Keeping in Teutsch: May 2011

Last week we took a little vacation to Degray Lake, which is about 45 minutes south of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Back in January/February when we were talking about what we wanted to do for vacation, I gave Matt and Juliette the choice between San Antonio, TX, and the beach. They chose the beach. However, after I started pricing things and looking at my vacation time (as well as the climbing cost of gas!), I decided we needed to stick to somewhere not too far away and somewhere less "commercial," which would eliminate the temptation to go shopping and spend more money then we should, which seems to happen every vacation! Plus, I thought we needed to keep it simple, so that's how we ended up at Degray Lake State Park Resort. (Yes, it's called a "resort," because it has a lodge, restaurant, swimming, spa, and more.)

Last year, when I planned our Houston vacation (and because I am a planner), I wore out Matt and Juliette with all the things I shoved into each day. This time, we went with no game plan. We knew we would go swimming and horseback riding and that Matt might play a round of golf, but I made no day-to-day plans and it really worked out nicely that way. I've got to say, though, this was one of the more "active" vacations I've been on probably ever. I think it took me two days after we returned from vacation just to get my energy back!

We left Lafayette after Juliette's dance class last Tuesday night and drove to my parents' house in Minden, so we wouldn't have to drive so far on Wednesday. After lunch on Wednesday, we drove up to Degray Lake and immediately Juliette wanted to go swimming. So, we went swimming, ate dinner at the lodge, and took a little post-dinner "hike" on the trail by the lodge at dusk, where we debated whether bears were present in the woods and what to do if we encountered one. I said, "Play dead." Matt said, "Run." Juliette said, "Let's go back to the room!" The answer is:

Thankfully, we didn't have to test our theories! I did see a snake fall from a tree about 10 feet away and then Matt screamed like a girl (just kidding--he didn't scream, he squealed!) when he almost stepped on a frog. (He hates frogs.) Degray Lake had received a record amount of rain in April, so the lake was higher than normal and half of the trail was flooded, so we had to turn around and come back out. Juliette was glad and I kinda was too. Being out there at dusk by ourselves was getting a little creepy!

Juliette at dinner at the lodge the first night. Notice the lake through the windows behind her! (All pictures can be clicked on to make them larger for better viewing.)

The only halfway decent picture I could get Matt and Juliette to take on the trail.

Thursday morning the temperature was in the low to mid-70s, so we decided to put off taking Juliette to the lake's beach area until the next day and instead decided that Juliette and I would accompany Matt while he played golf. First we made a trip up the road to the Wal-mart in Arkadelphia for some golf stuff Matt needed and then we ate at a little Mexican restaurant for lunch. The weather was gorgeous for being outside and Juliette did great being out there over 3 hours. Most of the time she sat on my lap and helped steer the golf cart, and at every hole she ran up to it to take the flag out and hold it for Matt to putt the ball in. In kindness to Matt, I will not divulge his golf score, though. (It was 116.) After being on the golf course all afternoon, we went back to the lodge, where Matt and Juliette took another swim and I surfed the Internet from the IPad. We then went to dinner at The Fish Net restaurant, because you can't go to the lake and not eat fried catfish! It just wouldn't be right!

Matt's drivers for the day!

Juliette also pulled some caddy duties, and then somewhere on the back 9, she decided to ride the flag like a horse.

Above: The view of the pool from our room.
Below: Juliette "practicing" swimming to Matt. (Although, she had floaties on, so I guess the practice isn't that helpful in learning how to really swim.)

Juliette's fish dinner.

After dinner Thursday night, we drove down to the beach area and were disappointed to see that it was completely flooded and there was no "beach" to be seen. However, on the way onto the "island" that makes up the park there, we saw two deer on the side of the road and a skunk, as well as two foxes.

See the fox's eyes? We thought it was pretty cool to see all this wildlife in just a matter of minutes. Of course, we live in the city, so I'm sure you country folks just think we are crazy for making over these sightings like this!

