Jennifer Hagler Photography

Hey! I wanted to share the pictures my dear friend, Jennifer Hagler, took for us last week. She lives in Birmingham, AL and does a great job. She has an eye for capturing your children in their environment and let's them be themselves. Every slide show gives you a glimpse into the personalities of the children/families and their uniqueness. Check out our slide show! Her website is www.jenniferhaglerphotography.com.

My Sweet Husband

Poor Bart has been suffering with allergies this season and is miserable. He is stopped up and has itchy, puffy eyes. Yesterday, I decide to mow the lawn for him and let him stay inside with the kids and watch the end of the Masters. I thought that was nice of me. I had already unpacked the car, luggage, started a load of laundry and gone to the grocery store.

Here is the hiccup - I also asked him to feed the kids nuggets and get our dinner ready. I showed him the recipe for Glazed Salmon with Broccoli Rice. It was in the REAL SIMPLE magazine and seemed very simple. I set out Boil in the Bag Brown Rice and Steamfresh Broccoli (the microwave broccoli) to cook and then mix together. All he had to do was glaze the salmon with brown sugar and soy sauce and broil it. Let's just say that when I came in from mowing the lawn, things had not been as simple as I thought they would be. One look at Bart told me I had thrown him into a war zone with no ammunition! The kitchen was smoky and Bart was exasperated to say the least. I asked who was leading the Masters and he said,'I haven't been able to even look at the television!' He said he didn't know how long to cook the rice, what broil was and that I needed to buy new brown sugar because it was pasty. Well, I don't think I will be letting him cook dinner anytime soon. With that being said, the meal was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed my time mowing the lawn.

Bless his heart, he is so good to me and takes my abuse. He is the sweetest husband and such a loving father. We are all so blessed to have him in our lives. But we will never ask him to multi-task again!

Glazed Salmon with Broccoli Rice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup long grain white rice (we used Boil in the Bag Brown Rice)
1 head broccoli (stems discarded),chopped (about 2 cups) we used Steamfresh broccoli
4 pieces skinless salmon fillet (1 1/4 pounds total)
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper

-Heat broiler. In a bowl, combine the sugar and soy sauce; set aside.
-Cook rice according to the package directions, stirring in the broccoli during the last 3 minutes. Let stand off heat until the broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
-Meanwhile, place the salmon and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
-Broil, spooning half the sugar and soy sauce glaze over the salmon during the last 2 minutes of cooking, until the salmon is opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve the salmon and onion with the rice and the remaining glaze.

Easter Eggs

Is there anything more fun than dyeing and hunting Easter eggs? Mac and Sydney had so much fun this year. Mac decided not to use the dipper for his eggs and instead use his fingers. They turned a lovely shade of green! He was having so much fun, until he decided to act like the Incredible Hulk and smash the eggs in the dye and in his hands. That was not so much fun.

We went to Clanton for our family gathering and egg hunt. My parents have a great backyard with plenty of room to run and play. They both ran their little behinds off. We had a great time and already miss everyone.

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter/Spring Break in Alabama with family. Here are a few pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits.

My Favorite Breakfast

This is my favorite breakfast. There is a restaurant here, Mug and Muffin, that does something similar, but with a bagel. I hope you enjoy! It tastes a lot like a BLT without the lettuce.

Breakfast Sandwich:

Whole Wheat English Muffin, toasted
Cream cheese, spread on muffin
Two strips of bacon
Sliced tomato with salt and pepper

YUMMY!

Beauty Queens

One thing I love to do is watch Food Network. It is safe to have on while the kids are home and you can get inspired to try a new recipe. I love Paula Deen and Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay is one of the Iron Chefs and he has a show called "Throwdown with Bobby Flay." "Throwdown" may be my favorite show. The idea of the show is for Bobby Flay to challenge someone on their signature dish. The 'throwdown' is always a surprise to the other chef, they usually think they are doing a presentation in their hometown.

Saturday he challenged a guy from Washington, GA who is known for his Shrimp and Grits. Back when I was a pharmaceutical sales rep, Washington, GA was a part of my territory. It is a very small town. I am a small town girl and feel rather at-home in small towns, although I do have dreams of living in NYC. Anyway, the hometown boy won the challenge. But that wasn't the only thing that made me smile. In the crowd was the local beauty queen. I will take this time to admit that I did my share of pageants. In Clanton, the Peach Queens (I was not the Peach Queen) made it to ribbon cuttings, parades, festivals, etc... It just made me smile to see the queen there in her gown, sash and tiara. I just know she loved having a television show come to her town during her reign as queen. You just don't get to see that everyday.

I told some of my neighborhood friends this story and one of the husbands said that the beauty queens from up north are not pretty. I think he forgot he was married to a girl from Philadelphia, who promptly reminded him to "watch it!"

We had a great day at the park. We are so fortunate to have some great parks near our house and in our community. The kids could play for days on a playground!