The Bees Buy Their Tree Back

A while ago the Bees gave a black walnut tree that Honey had cut down off of our land to a man that goes to our church.  We had no idea what he planned to do with it.  A couple of Saturday's ago, our church had an auction to support the church school.  This is what showed up... 

 

He made a beautiful chest out of our tree...

 

We felt it only right that this tree return home to where it belonged, so we bought our tree back!

The tree definitely came back more beautiful than when it left.

Queen Bee Makes Honey Mustard Barbeque Chicken

     One thing that I didn't do much of last week was cook and bake.  Poor Honey had to take a can of chicken noodle soup for his lunch one day!  He was a little weak when he came home, but he survived!!!  This week I am feeling up to cooking more which makes all my Bees happy. 
     Those of you that grocery shop are probably familiar with the big, intimidating packages of chicken breasts that stores offer...

(Never pay $17.43 for a pack of chicken like this.  Most stores have them on sale for as low as $1.79/lb.   I paid around $10.00 for this pack after using a Weis coupon found in their flyer.)  What does one do with all this chicken?   Well, I usually freeze half of it and make Honey's favorite chicken dish with the rest.   Here are the ingredients for Honey Mustard Barbecue Chicken. 

3 chicken breast cut up

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

First cut up the chicken breasts and place in a 13x9 baking dish...

Then combine the rest of the ingredients...

and the sauce will look like this...

Pour it over the chicken...

How easy is that!!  This pack of chicken isn't intimidating at all.  Bake this uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. (Time varies depending on how thick your chicken pieces are. I start checking after 30 minutes to see if the chicken is still pink or not.)

So the next time you are at the store, don't be a chicken. Buy the big, intimidating savings pack! (Only if the price is right, of course!)

Catching Up With The Bees

Queen Bee is starting to feel more like herself!  The headache is not constant anymore and when I feel one coming on it is easily taken care of now with Tylenol.  Since it has been awhile since I posted, I thought I would fill you in on what happened last week in our hive while mama wasn't feeling well. 

 

Stinger surprised me with a sink full of balls...

 

 

and Bumble surprised me with a bathroom full of toilet paper pyramids...

 

 

and announced she found a new pet...

 

 

I learned a long time ago that mom's do not get sick days,  so I was especially glad when night time came!  When Bumble and Stinger went to bed, at least I could relax by the fire while Honey watched football...

 Just kidding... I don't think I will ever be able to relax around football again!

Queen Bee's Headache

     Well, Queen Bee's headache continues.  As I posted earlier I was hit in the head with a football.  The church gym is a dangerous place!!  The doctor said on Monday that my headache may last for up to 2 weeks.  I certainly hope not! 
      The doctor prescribed a muscle relaxer for me to take at night.  The football hit me in the back of the head right at the base of the skull in the soft part where it meets the neck.  The doctor thought it may have traumatized some of the ligaments and muscles.  I do not like taking pills so I was hesitant to take them at first.  Also,  I made the mistake of reading the leaflet that comes with the medication.  After reading it, I was certain that if I took the pills I would not be waking up the next morning!!  Honey assured me that I would be fine and nothing bad would happen to me.   I am thankful that I did wake up the next morning and did not experience any of the horrifying symptoms that the medication may cause.  It did relieve some of the pain. 
 So, I will continue on and pray that this constant headache will eventually leave me.  Trust me, it's a pain in the neck! 

Queen Bee Gets Her Head Examined

 Please excuse Queen Bee if she doesn't post on her blog for the next couple of days. I was hit in the back of the head with a football.  I went to the doctor today because of a severe headache and feeling sick in my stomach.  I was told I have a mild concussion.  I must get some rest. 

                                                                

"Cinderella" Steven Curtis Chapman

The Bees Pumpkin, Part Two

You probably all remember this photo from yesterday...

so you may find it hard to believe that I was able to get Bumble to do this...

 

Yes, she actually touched the pumpkins insides...

 

We dug out all the delicious seeds and roasted them in the oven until they were nice and crispy...

 

 I love roasted pumpkin seeds.  Stinger loves them too as he would shove handfuls in his mouth at one time.  Bumble on the other hand is not into pumpkin seeds.  I couldn't even force one in her mouth!

The Bees Pumpkin, Part One

This is the pumpkin I have been staring at since Monday. 

Bumble has been staring at it too, patiently waiting for Honey to get home from work so he can help carve it.

 

When Honey arrived home she explained to him just how she wanted it to look...

 

Then Honey went right to work...

This next picture makes me laugh!  You can hear the EWWWW's coming out of their mouths as Honey scoops out the insides!

 

Then Honey worked at carving the face just how Bumble had planned it...

I think she approves...

 

Here is Bumble with her happy pumpkin....

Good job Honey!  You made Bumble very happy. Tomorrow I will let you know what the Bees did with this pumpkin's insides!!!

Dear Snowball and Happy

Dear Snowball and Happy,

What makes you think you can invite another cat over for a play date without informing me first...

Imagine my shock and Bumble's excitement when we saw a kitten napping in your house with the two of you!  Since it was pouring out I didn't have the heart to kick your little gray kitty friend out.  Maybe she was just seeking shelter from the rain.  I'll forgive you this time, but no more unauthorized sleepovers with the neighborhood cats.  It just gets Bumble's hopes up that she can have another pet.

