The T-Day Menu

Today’s Menu

Oven Roasted Apple Stuffed Turkey

Cream-Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

Glazed Green Beans

Crustless Spinach Pie

Petite Green Peas

Gluten-Free Cranberry Sage Stuffing

Apple Cranberry Bake (GF)

Orange Jello – Kid Friendly

Cousin Requested “Kraft” Mac and Cheese

Flourless Chocolate Cake ‘a la Nichole

Chloe’s Southern Pecan Pie

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (GF & G)

Pictures to follow when they come out of the ovens … Planning ahead proved fruitful this year. No last minute rush!!

Alway Looking Ahead …

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said, “If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” Can’t say it any better myself. We may dress a little differently, and have lived many years apart, but that pretty much captures my thoughts on the matter.

As I approach the big ’40’ next week. it is a pleasant reminder not to lose focus and keep my “eyes on the prize”. They’ll be no bungling here. There may not be much sleep either. :-)

B-bque Pork … Southern Living Style

I’ve used this recipe since my sister-in-law tried it several years ago. The basic recipe is in the pages of this month’s Southern Living Magazine, but it’s missing a few things. After playing with the recipe for a while, I settled on the basic three ingredients, plus a few “secret” ingredients. Before you “lock down” the slow cooker, add: sliced fresh jalepeno (w/seeds removed if you want to cut down the heat), 2 healthy cloves of fresh garlic (minced), and a slice or ring of fresh apple (seeds removed). The slice of apple (and the peel) can be removed from the dish before the meat is chopped or shreaded. Slicing the jalepeno, seeds and all, ups the heat factor a bit … removing the seeds just provides the flavor w/o the heat.

NOTE: I usually add the B-bque sauce (home-made or purchased) at the end of step two, rather than at the beginning. It helps keep the final product moist.

This is an easy weeknight dinner, great for company or crowds, and very versatile. Enjoy!!

Vacation came and went …. sniff, sniff

Well, vacation finally arrived and … then it was gone. Here is a sampling of our vacation fun. This was our first trip to Duck, NC and we enjoyed trying all the new things that entailed. I think my favorite two things were the quiet morning walks into Duck before things were really hopping, and the day trip we took to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The National Seashore was amazing and well worth the drive and the day trip. I’d have to say a close third place would be the trip into Manteo, NC. That is a very unique town and we all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at the Full Moon Cafe . Awesome food!!

In the news … Camp Canaan

Watch the news clip on the local CN2 broadcast and see a glmpse of Sophie at camp on Wednesday. The footage was shot during the visit from a white siberian tiger cub from the local rescue center (Tiger World). The kids have had a great week as Camp Canaan this week. Below are a few other photos I took, at the camp’s request, on Wednesday.

White Siberian Tiger Cub about 6 weeks old

White Siberian Tiger Cub about 6 weeks old

Lots of questions to ask ...

Lots of questions to ask ...

Lots of empty shoes too ...

Lots of empty shoes too ...

SC Finest Private Day Camp …

Today was a hot one. According to a reported sighting in Pineville, NC … the town’s clock/thermometer was showing 152 degrees. Though I think it was a “little” off, it was HOT here today. We opted for traditional summertime heat relief efforts: Making Silly Faces, a trip to the airconditioned GoodWill in the swanky part of town, lunch at a nearby airconditioned ChickFilA, playtime in the sprinkler outside (while some small people napped), Little People in the airconditioned basement and of course, … more tea parties.

Day 3 of Piper @ “Camp” …

Well, today we had *record breaking* heat and yucky air quality. Boo. So we were in the market for fun indoor things to do today. We had art time, and the girls made pictures for Wilson as “get well pictures”. He’s at Grandma’s & Grandpa’s and not feeling well. The girls put on a ballet for me after lunch, and there was a play … “The Prince and the Piper”. I enjoyed the play so much, I forgot to take pictures of it. Piper was the Princess and Sophie dressed as a knight. There was lots of free time playing too … Little People, Toy Story, Barbie Princesses, Dance Party, Woody’s Roundup Concert, and tea party. All in all… a good day.

Day 1

Day one activities at Camp Chloe: Toy Story books and interactive shows, ballet, dress ups, water park, picnic at the pool, quiet time, Woody’s Roundup Dance Party, Water themed Library Time, Sea Creature Silly Bands, and Make a Rainbow Fish.