...soup success, little "m", and Happy Halloween!

After yesterday's post about the potato soup not cooking in the crock pot--we finally had success after cooking it on the stove top. Maybe I need a new crock pot?? If you are interested in the recipe, click here, the only thing I changed was adding a few more potatoes to allow for more servings, and I used canned chicken broth instead of cubes. I will definitely make this soup again.

And, totally unrelated to the soup, but some really cute shots of M from last weekend...a little playtime while big bro was in school...

He loves to push the basket out and climb through...he's almost too big to play this anymore...

A quick get-a-way as nienie tries to get a fast pic!

Aaawwwweee, how adorable is that cute little face? (very cute, if you ask me:)

Now, it's time to pick out a movie.

Happy Halloween to all...jack-o-lantern courtesy of Darku and Kelsey!!!

...a little quilting, and some soup

I'm making two small quilted table toppers for my bedside tables.

All stitched together by hand, because my machine has been in the shop being cleaned and adjusted.

I love all of the fun colors, including the red!

Since I have my sewing machine back now, I think I'll add the strips by machine, I'm anxious to get them done.

And, this is a potato soup recipe I found on Pinterest, I was going to blog about it. But---it has been in the crock pot on high for 3 hours and hasn't even started to cook. So, I put it in a pot on the stove--me and hubby are getting hungry. I'm glad I tried it while I was home instead of waiting until tomorrow while I would be gone all day to school.  I'll have to let you know how it tastes, if it ever gets done----I can report that it sure smells good!

...an apple a day

...he said, "I want the big one", when I opened the refrigerator,

...I said, "are you sure, the big one? you don't want me to cut it"?

..."no" he said.......so, I just snapped pics as he opened his mouth
wide and bit a big chunk off!

...these boys are so entertaining, I could just sit and watch their antics all day long:)

I'm back...

I'm back, but look what I had to  leave behind--I miss these boys already!

We  had so much fun hanging out together...

They are so funny and sweet, there was never a dull moment.
And I must say, they are growing up way, way too fast.

And, they love to mess with me when they see me trying to take pictures!

But, I just keep snapping away---then I'm pleasantly surprised when I go through to edit all the shots I took.

Can't wait to see them again!

Along with pics of my darling grandchildren, here is a quick shot of our dinner tonight. I found a recipe for Freezer Burritos and wanted to try it out since me and hubby both take our lunch to work everyday. I'm posting the original recipe and noting my changes in parenthesis. Here is the link to see more info on the original recipe.

Freezer-Friendly Bean and Rice Burritos

Easy individually-wrapped bean and rice burritos for the freezer! These burritos are simple and delicious!   Yield: 8 burritos (My recipe made 10, probably because I added chicken breasts)

Ingredients:

***I added 2 cut up chicken breast from a roasted chicken from the Deli (Wal-Mart)*** 

4 cups cooked pinto beans (I used one can of pinto beans)
4 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste (I didn't add any extra salt)
Hot sauce, optional (I added 4 tablespoons of Picante Sauce)
8 burrito-size flour tortillas (Mine filled 10)
Sour cream or hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, toss together the cooked chicken, beans, rice, cheese, and some splashes of hot sauce (if using).
2. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the beans and rice mixture on each tortilla. Fold into burritos (see below). Wrap individually in pieces of foil.
3. Place foil-wrapped burritos in a gallon-size freezer Ziplock bag, removing excess air if possible. Label with name and date. Freeze for up to 6 months (if tightly wrapped).
See a photo tutorial for this recipe here!
Reheating instructions:
From frozen: Place frozen burritos a few inches apart directly on oven rack. Turn oven on to 375 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, until hot inside. Serve with sour cream or hot sauce!
From thawed (or freshly made): Place burritos a few inches apart directly on oven rack. Turn oven on to 375 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, until hot inside. Serve with sour cream or hot sauce!

These were a hit! I will definately be making them again, and super simple!

...more quilting and off to dallas!!!

I have had so much fun lately with fabrics. I've returned to one of my long lost loves, sewing and quilting. It was one of my fave hobbies that received very little attention during my several years of the famous "scrapbooking venture" with my sis. I must say, I've missed quilting. The soothing effects of the monotonous, tiny, hand stitching relaxes me. And, to prove how serious I am, I took my sewing machine in today to be cleaned and serviced. It hasn't been properly cleaned in more than 10 years!

I have missed stepping into fabric stores and viewing all of the different colors, patterns, and designs of material. There is so much out there, I feel like I've been missing out. Maybe that's why I have way too many projects going on in various states of completion right now. I'm sure having fun, though!

This little table topper was stitched completely by hand, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The fabric is from a line by Camille Roskelley, Bliss. I used pieces from a jellyroll, pre-cut strips---makes the process go a lot quicker. I love the colors she puts together, and her sweet, simple style.

The backing is fabric I had left over from Grayson's 1st birthday party favors I made. I've used it to finish off several projects, guess I over-bought! I'm enjoying the finished product and have plans to make many more.

Early tomorrow morning Kelsey and I are headed to Carrollton to stay with the little ones while the little ones' parents go on their anniversary trip. This will be the first time G & M will be in school while we are there. So......you can bet I have my "stitching" packed up to go with me!

"Happy Fall Break"

...signs of fall

Fall looks official in my yard today....and Marley is lovin' the nice weathershe doesn't usually stay out in the yard for very long, unless one of us joins her in the grass......so she was very happy that I stepped out to snap a couple of pics!

...a work in progress

It seems like I've been busy lately, to say the least. Not a lot to show for it, just "life". My summer seemed so short-changed, getting back into the school groove was more of a challenge this year. Or, maybe I'm just getting slower! Anyway, I miss documenting my little projects along the way, so I'm going to attempt to get back on track. I've been making a ton of these little yo-yo squaresand have started putting them together into rows. It's going slowly, but I love working with all of the different colors. I have 4 long rows so far, at the rate I'm going it will take a year to finish it. I've been interrupting the process to work on projects for Christmas gifts, which I can't reveal until after Christmas! I've also added quilting back into my life so I seem to "float" from one project to the next before completing anything, a little A.D.D., maybe? Here is a longer view, there are actually three more rows tucked behind the chair to keep it from falling while I took thepicture. And speaking of A.D.D., I worked on this little fall project while my pics loaded on the blog. I just have a very difficult time sitting still! And, switching from projects to family, Caleb came home from Norman this weekend to spend some much needed bonding time with us. We went out to celebrate Kelsey's 20th birthday!Thanks for the pose, kids!