Monday...

:::Happy Birthday:::

I'd like to start with a GREAT BIG Happy Birthday to Aunt Sue!!! I hope your day was GRAND!!! :)


:::Lent Update:::

Well everyone, I have a couple of ideas now for my "Lenten Promise". I just have to make my decision. I have one more day to make this decision. I'll try to remember to let everyone know once the decision has been made!! :)


:::High Chair:::

We let Maddy take a spin in her high chair tonight while we ate dinner. She did very well. Unfortunately, her attention span is pretty short, so I only got to eat about 1/3 of my meal before she was ready to be held, but HEY, that's 1/3 more than I normally get to eat with two hands, so that's GREAT news!! :) Here's a picture of Miss Maddy playing with her toy while we ate dinner:


Come to think of it, if I stopped taking so many pictures and started eating my dinner, maybe I could have eaten half of my meal!! LoL!! :)


:::Dinner:::

Tonight for dinner I made a new recipe... Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts... and they were MARVELOUS!!! This one is from Paula Dean, so you KNOW it has to be good!! I'd like to share the recipe with you. I made half a recipe because there are only 2 of us, and it was supposed to make 4 servings, and two servings were PLENTY!! Here ya go:

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts (approximately 5 to 7 ounces each)
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning (recipe to follow)
4 slices bacon
1 leek (optional)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted (what recipe of Paula's is complete without a little buuuter??)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Wash and pound each chicken breast flat. Lay chicken breast on cookie sheet or large platter and spread it with cream cheese, followed by a quarter of the feta cheese. Mix together basil, oregano, and House Seasoning and sprinkle over chicken. Roll up each breast and wrap with a slice of bacon. At this time, if desired (I skipped this part), you can tie up each rolled chicken breast with the green top of a leek. Cut the green top off the vegetable, leaving it long enough to tie around the breast and allowing a couple of extra inches for a knot. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour melted butter over all. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover dish and increase temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake, allowing the bacon to brown, for 15 to 20 minutes. Or you could place dish under broiler for a few minutes to brown. Serve over rice, with pan juices poured on top. ENJOY!!

House Seasoning Recipe: 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, and 1/4 cup garlic powder. Mix well. Store in shaker near stove for convenience. (I did 1/4 of this recipe, and it made more than enough for the chicken with plenty left over to use at a later date!)

If you choose to try this recipe out, please let me know what you and yours think of it. Yes, it takes a long time to cook, but the preparation is minimal!! :)

Here's a picture of the finished product:




:::Cereal:::

Maddy ate 4 Tablespoons of rice cereal tonight!!! While this may not seem like a lot, that's 1/4 of a cup. The first time we gave her cereal, it was 1 Tablespoon and she didn't finish it. She was a HUNGRY girl tonight!!! Here are a couple of pictures of her enjoying her rice cereal:













:::Carrots:::

After Maddy's rice cereal, she finished off the jar of carrots that she's been working on for a couple of days. Here's a little video of her devouring them:






:::Laundry:::

My new washer and dryer did NOT let me down today!! I have the last load of clothes in the dryer that needed to be done... and that's load number SIX!!! Yes, you read that right, I did SIX loads of laundry today!!! With my old washer and dryer, these six loads would have easily taken 3 days!! Crazy, huh?!?!


:::Knee:::

I have an appointment tomorrow with the knee doctor. I am hoping that he'll remove the stitches and tell me that I no longer have to wrap my knee everyday. I'm feeling GREAT. I do not have full range-of-motion yet, but I'm getting there. I can straighten my knee all the way, and I can bend it to a little past a 90 degree angle. I've been doing my physical therapy at home, and it's going well. I'll try to remember to update after the appointment!!


I hope that everyone else's week got off to a good start (and that your weeks continue to go well)!! We love you guys!! Talk to you soon!! :)