MIA

Just wanted to let you all know I'll be MIA for a about 10 days. I'm going out of town, to be with my family! My Daddy is having surgery on Thursday 3/26. So I am heading back home to be with them. I will miss you all. Please enjoy yourself and keep safe!

Hugs and Blessings,

A Simple Day

The weather has cooled back off, after being warm again most of the week. So for me, it was a perfect day! We started off by visiting my friend, and getting my hair chopped off! I had thought about letting it stay long, but I didn't like it after all. So we went in and had it chopped back off. It feels so much better! And lighter for sure!



Then it was back home for lunch and some afternoon fun! Lil K was super silly today! She would climb on and off her riding toys, but would never get on them the right way! She was just so funny! Then she was ready to rest and lil and settled down on her tv bear pillow, that was made for the girls.

Lil E and I had to do some outside chores. The dirt was turned to start the garden, so we needed to go out and get it all watered. We will be doing this for a few days, so that Daddy can till it and we can get started planting things. With the extreme drought, it needs lots of love to start it off! You know for sure, that my sweet Lil E was right there in the middle of helping with the garden! She was watering with me. She didn't want the sprinkler, she wanted to do it! And then she was off to digging! Either way it was a great time for her and I, while Lil K was napping in her bed.

Buddy seen Lil E, and here he came! He loves her. The feeling is mutual! He is just super gentle with her.

Just look, face to face! How sweet!!!!

After all that, we came in and cleaned up, and had a relaxing evening. We had sandwiches for dinner tonight. And watched Strawberry Shortcake and read some stories! Bed time came way to soon tonight! But both girls were so ready for some sweet dreams! Daddy will home from work shortly. I can't wait to see him! It sure is different, when he works this shift and isn't here for dinner. But we did send him off with some yummy cookies that his girls had made for him. (St Patty's Day cookies).

What have you been up to? I am so ready to get busy planting the garden, and I so can't wait for the time to go out and pick some nice fresh veggies! YUMMY! Oh how sweet the sound! It takes me back to being a little girl, and going out with My Daddy to help him! My favorite was to carry the bucket for him, while he was cutting the okra! I guess because it was a favorite of ours, when Moma fixed it. And I can see him right now, rotating those melons and me begging to get them now, they were just my size. And he would always tell me, "Baby girl, you can have the first slice when they are ready." I love my parents so much, and am so thankful for all the love they gave us, and still do, and for all they have taught me! I Look forward to many more years of gaining knowledge from them!

Hope you all are doing good this week!

Hugs and Blessings,

Pinto Beans

It's another wonderful Slow Cooking Thursday, you may click on the picture, and be taken to many more great Slow Cooking recipes, thanks to our host, Sandra.

Texas Style Pinto Beans

1 lb bag of dried pinto beans, washed and picked over
7 cups of water
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of Ro-Tel
5 - 6 slice of thick bacon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp of fajita seasoning

Mix all together in crock pot and cook on high for about 10 - 12 hours.
Serve with corn bread or rice.

As a wonderful altrantive, we sometimes add in hot links or smoke sausage, sliced.

Hugs and Blessings

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We wish you and yours a very Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope that you had a wonderful and festive day! May each of you be blessed!

We had a great day! Daddy was busy working, and the girls and I set out to have some fun! We played all sorts of fun things, baby dolls, skates, and anything else they wanted to do. After a great morning, I made a big lunch, as Daddy was able to come home for lunch. Then the girls and I were busy baking cookies! We made some cookies out of the cake mix, and added in some green food coloring to color the cookie dough green! Then we rolled them out and cut the cookies into lil shamrocks! It was Lil K's actual first time to get really busy with helping Lil E and Mommy bake.

They had so much fun! Here are the finished cookies. Would you like one?

Hope that you and yours had a wonderful and fun day, and that you made some great memories with those you love! Life is too short to not have some fun!

Hugs and Blessings,

Foster Care or Not???

I come today with a heavy heart, something has been pulling at me for a while now to post this topic. I don't have the most positive things to say about the system, but in reality it is the poor children that suffer! We need more foster parents, we need more to take a stand and fight for the kids. They need us! The system (DCF, CPS, DFS, whatever the title may be), they say they have the children's best interest at heart, but do they? By law the biological parents are protected, not the kids! And then you have the fact that family comes first. In my opinion, this should not be. If a child is taken, and you see only one family member can pass the background check, what does this tell you? Look at the family in Lakeland FL, now they do not have the sweet little 18 month old baby boy, because his only background check passing relative, has shaken him to death! What about the cases, that these poor children's parents do what is on the list to get the kids back? All the while, they haven't learned or changed? For instance, a parent was shot in a drug deal gone bad not to long ago, while working his case plan and going to parenting classes, but he was still dealing drugs. On top of the fact these kids could have been with them, now the adoptive family will one day have to tell these poor kids what went wrong! What about the endless counts of abuse, more than once in the same home? And when they stop in, the home is on bad shape! What about in the cases of sexual abuse, and yet some siblings are left or returned and others aren't? What if it is not safe for one or part of the children, is it really safe enough for others? How can a case worker do their job if they are in and out in less than 10 minutes? Do they know what is going on in the home, any home for this matter, a foster home, a parents home, the family home? When children are taken, why should they ever be placed with family, if this family is going to have contact with the biological family they are being removed from. How many times does a relative allow contact that the Case Workers do not know about? For instance, what about a Grandma who has taken her grandkids, because her daughter abused them badly! Now she is being mom to her daughter and Grandma and Mom to the kids. So what is up with this? Why did she have first choice, based on she is family? Are these kids in the safest and most loving home they could be in? If mom did bodly injuries to them, why should they ever see her? They shouldn't! Why is that the law protects these parents? How come they have 15 to 18 months to work a case in some states, and now only 6 in other states (Thank God for the shorter time)? Why do they need to drag their feet, play their games, all the wild still out doing whatever it is they were doing to start with? When is enough enough! When babies are born and test positive for drugs, why do the parents get a chance to get them back? They had 9 months to love and care for that sweet baby! Yet it is foster and adoptive parents that are their nurturing and loving this babies when they go through withdrawals, have temper tantrums, and so much more. But that biological mom has her rights to play the game for over a year to get that baby back! Why, when it is proven that if a child does not have proper bonding and love during the first 6 weeks they are more likely to be ADHD, and then oh the bio parents get them back, and can they cope with the hyperness? When do we put our feet down and fight for the kids? They are the ones that are suffering here! They are pushed from foster home to foster home, all the while. If foster parents had the rights to fight for the kids, don't you believe we would have lots more adoptions in the USA? Instead they do not want to put all their love and care into a child to watch them be put back in a bad situation. So what is their choice? International adoption. Please do not think I am knocking any form of adoption, but I am saying, I personally know several that would adopt here if the biological families didn't have so many rights! It makes me sick all the stupidness that goes on in the system, and how many poor children are left out, go unprotected, and even age out, because of games! Please please let's stand up for the kids! Write your Congress and State Reps, let them know what you want changed! Let them know how our system needs to be fixed. Without us standing up for the innocent children, bad things will continue to happen!

I am sorry to really rant, but it gets to me badly. And then to the story today, of the Lakeland FL toddler who had been shaken to death by his uncle. It was unbearable! What does any child do to deserve this type of abuse? So you are angry! Walk away! Never shake a child! And a big myth about shaken baby syndrome is, it's only little ones that are affected, but many children up to age 6 are greatly affected!!! Please never shake a child! There is nothing they can do, so bad, that you need to hurt a child! I can't ever imagine bringing harm to any child! They are precious gifts from God! He only loans them to use for awhile! We are to love them and protect them, and teach them, not hurt them! How can anyone bring harm to a child!

I am not against fostering at all. I think it is a wonderful way to love and help these kids! And I just wish more people would help them! But for the above reasons they shy away from the system. And yet more children are not in the proper homes! And sometimes case workers feel tied to the family, because if they aren't with family, then they will be in an orphange and likely age out of the system! Why is this the way, when we live in a world with so many wanting to adopt? Please think about this and really do write those Congress and State Reps! Let's together make a difference!

May we all stand and protect the innocent children!

Hugs and Blessings,

It snowed!!!

Shortly after I headed to bed last night, the call came in. "You have to go see outside!" I knew it must have been white, as I passed the door I could see the flakes falling, so I knew I had to get the camera! Oh wow!!! Our first snow fall in over a year! What a blessing! God has answered my prayers, at least 1 snowfall this winter! And Lil K's first time in the snow! It was supere awesome! So here it is 11:30 pm, but I knew as warm has it had been, it was likely to be gone early Saturday, so what did I do?

I'm sure you guessed it, that I woke the girls up! Both of them!!! Lil K was so so so excited! I carried her out in the snow, and then we came back in. She would smile so big and laugh and just kept saying "Look that" or "Look out" or "Look". All with great excitement! It sure made it all worth it!!! The more I thought the more I knew we better go out and play! So I bundled the girls up and it was time to head on out.

Aww! Love it, the snow is falling and we are out playing!!!

Lil K was not liking the cold, but she loved watching the snow! I think it had to do with being woke up! Either way she stood at the door and watched us and talked to us, as I stood out and watch and played with Lil E for a few! Daddy wasn't home yet.

Lil E is going to you, oh I mean she was getting me!!!! She had so much fun!!!!

Then we came in and got all changed back in pj's and headed back to bed. As I was up this morning, here's the first pics of 8:40 am. Can you believe it? I am so thankful that I got the girls up and took them out to play!

An hour later, it's 9:45 am and nothing hardly left at all! From what they said was 2 to 2 1/2 inches to near nothing! We are use seeing it go away as fast as it comes. We normally get a snow fall near springtime that doesn't last. So I'm so so glad we did get up to have lots of fun!

Lil E was disappointed this morning for the snow to be gone and not have enough left to go out and play in it.

We just took it easy here today! Had Lil E's favorite for dinner, tacos. Just spent lots of nice familly time together! And that is what is most important!

Hugs and Blessings,

Some Moments from our week!

It's been a silly week for sure! It was late last week, it was in the 90's and warm out! Early week was still up in the 80's and well let's say that on Tuesday the front moved in! WOW! The rest of the week has been cold for sure! Ice on the ground yesterday, and now today was all kinds of wet weather. I can near the sleet adn ice now! James has been in the snow and ice out in the big truck! He is getting much closer to home! Thank God! I am so glad each time he arrives home safely! I'm so blessed with a husband who loves his family so much and is willing to do whatever he needs to do for us! He is such a wonderful man! I am so much better because of him!

Monday afternoon we had a play date and Lil K had tons of fun on this little slide! OH my, she loved it! Up and down and back again!!! She is really starting to love to play ball too! It's just the cutest to watch! She is so busy and so full of life!

Mid week was another fun play date! Lil E and her buddy Ryan were busy making cupcakes! They loved it! They did them like we did the ones last week, but we made chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter chips! YUMMY! Everyone loved them!

Mommy's Lil Chocolate Face~ Nothing is better than cake batter! (or so the girls think anyways).

Even lil sissy loved the yummy cupcakes!

Then we spent some time planning the garden......

I paint shoped the marker for you to see the garden line.. We decided how larged and placed the rocks, but they didn't show well with the dead grass, so I did the line for you to see. This will be the place we make our garden. Now you may be asking, what are they going to plant there? Hmmm, well tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos are a must! Then it looks like we will do some okra and squash and some black eyed peas. I can't wait! I am so excited!

And now, it's been a crazy weather week, allergies and sinus issues galore! So the girls are both tucked tight in bed and resting well. Mommy is about to go curl up in her cozy bed. I can hear the ice and sleet hitting the window a I type this out.

Wishing all to get healthy and stay well! May you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend! Do you have big plans? We are going to take it easy, catch up on some rest, just the simple things at home!

Hugs and Blessings,

All Day Brisket

Be sure to check out Sandra's for more great SCT recipes. As always, the click on the picture and it will take you there.

All Day Brisket
3 -4 lb lean beef brisket, trim and discard excessive fat
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBS liquid smoke
1 small bottle of italian dressing

Place brisket and onion in the crock pot. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour italian dressing over brisket. Drizzle the liquid smoke on top. Place lid on and cook on low for 12 hours.

Serve with bbq sauce of your choice. As this is truly the part that each family has their own favorite bbq sauce.

Hugs and Blessings,

Spring Cleaning

That is me! I am very happy and loved by many and I am beyond blessed!!! I love it!!! What more could I ask for!!!

And he has instructed me to do some spring cleaning, so to speak of. I normally do not spring clean, I clean as I go. But I have been hanging onto some baggage! (I will appologize right now for the less than happy part of this blog today, but is my life!) Both in relationships (not with my husband) and in items. God has been dealing with me about keeping anything that does not bring good to me, to rid my life of any poison. So I am doing just that! And I can't ever begin to say how happy I was today! It was so much better!!! I have had some people in my life that was weighing me down. Every day I would feel the pressure to be what they wanted, and I tell you, in their eyes I was never good enough. After years of so called friendship, and all the drama, it has come a time to end. But of all things I can't stand for anyone to be rude about my kiddos or husband! It had come to a point it was affecting everything in my life in a negative way! So the season has ended for that friendship and some others from my life. So today I did a bunch of cleaning out here too! I cleaned out so much and reorganized! And It feels awesome! Then we finally did get a little rain here, and the yard had a few green spots! What a blessing! So it was a beautiful and refreshing day to start the new! Spring brings new life, and I did just that! I did follow God's lead though! And for that I am very grateful! I know he has great plans for me and my family!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for showing me just this, and that bad fruit is bad fruit. May all I do reflect and shine the light of Jesus to others! May you help me be the best I can be. Amen.

May you all remember you are loved and special! Your friendships mean so much to me!

Hugs and Blessings,

A Little Color to Brighten the day!

Happy Monday to all! Hope everyone a wonderful weekend! We had lots of fun! Saturday was beautiful and the kiddos had so much fun playing outside! Then it was game night with some friends, and both our families get together and play games! Everyone loves it and has so much fun!

Sunday afternoon the girls were more than ready to go out and play, so in the evening we were out to play with the chalk! They brightened the evening by all the giggles and grins of such a fun time! Everyone enjoyed the fun!!! Both girls love chalk!

Go enjoy a lil color of chalk, it will brighten the mood and make some great memories! Wishing you all a wonderful and bright week!

Hugs and Blessings,

Best Friends!

This was today at the park! Simply put, best friends! That is what is on their shirts, and I tell you, it is forever true! These 2 gals are forever attached! And it sure makes me so very proud! We had a nice day and spent lots of time outside playing! We had a great time at the park too! Sisters by heart, friends by choice!!! That's just what the 2 are! And I know how special that type of relationship is, because of my dear sister! I have 2 great sisters, but one is truly one of my BESTEST Friends! And we love everything the same! It is so fun! And guess what, we are almost 12 years apart! Sorry to ramble, just so thankful the girls are together forever!!! And love how much they adore each other and the love is so so strong!!!!

Have a GREAT weekend to all!

Hugs and Blessings,

SCT

Crock Pot Creamy Cheesey Potatoes

1 pkg (2 pounds) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 - 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all together in a large bowl and and then pour into 5qt crock pot and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. (until potatoes are tender)

A really great variation of this, that we sometimes do, is in place of dried minced onions, we use chopped fresh green onions, and add in fresh crumbled bacon, (about 6 slices). Serve topped with sour cream!

Hope you enjoy, these are one of our favorite get together side dishes!

Hugs and Blessings,

(as always, if you click on the picture, it will take you to the hostess, Sandra, and you will find many more great Slow Cooking Thursday recipes.)

A simple day in our lives.....

We had a beautiful day here today. I am feeling a tad better, but sick of doing the minimum and Lil E seemed better. I do believe it was allergies for my sweetie pie. Thank God! It was really warm out, for here, this time of the year, but a beautiful day. It was super windy too. Even with the weather, we had some fun outside. We all love living in the country. Daddy was busy farming away today, and so the girls and I were out to have a lil fun. We love all the animals that are around us. The Pasture across from us, has some really beautiful horses. And today we were able to see the sweet foal! It's precious! And the girls loved seeing the baby horse, as Lil E says.

It was back to our regular friends! Buddy and Lucky (This is only Lil E's names for them, not their given names.) She loves loves to feed them carrots, and when they see her, they love to run up to get some loves! Buddy is always super gentle with her! He really is awesome! And she loves him too! He is in the process of being trained, and hopefully she can go on a lil ride soon.

She made her very own, hop scotch deal today, and was busy hopping along.

Back inside, lil K was busy getting us! She loves to roar and get ya! So she was getting Mommy and sissy too!

And she has her sweet lil stuffed puppy, that she loves so much! The girls were each given these cuddly lil stuffed animals, and they both love them. But Lil K is always hugging and loving it!

So I haven't been baking much, and Lil E has been wanting to bake, so I promised her I would! And she tells me, it will make you feel all better Mommy. So how can I resist? I can't! So it was time to go to the kitchen! Lil K was busy playing in the pantry, and Lil E and I were baking up a batch of cup cakes.

Guess what, Lil K learned about cake batter today! It's her daddy's favorite! So we left a little in the bowl so the girls and daddy could each have a sampling! And Boy howdy! Lil K was so mad, when it was all gone! I have never seen her get that upset! She threw herself on the floor for more and was having a big fit! So I know it must be a favorite of hers too!

And here's the recipes, we did get this out of the Taste of Home "Bake Sale" Special Edition. Well we did alter it a tiny bit, it calls for mini chocolate chips and vanilla frosting. Below is the way we did it.

Chocolate Chip Cup Cakes

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix everything except the chocolate chips. Fold those in. Bake in 375 degrees, pre heated oven, for 18 - 22 minutes. Cool and ice with frosting of choice, and garnish with chocolate chips.

We used milk chocolate frosting, and as always milk chocolate chips. They are the most moist cupcakes! So now the wheels are turning for future combinations and flavors!

We all hope and wish each and everyone of you a wonderful day! God Bless you all!

Hugs and Blessings,