Corn Chowder - Sausage Cornbread

I truly couldn't be any happier than I am at this moment. 9:12 AM on Saturday, October 31st. I enjoyed a fast paced brisk walk with Sandy this morning, brewed a pot of coffee and am now enjoying my Christmas music (don't be a hater!) while I plan out my meals for the week and make a grocery list. The gorgeous leaves are falling from the trees outside and I'm wrapped up in a blanket as happy as a lark right now.

I am really embracing the spirit of Halloween this year, and I have Brooke to thank for that. She is so very excited about it - she LOVES dressing up and LOVES candy. There's something about the difference between my boys' tween/teen attitude about Halloween (just not a big deal anymore) and Brooke's absolute enthusiasm for it. I don't know.. somehow it makes me appreciate this holiday all the more. So, I'm pushing aside my utter disdain for the crazy candy consumption that is imminent and focusing on the pure joy that these kids experience on Halloween.

It has been a while since my last post - and even longer since the post before that. Somehow I approached and then hit 40 and all hell broke loose. First of all, the ol' metabolism just isn't as spunky as she used to be. For years I have listened to women say, "Just wait til you turn 40... it all changes!" And by golly, I hit 40 and almost to the day, things changed! I get it now. So I am navigating through that because I like to feel good, have energy, fit into my clothes, etc. Now that I'm 40, I have to work a bit harder to achieve that. Then I've been going through what I think might be part of this thing called a "mid-life crisis." Now, crisis is a bit strong... but there's something about turning 40 that causes one to reflect on 40 years lived. Am I where I thought I'd be at 40? Where am I headed? What do I want to be doing or do that I've not done yet? These are all questions that in some shape, form or fashion have resonated with me over the past year.

I think I mentioned in my last post that my mom went through two major surgeries last Summer. In addition to that, my kids were all over the place - all the while, I was trying to hold down a full time job and be everything to everyone. Well, when you try to do that, it catches up with you. It's impossible, especially if you've neglected to care for yourself in the midst of the craziness. So, last Fall, I made the tough decision to step out of my wellness manager role and into a part time wellness role. Fortunately, Children's made that transition very easy for me which enabled me to have more time to focus on my family. It's what I desperately needed as it gave me time to re-evaluate things and sort of figure out what I/my family needed. That said, I've made another tough decision. I've made the decision to leave everything here and move to Africa.

Just kidding.

Over the past few months, I have been itching to get back into a management role - to work full time again. This helps out financially, of course, but it also helps me - as a person - as I like to be busy - go, go, go is a pace that is natural to me. So, I start full time in just over a week and I'm really really excited. I think it makes me a better person. And I have to say that I am really thankful for the belief that Children's has in me. It makes me want to do a stellar job - to rise to every challenge - to be the best I can be. As great as I feel at work, it has caused me to think about the way I make my children feel at home. I tend to be a touch critical of my kids and in this go, go, go pace that we're in, I often don't remember to take the time to praise them as much as I should. So, I am going to really focus on parenting my kids the way that Children's has "parented" me - with open arms, lots of love, demanding, yes - but full of praise as well.

I mentioned above that this morning, I have been enjoying making my meal plan for the week. As a working mom of three, I HAVE to have a plan when it comes to meals and food. My boys come home from school RAVENOUS. It's actually pretty amazing how hungry they are. I think there's a word for it - HANGRY. Sometimes they come home so hungry that they're a touch angry - hence HANGRY. If I don't have a plan, then we are scrambling, they are disappointed and the evenings don't go as well. I have some great dishes planned for this week, several of which are crockpot meals. One thing I made a couple weeks ago that is always a hit and the ultimate comfort food is potato/corn chowder with sausage cornbread. It's a light chowder that is healthy and colorful and when you eat it alongside a wedge of sausage cornbread, it's lights out good.

First, you cook a package of regular breakfast sausage. I'm sure you could use turkey sausage or something other than regular pork sausage, but I use good ol' Jimmy Dean because I like the way it tastes and I only have just a little bit :).

