Fall is Finally Here!

I've been waiting on this since April when it quickly soared into the upper 80s in the deep south!  This is my favorite time of the year.  The air is so crisp, there's no humidity, and this this is also the time of year that produces great storms, although some can be dangerous and we've had some pretty deadly tornadoes this time of year. 

After I picked the kids up yesterday afternoon, we walked down to the creek where there is a walking path and it's just lovely.  That kind of sounds like I'm a little granny saying "it's just lovely".  The kids love walking down there, but I have to wait until the mosquitos are gone because they like us sweet girls way to much for my liking.  Now that it has cooled off, I'm sure we will be walking down there more often.  Here are some snapshots I took yesterday. 

Enchiladas and Ice Cream Cake

I've just about quit going to Goggle to find recipes.  I just always head on over to Pinterest to find whatever it is that I need rather it be for an office party or a gathering of friends or family.  I thoroughly enjoy making fun, new dishes for everyone to try and as long as they are happy, I'm happy! 

We recently had a tailgate party at the office where we bring our favorite tailgate food and wear our favorite team colors (Roll Tide) and we pretty much graze all day.  It's fantastic. 

I have been wanting to make this ice cream sandwich cake I've seen on Pinterest and this was the perfect time!  I actually bought the stuff and made it when I got to the office so it wouldn't melt on the way.  It was a huge hit and everyone loved it and was even still asking about it on Monday!  Thank you, thank you very much! 

On Sunday, my friend Kristi came over and I've been wanting to make some of those white chicken enchiladas that I've made before that have great reviews from Pinterest lovers!  Of course it was delicious, but I did burn part of the bread....ooppss!!!! 

Got the computer out so I can read the directions, something I'm not really good at.  I mean, I can read, reading isn't the problem.  It's the following directions part I haven't quite mastered.  I start mixing ingredients then I've messed up.   

I bought a rotisserie chicken so the chicken I was using had a great flavor AND Publix had them on sale! 

It really kind of grosses me out to pull all of that chicken off the bone, but somebody's gotta do it!  Then I got to mix monterey jack cheese in the chicken and I could have just eaten it by itself!   

Then I rolled them up in flour tortillas and made the white sauce for it.

This is what it looked like when I got it out of the oven.  It was a little more liquidy than I liked, but once it set for a bit, it firmed up some, but it was still DELICIOUS and Maggie had two helpings which is huge!  She used to be so picky.  Sarah on the other hand had chicken noodle soup for dinner.  Sometimes I just can't fight and argue.  Ya know?  My mom always tells me to pick my battles.

So those are my latest favorite finds on Pinterest.  What are some of your favorite recipes you found on Pinterest that you could make over and over again and never ever ever get tired of?  

Morning Schedule

A couple of weeks ago on a Friday, Sarah was farting around in the bathroom while she was supposed to be brushing her teeth and here comes the bus around the corner towards the driveway.  I yelled at her to come on, I ran up the stairs (we have a split foyer and I was by the front door) as she ran down, I grabbed her backpack and threw it to her, she ran out the door and I yelled "Have a good day! I love you!"  After she left, I thought to myself that will NEVER happen again!  I cannot send my kids to school while we are in a crazy panicky state of running around the house not knowing our butts from a hole a ground. 

I decided it was time for a morning schedule.  It should benefit us all.  Mike is already on his way to work by the time the kids get up so it's just me and the girls.  Sometimes that is a good thing since we all get a little crazy sometimes while doing our morning routines.

