A Little Something-Something for your Monday....

I Got Sucked into the Mania of Twitter

Remember when I first said I caved just to follow @BravoAndy?  I think I came up with a lame twitter name (or whatever it's called when you name yourself on twitter.)  I told myself I would just follow people and then read their tweets.  Well, after I joined, I forgot about it for awhile and then never checked twitter.  Recently, however, I got the idea to change my 'name' to something catchy and now my tweet name is iamdawndi.  Perfect for me, right?  Well, I AM Dawndi.  ha.  And then all of a sudden...I got sucked in!  I can't help it.  It just happened.  My friend Melisa sent out her 'posse' (as I call it) to follow me, so I followed them back.  I guess that's the proper twitter etiquette?  I don't know.  That's what I heard, though.

So yesterday, I sent out the tweet, "It's Friday, it's sunny and I'm not afraid #fridaythe13th." or something like that.  Then I tweeted, "I just used my first hashmark!"  I was so proud of myself.  Then, I got crushed (not really) when I got a tweet back by Melisa saying that it's really called a hashTAG.  ugh.  That's ok, though, because I made up a new word, just like her mom who calls tweeting, 'twixxing.'  hehe

#trendsetters

That Darn Cat

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that we had to put our precious black lab to sleep two days before Thanksgiving.  (If you are new to my blog...WELCOME!)  Anyway, Scott and I told each other that we aren't getting any more dogs, even though we love them.  We want to be free to come and go without having to find a dog-sitter.  Boarding our dog isn't an option after the time we boarded our yellow lab and were kindly asked to never bring him back.  Yes, we are THOSE pet owners.  We can't help it.  We loved our dogs and spoiled them endlessly.

This past fall and then this spring, I noticed that we had a cat taking up residence on our lower deck.  He (or maybe he's a she?) enjoyed sunning himself on one of our deck chairs.  I neglected to bring in the cushions, so he had a very comfy place to stay.  He wasn't going anywhere.

I regularly looked out the window to check on 'my' cat.  I even referred to him as 'my cat' and would say, "Aw, look at my cat out there!  I bet he's cold!"  Scott told me that under no circumstance was I to drag that thing into the house.  No worries since #1 I'm allergic and #2 I don't like cats.  Plus, if we were to have a pet, she would be a chocolate lab named Enola and she would be the sweetest thing that ever lived.  What?  Doesn't everyone name their non-existent pet?  Whatever.

Anyway, I digress...this past week I cleaned all of the leaves off of the lower deck so that I could scrub the deck and the porch furniture.  Cat was nowhere around.  He did leave evidence of his existence, though.  There is a huge hole in the cushion of 'his' chair.  dammit.

Note to self...bring in chair cushions at the end of the season.  Lesson learned.

He Would have been Happier in a Sombrero

During our Disney trip in 2009, I bought Nick a pirate hat.  I should have bought him a sombrero instead.

Love in the Mailbox

Sunday is Mother's Day.  I actually bought cards and got them in the mail in time.    At least this year I don't suck!  I got a surprise of my own in the mail yesterday....a Mother's Day card from my father-in-law.  How sweet is that?  Of course, I cried when I read it.  I love that man.  

As soon and I can talk about it without crying, I'm going to call him to tell him how much it means to me.  I still can't think about it without getting tears in my eyes, though. 

It makes me want to get better about sending random cards and notes in the mail to make someone's day.  Hopefully I'll get better about sending cards.  Maybe.

Ole'

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm going to share my sister's Enchilada Casserole recipe.  As you probably already have guessed, I am NOT Mexican (the huge clue being my very fair, freckled skin and reddish hair).  I am basically a European Mutt.  But that's ok.  I'm going to celebrate the Mexican holiday anyway by making one of my new favorite recipes (thanks, Margie!)

Enchilada Casserole
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Southwestern seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle), to taste...I'm going to say about 1 Tbs or so.
Cumin (I leave this out...but you can use however much you like)
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
12oz bag of frozen corn, thawed
4oz can chopped green chiles
dried cilantro (about 1tsp) or fresh if it's available
Mix above ingredients together

8 6-inch flour tortillas
shredded Mexican cheese
1 large can or 2 small cans mild enchilada sauce

Pour enchilada sauce to cover bottom of casserole dish.
Cover with 4 tortilla shells
Layer 1/2 of the chicken mixture
Cover with shredded cheese
Spread more enchilada sauce over chicken/cheese
Cover with 4 tortilla shells
Pour rest of enchilada sauce over shells
Layer remaining chicken mixture
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees
Uncover and put more cheese over the top
Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes


Pour a margarita and enjoy!

And the winner is....