planning my week

okay...
just because I NEED to make a list I decided to share it with you

Monday-yes I know it's come and gone, but the reason you make a list is to cross things off so I can cross Monday off my list
    X*work in girl child's class
    X*work in boy child's class
    X*work on schedule for church
    X*long family walk on river trail
    X*help children with homework while making dinner
    X*get to bed at a crazy early time (yep asleep on couch by 8!)

Tuesday
     *shopping for girl child's birthday (food and presents)
     *shopping for pants for boy child (he's grown like 2 inches since school!)
     *get finger printing done for the school...
          only been volunteering there for 5 years!
          love going to the sheriff's office...
               it's like the DMV only with KNOWN criminals!
     *finish sewing valances for the church office makeover
     *finish church schedule
     *bake cupcakes for the girl child's class party on Thursday
     *piano lessons
     *help with homework while making dinner

Wednesday
     *make frosting and frost cupcakes for girl child's class
     *laundry
     *work on Christmas tree skirt
     *get photos for Christmas cards
     *kids choir
     *church

Thursday (happy 10th to the girl child!  CRAZY)
     *special birthday breakfast
     *open a few presents
     *take the kids to school
     *work at church all morning for MOPS
     *race to school with cupcakes
     *get homework done so we can GO out to celebrate the girl child's 10th
     *go to dinner somewhere that serves a patty melt-
               the girl child's (a former recovered-vegetarian) favorite food!
     *eat leftover cupcakes and open more presents
     *make cake for Friday's party @ home

Friday
     *take the children and husband to school
          (husband is Science Dad on Fridays!)
     *come back and get house ready for lots of crazyness....
               aka 1st E.V.E.R slumber party!
     *decorate cake
     *crazyness...lots of little girls...lots of laughing and giggling and squealing....
          do you plan games for a slumber parties or do you just let stuff happen???

Saturday
     *send crazy home
     *get Christmas tree
     *decorate Christmas tree
     *downtown Christmas parade

random stuff to get done whenever
     get house ready for slumber party
     clean off front porch
     grocery shop
     figure out where the last 10 years went!

Thankful

I am Thankful for so much,
but the ones at the Top

I am thankful for Christ and his constant love for me and my craziness
I am thankful for my husband and his constant love for me and my craziness
and I am thankful for my healthy, happy, beautiful children that make me laugh much more than they make me scream!

and on this Thanksgiving day I will leave you with a prayer from the boy child...
this was Wilson's prayer on the way to school a few weeks ago

'Dear God...thank you for rain, and thank you for our house, and thank you that mom and dad have made good choices so we aren't homeless!'...

such cuteness in that little guy...

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I LOVE Thanksgiving...

I think I love it more than Christmas...
     as a day...not as what we're actually celebrating!
     Pilgrims vs. Jesus...of course Jesus wins!

maybe it's because I love being in the kitchen

I really really love and enjoy the kids in the kitchen next to me
all the family together
     parents & kids
     husbands & wives
     grandmas & grandpas the kids grandparents not mine
          that would be weird and creepy since mine have passed away
      Aunts & Uncles
     cousins

      this is a picture of my great-grandma Roberts,

not sure if this picture was even taken at a holiday, or just her in the kitchen, but I love it!

all of us wearing our aprons (I have a small apron collection...but need more)
sleeves rolled up
hands washed

all the smells...
the sounds
the memories

maybe that's why my list is so long...even though I only signed up for 3 things
Turkey
stuffing
Pumpkin Pie are the only things I actually signed up for...
oh and the breakfast casserole...so 4 things....

my own, self imposed, list of kitchen to-do's today
*another batch of this Chex Mix
     opting for MORE chocolate chips, per my Father-in-Law's comment
     or was is a suggestions of, "there's just a 'hint' of chocolate chips"
*Pear Tart
*Pumpkin Pie-I just use the recipe off the back of the can of pumpkin...with homemade pie crust and more vanilla than the recipe calls for.
*Chocolate Pie
*French Toast Breakfast Casserole (for tomorrows breakfast)
*stuffing prep for the stuffing in the morning...chopping, slicing, sautéing (yep, that's a real word, I checked wikipedia), ...still trying to decide if I will make 2 types of stuffing...I really, really, really don't enjoy stuffing, but I really want to...so I have found a recipe with artichoke hearts & spinach....we'll see!

