tossed salad and scrambled eggs

I'm sure I'm not the only mom out there who feels like this after church:

... right???

I love my son more than life itself, but Sundays are getting harder and harder. We bring snacks, books, a bottle, finger puppets... but he is SO SQUIRMY that I get absolutely nothing from church meetings. My brain feels all kindsa' scrambled once our 3-hour stretch is over. I have five months until this kiddo goes to nursery, which is roughly 20 Sundays. I don't know if I can handle 20 more Sundays! Thank goodness Ross is such a hands-on Daddy, otherwise I'd be inactive. I look forward to church until we're about 15 minutes into Sacrament Meeting, and then I realize it's practically impossible to get Gabe to sit still for 30 seconds at a time. He's not tired... he takes a nap right before church. And if he doesn't take a nap, it's World War III. If Gabe had it his way, he'd spend the first hour of church climbing up and down the stairs that lead to the podium. Obviously, that won't happen. So please, mommies of the world... share your ideas with this scrambled egghead as to how I can quietly entertain my 13-month old during church. I'm desperate!

*T

old glory

"You're the emblem of the land I love,

home of the free and the brave."

I love this flag.

Happy Independence Day!

*T

a soup lover's delight

This post is for all of you Olive Garden lovers out there (or for those of you who may want a new, super delish recipe) . My Aunt Vilate gave me the recipe for Zupa Toscana, so I decided to try it out last night. Ross and I are searching for new low-carb recipes now that we're doing the Atkins diet again. Yeah, let's not talk about that. Anyway, this meal was such a success that I had to share it. And even though I omitted the potatoes to make it more carb-friendly, there wasn't a drop left in the pan by the time we were through! I should've taken a picture of the final product, but I was so excited to eat it that I totally forgot =)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used a 12 0z. package of reduced fat turkey sausage and it was still delicious)
3/4 c. diced onion
1 1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 quart low sodium chicken broth (and believe me, you'll want low sodium!)
2 medium potatoes, cubed to your liking
2 c. kale leaves (I used a little more because they're good for you) - cut off stems and cut out the core of the leaves, then slice thinly
1/3 - 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream (obviously not whipped)

Place drained sausage in separate bowl. Put onions and garlic in the saucepan that cooked the sausage, and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and cooked through. Add chicken broth and potatoes and simmer for 1 hour (but if you omit the potatoes, just simmer the broth/onions/garlic for about 15 minutes). Add sausage, kale, and cream and simmer for another 10 minutes, which will allow all the flavors to mix together. Remember to use a saucepan that's big enough to hold everything. I actually used my electric skillet and it was perfect. I'm pretty sure this will be one of your new favorite soup recipes! I'd love your feedback (hint, hint) :)

Enjoy!

*T