Turkey Leftovers?

Yesterday I was searching Pinterest for a recipe using leftover turkey.  Matt's aunt and uncle were so nice to leave the leftovers from Saturday for us to eat, but after sitting out most of the day some of them pieces were pretty dried out for eating alone.  Unfortunately, all the recipes I found contained ingredients we did not have and, with it being my last vacation day, I wasn't venturing from the house. This is the comfort food I created with random ingredients we had in the house.

Leftover Turkey Hotdish
4 cups prepared brown rice
3 cups leftover turkey, chopped
3 pieces of celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk
1 box of stuffing, prepared

Mix brown rice, turkey, celery, and soup in a 9x11 pan. Fill the soup can with milk and pour it over the mixture. Prepare the stuffing as directed and spread it over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  I like the stuffing to be a little crunchy but you could cover the dish to prevent that.  Nothing fancy of course, but it tastes good. My husband loves his stuffing!

New Arrival!

In other news  . . .
Thanks to my Mom and Dad, a rebate from KitchenAid and Christmas money from my Grandparents I received this from the UPS man today . . . BEAUTIFUL

Professional 600 Series - 6 qts!

I never really wanted a mixer before. When we rented there was not enough counter or cupboard space and I never thought I'd use it. I changed my mind when I became a fan of making cakes, cupcakes and frosting - I think it will get a workout!

And thanks to my Mom I have this sweet cover to keep it from getting dusty!

A Fall Wedding

Matt's cousin got married in September

The family

Hilary, my best friend, came too!

Alisha was allowed to come as Heidi's date to the dance

Look at those moves!

Halloween

Our Pumpkins

A boy and a girl . . .



Pumpkin activity in the classroom. We counted seeds, measured girth and height, counted creases, weighed in lbs. and checked for buoyancy.
Fun time but I only suggest it if you have a lot of parent volunteers!



I ran out of eyes . . .
I played them up as "special cyclops mosnters"
They were excited to receive them.
I love 1st graders.
You can get them excited about anything!



For my students - monster cupcakes





Another accident . . .

 Unfortunately the accident in Texas was not our only one for the year. In October a new driver ran a stop sign a couple blocks from our house and Matthew hit him in the side, totaling our Park Avenue.  We were sad to see our car go, but Matt is now the proud owner of a 2006 Buick Lucerne, fully equipped with remote start. We now have 2 "new" cars seeing as we replaced my car shortly before the accident.  $13,000 for vehicles was not what we had in mind but we don't have car payments and we do like our new vehicles.

The Annual Labor Day Party

This party is actually on the Sunday before Labor Day.  We play soccer at around 2 and then eat around 5. It's been this way for as long as I can remember.  I have given up on my non-talent as a soccer player. I think I have more promise at a photographer. So, here are my workings on action shots:

Nice kick by Matthew

Look at her go!

She likes to be in the action

I think this one may have been a goal . . . ?

Or maybe this one was the goal?

Nice footwork

OK . . . it could have been this one that was the goal!  :0)
I do know that he did score a goal that day.

Down in Texas

Look at . . .

that tounge!

If it looks hot it's because it IS.
Minnesotans/Wisconsinites do not belong in TX in August.

The grass is always greener . . .

The accident.
Hard to see but he got a whole new side for his car.

Matthew and I also ventured 17 hours to Texas this summer with our friend Eric to see another friend serving in the Air Force in Abilene. It was incredibly hot (it was August) but we endured by keeping outdoor activities to a minimum except during morning hours. We got to tour a C130; he works on the hydraulic systems inside these aircraft. Eric's Cadillac even survived a minor automobile accident; everyone was OK and we managed to get the car fixed enough to drive it all the way back home.  Unfortunately the driver who caused it did not have insurance, or a driver's license and really didn't have to hit us at all if he would have put on his break after hitting the first car. Yikes. We also did a lot of frisbee golfing, spent time in the cold mall, went to the zoo, saw the original drawings of The Lorax at a children's literature museum, spent time at a historical town Buffalo Gap, and ate out at a lot of restaurants. And I think I lied on that posting about Alisha's quilt being done for her party . . .  now I remember that I spent many hours in our hotel room cutting the fabric on her ragtime quilt. But she did have it when she left for college!