How to Make Friends as an Adult

 Here’s a morning chuckle that has so much truth in it.

#Humor

#ItIsFunnyBecauseItsTrue

Pizza and Movies Might Be Delayed a Bit...

 Super Bowl-themed Pizza and Movie Night starts in 44 minutes and this just happened. I’m thinking kick-off will be delayed due to good riding weather.

And I am A-OK with that. Shared hobbies are to be celebrated.

#RidingWhileTheSunShines

#ManCrewCycleClub

#Hercules

#Dakenzie

#PattyCakes

#MarkyMark

Happy Birthday, PattyCakes!

 We celebrated PattyCakes today, even though his actual birthday is tomorrow.

Birthday breakfast of cinnamon swirl French toast, board games, and presents of succulents, followed by a birthday parade, a beautiful cruise to El Paso and back that included a stop at a tasty taco truck, and then pizza, the original Rush Hour, and graham cracker cake.

A truly glorious day.

#CelebratingPattyCakes

#RidingWithHercules

#ManCrewHouse

#PizzaAndMovieNight

#BoardGameNerds

Patrick was pretty pleased with his Succulent Of The Month subscription

Cinnamon Swirl bread for French Toast, Mmm!

As always, Dan found a new friend.

Before the "French"-ing 

Makenzie is stunning in front of any background. 

PattyCakes prepares for the dismount. 

Bunch of show offs! Oof, these guys. #GentlemanSavages 

Well, we can't fault their form, that's for sure! Well done, BIGS

It was perfect for riding! Warm and sunny, with good company and great backroads cruising. 

The sunset was so lovely on the way home

Taco Taco Taco!

Cynterra did a great job of planning and preparing for Pat's special day

We Found the Taco Truck again, woot

Time for Graham Cracker Cake!

Worth waiting for, to be sure!

Happy 22nd birthday, Patrick!

There are no words for how wonderful this day was! Everyone was happy and cheerful all day long, the weather was perfect, and we all just had a ball together.

Friends, Family, Food.

Cake, Cars, and Crazy good times.

Birthdays, Boys, Board Games, and great big Blessings!

#YesAndAmen PS. And one of Dan and I, because #WeCute

#100HappyDays2018: Day 98

 

 

 

#100HappyDays: Day 98
Happy Mail from a friend. Amy and I were talking nutrition and feeling run down and burned out last week, and today I find goodies in my mailbox! Thanks Amy!!
#100DaysOfSummer
#HappyMail
#NutritionForMama
#100HappyDays2018

 

#100HappyDays2018: Day 87

#100HappyDays: Day 87
A birthday party for J and T at Chuck E Cheese’s. The BIGS attended, hilarity ensued and fun was had by all.
#100DaysOfSummer
#TheBIGS
#JamesAndTitus
#BirthdayParty
#100HappyDays2018

#100HappyDays2018: Day 81

 

#100HappyDays: Day 81
Old friends reunited. It’s my 3 favorite vidiots from behind the snack bar, together again for one day.

Andrea, it was so great to see you and the kids today! Derek was so delighted to be with Natie for the day. — feeling happy with Sandra Wilcox Moulton, Derek MeYeR and Andrea Searor at Andele Restaurant.

#100HappyDays2018: Day 75

#100HappyDays: Day 75
A dear friend took me to lunch so we could have some uninterrupted chatting time, which we both seriously needed, and then she took me shopping for some new work clothes.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m so ridiculously blessed with amazing friends. I am so grateful for them and humbled often by their kindness to me.
#100DaysOfSummer
#BLESSED
#Friends
#100HappyDays2018

          

It's the Little Things: Day 184

I want to focus on the good things this year.

