Does Anyone Else Do This?

I am beginning to think we are a little nuts around the Dominguez house. I am about to let you in on a little something that exists in our home but is never spoken about-- ever.
We are competitive people.
Not competitive as in sports but in very strange ways. And not with anyone else. With each other. It is a little game we play that I am almost ready to wave my white flag on....but not quite. The current situation?

BATTLE: Toothpaste

Our current competition involves the tube of toothpaste in our bathroom. And for some reason, I really want to win this one. The purpose is to not be the person who has to bust into the new package. It is more of a hold out sort of thing. And it isn't laziness, which may be your initial reaction. Both of us love to open a new product or item, there's something kind of fun about that. It is almost about who is the most frugal. Who can squeeze the most out of that dilapidated old tube? I thought it would be me...but look at that tube! It has seen its day. I now have to set my toothbrush down on the counter and use both hands to squeeze. I think it is causing me to have early-onset arthiritis. I even thought about cheating (gasp!) and going to the boys' bathroom to use their toothpaste; but the thought of bubble gum toothpaste makes me gag. So, I am trying like crazy to hold out. Every morning after David has left and I am in the bathroom getting ready, I open the drawer to see that stupid old tube still sitting there. It is almost like I see David's face in the drawer...staring at me saying, "Ha ha! Got a little more out of it! Your turn!"
What is a little scary is that we don't just do this with toothpaste. We do it with the bar soap in the shower, the pump soap at the sink (I really think David mixed water in it last month to make it last until I had to change it-- stinker!), the milk, the juice, etc. Neither of us wants to be that person that had to open up a new container when there was probably still a bit of use in the old one. And we NEVER speak of this. It is quite funny. It is our silent battle of sorts.
It occured to me this morning after I longed to bust into that new twin pack, (but didn't), we are a little nuts. Friends, please help me out here. Do any of you do this in your household? Or are we a little over the top with the competition? Have we turned into Ray and Debra Barrone in the Baggage episode of that show? Will toothpaste be our big fork and spoon? Or suitcase?
Just a little friendly marital competition!
Let the Battle Begin.....

Jonathan's Unusual Talent and the Hi-Hi

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We're just so proud of our talented child. What a silly kid!


Jonathan is also into what he calls the "hi-hi". A hi-hi is any type of phone-- be it toy or real. Whenever we are on the phone he will use his grabby hands and repeat over and over "hi-hi, hi-hi, hi-hi," trying to get his little hands on the hi-hi.
He has a hi-hi hierarchy also. He is pretty content to play with a toy cell phone. But, we also have a number of our old cell phones that trump the toy cells any day. But, of course the ultimate is a real-working cell phone.

This little boy certainly makes us laugh.

ABC Tag

My friend Becky, over at Casita de Alaniz tagged me with this fun ABC Meme!

A. Attached or Single? Very much attached.

B. Best Friend? David

C. Cake or Pie? Cake, hands down. But I do love my SIL Arly's pies. I wasn't a huge pie person until Arly entered my life. They even had pie at their wedding!

D. Day of choice? Monday... Yeah right! TGIF, baby! Especially during these summer months when David is off on Fridays.

E. Essential item? This is a tie between my MAC and my camera...and Photoshop Elements.

F. Favorite color? Red is Best! This is actually a book title, but red has always been my favorite color!

G. Gummy bears or worms? worms, they seem more fun to eat

H. Home town? Austin, Texas...I was Texas Born and Texas Bred...I'll live here 'til I'm Texas Dead! (Guess I'll really eat crow if I ever leave the state, huh? I do love this place, though, so the chances are slim.)

I. Favorite indulgence? A Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. Amanda...we still need our late night Starbucks date, girl!

J. January or July? January...a whole month of celebrating my birthday!

K. Kids? Two little boys who keep me on my toes.

L. Life isn’t complete without? My family, my church, and my Jesus!

M. Marriage date? November 23, 2002

N. Number of brothers and sisters? Three older brothers...Bud, Dale and Mike. The youngest, Mike, was sixteen when I was born! So, I basically grew up as an only child...but I still claim those three! ; )

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples...baked with cinnamon and brown suger. Yum-O.

P. Phobias? Okay, most of you do know this about me, so I will just type it out for all the world. I have a fear of throwing up (even though in my life I have done this on a number of occasions). And for that matter, anyone in my family throwing up. The stomach bug is the reason I am such a hand-sanitizer freak. If you are ever sick with this and then around me a few days later, don't be offended if I avoid you like the plague. It's me, not you!

Q. Quotes?
"Then the angel spoke to the women. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen.'" Matthew 28:5-6

"Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

"Come and share my pot of tea, my home is warm and my friendship's free."-- Anonymous

R. Reasons to smile? Benjamin singing "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho", Jonathan's big grin and belly laugh, David's kind spirit that is constant, good friends both near and far, a great family, a big Southern supper of brisket and hash-brown casserole and Coca-Cola.

S. Season of choice? The one that is always coming up.

T. Tag 4 people:
Lori, Ginger, Koti and David

U. Unknown fact about me? I hate cats. And I kind of feel guilty about it. I just don't care for the animal.

V. Vegetable? Kentucky Wonder Green Beans (they are the broad, flat green bean). We eat them at least once a week!

W. Worst habit? procrastinating

X. Xray or ultrasound? Ultrasound...that's how we knew we were having a Benjamin and a Jonathan!

Y. Your favorite food? Barbeque, garlicky mashed potatoes, my mom's layered dessert, pot roast with the veggies cooked with it, Nyla's chocolate-covered marshmallows and Pepperidge Farm's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bread (a staple in our house!).

Z. Zodiac sign? Capricorn...but I think these are silly, too, Becky.

Our family Fridays have made their return. Instead of planning out a big activity, our day just sort of fell into place, and we had so much fun together-- all day long!
Today was Benjamin's last swimming lesson, so we all headed over to Belton to watch and swim. Lessons ended a little early today and the pool completely cleared out! We couldn't believe that we had two pools (this place has a rather large baby pool) all to ourselves. David ran to Jack in the Box and brought us back a picnic of sorts. And we just swam ourselves silly for quite some time.

Benjamin going under the water with Jennifer!

Our friend Cade splashing with Jonathan in the baby pool while Benjamin finished up his lesson. Aren't their expressions fun?

Mommy and Benjamin swimming and splashing in the big pool.

After heading home, the boys crashed and the parents did, too. Later this afternoon we made our first trip over to our new Target, and it did not disappoint! Even the new shopping carts are cool! Throughout swimming lessons we have been shamelessly bribing offering an incentive for Benjamin to stay focused, go underwater and listen well to Jennifer. That bribe reward would have been the much anticipated Dinoco Chick car that he has been wanting...and guess who had it? Way to go, new Target! We love you already. And yes, we were HUGE dorks by bringing our camera along to Target of all places. But hey, for little ol' Killeen, this new shopping center is a big deal! We drove around the parking lot and several other places are almost open as well, including Barnes & Noble, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Circuit City, Chipotle (yum, can't wait for that one), Cheddar's and Cracker Barrel. The new Petco, DollarTree, Ulta and Payless were already doing the business. It was fun to visit there today; everyone was super excited everywhere we turned. We cruised up and down every aisle in Target (even the freezer section) and it seemed like we weren't the only ones doing this! It is too cool!

Pulling the Dinoco Chick off the rack! Their Cars section was well-stocked!

After cruising, we came home and made breakfast for supper-- a favorite around here. Before their baths, we let the boys play around in the driveway for awhile. Jonathan is learning to ride the little Radio Flyer trike and Benjamin rode his Big Wheels and "Junior". Jonathan was pretty interested in Junior this time and climbed on in. They both played "Pit Stop" for quite some time. Jonathan was the driver and Benjamin was "Guido" the tire-changer.

A very fun, un-orchestrated Family Fun Friday. Maybe I should never plan things out anymore...it went pretty well!

Happy Birthday to Two Lovely Ladies!

My pal, Deborah (pictured with Jonathan)


Syndi, my sister-in-law.

Happy day to a great friend and a sweet sister-in-law! Hope you both have a wonderful day. Blessings and hugs to you both.

Thank You for being a Friend...

