slow cooker beef barley soup

Smells so yummy! I just made some to freeze for when I have my surgery next week.

1. 1.5lbs boneless lean beef, cubed (Ok I totally used pork loin cuz I had 12lbs in the freezer and didn't wanna buy beef)
2. 3 tablespoons veggie oil
3. 1 tsp salt
4. 1 tsp black pepper
5. 2 tsp garlic powder
6. 3 (10.5oz) cans beef broth
7. 6 cups water
8. 4 stalks celery, chopped
9. 6 carrots, chopped
10. 6 green onions, chopped
11. 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (James HATES parsley, so I left that out. The only thing I can use it in guacamole b/c it's all ran through the food processor, so he can't tell it's really there)
12. 1 cup barley (fyi - this is in the rice and bean section at the store and there is "quick cook" and regular. The recipe doesn't specify, but since it's in the crock pot for 6-8 hours, I used regular lol)
13. 1 tsp dried thyme

Directions:
1. In skillet over medium heat, saute the beef (or pork lol!) in the oil until browned. Stir in the salt, garlic powder, and pepper and place seasoned meat in the slow cooker. Add a little water to the skillet and stir to pick up the browned bits. Add to slow cooker (ok, I had no "bits" to pick up, but maybe that's just me lol)

2. Add broth, water, celery, carrots, green onions, parsley, and barley. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until veggies and barley are tender (took about 5 hours here). Add Thyme just before serving.


Your house will smell amazing! Perfect for chilly fall nights :)

beef and barley soup

Recipe to follow shortly...

Tonight on the way home from Target:

Corbin: I don't want to go to sleep - I wanna sit on couch and watch TV!
Me: no you watched enough tv. It will rot your brain?
Corbin: Rot my brain out of my head?



Yesterday, when he was using a binky:

Me: Corbin you're a big boy not a baby. Only babies use binkies.
COrbin: I want it!
Me: why
COrbin: Because....
Me: because why?
Corbin: Because I LIKE binkies!

Putting him into the carseat Monday morning:
(Background - Sunday I cut my finger and we only have SpongeBob band-aides so that's what I was using)
Corbin: I want bob-bob sticker
Me: It's a band-aide - mama cut her finger and it hurt
Corbin: AWWWWWWWW MAN! I kiss for you!

Randomly, the other day, while I was cleaning his room:

Corbin to me: You are a toy! I Space Ranger! I in charge now!

Corbin has started calling me "cowboy dog" lately. I'm assuming this has something to do with Toy Story 2, but I'm not 100% sure. So I warned him that it was disrespectful to call me that and he needed to call me mommy. So the other day he slipped up:

Corbin: (random bossy mumbo jumbo) Cowboy Dog!!!!!!!!
Me: Corbin, what did you call me?
Corbin: I not call you Cowboy Dog! I call you....Cowboy Mom!!!!!!

Today I was inflating (largely with my lungs!) a wading pool in the living room. Don't worry, it didn't stay in the loving room - I eventually lugged it out to the backyard and filled it with water. Anyway, Corbin looks at me all excited and said "you fixing me a boat mom?!?!?"

I love that kid.

surgery

A little over a year ago I injured my shoulder. It still hurts and stuff now, so I went back to the orthopedic surgeon in July. He ordered physical therapy and an MRI. I finish physical therapy this week. The MRI looked good - no obvious tares. I've had shots and anti inflammatory meds as well. Nothing has helped the pain.

The doctor thinks that I have shoulder impingement syndrome. Basically the bones in my arm shoulder are pushing on the tendons - the opening is too small. So on October 6th, I am having surgery. The doc is going to go in, shave the bone down, and look for any small tears that the MRI may have missed. Sounds like a great time huh?

The recovery is about 4-6 weeks with this procedure. I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we figure everything out.

Thanks!

shrimp gumbo

• 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons cooking oil
• 3/8 large onion, chopped
• 3/8 bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 stalk celery, chopped
• 3/4 clove garlic, minced
• 1-5/8 cubes beef bouillon
• 2-1/3 cups and 1 tablespoon hot water
• 3/8 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3/8 (16 ounce) package frozen sliced okra
• 1-1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 bay leaves

1. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Pour into skillet. Stir tomatoes, okra, and shrimp into skillet. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves. Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Place fish in skillet, return to boil; cover, and simmer 15 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, and serve.

Actually - this one is supposed to have cat fish too, but I'm fresh out lol.

insomnia

oh how I love thee....

So I'm on some meds for my shoulder issues and they completely kill my ability to sleep. It's totally lame. SO rather than lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, I'm wasting time online at 257am.

the stomach flu comes to the Murphy house

Sunday night we had a BBQ for Labor Day. It was great fun. We had a ton of people over and I put Corbin to bed at 7pm. He went to bed remarkably well for how loud our house was, but I didn't really think anything of it.

Then IT happened....
130AM. James and I had been asleep for all of an hour, when I heard Corbin screaming - something about his Woody and Buzz and his bed. I sent James into check it out as I was had worked Saturday night with very little sleep on Sunday and was EXHAUSTED. So James walks in the room and I hear "OH CRAP!!!!!" followed by "I'm sorry buddy". So of course I went running to see what was wrong.

Corbin had vomited all over his bed. It was in his hair, down his clothes - pretty much everywhere. James got the bedding changed while I showered Corbin and got him in new PJs. Then we sent daddy to bed and Corbin and I snuggled down on the couch to watch some Nick@Night. I really feel like sick kids deserve to be "spoiled" and so I had no problem with letting him lay on the sofa with me for a bit. Plus I wanted to make sure he wasn't gonna throw up the water I gave him after his shower. Finally at around 245am, I decide it's safe to go back to bed.

It wasn't.

On the way back to the room, he pukes again - all over my floor. A few minutes later, he does it again. Thank God I have tile throughout the house and he missed the area rug lol. Poor little man. So back to the couch we go for more Family Matters.

I finally got him settled in his bed for the night at around 4am. the next day he was dragging, but not pukey, so it wasn't to bad. We spent a lot of time snuggling. At 130pm he fell asleep and slept until 630pm! Woke up as I'm walking out the door to work, feeling fine.

It sounds like such a happy ending too, but it's not....

730pm - 30 minutes after I get to work - I start puking. I was home and in bed by 830 lol.

Luckily, this seems to be about a 24 hour bug and by this evening I was feeling much better. Now we're just crossing our fingers that James doesn't get it too.

Here are a couple pics of my sick little man yesterday:

Corbin

While looking for something sappy to put at the top of the blog page, I came across this quote that describes Corbin perfectly:


"Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires" ~ Marcelene Cox

I love my little strong willed kid though. He certainly makes life interesting.

new recipe time

Tonight I'm making shrimp in garlic butter sauce and serving it over pasta.

So I bought a 1lb bag of frozen, deveined, de-tailed, ready to cook shrimp.

For the sauce I'm using:

2 cloves of garlic - minced
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp of lemon juice



Throwing the shrimp in there, adding some onions, basil, and then serving it over pasta (just plain on spaghetti noodles as I have a ton of them lol) I think I'm going to do french bread and herb fried tomatoes with it.

Here's the recipe for that:

• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 5 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  I use canola oil, half that amount of herbs, and black pepper instead :)
  
  
• In a small bowl, mix together basil, thyme, salt, and white pepper. Mix in 5 teaspoons olive oil to make a spreadable paste. Spread paste on cut side of each tomato half.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in small skillet over medium-low heat. Place tomatoes herb-side down in skillet, and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes; tomatoes should be hot but not stewed. Serve immediately.

I'll let you know how it goes over. I won't eat it, but hopefully Corbin will and I KNOW James will love it!

then and now

So I posted this pic earlier when I posted about Disney, but wanted to show you guys this as well.

4 years ago at Downtown Disney (ignore the poor quality - my scanner is broken, so it's a pic of a pic lol):


And this past weekend at Downtown Disney: