Easy Pancakes from scratch...

These pancakes have been in our family for years! When I got married I had no idea that they even made pancake mixes. (My mom always seemed to do everything from scratch.) I bought a pancake mix one time and it didn't taste good to me plus it was as much work as these.

We always double the recipe and you can easily freeze the pancakes for future meals.

1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/3 cups milk (for thicker pancakes use less)
3 TBSP vegetable oil


The recipe says:
Mix 1st 4 ingredients. In small bowl, beat egg slightly, stir in milk and oil. Add to flour mixture.

What Lana does:
(To tell you the truth - I just add it all in the kitchen-aid mixer and mix. I do NOT like cleaning unnecessary bowls.)

Make in hot skillet or hot griddle. Lots of bubbles that have popped mean that it is time to flip. ENJOY!!!

Yummy!!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!



©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Feet hurt and we wonder why…plus a CHRISTMAS GIFT HINT!!!!

Lego’s are a part of our home whether our feet like it or not.  Those suckers HURT in the middle of the night when we are walking in the dark to get a glass of water.

In fact, they will make you scream out in pain.  I’m ready to call in the troops because of all our LEGOs. They seem to be EVERYWHERE!

Our house could be nicknamed “Lego land in the Suburbs”, we have TOO many!  So what do my boys want for Christmas???  You guessed it – more LEGOs!

I’m just saying for the record….Boys – you will NOT be getting LEGO’s for Christmas this year, at least from this MOMMY.

Well, I might change my mind for a SPA-PEDICURE! 
Can you see the HINT???!!!?? 

Just in case: 
“THIS IS A HINT!!!! –
I WANT A SPA PEDICURE FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!” 
 

Just saying…

Blessings to you!!! You are LOVED!!!

A sweet gift…Barney, Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bee.

A friend of mine owns a little bookstore in town.  Every once in a while, she invites us over and we can have whatever we want, that she will not be able to sell.

Well, I found a jewel.  She said it was not worth anything but I would have to differ in opinion.

From Fried Chicken to sweet Desserts – I’m loving this cookbook!  This is probably one of my FAVE shows ever! 

What a sweet find! 

Thank you dear friend, S. for giving me such a blessing!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

just some Sunday funnies...

As I'm writing this, we are watching "God's Team" - Dallas Cowboys on t.v. - they just scored yet another touchdown. I told my 3 year old boy, who we will call Lil' Boy Blue, that  they are wearing pink (because of breast cancer awareness month) and they are "BOYS".  (He basically believes that only blue is a boy color and pink is a girl color.)  His John Deere Grandpa wore a pink button down shirt and Lil' Boy Blue told him to take it off.  He ended up taking off his shirt because it had a stain on it but Lil' Boy Blue, felt like he had won the debate.

Oh, wow, they just made another touchdown. Again, I explain they are wearing pink and they are called a "Cow-BOY". No avail! He still will fight that boys wear blue and girls wear pink. He just said I had a boy shirt on.  Oh, brother!

The other thing that has been going on in our home, is our precious kitty is growing up.  Last night, she kept us up all night long with a loud crying.  I made my hubby get up and check on her to make sure she was not tangled up in some cord.  He just turned on a light and called Parker's name.  She came right away.

 He has a way with kids and animals - when I call a kid - they just seem to stare at me.  Animals go in the opposite direction.  Some would say it was defiance, I call it a gift.  Come here Tiger!  See,  it has great advantages!

Anyway...Parker has kept up with this annoying squeal.  She also has been jumping straight up and running crazy.  It has been quite a show that has given us free entertainment. 

I told my hubs "She must be in heat!" 
My eldest son, replies "Ohhhh.." 
I ask him, "Do you know what that means?" 
He says matter of factly, "She's HOT!  Duh!" 
Nuff said.


Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

7 Ways to Win the Wife of the Year Award...NOT!

Not saying that I have EVER done any of these...because I'm the "perfect" wife.
(HaHaHaHaHa!  Yes, that was in the Witch's voice from The Wizard of Oz and not the nice witch either.)

• Leave the toothpaste cap open and make sure the paste is in the bottom of the tube.
• Wash red lingerie with all White T-Shirts and white socks.
• Have bras drying on the antlers or door knobs in the Living Room when the "guys" come over.
• NEVER tighten the lids on the mayo jar that is in the door of the fridge or any lids for that matter.
• Spray "Beautiful" in the closet and momentarily forget that the closet is shared.
• Mow the yard and make sure to run over every stump so the blades get bent.

Yes, this will definitely get you some bonus points!  I'm just saying - this might earn you "some kind" of an award.  Again, not that I have EVER done any of these!  I love you hubby!!!  So happy you forgive my imperfections!

