Quick Chicken Fettuccine

Wow!  I am really loving how this day has started!

Being the night owl that I am I rarely see 7 a.m.  If I do, it is usually because I have something I have to do.

But today is different.

I am up because I want to be up.   Yee haw!!

It feels great to sit here in the quiet solitude one can only find in the awakening of a new day.

I have my favorite quiet time music on, we have had our smoothie and now I am savoring my one cup of coffee.

Lovely day.

I am glad to report, that I have not had a headache since Sunday. 

Do you ever get migraines?

I would not wish one of those on my worst enemy, if I had a worst enemy.

Anyway, I had two last week and the only commonality I could find between the two incidents is PEANUTS!

Oh no!  I love home roasted peanuts! 

But, if I must give them up, I will. 

The only other culprit I can think of is hormones. 

Ok, enough of that!

I made this delicious dinner the other day.

I mean it was really delicious.

My nephews wife has made something like this for us before, but I never knew exactly what she used.  I'm still not sure this is what she uses, but it is close enough to the flavor of hers for me. 

I was kind of afraid to eat it, thinking my migraines might be food related and all, but I gave it a go and all was well.

So, I put three of these Tyson pre cooked chicken breasts in the oven for about 18 minutes:

Now let me just say, normally, I try to avoid pre-cooked products, but this one has no preservatives and it gives this great smoky flavor to the dish, kinda like a Carino's dish.  I also like that they are all just about a good portion size.  No humongous sized ones.  Well, not in this bag, anyway.  It was my first time using them.

As that was warming up, I sauteed some mushrooms.  I dont know if you would really call it sauteing, because I did not use any oil or butter.  I guess you could say, I grilled them.

I love the flavor they get when they get a little toasted.

These Buitoni raw noodles only take 3-4 minutes to cook and they are delicious.  So, I threw them in the boiling water when the chicken timer rang.  That gave me time to chop the chicken up into bite size pieces.

Then I drained my noodles, added the chicken, mushrooms and this alfredo sauce:

Oh my gosh!  It was so tasty and it fed me, Ronnie and my mom.  Next time I will put green peas in it.

I would say, it cost about $3 per serving.  I wont give you the calorie count, haha.  Naw, it really wasn't that high.  I just don't remember what it was.

So, there it is.

Oh, one last thing. . . I am not receiving any type of compensation from these fine brands for this post. 

I am sure most of you already have a recipe like this in your rotation, but I just thought this was so quick, easy and delicious and I wanted to share.

I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Good Afternoon, Casa Causpanic, Can You Please Hold...?

Ugh! A migraine type headache has had me on hold a couple of days.

But, today I went and got the healing touch of my mom, and I got a massage.

I am feeling much better tonight but I think I will be staying off the computer for the rest of the week.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

See ya again next week!

Why is Today's Sunday Song Special?

...because a special thing happened today.

Our godson received his first Holy Communion today!!!

It was an incredible day. 

As you may know, all the children in this blog have blog names to protect their identity, so after careful consideration we have decided that our godson's blog name is. . . drum roll please. . . "Mr. Dynamite!"

Why?  Because he really is a stick of Dynamite!  He is full of energy and life.  He will burst into song and dance at the drop of a hat and when he does, it is like an explosion of happiness!  True story.

Ok, so Mr. Dynomite and his family attend a traditional Catholic church in Dickinson, just a few blocks  from where we used to live, actually. 

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So, we headed out early this morning.

When we arrived we saw Mr. Dynamite was taking pictures with his family and he was absolutely adorable in his white linen suit and bow tie.

We interrupt this program for a peri-menopausal rant....

I'm having issues getting the picture of us from the phone to my email and I am pinned down by a black lab.  He has his head on my leg and I don't have the heart to disturb his nap, so I can't go upload the picture from Mr. Dynamite's baptism so you can see how much he has grown.

Not only that, but there is something under my contact and I think I am having a freaking hot flash.  Why is it so hot in here?  ugh, it feels like my feet are going to combust!

So why dont I just upload my Sunday Songs in honor of Mr. Dynamites first Holy Communion and tell you more about our day and show you pics tomorrow. 

I hope you understand . . .  IT'S SO HOT ALL OF A SUDDEN!!

I have shared the following song before.  But, it is worth sharing again.  It really does express the awe I am in about this sacred mystery.

And, a special lullaby for our Mr. Dynomite:

This and That Post

Hello!!

It's Friday Night!

What did you do this fine Friday??

Our Fridays have changed drastically.