Just so all of the other Golden Girls fans out there are aware...sweet little Estelle Getty passed away today. My mom always watched these shows and I got hooked, too. All of us in college were big fans of the Lifetime reruns.
Here's a small little tribute to a neat little lady:

McKinney, Mamma Mia, & Make Way for Miss Madelyn

I had a super fun time in McKinney with Lori and her family. Lori and I met in August of 1996 and have been the best of buds ever since. We roomed together all through college (even into that 5th year we hung around for, until she got married, I didn't think I should live with her then!). We have been through a lot together: ACU; pledging; the loss of her dad; the fact that we sometimes think our moms live identical lives; parents with cancer; fun (and sometimes crazy) trips to New York City, California (twice), Louisiana (we swam with someone famous there...any guesses who?), Graceland, Florida and many other Texas spots, weddings, a bajillion moves, three little boys (and two big boys), a whole mess of Golden Retrievers, and the ultimate: turning 30. The beauty of our friendship is that we can pick up right where we left off and we always do.
One of the main reasons I went up was to help out on the nursery for Miss Madelyn, who I truly thought would arrive when I was there (but didn't!). Lori is very ready for that little girl to be born, too! And we all can't wait to meet her. I also got to spend a little time with Madelyn's big brother, Jackson, who just turned five. He is hilarious and had me laughing the whole time.
We also were excited to get to see Mamma Mia on opening night! Too fun. If you're an ABBA fan, chances are you've already seen the musical and have probably already run out to see the flick. The movie was great! We had a fun theater packed with fun girls (and about two men) who clapped and sang and laughed hysterically the whole time. If you do go see it, be sure and hang around for the credits, that is when they sing Waterloo...I was starting to get concerned that it was left out! We also managed to have ring-side seats for a confrontation coming out from the Batman movie across the hall when we were waiting to get into our theater. Craziness. Two old, decent looking guys yelling at each other about one of their wives' cell phones that apparently rang in the movie. It got a little scary for a moment until they moved past us. We were thinking fists were about to fly (because that is what they were yelling!).
All was well on the home front when I got back yesterday. Daddy even took the boys to the pool for Benjamin's swim lessons on Friday. David said Benjamin did great and even started using the kickboard the correct way (as opposed to trying to sit on or surf on it). My brother and sister-in-law and their kiddos stopped by for a bit to drop off some furniture that I plan to put into Benjamin's room. They had wanted to take us to the lake to ride the wave runner, but I was just too pooped from the drive home. We'll catch you guys next time! Benjamin already had the chance to "ride" the wave runner and was ready to show off his tricks to us. We told him we'll have to go out to the lake with them before school starts.
All in all, a super fun weekend! Miss you already, Lori! Hurry up and get here, Madelyn!

Lori, Bobby and Jackson...one of the last threesome pics!

The dresser we worked on and "shabby chiced". It started out unfinished! I was excited about how it turned out...she has some cute espresso-colored baskets for the cubbies and the vintage-y clear knobs for the drawers.

The changing topper for the dresser, shelves and letters for the room that we worked on.
I can't wait to see what they look like on the wall!

Madelyn's crib...ready and waiting for her! I love the bedding Lori picked out!
It is from the Land of Nod (I think).

Benjamin "riding" the wave runner.
"Hey, Keaton, get out of the way, dude. I want to see what this baby can really do!"

Big Fun for Benjamin

Perhaps fun may not be the right word. But Benjamin's first official dentist appointment was this morning and he did great! His teeth may not be any cleaner than when he walked in the door, but he still did wonderfully! The hygienist told us that they really didn't start the cleanings and stuff until they turn four, but it is a good idea to start bringing them in and getting them familiar with the dentist and the office.
He has 22 pearly whites that are very healthy and in great shape! He wasn't too sure about getting them polished today, but he did let them poke around in there and get a good count. He didn't get upset a bit and took the whole thing in stride.




After the dentist office, we headed over to Belton for our first swimming lesson with Jennifer and our friends from church. We had the whole pool to ourselves and it was great to see our pals!
We hung around for a while and played with Miss McKenna before Benjamin crashed on the way home-- lunch in hand! I thought by just driving through somewhere and grabbing something, it may keep him awake on the way home until his nap (which he needed today). However, we probably won't ever do that again, since his burger was all over his lap by the time we pulled into the driveway. (On a side note, whenever we have gotten B a burger at a McD's or similar, they are usually just the plain-jane thing. He was super excited that his little burger from Jack in the Box came with 'salad' on it!)
Tomorrow will be a first for us. I am heading to McKinney to see my really good friend Lori for a couple of days. I am also leaving David with both boys overnight (TWO whole nights!) for the first time. I know he'll be fine, but the list maker in me wants to go around putting notes on everything about how to handle this situation and what to do if this one does this. But I know everything will be just fine. David has not yet ventured into grocery shopping territory with both boys yet, so I did head to Walmart this afternoon and stock the pantry and fridge. When I asked what he wanted me to fix for them for the weekend, he told me just to get hot dogs and frozen pizzas and they would all be great. I asked if he thought maybe a few vegetables might be a good idea? To this he replied:
"Okay, then. Make it SUPREME pizzas."

