Sir Paul

I had the chance to go and see Paul McCartney in concert last night with my father in law. It was probably the best concert I have ever been to!! He played for 3 hours, had no opening act, and played tons of Beatles favorites. I am so happy that I got to go. I was very impressed with how good sounds for a 70 year old man. He is sure talented.

He opened the show with Magical Mystery Tour and closed it with The End. Both very appropriately placed. He did two encores. During one of the encores, he brought a fan on stage who had a sign that read "The only tatto my dad would let me get. Please Sign." So he did. He asked who she was, where she was from, and where he should sign. He signed her side rib cage. It was cool. He also had the Edmonton Police Service Pipes and Drums join for one song. That was cool too.

I was hoping he would play "Blackbird", and he did. The rest of his band was off stage, and he stayed out and did a couple of songs by himself, this being one of them. It was so good! They sang "Live and Let Die" and had some really awesome pyrotechnics to go along with it.

I had a really fantastic time. I didn't get home until almost 12:30, so I am pretty tired today, but it was totally worth it. Thank you Bumpa!!

Make-It Monday

Mexican Chicken Alfredo

Makes 2 Pans 8x8 or 9x9; 1 pan 9x13
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Temperature: 350 F

1 pkg (16oz)  Spiral Pasta
2 Lbs  Cubed Chicken Breast
1 medium  onion, chopped
1/2 cup  green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp  pepper
1 Tbsp  oil
2 jars (15oz)  Alfredo sauce
2 cups  cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup  parmesan cheese
1 cup  medium salsa
1/4 cup  milk
4 tsp  taco seasoning

Cook pasta. In large skillet, cook chicken, onion, green pepper in oil. Stir in Alfredo and boil. Stir in 1 3/4 cups cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, salsa, milk and taco seasoning. Drain pasta and toss with chicken mix. Divide between 2 - 8 or 9 inch pans or 1 - 9x13 pan. Cover and freeze one casserole. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Remove form oven, sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and return to oven for 5 more minutes.
***To use frozen casserole, thaw in fridge. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake 350 F for 50-60 minutes.

I really like this casserole. It is different and quite delicious! Give it a try.

Fun in the Fall

I am going to overload you with pictures again this post. If I would just take the time to do a regular update, it wouldn't be so bad! Sorry. 

We went to a place called Prairie Gardens with Russell's family on Saturday. The kids seemed to enjoy it. It is just a farm with a bunch of little activities for the kids.

They had a petting zoo. Tyler thought the goats were cool, but refused to touch a little baby black rabbit that they had.

They had little motorized tractors to drive. He would have stayed on there all day if we could have let him!

They even had face painting. Of course he wanted to be Batman!

We went swimming at the Terwillegar Rec Centre again. This time Tyler was able to go on the waterslide by himself. He also swam (doggy paddled) an entire lap alone, so he was marked as being able to go off of the small diving board!! He was pretty excited.

These are the Dupont's, some friends from church who just live about half a block away from us.

First (and only) time on the diving board. He jumped right into Trevor's arms, and then was too scared to go again. maybe next time.

Gangnam Style!!

Tyler braved the cold on Halloween and lasted outside at -15 for almost an entire hour to go trick or treating. He dressed up as Captain America. I think he had a really good time.

Some goofy glasses from a treat bag at Dayhome!

Looking spiffy in his Church clothes!

A visit from Brady. He sure loves that baby! We enjoyed babysitting him one night for Mal and Cody.

Wearing Morgan's Batman Mask.

Trevor was in his first official races at the track. Here are his track times and places! He did really well.

We finally got a new car!! We got a 2013 Ford Focus ST. We absolutely love it. It is fantastic and pretty cool, if I do say so myself. I am very happy with our choice.

2 of our friends at church also drive white hatchbacks, so we think it is funny to all park in a row. Trevor was dying to get a picture of it, which we finally did on Sunday!

Make-It Monday

Garden Chicken Stir Fry
source:  Campbell's
Calories:  230
Prep Time:  5 min
Cook Time: 25 min

1 Lb   Chicken Breast Strips
3 cups   Fresh, cut up veggie mix
1 1/4 cup   Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp   Soya Sauce
2 Tbsp   Corn Starch
1 tsp   Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp   ground ginger
4 cups   cooked rice noodles

Cook chicken & set aside. Cook veggies until tender crisp. Reduce heat to medium. Add mixture of broth, soya sauce, cornstarch, garlic & ginger. Heat to boil. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until desired thickness. Serve over noodles.

