A few more of Lucille

Charles will be 30 tomorrow. Today we went to Pr*me T*me in A to celebrate since we had gotten a gift card for that at Christmas. We did bowling and go carts. It was super fun! Didn't take a camera, so no pictures.

I also wanted to give a plug for my friend Mandy's new blog that gives personal/real product reviews. If you are interested you can check it out here.

A few more pictures (a few sideways)

Who Wants to See Some Serious Cuteness!!!

Well to save time (as I'm spending every second with my crew after being away for an entire week!) you can just click
HERE

California

I will be headed for California Thursday to see Miss Lucille Dawn. It will just be me going this trip, so please pray for my safety and for C, K and L left here. Pray for my heart since I will be gone a full week (Thurs-Thurs) and I will miss my hubby and babies terribly.
I promise pictures when I get back:)

Sock Monkies

Here are a few of the sock monkeys I have made for all the babies popping up around me.




these are cousin monkeys;)

lucille

Lucille Dawn

I cannot believe that I forgot to post Lucille's Arrival here on my blog! I texted everyone I know and I've poured over her pictures online daily - but somehow the blog just slipped my mind.
Blame it on all the illness we've had around here!

So announcing:
Lucille Dawn
Born 12-22-08
7lbs 4 oz

BBQ Shrimp

I got this recipe from my sister. It is something I used as a big reward every May when Charles finished another year of school. We haven't had it in quite sometime. But I do know someone who is about to turn 30 and might enjoy something as special as this!! I've been meaning to type up this recipe which has been on two ragged post it note pages for the last few years. It is truly the most amazing shrimp ever - and I am not a seafood fan!

BBQ Shrimp
3 Slices of Bacon (chopped)
½ lb margarine
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp oregano
2 Cloves garlic
2 tbsp “crab boil”
½ tsp tobassco
1 ½ lbs of fresh shrimp in the shell
Heat oven to 375*. Fry bacon until clear and add all ingredients (except shrimp). Simmer 5 minutes. Place shrimp in a single layer on an open baking dish. Pour sauce over shrimp with shells on. Stir twice. Bake 20 minutes in the shells until all shrimp is pink.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef or shredded chicken

1 package of taco seasoning

1 package of ranch seasoning

1 can nacho cheese soup

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can red beans

1 can black beans

1 can yellow corn

*Serve with chips

I make this in a crock pot. I just dump it all in and top it with cheese. I don't know why my cholesterol is so high! Maybe it is because all my recipes end in: Put cheese on top!

Bean Cobbler by Jenna

Bean Cobbler

1 Can of Ranch Style Beans

1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Can of Rotel Tomatoes

Tortillas

1 lb Ground Meat

Shredded Cheese

Cook Ranch Style Beans, Cream of Mushroom, Rotel and Cooked Ground Hamburger in pot

When heated together well layer ingredients in a pan Tortillas, Mixture, Cheese, Repeat

Top with Cheese and bake at 350 until all melty. Serve with chips.

Hot Sauce Recipe

I have had several requests for the hot sauce recipe I used at Christmas, so I decided to post it here. I received this recipe at a MOPS meeting around 2003 (I think). And I've just changed a few things to my own taste.

Hot Sauce
1. Fill blender with peeled/cored tomatoes (I always use canned)
2. Blend and pour into a heavy pan
3. Fill blender ¾ full with tomatoes again and add:
a. ½ tsp cumin
b. ½ tsp canning salt
c. ½ tsp garlic salt
d. ¼ tsp black pepper
e. ¼ tsp chili powder
f. ¼ large onion ( I like a lot of onion and I usually add more)
g. 2 large jalapeño peppers (I am wimpy, so I take the seeds out of mine. Brave souls, leave ‘em in there)
h. 1 Bell Pepper ( some people prefer banana peppers)
i. ¼ c white vinegar
j. Fresh cilantro to taste
4. Blend them all together
5. Add this mixture to the tomatoes in the pan
6. Bring to a boil – turn down to a simmer and simmer until it is the thickness you prefer (about 2 hours)
Canning
1. Have canning jars clean and hot
2. Have lids ready in boiling water (I use tongs to get them out)
3. Use a canning funnel to pour hot sauce (hot from pan) into hot jars. Do not fill all the way to the top. Wipe the rim of the jar and put the hot lid/ring on tightly.
4. You can also just put it into Tupperware and put it straight into the fridge. When I am making this just for our family, that is what I do. Of course refrigerate after opening even with the canned hot sauce

G Family Holiday

There are so many "dead batteries" in our lives that drain us of all our energy and try to rob our joy. Then there are the re-chargers! The friends that come in and make us feel renewed and capable and hopeful. Julie is my re-charging friend. I can just cope better when we're together. And on top of that we are so blessed that our kids love each other, our husbands hang out like champs and we get to have an awesome G Family Holiday every year. I hope this continues Always!



The G kids




David and Julie

Charles and Lisa dawn

My signature kissy flare photo;)

I am so thankful for David. He loves Julie and Christopher so well. This is just a great couple.

And the chicas!


These were what we used for our audio tour at Tut. Blurry, but the only one we got because there were no cameras allowed past this point.


This is what our car looked like on the way home!

Here are the King Tut hats. They wore these for about 2 minutes;)


Every year the G families have to get together for the holiday. This year we went to see King Tut;)

Christmas Break

Reading the Christmas Story before opening one Christmas Eve present

Playing with Moon Sand (The gift Kaitlin chose for Jonathan this year.)

The Music Man

My baby girl - growing more beautiful every year.

Heely's