Benjamin and our friend, Jennifer

Trying to sit on his kick board.

Playing Ring Around the Rosie with Miss McKenna

"We all fall down! Benjamin, this is the part where we fall down under the water...FALL DOWN!" They were hilarious.

The Final Decision...sniff, sniff

I know I have told many of you that I have been working to start a little business out of my blog design hobby. After a lot of thought and prayer, I have decided not to pursue it at this time, but to keep it as a hobby. I have done quite a bit of work on it and chatted up a bunch of other blog designers and decided that it's not great timing.
I am a little sad because this was something that I truly have enjoyed. However, I am starting to teach preschool twice a week in the fall. Along with that, we'll have two days of in-home therapy with Timber Ridge Elementary and our usual Camp Hope day. I just feel like I would be stretching myself way too thin to keep up with that schedule and try to run my own small business from home.
I want to still have adequate time as a stay-at-home mom, my first job and first priority. Seeing as how I am not a teacher by trade, I also want to make sure I don't short those ten kiddos who I will be teaching next year. I am excited that I will be one of their first teachers...ever! And with that thought, I want to give it my all and make sure their experience isn't compromised because I have blog design on the brain.
I wanted you all to know, however, that I will still be available for my friends' blogs, if you are reading this, that is probably YOU! That is what has truly been fun...to design for those I care about! So, if you and I have chatted about this or if you need a banner, let me know. It may not be a pronto turn-around, but it would still be fun to work on.
And now a few big THANK YOUs. The following friends have been kind enough to let me invade their blogs to have a little fun with this hobby. Thank you all for the opportunity. It was such fun to design something you use to communicate with your own family and friends.
Feel free to check out my friends' blogs, too! Just click on their name. They all have some great things to say on this fun new way of communicating with the world.

My friend Amanda's blog:


My friend Becky's blog:


My friend Deborah's blog (Photo courtesy of our super talented friend, Faith Essary):


My friend Ginger's blog:


My friend Jordan's blog:


My friend Koti's blog:


My friend Kyra's blog:


My friend Melanie's bloom blog:


And to everyone else who has helped me...MUCHAS GRACIAS! If any of you girls would like to update your look or if you get a new family photo for your banner, please don't hesitate to contact me. I still love doing this, and will gladly give you a "make-over" anytime!

Back to Normal

David went back to work this morning and the boys and I are sort of fumbling along trying to get back into our routine. Actually, it occured to me the other day that we have not had much of a routine since we returned from Corpus, but that's okay. I am trying to roll with it. We have not had an "official" family fun day in a few weeks, mainly because everyday has been family fun day while Daddy has been home.
Our garage sale went great. We cleaned out the closets and got rid of some stuff we really didn't need. The following is all of the boxes that had not been unpacked in the entire year we have lived here (slightly embarassing). Most of the contents are now spread across Killeen in various garage salers' homes-- or possibly on eBay, we looked like we had some professionals visiting our sale!


We had LIFEGroup last night and had a great time over at the Marks family's house. Jonathan showed off his new walking ability and Benjamin ran around and played with Colten and Caden, two of the other little boys in the group. Here's our group huddled around the munchies. That's our friend Beth on the right. She is expecting...isn't she cute?


I am still so amazed at Benjamin's ongoing fascination with Cars. All week, he has been pining away for the new Dinoco Chick. We're trying to teach him that a trip to Wal-mart does not mean a new car every time. Plus, I can't find that car...anywhere! Here he is in the playroom with some of his faves. Notice how he completely "rearranged" the place and the Cars rug is in a heap behind him. He was actually driving the cars on the heap of rug-- they were on hills! Pretty creative. He also used various Thomas the Train depots and bridges and Little People houses and barns to create Radiator Springs right there in the play room.


