which super hero do you want to be?

My mom’s house is 83 miles away, door to door. On a REALLY good day it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, on a bad day it can take 3 hours. Today it was a little in-between… I wasn’t exactly flying down the highway, but I have no big complaints. Gavin, Owen and Gigi were in the back watching “The Incredibles.” Actually, let me rephrase that. Gavin and Gigi were watching the movie, while Owen and I just listened. Just as the LA skyline came into view Owen lost his pacifier and started screaming. What’s a mom to do?
Here I am, approaching downtown LA. Owen is too far away for me to reach into the car seat, find the pacifier, and plug it back in. There was no way I was going to pull to the side of the freeway, and I definitely didn’t feel safe getting off at any of the exits. So, I let him cry it out. But as I drove on, listening to my crying baby, I decided that it would be totally awesome if I were Elastigirl!

In the movie Elastigirl (aka Helen Parr) can handle any task thrown at her – whether it is saving the world, or raising her feisty kids. Her incredible stretching ability can get her out of the tightest of situations. But, more importantly, she has this amazing ability to stay calm, cool and collected while she thinks things through, while saving the day. And she does this all, without a hair out of place! She is confident in herself and her abilities and it shows. Who wouldn’t want to be her?
In the words of Elastigirl “Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so!”

So… if I’m Elastigirl, does that make Jeff Mr. Incredible?

is your head cold?

then try on this hat on for size! Love it so much it just has to be yours? For only $15 you can be the proud owner! Buy it HERE!

smells like homecooking!

Chicken & Rice

Place the following in a 9x13 dish:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 envelope Lipton onion Soup
1 1/4 cup rice
2 cups water
1 sq melted butter

Top with chicken
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

chicken poppyseed casserole

2 c. cooked chicken chunks
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
Ritz cracker crumbs
Poppyseeds

Mix sour cream and soup. Pour over chicken in casserole. Sprinkle with crumbs and poppyseeds. (Can pour melted butter over crumbs.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

taco salad

1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 head of lettuce, shredded
1 can black or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
Tomatoes - chopped, or grape tomatoes
Avocado
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips, broken
Ranch dressing

Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning. Simmer according to directions. Place in large bowl and refrigerate until cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover with salad dressing and mix again.

nothing beats grandma's chicken salad!

this salad is perfect anytime... it always seems to hit the spot!

Chicken breasts, boiled and diced (I usually use 3-4)
Celery
Pecans
Grapes
1 Can crushed pineapple, drained
Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper

Chop and dice chicken, celery, pecans, grape and pineapple, adding as much as you like of each. (I like lots!) Slowly add mayonnaise until you get the consistency you want. Then, salt and pepper to taste. Best if refrigerated prior to serving! (Just give it a good mix because the mayo tends to settle in the bottom after being in the fridge!)

need a good read?

Gavin and I have a new favorite! "Starry Safari" by Linda Ashman

let it snow...

Coming home from a trip is always hard. Coming home from Salt Lake is especially hard. I think part of it has to do with the fact that being in Salt Lake is like being at home, without any of the responsibility... it is like having a party 24/7. We stay up late every night, either watching movies, crafting or just chatting. I love getting together with all of the cousins and their kids... catching up on what's new in all of our lives. The shopping is always fun, and who wouldn't want to eat out for every meal? Hires, Royal India, and the Mikado are always favorites. All in all, I think the trip was a huge success!
Although we didn't get tons of snow, there was just enough for Gavin to run around in... barefoot and wearing only a diaper. We tried to teach him how to make snow angels and throw snow balls. Jeff, Bug & JP built a hill for him to snowboard down, but they couldn't get it steep enough... so you'll just have to settle for video of him snowboarding last March when he was 13 months old!

come away with me...

It's dark and dreary outside, and I still don't feel like blogging. I feel like traveling... Italy sounds nice, care to join me?

We can take a gondola ride and later share a margarita pizza at an open air cafe. Of course there will be gelato... lots and lots of gelato. Maybe we will take in a museum or two, and more than likely there will be lots of shopping. Just click HERE and you will be there! See you soon...

Uh oh, baby's crying, back to reality!

some days I just don't feel like blogging...

cilantro-lime rice & black beans

Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

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Café Rio Dressing & Sweet Pork

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.
* be warned... this makes a ton of dressing, but it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Café Rio Sweet Pork
3-4 lbs pork roast (can substitute chicken) -
1 cup brown sugar-
3 cups salsa
*Mix ingredients in a crock pot and let cook for 10 hours on low.

bbq pulled pork sandwiches

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds pork roast
1 bottle (14-ounce) of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium onion, chopped
8 hamburger buns or hard rolls

Directions

In the slow cooker, you want to add the pork roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. Remove the pork roast from the slow cooker.
Pull the meat into shredded pieces. Throw away any liquid in the slow cooker.
Add the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and onion.
Cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Serve the barbecue pork on hamburger buns or hard rolls.

this mysterious thing called...