©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

A little Fall going on…

I started decorating for Fall in September.  My fave season seems to go so fast.

Fall colors just seem to make me happy!

This was our last years Cross Pumpkin…shining the LIGHT.

This is also last year’s…of course the Fleur Di Lis Lantern.

This is our Fall Village!

In our area, we do not have the colorful classic Fall colors outside.  However, we do have citrus trees that are about to turn ripe.  Juicy oranges are on their way!

Happy Fall!  

My Halloween Opinion, for what it is worth!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!!

Go to Creations by Kara for more fall decor ideas!
This totally Works for Me!

 

Menu - Oct. 19 - 25th

Lately, my menu has been crazy - so last night I fixed it.  When the menu is in place, my entire life runs more organized!

Monday - Chicken Tortilla Soup over chips

Tuesday - Baked Beef Stew

Wednesday - Turkey Cheeseburgers with homemade fries

Thursday - Friendship Casserole

Friday - Chicken Supreme

Saturday - Salmon patties with veggies


Sunday - Roast, Green Beans, and Mashed Taters

Here is another freebie:  Apple Walnut Wonders - ooohhhhh, so delicious, cheap and EASY.  Can be used for a snack, breakfast or just a sweet surprise for that someone special.  YUM!


Let me know if you use any of these recipes and like them!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!


©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Friendship Casserole

My kids don't like certain foods, like spaghetti.  (Yes, I realize this is not the norm and I have failed in some kind of motherhood award.- I say that in total jest, well - kind of.)

I think this casserole can fake them out.  We will see and I will let you know how it goes!

Friendship Casserole  (Called this so you can give one to a friend.)

2 lbs of ground turkey
1 (48 oz) jar of Ragu
2 Tbsp sugar
1 (1lb)  egg noodles
1/2 cup of butter
3/4 tsp onion salt
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brown meat, drain.
Add sauce and sugar to meat; simmer 20 minutes.
Cook noodles as directed; drain and toss with butter, salts and cheese.
Spray Pam on 2 9x13 pans.
In both pans, layer 1/2 sauce, noodles, rest of sauce; top with mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil;  bake 45 minutes.

Serves 16


©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Chicken Supreme

This is a new recipe...sounds so good!

Chicken Supreme

6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Package Amour dried beef
6 strips bacon
8 oz sour cream
1 (10 oz) cream of mushroom

1. Preheat oven to 25 degrees.
2. Wrap each chicken breast in slice of dried beef. Wrap bacon slice around beef. Secure with toothpick. Place in baking dish.
3. Mix sour cream and soup, pour over chicken.
4. Bake 3 hours covered.

Serves 6

I'm going to tweak this recipe to work in a crock-pot.



©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

How funny!!! I was featured...

Want to hear something funny that happened?

Yesterday, I received an email from a friend who I haven't talked with in ages.
She said she recognized my kitchen because I had been featured over here and then came to my blog. How fun is that? I didn't even know I had been featured! Two blessings in one!

Isn't that funny how two people re-connect after years because of blogging?

Blessings to you today!!! You are loved!!!

©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Trinity River – Port of Liberty, Texas

  There is something about Liberty, Texas that is always going to make me smile.  It was our first home when we first got married.We had no money as we were just starting out to form our sweet family and  we were HAPPY as two love birds should be! These oil wells were everywhere!  They would remind me of the “old” days and I always wanted to take pictures of them. It reminded me of the movie with John Wayne, Hellfighters.  I use to watch it with my Dad…I have no memory if this was actually a “family friendly” movie.
Liberty is also known for their river, The Trinity.
I have always wanted to take a boat ride down the entire river and never got a chance.
Do you know the entire time I lived there, I never knew about this place?  I knew they had a port but who knew - it would be protected by this fierce thing?  Honestly, he looked like he or she was ready to ATTACK!  Ahh, the port…so peaceful and calm.
Thank you Liberty for letting us invade your port! 

Blessings to you!!!   You are loved!!!

Caught red-handed – READING!!!

 

They had no clue the camera was upon them.

 

No words needed!  This has been for Wordless Wednesday!

 

I'm showing my kitchen re-do over at the DIY Show Off Surprise Party today...if you are interested. Pretty neat party going on!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

A sweet memory…

(If you came over from A soft place to land - please go HERE instead. There was a glitch. Sorry -about that!)

Last May, we traveled up to my hometown. Why we were there we got to visit with my Dad and Step-mom. This turned out to be the last time that we got to visit with her.

