North Carolina comes to life...

... at the unforgettable fair!

When I was little there was a song about the fair and that was the 'catch phrase' if you will.  I still sing it when it's fair time around here.

We weighed the kids in (a Naylor family tradition) and here are their stats - I'm thinking maybe the machine was off just a tiny bit because Naylor wasn't this big earlier in the week.  Although, he was wearing his big Carhartt coat and his John Deere boots, so maybe...

Naylor: 30.8 lbs
Lalon 28.0 lbs
Whitley Ann 19.6 lbs

Whitley Ann - 15 months old!

It boggles my mind every time she does something new and big and WAY ahead of when Naylor or Lalon did it!  I keep thinking she's likely a genius, and she may be, but then I do have to give a little credit to Naylor and Lalon for keeping her intrigued and wanting to keep up!

I took her to the pediatrician for her 15 month well-check and two shots and she looked great all around.  She's definitely growing and while she's certainly not hurting for a meal, I think she has slimmed down slightly with all the running around she's doing these days.  If nothing else, it's certainly wearing her out because she's had some mornings where I've had to go wake her up!

Here are her 15 month and 1 week stats; we go for another check in September when she's 18 months old.

24 lbs - 85%
31.5" - 80%
46.6 cm (head circumference) - 75%

She has 12 teeth total now: 4 molars, 4 top center and 4 bottom center (she does have a not so pleasant habit of testing them out on skin occasionally, we're working on stopping that).

She's talking a bunch, more than I had given her credit for actually... a few things I can think of at the moment are listed below, but she DEFINITELY understands and follows directions.  Well, most of the time!


Hi, bye, Mama, Daddy, Naylor, Kitty, shoe, some version of cup/juice, "what's that?", baby, blows kisses and gives kisses / loves her babies, uh-oh and let's not forget "NO!" while screaming....

Here's a picture of sweet girl playing in the yard over the weekend.  One of her top favorite past times is climbing, doesn't matter what and if it seems dangerous / would potentially give me a heart attack, even better!!

Last Day of School!

Naylor and Lalon headed off to their last day of school for the 2011-2012 year.  It has been a very fun year for them and boy how they've grown!  I took a picture of them before they left and then later remembered I did the same for the first day of school, so I scouted that picture out to compare... WOW!  Lalon is like a whole new person - she's so tall and thin compared to the beginning of the year, almost as tall as Naylor now!

I know the kids will miss their friends, Naylor will especially miss his best buddy Jack, but I think we'll have Jack over for a play date at the pool for sure.

It's amazing to look back over the year and see just how much has changed in them both and I certainly credit their teachers for a big part in that growth!  Ms. Selena, Ms. Marilyn and Ms. Tanya have guided Naylor through a big learning year and fully transitioned him to a big boy.  Ms. Starr and Ms. Debra have found great strengths in not tying Lalon up... HA!!  I'm kidding, but they certainly knew how to not always be roped in by her smile and charm; I think we still need to work on Ms. Molly because she's a sucker for some Lalon.  :)

We will miss school this summer, but look forward to next year when they will both be in big kid classes (but different ones) and will go Tues / Wed / Thurs from 8:30 -12:30pm.  Whitley Ann and I will still enjoy our time together and depending on how things are going, she may start after Christmas one or two days... I'm not promising anything just yet though!

THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR!!

 First Day - 8.25.11

Last Day - 6.7.12

Mmmmm beef jerkey.

Brian's family arrived this morning and Pat brought with him the dehydrator we gave him for Christmas.  I'm not sure who was more excited about this, Brian or Pat, but let's just say they were both excited!!

They headed out just after dinner to get the supplies so that the meat could marinate overnight then we dehydrate the next evening.  We all agreed we should do some samplings before doing it all one way; it's quite possible they got carried away with that part...

They picked up a beef brisket and another piece, maybe a loin (?) and Brian started the slicing.  Pat was on the other side mixing up the marinade and then we set up the sample bags of Texas Pete, Cholula and Texas Pete Chipotle.

 

After doing those, I think the consensus was that the original TX Pete and Cholula were the best.  Then they got fancy and did some General Tsao's and two REALLY hot, hot sauces named Tongue and Fire.  In my personal opinion, I still vote for Pat's original TX Pete recipe and the Cholula!

The guys had an awesome time making it up and it was fun to see the process all the way through.

Swimming!

