Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup...just what we needed

Last night was yet another night of rain here in Green Country...and for those of you that don't know, that's Oklahoma.  :)

We have had rain every day (or so it feels) for the last few weeks.  This has made for almost an extended winter menu in our house.  We love soups and stews during rainy nights and last night was no different.  I should warn that I'm still learning how to cook by taste instead of by recipe...making recipes my own and improvising is not something I usually do well.  Last night was an exception as it left my husband asking for seconds both for dinner and lunch today...yay!  So I'm sharing my success with all of you and here goes.

Chicken Noodle Soup
2.5 quarts water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1 T onion powder (could substitute fresh onion, but I was out)
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
3 cloves garlic
2 c cooked chicken (cut into small pieces or shredded)
8 oz pasta (we used the wide egg noodles from the store...the ones with the Amish buggy on the front)
drizzle of EVOO
thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

Drizzle EVOO in bottom of stock pot and add veggies (I shredded our carots, celery, and garlic...if you do this, shred over the pan so you get all the good juices/flavor).

Cook over medium until everything is soft and fragrant (if you shred them, do this for about 5 min).

Add water, bouillon, and chicken to pot and bring to a boil.

Add noodles and seasoning and cook according to package directions for noodles.

I let it set on the stove, covered for about an hour after I turned off the heat to let all the flavors really come together and let the noodles soak up the broth.

Enjoy!

**This is just what I had on hand and what looked right for us.  You could add as much celery, carrots, or onion as your family prefers.

Mother's Day Weekend

Wow!  What a weekend!  This was my first official Mother's Day and my husband made it wonderfully special!

We spent lots of time with family (my mom and grandma even came down from Kansas City) and had a wonderful time.  Friday night James had to work late helping with graduation, but when he finally made it home he had flowers and ice cream.  We spent the evening watching a movie and then headed to bed.  We got up early on Saturday to prepare for the guests we were expecting on Sunday and James went to help his dad with some jewelry work (for those of you that don't know...his dad is a goldsmith).  My family arrived and set about helping me with some last minute preparations and some chores around the house that I have not been able to get to.

When James got home on Saturday it was just me and Carter and he confessed that he hadn't been telling me the whole truth...he was working on jewelry for me! :)  I was so surprised and immediately started crying.  This is the gorgeous, silver necklace he made me with the flowers he brought home on Friday.

Sunday was Carter's dedication at church...pictures to come later...and it was awesome!  I was so excited all morning and it was really great to have most of our families there to celebrate with us.  Our pastor also gave a wonderful sermon on prioritizing on purpose as parents.  All about the priorities we set for our kids and how those need to reflect what we want them to know when they grow up.  A great reminder that our actions and words have huge ramifications!  It was one of my favorite sermons since we started attending our church.

After church our families came over for lunch.  Sandwiches, fruit, veggies, pasta salad, and homemade cookies!  It was a great way to celebrate mothers day!  Afterward, James went to a baseball game with a friend and my wonderful sister-in-law watched Carter so I could take a much needed nap. :)

Overall, it will be hard to top next year!

For another wonderful Mother's Day post check out my friend Grace's blog!