Homemade Potato Salad

What do these ingredients have in common? They turn into something delicious when put together and add a few more things.

This is my first attempt to make it from scratch and actually I think it turned out tasty as well as it was not nearly as intimidating as I thought. It did take a little time but I was multitasking and got a few other small things in the kitchen while boiling potatoes and eggs.

 Gorgeous...and perfect for the hotdogs and chips we are having tomorrow at Nathan's birthday party!!!

Check out the recipe if you are feeling up to it too!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/old-fashioned-potato-salad/7e1b6f91-d7b0-4f8c-bb1c-cef0d07e78c1

Halloween 2011

We were ghosts and ghostbusters for trunk or treat on Sunday night, but abandoned that for actual halloween. The kids went back to their stand-by costumes...dress up for the girls, Jacob's soccer (original I know!), and a fighter pilot for Nathan. Shane took the four older out for a long candy haul in hopes to wear them out good and proper. Snow White hit a few houses then helped me pass out candy. She was a hoot as she talked to kids and passed out candy herself. It was a nice year...

Bowl of comfort

I made chili the other night in another desperate attempt to make it feel more like Fall. I keep 'doing' all these things to convince my brain that the calendar is about to actually turn to November tomorrow and that it is not really going to be 90 today. As I am forcing these things into my brain I am reminded that God is the one in control. He can make it cooler...make it feel like the summer is about to lose it's grip, and if I am completely honest He has already, sort of anyway. I walked to the mailbox this morning and it was lovely. I sat at a soccer game this weekend with the gentle warmth of the sun, not the blistering baking. We walked to our church's trunk or treat...WALKED! It was a great evening...it was a reminder that Fall has indeed come and that we are about to embark into a month of teaching out children to be more thankful...it is here. I do not need to force myself into anything. I relish these days of cool evenings and soft afternoon warmth. We are blessed to be able to enjoy so much of God's gorgeous creation this time of year.

Bible Alive

At Nathan and Hannah's preschool they have a Bible Alive day in place of a Halloween celebration. The kids get to choose a character from the bible and come to school dress up. We had a couple different discussions. I explained that they both have names of an actual character and I told the story of each of them. Those did not win however. Nathan wanted to be a King...so King David it is. He like the sword and shield the most so I am not sure what to make of that. Hannah chose Mary, Jesus's mother. She said she likes her because she is a mom. I thought that was sweet.

It's Official...Nathaniel George Franklin Self

 It is sometimes so hard to believe that this day has come...that we actually just finalized the adoption of our son Nathan. This path with him in particular has been CRAZY!! Talk about one heck of a ride...up, down, twist, turn, etc. March 17th is a day that is forever ingrained in my heart and mind...a day that I acted in complete obedience and took one giant leap of faith. It is a day that has come full circle from "temporary" to "forever". WOW...forever!!! He is one amazing little dude and we are more than excited to have completed this process with him. He will always be our first foster child...and now he is ours always. It is an awesome day!

One of the best things about having a mom who takes amazing photos is when these momentousness days come along we always have someone to document. We went into downtown Mesa to take a few family photos before we headed to the court house. 7 people equals 7 personalities...and a wild time! But we are one good lookin group for sure!

Excellent

There is something in the air...FINALLY! I think it is trying to tell me Fall may actually be coming. It is so weird to see pictures from my Mom's trip to Michigan, and all the Fall leaves and know it has still be hovering around 100 degrees here. It is even weirder to see that Colorado is in the middle of a 'winter' storm with 10 inches of snow and it will be in the upper 80's here today. But, (there is always a but) I am seeing some relief and have been pleasantly surprised. While my car still feels warm during the day, and my A/C is still being used in the afternoons my kids are loving just about everything outside right now. They get home from school, finish up the last bit of their homework and are literally outside from 4:30pm until I call them in after 6pm. It is a special treat for them and me...I can make dinner without kids under toe and actually enjoy some moments of peace from inside the house. I say 'moments' because being outside actually means way more boo boo's that normal but we stock a good supply of band-aides around here and usually that plus a hug does the trick. Best of all, when I call them in I let them watch some TV to unwind, help them get ready for bed and when it's time to head upstairs I get very little argument. They have worn themselves out good and proper. Even the dog is enjoying being able to hang out in the grass without baking. So, as usual, it seems in the few days that follow Halloween we drop in temp and really begin to feel ok about wear pants, with flip flops of course because AZ never really gets cold enough to pack those away for a season.

So, get out there...enjoy the reasons we love this state and make some awesome memories in the process.

Sweet Memories

Tonight was BLT night, (- the 'T'). This meal holds a special affection in my heart. We went on a 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise for our honeymoon nearly 15yrs ago. It was a great time although we certainly didn't party the way most of the passengers did. We would eat the gourmet meal for dinner, enjoy the evening entertainment and then head back to our cabin. Every night, and I mean EVERY night was would order late night room service. And why not, it doesn't cost anything more...it's included in your ticket on the cruise. We would giggle about ordering because we were young, very poor and for us this was the meaning of luxury at the time. What did we order? BTL sandwiches and chocolate milks...every single night! And it was the most delicious BTL's I have eaten even to date. I am not sure if it was because we knew it was luxury to us, or if it was truly that good but it didn't matter. As I bit into my sandwich tonight I couldn't help but be drawn right back to those nights. They were fun, tasty and just plain old sweet. It is hard to believe we will be celebrating 15yrs of wedded bliss next summer...maybe we should celebrate with BTL's and chocolate milk.