DipTacular

It's that time of year again...football season is almost here!  If you live in the South (and I'm sure other areas of the country- ha!), you know this is a big deal.  Tailgating, football parties, and of course these will include lots of good food, especially dips.  These are a few of our favorites and for lots more head over to BooMama's for Diptacular '11

BLT Dip
Ingredients:

1 pound bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 tomato - peeled, seeded and diced

Directions
1.Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels.
2.In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and sour cream. Crumble bacon into the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Mix in tomatoes just before serving.
3.If you want to add the "l" you can use belgian endive to dip with or fritos.

Pepper Dip
Ingredients:
24 oz container sour cream 1 can rotel tomatoes, drained
1 container garlic and herb Alouette cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup each- finely chopped red, yellow, and green bell pepper
(If you are Tennessee fans like us you can use all orange peppers!)
1/2 finely chopped green onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
 
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill
2.  Serve with bagel chips
 
Crock Pot Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
A well known recipe but worth including because what is better than a dip in a crock pot?  Plus, it has special meaning to our family because when Anna Cate was barely 3 years old, we had a football party and she took a big bit of this and said ver loudly, "This tastes like s**t!"  Lovely.  Now she loves it.
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
8 oz. cream cheese cubed
1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced
 14 oz can  artichokes, drained and finely chopped
1 lb. fresh spinach, finely chopped or 1 10z pkg. frozen spinach, drained and chopped
 
Directions: 
1.  Combine the ingredients in a crockpot.
2.  Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until hot and bubbling.  Stir occasionally.
3.  Serve with tortilla chips

Today...

no appliance-repair man until 5 pm...
no pm nap for the littles due to errands and a super fun play date after school for the big kids=
One tired/ grateful Momma

Dear Mr. Appliance Repair Man,

When I told you on the phone today that it is vitally importnat that you fix my washing machine today, I meant it.  I thought that by sharing with you that I typically do 3 to 4 loads of wash per day, you would understand the importance of my problem.  Because you didn't show today, I am forced to close my eyes when I look at the kid's laundry baskets.  Maybe your phone battery is dead and that is why you didn't answer my marathon of calls this afternoon?  Please know that my eye is twitching at the idea of the amount of laundry I will be faced with if you don't show tomorrow and the eye twitch is never a good thing.

Sincerely yours,
A desperate-to-do-laundry-Mama

Angels

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.  God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married.  Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived."  Matthew 20 (The Message)

This was one of the verses presented to our class today in Sunday School with the question, "What does trust mean?"  Our Sunday School leader followed this up with, "Do you believe in angels?  How would you react if you had such a dream?"

I was immediately taken back to about 8 years ago.  Very unexpectedly we found out we were expecting a baby.... it wasn't in "the plan", but we were beyond excited.  We knew things were off to a rocky start, but because we were naive, we got through a very painful weekend.  I couldn't believe I was already showing (I was actually bleeding internally due to an eptopic pregnancy and ruptured tubes), nor could I believe people did this more than once given how awful I felt.....so naive.  Three days later I was rushed to surgery and told had I have waited 1 hour longer to come to the ER, I would have died.

Before I was taken back to surgery, I remember a nurse coming in the room and praying with me.  Todd had gone outside to call our parents and I was so upset, having just been told I would never be able to conceive a baby naturally.  I remember her placing her hands on my stomach and praying for my safety during the durgery and for the babies who would grow in me in the years to come.  Those words were just what I needed at that time, and in the months that followed. 
In the appointments that followed the surgery, I described and mentioned the  nurse to everyone, but no one knew who I was speaking of...I do believe she was my angel of hope at a time that we really needed it. I absolutely prayed on those words as we were told we would have to do IVF ( not something we even knew about).
While the idea of Mary and Joseph accepting their fate with such trust and acceptance is beyond anything I can understand, I do believe God places people in our path when He knows we need need help and I do believe that nurse was an angel.

It Ain't Easy

I had planned on us facing some issues during 1st grade...

I had even written them down with hopes of checking them off the list as we dealt with them

(because I do love checking things off a list)

But we are facing some issues I hadn't planned on or put on the list, and it is tough.

1st grade has me on my knees praying every night and praying in pick-up line every afternoon.

I need a how-to book for 1st grade.

I need guidelines for when to let them handle it themselves and when to be their advocate.

I need guidelines for when to let them fail and when to offer a helping hand.

I guess as much as I want my children to learn to stand on their own 2 feet, I still want to protect them even though I know they have to learn to bring home their homework agendas, deal with different personalities, and to understand the fine line between turning the other cheek and defending yourself.

1st grade is a whole new ballgame.

Making me smile....

This juicer that belonged to Todd's grandmother.  He has great memories of helping her make orange juice in the mornings after spending the night at her house.  Our children love it and look for any opportunity to use it.  Since we were left with a lot of lemons that we used for the baby girl's birthday party, AC thought we should make lemon meringue pie

Unfortunately, the inside was a little watery and the meringue didn't do what it was supposed to, but it was still yummy!

These chubby hands and feet in red mary jane's...



don't worry...one foot was cut out of the photo.

Good Times

Love weekends like this one....

easy pace, fun family and friends in town, and we made it to Sunday School and church!

 Cousin AJ andhis girlfriend, Charlotte...

... plus cousin Rachel. 

We spent the day browing the shops downtown and having a great lunch followed by a stop for cupcakes and cookies.

 Lyla James and AJ sharing her first chocolate chip cookie.

 plus Aunt Carol

 Anna Cate was hooked to Charlotte's and Rachel's hips all day.  She cried herself to sleep when they were leaving.

This is how we've been finding Brian asleep lately...that football is a part of him!

A quick snap before Sunday School and Church this morning...no time for a do-over!