 

 

The sausage is what becomes the bottom of the cornbread. You set that aside (drain off some of the fat) and then mix together corn, corn meal, flour and some other things... pour it all on top of the sausage and put into the oven to bake.

For the chowder, you saute onion and red and green bell pepper.

 

 

Gorgeous, right? Then, you add the peeled and diced potato, little bit of cream, water, etc. And the chowder starts to come to life.

 





It doesn't need long to cook. By the time the cornbread is ready, the chowder is ready. Put the two together and... SHAZAM!!! You have a miracle occurring right there on top of your taste buds!

My chowder is pictures with a little bit of Sriracha on top.  Mmmm mmm is this good!!!  Click here for the recipe.

What's In Your Oxygen Tank?

All five of us are down here on Amelia Island vacationing, and we're having a great time together.  The past year has been... how should I say... FULL (definition: containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space). We've experienced a lot - some major ups and some major downs. But like people do, we rolled with the punches and now we find ourselves back in our happy place... together.  I love the lazy mornings - watching each of my kids wake up on their own time and make their way slowly into the kitchen/living area with their sleepy eyes and messy hair.  I like that the beach house is small - no space goes unused and we're all together most of the time.  There's not a basement with a PS3 for my kids to go to... there aren't a pack of neighborhood kids playing just outside our window begging our kids to come out - it's just us ... in this sweet place... together.  I love it.

I have enjoyed my early morning runs here on the plantation.  There are endless routes around here - some on the gorgeous serene marsh side - some on the beach side - and some actually ON the beach... I have started running more often and occasionally enjoy a nice looonngg run. I enjoy my running time when I spend time with my thoughts - spend time in prayer - spend time thinking through the day... The best scenario for me is when I get up early enough to run, come back and turn on the coffee pot, grab a quick shower and then relax for a few minutes with my coffee and book (or my daily Skimm).  THEN I feel ready for the day.

What do you do to get ready for your day? To recharge and reboot? We live in a go-go-go society, don't we? And those of us in the throws of raising kids go all the time. All. The. Time. If we don't spend time feeding our souls, minds, hearts, bodies, etc., then we can't keep the ship sailing.  Trust me... I know.

Last Summer my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. On top of this, she had open heart surgery  to replace her aortic valve.  Seven weeks after her heart surgery, she had a lobe of her lung removed. Fortunately, my mom made it through all of that with flying colors and she's doing amazingly well now. In fact, looking at her and looking at the way she lives her life, you'd be shocked to find out she had endured these health issues. Those of you with sick parents know what it's like to take care of your parents AND your own family at the same time.  It's nearly impossible. I would spend nights with my mom at the hospital, go home in the  morning to shower and say hello to my kids - go back to the hospital for the day - then home again to feed my kids dinner - then back for the night.  Doing this night after night for weeks took its toll - on me, on my marriage, on my relationship with my kids. Everyone was supportive but it was HARD... and I lost it a little bit.  I remember sinking to the floor by my front steps and just crying... Crying because I felt sorry for my mom - crying because I felt sorry for my family and crying because I felt sorry for myself. 

I was so busy taking care of everyone else - I wasn't taking care of myself.  After my little meltdown, I started saying YES PLEASE when someone asked me if they could cook a meal for my family (prior to my meltdown, I felt guilty accepting help from anyone.  After all, it wasn't I who was enduring the surgeries - it was my mom - I was fine... or so I thought) or YES PLEASE when someone offered to take the night shift so I could sleep at home or YES PLEASE when someone offered to take the kids for an afternoon or night.

Accepting help really did help ease some of the stress. This was a situation or period of time when I didn't have time for a run or hanging out with friends or any of the other ways I like to fuel myself... but in my real life when I'm not dealing with a sick parent or other major crisis, I do have times to fuel myself. I may have to look really hard to find time in my schedule for ME and it may not be easy, but it's do-able and necessary for me to function as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, employee, friend, etc.

