Good Homecooking...

The last few days have been rough!  We have been living in this polar vortex of sorts with below zero temps and wind chills.  Kids have loved the extra days off school but my hibernation instinct sets in and I crave warm gooey home cooked meals.  Usually with schedules and the general busyness of life we tend to be a grab and go kind of family.  My idea of cooking is prepackaged heat & eat or hit the restaurant on the way home.  With all this extra time on my hands and no one wanting to go outside including my beloved Lilly....Momma did some cooking.

Here's my latest creation.  Creamy Chicken Casserole...I combined two recipes to suit my needs and here is what I came up with.  Yummy Goodness!!!

Recipe...

4 Chicken Breast Cooked & Shredded

2 Bullion

4 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Cans Cream Of Chicken

1/2 Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Rice

1 Stick of Butter plus 2 Tablespoons

1 Box Herb Stuffing

12 Ritz Crackers Crushed

Cook chicken in water and bullion to create a stock.  Remove chicken and shred.  Remove 2 Cups Stock and leave remainder in skillet.  Add onion & rice to skillet and saute until tender.  Add 1 can cream of chicken to mixture.  In Saucepan melt 1 stick of butter and add stuffing mix, stir until combined.  To create sauce, add 1 can cream of chicken to the  reserved stock with 1/2 cup of milk and whisk.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Casserole or Baking Dish with Pam.  Layer chicken, rice mixture, stuffing mixture, repeat.  Top with sauce.  Melt remaining butter in saucepan and add crackers, mix.  Finally, sprinkle cracker topping over casserole and bake for 40 minutes.

Hope you enjoy this Hearty Home Cooked Meal as much as we did.  It is definitely a keeper and one that sent us all back for seconds :)

Sneak Peak At My Reflections™ Skylark

In my last post I mentioned the New Close To My Heart Catalog and the seven new My Reflections™ paper packs.  I love the fresh crisp look of the Skylark pattern which features vintage bird cages and sweet winged friends.  Here's a peak at one of the level two scrapbook layouts...Exciting Inspiration Awaits!

New Beginnings....

Have to love Northeast Ohio in January!  The weather is well... unpredictable to say the least and I am anxiously awaiting February and Groundhog Day!  Hoping SPRING is well on its way.  This February I have something else to look forward to.  The NEW Close To My Heart Catalog Release...that's right the SPRING/SUMMER 2014 Book is going live on February 1st!

The NEW Catalog is here and ready to go.  Don't have your copy yet....contact me and I'll tell you how to get yours TODAY!  So excited about the Stamp Of The Month program...six ew designs one each month from February to July for ONLY $5 dollars with a $50 purchase during the featured month.  New Hostess sets,  My Reflections™ paper packs and so much more!  Wait 'til you see some of the new papers...personally love the Skylark collection!  Can't wait to get busy and create a few new designs for my clubs, workshops and home gatherings!  It's going to be a CRAFTASTIC Spring/Summer!!!

January Stamp Of The Month...

This Month Close To My Heart is offering Cross-Stitch Wishes for only $5 with a purchase of $50.  See my website donnalong.ctmh.com for complete details and project ideas. This cute 13 stamp set gets you ready for Stamping a few Valentines and Creating some SWEET Home Decor.  SOTM available through January 31, 2014.

National Papercrafting Month Cloud Nine Cardmaking Kit

Happy New Year...

Here we are day two of 2014, seems to me last year flew by.  So like most folks I'm sure you have your new calendars, resolutions, plans and ideas for this new year and are ready to hit the ground running.  Have you pinned your honey dos, decorating ideas, recipes, menu planners and the like?  Have you made your list and checked it twice?  All this hustle and bustle we put ourselves through makes me lean back and laugh.  Don't get me wrong but society has created the idea that we need to be super organized, perfectly shaped, have well kept homes, successful careers, be room mom extraordinaire and well basically Wonder Woman.  Let me tell you a little SECRET, its okay to be YOU!

Don't let the pressures of society force you to be someone you simply cannot be.  God created each of us with our own unique gifts and talents.  Its okay to have dreams and aspirations.  Change is not a bad thing.  Conforming to societies preconceived notions is.  Just Be You!

I read a post over at www.thepeacefulmom.com not long ago about choosing a guiding word for the year.  After some prayer and consideration, FLOURISH was the word God gave me.  Flourish means to grow well; thrive, to fare well; prosper, and to be in one's prime.  What a beautiful way to face a brand new year!  When I slowed down and took the time listen, pray and meditate on this word, I began to look to this new year a bit differently.  My love gift from God was to thrive, prosper and be the best Me I could be.  Not to be someone else, not to stress myself out making a list of resolutions that would amount to failures and be abandoned two months from now.  No, my heavenly Father simply said to FLOURISH!

I cannot tell you how quickly my attitude changed.  How I went from a list of to do this, change that, try this, hope that...to how can I be a better Me.  By taking the time to slow down, look around and relax...I realized, I am ready for the New Year.  My hope for you is that you too, will find a "Hint of Happiness" perhaps a guiding word for your New Year as you travel life's journey.

So Happy New Year my friends and I'm praying that in 2014, you will be the Best YOU, You Can Be!