Cancun part 2

One of the neat things about the resort was the art they had everywhere.   The walls were covered with enormous tapestries and sculptures were tucked here and there in hedges and on lawns.   

This was in front of one of the restaurants we went to for breakfast.  

and these two were in the foyer.

when we were leaving, a little boy of about 2 had wedged himself into the textile sculpture and his mother was taking photos of him....it was so cute!

The kids ready to go out for evening, waiting on us......before.....

  after........

They were the only kids on the trip and everyone complimented them.  They are such great kids, we are truly blessed.

One night we went to a Fire show and to kick things off, the MC sent a cute girl off into the audience to bring back 3 male "volunteers" to go on stage.    As it turned out, they had to try and do the dance moves he did.
OH.MY.GOSH.  It was very funny!   One guy was terrified and the other guy just couldn't get it together.

Matt was the best of the 3 on stage and he won a spa package.  (He gave it away since we were going to the ruins the next day.)  
He enjoyed being a celebrity the rest of the trip with people coming up and talking to him, asking him to dance, telling him what a good sport he was and how funny he was on stage.  (He was the only one not intimidated by the MC.)   He kept saying he could "get used to this" and maybe he should go in to acting!

Then the show began, and it was so neat!  They used all sorts of props, one guy sat in a chair upside down and rolled the fire with his feet.  The girls used hula hoops....we kept waiting for their hair to catch on fire.

They had 4 guys in the back with percussion instruments and 1 of them chanted throughout the show.  It was really a wonderful show.

Cancun, part 1

Dean went on a client trip to Cancun....and we got to tag along.    I was apprehensive at first but we had a great time.   The kids have good grades and hadn't missed too much school this year so we took them along, they've earned it.

While Dean was busy catching up with co-workers from other states, I enjoyed a little downtime watching the dolphins play....

they would jump and splash and play right in front of me

the kids hit the water and then wandered around the resort to do some exploring...

Later that evening, we had dinner and enjoyed good company......

then we walked around a bit, just taking everything in...

One good thing about living in Louisiana is that the humidity didn't bother us one bit!

We woke up early each morning and worked out before eating breakfast....

we spent one entire day at the beach....played in the water, watched the birds and iguanas....amazing.   I still believe that our beaches in Florida are more beautiful but the color of this water was breath taking!

I lived in Florida for over 20 years and the beach still has a hold on me.  Beach sounds of waves, birds and wind lulls me to sleep so fast it was embarrassing but so wonderful.....

For the Crock Pot: Stuffed Bell Peppers

My husband loves stuffed bell peppers and so do I...sort of.  I don't like to eat the bell pepper but I love the flavor it imparts on the stuffing mix.     My mom has the world's BEST recipe but I keep forgetting to get it out of her recipe file.

Here is a recipe I adapted from a co-worker.  They are really good...and simple to make.
Just a note: my peppers were so large I had to use two large crock pots at the same time, 4 in one and 3 in the other.  If you have an oval crock pot, you can fit more inside.   Look for peppers with good flat bottoms that don't have the bottom end curling back up inside.

2 lbs ground beef
4-8 large clean green peppers depending on your crockpot
1 box  Spanish rice mix
chicken broth
14 oz can tomato sauce (I used 28 oz since I had 7 peppers.)
14 oz can diced tomatoes for rice.
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I'm lazy so I use the stuff in a jar.)

Saute the minced garlic and onion til soft but not browned.  Add the ground beef and brown.
Pour off any grease.
Add 1-2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.  
Mix well and set aside to cool a bit.

Take the box of rice and cook it according to the directions.  (I use *chicken broth instead of water)  I prefer this kind....

While the rice is cooking, clean your peppers, then cut the tops off and hull out them out of seeds and ribs.
Check for brown spots on the inside of your peppers and scrape them off if you find any.  
    

Mix your rice and beef mixture, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

If you like cheese, do this part, if not, skip it.
Here, I added a couple of large handfuls of shredded cheese to the mix.  (f you do this while the mixture is warm, work FAST...)

Spoon the mixture into the shells, packing it in up to the top, then carefully set them aside.  You want them all packed evenly.  

Spray your crock with Pam up the sides for easy cleanup.  
Pour a little tomato sauce in the bottom of the crock.

Stand your peppers up and tightly squeeze them into the crock.  You don't want them slumping over once they start softening from being cooked.

Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with cheese.  I prefer them with cheese, it also helps keep everything together once the pepper softens.

