speedy delivery.

What a treat, Jeff was greeted by a special package when he got home from Florida this afternoon. His much anticipated leather FlexJet bomber jacket had finally come!

Better than a raggedy old suit coat any day! Jeff can now officially fly in style. (too bad it's starting to warm up so!)

And look! It matches that lovely black knitted ski mask and scarf that Amanda made for you! Divine! Next time you are doing the walk around in a blizzard, you won't get frostbite!

That ski mask is so sexy.

waitress pie party

You know there's got to be a party around if you see one of these...

I was inspired by the movie Waitress, to host a pie party. I invited my guests to make a pie creation that would be open to taste testing while we held a movie screening. They came and willingly brought their pretty pastries along!This was:

Lemon curd tart, also known as "Sour Sweetie-pie."

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The smell was divine. We couldn't wait to dig in.

Look at those beautiful pies! Glorious!

This was:

Thanks girls, my stomach loves you. (but my hips hate you.)

Congrats Celia on winning our Perfect Pie Prize for the night! Go #5! (caramel apple pie.)

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Have a second? Click here.

healthy me, healthy you.

With a promise to myself to eat better this year, I have made an effort to make vegetarian meals 2 to 3 nights a week. We could all use more vegetables, right?

So tonight, I made one of my kids favorite new dinners that we discovered last month. Roasted salsa with cilantro and spicy black bean burritos. They are flavorful, very healthy, and reminiscent of those that come from the restaurant, Chipotle.

For the salsa:
4 plum tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 3 large slices
a handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
(I add a squeeze of fresh lime juice also)

Add the tomatoes, jalapeno, and onion slices to a dry pan over high heat. Allow them to char on all sides, (seed the jalapeno) then add to a food processor and pulse grind with cilantro. Season with salt and pepper (and lime juice, if desired). Set aside.

For the burrito filling:

Heat the following in a deep skillet.

1 T olive oil
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans of drained black beans
1 C frozen corn
2 T of fresh cilantro
1 t ground cumin
salt to taste
a few drops of Tabasco sauce.

Add the filling to a large tortilla, roll up and top with salsa and a dollop of sour cream.

enjoy!

got 20 minutes?

and $4?

Make an apron!

Start by going to your nearest craft shop and picking up these supplies;

• a pre made handkerchief.
• one and a half to two yards of wide ribbon.
• one yard of ric rac, or other ribbon for the bottom.
• matching thread.
• a needle.

Step 1: Iron your lovely pre made handkerchief. How lucky that the edges are finished off so we don't even have to pull out our heavy sewing machines for this delightful apron. I'd bet your feeling cleaver already.

Step 2: sew the ric rac or other decorative ribbon along the bottom. (the handkerchief is a perfect square, so pick any side you like.) Use pins to minimize slippage.

Step 3: Sew your wide ribbon across the top making sure you have centered the middle of the ribbon to the middle of the handkerchief. Use pins to minimize slippage.

That's it sister! Model your creation proudly!

Things that a pretty apron will help you achieve:

1. your food will taste better.

2. your housework will be fun.

3. your kids will behave.

4. you'll be the prettiest housewife on the block.

♥

try it, you'll like it.

unseasonably warm.

Today, we decided to enjoy the warm 80-degree weather. We woke up early, ate breakfast, and decided to spend our morning doing...I love this age. It is so much fun to watch the boys discover, learn, grow, and do things on their own.

It's all fun and games until...

Thank goodness for extra clothes in the car.

After lunch we did something crazy for this time of year...

For February being one of the coldest months of the year here in Texas, I find it so hard to believe that today, we broke traditions.

What a treat. Talk about a solid 2 hours of nothing but blissful screaming. I'm sure our neighbors were delighted.

where in the world is Jeff?

And the answer is:

Some of you got it right! Good job!

Tune in next week for our next installment.

map-it-out.

Who knew maps could be so multifunctional. Jeff tossed the boys a couple of his old aviation maps that were outdated and useless. They were a great source of entertainment for the troublesome two today.

My absolute favorite thing about the maps:

Can you smell the imagination in the air?

A perfect "keep out of trouble" activity while I put my chicken in the oven to:

And when you smell Sunday dinner cooking, you know one thing is right around the corner. Do you know what that is? Bedtime.

Quick Jeff, break out the ice cream.

(Isn't it lovely to be the adult.)

hangar hoppers.

Today:

It's in our blood I guess.

where in the world is Jeff?

Installment 1.

On this (his first offical trip) Jeff stayed domestic. Here are the shots of one of the many locations he visited.

Guesses please. Answer posted on Monday.

an ingenious design and a bad taste in my mouth.

My Ben. A creative genius at work. This kids brain amazes me.

Jeff had given the kids his old wallet when I got him a new one for Christmas, and of course Ben was first on calling out dibs. Today, he brought me this.

I thought it was a brialliant idea. I was so proud of him and his creativity.

How did such a little guy come up with such a snappy design?

On a funnier note, this was the conversation at the dinner table tonight:

Josh: Mom, what is this? (holding up his fork with something stuck on the tines.)

Me: It's beef.
Josh: Yeah Mom, but what IS it.

Me: It's dinner?

Josh: No Mom, what did it use to be?

Me: Oh... a cow.

Josh: Oh yeah. Now I remember.

Ben: I know what ham is!

Josh: Me too Ben. It's a pig.

Ben: Yeah, it's a pig.

Me: Yep.

Josh: And I know where milk comes from.

Me: Where does milk come from Josh?

Josh: It comes from a cow. It's cow pee.

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-sound of record screech-

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Wait, what?

Poor Josh, for all of these years he thought that we were telling him to drink his cow pee. I had to set the record straight, but even that story churned my stomach. I guess it's better if I just don't think about that sort of thing.