Cowboy Beans.....

That's what's for supper tonight--for the guys at least. I'm allergic to tomatoes,so I will probably have a chicken salad...




Cowboy Beans

3strips diced bacon
3/4 pound ground beef
1 onion-chopped
2 15oz cans of your fave baked beans
1 cup or so of corn kernels
salt/pepper to taste
chili powder
"cowboy" blend of spices (McCormick)

In a large pot,cook the bacon until crispy--remove from pot and brown the beef in the bacon drippings--add the onion and seasonings--drain any excess fat and add the beans and the crumbed bacon--reduce heat to low and simmer for 15mins-add the corn kernels-

**the original recipe called for using Penzey's FORWARD spice blend but I didn't have any--and of course I used more beef and beans because I wanted leftovers......

I've been saying this for years.......

How to get your kids to be a fanatic reader-Sorry, moms and dads, but it's your job -- not the schools' -- to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them. Read the whole article at CNN.

Party Planning for Birthday in December

Planning a birthday party for December is soooo hard. Zach's birthday is Dec 12th. He will be 9 years old this year-I can't believe it! You never know what kind of weather you will get in December in Mississippi. You might get storms and tornados,snow and ice, rain and gloom-you just never know. I remember some years where I've been able to wear shorts and flip flops in December. Every year I say we're going to have a big celebration in the middle of summer for his birthday-but for a kid that's just not the same as a party on your birthday. Not to mention that there aren't many fun places for kid birthday parties in our town. We've done McDonald's twice---had a few parties at our house. Last year we had a bowling themed birthday party. There's an arcade type game place but the party rooms are small and it's not that private. There's a roller skating place a few blocks from our house but again,the party rooms are small and it's not private and the noise-let's just say overwheming! The closest kid party places like Chuck-E-Cheese and a "bouncy house" party place are like over an hour's drive-that's not fair to ask everyone to drive that far for pizza,cake,and ice cream,you know. I try to find a way to have his parties away from the house,so I don't have to stress about having a spotless house on top of the normal "hostess" stresses. And it's 2 weeks before Christmas! Every year I say I'm not going to stress about anything. This year I think I'm in the right frame of mind to actually keep that promise to myself. I've learned to just not care about certain things. I'm thinking about doing a small party for kid friends somewhere around town and then maybe having a small party with grandparents at our house. Can't go wrong with two parties,right?

HAPPY FALL!

I hope this isn't another trick of the weather teasing us with fall like temps. I'm not a big coffee drinker,but this week I've been enjoying cups of cappuccino out on the porch when I take Tinkie out for her daily romps. I love feeling the slight nip in the air-granted at the moment the temps are in the 60s in the mornings,but compared to how it has been for us this year,it's a welcome respite. I love sitting around in warm pj pants and fuzzy socks working on cross stitch projects or flipping through recipe magazines. I haven't tried out any of the new recipes yet,but hopefully I will get to them soon. I pulled out a few of the fall decorations the other day and the front porch is all decked out. I want to get some fall flowers and maybe one of those "scarecrow" stand up things to go by the front door,but haven't found any that I like.Tomorrow is hubby's birthday--the big 43! Zach and I are going to bake a chocolate cake later this afternoon. He already got his gifts-the massage chair (anniversary/birthday combo) and a trip to the salon yesterday for a pedicure--I bet the girls had fun with him!

Fall is in the air!

I love this time of year-yes,I know it's 2 days until it's officially FALL. I love the cooler weather, the chilly,rainy days where you snuggle up in your favorite chair with a blanket,hot cocoa,and a good book or crafting project. I just feel more active and alive this time of year. I get into a cooking mood when the fall leaves start to appear on the ground. Yesterday,I made a big pot of chicken and dumplings. Today,I am making lentils with turkey sausage. I've already searched out my favorite recipes from my stash and found some new ones I can't wait to try out. I can't wait to get started decorating the front porch for the change in seasons.What's your favorite thing about Fall?

Kiddo and mom are sick......

We were supposed to go out to lunch/dinner saturday to celebrate our anniversary,but both Zach and I are sick. The husband was sick earlier in the week with sinus crud and it looks like he shared (NOT NICE!). Zach has the typical sick kid symptoms-fever,cough,sneezies and I am pretty sure I have a sinus infection. I've had enough to know when I have one. Due to the Labor Day Holiday,we will have to wait to see the dr. Luckily kiddo hasn't acted like it's really bothering him so that's good. The last time he was sick we ended up at the e/r with a 3+hour wait. Hopefully we'll get to do the anniversary dinner next weekend.....

September 1,2001

We all have special dates that impacted our lives.....Today is our 10th wedding anniversary....I'll have to tell you guys about our wedding-that was an adventure!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY,HONEY--I'd do it all over again!!!