Just a few pictures from the last couple of months...

We went from winter snow...

(eating snow ice cream before school)

... to Spring like weather in a matter of days!

oh stormy day

Wednesday as I was sitting in the living room watching some TV before everyone got home for the evening when I noticed that there were some pretty dark storm clouds heading our way. Not too soon after the boys walked through the door. They made it just in time too. Not too long after they came in the sky started getting really dark and the wind started blowing. We decided that since it is very rare that we get good storms these days we would sit outside and watch it and all it's glory.

Sadly our neighborhood got about 5 minutes of rain and 15 minutes of wind while 2 miles away got 2.5" of rain. It was really disappointing. Either way the boys had a fun time riding their bikes outside listening to the thunder and watching the lightning.  

After we were done playing in the drizzle that fell from the sky we headed inside for dinner where I had been cooking these crockpot chicken tacos all day. I originally found the recipe from Chocolate Therapy but made my own taco seasoning instead of using the packaged kind. I just like homemade better than the packaged stuff.

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 1 pkg taco seasoning

1 jar salsa - I used mild pace picante

Taco Seasoning Recipe:

2 tablespoons chili powder

1.5 tablespoons paprika

1.5 tablespoons cumin

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of cayenne pepper

You can double the recipe if you like to have more on hand for a later date! 

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Give it a good stir. 

2. Set on HI and cook for 6-8 hours. Chicken should fall apart when you stir with a fork.

3. Serve chicken on warm flour tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

You can even freeze and use your leftover meat to make an easy Chicken Tortilla Soup!

(recipe to come later)

For the rice:

Rice is one of Tyler's favorite things to eat so when he asked me if I bought the rice just for him I took that as the highest of compliments from a 6 year old. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of long grain white rice

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon oil

Spanish rice seasoning

Knorr Caldo de Tomate seasoning

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the rice and cook until slightly browned.

2. Add the entire can of diced tomatoes with juice, the water, spanish rice seasoning and caldo seasoning.

3. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook on low until rice in cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. 

I Absolutely LOVE Rainy Days

Happy Saturday Lovelies! 

Hope that you had a fantastic week and that you are enjoying your extended holiday weekend.

This week I worked so hard to make my pool super pretty for this weekend. Happily Mother Nature had other plans. We are supposed to get rain all weekend long. And I couldn't be more excited! We desperately need it. In a really bad way. So the more rain the merrier. Plus, as much as I like laying out in the pool, I love sitting on the porch and listening to the rain even more!

Bring on the rain clouds!!!

The most entertaining part was realizing that Miss Molly had never seen the rain. And talk about excited! She ran around the entire yard trying to catch the rain. 

What I love even more than the rainy weather is the fact that I can make rainy day soups! 

Here is one of m super fave rainy day recipes...

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

16 ounces chicken stock

3 tsp flour

2 cups of milk (I used 2%)

1 cup heavy cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes, optional

Garnish:

Colby jack cheese

Green onion

Bacon 

Directions:

1. Heat your chicken stock in a medium saucepan over high heat.

2. Peel, wash and cut up your potatoes. Add to chicken stock, cover and cook until fall apart tender.

3. While the potatoes are cooking whisk together your flour and milk.

4. Once the potatoes are falling apart and looking kind of mushy add the milk/flour mixture and the heavy cream. With a potato masher mash the potatoes until you get a chunky soup consistancy.

5. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Put on low heat and let thicken.

6. Serve garnished with cheese, green onion and bacon.

birthday weekend

*Warning: Lots of Pics*

This last weekend for my birthday we rented a cabin with our friends in Ruidoso, NM. I have always been a barefoot and sandy toes kind of gal so I was pretty reluctant to spend time in the mountains. It was actually farther from the ocean! But I have to say... I'm not sure if I will ever be a beach gal anymore. The mountains were amazing! The air was so clean, the wildlife was everywhere, the roads were fun to drive, the scenery was glorious. Everything about them was amazing!

It was the best birthday a girl could ask for! Our friends are amazing and I am incredibly blessed to have them in my life and be able to consider them family! 

Here are some pics (all taken with my iPhone) of our extended weekend away...

Our first morning there was beautiful!

Trying some French beer and a Green Chili Beer. 

Neither tasted as good as Coors Light.

The best-est friend a girl could ask for!!!

The kids loved playing with the snails!

Putting my feet in the hot tub on a chilly mountain morning.

Divine!

Lake Bonita

Pony races! 

We lost a whole $12 :)

I absolutely loved this weather!

The End

dreaming of a small getaway

With Fall here and the temperatures still in the mid to high 80’s has me dreaming of being somewhere where there is actually Fall going on. One of my #1 places I want to visit is Jackson, Wyoming. They have webcams set up throughout town and the place just looks absolutly gorgeous!

The leaves are already changing colors and the temps are in the mid 50’s during the day.
Perfect weather for Fall!

Just looking at these pics makes me want to put on some old sweats and cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate next to a roaring fire while looking out at an amazing view of the mountains.

My poor Hubby hates the cold so I think I may have a hard time convincing him that we need to leave 80* weather for 40* and 50* weather.

summertime is...

... Mohawks!

Pool Time and the smell of sunscreen

Wildflowers

The smell of an afternoon rain

HOT summer days!

Grilling

Snow cones

 

What does summertime mean to you?

a little bit of randomness

As I was going through the pictures on my phone and thought I would post a few of my instagram photos.

I am hoping this holds you over until tomorrow when I post some pics from the pool :)

Our pool bag ready to go!

This is how I ‘eat’ Oreos.
Just the cream :)
Baylee really enjoys the cookie part.

From when we got rain a few weeks back...

My hard working husband accessing our slab leak

I miss being able to open the windows on cool, rainy mornings *sigh*

It’s actually quite beautiful when it storms here!

Our wonderful everyday summer temps!

Tyler has a bed all to himself, yet he still chooses to sleep on the floor!?

Super cute boots that I really want, but can’t afford because I’m trying to be responsible and use my money for things that we need and not things that we want :)