i'm feeling pretty grateful right now.

.:my grandma is in town from alaska. i don't get to see her very often, but i cherish my time with her. i see so much of what i want to be and what i think i am in her.

.:white chicken chili

.:toe print socks

.:harmony now does baby sit ups. she'll be laying flat on her back in her crib and i'll hear her grunt and she sits straight up. then she'll flop back with a giggle and do it again and again and again.

.:wendy witch, running through yards in the black of night with a 6 year old in tow.

.:pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. cheater version: 1 spice cake mix, 1 can pumpkin, mini chocolate chips; 350 for 14 minutes. yum yum and more yums. i double this bad boy.

.:hamper love

.:happy mail: packages, envelopes, cards, postcards... all sent out into this great world of ours. reach out and squam someone.

.:snacks made exclusively from non-toxic markers. (not to mention my cute neice)

.:art dates with my husband. he says when he's done, "this painting thing is a lot harder than it looks." i just smile and love him a little more.

.:story time with auntie:

.:while getting dressed this morning G says to me, "is that you bwa? is that to keep you boobs fwom faw-wing down?"

.:screaming banshee halloween. it's so true, so fitting, so funny. thank you nina beana. we can't stop watching it. this really is exactly how our halloween is, times four. they cry all.day.long. i dress them up, do their makeup, drag them to parties, bundle them up (covering their costumes) and drag them from house to house. then we come home, i eat their candy, and i cry from exhaustion.

this is one of those recipes that i want to eat all year round, but it only feels right to eat during october. try it, love it, pass it on. thank you dear kathryn for sharing your recipe vaults.

white chicken chili
(jenica's version)

4 chicken breast halves
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp lemon pepper
1-2 tsp cumin powder
3-5 cloves of garlic
1 white onion, chopped
1 can shoepeg corn, 12 oz
1 can chopped green chilies, 4 oz
2-3 tbs lime juice
2 cans great northern beans, 15 oz
16 oz chicken stock

saute chicken in oil and a little water with spices, garlic and onions. chop chicken. throw everything in a pot and bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. serve with monterey jack cheese and tortilla chips. drool. eat. get a second bowl. rub your tummy with glee.