The car wash

Today Kinsey and I went to run a few errands before we go to my parents for the weekend. I payed a few bills, bought dog food, got the oil changed, and we went to the car wash. I love this car wash not b/c it's the fanciest or best looking place but b/c of the service. This is one of those places you drive in and it has big brushes that wash your car/truck and has big blowers at the end. But before you even get in there 2 older gentlemen come out to take your money and put it in the machine for you, then they spray some bug stuff on the windshield, and scrub the tires with a brush...something the big fancy one down the road doesn't do. They also ask how many kids you have with you and give them a sucker! While I was in the washer, one man came in with his brush and scrubbed my back window and bumper b/c they didn't get clean by the machine. For this I only pay $5!

When we went into my little village to get the mail this afternoon, they were putting up bunting, banners, and flags every where. Stuff like that just puts me in a good mood! Tomorrow is the first night of the rodeo so the town is getting spiffed up. Kinsey and I are actually going to my parents to go to a big rodeo tomorrow. DH is super busy so we wouldn't hardly see him this weekend if we were home. He already told me he was going to be late tonight....wished I had know that and that I wouldn't have to work this afternoon....I would have taken off to my parents early. Oh well, tomorrow morning is soon enough.

I have not been in a cooking mood

I haven't been in a cooking mood lately. We usually grill in the evenings but it has been raining so I have had to cook in the house. I do this all winter and it doesn't bother me but during the summer I would so rather cook outside. Last night I made chicken fried steak with cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and corn....not the healthiest meal. I really need to get us all back to eating healthier. Neal and I both have gained weight in the last few months. He had to go back up a size in work pants and I have been avoiding some of my shorts. I guess I will pull out my new Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices cookbook and find some recipes to try. I also need to get the exercise stuff back out and start doing Pilates and Yoga again. I love doing them and feel so much better afterwards, it's just finding the motivation to get started.

Check me out!

How fun is this! Thanks to Linda at All & Sundry I found this cute little doll to make. This is basicly what I look like except I'm a little "fluffier". I have a pair of capri pants just like these that I wear at least 2 times a week! This is a lot of fun to play with. Have fun!

Cooking for kids

Cooking for the kids at the daycare can be fun but sometimes challenging. You have to have a well balanced meal following state guidelines while taking into account that certain people won't like certain things. It blows my mind when some kids won't eat the most basic "kid foods". I try to make things that I know they will like and eat so they don't go home starving. Dippable things are a HUGE hit. The kids love anything in a tortilla. One of their favorites is what they call "tortilla sandwich". Take a tortilla and put a slice of ham or turkey and a slice of cheese and fold in half. Put that in a sandwich maker and cook until the light comes back on (about 1 minutes) and the cheese is melted. I slice these into triangles and serve with carrots and apples. They love to dip all this in Ranch dressing. We have carrots 2-3 times a week because they love them so much. I try to have as much fresh fruit as possible too. Apples, oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, and grapes are all favorites. Bananas only go over good with a few.
Today I made bean and cheese quesadillas. I take a tortilla and spread it with refried beans then sprinkle with grated cheddar jack cheese topping it with another tortilla. I put this on a comal or round griddle and cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden. Slice it into wedges and serve with corn and pears.
Our menu has more of a Tex-Mex flair to it because that's what our kids are use to. We do make a few Italian dishes including Pizza sticks and spaghetti. The rest of our menu consists of sandwiches and chicken or fish.

Reality TV in the summer

I'm a huge reality TV junkie! I love Survivor, The Apprentice, Hell's Kitchen, The Next Food Network Star....etc. During the summer my favorite is Big Brother. Last night CBS showed the 20 people who want to be on Big Brother this year. Out of those 20, twelve will be chosen to go into the house. I'm hoping Kaysar, Janelle, and Howie all make it in! I'm hoping with all my heart that Ivette does not make it. The new season start July 6th! Stay tuned.
A new show starting this summer is Treasure Hunters. I watched it Monday and it seems like it will be pretty good. It's some what like Amazing Race.
This week re-runs of Survivor All-Stars have been on OLN. It's fun to go back and watch these shows knowing who is going to win. You look at the contestants in a whole different way. Knowing that Amber wins amazes me because she just followed what Boston Rob told her to do.
It's nice not having to watch re-runs all summer like we used to have to do. Of course it's also nice having over 200 channels to chose from instead of 3....LOL!