WEENIE DOGS

I have grown up with them and have had them all my married life. We are currently waiting for our beloved wiener to go to that great weenie roast in the sky....he is 16. BUT, I'm not here to discuss my VERY OLD, Leonard Percival.

NO, I'm here to share a memory about the dog we had when I was growing up: Snikelfritz. We called her "Snigg" for short.

Snigg was a black, smooth-haired, mini-dachshund. She went everywhere with us.

One weekend, my parents, myself, my grandparents and some family friends went camping at a river. My dad had a bass-boat. He would take me and the other kid out "water-hoppin'" or we would just go for a boat ride. Being a bass-boat, we couldn't ALL safely ride, so we went in shifts.

I remember staying on shore with my grandparents while my folks took their friends out in the boat to "open 'er up a little." (translates into "go really fast.")

Of course Snigg, who quite possibly was loved more than I was, went with my folks. She would stand on the bow.....or is it stern? Heck...I don't know. DH would say, "Google it." whatever....I'm not going to Google jack....the dog was standing on the front of the boat. Just like any dog hangs its head out the window of a car, she was hanging (standing) on the front, with the wind in her face....until Daddy hit a wave. Everyone on the shoreline heard a scream. It was a sickening sound, really. The kind of scream that warns of death and destruction.

My dad told my mother, "Don't look for her. I hit her with the prop." Our little 10 pound dachsie had been bounced out of the boat, into the water, and was run over.

A minute or so later, my dad, most likely looking for parts, saw her snout come up. Next thing they knew, she appeared to be, not floating - lifeless - in the water, but swimming. My mother hollered (hysterically, I'm sure) "SNIKELFRITZ!" She immediately turned around and started doggie paddling toward the boat.

There was blood....on her lip. She had a cut lip. No teeth knocked out. I don't even remember if stitches were needed.

Isn't that crazy?

One reason I wanted to write was this: God does a great job taking care of us. It is really easy to get caught-up in our lives with all the junk happening. We are often quick to think that God doesn't care. In fact, I often catch myself not praying about certain things because I know that God has other things....more important things to deal with.

I really think that God helps us with little things so we can learn to trust Him with the big stuff. I mean....our dog. OUR DOG!

Matthew 10:29-31 ~ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8NhZN9UJU4&feature=related#

**Please click on and watch the video...for some reason, the youtube powers are plotted against me. :(

EAGLES

OK...trying this again to see if I actually get it up on the screen:




OK...it worked. This is the same as the previous post. wait about 20 seconds for the music to start

EAGLES!!!

(is youtube on strike for everyone? or just me?)

anyway....go HERE:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCGwnK_gMW0#

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

OK, friends. I have held onto this long enough. I don't know why I kept it to myself....it is my baby. (No...I don't cook and eat children....)

THIS recipe is the one most often asked for. When I make it, it always goes and I always have someone who wants to know how to make it. It is easy and SO yummy and savory.

ENJOY

Green Chile Casserole

(this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled...I'll just do a 'one batch' recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I use 85/15....you do want a little grease)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cans chopped green chilies (Hatch is best!)

grated cheddar cheese

corn tortillas....maybe 6, cut or torn into large, bite-sized pieces

instructions

In a skillet, brown your beef, along with the diced onion. Salt and pepper to taste. (I always like to add a shake of cumin and red pepper flakes, as well.)

When browned, note the amount of grease. You don't want grease standing in the skillet, but you do want a nice sheen to the meat...you don't want it dry.

To the meat, add your cream of mushroom soup and your green chilies (not the sauce, but the peppers). Mix well.

In a casserole sprayed with Pam, put a layer of corn tortillas (be sure they are torn, or they will get tough)

Spoon half the meat mixture

Sprinkle a layer of cheese on sauce.

Repeat layers, ending with the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes...until hot and bubbly.

This goes GREAT with my charro beans and then finished with my sopapilla cheesecake.

If you don't have corn tortillas, you can use crushed tortilla chips, but omit the salt to your meat.

