If you don’t win…

Dave and Bailey were playing tennis on the Wii and Bailey had the great idea that the loser would have to eat 5 wasabi peas.  Dave lost, which was thrilling to me because I’d been trying to get him to try them forever and I just knew he’d love them.

In they go.

I don’t think he’s enjoying them.

At this point he’s screaming, “WATER!!”

He’s a big baby.

My little girl had to prove that she could handle it.  Check out the face as she downs 5 peas.

 

How great is this?

Dave’s parents got us a webcam for Christmas. Now the kids can talk to their Grammy & Grandpa in person any time they want! Bailey had fun trying it out tonight!

I’m down to posting recipes

So, since I have no motivation for el bloggo, I figured I might as well post some recipes. I’ll add one any time I feel like it- you have to try it and let me know how it turned out! I’ll even give you some long handed down recipes!

The first recipe is Dave’s grandmother, Babs’ enchilada recipe. Babs is from Spain. I guess I say that because these are relatively authentic…and simple! Boy, do we miss Babs.

Babs’ Enchiladas

2 lbs ground beef or more depending on number of enchiladas
1 package Chorizo sausage (don’t leave out- it’s the secret!)
Chopped black olives
Green onions
Grated Cheddar cheese – sharp or extra sharp
Flour tortillas
Enchilada sauce (canned – big cans or about 4 little ones)

*Brown beef
*Add cooked chorizo to beef and mix well
*Warm tortillas to make them easier to fold.
*Put light layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of baking pans
*Fill each tortilla with beef and chorizo mixture
*Add some chopped olives
*Add some chopped green onions
*Add some cheese (do not be stingy with the cheese)
*Fold sides of tortillas over mixture (you can use tooth pics to secure if too full. *Place enchiladas, folded side down in baking pan.
*Once baking pans are full with enchiladas, ladle enchilada sauce over all enchiladas.
*Cover enchiladas with grated cheese.
*Place aluminum foil over enchiladas
Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes, until hot
Extra enchilada sauce should be available when serving enchiladas

Enjoy!

My lovely weekend

Yes, I know it was 27 degrees at times, but my weekend was wonderful because my very best friend, Lesley and her little boy, Giovanni, came in town for 3 days.  We packed a lot into those three days!

First, I took off work on Friday and we went to The Flying Biscuit, my very favorite breakfast spot. I had my favorite- eggs on top of love cakes (black bean corn cakes) smothered in tomatillo sauce, sour cream and feta cheese, with a side of grits and flying biscuits with cranberry apple butter of course.

Lesley had her first fried green tomatoes, which were covered with goat cheese-yum!  G had oatmeal pancakes which had a very strange texture from the oatmeal, but were totally addicting!

Here is G in the restaurant.

Then, we headed over to Perimeter mall.  I haven’t been there in ages- it is so nice.  I was pretty peeved that they don’t have a Hollister.  I mean, really.  Who the heck doesn’t have a Hollister??  That was the main reason for me going to the mall- Christmas presents of Hollister t-shirts (on sale of course) for Jake.  But, finding my new favorite store, Anthropologie, made it all worth while.  I’ve decided that if I ever win the lottery, I’m just going to buy the whole store. 

After that, we head home to take the kids to their birthday dinner- Japanese steakhouse, of course.  Bailey turned 9 on the 13th and Jake turned 12 on Monday.  The kids had fun with the warm hand towels.

…about Dave’s head…I’ll just leave you with “stupid human trick” and you can use your own imagination…

This was Giovanni’s first time at a hibachi and I was kind of concerned.  I shouldn’t have been- he had a blast! This was the look on his face the whole night.

Our hibachi chef was quite funny.  He even posed for me!

I also had the best drink I’ve ever had.  Seriously.  You know how much I love lychees.  They are absolutely my favorite thing.  My favorite fruit, my favorite drink (which I can only find at the Asian market),  my favorite candy (again- Asian market only) my favorite flavor of all time.  Well, new to America is Soho Lychee Liquor.  Yee haw! They made a drink there with it and it was just lychee yumminess.  Next time I go, I’m making them give me the recipe. Here is the loveliness which is my new favorite beverage.

After that, we headed over to my mom and dad’s house to drop Jake off to spend the night.  They brought out their bin of ooooold McDonald’s toys and we all had fun. I think Lesley and I had more fun than the kids!

The next day we headed out to Stone Mountain Christmas.  Lesley just couldn’t get over how amazing Stone Mountain was!

It is pretty darn cool!

Here are my goofballs.

This would have been a cool Christmas card, had Jake not made a silly face.

After walking around the Christmas village for a little bit, we decide to go up the mountain on one of these.

Jake keeps telling me he doesn’t want to go up and can’t understand why he can’t just wait in the car.  LOL  By the time we get in line, he is hysterical- he is sobbing, hitting me and calling me an idiot.  Um, yeah.  My response?  Suck it up, be a man, you.are.going.on.the.skytram.  Here he is halfway up the mountain.

We made it to the top!

There is nothing like a sunset on top of a mountain!

Jake LOVED running around the top- it looks like the surface of the moon.

So, we’re ready to ride down and somehow, Jake talks Lesley into hiking down with him while Bailey and I take G town on the Skytram. Great idea, right?  Sure, the hike wasn’t bad.  But, the fact that it took them around the other side of the park and they had to walk miles back to the Christmas Village was just not in the plans.  So, an hour later, with wobbly legs, they finally find us!

And then my camera dies…

If you have kids and you haven’t gone to Stone Mountain Christmas yet, I recommend it.  The village is adorable, the Christmas Train ride was great, unfortunately we didn’t get to see the 4-D Polar Express, but we’ll get that next time.  The best part was the Snow Angel show at the end- fireworks, snow (soap suds) falling from the sky and a real flying Snow Angel- she was actually flying above us- held up by wires.  It was very cool!

The next day, they went home and I cried, as always.

Goodbye!

Not that I’ve been updating recently- the begining of the school year really wears me out- but Dave and I leave on our 7 day cruise on Saturday.  We begin the trek down to Florida tomorrow!  I can’t wait to blog about it!

Fourth of July fun

We went to my parents for fourth of July.  When you walk to the end of their street, you can walk up a hill and have a perfect view of the RHS fireworks, without all the traffic and crowds! 

Here we are getting ready to make smores with some ridiculously aromatic (think stinky) pinon wood.

Here is Tim and his friend, Maura.

My dad and Dave chillin.

My mom is enjoying one of about 20 marshmallows charcol briquettes that she ate that night.

Dave & Bailey enjoying a little lovin’.

Ah, so that’s where Bailey gets her famous sneer!

Now that’s better!

Wondering where Jake is?  He’s visiting his other grandparents in Florida for almost 3 weeks!

Six Flags

So, Dave and I took Bailey to Six Flags today with the great free teacher/student passes I got at school.  Bailey loved the rides- her favorites were the Mind Bender and the Scream Machine.  She didn’t like the Ninja- headache- or the The Georgia Cyclone- backache.  We had a great time and even got caught under the waterfall on Thunder River!  The bad part- 3 hours of traffic on the way home.  Yep, you heard me right.  What should have been 45 minutes took 3 hours to get home.    Also, they lost our pictures, so we were unable to capture the photo of Bailey’s first trip to Six Flags. 

Happy Father’s day- part 2

Bailey made Dave a hat for Father’s Day.  She knitted the whole thing by herself- I just helped end it.  Isn’t it so manly?  LOL

Happy Father’s Day

Jake & Bailey made some lovely cakes for their dad at Publix!

 

Bailey’s cake

Jake’s cake

 

Not for the squeamish