Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I am always trying to find new recipes for my picky eaters. We eat a lot of chicken & it's hard to find creative ways to serve it up. This was recipe was a hit, so I thought I would share.

4 chicken breast halves, skinless & boneless
4 slices of Swiss Cheese
4 slices of thin ham
1 can cream of chicken soup plus 2/3 cup milk
2 cups of fine seasoned stuffing or bread crumbs (not cubes)

Mix soup & milk in a bowl with whisk. Set aside. In a baking dish, sprinkle bottom of dish with about 1 cup of seasoned stuffing. Top with chicken pieces, then ham (I cut mine into 3rds) & then top with Swiss cheese (also cut mine into 3rds) Pour soup mixture over all. Sprinkle rest of seasoned stuffing over top.
Bake at 300* for 1 1/2 hrs . Cover with foil if getting too brown.

We enjoyed this with a salad & crescent rolls. What an easy meal!

Spencer's Birthday

Well, I had almost forgotten to post for Spencer's birthday. I can't believe how much time has past since we had our first child was born. He turned 12 yrs old this year.

Spencer Davis Downing was born on March 11, 1997. He shares his birthday with my mother too. He was such a great little baby & we couldn't believe we were parents. He made it very easy for us.

He was so good & John loved taking him to the race track. He would talk to anyone & was such a good car rider on our trips.

I love this picture. After he got his glasses, they were always hanging off the end of his nose. I think that is when we started calling him "little man". This is one of the bunnies we found in the back yard.

As he got older, he loves to be outside. He enjoys riding his bike, playing with friends & developing his love of sports. How many jerseys can a boy have?

Spencer is a true sports junkie. He can't get enough!

He remembers all the facts he reads & loves to watch games 24/7.

Now instead of just watching sports, he plays. He loves playing football & basketball.

He is crazy about his dog, Wayne. They sleep together & hang out watching

sports. He is a growing & changing boy. He got braces this year, wears contacts & now has an attitude.

Overall, Spencer is a good kid. He has nicknamed himself "Beast" hence why we had to take

this picture at the Beastly Bazaar. He loves his sister & his family, is great with his younger nieces & nephews, and makes us laugh.

He makes the move to jr high school this fall. He plans on trying out for football. It makes me nervous, but he will probably be just fine. He has had a rough year & is looking forward to a great summer of swimming & fun with friends & family.

Spencer, we love you & Hope you had a great birthday!

Kate's Birthday

Katherine Audrey was born on February 18th, 1999. She was
so adorable and such a beautiful baby. We couldn't begin to imagine the joy & laughter this little girl would bring into our lives.





















She didn't have much hair and we let her play cars with her brother. She was a messy baby, but she was so funny too! She grew up fast, but still loves to snuggle & tells us she loves us about 5x a day.














She finally got some beautiful blonde curls. I couldn't have been happier to have a daughter with curly hair, but it soon would straighten out & disappear. Some even got cut off by her brother.



















She has a great smile and loves to get her picture taken. She loves to watch people, make silly faces, and loves to draw & color. She is a daddy's girl and knows how to work her magic on him.








She is a smart and talented girl. We are very proud of her. Don't all parents think their kids are the best?

Of course, they do!!!










Now, She is 10 years old. She is a social butterfly, loves music & High School Musical on every level, American Girl dolls, loves to bake, help in the kitchen, and shop for clothes. She has great friends, still loves to snuggle and play with her baby dolls.


















She had a little sleepover this year for her birthday. We made strawberry cake with vanilla icing, played school, and watched High School Musical 3. She makes me laugh everyday & we are crazy about our little girl.














Happy Birthday Katie Bug!
We love you!

(She really does sleep like this every night. Crazy. huh?)

Happy Anniversary

It was 16 years ago on February 12, 1993 that John & I decided to spend eternity together. We were married in the Chicago, IL temple on a cold & snowy day.

We had a wonderful reception with family & friends. We spent our honeymoon at Disney World in Orlando and have been addicted ever since.

We have been blessed with a great life & two beautiful children. I am so glad to be married to John & look forward to another 16 years. Then that's it....just kidding!
Happy Anniversary John! I love you!
















This photo is me with my grandparents. I am so lucky to have known & grown up with my grandparents and my great-grandparents.

In this photo...My maternal grandmother, Thelma Snelling, myself, my paternal grandmother & grandfather, Barbara & Bill Hughes.
















My family at the reception from left to right....

