Red Beans & Rice Shortcut Version

Disclaimer * This is a semi-homemade version of Red Beans and Rice.. not your grandma's real deal but oh so close. We have this dinner ALL the time since it is probably one of the easiest recipes ever and I make it ahead of time on Saturday, put the whole pot in the fridge and when we get out of Church on Sunday it reheats fast and delicious. I use a lot of words to describe stuff so that you get a good idea on what I'm talking about.. don't let a lot of words fool you into thinking this is complicated.. b/c it is extremely simple.

What you'll need:

1 pkg your favorite sausage, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of red beans.. I usually get one can of dark red kidney beans and one can light red kidney beans.. sometimes I can actually find a can of just "red beans" but whatever the store has is fine. I always buy the off brand. They were out of the light red kidney beans this week so we had 2 dark red cans.. whatever.
about a tablespoon of corn starch

Cooked rice *if you want a wow flavor, substitute the water for chicken stock (in the box).. MUCH BETTER with this dish
Jiffy cornbread. no substitutions. it is the best :)
Tony Chacheres, or seasoned salt

here we go...

I buy something different each time.. I like this stuff from HEB - however, I don't love kielbasa sausage in it.. use a local-ish type sausage

Brown the sausage a little bit

while it is browning, chop onions, bell pepper & garlic

Add onions and peppers to sausage and saute *hold back garlic until after onions and peppers are cooked down a bit. *I do this b/c the garlic would burn and taste bitter.

open the cans of beans, DO NOT DRAIN! Dump it all in juicy syrupy stuff and all.

Look in the bottom of the can, you'll see a little bit of bean sediments at the bottom.. fill the can about 1/3 of the way up and add tablespoon of corn starch and dissolve completely *stirring up those little bean bits off the bottom of the can.

Add corn starch mixture (rosey cloudy pink color) to skillet and stir it up
It will look like this (below). Season with Tony's or whatever seasoned salt you like. (*be careful with seasonings if you have an extra spicy sausage). Stir, cover and bring it up to boil for a minute and lower it to a slight simmer for about 15 minutes.

(The function of the corn starch is to change the liquid from watery to more of a gravy consistency.. if yours is still too watery, add some corn starch to a little water, dissolve it and then add it to your pan. never put dry corn starch into your food - it will make gummy clumps. If you have the opposite problem and it is too thick, add chicken stock or water to thin it out. no problem.)

Serve over rice and a side of Jiffy corn bread! YUMMO. I have served this dish to some true cajuns and have gotten two thumbs up. Simple. Easy. Good & CHEAP.

Rootin' Scootin' Will

Much to our surprise, Will started scooting on Saturday!
Babyproofing is on the to do list for next weekend!

Through the Years...

2002 - Dating for about 6 months

2003 - In San Francisco when we got engaged.. yes I had braces.. haha!

2004 - our first Christmas as a married couple

2005 - enjoying a coffee house in downtown Houston. the apartment days!

2006 the arrival of our firstborn, Audrey when two became three


2007 Christmastime seems the only time we have pictures together.. :)

2008 A big move to South Carolina

2009 a big move back to Texas and arrival of our Will - when 3 became 4!

Happy 5th Anniversary Charles! It has been a wonderful 5 years and I never want to imagine my life without you. I appreciate how dedicated you are to our family and especially to our marriage. We don't always do things just like everyone else, but we do what works for us and our sweet family. I love you so very much! I adore your reverence for our Lord, watching you play with our children, your sense of humor, that you are so very handy, your dedication and loyalty to your company, the wisdom you use in handling our finances, the way you allow me the huge privelage to stay at home and raise our babies, that you come to me and trust my advice in situations and that we have become stronger as a couple through each change God has brought to our lives. I know that I can always count on you and I love and appreciate all that you do. You have my utmost respect.

your bride,

Fruit Pizza... the easy way

I found a yummy recipe for Fruit Pizza but I took a major short cut by buying refrigerated sugar cookie dough already done...

