monkey's thought for the day

i was born in the jungle then they took me to paper world. that's why i like paper so much. !!!

a week without big c is hard!!!! his being at the beach has made me the person monkey spends all his time with. he has talked my ears off. and it's only WEDNESDAY!!! i have been trying to keep him busy so he won't keep asking me when bubba is coming home.

the big slumber party was this weekend. deborah had tons of snacks so no problem there! and i decided to take a dip. it's sausage, cream cheese and a can of rotel tomatoes. yummmmmmmmmm. i finally crashed about 12:30, 1:00 because i had not slept well the night before. but the other girls stayed up until 5:30!!! i was really glad i didn't stay up that late. i wanted to get up and go to church. of course the kids were up at o'dark thirty and woke me. that's ok. i came home from church and took a 3 hour nap!

monday i worked and monkey played dress-up with a huge bag of clothes deborah gave him. thanks deb! tuesday we went to the library and then grandma came and got him for the afternoon. she took him to mcdonald's and then to the pool. thanks grandma! (i should have been working but i laid on the couch and read the 2nd Fablehaven book! it's better than the first one!) and today we are headed to monkey joe's for a day of jumping and playing. it's probably going to be packed because it's supposed to be 94 here today. then church tonight and tomorrow discovery place! any ideas what we can do on friday? maybe we will go see a movie.

slumber party!!

saturday night i've been invited to a mom's slumber party!! i'm so excited!! we are all supposed to bring a snack. immediately i thought of doritos and pepsi but that may be a little high-schoolish. any good ideas? oh and i do have the air mattress ready. i'm too old to sleep on the floor!!

WW

summer fun

since summer is just starting i hate to hear my kids say they are bored already! so yesterday i put them to work. we had some REALLY OLD bananas and i had them make banana bread. all i did was pull the stuff off of the shelves they couldn't reach and put the bread in the oven. they did the rest all by themselves.

then to be super ambitious i had them make their own butter!! we had some heavy cream left over from father's day dinner. use a glass jar with a tight lid. i like glass because they can see it turning into butter.
pour the cream but leave enough space so it can be shaken and have some room to move around. (if you want to you can add some salt. i didn't but have before)

then start shaking. they shook and shook and shook. big c said they tossed it to each other but i didn't see that. after a good 30 minutes it should start to come together. (it may take longer, depending on how hard they shake it)
drain off any liquid. we usually just keep it in the jar and scrape some of it out when we want some. it's not like regular butter where it spreads smoothly so be warned. but it tastes amazing!! and boy is it good on homemade banana bread!

before and after

before



and after......

























amazing huh? he decided he couldn't take the heat in all of that hair. personally i like it better short.

it's been so boring around here i couldn't even post about it. kids out of school. but it's been soooo hot and with gas sooo expensive we haven't been able to do anything. we did go to the mall last week just to get some exercise. monkey loved it but big c was bored. and i am working on my contract so they get to veg in front of the tv every afternoon. yuck!! i hate that! so i make them turn it off and play a game or do puzzles or something crafty. big c did start a blog! (thanks julie!) he is enjoying that. and yesterday was nice enough to go out for an hour without turning into burnt toast. we cleaned out our mud room in preparation for our HUGE 4th of July party. last year we had 80 people. please come if you are in the area! :)

today we are headed to see kung fu panda. i'm not thrilled but monkey is. i think big c would rather see the hulk but that's way too much for monkey. last night i rented the other boleyn girl. i read the book last year and loved it. her books are amazing. and since i am an english history nut it was even better. but the movie. i highly recommend it. i think it stuck to the true historical events very well. and it followed the book pretty well too. if you liked the book you will probably like the movie. so get it!

this weekend hubby is not working! woo-hoo!! can't believe it! so we are going to paint the picnic table and put flowers in my hanging baskets and do some painting to the carport. we have been hosting this 4th party for 7 years and every year we put off all the work until the weekend before. not this year. we are getting a head start!

and i am planning to lead a bible study in the fall. i have been in a bible study with the same women for 7 years. and this past study we did beth moore and i led it. it was amazing! and since i'm so comfortable with these women it was easy. but i have volunteered to lead one for mom's that i don't know. should be interesting!

i finally talked my husband into taking a vacation. because he is self-employed, if he doesn't work he doesn't get paid. and we live paycheck to paycheck believe me! but i convinced him that taking 2 days off of work is not going to ruin us. and the kids need to get away with him for a while too. so in july we are going to the biltmore house. i have lived in north carolina almost my whole life and have never been there. i'm excited!!!

big c is going to the beach with his friend caden in a week. i'm a little worried. i know they will look after him well but he is not the best swimmer in the world and that freaks me out some. since i won't be there to control the situation. but i have to let go sometime right? yikes!

Herb Roasted Chicken

man oh man you have got to try this!!!

6 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregano
1 (3-4lb) young chicken, rinsed, giblets and neck removed
2 Tbsp olive oil

1. In a pitcher stir 6 cups water, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and oregano. whisk to combine. set aside

2. place chicken in a large zip top back and add liquid mix. place bag in a large bowl and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.

3. coat cooker with cooking spray. remove chicken from bag and place in slow cooker, discarding liquid.

4. gently lift breast skin and rub with olive oil. place chicken in cooker breast-side down.

5. cover and cook on low for 6 hours. when done let sit in covered slow cooker for 10 minutes before serving. remove skin to serve.

this tastes like a rotisserie chicken without the crunchy skin. (which you don't need to eat anyway!) it's super, duper yummy and my kids gobbled it up. with the temps being so hot here, this is a great way to get a wonderful tasting chicken without having to heat up your house using your oven.

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