The Bright Eyed Brunette

 To catch up more quickly, I will post months in reviews for October and November. Not ideal, but necessary at this point! Wrenley has her BeBe's whole heart.  She is sassy and knows that she can eat ice cream in BeBe's living room anytime she wants to! We celebrated Elijah's 16th birthday at Larry's pizza!  I can't believe he is 16 already. He's such a sweet kid.  Then came the Northern Lights. They were absolutely stunning! Wrenley enjoyed the Homecoming Parade! She's proud to be a Ricebird :) Being silly in church! First chili of the season!  I love this Dutch oven more and more every time I use it. I will never stop taking these pictures! "Windmill at dusk", lol He's such a spoiled dog! Maggie wins Miss Photogenic hands down! We had a pumpkin carving party in mid-October at my parents' house.  Wrenley really got into it! Elijah and Makena carving. Carlie, Trey, Maggie, and Noah Makena with her masterpiece Trey and Maggie Mae with their ...

 Happy Tuesday, friends!  It seems like everyone is in a very busy season, so why not put an easy, yummy meal out there for you to try! This was a brand new one for us (Carl and I may have had it years ago, but my kids have never had it). This recipe for beef tip has the best gravy! It just takes a few ingredients, a little prep, and then let the slow cooker do its thing. The beef is tender, flavorful and easy to make! No Peek Beef Tips *2 pounds cubed beef stew meat (trimmed of large fat pieces) *1 package brown gravy *1 can cream of mushroom soup *1 envelope onion soup mix *1 can beef broth *8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms (This is completely optional: we do not add these!) 1. In a medium bowl, mix gravy, mushroom soup, onion soup, and beef broth until well mixed and pour into slow cooker. 2.  Add beef to the liquid mixture. Stir. 3.  Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours or 7 hours on low.  Meat should be very tender. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice. S...

 Happy 19th Birthday to my baby boy!  I promise I'm not one of those cringy TikTok mom's who have an unhealthy obsession with their sons!  He is just the baby :) This was also the first year that he didn't wake up on his birthday at my house (all be it, he was just down the road)! Of course, he had a dirt cake and of course he had Maggie! Make a wish! He wanted tacos for dinner and my mom found him a taco birthday card :) Happy Birthday, Trey! It was such a fun evening celebrating you!! Much Love, Mom (Beth)

Happy Wednesday! Today I am linking up with  Shay  and  Sheaffer  for a What's Up Wednesday.   It has been a while since I have done this particular link-up.   What We're Eating This Week... This week, we pulled out one of our very favorites: Ritz Cracker Chicken.  We all love this, but it is Trey's very favorite meal. Not only is this recipe super easy, it is also a quick meal with a simple ingredients list: Meat • 4 cups Chicken, cooked Produce • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder • 1/2 tsp Onion powder Canned Goods • 1 (10.5 ounce) can Cream of chicken soup Baking & Spices • 1/8 tsp Black pepper • 1/4 tsp Salt Snacks • 1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers Dairy • 1/2 cup Butter • 1 cup Sour cream Mix your chicken along with your other ingredients and spices and then pour them all in a baking dish.  Bake on 350 for about 15 minutes and viola! We usually eat ours wi...

  Happy Friday, friends! Today I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  for another Friday favorites. And here they are in no particular order: Last week our preacher told us that he had a surprise for us next week.  I had honestly forgotten about it until Carl mentioned at lunch on Sunday.  Trey said he knew what it was, but he wasn't telling.  It still didn't occur to me what it could be until we arrived at church on Sunday night, and I saw that Trey had a notebook along with his Bible sitting next to him on our pew.  It was him. Trey was the surprise.  He gave a short devotion before our Business Meeting.  He did well, considering it was his first time.  He said the congregation was a lot scarier when you are the one being stared at! This is a big deal because about 7 months ago he realized that he needed Jesus as his Savior.  And that came after about 7 months of me worrying about him, while he was trying to stretch hi...