Fun with friends!

A couple of nights ago we had some special friends over for dinner!

Me & my friend Mel have know each other for years, and just recently we actually live close!

We finally got together at our house for the first time in the 10 months we've lived here. LOL

The kiddos had tons of fun on the trampoline!

Isn't she such a cutie?!

Us girls ate, went to Hobby Lobby, and then made keychains!

Mel's selection of beads is amazing!

We had a ton of fun, and I can't wait for our next get together :)

Lots of fun with fam & friends!

So the last couple of weeks have been crazy!

First we had a group of our friends come up for a fun weekend..

Yes, they are just big kids.. ;)

We really had a blast though..

Then the crew left, and we had a week of school, and getting ready for the weekend.

And a little bit of t-ball practice in the beautiful weather!

Ahhh they are too cute.

That Friday, my parents came up to bring the hubs his golf clubs he had left there.

You see, he was preparing for a month long school in OKC, and it just so happens they have free golf where he's staying. Who would have thunk it? hahaha

We more than enjoyed the excuse to have them visit!

You'd be amazed what we can fit in in less than 12 hours!

The guys went & got boiled peanuts while Mom & I had a super short trip to Target. (well, as short as they get) hehe

Then we grilled burgers for lunch before Darryl had to leave for night shift, played outside alot with the boys, and went to McDonalds for ice cream & more playtime! Was lots of fun!

A few hours after my parents left, we had a very special guest, our dear friend from Germany, Rita! I hadn't seen her in a year, so it was awesome to hang out with her again. SO thankful that they are also Stateside now, so it shouldn't have to be so long in between visits anymore!

The first night we just talked & talked until bedtime.

But Saturday! Saturday was all about the St. Patty's Day Parade!

It was SOO fun!

And it was Rita's first Parade that lasted longer than 10 minutes, haha!

We know how to do Parades down south!

The boys LOVED it of course!

Well, Ay wanted to be held or run off most times.

And others, he loved being by bubba. Caleb was ALL about catching those beads!

Rita & I didn't do too shabby either! What can we say? :)

But yeah. Caleb definitely had the most.

As we were walking back to the car, I literally had to take them off of him because

they were weighing him down and making him sweat like crazy! LOL

We went home, bbq-ed some kabobs, and watched a cute movie!

Then after putting the boys to bed, we all crashed on the couch!

Rita had to leave in the morning for the rest of her trip to Texas, but we had an AWESOME time while we had her here!

So thankful for good friends!

24th birthday weekend!

Darryl took half the day off, and we headed to Slidell to start our vacation! First was spending my birthday weekend with our family in Slidell. :) It was the first time in 6 years that I'd been Stateside for my birthday and able to spend it with family!

We went to Texas Roadhouse shortly after getting to the dell. Yumminess!

And of course, they had them sing to me and I had to sit on the saddle. ;)

And of course, we had king cake back at my mom's house!! She always makes sure I have king cake for my bday. Yum!

:)

My parents got me the magic bullet and Pioneer woman's cookbook!! LOVE. :) Darryl got me a flash for my camera, which was used to take these pics! And, his parents got me a cuuute pair of shoes. :) Spoiled, I know!

Then Sunday night we had a church function to attend at a friends house after church, or so I thought! It was actually a suprise party for my birthday. My hubby and my friend Brittany, and my mom and many others made it so special!

gotta love good friends :)

Like this one... :)

And yes, I have the best hubby ever.

Caleb helped me blow out the candles!

Friends!!

I had a great birthday weekend, and am so grateful for the family & friends who worked hard to make it so special.

Lasting friendships & fun times..

Last week, my best friend of 9 years came to my house for a couple of days with her baby girl in tow! Well, not really baby girl, she just turned ONE! :)

The boys so enjoyed having meals with her at the table, it was quite cute. :)

Ay liked to chase her down for hugs..

And Miss Aubrey was more interested in the dog food! :) so funny!

My hubby was smitten.

So much as to volunteer to watch all three kids so we could have a girls night! Yay!

And we even had time to take a trip to the State park so I could take Aubrey's first birthday photos!!

What a sweet little model.

Happy birthday Aubrey! We love you!

Southern goodness.

I'm a firm believer in that no southern home (ok fine, no Louisiana home, ok?) should be without a great jambalaya recipe! And this is just that. I adapted this recipe last year off of one I found on the internet. It's not exactly like it, but it's very similar. I make it about 2x a month. :) So let's get started, shall we?

Cut up your celery, onions, and bell pepper. I use a large knife and cut them in pieces and then use the chopper to get them really small.

Mix all together and place in a bowl and put aside. Here's the cast of ingredients:

(besides the garlic that I forgot to add in the pic) ;)

Get a good size pan, and put a bit of butter and your sausage in it. (ours is deer sausage because it's what I had on hand, you can use whatever kind you prefer!) Brown it for a bit, and then add half of your onion, bell pepper, and celery mix.

Cook for a minute or two and then add your tomatoes, tomato sauce, rice, and garlic.

While your ingredients are simmering for a bit, shred your chicken.

Yeah baby! Add your seasonings, chicken, and bay leaves, place it all in a 9x13, and pop it in the oven!

And of course...you need some bread with that jambalaya! What better than some mouthwatering cheddar bay biscuits?! This is a staple in our home, and it's basically a wanna be cheddar bay biscuit from Red Lobster! Of course they do it better, but these are pretty darn tasty!

Mix the milk, bisquick, and cheese together. Then put in an 8x8 greased dish or whatever you have close to that!

Take your jambalaya out of the oven after 45mins to an hour, you judge based on how the rice feels. And enjoy the aroma in your kitchen. So nice!

Stick your biscuits in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes or until you can stick a fork in them and it come out clean.

Microwave your butter and add some garlic powder to it. Then lather it on your biscuits. Don't be shy!

Sit. Serve. Eat.

Love you some southern food.

Oh... and think of me. :)

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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
I thing of sausage diced
1 Cup Onion, Diced
1 Cup Bell Pepper, Diced
1 Cup Celery, Diced
3 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Tomatoes, Diced (I sometimes use Rotel!)
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 1/2 Cup Enriched Long grain Rice
couple of chicken breasts boiled & shredded or a rotisserie chicken shredded
1/2 tsp Cayenne, 3/4 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme, 4 Bay Leaves & Tony's to your taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter, saute the sausage until slightly browned. Add 1/2 onion, bell pepper, celery mix,saute until tender. Add tomato, tomato sauce, and the garlic and rice, cook 1 minute. Add the stock, seasoning mix, bay leaves, other half of the onion, pepper and celery mix, and chicken. Stir and place in a 9x13 for 45 minutes to an hour. Be sure to stir it a few times in between.

Here's the blog for the recipe I adapted it from if you're interested! Looks like they have alot of good Louisiana recipes! http://neworleanscuisine.blogspot.com/2005/03/jambalaya.html

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits

(not the actual ones from Red Lobster, but very close!)

2 cups bisquick

2/3 cup milk

a handful or so of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp garlic powder

It's that easy! I got this recipe from my mom, and I think she got the recipe online years ago.

I can't really remember back when she didn't make them! We love these in our home!

Happy cooking y'all! :)