1 pkg sugar cookie dough
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
some cool whip
whatever fruit you like

make a big dough ball out of your pre-made cookie dough and then roll it out into a circle shape. I did this on my Pampered Chef big round baking stone thing I sprayed underneath and put flour to make sure it didn't stick. I baked the giant coookie for about 18 minutes and let it cool completely. Meanwhile, I mixed up the cream cheese and sugar until you get a smooth consistency and then add in the vanilla... {you really could flavor it any flavor you wish}. Spread mixture onto the cookie - you may not use all of it depending on your cookie size. and then I do a thin layer of cool whip on top of that - unecessary, but delicious. All that is left to do is decorate!

Ballet Today

Audrey loved her first day of dance class! The class is split up into two parts 40 minutes of ballet and then 20 minutes of tap. I loved watching her being so independent :). She was such a big girl and even when she fell down she got up and got right back into place without even a whimper. She was eager to please her teacher, {who also taught her gymnastics}. She was super excited about it and can't wait to go back next week!

What's up with Will?

just woke up from a nap.. bed head!

Like father, like son.. look-alike that is!
I went in to check on Will because he was sleeping in so late and saw his arm stuck.. It obviously didn't bother him.. he was out like a light!

{*He slept until 8:30 that morning! 13.5 hours!}

Daddy teaching Will about tools. (no he didn't let him play with it!)


Will was sick this last week..and still is poor baby, it is his first cold. I took him in to the doc on Wednesday and he weighed in at 17 lbs and 10 oz. big boy! He is enjoying his new diet of all the different baby foods - he likes them all so far.. not sure about fruits though.. he makes a "too sweet" face when he eats them! He adores his big sister and will watch her all day long! Will is about to get his bottom teeth - they are causing him some discomfort and lots of drool! He is happiest in the mornings and goes to bed each night at 7:00 and usually wakes the next morning around 7:00.. he's a fabulous sleeper! He is not-so-fabulous in the afternoons lately... but I guess he can't be happy all the time... heck, I know I'm not! :) ha ha.

New Blue Playroom

I love the new blue color.. it is so calming and it coordinates nicely with the yellow painted furniture. Audrey's furniture in her room is painted the same color *her headboard and dresser.. so as she gets older we can switch out furniture as needed since all of it is a soft yellow.

there's the yellow desk from the previous post - there is supposed to be a fish tank on there thanks to my mother - but the fish didn't survive our trip to Mexico... We'll set it all back up soon.

audrey in the play kitchen..

in the closet - we hung hooks for all her dress up clothes and a shoe organizer for all those dress up shoes and we even stuff cheerleading costumes into the pockets sincet they don't take up much room!
We fit so much stuff in this cube organizer... also in the closet


I'm going to paint the table and chairs yellow too. Audrey was already enjoying some Leapster in her cozy new playroom.

Before & After

I simply painted the beat up old desk with no prep work. No, I did not prime it, sand it or anything else. I used a small roller and some Lemon Chiffon High Gloss paint and Voila!

Audrey at Play

Audrey was being extra quiet and usually that means trouble.. but the other day I was pleasantly surprised to see her cozied up in her bookshelf surrounded by all of her books! :)

This is Audrey's new favorite toy~ A wonderful bday present from lots of her friends. It is Click Start by Leapster. She has a ball playing *independently* {my favorite part} on her computer, following directions and playing educational games!! yay! I took these in our old playroom - I'll post pictures soon of the new one - We decided to switch Will's room and the playroom since he and Audrey shared a wall. I have learned this week with them being sick and crying in the night it is best to have them apart at this point in their lives...

Happy Birthday Audrey!

4 days old

1st Birthday:

2 years old:

Today, 3 years old Oh, sweet girl - Happy Birthday! I am so blessed to be your mama. Thank you for making me laugh every single day and challenging me in ways that I've never been challenged before. You bring such joy to my life and my heart leaps every single morning when I see you. You've been such a champ throughout all the changes we brought to you this past year with two moves and a baby brother... wow what a year it has been. I love you so much - I'll never be able to explain it until you have a child of your own. You will always be my "sweetie" - since you told me that boys are buddys and girls are sweeties. Gosh, tears stream down as I think about how fast you've grown up and how much faster it will go by. These years are fleeting fast and I want to savor every bit of it. I am grateful for all the memories you've brought us and all that are to come. Happy Birthday, Audrey, We Love You!