This is our schedule for the mornings:

• 4:00-4:15 a.m. - Mom (that's me) gets up and gets showered.  Then I go to the living room and try to wake up while watching the morning news. I get myself dressed, hair done and makeup on by 5:30.
• 5:30-5:55 a.m. - Kids get up and get their clothes on.  It takes me going back and forth to their rooms a hundred times trying to get them up and dressed while I'm also fixing their breakfast.  The hallway gets a lot of traffic from me.
• 5:55-6:10 a.m. - Breakfast - I use this time to make sure Sarah's backpack is all together and everything is signed that needs to be.
• 6:10-6:15 a.m. - Brush hair
• 6:15-6:20 a.m. - Brush teeth or put on shoes
• 6:20-6:25 a.m. - Brush teeth or put on shoes
• 6:25-6:40 a.m. - Maggie gets her backpack in order, Sarah and I put up any "woobies" they have gotten out because they think the house is a meat locker and I put way anything else needs to be put away.  OR the kids can hang out and watch cartoons granted everything is done on time.
• 6:40 a.m. - Sarah goes to the bus stop with the twins next door, which just so happens to be the end of our driveway.
• 6:45 a.m. - Sarah heads off to the wonderful world of school
• 6:50-6:55 a.m. - Maggie and I finish up last minute stuff, like making sure the dog is fed and has water, getting my stuff together, etc.
• 6:55 a.m. - Maggie and I head out the door and I take her to school and begin my one hour commute to work!

So far, everything has been going good.  No pissing matches in the morning with the girls.  I have not stuck to this minute by minute, but what I'm doing is working.  By the time Saturday gets here, I'm ready to sleep and I have a tendency to nap alot during the day on Saturday. 

So anywho, that's my morning schedule! 

HMMMMMM

When I'm in a better mood and don't have so many negative things to say, I will come back and blog.  Hopefully I can clear my head this weekend.  I'm gonna try to do some Halloween crafts and/or scrapbook.  I want to see Alabama put a whippin' on a real team this weekend!

Roll Tide!

Life Can Get You Sometimes

As you may or may not know, my mother had gastric bypass surgery April 2011.  During that surgery, her doctor found a spot on her small intestines and tested it to see what it was.  It came back as ovarian cancer. She had surgery, had treatment, then had to have her gall bladder taken out, then continued treatment until December.  She had a good report at the end of December, her hair started growing back and she was looking great and feeling great.  In April she had a clean report and sometime in July, she started feeling bad, having stomach pains, etc.  She goes in for a CT and it had come back with a vengeance.  She had surgery on August 6th and it was the size of a small cantaloupe.

Well, while Mom was in the hospital recovering from surgery, Dad was admitted because apparently he had had a heart attack on the Saturday before!  Really?  I asked them if they were trying to kill me!  My youngest brother was out of town working and the other one lives out of state, so I was on my own. Luckily they were at the same hospital.  The day mom went home from the hospital, I went and got her, took her home, packed dad a suitcase and took it back to the hospital for him.  I felt like a crazy person that day but I will do anything for my parents. Dad had a new stint put in and he's doing great.  Mom has had her first treatment and is doing well. Her doctor is putting her on different meds this time so she won't lose her hair.   Hopefully she is on the mend and can stay cancer free for longer than 6 months.  Praying hard for this.

They are leaving to go on a week cruise with my aunt and uncle and some other friends next week and I'm so excited for them.  This is the first time they have taken a trip like this together.  I think Dad went to the Bahamas years ago for work and Mom spent two weeks in Japan when my brother was stationed there and his wife was sent to Iraq and he had to come to the states for work and no one to keep their kids.  I'm so excited for them!

School started and it's been crazy! Maggie is playing volleyball and Sarah is taking jazz and hip hop.  Three days a week, we are busy busy busy.  I had to finally make a morning schedule for the girls because our mornings were starting to be running-out-the-bus-as-they-pull-up kind of mornings and I can't live that way.  I will show you their schedule in another blog post.  We are having a hard time with Sarah in school right now.   She is on ADHD meds but just can't seem to stay focused.  She can't do the work at school, but does it fine at home.  I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with the fact their walls are covered with brightly colored school stuff.  I mean, have you seen an elementary school classroom lately?  It's not their fault, but I'm sure it's not helping the matter either.  I'm trying to keep her on a tight schedule, both in the morning and evening.  I don't want her to feel like there is no control around the house, no structure.  I am  We are very fly by the seat of our pants and this madness has to stop.  Volleyball will be over at the first of November so then we will be down to only 1 night a week where something is going on.

