Wordless Wednesday

I know that this is supposed to be wordless, but I need to explain the extreme amt. of glitter. Sarah did a make over on me.... she was so excited:)

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Today's TMTT is a family favorite. Most of mine are.... I guess they all are as the family votes on them. Ha. Ok, here's the recipe for Fajita Foil Packs:


Ingredients:
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts depending on family size 3/4 to 1 cup Salsa of your choice

2.5 to 3.5 cups of cooked rice

1 to 1 1/2tsp. garlic powder, 1tbsp. fajita seasoning

1 each: green and red pepper, cut into strips
3/4 to 1 cup finely shredded cheese


Prep Instructions:

Heat oven to 400ºF. Fold up all sides of each of four 18x12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil to form 1-inch rim; spray foil with cooking spray. Combine rice and taco seasoning; spoon evenly onto centers of foil. Top evenly with remaining ingredients.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in baking pan.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Let stand 5 min. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.

I usually serve with a salad and some steamers. My aunt serves with tortillas. It's really great either way.

enjoy,

erica

Making a Happy Home Monday

I was so excited for this post! I wrapped presents all day yesterday and finished up this morning.... and then I come to post and LL had done my idea. We hadn't talked about it at all.... Great minds, you know.

So, I changed my HHM to show some of my Christmas Decorations around the house. This is by no means all of them.... we go all out for Christmas:). Dusting them is the highlighted chore:)

Cookie Cutter Tree

Entertainment Center

Sofa Table

Nadiah and Hannah's tree

Sarah's tree

Off to hang all of our laundry..... to keep my home happy

erica

Magic 8

LL tagged me in this meme. Looks fun....

The Magic 8


8 T.V. Shows I watch:

(I don't have TIME to watch 8 T.V. shows, I watch all of these, but I don't keep up with any of them:()
1. Monk
2. Psych
3. Burn Notice
4. What Not to Wear
5. Law & Order CI and SVU
6.CSI
7.Dancing with the Stars
8.American Idol

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Chipotle
2. Texas de Brazil
3. Papasitos
4. The Blue Mesa
5. Fogo de chao
6. Outback
7.Chuys
8.Cuba Libre

8 Things that happened today:

It's only 10 am, so not too exciting yet....

1. Made Breakfast
2. Checked Email
3. Talked to Nadiah about not yelling at her mommy
4. Cleaned my kitchen
5. Made sure that the kids haven't opened their presents
6. Looked at my Facebook
7. Switched the Laundry
8.Currently watching a movie (Mist) with my kiddos.

8 Things I look forward to:

1. Christmas!
2. Warm weather coming
3. Hitting the gym again
4. Starting weight watchers again
5. My twin niece and nephew coming in mid Jan.
6. Running my 3 miles
7. Hannah walking

8. Getting my bathroom re-modeled

8 Things I wish:

1. That Nadiah's surgery goes smoothly
2. My niece and nephew come healthy and happy
3. That I had a laundry maid
4. That Hannah has grown enough not to need any further testing
5. That Walt was done with grad school
6. That my friend Mandy lived about 30 minutes closer
7. That I make it through the winter weather
8. My house was always clean

Don't know 8 people that LL hasn't already tagged..... so surprise me:)!

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

LL tagged me to do this meme. You're supposed to go to your pictures on your computer and find the 6th pic in your 6th folder and blog about it.... Here we go:


This is Nadiah, our 3rd child, at Holiday in the Park. We had such a fun day together. The kids went sledding, we drank hot chocolate, looked at pretty lights, rode so many rides (it was the day after Thanksgiving so everyone was shopping) and we watched some holiday shows. They had really cool fire pits around so that we could warm up... nice for mommy who hates the cold:)! We loved it. This picture is so fitting, because Nadiah starts talking about the swings from the time she finds out that we are going to Six Flags.... EVERY TIME! We have season passes, so we go a lot and she rides them 4 or 5 times every time we go. It's so cute. This time however, she rode them so much that she pee'd her pants and I had to clorox wipe the swing!!! It was still a great family day! I don't think that I have 6 people that follow my blog to tag.... So, I'll tag

LL already did it
Susan
mommyspice
momto3jjj
tollesons4him
Alishia

happy picture finding,
erica

Here we go!!!!!