My brother Rob (15), my sister Jennifer (17), my sister Vanessa (10), John & me, my mom, my brother Keith (12), and my dad.

I am the oldest in the family & it is crazy to see how young they were when I got married. It was sad that I was leaving home.















John's family at the reception from left to right....

His sisters, Kathleen & Elaine, John & me, his mother, Audrey, his brother, Mike and his sister Joyce. Maureen was unable to make it.

Notice I did not include the age at the time of our wedding. John is the youngest in his family and also 6 years older than myself.

They have been a great addition to my life.

Spencer gets braces

About two weeks ago, Spencer got his braces. We spent about 3 hrs at the orthodontist getting the mold and braces put on his teeth and I got to read for 3 hrs and watch periodically. He has done a great job taking care of them and doing all the brushing.

He was pretty grossed out by the pictures of the bad brushing and puffy gums. He lost a tooth today and only has one more baby tooth to lose. He chose red rubber bands for this time,but will get them changed every 12 wks at his regular visit. After our orthodontist visit, I took Spencer to get Maid Rites for lunch. He had no problem eating, but had a lot stuck in his teeth at the end. His mouth didn't start to hurt and bother him until the next day. He wanted to eat cereal, but couldn't do it. I have been fixing him scrambled eggs for breakfast and that seems to be his thing now.

Kate has finished her expander stage and is now in the retainer stage. She will be ready for braces in about 18 months when Spencer will be getting his off. How lucky are we?

Science Fair

It's Science Fair time every year in February and I hate it! My kids have been required to do science fair projects for the last 4 years and I am over it. Every year we spend weeks trying to come up with a project, then how to do it, the report, the board, the presentation prep, and the stress of it all makes me crazy.

Luckily, both kids have done well. This year, they both achieved 1st place honors for their projects and we don't have to go to district science fair. We did this last year and I think it was one of the longest days of my life. Spencer did his project on Heat & Evaporation. He tested different light bulbs and the rate of evaporation over a period of time. Spencer will not be required to do one next year in junior high and I could not be more excited.

Kate did her project on Hot & Cold magnets and does the temperature effect the magnetism. Spencer did this project a few years ago & we were able to adjust & reuse it....good idea huh? She was so excited to get a 1st place ribbon and very proud of her project, despite the small amount of work she actually had to do. Kate also had to do a class presentation and did very well.

The Holidays

I know it has been forever since I updated my blog. I have finally recovered from my 70 hour work week, and feel almost normal. In no particular order, here is what happened during our holiday season. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

We did Christmas with the Downing Family at Aunt Joyce's house early in December due to the Mopps family vacation trip. We had a good time & played American Idol on the Wii.

On Christmas eve, we got together for Pizza King & Rock Band!

Bryce, Shannon, John & Spencer rockin' it out!

Elaine, Shannon, John & Bryce with
a total Rock Band Performance!

We give the kids new pajamas every year on Christmas eve. I love how they act surprised

and I love how we make them smile for a picture every year. I think they really

love each other.

Christmas morning at the Downing House

You'll notice our skinny tree in the background. Our 9 ft tree was

pre-lit (Don't waste your money!) and the lights gave out this year. Needless to say,

I did not have the time or money to relight the entire tree this year and at the last minute.

Christmas with the Davis family is a breakfast on the Sat after Christmas. We had the usual

egg casserole, pancakes & bacon, fruit and mom's homemade coffee cake.

John & I did find time to attend a Christmas Party at our neighbor's house.

As always, Beau & Julie are great hosts & we have a wonderful time every year.

Maddie, Kate, Allison & Spencer enjoying hot chocolate at Fort St. Clair. We did get to

enjoy the lights, hot cocoa, and cookies, but Santa had already left for the evening. We drove through Story Book Lane before heading back home. We even had snow flurries that night.

Kate & I went to the Yuletide Celebration at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

We enjoyed lunch at PF Changs before the event and went to Circle Center Mall afterwards.

John & Spencer opted to attend an Indiana Pacers game

instead of paying for a nap at the symphony.

Kate has acquired a love for baking. Santa brought her a denim cupcake apron & cupcake baking kit. She could hardly wait to get into the kitchen.

Kate mixing her icing and waiting for the cupcakes to come out of the oven.

She hasn't perfected the icing yet, but she still loves being our little baker.

New Years Eve we went to the Saliwanchik's house. Kate brought her friend Hailey & they had a great time. We do a gift exchange, play card games, have fireworks, and stay over night. After a big New Years Day lunch, we head home & rest up.

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!