Halloween

What I'm Loving!!!

MENU MONDAY

Chili

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
ground cumin (i used about 2 tsp)
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
chili powder (i used about 2 tsp)
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 small can tomato paste
1 can chili beans
2 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper diced( i used frozen)
1 package frozen chopped onions
1 lb ground beef(cooked and drained)

Cook the your meat, rinse and drain. Saute onions and peppers for a few minutes. Pour all ingredients in a stockpot, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 3-4 hours. I'm sure you could put this in a crock pot on high for 4-6 hours. I think cooking it for a long time is the key to this recipe!!

I saw this on Paula Deen's show one day, It had a lot of ingredients and takes a while to cook. But, it tastes so good!!

Mary Taylor 7th Birthday Party

Back to School 2010

1st day of school!!
We officially started 1st and 2nd grade this week at MSE. It's almost hard to believe that my kids are old enough to be in these grades!! We have had a terrific summer full of lots of fun, sleeping, TV and computer time. We are all going to need a few weeks to get back into the swing of things. The 1st morning I thought I would never get all lunches and snacks made. But, by today(Friday) I was in my groove!! I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something. I'm so glad to have everyone at one school and all on the same schedule. One drop off and One pick up time is fantastic!!! Right now I'm picking them up in the afternoon. We are a house divided on riding the bus. 1 out of 3 wants to ride so right now majority and the heat are ruling:)

The Beach

Family pic on the porch of our house




We had a great time at the beach this year. The water was beautiful and the weather even better. We did have a few days with rain but we got some shopping in during that time. We happened to be at the beach at the same time as some close friends so we all met at our house and had homemade ice cream!!

The kids had such a good time in the waves this year!! There was a river running through the sand and they spent lots of time playing in that. The crabs were everywhere and they had a great time catching them!!

Graduation

I can't believe it but Graduation is here. My sweet little girl is going to be finished with Kindergarten on Tuesday. Now, she is more than ready and I'm looking forward to her being finished but this has been our year. She has been home every other day by 11:30 and I have really loved it. She is smart as a whip. And is really more than ready for some challenging work. I enjoy listening to her read to me and am glad that she likes to read.

The boys have 2 weeks left which make me tired thinking about it. But, she will get out on Tuesday and we will have several days together. So, I'm going to enjoy my last little bit of time by myself with her and am planning some fun little things for us to do. We may try to tackle some projects around the house as well:)

I am very proud of the accomplishments that she has made this year. She is going to have some adjustments to make when she changes schools next year but 1st grade was going to be a big change anywhere we were. I am praying for a teacher next year who will love her and admire her sweet spirit and challenge her.
I couldn't resist this sweet picture of her from the wedding!