wedding in December

"I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go."
Song of Solomon 3:4

My little brother has found that special girl...The One who makes him smile like no other...The One who cherishes him just as much as he cherishes her...The One who makes his heart happy...The One he wants to come home to every night...The One who can make him feel like a million bucks even on the not so good days...The One he wants to share with his family...The One who adores tending to him & taking care of him...The One he wants to continue a family with...The One to share special moments with (besides his fabulous sister & mother of course! ;))...The One that God meant for him to spend the rest of his life with here on this earth.

Our family is so excited! Fair is everything plus so much more that I could ever wish for in a sister. I am about to blessed with not just 3 sisters, but come December...four! How awesome is my life?!

My mom & dad loved Fair & her family from the beginning. I know my daddy is grinning down from Heaven right now going "Hoo hah Taylor! That a way!" --anyone seen "The Scent of a Woman" with Al Pacino?...or met my dad before...if so, you'll get it! :) (Writing that actually made me laugh because that is exactly what my daddy would be saying right now. He would tear up & possibly cry later, but for now...yep, definitely the hoohah!) My mom says that Fair is "her child." It's cute to watch how happy she is when she talks about the two of them together & the wedding plans! I love that it makes my mama so happy! Fair, Mrs. Anne & Mr. Buddy have been and continue to be such a blessing in our lives. We are thankful for each of you!

Taylor, I am so proud of you & everything that you stand for & believe in. I am proud of your hard work ethic & how God & family mean more to you than anything in the whole wide world. I love you so much & love that I am your sister! I am so happy for you & Fair & pray for nothing but the best for both of you. The next 8 1/2 months are going to be such fun (& a whirlwind) as you make plans for the big day & anticipate your upcoming life together. Clay, Parker & I are honored & sooo excited to be a part of this special time in your lives! We love you so much!

Fair, I love you for so many, many reasons, but I love you the most for the way that you love my brother. I am so thankful that he listened to his heart & pursued you. (And I am so thankful that you have stood by him even in the not so fun times!!! :)) Mama, Clay, Parker & I (as well as the entire rest of our extended family) adore you & can't wait for you to officially be a part of the family! Thank you for choosing us! You are about as sweet, smart & stylish as they come girl! I'm honored to soon be your sister. :)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

1 Corinthians 13:4, 7-8

I pray that you both enjoy the dance...for the rest of your lives.

Photos taken by Susan Caver with Just A Pose Photography. Check out her site here!

Looks like we're having another December wedding!!! Fair & Taylor have a wedding site with more details of the big day, the story of how they got together, more pictures & the February engagement story! Check it out here...I know they would love it if you left them a special note and/or best wishes!!!

This is going to be a fun year :)

recap of our weekend

packing boxes

taking the blue permanent magic marker from Parker after he had colored all over the glass kitchen table, carpet & the cushion of one of our kitchen table chairs (luckily, we were able to get it off of the table & the carpet...my poor chair cushion is no more though!)

church

pizza with friends

Target, Rainbow, Gas, Babies R Us, etc. (aka errands)

Clay working some

Laundry

Baylor Basketball game on Sunday (Clay was supporting his Bears by sporting his gold Baylor Basketball t-shirt & he dressed Parker in Baylor green..it was so cute...should've gotten a picture of it!)

cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Saturday...yum!

a little gym time

a lot of other little things

Thankful for a fun & busy weekend with family & friends! Hope everyone had a terrific one!

our afternoon of play at home & "About Parker at two"

Parker & I played hard today...

Since it was a bit too cold to get outside, we spent the whole afternoon around the apartment. It ended up being a fun day with a serious mission to play with each & every toy that this little tot owned! Except for the Fisher Price Airport & his small set of colorful blocks, we accomplished just that!

We also managed to read 14 books, watch a short Fisher Price Little People DVD, play with playdough & get a little cleaning done (at the end of our day that is...). While I was dusting the living room, he even managed to convince me to let him run & play on the balcony for a few minutes. That boy would still be begging to play outside if it was 2 degrees...that definitely comes from his daddy's side! ha ha!

Warning: Do not read if you are short on time or could care less about random two year old facts or am anal about grammatical errors. I need to do a quick update so I don't forget this before I have time to scrap it!