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

In celebration of Valentine's Day I thought I'd pass along some answers to the age old question "What is love?"

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - Age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

keep this one a secret!

This is seriously the EASIEST meal ever. But don't tell anyone. It's so good no one would believe how little time it took to prepare.

Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Tacos
Here's what you'll need for this meal:
Frozen, boneless chicken breasts (at least 1 per person)
1 jar of salsa (I like the chunky kind)
Tortillas
Your preferred taco/ burrito fixings

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot. Cover with the jar of salsa. Cook all day on low. Prior to serving, use to forks to shred the chicken, in the sauce. Serve it with your favorite fixings (I prefer sour cream and guacamole) for tacos or burritos. You can also use it for a taco salad!

chicken enchiladas

Ingredients:
12 6-inch flour tortillas
6 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2-3 cups shredded cheddar, mozzarella or jack cheese
chopped onion

Sauce Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
Dash of green mild taco sauce
1 cup of chosen cheese
1 can diced green chilies

Assembly: pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of the 9x13 pan first. Place chicken and onion, roll tortilla and place in the pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Cover with cheese. Bake for 30 miutes at 350 degrees.

yum yum yum

My mom's patio beans are always a hit at every BBQ. Although they are meant as a side dish, I can eat them for an entire meal. My favorite is to dip chips in it...

Patio Beans
2 can red kidney beans (or navy), rinsed and drained
1 Can tomato soup
2 T. mustard
2 T. brown sugar
1 lb. browned hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped, or dried
salt & pepper
2 T. chili powder

Mix soup, mustard, sugar, onion, salt & pepper, and chili powder together in an oven safe dish. Add hamburger and beans. Mix. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming

Gavin LOVES the water. So I decided it was time for him to learn to swim. But can they really teach a 2 year old to swim? Check him out... he's had only 4 lessons, but he is already floating on his back unassisted! I'm impressed, but then again, I am the proud mom!

Flying Purple People Eater

Only a mother could love a face like this, don't you agree?

No... he is not a clown, and I did not do this on purpose. Long story short, Owen is taking some medication that (you guessed it) makes his face purple! I wish I could say it looks better in person, but it doesn't. I've tried to stay home as much as possible, but yesterday I had to venture out into the world. It's amazing the responses you get from people. While I was at the grocery store, several people felt the need to point out that my baby's face was purple. I felt like responding "DUH!" Do you honestly think I could miss it? Some people just stare. One nice woman was worried that Owen wasn't breathing. And then there's Gavin. Yesterday I asked Gavin to give the baby a kiss yesterday. As he goes in, he sees the purple, said "Ewww" and backed away. Now he just points at O, and says "Yucky." Luckily, I only have to give Owen this treatment for 3 or 4 days, and they say the stain should only last a week or two.

Let's just hope this works... otherwise I don't know what I'll try next.

Meet the family...

Mama said there'd be days like this

I don't know how people do it! I've only got two kids, but somedays it just seems absolutely impossible to get anything done at all. As a stay at home mom, I've got three main responsibilities: take care of the kids, keep the house clean & make dinner. But there are definitely days when it feels like I would have to be "Super Mom" to accomplish all three of those tasks. Have you ever felt like this? Well, here are some tips I have gleaned from an article supposedly published in the magazine "Housekeeping Monthly" in 1955...

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
5. During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
6. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
7. Be happy to see him.
8. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
9. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
10. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
11. Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
12. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
13. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
14. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
15. A good wife always knows her place.

baby it's cold outside...

want some soup to keep you warm? Try this EASY recipe!

Taco Soup
1 can (15-oz.) pinto beans, undrained
1 can (15-oz. black beans, undrained
2 cans corn, undrained
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (mild or regular), undrained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 c. grated cheese (optional)
1 bag tortilla chips (optional)
1 med. avocado (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Brown ground beef and chopped onions, draining off any excess fat. Add the onion, diced tomatoes, pinto beans, black beans, corn, Ro-Tel tomatoes, taco seasoning, and Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix. Simmer 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and avocados on top.

I can't believe I'm blogging

I can't believe I'm blogging. But everyone else is doing it, so why not me? To be honest, I don't totally get the whole blogging thing. It appears to be very similar to writing in a journal... a very public journal. Up until now, I've been pretty terrible at writing in my journal, so hopefully this counts!

I have to admit, that I have no idea what to write about. But it seems like a good way to send pictures of the kids, and keep anyone who is interested, up to date on our lives. However, I can't think of anyone who would be all that interested, but you never know. My life isn't very exciting. It isn't full of drama or intrigue, but I love it! Hopefully all of my avid readers will enjoy it as well!

xoxo