Blue, Part 2

I love kids books, I love reading to my kids, and I love that they love books.  That said, when my kids latch on to a book that they love and I hate, well that can be miserable.  Having to read the same book, several times a day, day after day, can be torturous.  In fact, we've been known to hide some of their favorite books, just so we could get a break.  Isn't that awful?  Sometimes, I'll catch on to a really bad book before my kids have it memorized, and I can significantly shorten adapt the story to my liking.  (Don't try to tell me that you haven't done the same.)  So, you know it's wonderful when the kids choose a favorite that we all like, and can tolerate to read over, and over, and over...

One such book is Little Blue Truck, by Alice Schertle.  It's a cute story with non-annoying rhymes, great illustrations and a good message.  Sometimes when I'm driving, I hear the kids reciting the story in the backseat, a sure sign that they like the book.   Blake has a brown lamp in his bedroom shaped like a truck, and yesterday, after reading Little Blue Truck, he asked me, "Why my lamp not a little blue truck, mama?" Well, Blake, I'm not sure.  Let's see what we can do.

Beep, Beep, Beep!

The Best Pretty Good Sandwiches You'll Ever Eat

At dinner last night, Tyler said, "This is the best sandwich I've ever had."  Followed up by, "Well, of course they're not the best, but they are pretty good."  So, prepare, as I'm about to tell you how to make a pretty good sandwich.

At Tyler's request, chicken philly sandwiches were put on our dinner menu this week.  I had never made them before, but I decided to try using the crock pot, since I have issues with cutting up raw chicken.  Seriously.  I used my standard crock pot chicken cooking method, threw in some pepper and onions, and added it all to a toasted bun with some melted provolone.  The results were easy, fast and pretty good.

Crock Pot Chicken Philly Sandwiches

1.  Put chicken breasts in crock pot. ( I used 3 large).

2.  Top with small cubes of butter (about 2 tablespoons total).

3.  Sprinkle with one packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix.

4.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 5-6 hours.  

5.  About an hour before you are ready to eat, cut the chicken into chunks/cubes and add one sliced onion and one sliced green pepper (Red pepper would be great, too.  I bought one, but left it out because my kids will eat it raw but not cooked.)  Continue to cook until dinner time.

6.   Brush buns with melted butter and toast on a cookie sheet in the oven.  When they are lightly toasted, top with slices of provolone and put back in the oven for a few more minutes, until the cheese is melted. 

7.  Fill the buns with the chicken and veggie mixture and serve immediately.

Notes:

- I'm not a professional recipe writer.  Shocking, I know.

- Tyler used standard hoagie rolls, while the kids and I had DKB blues buns.  Everyone gave rave reviews.

This picture is awful, but I was in too much of a hurry to eat.  No time for a retake!

I served the sandwiches with crash hot potatoes from The Pioneer Woman blog.  They were super delicious and so simple.  They were seriously amazing, as in, instead of packing up leftovers, we stood over the pan and ate them with our bare hands.  I used small organic russets, since that's what I had on hand, along with dried rosemary instead of fresh.  Yum, yum, yum!

Before and After: Mascara

You know the age old question, "If you were on a desert island and could only have one item of makeup, what would it be?"  Wait, you don't play that game?  Well my answer is mascara (sunscreen and lip balm totally count as necessities, which is a different category in this game).  I know, I know, why would I need mascara when I'm on a desert island?  Whatever.  The point is, I don't like makeup, but I like love mascara.  I recently discovered a new favorite, and I think you should know about it.  It's called They're Real! by Benefit.  Sure, I spent more on it ($22) than I would on a pair of pants (uh, yeah, I'm cheap); but it is so worth it.  It lengthens, it curls, it separates.  Try it, you'll like it.

So, do you want to see how it works?  

Get ready for an extreme close up.

Ha, ha, ha.  I'm hilarious.  Seriously now, I'll have you know that it is really hard to take pictures of your own eyes.  Here you go:

 On the L- black liner, On the R- liner + mascara

 Now with mascara on both eyes. 

Pretty amazing, huh?

Sick Day Sanity Saver

Blake and Hadley have the winter icks.  Cold, cough, green boogies, and a brief period of puking, just to make things interesting.  While we are vomit free today, the snot is flowing and Blake sounds like an old smoker, but at least he is up for playing.  

Thank goodness for boxes!

Ladies first!

Hold on!