A Tribute To Our Cat

She's quirky, a bit over weight, annoying at times, has beautiful eyes and responds to her name even though it's ridiculous. This is our cat, Chicken.

Her name was once Korky. Sometimes we call her Chicken Liver (when she's naughty). Every once in awhile we call her Chix, to build her self-esteem. Samuel just calls her Cat. I think she has as many personalities as she has names. Some of you reading this have experienced her bad attitude. Some of you might think she's just the sweetest thing. Well, I guess to us she's somewhere in between but we love her none the less. She is exceptional with Samuel. He counts all her body parts and tries to ride her like a horse. And every once in awhile she'll even let you stack foam letters on her head one at a time. What a great cat!

Taco Soup!!!

Well here it is...my first posted recipe! Even though its called taco soup, it's hearty and thick - a bit more like taco stew. This is an all-time favorite in my house and it's super easy to make. You just need a good can opener. Enjoy!

1 small onion chopped
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 lb hot Italian sausage (pork or poultry) squeezed out of casing.
(You can probably use sweet sausage instead
but I've not tried it. I like it on the spicy side)
1 cup water
1 15.5oz can pinto beans
1 15.5oz can lima beans
1 15.5oz can dark red kidney beans
1 15.5oz can white or golden hominy
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1-2 small cans chopped green chilies
(you decide how hot)
1 pack ranch dressing mix
1 pack taco seasoning
(Simply Organics in Wegmans natural food section
has ranch and taco mix with no msg or preservatives.)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Rinse and drain all the beans. Brown the meat and onions in the bottom of a large pot. Add remaining ingredients except the cheddar and tortilla chips. Bring to a boil and let simmer at least 30 min. Serve with shredded cheddar and tortilla chips.

Still Lovebirds

This photo was actually taken last Saturday at a friend's wedding. Thought I'd share it with you all. Isn't my hubby handsome? Well... you don't have to answer that one!

Little Heartbeats!

Yesterday was the first chance we had to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was nice and strong at 162 bpm. Tim couldn't be with me so my mid wife suggested we send him a voice mail so he could hear as well. It was very sweet. I feel like I've been waiting forever to hear that sound. In an instant it made all the sickness, tiredness, and irritability worth it. I can't wait to see our little chick pea. (Samuel's nickname in utero was was Lentil, so we thought we'd continue the theme). I also must admit I'm having the strangest feeling this one is a girl. We'll know in another 5 weeks...

Fireman Sam!

Last night was our church's Harvest Party and it was awesome! The children's program is truly phenomenal and they did such a great job setting the whole thing up. There were tons of age-appropriate activities and the decorations were so creative. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Your hard work was evident.

When we first walked into "church", Samuel was a bit surprised and a bit cautious. Something was very different here. Once he saw the balloons, it was all history. Samuel REALLY enjoyed himself. Tim and I basically chased him around from one place to another. Surprisingly, he kept his fireman hat on the whole time because he was so distracted. He enjoyed cheese doodles for the first time and his favorite activity was the blow up jumping castle!

Wordless Wednesday

Haircuts and Ice Cream

Bribing my child was just about the only way to get the haircut finished. After 30 minutes of being strapped to his booster seat while watching Little Einsteins was all he could bear. I chopped as fast as I could (a little hair then a little finger - ouch). He began his little "all done chant" that I often hear usually at the end of a meal. It goes something like this... "All done, all done, all DONE, DONE, DONE!!!" (Repeat over and over in ever-increasing volume.) So I promised him an ice cream cone and it worked like a charm. Mission completion!