Stuff I Love

Here is a bunch of stuff I love... 

(Subtitle:  One of the Most Random Posts Ever)

1.  This picture:

Because who doesn't like to eat dinner with a dolphin on their head?


2.  This recipe:

Chicken and Dumplings / via Southern Living
Ingredients
1 (32-oz.) container low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 lb.) 
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup 
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced fat cream of celery soup
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning 
1 (10.2-oz.) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits 
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat . Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; return to a low boil 
2. Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips (I use a pizza roller or pastry sliver which works very well!)
3. Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth mixture. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

I made it last week and even though it contains shredded chicken, which Frank typically doesn't like, AND it's in a creamy/saucy form (double no).  Still, we all enjoyed it, and the leftovers were even good.


3.  This post on Five Ways to Keep a Living Room Classic.

Since I am doing a little freshening and updating to our first floor, I found this post very helpful.


4.  Speaking of decorating, Emily A. Clark is my design muse.  If she says it, I do it.  Recently, she posted about  4 Beautiful Books to Gift & Frame, so what did I do?  Bought the botanical book she recommended, of course, and now I have a gallery wall.  (So hanging six pictures in a completely symmetrical fashion is REALLY difficult for me, since I can't measure worth a darn.  It looks good; however, it's not perfectly symmetrical yet, and I blame the relaxing of the picture wire for this.  I'll eventually take pictures to show you.)

5.  This picture of my cousins Nate and Adam at the State of the Union Address this past week, which I shamelessly stole from my aunt's Facebook. Doesn't it look like a scene from a movie?

6.  For the last few months, I've asked Carter if he's ready for me to take the side off his crib, converting it to a toddler bed, and each time, I was met with a resounding, "No."  Well, when I asked last week, he said, "Yes," so I went with it.

He's done very well and is very proud of having a "Toller Bed," ("Toddler Bed")

7.  This quote sums it all up:

Happy Friday!