Good Thursday morning!
Blog Linkage - This isn't actually BLOG Linkage, but it is information on a very good four-week devotion for women.
Go to YouTube and type "Donna Gaines Choose Wisely Live Fully" in the Search Box.
There are four 25-minute devotions taught in conversation form by Donna and her daughter, Bethany. I learned something new from each one. They are all excellent, and I highly recommend you take a few minutes during the next four days to listen to each of them.
That is all!
My Favorite Things RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE - Many moons ago, Roxie was in first grade and her teacher that year was Mrs. Judy Kirk. A better first grade teacher for Roxie I could never have imagined.
Fast forward 18 years, and Mrs. Kirk is now retired from teaching, but working as an artist. I have seen several of her paintings over the years in different homes in my small town, and I love her work.
When Judith turned one, I took several pics at her first birthday party which was held on her actual birthday.
I sent one of the photos to Mrs. Kirk and asked her to paint a small portrait of the picture. The features I cared about the most were the hair, hair color and eye color...
And I told Mrs. Kirk just that.
Also, since Judith's first birthday outfit was a cute-as-could-be black onesie with lots of sparkles on it...
Topped off with a large hot pink bow...
I asked Mrs. Kirk if she would use my favorite color pallet of soft greens, blues, creams, browns, yellows, etc. for the backgrounds and the clothes.
As you can see, she delivered.
All three of these paintings came from pics I took on their first birthday (whether at the party or at their home if their party was scheduled on a different day), and I love these three paintings very, very much.
Judith, Eden and RT.
In seven months, I will be sending her yet another pic...
This time of Little ME.
She has already told me she can hardly wait...
And that goes double for Nana.
Joanna Gaines' Baked Chicken with Bacon Bottom and Wild Rice
This recipe came out of her first cookbook, and it was delicious. The full recipe also feeds ten, so it is a great meal for a group.
You will need the following:
Three 6.2-ounce boxes Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice Fast Cook Recipe
12 ounces thick-cut peppered bacon slices
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons salted butter
One 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1/4 cup chopped chives or parsley, for garnish
1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Lay the bacon slices side by side on the bottom of your baking dish so it is completely covered, using any leftover slices to line along the sides. Scatter the onion slices over the bottom layer of bacon. Cut 4 tablespoons of the butter into cubes, then distribute them evenly over the onion.
4. Stir together the cooked wild rice blend, soup, sour cream, broth and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon this mixture into the baking dish, spreading it evenly.
6. Nestle the chicken tenders into the surface of the rice layer; the fit will be tight side by side, and they should be lightly pressed in. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then use it to brush the tops of the chicken. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
7. Cover tightly with aluminum foil; bake (middle rack) for 55 minutes. At this point, the chicken will not be cooked through. Uncover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is done. (It will be pale, so check by inserting a knife into the center of a tender).
8. Scatter the chives or parsley on top just before serving.
Love this recipe!
RANDOMNESS #1 - Family Photos - While we were at the lake this past July, we asked Karen Waters of Waters Photography to come to Guntersville and take some family pics. She did this for us three years ago and Judith was the only Grand Tot visible to the naked eye. (RT was coming, but not for a little while longer.)
She did a great job, and I love the photos. I'll post some today and some on the next post, I think.
One of our family shots.
RT.
Judith.
Eden.
The Boys of Summer shot!
Like I mentioned before, I'll post a few more in the next few days.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Driveway Days - Below you will see some of the ways the Tots and I have spent Quarantine Days this Summer.
The person who holds the hose is all powerful.
RT's red, white and blue "summer" shoes he picked out at Target have been one of HIS favorite things since the 4th of July.
The legs on Eden are almost more than I can stand.
I love them so much.
The way Driveway Day works is pretty simple. If the kids are just coming over for an hour or more on any given day, I put out the tarp, the "big" pool and a couple of riding toys and/or chalkboard and huge box of chalk.
They go in and out of the basement and get other things they want to play with until the driveway is pretty full and it is time to call it a day.
However, if there is a family event happening, I have been known to send an adult kid or Mikie downstairs to set up a more organized Driveway Day.
The drawing will look something like this.
This allows me to stay indoors for a little longer getting ready for the gathering, and when it's time to go outside a couple of hours later, everything is ready to go.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - With the exception of the pools and box of chalk, ALL of the Driveway Toys were purchased at yard sales and a local online Marketplace...
And when they are outgrown, they will be sold in a yard sale or a local online Marketplace.
RANDOMNESS #3 - Quarantine and the Chick - Due to COVID-19, Roxie spent almost five months living at home.
That big chunk of time was not anything Mike and I would ever have imagined having with Roxie again.
Roxie is scheduled to graduate from Grad School next August, and has never really planned on moving back home unless something unforeseen happened.
We enjoyed this gift of extra time we were given to spend with her, and for us that is exactly what we called it...
A gift.
Were there times when she wanted to run from the house screaming and pulling her hair out because living with The Enchanting Belinda isn't always as much fun as you would think?
Why, yes.
Yes, there were.
Were there times Mike and I missed our Empty Nest?
Uh, yeah!
Would we have traded that five months for anything on this planet?
Nope.
And again I say, NOPE!
I hope you and yours have a fantastic upcoming weekend. I know this was a big week for schools to begin, and whether your kids are physically going to school, homeschooling or doing some kind of remote learning, I am continuing to pray things will one day soon get back to the "old" normal.
Take care.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
"Wiped some grease off my pizza today with a napkin, so don't be alarmed if you see me looking extra skinny tomorrow." veryjane
