It was too cold for softball.......

Morgan had a softball game Tuesday at 5 PM. The thermometer in the car said 48 degrees but with the wind chill, it was about 35. Need I say it was COLD????!!! I did remember my thermals and had layers under my jacket but it is just not comfortable to sit on metal bleachers in a 40 mile per hour gusting north wind that is blowing right into your face. I was able to get my ski gloves off long enough to snap a few pictures. And don't let the pictures fool you. The sun WAS out but it was STILL cold.....

Morgan ready to swing. She got several good hits regardless of the cold.... Yahoo!! What a hit!! See the softball at the edge of the picture.....
Morgan is ready to come home from third........
Crossing home plate......

Morgan playing third.......
Thank goodness Robinson won something like a bazillion to nothing. They called the game early because of it. We could finally get out of the cold before the sun went totally down. Her next game is tomorrow night but the weather was much warmer today, although still a bit windy from the south. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more comfortable day to be outside.....

I'm Not Really Crafty But I Try.....

I was reading a magazine a while back and it talked about making a special alphabet book for a child, especially one that lives far away, by using "family" or familiar pictures. I thought it was a cute idea and started getting pics and ideas together. I am making this one for Madison, from her time here with us. I am pleased with it so far. I think it has turned out quite well....

I lost my "witch" word for this page but found it after I took the picture....

Cute, huh??

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I don't usually cook on the weekends but Greg left early this morning to go call some Lil' Dribblers basketball, and Morgan left even earlier to head to a powerlifting meet being held in Navasota, which is almost to Houston. I had run across this recipe in a small magazine that is in our paper on Tuesdays. It sounded easy and I had nearly everything it called for. I put it together while listening to the Baylor girls playing basketball on TV (which the Bears won, by the way). Greg got home about 3:00 PM, and we were both starving. Our breakfast of coffee and cinnamon rolls had run out!! This was really very good soup. It hit the spot!! It is now time for a nap!!

Incredible Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 T. minced garlic
3 C. chicken broth
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 C. mild picante sauce
1 (15 oz.) can ranch style beans, undrained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C. frozen whole kernel corn
1 T. ground cumin
1/2 teas. black pepper
1/2 teas. dried oregano leaves
1/2 teas. chili powder
1/8 teas. paprika
2 C. chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 C. chopped cilantro (we LOVE cilantro!)
Tortilla chips, optional (for us Texans it was a necessity)
Sliced avocados, optional (also necessary)
Sour cream, optional (didn't use this--Greg doesn't like it)
Shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook until onion is tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes, picante sauce, beans, corn, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and cilantro. Cook until thoroughly heated.

3. Ladle into soup bowls and top with tortilla chips, sliced avocados, cheese and sour cream, if desired. Serves 6. TIP: If not serving immediately, add the cilantro at serving time for peak flavor.

Nutrition facts per serving: 310 calories, 8g fat, 23g protein, 31g carbohydrates, 8g fiber.


I love soup and comfort food in the wintertime!!

Productive Day and Spring Fever

Yesterday being President's Day, I had the day off. Other than cooking beans, we worked around the house. Greg washed and cleaned out his truck. The day was a little cool but the sun was great. I think I have spring fever........

This poor bird house looks so lonely and forlorn.......waiting for spring and its new occupants.....

This tree looks so barren......waiting for spring and the awakening of new growth......

And then I am pleasantly surprised by my daffodils (jonquils) blooming.......they are so pretty and are God's promise of spring and new life (grandbaby) and things to come......

Thanks so much Millie!!

When we were in Pensacola at Thanksgiving, Millie made a pot of beans for us one evening. I thought they were navy beans but were a bit bigger. Millie said they were Great Northerns. They were really good and Greg said he really liked them. So several weeks ago, I bought a couple of bags and knew I had a frozen ham bone from a spiral ham that we had at Christmas. I soaked the beans last night and since I was home today, I figured I could check on them. I threw the soaked beans, ham bone, chopped onion, and some chopped celery plus some water in the crock pot on high at about 8AM this morning. A little after noon, I checked them and they were pretty much done. At that point, I threw in some spices, pepper, and took the ham off the bone and put it back in the beans. I turned the crock pot off about 2:00 PM as the beans were done, and made a pan of cornbread. At dinner tonight, Greg pledged his undying love to me for cooking these beans!! He said he had been wanting them for a long, long time because he remembered that his mom used to cook them when he was at home but he never knew what kind of beans they were. Then Morgan comes home later, after having eaten a bowl of beans before she left the house, and she bragged about them as well. So, I was a hit!! Thanks Millie for telling me about Great Northerns!!!

Happy President's Day!

Happy Birthday Beth Kelly!!

Hope you have the wonderful and relaxing day that a sweet sister in law deserves!!

