What is Pinterest?

Well, I'm going to be finding out hopefully soon...but until then, I saw this on the site & loved it, so I thought I'd share it with y'all.  I'll be posting a new recipe soon, so until then...

...y'all be blessed beyond measure!
~ashley

Traditions

This year was the first year ever we haven't hosted Thanksgiving.  It was a little wierd but also very nice.  We had a wonderful time in Tupelo spending time with Hopson's family.  Hopson's oldest brother, wife & 3 children live there.  Their 3 children are the same ages as Hoppy & Harry, and it is a hop, skip, and a jump for Hopson's parents to drive to have dinner with the family.


The basic ingredients

My sister-in-law, Sandy, is a wonderful cook.  (she also sets a beautiful table!  Southern Living needed pictures of her table.)  We had a lot of oh so delicious, traditional foods:  turkey, dressing, different vegetable casseroles, cranberry sauce, rolls, and of course, various desserts.  Because we didn't host this year Hopson didn't get one of his favorite dishes:  German Potato Salad. 

In the almost 18 years we have been married, he has always had German potato salad with Thanksgiving.  I know what you're thinking...German Potato Salad for Thanksgiving?  Hopson asked for it when we were first married, and to be the wonderfully sweet newly married wife I was, I fixed it for him; and it became a tradition.  To make the fam's Thanksgiving complete, I made them the GPS today.

After I added the German vinegar

Today while I was cooking, Harry totally cracked me up.  You need to know that Harry LOVES bacon.  He would eat it with every meal.  So, I'm cooking the onions and bacon, and I had just added the German vinegar, which will clear out your sinuses if you get a little whiff of it, and Harry says:  'Oh, bacon!'  He popped a bite size piece in his mouth & immediately spit it out with a 'UHG' sound.  He asked me what I put on it to make it taste that way.  I just giggled and told him it was the vinegar.  He said it scared him & ruined a perfectly good pound of bacon.  Crazy Harry, he makes me laugh. 

Everyone one else was very excited.  So with our leftover turkey, homemade mayonnaise, and veggies, we now have some German potato salad.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure & War Eagle,
~ashley

The final product

Oh Sweet Success

Yea, third time's a charm!  Here's the finished product...

My MeMaw's homemade Mayonnaise

I didn't even wipe the bowl to make it pretty, because I'm hungry & am going to eat!

Blessings!

~ashley

Really? Really...

Yes, really!  My goodness, I'm frustrated.  I've made my MeMaw's homemade mayo 1000 times, at least, and for some reason I've tried twice today to make it & both times it has turned back into oil.  Do you have any idea how frustrating this is for me?  I just want to bang my head against the wall.

I've been finishing up the Christmas decorating so everything can get to the right temperature. (this is crucial to the making)  The tree has the pre-requisite 5 million strands of lights, the tables are festive, the last few doodads are out, and I just need some homemade mayonnaise for my food.

I think I'm being impatient.  It's like I'm learning to make it all over again.  I think the day I learned I went through at least 8 eggs and 8 cups of oil in the process.  One wrong move and the whole thing will fall.  It's quite tedious.  We have leftover turkey, dressing, and sides from yesterday that are screaming for homemade mayo.  The fam is asking for it too, and I so want to give it to them.

I'm also reliving when I made a cake out of a box and it fell.  Yes, I know you're wondering how that happened, but you know I don't like to measure anything...so that's pratically how it happened.  I can't remember it all, I'm blocking it out, but I don't think I used my mixer either. I found out much later that a cake needs air to help it poof in the oven.  It would help if I had read all the instructions...duh.  Baking is frustrating.

Well, I'm going to check my bowls, because it's getting close to dinner time, and we're hungry.  I just realized I didn't eat lunch because I was waiting on homemade mayo.  Oh well, here goes nothing.

If it turns out this last time I'll post a picture at the bottom of this post.

Merry Christmas & y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Ahh, Brotherly Love

When ever the older boys want something from Hopson or me you can always tell because they start with:  "Oh great and wonderful mother, who is wise and kind..."  I just start giggling, what do you expect me to do?  I usually know what they're going to ask, depending on the time in the year, but I love it when they agree on something and they both (or all 4) will come to ask me something.

