Moving On To The Dining Room....

After conquering the living room, I had the courage to explore painting for the dining room.

I have a bird bird name....which led me to become inspired to paint birds. I envisioned beautiful robin birds in different shades of brown and red. Let me just say birds are not in my painting repertoire and I found out the hard way. After hours of repainting the canvases I ended up with these four.

There is no method to it....no design, no inspiration. But I'm pleased with the end result. I think they look kinda cool and updated my pitiful white walls.

Once a Crafter, Now a Painter

I've always been more of a crafter than a painter, but after literally years of looking for prints to hang in my home and not finding what I wanted, I finally broke down and painted my own. I'm very excited about how they turned out.

With no technique involved, my husband laughed at me as I just squirted paint onto the canvas with no rhyme or reason to the design.

Please forgive the unbalanced photo.

Foodie

I am a self diagnosed Foodie. I get ridiculously excited about a good dish or recipe. I follow more foodie twitterers than news agencies. Any given time of the day, you might find me looking up recipes on-line or just sitting in a chair reading a cookbook. I get excited when I try something new...I always call my sister. She too is a foodie, but she's also a chef.

I collect cookbooks. My favs are small town church collections. The little country church I grew up in has published a few books and I'm proud to say that the binders on each of them are falling apart because they've been used so much. From coconut cakes, lemon icebox pies to casseroles...I have gone back to those cookbooks numerous times to revisit old favorites.

I come from a family of amazing cooks. Both of my grandmothers had their own signature dishes. My grandmother Billie makes mouth-watering fried chicken. She can throw together a strawberry cobbler that will melt in your mouth. She makes it look like she's just throwing something in a bowl and it ends up perfect. Not to mention her Tamale Pie! Who knew hamburger, corn and beans all thrown together would melt in your mouth with a big piece of cornbread?

My grandmother Virginia made mash potatoes that I have tried and tried to replicate....pet milk, butter, whole milk, salt and pepper...she died with the master recipe and I've yet to find someone who could make it. Her Man's Favorite Casserole is always made in bulk and frozen to pull out on a cold day. The combination of ground beef, bell peppers, egg noodles and all kinds of soups and cheese make a heavenly mix that freezes well and pleases my very picky husband.

My mother, although she won't admit, is also a great cook. We grew up with her working a lot and rarely had dinner together when I was a teenager, but when she did break down and cook for us, it was always good. Her peppered steak and taco salad are my favs. I don't ever remember a church potluck where her taco salad wasn't requested. It's a concoction she threw together full of stewed tomatoes, chili hot beans, black olives and then...Catalina dressing with nacho cheese Doritoes...those on top of the usual taco salad ingredients. Oh My.

Let's not move on without mentioning my sister. Master of cuisine in the kitchen. lol. She went to culinary school to master cakes and pastries, but her true talents are in savory dishes. She makes these stuffed roma tomatoes with mushrooms and onions that are to die for. When we visit, I always ask for them and I want her roasted chicken with gravy. I have no qualms about using a roll to grab the last bit of gravy in the pan. It's totally worth it.

I am no chef, but I can hold my own. My poor husband is so tolerant of me trying new recipes. There have been some major successes and some terrible disasters. I do love to cook for friends. I am fortunate to have a nice group of ladies who also love to get together and eat. When we find an excuse, we each bring a dish to share. My most requested is spinach salad with strawberry balsalmic dressing and grape salad.

My love for food goes way beyond Food Network. I do enjoy endless hours of watching the Food channel and now the new Cooking Channel. My favorites are the usual, Paula Deen is eternally my favorite. I've cooked my way through most of her cookbooks, with the exception of the seafood recipes. (We are just not seafood eaters, with the exception of catfish...does that even fall into that category? Ha!) I also enjoy Giada, her cookbook is pretty good too. Bobby Flay, Emeril, Tyler Florence and even Sandra Lee. I admire Rachel Ray, although most of the things I've made from her cookbooks are just mediocre. There's also the enternal Julia Child. I so love watching old episodes of her show on the Cooking Channel. I've read and re-read her cookbooks and get so motivated after reading them every time.

