family labor day

3 weeks

the love these cousins share

addie ran around yelling "uh uh" to luke until he would pick her up :)

jack-0

tenacious, smart, intense.

swingline

must have been a busy day..... accidentally brought home my swingline stapler :) it did however, bring back great memories. you see the stapler was my grandpa johnson's and i got it after he passed. not a day goes by when he does not come to mind as i staple (a lot) :)

good morning!

first day of staff back to work! YAY! glad to have them back :)

snippet one from tournament

throw back thursday

karie, me, lynda, kellie
i guess 1989 or 1990 :)

sweet lukers

apple tree???

who knew we have an apple tree in the back yard!!! wormy?

shrimp soup

last time i made this it was amazing--hoping my creation turns out the same or better!

amazing shrimps soup

NEED:
shrimp (raw and cleaned)
broth (i used a "box" of chicken)
chopped onion
chopped poblano pepper
diced garlic
red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
lime juice
northern beans
corn (frozen will work but i used fresh corn cut off the cob) 

DO:
sautee veggies in a bit of olive oil. add beans. add corn. sautee a bit longer. add seaoning and salt. add broth. add shrimp. cook until shrimp are done. (pink--three to four minutes)

today i also added the shrimp shells back in but i didn't have cheese cloth so i put them in the metal colander back on top while the soup boils. we shall see :) 

serve in shallow bowl with tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips and avacado chunks. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

oooh make and freeze breakfast :)

Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos

Yield – 12 servings

Preparation Time – 20 minutes

Cooking Time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chorizo mexican sausage (mild Italian sausage will do too)
• 10 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup salsa
• Tabasco sauce, optional
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 24 soft taco or fajita size tortillas

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Directions

• Brown the sausage. Drain if necessary, then add sausage back into skillet.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk with salt and pepper. Pour over the browned sausage. Scramble.
• Once the eggs are cooked, add the salsa, Tabasco sauce and cheese and stir through. Let sit on the burner for a minute, allowing the cheese to melt.
• Spoon into tortillas, let cool slightly, roll and place into freezer baggies. Freeze up to 3 months.
• Thaw in fridge overnight, reheat in the microwave.

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/chorizo-and-egg-breakfast-tacos/#ixzz3BGjcwems

breakfast quinoa???

Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa

Yield – 6 to 8 breakfast servings

Preparation Time – 5 minutes

Cooking Time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa
• pinch of salt
• about 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, or other sweetener
• 1 Tbsp homemade pumpkin pie spice

Directions

• Rinse the quinoa in a colander to help remove the bitter taste.
• In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to boiling, then add the rinsed quinoa. Return to boiling, then reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
• Onec cooked, fluff with fork and add the canned pumpkin, brown sugar (or other sweetener, add to taste), and the spices. If you don’t have all the spices on hand to make the pumpkin pie spice mix, adding 2 tsp cinnamon plus 1 tsp of ginger will work too.
• Serve Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa with a piece of fruit.
• To prepare as “make ahead,” divide into small plastic containers and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/make-ahead-pumpkin-breakfast-quinoa-gluten-free-fall-breakfast/#ixzz3BGdGRF2u

i love time hop :D

another time hop

And yesterday he was allowed to drive the tractor by himself!  my almost 9 year old.....

boatin'

aunt lynda (38 weeks prego) and uncle john invited us out for time on their boat. jack and josh stayed home....damn ears (and went to transformers!) while luke and i joined in the water fun. we had a great lunch, lots of cruising, a tasty picnic on the boat and a great time in silver lake. 

more of TJ