Tortellini Soup

     I have a new recipe for all of you. It fits my favorite requirement, it's easy. I love easy recipes because my life is not easy. And every one should have something that's easy in their life. Right? So after a long day you can toss these ingredients together and waalaa easy.
    Here is the recipe for Tortellini soup.

1 plus pound of mild Italian sausage (I prefer Johnsonville for the spices)

Brown, drain and then I rinse off to get off more oil.

4 cups water (Can add more if needed when tortellini is cooking)

2 cans of tomato soup

1/2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

2 carrots or more

1 zucchini (the size you find in stores)

Boil, stirring occasionally so doesn’t burn, until carrots are about cooked to liking.

Add package of tortellini (fresh or frozen)  Cook time what is call for. Appox. 10 minutes.

You can double by adding twice of everything but the soup.  For a real large pot like at the retreat I added one extra can.

You can also top with grated Parmesan.  

 I served with warm garlic bread.

      This is delicious. We ate it for days because I doubled the recipe and everyone loved it. 
     Thanks to Alysia Ricks for this wonderful recipe. 

Big Head

     So I was at Walmart the other day with the hubs, who needs a new hat to wear in the yard as he weed-eats, and we had the following discussion.
     Me- Hey here's one. Try it on.
     He puts it on his head.
     Him- It's too small. I think it's a woman's hats.
     Me-I don't think so. It's a man's hat. You're head is too big.
     Him-What the heck am I supposed to do?
     Me- I guess you'll have to start shopping at the big head shop.
     Him-Ha ha. That's mean. (He actually sounded like it was the first time anyone has told him he has a big head.)
      Me-I don't know what you're whining about I'm the one who gave birth to your big-headed children. Eight of them with no drugs. 
      He thought about that for a minute.
      Him- Ouch.

My Love of Empty Trash Cans

     I have a confession to make, I'm a little bit OCD about getting our trash cans out. The hubby always teases me by saying, "I think I'll take the trash cans out in the morning instead of tonight." Then he laughs because he knows that just sent my heart into palpitations.
     With a family our size missing the trash man is a catastrophe that I have experienced a few times and I don't ever want to have to live through that again. The trash starts piling up and there are bags everywhere. The trash in the house doesn't get dumped because there is no place to go with it. I HATE that.
     Hearing the trash man on the street below us is music to my ears. I listen for him and if I'm up I'll watch him dump our trashcans into his truck and drive away. It's truly one of the best things in life, empty trash cans. I can hear you laughing and that's okay, I'm used to it.  :)

To Coupon or Not the Coupon

     Did you know I used to be a big couponer. Spell check says couponer isn't a word. HA! I used to scan the Sunday paper and the ads to see what kind of deals I could get. I don't do that so much any more.
     I found a dollar off coupon the other day on Nutella, which my daughter is inhaling faster than I can replace it.
     Now a dollar off of something is a good coupon, but do you remember when the stores used to double them. In Cali, some stores even had triple coupon day where they would triple the value. Those days are gone forever.
     When I search for coupons now, I find piddly little ten cents off coupons. What good does that do? For instance I had a twenty-five cent off coupon for Paul Newman's Marinara, which I love, but I bought fourteen jars, so one twenty-five cent coupon hardly does much. Now if I had fourteen one-dollar-off coupons we'd be talking some serious saving. And if they doubled them! Woo Whoo!
    I miss the good old days when couponing meant serious saving. It seems like the prices go higher and the coupons get smaller.

I'm Baaacckkk!

     I'm baaacckkk! After spending the weekend recharging the batteries, I'm back and ready to go. I have plotted and planned, discussed and befriended, learned and shared with many other writers about the best way to go about the craft of writing.
     I'm enthused and eager and ready to fly through many projects.
     Right after my nap.

Today is the Day

     Today is the day. I'm going on a writer's retreat with a group of writers. I look forward to these getaways for many reasons, the companionship, the chance to talk about writing with people who don't look at you like you're crazy, and the chance to work undisturbed.
     We're going to a very large cabin in Midway, Utah where the trees, hopefully, are starting to leaf out and the tulips are coming up.
      I haven't had much of a chance to think about what my goals are for this weekend other than to write, a lot.
     I have so many things I want to accomplish this year and it's already April. The time is tick-tocking away so fast I'm being left in the dust.
     Does it seem like every year goes faster than the last, or is it just me? 
     Have a great weekend everyone.

I Need to Be Me

     My tulips are about to bloom. I'm so excited. I share this with you, my friends, because if I said this to my family I would get a sea of eye-rolling. I don't know why. Tulips are beautiful. Mine are all red and when they bloom it is a stunning display, but I feel like I can hardly enjoy them due to the lack of shared enthusiasm around here.
      I need to be me, people! I need to love tulips! I need to love the smell of fresh wood chips! I need to ooh and aww over the perfectly blue Utah sky with it's white puffy clouds! I need to be free to be able to stand in the window and watch the rain and snow falling!
      I gotta be me! If this makes me a nerd, deal with it! It's who I am. I am your mother and you're stuck with me, so deal with it!!!  This concludes exclamation point day. :)