Another zoo outing....

As a new stay at home mommy, having an entire Friday off to be at home together was amazing.  It was beautiful weather so we headed to the zoo with the kiddos.  Both of them had a great time and were so well behaved.

Soup Recipe

Alright I know this isn't a cooking blog or anything but I made an attempt at some chicken tortilla soup today and it turned out pretty well so I thought i'd snap a pic and share it with you.

Cooking for my husband and I is more of a trial and error process.  We rarely use real recipes but rather opt to look through a series of different takes on the same thing (through the help of google) and then pick and choose for what we have and like.  This is what I ended up with for my soup.  I don't have exact measurements so it's really more of an idea for you to follow along with...

3 boneless skinless chicken strips; season with desired amounts of paprika, chili powder, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder.  Add your favorite hot sauce on the top, cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 mins.

Coat 1 corn cob with salt and pepper and top with 1/2 tbsp of butter.  Wrap in tin foil and bake with chicken, switching to a high broil after the chicken is done for an additional 8 mins.

Cook 1 cup of rice as directed on rice of preference

In a pot saute 1/2 onion in olive oil until browned.  Add 1 qt. chicken broth with 1/2 qt water.  Add 1tsp each of cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Adjust to your preferences for spice/zest.  Cook on med/high for a low rolling boil.

In a seperate small bowl, mix about 1/4 cup hot water with 1 tbsp corn starch. and add to pot to thicken

Add 3/4 can of rotel (or the whole thing is you like lotsa maters!)

Once chicken is cooked, shred it up and add to pot. 

When corn is lightly browned cut the kernels off the cob and add to pot.  Add cooked rice to pot

Allow to cook on med for an additional 5-10 mins

I chose to brown up a tortilla with olive oil in a skillet and then slice it into strips but reserved it for a topping so it didn't get soggy in the leftovers.

Top with your choice of toppings, fresh tomato, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, or guac, and tortilla strips!  It has a lot of steps but everything is pretty easy to do.  You can choose to add beans with/instead of the corn if you'd like as well.  This would be a lot easier if you used canned veggies and canned chicken, but i like things fresh so i go the hard way!

Ok so that's my gourmet side....aaaaaaand done.

this post brought to you by...

Today's post has been brought to you by the letter "S." First...because I am Sore all over after hauling buckets of water out of my front yard to evade the flood.  It's also for Spiders....because I found THIS monstrosity in my house today...

That is a 'helicopter' leaf beside him for some perspective.  I intend to leave him in the tupperware until my husband comes home lest he not believe me.

And lastly....becasuse I was super mom and saved the household from the attack of the 8ft spider...I purchased these....SHOES

Because every mommy needs a pair of shoes that makes her feel beautiful.  Even if I am wearing them around the house with sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Happy Easter!

We had a fantastic Easter day...besides Kenzie's absolute and complete meltdown inside of Walmart.  I became 'that parent' for 15 minutes as Kenzie screamed bloody murder until i could grab what i needed and vacate.  But anyways....Easter itself was great.  We went to church in the morning and then gathered at the family house for Easter and hung out with everyone for lunch and an Easter egg hunt.

This one is so somber but she rarely looks at me and smiles...but i have to say that i LOVE her eyes here....

 Egg Hunt....

Oh 'dere she is!  HAHA! 

I can't 'each it!!

raindrops...

life's hardest question....candy or money?

random pics...

here's a few random pics of the kiddos since it's been a day or two since i've done any of them, LOL.

THUNDER!...but not so much

We went to Thunder Over Louisville this weekend with Kenz and had a great time with friends, even though it was freezing cold and overcast outside.  I didn't get many pics of the event because the planes were too fast, and we were too far away and it was too dark...LOL but I got some other stuff!  Kenzie took a bath in our friends GIANT tub, and i found some pretty flowers!

Weeds!

Most people hate these things.  I on the other hand, welcome them as a great tool of photography!

Mr. R, Ms. V, and Ms. A....

I was honored to have the chance to take some photos of our pastor's children today.  When Joel and I started to going to our church 3 years ago we knew after the first day that we were in a great place and wanted to make it our new church family.  Mr. and Mrs. V opened up their home to us and welcomed us into their family with open arms and we are so glad that they did.  Your children are such a joy to be around and I never tire of hearing Ms. V ramble on and on with her stories.  Even though little Ms. A wasn't too happy about today's activities, I hope you enjoy what we were able to capture!  Thanks again for inviting me to do this for you!

Proof of Ms. A's unhappiness....

But I still captured a happy moment here or there...

Lovin the crazy tongue action...



The bubbles were a great move on the kids' behalf!

In every shot Mr. R would blow with his sister while she was making bubbles :)

 

The last shots of the day were an odd request lol....feet!!!!

I love the 'LOVE' in this shot...

And finally....