Park Days Are Coming!

Who knew this child is deathly scared of a duck?

I had no idea! The poor thing nearly had convulsions! In her defense, she is only 1, and is just sitting in her stroller looking at the heathen sister of hers chasing all the ducks back into the water. She didn't know some stuck behind and didn't get caught in the "Wrath of Hayden" and instead wanted to quack in her face. I couldn't help but to take that picture, it was so sad, but I was kinda laughing too. Oops, that's where the awful Mom in me comes out at.

It finally got out of the high 90's and 100's for a couple of days, only long enough for us to go to the park for 2 of those days. Even long enough for me to open my windows at night and in the early mornings instead of overworking my AC and my electric bill. BUT I'm sitting here sweating once again, they hope for rain sometime later this week. I am NOT holding my breath. One day soon, hopefully it will get colder out. Then I can start going to the park again and walk off these good suppers I've been making! I'm sorry but they have been good! I'll be able to wear the kids out to where they want to actually take a nap or pass out instead of our daily arguments of trying to get them to lay down. In all seriousness though, the park wears me out too! Especially when its hot like this, its almost miserable. I get cranky when I'm hot and so do they! And you can always guarantee that there is that one kid bully at the park that has to just go off and piss off your kid and piss you off to in the process! One is throwing sand in your kids hair, or theres one that doesn't even give your a kid the chance to get off the bottom of the slide before they are pushing them off with their feet. It makes me want to go grab them by their feet and hang them upside down while I take them to their parents and thank them for having such a bully of a kid! There are also another type of kiddos though....the ones that ask you question after question. You feel like your being interrogated by a 3 year old. Actually now that I think about it I think she was interrogating me.

Me sitting in the sand playing with Sadie....

Annoying 3 year old girl with too many questions:

"Why is she sitting in the sand?"

Me:

"Because she is playing with the sand"

3 year old brat:

"Why is she eating the sand, that's gross!"

Me:

"Because I guess she is hungry"

3 year old demon child:

"Why is she not walking around not playing with me? That's not nice of her."

Me:

"Because its hard for her to walk in the sand and she wants to play with me"

3 year old Satan, as she is putting sand in Sadie's hair:

"Hahahahahahahaha! Now she has sand in her hair!"

Me, fuming, looking for her precious little Mommy

"That's not very nice, shes little and doesn't like sand in her hair"

(Still looking around for her Mom)

3 year old I'm about to strangle:

"I don't care"

Me:

"Well I care because I have to wash it, you wouldn't like sand in your hair! I think your Mommy is looking for you, where are your other friends at?"

Anyways this carried on for like 5 more minutes before I finally just picked up Sadie and put her on the slide, the kid won, I was ready to go! Am I the only one that has these issues at the park? Surely not!

Hayden acting like its her territory and scaring all the ducks away

The ducks are talking amongst themselves about the baby in the stroller they just prolly made go poopy in her diaper from being scared to death.

This was right before 3 year old terror came over to us

Hayden once again claiming her territory. I bet she could beat up that 3 year old! Why did I not think of that???????

Sorry I took a few days off from blogging, its been busy around here! Tomorrow I will be posting my weekend pizza from this past Saturday! Its super yummy! See y'all then!

Kirby

Zucchini Sausage Pie

Calling all of you zucchini lovers out there! If you love zucchini, you will love this recipe. It's making my mouth water for it now as I'm writing this. I love zucchini plain, grilled, sauteed, and in casseroles. This is more like a casserole, if your into that kinda thing. And if you love sausage...Oh don't even get me started on my love for sausage! This is the recipe for you! My kids also really love this too, its an easy way to sneak it in there. Hope y'all enjoy!

Zucchini Sausage Pie

4 cups of thinly sliced zucchini

1 tbs. olive oil (EVOO!)