This casserole freezes wonderfully. It is also good to assemble ahead of time, then bake. It is a perfect potluck recipe.

Hope y'all love it.

FRESHMAN INITIATION

Everything I'm about to write is true. In fact...two people who normally read went through this same thing, on the same night....FRESHMAN INITIATION.

Every 8th grade girl wanted to be a part of this dreaded event. We knew that we would be miserable, though we had never been told exactly what would take place. We only knew that, horrible as it was to be, we wanted....no, we NEEDED to be included, as you were NOTHING, going into high school, if you were not initiated.

At some point at the end of the previous school year....or sometime at the beginning of the summer, the upcoming senior girls would choose a few girls to initiate. It was they, who would contact the parents and inform them that their daughters would be kidnapped at midnight of the selected night. We freshman, only knew we were to be picked up. It was then that preparations were made.

The freshmen girls would wear clothes that they did not want to keep...this included shoes. Hair was put into braids...unless you were blond (like me). We had to coat our hair with mineral oil so it wouldn't be stained. Are you getting a sense of this, yet?

Initiation was such a big deal in our town that the main highway (all 12 or so blocks of it) that ran through town, was completely blocked...NO TRAFFIC. In fact, police would be around to watch and make sure no one got hurt. So popular it was that most everyone in high school, plus the parents, turned out to see the spectacle that was our initiation.

So, what happened? You might be asking yourself that very thing. I'll just go through what I remember. I invite my 2 good friends to share their memories, should they have a different one.

I was picked up by a senior girl and put into the back of a pick-up truck, along with some other girls. We were taken out to a party place called "The Pit." Now, keep in mind that I'm as hick as they come. The Pit was not a club which opened it's doors to underage party-goers on Thursday nights. No, The Pit was just that...a pit. A big caliche pit out in the sticks where people would go to drink beer.

Anyway, we went out to the The Pit and had to line up. Twenty to thirty 14 year old girls, standing shoulder to shoulder, trembling...not from cold, but from the fear of what was to happen....knowing only that we would neither be maimed nor killed. People lined the edge of the pit, looking down on us - only their silhouettes visible, due to all the lights from all the pick-ups shining down on us. In the pit with us? Every senior - male and female.

We were told to sit down. If you were in the middle of the line, you were lucky...by about 20 seconds, as you had that much time to know how to position yourself for what was to happen. With heads down, eyes closed and hands shielding our eyes, we experienced: smelly, wet, hot, chunky, smelly, gooey, oozy, sticky, smelly...you could probably insert anything and that is what we experienced. Yes, as we sat there, the senior girls came and poured things on us. What things? Though I can't know everything for sure, I am positive of: sour milk, beer, rotten eggs, glue, glitter, dog food, ketchup, used snuff, flour, chocolate syrup, hot sauce, dirt....nothing was out of the question, so I'm sure some things were much worse. And did I say smelly? OH MY GOODNESS! It was "vomit on overdrive in 140 degree heat" smelly!

After all of that "good, clean fun" we were put into beds of pick-up trucks and driven to town. We started in the parking lot of a church on the hill...the parking lot often used to turn around when we were dragging main. Now, the drive helped with the smell, to be sure...or were we just used to it? I can't be sure. Nothing came off of us to be certain. It had all dried. And it was NASTY!!! Imagine being dipped into plaster of paris....that is how it felt...not quite dry, but sticky, gooey and containing hard parts.

Our next task was to play Leap Frog down main street to the Dairy Queen, about 6 blocks down. Ironically, the very same Dairy Queen mentioned in my last post. I will NEVER think of Leap Frog as some fun game that children play. As we were bent down waiting for some poor soul to leap over us, we had our heads resting on the smelly backs of the odoriferous being in front of us.

As we were all in the exact same situation, we did try to take care as we scraped over, and yes, stuck a bit to each other. It wasn't too bad...except for the lasses who were a bit challenged in height and, yes, portly. The fact that my fingers got stepped on some almost escaped my awareness, as I continued to try to breath through my nose only....only a fool would open her mouth at such a time.

