Different State, Different Ward...Still a Winner

We had our ward's Halloween party and Chili Cook-off this weekend. I made a delicious white chili that's my friend Delee's recipe. When she moved into our ward in VA she created an upset when she beat out several of the traditional winners at that chili cook-off. Then she won first place again the next year. Well, on Friday I won...third place. I'm sure it would have won first if Delee had made it, I didn't have the magic touch or something. But it is GOOD! I hope she won't be mad at me, but I think it should be shared with the world (she posted the recipe on her blog so I don't think I'm sharing top secret stuff). Not only is it so very yummy, but it's incredibly easy.

Delee's White Chili:

Saute 1 lb of chicken cut up in chunks and 1 medium onion in 1 1/2 TBS of oil

In a large pot put:

Sauteed chicken and onions
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 can chicken broth
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup water
1 can chopped green chili's
1 can Mexi-corn
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp pepper

Boil all ingredients

Just before serving add:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup sour cream

You can serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.

All Grown Up

Yesterday was Samantha's first day of preschool!! I had no intention of sending her this year but a lady in my old ward called me up and asked me if I was interested in filling a spot in her afternoon class. Samantha is a little tired of me lately so I gladly accepted. Her teacher, Miss Barb, was a teacher for public schools and now runs a small preschool out of her home. Samantha is obviously going in late, they're already on letter "G", but Samantha knows her letters and the teacher acted impressed with her yesterday so I'm not worried about the late entrance. And of course, even though Samantha didn't know this lady she walked right in, never looked back at me, and didn't want to leave when it was over. She's thrilled to go again tomorrow. She's my big, grown up girl.

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Unspectacular Quirks

A fun little tag from Julie.

The rules are:
*Link to the person who tagged you...Julie
*Post the rules on your blog
*Write six random things/unspectacular things about yourself
*Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
*Let the tagger know when your entry is posted

So, here are my unspectacular quirks...
1. I'm working through all the Newbery Award and Caldecott Award winning books. Tom says at my current rate I'll be done in about another 8 months. That's at 2 books a week.
2. I don't like restaurant Italian food. Unlike Mexican, seafood, or Chinese where you can't duplicate it at home I'd much rather eat my own lasagna, spaghetti, Alfredo, etc.
3. I follow the exact same routine to get ready/shower every morning to the point of it being OCD.
4. I also (per Julie) do not know my right from my left and have to hold out my hands to see which is which (your left hand forms an "L")
5. I actually like cleaning bathrooms. They, unlike cleaning kitchens, or dusting, or whatever look cleaner after you're done. I love it.
6. Nothing makes me as happy as throwing things away. If I can sell, donate, or throw away something it usually makes me happier than having the object ever did.

I tag: Megan, Krystal S., Krista, Michelle, Katie, Heidi

A Farewell to Sadie

Our family dog Sadie passed away today. She went peacefully and without much pain, probably of a heart attack. I was fourteen when we got her for Christmas, I had been asking for a dog for 10 years. She was a beautiful 1/2 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 1/2 German Shepherd. Mostly we talked to her in gentle derision citing her stench, her fleas, or just yelling "OUT" but we loved her. We will surely miss her.

Sadie: October 28, 1997-October 20, 2008

In Three's

An actual tag from my friend Megan

3 Joys:
1. Family
2. Faith
3. Brownie Sundaes

3 Fears:
1. Failing my children
2. Bees!
3. How long I will have to wait for my house to sell (this is an important distinction from actually being worried my house will never sell)

3 Goals:
1. Unpack the last box
2. Run a marathon (fake goal-not working toward it, but I'd like to)
3. Lose baby weight

3 Obsessions:
1. Reading
2. Reality TV
3. Blogging tags obviously

3 Surprising Facts:
1. I want to run for school board after living here for a year
2. I visit the library every week and put all my books on hold so I don't have to look for them with kids
3. I try a new dinner recipe every week. I only end up liking a small fraction of the new ones.

3 people tagged:
1. Delee
2. Krista
3. Laura

Duck, Duck, Goose

Here's some of our Family Home Evening fun. If you don't think Tommy is funny, then I guess you don't have much of a sense of humor :).

