Toadally Yummy Tuesday

This is the recipe for my mama's Chicken and Dumplings. This dish is super yummy and very easy to make and it makes A LOT! The only draw back is that it is time consuming since you have to boil the chicken for 1 hour. However, the rest of the recipe allows you to just dump in the ingredients and be done. This recipe is a hit with my kids and my super picky hubby!



Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 bag of egg noodles

(Add these ingredients to the pot after chicken and noodles are cooked:)

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 Tbsp of minced onions

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 Bay leaf

1 tsp celery salt

3 cups of water (in addition to the water you will need to boil the chicken)

1 can of cream corn

1 can of biscuits (cut into 1/4's)



Directions:

1.In a large pot, cover the chicken with water. Boil the chicken 1/2 an hour on each side. Keep the chicken covered with water (add more water during boiling if neccessary. The chicken is done when it falls apart. Remove the chicken, keep the water.

2. Add the bag of egg noodles to the water and boil for about 8 minutes.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the boiling water.

4. The dumplings are done when they begin to swell, cover and simmer. (about 10 minutes)

5. Shred the chicken while the dumplings are cooking, dump the chicken into the mixture.

6. It's ready to eat!

Enjoy!

(I know today is Wednesday...don't judge me. But after making this yummy dish, all will be forgiven.)

There goes my baby

This week Buddy turned 3 years old...he is getting so big so fast. This morning I made it my mission to take down his crib and to redo his bed for him using a Toy Story theme (that his sweet Nana bought for him) so that he could have a "big boy bed". This was heart wrenching.

As I was disassembling the side of the crib that comes off (it's a crib that turns into a toddler bed), I was reminded of the day when JJ and I (well JJ at least) were putting the crib together anxiously awaiting his arrival. I can't remember the exact day we assembled it but I know we were only a few weeks away from his birth. We had waited so long because I had a miscarriage (that's a whole other post) before I got pregnant with Jeremiah and I had such a tough pregnancy with being in and out of the hospital with high blood pressure, protein in my urine on a regular basis, gestational diabetes, and kidney stones. For a while the doctor told us she would deliver Jeremiah at 29 weeks because of my health.

I think that we were both a little afraid to hope that we would be holding our baby, we had gone through so much the previous ten months. I remember JJ telling me when we were putting the crib up "I didn't think that this was going to happen. I was too afraid to hope." But God shined on us and we made it to 37 1/2 weeks and our beautiful baby boy was born.

We are so lucky. This little guy has brought so much joy into our lives. It makes me so sad to know that he is our last child (unless God intervenes) and that he is growing up so fast. Before I know it, he will be riding a bike, going to his friends house to hang out, going to camps, and getting a girlfriend.

So right now I will not cry, I will try hard not to be sad. I will cherish each and every moment I have with him. When he cries for me in the middle of the night, I will go to him because I know before long he will no longer think it is manly to cry. When he wants me to read a book to him "just a ill bit" (little bit) even though I have already read it twice, I will because pretty soon he will be able to read on his own. When he wants "one more kiss" before bed time, I will close my eyes, remember what his sweet kisses feel like because in the not too far future he won't allow me to kiss him anymore and I know, that I will miss this.

(Sorry the pics in this post are so bad. I was using my iPhone.)

The Bell Frogs and TOO MUCH BIRTHDAY!

August is always a busy month for us. Two of our kids have birthdays in the month of August along with my sister in law, J.J.'s uncle, his best friend, and Binky has two good friends that also have birthdays in August, so basically we end up partying all month.

Birthdays are a big deal for us in the Bell household. The kids always get to celebrate on the date of their birthday by going out to eat (their choice) or cake and ice cream at home with family. Then they have a "friends" birthday party on the weekend of their birthday, and then we will celebrate that Sunday with lunch at a restaurant of their choice.

Last week was Binky's birthday, she turned 9! She had partied so hard for three days straight with a family birthday dinner on Thursday night, circus, ears pierced, and dinner at California Pizza Kitchen on Friday, then her "friend" party on Saturday followed by a slumber party for her BFF whose birthday is five days after hers. By Sunday morning, her BFF's mom called me because she had fever...I diagnosed it as TOO MUCH BIRTHDAY!

Today is the first day Binky has been fever free. Apparently we will need to make some changes for next year, this is too much! In the meantime, enjoy a few pics from her birthday PARTIES!(Notice the THREE different outfits over THREE different days. Cringe!)

Others

So this month, our church is really focusing on serving others. We are having a servolution in our church. Last Sunday our pastor challenged us to pick a time every weekend through the end of September to spend one hour in prayer. I committed to a specific hour even though I was a little wary that I could actually pray a WHOLE HOUR(!?!?). This morning I was reading through a few of my favorite blogs and I happened upon one where a woman had committed to praying for her readers specific needs when they left a comment.

I would like to do that for you my dear readers. I would like to spend my time during this month that I have committed to being in prayer, praying not just for my needs, but for yours. I want to focus on praying for others. If you will leave me a comment stating your need (you can be anonymous or leave a screen name...He knows who you are), I will gladly and with all my heart, pray for you and your need. Also, feel free to comment back with any praise reports...God answers prayers!!!


"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Promises

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I were leaving the house, it had been raining but the sun was shining brightly. One of the kids said, "Mommy, look! A rainbow!" And yes, there it was a beautiful full rainbow over my house. Not the half kind that are so common but this one was a rarity. This one reached from one side of the sky to the other. I stopped and got a quick couple of pictures with my iPhone (that's why the resolution is so yucky on the photos). It was a full arc, a full beautiful rainbow. A promise. My promise. A promise straight from God himself that my family and I will be taken care of. We will be provided for. A promise that he works out all things for our good. As Christians, sometimes we think because God is on our side, our lives will be filled with rainbows and lollipops. That is so far from the truth. Actually, God promises that we will have dark times. Bad things will happen to us and hard times will fall upon us. But he promises that he will be there right beside us through it all and he will help us get through the hard times.

"The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:5-6

The Bible is full of God's promises. And He keeps those promises. So I will not fear and when doubt comes my way, I will pray for Peace knowing that God is my Provider. And I know, he is going to blow my mind!