Once at Dairy Queen, we had other games to play. (Keep in mind that there are a few hundred or so people watching this.) We had to yell out an introduction that sounded something like this: "Hi, my name is ***** and I am a poor little Freshman. I am here with ***** an awesome senior who is babysitting me tonight." What sucked about that is that we never were loud enough the first time....



or the second....



or the third. *sigh*



After the introductions were made, we had to play Red Rover across the highway. Keep in mind that the only danger was our legs drying completely, thus tripping us on the asphalt....the highway was closed to ALL traffic.

Following the trip down the memory lane of childhood games we were put back into trucks and hauled to the rodeo grounds where we had a shoe scramble. Now this, my friends, HAD to be funny...if you were merely watching. Our shoes were removed and tied together. We were pushed against the fence to await the gun shot to tell us to "go." (And though I don't remember for sure, I would put money on the fact that a real gun was used.) What a sight it must have been as we all scrambled in the dirt for our shoes...PRAYING that we would not be last as we had NO idea the "prize" that awaited the slow-poke.

Now keep in mind what we have been through. All the shoes looked the same, as they were coated with the same crap. AND, if you think the shoes just came untied when we pulled the end....Well, think again my friend. They stuck! You couldn't pull them apart. If you were lucky, you were able to break the shoestrings. If you were unlucky, you had to use your teeth. I was able to break mine, thankfully.

After "shooting the moon," {and yes...I googled it....only found movies and lyrics...so let me describe: we stood in the middle of the rodeo arena, fingers held like a gun, pointing to the sky and yelling "bang, bang") it was thankfully time for a snack. We were each given a plastic spoon and told to line up. The senior girls walked by with opened jars of baby food, of which we had to sample each. (I guess looking back, I'm just thankful there wasn't any breast milk for us to wash down the food.)

By this time, it was about 5 in the morning. The activities culminated with all of us going to THE main intersection of our town (the one with the stoplight, of course...the stoplight that flashed yellow after midnight) to paint. We had to paint the names of our "babysitters" and any other senior who commanded it.

The middle intersection always had names painted on it for as long as I could remember....until about 2-3 weeks before the next initiation when it was paved over for the next batch of names.

After our art project, we were taken home. We were not allowed into the house right away as we had to hose down. Trash bags were put out to hold whatever could be removed. I remember, after hosing down as much as I could, climbing into the bath and taking no less that 6 baths and using almost a whole bottle of shampoo. Glitter dropped out of my hair for at least a week and my skin smelled for at least that long (unless the smell had adhered, somehow, into my nostrils.)

Initiation lasted until the year I got to do it. I would love to think that "hazing awareness" was so big that it wasn't allowed, but I know that is not true. What it was was this: the girls coming up....well, some of their mommas throwing a hissy fit. There is a name for girls like that, but I have a "G" rating.

We did get to initiate, but it was not near as fun, nor does it write up so lovely. :)

As I said at the beginning. This is all true. Some is unbelievable, but absolutely true. And as I sit here and try to wrap things up, I cannot think of a picture to post....NOTHING will do it justice.

Ly? Les? If your mommas were out and you have a pic...scan it for me and email me. I'll put it up.

DAIRY QUEEN

I don't know how big Dairy Queen is in your neck of the woods, but for the town I grew up in...it was THE place. My family often went, after church on Wednesdays, to enjoy tacos, a country basket or a blizzard.

In high school, when my friends and I would go "up-town," we would buy fries and a coke for our snack.

Old men would gather in the early morning for coffee and to visit the oil field workers who were on their way out to run the pipes.

Old ladies would meet one or two afternoons a week, with huge bags of popcorn, to visit and do their crocheting.

My cousin and I would often ride our bikes down, during the summer, for a cool and frosty treat.

I even remember the theme song for the commercial.....do you? Of course, I can't sing it for you, but I can give you the words.

"Dairy Queen, just keeps on getting better. Better than ever, so come on by. We'll be proud to show you why. Dairy Queen, just keeps on getting better."