From Heather

Two Tags from my friend Heather that I'm participating in because I'm narcissistic:

8 Things:

My 8 favorite TV shows-
House, Bones, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, Survivor, So You Think You can Dance, Biggest Loser

8 Favorite Restaurants-
VA-Amory's, Lobscouser
AZ-Pedro's
CA-El Farilito's
UT-Los Hermanos
Anywhere-Chili's, In-n-out, PF Changs

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

Selling my house!, Sleeping all the way through the night, Never bringing a diaper bag anywhere (a long ways off to be sure), Halloween, Going to CA/Disneyland in a month, Thanksgiving in NM, Christmas in CA, making friends in my new ward.

8 Things that happened yesterday-

Went grocery shopping, nursed endlessly, watched tv, made dinner, read to kids, cleaned kitchen, picked up toys, checked email

Picture Tag

This is what you do.....You go to your pictures area on your computer and pick the 4th folder and 4th picture and then explain it! Here's my picture:
This is my cute Samantha in July '06 (She was 16 months) in our apartment in VA when we first moved there. My sister Katie was visiting and our apt. complex had a pool. We went swimming. It was obviously very windy.

If you like to talk about yourself (like me) then post to your blog as well!

Count Your Blessings...name them one by one

My little beautiful Eliza Delee is a month old and I can't believe it. It's hard for me to sit down and blog though. Plus-have you ever noticed how after the enormous of excitement of having the baby and sending the pictures and making the announcements...your life slows down and you don't do much for a while? That's me anyway.

Things have been hard this month. Most know, but those who don't-the house we rented when we moved here went into foreclosure while we were still living in it so we had to move, with a two week old baby. That was very hard and that means a new ward, and starting over, when I had just barely started to make friends. I'm still worried about my house selling. Or maybe worried doesn't cover it adequately. So...I'm a little lonely and a little scared. BUT, I have a lot, lot, lot to be grateful for. Every time I turn around there is someone or something making my life easier, and making my burdens lighter. So I've compiled a list of things that I'm grateful for. This isn't everything, and it's not even the big stuff. It's the little stuff that has really counted for me lately. It's a random list but it's sincere.

1. My mini-van: I am indeed grateful for my car. Without that car Tom couldn't have easily been Scoutmaster or done his shed. If we didn't have that mini-van we couldn't fit all of our children in one car. I love that car and I love what it represents.
2. General Conference: I'm sure others feel this way but each and every one of those talks were specifically for me. I gathered such strength and comfort from them and I can not wait for them to be printed in the Ensign so I can read them again.
3. My "Baby Songs" DVD: Tommy isn't a big TV watcher but he loves this DVD and he wakes up at 6:30 every morning. I pop this thing in and sleep for another hour. It's saving my life.
4. A one-story house: I always thought I loved two-story houses, because that's all I've lived in. Turns out that having a one-story is totally awesome. In a two-story everything is always in the wrong place, but now-everything is close. No more going up and down stairs. I suppose it helps that it's a rather large one-story. Only a couple hundred square feet smaller than my house in VA.
5. Extended Family: My husband's uncle and cousin spent all of Thursday night the week we moved helping us. I don't know what we would have done without them. The next day Tom's dad finished moving us. For me, it was nothing short of miraculous all that they got done and I'm not being cliche. I don't know what we would have done without them.
6. My breast pump: It's my breast friend-oh yeah-I just said that. I have an unhealthy love for it. It's saved me from soreness and misery and using it early has made for the best experience of any of my kids yet-plus Eliza hasn't had weight gain problems like the other two-HOORAY!
7. Tom!: I said it wasn't going to be the obvious ones, but seriously-I can't leave him out. Having him coming home at the end of the day is what gets me through some of the harder moments. He picks up all my slack and then some. I love the guy and I'm thankful he's who he is and how much he helps me.
8. Not having any friends: Okay, so this one is tongue-in-cheek but hear me out-I don't have any money but not having any friends means I don't go anywhere and therefore don't spend money. Ditto on gas money. I don't have any obligations to overwhelm me. I don't try to do more than I'm capable of. It's actually working out for the time being. Hopefully I don't have to be grateful for this forever.
9. Scriptures, prayer, church and so forth: I've learned a lot since moving here, and I'm learning to not have any control and how to lean on the Lord. This has been good for me.
10: This cute bunch: