Pram

Since I was a young girl...wait, I am still young!... Right? Well, ever since I can remember I have always wanted a pram for my babies! I LOVE and ADORE black and white classic movies, and having a pram for your baby during those times was the norm. My Dad was even pushed around in one as a baby! Well,  two babies have come and gone and no pram in sight. So I have determined that for baby #3 I will have a pram! Baby #3 is no where in sight, so don't get too excited. I was bored this afternoon and began to scour through Craigslist and came across some for sale! They retail for around $1500-$2000 brand new. Ridiculous, and honestly my hubby would never allow me to spend that kind of money on one. But I can justify a $500 used pram right? After all 10 months in the belly, stretch marks, labor, delivery, recovery and nursing every 2 hours with no sleep. That is well worth $500!  I have every intention of getting my hands on one, come baby #3. Which I also hope is a girl. How fabulous will that be? I don't have my fingers crossed though. I am destined to have three boys first...why? Well, because Jill Taylor from Home Improvement had three boys, and I have always seen myself following in her footsteps. Her fake, scripted footsteps. Luckily, we would like to have five kids.  Hopefully one will be a girl! If not our son can be pushed around in style, and me...well, I can cross another dream fulfilled off of my list!

No News is Good News

So today we got a e-mail from out Realtor, Anna. This Monday, July 4th, we are going on 7 weeks since we have submitted our offer on our "dream" first home...this "dream" also happens to be a short-sale property! As is 98% of the market right now! One person's loss is our gain, if we play our cards right and have the patience to endure this process! We are currently and have always been apartment renters. We have been in the same complex since we were married in 2005, so buying our first place feels long over due. Especially with two boys running circles around me in this 1100 sq. ft apartment! Back to the point...well, there isn't much of a point other than we got an e-mail that said things are moving along. Slowly, very slowly but things are getting done that will hopefully lead us to a short sale approval letter from the bank sometime soon. We are in no rush, financially speaking! The longer we rent the more we are able to save. We will likely be breaking our lease here, as well as needing to buy a new refrigerator, tons of paint and some new furniture. I have already started a couple of portfolios full of changes I would like to make to the house over time. My head is spinning of ideas, and I can't wait to start tackling some of them. Of course I am jumping the gun, as any great woman does being we haven't received an official approval letter. Along with the fact a million things could go wrong during escrow and the deal could fall through. But we are confidant with patience, God will open up the right home for our growing family. Whether it is this one or one we have yet to lay our eyes on.

{QoK}

LA, LA, baby!

So, today we had yet another monthly "Girl's Day" to LA. "We", as in two of my dear friends from my high school small group from church,  Sarah and Robyn, and my younger sister, Becca. We have had "Girl's Day" for the last couple of months, the two last trips having gone out to the great city of Los Angeles AKA LA. I don't know if my personal opinion of LA is that it is indeed "great" but for the sake of it sounding more glamorous I will stick with that description. There is one thing that is a absolute mandatory stop on our trips...and that is to a bakery! No, not the bakery in your local supermarket, nor the bakery in town that bakes cakes for special occasions and creates other delightful treats. No, this is much, much more than any of those bakeries could ever hope to aspire to be. This mandatory stop is to a  "Cupcakery" the very first to pioneer it's way onto the markets. This mandatory stop is at Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery! I cannot even describe to you how delightful these little creations are! Just wonderful! Hands down my all-time favorite flavor is the red velvet. A lightly flavored chocolate southern cake in a rich cream cheese frosting that is simply to die-for. I dream about these cupcakes... I count down the days until I will be reunited with them. Because Sprinkles red velvet cupcakes are the best! Granted, I am a bit of a Sprinkles red velvet snob. There are a vast assortment of flavors available but red velvet are the best cupcakes they make. I am sure of it! Strawberry is up there as well. None of that hot pink, synthetic strawberry cake flavor you are used to getting out of a box. This is the real deal, like eating a fresh strawberry! Again, the frosting is pretty amazing.

 We also made a couple of other stops to some thrift stores...where I picked up these darling measuring cups! I think they are just too cute, and the perfect shade of blue! I also found a virtually unworn pair of dress shoes for the hubby, for a mere $5.99. Bingo! He has been in need of a new pair of dress shoes for church, so it worked out perfectly and fell well within our budget. We also went to an awesome thrift store called the "Buffalo Exchange" which has some really unique and vintage pieces! I picked up a cute teal dress for myself for $13, and a bow tie for my hubby for only $5.99! I have a deep love of bow ties on men. Especially handsome men, like my hubby. Not that I have ever seen him in a bow tie, but I would imagine he is even more handsome than usual in one! Haha. Maybe it is my love of old Hollywood, and black and white movies that draw me to bow ties. Bottom line, "Bow ties are just so classy! "
Well it's been a long great day! The rest of my thoughts will have to wait until next time!

{QoK}

My New Chair!!

I am anxiously awaiting my hubby to get home from work. Why? Well, you see he picked up a chair that I have been scouring the internet for to re-do for our master bedroom. I got a great deal at $20 and plan on purchasing some cream or white silk to re upholster it, a spray of metallic silver paint and presto!  The chair in the picture is a similar style to the one I purchased, although I think mine is a little more ornate in the woodwork. I am debating painting the wood or not. I guess I will have to see what type of fabric I am able to find and how it will fit in with my room's decor. We are still awaiting word on whether or not the bank has approved or short sale offer. This waiting game is really starting to get to me now. It has been 6 weeks since we have submitted the offer to the seller, and 5 weeks since the bank has had our offer sitting on their desks. This is no surprise that we are still waiting to hear back, but I would just love to have a definite answer! So far I have added a walnut dining table, sofa, washer, dryer and now this chair to our garage. Soon there will be no room for the car! Well, I am off to finish up dinner...the hubby should be home any moment!

{QoK}

{My Craigslist Finds}

So for the past week or so I have been scouring over Craigslist to find furniture that I could re-do for our new home (that we still haven't heard word on). Here are some of my finds...

This table is solid walnut, so I am thrilled about that. It is a solid hefty piece of table! I plan on lightly sanding and using a gel stain to achieve a dark brown, almost black look. Adding some white accent paint along the rim should give me a similar look to the table in the picture below. That dining room belongs to JLo and it is to die for!!

Walnut Table- $50

I am going to re-finish the table to look similar to the one in this photo.

Part of sectional- $40

So I saw this part of a sectional which is in perfect condition on Craigslist for $40 and called the number right away. Nobody picked up and the answering machine was in Spanish! I left a message in English asking if the couch was still available and left my number. No response after a couple hours, so I called back, a woman picked up this time..."Hola". Oh great! They don't speak English. The woman proceeded to tell me in Spanish that she didn't speak any Spanish and asked if I did. I actually understand a bit but not enough to have a conversation with this woman and get her address and such. So I told her in English I would have a relative of mine who spoke Spanish call her back on my behalf. She said "okay" but I knew she had no idea what I had just said to her!  So, I enlisted my aunt to call and speak with the woman about the couch. Many people had called and were interested but because she didn't speak any English I think it was a barrier for people to communicate with her. Lucky for me, I have a whole family who speaks fluent Spanish so we ended up being able to secure the couch. I sent my husband who of course speaks no Spanish either out to Fontana to the the couch. It was about a 30 min. drive to a lower class area, but all ended up well. It is only a piece of a sectional so I plan of finding a table to place on the left side of it...pretty good compromise for $40!! Here is a picture of how plan on using this piece of furniture on our patio!

{QoK}

Decorating Ideas

It has been around 5 weeks since the seller has submitted our offer to the bank to be approved for a short sale purchase! I am starting to get really anxious and with nothing better to do in my spare time I have started scouring the Internet for design ideas for our first home. Right now we have a more modern look mixed with a bit of traditional. Brown suede couch, modern TV stand and shelving, and then a more traditional buffet...a lot of dark rich woods and clean lines. Well that's all going out the window come our first home! I have always thought my decorating style was more modern-traditional, but its really just traditional-eclectic. Here are some photos that really capture the look I am going to be going for in our first place...

Master Bedroom

[Guest Room]

Dining Room

Patio

{QoK}

Home Sick

Remember the days when being sick meant staying home from school and being waited on hand and foot? Well, those days are long gone as an adult! And with two young boy,s who are also sick, they're looking to me to baby them and nurse them back to health...and I have...well myself too! Nick is a great help to me when I am sick, at least when he is actually home. Today is a full work day for him which means he is going 12+ hours. Boo! I am thankful he has a full day off tomorrow so I can get some more rest in and hopefully avoid a visit to the doctors office! I was hoping to spend tomorrow in the beautiful outdoors with the kids, but that can wait until everyone is healthy! I am sure the general public will appreciate us not sneezing, coughing and sucking up our snot next to them! This being sick totally cuts into my plans of working out and getting super fit today, but I will enjoy time on the couch in that A/C painting my toenails instead.

{QoK}

Summer Love

For weeks I have been thinking and dreaming of having tangerine nail polish for the summer. Being a stay at home mom allows me to have lots of time to think of all sorts of great ideas and things Each time I have been to the store I have checked inventory to see if there is the "perfect shade"...too neon, too pastel, too ugly! I had been hitting a dead end. Until,  I was leaving Target last week I noticed on a end cap they are now carrying Essie brand of nail polish! NO WAY!! I love Essie!! Because I had my two boys in tow I didn't have a chance to check out the shades, but I made a mental note in my head to check back. Well I checked back and low and behold they carry a ton of different brand now, with tons of beautiful shades for summer. But I knew what I wanted, and the Essie brand hit it dead on! "Meet Me at Sunset" by Essie is my new Summer love!

{QoK}

Whats Going On?

I really need to be better about making time to post on here. Maybe I will make it my mid-year resolution! A lot has happened in the last couple of months. Noah had his first birthday party which was a blast! Nick turned the big 3-1!! And my firstborn, Caleb, turned three years old! Where has the time gone? Before I know it he will be graduating high school and going to seminary...At least my hope for both of my boys is to have careers in which they are able to spread the good news of Jesus Christ! Caleb's personality, thus far, seems well suited for a evangelist! And my sweet Noah, maybe a worship pastor or someone who leads mission trips. Whatever they do the most important decision they will ever make will be to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. That is truly our only prayer and hope for them as parents. Nothing else really matters.
On a different note, we got pre-approved for a home loan! Woo-hoo! Peace out apartment living! Well not that quickly! Because the market is swamped with short-sells that makes this process very long and stressful. We have a wonderful loan officer and real estate agent. We went out and looked at nine different properties in one day and found one we really loved. So we made an offer, and it was accepted by the sellers! We wish it was that easy. Because it is a short sell, the sellers are trying to get the bank to approve to sell the property at a lower priced than they currently owe. So we are waiting on the bank to come back to us with an acceptance or change in conditions and we go from there. We are really excited at the prospect of finally having our own home and space for our two growing boys!

Busy Days

I have been a horrible host to my blog the last couple of weeks. For that I apologize. I feel like the world has been spinning around me and I have a full plate no matter how much I think I have accomplished. Most recently I have finished making and packaging over 200 cake pops for my church's Easter services tomorrow. It was a lot of fun the first couple I made, then it got old really quick. But the finished product is awesome and I am glad to have served my brothers and sisters in Christ! I hope everybody enjoys them!
On another note we are leaving for the week to my in-laws place and we are really looking forward to a break. My in-laws are such great and giving people and it will be nice to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of life in So. Cal. Plus, a date night is coming our way! That is always great.
  Family wise, Noah is walking. He still prefers crawling because he can keep up with Caleb, but he can walk pretty long distances now. Caleb is a couple weeks away from being three years old, which is just insane. First three years old, then kindergarten and then off to college! Well, at least thats how it seems at the moment. He is growing up way to quickly for my liking. It is my prayer that he comes to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, and serves Him as Lord... anything else he does with his life will just be a bonus. Caleb has such a crazy, loud personality I put my hopes on him becoming an evangelist! But we will see. Well it is getting late and I have much packing to get done before tomorrow.
 I hope everybody has a blessed Easter Sunday and takes time to genuinely thank Jesus Christ for His sacrifice on the cross.

{QoK}

Being Lazy

So, I admit it. I have been lazy. Not wanting to do much of anything lately, let alone spend time sitting on my bum and writing on my blog. But I have really missed it. And as I've been lazy I've thought in my head all of these wonderful things I wanted to post about. Well, I forgot all those wonderful things so bear with me as I try and get my writing groove back!
On the menu tonight is going to be Rotini pasta with ground spicy italian sausage and a home made marinara served with some garlic cheese bread. Yum! I love eating. I do admit I love eating even more then I am not cooking. Something about preparing and cooking the whole meal makes me not so very hungry by time we sit down to eat. We just ate a early dinner, and now all my boys are in our bed jumping and wrestling around. Man, I really need a girl! Maybe the next one, or the one after that, or the one after that. Five is my maximum. Five is also my favorite number. So you do the math. Man, I am good. ;)

{QoK}

Cake Pop Madness

My Cake Pops
(taken with my iphone 4)

So, I have surfed around on Bakerella's website before and seen all of her beautiful small and edible creations...I just got out of a making cupcakes all the time phase and am transitioning over to making Cake Pops and Cake Bites all the time. While buying last minute things for my son's first birthday party over the weekend I happened to run into her book 30% off at my local Target. How could I resist? After all with Starbucks tooting it's Cake Pop horn now I just had to make a batch of my own. Because paying $1.50 for one, well that's just crazy. And the exact reason I hardly ever go to Starbucks without my hubby in tow. That 30% discount is just lovely. I feel bad for all you suckers that pay full price. =)
Anyways, I had an insatiable urge to eat chocolate the other night. Which if anybody knows me, well, that's just not my style. So, I did as any other woman would do and went to the store to gather supplies to make some all chocolate cake pops. It was never my intent for my first batch of cake pops to be chocolate but I just had to have some then. (And no it wasn't a pregnancy craving!) I made a batch with milk chocolate cake, chocolate frosting made with Hershey's cocoa powder and dipped them in real milk chocolate and topped them with some sprinkles. They were certainly delicious but very sweet and very very chocolatey. Today I decided I was really bored and needed to make some more cake pops...more to my every day eating liking.  I used a white cake with rainbow chips/sprinkles baked in for some added texture and color. And I dipped them in a vanilla coating with sprinkles. As I was sprinkling one with, well, sprinkles it slid down the stick so I decided I needed to eat it immediately. I have never experimented with candy coating...or vanilla almond bark so this was something new to me. To my surprise (okay, I wasn't really that surprised) it was super delicious. Take that over-priced $1.50 Starbucks cake pops...take that!!!

{QoK}

Birthday Photos

Click Here

My blue eyed birthday babe & his proud momma!

Too Pooped to Post...

Read it (post title above) and weep!
For those of you who are the edges of your seat waiting for pictures, you will have to wait one day more! Too pooped to post is right!

ps-Hope your behind doesn't numb up from sitting there on the edge too long! ;)

{QoK}

D-Day...err I mean B-Day fun!

Noah-3 Days Old

The day is almost upon us! Well the actual day is still three days away, but my youngest prince's birthday party is tomorrow afternoon!! "PARTY!!!! WOO-HOO!!!" alright, I'm glad I got that out of my system. As I sit here making notes of every last minute detail I need to take care of tomorrow, I am wondering why we celebrate and make such a big deal of our children's first birthdays? Because we all know they will carry these treasured memories all of their lives right?...Right...that's what I keep telling myself! I don't consider tomorrows event to be anything lavish by any means, we're having a BBQ, cake, pinata and bouncer for the kids who will be attending. We are dropping a good $400 on this affair, and I wonder if maybe that money could be used more wisely? My hubby and I briefly chatted about it tonight and thought, well we could "deprive" our children of birthday parties for the rest of their life and store the money in a bank account until they need money for a down payment on a car of money for college or such. I'm sure they would love that...and be totally understanding. Because we all know kids are understanding...right. Even with all these thoughts clouding my brain, I am really looking forward to tomorrow. His older brother will probably really enjoy it now that he is close to three and will someday be able to tell Noah all about it. Man, even at three I doubt Caleb will be able to remember Noah's first birthday party! In times like these I sure am glad that we have video cameras, and digital cameras, and cameras on our phone. Now those will be treasure memories to carry with us all of our lives! You only turn one year old once baby! Make it count!
{QoK}

Pumpkin in March?? Say what!

So anybody who knows me probably knows I LOVEEEEE Starbucks Pumpkin Scones!!! They are hands down the best pastry at Starbucks...if you disagree, well then you are wrong! Haha. These lovely delicious scones are a seasonal item offered during their Fall Promo. And I have to say with the busyness of having tow young boys and being trapped inside all day I didn't get to indulge in as many scones as I would have liked to. My hips are probably thankful for that! A friend of mine let me know she bought some scones at a local Starbucks yesterday morning. Say what?! Are you sure? Yes! They are back at least for the day it seemed. Well, my husband is actually a store manager at Starbucks so I immediately called him to see if he got any at his store that day. He didn't know. How do you not know? Well, to his defense he was doing admin stuff in the back all day and wasn't working out on the floor. He called me back within a few minutes to let me know they had some in! "Buy me the whole tray!!" I think that's what I yelled at him over the phone. I would have eaten them all too! When he got home from work he only had two bags in his hand. *sigh* it was bittersweet.  In my head I was thinking..."I will eat half of one scone tonight so I can savor it, and spread the goodness out over the next couple days. Yeah, that worked...NOT! I ended up eating the whole scone within a couple minutes. It was just as amazing as I remember it being. Probably better that I remember it being. I will tell you there is nothing like pumpkin in March!
{QoK}

Babies No More

My oldest son, Caleb, has been sleeping in his crib which my hubby converted into a toddler bed by merely detaching the front railing. Man, my hubby has it hard! For months we've been talking about moving the old crib out and purchasing some bunk beds, but it just never happened. Life is busy, and when my hubby is off from one of his two jobs the last thing that crosses our mind is going bed shopping and putting bunk beds together. So I finally decided enough was enough! I did some online shopping and found a great deal on some cherrywood twin bunk beds.  Once, my hubby got home from his weekend away at winter camp I enlisted him to help put the beds together. What a joy! They were actually pretty easy to put together considering the million pieces that were in the box. So now Caleb has a "big boy" bed and is thrilled! Noah is pretty thrilled too, and crawls over to the bed and screams and pulls trying to get on it. Once he's on the bed it's like the best thing since milk! He shrieks and has a blast doing I don't even really know what...monkeying around on it with his brother I guess. Maybe I could use moving Noah to the bottom bunk as a bribe to get him to walk. That is a whole different story, but since I have time I will share it. For the past couple months I have been trying to coax Noah into taking standing on his own and taking some steps. I am not sure if it just his stubborn streak he got from his wonderful mother or what but he just isn't having it!  I always heard your second child generally does things a a faster rate than the first child because they have a somebody to learn from. Well, that has not been the case for us. Which is fine. In my head I pretend Noah is still a little baby. Just a twenty-four pound baby crawling around at the speed of light...right...With Noah's first birthday approaching within the week, Caleb turning three in May and pieces of a old crib sitting in the patio I realize that they are babies no more. They will always be my babies...I bore them after all!
{QoK}

Disneyland Days

Caleb & I on King Arthur's Carousel

Matterhorn Bobsleds

One of the many benefits of living in Southern California is the "Happiest Place on Earth" is nearby! Not to mention a plethora of In N Out Burgers...my hands-down favorite place to eat! My hubby and I both have Deluxe Annual Passes to Disneyland which cost a arm and a leg! Thank goodness Caleb wont be three until the middle of May so he is still free! Although, he looks like a four year old and we sometimes get questioned about his age. To avoid delays and such we carry a copy of his birth certificate with us in the stroller so we can whip it out at a moments notice and say boo-yah he isn't three yet! For his third birthday he will be getting a annual pass...that will probably be his Christmas present too...and maybe fourth birthday present! At $329 a pop and prices increasing yearly I'm not sure how many years we will continue to purchase passes, but for now we enjoy them immensely! We probably average 3-4x a month so for us it is well worth the money we spend. The great thing about having a annual pass is you don't feel pressured to spend a full day at the parks. And with two little ones, going to the parks for 4-6 hour chunks works out great for us. Anyways back to today! Today started off in a later than normal people wake up fashion. Meaning my hubby was off for the day so I had the opportunity to sleep in.. We were lagging until around noon when we decided to head out to the "Happiest Place on Earth". My sister wanted to join so we met at our church and stopped at In N Out Burger on the way there for a late lunch. Prices in the park are ridiculously expensive so we eat outside the park as much as possible and bring in our own snacks and drinks. One of my friends happened to be in the area and joined us at the park as well. It was a cool day, not crowded and short lines. Caleb had a lot of fun, but was very wishy-washy about what rides he wanted to go on. Believe it or not his favorite ride is currently the Matterhorn Bobsleds in Fantasyland! He will go on over and over...until no willing adult exists who will ride with him again!! The parks closed early, since it was a weekday so we left the parks around 8:15 and headed somewhere for a late dinner...our family runs on our own time! Haha. We are almost always hungry! Initially our thought was to go to the local Chickfila but things changed when a In N Out Burger was spotted in the same parking lot...haha..we are suckers for In N Our Burger. So, for the second time we ate In N Out...and boy was it delicious!! 

My Baby's Birthday

My baby boy's first birthday is next week and I am floored! Not because I can't believe it, but because I am so exhausted running after my two boys I am laying on the floor...haha, this really happens sometimes. I am happy to report that a year of nursing/pumping is coming to it's end next week as well. I have transitioned him onto whole milk successfully so I am giving him about half my milk half whole until his first birthday. For the sake of saying, yes I did it for a full year! Silly, I know. But to me it matters.

Enough about me! My baby boy, Noah, is turning one! I think time goes by 2x a fast when you have more than one child. I swear Caleb's first year didn't go by nearly as quickly. Two=twice the fun! My little blue eyed babe is the sweetest boy, always sporting a big smile and eager to eat anything in sight! I always imagined I would have blue eyed, blonde hair kids...Noah has blue eyes a auburn/blonde hair so I guess he fits the bill! He and Caleb couldn't look much more different, they have similiar features such as my husbands eyebrow shape and nose but totally opposite coloring. Not to mention people always comment on how beautiful or pretty my daughter is. Really? Dressed in jeans and a blue plaid shirt? I always smile, thank them and then correct them. Noah is really a boy after all. Just a beautiful boy. Now that Noah is older he is really enjoying playing and chasing after his older brother, Caleb. They have such a blast together screaming about the house and chasing one another. Hitting and beating up on one another. Such a joy to watch! I seriously need a daughter...

{QoK}

The time has come my little friends to talk of many things...

I haven't really determined how this blog title coincides with my post yet so bear with me. I am a very random person who thinks with my heart not head sometimes! Today started with having an unexplainable amount of energy and not being able to get to sleep until after 5:30am. It sounds odd I know but the day does start over at midnight...thus my day started with a lot of energy...and I've been dying a slow death ever since! I spent countless hours working on blogs and twitter and the like for myself and my hubby. While it was great to get so much accomplished I feel like a walking zombie. An awesome, cleaning, cooking, taking care of my kids kind of zombie NOT the kinda who eat people on movies and video games. That of course would be ridiculous. Back to my day, I slept a couple of hours and was rudely awaken by my two boys who were eagerly waiting for their breakfast to be served to them on a silver platter. Well more likely a Toy Story or Cars plate, but you get the idea. Because my hubby was home I decided I would do the right thing and pawn them off on him so I could rest a little longer. It worked! Whew! I didn't really get much more sleep but I got to lay in bed and do nothing.  We had a noon appointment with my husband's good friends for lunch in Riverside so we bundled everybody up and headed out. Lunch was nice but too short. Wish we had more time to chat with them and share what the Lord has been doing in our lives and vice versa. After that we stopped by a couple stores to get some essential survival things for the weekend. Shortly thereafter my hubby was out the door and on his way up the mountain, in the rain, for youth winter camp. (Praise God, for keeping the whole youth group and it's leaders safe during their drive to camp! ) While I do miss my hubby already I have noticed a couple of things. It's much cleaner, quieter and the actually kids got to bed on time, not Daddy's time.  Only one full day before the chaotic whirlwind that is my life hits full speed again! Hehe. Well it's time to eat turtle brownie and vanilla ice cream STRAIGHT FROM THE TUB. Because I can...and because I am Queen of this castle. Much love.
{QoK}

Daddy is Ditching Us!

It's true!!  Nick is packing up his bags and leaving town!!! Not because he doesn't love us with all of his Japanese heart, but he has to go to winter camp this weekend! Darn...well darn for us that is. Great for all the students and youth leaders to spend time in fellowship and re-focus on their relationships with Christ.

For those who don't know Nick is a youth pastor at New Life Community Church in Corona, CA.

So come winter and summer, its camp time! Granted since we've had our boys he hasn't attended week-long summer camp at Hume Lake, but winter camp is just a weekend away. Just a weekend...right...this is going to be one LONNGG weekend for me, let me say that. My boys have an unlimited amount of energy that no amount of running around and playing seems to decrease. On top of that it looks like a storm is rolling in this weekend. So that means...a weekend stuck inside...At some point I may be waving a white flag from my window, hopefully Nick can spot it from the mountains and rescue me! Writing this all out makes me realize I am prettty dramatic. Haha. I've been told that all my life but not until reading my own words do I see people are right. Oh well.  It's getting late around these parts and I need to save my energies for this weekend...so with that I leave you with own of my favorite verses...

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see"
{QoK}

it all starts with a confession...

I have been keeping up our family blog for quite some time now and have decided it's time to create an outlet for my own crazy thoughts. A place to share my favorites...favorite things, ideas and recipes with people...people just crazy enough to take the time to read. I cant promise you'll gain any profound insight from reading, maybe just a couple pounds from the recipes I will share.  


Speaking of food...this was last nights dinner...

and it was wonderful!
{QoK}

White Chicken Enchiladas

2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
12  Corn Tortillas
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz Cans Green Chilies, Diced
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Sour Cream
2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Cilantro, Chopped

Prep

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. (You may want to zap the tortilla in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them and prevent tearing). Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

http://www.thepioneerwoman.com