Catch up post!

I am doing such a bad job at blogging! Seriously! I think with spring here and life getting busy sitting at a computer is just not what I want to be doing! But-I want these memories so lets catch up

Friday after the tornado-we went to supper club. All the excitement of the day-we were in need of some good food! We ate at Sal-n-mookies! My favorite local pizza spot. Here is me, Pamela, and Tyanne.

 And the Boys! Bill (tyanne's) Will (Pamela's) and Mr. Broadus

 Pamela with her octopus! =)

The Tornado really put a damper in our weekend plans-we had to do a "throw together" birthday party for our sweet friend Gavin. His birthday was suppose to be at the skating rink-but it had damage during the tornado so we put together a quick party at chuck-e-cheese...I mean you only turn 5 once!!

 The week went on-we did tornado clean up during the week, Madyson registered for kindergarten, then on Thursday I went on a field trip with my 6th grade niece to the WWII museum! It was my first time. I had a little group of girls and enjoyed spending time with them. After the museum we got to go shopping for a bit!

 This man was a DDay Veteran. We had just learned about DDay in an IMAX film before the museum tour. The girls were excited to talk with him!

 Here comes the plane!!!! (ok so I am a cheesy chaperon but we had 3 hours and were done in 1.5 so we had to make the best of our time!)

 I think this is the plane they said they got off of Ebay. I love some Ebay!

Shopping, New Orleans style!

Friday was Good Friday-and the girls and I spent it together at home. We did some cleaning and read the Easter story and discussed it.

Saturday Morning the girls woke up to their Easter Baskets. Todd and I made the decision last year that this is something we want to do with the girls, but we want to make sure it doesn't overshadow Easter Sunday. So we decided that Saturday would be "cutesy" spring activity day!

That afternoon the girls and I went over to my cousin Kristina's house to dye eggs on the back porch. I started looking back and this was the first time Aubrie had dyed eggs!!! 

She was so excited!

Sunday came and the girls and I made Resurrection rolls!

I saw this idea online and loved it! you take a marshmallow (Jesus) and a crescent roll dough triangle (the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in)and treat it with oil (butter and Cinnamon) then you wrap Jesus up and put him in the tomb (oven) 3 days later (10-15 minutes) when you pull it out-The inside of the wrap is empty-Jesus has risen(the marshmallow melts and the crescent plumps up and its really tasty!)

We got ready for church put didn't take pictures-bc I am 

retarded. However my mom did snap on of us as we were getting in the car to go to Easter lunch

*Real life Easter Picture..Aubrie having a hissy-madyson falling asleep, me with a "please quit having a hissy look" Todd along for the ride!

We decided to forgo the traditional "Family" Easter Lunch and do a picnic at our favorite campground and let the kids play in the creek! (true Mississippi style =)

Madyson and her tadpole...she is such a nature kid!

Well that catches us up to date!!! This weekend is madyson's ballet recital and then next week is her surgery!

Chips and Dip Chicken

Here is a new dinner to our rotation: Chips and Dip Chicken. Super Easy!

You will need:
A Pack Of Chicken Breast (i used 6)
1 large jar of the Salsa of your choice
1 packet of Taco Seasoning
2 tablespoons of Sour Cream
1/2 bag of shredded cheese
Tortillas
2 cups of oil
salt


1st:
Put chicken in casserole dish
sprinkle with taco seasoning (i used like 1/4 of the packet)

2nd
mix salsa and sour cream in a bowl

3rd
Pour salsa mix on top of chicken

4th
put in an oven that is heated to 400 degrees
and bake for 30 minutes

Now:
take Tortillas (i used about 15) and cut them like a pizza into triangles
Heat oil in a pan
put a few of the triangles in the oil and cook until light brown
once all of the triangles are cooked sprinkle with salt

chicken should be done by now-sprinkle with cheese and let cook about 8 more minutes

Once cheese is melted your dish should look like this

Put your "chips" on your plate-top with chicken breast-serve with a side of fresh corn =)

A big day for a big girl!

