Cow Appreciation Day--2012

Something we participate in every year is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Basically, if you dress up like a cow and go to Chick-Fil-A on their designated Cow Appreciation Day, you can get your food (chicken) for free! It's a great deal and a lot of fun! 

This year Evelyn was old enough to sort of "get into it" and she was so excited to see herself and many others around her all looking like cows. She has been saying "Mooooo" all day and at bed time when Kane changed her into her PJ's she looked at him and said, "Daddy be a cow??" Kane said, "I'm all done being a cow". She said, "Daddy be a cow later." Yep--he will--next year! :)

Here are some pictures of our little cows. And yes, I took the girls to the mall for a free lunch (after MK's last day of VBS) and then we dressed up again and met Kane at the Dwarf House location for supper...so we took total advantage of Chick-Fil-A's generosity!

Chick-Fil-A in the food court at the mall had a deal that anyone dressed like a cow could "jump" for free today. Evie would have done it too I'm sure, but she wasn't over the weight minimum. I was a super fun mommy and let Mara Kate jump before I made her sit down to eat. :) She loved it if it's not obvious from the picture.

Two sweet sister cows after they came through the little red door. Evie is now ALL ABOUT the little red door! Thanks to their babysitter Lydia for putting together their cute masks!

MK with the Chick Fil A cow. Evie was quite frightened and didn't want to go near the big cow.

Daddy cow and baby cow.

 And...just for fun, here are our little cow-girls from the past two Cow Appreciation Days...we sure do love Chick-Fil-A!

July 2011

July 2010 (Evie was just 5 weeks old)

Eat Mor Chikin

We recently participated in the 5th annual (I think) Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. When you dress up as a cow you get free food!

I love doing this, but it was a challenge to get it all together with a newborn and being extra tired too. I had my post-partum appointment that morning and had to be up and ready a bit earlier than normal. Of course Evelyn screamed during my entire doctor's appointment (she's taking after her big sister who did the exact same thing!!)

After the appointment we rushed home and got our cow outfits ready and we headed out the door again to meet Kane for lunch. We decided we'd try to beat the normal lunch rush and that worked out well. Kane had a class to teach that started at 1pm, so an early lunch worked in our favor all the way around.

So without further ado...here are my two sweet bovines. ;)

Sister cows

baby cow who's a little hungry?!

love the little tails!

cow family

Happy Birthday, Kane!

Today is my sweet, thoughtful, hard working and loving husband's birthday!! We are so thankful for him and all that he brings to our family. Kane, I hope you feel loved and celebrated today!

We had a lovely weekend and a nice visit from Kane's parents. They came over the weekend so we actually celebrated Kane's birthday on Saturday while they were here. Kane's mom made one of his favorite cakes and also brought birthday decorations and let Mara Kate help her decorate for the "party"! His mom also brought some steaks and other favorite foods and cooked/grilled for us that evening. It was nice to have a yummy meal at home that I didn't really have to worry about making. :)

On Saturday morning we went to a hardware store/plant nursery to get a few plants for my container gardens as I hadn't done anything with them since before winter. They needed to be refreshed and Mara Kate and Kane's mom actually did all the planting for me. The containers just hadn't been something I'd worried about yet as I have had other things on my mind (a new baby and all that goes with that!). So, I'm thankful to have some new pretty flowers that I didn't have to dig/plant myself. Thanks Tuie for all your help!!

My container on our front porch. I just love the bright pink geraniums.

Saturday afternoon Tuie & Mara Kate went for a walk/ride in our neighborhood. Mara Kate thought she was big stuff riding her tricycle somewhere other than the carport/driveway. Although riding on the actual rode made her a little nervous at first. :) Always my cautious girl!

Kane's mom brought a kit to make some cute puppets and the three of them put on a "birthday puppet show" for Kane and me. It was so cute and Mara Kate did really well speaking for her puppets. She spoke loud and clear!

Aren't these the cutest paper bag puppets? They were part of a Martha Stewart kit Kane's mom picked up for really cheap at Big Lots. Mara Kate has had a blast playing with them!

