Happy Harvest and Happy Halloween!!!

Gobblins, Apples, and an Old Geeser!

Tristan had his annual party this past Friday. It was his 4th annual but he likes to keep it to a smaller more closer group of friends. The best costume was the "Old Geeser"! There was tons of candy, silly spray fights (outdoors), and very competetive apple bobbing. Oh, did I mention it was a sleep over?? Yes, Jim and I are brave people to host this!..:) The night ended with pre-selected "scary" movies. Keep in mind, I had done my research on kid-friendly (non-horror, blood, gore, withcraft) flicks and ended up with Ernest's Big Scare and Goonies. Old ones but the kids still enjoyed them--it turned out to be such a nice night for all of us, even little Ana enjoyed herself!

Today I am thankful for many things...
1) I have a great husband who wakes up early and has my coffee ready for me when I wake up.
2) Ana Catherine's bumble bee costume arrived earlier than promised and actually fits her perfect!
3) Tristan is having his annual Fall party/sleepover this Friday and all 4 boys invited are coming!
4) Instant weight control oatmeal
5) Furry, cuddly cats at 6:30 in the morning..
6) Baseball season has finally ended allowing for more family time..
7) My 16 month old shutting every last open door, cabinet, or drawer in the house!
8) A healthy and happy home!

A Joyful Heart Makes a Cheerful Face
Proverbs 15:13

Quick Hamburger Stroganoff

This is a great hardy recipe for busy moms out there. I made it last night and was delighted to see no leftovers!

1 lb. ground beef (substitute ground turkey for leaner meal)
1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 ounces canned mushrooms (water drained)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
egg noodles

Brown the ground beef with onion and garlic.
Drain off the grease.
Add the cream of mushroom, canned mushrooms, and salt to the mixture.
Stir and allow to simmer over low heat for appx. 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the sour cream.
Serve over hot cooked noodles.
Serve with canned or fresh veggies and you have a very quick nutritious meal!

A day in the patch..

Ana and I were blessed with beautiful weather on Saturday for a trip to the local pumpkin patch! I was amazed at how many parents had the same idea that I did, trying to get that perfect pose of their little sweeties amongst the sea of orange. I will admit, I am a pumpkin patch user guilty of using them for their props, cute scarecrows,and endless amounts of pumpkins in various shapes and sizes ! I had scoped the local patches out early in the season before deciding on this one as the one for some pics.The worst part is that I actually forgot my cash to buy a few from the kind people taking the money! I felt horrible after Ana had literally trampled over every square inch of their cute set up and we just walk out empty handed. All four of us plan to go back this weekend and pick out one for each of us to complete the assortment at our front door..

It's raining pumpkins!

Fall has finally arrived in Texas!

Last night was one of our first true fallish evening here in Texas! Yes, I am envious of you folks in other parts of the country this time of year but just yesterday the familiar chill I have missed so much was back in the air. It was a great opportunity for Ana to get some fresh air and for me to survey the damage that the summer did on our back yard! We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year and hope to turn the back yard into somewhat of an enjoyable setting for fellowship and a place for all the kids to run wild. Trust me when I say we aren't there yet! The dead grass, overgrown potted plants from the spring, crushed Easter egg pieces (yes, I am so embarrassed I found these in one far corner of the yard), and the lovely pitcher's net that had to be retired
due to balls ending up in the neighbor's yard..All this being said, I know that we can turn it back around quickly. A few Fall flowers and some good fertilizer can go a long way! I think Thanksgiving is 5 weeks (?) and counting...

May your home be a place where friends meet, family gathers and love grows.

-- Author:UKNOWN

Texas State Fair Pictures

Great Waffle Recipe

My husband bought me a waffle maker from Williams Sonoma (one of my favorites) for our anniversary! I was so thrilled to use it for the first time this past weekend. I tried the recipe below and they came out really, really good. We had with fresh strawberries and peaches and some breakfast sausage. I actually expected a disaster for our first use but was pleasantly suprised at the results,..no pics but I used the recipe below. Tristan helped me prepare the night before so I has some help from some little eager hands..:)

Prep. Time: 8:30
Serves: 6

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 egg OR equivalent of egg substitute
3/4 cup half and half cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract




-Combine flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
-Cream together sugar, shortening, and egg with an electric mixer.
-Slowly beat in half and half, buttermilk, and vanilla.
-Slowly beat in dry mixture.
-Cover and refrigerate overnight.
-Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a preheated, greased waffle iron and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter.

