Being Thankful

As I sit in my living room while my turkey is in the oven, I can't help to think of my babies sleeping in their beds, my friends and family from back home, my friends and family here, and all the wonderful people that are getting up early to cook food for the needy. I have so much to be thankful for this year.

• My life........... we had a scare earlier this year.
• My wonderful husband.
• My new little baby........... almost 8 months old.
• All my beautiful children- still sleeping in their beds.
• My in-laws who are always there when we need them.
• The chance to go back to school.
• That I have a roof over my head.
• That I have food to cook for my children- even though they eat us out of house and home.
• And finally............ I am thankful for a God that allows for me to live the life that I do!!

I pray that everyone who is on the roads today are safe and drive carefully. God Bless your Family and have a Great Thanksgiving!!

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup- Beware: Addictive

I came up with this soup because my normal recipe did not have any meat in it and lets face it, on a cold day you want some meat in your soup too!!

Prep Time and Cooking Time: 1 hour
Remember that while you start to cook you can prep too. Or you can prep before you cook!!

Ingredients:
1 lbs of lean beef stew meat
4 pieces of cut up bacon
4 potatoes cut in small cubes (I use regular russet)
1/2 of a white onion minced
32oz of beef stock (depending on how thick or thin you want it)
8oz of cream
1 can of cream of ? I like to use mushroom or potato for this soup
1 tbls of black pepper
2 tbls of salt
2 tbls of garlic


You will need a large soup pot.

Instructions:
1. Place the pot on a medium heat.
2. Put in bacon and cook until soft. Make sure to stir so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
3. Next goes in the onions and cook til they are clear
4. Put in the stew meat and the seasonings. Then cook until stew meat is almost cooked through.
5. Next go in the potatoes. Stir around to get seasonings mixed together.
6. Pour in the beef stock and cook until simmering, stirring occasionally.
7. Add soup and heat. This should take about 20 min. Check potatoes to see if they are done.
8. Turn off heat and add cream.
And It is done!!! Remember: The longer it sits the thicker it will get.


Sides to serve for the Kiddies!!!
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Bacon bits
Chives
Minced green onions

This also makes a great Bread Bowl Soup recipe.

The curse of the Powdered Donut

I went to the grocery store this morning to get everything I needed for potato soup and my 4 yr old decided she wanted powdered donuts for breakfast and a lunchable for lunch. I went ahead and bought them because I was taking her to the babysitters while I am at school this afternoon and she needed a portable lunch.

We get home and what does she do............. she starts to open the lunchable for breakfast.......... ?????

I then tried to convince her to eat the donuts for breakfast. (I know, not the best breakfast but I need to study and don't have time to cook the eggs and toast that I would normally cook.) This is our conversation.......

Her: Momma I want my lunchable not donuts!

Me: Well you wanted the powdered donuts so I bought them. The lunchable is for your lunch at Nana's.

Her: I DON'T WANNA GO TO NANA'S!!!!............ Will you feed me?

Me: Hunny, you are a big girl and don't need me to feed you.

Her: BUT I DON'T WANNA!!!!!!!!!!!

Me: The donuts are on the table if you want them. I am not going to make anything else. You wanted them, you will eat them.

Her: FINE!!! gggggggrrrrrrrrr!!!! You are the meanest Momma EVER!!!!!!

Me: I Love You Too!!

I give her baby sister a donut and about that time she acts all protective and starts to scarf the donuts down.......... hehehehe!!! If they don't wanna eat it after they have begged for it, just give it to someone else and they don't want anyone else to have it!! I just Love my girls!!

My day of Puke

I know this will make a few people laugh to know what I went through this week.

Over the weekend my Son went for a Birthday trip with his Emme to Amarillo to go shopping and to eat out. While in the dollar tree he barely misses a lady's shoes as he pukes on the floor. He gets home and just feels like poo. Doesn't eat dinner but still he wakes up in the middle of the night throwing up. So, I keep him home from school on Monday just to make sure he is feeling better and everything seems like it is going good. I go to school that night and call to check in with the hubby............ Lizzy is now throwing up.......... Lovely!!

Lizzy goes to bed sick as a dog and we put the baby monitor in the bathroom so that I can hear if anyone gets sick. Of course we hear someone get sick. So Hubby wakes up to check and sure enough it is Ciera in the bathroom now.......... Wait, it gets better........

Ciera stays home and Dallas and Hayle go to school.

My Hubby's truck won't start, so he takes my van and I am left with out a car. I call my mother-in-law to ask if she can pick up some soup, sprite and crackers for the girls. About this time I get a call from the school, Hayle is now throwing up at school.......... hehehehe....... it gets better.......... if you are keeping count that is 3 girls all trowing up in my house. Are you laughing at me yet?

Hubby picks Hayle up from school and asks me to call a dentist for him cause he needs to get a tooth pulled. Needless to say I tell him that he has a finger and can make the phone call himself since I am busy taking care of sick kids.

I then spend the next 2 hours  Lysoling, bleaching, and washing everything in the house. The baby is still doing good. I was trying to keep her quarantined so that she wouldn't get it too!! I gave her a bottle and she fell asleep as I made the girls some soup. As the girls finished eating the baby wakes up PROJECTILE VOMITING all in her playpen............ it gets better!!

So as I am running to the bathroom to hop in the shower with the baby because I am completely covered with throw up, Hayle and Ciera both start to throw up........... GREAT!!!!!!

The girls lay down for a nap after I give them some finergan. The entire time they are asleep I go through about 4 towels and finally get the baby to sleep with no real messes made. I emailed my teacher letting her know that I will not be in class and get assignments emailed to me. I lay down in bed with the baby hoping to get at least 30 min of sleep before the girls wake up and my son gets home from school. I actually get an hour cause my son gets off the bus, comes in, turns on the TV making sure the volume is down so he doesn't wake anyone up, and just chills in the big chair enjoying the peace and quiet of his sisters being asleep.........

That night was not really eventful except that the kids were feeling good enough to jump on their brothers bed with him and shattered his frame.............. don't worry, they stuffed things under the bed to try and get it to look straight hoping we wouldn't notice.......... YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

That has been my week so far....... How has yours been!?!