Blog – Page 32

Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

June 3, 2013 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Cornbread with Cheese and Fresh Zucchini and it prompted to me bake my mother’s recipe for buttermilk cornbread (the best I’ve ever had!!) and add these two things to make it extra special. It was delicious and the kids even liked it. (Hidden Veggies–YES!)

It would be the perfect addition to a meal of veggies, or a chili, a soup or really anything! It would also be a great potluck item, as it makes a ton!!! I bake it in a 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet, but you easily make 2-8inch cornbreads and still have plenty. Or muffins! It would make great corn muffins. Just bake it a little less and check it sooner.

Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

Preheat oven to 375′ and place cast iron frying pan with 2 tbs. of vegetable oil to heat while the oven heats.

Combine:

8 oz. shredded zucchini, drained and slightly pressed of excess water

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 sour cream and 1/4 cup of water if you don’t have buttermilk)

3 tbs. sugar

1 cup of Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Combine together in a separate bowl and then add to other ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour

1 1/2 cups of Self Rising Cornmeal

Mix well and pour carefully into the hot skillet. Bake at 375′ until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick.

Recipe: by Cynthia M. Stuckey, modified from Linda Blythe (My Mama!)

Happy Birthday to the Court-ster!

May 31, 2013 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

She’s been by my side through some of my best (and worst) moments.

We have almost always lived in the same town since we were small children.

After high school, we both found ourselves at the same college in beautiful NC.

She made me many a bowl of oatmeal when we were both broke college students, and somehow made it taste like a 5 star brunch.

During/ After college, we watched each other meet, date and marry our husbands.

She was there when I found my wedding dress.

We gladly donned bridesmaids dresses and watched the other become a wife.

Soon after, our husbands got on board and also became best friends.

We lived 5 and then 30 minutes apart during our respective first years of marriage and spent many weekends eating good food and loving life!

She was there the night Lucy was born. She came back the next night and the night after that.

She brought me her classic chicken and rice casserole and sweet tea to help me in the throes of a nasty bout with PPD when Lucy was only a few weeks old. (Is there anything better than your best friends and comfort food when you’re sad?)

She helped us move. They actually followed us to Augusta and helped us move in. She helped me set up my kitchen while I stood back and thanked God for such a blessing.

She and her love moved back to our home state around the time we moved to Georgia, thus solidifying several years of frequent visits!

She was with me the day I found out I was pregnant with Abby.

We’ve shared a love for Le Creuset, travel, relaxing with our loves, cooking good food, making our houses homes, Mason Jars, Anne of Green Gables, Friends, good music, and great coffee.

I HONESTLY don’t know where I’d be without her and SHE TURNS THIRTY TODAY!!!!!!!

Welcome to the club, Courtney! I love you and am so honored to call you part of my adopted family.

(Courtney, don’t be mad. I HAD to post these pictures. Are you mad?! Love me!)

Flawed Mommy 101

May 30, 2013 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

I got in the kitchen early and baked blueberry muffins (one of her favorites) and blended a purple smoothie, put it in her favorite heart cup with a straw. Mentally cheering myself on for the healthiness of the breakfast about to be set before them and myself, I presented her breakfast and waited.

Waited for—
a smile,
a thank you,
an “ooh mommy! These look yummy!”
or even a grunt of appreciation.

Nothing.

Only a “Why’d you give me a GREEN straw?!? PINK is my favorite color.”

I calmly walked out of the room in order to avoid losing the chance for a lesson in thankfulness in my own bad attitude which was waiting just below the surface. Then I became grossly aware of my recent penchant for pity parties. Frankly, I’ve noticed a lot of this lately. So much effort. So much thought and preparation. So very little thanks. So. Much. Work. So little acknowledgement. Even the thanks I do get seems buried in my own unending to-do list of what must be done next.

Now, let’s be honest. Motherhood is certainly almost always a somewhat thankless job. Especially mothering small children, because they are in the years when they must learn gratefulness. They learn what it looks like, what it sounds like, hopefully what it feels like. But in those days of training, we are the ones who absorb the excess ungratefulness. We take it all with a grain of forgiveness (on our “good” days) and gently teach them how to be thankful. But it IS. SO. HARD. SOMETIMES.

This morning, I was unloading the dishwasher and pondering how frustrating it can often be. How tiring. And often, aren’t you just physically worn out? Tangibly tired in well-doing when all your effort goes seemingly unnoticed. It’s interested how just a little gratefulness from the ones we serve goes a long, LONG way. For them and for us.

