Move over Martha

I think I have mentioned my fondness for cooking....as opposed to baking....there is a marked difference in the two activities. God did not see fit to bless me with baking skills....particularly those required for cake baking and decorating. My good friend Kellie...well she has the gift...she can make things that look like this.....in well, just under 2 hours.....FREEHAND....maybe just occasionally looking at a photo.

Oh I grieve a bit....I WISH I had it in me but it's just not my gift. And to prove my point, let me take you back a few years to Miss Lilly's 2nd birthday.

Lilly was obsessed with Dora the Explorer back then and as a result, we had a Dora-style afternoon fiesta for Lilly's birthday party. There was so much about that party that was FUN FUN FUN...planning the mexican style menu (Chicken Spinach Enchiladas if you must know and they were AWESOME) and making the party favors...even planning the activities for the party guests was great fun. But there was this one important detail....a cake....a Dora cake...and I was certain the nice folks at the Publix Bakery would be happy to oblige and I was prepared to dial the number. Until my dear friend Julia stepped in and said "Angie, we can SO make a Dora cake...my Mom made every one of my birthday cakes growing up and I have watched her enough...this will be (pun coming) a piece of cake. What can I say...I got caught up in the moment and agreed...yes, Julia - WE WILL MAKE THAT CAKE. WE CAN MAKE THAT CAKE.

So I went to AC Moore armed with a list...Dora cake pan, cake release spray, pastry bags, tips, icing tints, ingredients for buttercream frosting...you name it, if it was on the Wilton cake making aisle, it was in my cart. We were armed and ready for Dora. Oh....poor....poor Dora.

I made the cake early that day....let it cool properly and we commenced with our creation by mid afternoon...long story short....at 8pm, my kitchen looked like this......

And Dora, well let's just say she strongly resembled Dora from the "I was burned in a fire" episode...and people, it was NOT GOOD.

The miracle of the Dora cake story...once I got completely AWAY from the decorating corner of my kitchen and left Julia to her devices, she was able to skin graft the burn victim and well, by midnight, we had a Dora the Explorer that was fit for a party.

She still looked a SMIDGE like she might have forgotten to apply sun screen to her face (yes I was in charge of icing tinting so still....my fault!) but after many MANY long hours and a disaster zone of a kitchen, we had this to present to our birthday girl. And as stressful as the evening was, we laughed alot...and I do mean...ALOT.

So...after that experience, I have made it my mission to steer completely clear of pastry bags, decorator tips and such. But this....

this I could handle.....cake mix from a box, frosting in a tub, and Easter peeps....lots of peeps and jelly beans....and I would say, I might be a baker after all!!!

Happy Easter to our friends at preschool....Lilly is armed with your party cupcakes and Mommy still has her sanity (and kitchen) in tact!!!

More of the Same

So once again we waved goodbye to Joe and are anxiously awaiting his return in 6 days...and this should be THE END of the crazy travel schedule. Let's hope. We're managing just fine but we miss him and he misses us and our schedule is just not what we're used to. It hasn't been fun for Joe either...12 hour days...weekend work....but in this day of economic turmoil, we are not losing sight of the big picture...he has a job and we feel secure in that. Praise the Lord! Anyway, it was a really great 3 days being back together as a family.

Joe arrived home late Wednesday night to find a note on the door from Winston. It was so cute and sweet. He's enamored with writing notes to people. He hands me at least 2 each day with such messages like "Can I have candy? Check Yes or No". He's doing so great with his reading and writing...we are quite proud.

We spent lots of family time together and I even worked in a trip ALONE to A.C. Moore for some scrapbooking inspiration. I have a preference for speciality scrappin' stores but I will take what I can get here in the Lowcountry. I have heard there is a new specialty store in Summerville and will have to check that out soon. I love to scrapbook as a hobby but time is in short supply these days so my vast inventory of stickers, paper and cutting tools usually stays tucked away in the closet. I hope to have a work space upstairs one day where I can have it organized and easily accessible..but for now, I will just find pockets of time to unload it all on the kitchen table and do what I can, when I can. My motivation right now...I am dying to start on our Disney Trip scrapbook but I won't let myself until I am finished with Lilly's first few years!!

