Tasty Tuesday

Chicken in Southwestern Cream Sauce

6 chicken breasts
1 jar of your favorite salsa (I use mild Pace thick and chunky)
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg cream cheese

Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour salsa, corn and black beans on top. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Throw in the cream cheese an hour before dinner time. Mix cream cheese until smooth before serving. We had Spanish rice on the side and a salad.

Tasty Tuesdays

Creamy Tortellini Soup

4 and 1/2 cups water
1 can vegetable broth
2 packets McCormick alfredo mix

mix these items in a slow cooker. whisk until smooth

add:
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 and 1/2 cup mushrooms

mix and let simmer for 5-6 hours

add 2 cups dry cheese tortellini (I used the frozen ones, and dumped in a little more than 2 cups ) to the crock pot, let cook for 45 min-1 hour.

Add:
1- 12 oz can evaporated milk
6 cups torn fresh baby spinach leaves
sprinkle individual servings with shredded parmesan cheese.

This was a delicious meal. It was a teensy bit spicy for my kids to eat. Price kinda wrinkles his nose at mushrooms, but Jon and I really enjoyed it. Fortunately, my in laws took the kids to eat dinner, so Jon brought home a bottle of red wine and we dined on the creamy tortellini soup alone....ahhhh. Might also be good with french bread loaf for dipping.

What's that I hear?....Nothing!!

I was changing sheets and folding laundry on Friday. I could hear Maggie Beth in her room digging through her beaded necklaces and talking to her babies. I kept about my merry way, enjoying the smell of a pumpkin spice candle and Clorox (the smell of order and bliss in my opinion). Suddenly I heard the sound that pierces every mothers heart: silence. I quickly dropped what I was doing to find my dear daughter elbow deep in the toilet. She had unraveled the entire roll of toilet paper and put it in the potty! To my horror, the toilet paper had absorbed most of the water in the bowl. I fetched a plastic bag and began removing the toilet paper by the handful. I even had to reach down into the neck of the toilet to pull out globs of wet mushy toilet paper. My gag reflex is very sensitive when it comes to the toilet (flashbacks of pregnancy with Price). All this time Maggie Beth is right by my side saying "what happened?" When I felt the job was sufficient enough to try to flush the remaining mess, I held the plunger in one hand and crossed my fingers with the other. Luckily, it all went down okay and things were back in working order. I addressed Maggie Beth in a firm voice and said something like "We don't put that much toilet paper in the potty. It makes big mess and can break the potty." Maggie Beth is very sensitive to discipline; especially with me. First the alligator tears began to well up in her eyes, then her bottom lip began to protrude, then finally an audible cry. I said what do you say? "sorry" as she rubbed her chest in a circle (sign language for sorry). I picked her up and said "I forgive you."

Some may think I should have followed up with a time out, but I felt she had understood her wrong doing. I am trying to parent with my spirit. Not that it gives my kids an out, but I try not to think too much about what the parenting book says, or what my friends would/or think I should do, but tap into the Holy Spirit and let him help me evaluate my kid's heart and actions and let him lead me. I want to make a connection with their heart when I discipline and not just make the flesh obey in the moment. More on that another day....

Tasty Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesday's will be coming back for a few weeks. I have family tested a few new finds and would love to share them.

Reminder: I am a crockpot, simple casserole kind of girl. You won't find any fancy dishes around here. Honestly, I look at the ingredient list and if I deem it too long, then I move on...I mean, who has time to hunt down crazy items in the grocery store or 'specialty market'? Simple, yummy and kid friendly are what appeal to me!

Starting next week, I will post a recipe every Tuesday. I would love to have your feedback.

Happy fall friends!

Seriously?!

One cannot say for sure what the weather will hold in Oklahoma. Record lows in January. Record snowfall in February. Crazy wind and hail in April/May along with tornados (May 24th). Rediculous heat in July and August. Earthquakes in November and more tornados! The extremes are wild around here ya'll! This chart explains it well.......

sweeeeeet!

I sent a love note in Price's lunchbox last week. I never dreamed he would send one back for me to find when I cleaned it out.

I love love love his tender heart. Precious boy.

Car Accident : (

Time is flying by much much faster than I appreciate. I feel I blink my eyes and the days go wizzing past me. Since I last posted, a lot has happened. I was in a car accident. It was a residential street and a woman ran a stop sign. I spun around in the street and ended up the opposite direction I was driving. You know the statistic that says accidents usually happen close to home? I was just 2 blocks from my drive way. I was fine and turns out the other person was my college room mate! She had just picked up her daughter from pre-school and was taking a different route home than usual, and never saw the stop sign. Fortunately, her daughter, her almost 2 year old son and unborn baby are all okay. I am too. I am still seeing a chiropractor (our friend Dr. Chris) and he continues to work out any kinks that come up.

The accident totaled out beloved swagger wagon. The insurance company came back with a fair offer and some amazing church friends gave us a gift to help with the purchase of a new van. The timing was more than perfect for my one year bonus from the church. God is so faithful to see us through every circumstance.

We found a 'new' van. We traveled to Broken Arrow the day of OU/TX; actually pulled into the parking lot of the dealership at kickoff. Jon said "I never thought I would be sitting in a dealership parking lot about to buy a minivan of all things, at the kickoff of an OU/TX game" Haha!..there is a reason God doesn't let us see what our future holds : ) The vehicle was a burgandy Toyota Sienna, just like my other one, just a different color. After test driving the van and paying for the car in full with cash : ) we made it to a sports grill for lunch. The kids were with us and they did AMAZING! Real troopers!! Maggie Beth rode with me in the van and slept the whole way home. As we hit the city, it began to rain. A nice soaking thunder and lightening storm. OU stomped a hole in Texas and we pulled out the Wii Dance Party game and had a nice family evening. It was a perfect end to an already great day.

The 'new' Swagger Wagon