Babysitting!

Bob and I had such fun babysitting Alaina the other night. It was Laura's birthday and Aaron was taking her out for supper and a little shopping.
When we arrived she was sleeping in her car seat after a trip out for groceries. She looked so cute in her little hat, which Bob's sister made for her.
As Laura took off her hat, she said she may be wearing more hats in the future...
It seems she is losing her baby hair!

Here she is peering over Bob's shoulder, and yes - she doesn't have much hair on the top of her head. The sides and back are still covered with dark hair though, and I'm wondering how much of it will stay and if the new hair will still be dark.

She got lots of snuggling and kisses that night, and you can see that she is as cute as ever, even with a little less hair!

Floods and treasures

I got a call from my Dad Sunday night telling me that they had a problem at their house. My stepmom had gone downstairs for something and found about 2 inches of water covering the floor. He's never had this problem before, but apparently a tree root had grown through the drainage system, allowing ground water to get in.
There are 2 finished bedrooms in the basement, along with a family room. All the carpet had to be taken up and padding needed to be scraped off as it was the type that was glued to the cement. Insurance didn't cover it because it classified as flood damage.
So - he needed help, and that's what family does! Monday evening, all of us kids, along with our spouses and a few grandkids came over. We pulled carpet, scraped padding, pulled down wallpaper and got rid of all the damaged things into a big dumpster.
Dad had some professionals come in to protect the rest from any mold and make sure things were dried out.
I did come home with some treasure though. The picture above shows 2 of the 3 tables I have set up in my basement that are covered with letters. They are letters that my Dad wrote to my Mom when he was in the army from 1956-1958. Mom had saved them, and they got wet in the basement. I spread them all out on tables and it looks like they are going to be ok.
We were thrilled to see this piece of family history. What a treasure!

Slow Cooking Thursday

I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes today. I make this frequently in the winter - it's so easy and so yummy on these cold days. For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

White Chicken Chili
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 - 48 ounce jar Great Northern Beans
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 - 16 ounce jar salsa
3 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in skillet and saute celery, pepper and onion until translucent.
In crock pot, combine broth, cumin, Northern beans, salsa and chicken. Stir together and add celery mixture. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Stir in cheese about 1/2 hour before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips and extra cheese if desired.