Author: Lois Houston

I'm a sweet tea drinkin' southern gal who loves to cook, bake, crochet, and read. Check out my blog for posts about parenting, faith, books, crafts, planning, baking, cooking, and life in general.

Back to school…back to blogging…back to life

Well, howdy there!

Been a long time, hasn’t it?

It was a crazy whirlwind summer for us.  In spite of the fact that we were uprooted and transplanted to a tropical rain forest in which it rained every.single.day. we had a very nice summer.

The girls started school last week –

Big Girl is in 7th grade. I can hardly believe she is so big!

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Little Bit started 4th grade.  When I took her to school, she didn’t want me to walk her in – she just hopped out in the carpool line and didn’t even look back.  My heart lurched a little, but I was so proud of her bravery and happy that she was comfortable enough to go on in without Mommy holding her hand.

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After taking almost every Friday off for the past month (plus a few weeks) and a week here and there to play with the girls, I’m back working a  “normal” schedule again.  That means I’m also back to managing our family schedule a little bit more closely, including meal planning – and that means it’s

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Here’s what’s cookin’ at our house this week:

Monday: Beef Stew (crock pot recipe) with some crusty homemade bread Friday: Chicken Noodle Casserole (this is a new crock pot recipe I want to try)
Tuesday: Asian Chicken Stir Fry Saturday: TBD
Wednesday: Mexican Potato Casserole (prep ahead & bake recipe)
(Tacos for the kids)		 Sunday: “Lunch on the Lawn” at church (picnic)
and dinner with our Small Group – SuperMan’s absolutely awesome Brunswick Stew, homemade bread and cole slaw
Thursday: Bourbon Street Chicken (crock pot recipe) and rice w/ steamed broccoli I’m also nibbling on some of this bean salad for lunch this week

What’re you planning this week for yummies for your family?

Taking the Summer off…

Although not intentional originally, I think I am going to take the summer off from blogging.

I’ll be back when the girls start school in August. I’m going to focus on enjoying my kids whenever I’m not at work! 🙂

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Have a great summer y’all.

Father’s Day

We spent Father’s Day at my Mom’s house – enjoying being together as one big family after being spread between three cities for the past week.

In the afternoon, SuperMan and I decided to take a little drive down to the coast and the girls came along.

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We rode into a local wildlife preserve and spent a little while wandering around and lazing on the dock on the river.

Took a few impromptu family pictures

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(they are almost as tall as SuperMan now!)

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(my current favorite summer shirt)

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And then we went northwards towards home with a little pit stop for dinner at a riverside restaurant.

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Love the view

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Inside & out Smile

We watched the sun set

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And then drove home – full of seafood and happy memories.

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I’m still here

Did you think I’d fallen off the face of the earth?

I haven’t.

It’s just been a busy month – very busy as a matter of fact.

First there were dance recitals –

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And then a trip to see my mom and drop off the girls before I made my annual trek across the continent for work –

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And then a short visit at Mom’s again for Father’s Day weekend –

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And returned home with a bad head cold and stomach bug at the same time.  Sad smile

We’re getting into the groove of our “real” summer now… late mornings and evening swims in the neighborhood pool.  The girls are trying some open classes at a few dance studios, trying to decide what they want to take for the fall.

Other than that, we’re doing ok.

How about you?

Summertime fun

We’re getting into the swing of summertime around here – staying up late, later meal times, lots of trips to the pool, and some other random adventures along the way.

One day last week (I can’t remember which day, I was working) SuperMan and the girls went strawberry picking.

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It was a beautiful sunny day – although you can’t really tell it here in these pictures.  Just warm enough but not so hot that it was unpleasant outside.

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They had a great time picking the berries and then when they came home, Big Girl washed the berries and they trimmed the tops and put them in the freezer for us to enjoy later.

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The berries were tiny, but so sweet. Little Bit ate them like candy after they had been cleaned.

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My girls are getting so big – their faces are changing – and their little bodies are getting so long and lean.  My babies are growing up so fast!!

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Very Pinteresting!

I’m still addicted to Pinterest.

Are you?

It’s a great way to wind down at the end of a busy day – especially when SuperMan is watching something on TV that I don’t care about.

