Wednesday, August 31, 2011

SCORE!



I stopped in at a church rummage sale this morning and scored this two and a half foot terrarium, complete with screened top, UV light, heating pad and large feeding/watering bowl. It was only $5! The children are split on what critter we should get for it. Suggestions are a snake, a scorpion and a turtle. We will see.......

Monday, August 29, 2011

Peaches!

Today, I canned the flat of peaches that I got at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. I was in a hurry, so I raw packed them. I don't mind the floating. I peeled the peaches and my daughter Polly cut them into slices. It went twice as fast with help! Over the past few days, I've canned these, pizza sauce, elderberry syrup and mock pineapple. I'm on a canning roll!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

New Goodies!



Borders is closing and it's finally marked at 50-75% off, so we visited. I figured that that percentage off would bring the prices down below normal retail. Wonder why they are going out of business? I would love to take home some of their bookshelves and will keep an eye on the prices. Right now they are still too much, but maybe in a few weeks......

They did have two of the books that were patiently waiting in my saved-for-later Amazon cart. I have some good reading ahead of me!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Humid Friday



It was 102 today. Not too bad; in fact, that's a rather nice temperature for August for us. However, a layer of clouds rolled in this afternoon and things got sticky. What's better for a humid afternoon than a spin in the sprinkler? I'm happy to report that the humidity was forgotten and fun was had by all Littles present.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

GggrrOOOWwwlLllL!



Are you frightened? He does look vicious! Our new kitten, Ohren, showed me this seemingly terrifying face as I was snapping pictures this evening. However, this is actually the beginning of a hearty yawn. He succumbed to an attack of BabyKitty-narcolepsy about 30 seconds later.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Chipotle Burritos

I've been trying to make a great chipotle meat for a while. Tonight, I think I found one that will be the go-to recipe. It's really good. Hot, spicy and easy.

I paired it with homemade refried beans, shredded cheese and lettuce.

It made for some mighty fine tacos.

Chipotle Roast

3 lbs chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 chipotle chiles in adobo
1 (4 ounce) cans green chilies (I used homemade)
1 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde (I used Green El Pato)
1 cup sliced onions, optional
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup beef broth or water

Place roast in crockpot. Place all the other ingredients in a blender and liquify. Pour over roast and cook on high for 5-8 hours, the longer the better. When done, remove from crockpot and shred. Put back in crockpot liquid and mix. Serve.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Unwinding...



...Playmobil style. We pulled out a police set that we bought months and months ago today, just because. Squeals of happiness ensued. Most of the afternoons free time was spent adventuring with police and firefighters. What a good way to spend an afternoon!

We also did some cooking this afternoon. GirlofGod used a new recipe and made chocolate granola bars. They will be breakfast. I made Vanilla Granola, a perennial favorite. Dinner was Cubed BBQ Beef over rice, (adapted from the linked recipe) Carrot Raisin Salad and Green Salad.

Poppa and I enjoyed watching the preseason MNF game while the Lambies swam and/or played outside. A little quiet time is nice!