We are Zombies..

Being a Mother myself, I know children can be pretty Smart at a young age,, Sure my son may not be like the other parents kids,, My Boy barks and sometimes I have to yell at him not to run across the street to Poop in the neighbor's yard, no one likes to pick that up..  But I Know he puts pieces together and learns from me all the time.. It always amazes me how much I think he knows,, and than one day I learn he knows way more than I give him credit for.....I love those days when I realize That what I think he comprehends is only a tiny amount of what he really does..,I feel silly saying that it is Amazing to me but it does..It makes me pause and thing How awesome Samson is... But this is what brings me to the Title of this post... WE ARE ZOMBIES.....So I am talking to my niece Emily..who is 3 years old.  She is talking all soft and quietly to me,,she said  "Zombies are out side aunt JoJo"... I pretend Im shocked " Really..Oh No..Im scared".. She smiles and continues,, "Sometimes they say Hi,",and then she starts to raise her voice,, "but Sometimes they say......(and than she screams) RAWR!!!!!!.....Than she says in a calm voice "But its just a joke"....she was too funny.  So I told her that I have a Game.. Its called Plants Vs Zombies.. she would love to learn to play it... So we play it and she learns to stop the Zombies from eating the plants and Sunflowers....it was fun she only played it once.. and 2 weeks later, Im cleaning out my Car and she spots my Sunflower Seeds, I teach her how to shell them and eat them..she asked me what they were made of.. I explained they are made from Sun Flowers.... and she continues to try to shell them....then she Turns to me and says WE ARE ZOMBIES!!!.....It took me a minute to realize what she was saying... and she said Aunt JoJo,, Im Eating the Sunflower's Brains...Im a Zombie.... It Just made me Smile...This 3 year old puts 2 and 2 together and Comes to the conclusion she is shelling a sunflower seed and finding its brains inside and eating it,, therefore She is a Zombie......Whatever age they are Little Kids are Smart even if you dont think they are putting the Pieces together.... Dont underestimate how much little kids learn and keep with them..They are like sponges,...I hope I remember to stay in check when they are learning from Me..  

I call it my "Enchilada Tacos"

So there was this Recipe I had for some Enchiladas, But I did not fold them like Enchiladas I just folded them like Tacos. Thus the Long crazy name..
So My Sis-in-Law wanted to cook this them for Dinner, but she was a little afraid to do it herself, So I must give her credit for a few things in this dish,,,,WE DID IT TOGETHER...First the Original recipe said to Make "Spanish Rice" but Amy doesn't know how to make rice, and It was her job to get all the Ingredients so she found this already made Mexican Rice in a plastic Bag I guess over in the Ethic food isle, and you microwave it for 60 seconds......yeah we had a good laugh at her when she brought it home, I didn't even know they sold stuff like that..LOL.. But I must say ..it cut the preparation time down by 30 min at least.. So 10 points to Amy using a cheat sheet..
Ok so 2 bags of the already made Mexican rice... 16 oz can of Enchilada Sauce.(I like Mild).. 16 oz can Pinto Beans (Wash them off)...1 can of southwest style corn (you know the corn that has chilies and bell peppers and beans mixed into it) If you cant find that, than you can always just mix it up yourself... finally you need Cheese and you need Flour Tortillas, about 12 small ones.  Also Make sure you use a Glass Pan (I think cooking with Glass makes Food not stick to the side as much),, and spray it with some Pam... Glass has always been my favorite choice of pans, but that could just be all in my head...it is easier to clean, it doesnt stick as much, and its just more awesome than metal pans.. but I could be wrong,, I haven't figured it out yet..
So first Microwave your Bags of rice for 60 seconds, , , ha ha ha.. than mix that in a bowl ONLY 1/2 cup of Enchilada Sauce, and the drained and washed can of Pinto Beans and the southwest style corn. This is what you will stuff the Tacos.  So I took one of those little measuring cups 1/2, and used that to scoop out even amounts of mix, than spread a little cheese in each flour tortilla before folding it in half like a Taco and placing it into the greased Pan...Lay each Taco leaning up against the other kinda over lapping each other,, like they had the fallen Domino effect.. I hope that's clear...Than when they are all in the Pan....I add a little water to the rest of the Enchilada Sauce,, like maybe 1/4th cup or less..just enough to stretch my Sauce out over All the Tacos.. and Pour that over the Top of the Tacos to cover the Flour Tortillas.. Go Slow make sure you get a spoon and spreed it on the Parts of the Tortilla that have not been touched with sauce,, Cause I hate to pull it out of the oven and have  Crusty Dried up Corners of the Tortilla cause no sauce got to it.... Than Sprinkle a little cheese on top cover with Foil and bake it @ 350 degrees , for like 20- 30 min,.cause everything is already cooked, your just heating it up and melting the cheese..
 As a side note, I like Onions and I add a little Onion on top of mine just before I bake them...and Serve the Enchilada Tacos with sour Cream.   MMM it was pretty Good.. Hope you try it and Enjoy..