I feel like Johnny Five when I’m browsing – “Input! Input!”

 

 

So, I thought I’d share some of my more recent pins – things that got me thinking about how I could do them myself:

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  • LOVE this vertical garden. I was thinking how neat it would be to do your herbs this way – especially if you are limited in outdoor/deck space.
  • And I’ve always wanted to make a terrarium and for some reason lately I’ve had a hankering to make a succulent garden. I may have to give this a try once school’s out and the kids need an afternoon project.
  • I’ve developed a love of Mediterranean food and Thai food and I’m now obsessed with finding recipes to make these delicacies at home – like these falafel wraps, chicken tikka masala, coconut curry chicken,  and Thai fried noodles.
  • Some Project Life inspiration – here and here and here and some journal card bonanza!
  • I’m making this pasta salad for lunch today – I’ll let you know how it tastes.

What are your favorite things you’ve pinned lately?

Please share! I’d love to see!

 

Project Life Tuesday ~ 21 May 13

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

Hope your week is treating you well – so far so good for us here.

It’s time for another update on my Project Life pages…

A little background

The Mom CreativeThis year, I’m doing my Project Life album digitally. I’m using Creative Memories’ Storybook Creator software and Becky Higgins’ Turquoise Edition (for the most part)  I’ve also purchased these nifty little overlays that allow my pages to look like true pocket pages (I’m loving them).

I’m planning to print my pages as a book – hopefully, it will all fit in one volume and take up less space on the shelf than the 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012 versions which are 2 volumes (2 3” binders) each!

This week’s pages

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Journaling reads:

We spent Spring Break at Mom’s house.  SuperMan came down for the weekend and then went back to work at Plant Jack for a shutdown. While we were shopping at Sam’s they had beautiful strawberries so we decided to teach the girls to make strawberry jam. We had such fun making it and by the time we were finished, we’d already had offers from friends to purchase the fruits of the girls’ labors!

And the right side:

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Journaling reads:

A fun week and weekend ~ On Saturday SuperMan, Big Girl and I went to River Street for a few hours. We ate lunch at Spanky’s and walked along the river like tourists. On Sunday, the girls hunted for the eggs they’d dyed the day before ~ bittersweet as this might be the last Easer Egg Hunt they decide to do (they’re growing up!) The silly pictures I found on my phone after we got home ~ that’s what I get for letting them “play” on my phone while we are waiting in the restaurants. Later in the week, Big Girl and I got pedicures ~ her first since her surgery. Overall, a very relaxing and pleasant Spring Break week.

More pages coming soon – I’m on a roll!!

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Four

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FOUR MORE DAYS

ONLY

FOUR.

MORE.

DAYS.

I can hardly wait!!

Four more days until the girls are out of school for the summer.

It’s almost like we’re “on hold” right now, waiting for the 24th to arrive.  Even though the next week or two after that won’t exactly be slowing down, there’s that milestone looming for us, and mentally, it’s pretty much our sole focus right now.

Once we get past school, we’ve got the holiday weekend, dance rehearsals & recitals and then my annual trip to HQ for work, which means “Ammi Camp” for the girls.  So, the next four weeks or so are busy ones.  But just being over the hurdle of school (and those early-morning wakeup calls) will be major for us.

SuperMan has a busy week this week, too, so I’m planning easy things for dinner for us – less stress and less mess. Always a good thing.

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Here’s what’s on our menu plan:

Monday: Soft Tacos & Warm Bean dip Friday: Asian chicken stir fry with rice
Tuesday: Bourbon chicken & rice with veggies Saturday: something grilled
Wednesday: homemade chicken fingers (I’ve been craving this and haven’t made it yet) Sunday: eat out
Thursday: Salads & Baked Potato Other options:

What’re you planning this week?

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Cinnamon Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest (imagine that!?!) and decided that it sounded way too good to not try it out.

Amish Cinnamon Bread was what the recipe was called, but then she talked about how it was an alternative recipe to traditional Amish cinnamon bread which, apparently takes a long time to make.
I have to say, this one didn’t take long at all.

IMG_3147And it was really, really good.

Most definitely worth the trouble to make.  And, really, it wasn’t that much trouble anyway.