All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a successful day of work, which involved making kites, walking to the park, watching Mary Poppins, and laughing at the kiddos antics.
• It's being SO ridiculously grateful for Air Conditioning in this insanely hot and humid (for Cruces) summer that we are enjoying. 
• It's having an easy peasy and tasty dinner ready to eat in 5 minutes.
• It's having big kids that means I can slip off to Starbucks around the corner to enjoy a free iced tea and blog for an hour (or two).
• It's that same big kid that still enjoys having me read him bedtime stories. I KNOW I'm on borrowed time and I'm trying to soak up every minute. 
• It's a friend requesting that we have our annual Independence Day bbq and then donating all the money to make it happen. (We are so blessed, guys!) 
• It's celebrating with 'Shua and Lauren over the purchase of their first home and a successful and safe move last weekend. They live 6 blocks from my mom now. Woot for GiGi! 
• It's a friend offering a free Herbalife shake to help me start my weight-loss journey. And enjoying some delightful mama chatter while doing it.
• It's a bestie that calls to ask how things are going...not the socially appropriate answer of fine. How are things TRULY going? And being able to answer without fear of ridicule or a scolding reminder that others are worse off than I am right now. She's a gift, that's for sure.
• It's having brake lights that WORK again after some attention from Hercules and Dastroyah. I feel so fancy and special now! 
• It's a new sermon series by Pastor Dennis that rocked my socks off and caused me to rethink several long held ideas about my commitment to the Lord. And that's always a good thing. 

 

What's on your Little Things list?

#100HappyDays2018: Day 12

#100HappyDays: Day 12
This is an old photo, but we had so much fun at Game Night tonight that Charlie (Charles Bruno) had to use his inhaler because he had an asthma attack from laughing so hard. Good times.
#100SummerDays
#GameNight
#Friends
#100HappyDays2018

PS. We miss you LaVonda Smith

— with Charles Bruno and LaVonda Smith at The Man Crew House.

It's the Little Things: Day 147

 

I want to focus on the good things this year.

All the things people get right.

All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.

All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.

So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a lovely hour and a half long chat with your bestie after she calls to announce that she's just dropped her daughter off at my house. The last one we lived in while we were in IL. #ItsASmallWorldAfterAll
• It's using and enjoying Wal-Mart's free grocery shopping app so I don't have to wander through the grocery store on a holiday weekend. Plus, it helps me avoid impulse buys...or snacks to keep my shopping 'helpers' happy. 
• It's having friends and family to celebrate with for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. That's not a little thing, but something to appreciate for sure.
• It's getting a new bookshelf at the LFAL office so we can bring in more books to add to our lending library. 
• It's having an overdue convo with Dan after a compelling sermon by Pastor Dennis in regards to our marriage and how we can improve it. Good stuff.
• It's having another stellar week of community group. I'm loving our study by Rick Warren- '40 Days of Love', a study based on a book called "The Relationship Principles of Jesus" and also the topic of our current sermon series. 
• It's getting a phone call announcing big news from my daughter-in-love. No, they are not pregnant, but it's still big exciting news that will be made public in the near future. Sometimes, secrets are fun.
• It's keeping the counters clean and dishes done this whole week again. 
• It's another fun, late Game Night. Adam learned how to play 7 Wonders, we all laughed ourselves silly over Bananagrams and Farkle, and then once everyone else was gone, Dan, myself, Pat and Nathan played Golf until like 3:30 in the morning. Eek! 
• It's a friend that wants to you come play paper with her and when you are too busy, she brings it to you at a more convenient time. 
• It's being invited to Little Miss's birthday party. DT and I had just been talking about her this week.
• It's a friend that wants to set up a toe-nail painting party and checks with you three times to make sure the time is good for you so you can attend. 
• It's a working lunch on a Saturday with your sister and nephews while admiring your new bookshelf, filled to the brim with books.  
• It's a nephew that comes early to Game Night to share dinner, help set up and to squeeze in some extra visiting time because he's moving away soon and won't be able to attend anymore. 
• It's your sons knowing that they can bring home friends without first asking for 'permission' and that their friend will be welcomed without question or reprimand. It's satisfying to know that our children know our home is a safe place for not only them, but for their friends that are struggling at home. 
• It's a friend that you can truly talk to about your life. Not the perfect soundbite options you post for FB fodder, but the gut-wrenching, brutally beautiful, bittersweet, take-your-breath-away moments. Everyone should have a bestie like my Lizzie. 
• It's the truly simple things, like cutting my own boys' hair. It's a happy little time every few weeks when we get to chat, just us. Or when I pop my head in their room just to say hi and end up chatting for 30 minutes. It's when they wander into the kitchen and start helping make a meal while we are laughing together. 
• It's paying off your ridiculously high library fines so you can start checking out books again. (Some day, there will be a plaque in my honor for all the fines I've paid. I just know there will. LOL) 
• It's a high capacity washer so that even know I've only done one load of laundry this week, it will only take me 2 more to get caught back up. Phew! 

