Pretty Things

You guys, I like pretty things. And now that I don't have my free time taken up with adoption stuff, I've had time to make some pretty things. It's how I stay sane on a day when, say, one kid spits out semi-chewed peanuts onto the carpet, another complains about fun things like playing in the bath, and I get kneed in the nose helping take another kid potty. But it was the same day where all four kids were delighted by my singing the theme song to the Octonauts, so #tradeoffs

It kind of started with decorating for Stephen's ordination. I bought a pompom maker and made some lil cuties just like these:

Wuv these.

 Then I started using leftover yarn from leftover projects (including, but not limited to, Stella's hair designs and blankets that I actually finished).

Like these more refined ones.

I've made some simple wreaths, like the one currently on my door:

Yep, love it, 100 emoji.

And this less-simple one I made for post-Halloween-pre-Christmas (so November, I guess):

It's hard to tell from the photo, but this is a pretty big wreath.

 Also a couple precious cutie woodland ones because *squee!* hedgehog!

I have more up my sleeves, but the real reason I'm posting these is to hopefully be admitted to a show or two to sell some things. I'll leave you with a closeup of Mr CutieFace.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

I will sincerely try to update on our lives tomorrow. My chromebook at home can't handle our fancy camera's prowess, so I have to come up to the church office to use pictures. So that's why there haven't been many updates.

Taco Seasoning

I love making tacos for my family, mainly because all my kids eat taco meat pretty well. And finding something all my kids eat without complaining is a legit miracle. [the other thing they all eat happily is pizza. of course.]

Here's my secret weapon. I'm so sorry you don't have easy access to this lil gem.

I got this black pepper in Uganda, and I use a little bit at a time, to save it. I know spices don't keep all that long, but whatever. I don't like the flavor of our black pepper, but this stuff is delicious. I have searched quite a bit and cannot find a way to buy more, which makes me really sad. I'm sure there's other good stuff, but I want thiiiiiis stuff.

See my fancy photos like the professional bloggers? Those black dots on the carpet aren't bugs; they're Legos. #imsofancy

Anyway, I like this mixture because it's not too spicy for the kids, but not too bland for me. I use almost 2 pounds of ground beef for our tacos because there are 6 people in my family, and my kids pound back tacos, so yeah. I use:

2T chili powder (slightly heaping tablespoons)
1T cumin (also slightly heaping)
1t salt
1/2t onion powder
1/2t garlic powder
1/3t ground black pepper (magic)

and I mix it all in a separate bowl. I am NOT saying this will change your life, unless maybe you're sick and tired of paying for tacos mix, bc this is much cheaper than buying premade seasoning. It's also a lot less salty, and I like to taste more flavors besides salt when I eat food. I also like to make use of HEB's bulk spices, to only keep what I need, and therefore keep my spices fresh. Also they're WAAAY cheaper than buying bottles. WAY.

Anyway, I've been typing this during dinner, so I should probably go. I'm going to post some pictures of things I'm hoping to sell at various craft fairs this fall tomorrow, and maybe (someday) I can actually update you on how life is going.