Mile-High Enchilada Pie

A while back, my grandmother gave me an armful of cookbooks from her collection. Needless to say, I'm just now getting around to looking at them. One of the books is "Favorite Name Brand Recipes". I found this recipe the other night and we decided to try it for supper last night.

5 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 jar (12 oz) salsa
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup (4oz) shredded pepper jack cheese

Line your slow cooker with aluminum foil to make lifting the pie easier. Place one tortilla in cooker. Top with small amount of salsa, beans, chicken and cheese. Continue layering using remaining ingredients, ending with cheese. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hrs or on high 3-4 hrs. Remove slowly from cooker when done.

Quite a Scare!

Well we found out 2 weeks ago that my dad is diabetic. He had no clue that he was. He awoke Sunday morning around 3 am to discomfort in his chest and a feeling of anxiety in his whole body. I told Mom to call the ambulance and have them come take him to the hospital. We thought for a brief moment that he might be having a heart attack. When the paramedics arrived, they checked him out and came to the conclusion that he had diabetes because his blood sugar was almost 500! So, he was taken to the hospital and admitted for 1 and 1/2 days until they could start to get things under control. He is home now and doing a lot better and has even went back to work, but it's scary to know that you can be that way and have no symptoms whatsoever. I'm just thankful that he didn't have a heart attack. We can handle the rest.

Just The Two of Us

Just thought I would share a recent pic of me and Adam. I took this last weekend while we were camping. Yes, I took the pic myself..lol

Broccoli Casserole

We all love this recipe except for Dad, but then again he doesn't care for broccoli.

Broccoli Casserole

2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. mayo
2 tbsp. minced onions
1 c. grated sharp cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
Ritz crackers
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients except for the crackers. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Cover with ritz cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Serves 8.

A Favorite of Ours

Just thought I would share some favorite meals that are a hit in our home with you. Hopefully you will enjoy them as well.

Cheesy Skillet Meal

1 lb ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
1(4oz) can sliced mushrooms
1(16oz) salsa of your choice
2 c. Mexican blend or Cheddar cheese
1 c. crumbled tortilla chips

Cook beef, onion, and mushrooms in skillet until brown; drain. Stir in salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add cheese and sprinkle with 1 cup of tortilla chips and top with remaining cheese and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Like I said previously, this meal is a big hit in our house and it's a very simple meal to make especially if you are in a hurry or just really tired from the day. Hope you enjoy!

Camping Trip October 2010

I know that I've been slack in keeping this blog updated, but I'm gonna try and work harder at it. Meanwhile, everyone is doing great and below are some pictures of our camping trip to Twin Lakes this weekend.

My Big Strong Boy

Update

Well I took my last prednisone today and I have to say that my leg is looking a lot better than it did last weekend. It's still a little red and it itches a lot, but other than that, it's healed dramatically. I am just hoping that I can stay away from that stuff from now on.

Poison Oak

Yep...I got it! I discovered it a week ago and wasn't sure of what it was so I just put some calamine lotion on it, but it wasn't getting better so I finally went to the doctor a couple of days ago and he said it was poison oak. He gave me prednisone to take and I think it's actually helping it. I've never had it before, but now I know I'm allergic and really hope and pray I never get it again. The itching part of it is the worst because I'm doing my best not to scratch it to make it worse.

Finally Starting....

Well it seems I'm finally starting to enter into my management training and duties. For the past two nights I have been going back up to the store and doing inventory each night. I don't mind it, but it is a pain in the butt to do. I'm enjoying my job for the most part and really love the people I work with. Just continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I take this step into management. Hopefully everything will work out according to plan.

Cute or Weird? I'll Let You Decide....

I wanted to share something that happened earlier this evening. Adam and I were sitting on the front porch and he was drawing with his sidewalk chalk when all of a sudden he passed gas. I simply looked at him and said, " Excuse you mister!" to which he replied, " No Mama, it was a burp not a poot." I corrected him and said that he was mistaken and that it was in fact a poot. He said, "No Mama it was a burp, my butt burped!" HAHAHA!!! I couldn't help but laugh because I found this to be the cutest thing. He is most definitely growing into his own and has a huge imagination. LOL

Thoughts

I ask all of you who read this to please keep me in your prayers. I have a lot going on in my life right now and a lot of big decisions coming up. I know the right decisions will be made and things will happen the way they are suppose to, but a little prayer never hurt anything.

Mama Said They'd Be Days Like This!

Wow! This week has been a rough one! My stress level has gone through the roof about a dozen times total throughout the week. I really need a vacation getaway on a beach somewhere.

Yes It Has Been A While and I Do Apologize!

