Bad hair day...

There is no complaining about having a bad hair day... unless it is worse than waking up with your ear inside out, backwards AND upside down!

Come to me if it's worse than that... until then, talk to the paw!

Beef Enchiladas

Today is my freezer meal exchange, and I made beef enchiladas... my strong silent mysterious mans favorite food (well he prefers just cheese, but he will do beef and he is getting beef!).

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Each person makes one recipe each month and makes enough for each family in the group, ours fluctuates between 4 and 6 each month. And then we meet together and everyone gets one of each recipe to take home and use for meals during the month. I thought it would be really hard to make that much food all at one time. But it really isn't any harder to make 6 enchilada casseroles as it is to make one.

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It has been fun to try new recipes, get to know these ladies in our group better, and since my family is really picky eaters I am loving that it is getting them outside of their comfort zone once a week.

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I used a recipe in our freezer meal book we created when we started, and it isn't too much different than my own enchilada recipe I have developed over the years, except I make my own sauce now instead of the canned stuff. I have never mixed the canned enchilada sauce with tomato sauce until today, it seems like it will cut down on the edge of the canned sauce. We will see if my food critics like it.

So this time I had enough for the freezer group and a big ol' batch for dinner tonight... I know this looks like it would feed an army, but I have a growing teenager that is eating us out of house and home, and my strong silent mysterious man swears these are better the next day for lunch. It is the only left overs he will eat, so I always make plenty.

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Enchiladas was the first thing I ever learned to make him that he liked. We were dating and went to his sisters house for dinner and she made them for us and he raved and went on about how good they were. So before we left I made her show me how to make them... she took me into the kitchen alone, and much to my surprise it was pretty easy, opening a couple of cans of enchilada sauce, browning hamburger and just knowing how to put them all together... once I got the hang of it (okay this took me a while before I got the raves he gives about his sisters) they have been a staple in our house ever since and now I can make them in all his favorite varieties and combinations. Thanks Johnna... I think this is why I finally landed him!

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Freezer Beef Enchiladas

16oz. Tomato Sauce

2 cans Enchilada Sauce

1lb hamburger

onion chopped

1/2 cup olives

2 cups grated cheese

12 tortillas

Brown hamburger with onion. Drain and add olives to meat mixture (I add taco seasoning to my meat and some water according to the directions to make it saucy). Mix together enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Spread some sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan then spoon sauce, meat and cheese on tortilla (I like to heat tortillas in a pan with a little oil to get them really flimsy, or heat them in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel). Roll and place seam side down in pan. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese (I reserve some olives to put on top I think it looks pretty).

You can cover and freeze at this point, or bake at 350 for 30 min until bubbly.

Bon Appetite!

Squaw Butte...

I not only survived the special evening and public speaking last night, I had a really good time! I was so uplifted... who wouldn't be, surrounded by over 100 beautiful young women of God. It was a special night to remember!!

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The sun is shining so bright today!

I feel like spring actually might be near.

But then I remember one of the "local" rules of thumb, that you shouldn't plant until after the last snow melts off Squaw Butte.

Oh dear, it might be a while before I get to plant any spring flowers!

Check out all the snow, all the way down to the bottom, it is usually just white tips at the top by this time of year.

A special night...

Wednesday is finally here! All of my anxiety has turned into excitement.

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Tonight is a program our presidency has been planning to honor the young women and leaders in our stake who have earned their young womanhood recognition award. There is a dinner for the honorees (?) it is the largest number I have seen being honored since I have been serving in this auxiliary of the church. It is an award that is earned through participation in a 4 year personal progress program designed to help each young woman develop a testimony of Jesus Christ. It helps her learn to establish patterns of setting goals and to make and fulfill commitments that will help her in future roles in her life.

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It has been said it is equivalent to the Eagle Scout Award in the Boy Scout program.

It is a night we want to honor the recipients in a special way, as well as help other young women who are working in the program to understand the value, and encourage them to continue on the path to completing their own personal progress.

