The Fourth and Friends

This July 4th was a productive one. We spent the day packing and the evening celebrating. At one point I thought it ironic how we were preparing to leave America on a day we are suppose to be celebrating living freely in America. Anyways, we still have a long ways to go on the packing, but managed to pack our "winter" bag.

That evening we went over to a friends house and celebrated with our sweet small group. We had a lot of fun together, consisting of tons of food, games, good conversation, sparklers, and those pop thingys (know what I'm talkin bout??). Two of the girls are pregnant (three if you count Jen and Brad, who moved away a couple months ago, we are sad!!). Elizabeth was past her due date, and Sarah is due in a month! Thankfully, Elizabeth made it through the night without going into labor, although I'm sure she would have been thrilled!

Thomas and Eric lookin' like twins in their blue vnecks and khakis

The boys

The girls. Two are pregnant: Elizabeth (left of me, and she actually just had her baby!) and Sarah (right of me, still pregnant)

This bad boy created some excitement

Cameron and Addie playing together. Cam is an older boy, and we looked over and caught him hugging on her. He's super cute and really sweet, so for now, we don't mind :)

 Then, on Friday, we headed to the lake to have a great weekend with two other couples. We have been friends we these guys for awhile, and Eric has known Robert and Luke for a really long time. They lived together in college, but knew each other long before then. Since we are moving in August, Robert wanted to get us all together for a weekend...and let me just say, Robert and Jessica (his wife) served us the entire weekend. I felt so loved on by these two, and they did such a great job planning everything. We love these two couples, and they will be missed by us a ton! Pretty bummed I didn't get any pictures, but we plan on making this a tradition, so I'll get em next time!

A Little Recipe Shout Out

I have been on my game the past couple of nights. I guess the post about cooking bland meals spurred me on to make ones that use more than one ingredient. I am pretty competitive so this could explain the sudden drive for super wifeness. The interesting thing is I am competitive with myself. Anyone else? A prime example. In high school, I would try to run a mile as fast as I could. Then, after a few minutes of rest, I would run a mile again and try to beat my previous time. Then I would throw up from pushing myself too hard. Then I would run it again. Weird, I know. Anyways, because all of that has nothing to do with the reason for this post, that leads me to two fabulous recipes I want to share. Both are super easy.

First up, this was given to me by my friend Jean Marie. She is an amazing cook. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of the finished product, so I would be surprised if you are still reading this post. One without pictures is pretty boring. But hang in there, my friend. Pictures come with the second recipe. You must try this out.

Peanut Butter Chicken Veggie Stir Fry
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup broth
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs honey
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs fresh garlic
2 tbs ginger
 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
sliced veggies (of your choice)

Cut into cubes chicken. Place in a skillet sprinkle salt and pepper, then cook until done. Add veggies to skillet. Mix peanut butter, broth, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in blender.  Add to chicken and veggies until heated through.
**Note: I remove the chicken from the skillet while the veggies are cooking so the chicken does not become overdone. I add it back at the end!

Up next was our dinner tonight. You must plan ahead as it takes 5-6 hours. This recipe was found by my friend, Google. After clicking on more than zero other sites, I found this one. It was the first up. And it was the first up for a reason.

Crock pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
To see full post click here. It's by Recipe Girl.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbecue sauce (a flavor you like)
1/3 cup Italian dressing (reduced-fat or fat-free okay)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chicken broth
additional barbecue sauce, if desired
rolls, for serving as sandwiches
bread and butter pickles, optional

1. Place chicken in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. 

2. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and chicken broth. Stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until the sauce is thickened and heated through (10 to 15 minutes). Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir. Add additional barbecue sauce if more sauce is needed or desired. Cover and continue cooking on low for 45 minutes. Serve chicken piled onto rolls. Add pickles, if desired. 

I came up with my own brilliant idea of using the best rolls in town to make sliders.  Sister Schubert. This sister can bake. Seriously you may want to give her rolls a try. You can find them in any store in the frozen section.

Eric said, "Great job Kelly!" But that's not saying too much since he praises me over baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. But I am a pretty honest person, so trust me when I say, these babies are worth the planning ahead!