and Beau's not off the hook either,
here's his list
*Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies
*Cheese Ball....

oh, happy day for me...
Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all, and to all a Good Day!

can't believe I haven't shared

just got a call from a friend requesting this recipe, and I searched and searched my blog and soon realized that I have yet to share this recipe with you guys...shame on me!
This is a family favorite...
   it took me a few years to get just the perfect flavor and texture...
so this is my personal recipe 
and YES, mom I know it has a LOT of sugar
but it is a SWEET corn bread 
(no southern corn bread for this family)...
Beau calls it my corn cake...
sweet enough that no honey is needed in the eating of it, just lots of buttah! 
     (unless of course you want it, whipped honey butter recipe follows!) 
Oh, and I always double and put in a 13 x9...but I understand that's a LOT of corn bread for most families! 
I also just made this recently and served it with Whipped Honey Butter...so very yummy! (recipe following)

Sweet Corn Bread
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour (also good with whole wheat, use it about half the time I make it, when I remember)
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Grease bottom and sides of an 8x8 sq or 9" round pan or muffin tins. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In microwave safe bowl melt butter stir in milk and egg, Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until it's all moistened; do not over mix, batter SHOULD be lumpy. Bake for 25-35 min until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.


Whipped Honey Butter
Soften Butter-not melted
Honey
place as much softened butter as you want (at least 2 sticks, 1 cup) into a mixing bowl or kitchen aid mixer and mix using the whipping attachment (looks like a wire whisk) on med-med high slowly start adding honey 1 tsp at a time until butter is as sweet as you want.


this is great to serve with chili, soups, roasts, side dish for Thanksgiving...might make a good cornbread stuffing (but I personally don't like stuffing!).

Story Time with ChambersMade

little Mrs Chambers...
wearing her apron...
stirring her Chex Mix...
when along came a spider...
who dropped.down.in.the.middle of the boiling hot batch!!!
and FRIED little spider too death...

only a little bit of Chex Mix lost...
only a little bit of a mess when
     little Mrs. Chambers scooped out the spider, Chex Mix and all...
and bludgeoned it to an even more FINAL death
     (it was dead when it hit the hot mix)
smashing Chex Mix into 1000 of tiny pieces......
but I had to be sure
and little Mrs. Chambers swallowed her scream so the girl child would have NO idea what happened and therefore still eat the non tainted Chex Mix!

and that was today's ChambersMade Nursery Rhyme Store Time

and the Chex Mix that is super yummy and spider free

Dark Chocolate Cherry Honey Nut Crunch
4 cups Honey Nut Chex
4 cups Rice/Wheat/Corn...a mixture of all three or just one type
3 cups Honey Graham Oh's Cereal*
2 cups peanuts (I prefer salted but it's up to you)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 cups dried cherries
1-2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal and peanuts.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter, honey and salt uncovered on High about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Stir in cherries. Microwave an additional 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Once cool stir in dark chocolate chips.  Store in airtight container.

This is such a yummy Chex Mix...it has the flavor of carmel corm without the pieces of chewy popcorn getting stuck in your teeth!...and Chocolate...I was very pleasantly surprised by the flavor...

*and for those that don't know what Honey Graham Oh's are

Thanksgiving Recipe Blog Hop 2010

Welcome to the Hop...

this is the last stop in the hop...you made it!
if you've been 'hopping' then hopefully you just came from Jamie at Creating Home
and just enjoy browsing all the wonderful recipes that everyone posted for you

if you are just starting the Hop, then go to the beginning with Robin at Creative 2x Mom and follow the blogs thru, they will bring you back to me...

this is my very first blog hop and I am so excited to be sharing it with all of these wonderful ladies..

if you have NO idea what I'm talking about...just trust me...

grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and start hopping

I am actually sharing 2 recipes with you...
first it's my mom's sweet potato recipe...

and I totally cheated on my own blog hop and I'm using my Mom's recipe for Sweet Potatoes...and actually I think she uses Yams but we still call it sweet potatoes.... (you say potato we say yam)...

this is a tried and true recipe that isn't even written down anymore, but right out of memory (you know those are the good ones!)...but I did recently see a very similar recipe that called for pears rather than apples...since we've never tried that I didn't want to add it/change it in the recipe, but I wanted to give you guys the option....sort of on a pear theme today in my recipes!