Friday morning we decided to rent bikes and bike around the island. Juliette barely fit on the back of this bike (in fact, she was a few pounds over the limit), but we made it work. We ended up biking about 3-4 miles in the hour we had the bikes, which isn't really that far until you think about all the hills we had to go up and the 40 lb. plus kid on the back of my bike!

Here's a picture of Juliette at the playground by the beach area where we stopped for her to play (and for us to catch our breath)!

That afternoon we went to the marina and rented a pedal boat. Matt and Juliette complained the whole time because they wanted to rent a real boat with a motor (that "goes fast," Juliette said). Our one hour rental ended up being closer to a 40-minute rental, as I eventually gave up on it being fun, especially after Juliette asked "Can I take a nap?" We didn't get pictures of this riveting time since I was afraid to bring the camera onto the little pedal boat.

That night, after eating dinner at the lodge restaurant again, we went on a sunset cruise. This helped pacify Juliette's "need for speed."

This is a view of the lodge from the lake.

After the sunset cruise, we came back to the room, changed into jeans and tennis shoes/sneakers/whatever you call them and went on an Owl Prowl, which turned out to be kinda cool. It was 9 o'clock at night, we all took a trail into the woods with flashlights and after walking a little ways in, everyone turned off their flashlights and the leader played the sound of an owl. If there were any owls out there, they would reply back, and sure enough, there were two out there that night that started screeching/wooting back and forth. One of them even flew past the leader and the people that were behind her got to see it. (It was a Screech Owl...only about a pound and 6 inches tall. Unfortunately, we didn't see it fly by.) Juliette did a really good job of leading us with the flashlight we borrowed and being quiet out there while we were listening for the owls. (And not being scared of the dark woods.) One couple had brought their toddler with them (they had some older children as well) and every time we turned off all our flashlights and it was pitch dark, he would say, "Mommy, Daddy, Night Night?" It was pretty funny/cute.

Because of the camera flash, it doesn't look like it was dark on the trail, but trust me, it was really dark out there!

Because we chose to vacation before Memorial Day, everything really didn't get kicked off for the summer until that weekend, so we had to wait until Saturday morning to ride horses.

As you can see, Juliette rode double with me. On the trail ride, we ran across quite a few deer and they didn't pay us any attention at all. Our trail guide said that deer aren't threatened by horses and although, he's not sure, he thinks that maybe they don't recognize that humans are on their backs. I'm sure if one of us would have gotten off the horse and walked towards them, they would have taken off, but it was really cool to see them sitting among the trees just hanging out. You never get to see that with deer! I couldn't get a good picture of the group of the deer sitting, but I did get this picture and I wasn't zoomed in at all. This was exactly how close I was to it...and he just stood there as we rode by and didn't run off!

After riding horses, we stopped for lunch in Arkadelphia and then drove back to my parents house where I preceded to plant myself in their recliner and only get up when absolutely necessary. (I finished one book and read another one.) We were going to come back home on Sunday afternoon, but I was still tired, so we just stayed over until Monday and got up early and drove back then. Overall, I think it was a great "nature" vacation and we all enjoyed it. If you are looking to take a lake vacation or even a weekend trip, I highly suggest Degray Lake and all the activities on the "island." The sunset cruise and owl prowl were just two of MANY activities they had going on all day long, but since we left on Saturday morning, we didn't get to partake in more than that. And the things we rented (like the bikes and the pedal boat) were super cheap. If you want to check out the place, click here.

We'll be heading to New Orleans at the end of June for a mini-vacation, although it's really a mini-vacation for Matt and Juliette while I work a trade show. I'm positive that trip will be a much more "commercial" one!

Check back Friday for my final favorite recipes post. The theme this time is appetizers!

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It's time to link-up again to Kelly's Korner Blog's Show Us Your Life. This week is about dessert recipes. It was REALLY hard to choose just a handful to post!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CREAM CHEESE DIP

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator before serving with graham cracker sticks. (This can also be formed into the shape of a ball and rolled in miniature chocolate chips.)