Ok... most of you know of my love for the gym but lack of motivation to go daily. My mom (so much smaller and in relatively good shape) has the same problem. We just don't like to work out. We know that it's good for us and that we feel better when we do it; we just are so unmotivated to actually get up and get busy. Well, we've found our motivation. In mid May, we're running 3 miles of the marathon to benefit several charities. Mom's motivation is financial (she's footing the bill for herself, my step-dad, brother, walt and I to do the race), mine is for sheer embarrassment! I don't want to run at a snails pace:) while my family trot past me. So, January 1st, I start weight watchers again and I started race training this morning. I'm actually really excited!!!!

The second motivation is that once we reach our halfway to goal weight or fitness level, we're going shopping! With my mom, shopping involves a trip of some sort.... WOOHOO!!! I'm motivated! Please Encourage me often:) I'll need it!

There will probably be several posts about this as I'm going to view my quest as a part time job.... sorry if you get sick of hearing about it!

on the way to healthy,
erica

Wordless Wednesday

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Home made Burritos

This recipe is a new family favorite..... especially for the kids.

Ingredients:
1 1 lb bag of pinto beans
salt, cumin, garlic or garlic powder, onion or onion powder
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 package of large tortillas (key to success: buy the store brand of tortillas, they are usually made in the deli and are so much fresher)
Sour Cream
Salsa
Jalapenos

Preparation:
I soak my beans over night and put them in the crock pot in the morning and cook on low. I don't add spices until about 2 or 3. Once all spices are added, turn the crock pot to high for about 2 hours. Pre heat the oven to 375. I wet all tortillas slightly and put them in the microwave just to heat them a little. I use my blender or hand mixer to make the beans the re-fried look. Then, I spread the beans over the tortillas and top with cheese. Fold them up and tuck in the edges.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes turning half way through. Serve alone or with sour cream, salsa, or jalapenos.

My kids even go back for seconds!


enjoy,
erica

Happy Home Monday

Sorry it's been so long! I've been running around like crazy with sick kids, a field trip, Walt and 2 major papers, kids parties, Sarah's birthday party and freaking out that Hannah is going to be 1 on Saturday.

Ok... On Monday, I cleaned like a mad woman! I had a stomach virus and still managed to dust the entire house, clean the kids' bedrooms, my room, bathrooms, the living room, kitchen and swept and mopped all of our floors. I feel so accomplished! And..... I feel like my home is very happy:)

erica

Thankful!

I just wanted to list some of the things that I'm thankful for. Some of these are deep and relatively private, I don't think I've shared them publicly before... I certainly haven't put them on the web!

1. I'm thankful for a deeper relationship with God than I've ever had. My love for him has grown and intensified over the past few months. It's not the oooo I pray hours a day read my bible day and night, go and witness every evening, and pass out tracts to my neighbors kind of devotion. It's just a true friendship; it honestly was developed partly through pain, but totally worth it! I am so excited about the year to come and to see where we go together.

2. I'm thankful for my truly amazing husband. He is my dearest friend and the one that I'll love for the rest of my life. Those of you that know us, know that he has supported me this past year in a way that is completely like him. He's encouraged me to be gentle, loving, kind, forgiving, passionate, and excellent in everything. yep, just like Walt. He's pretty easy on the eyes too:)

3. I'm thankful for my 4 children. Our oldest is our 9 almost 10 year old son, Micah. We are getting to a really cool stage with him. He's so handsome, funny and smart. My biggest worry with Micah is that he is a schmoozer, but even in that he's charming. Next there is the child that every mother prays for, our 7 almost 8 year old Sarah. She is and always has been sweet, beautiful, kind hearted, so funny, obedient, and scarily smart. Nadiah is our gorgeous 3 year old. She is our "class clown" and so so sweet. She has hit that very fun stage where we can really play lately. She loves all things mommy and I love her. Sarah calls her the Evil Genius. Nadiah's super quick! Last but not least, there's Hannah. My baby forever! She's so cute, sensitive, rotten to the core and truly the BEST baby ever. I can't wait for more and more of her personality to come out. She is an absolute delight.

4. I'm thankful that my brother is home!!!! He has completed his 3 years of treatment and is back with the family. I missed him so much and worried about him even more. It's been a little tough reconnecting with a 17 year old, but I love trying.

5. I'm thankful that I get to stay home with my children. I'm not going to lie, taking away 30k a year from any family is tough, we have a budget again and I'm sticking to it.

6. I'm thankful that we've found at least a temporary fix to our church hunting situation. We're done hunting. We're going to continue at the Oaks (9 service and Wed. for the kids) and go to Relevant for their 11:00 service. It's a long day, but Walt and I can heal in peace and serve with great leaders in order to fill our longing for serving.