I know, I know! It has been quite a while since I've blogged, but life has been super busy and crazy here lately! Work has consumed a lot of my time and the other half has been devoted to my little man. Still loving life and making the best of each situation. Adam is taking to the bathroom situation better with each day. He is finally telling me that he needs to use the potty. I know, you would think a 4 year old would already be telling his mommy that, but I've learned that my child is one of those that works on his own time table so I figure as long as we get it down pat by school next year, we are good to go. Another thing that kinda makes me sad is he no longer calls me "mommy". He refers to me as "mama" now. I'm very impressed with his vocabulary and his knowledge of common things in life. He is growing into a very intelligent young man and I know he will be a whiz once he hits school. I'm so proud of him and could not be happier than I am right now. Below are some pics that we've taken since the last blog. Hope you enjoy!

Nana and Adam. This woman means the world to me! She is such a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother!

Nanny and her little man!

Papa(my dad) and his booger....no that's not a real snake in his hands! lol

Greenville Zoo

We took Adam to the zoo yesterday and spent the day together as a family. It was a really great day and I enjoyed spending time with my little man.

A Proud Daughter!

I am so proud of this man! This is my dad as most of you know and this past Friday, he graduated from the SC Criminal Justice Academy. He has been working at Greenville County Detention Center for some time now as a detention officer, but in order for him to move up in rank, he had to be certified. Well for 3 weeks, he went to the academy, was class leader, and scored really well on his tests and came out of there with a 94 average! I can understand now how proud of me he use to be when I was in school and was making good grades on my test. I could not be more proud of him than I am right now! He has finally found a job that he loves and he works with some awesome people at that. I have met several of his co-workers and they are great people. So anyway, just wanted to give a shout-out to a man who has always been an inspiration to me and whom I love very very much! Proud of you Dad! Great job!!!

A Few Recent Pics

I know I know! I haven't posted Adam's birthday pics yet. While I keep telling myself I need to do so, I also keep forgetting to purchase new batteries for my digital camera so I can remove the pics from there. I found out that you have to have the batteries in order to use the camera when removing the pics even though you use a USB cable with the computer. So here are a couple of pics taken from his party last weekend. I promise promise promise that I will have more as soon as I can remember the batteries! LOL

Adam was riding his horse outside before the party even got started.

My sister in-law took this picture with her phone and then put the graphics on it. I thought it was adorable!

Exciting Possibilities!!!

I was approached by my manager last week and she discussed the possibility of me becoming manager one day. She is the general manager and she said that she is always looking for hard working employees to become manager. I jumped at the chance. I told her that I was interested and would do what I had to do to become one. Now I know some of you out there, especially the ones who have been in management before, are probably thinking.."ARE YOU CRAZY?", but I see it as a blessing and an opportunity. I am a natural born leader and I feel like I could handle the position well. I know I still have a lot to learn and that's what I'm working on right now. I have to complete my training manual before I can start studying the manager books, but I'm looking forward to it. I see it as an opportunity not only to put my leadership skills into practice, but to be able to provide a more secure and stable future for my son. So please pray for me in the weeks to come that I will succeed in my tasks at hand!

Delays

Sorry I haven't blogged here lately. I've been working so much and I'm pretty exhausted when I get home in the evenings. Everything is going great. Adam is doing wonderful. Growing into a wonderful and vibrant young man. We celebrated his birthday this weekend and he had a blast. It's so hard to believe that my baby is 4 years old now. Where did the time go to? I tried to capture as many moments of the party as I could, but the batteries in my digital camera decided to die on me right when the gifts were being opened. As soon as I get a free moment, I will upload them and share them with you here.

The Big 5-0!!!

Just wanted to take a moment and wish my dad a very happy and wonderful birthday today! He turns 50 years old today. Dad, you have always been there for me no matter what through thick and thin and I cannot even begin to tell you how much that means to me! I love you so much and I will always be your little princess!!!

Garlic Chicken And Gravy

So I decided to try this new recipe tonight and was kind of skeptical at first on the outcome, but surprisingly enough, everyone(Mom, Dad, Adam, and myself) LOVED it!!!! I thought I would share this with everyone and please feel free to try it.

Garlic Chicken "n" Gravy

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Add 1/2 cup broth, wine, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining broth until smooth; stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Good luck and hopefully you all will enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Here To Bring You An Update!

I know, I know! I have not kept to my word of updating the blog every week, but I really do have a good excuse. I have been really busy here lately. I started working a couple of weeks ago at Arby's. Yes, Arby's. Granted, it's not the dream job, but it's working for now until I can get my school situation straightened out and finish with it. I only work a few hours a day, but honestly I am tired when I come home from doing that. Who knew that working in fast food could tire you out, but it can. I guess it's the constant moving back and forth and being busy most of the time while you are there. I enjoy my job and the people I work with. We all seem to get along with each other pretty well which is definitely a must! I am still trying to work out as much as I possibly can, even though I was kind of slack this past week. I am going to have a serious heart to heart talk with myself about getting better with my workouts. Other than that, my life has been going pretty well. I got to attend church yesterday for the first time in several weeks and it felt amazing to be there. I cannot tell you how much I missed going, but sadly had to work on Sundays and could not attend.

Now onto Adam. He is such a character sometimes. He made me laugh my butt off yesterday as we were leaving to go to church. He asked me if our cat could go to church with us, which I politely told him no. He said, "Yes he needs to go and he needs something to wear." LOL Isn't he a riot! I just love him to pieces! BTW..yes we have a cat now! We got him on Friday at the Pickens County Animal Shelter. His name is Jingles. He is a 4 year old black cat and could not be more friendly and loving.

So there is our update for the week. I promise to try and post more as soon as something interesting happens.

Monday, Monday, Monday!

Well it's a typical Monday for me. No motivation, but yet I must press on and clean this house on my day off. Thought I would share a couple of photos with you that I don't think I've shared yet.

The little boy on the left is my cousin's son(Grayson). He is such a sweetheart and we love going to visit him. He was completely enchanted by the hat that Adam had on. LOL




This picture is a miracle in itself. These two never sit still long enough to take a picture, much less pose for one. I was out running errands one day last week and my dad sent this picture to my phone. I couldn't believe it! Definitely a frame worthy pic!

Quote of The Day!

I have to post this because it was just the cutest thing in the world. Adam followed me into the bedroom today and proceeded to say..."Mama, it's snowing outside." To which I replied..."No sweetie, it's not snowing." Then he turns right around and responds with.."Well it needs to snow." How cute was that? LOL The poor kid wants to see snow so bad and he doesn't understand that Mommy can't just snap her fingers and make it snow. Oh well! LOL

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

WOW!!!! Has it been cold or what? I am kind of shocked at how low the outside temperature has reached here lately. I mean, come on..17 degrees? That's pretty dang cold for South Carolina! Every time I feel the chill run through me, it makes me long for warmer days. Although, I do have to admit that it would have been nice to see some snow the other night. Where we live in Anderson county, we only saw patches of snow dust. I can remember as a kid being at my grandparents' house in Salem and it snowing so much that when we walked out, it was up around our waist(which was a lot because we were kids). Now, we are lucky to see any at all. Oh well.

Anyway, enough about the weather....The only thing I really have to blog about right now is my possible job coming up. I applied for a temporary job at Arby's here in Anderson while I am trying to go back to school and I had an interview with them this past Friday. The interview went really well as far as I'm concerned and it seemed like the manager really enjoyed meeting me and getting to know me. She said that I should hear something from her by Wednesday of this week, so please say prayers for me from now til then. I really need a job and I would be so grateful if I got this one. It's a hard market out there and you have to be appreciative of what you receive.

Not Really a Resolution

So I made a decision back before Christmas to become a healthier person and get in shape. I made the decision then because I didn't want the dreaded curse of the New Year Resolution hanging over my head. Ya know, you make them, but sometimes you don't stick to them. Well this is not going to be a repeat of so many years before. I have been working out for about 3 weeks now and I can honestly say that I do feel a lot better. I've even been told that I look a little different which is great motivation to keep doing what I've been doing. I'm still working on my eating habits which are coming along. I've definitely gotta get that on the right path and once I do, I know I will have great success at this. I can tell such a vast improvement in my overall disposition since I've started this lifestyle change. I'm not as tired and definitely not as moody as I was. I'm entering this new year with the hopes of a lot of changes and knowing that with a little motivation and encouragement from myself and others, this will turn out to be a wonderful year! Just let me say a real quick thank you to all of my friends who stand by me and keep encouraging me to stay in the game! It's great to know that I have people willing to step up and kick me in the butt when I need it. LOL

The Year is 2010!

Well so far 2010 has been a pretty decent year. I'm actually looking forward to this year and hoping for great things to happen along the way. Hopefully I can keep up with this blog more and update it on a regular basis. I'm shooting for at least once a week.

Adam is doing wonderful! He is growing into the smart young man that I knew he would become since I carried him in my womb. He is learning his alphabet and numbers and can say them to me without any help. I am very proud of him! It's very hard to grasp the concept that in 2 months, he will be turning 4 years old. My baby is growing up on me and I'm not as prepared as I thought I would be. I often find myself missing those days of when he was so tiny in my arms and would lay on my chest and sleep for hours on end. Or the days when he was just learning how to crawl and he was a wonder to watch moving around the house. But I do have to admit that right now is a fun time as well. He is learning new things everyday and nothing and I do mean NOTHING!!!!! beats him walking up to me, throwing his arms around my neck and telling me that he loves me! I tear up every time he does because it just makes my heart melt to hear those words come from him.

Anyway, time to dry the waterworks for now. LOL I will report back later with further details! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! May God bless each and every one of you this year!

Christmas Pics

Yeah I know they are a little late, but better late than never!! These may be out of order and random, but you'll understand with the captions.

Adam on our way to Denny's on Christmas Night. We were tired of leftovers and that was one of the few places open. LOL

Adam was in the process of opening his stocking from Santa when I snapped this photo. I'm amazed that he looked at the camera for me.
Spin Pro remote control car from Santa. This toy is very very loud! LOL
Monster Jam!!!! My baby loves his monster jams!!!
This toy is cool. Still trying to figure out the voice activation though.