And now it's moved on to something even more exciting in my world of food...blogs! The Pioneer Woman, oh how I love your recipes and pictures. You have motivated me to make your husband's favorite sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, pot roast.... and the list goes on. Your Butter Chicken is in my frig and waiting for the stove this week. Thank you, thank you for publishing a cookbook that makes me smile and my mouth water. I have given it as gifts to my food friends. The corners of my favs from the book stay turned down because I return to them over and over again.

Tonight it's swiss steak in the crock pot, tomorrow it's butter chicken.

Today I'll share my most requested salad. It's an adapted version from a Paula Deen Quick & Easy Meals Magazine.

Green Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
1 10 oun. pkg of frozen sliced strawberries, in syrup, thawed
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c. vegetable oil

fresh spinach
sliced strawberries, madarin oranges and sliced almonds

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a blender except oil, then stream in oil once the other ingredients are blended. Cover and chill. Serve dressing with spinach, strawberries, oranges and almonds.

Makes 1 3/4 servings

Praying for a Little Boy

I have a heavy heart this morning. Facebook has reunited me with 100's of friends. One in particular found me and I couldn't remember exactly where I had known her from until she reminded me-- summer camp. I remember Lori as a sweet and fun girl who always smiled and laughed. She now has her own family and is battling something I just can't fathom.

Her 3 year old was just diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He's going through intense tests and treatments soon. I ask that you pray for him and Lori's family.

This scripture is posted on Lori's blog:
Isaiah 53:5 NKJVBut He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Ending a Great Year

There's another side of me that I haven't revealed here. I love pageantry. I love it so much that it's really my most demanding hobby. I am a director of a local Miss America preliminary and it's so much fun! My friends that help are just a hoot to plan events with and it's so much more than just a beauty pageant. It allows fellowship with friends; it's creating and executing events that raise scholarship money for deserving young women in our area; it's watching the growth of the young women put into our paths and their journey toward accomplishing a goal. I'm just blessed to be a part of it all.

We work year-round to raise money for our local organization. We also help get our local titleholders ready to compete on the state level. This is my favorite part. The relationships I grow through the queens and their families make the efforts worth it. I have been particularly blessed this past year. It was a successful year for our girls; one of them won the state title and the other was a top ten finalist and a preliminary winner at state. The other two queens also brought home awards from state as first time competitors. It was the first time that all of our girls had done so well. But their successes are not what we are celebrating. It's the amazing virtues these girls hold.

Now I have two littles one of my own and after encounters with "not so nice" competitors, I have learned to be extra careful as to whom I put in my daughter's paths. Who are role models and who they spend a lot of time with. What a blessing these titleholders this past year have been.

Their walk with God is impressive. I have been able to develop my own relationship with the Lord due to their impression upon me. They are faithful and compassionate when it comes to their faith. They are unwaivering in their beliefs and always put Him first. You'll often find them quoting the bible or some inspirational message posted on their facebook pages. It's never negative or bashing. More importantly, the message is not skin deep. They live it through and through.

They believe in the scholarship system this preliminary stands for. I've seen many girls graduate from college dept-free because of this system.

I have seen the four of them grow into mature young women this past year. Many of the same attributes I teach or encourage in my classroom, I'm able to imply with pageantry. Interview skills, poise, walking/modeling and developing a talent are all things that a good director helps with along the way.

But our time has almost come to an end. Our pageant is in two weeks and we'll have to hand over the titles to new winners. I am having a very hard time with this. I know it won't mean saying goodbye forever, but they will no longer have our title behind them as they compete or move forward this year. They know I'll always be there to support and encourage, but they'll have another director and other roads to take.

I realize this seems pathetic...it's just a pageant, right? Nope, that's not what this is. It's being a part of a journey where I'm able to witness amazing growth and develop a friendship that will stay with me forever. I am sad today and know pageant day will be tough.

Thank you sweet girls for allowing me to be a part of your lives this past year. You have blessed me more than you'll ever know!

Thank you "moms" for understanding and listening. You make the trip worth it and always have laughter to make it easier.

Meg, Savvy, Ashley & Maddie.....You have made my time and commitment to this organization memorable and more valuable than you'll ever know.

The Strong-Willed Kid

It’s day four of our snowed-in adventure. My girl’s school was closed today due to icy roads and I have a policy in my syllabi that if the public schools are closed, my classes are cancelled…lucky college kids. Not so lucky mom. I have cabin fever, but with little energy to do much more than a load of laundry and tend to my two girls. I had a major case of the stomach virus last Friday and I am still not feeling up to par. But…who cares, right? I got another day to recoup. This post is not about me, but rather my youngest strong-willed kid. My mother always referred to me as that kid. The one that was hard to make mind, and always full of energy. She has books stacked in the laundry room about how to raise a strong-willed child. I remember giving her a hard time. I was that kid…I now have one of my own. Here’s how the day began….

Ginny Grace is up before everyone. She starts with me, asking to climb into bed with us around 5:30 am. I tell her to go back to sleep. She goes and plays for about an hour before coaxing her older sister up to watch cartoons for a little bit before dad and mom are up and at ‘em. By 7:40 am dad is out the door for work and my girls are ready for the day. They want breakfast now! If I don’t tend to their demands right away, they will resort to getting food themselves. Let me rephrase that…Ginny Grace will get it herself. She takes chairs, stacks towels, books, whatever she can pile high in order to reach what she wants out of the pantry. This morning it was powdered donuts and chocolate covered donuts. You know, the kind that little kids can cram into their mouths and have eaten in about 20 minutes? Yep, my girls cleared the bags before I realized what they were doing…and why they had gotten so quite. They also found the stash of 7ups my husband had hid in the supply closet. A breakfast of champions.

My 7-year-old is obsessed with On Demand. She likes to have the power of choosing a movie by herself and thinks its super cool she knows how to operate it. I find her watching Twilight over and over again…and it’s because of On Demand my girls know EVERY word to the songs from MAMA MIA! Yes, I realize the connotation is not appropriate for kids this age, but I just laugh every time I hear them belt out “Take A Chance On Me.” It’s hilarious. This morning they watched Twlight and episodes of some silly fear-factor-type kids show. They were mesmerized, so I got a little laundry done. Then…they got quite again.

I have had what I refer to as Hurricane Ginny in my house today. She can literally go from one end of the house to the other and rip every room a new one. I had donuts in my room joining the mounds of clean laundry waiting to be folded, dolls in the living room, along with bracelets, blankets, coloring books, little green and pink purses…in the sitting room sat her pink car full of doll accessories and princess shoes to match all over the rug…cans of opened 7up and glasses of milk in the breakfast nook….just wait…makeup and hair stuff all over their bathroom…and everything from clothes hangers, random outfits of clothes, dolls and more dolls…last but not least, Wheat Thins all over the floor of her room. Not just on her floor, but crushed into her carpet and mostly shoved under the small space heater in her room. It made my day. Well I used the age-old method mothers have used for decades: bribery. “We will NOT go outside and play in the snow unless your rooms are picked up,” I threatened. Starling, being the sweet obedient girl she is…slipped into her bedroom, turned on the tv and plopped down in front of it. She knew there was no hope of an outside adventure with the opportunity depending on her little sister. Ginny Grace started her usual defiant spill. “I don’t WANT to clean my room!!” she yelled at me. I put her in time out on the couch, she is pleasant as a lark and could care less. Again I said, “We will not go outside unless you clean your room Virginia.” She again, cried the biggest alligator tears that would melt any man’s heart. So she sat in the floor of her room and played for the next hour.

I had to come up with another bribe…something she would want so badly that it would be impossible for her to not clean her room. Then I found it! The princess valentines she had picked out at Walmart the week before, along with the fruit roll-ups to go with them for her to give to her friends. “We will make valentine’s for your friends if you clean your room Virginia,” I told her. For a split second, I honestly believe she considered attempting to clean her room. After that second was over, she walked over to the crushed up Wheat Thins and started eating them. I then realized I should try a different approach. “Mommy will be sooooo proud of you if you just pick up the clothes and hangers that are on the floor. You can even put them in this really neat plastic crate for mommy to hang up later!” It worked! She did it! Mommy wins! Not really. There are still crushed crackers and a pile of toys on the floor. But hey, I’ll take a victory where I can with her.