Kane and his Dad hanging out on the back porch before supper.

The special Barker birthday bear. Kane's mom brought it and put it at his place at the table. A tradition from his childhood. :)

Table set and ready!

Present time!

Sweet card from Mara Kate. She was so proud of it because she picked it out herself "because the little bear on the front was wearing a bow and sometimes she wears a bow too!" and she wrote everything inside and out all by herself! She even got to lick the envelope!

Kane's parents framed his PhD diploma as part of his gift, so now he has it to hang on the wall in his office---FINALLY!

YAY---so official!

And a pair of new boots...a definite need for him right now! He also got a subscription to a chemical education magazine from Mara Kate and I that he had been wanting, to that will be a gift that keeps on giving in the coming year.

Cake time!

Kane's mom used trick candles so it took forever for him to get them completely blown out. It took Mara Kate a minute to realize that they kept relighting, but she got a huge kick out of it once she saw the humor of it! ha!

The birthday boy!

Yummy cake---Andes mints mixed in. It was very moist and tasty! Kane even packed a piece to take with him to work today. :)



Mmm!

Kane's mom hung a strand of birthday cake lights on the front door as part of the party decor---so of course we had to get a picture of him standing in front of the lights. :)

Cooking: Quick Tip

This tip is not my own, but one I received a few weeks ago from a friend. After trying it and loving it, I decided I must share it with my scores of blog readers. :)

If you ever cook any recipe that calls for cooked, shredded chicken, then listen up! I personally love recipes like this, although I don't enjoy the slow and tedious process of shredding chicken. I also don't like my fingers to smell like boiled chicken after spending time pulling it apart bit by bit. I will never shred by hand (or fork) again.


Step 1)

Simply throw your cooked, trimmed chicken chunks into your (Kitchen Aid) mixer. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer (which I personally think every kitchen needs), then just use your white paddle attachment.

Step 2)

Turn it on. :)

Step 3)

And, your done! 5 whole chicken breasts perfectly shredded in less than a minute!!

Oh, and here is a bonus photo for you of my sweet daughter. Today she was dressed up as a Hawaiian ballerina?!?--spinning and dancing all over the house while I prepared our supper entree!

Mara Kate

Outside!!!

The winter has been SOOO long this year, but yesterday the temperature was up and the sun was out, so we headed straight outside to enjoy the beautiful day!

In the afternoon Mara Kate and I went out to the driveway with her chalk and I drew some hopscotch squares for her to play in. She did pretty well hopping through to the end. Then she drew some of her own squares, her name and some other things as well. It was so nice just sitting out there enjoying the warmth and sun after so many months of wearing heavy coats and bundling up.

Here she is drawing a picture of our family

Family complete---she even included the baby. Kane is on the left, then MK, then the baby, then me. I love the fact that the baby and I are the exact same size! :)

Then, after Kane got home from work we grilled hamburgers and decided to just eat outside because it was so nice. This was actually the first time we've been able to use our patio table for a meal as we got it when we moved in in late July and it was already too hot to be out, then it got too cold. So, we were excited to have the right weather to enjoy it.

Mara Kate loved running, running, running while Kane was out there grilling.

All the fixings to go with our burgers

This meal just tastes better when eaten outdoors!

Two of my very favorite people!

Gingerbread House

Today we decorated our annual Gingerbread House. The fun thing about this year is it is the first year Mara Kate has helped! Normally this is a project Kane and I do together, but we decided to let her join in the fun this time around. We got one of the kits from Wal-Mart that included candy pieces as well as pre-made icing. I've decided this is the way to go, especially with a child helping!

We had a lot of fun, especially Mara Kate!

Waiting on the walls to dry

Picture courtesy of Mara Kate

Decorating the roof

More roof decor

This required much concentration on her part!

Back view

Finished product--there was a marshmallow snowman sitting there in the yard part too, but it is missing as you can see. While Kane and I were cleaning the kitchen Mara Kate ate the entire thing! :)

Our tree and the Gingerbread house


To see some of our other creations over the past years click here and here.