What?!? Brittany is 16?

Yup, that's right! My baby sister is 16 years old, or at least she will be on the 29th! We celebrated her birthday tonight with some yummy burgers and cake! I feel so old when my little brother and sister get older... where has all the time gone! Well anyways, Happy Birthday Britt! I hope your birthday is fabulous!

My New Gadget

Finally, I have gotten a new camera! I have been wanting one for so long, and we were finally able to get one. I got a Nikon Coolpix L110, and I am IN LOVE! This camera takes such good pictures and has so many neat options. Here are some pictures I took today just to see what this baby can do!

Yum, Yum

I just have to share the meal that I made tonight because it was delicious! I found a recipe for Minestrone soup, which I know there are lots, but this one looked even more delicious because there are so many things in it, including lots of fresh veggies! Here is the recipe:

Minestrone: (it makes A LOT!)















20 Servings Prep: 20 min. Cook: 1-1/2 hours
Ingredients
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups beef broth
2 cups chopped tomatoes or 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
2 teaspoons dried basil or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1-1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup cut fresh green beans
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked ditalini or 4 ounces spaghetti, broken into 3-inch pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a stockpot, saute the onions, celery and parsley in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir into soup along with the zucchini, beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables and pasta are tender. Top each serving with cheese. Yield: 20 servings (5 quarts).


Nutritional Analysis: 1 cup equals 209 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 538 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 14 g protein.


Then for dessert... My sister-in-law Katie bought us a Breakfast of the Month Club subscription and for March we got some yummy granola from Sweet Home Farms.












There was a recipe on the box for Dreamy Honey cookies, and they are dreamy! It was the perfect ending to a great dinner! If you have a chance to try this granola, it was seriously the best granola I have ever had!

My Little Lunch Date

I have a 3 day weekend this week, and wanted to do something fun with Liam since he has been so sad about us working all the time. We headed to Panera to grab some sandwiches, then headed over to Ford park to play and feed the ducks. Well, we never got to feed the ducks because Liam was having way too much fun on the playground, he didn't want to venture over the hill to where the ducks were. So, we just played at the playground. He had a blast. He loved the swing, and he really enjoyed playing with all the other kids that were there.

Life.

It has been a while since I have blogged about something other than a recipe, but life has just gotten a hold of us. Even though things haven't changed too much around here, we just never seem to have enough time to do much of anything. My classes are overwhelming me this quarter and I am just seeming to meet my deadlines each week, instead of getting things done early. I think I have hit my wall where I am just DONE with school. I have my degree, and I have been going to college for 10 years. The only reason I am still going right now is to defer my student loan, but I am just tired.

I'm sure my little Tasmanian devil doesn't help either since he never lets me get on the computer to do much of anything. Liam has been so active lately and getting into EVERYTHING. His vocabulary is increasing and he really is starting to make sense when he talks. His love for Deron is growing and Liam is no longer fighting with Deron as much as he used to. He is really growing into a precious little guy. His new thing is throwing a tantrum every night at bed time because he doesn't want to sleep in his crib, he wants to sleep with mommy in the big bed. So, we are wondering if converting his crib into a big boy bed would be the right step right now? On the other hand, now he can get into whatever he wants.

I am also nearing the end of my HRMTP training with Lowe's. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It could be a while before I am able to get a Human Resource Manager position and I don't even know what store I would be at. The future is looking exciting for us. The thing I struggle with is the unknown. I am the type of person that wants to know what's going on and always have a plan. I don't like to fly by the seat of my pants and hope for the best. All we can do it pray that God will give us the best for our family and if that means we have to change everything, than that is what we'll have to do. It's in His hands now, and we just have to follow him.