WFMW - Slow Cooker Liners

Today, I am participating in Works For Me Wednesday.

I have just discovered Slow Cooker/Crock pot liners.




I don't know if you have discovered these...but let me tell you...TIME SAVER!!

Just place the liner in the crock pot prior to putting your food in.

Then put your food it and cook per the recipe.



When you are done, pull the liner out...and it's ALL CLEAN.

No soaking, scrubbing, soaking some more, scrubbing some more.

Nope, nothing. Just put that baby back in the cabinet til next time.

I love them. And I am not getting paid to say it either! :)

Now go join the fun at Rocks in My dryer for one last week.

Remember next week, the WFMW will be at We are THAT Family.

Congratulations, Kristen!

S.W.A.K. Carnival

My husband and I will be married 10 years in September.

That is unbelievable to me.

We met 12 years ago, through an private online southern gospel music chat room.

He lived in Georgia and I in Texas.

He had planned a trip to come and meet me face to face in late September 1997.

But, I couldn't wait. I convinced my mom to drive 15 hours on Labor Day Weekend to meet a stranger. Who for all we knew, could have been an ax murderer. But, he wasn't.

I pulled up in his driveway, got out of the car and began walking up the sidewalk. He came out the front door bounded down the steps and met me on the sidewalk.

He took me in his arms and kissed me on the head...and as they say....the rest is history.

It's been 12 wonderful years together. We have had our ups and downs, but we always come out the better for it. Our joys are doubled and our sorrows are halved.

I love him more today than I ever have. He knows me better than anyone. He knows me inside and out and loves me anyway; which amazes me.

He's my soft place to fall. He's the one I can vent to, and run to when everything goes wrong. He's the one I can celebrate with when everything goes right.

I don't have to love him..... I get to love him. And I will forever and a day!

Now go join the fun at We are THAT family!

Fro' Me to You - 70's Throwback

For Christmas I gave my best friend a little girl's weekend getaway. We have been friends for over twenty years. We go way back...all the way to 2nd grade.

This trip was to Houston for Proverbs 31 ministries Girl's Night Out Conference. Then we spent Friday in Old Town Spring, shopping.

We happened upon a little antique store where we found these fabulous glasses...









Now you can't tell to well from the picture above, so let me show you another....so you get the full effect.



Ok...so look closely. The arms of the glasses (the part that goes over your ears) are chains that you drape over your ears. Hanging from the said chain is this BIG round plastic circle which matches the print of the sunglasses.

I found them absolutely hilarious. I told my best friend I would totally buy a pair, because I think my family would get a kick out of them. I don't think I would have the nerve to actually wear them in public. But, they wanted $45 for these bad boys; and all because they are considered "Vintage". My best friend tried to shake them down to$20; but it was a no go. So we left them right there in Spring, TX.

I was disappointed when I got home and asked my mom and aunt if they remember them from the 70's. They said they had never seen such. So does anyone remember these glasses from the 70's?

Now go join the fun at We are THAT family!

Marriage Proposal

Today I got a marriage proposal.

Yes, I am already married.

No it wasn't my husband asking for a renewal of vows or anything.

It was my four year old little man who melted my heart.

He climbed up in my lap, grabbed my face with his hands and said....

"Momma, when I grow up; will you marry me?"

(Everybody all together now say.....awwwwww)

I explained I was already married to daddy; and that I was his mommy so I couldn't be his wife. That someday when he got older he would meet someone for him to marry.

Oh, how I pray for that women. I pray that I can lower my standards. I want the very best for him, as well all do for our children. I pray that I love and accept her the same way my mother in law loved and accepted me.

Yeah, I should probably go start that prayer right now, it just might take that long to for me to accept another woman in his life.

Rodeo roundup

My little man turned 4 this past weekend.

He is about all things cowboy. So, we decided to have a Rodeo for his birthday.

It was a gamble...January in Texas is a toss up for weather. We really needed to be able to do this outside. How, pray tell, could we herd pigs inside?

So, I did what any good mother would do...I pleaded and begged with my heavenly Father, to please send some beautiful sunny weather my way.

He totally came through! He loves me...and I don't deserve it! But that's another story.

We had beautiful weather in Texas on what could have been a cold January day.
Here's a picture of our cowboys and cowgirls. I had a stick horse for everyone. I had borrowed them from a friend. They all received a cowboy hat, and bandana before we started the rodeo. Which I got from Oriental Trading, really cheap.

Decorations:
As you can see from the picture, I used red white and blue bandannas tied together and draped along the fence. Also used Wanted pictures that I ordered from Ziggos Western. We had bales of hay sitting around the yard as well.