I wish I could take credit! But really I just wanted to give these tasty recipes a shout out. So here I am, shouting. 

Super Wife

It is a GOOD day if I wash and fold laundry, straighten my house, make it to the grocery store, think of a dinner to cook, then cook said dinner. Especially if that dinner uses ingredients. INGREDIENTS. Such a fancy word. Because then this means I probably used a book to make dinner. How academic of me. Super wife here! Then you have those magical days where you can create an entire meal based on items you already have in your house. I am so creative these days.  It really takes some artistic talent to thaw chicken, steam broccoli, and stick a potato in the oven or microwave.  I feel like a true chef. So, most days I am THIS awesome. Of course I switch it up a bit. The following day could be a salad. In which I've really outdone myself on these days. I have sliced numerous veggies and combined them all to create a colorful piece of art. And when my husband sees my brilliance, I have a smile radiating from my face, waiting for a standing ovation and for him to proclaim how proud he is of me. Thank you, Thank you!

The thing is, I can cook. My mom is an amazing cook, so since cooking is an inherited trait, it's obvious why I can do it. But for some reason, the thought of creating an elaborate meal STRESSES ME OUT.  What I remember from growing up: Pot roast, cooked carrots and onions and potatoes, HOMEMADE bread, and green beans that have simmered for over an hour (which means you have to PLAN AHEAD). OMG. My mom was known for her cooking and baking. She sold cakes to a local restaurant. Did you get that? She sold to a restaurant. A RESTAURANT. Not to a normal person who likes to eat cake. But to a PROFESSIONAL COOKING ESTABLISHMENT.  Other kids in my high school would ASK me when they could come over and EAT. Not hang out with me. TO EAT. I was so proud. You want to come over and...eat?

My precious husband will eat anything. ANYTHING. Really. This is truly a gift. I don't think I have ever seen him reject food. And this makes it so easy on me. When I have labored over a baked potato and steamed broccoli, he simply say's "This is really good Kelly, thanks for cooking." Of course my sweet husband, do you expect any less from me? My elaborate cooking methods is also why I rarely post recipes. Because most of the time they are from a book and not from my brain. Every now and then I come up with a great idea, which of course I have to post so everyone can see how together I am. And how I am the most wonderful wife. And how I can DO IT ALL!!...Like how we are suppose to be these days.

But you know the best kind of books?

The ones that are created by local churches. Just a bunch of women who have put together a collaboration of their best recipes. These are the recipes you can use for the first time on guests. When you want to look fancy and have something super tasty but easy. And you know which ones I usually end up cooking? The ones by my mom.

Moving Update

Our plane tickets have been purchased! We will be leaving Monday, August 12 for a two day journey to our new country. The week before we leave, we will get to spend that time at the beach with my family, come back to Raleigh on Saturday, be commissioned by our church on Sunday, then leave on Monday. It will be a busy time for our family, so please keep us in your prayers!

Today as we began to clean out our house and think about what to bring with us, this thought occurred to me: We need so little to live yet we think we need so much. As we looked through our possessions, I began to think it silly that we have so much. Why am I keeping several posters that I had in my classroom here in the States? Oh, because I will PACK them and take them with me to my new classroom. Really? I get to take TWO bags, and so of course, I immediately think to bring POSTERS. Toss them. And then I see SO MANY TOYS. Why do I think Addie needs two cruisers, 60 books, 150 teethers, 30 lovies, 500 blankets? We should absolutely keep and store them for when we return because she will USE THEM ALL. Seriously. Pick two from each pile. Toss the rest. Now I should choose which pairs of jeans to take. Well, this pair is my fancy pair. These are the ones I wear with boots. Of course I need my skinny ones. This pair I wear with t-shirts. These are my fancier-casual ones. This pair is my grungy-fancier-skinny-causal-tshirt wearing ones. OMG.  And of course I let Eric know that we are going to need to purchase all of the BOB (stroller) accessories before we leave. Well Eric, Addie is going to need a tray that sits in front of her so we can place her cheerios and sippy cup on it while we stroll through the airport and travel around in our country.  And don't forget about the cup holder that attaches at the handle bar. This is a great place to put my latte so I can have a free hand to powder my nose and instagram a picture of said latte. Of course. 