I break down and end up picking up most of the toys myself. She watches and talks to me about Polly Pockets. I HATE Polly Pockets. They are impossible to clean up and keep together, not to mention that it’s me that is constantly putting the clothes on them because they are tough for little fingers to get the rubber outfits off and on. Why did Santa bring them to her for Christmas? Because she loves the Ariel one so much her plastic hair has fallen off and she often carries it around the house.

After a nutritious lunch of mac-n-cheese from a box, they make their valentine’s and end up eating most of the candy purchased to give to their friends. Starling had chosen Fun Dips. Here we go….Ginny Grace was determined to have her own Fun Dip. She chose blue. She walks over to me and asks me politely to open it for her. Little did I realize that she had actually opened the powder part herself, ripped the package half-way down to where the powder was spilling out, and handed it to me. I then had blue raspberry powder all over my pants, the couch and the rug. Oh…she only wanted me to open the stick side. Another mess in the living room. Luckily the area rug is dark blue. Vacuuming can happen later.

It’s only 2:00pm! I’m exhausted and my laundry is still waiting. But never fail, the afternoon is a time of peace. She wanted me to read her books, so I did. We cuddled and read about Barbie being a graceful ballerina. We listened to big sister read books to us and I smiled at how fast this sweet time is flying by. I laugh at my big pile of laundry and enjoy the hugs and kisses they give me.

It’s almost time for dad to come home. They’ve helped me make chili and we spend the rest of the time dancing in the living room.

It was a great day. She’s strong-willed and I still don’t know how to discipline her to make it work. Another day of trying for me, another day of living life to the fullest.

Life in Northwest Arkansas

It's been months since my last post, and sadly not much progress has been made with the non-profit. We do have an attorney on board to help, so that's promising. Life is just busy and I have been raising two little ones. That's my excuse for the moment.

Moving on to other life lessons....my girls are growing so fast. I'm amazed at how different the 3 to 4 year old span is. Ginny Grace is no longer a toddler, but now a little girl. She is super busy and I mean BUSY. I seriously have one daughter that is a turtle and another that is as fast as a rabbit. Ginny Grace runs everywhere and lives life her way. I love her sense of adventure and quick whit. Then we move into a totally different mindset with my other one. Starling is methodical and loving. She is a pleaser and has really evolved into a sweet little girl. She is a song bird, always humming and singing a song. She's actively involved in the Ozark Girl's Chorus and has been performing with them since August. She's entertaining at a few places this spring. At the moment, she quite taken with Glee and loves to sing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked.

Sadly, neither of my girls are in the least bit interested in taking dance. Who knew....all those years of tutus and tap shoes for me may never be loved by them. I still hold out hope for Ginny Grace. We shall see. She has her first Jitterbug recital this weekend. I don't really consider that dance class since it's a part of her school and does not require actual dance shoes.

I have found another blog I just simply adore: thepioneerwoman.com. Oh my goodness, where has she been all my life? I made my husband read recipes with me for over an hour last night from her site, all the while he patiently waited for me to stop ooooing and ahhhhing over the pictures of Apple Skillet Cake (which I plan to make soon).

Perhaps this blog is not about the non-profit so much, as it is about the Ledbetter's and our way through our 30's. For me, that means motherhood, continuing to teach my way through an incredible job, living day by day with a man who is so patient with me it's scary and believing in non-profit work that sometimes turns into a very demanding hobby. Let's just leave it at that for now.

At this very moment, I'm watching my little sister turn my simple kitchen into a gourmet delight. She's cooking an incredible 4 course meal for a family who won her "chef services" at a benefit for my daughter's school. It smells like roasted chicken, stuffed with this concoction of carrots, onions, garlic....yum. Did I mention she's a real chef? Yep, Culinary Institute Grad and all. I'm super proud of her.

I did a lecture today on blogging for one of my classes. I guess I am practicing what I preach. Who knows...it could get interesting.