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 stick butter
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
yellow cake mix

Mix cake mix and bake according to directions on box. When cake is done, poke holes all in the top of it. Mix sugar, milk, and butter in sauce pan until bubbly. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until mixed and pour over cake.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR DESSERT
(This recipe came from my former boss's wife.)

Graham Crackers
Lg. box of French vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 container Cool Whip
1 container Milk Chocolate cake icing

Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with graham crackers. Mix together dry pudding mix with milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour half of the mixture on top of the graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers and the rest of the pudding mixture. Add a final layer of graham crackers on top. Melt icing in the microwave (in container) for 30 seconds. Pour on top of the graham crackers. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving so chocolate can set and graham crackers can soften.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE
(This is my Mom's recipe and is a MUST at all family gatherings.)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips
9-in. pie crust (unbaked)

In mixing bowl, cream butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir. Add sugar and flour and stir again. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into pie crust. Bake for 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.

TIGER BITES
(This recipe came from Juliette's dance studio's cookbook. My mom made these at Christmas and they were great!)

12 double graham crackers
6 squares white almond bark
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 squares chocolate almond bark
1 square white almond bark

Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM. Lay graham crackers into pan top side down to fit. Melt 6 squares of white Almond Bark with the peanut butter in the microwave until smooth, about 1-2 minutes, 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Pour over crackers and spread evenly. Melt 2 squares of chocolate Almond Bark, about 30 seconds in the microwave and drizzle over crackers. Melt 1 square of white Almond Bark and drizzle over crackers. Use a toothpick to swirl chocolate and white drizzles into a marble-like pattern. Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer or until firm. Break into irregular pieces. Best if stored in refrigerator. Great presentation for parties.

STRAWBERRY JELLO CAKE
(I know I just posted this recipe about a month ago, but I thought I'd add it here instead of making you click over to the original post.)

1 box of strawberry cake mix
1 box of strawberry Jello
1 cup of hot water
1 container of Cool Whip
Fresh strawberries

Mix cake mix according to directions on box and bake. Immediately after removing from oven, poke holes all over it. Mix dry Jello mix with water and pour all over the top of cake. Allow cake to cool completely. Once cool, ice with Cool Whip and garnish with fresh strawberries. Refrigerate immediately and serve cold.

ENJOY!!

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Since the link-up at Kelly's Korner Blog is only for main dishes, desserts (this Friday), and appetizers (next Friday), I thought I'd share my favorite side dishes today.

HASHBROWN CASSEROLE

Frozen hashbrown patties
16 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package shredded cheese

Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish and cover bottom with hashbrown patties. In large bowl, combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and shredded cheese. Pour over hashbrowns. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. (This is Matt's favorite thing for me to make!)

POTATO CASSEROLE
(Same premise as the one above, just a little different, still great! This recipe came from my former boss's wife.)

1 (32 oz.) package frozen hash brown potatoes (I prefer the cubed ones)
1 pint sour cream
1 cup grated Velvetta cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (any kind will do)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I use frozen)
2 can cream of cream soup
1 stick of margarine
potato chips

Melt butter in microwave with frozen onions. Mix in large mixing bowl with all the ingredients except the potato chips. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Add crushed potato chips and return to oven for 5 more minutes.

HOMINY CASSEROLE

2 cans yellow hominy
2 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. jar Cheez Whiz
1 can corn chips

Melt cheese. Add soup. Stir in hominy and top with crushed corn chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

LAYERED SUMMER SALAD
(I omit the mushroom and onions and basil and it's still good! This recipe is from KraftFoods.com.)

4 cups torn spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small red onion, sliced, separated into rings
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen green peas, thawed, drained (I just use canned)
1/2 cup real mayonnaise (do NOT substitute Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Layer spinach, 1 cup of the cheese, the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and peas in 3-qt. serving bowl. Mix mayo, sour cream, and basil. Spread over salad, completely covering top of salad. Cover. Refrigerate at least 5 hours. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the bacon just before serving.

SWISS VEGETABLE MEDLEY
(I've never made this, but this is my mom's recipe and I like it! Think I need to add it to the dinner menu soon!)