They used to consist of shopping , dinner at Outback or Imperial Cafe (when we lived in Corpus) and waaaay back when . . . it even included a bar , a band , and a little two-stepping!

Now-a-days our Fridays still include food - we might invite mom over for supper or go out to eat with her and my niece, Christi.  But the end is a little different . . . it includes a sofa, a net book, a kindle, a yellow lab, a black lab, and a tv.  Now that the "Blue Bloods" season is over I'm not sure what we will be watching. 

But really.  Who could complain about a Friday night with Tom Selleck?  Not this girl, for sure.  

  

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I am just glad to have him back in my life on TV.  Oh Tom, I still love you after all these years.  If you havent seen this show yet, check it out.  It is really good.

Aaaaaaanyway...

This is basically a photo dump - random photos that I thought I would write individual posts about, but never did. 

Put your seatbelt on!

When I told you about Spring Happenings I showed you this picture of the guest room aka the little room because it is about 5 ft x 12 ft.  Long and narrow.

We have been trying to clear it out and make it the guest room it was intended to be so Mom can come spend the night with us on occasion.

Yeah, she only lives about 7 blocks from us, but sometimes I just wanna wake up with her here and eat breakfast with her (it's also part of my evil scheme to try to get her to want to move in with us). 

Way at the back of this mess under the window is a . . . uh . . . hmmm . . . dang, I don't know what to call it.  The word won't come to mind.  It's this:

Kind of like a cedar chest, but it's a home-made box made out of pine, haha.  My brother and mom made it for me.  It was really pretty when they gave it to me. 

So, I decided it was time for a make over.

I got a painters drop cloth and got to work.

Actually, it couldn't have been that easy because that is how easy I expected it to be.

Nope.  It was a little more involved than my impatient self wanted it to be.

I tore off the old material and then had to pull out all the staples. 

Plus, we decided if we use it in the guest room, it would serve double duty as storage and a place to sit when getting dressed.

So, it had to be reinforced all the way around because, really, it was just a pine box with a lid.

I have finished it, but I haven't taken an after picture yet.  "Boooo".  Or, as we Aggies say, "Tssssss" because it is rude to booo.

Texas had a little rain the past couple of months.

Yes, this is our charming view out of the front window.  And yes, you do sense a bit of sarcasm. :)

On this particular rainy day, it flooded on our street in front of our little studio.

That did not give drivers any incentive to drive any slower.  Every time a car passed by the water rippled and pert near pushed water into our little abode.

Ronnie sat at that window for hours hollering things like, "Slow down, Crazy!"  "Hey, you're gonna push water into our house!" "This city's drainage system sucks !".  Oh my.  He was really working himself into a fit. 

One day we woke up and saw these in our neighbors yard:

Haha, hehe, hoho.   

Ok, back to serious business.

Did you see the Super Moon, or whatever it was called?

Yep, this is what we saw that night.

It was a little cloudy here in Texas that night.  I actually did get a picture of the moon, but I liked this one best.  Honestly, that's how little the moon impressed me, but this picture I took . . . .

We are nearing the end folks. 

Oh, don't cry.  

Oh . . . those are tears of joy?  I see.

Nothing like a little baseball to end a post.

This is our grandson, BW (his parents did give him a real name, that is just what we call him on this blog for security purposes, because when you are as handsome a devil as he is, you need security):

 

He is a handsome devil.  He is my grand-son by love, so obviously I had nothing to do with his handsomness.  I did get up at like 7 a.m. to keep him half a day once when he was little, though. 

He is eleven, now.  He actually had a birthday three days after this picture was taken.   

Last year he had a party at a huge, fun ranch.  This year, he said he had everything he needed and just had his two besties over for a swim and some cake.

      

That beauty with them is BW's sister, our grand-daughter.  She is my grand-daughter by love, so I obviously had nothing to do with her beauty.  Although, I did feed her her bottle once when she was a baby.

Ok, so back to the ball game.  Just a couple more pics . . . no blah blah blah.

   

A father and his daughter.  Oops, I forgot, no blah blah.  Sorry

Ahh, there he is . . .  the love of my life.  I don't know why he has that mean look on his face.  He actually, usually, has a very sweet smile. 

I told him Dr. Phil probably never looked at Robin that way. 

And for the grand finale . . . tonight's dinner on our fine paper plates.  Aren't they gorgeous???

Have a wonderful weekend and stop in and tell us what you are up to!!!

Pre-K Graduation Slide Show

One of my favorite things to do is make picture videos.

Meaningful music just seems to add so much to pictures.

