For All You Non-Texans Out There

I saw this this morning and just had to share it with all my non-Texas readers :). Leave me a comment and tell me which number surprised you the most!

YOU MIGHT BE A TEXAN IF..........

1. You can properly pronounce Corsicana, Palestine, Decatur, Wichita Falls, Mexia, Waco, Beaumont, Pflugerville, Kerrville, Boerne, New Braunfels, and Amarillo.

2. Your manners include: "Please", "Thank You", "Excuse me", "Ma'am" & "Sir" & you wanna punch those who don't use them.

3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to put the stuff out in the yard you wanna get rid of.

4. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

5. You’ve ever had to switch from “heat” to “A/C”, TWICE in the same day.

6. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.

7. Stores don’t have bags, they have sacks.

8. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals, with the utmost respect!

9. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.

10. You measure distance in minutes or hours.

11. You refer to the capital of Texas as “home of the Longhorns.”

12. You know that the Chicken Ranch didn’t really raise chickens.

13. Little Smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.

14. You go to the lake because you know what a Bigmouth and a Striper is.

15. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.

16. You know cowpies are not made of beef.

17. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan a wedding date.

18. You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your fist.

19. A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.

20. You know that “Damnyankee” is one word.

21. You aren’t surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all in the same store... & it's a Drive-thru.

22. You always have iced tea & cold beer available for guests.

23. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F350 diesel 4x4 is.

24. You know everything goes better with Ranch dressing or hot sauce.

25. You learned how to shoot a gun as soon as you can walk.

26. You actually like these jokes and are fixin’ to send them to your friends.

27. You know not to order a chicken fried steak using words like “rare” or “well done”.

28. You never use the word “veggies”.

29. You know where the Cotton Bowl is.

30. You are 100% Texan if you have ever heard this conversation:
“You wanna coke?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind?”
“Dr. Pepper.” — with Russell Keith.

* #11 is the only not true statement in this list :)We are a household of Aggie fans!

** In reference to #12, have you ever seen the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"? :)

Kissy Kissy! :)

If you need a Friday smile just watch Griffin and I's Valentine's Day lunch "date". :)

Oh and Kerry, here is my voice!

Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Griffin's First Lollipop

Because lollipop eating is sooo important and I must.document.everything. :)

Before the to die for cuteness begins let me preface this by saying this is technically his third lollipop. The first two he received during hysterical hair-cutting incidents in which he thought he was being attacked by the hair stylist. But, those 2 don't count as Momma and Daddy held those for him.

This particular lollipop is the most special because he got to hold it all on his own (only because I caught him eating one of his older brothers THAT HAD BEEN DROPPED ON THE FLOOR. CRAP.) because I could tell that he could enjoy it without choking.

 You must also please pardon me for all future pictures of Griffin. It's all I can do these days to keep up with him so you will see a plethora of dark, blurry, back of his head type pictures. :)

He ended up doing very well with it and has earned the right to have one again in the future. :)

New Best Friends :)

Grady and Griffin had the best time just hanging around outside the other day together. This makes my heart so happy :). I also have to mention that Griffin got his first real pair of "running" shoes and all of a sudden he looks 16 years old to me. :/ I'm not sure how I feel about all that.

Happy Wednesday ya'll!

Going Gluten Free

This might just be the most boring post ever but if I don't put it here I'll never be able to keep track of it :). As of this morning we are a gluten-free family.

In a nutshell we have been struggling to keep the many facets of Graham's ADHD under control. After doing some research (and my unwillingness to fiddle with Graham's med's for the 1000th time) I've decided (and with Bobby's blessing) to try some more "natural" things.

I'm still really unfamiliar with the ins and outs that entail going gluten-free but I figure that I'll learn as I go. Oh and if you too are living a GF lifestyle would you shoot me an email so I can pick your brain? :)

This was my last gluten filled meal. :) Avocado Chicken salad with cilantro lime dressing sandwich on bakery-fresh sourdough. YUM!

My new grocery haul from last nights shopping extravagant. This is just a portion. Some things I had already put up and was too lazy to pull back out for the picture :).

Did you notice this little "gem" front and center in my above picture? I had one for breakfast because they sounded soo good! And you know what? LARABAR LIED!!! In no way, shape, or form do these bars taste like "chocolate chip cookie dough. They taste like crappy Christmas fruitcake. Seriously? 

I know my family and I will be able to make our way around finding what we like and what we don't like. I'm not super worried. Honestly Graham does really well about eating most of what gets put in front of him so he'll be fine. Grady is getting ridiculously picky about everything anyways so he might as well be picky with GF as non-GF. 

As Bobby and I were talking about this change we decided that we would commit to trying this for one solid year. The online research that I've done so far suggests that it could take 9-12 months before results are seen. I figure if we all end up at the same place we started (meaning little to no change in how we're all feeling) then we can go right back to our old diet. If things work out like I'm hoping then the signs and symptoms of ADHD will diminish (I'm not looking for a cure, I firmly believe that ADHD is a neurological/frontal lobe issue) in both Graham and Grady.  

