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!

Dinner with Channing's Dad

Feeding Popaw a fortune cookie

Shelby made friends with one of the waitresses.
(Imagine that!)

Here we are

John and Kim

Weekend with Family in Texas

We spent the weekend with Channing's family in Texas. It was good to see most of the family. We had lunch with Channing's mom, Angela's family, and Kelsie's boyfriend on Sunday after church. That afternoon some of the family came over to Lillie's house for a surprise. Lillie, with the help of Channing's niece Tara, made a dvd for all of us with pictures of her and the family starting with her childhood. Channing said he hadn't even seen some of the pictures on the dvd! What a great surprise! (Thanks, Lillie! And thanks, Tara, for helping Memaw put it together!) Sunday night we had supper with Channing's dad. Channing's sister, Kim, joined us too. The five of us had a great time together. (Thanks, John, for our Target gift cards! We had a lot of fun shopping!)

A Fun Evening with Old Friends

We had a wonderful evening with some friends from Harding. Travis and Annie Smith, along with their three children, came over for supper. The Smiths have been in Arkansas for Christmas and came to Searcy for the evening. After a yummy supper (I can say that because Channing cooked burgers) and some visiting, Annie and I left the guys and the kiddos for some time together. Annie and I got coffee at Midnight Oil, talking and laughing. What a gift that time was! It has been a long time since it was just the two of us! We both are blessed to have the husbands that we do!

Emma and Shelby

Playing Ring Around the Rosie

Channing and Travis were in Delta Chi together at Harding

Annie and I after an evening out

Pictures in Front of the Tree

Holiday Photo Shoot

We had the pictures below taken on November 9 for a MOPS fund-raiser. Tricia Turner Kauffman is the photographer who took these pictures.

Christmas Morning

Playing with her kitchen

"Santa got me Big Bird!!"

Nona and Papa

"He ate the cookies and milk!"

A Peak at Santa

We had a visit from Santa Claus on Monday night. I was able to grab the camera and get a few peaks. I wonder if I was noticed!

Putting presents in Shelby's stocking

Leaving a present under the tree

Shelby's toy kitchen

Sitting down for some milk and cookies

Writing a note for Shelby

A Visit from the Grandparents

The three of us returned from Tennessee on Sunday. Channing's mom arrived from Texas soon after we got home. On Monday, my parents came to Searcy to spend Christmas with us. Shelby sure enjoyed having Memaw, Nona, and Papa all here at once! It was the first time our parents got to interact with each other since the wedding. We all had a great time together. Below are some pictures taken on Christmas Eve.

Shelby and her new pajamas.

Daddy reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Bringing out the cookies for Santa

Leaving a yummy snack for Santa

Wii

One of Morgan's Christmas presents this year was a Wii video game system. As you can see from the picture to the left, Morgan was very excited to get this! Several of us ended up playing at some point during the night, and really had a wonderful time together. Everyone stayed until after 11 p.m. Who knew a video game would bring us all together like that! :)



Below are some pictures taken during the night. We sure had a lot of fun!

Channing bowled like a pro.

Lisa vs. Channing
Not sure who won this game. They were both pretty good.

Lisa vs. Morgan
It was Lisa's turn, but Morgan liked to practice each time.

I was really surprised to see this score after
playing against Nunda. I really didn't think
I had a chance. She got a lot of strikes!

A Little Red Wagon

Shelby got a new red wagon from Nona and Papa. She was so excited! As soon as the wrapping was off, she climbed right in with her baby doll Kacey. Uncle David gave Shelby and Kacey a ride through the house. Shelby was giggling and waving to everybody! When we got back to Arkansas on Sunday, Shelby asked Daddy for another ride in the wagon. It was cold, so we bundled her up for a short ride. I imagine we'll have a lot of fun in this wagon for years to come.

Tennessee Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on Saturday evening. (My nephews Justin and Blake were missed!) After a traditional Christmas dinner, we opened presents. Then we played some games together, which I'll save for another post. This was a wonderful evening spent together. I think everyone had a really great time.

Shelby got this cleaning set from Aunt Nunda's family.
She's already been using it to help me around the house.

Giving Aunt Lisa a hug to thank her for her Cabbage Patch
Kid diapers and Little People Camping Set.

Shelby and Morgan

Uncle David reading I Love You a Bushel and a Peck

Nona LOVES Shelby's "Hallelujah" picture!

Papa opening a present