Crandalls are Famous...Sort of :)

I found this book at a garage sale this summer. It is called "Oh, the things we can say from A-Z", by Dr. Suess. Though it doesn't portray us very attractively, it is fun. :)
And here is Levi lifting his head. (He has held his head up since he was born.)
Tummy time.

First Snow of the Season

This was what our front yard looked like yesterday. Anyone else had snow yet?

One Month and Smiles

I decided to use this duckie to gauge Levi's growth from month to month. I can't believe he is over a month old now!
He just started smiling "for real" this week. (Not just dreaming/gassy smiles) I couldn't seem to click the camera on the best ones but here are a few. They are quite goofy as he is still learning what a smile is.

Veggies galore

I was happy to have a garden this year! (Thanks to Sara and Jonathan for a lot of the seeds!) We have had a lot of rain this summer and it kind of delayed some of the garden. We've gotten a fair amount of tomatoes and broccoli. My biggest disappointment was the peppers. We love bell and sweet peppers in stir fry and sautes. Unfortunately, I did not get a single pepper... until now! My plants are teaming with peppers and now its getting down to freezing....
I have also gotten some nice green zucchini but this is the first hint of a yellow one!
And though my broccoli did well, I had no cauliflower, until now....
And the onions are coming back for a 2nd run.
And there are still tons of tomatoes... unfortunately I am not sure they will ripen in time. I think my plants think this cold weather is the end of spring and that it is time to grow grow grow! Now if only we had a warm snap and I could harvest them.

Here's One For Grace

Bathroom #1 Redo

Here is the small bathroom off the kitchen. Believe it or not, prior to this photo, there were 2 borders up in this bathroom! The ceiling one as shown above, and the same thing about eye level if you were sitting on the toilet. This bathroom bugged me and the borders were peeling. We stripped the wallpaper. (Andrew did most of the real hard work in this room!) We do not recommend those wall paper "scorers", they just rip up your drywall.
Then we puttied and sanded. Primed. Painted. Sanded again. Painted again. (Thank you, mom, for the help with painting!)
We replaced the light fixture. I spray painted the rim of the mirror, the towel bar, the toilet paper roll thingy, and replaced the light switch cover.

We replaced a huge board of hooks with this small one and a small Bible verse picture.
And here are the finishing touches. (Not sure the plant is staying but I left it after Jan put it in there :)

Some More Crock Pot Recipes

Finding less time to cook, I am relying on my crock pot!

Crock Pot Chicken and Black Beans

3 to 4 boneless chicken breast halves, cut in strips

1 can (12 to 15 ounces) corn

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, cut in strips (or 6 small sweet peppers)

1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chili (or just diced tomatoes for those who don't like spicy)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

Combine all ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on LOW about 6 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours.
Either eat in a bowl or place your crock pot mixture in tortillas, add lettuce, cheese and sour cream. Roll it up and you have a burrito. I would advise doubling this recipe for those of you with bigger families than us!

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My Take on Tuscan Chicken Soup (from Cooking Light and adapted by me)

• 1 chopped onion
• 4 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can red beans
• 1 can great northern beans
• 20 oz. fat free chicken broth
• 1 (7 oz.) bottle fire roasted bell peppers
• 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts, thawed and cut up in strips. (I bought mine pre-cut in the frozen isle)
  
• 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 6 oz (or more) fresh or frozen spinach
• Grated white cheese for a topping.

Place all ingredients except spinach in crock-pot and cook on high for 3 1/2. Add spinach and cook an additional 1/2 hour. Serve up in bowls and grate cheese on top. Again I would advise doubling recipe for families larger than ours!

George VI

Presenting George, McGeorge and McMcGeorge.The amazing pout lip starts very early!
A sleeping 3 week old. (Just not sleeping at the right time!) :)Levi's attempts at sounds.

More photos

Levi's first cloth diaper. Thanks, Hillary, for all the help with this!
Proud Papa.
Prayer pose.
Thank you, Sara, for the use of your bassinet! It is very handy.