Modge Podge

OK, I just cleared out a TON of crap I've been holding on to and meaning to post about. I also just cleared a ton of memory on my camera's memory card!!

On the last day of school before Christmas break, little T.R. was the first one to come in the room. As he's taking off is hat, scarf and coat, he says, "Aw, Mrs. L., I got a raw sweater on today!" (For those not up on the Englewood-isms, raw would be the equivalent of 'really awesome' or 'really cool.') He then takes of his coat and I see this:


How cute is this kid!? He always wears the cutest 'school clothes.' He usually wears a navy blue sweater vest over his white uniform shirt, and he always looks so cute. Apparently, on this last day before break, his mom decided he didn't need to wear his uniform. She opted, instead, for the Cliff Huxtable sweater!

This is a picture I snapped this morning as I was walking out to go to work. What do you think? There's at least a foot of snow on my furniture, right?

For those of you who are not Chicagoans, I thought you might get a kick out of this picture. This is what people do here after they spend an hour digging out a parking spot for themselves. You use your lawn furniture (or milk crates, or dining room chairs!!) to "hold" your spot. It's just unwritten law around here that you respect your neighbor's spot once the furniture goes out.

Ok, this is just a totally random picture, but let me tell you why I took it. For the past couple of days, Stephanie has been posting about the yummy dinners she's been making herself. She inspired me to take a picture of the dinner I made tonight. It really isn't that special, I suppose, but it tasted delicious! I had made a pork roast in my crock pot, seasoned to make carnitas with later. When I got home today from work, I was trying to figure out what I could make for dinner that wouldn't require me to go to the store (since it's a tad bit snowy and cold here in ChiTown today!). Long story short, I was able to scrounge up some tortillas, beans, cheese and salsa. I made... I don't know what to call it! Enchilada casserole? Mexican lasagna? After explaining to my son what was in it, he says, "So, basically, you made a burrito cake?" I kinda like that name. Especially since I started out wanting to make burrito bowls (a la Chipotle). I basically layered tortillas, like you would lasagna noodles, with the shredded pork, beans, cheese and salsa. I finished with a layer of tortillas, salsa (I used this awesome tequila lime salsa from Pace, and it's green, which is why you can't really see it) and cheese, and then baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes. It smelled like heaven! We ate it topped with sour cream. If I wasn't so hungry, I would have taken the time to shred some lettuce and chop some olives. And, if I had them, I would have diced up tomatoes and avocados! OK, I'm getting hungry all over again! I suppose I should have taken the photo BEFORE we ate it, huh?OK, so on to more boring things. I had a bunch of video clips, taking up room in my camera, that I had taken over the past couple of weeks to share with you guys. Especially those of you that enjoy seeing a little snow. The only problem is, I don't exactly remember when these were taken. I think this one is from, maybe, the week before Christmas? Notice that the screen is still on the door! I do like to get my fresh air... ;-)

This one might be from the next day...

I should be embarrassed that you can see what a complete mess my kitchen is, but what the hey. And, the stairs look horrid cuz they had all the tile stripped off of them during the basement remodel, and I have yet to have them finished. I'm planning on carpeting them, since I have a tendency to fall down them at least once a week. :(

OK, this one I know is from Christmas. I was trying to show how blustery it was. I think we were having 40 MPH winds that day. I was trying to capture the snow blowing off the roof of the garage.

Same day, just more video...

I have no freakin' idea why the hell I took this video. I almost deleted it, but then I realized it gives a pretty good snapshot of what my very typical Chicago neighborhood looks like. Notice all the Chicago bungalows, all in a row!!

OK, this video I took while driving home from my parents' house Christmas night. Well, technically, since it was after 4am, it was the day after Christmas. I'm pretty sure I posted about how bad the roads were that night. It kinda looks like the streets are wet, but they are actually completely covered in ice. It was like driving across a hockey rink!

This was from this morning.

OK, if you're still with me, you're a real trooper! This was probably one of the most boring posts I've ever done!! But, at least my camera is empty :)