getting ready for a day of green.

St. patty's day is on a Saturday... which makes all the fun of this day... not so much fun.  I remember going to school all greened out... with green in my lunch, green crafts and the hunt for arms to pinch.

with that said... tonight... the kidlets and I will do the traditions of sugar cookie and dance on the front porch in anticipation of tricking a visitor.  To see what I am talking about... click here.
and tomorrow.... with us all dressed in green...I have the beer, the bangers and cabbage ready to grill, chill and roast.

we have a few projects in mind... like this coloring sheet and this puzzle to play with.
nothing big.
but bringing the green... and making it fun.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

it's a Chili kinda day.

I cant believe I have never posted my Turkey Chili recipe.....
it is a staple here at the homestead.
With the windy, chill in the air... and the scattered snow showers (that never stick!)..... today is the day for a crock pot full of chili.

~1 1/2 of dry beans (I mix them up~ kidney, pinto, black) and soak over night.
in the early morning I fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Pour the drained beans in, add a bit of garlic, onion and salt... and boil for 15 minutes.  Lower heat to a simmer- and slow cook until beans are soft (about 2 hours)
~ cook up a 1/2 pound of ground turkey, onion, green pepper and garlic in a skillet (set aside)
~ once beans are done:: add meat mixture, and beans to a crock pot.  Pour in some chopped tomatoes (fresh or POMI ) You can then add in whatever veggies makes your chili pot sing.  Today we saute'd  some chopped sweet potato, green chili, corn and zucchini.  For a little seasoning I add 1 Tbs. chili powder, 1/2 tsp red chili peppers, 1/2 Tbs. garlic powder,1/2 Tbs. cumin, a pinch of pepper and allspice.  set the crock pot on low (for 6 hours) High (for 4 hours) and serve up at dinner time.

MMMM...MMMMM.... GOOD!

oh yea... by the way.... stay tuned because I have a giveaway coming!

oh Ruby.

This weekend was work on Ruby weekend.

we took out the bathroom space and created a spot for Cider to sleep.

 I made some sample curtains

 painted a name tag

scrubbed her windows- BonAmi cleaning cake...(the best stuff on the planet) spotless!!!

replaced a door knob

and gave her a special key (guess which one is hers!)

 and to celebrate all our hard work....we had out first driveway camp out on Saturday night!

 what a joy it is to have Ruby in our lives!!!!

where have I been...

last weekend O and I took a mommy & son trip south to California... it was my nephew's wedding. (nothing says getting old than when you tell friends "my nephew is getting married"!).  It was an amazing trip.  Odin ate tons of seafood (!!!) and I enjoyed time with him and my family.  It was a quick trip~ but lots of fun.

 Geoff and Kyle~ my biggest nephews

 "Ry-Ry~ my littlest nephew

when we returned, we picked up RUBY ( her name has been chosen!) and I have been playin (cleaning) with her every day.  With her being 45 years old~ there is quite a bit of "mustiness" and things to get done~ so I have been spending time prioritizing those things.... and working here and there to make her campable for Spring Break.
She is pink and white inside- so I have to rethink the plans of fabrics~ I choose to do that so that I could use up some of the stuff I have in my stash.... and her cushions are 45 years old~ and so they HAD TO go!  they were just plain gross!  But she is coming along.....(pictures coming...soon!)

I PINNED this St. Patrick's Day Printable... and decorated it with a rainbow, a leprechaun and some clovers (thanks to my mom and her handy cri-cut)... for our front entrance.  so, I have been a busy girl.

The kidlets are home today.... so we are off to get our bowling on!

have a great weekend!