Logan's (early) Birthday

We celebrated Logan's birthday early at his school. I made cupcakes and let them decorate their own "monsters". Logan got a new (to him!) camera from Mammaw and he had the opportunity to use it to document his day. Below is his very first slideshow. I can see a photographer in the making!

Eyes are the window to the soul

See here for an interesting study done last year.

My new hair...

For lots of beach pics, check out the web album!

She will be missed

Yesterday Logan and I were talking about his Great-Mamaw (Chris's mom's mom) and how she was in the hospital. I told him that she was very sick and we thought that she was going up to Heaven soon. He said, "Oh I already saw her go up to Heaven.I saw the clouds open up and angels carried her up. Jesus was looking down." Chris and I thought it was a nice story to share with his mom so he gave her a call last night. Just after he finished the story his mom received word that she had passed.

We love and miss you Mamaw. May you find rest in the arms of Jesus.

Me, Chris, Shelley & Mamaw

What's for dinner?

I'm not a fan of ground beef but all the boys like it and Chris is a huge fan of chili. He worked hard today mowing our lawn as well as two of our neighbor's lawns whose husbands are deployed. I wanted to make him something special to reward him for being so kind to others. So here's one of his favorites which just happens to be my sister-in-law's recipe.

Shelley's Chili

1.) Chop onion, and mince 2 cloves of garlic.

2.) Cook beef with onion and garlic until beef is browned and onion is tender.

3.) Drain beef and add spices.

4.) Add remaining ingredients (I found a new home for the half can of organic whole tomatoes that I used earlier in the week!) to crockpot and stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

5.) Serve up with some honey cornbread and add cheese if desired. Sour cream is also yummy. Another way that I like to eat mine that Shelley told me about is mixing some cream cheese in the chili and eating it with tortilla chips. So good!

6.) Kid-friendly version....serve with Fritos scoops so they can use them as little spoons!
Shelley's Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper (Chris likes it this way but I prefer it with less.)
2 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 small onion, diced
1 can kidney beans, undrained
2 sm cans tomato sauce

Brown beef and onions (and garlic if using fresh). Drain. Add seasonings. Transfer meat mixture to crockpot and add beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 8-10 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream or cream cheese. Tortilla chips, fritos scoops and cornbread are also great accompaniments.

Friday/ClassDay

Today was a full day of Discovering Sign and Discovering Digital Photography. The first class was for Ryland and it's purpose is to help me communicate with him. I think that he'll pick it up in no time. He already does the sign for more and daddy. It's a great opportunity for us to do something together. We had a lot of fun and Ry's friend, Mia (and my friend, Dot....Happy Birthday DOT!!) attended the class with us. Little Miss Mia had a good time dancing. She was so cute. If Dot posts some pictures on her blog I'll snatch some and post them here. For once, I did not have my camera with me.

I rushed to bring Ryland to Meredith's house and then back to the class again for Digital Photography. I think I'm really going to like this class. I've got homework...I haven't had homework in years!

On a serious note, Chris's Mamaw is in the hospital in GA. His mom has rushed up there from FL to be with her because she had a stroke and is not doing well. Please keep them in your prayers. Mamaw is 92 years old and ready to go home to Jesus. She's been saying it for a long time now. If this is the Lord's will, please pray for peace for the family.

What's for dinner?

I'm not sure how this is going to work out but my sister wants me to post about different ideas for dinner. I don't know if I'm going to do this weekly or if it's going to be an every other day thing. Here's my experiment tonight...

Colombian Stewed Flank

1.) Heat 2 TBS corn oil in large skillet on med heat. Season flank steak with salt/pepper and add to the pan. *Don't you just love that sizzle!* Now brown on both sides (don't cook all the way through!) and remove from pan. (Sorry about this picture, I couldn't figure out how to turn it around!)
2.) Add sliced onions and minced garlic. I only used about 1/2 an onion because L is not a fan and only about 2 cloves garlic because I ran out and the commissary is closed today! Cook until onion is tender.
3.) Add your diced tomatoes. As for me, no diced tom toms here, just good ol' canned whole tomatoes. Recipe calls for 5 romas, diced so I "diced" or scissored, 5 tomatoes. Worked just fine. Add to pan...heat should still be around medium...we don't want burned tomatoes people!
4.) Add your seasonings.
5.) Return the meat to the party, add your water and boullion.
6.) Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat down to low/med (You still need a little bit of a bubble). Let it stew for 2 hours or until your meat is mucho shreddito...that's my version of very shredded in case you need it translated.
7.) Once the meat is tender, remove from pan and shred with two forks.
8.) Return meat to pan to mix with the juices and keep warm until your ready to gobble it up.
9.) Serve up on a warmed tortilla with some sour cream, lettuce (which was another thing we did not have!) and cheese. Steamed veggies and fresh fruit make a nice healthy compliment to this meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 pound flank steak
• 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the corn oil in a skillet over medium heat. Gently lie the steak in the oil and cook each side until brown. Remove the steak to a plate. Add the onions, garlic. Cook and stir until the onions are tender. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cumin to the skillet; Return the steak to the skillet. Pour the water into the skillet. Stir in the crumbled bouillon. Bring the water to a boil and drop the heat to low; cover. Allow to simmer until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 2 hours.
2. Remove the steak to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat. Transfer to a serving plate. Pour the onion and tomato mixture from the skillet over the shredded beef.
3. Serve with tortillas, shredded lettuce and cheese, and sour cream.

VERDICT: This wasn't bad. The meat came apart pretty easy but if I make this again I'll definitely use the whole onion and possible add some other spices like chili and garlic powder. I think a jalapeno pepper but give it a kick too.

Ever been to Tennessee?

Wanna come visit us? This is where the Morrisons are headed! May/June we'll be saying goodbye to our lovely island and moving to Graceland...well not actually, but near it!