Yesterday we registered for Kindergarten! Madyson was so excited when she walked in and saw all of her friends there at the same time! (God Bless our Kindergarten teachers!! This upcoming class is a mess!) We toured the school, Todd did paper work to get her officially on the list, she went through a screening process to see her letters, numbers, shapes, colors...(she can do all that plus she is a beginning reader, and LOVES Math! She is a balla at addition)

I signed up for PTO and we got her a school shirt! Here she is wearing it! (sorry i had to scratch over some of the stuff-her safety is most important!)

I CAN NOT believe my baby is going to kindergarten! She will finish Pre-K the first week in June and then she will take a break this summer. My mom is off in the summer and will be keeping her. She is going to go to a few camps-Vacation Bible School-then some trips!

Today-I saw God's Face and felt his protection.

Today started off like any other day-I got the girls up for school. Madyson had a field trip and was so excited to go to see the kindergarten where she will be attending next year! Todd loaded them up and off they went.

My dad and I had plans to spend the morning together-we left the house about 9:30. We headed to the bank 15 miles from our house,  so he could make a deposit. When we pulled out it was 10:00 he asked if I was hungry and I said of course!

I suggested this new place in Clinton he suggested a hole-in the wall in Jackson. I am always up for an adventure so thats what we did! We ate some yummy hamburgers in a place that has a sign that reads, "be careful with this door-if you pull to hard it will fall off"

We got in the car at 10:45 and headed down Hwy 80 in Jackson-towards Clinton. At the last minute-my dad turned off Hwy80 and said-"I know you've wanted to go junkin at this store-lets stop in."

The next hour was a blur-one minute I was junkin-the next Todd called and said a tornado hit Clinton near the  girls school-he was on the way to check on them. We flew down Hwy 80-all the red lights were out. When we entered clinton we saw this

this is literally a few hundred feet from my children. Todd called as my heart started to swell, "They are fine. I am taking them home"

To give you a glimpse of this tornado-here is a video from youtube taken by stormchasers.

Todd works on Hwy 80 and I work right on the other side of that bridge on the frontage road-It has been an emotional day to say the least.

I have lived in this town my entire life. 26 years. Never-EVER has this happened. We are all still in shock. Banks were destroyed, a hotel had the roof ripped off, popeyes is a skeleton building. Cars were tossed like tin cans across the interstate. Thankful-No one was killed.

Here is how I saw God today.

1)If my Dad hadn't of turned off of Hwy 80 to go to the junk store-we would have been driving into the tornado-literally we were driving straight towards this

2)2 schools (my daughters and the 4th&5th grade) were in the MIDDLE of the most destruction. Neither had major damage and no one was hurt.

If you aren't a believer of God being with you all the time-Ask the HUNDREDS of Clintonians that experienced this today. He was here. We all saw Him.

Tomorrow we start the clean up process. Trees down, houses in shambles. People are in good spirits. Everyone I spoke to today said, "This can be replaced-we were spared".

If you would like to see more pictures-follow me on twitter @SarahBroadus-I tweeted about 15 today and will have more tomorrow during the clean up process.

Poll-what next?

So the porch is just hours away from being done. Sunday-you will get to see all the pretty pictures!!! (well minus some furniture-i haven't had alot of junkin time lately and I am hoping to find some tomorrow-if not-at least it will be pretty and clean)

So now the question is what next?

The kitchen is going to be put off until July-we have big news and are super excited to announce we will be contracting this job out because the "wall" that everyone who enters our house wants to take down...is coming down! Its a load bearing wall-so its going to take someone with some mad skills to reinforce it-so the house doesn't come down. But it is coming down! and I am only watching that happen!

Here are the options:

mini-projects:
Master bath-update (paint, new hardware, new caulk...)
Bedrooms: new paint and spruce up the furniture

medium-project
Build the pantry and new built ins for the playroom
Laundry room update (paint, new cabinets, new mudroom bench)


big-project
garage-clean it all out-paint the walls, the floor, install new organizers, etc.