This morning I had a brief discussion with Grady's teacher when I dropped him off for pre-school. She was sooo unbelievably on board when I told her what was going on. Typically she wouldn't need to be involved in any of this but I'm worried about class parties/classmates birthday cupcakes etc. She said that she would be always on the lookout (aka reading labels) for me and even said that we could keep a "goody bag" of GF treats in her cabinet for him. I'm fairly certain that Graham's teachers will have no problem doing the same. 

I'm kinda excited about this new journey for us! I hope that our family sees results sooner rather than later but I'm more than willing to be patient and trust the process. 

Do any of ya'll follow a GF diet?? Anyone have any hints of suggestions??

The Obligatory Selfie

I just now remembered that I never took a picture of myself taking a picture of myself. :) Aren't those things like mandatory if you get a fancy new camera??

Try number one.

Because everyone wants to see a blurry picture of an empty towel ring, my arm fat and tooth paste stuck to the wall.

Fail.

Try number two.

"Hey..." I think to myself. "Now we're gettin' somewhere!"

But still I just couldn't seem to let it end there. I blame it on the barrage of on Teen Mom 2  updates that I keep getting on my Facebook page. They all look like this...

Teen Mom Farrah Abraham for those of you who don't watch crap tv like me...

I soon realize that the problem with my selfies is that I'm forgetting the teen mom sexy pucker. 

Try number three.

Operation Sexy Pucker. Oh shit. I'm 37 years old and the sexy pucker isn't working all that great for me... I clearly am in need of a suggestive straw and cherry to pull this look off. 

Maybe what I need to look more like a Teen Mom is to add mah baybee. 

Try number four.

Still not hot. I thought maybe the cute baybee would help some but really he's just accentuating my fat rolls and I end up looking really really angry. Hmm. Maybe that top part of my bra hanging out makes me look better? 

In the previous pictures I decided to throw out the sideways peace sign. I have no idea what it means. If I am unknowing throwing a Latin Kings gang sign and you are a member reading this maybe you'd like to be a new follower?

Wait... I know what to do! I'll flash some wedding bling!!

I look soo much better than Jenelle! 

And then there was a brief pause while I fished this out of the toilet...

I ultimately decided that it was time to put an end to all the selfies. Griffin was clearly running amok and I was clearly not paying enough attention.  

You all get the picture though. I got a new camera. :) I like to take pictures with it a.lot. 

Happy Friday everyone :).

Love

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

I hope that you day is filled with all the joy and love in the world!

We don't usually do too much around here to celebrate the day. I prefer a simple day filled with "I love you!" said way too many times (if there is such a thing :) and lots of extra hugs and snuggles. I did make the boys some cupcakes while they were away at school though.

Both my older boys are having Valentine's Day parties at school. They are both super excited because both classes have elected to have breakfast parties! They can not wait for their special waffles and donuts! We have spent an endless amount of time working on Valentines cards for their classmates and teachers. :)

I have to pause and tell you the funniest story very quickly :). Graham came home from school this past Monday and said to me "Mom, I have two friends that I like to play with at recess but they don't like each other very much. I want to send them each a Valentine from each other so that maybe they will start to like each other." I have to admit that this little bit of Valentine trickery sounded just great to me. I couldn't think of a reason why not so I helped him to falsely sign each card. (These boys are in different classes in the same grade so they really shouldn't know that the cards are from Graham just as long as he is able to keep his mouth shut :).

I don't really have that much Valentine's decor up in my house. Mostly just things that are red, romantic or pretty :).

Lots of love to everyone!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13 : 4-8

Look Mom :)

For my beloved mother who just left after a nice visit. I promised you that we would eat spinach. Here is the proof. :)

Oh my gosh ya'll it was DELISH too!

Happy Wednesday ya'll!

My Heart Just Breaks

I never know in Bloglandia if things are regional or country-wide. Here in my neck of the woods we can not stop talking  about, thinking about, and praying about Chris Kyle and his family. He was such an amazing man.

Christopher Scott "Chris" Kyle (April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper inAmerican military history, with 160 confirmed kills (out of 255 claimed kills),^[3][4] although these statistics have not been released by the Pentagon.^[6] He was shot and killed on February 2, 2013, in Texas.

At the age of 8, Kyle's father taught him to shoot. As a youth, he trained as a bronco rider for the rodeo, which he gave up after a serious injury to his arm. He had intended to volunteer and enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was recruited by the U.S. Army, but eventually enlisted with the U.S. Navy. Kyle served four tours in the second Iraq war, and was awarded the Bronze and Silver Star medals multiple times. Iraqi insurgents dubbed him the "Devil of Ramadi" and offered an increasing bounty for his head. He was shot twice, and was involved in six IED attacks. Kyle separated from the U.S. Navy with an honorable discharge in 2009 to spend time with his family. He remained in the spotlight during retirement, and wrote a New York Times bestselling autobiography, American Sniper.