Yesterday was the beginning of swim lessons for Naylor.  He'll be going for 45 minutes Monday - Thursday this week and next week.  So off we went yesterday morning for the pool... I was going to leave Naylor with the instructor and the girls and I would play in the kiddie area until he was done.  He started out strong and did great, but was getting over it towards the last 10 minutes.  I think he was over it because he could hear and see Lalon pitching one of the biggest fits of her life.  For almost 45 minutes, I sat in the kiddie area with her as she screamed and cried because she needed to "go to swim class too".  So we sat, she cried and Naylor eventually heard her, but we powered through the last few minutes.

I contacted the swim class folks after we got home to see if Lalon could join the class and they said sure!  So last night before bed we practiced our "big arms" and talked about going back to the pool.  This morning everyone was in a little better spirits to return to the pool, but when we got there it was kind of cold.

They did their lesson though, albeit with blue lips and constantly asking to go home, but they did great.  Lalon gave it 110% - she jumped in, kicked, did arms, put her head under water - the girl loved it.  She even jumped in one time when it wasn't her turn... good thing the teacher was watching and pulled her up.  I was playing with the camera and caught part of it - that's good parenting right there folks!

We had packed a picnic for the pool, but they were all freezing, so we came home just in time for the sun to come out and had our picnic by our pool instead.

Here's to 6 more successful swim classes with blazing sunshine!!

DAY 1:

 Whitley Ann was happy enough...

 Lalon was not!

 Naylor at the end of class, ready to go home

DAY 2:

 Naylor and Lalon waiting their turn.

 Whitley Ann making silly faces while she enjoys a snack.

 Lalon doing big kicks!

 Lalon attempting to follow Naylor and teacher Maggie although she doesn't know how to swim... Maggie saved her thankfully.

 Naylor big kicking

 Naylor freezing

 Whitley Ann having a fun time wrecking my bag.

Other projects...

While I'm on the topic of projects, thought I'd toss this out there too...

I got the pieces together and painted and then while Dimitris had the saw thingy going, he cut down the 4x4 for me so that I could put this bad boy together.  It turned out just as I had hoped.  I think I'll tweak the bow, but was happy with it!


My version (with Inspector Lalon checking it's placement):

Two spots of inspiration for this bad boy:

Welcome Sign tutorial

Welcome Sign tutorial 2 (includes topper) I followed this one a little more, but either will work!

I also saw these on none other than Pinterest and loved the quotes... so I tried my hand at painting canvas.  Considering I have zero art skills, I was pleased with my very first attempt ever.  I think with some practice, I could do some cute stuff!

Inspiration: from Pinterest, although it seems the link / site is no longer there...

 My version for our screened porch:

This post is dedicated to Dimitris

I know I've been on extended hiatus... we've been busy having FUN!  I'll try to back-log and catch you up on things, along with pictures as I do.  I thought it fitting to resume blogging with the latest project under our belts thanks to Brian and our dear friend Dimitris.

D was up two weekends ago and I had shared with him and Brian a picture of some shelving / cubby things I wanted to build for the garage.  After some scheming, sketching, planning and two trips to Home Depot the project was under way.  They guys did an AWESOME job!!  I can't express enough just how happy I am with how it turned out.  They went above and beyond my dreams - really, I was just hoping for some plywood slapped together and they have gone all out and it looks like something straight from Pottery Barn.  I'm impressed and happy to be (momentarily) the garage envy of the street.  (I fully recognize this is fleeting as it will take us about 20 seconds to fill them with junk!)

After the guys were done I primed and painted it and then painted it again.  I picked up some hooks and Brian put those in last night.  This morning, Whitley Ann and I headed out on a mission to find baskets to fill these cubby holes to help keep some unity to the clutter (or at least help camouflage it!).  While at the store with my measuring tape, I began to think it would have been better to find some baskets first and then build around them... I'm not sure we have standard measurements, but I did find some things I hope will work.  I had wanted some baskets a little simpler, but this is what I could find that would work.  I'm hoping maybe the bright colors will help encourage the kids that cleaning up is fun!  

THANK YOU BRIAN AND DIMITRIS!!!   I **LOVE** my new shelves!!!  Now, to get them loaded up, so I can move the other stuff around and get my car back in the garage since it's starting to push 90* outside this week.

This is the photo of inspiration from a favorite blogger of mine: Memories on Clover Lane 

She also has a recipe blog: Cooking on Clover Lane that has lots of great hits!

 Higgins' new shelving unit completed and primed.

 Painted, hooks up, baskets in place!  

I'm actually testing out how I like the look before I load the baskets down and am unable to return them... although really cute, I'm leaning towards returning the far left column of baskets since they aren't quite practical for the space.  I'm going to feel it out today, but I see a return in my future!

