An assignment

For the past two years I have compared and contrasted the cooking styles of myself, Susan, and Sara Jane. So I was thinking maybe Sara Jane and Susan could do a little comparing themselves. I would like to see what they come up for me. Because I personally believe that I have them pegged! They read the blog, they laugh, they know it is true.

So Susan, Sara Jane, what can you come up with. Do you accept the challenge?

Millie is Funny

Along with making progress in the potty training business, Millie is becoming quit the commedian in the bathroom. Here are a few of my favorites.

"Mommy you potty training?" Millie asked me this in a gas station bathroom.

"It's stuck." I'll leave it up to you to figure this one out.

Mommy: Millie where does you potty go?
Millie: In the toilet.
Mommy: And when you go potty in the toilet...
Millie: Mommy sooo happy!

and this morning...I got Millie out of bed and she went running into the bathroom saying, "potty, potty!" When I got her off the toilet after she had successfully went she said, "Oh how-way-wu-jah!"

Three Sisters and Green Beans

The Thanksgiving Season is upon us, and again I am inspired to find the differences between the cooking styles of Sara Jane, Susan, and I. If you go back to last November you will find the post on Sweet Potatoes. I wanted to mix it up this year so I thought I would contemplate.............green beans.

Green beans are something that we have at every family dinner. It is a staple that my mother always fixes. She starts by saving her bacon grease from a couple of breakfasts. Then she puts the beans on, adds a little onion, and a bunch of bacon grease and cooks them for hours until they are good and tender. Mmmmm goood, fattening but good.

If Sara Jane would bring the green beans...

She would probably make "Sizzled Green Beans with Crispy Prosciutto and Pine Nuts."

Ingredients
2 pounds green beans trimmed
2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
2 ounces prosciutto thinly sliced, cut into ribbons
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt divided
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add beans, return to a boil, and simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
Wipe out the pan; heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add the beans, garlic, sage, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are browned in places, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, lemon zest and the prosciutto. Season with lemon juice, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.
To toast chopped nuts & seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

For the ingredients she would not just go to the store to buy them, no she would search online in a one hundred mile radius of her house, and find the local farmer who had what she needed in stock. Or she would have planned for it back in May, had a community garden work day to plant the green beans, and several more to water, weed, and tend to the beans in preparation for the big feast.

If Susan were to bring the green beans...

She would probably bring the classic "Green Bean Casserole"

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Now before she decided on this recipe she would first start the Internet search back in October for green bean recipes, she would then print out a couple that sounded good and try them out on Gabriel to see what his opinion was about the green beans, then ultimately deciding on the classic casserole.

If Leah were to bring the beans...

I would more than likely bring..."Canned Green Beans, Leah Style"

2 cans of green beans

smokie links

onion salt

Open cans and place them in a pot

cut up smokie links and add to pot

sprinkli some onion salt, stir and heat up.

Now I would probably remember Wednesday night after church that I needed to make the green beans, and I think that I have some at home so there is no need to go to the store while I am out. I then arrive home, get the kiddos in bed, check facebook, and then while on my way to bed look in the cabinet to realize that I used my last can Monday night and I indeed do need some. So then I reluctantly get dressed again and run to the store only to be with the rest of Columbus in Wal-Mart fighting to get a can a green beans.

Hmmm, I wonder who is going to get to bring the green beans?

Millie's Boo Boo

This is what Milllie's face looks like after she ran over Miss Leanne's foot on a scooter and crashed and hit her head on the metal handle bar. I was not there, so I got received a text message..."Call as soon as you can....Millie fell in big room.....we dont think stitches." This is always very comforting. I got there as soon as I could, and Millie was acting just. I took her to the doctor and no stitches were needed. They cleaned it up and gave instructions to keep it clean, watch for infection, and antibiotic ointment for two weeks and then Mederma for a month to help with the whole scarring issue. She will probably have a black eye, but should be fine. As long as we can keep her from picking at it.

The Wonder of Play

Millie loves to pretend play, as do most yound children. The other day while I was folding the laundry in the laundry room, Millie kept bringing in her animals. The she came in with her doctors bag and said, "I Dr. Millie" We have all been seen by Dr. Millie now. When she is finished with her procedures she will hand you the kit, lay down on the floor and say, "my turn."

New PJ's

Both Levi and Millie are growing like crazy right now. This evening Levi filled and cleaned his plate three times. At lunch he ate all his food and finished mine. With all of this growth action going on both kiddos were in desperate need for new pj's. So today I took them shopping with me (which is a scary thing to do) and we got new jamies. Millie got size 3T and Levi took the jump into 10-12 (he is wearing an 8 in pants, but I wanted them to last a little longer).

Levi is very proud of his size 10-12 pjs that do ot swamp him. Millie was excited to put her "snowmam" jamies on, but when I asked her for a picture this is the pose I got. She said, "I flopping"

Good Bye Pull-Ups

For the past five months we have been doing the whole potty training thing with Millie. I didn't ever think she was going to master it. So this week I had enough. Millie and I had a little talk and she said good bye to pull-ups and hello to Elmo and Dora underware. At home she is doing great, with no accidents. At CMO she is still working on it, but it is coming along!!! WHOO HOO!

The Punies

This past week the weather has been beautiful. Upper sixties and sunny, but we have not been able to get out and play. Millie has been very sick. Last Sunday evening she fell asleep during church, and I knew something was up. (She never sleeps in church). When we got home her temperature was 99.8. I gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed. Monday morning the temp was up to 101.5. By 5:30 it was 103.5. She was just sick. All she wanted to do was be held or lay down. She wanted to play, but when she would get up she would walk over to a toy, stop and look at it, then she would go back and lay down. It was pitiful. I kept her home and Scott went off to prayer meeting. At 7:30 she was making little grunting noises when she breathed, her heart was racing, and she was burning up. I took her temperature and it only read "HIGH." I am not sure what that is, but I was nervous. I called the Dr. and he advised switching to Motrin, a bath, and if not better in 45 min. Get her to the ER. I called Mom and Scott. Mom started praying and Scott told the church what was happening, they started praying, and Scott went to get the medicine.

By the time Scott got home with the Motrin, Millie's temp was already coming down! I went ahead and gave her the Motrin and when I put her to bed at 8:30 her temp was only 100.4!!! My God Answers Prayer!!!

She is now doing much better, and is on antibiotics for an ear and respiratory infection.