What are You Eating at Your Super Bowl Party ????

What is everyone cooking for the Super Bowl?  I do not normally fix anything, we usually go to the in laws for a Super Bowl party.  This year the hubbs and I are going to have our own Super Bowl party.  I have been working a lot of days then nights, I am not complaining because it is very rewarding and the money is not bad either.  My time off is very precious and with Sprat at school and Big T is going to a friend's house for their party, this is a wonderful opportunity for my hubby and I to spend a quiet evening at home with no rushing off to here or there.  This is part of my non New Year's resolution, taking care of me and saying no sometimes. 
I am going to cook for my hubby and myself some yummy appetizers that I have not made in a long time.  I used to entertain quit a bit but life got so hectic I stopped doing it. 
I am going to have some fun this Sunday and cook and enjoy my time with my hubby. 
Here is a little sample of what I am going to fix:
Seven layer Mexican dip you can find on pinterest
pickles and olives
red pepper jelly over cream cheese
black bean enchiladas(homemade)
pizza dip also on pinterest

Looking forward to spending a nice quiet evening with good food, the hubbs and a little football and maybe some funny commercials. 

This and That and the Other Things. . .

The hubbs has the "man" flu and has been home the past several days.  I love this man like crazy, but he is pressing my nerves this week.  I have had two c sections and I swear I do not believe I moaned and groaned as much as he has done, he did not moan and groan this much with his knee surgery.  Ughhhh  With all of his coughing, hacking, and whining he has the nerve to blame my irritation on PMS.  In case you are unaware of what PMS stands for exactly, let me break it down for you: Putting up with Marks Sh*!.  Funny how that breaks out, right? 

I drove Spratt to the airport for his flight back to school, bless him they were delayed and he spent the whole day at the airport by himself.  He did make it back to school safe and sound and classes have started back.  He got a text from the lacrosse coach from the school he is thinking about transferring.  They have talked and he has invited Sprat to watch their practices,  He wanted him to transfer for the Spring semester but Sprat wanted to finish his freshman year where he started.  Some think I am crazy to let him stay there and finish up his education, these are some of the same people that said I was an overprotective parent.  Now, is that not the funniest thing you have ever heard.  In my opinion, and that is the only one that counts when it comes to my kids, I was perfectly protective when my kids were little.  They are older now and make their own decisions and I just give advice, they can take it or leave it.  I feel I have raised two very independent boys and I am very proud of them both.  They are making their own decisions about their education with the hubbs and myself answering questions and giving advice. 

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bank. .. .

Yesterday was just like any other day, well not really, the hubbs let me sleep in after a whirl wind of working day and then night.  He is a sweetie, I think I will keep him.  He went off to work and Big T went off to school, Sprat still sleeping and me still in the bed.  I decided I needed to get up and get moving and Sprat needed to get up too, he has a LOT of packing to do before he heads back to school next week. I started laundry and made my breakfast smoothie.  Have I told you about my smoothies?  I cannot remember if I have shared that or not.  I have been making smoothies with a nurti bullet.  I use fresh pineapple, frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, fresh banana, a piece of ginger and coconut water.  This is the best smoothie, I usually have some left over and I drink that around bedtime if Sprat doesn't get to it first.  He likes my smoothies too.
I finally get ready and I am off to the bank and a few other errands for the day.  I am driving the hubbs truck because my car is in the shop.  I was the victim of a hit and run on the highway right before Thanksgiving.  I am on my way now to get things done.   All of a sudden, it came out of nowhere, yep a deer.  I have been down this road so many times and have seen the deer and was able to stop and let them cross.  Today was not that day, this thing came barreling across the road at me and I could not avoid it.  I hate that feeling of hitting something, this is the second one I have hit in my lifetime.  Things like this usually only happen to me when the hubbs is out of town, I guess I should consider myself lucky that he was in town for this.  I was quite shook up after this and I pulled over to call my hubbs, a trooper, and my insurance agent and to check on the truck.  I sat there feeling stupid and tears streaming down my face thinking how dumb I was.  When I get scared or upset I cry, I have no control over it and I was very upset and shaken up after hitting that deer.  Physically I was fine but emotionally I was pretty bad off.  The front end of the truck was pretty bad too.  The trooper was very nice and very helpful and of course my insurance agent is also the best in the world.   While on the phone with my agent he suggested I take the truck to the shop where my car was being repaired and that my car was ready and I could pick it up and leave the truck.  I was thankful for that we were down to one car.  In the process of dropping the truck off and trying to pick up my car the hubbs phone rings and it is Sprat and he had locked himself out of the house.  He had called from our neighbors house and thankful for our neighbors because Sprat did not know his daddy's cell phone number by heart.  Before we could get the car we had to come home and let Sprat in the house and turn around and go back to get my car. 
Now let's round out the day with a very nice dinner with my three favorite men and oh by the way Happy Birthday to me!!  Yep that deer did a number on my Birthday and I won't tell you how old I am but it was a milestone birthday for me.  Ughhhhhh!!!

Football and Food. . . Always go Together . . .

