Truth! 

I do need to make some purchases because I have specifically been saving my pennies for few new things before I take my trip west.

Have I mentioned I am going on a trip?

Wanna guess where I'm going? 

Happy Friday! I hope you have an awesome weekend!

Coffee Gal Calling Back

Inquiring Mind Wants To Know

It's been a while since I have done a Random Poll...

Here's my question...

Who does the cooking in your home?

Here at the La Vida Dulce home The Mister NEVER cooks. 

Well, I take that back. He grills all the red meat products. Which means he cooks about 3 times a year. 

He helps me out in many ways, but he doesn't ever cook.

While in conversation with another mom a couple days ago she said that she never cooks, her husband is the cook.  

At first I wasn't shocked (my Dad did the bulk of cooking growing up) but the more I thought about it, the more complicated it got.  If the husband cooks, does he do the shopping? Does he plan a menu and then the wife shops accordingly? If he gets home late from work, do you eat late?

So here it is...Who cooks in your home? Does your husband help? And if he's the cook in your house, who buys groceries?

This is a Test

I am posting for the second time today. Which is rarely ever done around here. But its spring break so i am throwing caution to the wind.

I read a rumor that I might be able to post to the old blog from my cell phone. Which would be really cool. Especially since I will be travelling to four different states in the next four months. I love the idea of being able to post while waiting in the airport for a three hour lay over.

Currently, I am at home, sitting on my brown leather sofa, nursing a migraine, and "watching" Space Chimps with the kids.

I haven't struggled with migraine in over four years and now suddenly, I have had three in two months? Whats up with that?

Ok, I am going to try and post this and se if the rumor is true...

Thoughts on Homeschooling

I've only had half a cup of coffee this morning. So I can't be held responsible for the rest of this post. 

I am enjoying this spring break. Sleeping in. Cleaning up. Working out. Blogging. Calling friends. Lunching with friends. Baking. Sewing. Writing. Baking some more...

Today I am going to work on a project. I've been asked to make an apron for a charity auction. 

Cannot wait to get to that sewing room. 

These are all things I would do on a daily basis, BHS (Before Home Schooling). I've missed all those things.

Homeschooling this year has been an amazing ride. But, its also been very difficult. 

Yesterday afternoon, a mom I recently met, came over. She is about to start homeschooling her children next year and wanted to look over some of my curriculum. 

I prayed before she came. 

Lord, help me to sound positive.

The truth is, I have enjoyed homeschooling, and it has been the hardest thing I have done in my life thus far...and let me tell you, I have done some hard things. 

My students are amazing. They desire to learn. They are willing. They don't complain (too often). They don't have special learning issues that I have to work around or behavioral problems to deal with...For all intents and purposes, when it comes to homeschooling, I've got it easy.

The problem is the teacher. 

She wasn't prepared.

I wasn't prepared to handle all the spiritual and emotional lessons that God would dole out this year.

I wasn't aware that in the process of educating my children, the student would be me.

So when I sat down at my kitchen table with this mom, I wanted to be positive. Keep it simple, I kept telling myself.

But my self wouldn't listen.

I wanted to tell her all the good things. I wanted to be sweetness and light. I didn't want the deep-thinking, deep processing, wordy Kellie, to come out. 

I wanted all these things because homeschooling is amazing. It is exactly what my kids need in this time in their lives. It is a ministry. At times a joy, at times a burden. 

Its a lot of work. 

Work that I daily have to pray about. Homeschooling is a work that is refining me. Pruning me. Growing me up, in my heart and my soul. 

It isn't easy, but I'm eternally grateful. 

We'll do it again next year, because I know it is right where we need to be. 

Still, I wanted to grab her hands, look her straight in her (very beautiful!) eyes, and tell her that she was sitting at the wrong table. I wanted to encourage her to talk to someone who actually knows what she is doing. To seek advice from a homeschooling mom who has got this thing all figured out, and does it gracefully.

Although, in truth, I'm not sure that mom exists. 

I am praying that I didn't discourage the sweet gal who sat in my kitchen. I wanted to sound positive, because I am positive homeschooling is an amazing way to educate your family. 

So positive that we may be in this for the long haul, but personally, this has been a tough year. 

Sometimes I wish I was good at sugar coating, but it just isn't me.

I'm in the process of writing all the things I have learned this year (through homeschooling) and hope to post my thoughts from time to time. 

Speaking of posts....on Friday I will be posting my first installment of CoffeeGal: Calling Back

You can click the link above if you don't remember what that is. I am hoping to post every other Friday...I just don't think I can do once a week, I am about to start a busy season of travel! Yay!

All right, this post looks nothing like I thought it would, and its ended rather abruptly. However,  I have had a second cup of coffee and I am ready to start my day! Hopefully there will be apron pictures soon!

What I Have Learned This Week: Blog Friends Are People Too

Its Tuesday. 

That beautiful time of the week when I get to chatter all about what I have learned this week. 