Life is so full of little blessings, happy moments, and beauty. If we only take the time to look at it, we will realize how rich, and how deep and how sweet our lives are. Take a minute to look around. 

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's No Pants April Time Again!

 

#NPA2018   #NoPantsApril

 No Pants April? What the What?! What is NPA and who thought it up? Long story short, my friend Kimberly made it up a few years back when she moved from Sunny Cali to not-nearly-as-sunny Ohio in the middle of winter and ended up sad and depressed. She found herself in a sweats and hoodies clothing rut, so she decided a fun way to get out of that rut was to challenge herself and a few friends to spend a few more minutes each day picking out pretty clothing and a spring fashion trend was born. I've been participating for a few years now and I'm looking forward to this year's NPA with renewed enthusiasm since I've scored a few new pieces for my wardrobe for a steal (thanks King's Treasure and Family Dollar!) and I can't wait to debut them!
     As for the rules, I'll refer back to what I wrote last year...
Hi Friends! It's time to kick off that fun-filled month of April with another round of No Pants April!
Here's the rules:
~When you leave the house, cover your lower half with something that is NOT pants. Like skirts, dresses, jumpers, kilts, culottes, etc. If you live where it's still cold, feel free to wear leggings under your skirt (but not INSTEAD of).
~Leggings are NOT pants. The end. *winks*
That's it. No other rules. Simple.

However, here are some other suggestions:
~If you wear a uniform to work, please let common sense prevail and don't get fired. Just wear your No Pants April attire elsewhere, like at home, at the store, while running errands, hanging out with friends or at church.
~If you are playing along and use hashtags, please use #NoPantsApril and #NPA2018.
~Have FUN! Ladies, this is a great excuse to enjoy some retail therapy, make a few skirts, or in my case, have a friend make you a few skirts, and enjoy some time at the local thrift store.

I'm wearing skirts pretty much all the time, even when I'm home.

It's the Little Things: Day 34

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a Saturday that allows for sleeping in.
• It's being welcomed at Gym Magic by friends old and new. And feeling a little like I was entering "Cheers", where everyone knows your name. :)
• It's knowing that you are missed, when you leave a job. 
• It's hubby making us dinner (after he went to the store looking for ice cream, LOL) 
• It's having time to just lay around, watch TV, snuggle and not worry about how tight our schedule is for the day.
• It's going to our favorite H&R Block tax professional and finding out that we are getting back more than we've gotten in the last three years. Put together. Praise the Lord!
• It's helping a son work through his taxes so he doesn't have to pay money to have his done by a professional.
  
  
  
