Bear and Soccer

Soccer started for Bear today. And I think he will have lots of fun. Especially after we teach him how to go after the ball even when it gets away from him. He got a little frustrated when this one little boy who was a stud, kept getting the ball and making goals. But man he put in some good effort to try to make goals. I'm sure the next game will be even better. And then T-ball, the fun never ends. Of course Cooper had to get out there and mix things up, he so wants to be a big kid.

Just a little bit

Somebody out there requested an update to the blog. Along with pictures, well I have some pictures to show but not really any with those beautiful faces everyone is looking for.

The other day we went to see all the butterflies at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. It would have been great if one: I did not have to carry Cooper or at least had him on my back, two: Bear would have listened, three: I could have taken pictures with my longer lens, which is hard with a small child who likes to reach and touch things. Oh well I did get some good ones with my new lens, so much fun by the way.





And then I had fun making treats for my mom’s group bake sale. Thanks to Anjie and her wonderful idea for V-day treats. I just used an oval shape to make “eggs” and they turned out wonderful. The kids really seemed to enjoy them. Cooper got one that did not have any chocolate on it and he went to town. I don’t think I could have pried it away from him, without inciting a war. He has such a little sweet tooth.

Yummy!

Ok so many of you know that I do not eat a whole lot of meat and what little meat I eat I try to disguise it so that I do not notice the flavor or taste. Or the fact that it is meat. Really when it comes down to I just do not like meat. I really should give it up all together, but I would miss this recipe and a few others. Hmmm time will tell, Ben might be a little sad without meat in his life.

So tonight we had soccer practice and instead of freaking out and trying to cook dinner at 4:30p or run through a drive thru, I think I hate that even more than meat, I made a meal in the crock pot. After talking with a new acquaintance about my meal plan for the week, she suggested Taco Soup. A great stand by favorite of ours, and many households. You know the one where you basically open up four cans, dump it in with some spices and add some meat. Well I never, or very rarely use any ground meat so my taco soup is always chicken. And I pretty much never use taco seasoning, because I can just toss in the seasoning that I like and make it work. And I usually forget to put in the ranch dressing package but this time I remembered.

Mostly because I happen to have this friend from college who has started her own homemade seasoning company, Lloyd and Buck, with loads of great offerings. I happen to have a jar of her Giddyup! Ranch Dressing mix and so I added some of that. My taco soup was way yummy. I think the mix really made the difference tonight. And I'm pretty sure that I will not be forgetting to add this one tasty ingredient in my soup again. So go check out her site and see for yourself, all her yummy offerings. We have also gotten the Warm & Cozy Hot Chocolate, the kids loved it. I think we will have more of those jars in our future.

If for whatever reason you happen not to have a taco soup recipe just send me a quick note and I will give you the low down on what we drop in ours. Sometimes it varies as to what is in my pantry but hey it is a great stand by and works wonders for multiple people. Plus if you add in the Giddyup! Ranch Dressing you will love it forever. Happy Eating my friends.

Kansas

Last weekend we went to Kansas to visit Ben’s youngest sister and her family. The kids had so much fun visiting with their cousins. They went sledding, made personal sized pizzas and just had fun playing and being kids. Plus it gave Ben and I a chance to have some fun adult time with his sister and her husband. Everyone did great on the drive up and down; hopefully we’ll be able to get together another time before they move.