Chicken Brunswick Stew

Chicken Brunswick Stew from The Lady & Sons (Paula Deen)

serves 6-8

• (1) 2 1/2 lb fryer 
• (1) 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar
• (1) 16 oz can creamed corn
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce 
• 1 T liquid smoke (found in grocery store)
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 T vinegar (I used white)
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• celery salt to taste 

In a large pot, boil chicken until meat falls off bone, approx 45 minutes; drain (reserve 1 - 2 cups of stock).  Remove skin and bones; chop meat.  In a separate pot, mix chicken and remaining ingredients.  Simmer slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.  (Add a little bit of stock if stew gets too think.)  Serve over steamed rice.

**Robin's edits / notes**

• This was a new recipe for me, so I followed it exactly (aside from adding the lima beans) and thought it was good, but a bit sweet for my personal taste.  Next time, I will not add the 1/3 cup of sugar - I think between the ketchup and bbq sauce, it will be sweet enough for me.  I'll most likely also add just a dash or two of a hot sauce next time too or maybe just do that on my own bowl - either Tabasco or Texas Pete would be good I think.
• Also, I have always eaten it like we did last night, more as a soup if you will, so I didn't do the rice, but I think that could be good / hearty as a meal in itself.
• The chicken I cooked was closer to 5 lbs as I was debating which recipe to use... so I had double the chicken the recipe called for.
• I had on hand a few pieces, probably about 1 lb of beef briskett - I tossed it in since I had it on hand (it had been smoked).
• It says to use another pot; I don't like washing dishes that much!  I reserved 2 cups of stock and did end up using about 1 1/2 after it had cooked a bit.  The remainder of the stock I put in ziplock bags in 1/2 cup and 2 cup portions that I lay flat and freeze.  Next time I need stock in a recipe - voila!  Once I had bagged up the stock, I poured all the ingredients back in to that pot and started simmering.
• I added a small bag (10-12 oz +/-) frozen lima beans - I've always had lima beans in the Brunswick stew I've eaten, so I tossed them in with the rest.
• Liquid smoke; I found it by the BBQ sauce section, small 5 oz bottle at Harris Teeter 
• Just for your purposes, I used Kraft Honey Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce - it's what I had on hand.  Again, I think this sauce is sweet enough in itself, that I won't add the sugar next time.
• I didn't have crushed tomatoes, so I used petite diced - once it's cooked down a bit, it's kind of all the same for this particular dish at least!

Max and Harper, Part II

Harper was able to leave the Special Care Unit and rejoin her brother, mom and dad yesterday!  They will all be heading home on Tuesday of this week and I'm sure later in the week, Noah will return to complete their family of 5.  

I think NCSU made it to the Sweet 16 because they had these 2 cute, new fans cheering them on!

Max (L) and Harper (R)

 Harper (L) and Max (R)

Big brother Noah giving Max a bottle - sweet, sweet.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday we had some family fun as we headed downtown Raleigh for the St. Patrick's Day festivities and parade.  Our friends, Blaine, Liz, Carson and Harrison were there and the kids loved every minute of fun.  They jumped in a couple of bouncy houses and we got up front row to watch the parade - they were in heaven!  It was such a beautiful day, close to 80* - not typical March weather, but we all enjoyed it.  It was close to 2pm when we got in the car to head home; both the girls were out before we even got out of the parking lot.  Naylor spent almost the entire ride home saying he wasn't going to take a nap and then about 5 minutes from the house fell asleep.  I needed to hit up the grocery store, so I did that and Brian kept the kids in the car while waiting... I was afraid if we took them to their beds they'd not go back to sleep.  When we got home Lalon and Whitley Ann both did go to their beds fine and then Naylor laid in bed with me and Brian and watched a bit of tv, but didn't go back to sleep.

Once naps were over, we played more outside, riding bikes and just having fun.  Brian mowed the grass for the first time this season to get the dead stuff out and there's lots of green peaking through!  We were having so much fun playing outside, we set up our tailgating table / grill and made dinner out there - burgers and zucchini grilled and it was great.  Naylor, Lalon and Whitley Ann were loving the 'picnic' we made.

After a long day outside, we hit the showers and then bed... not long after the kids were down, I followed suit! What a great day filled with friends, family and fun - looking forward to a great Spring!

 Waiting their turn for the bounce house

 Harrison - he and Whitley Ann got some quality time watching the parade in the stroller together.

 cutie Lalon in her pretty dress

 Family photo!

