Happy Birthday Lisa!

Happy 30th Birthday to my beautiful sister Lisa!!

Lisa is one of my BEST friends! We have always been the best of buds! She was the fairy princess and I was prince charming when we were little *grins* I love the way she is always so open and honest about everything. If I ever had a crisis or even just a crazy question she would be right there with a big hug and a great answer.

Lisa has ALWAYS been the pioneer of our family. I am SO incredibly thankful I have her as an older sister to experience things and test the waters before I have to jump in. I have followed her to school and in playing the violin, got braces after her, met boys after her, got married after her *laughs* She is always looking out for me!

Lisa and I always laugh when we're together and I love making her laugh! And although I'm responsible for several scars on her knees (sorry about those freak tricycle accidents) *winks* she has literally saved me from drowning at least two times!

Lisa is such a wonderful mom! I am so proud of her and her two sweet boys. That is just one more thing that I can't wait to follow in her footsteps. I love the way she researches everything and knows so much about things, childbirth, politics, exercising, cooking, everything!

I love you Lisa and I hope you have an amazing birthday!!

Freda Burritos

OH.MY.GOODNESS. my Mom makes THE best burritos! Mouth watering, savory, cheesy, warm, can't stop eating them good!

She made some of her famous "Freda Burritos" while Julie was down visiting and I begged her to share her recipe.
They are really flexible, in fact, she said if you didn't have one of the ingredients on hand, like the pinto beans, you could just leave that part out and they'd still be good!

So, here you go *grins*

Freda Burritos

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 can Chili (10 oz)
1/2 can Pinto Beans
3/4 cup instant rice, cooked
1 can Rotel
3/4 cup Picante Sauce or Salsa
Burrito mix (may need to add some water)
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Tortillas

After browning the beef add the Burrito mix, chili, pinto beans, rice, rotel and picante sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the meat mixture into the tortilla with a dab of sour cream and shredded cheese.
Roll up and put in a microwave safe dish.

Once all the burritos are in the dish sparsely cover the top of them with a bit of reserved meat mixture and top with shredded cheese, pay attention to the corners and edges.

Microwave on high for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve up and enjoy! I like to have these with some chips and salsa or maybe even a Mexican rice mix....oh boy, my mouth is watering *grins*

Thanks Momma!

Labor Day Weekend

Kenny and I had a fun filled Labor Day Weekend in Kansas visiting his family.

We drove up on Saturday morning and got to Topeka just in time to pick up Taco Casa for lunch, Kenny's favorite *grins* We ate lunch at Kenny's Mom and Dad's house and got all caught up with them and then decided to go for a run at Iilif Commons Trails.

OH! It is such a great place! It is a large park like area with some ponds and a large 5k running trail that one sweet lady takes care of all by herself. She even mows the trail by hand every week! Wow, she must be in great shape *grins*

Denny and Kenny both went at their own pace, I think Kenny ran the ENTIRE 5k! And Cecilia and I jogged the trail together (but not the whole thing)! It really was a fun time. The trail winds in and out of a little forest and some parts of it are REALLY steep there is even a rope "hand rail" that you can use to "climb" your way out, Wow! I really had a fun time!

After jogging we went home and had burgers and fries and watched some sports on tv. Then Kenny opened up his birthday gifts. He got a really amazing gift card to Home Depot and a Jayhawks pull over jacket from his Mom and Dad and some wonderful Calvin Klein after shave and a generous gift card from his Grandma.
Sunday morning we got up bright and early and had a delicious breakfast casserole that Kenny's Mom made for us! The boys weren't too excited about the red and green peppers on top, but it was yummy!

We all enjoyed a really great sermon at Denny and Cecilia's church, Mayetta Christian Church. The people there are always so welcoming and kind. The pastor always comes and says hello to us and even remembers mine and Kenny's name! They also had a birthday card for Kenny! Wow!

After church we stopped by to visit Kenny's Nana and have lunch with her. She is so very sweet. I always love getting the chance to spend time with her.
Kenny had to leave a little early to go with his Dad to a Fantasy Football draft, so we girls, Cecilia, Nana and I finished lunch and then Cecilia and I headed off to do some shopping! We went to the Mall and to a KU/K-State store and even to Wal Mart *grins* we just had a blast hanging out!
After the shop-a-thon we went back home to meet up with the boys and then Jeff and Jessica and the kiddo's brought Via's pizza over for dinner! Oh-o it was GOOD! I got to try the Caribbean Pizza with Jerk Chicken and pineapple and olives mmmmm it was good *smiles*

After dinner the boys were all playing a bit of basketball and then everyone played a huge game of Ultimate Frisbee. I got one amazing catch in, but then I got drafted by Olivia to play a different game....we played a My Little Pony puzzle and I must say, I was better at that than Ultimate Frisbee *laughs* It's always fun to spend time with Kenny's family!

Monday morning we had a tasty pancake breakfast! We just spent the morning chatting and lazing about and finally got our bags together and headed off to see Kenny's Grandma.

We ran some errands and picked up Taco Tico for lunch then stopped by and chatted with Grandma while we ate. She is such a special lady! Such a great hostess and easy to talk to! I want to be like that!

We left Grandma's about 2:00 and started the drive for home. What a great way to spend Labor Day Weekend!!

Birthday and Fantasy Football

I just wanted to share Kenny's birthday with everyone...

After work I made a cake for him, so it was making the house smell all yummy by the time Kenny got home. *grins*

It just so happens that he had a live fantasy football draft online on his birthday *winks* Kenny is actually in THREE fantasy football leagues this year, one with his family (I'm in that one too!! woo hoo), one with his brother and friends, and one with the good old boys from college...this is the one that did a live draft online.

You should have seen him typing back and forth, cracking up and having a great time catching up with all those boys! Man what fun!

Well, they got the draft all done and he's got the SAME quarter back in all three leagues, Tom Brady. That's an amazing coincidence *laughs*

After fantasy fun we ate dinner and Kenny opened his gifts from me...
A "Throw ball" tee-shirt (this is kind of a joke on football because soccer is "real" football, I mean, really...how often do NFL players touch the ball with their foot? *laughs*), a bunch of football trading cards (he loves to buy and sell those on ebay), a new video game for his xbox 360 called Bioshock (this is a creepy game! I can only play for a few minutes before I have to turn the reins over to Kenny to finish up for me!) and I made him a photo scrapbook of our Yellowstone Vacation adventure. He was so sweet looking at the book, exploring every page and admiring the writing and quotations! I love that guy!!
We enjoyed some cake and played his video game until it was time for bed *grins*

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Today is a very special day!!! It's my sweet hubby's twenty eighth birthday!! I remember when I was younger I always thought twenty eight was the perfect age to be. Like a mature gorgeous barbie doll or something. You'd be out of college, married, successful, happy and just perfect. Of course now that it's only months away (for me) it seems like it's just pretty close to thirty...eeeek! *grins*

But, you know...thirty actually doesn't seem that bad either. *smiles*

I can't even begin to describe the love that I have for my sweet Kenny. I just feel so utterly blessed that he found me and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him! Wow!

*photo by Stephanie Weeks

One of my favorite things about Kenny is his loving heart. I get to see that love demonstrated on a daily basis. I am amazed that he LOVES me!?! His first thoughts are always about what would make me happy or more comfortable.

I also get to see his love demonstrated at his school. The way he honestly sincerely cares about each and every one of his students. He often gives up his free time and even lunch to make sure that they are successful. He spends every evening after school coaching his soccer team and often stays even later to make sure everyone is picked up or he'll give them a ride home!

I love the way Kenny loves his family. He loves spending time with them and gets so excited about a chance to visit home. His precious heart for his Grandma and Nana just makes me melt.

I love the way Kenny loves my family. He always has a great time when we all get together. He loves the chance to just sit and talk with my Mom and Dad and is just "one of us" now. *grins*

I especially love Kenny's heart for God. To see him follow God's calling on his life, watch him read his Bible, and know his passion for Christ. I love when we're able to discuss things and am just blown away that we share so many values and are alike in so many ways.