Cook on low about 8 hours or 6 hours on high.  Peppers can be tricky,  if they are thin skinned, they may cook faster and get mushy so keep that in mind when setting your temp.

Spoon a little of the sauce that collects in the bottom of the crock........and enjoy!

the patio...

Our patio is small but a little patience reaps beautiful blooms......

Dean brought me this amazing planter about 18 years ago, I think she is lovely!

 aloe for those bug bites and sunburns....

geraniums are one of my favorites but they don't do as well in the ground here so I keep a pot or two on the patio

My herbs have exploded.   I removed the basil and rosemary from this tub a couple years ago because they get so large.   Now, green onions, oregano, nasturtium, thyme, cilantro, flat leaf parsley and an experimental celery stump all share space here....

The rosemary which used to dominate the above tub was replanted and has quadrupled in size in just 2 years....it loves this spot so much, it just keeps spreading out....

"Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden? "~Robert Brault

Getting creative......

Dean's birthday was Monday.  We've been together for a long time.......and finding the perfect gift gets harder and harder.   It isn't because I don't know what he wants.

When you are married a long time, you tend to just go out and get what you want/need when you want/need it.  So by the time birthdays or Father's Day or Christmas rolls around, it is harder to find something to give him.  At least something within reason.     The "within reason" means a lot when you are raising 2 kids, both of whom are getting ready to drive/enter college/etc.....
"Within reason" means no to that amazing vintage Corvette he would love...it just isn't meant to be....at least not yet.   Sorry honey, ONE day.....

So, over the years, I've gotten creative....

One year, I gave him a dessert of the month club and made him a new dessert each month.  He LOVED this because he loves sweets and it forced me to make something OTHER than chocolate!
It was also fun because it was a gift that kept giving.  Each month I would present it and everyone would vote on which desserts were worthy of making again.

Another gift I gave him was a case of different red wines.   I did A LOT of research for this one and bought 24 bottles of wine over the course of 3 months.  By the time his birthday rolled around, he had an amazing assortment of wines he had never tried.  I got him some lower end, some higher end and some mid end priced wines.  

This year, he picked out a new phone....but it doesn't come in until the end of the month and I couldn't let his birthday come and go with NOTHING to show for it.   

So...I put together an "Orchid of the Month Club" membership for him.   Like the dessert club, it is a gift that keeps giving, which he will love.  

The first installment is this lovely Phalaenopsis hybrid:

It came in an awful pink pot so I fixed that with hot glue and sheet moss....

....and he LOVES it!    (Of course, I knew he would...)  

A little B&E

Kaela's science class has to do this egg drop challenge that is so popular right now.

Sounds like fun, right?   Well....except that it has to free fall from 3ish stories up.  And the materials list is absurd.  No tape, no cartons, no pod, no fluff, no more than 1 sheet or paper, no parachute, no wings, no rubber bands, no...no...no...no!

Her teacher apparently Googled successful egg drop designs and made sure NONE of those materials were allowed in order to really frustrate her students....I mean CHALLENGE them (ahem.)
And the best part?  If your egg breaks, the highest grade you can earn is a "C."   Gee, thanks.   

That being said, I love science and a good challenge and Kaela is a good sport......so off we went.

Here she is.....test "dropping" the design...which survived numerous 2 story drops from home.

Aw, nuts...CRACKAGE!  AGH!!!  3 stories was just 1 story too high!  The wind caught it and flipped it about 6 inches from the ground.  Not a problem, we can FIX that.....

So we crawl back out the rabbit hole we came in from...

And jump back over the fence we jumped over...

Oh yea, forgot that part.  School was closed so we had to break in to test our prototype!  The kids thought we were completely nuts and kept checking for the "Po-Po"......

Happy Birthday Honey!

The day Dean was born, the nurse called him a "tax day baby."   He may be, but he is a lot of other things too...

He is a man of many talents...just a few of which are being my sweet loving man, the wonderful father of our two children, the DIY guy who neighbors love, the margarita maker, the Johnny Dollar listener, the fixer of all things broken, the bringer of the bread, the smoothie inventor, the pull over and helper, the weird fruit bringer, the weekend grill meister, the fashion guru, the feed the homeless luncher, the kid rough-houser, the landscaper, the sad/bad day hugger...and I am so very blessed to call him my husband!

Happy Birthday honey, I hope you have a wonderful day, you deserve it today and everyday.  I love you!!!!!