We’ve told our kids over and over that they are best friends. I am seeing it now when the oldest comes home from college but it is fun to see how their friendship has grown and changed over the years. I need to dig out 35mm pictures and get some really old ones.
2006
2008
2011
I love to have a batch or two of these Chimichangas in the freezer for days I don’t have time to make lunch.
Everyone in our house LOVES these & I have a hard time keeping them on hand.
I need to make a double, triple, or quadruple batch in the near future!
16 oz cooked chicken or beef(approx. 3 cups)
8 oz jar salsa
16 oz can refried beans
4-8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded(1-2 cup)--how cheesy do you like it?
10 tortillas(8 or 9 inch)--low carb for me(THM plan) & whole wheat for kids
Optional: Brown rice, Sour cream
Cook meat (& shred chicken) Mix: meat, salsa, cheese. Warm tortillas. Spread 2-3 T of refried bean on tortilla and then spoon 1/2 cup meat mix on each tortilla, fold in sides(top & bottom; left & right) Place in 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and brown.
To freeze: Freeze unbaked. Wrap chimis individually in foil. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes if frozen, or 30 minutes if thawed. Remove foil & bake additional 10 minutes—until crisp & brown.
Two other ways we eat this.
1. We often place these in a crockpot for 3-4 hours on low. They aren’t crispy but nice and warm and ready to eat as soon as we are ready.
2. My children claim that they don’t “need” the tortilla so sometimes I just make up the filling and serve it over rice with sour cream & chips. A very fast lunch!
The college boy is home for a week. I got a huge hug first thing.
He has a list of to do’s so he is in an out of the house. But it is nice to see his smile, hear the piano play & enjoy his ?sweet? face.
Maturity or laziness? What do you think?
I don’t care how much facial hair he has because I am still thankful he’s home.
We have hard water. It is just a fact of life. We don’t have a water softener for various reasons but it creates problems with cleaning.
Things seem to get cemented on and I cannot “clean” them off with normal human effort.
I had a “Duh!” moment yesterday. I was looking at the spill catch underneath the water dispenser on the front of our refrigerator. It was “GROSS” and I wasn’t looking forward to spending an hour scrubbing it with baking soda to get the discoloration and build up off of it. However I couldn’t ignore it any more.
Then I had a thought. Steve used vinegar to clean out the humidifier that we use in the kids rooms when they are sick. It seems to collect those hard water crystals super fast—probably the process it goes through to cause the water vapor.
So I went out to get the big jug of vinegar out of the garage. I filled up the spill catch & walked away for a few minutes to do something. When I returned—WOW! I couldn’t believe it. The scum was gone almost gone & I was kicking myself because I didn’t take a “before” picture. Anyway you’ll have to take my word for it.
However there is one other place that was developing a bit of a sick look. It is around the drain in our main bathroom—where I shower. ICK! I convinced Elizabeth to go and try out my cure for hard water deposits! I went with camera in hand to check it out a few minutes later. Here is what I found.
Kinda gross huh?
But after my magic(ha!) cure? Here is what I had to look at.
Sometimes it is the small things in life that make me happy. I don’t like using chemicals around the house so using something this simple just made my day! Not to mention that vinegar is SO much cheaper than any other cleaner I have tried on yucky water deposits!
What other “homemade solutions” do you use? Please share!
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Tonight I had 7 kids, 1 college student & 1 husband in my house. 4 extras for DATE NIGHT!
9 years ago my friend Gwen & I were desperate for some time out of the house with our husbands.
Date night was born. This means different things to our children than to us as parents & they look forward to it just as much as we do. One night a month my kids go to Gwen’s house for a Friday night and Steve & I go out & eat or to a movie or wherever! Then on another Friday, Gwen’s 4 kids come to our house & they go out.
It is the perfect arrangement. The kids get to play and the parents get to spend time together. Seriously if we’ve not got it scheduled the kids start to ask “When is date night?”
We’ve been so blessed to have them in our home & get to grow up with our children’s friends.
Now that Michael is in college he isn’t around for date nights. However if he hears that it is going to happen at Gwen’s house then he’s been known to show up. I love that my kids are comfortable around my friends. Of course Michael & Gwen’s hubby go off and play computer games than I totally don’t get. But hey that is okay.
However, as they’ve gotten older and we now have 3 teens in the mix--it has changed. Tonight the 2 teen girls took over the kitchen and baked cookies. I am not complaining of course.
They aren’t in to Barbies & Polly Pockets anymore. They had Grooveshark going for music on my computer & were picking fun songs to play for us to work to. I love it. I am just along for the ride & it is a wild and crazy one!
I wouldn’t have it any other way.