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained (I use a roll of turkey sausage to make it a little healthier)

              1 tube of reduced fat (or regular) cresent rolls

2 tbs yellow mustard (trust me!)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp of "Tony" (Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning)

1 tbs dried parsely

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups shredded Mozzarella, divided (I ran out so I used some sharp cheddar also)

Heat EVOO in skillet and saute your zucchini and onion until zucchini is tender. Add your sausage and seasonings. Mix together the eggs and 1 cup of cheese in a large bowl. After the sausage mixture is combined, pour it in with your egg/cheese mixture and stir it all together.

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll your cresent rolls and grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Press cresent rolls in the bottom of the dish to make a crust, go up the sides a little bit and seal together any cracks. Brush the top of the cresent rolls with your prepared mustard. (It just makes the whole dish!) Pour in your sausage/zucchini mix over the cresent rolls and top with your remaining cheese. (I also put a few cherry tomato size fresh mozzarella balls on top of it, you dont have to, I just love cheese. It's my life.) Bake 20 minutes, or just until your crust is done.

Gotta get my close up in there!

This is linked up with Tuesday Night Supper Club

Happy Thursday!

Kirby

You Pesky Armadillo

YOU ARE A PAIN IN MY BUTT.....AND UGLY!!!

Yes, this is obviously the newest member of our family. He keeps me from going to bed early and irritates me just like my kids can irritate me. Why you may ask? What has this ugly thing done to you? Well, he/she (I don't know what sex it is and I don't plan on finding out, if it's a boy, this is not the boy I pictured ever having...) is digging up all my plants, killing them, keeps my dog, Homer, barking at all different times of the night, digs hole throughout my yard, and has broken one of my solar lights. This all started a couple of weeks ago when I walked out one morning to see complete chaos in my front yard, I couldn't figure out what it was, I thought maybe Homer got out and was the culprit of this but he never gets off the deck and if we do get him out he goes right back to it. I probably would have never known if I didn't call my sis-in-law griping about my new enemy and she told me what it was. Jeff and I sit outside mostly every night for a little bit and we were out there and what do you know my friend enemy came out from hiding. That led to me jumping up and cussing at it and accusing he/she of demolishing my plants, like it really knew what I was saying or if it even much less cared. I think either 1. Jeff was tired of hearing me always gripe about it or 2. it was an excuse for him to shoot his BB gun. (Not to kill it, just scare it a little bit and maybe keep it from coming back.) Next thing I knew, he was walking outside with his BB gun ready to go. I was on one side of my car taking a picture of it while he was on the other about to shoot it.

Bang!

Right in the BUTT! You go hubbie! That'll show 'em!

It took off running into the woods. 

5 minutes later:

Here it comes waddling back into the yard.

10 seconds later:

Jeff is pumping his BB gun and aiming:

2 seconds later:

Bang! That thing jumped about 3 feet high and growled! I didn't even know they could jump! Jeff got the biggest kick out of it, I had taken a mad sprint back into the garage, good thing they mostly eats ants and plants, I sure would hate to die from being eaten by an armadillo.

Which means "little armored one" in Spanish. Huh, huh, bet y'all didn't know that one!

15 minutes later: ( See what I mean about losing precious sleep?)

Now it comes up from underneath my car. The darn thing will never go away!!! I want to cry. All this worked me up for a glass of wine. I guess it's good for something...

10 seconds later:

Bang!

It took off running back into the ditch. It was playing mental games with both of us now. I finally gave up and went inside. He won for that night, but I'll get it. Eventually. I'm going to plan a stake out. Maybe even tonite. I ended up having a nightmare it was in my house that night and Riley and Hayden thought it was our new dog. Never will we have a pet Armadillo!

Crime Scene Photos

(My poor Hydrangea!)

WANTED:

Ugly, gross Armadillo who eats plants and breaks solar lights.

Hard of hearing. Big mean eyes.

1  foot long. Armored shell.

Short legs. Fast runner.

Sharp Claws.

Annoying as hell.

Kirby

Taco Dip Pizza

I know most of y'all have at least one time in your life had taco dip or maybe it was 7 layer dip or how many ever layer dip, or I guess just whatever you want to call it kind of dip. I LOVE taco dip! I could eat it with a spoon, even my fingers and be just as happy without even putting it on a chip. So I decided to make a pizza out of it to change it up a bit, I even made it alot healthier than you might think too! We all love anything Mexican food in our house so I knew I could even get the kids to eat this one. We had our pizza and movie night this past Saturday. We didn't dress up like the last time if you remember my previous blog 80's Date Night...Well Sorta. But we did watch 2 movies after chowing down our pizzas, "Raising Arizona" and "Dirty Work". Really funny movies, you gotta watch them if you haven't already! Well here's the recipe to Taco Dip Pizza!

                                                                        To make this:

You will need this:

1 (8 oun) fat free cream cheese (I used the weight watchers one, its the cheapest too!)

1 cup fat free sour cream

Taco seasoning (I make my own, see below for the recipe on that too!)

1 roll of ground turkey, cooked and drained

1 can fat free refried beans, warmed up (It's easier to spread when warm)

Sharp cheddar cheese (Really its your preference on how much cheese you want, some like it cheesier or not so cheesy, I used about 1 1/2 cups)

Pizza crust (I know I can make my own pizza crust but this is so easy! And only 43 cents!)

Sliced Roma tomato

Black olives

Jalepenos

You can also garnish with shredded lettuce, green onions, hot sauce and avocado

Mix your cream cheese and sour cream with 1 tbs of taco seasoning and let it sit to get the flavors mixed together while your preparing your pizza. (You will have extra of this, but its also good just to dip a chip in it while you wait!) Get your crust ready to go (If you get the kind of pizza crust I do, all you need to do is add your 1/2 cup of hot water and roll it up in a ball and let it sit covered for 5 minutes). While your waiting on your crust to rise a bit, cook your turkey meat and drain. Add your taco seasoning (I used 2-3 tbs) and 1/4 cup of water and let simmer for 5 minutes. Once your pizza crust has sit for 5 minutes roll it out and put it on your pizza pan and follow the rest of the instructions for it. When you are ready to start topping your pizza, spread on the cream cheese/sour cream mixture, try not to lick your fingers to much because of how good it is. Spead your refried beans on top of that mixture. Top with cheese, taco meat, sliced tomato, black olives and jalepenos. I also sprinkled on some garlic salt and dried basil. Bake for 9-11 minutes and when it comes out you just want to jump for joy it looks so dang good! Top with which ever other toppings you like!

See I told you! My stomach is growling while I reminisce about it. We also made another pizza just consisting of ground turkey sausage, pesto, mozzarella, and black olives. I love to put pesto on my pizza in place of pizza sauce, it makes it so much more flavorful and a little different from your standard pizza. Heres a close up of that one, it makes you hungrier the closer it is, huh?

So if your into the whole pizza making thing, then y'all have to try this one! I pretty much had all the ingriendients I needed to make it around the house, so it ended up being a really cheap meal and we had leftovers, it was very filling! Oh and heres the recipe for my taco seasoning, its all I will do now instead of buying it already done and it isnt greasy!

Taco Seasoning:

1 heaping tbs chili powder

1 1/2 tbs cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp oregeno

A pinch of sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, whichever one I want that day

Salt and Pepper, just a bit!

Mix it all together and if your adding it with meat add 1/4 cup of water and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Y'all Enjoy and Happy Monday!

Kirby

Sweet Tea in a Weird Way!

I have never made good sweet tea. I'm from Texas, I should know how to do this, but it always looked like murky lake water when I was done with it and never sweet enough or too sweet. So I did some researching and found something interesting that I had never heard of and maybe alot of y'all haven't either. I tweeked the recipe a little to make it to my preference so add more sugar or less if you like. Try it sometime!

Sweet Tea in a Weird Way

5-6 tea bags

8 cups of water

3/4 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. baking soda (yep that's right folks!)

Boil 2 cups water. In a plastic container (or whatever you put your tea in) add 1/8 tsp baking soda. (This is the little trick that makes it clear and pretty! No murky looking lake water here, and you don't taste it whatsoever!). Pour your boiling water in the container and add your tea bags. Put a lid on it and let steep 10 minutes (or 15 minutes for stronger tasting tea). Remove the tea bags (Careful its hot!) Add your sugar, how much ever your lttle sweet tooth desires, and stir until it is dissolved. Then add 6 cups of cold water. Pour over ice and garnish with a lemon and ta da your done and you have refreshing sweet tea for this hot miserable summer day!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Kirby

Off to the "Big School" we go!

Well, it happened, I officially have a Kindergartner in the house.

It didn't go as bad at I thought it would, even though 5:45 is to early to be getting up and leaving the house by 6:50. I'm used to at least sleeping in until 6:30. Those days are over, at least until next summer. She was wondering why in the heck I was waking her up when it was still dark out. I tried to be quiet in hopes I wouldnt wake up the devil child Hayden, but of course she popped up, "Momma", and ran out of the room like she had been up for hours. That led to her waking up Sadie and me drinking more coffee. At first the whole picture process was going good she was posing, like she normally does, and by the time we were walking up to her school you see her face start changing and her start looking irritated. She ever told me to quit taking pictures! Absolutley not! You have one day you start the first day of school and I'm capturing your every move until they kick me out! Ok, I didn't go that far, I'm not a phycho picture taking Mom.

I would just wait until they asked me to leave.

She was the first one there and went right on in and sat down at her chair and started coloring. I managed to sneak in a couple more pictures before I told her bye. She kissed me bye and I'm not so sure she even looked up to watch me walk out. That's about the time I put on my sunglasses even though the sun wasnt shining and teared up. BUT I didn't cry.  I know she will be happy at her "Big School" as she calls it.

As for me I will go back home and vaccum up the crushed Pop-Tarts and smashed bananas on the floor.

Poser!

All ready to go and leave Mommy

Now she's getting irritated

"Mom, are you really making me take this picture in front of this horse?"

Ok, Mom  if I smile one more time for you, will you go?

Love, Kirby

Am I Going Back to Kindergarten?

Not real sure but last time I checked I was 26 with a husband, 3 kids, job, house, bills, stress, and a dog who poops all over my deck. So why do I feel like I'm going back to kindergarten and starting all over again?

We went yesterday to meet Riley's teacher, who is a very nice lady and looks to have alot of patience. I hope. She looked around her classroom and we put up all of her supplies and she found her name on the table. She was so excited we almost couldn't get her to leave, we were the last ones to leave actually. Does that mean she sick and tired of me? Hmm...the little heathen. Anyways, the very nice teacher went into explaining the folders and which paper was for what and what I needed to sign and so on and on and on.....You catch my drift yet? Then she shows me her homework folder, which I know Riley will be the one actually doing it but she's going to need help. They learn so much so fast. I guess they have to but dang, I didn't realize kindergarten consisted of so much.

I thought it was all about coloring, naptime, stories and recess!

It makes me feel even more like a Mom now that I'm going to be having a kiddo in school for the first time. She was in preschool last year but this feels different. I'm almost intimidated! In fact, I'm almost scared. I might just pee my pants. No, I won't go there, I'd be the one cleaning it up and I do enough of that now with 2 in diapers. Am I the only one who feels this way or am I just freaking out that my first born baby girl is going to be leaving me everyday most of the day from now on until she graduates when she's 18? I thought I was excited for her to be going to get somewhat of a break. Now I'm not so sure. Oh gosh, I think tomorrow morning is going to be a tear jerker. Crap!

Maybe I just will be going back to kindergarten and making me a place to sit at on the carpet and make myself at home.

I do have to say though this is the cutest darn school I have ever been to. In and out. I wish the elementary school I went to had looked like this! They even have leather couches when you walk in and a horse in a barn (not real of course) and don't even get me started on how AWESOME the playground is!

Happy Wednesday!

Kirby