Last night I received such a request.  Since they were not doing anything in school, they humbly asked to be checked-out from school today.  I promise Harry needs to be an attorney.  I start thinking about if it's a good idea to check them out & he has 5000 reasons why I should.  8 times out of 10 I will initially refuse their request, but I hesitate millisecond & you can see the hopefulness on their faces.

calling shotgun

I gave in & checked them out, I mean, they really weren't doing anything.  We went to get Henry from school since Elizabeth was coming home from a granddaughters trip to NYC.  I ended up taking all the boys out to lunch.  As you can imagine, when I'm driving, riding shotgun is a premium.  Harry didn't necessarily call it, but he ran and jumped in the front seat to lay claim to it.  Now, I'm not one to stir, but I asked Hop if he was going to allow his younger brother to sit in the front.  The result was hilarious.  They were scuffling and laughing, I was laughing & trying to get a picture that wasn't blurry.  I love it when my boys get to rough-house and laugh. 

Yes, I said I like it when my boys rough-house.  I let them throw balls in the house (but please be careful of my lamps), run, wrestle, and whatever else boys like to do. (bodily functions are not excluded, but time and place please)   When they're out in public or at a friend's house I expect gentlemanly behavior, but a man's home is his castle, so I have 1 king & 3 princes who have marked ever inch of this house.  Elizabeth & I just shake our heads; laugh at their antics; and remember to check the toilet seat before we go to the bathroom.

I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!  We're going to Tupelo to have dinner with Hopson's oldest brother, his family, and my in-laws.  I know I will have TONS of stories.  When we all get together, craziness ensues, but there's lots of laughter.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Romance Killers

I have decided that children are romance killers.  Hopson and I are so busy taking care of them we forget that before they were, it was just us.  Now, he was working a ton & I was in grad school, but it was still just us.  Our lives were boring, now that I think about it, but it was easier for us to be romantic.  Dancing in the kitchen to James Taylor's Greatest Hits; sitting together and not feeling the need to talk, but just read or watch tv...among other things.  Now we have to make sure teenagers are not lurking around the corner just to kiss each other.  Heaven forbid they see us smooching...they might die from embarrassment. (how do they think they got here?)

He's a good lookin' cowboy

I remember when I met Hopson.  We were on a double date with different people.  I thought he was quick witted and had awesome pecs.  After just meeting me once, he remembered my name.  He says he asked me out in late May/early June, and I stood him up, but I don't remember that at all.  My dad had passed away a few weeks before and I was going through the motions of life.  He left to go work as an advance man for older President Bush's reelection campaign, so I didn't hear from him for 6 months.  He came to Auburn to hang out for a few weeks before finals, and it just so happened his fraternity was having their annual Christmas party.

Our first date

So, December 3rd we had our first date.  He bought me finger bubble blowers.  I think I liked him from that moment.  He was well spoken, cute, rugged, oozed confidence, was (and is) very smart, and did I mention he had (and still has) a great chest?  The more I got to know him, the more I liked being with him.  We would meet-up on the Concourse and talk before & after class, or he would invite me to eat lunch with him at the fraternity house.  We would go out for cheap Chinese food and share an order.  It was fun flirting with him.  I wondered if there was anything he couldn't do.  I loved watching him work on his fraternity's spring party build project...shirtless.  Oh my! 

See what I mean, he didn't have to do anything, just smile at me.  Why don't I see him like that everyday?  Adult life & kids...romance killers.  So, what am I going to do about it?  I think I'll put on a little music, make sure the kiddos are out of the room, and just dance for a little while...

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Where I Spend My Time

I think I need to paint my car.  No, it's not that the paint is chipping or faded, it's that I'm always in my car driving little people hither and yon.  Yellow, that's the color my car should be, and it needs a 'Children's Taxi' sign gracing the top.  Don't laugh, you know it can or will apply to you in the future.  We even have one child who can drive himself and it is still crazy around here.

We're in the car so much Henry knows how to get most of his homework completed in the car.  The life of being the baby of the family.  Bless that sweet child, he can roll with the punches better than anyone, and doesn't wig out when things suddenly change.  (he did not get that from his mommy)  He could also nap in the car like a champion when he was a baby.  People would see him asleep in his car seat & whisper and say 'oh look, the baby is asleep, y'all be quiet and don't wake him up.'  I would laugh and say, don't worry, you can't wake him up, because you couldn't.  We are not the quietest family...

