Cheesy Potato Soup and Broccoli-Cheese Muffins

So, what do you cook for dinner when it is 90+ degrees outside? Soup of course! I wanted something easy for dinner tonight and this is one of my favorite crock-pot soup recipes. I threw in the muffins to try with the boys...you know to add more cheese to our diet!

Cheesy Potato Soup
-1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes
-2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
-1 cup water
-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1 cup milk
-1 bag (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)

1.) In 3- to 4- quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, broth and water.
2.) Cover; cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours
3.) In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to high. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Broccoli-Cheese Muffins
-1 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
-1/2 cup milk
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 large egg
-1/2 cup steamed broccoli, drained and finely chopped
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1.) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2.) In large bowl, stir together Bisquick mix, milk, oil and egg. Stir in broccoli, cheese and onion powder just until combined. Spoon mixture onto greased cookie sheet (I used a small cookie scoop).
3.) Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pans. Serve warm.

What made these two recipes the best is that both boys ate dinner! This is a big accomplishment!

Mommy Monday!

We took the plunge this weekend and bought a minivan! Not too many people drive a minivan unless they have kids. After a trip to the beach in our Camry, we quickly decided we needed more room! Who knew 2 little boys took up so much room? Nothing screams "Mommy" louder than a minivan with 2 carseats in the back!

Women of the Bible

First of, a quick disclaimer, this is the first time I have even blogged about a Bible study of any kind and I am taking a step way out of my comfort zone. This past Wednesday I started a Bible study discussing the Women in the Lineage of Christ. The 5 women we will be studying about are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. This study will run from now until almost the end of July. I am really excited about the study and cannot wait to see what I discover on my own and learn from the other women in the group.

So far, I have done a little bit of studying about Tamar. Who would have known the Bible held some trash? If you are interested in reading her story, you can find it in Genesis 38: 1-30. So far I have only read her story and looked at the different people that are a part of her story. Let me just say though, times were TOUGH! It appears that if you were wicked in God's eyes, your were killed. Just imagine what it would be like if our daily lives ran like that of the Old Testament! I hope to be able to report more back about Tamar the more I study.

Mommy Monday!

Last Monday I had a class to go to so my Mom kept the boys for me. After picking them up, I ran to Taco Bell to quickly get a burrito. The following is Landon showing his true side:

Taco Bell Worker (TBW): Can I take your order?
Me: Yes, I would like a blah, blah burrito
Landon: I don't want anything Mommy!
TBW: Will that be all?
Me: Yes.
Landon (screaming from the backseat): I ate at my Grammy's house and I'm not hungry anymore!

PAUSE

TBW: (laughing at us)

Gotta love being a Mommy!

Happy 6 Year Anniversary!

Time sure does fly by! It is hard to believe that six years ago today I married my best friend! David and I have gone from a friendship formed in 10th grade accounting class to married with 2 boys! It is truly amazing what God has blessed us with. I sit here and think back over the years and wonder where the time went and how I got so lucky. We didn't start dating until 12th grade but during that time a lot changed. I went from not wanting a lot out of life to believing in God and myself. Before David I didn't have high expectations for my future but after meeting him, I decided to go to college and become something more. This coming September will make 11 years total that we have been together in some form and it is amazing the changes that have taken place! I just wanted to share some pictures from our special day. Sorry the quality is yucky, that's what you get for taking a picture of a picture though!

Our wedding program:

Me before the wedding:

David before the wedding:

Right after being announced as Mr. and Mrs. David Thackston:

Cutting the cake:

One of our many posed pictures:

On our way to spend a week with the mouse:

Time Out!

Even though I have been saying those words A LOT this past week, I won't be discussing discipline...I will be discussing an awesome new nail polish I bought! I was so happy to have a good excuse to go to Target today (had to buy a birthday present) and decided to splurge and get new nail polish. Now, I have a ton of polish already but a lot of it is old and funky and just doesn't have that new appeal. Following me?
Since my youngest decided to take an awesomely long nap, I decided to take a time out for myself and paint my toes! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new polish! I bough Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure polish and will definitely buy more! I bought the color wine not, but of course it looks nothing like the website shows. What I love about it is the brush. It's sort of flat which makes it oh so easy to put the polish on!
So, if you are looking for an awesome polish, I highly recommend this one!

(picture from the Sally Hansen website)

Mommy Monday!

I honestly think I have the best of both worlds, for majority of the year I work full time with students who have special needs. I love these children and the challenges they bring each and every day. Then for a small part of the year, I get to become a stay at home mom to the best little boys in the world! Well, that small part of the year began today! I attended a short training this morning and am now home with my boys! I figured to add some excitement to my Mondays, I would start a new post called "Mommy Monday." This will basically be where I can unload some things that have happened from the week before that remind me I am a Mommy!

1. Landon always asks what today is. He asks if it is school day or church day. He doesn't really call Saturday anything. Well, today I had a different answer! I told him it was Mommy Day! It will be an odd transition for him to not go to daycare everyday for a while, but I look forward to teaching him some things this summer.

2. It hit me Friday afternoon when I was grocery shopping that that was the last time for a while that I would be grocery shopping by myself for a while. I usually go on the way home Friday afternoon before picking the boys up from daycare. That won't be happening this Friday! It will be the 3 of us heading to the store, hopefully bright and early in the morning before the majority of all of the other shoppers!

3. There is nothing better than hearing a random "I love you Momma" from Landon. I prefer being called Mommy however!

That's all for this Monday. I am sure after my first full week home with the boys, I will have plenty more to share next week!

School's Out for Summer!

Wow this school year flew by! That could be because I had an awesome group of students this year. I was truly blessed with well-behaved students. I am almost afraid to find out what next year holds! I hope to do a lot of planning this summer though so I am ready for whatever next year happens to throw at me!

Our summer is going to be jammed packed with family celebrations, trips to the library, a week at the beach and I am sure some weekend fun. Then my summer will end with a bang with a trip to Haiti.

My goal is to try at least one new recipe a week and post about it in addition to cooking at home as much as possible. I hate looking at the budget and realizing how much money we could have saved had we eaten at home.

The one thing I am looking forward to the most about summer is spending time with these two guys: