Zoie bug had so much fun at our church’s big bash, October 31st Party!! We also took her trick or treating at the Branson Landing. Every store had treats for the kiddos.

Daddy and his bug.

Hannah & BF Alli (its a waterbottle)

Rahel Blackwell & Zoie with super nerds.

Rae Rae & Hannah

Hands down, poppy seed chicken is my family’s favorite meal.  This dish is a cure for the comfort food craving and is a good casserole to take when you need something for a potluck.  Bloggy friends, let me know if your crazy family digs this yummy dish.

• 5 to 6 skinless chicken breasts
• salt
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 – 8oz can of cream of chicken soup
• 1- 8oz can of cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz sour cream
• 2 tbl of lemon juice
• Ground pepper
• Ritz crackers
• 1 stick of butter
• Poppy seeds

Slow fix: Boil the chicken breasts in salty water and a couple of celery stalks – boil, then simmer for a couple of hours. Quick fix: Cut chicken in bite size pieces and rapid boil until fully cooked.

When the chicken breasts are ready you will want to take them out of the broth and into a large mixing bowl. While still hot – shred the chicken up. I have a shallow stainless steel mixing bowl that I love for this kind of mixing.

Once you have all the chicken shredded add 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup and 1 can of Cream of Mushroom – mix in. Then add the sour cream and mix thoroughly.

Mix in the lemon juice and ground pepper – we do extra pepper because we like it! Once you have mixed, you can put in a casserole dish or my mother in law uses a 9″ square pan.

Then take out three to four ‘stacks’ of Ritz crackers. Just crush the crackers in “stack” one at a time and spread over the bottom (crust) and top.

Then sprinkle the poppy seeds over the top. As much or as little as you would like. While you are sprinkling melt one stick of butter. I do this in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. If you are making this ahead of time don’t do the butter step- just put the casserole in the refrigerator for later. Do the butter step when you are ready to cook.

Death by butter…pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the Ritz crackers.

You are ready to bake! 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you refrigerated it will probably take about 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.  I serve with brocolli or any kind of green vegetable…it looks nice. Enjoy!

Bloggy friends… you are getting so close. If you are the 99,999 visitor hit you win a super cool prize!  All you need to do is leave me a comment + take a pic and let me know you are the winner! I have a special collection of my favorite things to give the big hit winner!  I am blessed everyday reading your comments.  They are little “happys” to me.  This is my way of saying thank you for coming by My Crazy blog!

Our dog, Tate got into some mischief today! It made me think of the challenging days we went through during our adoption.  Many of my dear friends are waiting for travel, court dates, referrals, etc… it’s enough to drive you a little crazy. It’s kinda like a “gumdrop in your eye” day.

Lord God, help me to keep up my courage and have faith in You that things will happen just as You said. (Acts 27:25)

My good friend, Becca made these amazing stuffed squashes and made such a delicious fuss about them… I begged for the recipe.  I’ve never made anything like this before, but I’m going to try it tonight!  I know, it will take more than 20 minutes, but I can’t pass up such a yummy fall treat!  I’ll keep you posted if there was success… kid proof winner!

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squashes

• 2 medium acorn squashes (about 2 pounds), halved and seeded
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 lb. ground chuck (95 percent lean) or ground turkey
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. course salt
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup craisins
• 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place squashes, cut sides down in a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add ground beef, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much of the cooking liquid in the pot as possible.

3. Add onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine.  Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Take pot off the stove and let sit covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, and add reserved beef, the raisins, parsley and pine nuts.

4. Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4 inch thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to the oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned. 12 to 14 minutes.

“Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities.” (Luke 12:48 msg)

If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.

(Oswald Chambers)

Our “yo yo” girl!

I promise this short video will inspire you! Francis Chan (author of Crazy Love) shares his “balance beam” challenge with such incredible honesty… one of the best storytellers in the world! God wants us to live a crazy wonderful life loving Him and others with all our hearts! I still can’t do a cartwheel on the beam, but I’m trying.  Lets take his challenge together…. let go of the balance beam and jiggle, jump, flip, skip and soar like crazy for the Judge!

I’m not proud to admit I slack on chores, but I love a clean house.  Zoie wakes up in the morning and drags every toy new or previously owned by her siblings, scattering over the entire downstairs… I’m holding my breath she doesn’t learn how to drag toys up the stairs. It seems senseless to scrub and de-clutter and organize when she is awake.  Hence, the slacking on chores.  I work super hard however, instilling in my older children the qualities of responsibility.  They are personally responsible (PR) to clean their rooms, organize the zillions of T shirts I lovingly wash, dinner dishes, as well as any extra jobs two well-bodied teens can help out with inside and out.  Roger was singing Hallelujah when his son could finally take over lawn duty!

Last night, I lost it.  There was no denying the tension building in the air.  My 20 minuet gourmet dinner was devoured and the dirty dishes were piled high.  No teens to be found.  As I peeked around, I noticed their baskets of clean clothes still waiting to be sorted, muddy track shoes, golf clubs scattered on the floor like a maze, and lots and lots of clutter.  I swear it looked like I did nothing around the house all day, but Zoie was my witness.  She was my only witness.

The candid dialogue:

“Kids, you better get in here and start your chores.”

silence

“Kids, you better get in here NOW and start your chores.”

silence

“3 seconds and you will be grounded!”

Thundering gallop of teens.

The next 1/2 hour was seriously crazy.  How can 2 awesomes cause so much chaos doing dishes.  I reminded them loudly that my energy was draining at rapid speed.  In the end, it was (in my opinion) a half baked job.  I noticed water flooding on the floor and my flood gates opened.  Crazy mom made an appearance.  The kids endured a looonnngg lecture about PR and their lack of PR.  I didn’t feel appreciated as a mom.

I really was drained.  Roger was still in Chicago and I was tired of playing single mommy.  I hid in my room (blogging) but kept hearing kitchen noise.  About an hour later, both kids came in and I smelled something heavenly.  They baked me chocolate frosted brownies and their smiles and hugs reaffirmed how much they appreciated me.

Zoie says… cuddle cuddle.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son…. By believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.  God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending is Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.  He came to help, to put the world right again. (John 3:16 msg)

Zoie turned 21 months old today!

My amazing hubby is running in the Chicago Marathon this weekend for Team World Vision.  We are soooo proud of our marathon man!  Make sure he can hear you cheering on Sunday (day of the race)

I care. And so I run.

Who is Team World Vision?
A few years ago a guy by the name of Michael felt God calling him to use his gift of sport to further the work of World Vision. He shared that vision and in 2006 was joined by 95 runners who ran the Chicago Marathon and raised $100,000 for relief work in Africa. That number grew in 2007 to 600 participants and in 2008 to over 1,000. In 2009, Team World Vision will have a presence at events across the United States and hopes to have over 2,000 athletes and raise over one million dollars!

But don’t get confused; it’s not about the numbers. Team World Vision is about making a difference. It’s about improving the quality of your life while improving the quality of lives all over the globe.

For more information, check out http://www.teamworldvision.org/.

Intro to Team World Vision from Team World Vision on Vimeo.

I had the precious honor of spending the day with 2 angels.  They are both living proof that when we go through great difficulties we do not lose our spirit or faith in God when we trust Him with all our hearts.  I had the best time taking photos of the winners of Be A Gift… enjoy the special video and take the time to listen to the beautiful song… you are SO LOVED.

Here are their stories: 2 angels Laurie and Linda

Laurie’s 15 year old son, John Hayden Stanley was hit by a car March 31, 2007. Hayden was standing within 3 to 4 feet of the curb in front of his own house when he was hit by a teen driver who was speeding and not paying attention. Hayden was dragged 55 feet under the car and was left trapped under the car. Hayden spent 6 weeks in the intensive care unit at Cox South in Springfield, he was then transferred to St. Louis Childrens Hospital for 13 weeks. Due to Traumatic Brain Injury Hayden was given less than a 1% chance of surviving, but has now been in a coma for about 22 months. He’s now in his own home in Springfield, his parents provide his 24 hr care. He is not fully responsive so he still needs alot of care, he also has periodical hospital stays due to pneumonia and seizures.

Special note from Laurie:

The women at JRA have absolutely blown me away! What an amazing blessing I was given to be chosen for Be A Gift; amazing that they would choose to honor someone who isn’t even a member.  My day of pampering and shopping was the most spectacular day, and one of the best days of my life.  The women that I had the pleasure of spending the day with were an even bigger blessing for me, we laughed, we cried, we bonded.  I didn’t just spend the day with strangers, I made new friends that I plan on keeping for the rest of my life;  friends that uplifted me, gave me encouragement,  and wisdom that will last far beyond that day.  The generosity of JRA is the most overwhelming thing of all, their help will greatly improve our daily struggles, and help us get back to the most important thing in life…our family! I will be forever grateful and thankful to JRA and to God for the life changing, spirit filling honor I’ve been given!
O LORD, thou has brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. …in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:…To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.  O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. PSALMS 30:3,5,11-12

Bloggy friends to KISS A LOT TODAY AND HAVE FUN!

God’s love was not cautious but extravagant.  He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to you.  Love like that. (Ephesians 5:2 msg)

I’m home today with my sick teenager…. hope you feel better soon sweet girl.  We’re grateful that she does not have piggy flu! Hence the adorable pic.  It gave us both a laugh.

We have so much to be thankful for.