Lucky you.

As you know, I fasted from social media last week. I learned a lot. In an attempt to take a very broad and detailed topic, and condense it, I give you bullet points...

• Taking a blogging break is hard when writing is your means of connection. Not only with others, but that place within my heart that cannot be tapped with spoken word. 

• Private journal writing will be ignored when the heart is disengaged, fed chocolate, and artificially pumped up with marathon re-runs of reality TV on the Oxygen channel. (It was a bit of difficult week emotionally {see this updated post}, made worse with hormones and a stash of Easter chocolate that I raided).

• Taking a weeks break made me understand the importance of relationships. Both those in-real-life, and those that are bonded through written word. The blogging community may seem intangible and "not real" to those who aren't in it. But when you really engage in the life of someone else, be it in-real-life or through the written world of a flesh-an-blood blogger, real community happens. For me, it has happened at just the right time, in just the right place. 
  

• With that said, I learned that often times we don't get to choose what our close knit friends look like, where they live, or how often we get to see them face to face...but I've been given an opportunity through blogging to know people that really desire community and are willing to take a risk and participate in community where they can get it. Blogging has served a great purpose in my life-- one that looks completely different than what I thought it would, but is fulfilling nonetheless. 

• This week I was surprised by, and learned from, loneliness. I missed the opportunities to encourage others in my online community...and the opportunity to be encouraged. 
  

• And finally, all those judgmental thoughts I had years ago about people who meet people online has come to bite me in the butt. There is a generous handful of amazing women that are my dear friends here in Bloggerville. Checking in on their blogs, and reading their comments when they come to mine, is like meeting with dear neighbors for a chat in the cul-de-sac. Its different than any of the relationships that I have had, but, its also been a blessing, at times a lifeline, in this stage of life. 
  

Bottom line? I learned that God has given me good friends in an uncommon place. A place I would have scoffed at four years ago when I started this blog. But a place that I am so grateful for today.

Check out what others are learning at Musing of A Housewife.

Hello!

Happy Easter Friends...

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend and Resurrection Sunday.

We had a great weekend here in the La Vida House.

We had an Easter egg hunt in the front yard; went to church with our NC church family; came home and went for a very long walk in the cool spring air (and yellow pine pollen); grilled steak; sipped Merlot; played Clue; Skyped with our Arizona peeps; The Girl made beautiful ice cream sundae's (complete with whipped cream, cherries and sprinkles); and then we tucked ourselves into bed for an awesome nights sleep.

Such a beautiful day.

I am happy to be back to blogging again. Last week was amazingly hard! It was really tough not being able to read your blogs or post my own. Really tough.

I am so happy that this week we are on Spring Break, because I have over 300 blog posts that are ready to be read!

I am posting pictures of the kids from our last NC Easter, exactly three years ago. We had no idea that between that year and this our lives would include two cross country moves. The first to Arizona, and the second, moving back! The kids have grown!

Happy Monday friends!

Bringing My heart Back to Him

(I will be unplugging this week in observance of Holy Week. I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to next week. This is my prayer for this week.)

Man a Nothing

O LORD,

I am a shell full of dust,

but animated with an invisible rational soul

and made anew by an unseen power of grace;

Yet I am no rare object of valuable price,

but one that has nothing and is nothing,

although chosen of thee from eternity,

given to Christ, and born again;

I am deeply convinced

of the evil and misery of a sinful state,

of the vanity of creatures,

but also of the sufficiency of Christ.

When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,

When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself.

When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.

When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself,

When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,

When I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself;

I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,

Instead of thee I look to a man's approbation,

and am by nature an idolator.

Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee.

Convince me that I cannot be 

my own God, or make myself happy,

nor my own Christ to restore my joy,

nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.

Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction,

for when my credit is good thou dost cast me lower,

when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away,

when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.

Take away my roving eye, curious ear, 

greedy appetite, lustful heart;

show me that none of these things

can heal a wounded conscience,

or support a tottering frame

or uphold a departing spirit.

Then take me to the cross and leave me there. 

~From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Its Down

The dead tree is officially down.  Here is the Before...a 62 foot hard wood tree. (in case it isn't obvious its the dead one in the center of photo)

And After: 
And now the hard work: Chopping it up and hauling it off.

And this last one just for good measure and because he's so darn handsome when he's doing things that make him happy.

Thursday Thirteen (Random Addition)

1. Its raining. Again. I am boycotting by getting back into my pajama's. I did shower and get my hair done, cause you never know when somebody will knock on your door. Even in the rain. Oh, and I also had to...

2. Take Sophie to veterinarians office this morning. She's staying for the day getting the Bob Barker Treatment. I will have to pick her up this evening. 

3. There is an upside to today's abundance of precipitation...no puppy training in the back yard under an umbrella, and then cleaning mud off paws that have no concept of getting the carpets muddy.

4. I plan on getting caught up today on the only television show I watch: Desperate Housewives. (If that sounds awful to you, pray for me.) I have missed the last three episodes. Thank goodness for online viewing!

