Poppy Seed Chicken, Pepperoni Rolls, and Friday Confessionals

In my continued attempt to get back into the swing of blogging (goal being 1-2 posts a week), I have found doing link-ups helps get me writing! So today, I am linking up with one of my favorite fashion bloggers (although this is not a fashion post) Leslie at A Blonde Ambition for her Confessional Fridays. A little side note, Leslie met her husband through Kelly's Show us Your Singles... and he has been mistaken for Tim Tebow. So for all my single friends who make fun of me when I recommend you peruse the Singles link-ups, or let me "feature" you... there is the proof in the pudding!:)

Speaking of Kelly, I am also linking up for her Show us your life - Main Dishes installment.

Onto my confessions:

My scripture verse memory log is deplorable! Yes, and I am presently leading a girl's bible study. Scary? Most definitely! I can not for the life of me memorize a darn thing. This was a major issue in my upper level science and nursing courses (especially pharmacology... which is the class keeping me from ever getting my nurse practitioner degree!) I am a such conceptional person. You should see me trying to come up with scripture verses... I know their concept and meaning, just not the exact wording or location. Thank God for google!

Because of this lacking on my part, don't be surprised if Ellie has scripture verse memory card crammed down her throat and given to her at every gift giving holiday for the first 15 years of her life.:) If you are looking for good scripture verse memory cards, check out these lovelies!

In keeping with the theme of my lacking and subsequent "loving forcings" to assist Ellie in turning out better - my child eats broccoli and spinach at least twice a day, sometimes 2-3 times a day. I still gag at the smell of steaming broccoli, and honestly, its probably been a good 12 years or more since I have eaten a bite of it. Luckily, in the last few years I have learned to tolerate spinach. However, I literally have no natural relationship with most veggies - its a forced one. Therefore, my child eats a diet made up of 3/4 veggies, and 1/4 fruits and grains. I am seriously praying about whether or not I can tell her I am allergic to the majority of vegetables when she questions me on why I don't eat the majority of what I cram down her throat... doesn't gagging and vomiting constitute allergic?

I realize those confessions could cause some people concerns about my parenting tactics. I promise I will not be pushing my child into beauty pageants at any age of life, because I wasn't in them as a child. Ellie is not my ticket to accomplish everything I didn't in my childhood. Pinky promise swear.

We will not be having a Christmas tree this year... and probably very few christmas decorations. Yes, I realize it is Ellie's first Christmas. I also realize she will not remember as single moment of it. I am all about not causing uber amounts of frustration for myself and my child. Our house is fairly small, and the tree and decorations just make it feel crowded, even if pretty and cozy. Ellie is pulling up on everything, and I just foresee lots of tree-falling-on-baby-pulling-up-on-said-tree at this point in our life. Maybe next year. However, I am contemplating and researching several types of christmas photo shoots.

Since the miscarriage, I have found myself to be way more sympathetic to certain "life plights" of others, and much more hardened to others. I am not ok with the latter development and am working on it... but its a process for sure.

I have an extremely hard time keeping our two bedrooms clean. And feel daily guilt because of this habit/inadequacy/trait. I keep our livable space fairly clean and tidy, but the upstairs/bedrooms (that few people see except us) gets sadly neglected. I remember years ago reading relationship/marriage books that talked about how important it was to keep the couple's bedroom a sanctuary/clean and safe tranquil haven... HA! Epic wifely fail there. I have the best of intentions... just the worst of outcomes!

This morning I cried twice: once during GMA showing babies digging into smash cakes (something Ellie will be doing in less then two months!) and during the TODAY show during their broadcast of a Citizenship ceremony complete with Lee Greenwood's "I am Proud to Be an American." I also cry at every Carter's commercial these days.

I pray for celebrities. Seriously. I have two pop culture females I have prayed for consistently for two years. Is this normal? I also just recently added a "christianish" female celeb to the list. I promise, I don't pray for TV characters or books characters ... yet! But seriously, can someone please give poor Juliette Barnes a hug and tell her about Jesus' love for her. ;-)

Speaking of Juliette Barnes, I would be mortified if someone saw the iTunes play count of the song Undermine ... or heard me belting out this song in my not so pitch perfect vocals. Do yourself a favor and download it! Legally, of course!

How many of these confessions indicate I need counseling?

If anyone is ever in need a free and/or readily available babysitting - volunteer or go work at a college ministry. INSTANT babysitters! As in, kids begging to keep your child. I kid you not! You can even bribe the guys to "keep" your kid during her nap time, at the ministry location, while they just sit back and watch tv or do homework, and never even have to interact with your child. We seriously have to rotate who gets to keep Ellie when. Not a bad problem to have, really.

And finally, my final confession/link up for Show us your life - Main Dishes: we eat one of, or both, of these dishes weekly... that is one weeks I routinely cook. I swear that last portion of the sentence is not complete laziness of my part... its simply due to our crazy schedule!

The first is Poppy Seed Chicken from one of my dear friends, Danielle, who is one the best cooks, and most amazing hostess (and moms) I know!

Poppy Seed Chicken

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (to make it even easier, I usually make my chicken in a crock pot. I put approx. 10 chicken breast tenderloins frozen and 1 can cream of chicken soup and let it cook on low for 8hrs).

• 1 can cream of chicken soup (unless you made the chicken in the crock pot, since the soup is already in the cooked chicken mixture).

• 1 (16oz) container of sour cream

• 3 tsp. poppy seeds

• 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed

• 1/4c. butter, melted

• Brown Rice (I like to make the packaged mushroom brown rice)

Combine chicken, soup, and sour cream. Pour over brown rice. Top with crushed Ritz crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes (until cracker pieces are browned.)

Seriously, sooooo amazingly good!

The second is a new find - Pepperoni Rolls. It a rather long, but super easy recipe, so just click on the the link to view the full recipe. I have modified this recipe a bit - see the list below.

• I use pillsbury pizza crust - either the regular or whole wheat... depending on how healthy I am feeling
• I add hard salami and pepperoncini peppers 
• I baste with olive oil, pepperoncini pepper juice and garlic powder
• I add extra cheese due to extra meat

And that, my friends, is a wrap! Happy Weekend! 

PS: Hubs and I have a date night tonight, thanks to some of our college girls! Whoop!