Mr. Cardinal

We have a new red friend who has been frequenting our Birdie Cafe. Can you see him perched in the tree?

This is the view out my front window. I can sit on my sofa and watch 'my' birds filling their bellies at the feeders. Mr. Cardinal is a handsome addition to the dreary winter background of our yard. Mrs. Cardinal, not as colorful, but just as exciting to see, joins him from time to time. Usually, she just stays home and tends to her nest keeping duties. She's busy decorating the nursery in hopes of hatching some little ones this spring.

Mr. Cardinal gets tired of watching his wife fluttering around nesting, so he comes to the Cafe to roost with his buddies. He and his friends are very respectful when they are at our Birdie Cafe. They never use fowl language around my children, and they always clean up after themselves, feather dusting the area before they go.

I hope Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal (and all their friends) continue to descend upon our Birdie Cafe. They are a bright spot in my day and make me thankful that I don't migrate south for the winter.

Freezer Friendly Friday

Do you have recipes that are freezer friendly? When I did once a month cooking with a group of friends, my goal was to find new and exciting recipes that I could assemble ahead of time, throw in the freezer, and bake later.

Now that I don't meet with that group anymore, I try to do it on my own (a little at a time). I've had failures and flops, but I have also had some pretty tasty creations. I appreciate having meals in the freezer. It cuts down on those times of being 'forced' to eat out when we've had a hectic day.

Here's a recipe that is a hit with my entire family.

Turkey Meatloaf

3# ground turkey
1 16 oz. bag of seasoned cubed stuffing (I like Pepperidge Farms Heb Seasoned)
3 cups chicken broth (might need to increase)
5 stalks of celery, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
2 sticks of butter (I think you could cut back on the butter but you'd definitely need to increase the chicken broth)

Saute the onion and celery in butter (okay, it's really more like "boil in butter", but saute sounds better) until tender, then mix with stuffing and add chicken broth to moisten the stuffing. Mix turkey in with the mixture. Transfer mixture to a greased 9 x 13 pan. (Or loaf pans) Cover and freeze.

On serving day, thaw mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The last time I prepared this, I had to add more chicken broth because the mixture seemed too dry. As long as it holds together and looks like the bread cubes are pretty moist then it should turn out okay. Sorry I can't give you better advice. I should have taken pictures to show you.

Anyway, my kids love this as well as my church group. We have a pot luck every Sunday and this was a hit. It's yummy with mashed potatoes too. The flavor is reminiscent of a Thanksgiving dinner without all the prep time or clean up.

How about you? Do you have any freezer friendly recipes you'd be willing to share with me?

I think I'm a mermom

My Maiden is a dreamer. She threw money in a wishing well a few months ago and made a wish. She's waiting for it to come true. The wish? That she could be a princess and we could live in a castle. The poor girl gets her fantasizer gene from me. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed make believe and pretend play, unless of course, a person gets so caught up in their fantasies they base their entire blog around a fairy tale.

Lately this little girl has been curious about mermaids and has asked me the following questions. "Mom, if I turn into a mermaid will I have a green tail? Mom, what do mermaids eat? Mom, if I am a mermaid would I call you mermom? Mom, don't you wish we were mermaids?"

Being a mom who loves to add fuel to an overactive imagination creative mind, I decided to look into mermaids for her. First of all, I was surprised to find out that they are real. Did you know that? There plenty of websites out there that say so, and I believe everything I read on the internet. One woman has even personally interviewed mermaids. Here are some facts I am going to share with Maiden:

1. They love salads made with seaweed and other plants from the sea.

2. They love sushi because it is wrapped in Nori (dried seaweed).

3. They are prone to salty foods.

4. They like sweets too, especially things that have mer-ingue.

5. They give birth to their babies. They don't lay eggs like other fish.

6. They need their beauty sleep.

7. They love the beach.

8. They love to sing.

9. They love to swim.

10. They are a mixed breed.

After compiling my research, I am pretty sure I'm a mermaid. I'm even a mixed breed: Norwegian and Swedish. I am a Norwedish Mermaid. Finally. I know who I really am. I can't wait to tell Maiden. Then she can call me mermom and live in a whole new fantasy world for a while.

Mermaid photo credit

My December

Hello my friends! Did you wonder what happened to me? I am sure your daily thoughts were consumed with "I wonder what Michelle has been up to since her last blog post on December 4, 2009." Am I right?

It's time we get caught up, don't you think? Let me fill you in:

The King turned 46 years old. Can you believe I am married to such an old guy? That is a homemade banana cream pie he is proudly displaying. (I admit it's not totally homemade. The crust was purchased. But the pudding--from scratch!)

The Royal Family spent many a night partaking in a game or two or three or six of Farkle. We are addicted.

We did our fair share of shopping. Duchess and Maiden are my personal shopping assistants. I don't know how I ever shopped before girls. They have quite the opinions when it comes to purchasing gifts!

Plus, we did a little baking...this isn't really baking, but it was something Duchess could do. These pretzel rods were originally intended to be given to the neighbors as part of a Christmas treat package...but they didn't make it that long.

I guess this is the appropriate time to say, "It's the thought that counts." Next year we'll make more, or deliver them before they are devoured.

We did a little decorating...