In case you couldn't tell, I really love this guy! I could go on and on about how great he is! But, I'll just end with one more sweet gesture that he did for me...

Last night when we got home from our drive back from Kansas I wasn't feeling too great. I was achey and sinus-hurty and just tired. He whisked into the bathroom, ran a bathtub full of warm water and bubbles just for me, lit a yummy pineapple candle (thanks Julie we love it!) and told me to soak my cares away.
Wow!! What a perfect surprise!! I was just amazed! Who could ask for a sweeter husband?? *grins*

Kenny, I love you more than you'll ever know! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and that each passing day just gets better and better!

Banana Bread

I don't know about you guys, but every time I go to the grocery store I convince myself that I need to buy some bananas. I love bananas and they're good for you, you're supposed to eat lots of fruits and vegetables....I could definitely start eating one a day!

So, I buy them and eat one occasionally and eventually end up with a fruit bowl of over ripe bananas. I think the problem is I'm overly picky about the ripeness of my bananas. They have to be barely yellow, maybe with just a hint of green still showing, absolutely NO brown, not even brown spots or they're too ripe to eat.

But....not to ripe for banana bread!! Yay! So, in my quest for the perfect banana bread recipe, I discovered this one over at simplyrecipes.com. It makes a really moist yummy bread!

By excitedly requesting the recipe, my Mom and sister Julie actually inspired me to share it here on my blog *grins* So, without further adieu...

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

I usually end up cooking it a little longer than an hour, but I think that's because my oven is older than I am *laughs* I just insert a toothpick in the center to check it for doneness.

My Mom also adds some nuts to the recipe, walnuts or pecans. It's really tasty!

So, if you ever see a fruit bowl of over ripe bananas I hope you can try this one out!

Jeff & Jessica

Oh what a FUN time we've had hanging out with Kenny's brother Jeff and sister in law Jessica!! They came down from Kansas to spend a few days with us and we've just loved every moment.

We FINALLY got that guest bathroom finished, so they got to sleep in their own bedroom and have their own bathroom too!! Woo Hoo! *grins*

They arrived on Wednesday evening and after we toured them around our house we enjoyed dinner. Then Jeff and Kenny got to try out Jeff's cool soccer video game and Jessica and I decided to have some girl time!! *smiles*
We painted our nails and I painted my toenails and we just talked and laughed and had a blast! She is such a fun gal! We were having too much fun, we all finally went to bed about 1:00am.

Kenny and I had to work on Thursday and Friday, so Jeff and Jessica were on their own, but hopefully they got to relax and swim in the pool and just enjoy some rest. *smiles*

Thursday night we all went out to eat up in Edmond at Goldie's. We were trying to find the awesome restaurant that was featured on Diners Drive-in's and Dives on the Food Network....it turns out the one they featured was actually Nic's Grill, but we had a fun time at Goldie's anyway. *winks* (I think Jeff and Jessica got to eat at Nic's on Friday for lunch!)
After we got back home Jeff and Jessica went for a swim. Jeff eventually came inside to re-challenge Kenny to the soccer video game, so I went out and swam with Jessica. I was afraid the water was going to be a little chilly since the weather is starting to cool off, but it actually felt great! Nice and refreshing, and we got to talk again for a long time!

Jessica had to get back to Kansas on Friday evening, so Jeff and Kenny and I all went downtown to see Doc Blues and his band play some blues music.
We discovered them last year when Jeff came down to visit us and just had to go back. They have a patio outside right above the bricktown canal and it's fun to just sit and relax outside and enjoy some live music.

They are so fun and really talented! I actually discovered that the lead guitarist (on the left in the photo up above) used to go to church with me at Putnam City Baptist Church! Wow, it's a small world *grins*

Saturday we all had some fun time in the pool playing Swimming Pool Baseball! I was a newbie at this, but it's a game that Kenny and Jeff created in their Nana's pool when they were kiddo's! You have a "pitcher" throw the beach ball and the "batter" hits the ball with their arm and swims all around the pool to touch each of the bases! Wow-o-wow! It is so much fun! and harder than you'd imagine! We just had a blast!!

We can't wait until they come down to see us again!! We love you guys!!