Good day to make soup !!

Shannon’s Veggie Soup

If you wish, you can add any type of meat, cooked beans, brown rice, barley, or whole wheat pasta. Cook those separately and do not add to all the soup or it will soak up all your broth. Parmesan Cheese on top is great also. * I use a food processor to chop all the veggies !

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

5 lb. bag of carrots (or less)

1 yellow onion (diced)

1 head of celery

2-5 Zucchini’s keep onion, carrots

12 mushrooms and celery separate.

1-2 cans of tomato paste

1 can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)

2 cans of green beans

1-3 Bouillon cubes (veggie, chick or beef) this is the only salt

**Option, use carrot and celery Juice to help with the broth flavor (juice your own or buy it)

In large stock pot or really big soup pot add the oil and let it get hot. Then add onions to brown them. Add carrots and celery and stir for a few minutes. Add your carrot and celery juice here. Then add all remaining veggies and enough Water to cover all of it. Add cans of tomato paste, diced tomatoes and bouillon cubes. Stir to help the paste separate. Simmer on Med-high heat for about 20 min. or until veggies are done. Add spices as you wish.

Spices and Herbs (fresh or dried) :3 Tbsp of basil, 2 Tbsp of Parsley, Lots of Garlic, black pepper, Spike (32 herb seasoning sold at most health food stores-comes salt free too), lemon pepper.

Enjoy!!!!

Our little Angels

It is rainy and very cold outside today so we decided to have a mini photo shoot. It was fun, Gabriella was so shocked to have something other than warm jammies on. We hope you enjoy them !!! Love and miss you all so much !!

Gabriella is 4 months and Maddison is 4

We named her Gabbie for a reason

Laughing

Her expressions

What a 4 year old can do if you let them

Maddison is so capable of doing so many things when I just trust her to do them. She can pour her own juice or milk, loves to get all the stuff out of the fridge to make a turkey sandwich. Every weekend we try to make pancakes or waffles and she is so helpful running the mixer and measuring ingredients. Don't get me wrong, she is still a little messy, but how else is she going to learn if she doesn't try on her own. The really amazing part in all of this is the confidence she feels when she does a good job. She also has a chore chart and when she earns a little magnet for a completed chore, she is so happy. She is responsible for feeding our dog Tuesday, she sets the table and clears. She has also learned how to help with the laundry, sorting, folding and putting away. She just turned 4, and it is so neat to see how her little mind works things out.

Her help with her baby sister has been so great. She is always there to go get something I need for the baby. She helps when her sister is fussy, and is always making Gabi smile. The other day I came down the stairs and Maddie asked me to bring her a diaper, when I asked why, she said "because sister's is wet". Maddison all by herself had baby undressed and her diaper off, when I gave her the diaper she put it on her sister. What a great big sis she is.

Amazing moments, and way behind with "Chores"

I am still getting very little sleep at night thanks to little Miss precious Gabriella. I know the logical thing to do is to put her in her own room, however as I sit here typing this I will not complain about sleep knowing that she is our last baby. She is only going to be this small for such a short time and she loves, loves to snuggle. This little miracle grew in my belly for 9 months and knows my heartbeat, so I am "supposed" to put her in a cold crib all by herself? I am just not that kind of Mommy. I will let the dust collect and the laundry pile up to snuggle my baby girl, because I know I will never get these precious moments back. I don't want to look back and say I should have held her more, but my house was sure clean !!