Our crazy afternoon

This is what Pilly did after I posted that last blog. I gave her a pile of cheerios so then she decided to go crazy!


Why yes, she is stuck under a chair. She crawled around under the table looking for cheerios that she have thrown there during lunch, probably for this purpose. She must not get enough to eat and finds it necessary to save snacks for later.


We like to play extra safe at our house so she stands in the back of her rocking bouncer chair. She will stand the whole way up and scream and giggle.



Pilly is a great lover of shoes. Not of wearing them, of eating them. Isn't that disgusting.

Then this child got up and saved me by entertaining her sister for a while. It is amazing how much more productive I am in the hour I work at night!

No work for you Mom!

I am trying to work, but this is hanging off of my leg:


Now, obviously I know that she is very cute. But she also only took a 30 minute nap. And there is a nice, delicious, nutritious pile of computer paper that she keeps getting into and chewing on sitting right beside the desk. Work is not going well today!

Tomato Soup

I made the tomato soup today, and it was totally awesome! It had so much texture, and there was more taste than just tomato, and there was the added benefit of not tasting like a tin can. It is so good for you because it has two cloves of garlic in to fight off any sickness as well. So I am all for tomato soup instead of chicken noodle!

Homemade Tomato Soup

1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup EVOO
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Strain the tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread on a baking sheet. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf, and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Add basil and cream, if using. Remove bay leaf. Puree with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender (which I do not), cool the liquid for at least five minutes and transfer to a regular blender, filling no more than halfway. Don't seal the top-lift one corner up a little to let the steam escape, put a kitchen towel on top, pulse a few times, then blend on high until smooth.

We had mozzarella grilled cheese with our soup. The mozzarella complements the tomato so well. I did not have heavy cream so I just used a little milk, and it was fine. I also didn't have basil, and I bet it would have been even more awesome if I had the basil. I love basil! Pnut, of course, did not like her soup. She is truly her father's daughter.

In other news, we had a meeting about pursuing the house more last night. I don't know if I have written on here very much about the house. It is in Lancaster City on a little obscure street. I am just having a hard time giving up my beautiful farmland for the city. Where will the girls play? We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Anyways, we made an offer and should hear back today on whether it was accepted. If it was, we will get the inspection next. The owner has to be willing to fix all of the problems for us to buy the house because we do not have the money to fix them ourselves. We know that there is a leak either in a pipe or the roof because one of the bathroom ceiling tiles is brown and soggy. The carpet also needs restretched and tacked down because it is all bunched up in the living room. However, I want to see what is under the carpet because if there are nice wood floors, I would rather just take out the carpet. The carpet is also in the dining room. That is a no no with two small children. They make too many messes during meals. I am praying that if this is what God wants, He will make it clear, but if it is not, then He will take this house away! Oh the stress! But it would be nice to have a place of our own:)

Alright, time to work. Or maybe take a nap and then work. The girlies are asleep.

P.S. It will be much easier to make the soup if you do not have two small children trying to see what you are doing and putting their hands on the oven and tripping you as you walk around your kitchen:)

Sausage Stoup

I made this recipe from Rachael Ray for the second time yesterday, and I thought I would share it because I love it so much! Of course, I am the only one in our house who will eat it, but it is good enough that I will go to all the trouble of making it just for myself.

Sausage, Beans, and Broccoli Rabe "Stoup"

2 T EVOO
1 lb bulk italian sweet sausage
1 med onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 Idaho potato, peeled and chopped into small dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped (3 cups)
1 quart chicken broth

Heat a medium pot or a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and sausage and brown, crumbling with a spatula. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook to begin to soften vegetables, 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and cook until just wilted. Add chicken broth and cover pot. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasonings, and serve stoup with grated cheese for topping.

It is super simple to make. I don't use the onion or the broccoli rabe, and we never have fresh cheese to put on top, but it is still really good. When I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and heat them up later, they taste even better because the food is picking up the flavor even more. I really really like this stuff! Mayble Pilly will eat it when she is bigger. Pnut thinks that she doesn't like anything in it, and of course, Joel doesn't like anything except the sausage. Maybe I should just fry the sausage and put the chicken stock in. That would be his kind of soup. I think that it is pretty healthy too. Beans are so good for you, and the only thing that is out of a can is the beans and the chicken stock. You could even make your own chicken stock if you were so inclined. You could probably buy dried white beans and soak them, but it is just easier to take them out of the can. So delicious!

I kept the girls up until almost 1:00 to see if they would take a better nap today. I hope that they do. They have only been sleeping about 45 minutes in the afternoon. That is not long enough!!

My mom has been coming by about twice a week (just started last week) because she got her new job ten minutes down the road. How awesome is that! It is fun to visit with her and have an adult to talk to in the middle of the day. The girls like having her come too. Pnut gets really excited and gets up to the window to talk to her before she even comes inside. That would be one of the hardest things about moving...she probably wouldn't come anymore. We would be a little farther away, and she doesn't like the city. I love my mom:)

I guess I ought to get to work. It sounds like things are starting to settle down in the girls' room. Hopefully, they will go to sleep in a few minutes instead of just Pnut being out of her bed doing something bad.

Poop amongst other things :(

My dear daughter pooped her pants while we were on the playground. Thankfully, it was only the playground at our apartment complex, but still...it was poop in her pants. It was so bad I had to just throw the underwear away. She went down the sliding board after she did it, which made it even worse! I am sure all of you wanted to know this:)

I enjoyed a morning out with the ladies from our Sunday School today. It was so nice. We went to a little cafe downtown and then walked around the market. It was fun. The girls had fun with their dad while I was away too. They enjoy their alone time with him.

My dear friend Jackie was over last night, and it was so fun. Pnut was pretending to be shy. Then Jackie got out all of her nail polish, and they were best friends. She got her fingers and toes painted, each different colors. She was in heaven. Jackie even gave her a nail polish all her own. We had a good time just visiting and catching up. Jackie is one of those friends that I can go six months without seeing, but we just pick right up again. So fun!

Too sweet

I had to wash penguin this morning. Pilly loves penguin. After her nap, she was crying, and Pnut said to her, "Penguin is on the line. You miss him." Then she picked up Big Bird from her bed and said, "Here, want to hold Big Bird." How sweet is she! If only they will continue to be this nice to each other:)

Too cold too fast

It is cold outside. Yesterday, we went for a walk in the morning, and the girls had to wear a short-sleeved shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sweater and a hat! Crazy. I usually am able to make it to the end of October, beginning of November in hanging out the clothes, but I am just not sure this year. Yesterday it was about 50 degrees when we were hanging them out. That makes my hands pretty cold! It was supposed to get up to 64 in the afternoon, but the highest I saw it go was 57. That was a pretty quick transition from summer to fall! I am afraid that the almanac is going to be right, and it is going to be much colder than usual this winter. Up goes the heating bill!

The girls both have colds again. I need to get some Sambucol to boost their immune systems whenever they start to get sick. We are doing garlic oil on the chest and Vick's on their feet at night with a pair of socks. They sound better than yesterday, and Pnut's nose isn't quite a runny. I heard Pilly coughing during the night, but it wasn't enough to wake her up. I want to be better prepared than last winter so I can try to keep sickness away!

I think one of the cutest things I have ever seen is when Pnut tells Pilly she loves her. We were on the playground yesterday, and Pnut like to push Pilly in her swing. She grabbed the front of the swing, pulled it up so Pilly's face was right in hers, and said "I love you." How cute!!

Well, I need to get the girlies ready for the day!