I'm gonna start cooking more in the crock pot, hopefully so I can use the time I would have spent cooking helping Sarah and Maggie with homework, etc.  I implemented the morning schedule this week and so far so good!

I will post my morning schedule before the weekend.

I feel like I'm finally settling into some kind of routine and I can get back to blogging!  Hope to see ya'll around!

Cloudy With A Chance of.......Bacon?

My girls love the movie "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs".  It's actually a cute movie so you should see it if you haven't already.  While we were eating dinner tonight, I asked the kids if they lived in a town like that, what kind of food would they want falling from the sky.  These are the answers I got.

Maggie (age 11) - "pizza" rolls stuffed with cream cheese, bacon, ham and salami.

Sarah (age 7) - Oreos, cheese balls, cheese sticks, sandwiches, bacon and with an occasional shower of Dr. Pepper.

As different as my girls are, they have one common interest.....BACON!

I'm Still Around!

I really haven't been in the mood to blog lately, lots of family stuff going on that I will blog about later.  BUT today is a big day!  Today, Maggie started 6th grade and Sarah started 2nd grade!

I got those cute little signs from chickabug blog.  She has alot of really cute printables!  

Whether your kids have started back to school or not, I hope their first day was a success!  

Jalapeno Poppers

I am addicted, terribly addicted to Pinterest.  I blame it all on Abbey Thompson, a sweet girl I go to church with.  I actually made it into the Pinterest life before you had to request an invite.  I just signed up and it's gone downhill from there.  I turn to Pinterest to find recipes, craft ideas, birthday party ideas, appetizers for parties and family get-togethers.  I was helping a couple of friends put together a housewarming party for some sweet friends, Norm and JoJo, who just bought a house not to long ago and I wanted to take something to eat that I had never made, so of course, to Pinterest I go!

I never realized how many things you could make with crescent rolls and I will tel you that the ones I buy at Aldi taste so much better than Pillsbury. Yes I said it, something is better than Pillsbury.  Please don't shoot the messenger!  I think they are called jalapeno crescent poppers or something, I just call them all kinds of yumminess!!!

I was making them for quite the crowd.  This is what I did:

4 cans of crescent rolls (each crescent roll cut in half)
4 block of cream cheese
1 pound of bacon
1 jar of jalapenos

I rolled them up and pinched together the ends and backed them at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.  They were a hit and so good!!!!

Oh How I Love You Rain

I love love love rain.  I don't mind getting wet when I'm out running errands.  I don't mind driving in it.  I just love it.  I swear I'm living in the wrong place.  I would love to live in the rainy northwest.  Sooooo, my point is when I see rain coming to our area, I get all giddy!  I try to always have my camera with me so I can take pictures of cool clouds and rainbows.....these are some of the pictures I have captured.  Let me remind you, I am not a photographer.

She Is Wonderfully Made

My Maggie.....she is such a peaceful child.   She has blond hair with so many natural highlights and low lights that people pay good money for on a regular basis.  She has beautiful blue yes that have a certain sparkle to them.  She has the most perfect eyebrows I've ever seen.  She has perfect teeth and won't ever need braces.  She is really growing up. It's like one day, she is my little brown haired baby and the next, she is a beautiful young lady who loves God with all of her heart.

 She is going into the sixth grade this year and this is a year for big changes.  She has recently gotten her ears pierced and is in the process of transitioning from glasses to contacts.

She thought getting her ears pierced was going to be just horrible, as you can see from the look on her face, but afterwards, she decided that it wasn't so bad.  She has done fantastic with her contacts.  She is excited that she can finally wear cute and fun sunglasses!  

She is my big girl and I'm proud to be her Momma.