Happy New Year!!!!

Well Christmas is over and I am still not done taking down the decorations!! Here is a picture of our tree, as you can see it is loaded. It is soo tall. I love all the homemade ornaments on it.

I dont think Christopher will ever outgrow Chuck E Cheese!! It made his day to see Chucky and get to hug him over and over. Hey this would be a good picture for me to frame what do you think?

THe other night I was teying to make Enchiladas (do you capitalize that or not?). Anyways the corn tortillas kept on ripping so I got aggravated and made a casserole instead. It turned out really good. Below it is the recipe in case you want it.

My Enchilada Casserole

No I don't measure anything!

First brown some hamburger meat. Drain it and set it aside. Then get a can of Enchilada Sauce (I used mild) and a can of tomato sauce. Combine them and heat them in a pan.

Layer a row of corn enchilas on the bottom of a greased casserole pan. Then a layer of cooked hamburger meat. Then a layer of chopped onions then a layer of cheddar cheese. Drizzle some sauce over that. Then repeat and repeat.

I cooked it in the oven at 350 for a half hour - I did not cover it. I ended up making 2 of these casserole dishes and poured the remaining sauce over the tops envenly. I like lots of sauce. Enjoy!!!

Christmas Open Houses and Cookie Exchange

There is some great blogs that have had Christmas Open House- check them out at www.boomama.net and www.hookedonhouses.net I LOVE to see how people decorate their houses. Also, join a Christmas cookie exchange at www.acottageindustry.typepad.com
We are cooking up some of our own cookies today. I hope to post the pictures tonight. Also, I'll try to post the recipes we used. Have a great day!!

Cookin up dinner!!

This is a new pot I got at Sam's for $39.00 I love it!! I could not wait to make Haluska. (I think thats how you spell it) It tasted soooo good I could have eaten it all.

Recipe: chopped some onion and brown it in butter. Cook egg noodles separately. Chop up some cabbage. I used a whole head of cabbage. After the onion is soft add more butter and the cabbage. Put on the lid and let the cabbage cook till soft. Add the egg noodles and stir, add some salt and pepper. Cook all together for a few minutes with the lid on so the flavors mix together.

YUUUUUMMMMMMM!!! As you can see I am not a person that cooks with exact ingredients.

Enjoy!!

My favorite Antique Store!!

I LOVE to go to this Antique store. In fact the woman that is selling both of these hutch's and items is the same woman I bought my hutch from. I love her ideas and all of the furniture she sells in this store. I could not resist taking a picture of these 2 displays. Aren't they pretty? To see the items up close, just click on the picture. Enjoy!!

More Christmas Decorating!

I have this cute little sign hanging in my breakfast area. And below is my growing collection of a town. If you click on the picture you can see the names and the little animals and people. Ashley decorated that too. :)

Here is 2 of my sets of Nativites. I have one more downstairs. The kids still like to play with the people and animals. Sometimes I find them scattered all over the house.

Christmas day is getting so close the kids are so excited. I still have so much I have to do to get ready. I would like to start baking Christmas cookies soon. What a mess we make when we bake, soo fun. I can't wait to see them open their presents!!! And Yummm Ham dinner. Ok, I'll stop.

Decorating for Christmas!!

Here is the China Hutch ,A decorated with Snowmen. I got the 2 Snowmen pictures on the top at a local craft show this year. I love them!! The one on the left is an Alabama fan!! Enlarge the whole picture to see them more clearly. I thought theu were pretty great. And there she is happily posing with her dining room table she decorated. I need to keep her around as long as I can :) The room is so dark you cant even see my burgandy curtains. I need new ones. Don't I?

Do I make you proud?

I love the song "Do I make you proud" by Taylor Hicks. Everytime I hear it I get a little lump in my throat. I always think of my kids. This is going to be corny and sentimental but here goes.

Everyday we tell them to do their best and to keep trying and to be good people. They have their own struggles, some struggles I can't even imagine. They have grown and overcome so much. Told you it was going to be corny.

But when I hear that song, I wonder if I am making them proud. If I am doing the very best for them that I can. And how I can help them more. I am soooo proud of them and get too teary when I see them happy or just in everyday life. Sometimes I wish I could get through to them how much I admire them and how proud I am to be their mother. Ok, I'm done now. Here's hoping I always listen to that song and keep trying to make THEM proud. Love you guys. Mom

p.s. that's an old picture but a goody :) Yes I do believe in Miracles, everyday :)