A is for Alayna

Here's a little video from the other day.  I had a proud mommy moment and had to document.  :) 

Another one of her A's. 

And lest you think she is perfect, I added this video of her crying because she was having a hard time writing an A.  She is one determined little girl.  I wonder where she got that characteristic from....  She comes by it honestly, I guess.  Every time she would go to write the letter A and it didn't turn out, this is what would happen: 

Complete and utter frustration.  Don't you worry Layna, just as soon as your coordination gets a little better, you will be writing A's like you can't believe.

P.S.  THANK YOU to everyone that commented and emailed casserole recipes!  You saved the day.   I did indeed make my first casserole this weekend.  And it turned out great.  Or at least I think it did.  I didn't try it because it was for the funeral and I think they would have noticed if a corner was missing.  But it sure smelled good.  Who knows, I might turn into a casserole making fool....

I hate to admit this

BUT, I have yet to make a casserole in my married life.

Gasp.

I am a little ashamed.  In fact I almost didn't tell you, but I have this problem, you see.

There is a funeral this Saturday and I signed up to bring a casserole for the luncheon. Honestly, if there was an option to bring something else, I would have, but alas, this is all that was needed.  So, I guess now is time for me to branch out and make one.

Maybe the reason I haven't made one yet is simply because our family is small and I don't what all the leftovers?  Anyway, whatever the reasons, I need to make a good, easy casserole.  Do you have any favorite recipes?  Please share.  Thanks!

From,
the soon-to-make-her-first-casserole mom.

P.S. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Look who's becoming domestic

That's right. It's me!

I don't know what has gotten into me, but I guess I am feeling the need to improve my skills in the kitchen.


These are none other than biscuits make from scratch.

Dan says we're never going back to the store bought biscuits that scare me every time (with the popping noise) when I try to open them.

Then to top it all off we had homemade raspberry jam made by yours truly.

If you have never made jam before because you think that it's too hard....GO DO IT! It really is surprisingly easy. (Thanks Mom for teaching me!)

And here is our little biscuit-eater. I think she ate like two or three of them by herself.

A Favorite

When my fabulous mother came to help when Alayna was born, she bought me one of these.

Oh, how I love it!

Can you believe that after being married almost four years, we didn't have one? You would have thought that out of all of our wedding gifts, there had to be at least one. Nope. Not a one.

I can't tell you how much I love the fact that I can put my ingredients in it, forget about it, and then have a scrumptious meal at the end of the day.

The only problem is. I have only two crock pot recipes. They are both delish, but we need a little more variety than that. :)

This is where I need your help. I KNOW there are readers of my blog that are wonderful cooks. Do any of you have a crock pot recipe that is a favorite? Please share.

I am sure Dan will thank you. As will I.