Father's Day Gifts

Thanks to my wonderful brother's help and the great idea from Brassy Apple, I was able to give the dads a unique and fun gift for Father's Day! I found some black frames on sale at Michael's and mounted the photos on black mat board. They turned out great. Too bad I didn't think to take a picture the finished frames! Oh well...next year I suppose!

New Floors!

After nearly a week of solid work, the new floors are done. Will did an amazing job and we are so happy with the result!!!!

{Pulling up the NASTY carpet!}

{All the boxes of the flooring, there were 20 gallons
of glue but I guess I forgot to take a picture}

{Measuring out the first boards. Will being an architect made lots of sketches and plans before actually doing any cutting. He started in the entryway by the front door and finished up in our bedroom.}

{looks like a bowling lane:) Here is a shot of Will laying the glue down and adding more boards. The glue is SUPER sticky and very messy but surprisingly had almost no smell. It took way more time to lay the glue than the boards. Will could complete 3 rows in about 45 minutes to 1 hour. }

{The hallway was pretty complicated with the weird angles and tight turns. It isn't very long at all but it took at least 8 hours to finish.}

{Here is the living room almost finished. We put painter's tape across the seams to help hold the boards in place. Believe it or not, the tape left a bunch of residue and it took FOREVER to clean off!}

{View from the bed room, those boxes show that we were almost done!!}

{Finished living room. Sorry that it looks cluttered!}

{View from hall}

{A view of our bed room!}

We still have to do the baseboards and the transitions from the carpet and tile to the wood. But it is so wonderful having that carpet gone. Will bought a large dust mop and so far cleaning it is a breeze! This was definitely the most challenging DIY project we've undertaken but I think it was absolutely worth all the effort that Will put into it! Thanks baby!!!!!!!

It Is Done!

The flooring extravaganza of 2009 has finally reached completion!! Pictures to follow soon!!!

To all the dads in my life...

To my dad : Thank you for always sticking around. I know I was "less" than the perfect daughter but I was yours and you are always my daddy. I love you.

Dad, Bill, Pops: You have so many names and an amazing patience.
Thank you everything you do for our family.



GGDaddy: Thank you for always loving your little squirt blossom.
She and we are blessed to have you in our lives.

Charles: My brother and an amazing dad. We don't always see eye to eye but we are getting there! You may not know it or believe it but you are a wonderful daddy to your daughter. You are doing a great job.
I love you too, even if you pick on me:)

You are...

you are

my hero
my best friend
my confident
my rock
my rescuer
my dependable one
my husband

you are
her hero
her safe place
her friend
her playmate
her story-teller
her source of endless hugs and kisses
her daddy

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for us.
We are so proud that you are ours!
Happy Father's Day, Will!

Love on a tortilla!

Tonight during the wild storms we had the most amazing dinner. I found this recipe a while back but only got around to fixing it today. I put it in the crockpot this morning around 8:30 and we ate dinner at 6:30. Will shredded the meat and I made guacamole to go with the tacos. We use corn tortillas heated in a little hot oil but I bet flour would be fine also. I highly recommend this recipe. It was easy to throw together this morning and fast tonight when we were ready to eat! Here is the recipe and you can find the original here! Bon appétit, mes amies!

Cilantro Slaw
1 head red cabbage
1 c. Mayonnaise (I split 1/2 mayo and 1/2 miracle whip)
1 c. Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. minced Garlic
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Lime Juice (one small lime)
1/2 tsp. Cumin

Combine all but slaw in a mini food processor or chop and combine yourself. Mix desired amount of dressing with slaw mix no more than 30 minutes before serving.

Roasted Sweet Pork
6 (approx) pounds Pork butt/shoulder (Mine was only about 3 lbs...no problems!)
1 19 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce ( I used Old ElPaso...it was all the Kroger had)
1 can Dr. Pepper (12 oz)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 Clove Garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I forgot this, oops!)

Combine all ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low 9-10 hours or until meat is tender.

We put the meat and slaw in the tacos together, the slaw was pretty powerful but when paired with the sweet pork it was amazing! Also, I used a whole head of cabbage and thought the amount of mayo was too much for our taste. Next time I think I will reduce it to 3/4 cup and see how it works.

Let me know if you decide to try it, you'll be glad you did!

Lunch Today

I can't find the site to where I first saw this but I gave it a try today. Not very complicated or nutritionally balanced but Maddie though it was a fun lunch!