5. I also plan to fold laundry while doing number 4. 

6. We finally got the house in Arizona rented! It only took eight months but its finally done!

7. The kids had a math test this morning. Now they are working on History. They were told to find a comfortable spot to read their assignments (since its raining today I doubled their reading so they can have tomorrow off to play outside). This is The Girls chosen spot:

(its hard to get a good picture when its so dark outside)

8. Went to Sam's club last night. It was supposed to be a family affair, but The Boy suddenly came down with a stomach issue right before we left. So we switched gears and The Girl and I went to go buy a months worth of groceries. We shopped for 45 minutes, pushing our over-loaded, flat bed, shopping cart to the check out where we waited for ten minutes in line. Just as it was our turn The Girls stomach started to turn. We then spent 15 minutes in the Sam's Club bathroom. She managed to feel good enough for me to stand in line (again) for 10 minutes. It was an eventful evening. 

9. Today everyone feels fine.

10. Oh! I have some links. Click over for some funny Starbucks etiquette lessons: Part One and Part Two. Cdub is my favorite barista. She is also the person who inspired me to blog. See started her blog The Biscuit way back in the day. She was cool before bloggers became cool. As a matter of fact, here is a little CoffeeGal Trivia...

11. My first blog was not La Vida Dulce. Almost 6 years ago I started a blog called My Blue Kitchen. But it wasn't the right time. I closed that up and a couple years later started La Vida Dulce...the rest is history. Been here almost four years!

12. Back to links....Are you a mom who feels discouraged? Are you a homeschooling mom who feels discouraged? Do you know a mom of young children who feels discouraged? Do you have a mom that feels discouraged? Go here...it will encourage.

13. Whew! If you are the praying sort you can pray for my nerves (and The Mister's safety) on Saturday morning. He has bought himself a power saw and is INTENT on taking down a dead tree in our yard. Its not as big as most of the Carolina pine that live on the lot, but its not a little sapling either. I don't plan to be here when he does it because I am supportive in that way. I don't doubt he can do it, but I don't doubt that its dangerous!

Happy Weekend! 

(I'll be unplugged tomorrow)

 

About Nothing Much

I am in the middle of cooking a very gourmet lunch: La Vida Dulce's Secret Recipe Chicken Noodle Soup.

The recipe is very fancy, and I don't like to share it because the process is top secret. Nobody has this recipe because its kept in the steel trap within my mind. 

So really, its all but inaccessible on any given day.

However, I am going to share it with you because I love to reward my La Vida Gals (and those two guys that read from time to time) with bits of information that you already thought of yourself.

Just keep it, you know, between you and me, and anybody with access to the world wide web. 

How did the Secret Recipe Chicken Noodle Soup recipe come to be? 

Well, I have two children who love soup. 

Wait! 

Back up the mini-van.

I have two children who love to eat noodles with chicken broth. 

There came a day, years ago, when I opened up a can of that red labeled soup we all grew up on, and it had those all familiar noodles, but it also had unidentifiable chunks floating in it that the kids refused to consume. 

I tried to convince them that those same bits of mystery meat were, in fact, the same ones they eat at McDonalds (sans the deep fried breading and order of fries, of course) but they would not believe me, no matter how much I persuaded.

Those smart people at Campbell's also make a double noodle soup that they claim is plain. Just chicken flavored broth (what is that anyway? Is it chicken broth or not?) and noodles. But my kids were hip on those microscopic bits of crushed up carrots hidden in midst. 

Have you ever tried to pick out carrot bits from a bowl full of noodles? It was like I was there all freaking day just picking, and picking!!!!!!

(deep breath)

Cleary, I take issue.  For heavens sake, I just want to fee my kids some lunch, and then kick them outside.

So this was how the Secret Recipe Chicken Noodle Soup recipe came to be born.

I hope you enjoy it.

The La Vida Dulce, Secret Recipe Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

5 cups of water (you could go all Fiji or Evian if you want, and make it an international dish, but tap works for me)

4 tsp of Knorr Chicken Bouillon 

1.5 cups cubed chicken breast (In the past I used leftover grilled chicken, but recently on the advice of Mer I have started boiling a bunch of chicken breast once a month and chopping it up, and freezing it in recipe portions.)

Half a package of Spaghetti, broken into 2.75 inch pieces. (This is a very important part. Admittedly, it takes a little time to measure, but each noodle must be exactly two and three-quarters inches to let the flavor of the pasta out.

Just kidding! April Fools! 

Ok, bring water and bouillon to a boil, throw in chicken and spaghetti. If I am also eating soup I will ladle the kids bowls first, then throw in a handful of frozen veggies, because I don't like to eat my afternoon bon bon's until I've had my veggies first.

If you serve it to the kids with a pickle than you can check "served them veggies" off your list and take the next step in your day!

All right, my soup is ready, gotta go!

La Vida Dulce!