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower combination, thawed and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 can French's fried onion

Combine vegetables, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, pepper, and 1/2 fried onions. Pour into casserole dish. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more.

ONION ROASTED POTATOES

Baking potatoes
1 package onion soup mix
Vegetable/canola oil or olive oil

Cut potatoes into cubes. Put in foil-lined, greased (trust me on this!) cake pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix over potatoes. Drizzle oil over potatoes. (Just enough to dissolve seasoning and coat potatoes.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).

Now I'm hungry! I'm totally a side-dish kind of gal (I could practically be a vegetarian), which is why I rarely fix these dishes when it is just Matt, Juliette and me eating, as I will eat WAY more than I should. Typically, we stick to canned veggies and beans and these type of dishes are "treats" every once in a while and, of course, some of them are staples at family gatherings and holidays.) If you have any great side dishes, feel free to share them in the comments section! Enjoy, and make sure you check back on Friday for my favorite dessert recipes!

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UPDATE (10/7/14): I now sell these applique name seersucker backpacks (along with lots of other cute stuff) at www.haydenandjules.com.

One of the professors in Matt's department had a baby and so Matt asked me if I would do a backpack and some other things for the baby shower that they had today. I always love making baby gifts since I never got to make a lot of these things for Juliette. (I didn't start sewing and monogramming until after Juliette turned a year old.) Sometimes I don't have as much time as I'd like to make baby gifts, but I had plenty of time yesterday and was able to have fun doing it. The last few times I've given the seersucker backpack with the applique name on it as a gift, I have filled it with other stuff...some monogrammed stuff and some essential stuff from the store and given it unwrapped. This time, though, I wanted to do something a little differently, so I got a clear basket bag and some colored shredded paper and did it up like this:

I thought it turned out pretty cute and Matt even told me it was "adorable!"

Here are the pictures and details about the individual things:

The seersucker backpack with applique name. This has become a staple in my baby gift giving and I REALLY love putting these together. The backpack is from the company Mint. As far as I know, it's the only company that makes seersucker backpacks like these. (They don't sell directly to customers, so you'll have to use the "search for a store" feature on their site to see what stores carry them in your area.) The fabric is from my stash. The ribbons are from my stash as well as from the Target Dollar Section.

Appliqued burpcloths. The guitar applique came from Planet Applique and the circle applique with the initial came from Lynnie Pinnie.

Circo brand hooded towel from Target with applique initial made using fabric from my stash, super strength Heat 'n Bond and a 0.3 length zigzag stitch on the sewing machine. (This was a real pain and next time I will just stick to monogramming, but I was running low on stabilizer and didn't have enough to do everything I wanted to, so I had to resort to using my zigzag stitch.)

Circo brand shirt from Target. Fabric from stash. Click here for tie template. I used the same method as I did on the hooded towel to stitch this one as well.

In the middle of all the gift making, I decided to create a card using a stash of thick cardstock-like paper I had on hand. I've been spending probably too much time on Pinterest and have seen a lot of cute fabric and paper pendant banners being used as decorations, so I thought I'd make a little banner and sew it onto this little cut out card.

Here's the card laid out flat. I did the banner on the front and back.

So, that was how I spent my Saturday night! Exciting, huh? I had fun being crafty and hope the new parents like the gifts as well as I liked making them!

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Today I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner Blog's "Show Us Your Life" series. Today's topic is Main Dish Recipes. I'm fairly certain that the recipes I'm about to share are probably in most people's dinner rotations in the South, but I decided to go ahead and share them in case someone out there hasn't heard or tried one of these. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of any of them and after typing these up, it's apparent that we eat a lot of chicken dishes in my house! If you don't have a blog and have a recipe that you think we'd like, I'd love for you to share it in the comments! I'm ALWAYS looking for and trying new recipes! A few of my favorite places to look for recipes are: Tasty Kitchen, Our Best Bites, Skinny Taste (Weight Watchers recipes), Picky Palate, and Southern Plate. If you have any recipe sites you love, please share those as well!

