Archive for February, 2010
Nana’s Recipe Box
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s been awhile since I posted a recipe so I thought I would share a new favorite with you. Like most of you I am usually in a rush and I like things that are quick and easy to make. I also love casseroles! Remember, I feed a lot of guys at this house and the word “casserole” has them rolling their eyes and hopping in the car to sneak out to Micky D’s…usually. This casserole they actually like. Hope your family enjoys it too!
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Grated onion to taste (optional)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 to 1 1/2 c. grated cheese (Longhorn)
1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
Cook chicken pieces by boiling and then lower to a simmer for about 35 minutes. Remove skin (if there is any) and chop into bite size pieces. Put chicken in bottom of 9 by 12 inch casserole dish. Combine soups, mayo, lemon juice and onion in bowl. Pour this over chicken. Then spread broccoli as the third layer. Top with cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes.
Fun Friday Links – going random again!
Posted by: | CommentsRandom seems to be my new middle name. Or maybe that’s frenzied. Harried. Too busy for my own good? Yeah, those all fit. It’s mostly a GOOD frenzied/harried/too busy… but still!
- DON’T FORGET – On February 27th (that’s tomorrow), Compassion International and a whole host of fabulous folks will be putting on a benefit concert to help Haiti. Check out Help Haiti Live for all the details. And if you aren’t lucky enough to live in Nashville or LA, you can watch the concert live on their website. 100% of the donations made through the website will be going straight to Compassion International for Haiti.
- Did you know that scientists have finally determined what killed the young King Tut, AND they now know who is father and mother were, thanks to DNA tests? You didn’t know this? Well, let me link you to an article ALL about it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_egypt_king_tut We’ve been reading, and re-reading, and RE-READING this article for the last week and a half. (And by “we”, I mean the 8 year old boy in our house).
- Many of you have probably learned these lessons already, but for those of us still learning them, I thought the “Top 10 Things I Have Learned From My Children” post by JennyOnTheSpot was a really good one. (Except for #6 – we can’t do that one around here, although I do agree with it in principle!)
- I’m not very good at decorating for the holidays. My husband actually likes to do that more than I do… but I’m TRYING to get better and get more in the “spirit” of things around here. (Yes, I can tend towards the grumpy/scrooge type of personality). ANYWAY, I did some searching around etsy this week, trying to find something cute for the house for spring. I didn’t actually find anything that jumped out at me, BUT I DID find this and this. They made me smile…
- Oh, and I also found THIS on etsy… (click if you have little girls with cute hair). My daughter has been taking her sweet time growing hair, but I think I can finally start purchasing these kinds of items. YAY!
And I think that’s about as random as I can get! Happy Friday, folks!
Great Books for Grandmoms and Moms to Share
Posted by: | CommentsI love to read. I know that a large reason I love books is because my mom was a reading teacher and an avid reader herself. My grandmother read me Briar Rabbit stories and Ferdinand the Bull over and over again and then she read the same stories to my younger brother and cousins. The teacher in me believes in the power of reading and knows that it unlocks the doors of our imaginations. A good reader is most often a good student.
I can’t think of a better way to bond with children than through reading. So today I’m beginning what I hope will be the first of many columns about books. Most of the time I will write about books for children, but occasionally I will review adult books for moms and grandmothers. (I am currently reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah and loving it!)
I’m starting this book review with one of my all time favorites.
Hunting the White Cow by Tres Seymour
I came across this book at a book fair in Frankfort, Kentucky. The author was there signing copies ( a really nice guy and former park ranger). I got a copy for our twin boys who were then about nine years old and I’ve been reading it to children every since. I read it to my nephews, my granddaughter and when I am invited to read at schools to children, I often choose this book to take with me.
Why? Because it’s a book I can really relate to. It’s about a little girl who grows up around farmers (like I did) whose father has a cow who always jumps the fence and gets into trouble (my dad had cows just like this). The descriptions of the farm, the farmers and their antics while chasing the ornery cow are funny and so real I think I was there when this happened.
The book is appropriate for ages 4 and up, a little too long for toddlers. As far as an age limit on how old is too old to read it…well, I am 53 and still enjoying it!