  What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Days 27 & 28

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's when your child cleans his room and all the kitchen towels that have been missing for months magically turn up in the laundry baskets.
• It's catching up with our Reel2Real friends that have been sick for a few weeks and are now well enough to be back at church.
• It's Derek and I embracing the idea of an entire day at home. No chores, No errands, No work, No school. Just home. It's been a gift!
• It's being invited to my first paper-crafting event in over 5 years. Oh my stars, how I LOVE playing with paper! Paper Pumpkin if you are interested in playing along, it's a delightful monthly subscription service for people who love stamps, stickers and paper-crafting.
• It's time to make pizza from scratch, and to work up 4 pounds of pinto beans for meals in the coming weeks. (The Pantry Challenge continues)
• It's a child asking ahead of time if they can have command of the living room one night a week to host their own version of Game Night.
  ---Yes, yes you can! 
• It's glorious January weather that allows Dan and the BIGS to go 4-wheeling together all afternoon.
• It's a child whose birthday gift finally arrived in the mail that is delighted with it, even though it's not fancy or costly. 
• It's a child that calls late in the evening to 'demand' a haircut, but you're pretty sure he just wanted to talk about life, because haircut time when he tells you his problems. 
• It's binge-watching a show we both like with Hercules. Have I mentioned how delightful it is to have him home again?
• It's learning the art of listening to audio books while I'm in the kitchen. I've used them for many years for the boys in school, but never really implemented them for my own use. It's pretty great!
• It's being well rested enough to manage getting up an hour early to get a jump start on the week.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 17

  I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a day FULL of running-running-running and doing-doing-doing, followed by a sweet snuggle with a sleepy Hercules in a quiet and calm living room at the end of the day
• It's having an urgent need met without a request even being made
• It's a call from a friend just to ask how you're doing
• It's the return of Sister-Girl Night...I love me some girl chatter!
• It's listening to humorous stories of a freezing cold car ride the boys and Dan took to Alamo to pick up a newly repaired engine for Dastroyah's latest project vehicle. The amount that these men love each other takes my breath away.
• It's a call from a dear one that tells you "It's NOT cancer!!" (totally not a small thing, but SO worth sharing!)
• It's having time to help a loved one through some difficult paperwork (#PlaterSpinner life, I DON'T miss you)
• It's stumbling across the perfect gift for my PattyCake's 19th birthday tomorrow.
• It's a mom who reads the sales flyer so she can cheerfully announce that all the ingredients for a special someone's birthday dinner are on sale at this particular store, while she tucks a few dollars into your purse because she knows we are doing a month-long pantry challenge.
  
  
  You guys! While this year is trying desperately to get off on the wrong foot (hello Mama K down for a week sick and unemployment for Hercules) It just can't gain any ground with all these amazing and wonderful blessings happening all around us...and sometimes, in spite of us. God is so good and has blessed with so many beautiful, generous, encouraging, praying, uplifting friends. I can't even. I am, in a word, humbled.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

Tamales! Ole!

     Around these parts, tamales are a part of the New Years tradition. In fact, I had my very first tamale on New Years Eve on my 2nd mission trip to Mexico, as we were there over New Years...way back when I was barely 18. Now then, I didn't have enough sense to appreciate it those long years ago, probably because my only experience with Mexican food was Americanized tacos (which I still LOVE, by the way) and I didn't have a very adventuresome palate at the time.
   Anywho, a dear friend of mine recently mentioned that she would teach me how to make tamales, and not only did they turn out well, we had a ball doing it together. Something special about mamas in the kitchen together, no? Since I can't sit down with all of you and teach you how to do it, this is a good starting point.

    Here's where I started. I prefer green chile to red, so I wanted to use green. My friend recommended that we make chicken instead of pork because it goes so well with the green chile. So I FILLED my crock pot with Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts and then made a spice/chile mix.

Recipe for Crock Pot:

• 7-8 lbs of chicken breasts
• 2 lbs of diced green chile (green chile from Hatch is best, but whatever you can find in the freezer aisle of your grocery will work)
• 2 TBSP salt
• 1-2 TBSP black pepper
• 1TBSP ground cumin
• 1 TBSP minced garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 large onion- chopped
  
  Instructions: Trim fat from chicken and arrange a single layer in bottom of crock pot. In a blender or Magic Bullet, give the rest of the ingredients a whirl until they are a smooth uniform consistency. Scoop some of the spice/chile mixture over the chicken. Repeat layers until crock pot is full, ending with remaining chile/spice mixture. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours.
  Chicken should be super tender and falling apart by then. Shred chicken with two forks, dice it with knives or toss it in your stand mixer and let it shred the chicken for you. Make sure you keep the juice that the chicken cooked in, we will use it later.
  Alternatively: you can boil the chicken in this spice/chile mix if you want it accomplished faster
  