Random facts about Parker at 2 years & 3 months: He recognizes & says the letters "P", "B" & "E." Loves trains, planes, cars, trucks & balls...that hasn't changed since he was an infant! Is still eating anything you put in front of him...we haven't found a food yet he won't eat. Has a strong, independent personality like his mama & daddy (imagine that!). LOVES anything to do with outdoors. Is currently outgrowing all 2T clothes & moving into 3T (Clay & I are going to have to do some shopping in the next couple of weeks!) He is already wearing 3T shirts for the length. Is in a size 8 tennis shoe. Wearing size 4 diaper...soon to be potty trained hopefully! Loves being rocked to sleep in the afternoon by mommy or daddy...he actually smiles & makes this joyful glee sound when we nestle him in our arms! Sleeps with his blue blanket & Mickey every night in his crib. Is up & ready to go between 6:15-7am every morning (I get really excited on those 7:00 mornings!!) Goes to sleep between 8-8:45pm. Enjoys reading books during rest times. Extremely active. Does the hand motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider & Deep & Wide. Asks to sing "LMnP" (aka "the ABC's) when we're driving in the car. Goes to Tornado Toddlers at Lifetime every Tuesday morning. Is good at sharing with others (most of the time :)) Has the philosophy: "the more the merrier!" He loves having people around him! Likes to watch mama & daddy cook. And likes it even more when he gets to help in the kitchen! Does great at restaurants. Pretty easy going & happy. A jokester like his daddy. Can pitch a tantrum like no other (we might only get a couple of real "is this seriously my child?" tantrums a month, but when they come...oh boy, do they come! ...his mama never did that when she was young... :)) Is into talking a lot more that he was 6 months ago! Since December/January his vocabulary has really started excelling...we saw a jump in the early fall but for the most part it has really taken off since this winter (for a long time he was a lot more into taking it all in than talking about it.)

Says his name..funny story...we hadn't really tried to get him to say it & the other night (March 22 or 23) I decided it was time he did. So, after bathtime I was drying him off & he was asking for NuNu. I told him he could have it during storytime unless he wanted to tell me his name & I would get it for him then (starting bribery at an early age...don't judge me :)) After asking him," What is your name?" he smiled & replied, "Pahker." I was so excited I had him tell it to Clay too. He then got his paci. There is no telling how long that little stinker could have been saying that.

Still asks for his NuNu's a lot but for the last several weeks has only been using them when he's upset or for sleepytime. It doesn't take much to get his mind off of them these days! Yea!

Uses his left hand to hammer things, pick things up...seems to use this one predominately. Holds his fork in his right hand & uses his left hand to pick his food up (when he's not using utensils.) We think that him watching mama & daddy eat with their right hand has confused him a little! Throws balls mostly with his right. What will he be? A lefty or a righty? Family history: His Nana (Clay's mom) & Uncle Taylor are both left lefties. His Rassie (my mom) was left handed as a child but her teacher made her switch to her right hand...otherwise she would still be a lefty.

Is really good at picking up his toys. I think he likes order (whew, I hope that stays with him!) in the house like his mama & daddy. Loves when I pull out the vacuum. Wants to go for rides in Troublemaker with his daddy whenever he can. Likes lemons & black olives (a lot). Enjoys all fruits & begs me for them when he opens up the refridgerator. Doesn't like sweets much (that sooo doesn't come from his mama! Clay doesn't care much for sweets either.) Had cucumber with cream cheese & pepper today with his lunch & loved it.
Doesn't want to miss anything from any of his days...where's the party? I'm there!
As of March, we've noticed him coloring characters in coloring books & not just randomly on pages. I wish I had a scanner & I would show a cute example (note: first time we noticed it was at Red Lobster (March 13) on their kids menu...he only colored the circles with the animals in them)
Likes to play with playdough & other fun crafty things but if given the choice, would rather kick the soccer ball & throw the basketball or baseball. When he scores (in basketball or air hockey) he throws up both arms & yells something to the effect of, "Gohhhg" for goal or score..we're working on that pronunciation.
Loves seeing new sights & riding in the car (always has..that hasn't changed at all.) Can crawl in his carseat by himself.
Plays by himself contentedly (some), but would rather you be playing with him. Still loves to play with your hair when you're holding him. :)
When he goes to the gym he wants to play basketball on the big boy courts. The end.
Is good at building things with his blocks (also likes knocking them down.)
Wants to help mama & daddy whenever he sees us doing something that he's not.

