Raising Hands

So, it's no surprise we eat a lot of chicken at our house. That doesn't mean I don't get stuck in the occasional chicken rut. I was completely lacking inspiration last night and nothing sounded good so I took to my Pinterest board (I mean, that's why I spend hours on Pinterest right?!) and found this recipe I pinned a while back. It boasted the best chicken in the world. We'll just see about that! The recipe is simple enough and cooks in a flash. Which was a good thing as we were having an impromptu family supper with the hubby's folks. I filleted the chicken breast to make sure they cooked in time and soaked up more flavor from the delicious sauce. I also doubled the measurements for the sauce as I started with twice as much chicken. Other than that I followed the recipe as written.  What you need: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts  1/2 cup Dijon mustard  1/4 maple syrup 1Tbl spoon red wine vinegar  Salt Pepper Fresh chopped Rosemary ...

I'm mobile at the moment. Can't decide where the Big Mac (see what I did there?) should live in the new house.  I've just had one of those rare moments as a parents when my incredibly high hopes and expectations for an event matches what actually takes place.  There's a local restaurant which is home to two antique train cars which have been restored and turned into dining rooms with five huge screens for movie viewing. At Christmas they run five showings a day of the Polar Express to sold out train cars. We didn't make it this year but we're already making plans after tonight.  Last weekend we learned that they have been having breakfast and dinner showings of Frozen complete with visits from the Anna and Elsa and this weekend were the final three days. I just had to take Bella. So we made a girls night out of it. It was magical. Bella acted out every line of dialogue and sang every song. She was mesmerized by her visit with Anna and Elsa (who could not have be...

When I was a kid everything about Christmas was beautiful and fun and exciting. Now that I'm older, and a Mom. Those things still hold true but in different ways. I certainly appreciate how hard my Mom worked to make every Christmas magical for us kids. What's struck me more and more is that this time of year can also be an emotional minefield. Once seemingly happy or tender memories become bittersweet. Some down right painful (I've written about it before ). For me, these memories usually have to do with my grandmother. She went home to her Heavenly Father eleven years ago today.  A Hymn in church, the cookies I bake from her recipe. The scent of the hand lotion I use everyday (the same she used) trigger a flood of tears. Suddenly she's everywhere and the dull ache of her absence is as raw and painful as it was a decade ago. This happened recently in a big way when I got so excited to watch one of my favorite old movies on TV. Meet Me in St. Louis. I wa...

If you follow my Instagram feed you know that last week the Hands were struck by plague. The good news is that we survived. The bad news is that Mama had a list as long as her arm of things she'd planned on getting ready in preparation for Christmas. Cleaning, baking, decorating, you know the drill. Instead, I called my Mom and cried like a five year old. I happen to have a five year old so that description is pretty accurate. The other big task that was not accomplished was a whole lot of sewing and crafting I had planned. Last year I loved making hand made Christmas gifts for all our family, teachers, and coaches. I had a similar plan in mind for this year but instead I'm adjusting my expectations and relying on Pinterest . Enter my last minute gift. 1. Go get a bottle of yummy smelling hand soap or sanitizer 2. Go here and print out these adorable gift tags. (They have tags that don't say teacher too.) 3. Grab some twine, a hole punch, and your preschooler, t...

Scientists at NASA have developed a gun for the purpose of launching dead chickens. It is used to shoot a dead chicken at the windshield of airline jet, military jet, or the space shuttle, at that vehicle's maximum traveling velocity. The idea being, that it would simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl, and therefore determine if the windshields are strong enough to endure high-speed bird strikes. British engineers, upon hearing of the gun, were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high-speed trains. However, upon firing the gun, the engineers watched in shock as the chicken shattered the windshield, smashed through the control console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two, and embedded itself into the back wall of the cabin. Horrified and puzzled, the engineers sent NASA the results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield, and asked the NASA scientists for any suggestions. The NASA scientists sent back a brief respons...

Now I know that got your attention! With Labor Day behind us the traditional grilling season is drawing to a close. Though, if you're like me? I am not afraid to shovel snow off my grill for a good January grilled steak! Summer is all about hot dogs and hamburgers but in the Fall my food becomes all about warmth and comfort. This Peach-Mustard BBQ brings both. Late Summer here on the eastern shore brings a bounty of peaches to our local farm stands and grocery stores. A jar of wonderful peach jam brings the sweet to this non traditional BBQ sauce. Rich, bold whole grain mustard delivers a bite and a good splash of bourbon delivers a swift kick in the pants. I love this sauce on pork. A beautiful pork tenderloin to be exact. It would also pair well with salmon or chicken too! I'd love to hear in the comments how you would use this BBQ? Peach-Mustard BBQ Sauce (from Food Network Kitchens) What you need: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons minced onio...

Last year at this time things looked very different around here . We made the bold decision to home school our oldest son through his Kindergarten year. The journey to that choice actually began nearly a year before that! Two years ago in January we began touring local schools both public and private. The first school we went to see was our local Catholic K-8, Most Blessed Sacrament. MBSCS has an impressive, new and modern facility. It was obvious just walking through the doors how much they cared for their students. We were impressed by their rigorous academic curriculum and emphasis on the education of the whole child. The integration of arts and sciences together and the amazing access to state of the art technology. Our tours through other schools were mediocre at best (and I'm being kind). MBSCS set the bar high and we were soon on our way through the admissions process. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Class sizes are kept very limited and the Kindergarten class was f...