Never say Never

I am now the proud owner of a new (to me) minivan. I LOVE IT! We got an amazing deal on it. And it gets more than double mpg than our Tahoe. God is good! So thankful!
Oh..and is has "racing stripes" (what Caleb called the blue pinstripe) and a "fin." The first day we had it Carl called me to see how it was running.
Me: I love it
Carl: You can tell it's been well taken care of and never hot-rodded
Me: Until today
Carl: WHAT?!?
Me: Well, it has racing stripes and a fin. I had to try it out :)

Will You Be Mine?

construction paper & my little girls

scissors & my mom's sewing machine

lots of hearts

my Sweetheart!

chillin'

The last few days have consisted of stuffy noses, runny noses, tooth aches, coughs, earaches, sore throats, and lots and lots of tissues. But in spite of all that there was also this :)
UNO

and more UNO

learning

practicing

and puzzles

Hope your weekend was wonderful! The beautiful weather yesterday has me in the mood for spring :)

My new favorite recipe

Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 cans (15 oz ) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
  
• 1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

My mom gave me this recipe a few weeks ago and I've made it every week since then. The best thing about it - my whole family loves it. It does not taste "pumpkin-y" but it is delish! We like it with crushed tortilla chips on top. Enjoy!

Goals

I found this note a couple days ago. I love her goal (I underlined it) and my other favorite part is the "martha stewart fan."

Speaking of goals. This is my 35 list from last year. The 35 things I wanted to do before I turned 35.

1. Try Pilates -nope, but I have checked into it and I still want to
2. Family Pictures -didn't happen
3.Allow more messes. paint, sprinkle, mud, glitter -pretty sure I did :D
4.Frame pictures to hang in living room -I know what I want but haven't gotten it yet
5.Remember to cherish the little things
6.Have friends over for a gourmet meal -still want to
7.Love unconditionally -everyday
8.Run a marathon make that a 5k -I'm running the Aruna 5k in April with Corrie :)
9.Back up all my pics -Pics are all backed up thanks to Mozy.com and Ricky
10.Spend a weekend away with my husband -Not away, but several weekends with our home to ourselves
11.Draw closer to God -want to be even closer
12.Go camping -didn't happen last year but it will this year
13.Learn to make authentic Chinese at home -besides springrolls, it didn't happen
14. Have a girls nite out with my 4 girlfriends -3 out of 4 does not count
15.Refinish an old piece of furniture -I got the piece of furniture, now to refinish it
16.Sew something -Oh yeah, a pillow - pictures below :)
17.Start saving for a SLR - LOVE it
18.Keep my blog updated YES! I did it!
19.Read "Bringing up Girls" and boys check
20. Have people over more often -have to work on this again
21.Discover a way to make my kids love veggies -decided this is impossible
22.Get up earlier -check
23.Plant a tree -did it, love it
24.Give more-hugs, kisses, love, time, forgiveness -can always do more
25.Bake something for each of my neighbors -yep
26.Have a girls' day out with my daughters -more than once :)
27.Learn to make bread from scratch -mmmmm
28.Remodel bathroom -not yet
29.Organize my photo prints -kind of, good enough
30.Paint living room -so loving it
31. Learn photoshop -I think I was dreaming
32.Memorize Scripture with my children -not as much as I wanted to
34.Walk at the park with Isaac -some
33.Finish reading my Bible completely through -didn't happen, but I made progress
35.Sell on Ebay -done

Yikes! I still have a lot to do, but I did get a lot done too :) Now I'm working on a new list. 36 things to do before I turn 36. I loved being able to go over my list to see my accomplishments and to keep focused on what I still want to do. First thing on the list -- Make a list :)

Back to #16... since I can't wait to show you my mad sewing skills. I found 2 napkins on clearance at Crate and Barrel for $1.95


I love the colors and I love the pattern.

So I borrowed my Mom's new sewing machine, and sewed them together and stuffed them with fluff!

they think the couch is much comfier than a table :)