When I asked her the name of the dish she told me that she got it from a long time family friend...named Linda (also my mom's name...and 20% of the ladies from that generation!) so it's appropriately called

Linda's Sweet Potato Recipe

2 large cans Yam/sweet potato

2 red apples (I use either Fugi, Gala or  Braeburn-my mom)  (maybe pears?)

½ cup brown sugar      

½ cup chopped walnuts  

     (or pecans...my suggestion not moms, my family will not eat walnuts but will eat pecans...such snobs!)

¼ cup butter

Marshmallows

Wash core and thinly slice apples into large casserole dish with yams.  Add brown sugar and walnuts. Gently fold together so that everything is evenly mixed and dot top with butter.  Bake for 25-30 min or until apples are done. Put marshmallows on top as thickly as you prefer and put under broiler until golden.

You can add more nuts if you really like them and it’s still yummy if you don’t put marshmallows on top although you might want to add a little more brown sugar. I actually prefer it without marshmallows, but to my husband aka my father, it’s not a sweet potato casserole unless it has golden marshmallows melted on top! (my mom's notes)

okay now my REAL recipe is for a pear tart...

and -confession- I've never made or had this for Thanksgiving...

but I feel like pears get the short end of the stick during this season...
it's their season too...
why do the apples and pumpkins outshine the pear...
maybe I'm just more supportive to pears since I grew up in pear town...
aka the Rouge Valley (Southern Oregon)...

or maybe it's because I have my kitchen decorated in pears...

whatever it is...I feel we need to give the pear it's rightful place at our Thanksgiving tables this year....

just to clarify...I HAVE made this recipe, just not for Thanksgiving!

Brown Butter Pear Tart

Browned Butter Pastry Recipe (follows)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp flour

1/4 tsp ground ginger (more or less depending on your taste...)

     or substitute nutmeg and cloves if your family doesn't 'do' ginger
4 cups sliced & peeled pears
1 Tbp lemon juice
1 Tbp sliced almonds or pecans (optional)
milk/cream
sugar
1.  Prepare browned butter pastry (recipe follows), set aside.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil, sprinkle lightly with flour.  Roll out pasty* into a 13-inch circle and place on foil.
2.  In large bowl stir together sugar, flour, and ginger.  Add pears and lemon juice; toss gently until coated.  Mound pear mixture in center of pastry, leaving a 2-inch border.  Fold border up over pears.  Sprinkle center with nuts (optional).  Lightly brush pastry with milk/cream and dust with sugar.
3.  Bake in a 375 oven for 35-40 minutes or until crust is goldeny brown (the color will be different than a 'normal' pie crust with the browned butter pastry) and filling is bubbly.  If necessary, cover edges of pastry with foil for the last 5-10 minutes to prevent overbrowning (aka burning!).
4.  Cool 30 minutes on the baking sheet.  Serve warm (you can microwave slices to re-heat them) with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Browned Butter Pastry
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup flour (wheat flour is very yummy with this)
1 Tbp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4-5 Tbp cold water


1.  In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat until butter turns the color of light brown sugar (slightly hard to tell because the butter will be frothy), stirring constantly.  

Cover and chill browned butter until solid, about 1 1/2 hrs (you can do this a day ahead).
*2.  In medium bowl stir together flour, salt and sugar.  Using pasty blender cut browned butter into flour mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs or smaller.  You can work your flour/butter mixture as long as you want...pastry gets tough once you add the water...but at this stage it's still forgivable...
3.  Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour your cold water (the colder the better) and mix water into flour using a fork, work quickly, until dough forms a ball (you may need to use your hands).  Place pastry onto lightly flour surface, use your hands flatten out ball, coating it with flour on both sides.  Roll dough into a 13 inch circle with a floured rolling pin.

* If I can teach you anything about baking it is this....

handle pastry as little as possible, the more you handle it the tougher it will be, so opt for taste over beauty, if it's falling apart try to patch the pastry with extra pieces rather than starting the whole thing over and re-rolling it!!!  trust me on this...I have served many pies, and once it's cut and served how it looked gets WAY over shadowed by how it tasted!

Thanks everyone for joining us on my first every blog hop!  Hope you had fun visiting all the ladies on our Thanksgiving Recipe Blog Hop 2010!

just a re-cap here was the hopping order...

