chicken noodle soup

I have been perfecting my chicken noodle soup. I had a scratchy throat yesterday and it seemed appropriate to fix up some savory goodness. I think I finally have it where I want it, and it's easy! Sorry no picture, you'll have to trust me...


Steps.... ( I don not have a  future in food blogging, so you know, bear with me.)

1- Buy a whole chicken, the kind where you don't have to pull gross things out of the inside, and throw it in a crock pot, legs facing "up". Fill that bad boy up with water to where it's mostly covered, add salt and pepper (you can add more later). Cook on high for 4 hours. If you are super prepared you could do low for 8, but that's not usually my situation.

2- Chop up half a onion, and 3-4 carrots. I use a mandolin for the carrots. It's my new favorite kitchen tool, and I am probably spelling it wrong.

3- Melt 2TBS butter in dutch oven or whatever you'll be making the soup in. Add onions until soft, then add carrots. I usually add my herbs at this point. I used parsley, but you could do more.

4- Take your chicken out of slow cooker, gingerly. It will probably start falling a part, so prepare your heart and tongue to not say expletives. Then, with a bowl underneath a fine colander, drain your stock. This will catch on the gross leftover things from your chicken. If you don't have a mesh strainer or colander, get creative? I am not really sure.

5- Add your chicken stock to the pot. Add half a bag of egg noodles (or whatever seems appropriate to you). Bring to a boil. cook to al dente.

6- While noodles are cooking, pull off as much chicken as you want, the dark meat will add more flavor. I saved a bunch of the white meat for another meal.

7- When noodles are cooked, at meat and throw in some frozen english peas. The peas will   thaw out almost immediately.

8- Taste. Add salt and pepper to your liking.

9- SERVE:)

this girl

I had spent a great portion of my life avoiding suffering at all costs. Suffering and vulnerability.

And then I had this girl. This girl who made me fall in love hard and fast. Having a child, for me anyway, broke my heart in a million pieces, but in all the right ways. There was never a choice for me not to love her, not to risk all my fears on her. The love was compelling. When Annie lost her hair, I was so tempted to climb back into my cave, but again, I could not. This bright, sweet face just kept beaming, and I had no choice but to embrace this path we were on.

I have no idea why Annie doesn't have hair, but I know she is complete the way God made her. I was struck with delight and sadness as Annie tried on her fancy hair piece- that ugly reality that something broke a long the way, and yet all that beams from her is delight and gratitude (not in all things, she IS 4), but in regards to her hair or non hair, Annie is much more accepting than me. She does not feel broken, she feels like herself. And that is a gift.

The people I have been brave enough to love have changed me. I risk all the potential suffering in my world to love them back. I don't always do it well, but I try. I keep trying.

Rest

By some miracle, I managed to have a week off between two work weeks. I won't try to explain that, all you need to know is that I didn't have to work all night for like 7 nights in a row, twice.

I was feeling pretty close to the ledge, so tired in every respect, so I am thankful for the life rest has given me.

We are adjusting to our new schedules, slowly but surely. I have been living a "light driving" kind of life for the past few years, and all of that has changed. I had forgotten the mental drag that is associated with being in the car so much. Annie has school south of where we live, and she only goes for 4 hours, so unless we park it out by the school all morning (which is actually in my master plan), well, we just end up on the road for a good chunk of our day. Add soccer practice and games, and well, that line item in the budget just went up quite a bit...

So here we are, with homework sheets and reading logs, and yogurt all over my hard wood floors.

Here are my girls. They are really starting to be best friends, and I love that.

I hope all is well out there. 

spinning

Blogging has been slow lately. I kind of feel like the room is always spinning. So much to do, new schedules, work. and then everyone wants to eat, too!

I feel like we've had some growing pains around here lately. We've hit these times before, and usually peace follows soon enough. Sometimes we have to relearn everything we thought we had mastered.

For myself, I keep hearing my voice echo as I tell Annie to be kind, practice patience, not to make ugly faces.

As I raise my voice, probably have some contorted, frustrated face on, and a short fuse to boot.

I just keep saying I am sorry. I hope it helps. I hope she learns, too.

I am not good at sorry.

I hope she will be better.

Happy Friday!!!!