What a fun fall weekend!

I have had the pictures uploaded for this post for several weeks now but just never really made the time to sit down and write the words out! HA! So now it is officially late like 11:30p.m. on Tuesday evening and I have finally completed all the tasks for the evening, supper, laundry (never ending), mixing up cookie dough, figuring out snack for 20 pre-k/kindergarten kiddos, creating a grass skirt (from a plastic table cloth) and continuing to handel this whole feeding my child from my body thing. Lord of mercy this has been a long day. So why not stay up a bit longer and actually complete a blog!

A few weekends ago my high school celebrated Homecoming and our little Miss had the honor of being asked to be the little princess. Charlot's swim teacher Reagan was the homecoming queen last year and she was so kind to ask our little one to do this with her.

Of course this honor required a few new outfits and a bucket full of candy to throw in the parade. She was so excited to ride in the parade then get to go on the field at half time of the game to help crown the new king and queen.

Standing in front of the high school gym where I played many many basketball games and where I hope to watch her and her brother play someday. This is after the parade she is hiding the bucket so I won't see that she threw very little candy out, she was saving it just in case.

It was pretty dang chilly the night of the game so Conrad thought Pap's lap was a pretty dang good place to be.

Then Aunt Lauren thought both children would provide an excellent source of body heat.

Such a good looking group. Reagan was so sweet and got Charlot her own little crown to wear for the night.

I think they are some pretty proud grandparents. The thing is we are just as proud to call them Pap and Grandma.

Pictures with Momma and Daddy we are so happy that God decided she was ours.

One last picture of our little princess.

Nacho Soup!!!

I created this little pot of wonderfulness on a whim a few weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Then I remade it last night because it was cold the the perfect evening for SOUP!!! This soup was born out of my necessity to number one use up some leftovers from taco night and two find a taco soup substitute. The hubs is not a fan of the traditional taco soup recipe that most love including me!
But then I started creating this soup with him in mind and the little bit in our house. I knew two things it needed to be soupy(lots of broth), the hubs isn't a huge fan of thick soups, and it needed to be cheesy to please Charlot. Who loves tacos and nachos...and is becoming a fast fan of this soup! Feel free to use leftover taco meat and leftover Spanish rice that is what I did the first time and it was perfect!

Nacho Soup

1/2 Lb hamburger (browned and drained)
1 packet taco season
1 can diced tomatoes (I use the Mexican flavored ones)
1 can corn
1 can green chillies
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Nacho cheese (found near the Velveeta)
1 box chicken Stock
1 cup cooked rice

In a large soup pot, mix Hamburger with taco seasoning and allow to heat through and seasoning to come together with meat. Add all remaining ingredients except rice, stir well to combine! Allow mixture to simmer for 30 minutes then stir in rice just before serving. Top with additional cheese or avocado that's what I like at least! Serve with corn chips!

4 Months

We had a crazy fun weekend at our house with many things to recap which will come in a separate post. But first I must speak about this...Mr. Conrad turned 4 months old over the weekend. How did that happen?!?!?! I know that pretty soon it will be four year and I won't be able to believe that either!

Sir Conrad is the happiest little guy always smiling and calling dolphins (or that's what my Aunt has determined his squeal sounds like) and I have to agree. He is rolling over from back to belly with no trouble at all and is currently working on belly to back.

In additional to talking and rolling all the time, he is a huge fan of meal time. A six ounce bottle goes down real quick about every three hours. But seriously I am a ok with that because he eats between 8:30 and 9 each night and doesn't wake up until 5:30 to 6. Sleep is this momma's friend and man alive am I thankful my children also enjoy sleep.

The latest thing we love to do is chew and drool non-stop. He chews on his hands, his feet, his pacifier, and any toy present. I feel he will have a mouth full of teeth sooner than later.

But regardless of what he is doing we love him so much and are so very happy that God chose him for our family. Momma and sister kiss him way too much so daddy has to keep the manliness up by watching baseball nonstop with him.

We love you Mr. Conrad! 

Freezer Meal Ministry

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I had the honor of spending a few hours this morning with these lovely ladies...doing some of the good Lord's work. In just a few hours and a few trips to Walmart we had made 36 pints of chicken and rice soup, 33 individual lasagnas, and a 4 dozen breakfast sandwiches. The purpose of these meals is to have food ready to be given to those in need. Weather it be a shut-in, a family, a widow or widower, these meals could help make their day so much easier. Food is a basic need and we wanted to be able to fulfill the need.

I am utterly in awe of the work that these ladies completed in a short time. It amazes me the work that can be completed by just a few hands to help others. 

It was such a fun morning working together. 

I guess the purpose of this blog wasn't just to share this fun filled morning but to say why this was so important to me. Every member of a church needs to have a place a place they feel comfortable, useful, and feel they are following the Lords direction. For quite some I have been trying to find my place...yes I am involved in my church always have been but I never really have felt like I had found what the Lord wanted me to do. That was until I saw the sign-up for the service Sunday one of our women's group is putting together. 

One of the categories was freezer meals...I didn't really know what that meant but I knew I loved to cook and help others. Then one Sunday a lady said they were needing someone to take the lead on the freezer meal category. In that moment I knew I had found my place. The next day I had volunteered to get the ball rolling on this. With in the week a meal prep day was planned with ingredient lists and a plan for the day formulated. I simply sent an e-mail asking for volunteers to help plus people to bring ingredients. Seriously within an hour I had all I needed. These ladies could move mountains in minutes I swear!

This morning I felt His presence guiding me and I knew I was doing exactly what I should be doing! So thank you to the members of my church for allowing me to lead this, and thank you to all those who helped make it a success. Lastly the Lord is guiding you...listen he will send you right where you need to be!

Shrimp Tacos with Lime and Jalapeno Slaw

So I read that today is National Taco Day!!! Why didn't I know of this glorious holiday before? And why oh why do I have to work on this day! On top of it being National Taco Day...it is TACO TUESDAY!!! I am finally bringing you a new recipe! But if you take a close look at this picture that is grass in the back ground yes green green grass. Not exactly October grass that is more like spring grass May 24th grass to be exact. You have got it right I have had this recipe ready for a post since May. But it just hasn't happened apparently having a baby, going on maternity leave, managing our house, getting my kid ready for school, starting kindergarten, starting daycare, and going back to work prohibited me from actually achieving this being blogged. 

But trust me it is worth the wait! Especially since it is on this all important holiday! These have quickly become a favorite in our family! Charlot especially LOVES them a requests them pretty much weekly. That kid loves shrimp and when you throw it into a taco it can't get much better. I actually made these for my Daddy-o and the Hubs for Father's Day and they both were quite pleased with their delicious dinner. 

Any who here is the recipe make these tonight to celebrate! We won't be having tacos tonight in celebration we had tacos Saturday night, nacho soup Sunday night, and taco bowls Last night. I feel it is time for a change although if I put tacos on the table tonight the other two solid food eaters in my home would rejoice. They are sure to turn into a taco! 

Shrimp Tacos with Lime and Jalapeno Slaw

1 lb Large Raw Shrimp (Peeled and Deveined) 

1 Can Mango Nectar (can be found in the Hispanic Section of your store) 

1 TSP Chipolte Powder

1 TSP Cumin

1 Garlic Clove (Minced)

1 TSP Salt

1 Lime (Juice and Zest)

Charred Tortillas 

1 bag of Slaw Mix

1 Jalapeno diced (seeds and membrane removed)

1/2 Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4 Mayo (use the real stuff)

1 lime (Juice and Zest)

1 TSP Apple Cider Vinegar

Splash of milk to thin

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Mix Shrimp, Nectar, Chipolte Powder, Cumin, Garlic, Salt, and Lime in a large zip top bag and marinate for at least 1/2 an hour and up to a hour. In the meantime mix slaw dressing of yogurt, mayo, lime, vinegar, milk, salt and pepper stick it in the fridge for flavors to combine. Don't Dress the slaw until ready to serve you want the cabbage to still have some crunch. Heat a large skillet with EVOO. Remove shirmp from marinade, sear off the shrimp careful to not over cook. Char some tortillas either over your gas flames or with your broiler. Dress the slaw. Place 4-5 shrimp in a tortilla top with some slaw and serve!