Anyway, last year my sister in law asked me to help her make a picture video of her pre k class. 

We spent hours looking for the right songs, we made videos of the children telling what they would like to be when they grow up and we mixed those videos up within the ton of pictures my sister in law took throughout the year. 

It was such a good video we did it again this year. 

The one new song we can suggest for a pre-k graduation picture video is The Friendship Song by Carbon Leaf, from the Curious George movie.  Very cute song.

Last years serious song was Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean and this years serious song was, My Wish, by Lonestar.  I had used that song for a 15th birthday (Quincianera) video.  Beautiful.

I digress....

Now, this years video was extra important to me because the twins, my great-neice and great-nephew were in the pre-k graduating class!!

Whaaaat????  Say it isn't so!!! 

They just amaze me.

The things they say and do crack me up.

 

  I just  completely adore them!

And, my heart swells when they walk in, see me and say with delight, "Aunt Jenn!".  Usually, Baby Girl does that.  Baby Boy just smiles and waits for his hug, pretending he doesnt want one. 

What really gets me is when Baby Girl sees my mom.  She makes my mom feel so special because when she sees her she runs up to her and gives her a big ol' hug. 

Oops...I digress...again.

As I organize and put all the pictures together with the videos, I end up falling in love with ALL the children.  They are all so sweet and their personalities are just so pure.  God bless them!!

So here it is...the Pre-K class of 2012 video.  Enjoy.

Sunday Song for Mom...Happy Mother's Day

Wow!  This blog is starting to look like a Sunday Song Blog. 

I will get to writing posts again, soon. 

But, for now...

...it's Mothers Day!!

This song puts it all into words for me.

My mom is such a wonderful woman and is such a great mom. 

She is my Angel and I thank God for her on this and every day.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  I love you

And Happy Mother's Day to Memaw, Ronnie's Mama.  Even though she is no longer with us in this life, I know she is still watching over him. 

May all the mothers have a wonderous, blessed day!!

Sunday Song

Hello!

It has been a beautiful day here in Texas!  I hope it has been beautiful for everyone everywhere!

We spent some much needed time with Mom and Pam and Leo (my brother and sister in law) and their family. 

Which is why I picked this song for today's Sunday Song.  It makes me think of my brother Leo. 

Today, I give many thanks and much gratitude to the Lord for His Grace.

Thank You, Lord!

God Bless!  Have a wonderful week :)

Happy Half A Century Day!

This is us with our son-in-law.

He is awesome.

He is also the newest member of the Half a Century Club.

Yep, he turned the big 50 today.

He had a party Saturday.

It was a boozy  doozy.

Here he is dancing with his "walker".

With his wife.

And with his oldest son.

His other children were hanging out with their friends there at the house.  I got a picture of him with our grand-daughter, but she was kind of looking off, so I'm not going to post it. Although she is stunningly gorgeous for a 13 year old, she might get embarrassed.

You know it is very important to have excellent pics when you are 13, almost 14!!

But, here is Ronnie II and our friend Shauna with the Ol' Dawg.

And...of course a 50th birthday party would not be complete without a little birthday cake up the guest of honors nose.

He actually wasn't the only one with a birthday!

Our grandson, BW, turned 11 on Monday!!  11!!  Oh my.

We had a blast this weekend until the Sunday morning headache. 

We were able to make it to one of BW's baseball games also.  It is so amazing to see how much he has changed and how great he is at catching pop-flies!

BW is our pop-fly catching machine!!

I may or may not have had my fill of alcohol until at least Ol' Dawg's 70th birthday, (at least a year and a half away). 

It took me this long to recover from maybe having or not having my fill of alcohol at Ronnie II's 40th birthday party.

These kids gotta quit having birthdays.

And if that picture wasnt proof enough here is a video clip of Ronnie dancing with his son and grandson. 

I absolutely love this video!  My "crazy-lady-laugh" in the background is kind of scary, though.  I could not figure out if I wanted to shoot landscape or portrait. 

I am still waiting for that blackmail picture from this past Saturday's party to arrive in my email.  So far, I am safe (enter nail biting here).

Oh well....

Have a good one!!

Sunday Song and A Weekend Trip

Hello and Happy Sunday!

We had a wonderful weekend!

Working backward, today we were invited to enjoy pork chops, beans, potatoes, and mac and cheese at Pam and Leo's.  My sister-in-law CAN cook!  We saw all the littles ones.  Got the bad knews that Li'l Sugar Plum wont be able to stay with us anymore.  She has allergies, we have dogs.  Allergies and dogs...not a match.  Bummer, Dude.

