New Recipes

I've tried some new recipes in the last few days from the Germantown Church of Christ cookbook. Two out of three were really good, and I'm sure I'll fix them again. Some of you may know Christy Graham; the two recipes are her mom's. Here they are...

Enchilada Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups (or more) shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15-oz) can Ranch beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
6 corn tortillas
1 can Ro-Tel

Brown and drain ground beef. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, layer ground beef, beans, tortillas, cheese, soup, and Ro-Tel. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 until bubbly.


Easy Chicken Spaghetti
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. cooked spaghetti
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 (15-oz) can English peas with liquid
2 T. margarine
1 can Ro-Tel
8 cooked chicken breasts
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed

Cook onion and bell pepper in margarine until tender. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix bell pepper, onion, spaghetti, chicken, peas, tomatoes, and cheese. Pour into greased 10 x 13-inch casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Mr. and Mrs. David Joachim

Yesterday we went to David and Wendy's wedding. Wendy is a friend of mine from high school, and was my matron of honor in our wedding. The ceremony was lovely and Wendy was a beautiful bride. Channing and I are so thankful that God brought these two together. It has been a blessing to get to know David and spend time together as couples. We look forward to all the ways God is going to use David and Wendy in the lives of others.

One of the most memorable moments from the ceremony was actually after the wedding. David, Wendy, Kameryn, and Chloe had just walked out of the chapel, and we could hear lots of squeals and giggles. Kameryn and Chloe are two very excited little girls!

A Short Trip to Tennessee

The three of us went to Memphis yesterday and spent the night. Shelby was so glad to see Nona and Papa! She kept giggling and giggling at each meal we shared, saying hi to them over and over! Before we left our house, I asked Shelby what books she wanted to take, and she informed me that Nona had books at her house. Besides reading books over and over, Shelby enjoyed playing with Noah's Ark, my old Little People Farm, and my Little People school bus.

After supper last night, Channing, Mom, and I played two games of Scrabble. I won the first, but Channing kicked our tails during the second one. Mom and I didn't even have a chance!

The Church

A new sermon series started at Downtown on Sunday. The top of our small group discussion guide said this: "When we gave our lives to Jesus, God did something besides save us; he also placed us in a group of people with whom we have this shared experience of salvation. We call that group the church. Over the next several weeks we will be taking a closer look at the church; at what we are as well as what we should be. We do so with a desire to truly be the people God intends us to be." I am really looking forward to this new series and hate that I am going to miss at least one Sunday. I'd like to know what your answers are to the questions below. I'm going to share mine as a comment.

1. When you hear the word "church," what are some of the first things that come to mind?
2. What do you think might come to the minds of those who are not part of a church?
3. Share a time in your life when the church was wonderfully supportive; when the church helped you through a crisis, guided you, or in some other way loved you in a way that made a difference in your life.

Under the Weather

The past few days haven't been very good around here. Shelby and I have taken turns throwing up since Saturday morning. Thankfully, it's just been one of us sick each day, but we certainly kept Channing busy. Yesterday morning he came home from the office because I wasn't sure if Shelby was better, and since I'd gotten sick yet again, there was no way I could take care of things around here. Shelby and Daddy had a great day of being lazy in the living room, watching Little People and VeggieTales, reading Little Critter and Walt Disney books, and playing with all of Shelby's Little People stuff. According to Shelby, she was "all better" but Daddy kept hands washed and sanitized, while keeping a little distance so he wouldn't get whatever bug is going around. I spent almost all of Monday in bed, and went through about 5 discs of my Gilmore Girls season 7, only watching two or three complete episodes. This morning, I awoke to a spotless kitchen, thanks to my wonderful husband. Shelby and I are better, as far as I can tell, and Channing is at work. So, that's what we've been up to. Hope your weekend and Monday was better than ours.

Gym Stars

Tuesday was the MOPS kick-off meeting for the semester. Our meeting was at Gym Stars. We had the run of the place, and all the kids had a blast. Here are a couple pictures.

Fun with Leaves

Afternoon of Yard Work

My parents got Channing a leaf blower/vac for Christmas. He put it to good use yesterday afternoon. The three of us spent a few hours having fun together out in the yard. I took Shelby for a short ride in her wagon, and then we played in the leaves while Daddy raked. Shelby had a ball!