Unfortunately I did not get pictures of inside. I had bought a barn scene setter and put up in our entryway, along with a horse and cowboy cut out. I also made wanted posters for each child who attended the party. So I had those posted all over the place. The kids had a lot of fun looking for their picture. My son's poster said "Ethan THE KID" WANTED for Turning a year older. My daughter's said..."Emma BOSSY BRITCHES" WANTED for trying to run this place.

Food:
We had fixin's for frito pie. I also made pulled pork sandwiches. You just take a pork butt and put in your crock pot and cook over night. It will be falling apart. With a fork, pull apart and then pour in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve with buns. It turned out so yummy.We also had nachos; which are the birthday boys' favorite.

Games:
We played some great games. The first thing we did was a modified version of barrel racing. They rode their stick ponies around bales of hay instead of barrels.

Then we played Pig Herding. I split them up in to two teams. Again they had to be on their stick horse. I gave them each a fly swatter. Then I released about 30 pigs, which were pink balloons blown up, into the middle of the yard. Each team had to try and get as many pigs to there side of the yard as they could using the fly swatter. They had a blast.
One little girl misunderstood what I said, when I said we were going to herd some pigs. So when I told them to go, she said "okay let's HURT some pigs." All the adults started rolling. I had to stop the game and explain to her that I had said HERD not HURT. All I need is her to go to church and tell people I abuse animals.

Then we played the "Blindfold branding game". We took a large piece of brown kraft paper and traced with an overhead projector the picture of a cow. We posted this up on the fence at the kids level. Then we made a "brand" out of a large dowel rod and a sponge. Since my sons name starts with an E; thats what we made the brand. I took a clean household sponge and cut the letter E out of it. Then we backed it with a piece of heavy duty plastic. I actually had an old storage tub that was broke and we were about to throw away. My husband cut a square out of that larger than the E. We glued the E to the plastic; then stapled the plastic to the end of a large dowel rod. I had a plate of tempera paint out there. I explained to the kids about branding, the why and where the brand is put on the cow. Each kid came up one at a time, got blindfolded. I would dip the brand in paint for them and then let them go. The birthday boy won this game. I only wound up with one green E on my fence.


The last activity for them was "Needle in a haystack game." I bought some harmonicas and parachute men and hid them in a pile of hay. They had to dig through and find their loot. They also had a cowboy boot cup with a small pack of crayons and activity book and sheriffs badge to take home with them. As well as the cowboy hat and bandana I gave each one before we started the rodeo.


Cake:
I love this cake. I have been wanting to make a cake like this for some time. When I asked little man what kind of cake he wanted me to make, he told me he wanted me to make a cake with cowboy on a horse roping a calf. I told him I would see what I could do about a cowboy on a horse...but the roping a calf part...probably not. My hubby was a huge help. I am totally thrilled with the way it turned out.
All in all it was a wonderful day. Little man had a blast. Mommy can't believe her baby is four!

Tooth...You're Outta Here

It was Christmas Eve, and we were getting showered and changed to go to our Christmas Eve service. My husband and I were in our bathroom getting ready. I had laid the kids clothes out and instructed them to get dressed.

The next thing we hear is my daughter; she comes running in the bathroom crying. The first thing I see is blood. I'm like OH NO!

She opens her hand and it's her tooth, it has been loose for a couple of months. Whew! I think to myself...just a tooth. I am cheering...yeah sissy that's great!



OH no, she is hysterical. Screaming, "no no, I don't want my tooth out. DADDY, PUT IT BACK IN!!!!" I am trying so hard not to laugh, because she is really traumatized by this. She is still standing there crying, asking her daddy to put it back in. We are both trying to explain that's not the way it works. We finally calm her down and get her to except the reality....it ain't going back in!

Apparently, she used her teeth to try and open her pants hanger. Yeah, bad idea! The tooth was pretty loose, but not quite ready to come out yet. So come to find out it had a little help coming out.

My aunt gave her a tooth fairy pillow. We explained to her how that all worked. She wasn't too sure about the tooth fairy coming that close to her while she was sleeping. She said, How about I hang the pillow on the door knob. I am thinking...great..makes my job easier.

Then, daddy had to go and bring up the whole Santa thing. He said...do you think Santa AND the tooth fairy can come on the same night?? So, then she got a little apprehensive and said "Why don't I wait til tomorrow night." So thankfully, Santa and the tooth fairy did not have a collision.

'Fro me to you - What he'll do to get a laugh

I love this man y'all; I really do! This is one of many things he will do to get a laugh from his children; and me as well for that matter. What pray tell, you ask is that on his head?? That would be a rubber glove.

Then he does this to really get a chuckle...


Oh yes, that's right! He pulls it down over his face and blows it up with his nose until it flies off his head and lands across the room. The children fall into fits of laughter on the floor. I just sit back and shake my head. He smiles and thinks to himself...mission accomplished!

Now go join the fun at We are THAT family!