You can see it in my eyes

The eyes are the window to the soul.

Deedle took this picture of me out in the yard the other night, and (besides the fact that she can work the camera) what amazes me is the look in my eyes.  You can really see the wariness that I feel these days.  Not "weary" as in "tired," but "wary" as in "suspicious or on guard."  (Though I am weary too! haha)

I look back a pictures from a few years ago and mourn the death of that girl I see there.  Don't be shocked -- that girl is gone, but it's OK.  It is the natural way of the world.  The Celts, in their lovely way of threes, describe the stages of a woman as Maiden, Mother, and Crone.  I am certainly solidly in the "Mother" phase now!

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup or 1 packet taco seasoning (Lowry/McCormick/etc)
• 1 can tomatoes w/ chiles
• 8-oz sour cream
• 8 medium flour tortillas
• 3 cup Cheese
• Olives to taste
• 3-quart casserole dish

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, crumbled and drained. Add the taco seasoning. Add the tomatoes+chiles and 1.5 to 2 cans of water. Simmer for 10-15 min. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. In a 3-quart casserole, layer tortillas, seasoned beef, and cheese. Pour remaining "sauce" over all and top with more cheese. Bake (350* for 20 minutes) until heated through and the cheese crusts. Remove from oven and garnish with olives. Serve over a bed of shredded cabbage.


VARIATIONS:

• Try with steak, pork, chicken, turkey, bacon & eggs, or beans for the meat(protein)
• Use chile verde instead of red tomatoes/taco seasoning (best with pork/chicken)
• Try other add-ins, like corn, spinach, potatoes, or carrots!
• Try corn tortillas
• Once I was out of sour cream so I used ranch dressing instead!
• The combos are endless! Use your imagination.

ENJOY!

I VOTED

OK, this is the most hideous picture of me ever, but, HEY! I VOTED! (See my sticker? hahaha)


 

Yay for talking! (and teeth!)

So on Nov 2, Deedle turns 17 months, and this last month of October has been a word explosion over here!

Words she said in September:

ball (first word!), bear, baby, bee

Words she has said in October (almost in order of their appearance):

mama, dada, hi, bye-bye, eye, moon, up, down, apple, meow (for cat), baa (for sheep), moo (for cow), star, car, pig, dog, duck (this one just last night for her bath duckie)

Yippee!

She's also most definitely getting her first molars, looks like all four of them at once. Yea for teeth! Here is a chart on how teeth are supposed to come in:

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-health-your-childs-teeth

Another Summer Adventure

Here are pictures from an "Apple Picking Playdate," August 2008. It was at the home of one of the ladies in my Mom's group with a small Gravenstein apple orchard on the property. One of the gals who was there is a professional photographer and took these pictures:

Deedle in her baby-backpack ...

Mama watching the action...Thanks for looking! :)