Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

This is so good. I make it probably 2-3 times a month. It is so simple and you can eat it with practically anything. I got it from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low. Shred the chicken, and keep it on warm for about 15-30min before you eat.

We have eaten this a variety of different ways. On a bun, on a baked potato, as a dip for chips, with some cheesy scalloped potatoes and with rice. Try it! You'll love it!

Spring Cleaning and Family Vacation

We've been so busy lately. The weather up here in Minnesota warmed up about two weeks earlier than normal so I've been trying to tackle all my indoor and outdoor projects. I've about got the entire house organized, which is an amazing feeling. We've also put in a new patio and taken down a tree that was really in the way. I hated doing it, but it has made all the difference our yard feels much bigger.

We also went on vacation and had a great time, despite the COLD weather. I think it was warmer in MN than Florida that entire week. Here are some pictures from our vacation.










All in all it was a fun vacation. I'm just hoping our next one is warmer!

Valentine's Day

I had a wonderful Valentine's Weekend, despite having to do some training for work on Saturday. The Cock cleaned the entire house and had dinner ready by the time I got home. He and the little chicks made me a wonderful card and gave me some beautiful flowers. Then on Sunday we left the chicks at home and went to eat sushi and see a movie. It was a nice relaxing day, despite the snow we had to drive in on the way home. Here are some pictures from our weekend.

YUMMY Oatmeal Pancakes!

I made some pancakes for my brood this morning and they were fantastic! My husband said he was still thinking about them after breakfast, my 3-year old ate 3 of them, and my 2-year old... well, she's just not a 'breakfast person'. Here's the recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

*I didn't have any buttermilk in the house so I used regular milk.

1) Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

2) Heat a pan or griddle and cook pancakes as usual! Yields approx. 8 servings.

You won't be disappointed. These were soooo yummy.

Long day, short fuse

Sigh, today was one of *those* days. It's started out great. Kennedy had preschool so me and Reese hit the gym. Things were still going great at lunch and naptime. Then.... they awoke. They must have had too good of a nap because they woke up crazy! For the rest of the day I was having to tell them 4, 5, 6, times to do something or to clean up some toys. They dumped all of Kennedy's clothes out of her dresser, threw all our pillows off our bed, dumped their toybins and a big box of crackers. You would think I wasn't watching them or something, but I WAS! They were just nuts today. I even tried to calm them down with a couple different crafts and some fun 'fairy snacks'. Nope, didn't work. By the time my husband got home from work I was completely frustrated and exhausted. The only really great part of the day was that they got along so well. They both enjoyed destroying my house in a matter of seconds. Oh, I am actually glad to go to work tomorrow.

GIRLS NIGHT!!!

I am so excited! I'm going out for a girl's night tonight. We're going to Benihanna (YUM) and then to watch 'It's Complicated'. I so rarely get to do something like this. It will be nice to have some fun.

Finally getting some sleep!

I feel confident enough to finally say that my 2 year old is sleeping thru the night (most nights). It has been a long road with her. She's been sleeping consistantly for the past couple of weeks. I wasn't sure if this day would ever come. I've been feeling much more rested and energetic, I hadn't realized how much the interrupted sleep really got to me. Let's hope this good sleeping continues.

Brad Paisley, Justin Moore - I love Country!

It was a busy weekend. My husband came home from visiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and we went to the Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Justin Moore concert. It was so much fun! We got to hang out with Justin Moore during and after the show. We also got to sit on Brad Paisley's tour bus! Brad and my husband talked about where they grew up (which is near each other) and college football. I guess boys will be boys, no matter how famous they are.

Here's a picture of my husband and I with Brad.

Like I said, we had a great time. Probably too much fun considering I couldn't get out of bed until about noon on Sunday!

Long, but fun day

Today was a long day. Out the door by 7:30am to take the Cock to the airport. From there the chicks and I met some friends at The Children's Museum and played for a couple of hours. I love the museum. It's a nice way to get the girls out to play, but we don't have to stay the entire day. I think my favorite part is the water area because I get to just sit and watch them play. I think their favorite part is the face painting station. Kennedy made herself into a kitty-cat and Reese just painted on her cheeks. We had a great time!

Ugh, New Year's Resolutions....

So I've made a lot of New Year's Resolutions. I'm doing good at keeping them too. The toughest one I've made is to try to get back to a more 'Vintage Mom' lifestyle. That means to get back to the good ol' days where kids were active and families spent quality time together. I've been doing my best to start cutting back on tv time, to enforce more healthy rules (ex. snacks and drinks must be eaten at the table, not while roaming the house), to make meals at home instead of doing drive-thru, to get down and play with my kids, to get outside as a family and just experience life. I think that kids had stronger familly values back then and thats what I want for my family. Life is not about what you have; it's about the experiences you share, the friends you make and the love you spread.

To Do Lists

I have a serious obsession with "To Do Lists". I make multiple lists a day. There is something so satisfying about crossing off one of the items. It must run in the family because Grams Hen (my mother) sent me a scan of a great "To Do List" template today. She must really love me <3 I'm sure it drives the Cock crazy, but if he's good he may just get put on my list.

I hope that my love of lists gets passed along to my girls. I can just picture it know... going thru their backpacks from elementary school only to pull out a "homework to do list" just like I used to make. Awwww.... melts my heart.

Monday Funday

Hello Monday!!! Most people dislike Monday, but currently it is my favorite day of the week. You see, I have Monday's off of work! It's a three-day weekend for me every week. I don't know what I'm going to do if I ever have to switch my work schedule. I love Mondays <3.

This Monday morning has been a great one. I got up early to enjoy an hour of peace with my coffee. It was one of my resolutions for the year. That hour of calm before the little chicks wake up puts me in a wonderful mood all day. JD had to be out the door early for work and Kennedy had to be at PreSchool by nine. She was the 'Star Of The Week' and got to tell her class all about her family and favorite things. It warms my heart to see her excitement about school and I hope that she can carry that thru the next 14 years. The littlest chick, Reese, and I went to Target for some shopping. That was her first real outing in panties. She did wonderful!! She even let me know when she had to use the potty at the store. What a big girl she is now!

After picking Kennedy up from school we came home for some lunch. Naptime is approaching and that is my second favorite time of the day (after hour in the morning). That is when The Mother Hen gets to eat her lunch and enjoy a little adult television. Now, I know that most of you will say that we should be eating lunch as a family, and I agree. But sometimes it's just nice to eat without two little hands grabbing at everything on my plate. Sanity, having 2 chicks 19 months apart you gotta do what you gotta do to keep sane.

What's on my plate for the rest of the day? Cleaning, organizing and playing with the girls. I think it might be a tea party kinda afternoon!

My Brood

I'm Kate, Mother Hen, to my two beautiful chicks Kennedy and Reese; wife Hen to the the Cock *giggle*of the house JD. Follow my blog for funny stories, recipes, household tips, and more.