Chocolatetown

Well, we were finally able to get out of town for the weekend and went to visit my sister, Lynley, and her husband, Dan, in Hershey, PA. I was a little unsure how Tennyson would do on the 3-hour car ride since the last trip we took was right after Christmas, but he did surprisingly well. But he was definitely ready to be out of his carseat by the end of the 3 hours! I took this shot of a rainbow as we drove up. Not bad considering the car was going about 70 mph.


By the time we got to my sister's and unloaded most of our worldly possessions into their home it was time for the little guy to get to bed. (It's amazing how much stuff baby needs! Good thing my sister's house is roomy!)

Saturday was a super fun day! My friend, Lisa, and her family came over to my sister's house and then we all went to lunch at Isaac's, a yummy sandwich place, to celebrate Lisa's 29th birthday! (Crazy, huh? 29 again!) Next on the agenda, Chocolate World, a first for Lisa, Scott, and the kids.


Once inside Chocolate World we rode the ride which explains the wonderful and exciting journey cocoa beans take to become those confections we have come to love (Hershey Kisses, Kit Kats, Reeces, Mounds, etc.). Lynley carried Tennyson around and somehow he managed to sleep through almost all of Chocolate World. Upon leaving the ride you are directed to their giant store full of....yes, chocolate, but also candies, baked goods, and much more. A feast for the eyes and the waistline. Groan.

Please note his adorable "Hershey" shirt, purchased on a trip to Chocolate World last spring.)

After (reluctantly) leaving we all headed over to the Hotel Hershey. It was such a nice day and the flowers were in full bloom. We took lots of pictures in the gardens....

Tennyson and his lady friend

Can you tell our son does not like sitting in the grass? I think that will change in time.

This photo hardly does these gorgeous tulips justice.

How wonderful to make good family memories.

Belated Congratulations

I have been so busy I forgot to post about my little brother's wedding on the 12th. Congratulations to Jordan and Hannah! It's just so hard to believe my 19-year old brother is a married man!!! Here is a very brief look at some of the photos I (and my brother, Kyrce) took that day!

My father and his last-born

The cake

Mr. & Mrs.

The getaway

Tennyson, Our Joy

Here is the slideshow I created for Tennyson's baby dedication. If you haven't read it yet, you can scroll down to read the post about his dedication on the 13th. Some of you may need tissues.....oh wait, that would be me.

I hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of our sweet boy's life for the past 8 months.

Recipe of the Week ~ Maryland Fried Chicken

MARYLAND FRIED CHICKEN
This recipe is from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, and it is delicious! Also on the menu that night was organic mixed veggies (with NO lima beans!) and mashed potatoes with homemade chicken gravy.

1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp. milk
1 cup finely crushed crackers (I used whole wheat Ritz)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of skinless, meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks)
2 to 3 Tbsp. oil
1 cup milk

1. In a small bowl combine the egg and 3 Tbsp milk. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, thyme, paprika, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces, one at a time, into egg mixture; roll in cracker mixture.
2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Drain well.
3. Add the 1 cup milk to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover tightly. Cook for 35 minutes. Uncover; cook about 10 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink.

Back on Track

Ever since we got the stomach flu last month I haven't been diligent about posting weekly recipes, but hopefully I'll get back on track tomorrow. Maybe if I hadn't just spent 20 minutes disassembling and cleaning out the fabric softener dispenser on the washing machine I would have posted one tonight. Yes folks, these are the kind of projects I choose to do right before bedtime. *sigh*

Tennyson's Baby Dedication

I know a lot of the people that read this blog were probably in our church on Sunday :-) but for those of you that weren't here are some pictures from Tennyson's baby dedication. It was such an emotional moment for us, to finally see our baby that we had so longed for being dedicated. I had also prepared a slideshow for the congregation to watch, and my hope was that it would express Tennyson's spirit and personality. Even though he's only 8 months old he is already such a funny, energetic, happy little guy!

But of course he had to prove it for himself Sunday morning. When he was still in the womb Tom would read the Bible to him, and for some reason he would really kick and move when he read Psalm 8. So what did he do when the pastor read Psalm 8 on Sunday? Right on cue he started kicking and the whole congregation laughed ! What a sweet memory of that day!