Yesterday we went to meet Ronnie's great grandson!!

He looked so perfectly nestled on Ronnie's chest.

I held him for a really long time.  I just couldnt let him go.  I actually wanted to put him in the Jeep and bring him home. 

 

We held the little guy so long he got hungry.  Here he is telling his mom, "I'm so hungry, Mommy."  And, of course, Mom was able to calm him and get him fed.

After a good little meal, he decided he was ready for a nap.  His daddy put him in his little swinging bassinet and he nestled in and cut some zzzz's.

Be still my heart.

So, in honor of this sweet little boy, todays Sunday Song is a bed time prayer.

God Bless! 

Sunday Song

Oh, how I love this song. 

I wish they would play it every Sunday before Holy Communion.  I could sing it to myself in my head, but golly, my singing is so bad...even in my own head.

But, non the less, this is my prayer every Sunday, "...with thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You." 

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday full of joy, peace and love!

Spring Happenings

Hello, Hello!

I hope you had a blessed Easter!

Ours was very nice. 

We started out with Mass at Holy Cross.  Our first Easter Mass there.  We are both starting to feel very much at home there. 

My brother and sister-in-law went to visit her Louisiana family, but all their kids came by and Mike made some ribs on the pit.  Baby Girl, Baby Boy and Honey Boy all hunted eggs.  Mike even played a game of Chutes and Ladders with the twins. 

It was a beautiful day.

Last week Mom and I picked up the twins from pre-k and took them to the park and McDonalds. 

We had a good time with those little tykes.  It was nice to get Mom out.  She watched as I climed the jungle gym with the kids and pushed them on the swings.

Then we decided to go to another side of the park. 

Mom gave them the Easter present she bought for them.  They were so cute because they kept saying, "We really like our presents Grandma!!"  So sweet.  And like every Grandparent, it meant the world to her that she pleased them.

Now that all the Easter fun is over we decided we would try to clean out the little room. 

I got sidetracked by a project so we didn't get very far but we should be able to complete either the project or the room by the end of the weekend.

I would like to finish this post with a song I intended to post yesterday, but the day just passed by too quickly.

This song reminds me of what I call our church home, the church where we prepared for marriage, where Ronnie received his Sacraments and where we were married.  It was such an incredible time in our lives and this song always takes me back.

Last one...I promise.

I pray every one has a wonderful, peaceful, safe week!

Good Friday

What about Mary

Holy Thursday

Well, as you have probably noticed, this weeks blog posts are reflections on Christ.

I pray you have enjoyed these posts.

I share today's post only to share our faith with you.

But, just in case you aren't into that, you might want to wait to check back til, oh say, the middle of next week.

For those of you that are still reading, I hope you enjoy this explanation of what Holy Thursday means to those of us that are Catholic and why this day is so special to us. 

"Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is possibly one of the most important, complex, and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church. Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood.

During the Last Supper, Jesus offers himself as the Passover sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb, and teaches that every ordained priest is to follow the same sacrifice in the exact same way. Christ also bids farewell to his followers and prophesizes that one of them will betray him and hand him over to the Roman soldiers.

Around the world, Bishops and priests come together at their local Cathedrals on Holy Thursday morning to celebrate the institution of the priesthood. During the Mass, the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism that will be used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the sick or dying.

At this Mass, the bishop washes the feet of twelve priests to symbolize Christ’s washing of his twelve Apostles, our first bishops and priests.

Later that night, after sundown – because Passover began at sundown- the Holy Thursday Liturgy takes place, marking the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred "Triduum,” or three, of Holy Week. These days are the three holiest days in the Catholic Church.

This Mass stresses the importance Jesus puts on the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water, a symbol of baptism. Also emphasized are the critical importance of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ’s Body, which we now find present in the consecrated Host.

At the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful are invited to continue Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the night, just as the disciples were invited to stay up with the Lord during His agony in the garden before His betrayal by Judas.

After Holy Thursday, no Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil celebrates and proclaims the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ."

source

It is such a beautiful Mass. 

Every year I am touched by the number of people that stay with Jesus through Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. 

It seems that after all these years I would have somehow become immune to it. 

But I do not. Every year my amazement intensifies.  Every year my sorrow for what I know followed the last supper becomes deeper and deeper. 

I don't know how to explain it but it is such an incredible feeling because I know that soon that feeling will turn into the joy of the Resurrection.   

God Bless!

Just for You

This song always makes me think of my childhood friend, Gloria.

I love you, Sister!!

Happy Easter!!