T.V.: Watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Curious George, Clifford, Dinosaur Train, Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, Word World & Thomas the Train (usually 2 shows each morning depending on what time we have the tv on. He doesn't watch all or even half of these in a day...ever!!!!!) When he wakes up, either Special Agent Oso or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on so he watches that almost every morning. Enjoys watching the movies Cars, Mary Poppins (likes the singing & dancing), 101 Dalmations, Classic Disney Cartoons, & VeggieTales.

Says colors: Green, Blue (likes this one!), yellow, orange & red
Says animals: cow, pig, horsey, bird, dog, giraffe, alligator ("aldo"), octopus, fish, duck & a few others..says the sound that these make as well. Other animals he mostly says what they say...for instance, "Cat" is "Meow"...after watching Word World one day he randomly said, "Dragon."

Favorite books: Little Cloud, Corduroy, Old Bear, Harold & the Purple Crayon (also still loves the ones we read to him A LOT last fall such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, I am a Bunny, Big Red Barn, Bunny's Noisy Book, any books that focus on trucks, planes & boats, Where's Spot? etc)
We read a large variety of books to him but at times focus specifically on a few & these are some of our recent & past focuses.

Personality: sweet & caring, sensitive, strong-willed & independent, has an opinion about quite a few things, easy going, flexible, neat, sports enthusiast (which his daddy loves!), busy, happy, a jokester

Clay & I love "our little man", our "Pman", our "precious Parker", our "Parker Charles".

we're moving!!! ...down the road that is...

Clay & I are so excited; we have given our notice! At the end of next month, we will be moving to a house out in Eagan (about 9 mi from Apple Valley).

Parker will have a backyard to play in this summer! I am already planning suppers out on the deck...I dreamt that one warm, sunny day this summer I was outstretched on the deck sipping crystal light lemonade & enjoying scrumptious chocolate covered strawberries. ha! I will be found indulging in this shortly after we get moved in...possibly before! :)

Since moving to MN in the winter of 2006, Clay & I have lived in the same apartment complex (switched apts, but stayed in the same building). It worked for us. I didn't mind not getting up at 4:30 in the morning to plow snow out of a driveway in the frigid winters on those many days that Clay wasn't in town. Our space was plenty for our little family. Cozy, comforting & enjoyable were how we described our apartment. Although we still like our apartment, space is more limited & well, it's just time to move on.

An opportunity to talk about moving came up a couple of months ago with some friends of ours, who recently moved away & decided to rent their home. (Thank you Tressa & Kyle!!) It's a beautiful house with a great yard & in a kid-friendly neighborhood. We couldn't pass this home up! The timing has worked out really well (almost anyway)... just in time for our lease to be up here, the current tenant of this home will be moving out.

Knowing that it was a done deal several weeks ago, I started collecting boxes & packing unneeded items. If we aren't smart with our time, this could turn out to be a huge stress factor, which I really don't want right now! We aren't sure of the exact move-in date, & probably won't for awhile, but at least we have an idea so we can work towards that. The day that we are supposed to officially be moving out & into our new place is April 30 & May 1. On May 1, I am in a wedding down in MS...this should be interesting. You can start praying for me now! Anyway, we are hoping that given the situation, this can be a gradual thing to take some of the stress load off. Hey, at least I can guarantee that our apartment will be packed up & ready to go by mid-April! :)

So, each weekday I have a goal to pack at least 2 boxes...weekends we'll tackle more stuff. So far, we've got about 14 boxes packed & ready to go in our storage room!
This last picture was taken last night around 9:30pm. Clay & I had on The Good Wife & were wrapping our glasses & a set of our dishes. I'm sure there will be many more nights just like this one in the near future...

My Aunt Ashee

Top 5 (actually, make that 6) Reasons I Love my Aunt Ashee sooo much!

1. Aunt Ashee will come to visit me all the way from Texas during her spring break...she even brought bubbles for us to play with at the park!


2. Aunt Ashee will go down all the slides with me as many times as I ask her to!
3. She will help me make really cool things with Playdough.
Note from Carrie: Ashleigh had my sailboat looking like an unadorned triangle & crescent moon when she whipped up her boy & girl figures complete with dresses, shoes, hair & pants. It's unbelievable how stinkin' creative all of the Nolen girls are...and not just with playdough!!! :)
4. Aunt "Ashes" will get down on the floor with me & whip up all sorts of adventures with my toys. Everything comes to life when she's around!

