Dinner is getting going and it is only 11:49am

Yes it is only 11:49am and my dinner is cooking. Thank goodness for amazing friends (Annette) who invite us over for sewing class each week only to flood us with amazing aromas coming from her crockpot:) So I figured I would follow suit and since we need to go grocery shopping today, the fridge and freezer are a bit bare, I would use what I have and get it in the crockpot. Now as most of you know I am not someone who "knows" how to cook. I am a husband taught, cookbook reading, friend receiving recipes cook. Today I went on my favorite crockpot blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ yes there is a blog out there with 365+ days of crockpot recipes, everything from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. I usually go there to get ideas and then go off of the recipe.
So here is what I am smelling right now :) Crockpot Shepherds Pie. It was super easy and smells delicious, greatest part is it couldn't be easier. So here is my take on Stephanies recipe, just in case your mouth is watering.
Approximately 3 cups of left over mashed potatoes (I didn't have any leftover potatoes so I made a quick batch, come on with a family of 7 do you really think I will have left overs...)
1lb ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)
1 pkg frozen veggies (I used peas and carrots)
Spike (I just sprinkled it over the top of the ground turkey till it looked and smelled good, lol)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped (if I had this I would have put it in, but maybe next time)
1 cup water
2 cups shredded cheese

Take the chopped up onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes then add the ground meat and sprinkle with Spike. Cook until browned all the way through, then drain.
Pour frozen veggies, 1 C water and drained meat into the crockpot. Mix it all together (if you want add some onion powder, black pepper, paprika or other seasonings, I figured I added enough Spike to the meat that I would leave those off and see how it worked).
Sprinkle the 2 cups of cheese on top of mixture and then place your leftover mashed potatoes on top and smoosh down (yes I love technical words, lol). Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. At the end of the time remove the lid and let cook for another 30 minutes just to give you a crispier top.

Like I said it smells yummy and it's an easy recipe that your kiddos can easily help with. Hope you enjoy!

10 years and still going strong...

Tomorrow is our ten year anniversary! I am still in shock at being able to say I have been married for 10 years! Mike and I are very blessed because my in-laws are taking Mason for a few days, my mom is taking the older 3 tonight through Sunday morning and then our dear friends are taking them till Sunday evening (Brandon is still in Africa).
We are going to be staying at the Sterling Hotel which is a place that I actually called when we were getting married as it is a beautiful hotel. Tomorrow night my husband has planned for us to go to a murder mystery show, lol. That will be fun, hopefully I won't have mommy brain and can actually contribute.
So to everyone who said we wouldn't make as we were to young, thanks, because it was one of those things that we would mention every once in awhile and say "well I guess we gotta stay together a little longer or they will have been right." lol. But seriously thank you to everyone who has ever lifted us and/or our marriage up in prayers. God, as always, has provided more than we could have ever thought or asked!

No Bake Cookies :)

As I started to think about what to bring for a treat tomorrow at our science co-op I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate a little bit of frugality into it, yes this is actually a fun challenge to me. And I remembered a great recipe my mom use to make when I was little that is so yummy and yet pretty frugal. This is why I think it is on the frugal side, for one you only use 1 pot (so less things to wash, saves on water), second you only use the stove for about 5-8 minutes depending on your stove (so no preheating and having the oven on as well as no roasting your house in the summer) and third you use oats (I know flour is pretty cheap but I love the texture of the oats, it makes me feel fuller faster). So now that I've built these up here you go, I hope you enjoy.
No Bake Cookies
2 Cups sugar, 1/2 Cup milk, 1/2 Cup butter, 3 Cups of oats, 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder (I use Nestle Quick Mix), 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3/4 Cups of creamy peanut butter.
Take your first 3 ingredients and put them in a saucepan to boil. Mix them all together and once they boil time for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add everything else. Mix thoroughly! Pull out sheets of wax paper and put on the counter (if it is summer time you can put the wax paper on baking sheets to place in the fridge or freezer), drop by teaspoonfuls onto the waxed paper. Let cool and then enjoy. They look a little different but they are delicious. I'll try and take a picture of them and put it up soon.

Great week and it is only Tuesday

Well this week has already been pretty exciting. My mom (Ladonna) and dad (Jim) came down from Canada Saturday and we got to spend 2 hours at an In-and-Out in Merced with them and some of my family from Bakersfield. It is a funny thing about family. You can not talk to them for weeks sometimes even months and when you get together it's as if the puzzle pieces just fit perfectly. God is really good that way. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but that 2 hours was great and I'm so glad I did not pass it up and that they were willing to meet us halfway. It was the first time for them to see Mason and as Papa (Jim) kept telling Joshua "where'd your diaper go?" So in 3 years, when Mike has been working for a year as a nurse we are planning on taking a vacation up there (see it is in writing now so it has to happen).
The next news is that Mason has decided to not stay in his playpen at all! He is not even 2 yet but knows what he wants. After putting him back in his playpen 3 times with punishments and all I finally took him to Joshua's toddler bed and told him to go to sleep. He tried to get up 1 time, I told him no and he went back to sleep for a 2 hour nap :) Last night he went to bed at 8:30ish and I got him up at 6:45am (we had to take Bran to school). He did not get up once!!! So now we need to find another toddler bed, lol.
Mike took Joshua and Mikey to San Francisco for 2 days to work with him. I am praying that Mikey comes home with a better work ethic. He loves to do stuff, but having him see the big picture and being able to accomplish it without getting overwhelmed is our newest venture, yes I know he sounds like me :)
Last but not least it is only 1 week, yes 7 days till my 30th birthday. Can you believe it?! I am really excited, which is funny because my birthdays are usually passing thoughts to me. So if you see a silly grin on my face you will know why, it's because I will be checking off a new box on surveys :)
Have a blessed week everybody and keep in touch!!!