My Dad is in the fire department and has been since before I was born. Going on fire trucks when I was little was pretty normal. However, for my kids this was one of their first rides that they can remember.

My baby fell in love with firemen when we had a fire behind our home a few months ago. This just added fuel to the fire, so to speak.

This is the only picture I got of my step-mom on that trip and I think it was a good one of her.

She had already bought my little one a Christmas gift, a VERY loud interactive fire helmet. We had to hide it during the chaos at their house so my little one didn’t find it. He will be very surprised this Christmas when he opens it. What a special gift!

While we were visiting this time (for the funeral)…we got to go on a fire truck again and even got to sit in a life-flight helicopter. (It was a special event called National Night Out – where you can meet all your city officials.)

This is a picture of my Dad, my brothers, my sister in law, my nephews, and my crazy crew.

We basically took over city hall and the police station…

See what my future policeman (he is only in it for the dough-nuts) picked up… This was in the back of a real cop car…I made them use hand sanitizer afterwards.

After the cop experience, we headed to the courts. The judge is an old friend of the family so he welcomed my kids to come and sit up in his chair.

What an experience… Of course, he told them - back talking to their mother would result in jail-time! I love some judges!!! My daughter loved to tell her brothers about her shirt when she was up there – Girls Rule!
I guess this guy wants to fly helicopters in his free time (maybe it is the free ice-cream).
His passengers…

This time was a sad trip home unlike all our other ones. But, we still made some special memories. The Lord continues to be Faithful! He will Never leave nor forsake us…His Love is Everlasting!

Blessings to you!!! You are loved!!!

Book Review: Fast and Frugal Cookbook

fast and frugal cookbook
by Dawn Hall

ISBN: 1595552901

The name of the book caught this busy mom's eye. Cookbooks that say that they are for fast and busy people seem to be something that I just can't be without. It had recipes that were with 7 or less ingredients, the nutritional information, and easy instructions all in less than 30 minutes. Wouldn't that make any Mom just want to jump in and see if it was all that???

In life, sometimes the Internet can fulfill many things except being able to take it to places that computers aren't allowed. I love cookbooks! This cookbook has recipes that are simple and fun which is a rarity. I loved the helpful hints and the short ingredient lists.

The one thing the cookbook really lacked were lots of photos. For a visual person, this is a must - I need to look at my inspirations if I'm going to put forth the effort to cook a meal that I have never tried before or don't like the ingredients.

This would be a great gift for a wedding present for a new family that has rarely cooked. The detail instructions are just perfect to prepare the most delightful meal.

This is one book that I will keep that I have received through the Thomas Nelson's Book Review Program. I was not compensated in any way other than receiving a free book for review.


©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Kind of a hard week...

After an amazing service on Sunday, my phone started to ring. We were actually still in the service so I silenced the ringer. It kept ringing. First it was my Dad then my Mom.

As soon as our pastor released us - I hurried out the door and answered the phone. It turns out the news was not good. My step-mom had a blood clot and passed away quickly that morning. She had been my married to my Dad since I was seven and taught me sooooo many things. She is in the hands of a Merciful God.

So, we hurried and bagged all our dirty clothes and headed toward the Houston area. We brought about 5 loads of dirty, I mean dirty clothes to my mom's house. Bless her heart - she has washed every item. She has also been watching all my children (not the soap) why I have been with my Dad and step-brother.

It has been a sobering experience during this time. God is so faithful! We haven't stopped much and chilled but that part is coming soon.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for my Dad during this time. He is holding up considering all that has happened.

I'll not post again until we are home.

Blessings to you!!! You are loved!!!


©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Little Red Wagon…

Little Red Wagon – you are part of our family.  You were given to us many years ago, when our eldest turned one.  You are now rusty and make odd noises when pulled but still have many miles in front of you. 

You have hauled little ones to big tree limbs.  You have been a friend in our need.

I’m thinking about painting you!  Every old barn needs a fresh coat of paint once in a while.  Don’t be afraid – it won’t hurt.   Just think of it as a birthday present as a makeover.

It will be coming soon. Be patient – I have to find the “right” paint – not any old paint will do for you.

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

Unusual Post – A funeral.

I was fixing my hair the other night and I remembered this, Pastor E.V. Hill’s wife’s funeral. It had been YEARS since I had heard it but all of a sudden I was encouraged and want to share it.

Please listen to it…it is not a visual show…you can play it in the background as you clean, check face book or even nurse your wee one. It goes really fast. I hope you will be encouraged to be an encouragement!

1st Part:

2nd Part:

Trust Him!!!

I'd love to be remembered as a wife like that!

Blessings to you!!! You are loved!!!