There is a reason on a flight that we are told to put the oxygen mask on ourselves BEFORE we put it on our kids. How can we help them breathe if we are struggling ourselves to breathe?

I'd love to know what's inside your oxygen tank? How do you stay recharged and ready to deal with life at any given moment? And if you don't have an answer to these questions, I encourage you to explore some options for yourself - make sure you take some time JUST FOR YOU each day.  You'll be better because of it!

Friday Favorites 1-31-2014

I haven't shared Friday favorites in a long time.  Excited to write about these things, all of which are life enriching in their own special way :).

Sonos

Over the holidays we picked up a few new things. One of our favorite purchases was our Sonos speakers, wireless speakers that can be controlled from your iPhone.  In addition, we now pay for a monthly subscription to Spotify where we can listen to any and all music that exists, and we can make playlists, etc. We pay under $10 each month and can listen to unlimited music.  So, through our Sonos, we use Spotify to pull up songs and listen to our playlists.  It's fabulous! 

FROZEN

Brooke and I have now seen this movie twice in the theater and we might even venture out for a third and fourth time.  We absolutely love everything about this movie from the cinematography to the music to the plot to the characters.  We listen to the amazing soundtrack all day long (through Spotify/Sonos).  Boy, girl, adult, child... it doesn't matter - this movie will appeal to you. I even catch my boys walking around the house singing some of the lyrics.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you do.

Staycation

So, as much as Matt and I have enjoyed all of our family time, it proved to take its toll about midway during the break.  We felt like we needed a night away to just... well, be.. We made arrangements for the kids and dogs (no small feat there.. the planning that goes into that can get exhausting) and we headed a few miles away to a luxurious hotel in Buckhead.  We checked in around 4 and drank wine, snacked on cheese, drank more wine, enjoyed a delicious dinner, relaxed, woke up, walked around Buckhead like tourists, ate brunch, rested and then drove back home.  It was glorious - so nice to get away for almost 24 hours and just be a couple.  I highly recommend it!  I wish we could do that once a month but for now, I shall relish in the memory and hope to do it again soon.

Bernie Mev Shoes

I have been meaning to blog about these shoes for months. I bought a pair when I was at the beach with Mimi and Brooke in October.  At dinner one night, I noticed the owner of the restaurant sporting a pair of these in red.  I told her how much I liked them and she said they were so comfortable and lightweight (and I believed her because she's on her feet all day long) and she told me where I could buy them.  They were around $75.00 and they are every bit as comfortable as she said they were.  Perfect for any time of year (unless it's below 35 degrees), they look great with jeans, cropped pants, leggings, shorts and skirts.  You can even buy them at Nordstrom and they come in a wide array of colors!



January - Crock Pot Beef Stew and Happy New Year!

Here we are in January and I am excitedly awaiting what I'm hoping will be a snowy storm in Atlanta.  For several months, we've had a lot of cold and a lot of rain, and finally the two are supposedly colliding tonight.  I continue to listen to Christmas music on Comcast channel 941 because I'm just not ready for the holidays to be over.  They went by too quickly, in my opinion.  I loved every moment of it but each day sped by faster than the day before and I felt a little like the season was like sand through my fingers.  I couldn't slow it down no matter how hard I tried.  Our kids were thrilled with their goodies on Christmas morning.  The boys' piles grow smaller but more expensive and Brooke's pile looked like a Disney store.  We have been busy over the break with a trip to the farm, birthday parties, an overnight stay at their grandparents' house (while Matt and I enjoyed a staycation), ice skating at the Park Tavern, fancy lunch, family dinners, a couple trips to the movie theater, and lots of football in the yard with neighbor friends.  

