Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

This weeks theme is mushrooms!  I know so many have an adversion to the fungi, but for some reason I just LOVE IT!  So don't knock it until you try it.  Stay tuned for my try at the Pioneer Woman's Stuffed Mushrooms and Mushroom and Swiss Sliders later this week...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can chicken noodle soup deluded with 2/3 cups water
• 9 lasagna oven ready noodles 
• 1 lb ground meat (chicken or turkey cooked and seasoned to taste)
• 1bunch of asparagus tips chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese grated 
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms, onions, and aspargus until soft.
2. Spread a small amount of cream of chicken soup on bottom of 9x13 pan.
3. Place a layer of noodles on top cover with 1/2 cooked chicken and sprinkle
4. Top with 1/2 mushoroom and onion mixture
5. Then 1/2 remaining hollandaise sauce.
6. Top with 1/2 mozzarella and parmesan.
7. Repeat step 3-6 ending with cheese.
8. Cook uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes.
9. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Still waiting...

Our last IUI cycle was unsuccessful, so we are back to the waiting game.  We have to replenish the bank accounts in order to continue with treatments.  After talking it over with Dr. Vineyard, he suggested that six cycles of IUI would be a realistic number (Even though Vandermolen would now suggest we move to IVF).  That would be enough to exhaust all possibility of it working, but not so many that we would be throwing our money away.  I am glad to have an outside prospective and for a number decision to have been made.  I truly see how I could just keep saying, "just one more."  I am also grateful that Stephen took the lead and made the decision that we will pay cash for the treatments and so, must put them on hold for the next several months.  Due to a choir mission trip to New York, the next treatment will most likely be in August.  That will give us enough time to save up the money and the rest depends on where/when my cycle falls.

I ask that you would remember us in your prayers.  First that God would work a miracle and there would be no need for another treatment but also that I will actually LIVE my life in the interim.  I plan to train for another Sprint-Tri this summer and I am super excited about my trip to New York.  I have so many things to be grateful for in my life, and so many awesome friends that surround me.  Pray I remember what I have, as I wait for what I want.  It's such an easy thing to say, but in my reality I am finding it hard to do.

Rewarding Irresponsibility

Please don't judge me by this post. It is in response to my raw emotion of having found out our last fertility treatment was a bust.

I feel like society rewards irresponsibility.  You are unwed, you get pregnant, the government pays for your prenatal care, then for your food and for your living expenses because you are a single parent without a job. (I recognize this is not the case for all!) 

I, on the other hand am married, pay my bills, have spent $8,000+ trying to conceive a child and I am still empty handed.  Now I have to wait several more months before I can try treatments again because I am responsible; I pay my bills.  When the money runs out the money runs out.  I have to replenish the accounts and save before we can move forward. 

Sometimes I wish I had never heard the word Dave Ramsey.  I know I have it really good and I am blessed financially; please don't hear that I don't recognize that (I know my financial troubles are FIRST WORLD financial troubles).  However, right now at this very moment I am pissed that I have to PAY money to try to get pregnant while it seems to me at this moment like more than half the world ends up pregnant due to irresponsibility.

I apologize if I've offended you by this post.  Please offer me grace for my skewed view.

That being said, maybe I should invest in some weed tonight and see if irresponsibility will share its reward on me ;)

Melted Gruyere Chicken and Asparagus

In an attempt to eat more healthy and try new things, I've been experimenting with meals.  Unfortunately Stephen is a hard one to please.  Tonight I found something in this low fat/low sodium meal that we both enjoyed!  It had a great sharp flavor with the sour cream/lemon/white wine/cheese combination and the Asparagus just topped it all off.  For those of you who do not/think you do not like Asparagus this receipt might just be what you need to really enjoy the vegetable in a non threatening way. Out of five Stephen gives it four stars.  He says it needs more salt, but then that would defeat the purpose of a low sodium meal ;)

 

• 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and steam for 3 minutes. Uncover, remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Whisk broth and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour, shaking off any excess.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
5. Add shallot, wine and the reserved broth mixture to the pan; cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice and the reserved asparagus until combined. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Envy and Jealousy