Joe and I went to dinner on Friday night to celebrate 13 years and 13 days of marriage!! He was out of town on our big day but it sure was worth the wait. It was nice to have an adult-only evening for a change. We went to The Oak Steakhouse in downtown Charleston and it was really great. Just having a few hours to talk and laugh together makes ALL the difference to our relationship...we wouldn't trade a single thing about our life but the day in, day out of raising small children can sometimes put some wear and tear on Mommy and Daddy!

We have lots going on this week...Easter Egg hunts, making Easter treats for our friends at school, and packing...lots of packing. We are heading to our Auntie and Unc Uncs on Friday for the weekend, we'll pick up Joe at the airport there late Friday and weather permitting, spend a fun day at Carowinds on Saturday. Then we have a whole week of no school....I can't wait to stop setting my alarm for 5:30!!

A Reason to Celebrate

I have to confess…the last 45 minutes have been frustrating for me. I have typed….deleted…typed and deleted some more. I have clearly overthought this little blog post.

I put a bit of pressure on myself to deliver a meaningful post for a special girl. Her name is Julie and she is celebrating her birthday today. I, too, though a bit farther away from her than I prefer, am celebrating her special day and all the special gifts she brings to my life.

She is thoughtful, giving, witty and so very funny. She loves Jesus, her family and her friends, cake …and venti skinny lattes from Starbucks. We were brought together by 2 blonde baby girls who love each other more than we can describe. Julie is the linchpin to a group of friends that she has named the “Bethanys”. Because of Julie, there are 5 other women who have found each other and nurtured a friendship that is covered with the fingerprints of God. We are all better people because of it…and we are experiencing what real friendships are supposed to be about…I can think of no better gift than that.

Julie and her Bethany's

So Julie, I wish I could deliver a post as special and meaningful as you are but you know….that was an unrealistic goal my friend….for no blog post could EVER come close to fully expressing what you mean to me and all of us back home in SC who love you so very much. I love you deeply and am so incredibly grateful for the gift that God gave me in you.

I hope your day is filled with happiness, sunshine, laughter and a venti skinny latte. Celebrate yourself today my friend…for I surely am.

I Love You Jules…Happy Happy Birthday!

A bit of Randomness

The most important news in our house.....DADDY IS HOME!! HOORAH!!! Only for 2 full days and then he's back to D.C. for another week but that's the end of the marathon travel we think! We have 2 very tired children today...Joe's flight was delayed and he finally got in around 8:30 last night. We had a family dinner and by the time it was light's out, the kids were well past their bedtime. It was worth it...tomorrow is a teacher work day for Winston so are going to SLEEP IN and then have some fun as a family of four. Tomorrow night Joe and I are have a much needed date...can't wait for that.

I am an American Idol fan...have been since the 2nd season. Very faithful I am. I usually pick some early favorites but people, this time, I have one favorite who has risen to the top of the heap FAST for me. I love some of the others but friends...this, to me, is THE NEXT American Idol....LOVE HIM.



He's edgy (and no I don't usually do edgy...a dork and proud of it) and his pipes are UNREAL. I have watched his performance from last night 5 times already (praise the Lord for DVR) and I just think it was a dandy. Loved his stripped down style...loved it. I was probably one of the few who actually enjoyed the goth version of "Ring of Fire" last week and I don't do goth...go figure. I predict he just might be the one...who really cares as long as he gets a record deal.

And last but not least, stay tuned for a special post tomorrow...for a special birthday girl. Hmmm...wonder who it is??

grant...out....