Robin from Creative 2x Mom http://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/ 
Kristin from Sweetheart Moments  http://www.mysweetheartmoments.com/ 
Krista from ~LopezFamily~ http://kristasuz.blogspot.com/ 
Becky of From Rookie to Rockstar http://rookietorockstar.blogspot.com/ 
Lisa from Juella Designs the Blog http://www.lisaski.typepad.com/ 
Jamie from Creating Home http://www.jamieschulz.blogspot.com/ 
and then ME...Kiera (that's me) from ChambersMade http://chambersmade.blogspot.com/ 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, have a safe and thankful day!

Who's That on Your Shoulder?

just wanted to share a few pictures of what we did last night...

Madison had a friend over and we decided to make felted owl necklaces...
totally, completely, 2-legit-to-quit, 100%, our own idea...
in no way what-so-ever
did we sort-of
kind-of
totally steal this from Mrs. Smith and Drama Queen over at TheSmithHotel....
I would totally not do that EVER...
okay maybe just a little

 girl child and  her bffsb (best friends forever since birth) working on their creations...

 our parliament of owls...yep...my blog is educational...a group of owls is called a parliament

 the girls modeling their owl necklaces....

 close up of girl child's owl

 close of of girl child's bffsb owl...

close up of boy child's owl...whom he names Albert...so random...

whoa...you got an owl named Albert on your shoulder!

the boy child also opted for the owl sans chain...not sure I blame him, owl necklace isn't what the cool kindergarten boys are sporting on the playground!

okay so just in case you didn't know owls are in right now...but so are all birds...and since I totally stole this idea from Mrs. Smith...I want to send you over to her etsy shop and check out all the cool bird type accessories and fun gift ideas she has for sale...

like this birds nest pendant...

or this bird cage bottle cap

or this bird bath tea towel

random blog fact...my house is so cold, or maybe I should say the office in our house is so cold....that I'm blogging with gloves on...not the easiest...good night!

confessions of a lazy mom

....
so here it is....
there are those days that I just don't want to get dressed....

so I pulled out my work out clothes...

so rather than hanging out in my jammies all day...

I hang out in my comfy work out clothes...
if I have to run an errand or pick the kids up from school...
no big deal, I just look like I'm on my way to the gym or out for a run!...

when in actuality,
exercise is the farthest thing from my mind!

and let me clarify...
I am not the lazy mom leaving the house in her sweats...
I have gotten dressed...in fact...
just the fact that I'm wearing my workout garb might mean that I jog across the street rather than walk,
I stride a little faster
suck in my tummy and
choose salad rather than fries!

Do You Hop?

Calling all bloggers that are interested....
I plan on hosting a Thanksgiving Recipe Blog Hop

details...
When: Monday Morning
What: Thanksgiving Recipe-appetizer, side dish,  dessert, or other...no main dishes please
How: send my your email address and a link to your blog, and the type of recipe you plan on posting and I will send out an email Sunday evening with the list of blogs and order for hopping, (I hope to put them in eating order), links to all the blogs, and then the image above, and any other info you may need to hop successfully...

looking forward to my first Blog Hop!

Fun Food Craft

we made these turkey cookie things at church on Wednesday evening with the kids.

it was good clean sticky fun

*

got the 'recipe' off of food.com

and modified it...

we couldn't find the chocolate wafers that the recipe called for so we used chocolate graham crackers, and only used one....

we also found it easier if we cut off a tiny slice at the bottom of the Reese peanut butter cup to give it a flat base to prop up on the cracker....umm thanks Caryn....

the kids had a blast, 

29 kids, ages 4-11...all of them enjoyed the activity

we worked with groups of 5 kids at a time

had all the plates pre-measured with all the stuff they would need to make their turkeys...
including frosting (aka glue) in baggies with a corner cut off to 'pipe' it onto the turkey...

with 2 of us helping the kids and another floater helper getting kids back to the other room and bringing in new ones...

we probably could have had two tables of 5 working at the same time, but we weren't sure how it was going to go...

I also didn't 'read' the recipe I just looked at the picture and said,

"we can do that"

I actually just now read the recipe before making it a link on this site...

and they suggest doing it in stages and letting the frosting dry between steps...and to assemble the turkey's face before 'gluing' the nutter butter to the peanut butter cup...might have been good information on Wednesday night!

 the boy child's turkey might have a wondering eye!

 caught eating a candy corn...

 girl child and bff focused on the turkey

Tyler did an amazing job!  and he was very proud!

our nut-free turkey, for Gavin our allergy boy, we just used on lady finger as the body, in place of the nutter butter, and another one turned sideways/horizontal replacing the peanut butter cup in the back...

this is a great activity to do if you have kids or kids will be visiting your home during the Thanksgiving week!