I'm not the nicest person to be around these days. Envy and jealousy rear their ugly heads daily and often what seems like out of nowhere. The counselor I'm seeing says your feelings are feelings and they are not sin, it's the action on the feelings that is sin. I don't know how I feel about this. When I see a pregnant person and I am immediately jealous or envious isn't that sin?  I feel guilty for thinking these things. I am jaded and cynical. I see a group of pregnant women standing together at a distance, each of these women beautiful both inside and out, and my initial relation is disgust. I don't see them for who they are, Godly women who love the the Lord who happen to all be pregnant; I see them for what I have not.  I don't want to feel this way; I don't want to be that person, but I am. I am trying to change and just when I think I've made progress, moments of ugliness appear and often when I least expect them.   I wish this wasn't a roller coaster, I wish my feelings didn't cycle back around. I wish for no one else to ever feel this way. 

Lately

So we did our first round of IUI's with injections.  I survived the daily torture, but barely.  Stephen is amazing and patient, and it's not every day that you get kissed directly after an injection by the person injecting you.  Dr. Vineyard was kind enough to meet us at 11:00 pm at the office to do my trigger shot (I really didn't want Stephen doing that one!)  The first week of the two week wait was Spring Break so it went by quickly.  I really felt like it had not worked and I just couldn't stand it any longer.  I need closer for this round so I took a blood test on Monday which confirmed that I was indeed not pregnant.  I thought I would be starting my period Friday, but thankfully today was CD1.  I go back this Friday to start the cycle over again.  They are adding another injection to the mix.  This will possibly be our last try.  We do not know that for sure yet, but possibly.  Dr. Vandermolen said if this time doesn't work we would move to IVF, but we are not going to do IVF so we really should be done.  We can through our money at it as much as we want with the IUI's but if the Dr. thinks we've exhausted all our resources and it's time to move on, we will need to move on soon.  I'm hopeful it works next times, but if it doesn't I'm not sure I'm ready to be completely done.  We shall see.  Stephen is encouraging me to take it one day at a time, and so I am trying.

DIY: Burlap and Tulle Wreath

 I have never been a "wreath on the front door" type of girl.  Other than a Christmas Wreath, I never had one on my door in Lufkin.  One of the things I liked about the Dogwood house when we were looking for houses in Nac, were the two beautiful wreaths the Combs had on the front door.  So this fall I made my first "non-Christmas" wreath purchase.  I guess I didn't realize how expensive wreaths are and even more expensive when you have to get them times two!  So, after purchasing some awesome fall wreaths as well as awesome Christmas wreaths, I've been wanting to get something that would last through the spring/summer months, but have not been willing to get off my wallet.

I went to Hobby Lobby this afternoon to get stuff for a framed calendar project; I left with stuff for burlap and tulle wreaths!  Each wreath cost about $35.00 to make, much better than the $65.00 price tag on the average 50% off wreath. 

Items Needed To Make Two Wreaths:

1. Wire Wreath
2. Floral Stem Wire
3. 5 yards of Burlap (buy this off the bolt rather than the pre-cut rolls, it will be about half the price)
4. 5 yards of Tulle (today it was on sale for $0.77 a yard, woohoo)
5. 30 feet of Ribbon of your choice
6. Flower Sprigs of your choice (an odd number is usually best)

Step One:  Take the wire wreath and attach floral stem wire about every inch around entire wreath.

Step Two:  Cut burlap and tulle in half along fold line from bolt.  Then remove three to four strings from cut edge on the burlap so it will match the raw outside edge.

Step Three:  Scrunch together the burlap and attach to wreath with floral wire.  Scrunch fabric again about four inches back and attach at the next floral wire.  The larger you want the bubble, the farther back you should scrunch material (for larger bubbles more material will be needed).  Continue until entire wreath is covered.

 Step Four:  Repeat step three with the tulle; however, when you are twisting the floral wire, twist to the back of the wreath so it will be hidden from view.

Step Five:  Make a bow with the ribbon and attach at the start/end area on the wreath.  It should have at least six loops.

 Step Six:  Attach Floral Sprigs as desired and your wreath is ready to hang.