Snow Days!

Today is snow day #3 for our school system and Mike has already cancelled school for tomorrow!  Kyle stresses about every day missed because he is afraid it is taking his pool time at the summer away:)  Like most of the country we have had crazy, frigid temps with a bonus couple inches of snow. 

Each snow day I have tried to tackle a big project.  Yesterday Hope and I made freezer meals when life gets busy again.  This girl loves to be in the kitchen with me.  Snow days are a good day to have her cook with me because we are not rushing to put dinner on the table before heading out to an evening event. 

Doesn't the snow look so pretty?  The kids really want to go out and romp and play but the frigid temps have made that not an option. 

One of the meals that we made that was a hit was Cheesy Chicken Chalupas.  Here is the recipe for this easy, yet impresive meal. 

Cheesy Chicken Chalupas

2 cans of cream of chicken
16 oz. of sour cream
4 oz of green chiles (I only used half the can roughly 2 ounces because we are not big fans)
3 green onions choppped (I went light on these also)
1/2 onion chopped
3 cups of cheddar cheese
4 to 5 chicken breasts cooked and diced (a rotissere chicken would work well also)
8 10 inch tortillas
2 cups of shredded colby jack cheese

Mix together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, both onions and chiles, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl.  Then scoop out 1 1/2 cups to reserve for topping for later.  In the original bowl add chicken to the mixture.  Spoon chicken mixture into the middle of the tortillas.  Roll them up and lay them side by side in a baking pan.  Spread reserved soup mixture over the top of the rolled up tortillas.  Sprinkle with colby jack shredded cheese.  Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for one hour.  If you want them crispier you can broil for a minute or two at the end of baking. 

I served it with a salal and everyone but David ate it. Leftovers were great today for lunch!

Besides my cleaning and cooking spree we have also been playing board games in the evening.  Hope loves to play her princess Yahtzee game.  We are a very competive bunch!! Ha!

 

David got so cold at supper tonight we wrapped himself up in a blanket!  Baby it is cold outside!!!! 

My Belly Hurts

During our New Year's Eve progressive dinner the joke of the night was my belly.  It has caused me lots and lots and lots of pain over the Christmas break.  I am not ignoring it and I have already had a few tests done and have more scheduled soon to try to find out why I am so punky.  I cannot really eat without paying a big price. Prevacid, Mylanta, and grilled chicken are my new BFF's :(

So while the rest of my family slumbers their nights away, I have been up.  I catnap between my stomach pains, while I frantically try to recount what I have eaten that has caused this pain.  I have visited the ER in the last two weeks and really thought I was on my way to see Jesus in real life. 

I am not usually a night owl kind of girl, but I have been lately.  I have spent the time reading a new Wally Lamb book and praying.  I have no real resolutions this year (Mike's did not work out too well for him last year:)  but my plea and prayer is that we as a family will represent Jesus well.  I pray that in our parenting and in our lives we will model doing the right thing and representing Jesus well to those that may not know him very well. 

Representing Jesus is easy when I am writing this blog late at night with my bible open.  Representing Jesus well is easy at church when I am singing my heart out to our Lord or scribbling sermon notes on my bulletin.  Representing Jesus is easy when I am handing out hygiene kits at the food pantry once a month or teaching in our after school program at church.

I pray in 2014 my personal representing Jesus goes beyond a few moments of my weekly life.  I pray that I can model Jesus well for my children when we are running late, behind someone slow, and David forgot his backpack AGAIN.  I pray that when someone hints unkindness towards my hubbie on a public forum that I can truly pray for them and not want to lash back with sass.  I pray that in my marriage I will be a voice of compromise instead of trying to get that last word in. 

Colossions 3:17

And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

That is the verse that tells me that whatever I am doing-laundry, teaching, parenting, watching my children pay sports, etc... I am representing Christ. 

That is pretty easy in church or some other mission-minded program.  My challenge for this year is to try to live for Christ when I am in the bleachers at a ballgame and some punk other sweet basketball player pushes my Kyle down.  I hope I represent Jesus well when extended family drama flairs up and I want to be alot a wee bit righteous.  I want to represent Jesus well when I hear someone talk unkindly about my husband.  (Lets face it-it is January and facebook will be buzzing very soon about snow decisions my husband and his team will make).  Those are the moments where our character is tested.  I pray that when it is all said and done my life will point more people towards Jesus than away from Him. 

I pray I represent Him well even when my poor belly hurts:)

New Years Eve!

Last night we gathered with a dear group of friends for our fourth anual progressive dinner.  Sadly illness knocked out two families:(  They were missed for sure. 

We started the night out at our house for appetizers and dirty bingo.  I grew up playing this game on Christmas Eve and we decided it would be a fun game to introduce to our new years party.  Basically you have a bunch of gifts in the middle of the group.  Each person lists five numbers on a piece of paper.  Then numbers are called and you can go get a present when your number is called.  If your number is called and there are no presents left in the middle then you can steal some one else's present.  Of course the kids had a ball! 

Kyle and I had gone to the dollar tree earlier in the day to pick out some random and fun gifts.  Kyle thought it would be funny to wrap up a plunger.  We wrapped it fancy in this gift bag and everyone kept stealing it from each other just knowing it must be a big and fancy prize.  When the game was over Brett ended up with it and we let him open it first-everyone belly laughed when they realized that it was a plunger!  David sat with Jonathan and for a while they had the plunger, here is David protecting it because here comes sweet Macy to steal it!  :)

Hope and Macy sporting the sparkly Disney tutu dresses.  These two girls had such fun playing together and Hope bawled when we had to leave. 

We are all so busy throughout the year that we do not get to get together often as a group.  New Years is always the highlight of our year because we have hours to catch up.  I love seeing Mike truly belly laugh like this.  We have some funny folks in our group that keep us laughing.  The kids all go off and play together and we can actually relax and catchup. 

After appetizers and dirty bingo at our house, we headed to another house for lasagna, salad, bread, and dessert.  We usually visit more houses, but last night we had to alter our plans due to sickness.  Here is the annual kid picture.  The girls played babies and Doc McStuffins and the boys played xbox or watched football on tv. 

 

The plunger was the star of the show!  The kids realized around 10:30 that the plunger would stick to jonathan's bald head!  He was a great sport about the kids all sneaking up behind him and sticking that plunger on his head!  We always share lots of laughs that will carry us through the year until we can do it again next year.

 

Sadly around 11:00 Kyle swelled and welped up due to an allergic reaction and I got sick due to an ongoing health issue that I am dealing with.  We had to make a quick exit before the ball dropped.  As always, we had such a fun time with such a fun and dear group of friends.