Last night was one of the coldest nights of the year for us so far.  I really wanted to eat chili, but knew the fam would balk.  Chili is a go to for me in a tight.  And then, it was like I heard a chior singing as I remembered I have a recipe for White Chicken Chili.  I needed somthing I could leave cooking on low on the stove as I hauled my little chicks around.  You know I don't follow directions very well.  If I don't have or like something in a recipe, I'll change it, no biggie.  The original recipe calls for ground chicken.  What, ground chicken, who keeps ground chicken in their freezer?  So, I decided to poach some and dice it up.  I did want some heavy cream to add to it, but didn't have any so it was a healthy chili.

We're coming up on the busiest time of the year.  Every mom I talk to has said that December is crazier than May, and I totally agree.  Hopefully this chicken chili will help make your Christmas season a little easier.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Someone May Get Slapped

My family has a horrible habit.  They are the messiest people God ever created.  Why are they so messy?  It makes me so sad, and for some reason, they are under the false assumption that my favorite thing to do is to clean-up after them.  The picky one had the audacity to tell me that I needed to do the cleaning-up since I don't do anything else all day, and it's not that big of a deal if the house is messy.  Excuse Me! Did you really just say that?   Oh, yeah, I forgot, I'm just a mom, so that means I have no life, or feelings, or aspirations.  Someone may get slapped.

The chore list.

I can't wait until my children have that Aha moment when they finally understand what goes on around here.  I don't like cleaning up the same things (or different things) all the time...I'm trying to teach them how to do it, but for some reason it's not clicking yet, even with the teenagers.  They are just as messy as they were as toddlers, and 5 verses 1 is not a fair fight.  I've even taped their chores on their mirrors & it still doesn't help.  These chores are just for their rooms, I really want them to pick-up their stuff they leave around the house, and unload their clean clothes baskets without me asking 1000 times.




This weekend I may see a glimmer of hope...Elizabeth leaves to go to NYC with my mother-in-law and all the granddaughters for 4 days, and all the boys are going hunting for the weekend.  Only 2 more days, 2 more days, 2 more days.  This will be my mantra until they leave.  I hope I can hang on until then.

Someone didn't read the chore list...

I wonder what makes some of us neat freaks and others not.  For those of you who are not...I just don't understand.  I want to put up the rules I thought up for my kitchen in different rooms of our home.  When things are at their cleanest, I'm at my happiest.  Cleanliness is next to Godliness.  :)  Well, I'm going to get some cleaning done so I can hopefully get a workout, and do some actual money making work today.  May the Lord make my hands swift and efficient as I work to clean this messy house today.


I would love to know if your families are the same as mine.  Neat Freaks Unite!  Please let me know I'm not the only one surrounded by messy people out here.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley, the neat freak

No More Men in My Kitchen

I'm pretty good about sharing my kitchen with the fam, but I'm about to ban all men from it.  Hop & his very first best friend, Will, wanted to cook Red Fish Stew on Saturday, and me being the wonderfully nice mom I am (insert hysterical laugh here) allowed them access to my kitchen.  I figured since they are leaving in a year and a half for college, it was time for them to start learning to cook things on their own.

Hop started skinning & dicing the Red fish & Will started chopping the onion and making the roux.  I had to talk them both through the process, thankfully they caught on pretty fast.  In the picture to the left, Will (on the right) has started cooking the roux, and Hop (on the left) was dicing the fish.  I was proud of Will, he said the roux smelled like his Granna's Jambalaya.  I told him that he was so smart because when you make Jambalaya, you make a roux.  I think he was proud of himself.  Sweet Will!

Here is the finished product.  We decided to half the recipe because there were:  the two of them, Henry had one of his best buds, Josh, over that day, and then me.  It was just enough to feed the 5 of us.  There was about 1 serving left in the bowl.  It all went smoothly, but I have one HUGE complaint...those boys did not clean up my kitchen.  I don't mind you cooking, but you better clean up after yourself.  It's funny, I remember my mom saying the same thing to us growing up.