And then it hit me. (or should I say He gently stirred my heart in conviction…)

Are you acting like a 4-year old who doesn’t quite grasp the sacrifices I’ve made for you?

Ouch.

Um. yes. The answer is all too often yes.

I’m like a child, sitting in a room FULL of toys, saying… “What can I play with?”

I’m lavished from every single side with spiritual and physical blessings abundant and all I can do is sigh at the kitchen floor that is dirty. Again. When what I should be doing is overflowing with Praise that my children are healthy enough to make messes. And that we have enough food that it’s ok if a few crumbs fall to the floor.

I’m living in abundance with God as our provider and I’m asking, “Why this job!?” and “When a better one?!” or rather, “Why a green straw? Don’t you know I PREFER pink?”

How can I possibly teach my little ones gratefulness when all they see is weariness and worry on my face?

More importantly, how can I have any hope for “Rejoicing in the Day that the Lord has made…” when I cannot remember to Praise Him for HIS moment by moment goodness to us.

Meditating on this today:

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us,
and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courts with praise.
Give Thanks to Him; bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His lovingkindess is everlasting,
And His faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 100

A Lesson in Laundry

February 6, 2012 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

This week I learned something whilst doing laundry. ( I also learned I would like to use the word, “whilst” more often. It feels so much more Jane Austen than just your everyday “while”)

Upon doing the first in what will be many, many loads of little girl laundry in which the clothes belong to TWO little girls instead of just one, I was struck with several realizations. First, time really does fly. So fast I can hardly fathom where the last 2.5 years have gone since I was folding, preparing, re-folding these tiny newborn sleepers for Lucy before her arrival. Second, the sizes are so much more obviously different when they are side by side! My skinny minnie’s clothes look HUGE next to her baby sister’s! Not to mention for her I’m folding pajamas, play clothes, socks and underwear– no more diapers for her! She has gotten to be such a big girl overnight!

The difference is what concerns me most. I think it’s easy when you have only one child of one gender and then you know you are having another of the same, to fall into this auto-pilot mode of expecting everything to be just as it was before, just a repeat. This is something I’ve noticed about my own heart and mind lately that I am having to condition myself to having TWO completely different little girls, with TWO completely different sets of needs.

Though Lucy has been fairly calm and such an “easy” child with all major milestones, I know we may get a real firecracker with little Abby. If her movement in-utero is any indication, that is exactly what is in store for us.

So back to the laundry, I realized how great an opportunity folding the clothes of these little dear hearts is to pray for them and their specific needs. I pray that God gives us what we need to parent two different, though possibly similar, children and that we do it with His grace, patience and love. I also pray He reminds me of these little lessons and opportunities in a few days when I’m buried beneath a sea of onesies and pajamas– must remember the fact that babies go through multiple changes of clothing as opposed to my, “Mommy, I need a napkin, I have a crumb on my hand” daughter.

Here’s to seasons of change!!!

To miss or not to miss, that is the question. (Thankful Thursday)

February 2, 2012 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

Being that we are about to meet our 2nd daughter next week (yay!) I already find myself torn between wanting just a little more time of being pregnant and wanting her to come now, TODAY and not next week. I wouldn’t say that this pregnancy has been easier or harder, just different for different reasons. But as I sit at the end of a 9-month road, about to enter into a new season of life, I cannot help but ponder what things I will and will not miss. Funny how big changes always prompt that in us. I had to write this all down for myself so I remember!

To miss:
* The movements. All the little kicks and feelings that remind me of the beautiful one God has created in His image in my growing belly. From the first little flutters months ago to the full-on conga line the last few days, I have LOVED being constantly reminded from our little girl, “Hey mom! I’m in here! Take good care of me!”
* The affinity for food. This sounds funny, but any currently pregnant woman will attest, you either hate food or you LOVE it. As ferociously as I despised having to think about cooking, eating, meal planning in the beginning, the 2nd half of the pregnancy has brought with it, a fresh appreciation for all things culinary! There are only a few things I really cannot stand but mostly, there are so many things I liked before that I can’t get enough of now! Luckily, they are (mostly) all healthy things. 🙂
*My time with Lucy though I know I will still have this to some degree, we have been just inseparable the last little bit, as I have been soaking up the time with her. We have made some great memories and I though I greatly look forward to time with TWO little girls, I will miss the “just she and I” time.
*Having clothes that fit like they’re supposed to. This may seem like it’s in the wrong category but I have really enjoyed Maternity clothes this time around– much more than last time. And I was reminded of the awkward stage that comes immediately after when your clothes don’t fit right yet but the maternity clothes look a little strange without the cute belly sticking out. BUT, we have a double stroller, and this mama will be hitting the pavement as soon as the Dr. gives me the ok. 🙂
*My predictable time with Lance as much as this is no where what it was before we had kids, every night we know bedtime for the little one is coming and as soon as it does, we can sit and be uninterrupted for as long as we like, usually until we both fall asleep these days. 🙂 I will enjoy getting into a new normal and establishing our new routine of “us” time.
*My rockstar parking spot at the Grocery Store. Really. Once I got big enough to really show, I have completely used the “stork” parking every time we go–especially when I have little Lu with me. Lifesaver!