Have a good one!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

El Gato Returns

August 2007

Short version of the story. Greg took the cat to the vet to get her shots so we could take her to the spay clinic to get her fixed. The bill was $90 for the visit, which made us both gasp, but oh well, it had to be done. My comment at that point was "I hate to spend money on a cat that runs loose outside because I figure the next day it will get run over". Low and behold, the next morning we couldn't find her. It was just too strange. Greg searched all day. She has always been good to stay right around the house. I kept telling him she might turn up but he was sure that something had happened to her. When he went outside this morning to let the dog out, I heard his excited exclaimation and he walks in with Kitty!! He tried to pass his excitement off as being glad he hadn't lost his $90, but I think he was just a bit happy that she was back home. If there is such a thing as a good cat, she is one. Madison was not gentle with her but I never once saw the cat try to hurt her. She is a good mouser, too. So we are all happy that Kitty is back home again.

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Happy Birthday Nash Kelly!!

Wishing you the best birthday a nephew can have!!!

Sorry - no picture available. (Isn't that what they say in high school yearbooks?)

Happy Birthday Brother in Law Pat!!

It appears that Pat doesn't care for turkey carving.....is that a tear I see?

Thanksgiving 2006

Hope you have a fun birthday Pat!!

Robinson Powerlifting Team

Meatloaf's for Dinner

In trying to keep up with Kristy's blog, What's for dinner?, I will again share what we dined on. I rushed home from work to make meatloaf, a once dreaded thing in my book. But over the years, I have come to like it. In fact, it was pretty good tonight. I haven't made it in a long time. Unlike in years past when cholesterol and healthy eating in general were not heard of, I used ground turkey for this meatloaf, which is also very economical. A pound tube of frozen ground turkey sells for $.99, which is a bargain. I use it in place of beef in all my recipes.

Knowing how my husband loves stuffed peppers, I generously let him have the one and only bell pepper.
We do try to eat healthy around here. I also made a fruit salad tonight. (This is a beautiful bowl that was given to me by a very special friend from work who is now my boss. When I told him the bowl was way too large, too pretty and too fancy for me to use and what in the world was I to do with it, his response was that I could serve spaghetti in it.......he knows I am a redneck at heart......)

Which will it be?

Hopefully we find out next week......

Happy Birthday Millie!!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful mom, meemaw, and mother-in-law!!

Hope you have a great day!!

Love you bunches,

Greg, Paula, Dustin, and Morgan

Buffalo Wings and $50!!!

In honor of the Superbowl, I had been google-ing for a baked buffalo wing recipe. I was trying to be as "healthy" as possible. We really aren't into wings that much but I thought it would be fun to try them for the occasion. I found several but only tried two. I had 5 pounds of wings. One recipe was baked and then rolled in the spicy seasoning sauce. The other involved boiling the wings in hot spices for 15 minutes, then broiling them in the oven, then rolling them in a spicy sauce. The boiled ones got Greg's vote, and I have to agree. They were somewhat crispy and they seemed less greasy as I assume that most of it went into the boiling water. They were good enough to make again in the future.

And, after 20 years of playing the Superbowl football pot at work, I finally WON!! Two quarters with the score ending in Patriots 7/Giants 3, got me $50!!!! Yahoo!!!

Lunch Today

Marci and Jeremy hosted lunch today. We picked up pizza, Samantha brought yummy stuffed shells that Brandon had made earlier (he was doing guy weekend for the Superbowl somewhere out in the vast wilderness...while the others were hunting, he has no Texas license yet so he was going to "hunt" with his camera) , Nana supplied pecan pie (Greg and Morgan think it is pretty special stuff), and it was nice enough that we had the back door open and sat outside on the deck after lunch.

The existing play yard for the expected offspring.
The nursery of expected offspring....
.........can hardly wait.........

Belated Birthday Wishes to a Sweet Niece!!

OK, the family birthday list I have is a bit old, and a lot of the spouses and even newer children are not on it. Ashley was nice enough to update me with some dates and I must apologize for missing this cutie in January!!!

Hope you had a fun day, Miss K!!

Little Dribblers

Greg spends many Saturdays refereeing Little Dribblers games. This particular Saturday, he had three games starting with 3rd/4th graders and on through 6th grade. At this age, they are just figuring out the concept of basketball, but really not quite understanding what to do. Greg says sometimes it is like trying to herd cats. Occasionally they will even shoot at the wrong goal. Many times he is coach as well as referee.

Here he is watching intently to see who is going to get the rebound.I don't know about you but I can NOT tell who has the ball......and I am not sure Greg can tell either from his expression....
Isn't this a train wreck??? Girls everywhere......and let me tell you, girls just don't mind fighting over the ball!!
This poor child. Greg stopped her before she threw the ball inbounds and told her to stick her tongue out at me.....thankfully she wasn't too scared to smile.......
It was a hard fought game. Check out the final score!!!

The best thing from the games was seeing a team that had the sponsor name of Tradinghouse Bar and Grill. I asked someone about it and was told it was a really good place to eat. We came home, changed clothes, got the motorcycle and headed there. It was a quaint little place out in the boonies (Axtell), where we had really good chicken fried steaks. We will certainly go there to eat again!!

Valentine Haircut

Tipsy got her hair cut this week. She looks so much better. It appears she might not think so.....