So now it is back to everyday life. Gone are the days of bacon, eggs & pancakes replaced by our old standard of bananas, cinnamon bread, and Diego yogurt. The house could certainly use a good scrubbing and the laundry is calling me. The boys already had to talk to Daddy on the phone this morning and we've already had a major meltdown (by the three-year-old!). In some ways, I am quite ready to find our routine again. But we sure do miss Daddy hanging out with us. Have a great day at work, David. Your fan club will be waiting for you when they hear the garage door open tonight.

Stop, Time, Stop!

Benjamin has a Thomas the Train book entitled, Stop Train, Stop! which we read pretty often. I stole the title of this post from it. I want this week to just freeze so we can have more time to just hang out.
David is off of work this week and it will be the last long stretch of time he is off until the holidays. And I just love it. And so do the boys. We have had leisurely mornings with big breakfasts fixed by Daddy and fast-paced afternoons of preparing for a garage sale while the boys nap (or at least one of them does).
After the kids are in bed, we've stayed up late (way too late last night, but I'll get to that later), watched re-runs of Frasier and read books (yes, I am actually reading a real book, not a magazine for a change) and snacked on Pretzel Salad and sodas. We haven't really done anything, but it has been just the best.
Sometimes we think of how great it would be for David to work from home. But, I guess it is a little hard to manage a middle school campus of 700+ (including faculty/staff) when you are in your jammies all day. So, the real world keeps creeping up on us as the minutes tick by.
Benjamin has really enjoyed it, too. Tonight I went to check on him after he should have been asleep (but wasn't). He was laying with his feet on his pillows and his head on his bear just sort of day dreaming. When he saw me, he immediately asked, "When it is morning, is Daddy going to work again?" I reassured him that no, he wasn't, and he just smiled so big.
It's just been a nice, relaxing (ok somewhat, we are getting ready for that garage sale) week of quality time together.
I don't have much else to "report". I did manage to conquer a big fear last night. I am a bit of a wimp about getting out at night alone (who isn't, we all watch the news). But last night, I could tell I was getting a painful bladder infection (maybe TMI, sorry). I knew even if I waited until morning, there was no guarantee I could get an appointment today. And even if I did, doctors' offices take 3-4 days to process this type of infection through a lab, and I was already in so much pain. I actually get these a couple of times a year and always go to the ER so I can get a prescription and treatment immediately. So, at 12:30, I drove myself to the Killeen Hospital. David offered to get the boys up and we could all go, but that would have been insane. I stayed on the phone with him entering and exiting the hospital. And I took the truck so I would seem...tough? After hanging out at the ER for an hour and a half I headed to the 24-hour Walgreens to, literally, wake the female pharmacist at the drive-up. She seemed annoyed (and incoherent) that I wondered if she would correctly fill my meds. Hello, you are the only 24-hour pharmacy in town, you are open for the very purpose of receiving business! Wake up and at least make me feel confident that you'll correctly help me...I am in pain here! Sorry to ramble, that just really bugged me.
And after my night on the town, I made it home in one piece at 2:30 in the morning! And I actually enjoyed the Killeen hospital...which I had reservations about in the past. They were very kind and chipper for the late hour! Way to go, Metroplex Health System!
That's about all I know. I could just use another week hanging out with the hubs. He is such a blessing! Love, love, love you.

Celebrating Eli's 4th on the 4th!

For the FOJ this year, we headed to Abilene to have a combined Independence Day celebration/4th birthday for our nephew, Eli. We partied over at David's brother, Sam and his wife, Arly's house and had a great time getting together with all the Dominguez/Davidson bunch. The Davidsons are our sister-in-law, Syndi's family. We've overlapped in several areas of "how we know" and "how we're related to" the Davidsons...from church in Abilene, from ACU (I was in school with Syndi's sister, Shellie), from holidays in Pecos, etc. Anyway. It was great to get together with everyone! We had a super-fun time!
Sam and Arly were great hosts and did so much to make the day great for all-- thanks, guys! It is really nice to have their house in Abilene that we can all "meet in the middle" for get-togethers.
The kiddies played with squirt guns and in wading pools. Eli had a Cars birthday, so you know Benjamin was loving that! Grandpa grilled up some doggies and burgers and we feasted on a great spread! My favorite? Aunt Arly's apple pie-- the girl can bake.
The boys crashed for the first part of the drive home-- they were so tired! We somehow managed to time it pretty well to see three fireworks shows from the comfort of the highway driving through Rising Star, Brownwood and Goldthwaite. Pretty fun stuff.
Happy 4th, Eli! Hope your day was fabulous, kid!

