Garlic-Herb Orzo Pilaf

I made this again the other night and it was so yummy alongside our chicken and veggies.

If my memory is correct I got this from the Taste of Home magazine.

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1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. uncooked orzo pasta
1/2 c. uncooked long grain rice (I used an unseasoned brown and wild rice blend)
2 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. water
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat; once oil is hot, add garlic and cook for 2 mins.

2. Add orzo and rice; cook 5-6 mins. until lightly browned.

3. Slowly stir in broth and water, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 mins.

4. Add seasoning at the end before serving.


(Makes 4 servings)

***Sometimes I like to throw in some craisins while everything is simmering, then garnish with sliced almonds

I Love My Kids

I catch myself looking at them somedays and thinking, "can they really be mine?"

YES! And I simply cannot imagine what was so important before they came along! (I don't mean to exclude you honey dear! *wink*)

I know these pictures don't mean as much to the rest of you, because let's face it, we're all partial to our own kiddos. But, here they are none-the-less. :o)

Adam, all dressed and ready for church (with Mr. Incredible in a cameo role)

My daughter, who I still look at trying to find ANY shred of resemblance to me...but I'm keeping her! ;o)


Got milk?


Natalia CRACKED ME UP the other day when I found her like this. Lately she has loved making little nooks to cozy up in. What made me laugh was the afghan laid over her lap to ward off the apparent chill. :oP

Maybe the afghan fits in with her fascination with all things GRANDMA this week. She's asked me countless times if we can pretend that I'm Grandma. Um, sure--I'm having another birthday soon anyway! Why not just jump ahead a few more years?!

RSVP-ing

I felt I was part of a special club this afternoon.


As I was driving home from lunch with my mom, I got the invitation. It could have been addressed to anyone, but I just could not pass it up!


It was from the sky.


I raced in the house, called to my husband that I'd be back in a few, and grabbed my camera.


I don't know that I captured what I was after exactly, but I did see some others out and about, responding to the invitation too. They were pulled over onto the shoulder and walking along the back country roads, camera in hand. :o)




Later, Pete got the urge too and snapped these while visiting our neighbor.







(And in case you were wondering, we don't typically photograph the Amish. We see our neighbors about once a week and they invited us to take some shots of their tobacco barn construction for their records.)

Rough Housin'

Natalia has always been our rough and tough little girl...and is anxiously awaiting the day when she can REALLY wrestle her little brother. We keep telling her that she may be in for a surprise when that day comes! :o)



You can imagine her delight when Adam semi-tackled her today!

Oh boy! I can just hear myself now--saying those words ingrained in my head from childhood, "take it outside or down to the basement!"

Reprieve

What glorious weather we had yesterday!

As I was taking the above picture Natalia asked me, "Mommy, why are you laying on the driveway?!" I told her it was because the orange leaves looked so pretty against the bright blue sky. She still though I was a bit nuts. :o)

We decided to head to a nearby lake for a little 1 mile hike before dinner and the last of daylight faded. How odd, yet wonderful it felt to leave the jackets behind!

Does anyone know what these white fuzzy things are? They're probably weeds, but they just struck me as pretty.


Little legs got tired going up and down the hills...it's a good thing Daddy's legs are strong!

Running and kicking up leaves...

My Girl

It's been awhile since I put some of Natalia's silly nonsense on here. Here are a few of her recent sayings that cause us to shake our heads and wonder when she got to be so grown up!

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Natalia, in hallway after having an imaginary conversation on her cell phone: "Mom, Aunt Kim said that I can come over and play with Morgan. She'll be here in a few minutes, okay?"

Me: "Are you pretending, sweetpea?

Natalia: "No, I'm for real!"

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A few weeks ago when I got the call that my grandpa had passed away I was upstairs with Pete and crying when Natalia came up. She asked why I was sad. When I told her that Great Grandpa was now in heaven with Jesus, I added that sometimes people cry when they are really really happy AND sad at the same time.

Sweetly she replied, "Mom, I'll be your friend."

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And today, this was how we passed the morning while Adam napped.

Who knew a cupboard organizer shelf, the post of a ring toy and lots of "ironing" could provide such enjoyment?! An imagination is a WONDERFUL thing! :o)

Backfire

I thought I was being productive.

Do any of you ever get into THROW IT OUT, CLEAN IT OUT, ORGANIZE MODE?

Has it ever backfired on you?

Just want to let you all know that if my blog posts from the last few months suddenly have pictures missing...it is not that something is wrong with your computer. It was me.

I had no idea that Picasa Web Albums were storing every picture I uploaded here in a file. When I was dejunking files this past weekend I accidentally erased a whole bunch of things. (sigh)

Is it any surprise to my fellow Type A-er's out there that I'm uploading them again? I just can't stand the thought of pictures missing in these old posts!

(big long sigh)

This may take awhile. :o)