NOT to Miss:
* My lack of gracefulness. Seriously, I have never dropped so much, knocked so much over, and spilled things in my life.
* The many embarrassing, uncomfortable, and very often painful symptoms that remind you, “By the way– you are growing another life and you probably won’t feel normal until you are finished doing so.” These are the things that you forget about from one pregnancy to the next. That’s the selective memory that allows us all to keep having children. 🙂
*Sleeping propped up. Honestly, I’ve never had Heartburn or anything else that always seems like something your grandpa gets, but this pregnancy, whoa buddy.
*My energy level decline. Though I know this will only sink further over the next 6-9 weeks– I look forward to being able to do things all day long without having to take multiple breaks.
*Not being able to pass a bathroom without a visit. The funniest thing about this is, Lucy recently became potty trained and so every time she goes, I go just in case. So between my having to go every 15 minutes, her going every 30 and all the time in between, we don’t get very much done when we leave the house. HA! Too much information? sorry.
*Expecting some weight gain on a regular basis. I mean really, who WANTS to keep gaining weight? Thankfully, I have gained WAY less this time than last. Chasing a toddler vs. sitting at a desk will do that to you. 🙂

All in all, this has been a great pregnancy and I’m just so happy to be having another Healthy baby that I think I should be rejoicing no matter the discomforts. Praise God for sustaining us and for my wonderful Husband. He has been a true knight in shining armor through the whole experience and I am SO very thankful to be able to ~~walk~~ WADDLE this road with him at my side.

And just for fun, let’s take a brief look at where the PREVIOUS 9 months of pregnancy took us:

From Here… 05/26/09

To here…

To here: 11/2009

To here– 05/2010

To here 04/2011 (Sassy Pants)

To here! 01/2012

Catch up and Recap

January 31, 2012 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

So aside from the occasional recipe, I’ve not been the best at posting lately– other things keep calling for us, namely doing the life that we want to post about, but I would hate to forget some of these things so here is a quick recap in pictures and little funnies!

32 Weeks Pregnant with Girl #2 on Christmas Day!

Our little girl became a big girl when she celebrated Christmas by becoming potty-trained (yay!) and getting a new pink tricycle! What a Christmas it was and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Lucy and I have celebrated many girl’s days out over the last couple months, one of the most memorable was her first movie: Beauty and the Beast. She wore the Belle costume and enjoyed a Coke Icee– it was a perfect day!

My little princess

I spent some time “nesting” after being inspired by Pinterest a long time ago to actually do these things. The ones up top are for a couple of sweet baby boys I know, and below are a few for Abby!

Today we are 38 weeks along and are set to see our little girl next week– I’m so excited and yet a little anxious for sure. I have enjoyed SO much my one on one time with Lucy lately just doing fun things like painting nails, baking, PLAYING, reading books for way longer than usual and just simply enjoying my growing girl. I cannot believe in 4 months she will be THREE years old. The time has really flown by but I’m so excited for this next stage as our family grows!

Black Bean & Corn Salad

January 7, 2012 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

After yesterday’s scone post, I’m redeeming myself a bit with something healthier.
This is a super quick, yummy side dish to anything Southwestern– tacos, enchiladas, etc.

Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad
One can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Half of a 17 oz. bag of frozen corn, slightly thawed. (I used a mix of yellow and white corn–yum!)
Half an Onion, diced (red onion would be great but we only had white.)
2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
One ripe Avocado, diced
Pinch of Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Pinch of sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for flavors to meld. If you are making far in advance, add the avocado right before serving. Serve as as salad or with tortilla chips.

Warm up with Cranberry Orange Scones

January 6, 2012 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

No matter the time of year- a scone is always welcome at the BlueHouse. These Cranberry Orange Scones are typically a holiday favorite, but they keep sneaking into the other months of the year. If they seem a bit complicated, know that they come together very quickly.