I pointed out several times what needed to be washed by hand & what needed to be rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher.  The trash from cooking needed to go into the garbage can & that garbage taken outside; counter tops needed to be washed off; and clean dishes they cooked with should have been put away.  Did any of this happen?  No it did not, and that leads to a very frustrated, very unhappy mommy.  I don't mind you using my kitchen, but you better leave it like you found it...and for some reason no one ever does.   So, I'm thinking about posting what I expect if you use my kitchen.

Momma's Rules for the Kitchen

1.  Yes, your momma lives here, but she does not like cleaning up your mess when you cook,
      CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
2.  If you are unsure about what you are doing, ask questions first before you do anything.
3.  Have a wonderful time cooking.  Any other questions can be answered by reading rule #1.

Since football is over for the year, I think the big boys are going to plan a fun night that includes cooking in my kitchen & hanging outside around our fire pit.  I guess I better get the rules posted by Wednesday.  I'll choose to look the other way as they make a mess in my kitchen & I'll help them clean up after it's over...maybe.  ;)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Time Marching On

Today is the first Saturday since the first of August that I didn't get up at 6:30 to see Hop off for early morning football workouts.  I had this same feeling 14 years ago when my brother was a junior and they were knocked out of the playoffs.  It's like it was yesterday.  Now it's my child, not my brother, and the same feelings have returned.  There's one season left for these boys...just one...do they know...do they understand how quickly time marches on?

Last night we lost a heartbreaker.  Our team was so close.  The other team kicked a 43 yard field goal to win the game with 5 seconds left on the clock.  Our guys played so hard and left it on the field. 

God bless Hop's coaches, especially his head coach.  He has helped raise thousands of boys; helped them become men. Coach Anderson has been head coach at the high school for over 30 years.  Last night I stood back and watched him.  I saw him go to each senior, as they were coming to grips with their high school career being over, hugging them and whispering encouraging words to them.  It must be hard letting go each year.  The high school coaches spend more time with our boys than we do, so they become family, and it must be hard letting go.

Each year before the season starts, each boy dreams of being victorious, dreams of winning the state championship.  For our team this year, we had some great victories, but in the end fell a little short of the ultimate goal.  For all the juniors, there is one more year for dreams, football victories, and a state championship, but what the they will take away is so much more than that.  They learn about:  time management; being unselfish; relying on others to help you; leadership; listening to authority; the joy of victory; and the heartbreak of defeat. 

To this year's seniors, I pray you God's speed.  As you move ahead and look to finishing up  your senior year I hope it's filled with wonderful happy memories that you will carry for a lifetime.  For the juniors, I pray you make every moment count.  Live each day to it's fullest, because for you, next year starts now; and time is marching on.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I want to say привет to all the people from Russia reading MOJ. 
Lately we've had a lot of traffic from that part of the world, so I just wanted to give you guys a shout out.
С Рождеством to you too.  (for all of us not fluent in Russian that says Merry Christmas. 
I love Google!)

Christmas will change in my home in a few years. Hoppy will be going off to college & he will realize that where ever he is will be his home, and we will be a place he only visits. It makes me want to cry, but I'm going to hold on to the next few years and love every second of them!

I remember the Christmas after my dad died, it was the most heartbreaking Christmas ever.  Christmas was my dad's favorite holiday, and we all knew it.  It changed again 5 years later when my mom was dying.  She was so sick she couldn't join us for most of it.  We did little things to bring laughter in the house, but it was a lot of work.  She died December 30th.  It was a sad Christmas too, but for some reason the music of Christmas always helps me remember happy times.

As far as I'm concerned, only a few people should be allowed to sing Christmas songs.  They are so beautiful and there are so many who butcher them.  :/  Bing Crosby is on the approved list.  Daddy would play the White Christmas album ad nauseam, but to this day when I hear it, I think of Daddy.  

I've always wanted a white Christmas.  Living in the south, the chances of having one are about slim & none..that is until last year.  We had a dusting of snow, the first one ever on Christmas morning in my state, and to make it even better...it snowed the day after Christmas too, which is my birthday.  :)  What can I say, I don't want much, but snow on my b'day was #1.

Well, this year I'm dreaming of another white Christmas.  It would be too wonderful for words. 

What are the things that are a must have or must hear for you & your family every Christmas?  I look forward to reading what you love about Christmas!

