Mary Kate's Best Friend Isaac Estes

Mary Kate enjoyed the morning that she got to play with her buddy Isaac Estes. He is the son of Erin and Marty Estes. Marty is our Youth Minister at Church. Isaac is only a couple months older than Mary Kate. He is the only baby around her age that she has to play with in Adamsville right now. Here are a few pictures of Isaac and Mary Kate playing. The first are of last week when we kept Isaac while his mommy was having another baby. This time it's a girl!

Mary Kate having a fun day!

Yesterday Mary Kate decided it was time to stand in the back of her fire engine that she got for her birthday. She has been loading her toys in it for a while. I guess she discovered there was more that she could do to have fun with it. She also likes to play around in the kitchen while mommy cooks. She discovered my Pampered Chef tray and decided to sit in it. What a silly girl we have!

The Wednesday Weekly Recipe:

Strawberry Brownie Trifle
1 box a brownie mix cooked as directed on box
1 box of instant vanilla (do not make as directed on the box)
1 can of eagle brand milk
1/2 cup of water
1 container of cool whip
1 container of strawberries
Bake a 9 by 13 pan of brownies. Let cool and cut into bite size pieces.
Mix pudding, 1/2 cup of water, and the can of eagle brand milk together. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Fold in 1 container of cool whip.
Cut up 1 container of strawberries. Layer the following: brownies, cream mixture, strawberries. Layer these ingredients again ending with the starwberries on top.

The Wednesday Weekly Recipe:

Southwestern Chicken Dip
1 pound of Velveeta Cheese cut up
1 can of rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 package of Southwestern seasoned or grilled chicken breast strips in a package already cooked- chop them up into bite size pieces
1/4 cup of chopped green onions
1 tsp. of ground cumin
1. Mix all ingredients in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 6 to 7 minutes or until Velveeta is melted, stirring every three minutes.
2. Serve with tortilla chips.

Mary Kate's Birthday Party!

On Saturday June 7th Mary Kate had her first birthday party. She had many family and friends that joined her for her party. She opened many presents, went swimming, and had cake and ice cream. Mommy made her a princess birthday cake.
Mary Kate decided to put her toys in the back of her fire engine that aunt Claire gave her for her birthday.

The Wednesday Weekly Recipe:

Fruity Lemonade Slush
Country Time Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix or Country Time Lemon and Berry Sippers Drink Mix (Will use 1 quart line amount on cap)
1 Cup of cold water
2 Cups of ice cubes
1/2 cup of fresh strawberries or frozen peach slices
1. Measure the drink mix into the cap to the 1 quart line.
2. Place the drink mix, water, and 1 cup of the ice cubes into a blender container and cover. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add remaining ice cubes and fruit. Cover and blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Store leftover slush in the freezer. Makes 4 servings.

Our little princess Mary Kate is 1 today!

Mary Kate got a Learning Kitchen for her birthday from us. It makes many sounds and is just right for her age. She has enjoyed playing with it. She also had cupcakes at V.B.S. today with her friend Isaac.
After Vacation Bible School Mary Kate decided to play with her baby. I sang patty cake with her and she clapped her baby's hands together.
Saturday she will have a birthday party with family and friends. Her friends and cousins will get to swim in the new pool her uncle Bryan gave her for her birthday.

The Wednesday Weekly Recipe

European Salad
1 bag of European blend lettuce
Broccoli (1 cup of chopped broccoli, the tops only)
Green Onions (cut 2 into small pieces)
Mandarin Oranges
Strawberries (optional)
Grilled Chicken Strips (1 package)
Ramen Noodles (The dry noodles only)
Walnuts or almonds (A small package of one of them.)
Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tsp. of soy sauce
Mix all the salad ingredients together. Mix the salad dressing ingredients together in a seperate small microwave safe bowl. Put the bowl into the microwave for 2 minutes to heat up the dressing so the sugar will dissolve. Pour dressing over the salad an hour before you serve it. Put the salad back into the refrigerator to chill it until you serve it.
You can double the recipe to feed more people. This is a great summer salad!