Fair Fun

This past week has been the Georgia National Fair in Perry.  It's a huge deal for Perry and middle Georgia.  Mitch and I haven't been to the fair much since we've been married, but we knew we wanted to go this year with Ansley.  Mitch's brother, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Candace, were in town this weekend too.   We went on Thursday evening with the Greer family, and then we went Saturday morning with my family.  We had a blast both times, and Ansley enjoyed her first fair experience.  We're looking forward to next year when Ansley will get to enjoy a few more of the attractions.  Here are some pictures from Ansley's first fair trips.

Ansley enjoying the fair.

The giraffe was really cool.

Uncle Kyle and Aunt Candace were in town for the fair.

The Greers

Mitch's parents...Tim and Susie.

Ansley enjoying a little water to cool off.

We went to see the giraffe again with my family.

Pappy bought the carrots for Asher to feed the animals.

Shana and Anabelle.  Anabelle wasn't interested in anything but sleeping.

"Weee!!" riding the bumble bee with Asher.

Nonny and Ansley.

My wonderful parents.

My grandmother, Linda, and Ansley chillin'.

The Greers

Asher loved the slide.

Border Bash Weekend in Augusta

This weekend we had a blast hanging out with great friends.  Mitch was playing in a golf tournament Friday afternoon with his good friends Joe, Nate, and Meyur.  The tournament was called "Border Bash".  It's an annual golf tournament in Augusta to celebrate the rivalry of the UGA versus SC football game.  Nate and Mitch drove up Friday morning, and Emily, myself, and all of our kids went Friday after work.  I was dreading having to drive with Ansley that late because the afternoon is her fussy time, but overall it was a good ride.  She did scream for about 15 minutes, but then she finally fell asleep.  Despite the turnout of the UGA game, we had a great time with the Todds, Greers, and Meyur.  The Todd's house is a kid's dream!  There are toys of every sort and an amazing playground in the backyard.  Ansley definitely played hard all weekend. Here are a few pictures from Saturday afternoon.

The girls...Kate, Ansley, and Ellis.  Ansley's face cracks me up.  She isn't quite sure about the situation.

Sweet girls and their babies.

Ansley and Ross playing together.

Ross...he is PRECIOUS!

Emily and Ansley

Ansley being a ham for the camera.

Look at me trying to walk!

Sweet and pretty Ellis

Sweet and pretty Kate.

Ross and I bonding...he doesn't sit still long, so I soaked up that time with him.

Even Meyur, "Mo", got in on a little feeding action.  I think he fed Ansley two bottles over the weekend!  He was a great help to have!

Amanda and Ansley playing.

"Mo" and Matthew hanging out.

John John...look at that sweet face. Emily and John were buddies this weekend.

Rossy...love him.

Clearly she was excited about something.

Joe and his twins.

All of our UGA fans.  They were too cute!

The Greers

The Greers

The Todds

Matthew and John chillin' on the swings.

We had a blast all weekend, and we hope to get to see everyone again soon.  Thanks for having us, Amanda and Joe!! 

Curly Noodle Soup

I found the BEST chicken noodle soup recipe.  My secret pal at work gave me a cook book of all soups one year, and I decided to try the Curly Noodle Chicken Soup.  I needed a recipe to take to a friend who had a baby last January, and the recipe looked like something that would be good.  I wanted to make it first to make sure it tasted good before I made it for someone else.  I loved how it tasted, and it was really easy too.  Mitch isn't a big soup guy, but he likes this recipe too.  Since then, I've made it a few times.  We had it tonight for dinner, and it was just as delicious as the first time. Here's how you make it if you are interested.

I use my food chopper to dice the onion and celery really small.  I also bought the carrots that were already sliced to eliminate one step.  Chop the chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Saute with 2 TBS of butter and 2 TB of Olive Oil.

After about 5 minutes, add a mixture of flour, oregano, basil, and pepper and mix well.

Then add 1 can of diced tomatoes and 3 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth.  I usually buy the box of 48 ounces instead of 3 individual cans.

It looks really juicy when you add the broth, but you'll need the juice to cook the noodles at the end.  After you bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Then uncover and bring to a boil again.  Add the tri-colored rotini pasta.  Allow it to simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Here is the final product right before I served it.

So yummy! I made sour cream biscuits to go with the soup.  It was the perfect "almost Fall" dinner.

Curly Noodle Chicken Soup
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 celery ribs, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 ounces uncooked tricolor spiral pasta (I probably use double this amount)

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the chicken, onion, celery and carrots in butter and oil for 5 minutes.  Stir in flour, basil, oregano and pepper until blended.  Gradually add the broth and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Return to a boil; stir in pasta.  Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until the pasta is tender. 

Yields - 9 servings