Mama Has Been Busy!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.

I have been quite the busy bee!

School started fast and furious with three babies in high school!

I can't even stand it!

Here is a snapshot of my life lately!

A Life That I Fully

LOVE

and 

ADORE!

Baby Boy

 Baby Girl #1

Baby Girl #2

Life

is

GOOD
VERY
VERY
GOOD

Mama is Craving Spicy Noodles

Spicy Veggie Asian Noodles  

Mama needed a quick spicy Asian fix last week!

So I rummaged through the frig and pulled out whatever I could find to create this easy dish.

and.....

It was GOOD

REAL

GOOD

Spicy Asian Veggie Noodles

1/2 box of wide whole wheat noodles

1 cup of fresh snow peas

1/2 small purple onion (sliced in wide lengths)

1 cup of cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)

1/2 cup of green chives (sliced in wide lengths)

1/2 cup of cilantro (slightly chopped)

1/2 cup of peanut butter (slightly soften in microwave)

1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt

2 T soy sauce

1/8 t red cayenne pepper

1T peanut oil or sesame oil

Combine peanut butter, yogurt, soy sauce and pepper in a small bowl. If not spicy enough you may add more pepper! Set the sauce aside.

Cook noodles according to package instructions, drain but do not rinse.

In a saucepan add the oil and saute veggies until slightly brown. Remove from the heat and mix in cilantro. 

In a large bowl combine noodles, sauce and veggies. Toss to coat noodles evenly.

I usually end up adding some chinese hot chili sauce to my serving. I sometimes squeeze a little lime on mine as well. Just play around with the flavors to your liking. If you like more sauce-double it. You may also throw in other veggies or substitute the ones I chose. 

This is my friend!

HOT Chili Sauce

YUMMMM

Happy Easter!

May this Easter Sunday

find you with family and friends

enjoying the day that 
Christ rose from the dead.

Blessing to you and yours!

Sunny Days are Here Again!

Or at least for the week!

 Happy, Perky, Painted 

and

 WARM Toes!

View from my balcony!

Oo La La

SUNSHINE

 WAVES

 WIND

and

SUN

The Perfect Week!

Never even left the property!

Thank you, St. Maarten!

I will be back soon!

High School Basketball-You Gotta Love it!

Baby Boy #1 is on his school's 
JV Basketball team!

They were 20-1 this season!

SO FUN!

Here are my boys 
ready to go in!

The Varsity team fought hard to get 
to the playoffs once again!

and........

Our Varsity Boys

WON

STATE

AGAIN!

THIS IS THE THIRD

YEAR 

IN 

A ROW!

It has not been done in Colorado 
with a 5A school 

in over 60 years!

UNBELIEVABLE!

So Stinkin Proud of all of these fine young men!
Watch out next year!
Going for a 4 Peat!
OH YEAH!

Mama is Bragging Again!

So Here I Go

AGAIN

Posting up a new painting

from Baby Girl #1

Her art class is working on faces!

Her teacher gave her this photocopy...

and she made a graph to enlarge

the measurements.

She says it is much easier to attempt

faces if you graph and measure.

This helps you get the proportions correct. It is all so foreign to me!

I am completely mesmerized

by her work!

Mama is BACK!

Sorry I have been gone so long!

It has been a little busy

around Mama's House!

All is good

just

BUSY

Here is a snapshot of what Mama has been up to this month!

 Baby Girl #2

CHEER

 Baby Boy #24

Basketball

 Baby Girl #1

POMS

Disney with POMS Team

and

Baby Girl #1

Just a Mama trying her best 

to keep up with her babies!

Sneak Peek of a Painting

Baby Girl #1 is working 

on a new painting!

It is not complete

so

here

 is a

 sneak peek!

Organizing, Cleaning, Storing

Mama has been busy-

Cleaning

Storing

Organizing

2011

is

here

ready

or 

not

Hate to put these away!

Love my old ornaments.

2011 Goals

I will be trying new recipes

Cleaning more closets

Planting new bulbs

Calling old friends

Finishing a quilt

Taking more photos

Traveling to new places

Enjoying my family

Merry Christmas To All and To All A Good Night!

Merry Christmas

and

Many Blessings

from

Mama Holli

A Sweet Bride Named Laura

Long ago Mama Holli

was a babysitter

to 

a sweet baby girl

named

Laura

and

a sweet baby boy 

named

David

Proud parents of these two sweet children

are

 Jan and Michael.

I became part of their family.
They watched me grow, get married
and have babies of my own.

Then tragically

Jan's life was taken. 

To say we were devastated would

not even start to describe our loss.

We continue on to honor her legacy.

To honor her love for us.

To live our life to the fullest

so that we may be with her again in heaven.

My Hubby and I went to Panama

to witness the beautiful union 

of

Laura and Aaron!

