{Sisters}

~Tasty Tuesday~

Spring is in the air!  Our grass is starting to turn green & our pear trees are in full bloom; God's creation at its finest.  And I love it!

Stuffed Tomatoes
(Technically this might be a better late summer recipe when the fresh tomatoes are at their ripest...but I love the "freshness" of this recipe & it reminds me of spring today.)

6 Large Tomatoes
2 Tbs. Chopped Green Onion
2 Tbs. Chopped Basil Leaves
6 oz. Goat Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Cups Cooked Orzo

Topping: 2 Tbs. Olive Oil & 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cut into the tops of the tomatoes & seed the inside.  (You may need to cut a small slice from the bottom of each tomato as well so they stand up straight.)  Combine the onions, basil, goat cheese, orzo, s/p.  Stuff each tomato with the mixture & then drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil & top with parmesan cheese.  Grill for 10 minutes.

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be a side to any grilled meat or a meal in itself! 
Hope you enjoy!

Rachel

Spring Break Beauties

Happy Spring Break!

A New Kind of Recipe

Take a girl with naturally curly hair to humid STL.

Add in a blanket, a long nap & an open window.

Results may vary...but either way pretty cute! 

Enjoying Spring Break!

Rachel

Favorite Thing Friday!

Spring Break in STL.

The girls & I are headed back to St. Louis for spring break this upcoming week.  I am so excited to be going back.  I love my home city & I especially love it in the spring!

This week also marks the 10 year anniversary of my first date with Bferg...which just happened to take place at the St. Louis Arch.  (I wish he was coming with us!)

Bferg: Being your friend was all I could have hoped for...And being your wife was all I could have dreamed of.  I am so happy we are both friends & deeply in love!  I love & respect you more than on that sunny (oh so perfect) Wednesday back in 2001.  I am so thankful for our journey together...marked with both tears & joy but so full of devotion to Christ & each other.

Have a great Spring Break!

Rachel

HUGE hit!

The Baked Kale Chips were de-lish!  If you like dark greens you will like these...even my girls were addicted.

The best part was the $.98 & 15 calories it charged me. I will make them again! 

~Tasty Tuesday~

Baked Kale Chips.

I know you are intrigued...stay with me.  Remember Operation Lake Diet?  It is still in effect here in the Ferguson household so the healthy eating is still in full swing.  Tonight's menu is Pulled BBQ Chicken (I used the same recipe for my Pulled Pork just substituted the chicken.) & there isn't a better "pairing" in my book than BBQ & Potato Chips...but potato chips aren't healthy.  Insert Kale & according to multiple internet sources (because EVERYTHING on the internet is true) the result is close to the same & SO much healthier.  (Confession: I am trying these for the first time myself tonight.)

There isn't really a recipe here as much as a method.

1 Bunch of Kale
1 Tbs. of Olive Oil
1 tsp. of Seasoning Salt


Preheat oven to 350* & line your pan with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears, remove the leaves from the thick stems of the Kale leaf.  Tear into bite sized pieces.  Wash & throughly dry your pieces.  (Most recommend a salad spinner.)  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with seasoning salt.  Bake until edges are brown but not burnt, 10-15 minutes.


I will report back on how they turned out (for the 5 of you who actually read this & might care :).

Hope you enjoy!

Rachel

Having A Ball!

We had some amazing weather on Saturday.  Sunshine & Seventy!  Maybe it was the memory of the back to back mega-snows or the fact that the 7 day forecast showed rain & cooler temperatures...whatever it was; I said, "Yes." 

Yes, our grass is still dormant.

Yes, the water is COLD!

Yes, we got wet.

Yes, we got chilly.

But we had SO much FUN!

Rachel

Favorite Thing Friday!

Coffee.
I may definitely have an addiction.  I love a good cup at anytime during the day.  We have recently discovered a new locally roasted coffee called Biffs. 

It will not disappoint!  For my fellow addicts who are not local to NW Arkansas click here.
Happy Friday!

Rachel

Young Love

I am stealing my friend, Carrie's, blog post as my own today. 
I absolutely LOVE this little man!  I hope that he is okay with an arranged marriage between him & Lily.  So sweet!

So very thankful for good friends to do life with!

Rachel

Garden Party

I love planning parties.  Especially for my kids!  I got Lily's birthday party theme by walking through Hobby Lobby & Target's $1.00 aisle.  "Garden Party."  I was drawn to the bright colors combined with the thought of flowers & sunshine...it sealed the deal for me!

The Flower Garden.

The kids all planted their very own flower.

Tissue paper flowers were scattered around the garden.

The Candy Garden for goodie bags.  (The birthday girl hoping to steal a piece early!)

The Garden Cupcake Cake.

The Secret Garden.  (After this hug there was a KISS on the lips exchanged!)

We had so much fun celebrating Lily ALL weekend long!  By the end of Saturday (where we ended the day at Build A Bear with Nani) she was crying every time we took the camera out.  Ya gotta love the Birthday Overload Meltdowns!  :)

Rachel 

Lily Katherine

 Happy 2nd Birthday Lily Katherine!  I cannot believe that you are two!  I remember the day of your birth like it was yesterday.  Although after just two short years I cannot imagine our family without you!  You stole my heart instantly!

It took a little more convincing to win over your BIG sister!  :)  (Like 5 whole minutes!) Aubrielle absolutely adores you.  She is ever so protective & will do just about anything for you.  I prayed for months before your birth that God would knit your hearts together as sisters & I am so thankful that He did!  You are so lucky to have a big sister & I pray you will stay best friends for life.

6 months old

Your brilliant blue eyes are to die for & your sweet smile lights up a room!  You have SO much personality & you are funny!  (And you know it!) You were dubbed "LilyPie" by us all but that quickly changed to "LilBits"...always in just a lilbit of trouble.  :) 

 I pray that you will one day accept Jesus Christ as your Savior & choose to follow Him with your whole heart & life.  We love you Lily Katherine & are so very blessed by you!

2 years old

I just couldn't resist adding this one!

Faithful

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  1 Corinthians 1:9

I am so thankful for this attribute in my God.  He is faithful when I am weary.  He is faithful when I am selfish.  He is faithful when I don't even have the words to express what I "need".  

Faithful.  "Stay faithful no matter what," was the last saying my deceased father-in-law told my husband.  Words that still mean so much today.  My prayer today is that I am faithful to God ad He is ever faithful to me.

Rachel