And in case you are wondering who was there (not all pictured - because there were too many of us): My parents, my older sister,Dawn, her husband, Mark, and her 4 children, Nathan, Jared, Caleb, and Bethany, my older brother, Kyrce, my younger sisters, Lynley and Courtney, my younger brother, Cameron and his wife - Sara. And we were still missing Lynley's husband, Kyrce's wife and son, and my youngest brother, Jordan, who had just gotten married the day before!!! Unfortunately, none of Tom's family was able to make it, and they were sadly missed.

It's hard to see, but Tennyson is sticking his tongue out as they pray over him. (See previous comment about his personality.)

We were so blessed to have Mark Sensabaugh walk Tennyson around the sanctuary. Mark was our premarital counselor and he also spoke at our wedding. So we had to have him involved in this special, long-awaited day!

At the dedication Mark spoke about the significance of Tennyson's unique name, saying that "he was God's masterpiece, His poem, His music. Your heavenly Father has purpose for you and bless you with knowing your purpose and God has seen it in His heart. The deeds God has purposed for you, you are uniquely designed to do better than any other." AMEN!!! What an incredible blessing our little boy is to us, and to think, there are so many more happy memories yet to be made.

7 Lesser Known Things About Me

Apparently I have been "tagged," thanks to Julie, to share 7 random or weird things about myself. As if I don't have enough to do......but for some reason I find myself doing it anyway. (By the way, I am not tagging seven others as the "rules" state. If you find the urge to share some random things about yourself on your blog, go for it!)

1. I entered college as a theater major. Yep, that's right. Though my parents were never crazy about my hopes to conquer the stage, in retrospect it was a good thing. I wasn't cut out for that life. (I ended up majoring in English and minoring in Political Science and History & Social Science.)

2. I am the third of seven children. No, we weren't Catholic, and yes, we're all from the same parents. My Mom made the comment the other day that they have been raising children for 40 years, and though they've done a good job, I really don't want to spend my whole life doing that. Being from a big family is fun, but it's impossible to raise a family that size without your children raising children.

3. I lived in Ireland for 3 months in 1998 with my cross-cultural group from college. We also spent time in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England. And when some of my friends and I went to London for a week and we saw the Queen during the opening of Parliament parade. Very cool!

4. While working at retail music store in Hampton, VA Jamie Lee Curtis came in and bought $300 worth of merchandise in about 5 minutes. I wasn't star struck in the least. When I asked her to properly sign her credit card receipt she was just a little put out. Sorry lady, you're no more special than the rest of us.

5. In college I was known as the "funny" one (oh, and the tall one, too). My friends would often come to me and say, "Make me laugh." Unfortunately, I think I've lost some of my quick wit over the years. Maybe some day when my "baby brain" is gone I'll get it back?

6. I married my first and only boyfriend. I had no interest whatsoever in casual dating. (That and the fact that most of the guys I did like weren't man enough to date a woman taller than them!) And before I would date Tom I spoke my mind about several things that we had to agree on, including that if he didn't think there was a possibility of us someday getting married I didn't want to start dating. Thank goodness that worked out! :-)

7. I went to 8 different schools (including being homeschooled) between Kindergarten and 12th grade. Let's just say I didn't enjoy being educated until my college years.

April Showers

I went outside yesterday to photograph my Daffodil and was greeted by cold air and sleet. Yes, sleet. I don't mind cold weather, but I am officially ready for all my flowers to start blooming, especially the Tulips I planted a few years ago.

Recipe of the Week ~ Swiss Steak

SWISS STEAK
I had never eaten this until I made it for dinner tonight, and it was gooood and oh so easy. From my favorite cookbook, the Bridal Edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.

1 lb. boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. oil
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic; undrained
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 cups hot cooked noodles or mashed potatoes

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut into 4 serving-size pieces. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. With the notched side of a meat mallet, pound flour mixture onto each side of the meat.
2. In a large skillet brown meat on both sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Add undrained tomatoes, celery, carrot, and onion. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 1 hour or until meat is tender. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes.