Yummy Food!!!

Did you know I contribute to a food blog?  Well, now you do.  My little sister started it as a way to have my mom's recipes in one place.  I love being able to easily find a recipe, instead of calling around to figure out who has what.  It's also a fun way to find new recipes that my sisters have tried.  I've been collecting new recipes as I am now more "domestic".  It's not easy to find ready-made things here, and I have to get creative when it comes to some ingredients.  I have learned that I enjoy cooking, especially when I have all the right tools.  It is very easy to cook fresh here (when things are in season), because all the fresh produce is AMAZING!!!  Aubree and a couple of her friends decided that they wanted to go vegetarian and no soda for a month.  We told Aubree that we would do more meatless meals, but we couldn't do 100%.  She has, however given up soda completely.  So, in my quest to find meatless meals that still have good protein, I've been looking at beans.  We can get a couple different kinds here, and I also already had some in my pantry.  The black beans and rice was a HUGE hit.  I wanted a good red beans and rice recipe, and my amazing friend Mandy gave me hers!  It is authentic Louisiana cuisine, and my boys weren't all that thrilled with it.  It had too many vegetables, I didn't add the sausage, and it was soupier than what they were envisioning.  Aubree and I loved it!  The leftovers are being frozen into individual portions so we can eat them for lunch later on.  I'm not freezing the rice with it, but it's really good by itself as a stew.  If you would like to try out this incredible dish, just click here, or click on the blog on the sidebar that is titled "Simply Delectable Cooking".  Let me know if you try anything out, and if you have a favorite family recipe, please send it to me!  I would love to try it!!!  Oh, and another awesome part of the food blog is the pictures included with each post!  (Except the black beans and rice.  My family ate it so fast, I didn't have time to get a picture!!!)

First Day of School 2011!

I just realized that my kids started school 2 weeks ago, and I haven't posted the pictures here yet!  I am such a slacker (as you can totally tell, because the last post is from before school got out!).  ANYWAY - we all had a great start to the new year, and it was fairly easy to get back into our routine.  I am keeping busy with the IWA.  Our first general meeting is this Wednesday, and while there are still some things to do, I'm feeling really good about it!
The BIGGEST change this year is that Aubree skipped a grade!  It's a long story, and we thought she would still be 8th grade on paper and some classes, but when it came down to it, she's a freshman in high school!  I know!  Weird!!!  Chris is in 4th grade, and has amazing teachers!  He's still reading a lot, but I'm encouraging him to focus on one book at a time.  Nick is in 1st grade this year!  He has gotten back into reading over the last couple weeks.  We had intended to do a lot of reading this summer, but being away from home for so long changed our plans.  I love listening to my children read!!!

All ready for 1st Grade!!!

The man in 4th Grade!

Aubree - can you believe this beauty is starting high school?

My babies are all grown up!

Mrs. Ruthanne Pilton and Chris in the classroom.

Nick and Mrs. Louise Kampen in the 1st Grade classroom.