Be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Some of my Favorite things

Christmas decorations are up in the stores; Magic 96 has started playing Christmas music; and I have to admit...it makes me happy.  (all except for the new Christmas Tree tax the president wants to impose on all of us who love fresh Christmas trees; hey Mr. President, you're killing me.)

I love Christmas.  I love the lights, decorations, music, food, smells, and it's a time for Hopson & me to show our children the true meaning of Christmas.  In the past I have felt pressure, all that I put on myself, to have a perfect Christmas.  What I have learned is that my family just wants to be together; have a little food; and spend some time praising the Lord for when the Word became flesh.  Once I realized this fact, Christmas became easier for me.

Now don't get me wrong, there are certain foods that must be present...it just wouldn't be Christmas at our house without them.  

Something that I learned to make in college from my mom who learned to make it from my MeMaw is homemade mayonnaise.  Most people turn their noses up at it, but once you taste it, oh it's a little bit of sunshine on your plate.  It makes everything taste better.  I eat it plain.  It is so yummy.  It takes some practice to learn how to make it, and you can't make it when it is raining outside, because it will fall.  That's what my MeMaw & mom told me anyway.

Another thing we love to eat are homemade cheese straws.  My MeMaw made the best tasting, most beautiful cheese straws you have ever seen.  I've tried to make mine pretty, but because I'm a lazy cook and not as patient as she was, mine can be quite ugly.  They still taste yummy, but they're not pretty.  I'll also let the kiddos help make them & they don't make them pretty either, but we have fun making them!

I'm going to be posting other recipes that we have for Christmas.  I'm looking forward to the season, as a matter of fact, I think I'll start decorating this weekend.  Merry Christmas to me! 


Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

What's the meaning of this?

Can I tell you that I am so glad that some dreams don't come true.  I went this morning, as part of my normal morning routine, to make sure my youngest child, Henry, was awake, and to have a wonderful morning chat before he plopped himself in the shower.  Today is also clean sheet day so I needed to help him strip his bed and start putting clean sheets back on it.  Now, when the fam tells me a dream I like to ask questions to try to understand it. (both for themselves and me)  I have always liked to try to figure out what dreams mean.  Henry's dream from last night has totally stumped me.

That child has some crazy dreams.  I may need to watch his diet.  He starts to giggle as he tells me he had a weird dream last night.  As any good mom would, I asked him about it.  He said he dreamed he had a baby sister (shut his mouth, four children in our family is plenty) who fell in the toilet, and when he tried to get her out; she bit his finger.  Of course now we're both at a full blown laugh, and I'm asking him how old his baby sister was.  He said she was a young toddler, but she slipped off the toilet lid & into the toilet.  Henry has always wanted a baby brother or sister; that's part of  why we bought the Chihuahua, Bella. 

What in the world that dream meant I have NO idea, but it has made my day.  I love that crazy kid.  He is so precious.

On a side note, I was listening to Rick and Bubba, my favorite radio show, yesterday, and someone brought them some Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownies.  It sounded so yummy I had to share the link.  If you don't think I'm going to surprise the fam with these one day you're crazy.  It looks like heaven on a plate.   

Have y'all or any of your kids had crazy dreams that just left you in a fit of giggles?  I would love to hear about them!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Because I'm the Mom

Ok, this is going to be somewhat of a rant.  I have started wondering who is taking the time to actually raise their children.  Do parents not realize what their children are doing?  I amazes me!  It's a lot of work being a parent, but when did setting boundaries, and prying in your child's life become something that was bad.  Why is saying no so hard for some parents.  Why do we want to give our kids everything when they're too young to understand the meaning or worth behind it?  See, I told you I was ranting.

I am not my childrens' friend, I am their parent.  My kids have friends & they happen to be the same age as they are, and I have friends that are the same age as me.  If I sound like I don't love my children, nothing could be farther from the truth.  They are most precious to me, and I thank God everyday for Him allowing me the honor of being their mommy.  Because I place value on them, I want to equip them for anything the world may throw at them.  I want to raise them to love the Lord and follow His ways first.  Now I have noticed, that as they are getting older our relationship is changing, and there is a mutual friendship growing.  I am far from being a perfect mom, but I hope my 4 realize that Hopson & I are relying on God to help us raise them to be the best people they can be.