It was during one of these bicycle excursions that I did something wrong. I didn't mean to...honest I didn't. I just sort of stumbled upon it.

My cousin and I were only about 9 years old on this particular day. We had been sitting in the booth eating when one of us needed to run to the bathroom. Well, being good friends, we went at the same time. The door had one of those latches that you slide through the "eye" then lift to lock it. The door knob had a regular turning lock, but the part that latches into the door jamb was taped down. The door wouldn't latch, so it had to be locked to stay shut.

Well, I, trying to be a good citizen and take care of the litter problem, decided to remove the tape and throw it away.

Finished with our business, my cousin and I returned to our table to complete the consumption of our polar yummies. We were almost done when we suddenly heard banging on the bathroom door and a poor woman, totally locked in, screaming at the top of her lungs, "HELP! SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE!" She was frantic.....

......and so were we, as we realized that the tape was there to keep the broken door from locking.

We high-tailed it out of there, mortified at what we had done. I don't know who the lady was and I've never heard anything of it since. But I will tell you this, I don't go looking to throw away tape that has seemingly been placed at random.

YOU NEVER KNOW

I tried to post this a few times, but youtube won't let me...so let's try it this way.

I was on a message board that I don't frequent very often. I was paid a compliment by someone who read my blog for the first time. She said she came over because she knew I was a believer.

Now when someone calls someone else a believer, it is implied that they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. I know this because everyone, in essence, is a believer in something. But we don't refer to just anyone as a believer...only "BELIEVERS!"

Anyway, it just made me stop to think that you have to be very mindful of what you say. The Fruits of the Spirit...which hopefully all Christians bear, is proof of their beliefs in Christ. I know there have been times when my subject matter has been a bit controversial for some, but I am glad to know that despite some posted and UN-posted, mean and not-so-mean comments, that I never wavered in my belief or what I said. Having someone get mad, stomp their foot and call me "UN-Christian like" simply because they don't like what I say does not make me a NON-believer....BUT, I digress.

Like I said a few paragraphs up....you are always being watched (read) and listened to by friends, family and strangers. Often times, words alone tell your character and WHO you are in Christ.

Thank you to my new cyber-friend for visiting....I hope to "see" you again, soon.

Psalm 19:14~May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

This was a great youtube that I found. I was looking for a specific song...when I came across this one. SO moving, I think. I hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq6136ZeLZM

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

OK. I lied....sorry. If you know me at all, you know that I will probably NEVER be wordless. I almost ALWAYS have something to say. Whether it needs to be heard or not, is a different case.

ANYWAY, the word for today is EAGLES!!!

I get to see them in September. I'm SOOO excited.

We thought we might have to hock the firstborn, but they took hubby's arm and leg instead.

Thanks for the sacrifice, Honey. I lub ya!

THANKFULLY

I'm not easily embarrassed.

SO, I took the 4 boys to the Y to go swimming. I met a dear friend and her 2 kiddos there and we were all having a great time.

Son #3 had to go tee-tee. Seeing as I have a child I CANNOT leave alone in the water, and it is not safe to leave 3 of them for the 1, I sent #3 with son #2. They were gone about 5 minutes.

*FLASHBACK....remember what son #3 did in church this past Sunday?*

WELL....here he comes, out of the bathroom, outside to the pool area, shuffling his feet (as his "fwimsoup" is down around his ankles), wearing a life jacket and dripping water every where.

I can't even begin to estimate how many TOTAL STRANGERS have seen this boy's "tally-whacker."

*sigh*

Next time, I might suggest "relaxing" in the pool.

JUST KIDDING!!!

KEWL!

I was given this award by Miss Paula. Miss Paula is a new cyber-friend. Perhaps one day, we shall meet IRL. THANKS! Anyway, here are the rules and such:

The rules for receiving this award are:
1) Put the logo on your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

So, here are the people I would like to award this to:

Mommy Spice

Claudia

Lisa

Cammie

Mary

Trace

Panda Mom

SO...there ya go!

KETCHUP?