And found that a star makes a cute hair accessory.

I wrapped a lot of gifts.

The King read Bartholomew's Passage to the Royal Offspring.

Ever dream of doing this as a child? I always wanted to. This was the favorite spot to lay when being read to in the evenings.

Finally. Gift opening time arrived. It was great fun to watch Prince Charming with his gifts. Every one he opened he said, "Thank you." Such good manners that boy has. Our ever grateful Duchess said, "This was my best Christmas ever." (She says that every year after Christmas.)

Can you believe that Santa came to our house one day? During daylight hours. In a gray t-shirt and jeans. He had the three youngest children sit on his lap and had a little chat with them. They were all happy to hear they were on the nice list. Poor Santa, I don't think he was feeling the greatest that day. His taped on cotton balls mustache and beard kept falling off.

I had all my children under the same roof one night before Christmas and was able to snap a photo for our Christmas card. If you remember, Jester moved out in September. He has not had much to do with our family since. It's not been easy for me as a mom. I thought I still had another year with him since he's still only a senior in High School. Maiden has shed a lot of tears over her big brother. She was really close to him and his leaving affected her the hardest.

This is Jester and his girlfriend. I am very hopeful that we are on the road to restoring our relationship with them. As of now, things are looking better. They were here on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve. I am thankful that he has made an effort to be somewhat involved with his siblings again.

On New Year's Eve we had a large group of people over. After doing a head count, I determined there were 52 people in this old house my castle. It was a fun night. Lots of little ones running around, lots of food, lots of good conversation.

Which reminds me, I saw the blue moon that night. Did you? If not, don't worry. You can see it again in 19 years. I actually left my guests to walk out past the tree cover to check it out. It didn't look very blue to me. It looked like any other old full moon but now I can say I saw it.

I rang in the New Year doing one of my most favorite things ever, holding a baby. I honestly believe the most satisfying times in my life have been when I was able to rock a crying babe to sleep. There is no better feeling in the world. Isn't she sweet? I could have rocked her all night, but her mama thought it was best to take her home. Oh well, I got my baby fix.

Onto the next big question. What's my New Year's resolution? I usually don't make any because I feel guilty when I don't follow through. But this year I made some private ones in my mind and haven't spoken them aloud to anyone. You heard it here first folks. I want to blog more often, make sure we get school done every day, catch up in my journal (and stay caught up) and exercise more often. So far the blogging thing is working for me.

Until next time,

Happy Homecoming Day!

Six years ago today a beautifully sweet and scared little girl joined our family. She has brought such unspeakable joy into our lives. Many people tell us, "She is one lucky little girl." I always respond, "No we are the lucky ones!

I will never forget that first touch. It's hard to explain the emotions one encounters after waiting two years for a child. How can you put into words what is felt when you can finally touch something more than a photo? I wish I could explain how I felt when I was finally able to touch her hair, inhale her scent, put my lips on hers, and feel her heart beat next to mine the first time I held her in my arms. It's an experience that no words can fully describe.

I remember thinking over and over that day, 'She's real. She's really real.' A day that took forever to come was finally a reality. If a heart could explode due to overwhelming love and joy, mine should have burst that day.

Life is not without challenges. It's not always been easy. She has had her fair share of struggles and insecurities, but we continue to love her and guide her through.

She has a loving heart and a willing spirit. She is my constant companion. She brings a smile to my face each and every day.

I continue to marvel at this creation of God. I often pray for her birth mother. I pray she has peace in her heart about this beautiful child that grew in her womb. I wish I could tell her how much her daughter has blessed our family. I wish I could thank her for the gift of this child's life. I wish I could tell her how much I love this little girl.

I can't thank her birth mother, but I can thank God, which I continually do. He orchestrated our adoption journey absolutely perfectly. I am thankful!

Happy Homecoming Day Duchess. You are very loved!!

My Skaters

Saturday is my favorite day of the week now. (Even though it involves me being cold for an hour.) It's skating day for the girls. I love watching my girls out on the ice, improving their skills week after week.

They are oh, so cute! Duchess is a bit of a hot dog on the ice. If she falls, she gets right back up and continues on. She's always practicing moves that are beyond her skill level. Her goal is to pass the level she's in and move on. I have a hard time dragging her off the ice. Nothing will come between her and her practice time.

Maiden is a little more careful. She cries when she falls too hard and has to come to me on the sidelines for a few kisses and to dry her tears.Then she goes back out to continue on. She is more than ready to be done at the end of her lesson because her teeth are chattering uncontrollably. But she doesn't want to quit. She can't wait for the day she can do some spins.

Sitting in an ice cold arena is not my style. I really hate to be cold. But watching my girls and the excitement they have when they are out on the ice is worth it. (Thank goodness for long underwear!)

Planting Bulbs

I finally got around to planting bulbs. I hope it's not too late. I figured if I could still dig in the ground I was okay. We put in some tulips, daffodils and crocuses. My girls love flowers and I thought this would be a fun project for them.

Duchess told Maiden, "We are going to plant them, then it will snow. After the snow melts we can see our flowers come up. Isn't that exciting?"

I put the crocus bulbs in random places in the yard. I can't wait to see if they come up or not. this is my first bulb experience, so I'll let you know in the spring.

Blessings my friends,