Some New Year's Recipes and Memories

Well, Asher finally slept! No nap yesterday, but I noticed he was chewing on his zipper of his hoodie all afternoon. It dawned on me that maybe he was teething. Quick check of the molars confirmed my suspicion. Tough boy wasn't acting like he was in pain, but man, one Tylenol last night did the trick.

So today is the last day of 2009! In celebration I thought I'd share some recipes and memories.

*Baked Brie with Blueberry-Ginger Topping* (from Southern Living)

If you need an appetizer tonight, this is simple and absolutely delicious. I've made this quite a bit in 2009 and it is always a hit. Make the topping this afternoon and chill it until you're ready to serve.

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 5 min., Chill: 1 hr., Bake: 10 min.

Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings

• 1 cup blueberries (I use frozen right now, because it's winter)
  
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) Brie round
• Assorted crackers

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook 1 minute. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Cover and chill blueberry mixture at least 1 hour.

Place Brie round on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is soft. Transfer to a serving plate, and top evenly with chilled blueberry topping. Serve with crackers.

*Black-Eyed Pea Stew* (from Cooking Light)

This is a great New Year's Day recipe that is yummy and warm. Serve with hot sauce and cornbread.

8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 8 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 (10-ounce) bag prewashed mustard greens

Sort and wash peas; set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add sausage; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Stir in broth; bring to a simmer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in peas, salt, peppers, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until peas begin to soften. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken.

Stir in vinegar, tomatoes, and mustard greens; simmer 10 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.

Now a quick recap of highlights of 2009:

January- started training for a 5K

February-Asher potty trained

March- Big month for us. Asher turned two and we canceled his party because it snowed. I loved playing in the snow with him. That month I also ran my 5k and got a dog.

April- Had a pretty memorable date with Rosie. We went to dinner and when we walked out of the restaurant there was a tornado and hail. The power went off all over the city. She was a miserable mess, and I was pretty scared. We got home safely and found out the next day our roof was damaged.

May- Took a weekend trip to Chattanooga with my hubby. It's always a nice reminder that I love being with him.

June- Had a great trip to the lake with the Adams. Rode a jet ski for the first time.

July-planned the best birthday party ever for Rachel. Watched my little girl turn nine. Shed a few tears.

August-Sent Rosie off to school. Shed a few tears.

September- Watched as my backyard filled with water. Watched as the city filled with water. Watched as the county filled with water. The flood of 09 will not soon be forgotten.

October- Got settled in a homeschool group for the first time. Really enjoyed the ladies!

November- Went to Star Wars in Concert for my hubby's birthday. Enjoyed a "heavy on the Chevy" sibling night. Saw my favorite Aunt Tracie and Uncle Alan for the first time in years. Read the best book, Too Small to Ignore.

December- Spent time with my brother. Got Asher a skateboard for Christmas. Watched Rachel make an ornament out of a juice-box. Watched Rosie awe the crowd with her singing debut. Watched my girls get baptized. Walked in my first parade.

Looking back it was a wonderful year. I mean seriously, the weather is the main thing I can complain about! I pray that you had a good year, and if it was a tough one I pray 2010 will bring you great joy and blessings! Happy New Year!

Toddler Mayhem

I have very little to complain about. My life has been one blessing after another these past few months. But a couple nights of interrupted sleep, well that changes everything.

Asher is the boss of the house. He is the pack leader. He calls the shots. He can be beautiful and sweet and snuggly all while creating pure chaos. I seriously need to tighten the reins.

But how? Nothing is getting to this guy these days. His new thing is sleeping in our bed. I am NOT a co-sleeper. More power to you mommies out there who do this, but I cannot sleep with a kid kicking me and taking my covers. But Asher has decided the only place he wants to be in the middle of the night is my bed. And he takes my covers. Arghhh. We have constantly got up and put him back in his bed, but as soon as sleep has taken over again he is back. Over and over this cycle happens every night. And I have tried all of my discipline tricks. Nothings working on that kid.

Last night was even worse, because not only was he constantly coming in my room, he was also gabbing on and on. "Mom, I want cereal. Mom, can I watch a movie. Mom, can we go park?" ARGHHH!

So I was all prepared to put the kid down around 10 am for a nap, when he decided to put every toy in a huge mound in his room. I wish I had taken a picture, because words can't describe. Let's just say he couldn't physically get over it, and that boy can climb.

So after an hour of telling him to clean up I went in and packed up everything that was on the floor. Everything.

I fed him an early lunch and put him down. And guess what? He's still not sleeping. And since he no longer has toys or stuffed animals to play with he is singing and playing drums on his wall and creatively arranging his blanket like a tent. And every few minutes he comes out to tell me something. And I carry him right back to his room and try again. I mean how long is a healthy amount of time for a child not to sleep? We're going on a couple days here, folks!

Fun times with two-year old, eh?

Guess What?

I'm back!!

If you missed my blog at all, be sure to thank my amazing father-in-law for bringing my dead computer back to life. It crashed the week of Thanksgiving. It's all fixed up now!

I'll be blogging more soon, but I just wanted to quickly drop in and say, "Hello, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"