So I was sitting on the couch this morning reading my email while the kids played in the other room. Then I hear Alex calling to me for help. Since he didn't seem injured I ignored him for a few moments to see if he could figure it out for himself. When he started calling that he needed help to get out I decided that I indeed had to go investigate. Alex had taken most of the toys out of the boon bag and had managed to zip himself inside and couldn't get out. Since the boon bag is well ventilated I decided that I had a moment to grab my camera and record the moment for posterity.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Costco sells a chicken and rice casserole by Milton's and it is very good but a bit greasy. Since I liked it so much I set out to make my own version at home. I did some searching on the internet and found a recipe online that was close, but of course I have changed it a bit.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

1 12oz can evaporated skimmed milk
1 5oz can evaporated milk
4oz cream cheese softened
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10oz frozen peas
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups instant brown rice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use Walmart Mexican blend)


Preheat oven to 350 deg. grease 9x13 baking dish
Combine everything but shredded cheddar cheese in baking dish(make sure to mix the cream cheese in well or you will have lumps of cream cheese after the dish is cooked)
Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, remove cover and top with cheese (I like to give everything a good stir before putting the cheese on). Continue baking uncovered for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This makes a pretty good sized pan but the leftovers are usually pretty good. Next time I think I might split it into two smaller pans and freeze one. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Mystery Solved

I finally figured out where the mystery tote bag full of goodies came from. It was the Oprah Spring Ahead Sweeps. I had totally forgotten that I entered.

Alex

Alex is becoming such a big kid now. I was just realizing the other day that he has gotten big enough that I no longer have to lift him up to wash his hands in the sink. I also had to move up to the boys section in the store when I bought him some new underpants the other day.

Tonight as I was getting Abbie ready for bed he sat down in the glider, pulled up his shirt and asked to feed Abbie. I suggested that he go downstairs and get a baby doll and feed that. In the end he settled on his blue "care bear". I thought it was totally cute, and no I did not set this up just for the photo op :)

Alex has also really been bonding with our male golden Zed lately. Often when he takes his afternoon nap he will call Zed into his bedroom and shut the door to keep him in there. Tonight I went to check on him and he and Zed were happily sleeping together in Alex's closet. I am so glad that Alex and Zed are getting close. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my dog Candy who used to sleep in my bed almost every night.

I got a present

And I don't even know where it's from. I signed up for several freebee sample things online but am not sure which one this came from. I suspect it is g-dots.com. I signed up for them a while ago and never really expected to get anything. The items I am most excited about are the full sized bottle of Italian dressing, full sized bottle of dove body wash and the two bags. BTW the green bag had a coupon for a free contessa frozen dinner, score! I tried the perfume but just had to go was it off since I am pretty sensitive to smells. Oh and there is a sample for a body lotion with SPF 15. I was just thinking that I needed to go get some to wear on a daily basis.

I made a skirt

Quite a while back I got a bag of clothes off Freecycle that included a pair of jeans that fit fine but were very bell bottomed. I threw them in the closet and didn't think about them again until a few days ago. S mentioned that she was reading online about "recycled" fashion where you take clothes and make them into something new (I do this all the time for kids clothes). She specifically mentioned making a skirt out of a pair of jeans. The conversation reminded me of this tutorial that I found a while ago and bookmarked. I quickly went to the closet and dragged out the ugly jeans and the next day I made myself a new skirt. It didn't take long at all to make and the bell bottoms were a benefit because it allowed me to make the skirt long enough to go just below the knee. I was a bit apprehensive about it looking homemade and cheesy, but once I wore it I really liked it. Ironically enough, the next day at church there was someone wearing a skirt just like the one I had made.

What can you get for under $9

I did a little shopping today and this is what I got:

3 bottles of Shampoo - Loreal Pro Vive
3 bottles of Conditioner - Loreal Pro Vive
4 Sure Deodorant
2 buddies bars
2 pk kids toothbrush
2 5 packs of tampons
1 small bag bite sized nutter butters
1 pkg crayola markers
2 pk gel pens
1 gourmet chocolate bar

I should also get back over $4 on a Walgreens gift card for the markers, gel pens and candy bar. The rest of the stuff was bought at CVS and I got nearly $11 in ECB back for my next purchase.