 The more I think about packing and living overseas, the less stressed I am getting. Because I just don't feel the need for a lot at this moment. Really, I just hate unpacking, so I figure if I only take 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants, that will take me 5 minutes, maybe 6 to put in a drawer. Then I'm done. DONE. Also, I really dislike doing laundry, and we have to HANG DRY over there. So logically, the less clothing I take, the less I have to hang. Winning. But in all honesty, what REALLY do I actually need? How much do I really need? Not much I think. Not much at all.

So, here's to trying to squeeze everything of mine (not including Eric's or Addie's) into TWO bags. Not sure if I can do it, but I would like to try. I'm excited to get away from excess for a little while. I'll keep ya updated.

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, Eric and I went on a weekend getaway to the classiest beach around. I'll let you guess: streets lined with Wings and Eagles, twenty minutes to go two miles, a gazillion hotels - most of which I would never step foot in, lots of mullets, extreme country accents, tattoos in places I shouldn't have seen, and women in bathing suits that were way...way...way too small. That's right, Myrtle Beach y'all. Despite of our lovely surroundings, our hotel was clean and nice. Since Eric travels often, he got this great deal on a weekend stay at a hotel in either Myrtle Beach, San Francisco, or Orlando. Although I would have loved to visit San Fran, we didn't have the time or extra money for plane tickets. So Myrtle it is! We had tons of fun. My mom and dad came up to Raleigh to keep our sweet girl so we could fully experience the beach. Our last beach trip wasn't too successful and was mainly spent in our room because our dear daughter hated the ocean and sand.

We played it pretty low key. Sat on the beach, people-watched (seriously the best at Myrtle), hung out on our balcony, and went out to dinner. That pretty much sums up our weekend! Oh and my legs got super burnt. Oops!

BURNT legs...Had to sit like this on day 2. Wah wah

Dinner on Saturday evening

Saturday morning it rained, but was followed by the most vibrant and beautiful double rainbow. This picture doesn't do the beauty justice. It was a full complete rainbow, but my phone wouldn't let me capture the entire thing.

Beachin' it up

We had so much fun! Thanks mom and dad for keeping our girl!

Photo dump at 9 months

9 months (so I won't forget...)

Active girl

Not a huge fan of the ocean or the sand 

Climbing stairs now

Loves bath time

Starting to understand the word NO...

9 month update

Addie turned 9 months a week ago, but it has been a crazy past few days so I haven't had a chance to write an update until now. She is such a happy baby so much fun to be around! 9 months was a big one for her. She has accomplished quite a lot, hopefully I'll remember it all.

She is pulling up now. We have lowered her crib to the very bottom. She crawls around everywhere, then finds something that is low enough for her to pull up on. She can even climb our stairs.

She has SIX teeth. Two bottom, two top, and the two beside the middle top. This means she is enjoying lots of table food. She is starting that phase where she puts everything in her mouth.

She can feed herself table food. This is a huge help to me. I can sit her in her high chair and clean, wash dishes, or whatever needs to be done, while she is content with her food.

She reaches. I LOVE that she finally does this. It is so cute and melts my heart when she reaches for me.

 

She finally has something she is semi-attached to...her baby doll. Eric and I gave her this doll for Christmas and she loves it! She hasn't been attached to anything...not a paci or her thumb. Every time she sees this baby she reaches her arms out, smiles, and hugs it. It is so cute!

Her current stats: I don't have the paper in front of me so I'll update this tomorrow

Weight: 17.1 (20%)

Length: 

Head:

Current schedule (times vary, but this is something we go off of)

6-7:00- wake up, bottle

8:00- breakfast

8:30-nap

10::30-11:00- bottle

12:30- lunch

1:00- nap

3:00-3:30-bottle

5:30- dinner

6:30- bath/ brush teeth

7:00- bottle, bed