It 

was

joyful

lovely

happy

exciting

peaceful

blessed

emotional

intimate

and

adventurous

We all felt Jan's presence

as we celebrated 

love

and

life

Congratulations

Laura & Aaron

We Love You!

Oh how I miss you 
my sweet sweet Jan!
I will forever be blessed
because of your 
unconditional love for me.
In my heart you will live

until I see you again.

Mama's Pot Roast Soup

So listen up Mamas!

Here is the deal.

Pot Roast Dinner

We LOVE it Right?

YES!

It DEFINES

Comfort Food

It

Has

MAMA LOVES YOU

Written

All

Over

It

Yummy Tender Roast

Golden Potatoes

Perky Carrots

Gravy

NEED I SAY MORE?

Well if you are like this Mama

you usually have leftovers 

with this big daddy of a meal.

So here is what I do.....

Freeze the leftovers!

Yes FREEZE the meat, potatoes and carrots.

THEN LIKE MAGIC

POOF

the defrosted

 leftovers into a big soup pot.

Make sure the meat

 is cut into big bite size chunks.

Add one 14 oz. can of beef broth,

one 14 0z can of evaporated milk

and

one can of drained corn

SIMMER ON LOW

UNTIL

THE 

HOUSE

SMELLS

HEAVENLY

Thicken with water and corn starch if needed.

Serve it up with some

bread or biscuits!

TA DAAAA

Yummy for the Tummy!

Mama Is Back!

Mama Holli is back to blogging!

I had a little distraction

called surgery and slept 

for about 2 weeks!

But all is good

and

I'M

BACK

How A Mama Prepares For Thanksgiving!

 Mama is pondering 

on what pie she will bake.

It has to be 

the best pie at the table.

She can't and won't take second

to Mama Lisa nor Mama Elise this year!

Mama Holli calls Mama Elise

to confirm what she is bringing to the feast.

Mama Elise pretends to act like she likes

Mama Holli's pie recipe.

Secretly she and Mama Lisa are plotting

to take her DOWN in the pie contest.

Mama Lisa calls Mama Holli 

to pretend that she also thinks the new pie recipe sounds good.

HMMMMMM

she ponders.....

I am going to BEAT her again!

Mama Jackie is listening to all of this.

She will be the judge this year.

She knows just who the true

winner will be!

Tune in to see who really wins!

History, Heritage, Legacy

My "Granny", Annie Mae, would always take us to the cemetery to change out the flowers, rake or pull weeds, and of course say a prayer while standing over the grave of our loved ones.  It was not morbid nor sad.  It was a time for my sisters and I to learn about our ancestors and their lives.  We would ask questions about their time on Earth and Granny would proudly answer each and every question. She was teaching.  Teaching us about our heritage. Teaching us to honor our family members who had passed away before us.  Teaching us to care for the graves that marked their existence. Teaching us to pray. Teaching us to not fear death, to understand it is part of our journey.  She would always point to the empty grave with her name and birth engraved on the tombstone to the right of her husband, my grandfather, "Popeye", and explain that someday her body would be laid to rest next to his. As that day sadly did come that we laid her sweet body next to his, we somehow found comfort that we had known the plan all along.  That we as children had been taught that death does not end life. Death is only the beginning of a new life, a life far more wonderful than we can imagine. A life that we know we will reach and be once again with those we love so dearly.

So now when we travel home to Texas, I take my children to the cemetery.
I proudly teach and pray as Granny did.

Here are some photos of some very old tombstones in the St. Mary's  Cemetery.  None of these belong to my family members.  I just found them interesting and quite beautiful.
It makes one ponder on the lives they lived.  
The hardships and moments of joy they shared.

The Pecan Trees Give Shade.

I am always saddened and intrigued by the graves of infants.

It was not uncommon in the late 1800's to early 1900's for children to die during childbirth.

I know there is a story to each and every marker.

These Czech immigrants lived hard lives.  They lived off their land.  They raised livestock and worked their farms. My grandfather was the last of 13 children, not including 2  siblings who died in childbirth. His father buried 2 wives and 2 infants during his lifetime.

St. Mary's Church stands guard over the cemetery.

When my Aunt Milady passed away her funeral mass was celebrated in this Church.  After the mass the pall bearers carried her casket across the street to her final resting place as we followed behind.  It reminded me of days past when neighbors became like family as horse and buggy were the mode of transportation. .The community nearest to your farm became your family. Granny would tell stories of how her teacher at times would have to stay over at her farmhouse when it rained. The dirt roads would become to muddy for her horse and buggy to maneuver. Each community built a Church.  Each community built a schoolhouse. Together the community buried their members by walking from the Church to their grave.  Our lives today are so spread out. The community as it was has changed.  With that change comes gain and loss. In many ways I wish we still lived as communities. I think I would have liked those days.