5. She will read lots of fun books to me & make the characters come alive!

Mama says she loves it when Aunt Ashleigh comes to visit because then they get to chat a lot. :)

But, the number one reason I love my Aunt Ashee is because she is who she is & she loves me so. She makes me laugh & teaches me all sorts of neat things. She's not afraid to get down & dirty at the park, & will climb through all the tunnels on her knees just because she loves me. Even if it's really cold outside (especially to this Southern girl!) she will sit outside on our balcony if I want to carry on a serious conversation with her as we watch the people & cars go by. I love her laid-back yet stand-firm personality...mama says that when Aunt Ashleigh is in town she can sit back & let Aunt Ash take over when she wants to because she's that good with me!

Thank you for coming to see me during your break, Aunt Ashee!!! I love you so much & can't wait to play with you again this summer! I miss you already! Love, Parker

Naptime...our routine

An everyday moment: Naptime at our home Clay walked in the living room today & captured a picture of part of our everyday life...Parker's naptime.

Each day, anywhere between 12:15 -1pm, I sit in the recliner with Parker's blue blanket, his pacifier & the t.v. remote. I snuggle him in my arms & while he's falling asleep I take turns watching him &/or either the latest show on the Food Network or According to Jim. :)
Back when I was working every day, one of the things I would wish for was to be able to rock Parker to sleep for his nap. The day after I was laid off I took care of that & haven't stopped since!! I love it probably more than he does!
After he's asleep, which can be anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes, I go & lay him down in our bed, where he snuggles in between pillows & covers & sleeps soundly for an hour & a half to 2 hours. Now, a year ago he would only nap for a half an hour or so, but that has changed as he's gotten older (& when we started laying him down in our bed vs. his crib! :))

It's a simple routine, but I love it so much & cherish the snuggle time!

Fire in the Hole!!! ...& other excitement

Ok, so tonight I did something that I promised myself I would never do as a mother.

Let me tell you the story.

Aunt "Ashes" is in town visiting. Yea!!! So, Parker has been having a blast doing all the fun things that he can possibly think of while I have enjoyed not only watching the two of them play together, but also loved the fact that I can get some things marked off my to do list while Parker is happily playing with his auntie.

Today while Parker was being rocked to sleep for his nap, I decided to tackle our 2 drawer filing cabinet (which we do around tax time every year...it makes me so happy to shred & throw out more papers each year!)
Anyway, what I didn't get done during nap time I decided I would do later in the day.
We had a fabulous time after P's naptime at the Mall of America for Legoland & a couple of quick stops in shops.
One of Parker's favorite spots was standing with his daddy at the log ride & watching the people on the ride squeal as they went down the giant water hill, while sending up a big splash of water!

Then we came home for supper...red beans & rice...yummy.

Ash volunteered to bathe Parker while I finished up my filing cabinet project.

Clay had some business things to take care of as well, so we were all tied up with our own little projects.

While Parker was in the bathtub, I decided to sneak a bunch of his Nunu's (aka paci's) & sterilize them...do you know where I'm going with this?

Oh yes, I was on a roll getting my filing done, shredding, talking on the phone to Pinnacle for my husband (have I mentioned that Clay currently has no voice?) & other fun things when I hear Parker (after his bath was over) holler from the bathroom, "Mommy, I want Nunu!!!" --as he does every night immediately after I pull him out of the bathwater.

A choice word was inserted at this point as I took off sprinting for the kitchen to analyze the damage. (My nose is so stopped up from allergies I couldn't smell a skunk if it sprayed my in the face at this point!)

Smoke...ALL in the kitchen.

(another choice word)

Clay came running in at that point to open the doors, windows & fan the room so our alarm wouldn't set off the entire apt complex. I went running outside onto the balcony with the smoking pan in hand. Parker is still calling for his Nunu at this point. We came to the conclusion that in less than 1 minute the Nunu's (& possibly other things) would have been up in flames. Sadly, all I could think about (after it was given to be a controlled situation) was how 5 pacifiers ($10+) were down the toilet. The pan was not salvageable either. Clay jokingly said it was time for All-Clad anyway..ha! We'll be making a trip to Target tomorrow.

I did remember a few "lost" nunu's underneath our bed that I had purposefully not yet retrieved, so Ashee & Parker went on a hunt for the Nunu's.