Let me know if you enjoy book reviews. I look forward to hearing from you! Teresa
Snowball Fight in the Sunshine
Posted by: | CommentsLast weekend we experienced some beautiful weather. Abby, my granddaughter, was visiting and we went outside to play. We were in the backyard and there was a small patch of snow next to a wall. The sun hadn’t melted it yet. It was just too tempting for Abby. She threw a snow ball at Aunt Ray Ray (her name for Rachel) and then Rachel chases her. Listen closely to what she says while she’s running away. The guy in the video is Abby’s dad and my oldest son, Nick. Hope you enjoy this clip at least a tenth as much as I enjoyed watching it happen!
Life Lessons from Geese
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This past weekend the weather was so nice I was outside a lot. Several times I heard a flock of geese going over. I always stop what I am doing, watch them and listen to their honking. I’m pretty sure they were saying “Hang on, it’s almost spring!” as they flew over.
I am not a geese expert, but I do know a few things about them. My first experience with a goose was a shoe store. That’s right, a shoe store. My mother took me to a store in a nearby town to purchase shoes. After we bought the shoes there was a big Goose on the counter. I seem to remember that it was gold in color too, but I’m not sure about that. I just remember that you could grab it’s head, pull forward and down, and popped a golden egg! Inside the plastic egg were some sort of treats. Kind of hokey, I know, but to a kid it was a big deal.
My second encounter with geese happened during my first year of teaching and was not nearly as pleasant as the first. One of my teaching duties included recruiting students for the migrant program. This meant I often drove out in the country to do home visits. One day as I was going up to knock on a door I heard a honking noise and before I knew what was happening I realized I was about to get attacked by some killer geese. They were honking, hissing and coming at me as if I had just stolen their babies or something. I did the only thing I knew to do. I dropped my paper work and ran. I didn’t make it in the car, but up on the car hood. Not very dignified, but it bought me some time and the lady of the house eventually came out and saved me.
My next geese connection was the movie Fly Away Home (1996). If you haven’t seen it, get it and watch it with your children. It’s the story of a young girl and her father and how they rescue a flock of orphaned geese and help them fly back home. The tag line for the movie says, “To achieve the incredible, you have to attempt the impossible.”
So why am I giving thanks today for geese, because of the life lessons they can teach us. This little video is only a little over two minutes in length, but well worth the time. Enjoy! And give thanks for the life lessons of geese!
Crafting With Mema – Making Mosaic Magnets
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve started a new Monday series here at NanaHood, called “Crafting With Mema“. These posts will include patterns, recipes, and fun craft projects to do with your kids or grandkids. The ideas won’t be difficult (if anything, we’ll err on the side of SUPER EASY), and we hope we’ll inspire YOU to do more crafting!
It’s time for this week’s “Crafting With Mema” post. This week, the kids and Mema will be making paper mosaic magnets to hang on the fridge!
A little “video” disclaimer – when filming for these posts, we quickly discovered that taking short breaks during the segments worked best for everyone. However, that means that each craft project ended up with two or three videos. By NEXT week, I’m hoping to figure out how to “connect” the segments into one video for each post, but for THIS week, I’m just going to post the three segments below. OK? Good! Here we go…
If you want to try this at home (and we hope you will), you’ll need:
- black construction paper
- various colored construction paper
- glue sticks
- magnets (preferably with pre-stick on the back to make it super simple)
Now, Mema actually pre-cut all the various colored pieces into triangles, but if you have older or ambitious kids, you could let them cut the triangles (or other shapes) themselves.
These are really simple little mosaics, but they look great on the fridge!
And by the way, if you and your children/grandchildren create something from one of our Crafting posts, we’d LOVE to see photos (or videos). Along those same lines, we are also interested in posting YOUR video or photo tutorials, so if you have crafty kiddos and want to share, please send an email to admin@nanahood.com.
About “Mema”: Cheryl Booth has been crafting for more years than she cares to remember, and has shared her love of crafts with kids in her home, in Bible classes, at summer camp, and elsewhere. You can visit Cheryl’s craft shop online at http://www.mycraftbooth.etsy.com
