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.