Southern Verisimilitude

Think this must be the month of "supposed to", maybe it's the January thing, kinda thinking it's just me but only a few of my intentions have actually been checked off the list. Put my nose to the grindstone yesterday and did manage to order Kylie's summer wardrobe for Grammie's house ... her closet at home is filled with perfect little dresses, Meme takes care of that but I kinda think that 4 yr olds need comfort clothes, shorts and tops that they can wear to dig in the dirt, catch lizards and climb trees, Gymboree fits the bill perfectly so Pops takes a hit to his bank account a few times a year. LOL, of course Meme kinda has issues with "clothes that everybody has" but sorry Meme but our girl sure loves her chihuahua shirt and we've gotta keep her happy.

Knocked out the laundry, grocery and JoAnn's. Fridge is stocked with soups and sandwich meats and I'm planning on a long weekend of playtime ~ my goal is to actually make the window treatments for my sanctuary and figure out what to do with one of these old picture frames I have. Real toss-up on bulletin board, chalkboard or picture collage. Might be nice if I finished off the picture grouping I have planned for Jim's office to. Fingers crossed that I do actually get some things checked off the list.

Of course January does stand out as Jacob's birthday month.In celebration of "the baby" making 22, Jerry took half the day off and we followed tradition with shopping, lunch at Dixie Chicken and Ribs and the movie "Bedtime Stories". Our arrival home was met by the delightful sight of Jim cooking birthday boy's favorite meal, steak and chicken cooked fajita style but served on a bed of wild rice, boiled new potatoes and roasted corn. Josh, Kristie and Kylie decided to stay the night turning it into a slumber party and yet another opportunity for Kylie to watch her new favorite movie, "Labyrinth". Snort, you can sure tell Kylie has uncles that are concerned with her artistic tastes. Both Jerry and Jacob were worried that "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was her current fav and they are horrified at the thought that she lives in the same house as a copy of "High School Musical", so they have set out on the mission to educate the little one. Sigh, I was not a happy camper when they first introduced her to "Labyrinth", especially since she called it "the goblins take the baby" but no nightmares ensued and she now calls it "David Bowie and the goblins". On a brighter note, for Christmas I did order 2 copies of Samantha's favorite childhood book, "My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes", one for Samantha and one for Kylie and sure enough, Kylie loves the book and quickly had it memorized. Guess I should just be thankful that she's not running around singing Tube Snake Boogie, Unc had Samantha singing that constantly when she was little.

Off to play, wish me luck, I'm going to cut the fabric for my valances and hold my breath while I tea dye it. Oh and thought I'd share the recipe my poor frozen little bunny called form

Chicago wanting, Baked Potato Soup.

2 large baking potatoes
2 cooked chicken breasts
1/3 cup butter
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup shredded velveeta
8 green onions
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups milk (I use half milk, half cream
4 slices crisp bacon (I use jar bacon bits)
shredded cheddar for garnish
Directions
Bake potatoes in microwave, let cool, peel and dice.
Cube and cook chic or use leftovers.
In large pot, cook green onions in butter til tender. Stir in flour, dill, salt and pepper, blend. Add milk all at once, cook while stirring well for one minute more. Add velveeta, stir til cheese melts, add potato and chicken, simmer til heated through. Garnish with bacon, cheddar and additional green onions if desired.