Announcement!!

I have a big announcement to make! No - I am not pregnant. I am signing up to become an At Home America Home Style Specialist!! After attending my first home party in December (Thanks Laurie!), I realized how much I really liked the product! I took a book home with me and I kept pouring over it. Then, I decided to have a party in February. By that point I loved the new catalog and there were a number of items that I really wanted. This company has been on my mind for a long time and I have been praying about joining this company. If you haven't heard of At Home America I encourage you to check out their website www.athome.com. I have found they have a variety of products, I like to describe it as a Southern Living, Pampered Chef and Tastefully Simple all thrown together at a reasonable price. So take a look and tell me what you think! My kick off / open house will be on Tuesday, May 22 let me know if you are interested!

What's For Dinner?

I don't know about you, but I'm always wondering what to have for dinner. I have found some great recipes in the Simple & Delicious and Kraft Food magazines. Here are two of my new favorites that I have recently tried:

Sweet Citrus Chicken:

1 2/3 cups hot water

1 6oz. package of chicken stuffing mix

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lbs.), pounded to 1/2" thickness

2/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Add hot water to stuffing mix: stir just until moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken in 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Mix juice, sugar, and butter until well blended; pour over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serves 6

Orange - Glazed Pork Chops:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

2 Tbsp. orange juice

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

4 bone in pork loin chops (1/2" thick and 8 ounces each)

1 tsp. canola oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a small bowl, combine the marmalade, orange juice, mustard, soysauce, garlic; set aside.

In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oilon both sides over medium-high heat: sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered 10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160 deg. Remove and keep warm.

Add marmalade mixture to the skillet: bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over pork chops. Yields 4 servings!

I hope you enjoy these recipes!!

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Bathing Beauties

My girls thought it would be fun to put on their swimsuits and eat lunch outside. They enjoy the warm weather as much as their Mommy does. However, did I mention the temperature is only in the 60's. They didn't seem to mind.

Halfway to 100

A while back I started 100 things about me - which turned into 50 things about me, so I have been inspired to try and reach my 100 things. Here we go:

51. I have been in 44 states
52. My theme song is, "You Drive Me Crazy"
53. I sing this song to my girls
54. I can't sing
55. When I sing #52 my girls tell me to be quiet
56. I have a high bed
57. I use a step stool to get into bed
58. I prefer red wine
59. I prefer sweets over salts
60. My dream car right now would be a Honda CRV
61. I watched the first five seasons of 24 in four months
62. I reached my lifetime goal with weight watchers
63. I'm currently above my goal weight
64. I need to start counting points again
65. I played field hockey in high school
66. I also was a cheerleader
67. I have eaten cake for breakfast
68. I have done this more than once
69. I took guitar lessons for one year
70. I like road trips with my family
71. I don't like the feeling of my stomach jumping out when I am on a roller coaster
72. I like my steak prepared medium
73. Salad dressing served on the side is a good thing
74. I enjoy the taste of real butter
75. Especially on warm homemade bread
76. I like food - can you tell - see # 63
77. I prefer to exercise in the morning
78. I was involved in 4-H while growing up
79. I like cottage, vintage and modern country decorating
80. I like organizational books
81. I would like to be more organized
82. I am the shortest of all my female cousins
83. I do not like avocados
84. I do not like guacamole
85. # 83 & # 84 do not like me
86. I watched Zoolander while in labor with my first child
87. I do not like this movie
88. My girls have seen more Disney movies than me
89. However,I do like Beauty & the Beast
90. I think Trader Joe's is a great grocery store
91. I wish they would put one in our area
92. Little Caesars $5 pizza's make a great meal when I am in a pinch
93. I don't like mice
94. I learned to set a mouse trap when I was 22
95. Did I mention my first apartment had mice?
96. I play Settlers of Catan almost every Sunday night
97. My Myers Briggs personality rating is an EXFJ
98. I spent a summer in Prague
99. I have been in six different countries
100. I spend too much time reading blogs

Spring Break In Review

I'm finally getting around to blogging about our spring break. I think the weather has put me in a mood and it has slowed down my blogging. I know everyone has heard a lot about the weather, but I think this conversation with my daughter sums it up the best:

"Olivia, what are you doing?" asked by me as I notice Olivia looking out the slider.
Olivia responds, "Just checking out the weather - it is kind of goofy!"

On to vacation - it was a lot of fun - close to 2,000 miles on our Honda! I had a lot of fun flying to see my friend and hanging out with her and another girlfriend in the DC area. It was the first time that I got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory - yummy. Make sure if you eat there to save room for dessert!

Jim and the girls had a good trip (by car) especially with a DVD player in the car (thanks to Aunt Patti)! They even managed an early morning swim at the hotel pool. I'm not sure if you ask Jim what his response would be about driving solo with the girls - maybe after time he will forget the "moments" of crying in the car.

We had a lot of fun with our friends in Richmond, visiting the cousins and staying with Mimi and Poppie. I've included some pictures - after all a picture is worth a thousand words!