Crock Pot Parmesan Chicken

Good Tuesday morning!

Note to Ann: Thanks for the kind words regarding Austin. He had the best time on his last high school band trip. He thinks the world of your two band members, and he's going to miss them very much. (I don't know if Amy and Morgan are going to miss the "slamming of the lockers," but Austin certainly will.) Your guys made it very easy for him to enjoy being Drum Major.

Note to LeAnna: How proud are we of Alex? He did an excellent job opening the Awards Ceremony last night. And I was proud of his awards. (And he looked good, too! He's a very handsome young man.)

Note to Tonya: Go, Seth, go! I loved it when the Vice-Principal had to offer to hold some of his awards for him. I'm so very proud of him, also. Those "Brown Boys" are a force to be reckoned with, aren't they? (Oh, and he was exceedingly handsome, too.)

Note to Evelyn: I know you're about to burst with pride. Andrew is going to make a great Drum Major. I'll be at his first game, and since Josh will be playing football, when the band plays I can concentrate totally on watching your son. Congratulations!

Note to Melaney: We were very proud of Miss Taylor last night. She looked beautiful, too. We have much to be thankful for, don't we?

Last night, Roxie attended her Awards Night. She received a trophy for All As, so I've added a picture or two in the Gallery of her and her brothers celebrating with an order of chili cheese fries. She's worked hard this first year of middle school, and I'm very proud of her.

As promised, I've also added another picture from Austin's trip. Why Peyton is wearing a sweatshirt and Austin is getting ready to go swimming (that's why he's shirtless) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It was pretty cool in Virginia, but from what I can tell, swimming translated into hours of beach football. Thus, the lack of a sweatshirt for my guy. I'll add another one tomorrow.

If you love strawberry muffins (which I do), go to this website and try her recipe. I am making them tonight for tomorrow's breakfast. I love muffins... I love strawberries... I love crunchy sugar on top of anything. That being said, I can no longer eat any of those things (but I am going to take a bite). It doesn't look like a difficult recipe, so I'm going to let you know how it turns out. The website is www.noblepig.com.

The topic this week is going to be about gifts. And not just any ol' gift, but gifts disguised as children. Psalms 127:3-5, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

Since Austin will soon be starting a new chapter in his life, and since I've had an almost urgent need to spend as much time with the kids and Mikie as I possibly can since my cancer scares 11 years back, I don't want to take these gifts for granted... ever.

Today, I'll be talking about the Gift of Roxie. Tomorrow, the Gift of Joshua. Thursday, the Gift of Austin. Are these gifts perfect? Nope. Have there been times when I sometimes wanted to return these gifts for newer models? (Code for I MISS THE BABY YEARS!!!) To be honest, there have been moments! Are these gifts 100% totally mine and Mikie's? Nope. They are on loan for a short while, and what we do with these gifts while they are in our care is what is important.

The Gift of Roxie

Mike and I had always wanted three children. (I later changed the number to four, but with age and new and different complications each and every pregnancy, we prayerfully decided to close that door.)

Roxie's was a very trying pregnancy. From the time I found out I was expecting (I was told I would probably have a miscarriage within 48 hours after being told I was pregnant), to the time she was finally born (with four other complications from conception to birth -- minor and major), she was a challenge. One good thing about having complications is scheduled C-Sections. We knew when she was coming up to the very minute. Control freaks like myself like knowing the very minute a baby is going to be born. The joy of surprise is completely lost on people like me.

As hard as it was to finally have Roxie, she was (and still is) a beautiful gift... All wrapped up in a warm, white blanket with nothing showing but rosy cheeks, a tiny mouth and an even smaller little nose. "What have you decided to name her?" a nurse leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Roxie," I replied. "After her great-great-grandmother."

"Perfect," the nurse responded, and then they whisked her away for tests for a problem they had been anticipating upon her arrival. (I will tell Roxie's "birth" day story in September.)

From that moment on, we enjoyed having a girl. The boys were overly attentive, giving in to her every whim and request, but she was sweet and pleasant, and the spoiling didn't seem to have an adverse affect on her in her younger years.

Her first week in 4-K, I knew things would be different for her. Children other than her brothers were not going to give her everything she asked for immediately when she asked. I was wrong. "Johnny got in trouble today," she told me.

"Why?" I asked.

"He took my seat, so I had to tell the teacher on him," was the reply.

"Was it really your seat, or did you just want to sit in it the same time Johnny was sitting in it?" I asked, cautiously.

"I got up to play, and when I came back, he was in MY seat," she responded.

So things were the same at school as they were at the house.

In the 12 years since she was given to our family, she has been a perfect mixture of girly-girl and tomboy. Although she's going to be the smallest one in our family by far (her brothers are 6'4" and 6'0"... so far), she is more than capable of taking care of herself in a sometimes male-dominated house. And she can do so wearing a dress with wedge heels and lip gloss.

She can be sassy, independent and bossy, but she can also be tender, compassionate and empathetic. When she sets her mind to do something, I feel sorry for the person who stands in her way.

The gift that is Roxie is exhilarating, exasperating and sometimes exhausting, but always, always entertaining. She is by far one of the greatest gifts Mike and I have ever received, and we are thankful for each and every day she is in our lives. She is a constant reminder to us of God's goodness. Roxie was, and continues to be, my heart's desire.

Crock Pot Parmesan Chicken

You will need:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1 cup fat-free or light mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated fat-free Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Place chicken and water in crock pot.

2. Cover. Cook on high 2 hours.

3. Mix remaining ingredients. Spread over chicken.

4. Cover. Cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

You can substitute the fat-free for regular mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. I copied this recipe from the Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good. You can add a salad, serve it over noodles and add mushrooms the last two hours in the crock pot, and you will have a complete and easy summer meal.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great Tuesday, and check back tomorrow for another Spring Day Trip. We're quickly running out of spring, but there's still time to explore a town near you!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow!