Mexican Fiesta Soup!

Despite the fact that I am an absolute terror in the kitchen, I have really felt the desire to cook lately. Usually hubby is the cook in our family, which is wonderful because he enjoys it and usually I don't. However, last night I asked if I could make the spaghetti and today I took it upon myself to cook the mexican fiesta soup that we will be having at our Lost party! I wanted to go ahead and share the recipe with you because it is so easy and so inexpensive and SO yummy!

This is what you'll need:



Your crock pot!



One can each of the following:
Pinto Beans
Black Beans
White Corn
Golden Corn
Rotel

Fritos
Sour cream (optional)
Cheese (optional)
And 1lb of ground beef, though we used ground turkey this time (for the first time)

Start off by browning your turkey or beef, whichever you prefer, in a pan. Make sure it's good and brown. I added a little bit of homemade taco seasoning just for a bit of taste, but you can leave that out. After all that is done, drain it, and open up your cans and dump it all in your crock pot. You can leave out the fifteen to thirty minutes I spent wrestling with two can openers, dumping corn juice on the floor, splashing myself with the juice... ahem... like I said, I am a total wreck in the kitchen.



Let it heat up for a while in your crock pot. We like to serve ours on top of Fritos. I put cheese on mine and Hubby puts cheese and sour cream.

Voila! Enjoy! And let me know what you think if you decide to try it out!

Thanksgiving Eve is...

A good excuse to bake (three loaves of) pumpkin bread!








Also a good excuse to try out an early Christmas present...







And a good excuse to give kisses to your mommy...




I love this holiday!

Confessions

Okay, I confess.

I am not perfect.

I know, it is hard to believe. I know you all think (regardless of the sock issue) that I am a perfect mother. I know you're all wondering how such a young mother could be so absolutely perfect - and besides that, a perfect wife, daughter, friend, sister...

Maybe not. But I'm going to come out and say it: I am not perfect.

Guess what? No mother is. No mother is going to be. No mother ever has been. And you know what? Instead of stressing out over that fact, it comforts me. If I make a mistake, I am pretty sure I'm not the first one to ever make that mistake. Learn and move on, right?

Another confession is that I am a really laid back type of mother. I don't know if you read that one post about letting Ben crawl at the church building, but I am clearly not the kind of mommy who freaks out about icky germs. I also don't give into all sorts of hype about things like walkers being unsafe because I believe anything can be unsafe without the proper supervision. We don't own a walker, no. But Benjamin does sit in one during Bible class, and you would never be able to tell but he actually moves around in it (a lot - sometimes I wish I could pop those wheels off so he'd stay still) - and would you believe that he's not developing crooked legs or oddly shaped torso or ... whatever it is those folks are freaking out about?

I'm not saying every mother has to be like me! I really am not! This is just my parenting style. You know everyone loves to give advice and stuff? And sometimes it makes us feel bad about the way we do things? Well please don't take this like that at all. I am just saying what we're like over here in our pond (it has been RAINING ALL DAY!).

Anyway ... another thing:


From September

Benjamin eats hot dogs on occasion. He also eats animal crackers. He's had an M&M or two. He's had bits of a cookie. He drinks juice. He's also not overweight, won't take formula if it's the last thing on earth, super healthy (except that one time when he got sick a couple weeks ago - and then back in April), extremely happy, excessively active, heartbreakingly adorable... you know, all that good stuff. And I do get it - healthy habits start early. But I also believe a lot of our unhealthy habits stem from portion control and moderation. Ben will maybe eat a hot dog every other week, if even that. I'm pretty sure I had hot dogs when I was a toddler, and so far, so good.

I guess I'm just not an up-tight mommy. I let Benjamin cry it out when he was 3 months old. He screamed for 45 minutes one night and after that he has gone down really, really well ever since. I think a lot of us mommies stress out over stuff that is just so trivial. If we could all just take a breath, and maybe loosen up (not toooo much!), we can enjoy our time with our children a little better.

Oh yeah, and Benjamin watches Winnie the Pooh nearly every morning while he eats breakfast, and sometimes watches Blues Clues or Pokoyo. I don't have an X-Ray or anything but I'm pretty sure his brain is not turning to mush.

Again, though, this is just the way we do it around here. No offense meant to anyone who does it differently. Just something that is on my mind tonight!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! If you're like me - your feet are freezing but your heart is warm!

Of Fairs, Pumpkins, and Allergies

This weekend was so busy. I am feeling a little bit drained and wishing I had an IV of caffeine running in me constantly. That, or a Starbucks on the corner of our street. Or within walking distance. Or within 5 miles. Or, you know, anywhere in the city.

Sigh.

Anyway, Friday we went to the fair again to work at the booth. Kayla and Mariah were able to come this time so Benjamin had a friend to play with and then stroll with. Mariah is so busy, and Benjamin is so laid back. But Ben gets really excited around her and just wants to tackle her and hug on her and kiss on her. He just loves her to death! I show him pictures of her and he just grins. So sweet. They are like night and day but they are so precious together. I can't wait to watch them grow up together as best friends.


Watch out, Ben! There's a hand behind you!


It was sooooo cold. I just realized, too, that in this picture Benjamin looks just like his daddy, besides the blonde hair.


The ginormous horse I was telling you about ... it's back was as tall as my husband, who is around 6'7". That's tall.


Benjamin and his best friend, Mariah.


He wouldn't stop tackling her! He just loves her!


Can't you tell he absolutely adores her?






Don't worry, Mariah. I'd run away too if I were being tackled and poked and grabbed constantly. :)
--------

Yesterday we had planned to meet up with our friends at Lanes for the Pumpkin patch and possibly the corn maze. One couple said they couldn't make it with their little daughter, so we just met up with Chris and Kayla and Mariah! Hubby's brother Preston was with us as well. We had dinner and then went out to find that the Corn Maze was $10 and the pumpkin patch was pitiful. Disappointing trip but it was nice to spend time with our friends again.


My handsome boy on his way to the pumpkin patch.




Isn't that the funniest expression!?


A Ben-sized pumpkin.


Sweet.


"Can I have yours too, Mariah?"


"What do you think you're doing, Ben!"


"Mommy! Ben tried to take my pumpkin!" (Actually, we think she just didn't like the straw)


"What did I do?"


"I think I will have this one."


Isn't he just precious?


Dinner.


Mariah is adorable!




I'm sure there were better pumpkin selections when it first opened up...


All bundled up


My pumpkin ...


Zinnia.

Instead, we went back to the house and the babies played (until Ben took a nap) and the adults had some good fun playing Apples to Apples and then watching some cooking show.


Playing together.


Isn't Mariah just the cutest!!


Checking out Ben's toy selection.


Mariah and her mommy.


Sharing Ben's toy.


Sharing is caring!


Gorgeous!

-------

Today we had Bible class and Worship ... Ben had an allergic reaction to the eggs I had for breakfast and had shared a few bites with him. He had hives around his mouth but that cleared up with a little Tylenol. It was nothing compared to the time he had that allergic reaction to Zesty Tomato crunchies, though! During the second service he had bad diarrhea so I took him out to the car early to get strapped in so we could leave as soon as possible. We gave him a bath and some allergy medicine, and then he played with his Poppa (Hubby's dad) for a little while until I decided he needed to be nursed and then laid down to take a nap. And he's been asleep since - nearly 2 hours later!

Now, the house is quiet as our guests have left, and begging me to tidy up some, but sorry! I'm going to relax and get rid of this headache!

I hope you all have had a blessed weekend, and hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful week! Ben's 9 month birthday is Monday and his Well-Baby Check up is Tuesday! Hubby is going to be speaking in Chapel for the Middle Georgia Christian School tomorrow morning and Lord Willing, Ben and I will attend that too! I love hearing Hubby speak! He is my favorite preacher!

Before I go - a BIG birthday shout out to my friend Dawn! Hopefully we will see you tonight, Dawn! Y'all go wish her a happy birthday!