Oh Yes, It's Madness Alright

So if you really know the Grant Family, you know that we ooze an intense love for football....college, pro, high school.....it's doesn't matter...just as long as it's football. We certainly have our faves in this house but we're all happy (even Lilly is coming around) as long as some kind of football is on the TV. That dreaded VERY long dry spell.... it begins the 2nd weekend of February...no pigskin....we begin looking towards August for more. (And just in case you're keeping track...we have 19 weeks and 3 days until preseason begins.) And I would agree that to the non-football fan, we are quite obnoxious and a little over the top but it's SO FUN!

That boy of mine, Winston.... he's a football fan first and foremost, but really, he's just a fan of sports in general....and well, if you can't beat 'em....you might as well join 'em....so we are in the midst of some March Madness around here. Winston caught a glimpse of President Obama completing his brackets and as a result, it was the first thing on the agenda today after school. No witchcraft involved, no calls to bookies for the lines, no fan loyalty....just plain old intuition . Here he is thinking it all through




And with that, I give you Winston's brackets....




and Mommy's brackets. (And no, no big science behind my predictions either...just my best guesses, except my Mississippi State pick...that's for BooMama...a favorite blogger of mine -- GO DAWGS!)

We are seriously missing our Daddy around this house (Day 8 of what could be a 14 day business trip) so this ought to at least occupy our time. Currently I am getting a play by play update from Winston who is inches from the TV watching the Carolina game....poor Lilly, she's not come around to hoops yet....she's crying for some Pinky Dinky Doo!!

Let the squeaking of the "tennis shoes on the court" sounds begin!!

Basketball....NEVER a suitable substitution for football but we'll take what we can get around here.

An Anniversary SCORE!!

Even though Joe and I spent our wedding anniversary in separate towns for the first time in our married life, that sweet man scored some points for sure by sending me a gift in the mail. We typically don't buy big presents for each other; we usually choose to have a date night and perhaps spend our money on something fun for the house. Needless to say, I was so excited to open my amazon box to find a shiny new Timex heart rate monitor!!

And if you had asked me a year ago how I would feel about such a gift....I might would have wrinkled my brow with doubt...not now my friends!! I have been wanting one for several months but just never could bring myself to spend the money. What a great new toy for me!! I even opened the owner's manual, read it thoroughly and even set it up to track all sorts of stuff during my morning gym visits. It was quite fun this morning to monitor my heart rate and calories burned!! (I do have one question for Julie or Kathy - my monitor wearing gym friends...why must I wet the sensors before I put the sensor band on??)

Thank You to my sweet Joe!! I Love it....and I love you even more. Now I will know just how many extra calories I can splurge on when we have much needed date night. Can't wait until you come home!!

You're Still The One

13 years ago.......



And after all this time.....still......"I Do"
Happy Anniversary Daddy
I Love You

P.S. Wish you were here today...but here's our song....we can pretend.....

So Easy.....

Yes, I think a caveman really could do it...dinner that is.....if you have this soup.

Mexican Chicken Soup
2 cans Campbell's Chicken and Rice Soup
2 soup cans of water
2 cans Rotel Tomatoes
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (I rotisserie from Publix)

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat thoroughly. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

And dinner, my friends.....IS DONE!
A shout out to sister Kathy Brabham for sharing this one....it was a hit....Joe loved it too and if you know Joe, you will understand what a statement that is....especially since he's a FRESH food kind of guy. This was an enormous breakthrough....everything was pre-made and he still gave it 2 thumbs up!

Okay so...a few words about cooking....because it really is one of my most favorite things to do. I am not a "cook" by any stretch...but I can follow a recipe and normally I am not afraid to try something new and challenging in the kitchen. If folks would get married during the week, I think I would even love to cater events (not a Saturday work kind of gal)....I love everything about the cooking process (except for the clean up afterwards) and it makes me so happy to serve food to someone I love and know they have enjoyed it. I have a slight obsession with cookbooks and cooking magazines and love to find new fun recipes to try. I do check in on some foody blogs from time to time too and I might begin to include some of our recipes on this blog too.

So...there you have it....and in less than 15 minutes, you can have that soup too!!!
Bon Appetit!