Keeking Secrets,

You know how people ask you questions that always lead to more questions that always end up too complicated to explain the whole story behind it...Today this person that asked me a Question.. It created a situation which I had to reflect back in my life where I didnt want to explain details.. So I chose to keep that my secret and just answer the question in a simple answer.. It may not have been a Lie,, but I Chose to not explain the details.  Most of my friends all know that my little Sister Kayla died in a car accident in 2004, But when I meet new people, some how the topic is always brought up.. and I just dont want to go there sometimes.  It opens up other questions, or they give you this look of pity.or awkward silence. And I am the one who has to see their judgmental faces while they process this information.. I just think its weird to say, Oh by the way,, I have a sister who Died.. but try not to look at me like I have a disability, cause Im not Broken. ........ It feels like every time I meet new people the topic of ,, (how many kids are in my family? or do you have younger siblings? always finds its way to me.,, Am I keeping secrets? ... I try to avoid the topics as much as possible. Not that I want to forget or erase Kayla, I just dont want that to be the defining "first impression" of a new friendship.... today,, the very topic came up.. Oh Joyce how many Kids are in your family.. I didnt hesitate when I replied I have 3 Older brothers and 2 Older sisters. But when I heard the words come out of my mouth, I felt Guilty...This way the other person just smiles and continues with the usual going down the row  asking about each Brother and Sister..where they live and such,, And I get to avoid the tragic event in my life... But this time,, This day, it felt different,,, I felt Bad about the Answer I gave. Like I had Broken a Promise. Or lost the trust of a friend. I dont know why it was different today.. but I know that awkward moment I was trying to avoid was still there.. Sure the other person was not aware I had a little sister,that i chose not to name..But inside I still knew....I realized today that I cant avoid something that is a part of me...  I cant pretend events in my life didnt happen just so Im not reminded -life is Not sunshine all the time-.. Things happen.. and it shouldnt be this awkward to talk about it....

My Simple Lasagna Recipe

So I made Lasagna today.. I dont think I let the noodle cook as long as I would have liked them to, but in all it was good.
Here is how i did it, , I will explain the Layers to you.- Keep in mind, I made this in a full size Glass cake pan, one of those 15inch by something... not a 9x9 single serving thing.. so if you want a smaller dish dont expect to use as much as I used.
So I used a 1&1/2 boxes of the Oven ready noodles, cause YES, I do like to make short cuts in life..I got the medium tub size of ricotta cheese, (i think like 25 oz it was) mixed the ricotta with 2 eggs , and about a cup of  mozzarella,, (I love cheese,) so really it was about a hand full and then some....SO after i mixed all that together. I will call it my "WHITE LAYER".  Along with cheese, Im a big fan of MEAT... I know the world is pushing us to go green....and going veggie is the New Pink these days. but i still like to eat meat once in a while. So I cook some Meat to add to my Sauce.  I pick my sauce strictly on Price. I find the cheapest bread that comes in one of those taller can sizes, and it always tastes great to me, so that what i use... today I used a whole can of "Cheese Garlic" and a can of "Mushroom and something",, I forgot, you can just pick what you like. Mixed the 2 cans together with my Meat, and add a little water (about a cup or so) to thin it out. This is My "RED LAYER"  ..now, as for the cheese, I have mozzarella and sharp cheddar. those are my favorites, you can go with another mix if you like.And This is what I will call my CHEESE LAYER..

So put it all together,, First the Glass pan.. Just poor a little Sauce on the Bottom of the pan, so the Noodles dont stick.. than start with the layers.. Noodles,,.. White Layer(Ricotta mix)... Red(Sauce with Meat).....Cheese.(just very thin layer of shredded cheese).You want the red sauce to seep though and keep the 2nd layer of noodles moist while cooking  That is one completed Layer of Lasagna.  On the second layer of Noodle ,,I lay it checkerboard, 1st layer Vertical, 2nd Layer Horizontal.. and repeat...  I do about 3 Layers ,, But add one more top layer of noodles.. and just poor the remaining sauce on to of the noodles letting any extra fill in the corner of the pan, this helps the Lasagna not stick to the sides when you serve it. And than sprinkle a little over cheese on top.. Cover the pan with Aluminum Foil and cook at 350 for like 45 min, I think depending on how much sauce you used make a diff on how long you cook the noodles,, I Cut into the corner at about 45 min and sample the noodle,, if it is done I take it out..lol....And this is how I baked Home made Lasagna tonight..    PS.. I also Got some french bread - spread with Butter and sprinkled Garlic on top.. made toast,,, always good with Lasagna,,,mmmm