7. I'm thankful for great friends. New ones, old ones, ones I've found again on Facebook, and ones I'm related to. They have been like life support for me. Thank you to those that read this and are my friends. Your words of encouragement, love and unconditional belief in me has inspired me to be better.... more like each of you and more like Jesus. I am so blessed to have so many great friends. When I was feeling like my work, service, devotion, relationships didn't matter, you are what proved me wrong. Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

I am going to put my own spin on this fun Tuesday Carnival. I saw it on LL's blog and love her recipes. I do a lot of cooking (5 to 6 nights a week) ; I'm going to ask my family to vote on their favorite food from the week before and I'll post it. I'm sure most will be kid friendly (as the kids will be 3 of the 4 votes). No matter how simple or complex it is.... it's their choice. This week's choice is fun and absolutely kid friendly.

Zesty Tortellini
Ingredients:

• 2 packages of fresh tortellini or ravioli or 1 large package of frozen (just thaw)
  
• 1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 fresh Parmasian Cheese
• 1 and 1/2 cups of Mozerela Cheese
• 1/4 cup of Zesty Italian Dressing (light is fine)
• 1 Can of Beef Broth

Cooking Instructions:

• Preheat Oven to 375
• Combine Spaghetti Sauce (after emptying, fill 1/4 with water and shake; poor that in too), Italian Dressing, Beef Broth, 1/2 of the parm and 1/2 of the mozerela in a 13x9 baking dish. Toss in the pasta to coat. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
• Remove foil
• Top with left over cheese and bake for 15 minutes.

This makes at least 6 servings and is a sure hit. I think the dressing is the secret.... I always pair it with a salad and some Birds Eye Steamers Broccoli.

Happy Cooking

erica

Making a Happy Home Monday

I know that I'm a day or so late, but I got the worst stomach virus last night and was out of commission...

On Sunday night and Monday, I packed up all of my newborn through 9 months items. It was freeing and sad at the same time! I love not having all of that stuff here anymore. I love that my little niece Isabella and nephew Eddie will be able to use the items.... I just don't love the idea that I won't have anymore newborns....Ever Again! It's not really that I need anymore (4 is a lot), I just love everything about pregnancy, child birth, nursing, and motherhood. I think Walt will have to have a "Shack" moment to get him to agree to anymore... and I don't know what I would do with more children.... but I'd love every minute of it!

There are no pics, because I forgot to buy batteries for my camera. Next week, I'll post some shots.

tollesons4him: Giveaway!!!!

Check out my friend at tollesons4him for a chance to win a fun Giveaway. She's celebrating 10,000 hits on her site. CONGRATS!!!!

tollesons4him: Giveaway!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, I know this is supposed to be wordless, but I like this. I'm going to start participating in the carnivals...I think. This is the easiest one to start with....

First Hair Bow Post

I love to make hair bows! I learned out of necessity ( I have 3 daughters and couldn't justify buying boutique priced bows for each of them).

I've worked hard over the past few months to improve my skills.

My girls have worn a wide variety of bows over the past few weeks:)

These are just a few that I made for my sister's baby shower. They are smaller and less flashy, because that's what she likes. I can make them as big or small and as flashy or not as you'd like.





All of my bows are shipped for free. Tell your friends.......

Fall Family Pics

A new friend of ours is trying to get into photography. He took some complimentary shots of our family on Saturday. He did such a great job. Any of you with more than one child know how hard it is to get good shots and with 4....Let's just say, I was dreading it. The whole experience was fantastic! Here are a few of the pics.

Creative Writing Winner....

Woohoo! My baby girl (Sarah) won 2nd place in the UIL Creative Writing Competition. She was one of 3 out of 120 second graders selected from Life School Red Oak. They competed against other schools and districts. As if that's not good enough... She also scored higher than any other Life School competitor in any category. We're so proud!!! Micah said that when they announced it over the loud speaker today, he jumped out of his chair; for once he's excited for her.

The funny thing about Sarah is that she is relatively untouched by her successes and intelligence. She was more excited to tell me that her tube fell out of her ear than anything else:).

I love my first born daughter, my baby for 5 years, and the one that will care for me when I'm old!!!!

SHOUT OUT TO Tollesons4him.... She was your's in Pre-K:)

Photography

I have had a blast lately practicing photography. Really, I'm just shooting tons of pics of my cutie pies and end up with a couple of great ones. Here are some of Sarah and her cheerleading friends. I'll be posting more over the next few days.

She's a good little cheerleader and has so much fun doing it. I love to watch her and to fix her hair and get her ready for it. This has been great bonding for us:)