Notes: Right after pouring batter onto waffle iron, sprinkle 1/4 cup pecan halves over the batter for the Waffle House's® Pecan Waffles.

Make It A Meal: Serve with Breakfast Sausage

Infants under 2 and cold meds..

Did you hear they recently pulled child medicines off the shelves due to safety risk?? I know my pediatrician had historically frowned upon medicating with anything when Ana has had a cold..frustrating for us to just watch them sniffle and suffer but apparently the safest for them..

TREATING A CHILD'S COLD
Pediatricians say the best way to treat a child's cold is to let it run its course. Over-the-counter medications won't speed the healing process, just help with symptoms, they say. But if a child doesn't seem to be getting better, parents should take him or her to see a physician.

Best for fever: Tylenol or ibuprofen.

Best for colds, congestion or cough: Lots of liquids, rest, saline drops in the nose, humidifiers.

Source: Pediatrician interviews

Ramblings of yesterday...

Yesterday was a tough day all around.I kept Ana home as she had horrible allergies. I made a pathetic attempt at catching up on house work but she clung to me like static cling. Yes, I could have just surrendered and caught up on all the highly intelligent and thought provoking daytime tv (no thanks). I don't miss Judge Judy, Oprah, or even The View. Not too happy with those ladies anyways, I heard they recently made some really invalid and ignorant comments about the Catholic Church. Anyways, the TV stayed off all day which was good..

I just feel that when my husband comes home the house should be immaculate and the aroma of fresh garlic, onion, and marinara sauce should be spilling out the door when he comes in..I did manage to start some meatball subs and veggies but he immediately ran to open windows when he came home as I guess the aroma was a bit overpowering! So much for the perfect picture I painted..LOL..Everyone did enjoy dinner however, not homemade meatballs but frozen sometimes has to do!
Tristan baseball game went bad, it seems as if when the team is losing everyone blames the pitcher! The parents are nice enough but really should be more careful with their polite criticism as to why the game isn't going our way.."Tristan's really nervous tonight!" and "Tristan's just not himself tonight!" All this from people I (and Tristan) don't even know.. It may not be so bad if they actually knew Tristan but this is a new team and besides there were many other things going wrong.
I finally excused myself to chase my toddler so that I would not continue to be submerged..I know the other parents mean well, we just get touchy when it comes to our kids ya know? Okay, i am clearly rambling now..hopefully will post more later.
We are going to the State Fair this weekend which should be fun, the weather is gorgeous out!

Lord You are...

Simple but effective this was the song on my mind this morning when I first woke up..I first learned when I was 16 years old at a church retreat. I almost always wake up panicked by the stresses that the day holds and immediately start to worry. (I come from a long line of worriers..) Today, I felt an outpouring of grace and this beautiful song was playing in the back of my mind..

"Lord you are more precious than silver"...
"Lord you are more costly than Gold"
"Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds and nothing I desire compares with You"....

He's cute but he's "just an American short hair"..

Dylan was his given name (from the SPCA) but we affectionately call him "Doug", "Dugan", "Duggles", "Mr. Farnsworth", shall I go on???
He is the apple of Tristan's eye for sure. We jokingly talk about when my friend LeAndra (see previous post) visited a few months back. She is a cat lover and has become somewhat of a feline expert over the years. After gazing upon him, she noted "he's cute but just an American short hair"..Apparently, at her home lives a beautiful "tuxedo cat"..LOL. We still laugh about this huge, huge insult to our beloved Dylan..WE also have two other cats I will post at another time.

Happy Birthday LeAndra!!

Today is my best childhood friend's birthday. God Bless you today LeAndra!!
I still remember (like it was yesterday), playing with pound puppies, cabbage patch dolls, and (sigh) the New Kids on the Block concerts and ridiculous obsession.
Another fond memory is the smell of the kitchen at her home when I would wake up on Saturday mornings. Sandra (God rest her soul) was the best cook around! She would make a full country breakfast with biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, and all the other goodies! Her mom was such a dear lady and plays a part in many of my fond childhood memories. If you're reading this, have a great day LeAndra, I love you!!

Champions of Faith

I thought it may be appropriate to mention this since my latest blogs have been of the sporty nature. I was planning on ordering this DVD for my son and was curious if anyone has actually seen this? Everywhere I look, I see this which tells me the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me something! The DVD is supposed to showcase several major league baseball players whose faith in God has allowed them to say no to what we so often see "hand in hand" with athletic success..the drugs, sex scandals, and all the other horrible things we have heard and read. The men in this film are true role models for our children, especially if they have an interest in sports. The website is www.championsoffaith.com..

A House Divided

I am certainly not much of a football fan but last night was intense at our house. Growing up in Texas, you cannot help becoming absolutely engrossed like the rest of the state with football..The Monday night football showdown was the Buffalo Bills taking on the undefeated Dallas Cowboys. My husband is a Buffalo native and I a Dallas native. You can already probably sense the heat..In the beginning, we tried to lovingly show support for each other's teams as any good spouse would do both of us claiming it didn't really matter who won but was just fun to see our teams on the same field..WEll, by the end of the night it was out and out WAR! We were not sitting as closely on the couch together at this point!!The Cowboys pulled it off by the skin of their teeth, thankfully..but even after they won, I found myself feeling sorry for Buffalo?? I still went to bed with a smile on my face though..:)

Watch out New York Yankees!!

Check out these awesome pictures of Tristan pitching last night's game!! Can you tell I'm proud of my pitcher??! Little League Baseball is a huge part of our lives..as any other Little League mom can tell you it demands a minimum of three nights a week! The long practices, the games that begin at 7:45 on school nights, constant laundering of sweaty uniforms, heartbreaking strikeouts, and yes the world famous ball park food.. Earlier in Tristan's young career, I wouldn't touch the "stadium nachos" or hotdogs but they start to actually look really good after several seasons and besides it's somehow part of the beloved baseball culture!

Delicious Pumpkin Bread!

I found this recipe in my Taste of Home cook book. I haven't actually tried but haven't been let down by Taste of Home before (tried lasagna, poppy seed chicken, and various others) .
I was thrilled to get the cookbook earlier this year as a gift from my husband!!
Delicious Pumpkin Bread
From Taste of Home
An enticing aroma wafts through my house when this tender cake-like bread is in the oven. I bake extra loaves to give as holiday gifts. My friends wait eagerly for it every year. -Linda Burnett, Stanton, California
INGREDIENTS
· 5 eggs
· 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
· 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 cups sugar
· 2 packages (3 ounces each) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add oil and pumpkin; beat until smooth. Combine remaining ingredients; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into five greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 5 mini loaves (8 slices each). Editor's Note: Bread may also be baked in two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans for 75-80 minutes.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutritional Analysis: 1 slice equals 150 calories, 8 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 27 mg cholesterol, 96 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Welcome Georgia Grace!

My dear friend (and bridesmaid) Emily gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl yesterday!
They will call her Georgia Grace, isn't that beautiful?! I just love babies and all the joy that they bring! Of course, if you had asked me 15 months ago I may not be quite as chipper about it! Little Georgia makes me ready to be blessed with another though..so sweet!

The Fall Festival

I took the kids out to our local parishes Fall Festival on Saturday..I got to scour the "Homemade Gourmet" Booth while Tristan was able to participate in two highly competetive games of Bingo--he actually won! The prize table was not exactly geared towards a 10 yr. old boy but he was able to decide on some porcelain bells he plans to give my mom for Christmas. He is definitely a very thoughful child. The baby was just happy to be in her stroller, how nice it is before they can talk and ask you to buy just about everything they see that they want. Yes, early toddlerhood has it's definite pluses!! Any day spent with the kids is a blessing, I just wish the weather would cool down a bit so it was more of a Fall Festival as opposed to Summer..I feel a bit unseasonable placing the Fall Wreath on the door when it is still over 90 degrees. Of course, my son had me digging up our Fall/Halloween decos almost FOUR weeks ago--I had to convince this very stubborn child that putting up the pumpkin lights around the front door was simply not going to happen just yet! I appreciate his holiday spirit but a bit early..LOL