Our friends, the Dowdys hosted a festive Oyster Roast last night.  We loved seeing the work they have done on their beautiful cabin.  It was also fun to see so many local friends and a great excuse to try a new recipe.  As always I searched for a few ideas from Pinterest then added my own twist to the recipe.  The basic recipe was found at The Pioneer Woman-here is the link http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/zannies-black-eyed-pea-dip/ .  I added chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin to this recipe-I don't measure-just dash, pinch or sprinkle. As with most recipes, I added more cheese and a whole jar of chopped jalapeños.  I really like SPICY!!!  We used the thin Cantina chips, but I would suggest a thicker chip.  The dip will get thick as it cools and the thin chips are not great for scooping.  Sorry, I forgot to take a photo, but it was delicious and definitely New Year's Eve or Day worthy.  

It has been a long time since I last blogged.  The last few years have found me super busy with the kiddos.  Evans is now 16, almost 17 and plays a football, takes college classes and works part-time.  Mary Wilhelmina is 12 and still dances competitively.  The hubby has started writing a sports column for the local newspaper in addition to his real job.  He loves sports and this column allows him to research and watch more sports than ever before.

I would like to blog on a regular basis, but we will see what the new year holds.  I still cook a lot and will share recipes from time to time.  Otherwise, I might share adventures in prepping for dance competition or traveling to college kicking camps.

I have no excuse for not posting in so long, but once again I think I will try again.  Summer has been wonderful to us so far.  We just returned from the family beach vacation.  I think I might be suffering from too much togetherness.  Yesterday, I was in a terrible mood.  I felt myself approaching my tipping point!  Several projects are almost done, but hubby and the children were insisting we have a cookout and company.  It was all I could do to just be nice.  Please, let me finish my projects.  Not to mention I was exhausted.  It was definitely a "Calgon take me away" moment.  

It is getting bad at my house when we resort to eating Klondikes for dinner. I have the best hubby in the world. He is an awesome dad and one of the funniest people I know. He would do anything for anyone. Hubby is one if the nicest people you will ever meet, but he CANNOT cook a meal unless it is pancakes and bacon. The last two Sunday evenings, I have been swamped with projects. Instead of cooking pancakes and bacon, hubby decided he would #1- go to the store without a list and #2- purchase something he had no clue how to cook. After two major disasters and trips to Dairy Queen and McDonalds, he has given up on cooking. Hopefully, by the end of the week I will finish all of my projects and resume my place in the kitchen. As for now, the children and I will gladly eat Klondikes for dinner.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of how our attitudes set the tone for an entire situation. I plan to print a copy of the text below and put it in a place so I will be reminded daily. I really appreciate these word from Charles Swindoll- “I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.”

Six years ago when my daughter started dance, I was a hit mess when it came to styling hair. My favorite style is a slicked back ponytail. I could roll hair on hot rollers I have had since the late 80s. Thank goodness my sister taught me a few tricks. Over the last few years I have gotten better and better. This year my daughter's solo ensemble needed son exaggerated pin curl hairdo. What does anyone do when they need to learn to do something these days-watch YouTube videos on the topic. After styling the hair several times, I am really getting the hang of it.

Not only have I learned to style hair, but we are also experimenting with painting blue jeans. Who know, we might open our our Etsy store! Most of all the moms and sometimes dads have a great time learning an laughing together.

This weekend when my daughter and I approached out dance competition destination, I asked what she wanted to eat. I encourage her to eat some protein. My itty bitty screams out STEAK! The closest thing we found was a Japanese restaurant. We settled in for hibachi steak. I was also glad apache was getting veggies even though they were coated in tomes of sodium. The highlight of the meal was watching her use he chopsticks. Even our server got a kick out of how good she was at using them.

There was a large studio our our competition with tons of props. The group had a great group of prop dads and even a little brother helping unload props as our girls were stretching. The little brother was your typical backstage little man. I asked if I could take a photo of his shirt. Dance competitions can be very long! Brothers big and small are troopers to sit through so much and tag along.