July 4

We had a great trip to Arkansas to visit with my family and old friends for the July 4th week.  

See a little photo diary below! 

Seth met his Great Mamma (my dad's mom.) 

They had a lot to talk about!

Our little family. :)

Father & Son

Mother & (sleepy!) Son

Friends! (Stephanie and her daughter Charlotte, Tatiana, Clair & Seth)

My family.

(Dad, Uncle Chuck, Jon, me, Aunt Marla, Mom, Seth, Grandpa (also Seth) and Ellen)

Seth got to meet the 2 youngest of his 5 cousins. This is Meredith!

Seth & Seth

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Tonight's Dinner

This is a recipe I loved growing up.  The original recipe my mom gave me has some kind of interesting, very exact measurements and cooking times.  My version is a little less strict.  :)

Quick & Easy Skillet

Ingredients: 

1 lb. ground beef

2 cups macaroni noodles

2 cups canned diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. salt

By the way, it's really fun to arrange and photograph seasonings!

Brown the ground beef in a large, deep pan.  Then add all other ingredients. 

Give it a good stir, then cover and simmer for 18 minutes (or until noodles are cooked.)

Eat & enjoy!  :)

I also made a special dessert today, but I'm going to see how it tastes before I post it on here! haha

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Smiley Baby Boy

Thanks to Laura for setting up this little photo shoot today!  :) 

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I love one pot meals!

Last night was another Real Simple recipe night.  This time it was roasted tilapia, potatoes and lemons and it was quick and tasty!  I just love the simplicity of meals that cook all in the same dish.  So, here's the recipe for the tilapia, but you should definitely also check out Real Simple's other one pot meals! Fun and delicious!

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Chicken Curry (in a hurry!)

Last night, I made this recipe from Real Simple. It was quite tasty, but next time, I think I will add more curry powder and maybe some red pepper flakes for added spice! Enjoy!

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I'm Lucky

To be married to a man who knows how to cook! Tonight for dinner, Jon has prepared a delicious pork loin with garlic & onions in our cast iron dutch oven. First he cooked the onions and garlic in some chicken broth, then added in the pork loin and seared it in the stove. Then he popped the whole dish in the oven and baked it. Now we're enjoying a scrumptious dinner, including baked potatoes and fancy mac & cheese. (Gotta love those starches!)

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Beautiful Sunday

Yesterday was just glorious! Temps topped out around 80 degrees and it was sunny and lovely. We spent a good portion of the day walking around our neighborhood and along the beach with Seth. We ran into a few friends on our excursion (including another beautiful, new baby!) This was also our first use of our fancy stroller and it was a great success. :)

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