We enjoyed our regular holiday traditions.  My dad treated my sisters and me to our annual holiday lunch at Cherokee which is always so special.  I have a tremendous appreciation and love for these times.  As I approach the big 4-0, I can almost see time zooming past me and through me... I know these times won't last forever, so I really cherish these fleeting moments.  I adore my three sisters and dad and am thankful for such a special tradition. 

 

Here is our 2013 Santa picture.  Brooke refused to speak even a word to Santa and couldn't bring herself to look up.  Champ wore a pair of lovely bright Elite socks and Matthew donned his favorite shirt of all time.  This picture makes me smile.  Each to his own, I say...

 

And after it all, I feel a sadness that the holidays are behind us, but instead of wallowing in it, I'm consciously choosing to focus on the positive to come - like Spring weather and baseball and all the time we will all spend outside - like hot Summer days at the pool - like Spring Break at Disney World and the beach with friends - and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm already excited about the holiday season this year.  On the Friday after Christmas, I stocked up on about $400 worth of Christmas gifts for this year (and only paid $200 because of the sale prices).  I like to have a reservoir of hostess, teacher and neighbor gifts. 

Let's see... what have I cooked?  Not much, really... we've done some grilling, some fondue, lots of bacon and eggs, sandwiches, and salads. I did cook a very basic beef stew which my family ate and enjoyed.  I started to take pictures of the process and then got sidetracked.  Such is my life these days.

Crock pot Beef Stew

You don't need much for this one.  This came out of a Rachel Ray magazine so it took no time to prepare and because it cooked all day in the crock pot, the beef was tender and the flavor deep.  First, you brown the beef chuck (that you've already cut into 1 inch cubes) in a skillet until brown on all sides.  Then put the meat into the crock pot.  Then you add onions (I keep the onion pieces big so that Matt can pick them out), a couple small pats of butter and garlic to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook about 10 minutes. 

Then you pour in some chicken stock and 1/2 cup of dark beer. 

Stir that around for 2 minutes and then pour on top of the meat in the crock pot along with cut up potatoes and carrots.  Cook on low for 8 hours. 

YUM.  Perfect for a busy day because it takes only a few minutes to prepare in the morning - then the crock pot will do the rest! This is a comfort meal, for sure.  Click here for the recipe. 

Happy New Year!  May 2014 be your best year yet!

Chronicles of a Working Mother and Allisonites

I have not forgotten about my blog. And the 6 or so of you out there who read this... well, you know I haven't forgotten about you.  It's just that working a full time job with three kids doesn't leave much time for anything other than meeting the needs of said three kids and sleeping. 

Working full time. I have to say that I love it!  I love my job - I get to develop health and wellness programs for our employee population as well as manage our team.  I find it interesting, engaging and I love the people with whom I work.  Children's Healthcare of Atlanta truly IS a great place to work, especially for a mom.  They give me flexibility when I need it.  And what other company has holiday decorating contests for its employees?  Between that and parties to celebrate the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving and Summer, my inner child comes out often and that's just fun.  And ultimately, we are all there to serve the patients whom we serve day in and day out.  Talk about a wonderful place to work... 

At home, I have help consistently from three people - Isa, our nanny whom we've had since Brooke was 4 months old, Lynnie, a mom of three grown kids who wanted to help out a couple days a week, and Mimi, my mother-in-law, who watches the kids on Fridays.  This system works really well - so far, at least.  As my friend, Margaret, put it, no one person is with my kids more than me.  Perhaps I knew that subconsciously when I was figuring out the whole childcare thing - I can't really say - but as it stands currently, my kids are happy and it's working for us all. 

Isa cleans once a week for me which is a HUGE HUGE HUGE help.  I really love to clean.  I get this from my mom, though if asked, I'm not sure she would say, "yes, I love to clean" - but she has cleaned her house all her life with no help and she's done it really well.  I find it very rewarding to clean - it keeps you moving - gives you a chance to organize a few things - and the finished product (a clean house) always feels good.  Nowadays, though, I just don't have time to do a full cleaning.  I want to be able to lay on the floor with Brooke and play Lego's or princesses.  I want to be able to crank up the Christmas music and dance with the kids.  I can do these things now!  Now if I could just find someone to cook...

