Random again?

Okay, so I'm too lazy to find our camera to download pictures from the last month. But here are a few random glimpses into our little world.

1. The above picture is probably the most expensive stuffed animal that we own. I estimate his value with all of his stamps at least fifty dollars. I've noticed several blogs that have "giveaways" lately and I thought about hosting a giveaway for this guy. At least I wouldn't have to worry about shipping.

Nah, I'm too lazy.

2. Allison started Sunbeams today. I sat with her class to help some little youngsters stay "super glued" to their seats (seriously, you should try it). It was so fun to watch her with all the big kids. And I'll admit it, I got a little choked up.

3. Lindsay can't run. She's 19 months and been walking for 7 months, but she can't run. Should I worry or just be very grateful?

4. Steve just had a paper accepted to a European orthopaedic journal. They are doing poster presentations in April. Lisbon, anyone?

**I was just informed that he won't be able to travel to Portugal for the presentation. He's too low on the totem pole.

5. We enjoyed spending the holidays at our house. It was nice and kind of laid back.

6. Lindsay's vocabulary is expanding rapidly. Her new favorite word is "nasty." It is pronounced "na-hee."

7. I'm tired and it is only 8:00pm. Goodnight!

Need a little giggle?

Okay, so I find this totally hilarious. If you want, you can win one at this "seriously, so funny" site.

My quirks

I was tagged over a month ago by my good friend Heather. I've had a little writer's block for the last, oh say, 6 months. But here is my attempt at the tag. Are you ready for a little too much information? Here are the rules:

"MY UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS"
1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you4.
Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

1. I am not a deep thinker. One of my friends once told me that she loved to think "deep thoughts." We were 16 at the time, and she was pretty young and immature. But I'm going to admit it. I'm pretty shallow. I spend most of my time thinking about things that are not going to change the world. (My thoughts might change what we are having for dinner. . . )

2. I love a long hot bath. I have a hard time going to bed at night, but have learned that if I soak in the bath for a while, it helps me to relax. I've told Steve that when we build a house one day, we HAVE to have a big ol' jetted tub.

3. I have a large collection of bowls. Yep, bowls. I worked at Pier 1 in college and I developed a love for mixing bowls. I have at least 15 different mixing/serving bowls and I would buy more if Steve would let me.

4. I am a fast reader. I've always loved to read. I read the last Harry Potter book in about 8 hours. I've developed the ability to read super fast, but I'm not very good at information retention. Because of my poor reading retention, I also like to read the same books over and over. I have a collection of about 50 books that I have read at least 5 or 6 times each.

5. I am a picker. Scabs, peeling sunburns, hangnails, etc. I drive my kids and husband crazy. Steve has really dry flaky skin and I am constantly bugging him about scratching it off. I can't stand it when my kids have dirty ears or noses or dry skin. Lindsay had cradle cap when she was a baby and I just about went nuts. She always had flaky skin in her hair because I would scratch her scalp while she was nursing. Grossed out yet?

Just one more.

6. I would rather clean the bathroom than fold laundry. I HATE laundry. I would rather clean toilets for hours than fold laundry and put it away for 20 minutes. This is why I always have a huge pile of laundry sitting on my couch in the basement. But strangely enough, my bathrooms aren't really that clean . . .

I Tag:

Whoever is ambitious enough to try this one.

Our Little Angel

How is it that this. . .

. . . can become this:

See the whole act:

I'm Baaaaack!

I am so far behind on this blogging thing. I have two tags, a bazillion pictures, and a lot of venting to do. But for now, here's a little something from Allison:

Overheard at the petstore:

Allison: Mommy, I want a pet. Can I get a pet?

Mommy: No, Allison. We would have to sell Lindsay to the gypsies in order to afford to pay for a dog.

Allison: Oh.

Overheard on the way home:

Allison: Mommy, can we sell Lindsay to the gypsies?

Mommy: Hmmm. . .

Our Summer In Review

I know summer was officially over last week, but today was the first day that it really felt like fall here. So here is a little review of the good times we had this summer.

We spent lots of time at the fun farm near our house.




Not to mention the funny farm inside our house.




We had fun chillin' with our fam:


And friends:


We had lots of girl time:


And you know that girl time ALWAYS involves chocolate:


Allison played with her sister from another mother:


We went camping in the living room:


We got sick a few times:


Steve relived the glory days of his youth with his very serious brother:


The girls re-discovered their extended family:



Allie met her favorite "kissing cousin"


We went canoeing while Steve's very serious brother took pictures of us:


Allison decided that she LOVES playing in the water.





And last but not least, we taught my very handsome and very single brother to change a diaper. Now the boy has some skillz:


Sorry about the randomness. It's late and I'm a little tired.

The Whole Enchilada

Okay, these are the BEST ENCHILADAS I'VE EVER HAD. Steve requested them for his last birthday. I would request to eat them for my birthday too, but that would mean I'd have to cook on my birthday. (Sidenote: if anyone else wants to make these for my birthday, that would be super.) If you want me to make them for your birthday, you're going to have to pay me lots of money.

Beef Enchiladas

1(2-3 lb.) roast beef, cooked and shredded
4 cups water
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small can diced chilies
½ (16 oz.) bottle salsa
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. beef bouillon
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheese

Cover shredded beef with water. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for 3 to 4 hours. Drain, reserving all liquid. Fill flour tortillas with beef and set aside

Thicken reserved liquid with flour or cornstarch. Pour a small amount in the bottom of a greased dripper pan. Lay beef-filled tortillas in the pan and cover with remaining sauce. Cover with grated cheddar cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I know that this sounds like a lot of work. IT IS WORTH EVERY MINUTE!! I often use leftover roast beef to make this recipe and only make half. It makes a lot.