I forgot,, One GOOD TIP...When working with the corner of the Pans,, some times the noodles dont fit exactly the way you want in the Pan they are too long or the pan has rounder edges and the noodles have sharp Edges.. If you run the noodle under the sink water for just a few seconds you can cut the noodle with scissors to make the perfect fit without breaking it into random pieces trying fit it into the pan.

Valentines Day...

Ok this may be a touchy subject to hit if your single.. But for the few lucky people who have a sweet heart out there, It is a great day.   I just want to say.. I am not a Hater... I have always loved Single Awareness Day... Love is in the air.. Sure Im single.. and sure, it sucks sometimes wanting to have that sweet some one hold your hand...To sit next to the guy who makes your heart beat a little faster when he kisses you......But lets not be haters...How can you not be touched when your out and about,, and see this sweet old man picking out flowers for his sweetheart at home.  Or the Tough big black guy carring this pink little fuzzy bear,, you know he has a love waiting at home for him... How can you hate Valentines Day..... Its just to remind us.. There is love out there.. its just not found me yet.. lol... so stop thinking about how you dont have a Boyfriend or Girlfriend... just be happy today.. Your day and My day will come..

Driving Across Country

Well, let me start by telling you where I was going.  I was living in Utah, most of my belongings were in storage. I had enough stuff you fill an entire apartment for myself and I was Moving to Savannah Georgia. Seems simple enough but I drive a little 2door Mitsubishi eclipse.  It took me weeks to scale down my possessions to fit everything I own into One Little Tiny Car.  The fact that I could fold down the back seat saved me a lot of space.. I still had things I wanted to take with me, so I had the Genius Idea...I packed my car full that I couldn't open the door without stuff falling out, so I rolled down the Window and started pouring stuff into the window, as the started getting full I would roll up the window a little at a time, and continue pouring things into my car. Till there was no empty space left for anything.(I did manage to leave clear space to view out each side mirror, just not the rear view) I managed to take about a 3rd of my stuff. Sadly, the other 2/3rd found a new home at the D.I. or with friends and family or the Garbage Man that comes on Mondays (they will be missed)..   Anyways, across Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, and Missouri I totted My belongs.  I was snuggled so tight that I had to push a little against the mini Frig I sat in the front seat, to get more space in order to shift into 5th gear...2 days of driving like that,, and anyone can go mad.. I started shifting in my seat every 5 minutes, It was getting uncomfortable. My belt buckle hurt, My butt was falling asleep. I was starting to get itchy and irritated with anything and everything..If a single hair touched my forehead, It started to make me angry.. so some time between Missouri-Illinois-Kentucky- I was crying about it to Travis, My "Oldest" Older Bro...He gave me some awesome advice about what he did when he was a truck driver, and making those long drives comfortable too... So Travis told me that what helps Him.. Is remove all the loose change from my pockets, unbuckle any belt, try untucking my shirt and unbuckle my pants so things are not so tight... (that seems harmless... right???) ... Well I promise you ..IT WORKS..... and 2 hours down the road I stop for gas. at a truck stop, one of the truckers walked past my car, notice the out of state plates, and my packed car and through my cracked down window, he points out my tire is a little low, I step out of my car to think him, and forget My pants are unbuckled and my pants fall to my knees so fast, the man saw the panic in my face, he quickly turned around and goes the other direction just waves and says yeah get that tire looked at,,as his back is turned to me.... I thought about chasing after him or scream back at him to wait,, I can explain,, but would have only made it awkward I think, on top of him seeing my big kid panties I didnt want to add more to the mix,, so I pulled up my pants in shame, and pumped my gas, aired up my tire, and tried to pretend no one saw me....I called My Brother and told him I totally give him props for tricking me like that.. I didnt see that happening to me at all...  He said it was totally not on purpose, he never forgets to button up his pants before exiting the car,so he didnt think I would need to be reminded,, I KNOW I CANT BE THE ONLY ONE WHO WOULD FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT....So Im totally Going to try that one on my friends when they "Road Trip" Topic comes up around the water cooler at work...you know,, share in my joy.  It is something I can laugh about ,, It was really funny when it happened to me..Thank about how much fun it would be if it happened to someone else....Well thats all for now..