As you can see here, the recipe makes two LARGE loaves.  As a matter of fact, next time I make it I will probably make three loaves.  See the “overflow” in the oven there?  It was like the incredible alien-possessed bread when it baked.

It rose

and it rose

and it rose

all over my oven.

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So, a word of caution to you. Put a cookie sheet under your loaf pans when you bake this.

And maybe consider putting into three loaf pans instead of two.  Makes good gift-giving.

The bread itself is very light and fluffy. Almost cake-like. But not too sweet. Just enough. Especially with a cup of tea in the morning (or coffee).

I think, too, it would be good to make in muffin form to have for easier sharing for a crowd.

Of course, this is so good you are not going to want to share. But there will be plenty so share away.

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Cinnamon Bread

Makes 2 or 3 loaves

Batter:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups buttermilk
( You can make buttermilk with 2 C milk + 2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. – Let it sit for about 5 minutes before you use it.)
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:

1 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs.
  2. Add milk, flour, and baking soda.
  3. Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan).
    If you are making 3 loaves, split the half of the batter between the three loaf pans, reserving the other half for the next step.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together.
  5. Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the batter in each pan.
  6. Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with remainder of cinnamon sugar mixture.
  7. Swirl with a knife.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min. or until toothpick tester comes clean.
    Be sure to put cookie sheets below the loaf pans in case you have some overflow.
  9. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.
    (this is important or it will fall apart. this is not a bread you can eat straight out of the oven)
  10. Slice & serve.

Book Review: Dreamers of the Day

Cover of "Dreamers of the Day: A Novel"

I finished this book a month or so ago, but I find myself thinking about the storyline over and over again.

If you’ve ever read any books by Elizabeth Peters, like Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1), you may find this one a little bit similar. Set in the same time period – the 1920’s – and in the same area – Egypt – I found it reminding me in some ways of Peters’ novels. But other than the era and the geography, they are nowhere near the same novels.

Dreamers of the Day: A Novel features a young woman who has always been the “ugly duckling” in her family. Never smart enough, beautiful enough or anything enough for her mother, she is forever in her sister’s shadow.  Agnes is a dutiful girl and cares for her nagging, overbearing mother while teaching school throughout the Great War.

As she loses family to influenza and wartime, Agnes suddenly finds herself completely alone – without the responsibilities of caring for others and a nice little nest egg.  She decides, after attending a session about Egypt, to take off to explore and learn more.

She prepares for the trip and meets a few memorable characters along the way, including Mildred a shop girl at a department store (whose boyfriend, I suspect, was the comedian Bob Hope).  Mildred helps Agnes begin to come out of her shell, in spite of her mother’s voice ringing her unworthiness in her mind.

Agnes is ready to leave. Ready to learn more about the world beyond Cleveland, Ohio.

What she learns more about, however, is herself – and how to be herself.   She arrives at the Semiramis Hotel in Cairo just as the Peace Talks of 1921 are beginning.  She becomes enmeshed with the dignitaries and powers-that-be who are carving up the spoils of war, befriending none other than Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence and, somewhat, Lady Gertrude Bell.

As she hovers around the periphery of these world-altering talks, Agnes befriends Karl Weilbacher, a German spy.  She struggles with deciding whether he wants to be with her for her or whether he is using her to gather information about the Peace Talks – and whether or not she really cares.

Rosie, her faithful dachshund keeps her company, and Agnes forever hears the warring voices of Mildred and her mother as her “voices on her shoulder.”

The story is engrossing and colorful, full of rich details that take you right into Egypt in the 1920’s.  It is interesting to watch Agnes blossom as she tells her story – learning how to become her own person, think her own thoughts, and make up her own mind.

As I finished the book, I just had to research further the history – to know how things wound up with the Peace Talks and what happened to Lawrence of Arabia.  As I re-read my history, the characters seemed that much more realistic, thanks to Russell’s characterizations and storytelling.

I’ve been reading another of her books and hope to share that one with you, too, soon.

As for the bottom line here, I’d most definitely recommend this story to you. It’s a great read and one that will definitely keep you entertained throughout. It’s not a vapid, cotton-candy kind of book, but rather one that makes you think and engages your mind as it whisks you away to another time and place.

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