Yes, it was an adventure to say the least. Next time, before I commit myself to being "supermom" & thinking that I can & will remember everything, I will remind myself that I CAN'T & set the blasted timer on the stove!!!

one foggy day

Our yesterday morning went something like this...

Foggy/overcast outside = foggy/overcast inside
I had every lamp, light, candle on in the home & it still felt dark!!! ...our attitudes weren't perfect either...did I just admit that?

Little man & me driving each other crazy...
I decided we were going for a walk outside fog or no fog
We get outside & it starts pouring...

Time for Plan B: Barnes & Noble was calling our name! Thomas, here we come! I call my chair next to the kiddie table!

While Parker played contentedly with Thomas & friends, I happily sat & enjoyed a little Spring inspiration. :) LOVED this issue so much I had to get it (so happy I had a gift card at that moment!!) If you haven't picked it up yet & are needing to get away from the winter Blah's, this will help!! The colors, ideas, words, pictures...everything is bright & cheerful! Other than last Fall's issue, this was probably one of my favorites.

** Now, here's my little disclaimer for this post. Usually, I do try to find fun indoor at-home activities for Parker & myself to do on dreary, cold days...yesterday was not one of them. I was done with the apt & done with being cooped up inside the same place--so was he.

We had such a great time at Barnes & Noble that I decided it would be a good McD's day. So, onward we went to McDonalds where we enjoyed our cheeseburger, fries & apple slices. It was a happy time. That was all we needed. A couple of hours outside the home was just right.

Much later in the day (at bedtime to be exact) this is where I found Parker when I thought he was running to the bathroom so that we could brush teeth. Has it really already begun?! No, my baby is too little to be raiding the refridgerator!! ...and no, unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened right before bedtime! Clay baby, you might have to start pulling an extra hour each week at work...you have to admit though that Pman looks adorable in his airplane pjs though!!! ;)

Happy flying! uhhh, I mean Happy Dreaming! :)

helping daddy go to work...

Parker loves to help his daddy get ready for work. He watches him get dressed, pretend shaves with him, & even helps him pack! It's so cute to watch...Parker always seems to know when his daddy is getting ready to leave on a trip before Clay has even taken his uniform out of the closet! When his daddy is gone he likes to share with others, including me, that Clay is "Vroom, Vroom" (aka flying).

scrappin' at the Embassy Suites

Every girl needs a Girl's Weekend every now & then...wouldn't you agree? Laughing, joking, chatting, munching, scrappin'...ahhh, it soothes the soul. :)
So Friday, by the time I arrived at the Embassy Suites I was so exhausted I couldn't even think about a layout! We visited, munched on goodies down at Happy Hour, enjoyed a late night pizza...and then I was crashed in the bed at 10pm. I'm such a party animal.

Anyway, Saturday morning Tressa & I were wide awake (unfortunately) by 6am...what I would give to be able to naturally NOT wake up that early! We were down at breakfast showered, dressed & ready to go by 7:30am. Tressa had gotten 2 hotel rooms...one to sleep in & one to work in (she & I were sleeping in the one all 4 of us were working in...and boy oh boy you should've seen all of our things sprawled out all over that workroom...I sooo wish I had captured a picture of it! I got the individual tables, but wasn't able to get the whole room...thickers, cricut supplies, cardstock, stamps, inkpads, brads, eyelits...all over the place! Such fun!). So after our omelets, bagels, fruit, yogurt, & juice Tressa & I were back in the room ready to get to work on our creations! :) Tracy & Cristie joined us a little later on (it must be nice to be able to sleep in! :))

When the girls suggested food options for meal times that day I was like, "What, we're stopping to eat?!" ;) I was already planning on munching on the snacks & goodies we had brought with us. I'm so glad we did break for a bit though...we had such a great time playing a round of Spades, eating a relaxing dinner & visiting some more. Saturday evening I went crazy...I stayed up till 11pm. Whoohoo! Go me! I did pay for it the next morning though. :) Sunday, after breakfast & packing up (which was no quick nor easy task) we went home to join our families.

Thank you girls for such a fabulous laid-back & creative weekend! Thank you Tracy for lugging all of your stuff down from Kansas City to share with us! Thank you Tressa for treating us to the rooms & all to make the stay sooo very comfortable & fun! Thank you Cristie for missing your ballgame to hang out with us even longer! :) Love ya'll! Looking forward to next time!

