Lipton Noodle Soup knockoff

I tend to really enjoy soup at any time of the year, but fall and winter weather just beg for homemade soup. My clam chowder is "Da Bomb"!
Do people even use that expression any more?
My sister made a wonderful Zuppa Toscana  (Olive Garden recipe) on Saturday when we went to her house for our Sibling lunch and now I am really in the mood for homemade soup.
I am not a big fan of canned or boxed soups because of all the sodium and MSG that makes my heart beat out of my chest, so I have gotten pretty good at making my own soup recipes. I never follow anything to a tee, so they always have a little different twist to them depending on what is in the pantry and refrigerator.
Today, I made my version of Lipton Noodle soup and homemade croutons.



I started with a 7 oz. package of  cut angel hair type noodles and cooked them according to directions. In another pan, I heated a 32 oz. box of chicken broth. When the noodles were cooked, I drained them, put them back in the pan and added 2 generous Tbsp. of  "Better Than Bouillon" chicken base. This gives it a ton of flavor! You can add more to suit your taste, but I was at the bottom of the jar, so I also added about a tsp. of lemon pepper and a pinch of Montreal Steak seasoning, just to kick it up a notch. I added a couple minced cloves of garlic and fresh parsley. I then added the heated up chicken broth to the noodle mixture. You can add more water if you like it more brothy, but then add a little more BTB chicken base.YUM!!!

I threw some of my homemade croutons in there and I was in soup heaven! And it's so easy!

Bon Appetit!

Guess who is 6!!!

JAMES!!!

Time is just moving along too quickly. It was just yesterday when he was a baby, right???

His birthday was actually the 23rd, but I'm just getting around to catching up my blog!



A blast from the past, 2006

James 8 mo., Daemyan 5, Leona 2

October 24. 2011, Jimmy's Pizza

Beautiful sissy Leona, 7, and handsome James, 6

I could be slightly prejudiced, (naaaw!), but those are 3 of the best looking kids I've ever seen!

Carving the Pumpkin

I am finally getting around to posting these pictures of  Don & Daemyan carving their pumpkin! They were actually taken last week. Or was it the week before......???

Last week was extremely busy, and I'm happy to say that this week is a *little* less hectic.......except for yesterday, when D had early dismissal and I forgot, and... well..., a long story. (Everything turned out fine!)

NOTE TO SELF: Wait until closer to Halloween to carve pumpkin. The poor guy is already molding :(    I will spare you from having to look at those pictures!

Avoiding the Paparazzi!

Daemyan got his hair cut last week because Picture Day at school is this Thursday. He wasn't happy.

During the school year,  he has to keep his hair short, but in the summer, he can do what he wants with it, which is grow it as long as it will get in 3 months, depending on when his last haircut of the school year was. It's nice to know that even if he is not happy about having to get his hair cut, I can always refer him to the school handbook regarding the rules on hair. Yeah, I love that!

Denise (my hairdresser) convinced him to let me take one picture, and he reluctantly put his hand down and I QUICKLY snapped this picture before he changed his mind.

I haven't been fast enough on my feet (or behind the lens!) to get an "after" shot yet!

This was a "long hair" picture taken last year. He is so handsome, I just hate for him to hide his gorgeous face, but that's just Grandma talking, yak, yak, yak...

Whatever happened to this sweet, cooperative little angel sitting nicely and posing for a picture before going into Kindergarten?

Maybe having his mom cut his hair made the difference?

It's That Time of Year Again!

I love the fall!

However, I don't like the fact that it means it's almost winter :(
Out here in the great Pacific Northwest, we get a lot of RAIN. Yes, we live in a breathtaking area, but you must be tough to weather the rainy season that we so ***lovingly*** try to tolerate
.
This means fall and Halloween cards for me.

I love to make Fall/Thanksgiving cards, but spooky stuff  just doesn't do anything for me. As spooky as it gets is spiders and maybe a few ghosts here and there, but really, I'm more of a scarecrow and pumpkin person, AND, as much arachnophobia as I have, using spiders on cards doesn't bother me at all as long as they don't look real!

Like these little guys, not scary, but very cute! Right?

But this is more cindi, scarecrows and pumpkins, and yes, squirrels since we have what seems to be a squirrel habitat here at the Hansen homestead.

Hope you are enjoying the fall, no matter where you live!

Miles on TV!!!

http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Floral-Magic-With-Nordstroms-130978423.html

My friend, Miles was on King 5 TV today, showing how to put together a beautiful fall arrangement, as well as answer questions from the hostess of the show.

He did such a great job, he's a natural!

Unfortunately, I was not able to make it down to be in the audience...long story, it has to do with Mimosas, shrimp, hot tub and laundry. Like I said, long story, but I was able to view it at 11:00 and it was so exciting to see him on the big, well, small screen!

WAY TO GO, MILES!

Thinking of You

Unfortunately, this is the first of a couple of cards I need to make for a couple friends of mine who recently lost a child.

One 19 and the other in very early 20's, I belive 22 or 23. One in a tragic motorcycle accident and one a tragic drug issue. I had know both as young children. 

I have been draging my feet since sympathy cards are my least favorite cards to make, as I'm sure they are for all cardmakers out there. I decided that this challenge was a perfect opportunity to get my behind in gear and get to work. Anyway, I like the simplicity and calmness of this card, just what I want to express to my dear friends. I'm not a mushy kind of person, so the "with deepest sympathy" cards don't really work for me. And I can't, and never want to imagine the pain these two women and their families are going through right now, so I just want to keep it simple.

I will post the next as soon as I get it done.