**Sorry for another Stir Fry recipe. This one is quite delicious as well. We eat it quite often. I buy those big packs of ichiban style noodles and serve it with those!

Make-It Monday

Lemon Blossom Cookies

• 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Butter or margarine, softened
• 1/3 Cup fresh or bottled lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze

• 1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• few drops yellow food coloring (optional)

In large mixing bowl combine butter and sugar. Mix well until creamy and combined. In separate bowl stir together with a spoon flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. To the butter mixture add lemon juice and dump in flour mixture. Mix well until dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on floured surface. Cut with small circle cutter (I used 1-1/2 inch). Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 400 for about 8 minutes. Remove to cool.

Combine glaze ingredients and stir with a spoon until lumps disappear. Spoon a little bit into center of each cookie and spread around with the back of a spoon. Make more glaze if needed. Allow to dry for an hour or so and then stack cookies and store in cookie jar.

**These were absolutely wonderful. They are just so delicious and different. We really liked them.

Make-It Monday

Pepper Steak

1 Lb Flank Steak (I used Stir Fry Meat)
2 Tbsp Veg. Oil
1 green pepper, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 onion, cut inot 1/4-inch slices
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used garlic powder - 1/8 tsp = 1 clove)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 can beef broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Pepper
Rice

In a small bowl, mix corstarch, broth & soy sauce until smooth. (Also add garlic powder if using instead of minced garlic.)

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add Meat, cook until just slightly pink. Add peppers and onions. Saute together for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic cloves and seasoned broth mis. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle liberally with pepper.

Serve over hot rice, bake dpotato or with. Makes delicious wraps for quick lunches as well.

**This is by far the best stir fry recipe that I have ever used. So delicious and literally only took 15 minutes to make. I loved it!

Tyler Lately

Here are some recent pictures of some fun I have had with Tyler the last couple of weeks. Trevor has been busy with schoolwork, so I've been trying to keep Tyler occupied doing other things. 

Make-It Monday

I made this last week and loved it! It is good in taco shells as a wrap as well!

Healthy Skillet Nachos

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 pkg taco seasoning mix 

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 c. diced onion

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 c. whole kernel sweet corn (Frozen or canned) If using canned- DRAIN!) 

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)

Handful of tortilla chips per person

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional- but really makes the dish!)

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil until hot, add chicken pieces. Cook chicken 3-5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, onion, bell pepper, black beans, whole kernel corn, and half of the cheese. Reduce heat and simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cheese melts and everything is heated through.

To serve, add a handful of tortilla chips per plate, top with chicken nacho filling, sprinkle with remaining cheese and some cilantro (to your taste preference).

Healthier Version: Serve over a bed of shredded Romaine Lettuce rather than tortilla chips.

Source: grocerybudget101.com

At The Races

Well, it took me a while, but here are the pictures of Trevor's Race Weekend. Her was in two races and came in third both times. There were eight people in the first race and six in the second. he did really well, and was happy with his results. It was fun to go and watch him. Tyler loved it.

Summer Wrap Up

Well, another Summer has come and gone. Trevor started school again on August 27 and is in full swing. This weekend he is participating in an EMRA Motorcycle race, so I'm sure pictures will follow in a few days of that. It is crazy how quickly it feels like Autumn outside. This weekend is supposed to be pretty warm though. There are about a million pictures in this post again, sorry. I am just so bad at keeping up to date these days!

 Tyler got these goggles one day at Dayhome. Heather told me that as soon as he found them in the morning and wanted to keep them on all day!

For some reason, Beck and Tyler think it is the greatest thing to jump on the trampoline in their underwear. "Gonchie Jump" is what they call it. Funny boys.

We took Tyler to his first parade in Calmar in August. He got a ton of candy, and is still eating a few a day. He loved it! Thanks Russell and Andrea for letting us know about it.

My sister Mallory had a baby in June, Brady. Trevor loves him like crazy, always threatening to steal him. I fear that he is starting to get baby fever! What a cutie Brady is.

Trevor worked on his race bike last week in order to have it ready to be able to participate in the race this weekend. He passed the Tech inspection today, so I guess he does good work!

Last weekend, we took Tyler to the go-carts at Whitemud Amusement Park. He has been once before at the beginning of the summer. You are supposed to be 4 to go, but he is tall enough that nobody really questions his age. He loves it. We have a video of it and his face is so excited the whole time.