*I apologize for the quality of pictures...I forgot my camera and used a camera phone...
add to that the room that we were creating in has horrible lighting!

don't fear the bird

was just getting my Thanksgiving day grocery list ready...and getting all excited about the next week...lots of fun times with family ahead....

I started thinking how some people dread Thanksgiving...

I wanted to share some Thanksgiving day tips...

food tips that is...can't help you with that crazy aunt!

really, what can happen?
forgetting the sugar in the pumpkin pie?...
not that I've done that...
but I've heard rumors of someone totally ruining Thanksgiving because they forgot the sugar in the pumpkin pie!

First off...the menu....
go traditional...
there is a reason that it's a National Holiday and that EVERYONE makes the same menu...
it's EASY...really, lets break it down...
the bird
the stuffing
the potatoes and gravy
the green bean casserole
the yams
the cranberries
the desserts!

Okay so I'll start with the big boy...
the Bird!
Don't Fear The Bird....
he's given his life for this very day,
he was bred, born, raised for this day...let him live it up!
and the best, easiest, no fuss mess turkey is the turkey bag...
do yourself a favor and go get yourself the Reynolds Turkey Bags

it's a no brainer...

abridged version...

stuff your turkey

place it in the bag

bake away...

the REAL version
PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
SHAKE flour in bag; place in roasting pan.
PLACE stuffed turkey in bag
CLOSE  bag with nylon tie; poke some holes in bag.Insert meat thermometer through bag into thickest part of inner thigh, not touching bone. Tuck ends of bag in pan.
BAKE until meat thermometer reads 180°F*
Estimate 1 pound per person for generous servings with plenty of leftovers.


I have hosted the majority of our Thanksgivings since being married...
I'd say 8 out of our 12...
...and I have always made my turkey this way and it's always wonderful!

stuffing...
blog confessions
I'm going blog public with the fact that I DO NOT like stuffing so I really don't care how it turns out...
but just in case you do...or other members of your Thanksgiving Feast Do
just google stuffing recipe or call mom, grandma, great aunt Ruth....
the basic stuffing recipes are usually
bread, celery & onion, chicken broth, sage....with a few other things thrown in...
if you're 'stuffing' your stuffing make it a little dryer because it will get all the juices from the bird...
if your 'stuffing' is actual dressing then opt for more liquid so it's not too dry....

potatoes...

really mashed potatoes....
not going to hold your hand on that one...too easy

okay, so true confessions...
I can't make gravy...
I have tried and failed too many times..
and now my knight with shinning whisk has saved me and my Beau makes the gravy, and makes it good, but I have no tips for you...

green bean casserole

the recipe is on the back of the French Fried Onions...

and it's all about opening cans and mixing...
oh, my tip is opt for canned green beans even though the recipe calls for frozen
if you use the frozen ones they end up being crunchy, unless you like crunchy...

Yams
you say Yam I say Sweet Potato...

I will get my moms recipe and post it...
take a vegetable and toss it with brown sugar, butter, apples, pecans, and marshmallows and call it good!

cranberries
and the debate that will forever haunt all Thanksgiving tables...

 vs

we opt for both at our house...
and personally I like the relish version...
again just google a recipe there are so many out there!
or open a can depending on who wins the debate in your home!

now not one of these menu items are difficult
with the exception on the gravy!
..maybe it's the fact that you need to have all the items ready to serve at the same time that stress people out, I'm not sure, I say make the menu, pass it around to family members/friends that are eating with you and have everyone choose a dish or two and then before you know it the stress is gone and everyone is having a good time...


Now take a deep breath and enjoy the day...
and I have made my entire Thanksgiving grocery list...
~Turkey
~Bread Cubes (for stuffing)
~Celery
~Onions
~broth
yep that's my list, I'm making the bird and the stuffing because everyone else is signed up for the other goods...
also making pumpkin pie and peanut butter brownies but I have all I need for those at home...
pumpkin pie is also a VERY easy recipe, it's on the back of the canned pumpkin, I do suggest to add extra vanilla (or just add it if the recipe doesn't call for it) and don't forget the sugar.

*how long to cook the bird?
2 to 2 1/2 hours for a 12 to 16 lb. turkey, 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a 16 to 20 lb. turkey, and 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 20 to 24 lb. turkey. Add 1/2 hour for stuffed turkey. For easy slicing, let stand in oven bag 15 minutes.If turkey sticks to bag, gently loosen bag from turkey before opening oven bag.

it's pumpkin time!

took this to a party on Saturday, and if I do say so myself it was the hit!
made it again last night and the guys preferred the peanut butter chocolate brownies over this...
(and for some crazy reason we now have both options sitting down on our counter...tis the season...)

one suggestion after making this twice in a week...use Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix if you can find it (much easier to find during the holiday season)...I used the Butter Recipe Cake Mix for the one I made on Saturday and just a regular yellow cake mix last night, I think the 1st one was better!

it's a pumpkin pie/cake/pecan crunch thing that follows the classic dump cake format...
liquid in the bottom, cake mix on top, and BUTTER on the entire thing!
how can you go wrong with that???

Pumpkin Crunch Dump Cake
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 box yellow cake mix...Butter Recipe Yellow if you can find it!
1/2 -1 cup chopped pecans (I only sprinkled them on 1/2 the cake because I had non-nut eaters)
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

spray 9x13 pan, set aside.  preheat oven to 350

in large bowl mix together pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Pour into prepared pan.

sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of pumpkin mixture.  sprinkle pecans oven cake mix.  pour melted butter over entire thing.

bake for 50 minutes or until it's nice and golden brown!

serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

love the pig

just wanted to share a really fast, easy and delishious meal that I got from my friend Rayna...

not even sure what she calls it...

it's pork
it's roast
it's in the crock pot
it's mexican in flavor-mild but mexican....

maybe Pulled Pork Tacos???

and it's so beautiful in it's simplicity!

4 ingredients...5 if you count water as an ingredient?!

Pulled Pork Taco Meat
1 (or 1/2 of one) Pork Shoulder Roast
2 cups water
2 tsp cumin (the secret 'mexican' flavor...this should be a MUST in your spice rack if you like mexican food!)
1 small onion chopped
2-4 cloves garlic chopped

place all into your crock pot, cook on low for 4-8 hours, the meat will just fall of the bone and almost shred itself!

serve as taco meat...or any other meat you need for any other mexican dish, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, taquitos, quesadillas,  taco soup (I actually saved the 'broth' from the crock pot and plan on making taco soup later this week with the broth and left over meat!)...

now that's a bowl of meat!  YUMMY!

seriously...I just got on the phone!

if you are a mother you understand!

I needed to make 2 phone calls...
the kids have 30 minutes of "free time" after school before homework begins...

Perfect
I think...
I can get two phone calls done while they are happily entertaining themselves
(I mean I not talking about 2 toddlers here...
the girl child is almost 10 and the boy is 5!)

phone call 1...
easy peasy...
on and right off, no big deal...

phone call 2...
to my sister-in-law...
had some 'business' to talk about
got that done, 1st 5 minutes of call, no big deal
yea, now we can TALK...we only get to really talk about every 2-3 months...
NO I guess we can't talk...

boy and girl child fighting...
apparently it's NOT okay for the boy to get on the girls bed
apparently he didn't look at her nicely or talk to her nicely
he was upset at how she talked to him
punching...
more punching....
yelling...

okay, can you two just be in different rooms while I'm on the phone?

separate the two spawns children...and within mere minutes...
the boy child had gotten his finger wedged into a cheap-party-favor-Star Wars-Jedi-Yoda-kaleidescope toy-thingy...
really, really...
why, why would you stick your finger into that?!
ARGH!

good bye Julie, loved our 10 minute chat!...lets do that again in 3 months!

holding back tears...

just told him I didn't think the soap option was working and was going to go get the hammer...
he looks like he might throw up!

all better, made it through with all my fingers in tack...now back to tormenting my sister...
neiner, neiner, neiner!

Oh, Hello Autumn!

I meant to post this last week...

just wanted to show how I turned my book club door wreath into a festive autumn greeting!

recipe for Autumn Welcome
take one grapevine wreath that was purchased 7 years ago...

keep the old book pages and fake white & green flowers from book club wreath
shove in fake autumn foliage into any spot that seems good...

add cute wide eyed owl
and hang from 3M door hanger that has been faithfully holding up all weather wreaths for 5+ years!

always nice to have some seasonal to come home to...
helps me ignore the construction clutter on the porch!

seriously thou...I have had the same wreath for about 7 years, and I occasionally buy/find new seasonal items to decorate it with, and then save the stuff from year to year (shoved into a WalMart bag in my laundry room cupboard)...
this wreath for this season cost me $0 since it was all stuff from previous years, and took me all of 4 minutes to put together!...

defending a 'friend'...& my paragraph

okay so I need to defend my 'friend' and explain a few things....

Yes, yes, YES...I am doing what I want to do when I grow up...
I LOVE being a mom
I LOVE being a wife...

but I also can't stick my head in the sand and say that's all there is to that!

when my friend requested that I write a paragraph about how...
where...
what...
I see myself doing/being 5 years from now and to try to be as selfish as possible
(taking Beau and the kids out of the equation, but also allowing them to come back in...)
he was trying to help me stretch myself...
I don't want to be the woman that can only define herself as a wife and mother...
because someday those kids will walk out the door and then those are the women who fall apart...
those are the women who don't know who or what they are...
or the potential be do that...
I need my focus to not be finding myself, defining myself, completing myself as a wife and mom...

He was wanting to force me to look at who I am...not what I am...forcing me to face questions I have never had to answer because I have hid from them....

I never had to 'grow up'...
yes, I am an adult woman...I have made lots of hard grown up choices in my life...
and I have one of the hardest most rewarding jobs there is and I love it...

but just a little secret...
I have never had a 'REAL' job....
I never worked in high school
I went to college and worked hard...worked lots...but all the jobs I ever had were work study jobs...and yes they were jobs, but you all know what I mean...
and then got married in college...kept at those work study jobs...
and then graduated...
and bought maternity clothes with my college graduation money....
so from the 9 months between graduation and motherhood I worked 2 part time jobs in random offices....
stopped working the week before Madison was born...
and then 2 years ago started working for the church as the Early Childhood Director...

so YES, I've had jobs...but nothing that I have LOVED doing, none of the jobs (past or present) were/are jobs that I feel are 'me' jobs....

but is there more?...
and NOT, do I need something more to 'complete' me...
but is there more that God has in store for me?
is there anything that God needs me to be doing while I am also working at being the wife and mother he created me to be?

I am not looking at getting a job because Beau and I are in desperate straights...
I'm not looking at getting a job because we need to finance a lavish life style...
I'm not looking at starting a career because I need to find fulfillment in life...

I'm looking at getting a job because I currently have one that helps pay some bills, but isn't the job that I would love to have...

so I would like to defend my 'friend' that asked me to write this paragraph...
he wasn't trying to turn me into a
I'm not complete with my family, so now I need to leave and fulfill my destiny women...
I feel like he was pushing me to answer some questions so I wouldn't become one of those women...

and after answering lots of my own questions...
and talking to another friend...
(I think I will from here on out refer to my two friends as my life coaches!)
he asked me What I feel is the best way to live out God's will in my life?

so here is my paragraph....

I can't do it, I can't take Beau and the kids out...(and I can't write in paragraph form!)
I am doing what I love to do...
and I know that I am a pretty darn good wife and mother.
I'm not the best, far from it.  But I am trying to be the one that God wants me to be.

In 5 years I see myself taking my kids to school (yikes high school for the girl child!),
making menu and grocery lists,
trying to keep a handle on the household chores,
Picking kids up from school,
driving them to piano lessons,
helping them with homework...
having a comfortable home for them to invite their friends over to...
creating the safe place for them to fall when the world pushes them (which it will)....

I love being a wife and mother, but I also know that it is a hard job...
it's a hard job for those that want to do it right,
it's a hard job for those of us that have wonderful husbands,
and great support systems from family and friends...
Even with as much as I love this job, it's hard...
I see mothers struggling to be good mothers,
I see families struggling to be families...

nine years ago I fell into the arms of a local MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) groups.  I met some wonderful women that invited me to this wonderful group and those women helped point me as a mother, wife, woman towards God, I was a Christian already, they just helped me gain focus...
thru the past nine years I have seen MOPS help women struggling as moms, wives, women
it allows these women to sit down and learn from other moms, other wives, other women how to lean on God.  I believe strongly in MOPS it's a great organization,

but this isn't about MOPS...I was just using it as an example...
I feel that although I am far, far, far from being a perfect wife or mother and we by no means have a perfect family, I do know that we're pointed (I'm pointed) in the right direction, that we know we need to lean on God and each other to make it work....

I have learned that when I grow up I want to be a mom...and if I can help other mothers along the way I would feel honored!  I know that I'm doing what God created me to do and I would love to help others that haven't been as blessed as me...
...blessed with growing up in a Christian home, blessed by knowing what love is, blessed by having a great education, blessed by finding/dating/marrying an amazing man, blessed by being surrounded by others that showed me how much God has showed them...
maybe in the hours between dropping my kids off at school...making menus...folding laundry...doing dishes...and then picking them back up again....I can find some way to help other mothers learn how to be the mothers that God created them to be...

do I have any idea what that looks like...
no idea...
and 100 ideas...

but now that I know what many different forms it might take...and a few forms it won't take...I can be on the look out for what God has in store for this mom!

When I Grow Up

I had lots of different plans about what I wanted to be when I grew up....
and then I grew up...
and life happened....
and I haven't figured out want I want to be yet...
or do I know and am just scared.

I have always know what I don't want to be...
and that has changed a few times...

Well recently while talking with a 'friend' he told me I needed to
requested that I  write a paragraph about where I see myself in 5 years...

the catch...
take Beau and the kids out of the equation...
they can come back into the picture...
but write the paragraph more about me...
where do I want to be...
not Beau's wife...
not Madison and Wilson's mom...
but to be completely selfish with my 5 year paragraph...

totally easy peasy right?
WRONG...

first, I AM Beau's wife
and I AM Madison and Wilson's mom...
that's a MAJOR part of who I am...

second...I guess he didn't realize that I don't write in paragraph form...

and thirdly...this makes me think of the Do's not the Don'ts in my life
I can easily tell you where I don't want to be,
what I don't want to be doing,
were I don't want to be living...etc...

and Don'ts are easy...they require that I do nothing...
yikes...
I thought saying No was good...

the Do's are hard...
the Do's mean I need to set goals,
I need to put myself out there,
I need to expose myself...

it means I might not reach my goals,
I might get shot down by other people
that I'd be naked!!!!

Do's are really hard...
this 'friend' (with my husband by my side) kept asking me questions that I didn't want to answer...
and was answering them with answers that I don't allow my children to use because they AREN'T answers...
"maybe," "sure," "I don't know!"....
Let your yes me yes and your no be no...
NOT 'maybe', 'sure', or 'I don't know'!!!

I have sat down to write this paragraph about 15 times (in less than a week)...and I always walk away with nothing!
I can't do it...I don't WANT to do it...

once I write it, it's a Do...not a list of don'ts anymore...
I like my list of don'ts...
I don't want a job that takes away from my kids
I don't want a job that takes me away from my husband
I don't want a job that isn't flexible
I don't want a job were someone tells me what to do
I don't want a job that isn't fulfilling
I don't want a job that I work with adults that act like children
I don't want to work nights
I don't want to work weekends
I don't want to work summers
I don't want to work during the kids school breaks

still trying to wrap my head around my selfish paragraph of my life in 5 years....

maybe...okay...WHEN I say,
"I don't know what I want to be when I grow up"
I'm running away from the do...
I don't want to be a grown up,
I don't want the responsibility of making the choices,
because once I make the choice someone can blame me...
once I make the choice good or bad...it's on my shoulders and I can't point the finger and say, "this was your choice, I'm just along for the ride."...
I turn it into a sweet, "I'm your wife and I'll follow you, whatever your choice I will be by your side"...but it's still not MY choice...
special note...Beau would not make a life changing decision without us discussing it and praying about it first...

so 'friend'...I'm still working on the paragraph...going away for a few days on a retreat with Beau, and I'll try my hardest to get it to you when I get back....in your email box by Friday!!!

Genius Cupcake Lady

okay, this might not be genius status...

okay, so this is probably something EVERYONE but me has done...

okay, it's probably something that they write on the back of the box and I just have never read it...

anyways...
here was my morning 'ahh ha' moment...
one of the things I hate about making cupcakes is filling the cups all up...and the mess that comes along with that!
so, I, with the help of my husband
     it takes 2 people, one to hold the bag and one to pour the filling into the bag,
filled a large ziploc baggie full of the cake batter
snipped off a corner

and wa-la...filling cupcakes became so much easier...
I filled 30 cupcakes in under 2 minutes...okay, maybe 2.5 min...