I'm three pounds heavier now....

...but it was SOOOO worth it!

Yesterday was our 1rst Annual Indian Taco Family Get-Together-Majig. Okay, so we don't actually have a name for it yet, but I sure hope we have one again next year! In case you don't know what an Indian Taco is, let me tell you: Deep-fried bread dough served like a big, open-faced taco.

Actually, let me just share the recipe with you:

Indian Tacos

1 Cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Pinch of Salt
Milk

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add enough milk to mix to make semi-firm dough. Cut and roll dough together on a floured surface, but don't knead it too much! Form the dough into a ball and flatten until it's about 1/2 to 3/4" thick. Roll it flat and drop in in at least 3-4" of preheated oil. Flip it once, making sure both sides get crispy and golden brown.

It only takes a few minutes per piece of bread. Make sure the oil is hot enough, or you will have a soggy, greasy mess! Then, serve it IMMEDIATELY with all the toppings you would normally serve on a taco. For best results, don't let it cool down before you eat it.

Since we had about 30 people here, we had three fryers going. We had hoped to have all the toppings ready when the bread got going, but we were a little off. This was the first time we had ever made these things and we would definitely have an easier time with it in the future. The toughest part for me was getting the house ready, but that was my own fault for being such a pig to begin with! Plus, I added the task of hand-scrubbing all of the grout in my kitchen floor to my already long list of things to get done before yesterday. But, I actually so feel like I can breathe a little eaiser knowing that all the grime and dirt is off of my grout (for now!) and it appears to be the color it's actually supposed to be!

If I'm so much happier with a clean house, why don't I just keep it like this?
Because I'm a PIG, and I LIVE WITH PIGS, that's why! And because I've barely been near my computer in three days or knitted a single stitch of anything...and I like those things much more than cleaning anyhow!

In addition to the Indian Tacos, we had chips and dips and crackers and meats and cheese and.....I made CarliGirl's recipe for homemade ice cream. Now, THAT was YUMMY....so yummy, in fact, that it also contributed to my weight gain! There were also cobblers and pastries and my aunt's famous 'Okie Cake!' That and homemade ice cream and it tastes just like the 4th of Julys of my childhood! I ate sugar and flour and grease and....mmmmmmmmm.....

I will probably have a migraine later, but it will be totally worth it! The picture above is the Indian Taco that I just made today with the leftovers. The bread is not nearly as good as it is when it's fresh, but it's still SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD regardless! I didn't bother with the corn or the olives or the onions today. But, the meat and beans and hot sauce and sour cream and guacamole and lettuce and tomatoes and....

I think I need a nap now!

The girls are begging David to take them swimming, but I think he'd rather vegitate in front of the tv watching the 'Hogan's Heroes' marathon. We are all tired today and don't feel like doing much at all. I've already spent the first two hours of my morning just scrubbing the burnt-on grease from my stove top. Next year, we are doing ALL of the frying OUTSIDE!

Well, it looks like David caved and is heading to the pool. I doubt I'll be able to get out of going, too. PLUS, I have about a HUNDRED beach towels to wash...and hand towels. We must have had a lot of things to dry and messes to wipe up because I am totally out of clean dish towels!

Soccer and Lily didn't seem to mind the crowd at all! Soccer napped right by the front door most of the day, completely oblivious to all the foot traffic around him. Lily just followed me around for the most part. When she wasn't doing that, she was lying near the folks sitting out on the lawn under the tree, staying cool and waiting for someone to drop food! Everyone was so amazed with how calm and sweet she was! And they were even more amazed that we'd only had her for about a week and half! I was so busy with other things that I completely forgot to put Lily's hat on, but she did wear her stars and stripes bandana around her neck all day long! We also discovered that she looooooves to chase laser pointer lights just as much as a cat does. Plus, she was bouncing around through the weeds in the back and she looked like a little deer or something! My cousin and I were laughing about it and it really got me thinking: This dog TOTALLY needs a pair of antlers for Christmas!!! And she would probably wear them with pride because she's Lily and she's AWESOME!!!

....but she's still sort of afraid of my CAMERA!

I have a sneaking suspicion that one of my chickens MIGHT be a smoker!

I've recently discovered WHY this happens to chickens...but it really cracked me up when I first saw it! It's actually a sign that a chicken could be going into a moult, or so I've been told!

Summer is here in full-force and time is limited. We always tend to think that life will somehow slow down when you take the kids' school schedule out of the equation....but nothing could be further from the truth! We have story time at the library on Monday, summer reading program on Wednesday, waterpark on Thursday, and so many other things that keep us having to do something almost every single day.

We also adopted a dog, who is fitting in even better than I could have expected! Her name is Lily and she's said to be about four years old. She was pregnant with a litter when she came to our local shelter and a good friend of mine ended up fostering her. She had seven of the most adorable stinkin' puppies and was a great mom. She was so mellow and not at all nervous about strangers messing with her pups! I am in no place in my life to want a puppy right now, or ever. I like dogs. Puppies are cute, but I have no desire to own one! Lily doesn't chew, doesn't whimper, and is already housebroken. We know exactly who she is as a dog, as her personality and limits have already been established. She's a smart little dog with lots of energy, without being high-strung in the least. She's about 20 pounds and almost knee-heigh to a short adult. (Okay...ME!)

Day 1 was a bit rough for her:

But, by Day 2, she and Soccer were forming a pretty decent tolerance of one another:

...and she was modeling the latest doggy fashions (that you can find at Target for a DOLLAR, anyway!) with ease and grace:

She's a real natural, isn't she?

And, just today, she has come around a lot more and is running all over the place with the energy of a puppy, without all the whimpering and extra spots in my carpet!

If you are thinking about getting a dog, you really should think about adopting an adult from your local shelter. There are so many wonderful companions that may be left undiscovered without someone to give them a home and a life. And, for goodness sake PLEASE get your pets spayed and neutered!!!! All it takes is a trip to the shelter to see the realization of how many of those helpless animals will be put to death because 'their people' let them down. Maybe they never even had people, but at some point some person screwed up in order for these furry friends to end up where they are.

And, most of your local shelters have foundations and programs set up to offer low cost spay and neutering. If you can't afford that, maybe you shouldn't have a pet to begin with!

I'll admit that I have been part of the problem. Now, I'm working on being a part of the solution. Where do you stand?