 Irish Wolfhounds - we saw about a dozen that were in the parade

 This one had to take a rest, so Naylor and Lalon said hello!

 Attempt # 23 (no joke!) at a girl pic... it'll have to do with Lalon's tongue out!

Front and center parade watching.

Welcome Max and Harper!

Friday, March 16, 2012 marked the day we added two new friends to our family!  Max Kennedy (5 lbs; 19") and Harper Quinn Shackelford (5lbs, 2 oz; 18") made their debut in the very wee hours of the morning Thursday arriving a tiny bit early, 35 weeks, but doing just great.  Mom Rikki and Dad Brian are both doing great too.

I was able to run over to Rex Hospital last night (Friday) to see Rikki and Brian, as well as meet little Max.  Harper at that time was in the Special Care Unit just for a little boost, but was doing great and looked like she would be joining the family back in their room in the morning.

Max was just as precious as he could be and so tiny!  I know Lalon wasn't much bigger, but it's truly hard to remember how little she actually was once I was holding him.  He slept the entire time I held him and let out one giant yawn... he had eaten just as I got there and had a belly full!

 Max Kennedy Shackelford

5 lbs; 19" 12:52 am 3.16.12

 Harper Quinn Shackelford

5 lbs, 2 oz; 18" 12:54 am; 3.16.12

We are so excited to have some new sweet friends on the street and in our lives!  Much congratulations and love going out to the Shackelford family of 5!

Easy Focaccia Bread

Prepped and ready for baking

Fresh from the oven - can't wait to make some paninis!

Easy Focaccia, from Southern Living's Homestyle Cooking 

• 2 (1 lb) loaves frozen dough, thawed - I used fresh dough sold in the deli section of my Harris Teeter, they were pizza dough balls, but I don't think that made a huge difference.
• 1/4 c olive oil - I didn't use nearly that much, closer to 1/8 cup
• 1 small white or purple onion, thinkly sliced and separated into rings 
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 T fresh (or dried) rosemary 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp coarse salt 
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 

Place each portion of dough on a lightly greased baking sheet; slightly flatten each dough into a 12 x 8 x 1/2 inch rectangle.  Press your finger or knuckle into dough at 2" intervals to create "dimples".  Brush with olive oil.  Top with onion rings; sprinkle evenly with cheese, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Bake at 375* for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm, or cool completely on wire racks.  

Yield: 2 loaves 

**This shortcut version can get creative!  Vary the toppings - try whole pitted olives, slivers of garlic and ham, and grape tomatoes.

Appetizer Chicken Wings

Trying to be more efficient and work through the food we have overstocked in our freezer... this week, we worked through a bag of chicken wings left from one of our frying sessions.  I didn't want to fry them, so I made these delicious Terriyaki wings that Mama makes and I served with saffron rice and asparagus.  The wings were delicious - fell off the bone in a tasty perfection!

Appetizer Chicken Wings, Ann E. Naylor

• 3 lbs chicken wings 
• 1 c honey
• 1/4 c soy sauce 
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 T ketchup
• clove garlic 
• salt and pepper 

Mix all ingredients except wings together.  Stir in wings until well coated.  Bake at 375* 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Stir several times.  Cook until dry.  Pour off grease.

Fun kitchen gadget: THE EBELSKIVER!

Dimitris has a new kitchen toy that he brought to play with while he was here... the ebelskiver!  It's a cast iron pan with 7 indentions to fill with a pancake-like batter, fill with a fun center, then top with more batter.  After cooking a few minutes, flip to cook other side and voila!  A fun filled pancake ball.  Not only were they fun to try different fillings, they were delicious too!  We whipped up our own batter that included almonds (pulverized until almost like flour) and well beaten egg whites; Dimitris has a mean batter recipe, I'll see if I can snake it from him later on.  We did all kinds: plain, blackberry filled, cream cheese filled, strawberry jelly and cream cheese, nutella and nutella with blackberry.  

Next time I'd like to try a corn meal batter and fill with jalapenos and cheese - of course for dinner and not breakfast!  

 The ebelskiver pan; get one.

 It all starts with some butter...

 First layer and blackberry center

 Putting top layer on. 

 Flipping them with bamboo skewers

 Flipped and cooking other side.

 First batch: blackberry 

(This first batch we tried a new batter and they were a bit "flat" and not as rounded as the almond based batter we did next)

 

 Whipped up some blackberry sauce to top them with. 

 Whitley Ann loved trying them all!

Nutella filled - whoa!  We even did two that were Nutella and blackberries... mmmmmm