Thanks, Cammie...this was fun. At first, I thought..."that can't be right." BUT, in my own world of condiments....you can't go wrong with ketchup! I eat it on almost anything!

You Are Ketchup

You are easy going and very measured in your approach to life. Popular and well liked, you get along with everyone. Seriously, everyone loves you! Your taste tends to be pretty mainstream American. You go for the classic favorites: burgers, fries, and apple pie. You get along best with mustard and mayonnaise personalities.

What Condiment Are You?

CROCK POT FAJITAS

This is easy and very yummy. Serves many and easy to adjust.

Ingredients:

flank steak, cut into 3 pieces

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

salt, pepper, cumin, to taste

1 can tomatoes (whichever kind you like)

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

tortillas

toppings like: cheese, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges

In a crock pot, place the flank steak. Top with vegetables, seasonings, tomatoes and cilantro. Do not add water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove meat. Shred with 2 forks. Return to pot and mix with veggies. Serve over tortillas

AND Finally

So Saturday night was a fun night...the hubby and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld. Always fun to have a night out, sans kidletts.

BUT, don't let the fact that we have been married so long fool you. We do NOT lead boring lives. Nor do we need to pay for entertainment.

Case in point: in church yesterday, Lincoln Brewster led our worship service....VERY cool!

Also, in church, as my hubby and I were checking in the 2 children and 2 super heroes (yes...my youngest two insisted on wearing their Superman capes to church) my third son (all of 5 years old) stated that he had to go potty. No problem, you go ahead, I'll wait over here....well, "over here" is about 10 yards from the bathroom. AND although we have a large congregation, there weren't many in the atrium at the time....ONLY SEVERAL DOZEN.

ONLY SEVERAL DOZEN WITNESSES TO A HORRIFYING SIGHT.

ONLY SEVERAL DOZEN WITNESSES TO HEAR WHAT WE HEARD.

We heard, "MOM, I'm going to go poo poo now!"

And this is VERY close to what we saw....except instead of in the yard with some semblance of privacy, it happened IN CHURCH....IN FRONT OF PEOPLE!!! THIS SIGHT ACCOMPANIED THE ABOVE "POO POO" WORDS!"


*This may be difficult for you to see. In fact, this will trash my "Disney" rating, I'm sure. But alas, I feel the need to get this off my chest. I shan't keep it bottled any longer.






CAPE AND EVERYTHING!!!

Lincoln Brewster - Everlasting God

He led our worship service at church today....it was totally cool. At the end of a very moving service, over 30 people accepted Jesus at the alter call. That is just in the one service.

ISN'T THAT AWESOME?

Jerry Seinfeld

So, DH and I went to see him Saturday night.

TOO FUNNY! If you ever get the chance to see him.....GO!

WHAT'S OUT THERE?

SO, my hubby and I took our four kids to our home town. It is a small town out in the desert. We graduated with just 65 people. We are asked, everytime we go, "What's out there?"


Well......here ya go!

Sorry I'm Late

OK...I was out of town from Sunday until just this evening....I'm late with the "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday" thingamabob.......so here I am:

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE

This is easy. If you like cream cheese, you will LOVE this! It is very popular.

Ingredients:

2 cans, 8 count crescent rolls

2 bricks, 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cinnamon

In a 9 x 13 casserole, spread 1 can of crescent rolls....push out perforations

In bowl, mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth and well blended

Spread mixture onto bread

On top of cheese mixture, unroll the 2nd can of crescent rolls.

Pour melted butter on top of cheese cake.

Sprinkle the 3/4 cup sugar, mixed with cinnamon, on top of melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool, then chill before serving

MY SUPPLIER

I've had a few people ask where I got my layout....I went to http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com/

Go check it out. She has some GREAT stuff!

Revelation Song - Kari Jobe - Music Video

I got this idea from my new cyberfriend at http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com/. Thanks, Lisa.

