Fiesta

Well, Cinco de Mayo finally arrived! I was in the mood for a fiesta, too. Got up and got the kids off to school then spent a good portion of the morning online e-mailing my sister Shannon back and forth about tickets to the Texas Rangers' game on Friday and doing a bit of searching on John Peter Smith's (aka JPS, the county hospital) website. My cousin Lyvonne informed me that there were 2 graduate nurse positions in Labor & Delivery, but no applications were being accepted--only previous applicants were being considered. The only way I'd have a chance at either position is if one of the graduate nurses they hire didn't pass the Board Exams. I wouldn't wish that on anyone because I sure wouldn't want someone hoping for my failure so they could have a chance at a job opening.
Anyway, I decided on the "Overnight Taco Bake" casserole, black bean salsa, and Mexican rice for our dinner. I went online to look for a cheese enchilada recipe (the kids have been asking for them) and I found a recipe for "avocado sauce" so I added that to the menu in lieu of traditional guacamole. I found a recipe for Strawberry Slush at www.bettycrocker.com to round out our festive meal. Naturally, as I was putting together the casserole I couldn't for the life of me find a kernel of corn anywhere in the pantry or freezer, so I had to make a quick run to Kroger. I also picked up the ingredients I needed for the strawberry drink.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur. I finished the casserole and stuck it in the frig by 1 p.m. (so it's be ready to take out and bake by 5 p.m.). I chopped cilantro and put together my black bean salsa and avocado sauce. I dreamed of a nap but opted to run a couple more errands first.
One such errand was a long overdue milkshake from Steak N Shake. I've been trying to time it just right to catch the half-priced shakes between 2 and 4 p.m. when I didn't have a husband or kids in tow. Then, I swung by Academy because Alisa needed athletic shorts for field day this Friday. By then it was 3 p.m. and time to pick up Alisa. We headed to Aldi for some fresh fruits & veggies then to Tom Thumb to pay our house note. Our third stop was Wal-Mart to pick up hamburger buns for the band banquet. At this point Alisa was begging for me to drop her by the house. The kids realize now that life with Mom on the run is not a picnic...they have figured out that there are always more errands than the one "stop by xxx store."
We made it home and invited Shannon & the kids over for our Cinco de Mayo celebration. Derrick usually works nights so I didn't expect he'd be in attendance. In the past Xavier has been here to celebrate with us since I used to watch him after school when he was a Shorthorn along with Aaron and Alisa, so it's kind of tradition for him to join us. Shannon declined saying Derrick had been under the weather and off work and she was tired. I was on the phone with my sister-in-law and extended the offer for her and my brother to join us. She was on her way home from work and said she'd check with Lo Jr but she doubted that they would stray far from home once they were in for the night. So we just celebrated and enjoyed the dinner ourselves. Everything turned out very tasty...the avocado sauce was even better the next day; and it didn't turn all brown like regular guacamole (maybe it was that I left the pit in the sauce or maybe it was just the sour cream, lemon juice and other ingredients helped preserve the color).
Grandmom came over as she usually does on Wednesday nights while Mom and Dad go to Bible Study, and she and Alisa and I went for a walk around the block after dinner. All in all it was a great night. I started this blog and couldn't finish...my eyes were so heavy! So now, three days later here you go, folks. Enjoy! Until next time...