Tracy, Cristie, Tressa & Carrie

Hard at work

Tressa surprised us with a celebratory cake from Byerly's...Yum is all I can say.

I'll show some layouts soon! :)

Headed out to scrapbook!!!!

To Do list before leaving house for girls scrapbooking weekend:

8am Target - Lock keys in car...call & wake up Clay to come unlock the car
Parker decides he's hungry for the 3rd time this morning, so we head home for another "breakfast" before leaving for gym
10am Work out with Clay - Kill my legs by letting my husband push me into doing 120 lunges & squats...will I be able to move tomorrow?...oh that's right, I'll be sitting at my craft table...he has Parker, so I'll be fine!
Lunch at home with boys - Clay takes a detour to Sonic...one corn dog, chili dog, cheeseburger, apple slices, tater tots & lemon slush later...there goes the workout!...we head home.
Call Tressa to tell her I will be late.
Bake Breakfast Casserole for Sunday School this Sunday
Dishes
Wipe down counters
Make list of meals for Friday night & Saturday
Laundry (towels & darks)
...Clay is snoring in recliner..Parker is asleep in bed..all is quiet except for my phone ringing & my playlist playing in the background...Tracy calls to tell me if she doesn't get her work finished she's never getting to the hotel...good. I won't be the only one late.
**Change Parker's sheets
Wondering what time I'm actually going to get to the hotel...
Pack pjs & underwear...radio, chocolate, sprite, water, oreos, an apple
Organize & gather scrapbooking stuff to take.. I have NOTHING together...what the heck do I leave? ;)
Load car...Parker wakes up at 3:50 pm...all right, I can do this. Just get whatever you can together, throw it in the car & get on the road!!!
4:10pm...still at home...
I feel so unorganized right now...
5:10pm...all right...last load...we're headed out! FINALLY!!! :)

Be back on Monday with fun pictures!!! :) Have a wonderful weekend!!! I'm so excited to have this time with my girlfriends! Clay & Parker will be doing all sorts of fun "guy stuff." I'm sure it will be nothing short of busy, fun & playful! This will be the first time Clay has had Parker all to himself for more than 24 hours (ever) so it should be fun for both of them. I just hope Parker remembers his mama when I come back on Sunday! ha!

Edited: So on the way to the hotel, Clay calls up Tracy & the girls & asked them if they had an 18 wheeler with them. Tracy was like, "No, but we might can drum one up for you!" Clay's response was, " Well, you might want to check into that because my wife has enough scrapbooking crap here to fill one!" HA HA Clay. Very funny. ;)

Chicken Spaghetti from the Heart

Recently, our Sunday School Class has had a lot of new little additions to the families :) so we have been rotating taking food to each of the new mom's. This time, I thought I would whip up some hearty Chicken Spaghetti with a Mandarin Orange Salad & some french bread. It is such a great meal & I love how much it makes up at one time.
*For my own cooking, I added more noodles (I used a little less than a whole box) & was amazed at how "topping heavy" it still was!! I was able to get three 8x8 containers out of the recipe.

Chicken Spaghetti
4 chic breasts, cooked & cut up
7 oz spaghetti
1 qt. chic broth
1 stick oleo
1 lg onion
1 lg green pepper
1 can RoTel, drained
1 sm can English peas, drained
1 sm jar pimento, drained
1 (4oz) can mushroom pieces, drained
1 sm can water chestnuts, drained & sliced
1 lb Velveeta or American cheese

Saute onion & pepper in oleo. Add RoTel, peas, mushrooms & pimento; set aside. Cook spaghetti in chicken broth; drain. While still hot, add cheese that has been cut in pieces. Stir till cheese is melted. Mix with first ingredients. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. Freezes well. Makes 2 casseroles.

"In memory of Velma Lott. She made this several years for the Pilot Club fundraiser."

This recipe came from my hometown church's (First Baptist Grenada) "Endless Blessings" Cookbook. I have had this for less than a year, and have found so many delicious meals in this book. I shouldn't be surprised though...a lot of these were meals that our family grew up on...the recipes in here are tried and true. Brought to many church & community functions, recipes passed through families, meals delivered to the home in times of need...when I make some of these, I realize that they are not just ingredients and baking instructions but meals from the heart.