Got Music?

       

So, most of you know that my husband is the program director at WBGL.  If you didn't know that.......well, my husband is the program director for WBGL.  It is a wonderful Contemporary Christian Music station that is serving central Illinois.  They broadcast into the Chicagoland area and down the Effingham area to the south.  Also from Springfield in the west over to Terre Haute, IN. to the east.  That my friends is a very vast area. 

The past few months have been exciting for WBGL simply because they are about to buy their very own building to call home.  For well over 20 plus years they have been renting a literal hole in the wall.  It is a very small space and let's just say that the staff is very close......simply because they are sitting on top of each other!  So, needless to say, these are very exciting times!!!!

This week is the stations "Vision" fundraiser.  The station is a non-profit, listener supported station.  Any and all money that comes into the station is from the listeners.  Every year we are all amazed at what God does through those who love Him and the station.  Every year the station has a set of goals.....first and foremost is to honor the Lord......second, to meet their monthly operations......and lastly, to collect extra monies for the new station.  The station will be buying this building debt free!!!!  All because of the support of the listeners.  IT'S AMAZING!!!!!

I say all of that to invite you to listen to the station for free online......visit their website at http://www.wbgl.org/

or if you have an iPhone or iTouch you can download the app for free.  Simply go to the  app. store and type in WBGL. 

Now, I know that some of you are going to want to know when my husband Ryan's air shift is .......well, he is on from 3pm CST to 7pm Monday thru Friday.  He always has some interesting little tid bit to talk about.  And I must say that I personally think that he's one of the best Air Personalities/Program Directors out there!  But that's just me......you'll have to tune in and judge for yourself :)

Until next time.....................

P.S.   I almost forgot to tell you that the day after Thanksgiving the station will be playing all Christmas Music 24/7 until December 26th.  So if you love Christmas music as much as we do, you're gonna love listening online or via your iPhone :)

What's For Supper?

I have a brand new recipe to share with y'all!  It's so yummy!  This is what we are having for supper tonight.  I hope you'll try it soon.  If you do.....let me know what ya think :)  Enjoy!

CREAMY CHICKEN & RICE SOUP

*Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. crinkle cut carrots

1 c. frozen chopped onion (or 1 medium size fresh onion)

1 c. diced celery

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth

3 c. heavy whipping cream

3 c. chopped rotisserie chicken (I buy mine at Sam's)

1 (8.8 oz) package whole-grain brown ready rice, cooked according to pkg. directions

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat.

Add carrots, onion, and celery; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until vegetables are tender.

Add flour, tarragon, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

Add broth and cream; cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until soup is thickened.

Add chicken, rice, and peas; cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until heated through.

It's that easy!!!!!  I really hope that you'll try it.  I promise you won't regret it :)

Until next time.................

Tonight's the Night: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Tonight is the night that the world will meet Nathan and Jenny Montgomery of Philo, IL!  This is an amazing family that unselfishly give of themselves day in and day out for our community here in Champaign County.  Tune in tonight to witness the unveiling of their new home!!!  ABC at 7PM CST.

Meet The Family


Meet Nathan Montgomery who gave up a lucrative engineering career to start a charity that feeds hundreds of hungry families in his community. In just seven days, team leader Ty Pennington, his designers and hundreds of volunteers will rebuild the crumbling home of Nathan, his wife Jenny and their four children – providing them with comfort and security they now cannot afford for themselves.
Nathan was a promising young engineer on his way to a six-figure management position when he first began volunteering to help the needy. Realizing he wanted to pursue charity work full time, Nathan stepped off the fast track to launch Salt and Light, the philanthropic organization he leads as executive director.

Nathan has seen the number of local families in need rise dramatically during the current economic crisis, and Salt and Light now feeds an average of 250 families each week.

Nathan, Jenny and the kids – sons Ashton, 13, and Benjamin, 9, and daughters Addison, 5 and Lillian, 4 – will go on vacation to Walt Disney World while “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” transforms their home. Led by Ty Pennington, the team includes designers Michael Moloney, John Littlefield, Didiayer Snyder, local builder Brady Homes and community volunteers.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Can you believe it!!!!!!! Two posts in less than 24 hours :) I had a few seconds while little Jackson is napping so I thought that I would jump on and say HEY!

I've had a few people asking me if I had some good cookie recipes.....as a matter of fact, I DO :) I had the privilege of making the wedding cake for a sweet friend that I worked with. Along with the cake, I also made a few other things.....including these wonderful cookies. Let me tell ya, they were gone in a matter of minutes! They were a big hit. I also had a friend of mine make them for my baby shower when I was pregnant with little Jackson.

Ok.....so here ya go! You're gonna love these! How can you not love chocolate and raspberry together. They just go together like peanut butter and jelly :)



Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (6-ounce) package raspberry creme filled dark chocolate baking pieces (recommended: Hershey's Premier Dark Chocolate Baking Pieces Filled With Raspberry Creme)
Raspberry Icing, recipe follows


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars together at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in baking pieces. Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool. Once cool, drizzle with Raspberry Icing.



Raspberry Icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon seedless raspberry preserves
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until smooth.


~The picture above is the wedding cake that I made for my friend Kim. Just behind the cake you will see the cookies. YUMMO.....I think I'm gonna have to go make a batch right now!!!!

Time Just Has A Way Of Getting Away From Me!!!

Hello fellow bloggers! I feel so bad for not having blogged in awhile. Time just has a way of getting away from me. So this will be my attempt at catching you up on all the things happening at the Springer Zoo.

1. My sweet baby boy Jackson turned 16 months old a few day ago. Seems like just yesterday I was getting my bag packed to take to the hospital. He is just an amazing little wonder. What a blessing that God has given to my husband and me. Sometimes I have to ask what I have done for God to have blessed me with such wonderful children.

2.. My beautiful Morgan is just as smart as ever!!! It really just blows my mind at what an intelligent kid she is. She obviously does not get this from my side of the family. She is now in the 6Th grade and is a middle schooler. Again....how time flies!! We have run into some issue in middle school this year that as parents have taken us by surprise. We live in a very liberal community and our family is very conservative. So as you can imagine, we feel like ducks out of water. We are seriously considering homeschooling her next year. We thought about pulling her out this year but felt that it would be difficult to do with the school system. It's easier to switch during the summer months. If you homeschool........all advice is welcome!!!!

3. My sweet husband Ryan continues to work as hard as ever. He recently was up for Program Director of the year. He didn't get it but we were happy that the award went to a guy in Augusta, Ga. Me being a Georgia girl myself, was happy to keep the award in the home state! :) I bet Ryan walks away with the award next year!

4. We are gearing up for the holidays!!! I love this time of the year. It's all about family and I LOVE my family more than you possibly can imagine. This year we are doing something a tad different.....We are going to my sister's house in Tulsa for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time in I don't know how long that my mom's side of the family have all been together in one place for Thanksgiving. I can't wait!!!! Of course, we will be making the trip home to Georgia for Christmas. My kids love Christmas at Paw Paw and Charon's house. Santa always knows where to find us :) You do realize that Santa comes in a pick-up truck when delivering his toys in Georgia. At least that is what my kids think. Yep, we are a little redneck!

Well, that's about it for now. It's almost 9 pm and the sandman will be visiting me very soon. I'm so thankful that Jackson is sleeping through the night these days.

Until next time..........

"Gone" Barack Obama

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