What do you think?

Madyson update-new recipe-more

1) Madyson went to the dr. this morning-she had gained 3.3lbs! Our dr. was very pleased with her progress and it looks like we are catching up in our weight!

She had to get her booster shots for kindergarten! 4 of those suckers! She cried-I cried-our MALE nurse was even teary! She has been getting total sympathy since we've been home.

2) I am not a fan of chicken salad-never have been. but i had this huge chicken that i got on sale and had to do something with the meat that was left over after Aubrie, Madyson and myself picked at it. So I found a simple chicken salad recipe and tweeked it.

Left over chicken-shredded
2 Tablespoons of fat free mayo
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of chopped celery
3 tablespoons of chopped green onions
salt and pepper

it is easy and really good-not weird like the kind with grapes. (grapes and mayo are not a combo my tastebuds enjoy!)

3) THE PORCH IS ALMOST DONE! Todd and I are putting up the trim tomorrow! Super excited bc that means I get to decorate!

4) If you live in the metroJackson area-I have listed a ton (and will continue to list over the weekend) of furniture that I have collected in my hunts or that we purchased for our first house (now its not our style) super cheap on craigslist. we have to clean out my "store" room of all the extras!
(Small modern sofa, 5ft long ottoman, shelves, retro chair, mirrors, toys,) I am too lazy to have a garage sale or take it to consignment-so if you see something you like-ill be happy to make a deal!

Spring is here !

Well-look whos back! I apologize for my impromptu vacation from blogging but Spring is here and my day planner is packed tighter than a hoarder's pod!

Lets do some catch up! I am so glad that we are 2 weekends away from being DONE completely with the porch! We have the all of the structure, roof and screens. We need to do another coat of paint, trim, and decorate!

I will def. be blogging via wifi and laptop from now on!

Since we talked last-we had cake and ice cream with family to celebrate the end of "Aubrie week". The kids played outside all day!

Sunday we went to church, then Madyson and I did a little shopping. I have lost some weight and needed some new jeans and dresses. Found some GREAT deals at Ross' Dress for Less! Madyson got some cute silver stride rite sandals from there as well!

Sunday night we went to Pamela and Will's house for Supper Club! Pamela made yummy Breakfast for Dinner! I love me some BRINNER!!!

We flew past the next week to the following weekend and spent it in Atlanta! Todd's dad was getting remarried-Ikea and American Girl stores are both there-it was bliss! We came home with some porch items and new glasses for "Elizabeth and Molly"

The next week brought on tons of stress and full hearts. We got a call from the agency that is doing our homestudy wanting to know if we were ready to start interviews! It pained me to say no =( we are postponing it due to a certain little 4 year old that is having eye surgery! yes that is right! Madyson will be having eye surgery May 6th. Her little eye decided since our last visit that it was going to start getting weak so surgery is our next step. It is a "common" surgery but the thought of her little eye ball and eye muscle getting cut on is enough to stress anyone out. As much as I am ready to do our homestudy-I know that this month needs to be spent preparing her for surgery and all the emotions that come with it.

This past weekend-I worked our church garage sale which was an AMAZING experience! You know me-full out junker! I was so excited to see all the stuff that was donated! I even ran into a few blog readers! (unfortunatly-I didn't have my camera =() But I did walk away from the sale with just 1 thing! (are you shocked?!) I found a TON that I wanted but-we are being even more cautious than normal with money since we have house appraisal and adoption cost added to regular life stuff. So what did I get? Oh this little gem! =)

Yes...a card catalog! An Apothocary! What am I going to do with it? I have a few ideas!

We have gone to some birthday parties-

Taken Dance Pictures in the middle of a tornado =)

We have supported our teams in baseball!

and i have started wearing makeup again! (only on special occasions!)

 So whew! Now you are caught up! I am back so just get ready-Got A lot of before and afters to show you!