whatever

this was too fun.
not the fighting and arguing part…but the project itself.
so much fun.

i commissioned a friend who is known for her gingerbread making skills
to make the house pieces for me.
i wasn’t feeling brave enough to take that on this year.
she brought us the house in pieces…mmm…smelled so good.
while the kids were at school i built the house and tiled the roof with rice chex.
i could have easily sat and done the entire house
all by myself.
i was having a blast.

it’s a good craft for all ages.
but i think next time i will have more than one house
and everyone will have their own frosting.
sharing is a hard concept.
(at least for my kids)

it is pretty sweet.
literally.

friday night dinner with the family at our house this time.

just before they needed to hit the road the little girls jumped in the leaves.

these girls don’t get to do the trampoline leaf jumping at home…

the night set in.

we said goodbye.

we said goodnight to our kids.

and this is what we woke up to.

just 12 hours later.

isn’t a snowball fight more fun when you get to throw them at your grandma?

**edited..i know the color looks funky on the recent pictures.  it’s just that i am so used to my own computer and setting that everything else looks different.  i heard that my computer is fixed an should be home tonight.  i may give it a welcome home party.  i should start making it a cake right now.***

*edited…something with this OLD computer won’t let me type my normal way…so good luck reading this.  i can’t wait to get my Mac back.  enough already!!***

this thanksgiving we celebrated with my grandmother. she turned 90 years old last week. all she wanted as a gift was for the family to be together. thats not asking for much. and we all love her very much so almost everyone came that could.

people helped in the kitchen. uncle john brought the turkey…yummy. seriuosly the best turkey i have ever had. and this was such a familiar site… grandma’s china and these foods on it. she always makes the jello salads. and now that i am an adult…i like them. bravery comes with age i guess.

it was so nice to hear all the chatter coming from the dining room. the grandchildren (my generation) were remembering it being different when we were children. it’s much more relaxed now… i guess that too comes with age. especially when you are seeing family that lives in australia and minnesota. you have to enjoy every minute.

there was a surprise cake with 90 candles. i told grandma we need to check her smoke alarm batteries…not one of them went off. and they should have. i loved watching her smile so big when the entire family sang happy birthday.

she blew them all out. impressive. then she was covered with great grandchildren who felt the need to pull all the candles out of the cake for her… immediately.

and here we are. (not pictured…sean…he had a melt down seconds before the first picture) that’s real life right there. i am so glad this is what you asked for grandma. it was a wonderful day with so much to truly be thankful for.

my friend said she had a gift for me.
she brought it in and i said
“oh…thank you.”
because look at it.
it’s adorable.
it’s an old jewelry box in the sweetest light blue color.
i was perfectly thrilled with it.

then she said “well…open it!”

i could have cried.
it was the nicest present.
so thoughtful.
it was full of scrapbook goodies…in the cutest packaging ever.
i love it so much.
thank you.
it was so special to me…i can’t even tell you how much.
this is a gift i will always remember.

a craft project
family night activity before ice cream sundaes
they were told to write down anything they were thankful for.
i love it.
they just did it…not worrying about their spelling.

shoes.

pizzas.

annie’s honest words…eliza..ms.kristin…mr.clark.
the other word is the start of squirrels.

trees…jokes…ice cream

some others i enjoyed were
light bulbs
birthdays
spiders
baby london
clouds
awana
chicken
bathtubs
computers….spelled “cinpeeooters”

with 11 trees….this is about one afternoon of leaves that fall.
last year for talby’s birthday party this was the only entertainment we planned.
jumping off the trampoline into the mountain of leaves.
even craig did it…the NesTea plunge right into the leaves.

annie got to have eliza over to play.
they went outside to jump into the mountain.
annie showed her what to do but she decided to watch instead.
she thought about it…
it is quite a drop if you haven’t done it before.
and it goes against everything we teach them about trampolines.
maybe at home she’d try it.

every time i make these
everyone loves them.
or at least they say they do.
and i love them…so that’s what matters i guess.
this recipe was out of a magazine years ago…but i don’t know which one.
they are spicey…but so good.
recipe is in the side bar…with other yummy stuff.

so gather your ingredients…mostly generic is my preference.
but if you want to pay for kraft cheese it may not be as fancy as mine
i am sure you got it on sale…i bet you watch the sale ads…
and cut coupons…and stock up when things are cheap.
you are so smart.
i am so disorganized…in my head.
maybe someday i will get it together enough to cut coupons
and then actually remember to take them to store when i go.

cut up your chicken
if you had a food processor i’d think you could use that?
i usually use 4 or 5 chicken breasts….

use your blender to mix the salsa, water and half the sour cream.
then mix in the rest of the sour cream, cilantro, peppers, chilies, garlic
and cumin and 1/4 c. of the cheese with the chicken in a bowl.
(i have never used cumin…because i have never purchased cumin)
so…it will still be good if you don’t have cumin.
and my family does not like red peppers so i don’t use those either…but you could.

pour about a cup of the green sauce into your 9×13 pan
to keep them from burning on the bottom i assume.

then warm up your tortillas…to help them bend easier…
especially if they are a bit old and stale…like mine were.
don’t tell.
fill each one with about that much chicken mixture…1/3 to 1/2 c.
not too full but not skimping…that may to the one you put on your plate.

fill them all and it will look all sweet and snug like this.
like you tucked them all into bed.
goodnight enchiladas.
as if you don’t say goodnight to your dinners before you bake them…
it’s just the nice thing to do.

pour the remaining sauce over the entire pan.
it’s all full and floaty.
bake for 35 minutes uncovered.
then take it out and cover it with the rest of the cheese.
bake for another 15 minutes.
i realize that this recipe says 1 c. of cheese…oh my.
i use at least 2 cups if not more…because it’s cheese.
so you do what you want…
but we all know cheese makes everything better.
more is more.

totally off the subject…
these salsa jars are perfect for little flower vases.
i love their size.
if you were going to see a new baby or a friend in the hospital…
you could stick some zinnias in there and tie a ribbon around it…perfect size.
i admit that that is why i buy this brand of green salsa.
okay back to the yummy food.

take it out of the oven when all your friends are standing in the kitchen
so they will start to drool.
the husbands get in trouble when they tell their wives to get the recipe.
i have heard more than once…
“i thought you liked my enchiladas?!”
“i do…but these…are really good…and so are yours but…”
so now you have the recipe…he doesn’t have to ask.
just doing my part to help your marriage.

even though it’s full of sour cream….i always serve this with sour cream on the side too.
it’s dairy…we all need more calcium right?
you will love this recipe.
everybody does.