Gnocchi Chicken Italiano de Roberto

Gnocchi Chicken Italiano de Roberto

(Proof that a country boy CAN survive - and cook too.)

Gnocchi - 1 package

3 chicken breasts

Half and half creamer - 2-3 cups

Onions - chopped

Celery - chopped

Carrots - chopped

Spinach - chopped

Butter - ½ stick or so

Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning

Brown and steam the chicken breasts in a skillet until fully cooked, then shred or chop the chicken and set it aside. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots in butter while heating the half-and-half in a pot to boiling. Add chicken and all vegetables with spices to the half-and-half. Simmer for 20 minutes adding the gnocchi for the last 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite side of bread (we love yummy naan bread) for dipping!

Knot Justa Swingin'

Knot Justa Swingin’

By Christie Williams

“A figure eight on a bight," David casually explained.

"A what?!" I cross-examined.

bight - /bīt/ noun - a loop of rope, as distinct from the rope’s ends

This was the gift of our son, David, toward what would become the seat of fun for his niece and nephew . . .  two ready swings hanging from an oak tree in the yard. Our newest family members - Chelsea and Grant - now three and one, would surely enjoy such fun. From this fresh idea for a family that could use something to lift them.

One year has passed since their parents divorced, with this being their home away from home when they are with their dad, our oldest son, Landon. Moreover, it has been three years since my husband, Robert, lost his leg in a hunting accident and joined the ranks of other BK (below knee) amputees. These little things like swing raising bring joy and make a difference.

As a rock climber, David knows the importance of knots and ropes and the science behind how they support not only fun and sport, but most importantly the lives of the ones they sustain. When I asked him how he tied the rope, his response led me to the dictionary following his careful explanation demonstrated with the physical gesturing of a figure eight tie around a simple bight.

It was not as complicated as it sounds but surprisingly effective and sturdy for the part of rope that secures the swing to the tree. Mesmerized by the process, it occurred to me that what each of them gave mystically mirrored who they are - climber and fisherman - even to the very type of knot and its placement.

In fact, David’s figure eight with a bight was something likened to him - methodical and purposeful, yet adaptable. This was David’s contribution.

My husband, Robert, on the other hand, applied the crafting of the fisherman’s knot - fixed, strong, and unbreakable like him. This was Robert’s contribution.

As I watched these two raise these swings like suns rising to burst the darkness, my heart smiled. I saw the blossoming of our son, David, providing for our grandchildren something he had used to scale the mighty two-thousand-plus-foot mountain, El Toro, in El Potrero Chico, Mexico; to something that would safely hold family a foot or two off of the ground.

With every part of this swing-raising event, gleaming rays of the character and personality of each continued to shine. Robert stood sturdily and gracefully at the base while welcoming his son to ascend the ladder. Assisting David to the higher part at branch-level where his own footing would have been less secure, he humbly supported it below, yielding way to his assistant. Later scaling it himself for a final shake to test the system of purposeful knots and loops applied, Robert was still providing.

My guys were not just hanging a swing that night, but like children themselves - God’s children - they were securing love for their family by the greatest means of all - their actions. What began with a bight, a loop of love, transcended our little yard that day. Like the figure eight, our family dynamics continue to gain strength from such expressions where using God-given talents supports everyone.

“Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.” - I John 3:18

UNT Mariachi Aguilas 2017

Happy Birthday, Dad

In honor of my dad and his special birthday today I am reposting my note to him here (scroll down) along with a few pictures of the wildflowers blooming today and a scissortail bird perching on a treetop. Dad has always taught me to love nature and all of God's creation, so these are for him today - a virtual flower delivery...

Happy Birthday, Dad! We thank God for you and the strong love you have for us and all of your family. I want to list 65 reasons we are thankful for you, but instead am going to list reasons for every decade of your life - and hope that this does not embarrass you too much.

1951-1961 We thank God that you were born into a loving family, that you honored your parents, and that you learned to care for others by helping your family take care of your sister, Tiny. 

1961-1971

We thank God that you excelled at learning in school, discovered your Faith and served your church as altar boy, and that you chose to share your life and have your first child - me!

1971-1981

We thank God that you completed college, worked hard toward goals to provide for your family and started a new chapter with Pattie and chose to share your life again and had Chane! 💕

1981-1991

We thank God that you continued to persevere in providing for your family, were a key figure in many things that have celebrated our family - both immediate and distant, and that you always managed to honor your parents and excel at your career as a supervisor.

1991-2001

We thank God that you helped Robert and I in our time of need as he went through the police academy, that you lavished much love on your two grandsons, Landon and David, with every chance you were given, and that you continued to work hard to provide for your family and celebrate them often. 

2001-2011

We thank God you survived these years of change and hardship, that you chose to give up one way of life for another, and that you began to be a great example to us all by taking in your father and being caregiver to him alongside Ellen.

2011-today

We thank God, Dad, that you are here, that you are growing only better with age, and that you have become the son, the father, and the grandfather that reflects God's love to us all as an example of how to live. Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank you for always giving.

Rock On

Amidst the 8 yards of bull rock he spread today - that's about one full dump truck's worth - Robert somehow managed to find these unique gems. :) The heart was a gift for me; the other one he affectionately adopted as his pet rock, Rocky - no bull.

My rock star -

God's Beauty in Color

This is a brightly colored hybridized variety of dotted blue-eyed grass, a perrenial from the iris family. These tiny flowers might be overlooked from afar, but to one on foot, their bright yellow eyes beckon a closer look that speaks to how simplicity is beauty. 

Things That Stick

Cactus needles on her muzzle are a tell-tale sign of good times for our boxer, Chloe, following her all-nighter with the ranch dog trio - Big Boy, Mini and Josh.

Thousands of hunting-dog hair clippings encasing my shirt are a tell-tale sign of several moments of doggie-love snuggle time in spurts between more formal grooming moments. Self-control is not Bandit's forte, but how can you resist that face? #stuckonyou

Giant animals with Texas-sized horns running toward Robert like big puppies to his call is a tell-tale sign that they are hooked. #hookemindeed