New Recipe - Week 2: Crockpot Cowboy Stew

My friend Jamie (Annie's mom from David's China group) and I frequently share meal and recipe ideas with each other. The other night, she mentioned Crockpot Cowboy Stew, found on the blog A Year of Slow Cooking. I checked out the recipe and it looked like it might be a winner with my family, so I gave it a try Tuesday night.

The stew was very quick and easy to prepare - just some browning ground beef and a lot of opening cans (and we desperately need a new can opener!). The recipe is 100% Aldi-friendly. I did end up substituting a can of regular baked beans for the ranch-style beans, as Jamie had said she'd looked everywhere and had never seen them. I don't think it affected the stew at all. The Rotel gave it just a little kick - we skipped the jalapenos!

This dish got two big and three small thumbs up. I was correct in predicting that Rachel wouldn't like it as she does not care for tomatoes. But she was a good sport, ate a small helping, and looked forward to the chicken pot pie I had scheduled for the next night!

David, Age 3

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... pale sunrise, streak-y clouds, bitter cold.

I am thinking... I'm not quite ready to jump into another busy week - I enjoyed our quiet weekend.

I am thankful for... Al being home this past week to help me out while I recover from a crazy laundry-related back injury.

I am wearing... coffee cup print flannel pajama pants, black long-sleeve tee shirt, grey fleece cardigan, LL Bean ragg wool socks (belonged to my Dad), LL Bean Wicked Good clog slippers - the height of Mommy Morning Fashion!

I am going... to stop "going" so much and stay home more!

I am creating... a stack of new knitted dishcloths for me (I always end up gifting the ones I make).

I am currently reading... Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne.

I am hoping... that the children continue to stay healthy in the midst of all the germs that surround them.

I am hearing... my girls slowly, quietly getting ready for school.

In the kitchen... searching cookbooks and websites for new recipes to try for the family.

Around the house... Christmas nearly all put away, just lots of bins for Al to drag to the basement for me.

One of my favorite things... the quiet, late-night sewing I did last night while watching a favorite movie, "Field of Dreams".

A few plans for the rest of the week... Rachel's spelling bee on Thursday, a date night with Hannah on Friday, general cleaning and organizing around the house.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

(Found on my old memory stick as I was setting up my new computer. Taken Fall 2004, just before traveling to adopt Abbie. Hannah is 5, Rachel is 2.)

New Recipe - Week 1: Playgroup Granola Bars

Like many busy moms, I don't make New Year's resolutions. Instead, I try to set attainable goals. One of the top goals on my list is to come up with some new recipes for my family. I think that, with a little planning, one new recipe a week should be manageable.

Note: In addition to revealing how many "thumbs up" a recipe gets, I will also let my thrifty, Aldi-shopping friends know if it is an "Aldi-friendly recipe" - that is, can all ingredients be purchased from Aldi's regular stock. For those of you who are not familiar with Aldi, it is a chain of small, discount grocery stores. Basic foods and staples at really great, low prices. In my effort to simplify life, I try to do all my weekly shopping at this one store, with maybe a once-a-month trip to either Woodman's or Jewel for more unique ingredients.

So here's our first new recipe of the year...

I found the link for this recipe for Playgroup Granola Bars on the Simplicity Parenting blog (more on them in the future). I like baking treats for the kids, and this one sounded healthy and tasty - a winning combo! When I mentioned to the girls I would be making them and that they contained raisins, I heard a lot of groaning. Not everyone likes raisins baked into their food, myself included. I decided that, instead of scrapping the whole idea, I'd just substitute mini chocolate chips for the raisins. Maybe not quite as healthy, but still better than the bars in a box. They were a hit!

This recipe received two big and four little thumbs up - a sweep! This was not an Aldi-friendly recipe because of the mini chocolate chips and the wheat germ, but those are things I can easily keep on hand. They were fairly quick and easy to make and well worth the effort!

And We're Back!

Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, my laptop was doing scary things, threatening to die on me at any moment, and the kids' computer was crazy slow, so blogging had to, once again, take a back seat. I now have a lovely, powerful desktop and am ready to roll again! I have hundreds of photos to download from my camera and lots of stories to tell of the last couple of months, so this may take a while! Here's hoping the entertainment value will make the long wait worth it!

Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
- George Eliot

The days are flying by, Shi Shi is growing and changing daily, and there are just so many little "Shi Shi-isms" I don't want to forget...

• He's learning some of his letters: A, O, P, T, Y, and of course, D, "for Daaaaaaave!"


• He's such a compassionate little soul. If he sees someone is hurt or upset, he goes to them, gently touches their back or arm and says, "K? K?" (As in, "Are you OK?")


• Even though he can say her name properly now, he still calls Hannah "Nani".


• After seven months, he will finally sit and let me read a book with him. Up until now, he just couldn't sit still for more than a couple of seconds to focus on a book. We are now looking at board books together before bed. After each one, he holds up his little index finger and says, "One more!" - about a dozen times! And he brings me books and pleads with me, "Reeeeeeead!" like Rachel used to do when she was his age.


• Speaking of pleading, he has mastered, "Pleeeeeease, Mommy!" when he really, really wants something. Soooooo hard to resist...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

Hosted by Soulemama.

One Year Ago Today...

...I read our adoption agency's e-letter to families waiting to adopt from China. The letter mentioned that they had little boys on their waiting children list. I made my first inquiry on that day. Just five months later, our Shi Shi became a member of our crazy, wonderful family.

I re-read those early emails this morning. David bounced over and gave me a big hug and kiss while I was reading. I think he was wondering why I was crying. Sometimes I look at him and I still can't believe how it all fell together so perfectly.

Coincidentally, our agency's e-letter this month shares a link to their Waiting Child program. David's picture is shown along with that information.

It's amazing what miracles can happen in a year!

Doesn't Every Little One Paint With Apples in the Fall?