KING RANCH CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
2 cups grated cheese
8 corn tortillas
1 cup chicken broth

Boil chicken. Shred. Mix soups and Rotel. Tear tortillas into small pieces. In a casserole dish, layer tortillas, chicken soup mixture, and then shredded cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

CREAMY BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

8 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices of Swiss cheese
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
1 cup Stove Top stuffing mix

Lay chicken breasts in bottom of casserole dish. Put cheese on top. Combine soup and water and spoon over top of cheese (may not need all of it...I usually do a thinner layer and don't use it all). Sprinkle dry stuffing mix (with its seasoning) on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

CHICKEN CRESCENTS

1 large can of diced chicken (or 2 to 3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded)
Shredded cheese
1 can crescent rolls (8 count)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth

Lay crescent rolls out flat and roll 1/8 of chicken and some shredded cheese up into each one. Put 1 tablespoon grated cheese on top of chicken. Place 8 rolled crescents in casserole dish. Mix soup and water or broth together. Pour around rolls; do not pour on top!! Bake at 350-400 degrees until rolls are brown.

CHICKEN ON THE RITZ

3-4 chicken breasts
Ritz crackers
butter, melted
Shredded cheese
16 oz. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup

Crush Ritz crackers into a little melted butter and press into bottom of casserole dish. (You want just enough butter to be able to make the crumbs stick together.) Boil chicken. Shred and lay over crushed crackers. Cover chicken with shredded cheese. Mix sour cream with cream of chicken soup and pour over cheese. Crush more Ritz and put on top. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. (You can also add broccoli to this. You would add it in after the chicken layer.)

CROCKPOT TACO SOUP

2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 lb. ground beef
shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment

Brown meat, drain, and add to crockpot stoneware insert. Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse beans and add. Add UNdrained cans of corn and tomato. Stir. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours. Serve with cheese and sour cream, as well as corn chips or cornbread!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

(This recipe came from my friend, Amanda)

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (save broth)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 can of chopped green chiles (drained)
1 8 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. flour or corn tortillas (I use corn; they are great!)
shredded cheese
1 can green enchilada sauce

Boil chicken, shred and mix together in large bowl with cream of chicken, green chiles, sour cream, and 1/2 can enchilada sauce. Bring chicken broth to boil. Place tortillas (1 at a time) in broth. Spoon chicken mixture on tortillas and roll. Place in casserole dish and cover with remaining chicken mixture and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done.
WE LOVE THESE and they are GREAT as leftovers too!!

POPPYSEED CHICKEN

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and cut up
16 oz. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken
2 tbsp. of poppyseed
Ritz crackers

Mix chicken, sour cream, cream of chicken and poppyseed in large bowl. Put in casserole dish and cover with crushed Ritz crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

MEXICAN CHICKEN DORITO CASSEROLE

1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Doritos (enough to cover bottom of dish)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel with green chiles
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil chicken on high until done. Cut into small chunks. Crush Doritos and cover bottom of casserole dish with them. Put chicken on top of Doritos. Mix cream of mushroom and Rotel in small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.

"ALMOST LIKE OLIVE GARDEN" FETTUCINE ALFREDO

(from the Betty Crocker Wedding Edition cookbook)

8 oz. uncooked fettucine

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup whipping cream or evaporated fat-free milk (for healthier version)

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I use the kind in the can)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

In large sauce pot, cook fettucine as directed on package. While fettucine is cooking, in a saucepan, heat butter and whipping cream over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Drain fettucine; return to sauce pot. Pour sauce over warm fettucine; stir until fettucine is well coated. (I've tried many alfredo recipes over the years, but Matt and I both agree that this one is the best.)

WILD RICE SOUP

(this recipe came from E-mealz)

1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Mix (prepared, as directed on box)

1 can Cream of Potato condensed soup

8 oz. Velvetta cheese (cubed)

1 cup water

2 cups milk

1 tbsp. butter

5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Prepare wild rice mix as directed on box. When rice is almost done, put cream of potato, milk, water and butter in a pot. Heat until hot, butter is melted and it is mixed together good. Add cheese, stirring frequently until it is melted. Add rice. Let stand for a few minutes until it thickens a little. Serve with bacon crumbles on top.