Anyway, I know this video is kind of "holiday-ish." But, you also know that I'm all about the holidays. That is not why I chose it, though. This is (at the current time) my absolute favorite to sing....I don't make it through the song without some tears. I went through a few versions before this one.....it is a bit long (6:45) but if you stick around for the end...YOU WILL BE BLESSED!

WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE!!!

I DID IT! I DID IT! OH YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!!

It comes as no surprise to most of you that I'm a bit of a techno-no-no. I have to have it S-P-E-L-L-E-D O-U-T!

Last time I tried to load a template NOT offered by eblog, I almost lost the whole thing. I was just sick with it. By sheer dumb luck, I managed to save it.

Anyway, I put on my dusty thinking cap, found a place with dummy directions and I was able to do it. Do you like it? For our anniversary, my hubby has said that I can have it designed by someone.....but for now, this is a fun change.

Thank you all for reading. Love yas!!!

PEEVES

I have several peeves. Some things bother me. I don't let it ruin my day, but I do notice a lot of what goes on. I talk to my DH about it....he generally feels the same way. Here are just a few things that truly bother me. No, they are nothing life altering (in most cases), just piddly crap that irritates the snot outta me.

I don't like it when people cut across a parking lot - cutting across spaces and/or diagonally to get from one side to another. It's just flat dangerous. I have had to slam on my brake on more than one occasion to keep from being plowed into by the driving moron.

It irks me when people pass me on the highway, only to slow down for me to catch up. There is a thing called "cruise control." I use it...so I know it's not me that suffers from "CSV: Chronic Speed Variance."

I hate it when someone reads over my shoulder....this includes my dear hubby. I love him to death, but I almost feel a pressure on my shoulder if he does this. (I think it is funny to him as sometimes he does it just to see me flap him away. :-/ )

I am really bugged when people stop just outside of a door to pass out whatever to whomever (usually their kids.) KEEP IT MOVING PEOPLE! Just move 3 giant steps to the side and you are out of every one's (read MY) way. THANK YOU!

Don't rush me when I'm placing an order in a drive through. I have a nice-sized family. I have a lot of food to order. When I order my first Happy Meal, don't ask, "Will this complete your order?" When you ask, you have usually interrupted my next item...at that point, I must stop and say, "No. Did you get the last thing I said?" Then, I usually have to repeat not only the last thing mentioned, but the first. *sigh* Wait for my silence. It follows the conclusion of my order.

SMILE! There are a few ladies I know who never seem to smile. I honestly think it would hurt them, physically, to do so. I am not saying that you should walk around with a goofy grin on your face all the time, but for goodness sake.....one's appearance is a lot nicer when your lips are upturned....not to mention the fact that your wrinkles will be less if you don't scowl all the time.

OK...that is all for today.

So, Kids...what you can take away from this is to mind the traffic rules, smile and don't interrupt.

This has been a Public Service Announcement.

M.I.A.

I don't know who all read her....but she's gone.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE ASHLEY WENT?

Leave me a comment, girl!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

This is for Miss Paula who mentioned my charro beans. Nobody taught me how to make these...and honestly, I don't know how I came to start making them like this. It is one thing that I make that I truly love and think I make well. Several have asked me for this recipe. SO...from my kitchen to yours....ENJOY

CHARRO BEANS

Ingredients:

dried pintos
water
dried, minced onion
garlic powder
salt
pepper
cumin
canned tomatoes (I like the chili style)
fresh cilantro

I will apologize now...there are no amounts...I just wing it. Of course, the more you make, the more of everything you need.

instructions:

sort and rinse dried pintos (I don't know if this is common knowledge, but there are rocks in most bags of beans...sort those out. I also sort out shriveled or broken beans)

I usually fix at least a 1 pound bag (the smallest bag...I think it's a pound) but if taking them somewhere, I fix more.

Put the beans into an 8 quart pot...cover with at least 4 inches of water. Put on burner...bring to boil. Check and stir often. This is where you get a good and thick, dark juice. Add water when needed. Do not let your beans get too dry.

Please note that you have added no seasonings as yet...if you add your salt before the beans are cooked, they will be tough.