P.S. By the way Snowball and Happy, in case you didn't know the name of your gray kitty friend it is Stormy, thanks to Bumble who thinks she now has three cats!

The Bees Go To "Fields of Adventure", Part Two

What else did the Bees do at Fields of Adventure?  Bumble and Stinger played in a big pile of corn! 

 

This activity had Stinger written all over it.  He LOVED this! Especially sliding down the slide into the corn. 

 

 

 Then the Bees went bowling using pumpkins as the bowling ball...

 

Bumble and Stinger did pretty well.  I was amazed at how much abuse the pumpkins could withstand!

 

 

Then they rode horses....fake horse, but they still had a fun time...

Then we went on a hayride...

 

to the pumpkin patch.

 

Then the Bees said goodbye to all the fun and excitement.  Now I am sitting in our hive wondering what to do with the huge pumpkin sitting on our counter.  I am sure I can come up with something!

 

 

The Bee's Go To "Fields of Adventure", Part One

Honey had off from work today so we decided to go on an adventure with the kids.  We drove to Aspers, PA to "Fields of Adventure."

The first activity we did was go through a 7 acre corn maze.  It was really difficult.  Thankfully we had Bumble and Stinger showing us the way...

Unfortunately, they did not agree most of the time on what direction we should go, so Honey took over...

We walked and walked and walked some more.  This was our view...



We made some progress with Honey leading the way. 

To my a"maze"ment we all made it out of the maize!  I do not think I could have made it out without the help of Honey!  Bumble really enjoyed it and Stinger walked along happily.  What other activities did the Bees do at the "Fields of Adventure?"  Be sure to check back tomorrow!

The Bee's Go Out To Eat

     Honey was home earlier than usual on Friday due to football practice being cancelled because of all the rain.  He announced that we were going out to eat.   I didn't have anything in the oven yet, so I didn't argue!  We have been wanting to try going out to eat as a family for a while now.   I think Stinger was less than a year old the last time we were all at a restaurant together.  After Honey did some research, the restaurant that was decided on was Red Robin.  As it turns out Red Robin is a very allergen friendly restaurant.  If you go to their website www.redrobin.com they have a interactive allergen menu.  You can mark everything you are allergic to and they show you what is available on their menu to meet your needs. 

I was unsure how this experience was going to go so I prepared for the worst and packed a bag with lots of toys and his ear plugs.   We arrived at the restaurant around 4:30 to avoid the Friday evening crowd.  We were in our own little booth in the corner with no one around.  It was perfect.  I asked Stinger if he wanted his ear plugs and he shook his head no.  He colored for a while...

 

and then he lined up his cars and tractors...

 

and finally our meals arrived.  Stinger's meal was grilled chicken with French fries. 

 

He sat and ate.  Every now and then he would stand up and jump up and down at his seat, but the whole experience couldn't have gone any better.  He is a totally different boy than he was last year at this time, as Honey and I never would have NEVER attempted to take him.   Thanks Red Robin for understanding food allergies.   We will definitely visit again!

"A Beautiful Life" Ricky Skaggs

Queen Bee Makes Shepherd's Pie

     There are many different ways to make Shephard's Pie.  I use the recipe my mother-in-law gave me.  It's the way Honey likes it.   Warning: This dish is a little time consuming and creates many dirty dishes.  If you have small children and want to maintain a happy, pleasant environment for you and for them make sure they are occupied for a while.  I turn on Dora the Explorer!

 

Here are the ingredients for Shepherd's Pie...

 

 

1 lb. ground beef

1 chopped onion (optional)

3 cups corn

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 cups mashed potatoes

2 cups cheddar cheese

 

Missing from the picture above is the 1/2 stick of butter, salt, and milk that I used to help make the mashed potatoes.  I think Swiper must have swiped them! OH, MAN! (If you do not understand that last sentence, be thankful!  I have Dora songs and phrases running through my mind on a daily basis!)

 

First wash and peel the potatoes.  Bumble decided she wanted to help so I let her. 

 

 

I did give her the "be careful" speech about not slicing any of her fingers!  She was so careful it took her 15 minutes to peel one potato!

 

After the potatos are peeled, cut them up into smaller pieces and boil them until tender.

 

 Meanwhile, cut up the onion and place it in a frying pan with the ground beef.  Also cook the corn according to package directions.

 

When the beef and onion are finished cooking, place it in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. 

 

Then place the cooked corn on top of the beef.

 

Then spread the 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup on top...

 

 

When the potatoes are soft it is time to mash them.  Like I said earlier, I add some butter, salt, and milk to my mashed potatoes, but feel free to make them anyway you like!  Just make sure they are REAL mashed potatoes!!!

 

 

Then layer the mashed potatoes on top of the corn.

 

Then put the cheese on the very top...

 

Bake this in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.  It is worth the effort.

 

I make this dish fairly often so when I make a batch of mashed potatoes I usually make an extra batch to freeze. This helps speed this dish up a bit for the next time I make it, and it still tastes the same.  You would never be able to tell that the mashed potatoes were frozen, just make sure to thaw them completely before using them.

 Anyway, by now Dora is done exploring and the little ones need their mama.  Thanks for reading!