Cranberry-Orange Scones
Makes 8 large or 16 small scones
2 cups of Flour
1/4 cup of sugar (I used raw, but regular is fine too)
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
Grated Zest of one Medium Orange

Pulse the above ingredients in your Food Processor several times to sift and combine.

Add 5-6 Tbs. of Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces and pulse again.
Add 2/3 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries and pulse again 2-3 times to incorporate.

In a small glass measuring cup, add one egg to 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream and whisk with a fork. (Now here’s where I feel the need to explain– I have ALWAYS made these with Half and Half instead of Heavy Cream even though the original recipe calls for cream. Always. Then, over Christmas, I found myself with cream and without half & half. So I bit the bullet, and can I just say— WOW. It made a HUGE difference in the texture, and the fact that these scones lasted for days without drying out. However, I will say that the half & half is fine and makes a nice (though not quite as flaky) scone. So do whatever you wish. 🙂

Add liquid/ egg mixture all at once and pulse a few times to ensure it comes together. Your scone dough will be kind of crumbly but moist.

Dump out the dough directly onto a lightly floured surface or wax paper and pat it into a circle (divide into 2 circles if you wish to make small scones.) Form into a circle as best you can and then use a sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges. Move wedges to a Parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425′ for 12-14 minutes until just beginning to lightly brown.

Remove scones to a wire rack to cool for about 7 minutes and prepare glaze. These are perfectly yummy before the orange glaze, but it does add another level of deliciousness!

Orange Glaze

1 cup of Powdered sugar

1-2 tbs. of fresh orange juice (from the orange you zested. If your child ate the orange while you were making your scones, plain ole’ OJ is fine too.)

Mix the two together in a bowl until you get a nice thick consistency.

Set your wire rack of scones right back on the pan you baked them on (so the parchment catches your excess glaze) and drizzle glaze over them. They will set up a bit in just a few minutes and be ready to eat!

Contentment Lessons from a Toddler

December 17, 2011 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

It’s nothing new that children as small as Lucy can hear something you say once, and then repeat it at the appropriate (or inappropriate!) time. But during the last few weeks, God has used her to remind me of a very important lesson just with the simple fact that she has been repeating something I say.

Often when we are grocery shopping together and we get ready to finish up and check out, I say, “Okay! We have everything we need.. we can go now!” I never realized how often I say it or how much she is understanding.

A couple of days ago, I was sitting, making a list of the gifts that we had bought and the ones we still had yet to buy while she was playing in her playroom. I must admit, I was slightly stressing over all that we still “had” to do on the budget we had. Don’t get me wrong, we drastically cut back this year… mostly out of necessity. I was worrying that by making a simple Christmas budget this year, we would leave someone out or hurt someone’s feelings… I worried that I wasn’t doing enough for my own parents and in laws when they have all done so much for us… I was thinking that maybe we should buy Lucy another small toy…

Enter Lucy with her pink shopping cart and a purse on her shoulder.
“Mommy! Look! I have EVERYTHING I need! I have everything I need, Mommy!”
I look down in her shopping cart and I see her sippy cup of milk, her favorite doll, and a book–and a hot dog bun from her kitchen set.
At first I just smiled at her in disbelief, knowing she couldn’t possible be reading my mind but still knowing that the One who made her did.
Luckily, I recovered and said something like, “You sure do! are you having fun?!” to which she replied, “YES.”
And she wheeled around, happy as can be, and went about her playing in the other room.

In the past couple of days, she has said this phrase several times and each time, I try to really HEAR her and be reminded, that “YES, she does.” SO DO I. SO DO WE ALL. This year, we have enjoyed several new, fun experiences with Lucy since she is a bit older and more able to understand–but even with all of this, I realize, “Enough is enough.” Meaning, we have enough. What we can afford to do is enough. Praise God, she is not quite at that point where enough does not feel like enough. But she will be soon, because she is human. My prayer is that we will continue to reinforce the fact we are happy and healthy and loved with what God chooses to PROVIDE for all of us. And we have enough. And if we were to be totally honest, enough is kind of an understatement. We have more than we NEED.

Because massive amounts of stuff or not, (preferably not!) we have Everything we need!

Thankful Thursday

December 8, 2011 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

Giving Baby Sister a Kiss…

or maybe trying to talk to her, I’m not sure. Lucy thinks she is literally inside my belly button. So she has started poking her finger in any time it is exposed (which is NOT very often.) 🙂