  Next steps:
  Purchase
• corn husks- a few bags will do, better to have too many in my opinion since they aren't going to go bad anytime soon
• masa- I used 2 bags of premade masa from the freezer aisle, but if you want to make your own because you don't want to use lard, buy the bagged masa mix and use butter or shortening instead (make a big bowlful, how much you use will be determined by how thick you like your masa spread, how many you make, and the size of the corn husks)
• shredded Mexican blend cheese....or colby jack, or cheddar or whatever you like
  
  Gather your supplies
• large cooking pot with steamer insert
• spreaders (back of a spoon, wide knife, small spatula)
• a tray for the completed tamales
• freezer bags if you're going to freeze some for a later date (good luck with that, by the way)
• Something to cover the table, it gets a bit messy
• a large bowl or one side of your sink to soak the corn husks in
  
  Method:
• soak the husks for a few minutes so they are flexible
• mix some of the crock pot liquid into the masa to give it flavor and color (or save it and make chicken and green chile stew)
• get all your supplies to the table and settle in
• spread out a husk, smear masa  on the lower half (the wider end)
• put some chicken in a line down the middle
• sprinkle cheese over the chicken
• wrap the side covered in masa over the chicken and cheese in the middle and fold the ends with no masa over the masa/chicken/cheese end
• stack on a platter to wait until either frozen or steamed
  
  DONE! You did it! All that's left is to steam and enjoy!
• Fresh tamales need to steam for about an hour
• Frozen tamales need closer to an hour and a half
  Just pile them in the steamer basket (Open end UP so they don't fill with water) put a few inches of water in the bottom of the pot and boil gently with a lid on until masa is cooked and tamales are hot all the way through.
  
  A few notes:
• If you plan to freeze your tamales, freeze them raw as the masa texture is better that way
• These go FAST! At least they did at my house. Yes, I have teen-aged boys and Hercules, but I made 7 dozen and 6 dozen were gone in just a few short days. (I've hidden the last dozen so they can't steal them, HA)
• Once they are steamed, they heat rather nicely in the microwave, so my family liked for me to steam more than needed for the evening meal, and then they would snag 2-3 on their way out the door each day for snacks. 
• This is seriously labor intensive if you're doing it alone, so I recommend a tamale making party. Two friends helped me with the smearing and rolling and it took well over an hour to make the 7 dozen. SO...our next plan is to meet again, and each woman bring a different kind of meat/cheese combo, we will all work together and then trade some of each kind before we go home.
  
  And there you have it. Tamales are simple and I found them to be rather forgiving to this newbie. My family is already raving for more, so it looks like I'll be having another tamale-making party in the very near future. Let me know how yours turn out!

#100HappyDays: Day 76

Day 76 of #100HappyDays
Messy Games event for incoming 6th graders. Samuel and DT had a great time!
Thank you, MPCC Youth Leaders, for this welcoming and entertaining evening!

#100DaysOfSummer
#MPCC
#Friends — feeling happy with Alexandra N Tommyt Howard and Derek Meyer at Frank O'Brien Papen Center. — with Alexandra N Tommyt Howard

#100HappyDays: Day 72

 

 Day 72 of #100HappyDays
DT's friend Samuel spent the night and today they spent the day with me at work before heading off to their first night at Youth Group together. Games were played, food was consumed, laughs were had. A good day all around.

#100DaysOfSummer
#MPCCYouth
#BestFriends — feeling happy with Alexandra N Tommyt Howard at Learn for a Lifetime. — with Alexandra N Tommyt Howard.

#100HappyDays: Day 67

 

Day 67 of #100HappyDays
A surprise package of stickers in the mailbox for my planner from my friend, Kimberly. Can't wait to use them!!
I am so blessed with a glorious tribe of beautiful friends.

#100DaysOfSummer
#PlannerNerd
#SoBlessed — feeling happy at The Man Crew House.