After about 4 hours, reduce heat to a low simmer. Add, to taste, the onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cumin. Add 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (you want them diced). Add your cilantro. (Be sure you rinse it first as it tends to be gritty. Also, pull the leaves off the stems. I don't always chop my cilantro, but I don't add stems.)

Cook beans for at least another hour. Serve.

These will be even better the NEXT day, so be sure you have some for leftovers.

SOME THINGS MEME

Miss Paula and Tollesons4Him both tagged me with this. I changed it up a little bit, but not much.

What Was I Doing 10 Years Ago?

July 1998.....I had just moved from our house in New Mexico to another town in New Mexico, I was 27, had no children, was working full-time and going to college full-time.

5 Things On My To-Do List Today

Well, since today is tonight, I will list 5 things I need to do TOMORROW:
1. buy new baseball card protectors for my coupons....it seems 48 pages of 9 slots is simply not enough ;)
2. clip and file coupons
3. catch up on folding and putting away laundry
4. clean out from underneath son #1's bed
5. look at CVS list and see if there are any great deals that I simply CAN'T pass up. (did you know that on the 4th, I got $44.33 worth of stuff for ONLY $0.80. YEP....EIGHTY CENTS)

5 Snacks I Enjoy

1. Dr Pepper (easy to say this for all 4, but I won't)
2. Popcorn (with DP and pickles)
3. Chocolate (with DP)
4. Chips and salsa (with DP)
5. DP float

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionaire

1. tithe
2. pay off all debt
3. significant trust funds for the boys
4. take care of parents
5. build dream house with gourmet kitchen, on acreage with stables

5 Places I Have Lived

1. West Texas
2. Lubbock, Texas
3. Austin, Texas
4. Sebastian, Florida
5. New Mexico

OK....tagged:

Claudia, Mommy Spice, Ashley and Mary

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Sundays start at 7:00 a.m. for us....and seeing as how we are always just pushing getting to church on time, we need to start a tad earlier.

Checking in only 2 children is a lot easier than checking in all 4. The 2 youngest go to their preschool classes while the older 2 go to JBQ....DH and I will be coaching a team this year.

Class was good. Church was even better....we talked about the movie "August Rush." Some great comparisons were made between our lives (finding Christ) and the movie.

I tried out for the worship team today. Though I'm not really nervous about making it, I was still a bit nervous actually auditioning. I will find out in a few days if I made it. I have always wanted to be on the worship team, but couldn't as I was director of Christian education. I'll let you know.

Came home and had some yummy lunch: charro beans, BBQ brisket, tater salad, and corn bread...homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

All the boys are in bed. Peace. I have the chance to do my favorite thing....cook. For tonight's small group I made chile con queso (with spicy sausage in it), dip for the Red White and Blue sundaes and chicken salad...all while listening to Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

I have updated my Bible reading list and changed the Christmas countdown. (I need more details as it is quickly approaching.)

I sit and hear the wind in the trees and through the wind chimes. I love wind.

A full pantry, wonderful aromas from the kitchen, my children and hubby all safe and snug in various areas of the house. These are the things that bring me joy.

I hope you are having as great a day as I am.

Happy July 6!

BOOM!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, Y'ALL!

JUST ONE THING

I really....I mean REALLY hate gameshows.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

This is a new idea I got from here. I think it will be totally fun. So, if you like it and want to participate, jump on board....let me know!

In honor of Independence Day coming up, I wanted something cool, easy and RED, WHITE AND BLUE.

RED WHITE AND BLUE SUNDAES

Ingredients:

1 8-oz block cream cheese, softened

1 jar marshmallow creme

cubed watermelon

fresh blueberries

granola

Instructions:

Mix cream cheese and marshmallow creme until well-blended.

In a bowl or parfait glass layer:

watermelon

dollop of cream cheese mixture

blueberries

sprinkling of granola

THEN, if you are like me, you will wash that down with a Dr Pepper and finish off the rest of the cream cheese mixture "accidentally" forgetting about the fruit!

ENJOY!