What's for dinner?

I am the worst meal planner ever. I never know what we're having for supper until the very last minute. Often it's after 7:00 when we eat because I just don't plan ahead. I'm trying to get better though. One of my go to recipes in the winter/fall time is potato soup. I came across this recipe a really long time ago when I was first starting to cook. Ya know, back when I had to have a recipe for EVERYTHING. (I'm much better now) If you look after the recipe, I have a few variations on the ingredients.

Parmesan Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS
4 medium baking potatoes
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 cups milk
3/4 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake in the oven or microwave until tender. Cool, peel, cube and set aside. In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and cheese, heat through. Stir in bacon.

To make this a little more hearty, I substitute 1 lb sage sausage for the bacon, just make sure to brown the sausage first. I also add carrots and celery. I saute them in the butter with the onion. If you like your soup a little creamier, make sure to use either half and half or Vitamin D milk. Make some grilled cheese and Voila! a perfect fall meal!

What's your favorite recipe? My good friend Ashley is having a give away on her blog. Up for grabs are gift cards to Victoria's Secret and Starbucks. All you have to do to enter is post your favorite recipe on your blog and add it to her MckLinky.

Happy. Every. After.

Adelae wants to sing her ABC's, do some counting, and tell you a story.

No islands for me!

6 reasons why you would be doomed if you were stranded on a deserted island all by yourself.

1. I'd be all by myself. I'm a very social persona and would probably go insane after a day.

2. I don't know how to make thinks like fishing poles, bow and arrows, and things like that. I would assume that having those things would be kind of necessary.

3. There is no way I would be able to catch or hunt my own food.

4. If I were able to somehow kill some kind of animal, I would have no clue how to prepare it. Plus, doesn't that mean I would have to have a knife of some sort?

5. I don't know how to make fire with out a lighter. I'm thinking that fire would be somewhat necessary for survival. I know when I watch Survivor they need fire. I'm betting it's important or Jeff Probst wouldn't be giving them flint all the time.

6. I hate bugs and rodents. Again, I've watched Survivor. I know that there's rodents and bugs. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.

It's probably a good thing that I don't travel much, isn't it?

What are your six? Don't forget to head to MomDot and link up! Happy Saturday!

The Need To Be Perfect

For some reason, I have this need to be perfect. I must be the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect daughter, the perfect sister, the perfect well...everything. when I leave my house, both my children must look perfect. There shouldn't be any stains on their clothes, food on their faces (or clothes), and no hair should be out of place. They must behave perfectly at all times. I, also, must behave perfectly. For some reason, it is very important to me that people perceive me as perfect. I'm not perfect, I know that, I really do! But, people need to THINK that I'm perfect. I don't know why. It's not so much that I need to be perfect at home, but I need the outside world to look at me say "Wow! She has really got it together!"

When I was growing up, I was convinced that if I were perfect, people would love me. Ya see, I had a rough childhood. No more difficult than others, but it was hard. I never felt like I was good enough. I wasn't thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, you get the picture. Like so many kids of divorced parents, I was convinced that if I were perfect, my parents would love each other and we would all live together in Utopia. There are so many other factors to my need to appear perfect, but I'm not quite ready to share them yet. Perhaps in time...perhaps not.

I know, now, that being perfect doesn't win you love. Nobody ever loved me more, or less, because I wasn't perfect. I know that people probably won't think I'm a bad mom if my girls have stuff on their face, or if their clothes have a stain, or if their hair is messy. I know I'm a good mom and a good wife, that's really all that matters. But when I leave the house, everyone gets a critical once over. More times than I can count, someone has had to change clothes because of some minor flaw. But, there are other times when we leave the house and Adelae has a milk mustache and messy hair. I'm getting better...slowly, but surely, I'm making improvements.

I think, honestly, that I'm unhappy with myself and that's I need the people I'm in charge of to look perfect. I don't think I'm pretty, or skinny, I don't wear the right clothes, my make-up is always a little off, my hair never looks like I want it to. I feel frumpy, fat and old. By making my children look a little more perfect, I'm taking the spot light off me. So many times I think that people probably think to themselves "Wow! The kids are cute, but Mom sure could do something with herself." It makes me sad. I don't think I'll ever be good enough, in my own eyes. I'm not sure how to get over my perception of myself. I'm working on it. I'm praying that God helps me. He's helped me so much in the past few months, and I know that he can help me with this too.

Perhaps I am perfect just as I am, but until I can really believe that my kids will just have to suffer Mom's critical eye.

Dog or Cat?

I think my dog thinks she's a cat, or the cats think they're dogs. This isn't the best picture, but if you look, you can see a big black lump..that's the dog. See the other lumps? Those are cats. Yeah, my animals suffer from identity crises.

Want to see what others are wordless about? Head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom

Roll Over Miss Brinna!

She can roll!

This was the **almost** video



Then she did it!

Trick or Treat

Smell My Feet :)We went trick or treating with my brother and two of his three kids. It was a little cold, but all in all a great time. They all had so much fun and got tons of candy. Of course, I had to go through the candy when we got home and pick out the stuff I just knew Adelae wouldn't like. Is it my fault that what she won't like is the same things that I happen to love?



Two Cinderella's, Dale Earnhardt Jr and a tiny skeleton getting ready to head out.


Who needs a royal coach when you have Daddy?!


The tiny skeleton slept through the whole thing!


Two princesses waiting for costume judging (neither of them won, but I still think they're adorable!)


Practicing her smile for the judges.


Checking out all of her loot.


All tuckered out after a very long day.