Be sure to check out all the other blogs that are sharing their main dish recipes today over at Kelly's Korner Blog.

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This past weekend, Juliette went to visit Matt's parents, so I had a little free time on my hands. I spent Saturday checking out two fabric stores in town (one of which I am totally in love with now...they have super cute designer fabrics and I wanted to buy everything!), getting a much needed hair cut, and going on a little date with Matt. We went to see the movie "Bridesmaids," which was HILARIOUS! I actually was laughing so hard that I cried off some of my eye make-up and that doesn't happen often with movies!

Since Juliette didn't come home until yesterday, I had all Sunday afternoon to do whatever I wanted as well, so I decided to sew some things for her. I originally set out to make a dress, two skirts, a peasant top and a pair of shorts, but that was clearly a little too ambitious of me, so I only ended up making two things.

This dress is actually a little short on Juliette, so she'll have to wear it with some pink capri-length tights.

I've been wanting to do something like this skirt set for a while (with the ruffles around the tank top collar) and just now got around to it. I sometimes forget that there are simple things I can do to make plain tanks or tees cute!

Juliette posing for the camera!

Remember how just the other day (in my last post) I was saying that Juliette is already talking about wanting to be Jessie for Halloween? Well, guess who bought her a Jessie costume this past weekend? Yep, that would be Poppie (Matt's dad)! Matt met up with his dad in Alexandria Monday afternoon to get Juliette back, and as soon as they got home, Juliette had to put it on. They met me on the sidewalk as I was walking home. Juliette was on her bike and was decked out in her costume (complete with hat). She didn't take it off until almost bedtime!

This is her jumping up and saying "Yee haw!"

Juliette is like me in SO many ways, as you can tell by the fact that she is already planning ahead for October and because of her attention to detail. See this picture below? When she got home, she insisted that Matt put her hair in a braid (which he couldn't do, so she settled for a ponytail from him) and went and got a yellow bow for him to put in the end of it, just like Jessie. When I got home from work, she asked me to braid it and to get her brown boots out of the Goodwill bag (which apparently are not going to Goodwill now!). The only thing she felt was lacking was red hair!

And, since this post is a little bit of everything, I thought I'd share a link to my Pinterest boards. I've become addicted in the last few days to looking through everyone else's boards and "pinning" things to my boards. Basically, Pinterest is a place to keep photos that you see on the Internet of things you like, whether it be decorating, clothes, furniture, food, party ideas, crafts, etc. Just click on my link and you can see what I'm talking about. (You don't have to sign up to see my boards.) Also, this site appears to be by invitation only at this time, so if you want an invite from me, email me at melteutsch at hotmail dot com.

Check back on Friday, as I'll be participating in Kelly's Korner Blog's Recipe link-up for Main Dishes! I'm always excited to find new recipes that come from "real" people's kitchens and hope that maybe I can share some new recipes for you to add to your dinner rotation as well!

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Just a little video slideshow I put together for memory sake. Hope you enjoy! I love this song by Martina McBride and what's she says. The lyrics are below.

I've had a great Mother's Day. We were in Baton Rouge yesterday and I chose to eat at Johnny's Pizza, since we don't have them down here (and Baton Rouge just got this one this past fall). Then, we went to church this morning and went out to eat for lunch. Matt picked me up a cookie cake on the way home that he had ordered and I was a happy girl! Juliette made me a card and drew me a picture with hearts all over it and has told me "Happy Mother' Day" about a dozen times today! And, as my Mother's Day gift, I'll be getting a permanent blog design with pictures of us across the top. It'll be installed in a week or two, so you'll have to keep an eye out for it! Other than that, I've had a relaxing afternoon.

Since going through our journey with infertility, though, no Mother's Day goes by without my thoughts turning to those out there who dread this day and long to be a mommy. My thoughts are with you today! I encourage you to visit Infertile Myrtle's blog for a video she posted that I know is probably how you feel today!