At 16 Months & 11 Days.....

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He took his first steps.


How it happened:
David and Benjamin left for church and I stayed home with Jonathan since he's been a bit feverish. I truly think it is those molars, but I didn't want to take any chances and get other kiddos sick. About twenty minutes after they left, I am sitting on the couch reading a magazine debating about putting him to bed early since he wasn't feeling so hot. He is standing on the floor in front of me playing with a toy cell phone.
He throws down the phone sort of playfully and just stands there for a moment.
He takes one step to the right, sort of a side step...and I thought, could he?
And sure enough, he takes FIVE steady steps in a row, looks at me and claps as I start to clap, too. He sits down on his own and then gets right back up to take three more.
That is when I called David (I knew he wasn't to the church building yet)... and he asks if I recorded it.
Gulp.
So I ran and got the camera and this would be the third set of steps he took. Please ignore my high-pitched squealing in the background. That is why I tried to add music...I thought it would cover it up but no such luck.

Anyway. We're awfully proud.

Odds and Ends

Just thought I would take a minute and catch up. I can't believe it is already July. Wow, one-third of the summer is long gone and the rest isn't far behind it. Swimming lessons start next week and then it is all downhill after that. I have already started school shopping for the boys since everyone (including me) starts Preschool in September.
Currently, Jonathan is cutting a molar, possibly more than one. He is miserable, and truth be told, so are we. He has run a low fever and just hasn't been himself. I can for sure feel one of the molars trying to poke through, but he gets a little "bite-ish" when I try to fish for more.
Camp Hope continues to be a blessing to us. I haven't posted photos of the last few sessions because I don't have any. Benjamin is now going in with his therapists by himself-- and doing great! Yesterday when I went back to his therapy room after he was finished, his therapist and another told me to have a great time at Target. Apparently, he let everyone know our agenda for the afternoon. Although he did neglect to tell them we were actually going to buy birthday gifts; instead he told them we were going to buy "lots of new cars." Dream on, buddy. David and I can both see definite improvement with Benjamin in several areas, including throwing and kicking a ball. He no longer has to come to a complete stop before kicking a ball and his throw has gotten amazingly sharper and stronger. He is also using scissors way better than when I was trying to work with him on it. He can cut on a line beautifully! He is also riding the Amtrykes really well. We should get one for the house by the end of the summer. I can't wait to take him over to the parking lot of the school across the street and let him loose with his new tryke when it arrives. We are still working on a lot of eye contact and stuff like that, but overall, I am already amazed at his successes!
David's parents ended up not getting to come down last weekend due to a member at their church passing away. We missed them, but understand completely. We will get to see them for the holiday on Friday in Abilene, though. We are having a cookout/birthday bash for Eli over at Sam & Arly's house.
Speaking of the cookout, Arly...I will also be adding to my list cucumber salad because of my out-of-control cucumber crop.
And speaking of my out-of-control cucumber crop, I am about to give up on my garden. The grackles have taken over my tomatoes and I am about fed up with it. They are pretty audacious about it, too. I have even put pinwheels and other "bird frighteners" out there to no avail. I think they are mocking me. At first, they would just eat the red tomatoes that were ready to be picked. So, I started picking them when they were just turning and setting them in my kitchen window to ripen. Now, they eat the green ones, too. The squash didn't survive our vacation. And the peppers, well, are the wrong species and were apparently mislabeled. I thought I was planting bells, but they are serranos and are HOT! I only have a handful of recipes that I even buy jalapenos for, so the serranos have gone to my neighbors (along with lots of those cucumbers) or in the trash.
I fixed Black Bean enchiladas (pictured above) for supper last night and they were a big hit. Thought some of you might enjoy the recipe. It was from the 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbook if you have it. But, I also found it on their web site, here.
I couldn't find the Tostitos Queso it called for, so I used this:

And it turned out great! These are great for busy weeknights because you don't have to cook the filling or sauce seperately like with normal enchiladas. The only cooking it does is in the oven-- could it get any easier?
If you have never seen the Cardboard Testimonies video clip...you have to check it out! You can find it on YouTube or click here to see it on my friend, Becky's blog. It seriously brought me to tears. David loved it, too! Powerful stuff.
I think that is all I know! Whoa, this got a little longer than I thought.