That's where things have fallen off a bit. Cooking. It used to be so easy but now when I'm strolling in at 5:30/6, I don't have a lot of time. I try to prepare some things on the weekends.  Today, for example, I made meatballs, and we'll eat those one night during the week.  If my audience of eaters was more interested in food, I might be more inclined to put some more effort into what I cook, but the truth of the matter is, they would be totally fine if I picked up Subway every night for dinner for the rest of their lives.  I still cook, but not as much.

Do I feel guilty from time to time?  You bet I do!  Years ago at preschool functions I looked at dressed up women and thought to myself, "I wonder how that mom does it?  How does she not kill herself with guilt at being at work instead of being home with her kids?"  And now, I'm that woman.  I'm the one with a full time job, two nannies and I'm getting home at 6 on some nights.  But I would say to my younger, more naive self, "I AM their mom - I spend great time with my kids in the evenings - I put notes in their lunch boxes - I bathe my daughter and read stories to her at bedtime - we paint each others' nails and dance to Christmas music... "  It has just been interesting going from one side of the spectrum to the other.  We're all doing the best we can - there's no RIGHT way, I don't think.. My family dynamic is working and that's what matters, right?

This was Brooke in her Halloween parade at school.  At the last minute she decided to swap out her princess costume for her ballerina attire, and she loved being on stage.  So fun!

So, that's the full time working mother update.  I like being busy - even though some days I'm falling short as a mom or as an employee - it all balances out.  Both at work and at home, I am surrounded by people who believe in me and also understand that I'm human. 

Happy Christmas to you... what a wonderful time of year - my favorite time of year!  Right now I'm sitting next to our little 4 foot Christmas tree that we put in our family room.  It's so perfect and small and beautiful with it's perfect shape, few ornaments and sparkly lights.  The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is playing and I'm just as happy as a lark - desperately wishing that each day would last longer than the one before it so that we'd all get the most out of this wonderful time of year. 

Brooke and I recently made these little Christmas treats, the recipe for which we got from Allison, my sister-in-law.  As such, I think I'll appropriately name them Allisonites.  Allisonites are easy to make.  You only need pretzels, candy chocolates, and M&M's.  First, you lay out your unbroken pretzels on a cookie sheet, careful that none are overlapping.  Then you place one chocolate on top of each pretzel.

Don't you wish you had a cute little sous chef like I do?  We had so much fun making these together... well, fun until I told her she couldn't eat any more of the white chocolates at which time she dissolved into whimpering heap on the floor.  Back to the recipe... you pop the cookie sheet of pretzels and chocolates into a 350 degree oven for precisely 3 minutes - not a second shorter or a second longer. 

When they come out of the oven, put one M&M on each chocolate.  Let them cool (I put mine in the fridge which expedited the solidifying process) and then bag the Allisonites in cute little Christmas baggies - tie them up with a ribbon and give them to friends, neighbors and teachers with a holiday lottery card attached.  So fun!  They are sweet and salty and oh so festive.  You can really produce a lot of these if you work quickly.  While Brooke was doing her part, I was putting a sheet in and taking one out of the oven every 3 minutes.  We made several hundred. 

Speaking of Christmas-for the first time in their 12 and 10 years on earth, I need gift ideas for my boys!  If you have ideas, comment on this post by going to www.christabdavis.blogspot.com or email me.

I have several items to share with you on my next Friday Favorites post, but I can't wait til then to tell you about the newest Disney film that we saw this weekend. FROZEN.  It was excellent!  I loved every second and so did Brooke (and Champ and his friend).  It's right up there with the Disney greats - so treat yourself and your kids and go see it!

To close out today's blog post, here are some Christmas card outtakes...

 

My sweet family.  The boys were on their way to a Bar Mitvah when I snapped this quick photo.