"In My Daughter's Eyes"
by Martina McBride

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

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Thursday was Juliette's last day of preschool and the parents were invited to attend a brunch at her school. While we were eating, they showed a slideshow of pictures of the kids from the year and gave us our child's "portfolio" to look at (and keep).

See how thick it is? Since Juliette attended the lab preschool for UL, she was constantly being observed by students as part of their early childhood education classes. This spring semester, there were three students assigned to observe only her as part of their class project and this portfolio was what they put together for their final grade. It's a little odd to know that these students spent many hours watching Juliette, taking notes, and assessing whether she was meeting the GLE's (grade level expectations) for pre-kindergarten. Almost like she was a little rat in a lab! Although she would have learned just as much elsewhere, we're pretty sure we wouldn't have gotten all this information in a binder! For instance, the three students who observed her wrote about a dozen anecdotal records that will be really sweet to look back upon when she is older. One story in particular was this:

"Juliette was playing with AE and AV (initials used by me for privacy) in the dramatic play area. AV and Juliette were wearing crowns because they were pretending to be Mardi Gras queens. AE took the crown off AV's head and AV began to cry. Juliette patted AV on the back and said, "Why are you crying? It's be okay, AV." AV explained that AE took her crown and Juliette said, "It's okay, you can wear my crown." Juliette gave AV her crown and AV stopped crying."

Isn't that just precious? Because Juliette is an only child, we don't get to see these kind of interactions with other children very regularly, and now we have it on paper (and many other anecdotes about playing house with her friends, etc.). I just loved this part of the portfolio!

Also in the folder were all the GLEs for pre-kindergarten for math, science, social studies, creative arts, health and physical development, language and literacy, and social and emotional development in chart form with evidence of when they observed Juliette meeting those GLEs. For a mom whose child won't turn 5 until two days after her first day of kindergarten, I worry a little bit if she knows everything she should, so seeing all the GLEs (and that she has met all of them) helps to ease my fears!

And, no preschool portfolio is complete with artwork! This one below was my absolute favorite and I almost started laughing hysterically when I saw it, but I was able to contain myself since we were at the brunch.

Can you read what it says? It says, "This is Dad. He has no hair. He has fur."

The teachers gave out awards to all the students, such as "best storyteller," "best artist," etc. Juliette got "best manners." After she got the award, she asked "What are manners?" I think I was more excited about her getting that one than she was, as it made me feel like we are doing something right and all the times we tell her to say "please" and "thank you" and "m'am" and "sir" are sticking with her!

Here are some pictures we took before we left with one of her best friends at preschool and her teachers:

They put these bunny ears and wedding veil on when we went in the classroom.

Above: Mrs. Knouse
Below: Dr. Mary

It's bittersweet to see her preschool days come to an end. We wish she could stay this age forever, but we are also really excited about her going to kindergarten. She'll be going to an arts and technology award-winning school where an hour of each day will be spent on the arts. Every few weeks they'll rotate between visual arts, dance, string instruments, vocal arts, drama, band, and piano. They'll also be visiting the computer lab frequently (which is where the technology part comes in). This school is part of the Lafayette Parish school system, but students aren't zoned for it, they are chosen by a random computer lottery to attend. It's part of Lafayette Parish's "Schools of Choice" program, which provides families with alternatives to their zoned schools. Aside from the arts & technology school, there are also French-immersion, Spanish-immersion, Chinese-immersion and montessori elementaries that are part of the Schools of Choice program. (The language immersion schools are taught half of the day in that language and half of the day in English.) In order to attend these schools, you have to ask for your child's name to be put in the lottery and then wait to see if it is drawn. These programs are really popular and not everyone is chosen, so we are thankful that Juliette's name was drawn. And, since it's part of the public school system, it's still considered a public school and therefore, free to attend! So, that's probably more than you wanted to know, but I don't think I've blogged about this before, so I thought I'd share.

Check back tomorrow for a special Mother's Day post!

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