Enjoyed sometime with family on Sunday with lots of appetizers and what else but, football.  I have not entertained like that since we had the boys and I have to say it was kind of nice.  I made several different appetizers and we enjoyed eating and watching the games.  The hubbs and I used to do that quite often with friends and family  before the boys came along and maybe even right after they were born.   The boys got older and were involved in sports and Church and we never seemed to have the time to "entertain" like we did before the kids.
I remember one time in particular before we were even married that I fixed a big pot of my infamous chili and appetizers for an afternoon of football.  We had all the hubbs friends over to eat and watch the games and it was a lot of fun.  It snowed that day and after eating all that chili they went out to go sledding.  I skipped the sledding that day. 
Here is what we had on Sunday for our little get together:

Deviled eggs with a little horseradish and sour cream, scrabble (chex mix), cream cheese with red pepper jelly and crackers, and a bean dip called Texas Trash that I found on Pinterest, along with olives,  and last but not least chicken soft tacos.

A Little Hiccup in the Plans We Make. . .

I have said many times that God puts us where we are suppose to be.  I especially felt this when Sprat was first talking about going to Boston to college.  We prayed a great deal about this move and we talked about it at length with each other.  There were those that thought we were crazy to let our son go off to Boston by himself not knowing anyone and not having any family near by.   The hubbs and I put our faith in God and His plan for our son and we were at peace with this decision.
We found out just after Christmas that the school will be closing due to financial reasons.  They are not in any academic trouble.  To add to the trouble they are not going to have enough kids coming back to have a lacrosse season.  This is very sad for the kids like Sprat that came a long way to play lacrosse.  Several of the kids are not coming back for the Spring semester due to the school closing.  Sprat is going back to finish his freshman year.  He wants to continue his education in Boston so, we are looking now at other small colleges in and around Boston that have a men's lacrosse team.  I am very proud of Sprat and his first semester away at school he finished strong and I have great confidence he will finish as strong if not stronger in the Spring.
The college has several other colleges in the area that are going to help the kids finish their education, one in particular has reached out to Sprat and he is going to tour their campus when he returns for Spring semester.  He knows some of the students that attend this other college through working with them at the Boston College football games. 
Sprat was very sad to learn his school was closing, he loved the small campus with big city atmosphere just a few minutes away.  He also really enjoyed his classes and his instructors. We know that God has a plan and that he would not have taken my sweet boy to Boston to leave him hanging so, we continue to pray for discernment in this process.  Stay tuned as we are on that college hunt once more due to unforeseen circumstances.

No Resolutions Here. . .

I used to do New Year's resolutions when I was much younger but, I always seemed to fall short.  I made  a decision a long time ago that I would just try to be the best Me I could be.   I make that resolution every morning as I go about my day.  I still fall short but I try every day. 
One of the things I have been trying, to be a better me, is the 100 days of real food.  I got the new book for Christmas along with some new Instant Pot accessories.  Along with the "real food" adventure I have added, very gingerly, yoga.  Don't laugh, if my mother-in-law can do it, I think I can start a beginner session.  I have only added a few poses to help with flexibility.  I took ballet for 9+ years, rode horses from the time I could walk till I had Sprat, and I cheered through high school and  college. I used to be flexible, it is a horrible feeling that I have problems getting in and out of the floor.  ughhh !!! Getting old stinks, age sucks our brains out and takes away our flexibility and agility.  Ok so it is not just age, it is our schedule and for me it is a neglect of taking care of myself.  I guess maybe I did make a resolution of sorts, I am going to do better about taking care of me this year.  You will have to stay tuned to see how this yoga business works out, I hope that I do not have to post from a hospital bed in traction or something. 

Quick Snap Shots . . . Lax on Brah. . .

I was goofing around with Big T's camera with Sprat in the back yard and snapped  a couple pictures of him playing wall ball Lax style.  These were my favorite ones. 

I am going to miss this kid when he heads back to school, sometimes surly and all. 

Courage for the New Year. . .

Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.  

By Mary Anne Radmacher.

I have placed this quote in my planner for the start of this year.  I cannot remember where I saw this but it really stuck with me.  

I bought a new book for my hubby earlier from Dave Ramsey, "48 Days to the Work You Love" by Dan Miller.  This was a suggested book from one of groups I am in on Facebook that is a Dave Ramsey group.  I have shared numerous times that my hubby is in a very volatile business, and of course you know he was laid off two years ago and then re hired for the same position 8 months later.  Well, they are looking at downsizing again, his company has already sold off several divisions and laid off several sets of sales representatives.  My dear sweet hubby could be laid off again with no severance package this time.  This is what prompted me to buy this book.  He got several books this year for Christmas so he has not picked this one up yet.  I decided that I would check it out and see what all it had to say.  I have read the first chapter and love it, I think I may be in the work that I love right now.  That first chapter has re affirmed my choice in work and being affirmed in my decision makes my work much more rewarding.  My hope is that my very sweet hubby will find something that will make him happy too.  Starting out in his job he enjoyed it because he was educating people and sharing his knowledge and his passion for his product.   Now there are unrealistic and unattainable quotas that are created by people that have no idea what it means to be a sales person.  This job has sucked the life out of my sweet hubby and I would love for him to find his work that he would love.  Fingers crossed and I will keep you updated, lots of changes coming for our family. . .