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The details of planning came together pretty easily and our presidency was so united from the very beginning on every aspect, it came together pretty fast. However, I have been given an opportunity to give a talk... it's very short, but what I will say, hasn't come so quickly, or easily. I am trying to give myself the time and quiet I need to ponder and pray about what I should say. I just always feel so much pressure to want to say the right things in front of these girls and leaders and I think I fall short on having enough faith that they will not hear what they need to from "me" but they will be taught by the Holy Ghost. If I just have faith in that, I should not be nervous about my own shortcomings. This is such a hard process for me. Thankfully, I keep getting these opportunities to get over myself and learn this important principle. (giggle)

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I am just so grateful to feel the excitement finally! I want it to go well, and I hope I can slow down enough to cherish the moments of this night. They are really precious moments, and I love the opportunity that I have to be part of it.

Things to cherish this week...

It is a full week for me... I am feeling cluttered in my mind for some reason. It shouldn't be things that are overwhelming me, but am feeling just that, darn.

So maybe if I write it down and get some of it out of my head, I can begin to cherish the moments instead of dreading the amount of energy I am having to come up with outside of my regular weekly work and house chores.

Monday

The teenagers first varsity golf tournament.

My nerves were feeling anxious for him.

Don't forget any items he left to gather to bring to him for the tourney... golf items and clothing and he will need some protein so his blood sugar doesn't drop too low before he is done playing (the last practice he didn't get home until after 7pm and was starving to death... tough on a growing teenager who is used to feeding every 2 hours).

We had challenges on Sunday in our Ward conference that I really want to try and incorporate into our family night. Plan family night.

No pressure, but... make a treat for family night this week, it will keep them coming!

Walk with bff.

Get all those phones calls made for the Wed night program early enough not to interrupt family night for others.... darn, I should have finished those on Sunday.

Console teenager after a crummy golf match with the yummy family night treats.

Find out at the last minute there is ONE MORE basketball game tonight, and family night is rushed to get the strong silent mysterious man out the door in time for the game.
Can't go support him, because there was no time for a shower earlier in the day.

Stayed home sulking and forgetting to cherish the day.

Tuesday

Up early shower, shampoo and shine.

Out of the house for a monthly morning business meeting,

Out the door running in heels, don't forget all the handouts, award presentations and agenda.

Clean up after meeting, get contacts for newsletters and set up board meeting for the end of the month.

Stop by printer and get the programs aligned on their program for printing.

Figure out dinner for the boys.

So I can make it to the Relief Society birthday dinner at 6pm.

Oh yeah... figure out something to take to the dinner, and get it made!

Finish talk for Wed night.

Pick up programs and get them folded and stapled for Wed.

Pick up meat for Thurs. freezer meals.

Call and wish friend happy birthday.

Haul gear to teenager for golf practice.

Call and meet kitchen coordinator to get all the paper products and table clothes to take to Wed night program.

Cherish the moments of the day!

Wednesday

Go over talk and get the timing down to the min.

Wash all the anxious nerves about talking in public off in the shower, and let any guilt of falling short, go down the drain today.

Walk with bff.

Pick up flowers for program.

Make freezer meals for trading on Thursday.

Get something for dinner in the crock pot for the boys to fin for themselves yet another night.

Put together awards for program tonight.

Tie ribbons on flowers to hand out.

Haul gear to teenager for golf practice.

Go set up, decorate tables for program.

Deliver a talk... breathe!

Clean up after program.

Cherish the moments and blessing of the day.

Thursday

Walk with bff.

Figure out a decent meal to make up for lost time with my family this week.

Return items borrowed for the program.

Call my sister and mom that have been put on the back burner all week.

Get freezer meals labeled and ready to exchange.

Clean up dog toys and vacuum for freezer meal exchange tonight.

Call and set up time and place to meet friends in town from Seattle.

Haul gear to teenager for golf practice.

Dinner with my family.

Freezer meal exchange.

Cherish the moments of the day.

Friday (the 13th??? no wonder... this would explain allot if I were superstitious)

Breathe

Walk with bff

Figure out dinner and maybe a movie with the family tonight.

Haul golf gear to the teenager for practice.

Dinner and a movie with my family at home with my feet up!

Cherish the moment with my feet up!

Saturday

The Best of EFY (especially for youth), collect tickets at the door and attend this special day.

Meet friends in town from Seattle!

Cherish.

Sunday

Attend 5 hours of church, conference and presidency meetings... one more long day.

Cherish.

Monday

Catch up blog... because there will either be no time to blog, or I will be too tired to blog, or all of my creative energy will be zapped and I won't have any thoughts on what to blog about.