Fire Crackers

This picture does not do these crackers justice! The best way to explain to you how good these are is just to tell you that every single time I make these they disappear and people ask for more. They are sooo good and very addictive!

1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 package ranch dressing mix
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

Place the vegetable oil, garlic powder, ranch dressing mix, and crushed red pepper flakes in a 2-gallon plastic zipper bag. Seal the bag and smoosh with your hands to thoroughly combine the oil and spices. Place the crackers into the bag, seal, and turn the bag over to cover the crackers with the spice mix. Let the bag sit for about 1 hour, then turn again. Repeat several more times until the crackers are well-coated with spice mix. Remove crackers and serve.

Day 4......

Today I am simply thankful to be able to live in a world where I can worship every Sunday morning. Thankful for my right to raise my children in a good strong Bible teaching church!

Day 3.....

I am thankful for this man! I am so blessed that God chose him to be my husband. There isn't a lot more to say than that. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the man he specifically chose for me. He has been a knight and shining honor for Taylor and I, and through good times and bad he's the one who is the rock of our family!!!!!

Day 2.....

Today, I am thankful for sibling love! Yes that's right my kids truly love each other. I hear other parents talk about how their kids fight, bicker, and argue constantly, and it makes me so happy to have the opposite! My kids occasionally go through a little bit of that, but really not very often. They have a true love for each other, its the kind of love that can't be explained!

Easy weeknight Red Beans and Rice

Here is a quick simple yummy red beans and rice recipe. It's that time of year for really good southern comfort food, and this is definitely one of those recipes to add to your weeknight dinner list!

• 1pound smoked sausage, thinly sliced 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 3 (15-ounce) cans red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
•  cooked rice

1. Sauté first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add beans and next ingredients.( I skipped the bell peppers, because I didn't have any, and no one noticed)
2. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice, or mix rice in skillet. I served with cornbread!

30 Days of Thankfulness....

Day one: 

Today I am thankful for prayer! I am reminded daily that if not for the ability to pray I would not make it through the day. I would live in constant worry. I am definitely as my mom would say a worry wart. I worry about things that most people don't even take the time to worry about. Oh and I don't even want to mention how much worry is added to my plate just because I am a mother of a  teenage daughter. I send my kids and husband out the door every morning with a cloud of prayer, and because of that I can make it through the day. Just knowing that God is listening to me and loves them even more than I do is what will always get me through!!!

I love this girl!!!!

Every year, I choose to make my 10 year olds costume. Every year we struggle! She's my middle child, and my  child with the most spunk! She has an opinion about everything, some years she says she just wants to be "normal" like everyone else, and just go to Target and buy a costume. When this happens it makes me sad. What I struggle with the most is what I love the most about her! This year.....there was no struggle...yay! She decided that she wanted to be a clown, the very minute she saw that giant sunflower that squirted! I bought the sunflower immediately, and began to work on how to make her the cutest clown ever! She of course still had her opinion, and she actually helped! This is what we came up with, and this is my absolute favorite year! Not because it's the best costume I have ever made, but because we had so much fun making it together, oh and because she LOVED it! Sometimes I need a little reminder that what really matters is how she feels!!!!!!