One example is Facebook.  I will scroll through from time to time & and am amazed at what some of the teenagers are posting.  It's crazy and shocking.  When my children became old enough, in our household, to have a Facebook account, guess who was their first friend?  You got it...me.  I will check everything they post if I feel like it, whenever I feel like it.  If there is something questionable, we will talk about it & what do they think the right choice is.   (after all, we want them to learn how to make the correct decisions by themselves.)

If you're not checking your child's FB account, cell phone, iPod, laptop or iPad if they have one, their car if they're old enough to drive, wallets, purses, rooms, closets, drawers, cabinets, and anything else I'm leaving off the list, you are not doing your child justice.  Children want boundaries.  They want to be secure that you are going to keep them safe.  I want my children to trust me that everything I do for them is for their best. 

Moms & Dads, please take the time to be the parent your child needs.  Your child doesn't need you as a friend until they are older, they need your loving guidance and wisdom that God has given you.  Don't be afraid, you can do it!  All you need is a lot of love, a little discipline, and wisdom that only the Lord can give. 

Thanks for letting me rant!!!
Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

The 5 P's of Life

Prior   Planning   Prevents   Poor   Performance

My 5 P's of life.  I would love to take credit for them, but I heard them first on the Rick and Bubba Show.  I am a task driven person by nature.  If I have a list going & do things that aren't on my list, I'll add them on there just to be able to mark them off.  Yes, it is a little twisted & sick, but it gives me a great amount of happiness.  You know, that little 'woohoo, one more thing off the list' moment.  I put everything on my calendar which is on my computer & on my crackberry.  Both pop up reminders 24 hours in advance of something that has to be done, attended, purchased, etc.  (I'd staple it to my shirt if it wouldn't make me look silly just so I would have one more way to remember stuff.)

If you are a mom with multiple children, you have to live by the 5 P's at least part of the time.  If you don't, I want to know your secret, because I'm going to market it and make a mint!  :)  Just kidding, but I would love to know if you have to have lists to get through your days too.  Yesterday was pretty busy, and I knew I would not have time to cook dinner tomorrow night.  I actually thought about dinner yesterday morning when I woke up at 4:45 am.   I was thinking something like a jambalaya, but there was no time to cook it the normal way, so here's what I did. It's a busy momma's jambalaya.

poached chicken & sausage

I poached the chicken in the crock pot with some Cajun Injector marinade, tons of garlic, 1/2 a small onion, and some chicken broth.  (I used the creole butter.)   What a beautiful creation my crock pot is.  It's almost 20 years old & still going strong.  I can put the meat in there frozen & it comes out fully cooked.  (which is what I did yesterday.)  I also included a pound of turkey sausage.  To the right is a picture of the finished product.

the roux

I had 30 minutes to complete everything else for the dinner.  I needed a roux with this.  The great thing about a roux is a little oil & flour can make a lot.  The way to make it go farther is chicken broth.  :)  A wonderful ingredient, it will add flavor to anything.  Here is my roux while it was cooking.  I added a little kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, a little ground red pepper & ground pepper flakes, and the secret (my favorite) ingredient is Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic.  Yum!  When it was finished I wanted to just eat it out of the pan by itself.  I cooked it to a light brown.  After it was cooked I added 1 onion & 1 green pepper.  (actually you know how lazy I am when I'm in a hurry, so I used frozen onions & green peppers.)

I cooked 2 cups of rice, and shredded the chicken and cut up the sausage and added them to the roux.  Here is the finished product.  It's  hard to see the chicken because it literally fell apart in my hands as I was trying to cut it up.  Henry had 2 or 3 helpings, I couldn't get a firm confirmation, but it was a lot.  The picky one said it was good but not amazing.  He liked the sausage the best.  (I would have used 2 pounds, but I only had one in the freezer.)  Harry said he didn't like it already mixed in with the rice.  He would have liked it all separated.  Picky eaters...

the finished product

Do I use the 5 P's everyday?  No, and  you know what, on the days I don't I'm not nearly as streamlined and productive in what I have to get done.  The day's I use the 5 P's, I can totally rock this mom thing out!  Well, now I can go mark a few things off my list.  :)  And so it begins...

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley