The Everyday Ordinary

Is it Wednesday already? Both girls are napping (well Caroline is napping and Anna Cate is singing in her bed) but they are both somewhat quiet and resting. Has anybody else's 2 year old already given up their nap? I should take this rare opportunity to catch a little catnap myself, but instead I'll share some of what we've been up to the past several days.

Anna Cate got this bike trailer for her birthday this year. Ever since May she has been asking when Caroline can ride with her and we decided to try it out this week. Anna Cate was as excited as could be, but Caroline wasn't so sure at first. Once we started riding she seemed to enjoy it. Oh these two!

I also grabbed a few extra packs of the puppets I found at Target last week and let Anna Cate work on the frog and pig yesterday afternoon. We have just started allowing her to use scissors and glue so she was pumped to put all of her big girl skills to the test.

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!"

Hannah came to town on Monday for a much needed visit. It was so good to see her, James, and her cute baby bump. We tried to get James and Caroline to swing together but somebody wasn't so sure about it. Just look at her expression! These two are exactly one year apart. Yep! They share the same birthday. All four of our kiddos: Andie (Baylis's little girl), James, Caroline, and Anna Cate all have May birthdays within 2 weeks of each other. We enjoyed seeing you both and hope you didn't leave with any of our germs!

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And before I go, let me leave you with the best recipe for Shrimp and Grits. It is one of our favorite dishes to fix during cooler weather and this recipe is the closest one we have found that tastes like the dish we use to order at our favorite restaurant when we lived in Savannah.

My mom found the recipe in one of her magazines (Charleston Magazine, perhaps?), but I can't remember which.

Bar Americain's Gulf Shrimp and Grits

Serves 4

You'll need:

8 strips of bacon

2 Tbs. olive oil

20 large shrimp (peeled)

3 cloves of garlic minced

3 green onions, chopped

It is a fast and easy recipe. Just fry up your bacon and set aside to cool. Leave the bacon grease in the pan and add the olive oil and garlic. Make sure your shrimp have been seasoned with salt and pepper.

On medium heat, saute your shrimp until they are pink. This takes about 4 minutes and don't overcook them or they'll be rubbery!

Serve over your favorite grits* and garnish with the bacon and green onions. (we also drizzle some of the oil in the pan over the dish)

*For our grits, I always make them with chicken stock and add in about 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese when they are done.

It's sure to be a crowd pleaser!