Happy Memorial Day

Image courtesy of vintageholidaycrafts.com
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Ryan caught a snake in the barn tonight and made a home for it in this bucket.  He's our own little Steve Irwin.

5 more days!

Can you guess what I'm talking about?  There are only 5 more days of school until summer vacation starts.  When I asked the boys what they wanted to do this summer, these things were on their lists:

Go to Holiday World

Basketball camps

Beat each other up - seriously?!

Busch Gardens

Go to Turkey Run with the dogs

Go shopping for Legos

Get a Purdue jersey

Go swimming

Go to the beach

Go to bed late (I'm sure that will happen sometimes)

Sleep in (and this will happen as a result of the previous item)

Ride dirtbikes

Play video games

Make cookies

Do not get sick (really - who wants to do this?)

Throw wild parties (from my 10 year old)

Watch fireworks on the 4th of July

Go fishing

Don't do chores (he can think he's not going to do chores,

but this will probably lead to more chores)

GO TO GRANDMAS!!

make milk shakes

eat Oreos (only double stuff will do)

I have things I would like to add to this:

have the boys mow the grass

have the boys empty the dishwasher

have bonfires

camp in the back yard (we have a really big yard)

grill out as much as possible

go to more garage sales, flea markets, antique stores, and auctions

go on long bike rides with my BFF

eat lots of watermelon

What is on your list of things to do this summer?  Do you have plans to try something new or travel somewhere that you have never been before?  Whatever your summer plans are, I hope you enjoy every single one of them.  Savor the moments, create new friends and wonderful memories. As for me, I'm going to work on some of my list this weekend.....

Happy summer everyone!

It's a Mexican Fiesta!

Last night I made chicken enchiladas for dinner and for I also made guacamole for a luncheon that I was attending today.  The family really liked the enchiladas and my 10 year old wanted me to thank whoever "made up" the recipe.  So thank you Cheryl P. for submitting your creation to allrecipes.com!  The guacamole must have been good because the bowl was empty when it was time to clean up.  I liked the guacamole so much that I would like to thank you Bob C. for that recipe.  Now honestly, aren't those two of the best compliments a woman can receive?  Your family telling you that they really like something you baked/cooked and then an empty dish to take home from a pitch-in.  To everyone that has shared a recipe with me, or one that I've found on line, in a cookbook, etc., Thank You!  You've made me feel like all the time I spend trying to find an answer to the age-old question of "What's for dinner?" wasn't wasted.  I'm once again inspired to try new recipes, spend time in the kitchen again (sometimes I feel like I live there), and pretend I'm Pioneer Woman.  Speaking of Pioneer Woman, have you seen her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles?  These are definitely going on the list of things to make when I need an ego boost from the family.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (I used the chicken in a can)
2 c. sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 tblsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
10 (8 in.) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions
1.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, chicken, sour cream, soup, chilies, onion, pepper, and salt.  Spoon about 1/2 c. off center in each tortilla and roll up.  Place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

2.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Guacamole

Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tblsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma or plum tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt.  Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic.  Stir in cayenne pepper.  Refrigerator 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

The girls (some of us are probably in the lady category) I work with all share recipes, challenge each other to try new foods, and so on.  I've tried more new things this year than ever before.  Here's the list (so far):  wheatberries, quinoa, salmon, asparagus, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, and strawberries.  I really hated strawberries last summer and have since acquired a love for them.  As a matter of fact, I think I had strawberry shortcake every night last week. So tell me please, what are some of your family's favorite meals?  Where do you go for your inspiration?  Do you have a favorite cookbook?  What is something new that you've tried lately.

Happy cooking and I hope you find your answer to "what's for dinner?" tonight.

So I'm feeling a bit uninspired when it comes to posting on my blog.  I don't feel creative or like I have much of anything to say.  Don't know if it's because I've been so busy with work and now that things have slowed down, my mind just needs to rest a bit and gather more ideas?  I've read about the same thing on a few other blogs, so I don't feel so bad.  I think I'm going to redo my blog.  Maybe changing things up a bit will help.  

Did anyone watch Lost last night? I think this has been one of the best seasons and I'll probably have withdrawls when it's all over.  Carl has had a hard time following the storyline this time around, but I think it's exciting.   

I am enjoying working on my flower gardens. I'll try to take some pictures of everything this weekend and post. On Saturday Carl and I are going to community garage sales in a town not far from us.  I'm excited about that - we haven't been to any sales yet this year.  The boys have one more week of school and Carl and I are trying to find some things for them to do this summer.  Any ideas for a 10 and 15 year old that live out in the country? 

Time to get ready for work.  I hope everyone has a wonderful, sun-filled day.

Pam

Girls Night Out

It was a FUN girls night out last night.  Now don't feel sorry for Carl and the boys - they had a "boys night in" and grilled steaks and watched movies. The main purpose of the evening was to celebrate Monika's graduation from nursing school.  She has wanted to be a nurse for so long and decided to to go back to school three years ago and we are all so proud of her!  We all went to the movies and saw Letters to Juliet (what a good chick flick) and then went to Applebees.  Since Monika missed her pinning ceremony, Laura (a nurse and nursing teacher), pinned her.  Monika tells me that this is a big deal for nurses.  From all the laughter and good conversation, I would say that everyone had a great time.  Here's a picture of Monika and her pin.

Can I tell you that I had a great day yesterday?  Well, let me tell you that I did.  I don't know if it's because it didn't rain, or that I was able to spend some time with family and friends, or that I stayed home for part of the day and cleaned my house.  In the morning, Carl and went to Janna's house and she gave me some peonies.  I bought some last summer and they didn't come up this year - boo hoo :(  So it was Janna to the rescue!  She has some beautiful peonies at her house and she also gave me some cuttings.  Besides smelling absolutely lovely, aren't they also pretty?

Well, today is church, finish cleaning up the house, and then a graduation party.  I'm almost finished with teh bedroom redo and will post pictures soon.  Plus, I've found some great blogs that have given me new ideas for decorating my house.  Maybe I'll just "tweak" every room as I feel like I've had the same decorations out for years. 

Have a wonderful day everyone.

A wonderful Mother's Day weekend

Well, the weekend is over and it's back to reality.  I hope every mother had a great weekend and a very special Sunday.  My husband definitely spoiled me this weekend.  We went "junking" and found a really neat country home decorating store in Clinton, IN.  They have some of the best smelling candles ever! Carl also bought me more plants for my flower gardens. The boys cleaned out my car, the dogs were good, dinner was great, and everyone was happy.  

We have been working on our bedroom - new comforter, curtains, new paint, and (eventually) carpet.  I'll post a picture of the new comforter and curtains next week after everything is finished.  In the meantime, would you like to see what color the walls are?  Really, you do?!  What do you think of this shade of blue? Pretend it's on the walls and not on the carpet....pretty please....

That was just a minor glitch in what was supposed to be an "I'll be done painting in about 30 minutes" job.  I don't know how that can slipped out of my hands....maybe new carpet will be arriving sooner than we expected. Anyway, the paint color is Benjamin Moore Colorado Blue. 

Time to say goodnight.  Time for a little bedtime snack since Carl made strawberry shortcake.  Have a wonderful week everyone.

Christian Rap - Tamara Lowe

This clip was played at church on Sunday and I just happened to find it on the web yesterday. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too.



Have you visited the Proverbs 31 website lately?  The devotion for today was so appropriate for what I've been feeling lately and I wanted to share it with you.  So many times fear (false expectations appearing real) stop me from doing something and that leads to disappointment, lost opportunities, etc., but this devotion gives me encouragement to not fear (which I really know I shouldn't do) and to let God have control.  

God our Builder wants to erect, furnish, and prepare us to be ready to reflect His image. His desire is to adorn and equip us, His "living temples," with all things necessary to fulfill the purpose for which we were born. So many times we deny God access to our lives, giving Him logical reasons why we could not possibly be built into His image. He stands ready to give you reasons why you can be built into the image of God.

Are you ready to say yes to God's master plan for your life? He is the Builder of everything. He wrote the blueprint of your life before you were born. Will you let Him craft your life into the masterpiece it is meant to be?

Dear Lord, today I give You the keys to my heart, Your home. Forgive me for keeping You locked out of parts of my life. I want You to come into my heart and life to begin construction. You are the Master Builder; I give You permission to do all things necessary to craft me into the masterpiece I was meant to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

So, if I feel that God is leading me to do something, I need to not worry!  He will give me everything I need to do to accomplish His task, His goal, His plan.  This also means I need to finish reading a book that was recommended to me last summer - When People Are Big and God is Small.  Being a "people pleaser" does not help the situation. 

So, today and I work on going to God first, relying on Him, letting Him lead the way.

Flower love

I really thought I killed this clematis last summer but these lovely blooms have proved me wrong.

I can't wait to fill up my flower pots, finish my gardens, and see everything in bloom. I have so many favorites and I just want to see some color.

 

What about you?  What flowers are your favorites?