**Side Note - I made the Wacky Cake that I posted a couple of weeks ago and it was some of the best chocolate cake that I have ever had!!

Make-It Monday and 3 Year Checkup

Wacky Cake

Cake:
3 cups flour
6 Tbsp cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups water

Stir together dry ingredients in 9 x 13 until well blended. Add liguid ingredients, mixing in pan. Mix until smooth. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.  350 F for 25 - 30 minutes.

Icing:
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt first 3 ingredients in saucepan. Don't Boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla.


Today we went in for Tyler's 3 year old checkup at the Doctor. First of all, it was the fastest appointment in history. We were there a few minutes early, and we were in and out in about 10 minutes. No waiting at all. It was awesome. He said that Tyler is average weight for a 3 year old and average height for a 5 year old. He said to make sure people know he is only 3 or they will tend to think that he is a S-T-U-P-I-D 5 year old. It was pretty funny. He was doing some magic trick with a rubber ball to keep Tyler entertained. It was a really good visit.

Make-It Monday

Tex Mex Chicken & Rice Bake

1 can  cream of chicken soup
1 can  milk
3/4 cup  uncooked rice
1 1/2 tsp  chili powder
1 1/2 cup  red & green pepper strips, chopped onion
1/2 cup  frozen corn
4  chicken breast
1/2 cup  tex mex cheese, shredded

Mix soup, milk, rice and chili powder in 2 qt baking dish. Spready evenly with veggies. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and additional chili powder if desired. Cover. Bake for 45 Min @ 400 F. Remove cover and broil until cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken and stir rice to serve.

Make-It Monday

Fudgy Brownies

1 1/2 cups  flour
1 tsp  baking powder
1/2 tsp  salt
1 cup  butter
1 cup  cocoa
2 cups  sugar
4  eggs
1 1/2 tsp  vanilla
1 cup  nuts (optional)

Sitr together flour, bakin gpowder and salt in small bowl. Melt butter in large saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in cocoa. Blend in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 F for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Super Speed

We needed to get Tyler some new shoes. His were getting ridiculously small. Every time we put them on, he would tell me tight they were. I usually try to buy them a little bit big so they will last longer. These are the ones we went with:


At the store, I told him to try running to make sure they would stay on. Ever since, everyone that he sees, he feels it necessary to tell them that he has new shoes that give him "Super Speed". I think it's pretty cute. He runs everywhere now!

Make-It Monday Returns

I don't know why I have been such a slacker on this lately. I think it is because it has been too hot to really try anything new. I haven't been doing much cooking lately. We've had a lot of sandwiches this summer. I had something like this at my friend Jacky's and loved it. I'm not sure of her recipe, I guess I could have aske, but I found this on the internet and it was equally delicious.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
1 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup Chicken broth

Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours. Shred chicken and add back to sauce and serve.

F-O-X

The other night I was reading this book to Tyler:



I was going over the letters in the Title with him for fun. He thinks this book is hilarious, especially if I try and read it really fast. Anyways, the point of my post is this:

Last night as we were putting on his pyjamas, he saw the book by his bed and says "F-O-X" over and over and over. So I asked what he was talking about and he grabbed the book and pointed to the word "fox" and said "F-O-X".

Just wanted to share this story because it made me smile. He is such a smart kid. Now when I ask him to spell fox, he can do it! Awesome.

Good Grief!

I can't believe the heat around here lately! It is ridiculous, but nice at the same time. Without the fans we bought a few months ago, we would be dying. I heard last week everywhere in Edmonton was sold out! Last week we tried to do something involving water every night after work in order to cool down. It was a pretty fun week. 

This is going to be yet another Picture Post catching up on the last month or so.

 At the Mill Woods Fireworks on July First. They were really good this year, and Tyler didn't throw up on me, which is an added bonus!

For Tyler's 3rd Birthday, we spent the day out at the lake with Trevor's family. He had a great day. We went fishing with Bumpa, played on the trampoline, had a weiner roast, and he even got to drive the "Kid's Tractor". He loved driving!

Here are some pictures of our many water filled activities.

Grandpa and Grandma Scott passed through on their visit up to Mal's to meet Brady. It's always fun to see them. We met up for a picnic at the Jackie Parker Spray park. Tyler was getting a kick out of feeding the seagulls our fries from KFC. He was absolutely amazed by it.