Perhaps it's because he was a Texas boy raised in Odessa or because he was a graduate of my Alma mater (Tarleton State University) but my heart just breaks. I just can't wrap my head around his passing. 

Tarleton State University Alumni recently honored Chris Kyle naming him 2013 Distinguished Young Alum.

I'm so proud of our state-wide support of this great man. My hope is that his family and friends are filled with peace as they witness all the love and support our great state of Texas has to offer. 

How awesome that they had his memorial at Cowboy's Stadium.

Awaiting the passing of a true Hero onto his final resting place.

God Bless the great men and women of this country who give their all.

13 Months Later...

Slacker of the year award goes to Griffin's Mom! :)

Remember a year ago how I did a post featuring Griffin's completed room? I showcased some cute cute letters that I had made for Griffin's wall. I can now proudly say that almost 13 months later the letters have FINALLY been hung.

Sheesh Hillary.

I had been wondering for a while how I was going to hang them. Straight or off-set were pretty much my only choices. I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able hang them in a perfectly straight line and so I decided off set might be my best choice. :)

I found some of these command hanging strips at a recent Target run and couldn't wait to use them!

I just lurveeeee how his finally fished room turned out. :)

Happy Birthiversary!

Hi Y'all, this is Bobby. Today is Hillary's birthday, but 12 years ago I gave her a very special gift. We were married on this day as well. We have had our ups and downs, but more ups than downs. It has been interesting, fun, and I would not have missed it for anything. Thank you Deborah for introducing us!

Hillary, I love you with all my heart, all my soul, and all my beans!

Word To Your Mother

I saw this on Facebook this morning and just had to share it. In about 2 seconds, my head went through all 3 songs singing them :). My favorite is the Vanilla Ice one. Please, please tell me that I am not the only one old enough to know it...

Just in case any of you dear readers are *that* much younger than me here is a clip. It will be stuck in your head the rest of your day.  You are welcome.

I'm not sure if this was all an excuse to hear Ice Ice Baby myself this morning or if I just have a thing for men in pink pants and rat tails. (sorry Bobby) 

Update to "So Weird"

So I saw my neighbor ladies once again today at the kids bus stop. The one that performed the "step away" has been a little bit distant this past week but today she actually asked when our yard sale for March of Dimes was because she said that she had stuff to contribute!

I think that our prayers for the understanding of others is working! :)

Gobble Gobble

Y'all, we had a WILD TURKEY in our back yard yesterday! Isn't that just craziness! We live a neighborhood for gosh sakes not the boon docks :).

He better hurry on before my husband gets a hold of him and he ends up on our dinner table. :)

#thisisreallife #hopethiswasworthit

Dinner tonight is John Wayne Casserole. It had better taste really really good.

White Chicken Enchiladas

White Chicken Enchiladas

What you'll need:

12 corn tortillas (I like the pretty red ones)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I make mine in the Crockpot but you could boil single breasts)

2 cups shredded cheese (my preference is Cheddar)

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth (pull directly from the aforementioned crock pot or canned would be fine)

1 cup sour cream

1- 4 oz can diced green chilies 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x13 pan.  

2. Place each corn tortilla in hot oil in small pan. I set my heat on medium. You do not want to cook the tortilla and they WILL turn chip-like if you are not paying attention. Each tortilla should stay in the oil only 1-2 seconds per side. Pull out immediately and set on a paper towel. If you are crazy and not from Texas and choose to use flour tortillas instead you may skip this step and have fun eating soggy enchiladas. :)

3. Combine shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese and place a small helping inside each tortilla and roll up. Place seam-side down in your baking dish so they will stay together. 

4. Make sure that every child you own is underfoot. The enchiladas will not turn out all that great if you haven't tripped over someone at least twice and said a cuss word that they called you out on. 

5. For the white sauce you will need to make a quick roux. In a medium/large size pan combine butter and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until a nice light brown has been achieved. Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium until thick and bubbly. 

6. Stir in sour cream and chilies*. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. This will curdle your sour cream and will render this delicious sauce useless. 

7. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese**. 

8. Bake for around 20 minutes. You could go a couple of minutes longer if you like your cheese to be slightly brown. My children however complain about not wanting to each "hard cheese" so I pull it out sooner rather than later. 

*Green chilies are not hot whatsoever. Do not be scared to use them. In fact if you like spicy food you could easily substitute green chilies for diced jalapenos. 

**We love cheese at our house. The above called for "2 cups" of cheese is merely a guideline. We probably use a lot more than just two cups. 

***There is a tiny picture of homemade Spanish rice above. That's another recipe for another time. :)

**** I might have already blogged this recipe but now I can't remember so if you are seeing this for a second time I'm a little bit sorry.