Best Friend Taco Soup

I love Taco Soup! It is the best thing to warm the tummy on those frigid below zero days! I didn't discover this recipe until several years after I was married when my best friend, Marcia gave it to me, and it makes me sad to think of all of those meals we missed out on. So, grab a pen and jot this one down! It's a keeper especially because you can do it start to finish in 15-20 minutes!
Best Friend Taco Soup

1lb hamburger, browned

1 onion, diced

1-2 (15 ounce) cans Kidney Beans
2 (15 ounce) cans diced, stewed, or chopped tomatoes
1-2 (16 ounce) cans corn
1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce


In a large pot, brown hamburger with diced onions. Pour off grease. Add the next five ingredients and heat to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 min (or all day on low in crock pot). Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Forgo the spoon and eat with chips. YUMMY!!! Serves 8-10


This recipe freezes really well, and is great when you have a big crowd because almost everyone loves it. You can spice it up by using spicy tomatoes. I like to double the beans and corn. You may need to add a little extra water, especially if you drain the beans. Share this recipe with all of your best friends. ENJOY!

Teeny Tiny Snowman

We've been getting quite a bit of snow lately, and it's been very cold, so Connor came and asked me if I would help him build a snowman. I whined that it was too cold for me outside. He begged me to go upstairs with him, so I did, and I found this teeny, tiny snowman sitting on the kitchen table! Connor had been trying to put a baby carrot on it for his nose, but it was about as big as the snowman's head. It was really fun helping Connor find little things around the house to dress his snowman. His hat is made from a sock and the arms are grape stems. Mr. Tiny quickly began to melt in our warm house, so we set him outside on the front porch to give a cheery welcome to all who come by. Unfortunately, he didn't last long. Before we knew it, Mr. Tiny was nothing more than a soggy sock and a pile of miscellaneous junk.

Emily's Tea Party

Emily was bored last Saturday, so she decided to host a tea party. Sometimes spontaneity works for you! In this case it did. She invited a couple of friends over and put a sign on the solarium door that read "Girls only--No boys allowed." This made the little boys feel really badly, so I suggested that they dress up in suits and offer to be the servers. Emily loved the idea, and everyone was happy!

Would you care for a sandwich?

Emily made and served 24 cupcakes at her party of three. I went into the room to tell them to save some for later and not to eat ALL of them, but there was only 1 left! Those three girls ate almost two dozen cupcakes! And that was before the tea and sandwiches were served! I was shocked and appalled! Thankfully they didn't have frosting on them. So much for etiquette!

Elf Yourself!

What do you do when you get invited to a girly fairy tea party, and you're a boy? You Elf Yourself! Hunter and Connor got invited to Hailey Buska's birthday party and this is what they wore.

Moments

As per one of my 2009 resolutions, I've been collecting some really tender moments. One moment occurred tonight. It wasn't really a "camera" moment, but it warmed my heart. Hunter brought a note home from his primary teacher at church saying that Hunter promised to do something for his dad and that once he did it, to have me sign it and return it next Sunday for a cinnamon roll. So, tonight I helped him prepare breakfast for James for tomorrow morning. James has to work, and we don't have school and will be sleeping in (I hope). He prepared a bowl of Rice Krispies with a spoonful of sugar and a cup for some milk. Then he got a piece of paper and wrote James a letter. It was so precious watching him eagerly write this special note for his dad. He was so excited about giving service. I hope that those feelings will always stay with him.

The next moment I want to share occurred last night. Connor received a pink helium balloon at a birthday party he attended yesterday. Being a very sensitive soul, he became very attached to the balloon. He had me draw a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other. He then sang "If You Chance to Meet a Frown", turning the balloon back and forth. At bed time he wanted me to draw a sleepy face on the balloon. I told him we'd do it the next day. Earlier I had been reading a book about the earth's rotation around the sun. It was a little science moment. I guess that's why I made the very poor decision to explain to Connor the mysteries of helium. He wanted to put something on the balloon to keep it from floating, so it could stay asleep. I told him that in the night the helium would seep out of the balloon and it wouldn't be floating. He looked at me with a horrified expression! His eyes teared up and he began to sob. I immediately started back pedaling. I was hoping that I would avert morning tears by explaining what would happen to the balloon ahead of time. A big mistake! He continued to cry, so I patted his back to comfort him and left the room. A few minutes later, I heard uncontrollable sobbing. I felt terribly! I went back in the room and he was so distraught that he told me that he didn't want to look at it! I had to remove both his and Hunter's balloons and hide them in my closet. I kept telling him that it would be okay and it would still have air in it. He kept asking about the helium. Finally, I took him and put him in my bed with me. Once he calmed down, he was transferred back into his own bed. At 5 AM he came in and asked about his balloon. Thankfully, it was still floating in the top of my closet. I let him know and sent him back to bed. The first thing he said this morning was "is it still floating?" Sadly, it wasn't, but we did avoid morning tears do to painful preparation! He was able to find a new game for his balloon. He threw it up and I said "Look, it's coming back to you! It loves you!" He seemed to really like that! Oh, I don't look forward to girls breaking his heart! It's going to be so rough on him!

Connor is growing up so fast! He has decided that he doesn't need Mom's help with lunch anymore. He's been creating his own sandwiches. This one consisted of wheat bread, cheese slice, honey, and raspberry jam, and a spoonful of sugar (he must have inherited that sweet tooth from me). Sometimes he throws in some turkey slices. I don't know whether to be happy that he is so independent, or sad that my "baby" is growing up!

MMMmm Delicious, and nutritious?

Little Bear goes to the moon. Last Sunday, I was breaking down a box and getting ready to throw it away. Connor asked me if he could have it. The next time I saw him, he was wearing this box. Emily had taken the time to help him create this amazing space helmet! It immediately reminded me of the story Little Bear Goes to the Moon by Maurice Sendak. It is one of my all-time favorites and one that my mom read to me when I was a child. After helping Connor name his space helmet "Robot Red" (it's missing some letters here), we sat down and read the book. What a great moment!

For Preschool, Connor was learning about the letter M. His teacher told the kids that they could dress up like a monster. Connor didn't want to participate until I mentioned that he could be a scary lion! He looks like a very cute scary lion to me!

Remembering the moments has been my most rewarding resolution yet (and the easiest to keep)! Who cares about budgeting and getting fit when you can be filled with so many wonderful memories!

Hope of Things to Come

This morning when I woke up, I went to the window and looked out and asked myself, "Where is the sun?" It was sooooo dark; the darkest of winter mornings. The winter fog had set in and there wasn't a ray of light in sight. It left me feeling sad and empty.
As I was going to get ready for the day, I flipped on the bathroom light, and there, clinging lifelessly to the switch plate, was a cheery little ladybug. "How did you get here?" I asked her. Of course, she didn't respond. I was puzzled. I didn't know if she was alive. I moved on to get ready for the day, and the next time I looked, she had flown down to the sink. "You are alive!" I said. I watched her for a few moments. She crawled back and forth on the slippery sink. "Hope" I thought. Yes, winter is here for a time, but there is hope for a warm, bright future--just as there is in life. Hope. Times can be tough and hard to bear, leaving us feeling sad and empty, but through the Savior there is hope for the bright future He has in store for us!

New Years Celebration

Due to the crazy weather, we decided not to go to Utah during the Christmas break. So, we convinced my mom and dad to come here along with my brother, Josh and his family. We had so much fun! It was like Christmas all over again when my parents got there. They really spoil us! We went bowling and really had a great time spending time together!

James in his Victoria Secrets silk PJs with Luke and Liam.When Alex got home from the NYE Dance, he and Hannah partied up with non-alcoholic cider.

The aftermath. You'd never know they were just high on life!

Christmas Hilights

It's really nice to have the holidays over with and be able to reflect upon the best moments of the season. We had many this year! On Christmas Eve, we carried on one of our traditions of acting out the Christmas story. After that, we threw out some reindeer food for Rudolph and his gang and sent the kids to bed. --side note--we had to make more reindeer food since Connor ATE the stuff he made in preschool!

Every Christmas morning, before the kids get to see their presents, we have them stack themselves up and "peek" around the corner for a photo shot. The bigger they get, the harder this is for them. Poor Alex gets so squished every time! The top photo is from 2007, the bottom is 2008. This year, Hunter woke up first, at 5 AM, and decided to be helpful by bringing all of James and my presents into our bedroom as well as our stockings. It was so sweet, but not sweet enough for us to get out of bed. We sent the poor boy back to bed until 8! We're so mean. I remember my mom and dad let us see our presents as early as we wanted.
2008 Christmas stack!

I betcha can't guess what was in this box! Hannah had a Twilight Christmas. She got the boxed set of books, two posters and the sound track!

After debating which hat to buy Alex, I settled on a different one, only to have to go back and get this one once Alex mentioned that he wanted it! Sheesh, the things we parents do!

Hunter and Connor didn't seem to notice that Santa forgot to bring a train for Connor and the Wii game Hunter requested, they were happy with their Avatar toys.

. . . And what Christmas would be complete without and new Wii? The Wii and Wii Play was for the whole family, and Alex received the GH World Tour.

Later on Christmas day, we had the Buska's over to alleviate some of the post Christmas hum drums, and the Leggs popped in and surprised us and joined us. We had sooo much fun and sooo many laughs! We ended up sending my girls to each of their houses to put the kids to bed while the adults stayed and watched a movie together. We watched Ken's favorite, CONGO, and laughed at it all the way through!