Memorial Day Weekend

We spent the holiday weekend in Greenwood, MO, with Uncle Smokey, Aunt Kristy, and cousins, Jackson and Brady. The theme for the weekend was bubbles, water, and sunshine!

(Note the exhausted faces and farmer's tan)

Brady: even with an ear infection, we never heard him fuss. I'd have 10 kids if they were all like Brady! Alas, they are not...

Kristy and I broke out the volleyball one night and my body paid for that dearly over the next few days.

Cookout

We spent some time on the 10 acres surrounding our church building a few nights ago. Besides the mosquitoes and ticks, it was a fun evening!

Lucas and Kate were fascinated with the cooler of ice.

Esther couldn't resist the temptation to join them.

Field Trip

While most of my readers will be blogging about Memorial Day adventures, I need to play catch up from the past month.

When I started this whole bloggy thing January '08, I needed something to do while on maternity leave. I wanted to capture the little moments, the everyday stuff. I've found that the blog has ventured away from that at times. That's not a bad thing; it's just not what I wanted and I need to refocus. With that in mind, allow me to "back blog" a little to chronicle the happenings in our family.

Lillian's field trip this year was to the zoo. Imagine that! How original! Please note the sarcastic tone...

It was so fun for her to go with classmates and I enjoyed going without Lucas! Don't tell him I said that. It was her first time to ride a school bus. I wish I had a picture of her face when the bus turned the corner and she about fell out of her seat. Made me realize how badly buses need seatbelts...

The only ones left after a day in the heat/humidity.

Lillian, Taelor, and Clayton

Background: Taelor went to Kiddie Kollege with L, then they ended up in the same pre-K class. They adore each other!

The End Is Near...And I Might Not Make It

I have an untold number of pictures on my camera that I don't have time to post.

My house is a wreck.

I can barely drag myself out of bed in the morning.

It must be May and the end of school.

Until I crawl out of this hole, here is my stimulating post for the week:

Top 10 ways to know you are ready for school to end:
10. You are so tired, you now want to answer students' questions with "shutup"
9. Your friends call to ask how you've been and you immediately scream "Stop asking me all these questions."
8. Your garbage can is now your "INBOX"
7. You wake up to discover your classroom is on fire, but go back to sleep because you just don't care.
6. You consider a 40 hour work week a vacation.........
5. Visions of the upcoming summer and sleeping in help you make it through Monday.
4. You don't set your alarm anymore because you just don't care if you are late or not...
3. The next kid who asks you for a pencil is going to hear "Don't you ever have anything? Do you see WalMart tattooed on my forehead?"
2. Your day timer/work planner exploded a week ago...
1. You fantasize about how relaxing it would be if you were in jail right now!

Book Giveaway

I just found an awesome book blog and there is a giveaway this week. Head on over and check it out!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

I couldn't live without my newly purchased Bissell Clean Sweep. It makes quick cleaning soooo much easier. Instead of the big vacuum, I use this little jewel on tile and rugs. No more carrying rugs outside to shake or shooting dust all over the room with a broom. No batteries, no bags to replace. Good for the environment!

I have found an awesome way to keep my toilets clean and germ-free without weekly scrubbing. The Works Automatic Toilet Cleaner beats any other product of it's type. It is a bleach tablet that you drop in the tank of your toilet and it cleans and sanitizes for up to 11 weeks. Mine usually lasts for 8 weeks. I've tried other brands but this one is cheap (less than $2 at Wal-mart) and really does work!

Friday Food Day (1 day late)

I made these pancakes this morning. The recipe has been around forever; I remember my mom making these when I was younger. She always doubled the recipe. I remember her making them early one morning for the after prom party at our house. We used to have pancakes on Wednesday nights before church because it was easy and made everyone happy. It beats any pancake mix you buy in a store!

Grandma's Pancakes
1 cup milk 1 cup flour
2 Tblsp veg. oil 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg 2 Tblsp sugar
2 Tblsp baking powder
2 Tblsp milk

In a bowl: combine milk, oil, and beaten egg. Mix dry ingredients together and add to milk mixture. Beat to mix well. Add the 2 Tblsp milk.

Notes:
1. Lillian likes to add food coloring for colored pancakes. Fun for kids!
2. Batter can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator
3. Leftover pancakes can be frozen for an easy morning breakfast.

Me And My Peeps

Mother's Day 2009

Note to self: GET A HAIRCUT! Obviously, I can't decide whether to cut my bangs or let them grow and it shows in this picture.

Ouch!

Let me just say I have become addicted to texting with my new phone. I lived in the Dark Ages until I recently added texting to my phone plan. So how does this connect to the picture?!



Well... I was replying to a text message while the kids were playing outside. Lucas pushed his car to the street and Lillian took off on her scooter to bring him back. As I stepped out the back door, death-like screaming echoed through the neighborhood and Lillian ran back to the house, holding her leg. The damage consisted of road rash. Was she riding her scooter with only her panties? No, she was wearing a skirt. It took much convincing to get her to remove the skirt for treatment. Brent thought I'd want a picture for the blog so he snapped a shot before we bandaged the top of her leg/bottom.

Happy Mother's Day to me! She wanted me to help her clean it up and me to sit with her while she watched tv for 2 hours after the accident. I was pleasantly surprised because Brent is usually the go-to person for sympathy after a crash.

For some unknown reason, today was my day.

Heather's Graduation

My sister, Heather, and her fiance, Jesse, graduated from OSU on Saturday. We took a few pictures of the festivities to document the day. Lucas and Nathan were enamored with each other for most of the ceremony but wore out toward the end. A lunch at Heather's house followed the ceremony.

Aunt Heather with her niece and nephews

Sibling pic- notice we are all looking at a different camera:)

Heather, Jesse, and his parents

Congratulations on this milestone in your lives!

Friday Food Day

Today's post is all about where to find great recipes. Partly because I'm too lazy to type a recipe and, well, because I just think you need to know these things.

I frequent Kraft Foods where the ingredients are easy and based on the popular brand. I also get a free quarterly publication with yummy ideas and new food products.

Another one of my favs is Taste of Home. I have a paid subscription to this magazine but also use the online recipe catalog on the website to plan meals. The handy feature allows you to click on recipes and then puts the ingredients on a grocery list for printing. Handy, dandy!

As always, the famous Pioneer Woman tantalizes our taste buds with recipes AND pictures of her fabulous creations. Her cookbook will be available in October 2009. You can pre-order it here.

Happy cooking! I hope the moms out there get a break on Mother's Day!

Tough Day

Lillian Catches a Fish

Fishing at Uncle Larry's pond

Frustration

"Why won't I fit?!"

Friday Food Day

//Enchiladas Verde//

1lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg (8oz) Velveeta, cubed
3/4 cup evaporated milk (Milnot)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained
1 jar (2 oz) diced pimentos, drained
12 corn tortillas
1/4 cup canola oil

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, garlic, and salt over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in cheese; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook and stir the soup, Velveeta, and milk over medium heat until cheese is melted. Stir in chilies and pimientos.

In a large skillet, fry tortillas, one at a time, in oil for 5 seconds on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Place a scant 1/4 cup of meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.



recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

I made this for the first time this week. It was delicious! The only thing I changed was omitting the pimientos. Frying the tortillas help keep them from falling apart when you roll for the pan.

To complete the meal, melt the rest of the Velveeta cheese and add Rotel for cheese dip. Fix easy mexican rice by cooking rice in chicken broth then adding picante sauce.