My 8 seconds of fame...hehe

Earlier this summer the girls and I helped my brother, Jason, shoot a commercial for this fan and lighting store. A few years ago, Jason and his partner bought the store from the original owners that were going out of business. He figured instead of being out of a job, he'd rather own the place. Perty smart, I'd say.

You can see the commercial here, just scroll down a bit. Jason's the one in the green short-sleeved shirt talking to the couple wearing black (in case you wondered). And I'm in the first 8 seconds of it, wearing my VERY purple shirt. Go Vikings? I had no idea I had such bad posture and I could really use some new jeans. LOL

By the way, I've got him ordering me the cutest little PINK, retro looking, table-top fan for the girls' room. They are gonna L O V E it! I'm thinking white noise here. Grasping at straws to stop their insane habit of waking up 2-3 times each night. It's actually gotten better since it's no longer every 1-2 hours all-night long. Their pediatrician recommended a reward system and that's helping somewhat, but not quite the miracle I was hoping for. So we trudge on and pray for the sleep we so desperately need.

I'll show you the fan in the girls' completed room, when it comes in. I've been doing a lot fo decorating lately and I have loads of pics to share. But, that party comes first...

Finding Joy...

...in the little things, when life seems to be taken over by the big things.



Lots going on over at our house. Will update properly after the big party this Sunday. I could use 48 hour days right about now and a body that doesn't need sleep to boot.

Hope you all are having a great week.

Good-bye summer...

...hello fall.

Rub-a-dub-dub

After breakfast this morning, Sam was covered in toast. That's his favorite food these days, so I'm sure he didn't mind. He definitely needed a bath and the sink was calling to us. I never did this with the girls, but wish I would have now. It was so easy!



We've got an extra deep sink. The kind you can put a whole cookie sheet in and not see any of it sticking out. So I would say that Sam is definitely bigger than a Jelly Roll pan. ;)



He wasn't quite sure what to think about being in the sink at first, but he slowly warmed to the idea.



Here's a look I've never seen before.



You're so funny Sam.



By the end, he was ready to take over and do the scrubbing.



Here's to more fun baths in the sink.

Creamy Almond Chicken

Here is another of our families favorite meals. Not exactly low-calorie, but it's oh-so-yummy. I love the unique flavor that the cream, Dijon and marmalade create. There is nothing else like it.

I always start out by flattening the chicken with my meat mallet (I have this one and it's amazing). It cuts the cook time almost in half and the chicken turns out more tender because of the shorter cook time.



Cook the chicken in a TB of butter and then remove to a plate.



You should have a brown looking pan like this. Perfect!



Pour in 1.5 cups of heavy cream and stir up all the brown bits. This will add great color and flavor to the sauce.



Add about 1 Tb of Dijon mustard, 2-3 Tb orange marmalade and a pinch of Cayenne pepper. Let it simmer to combine and thicken up for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking. You may decide it needs more Dijon or more marmalade.



Add the chicken back in and simmer for another 5 minutes.



This makes plenty of sauce so you could even cut back on the cream, cook more chicken or make it just like this, with lots of extra sauce for your rice.

For the full recipe, find it here.