Duct Tape & Taco Soup & some other stuff...

Lately we have been using a lot of duct tape. My sister in law Amber did this a lot with her boys when they were young (they're in high school now???) but my boys are loving it now too....basically I just save up a bunch of odds and ends (paper towel rolls, playdough canisters, etc.) and some duct tape and let the kids have at it. The other day we built rockets:




And then a few nights ago we made race cars. Of course Brady's had to be a Mazda (his favorite car....ever since he found out his little friend Mia in Cleveland had a Mazda...and he loved her).





Now for the taco soup:


I made this the other night. I know everyone makes this all the time, but sometimes I forget about things, and then I'll see it on someone's blog (mostly Michi's food blog....) and I think "oh yea, that's yummy, i'll make that...". So I just thought I'd share:

1/2- 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper
1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can canneloni beans (i didn't have any, so I used black beans)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups water or chicken broth
6 corn tortillas, torn or sliced into soup

Brown turkey, add onion and bell pepper, cook until veggies are soft
Dump everything else in, let simmer 20 min or so.

I add a few squeezes of fresh lime to the soup at the end...and top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, cheese.

I feel like I should start a new post, but i've already uploaded my pictures to this one, so i'm just going to keep going!!!



This is from Dustin's rooftop party a few weekends ago. He and a few other dentists in the building had a little party on their roof to watch the blue angels during San Francisco's Fleet Week. They had it catered by this yummy resteraunt downstairs (Osha? is that it Dustin? Or am I getting it confused with the Occupational and Safety Health Administration ?). It was a lot of fun, I didn't take many pictures though, as I was chasing 3 little boys on a roof in San Francisco. But at least you get an idea of the view...it was awesome.

Also, a while back you may remember me complaining about not knowing what to do with cous cous (I always do the same thing)....so a few days later I get a surprise package in the mail from Jen!!! It was so unexpected and fun...and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes!




And I thought I'd pass on this EASY little time-consumer before Halloween passes. Marie over at Make and Takes posted this a few weeks ago...it's quick, it's easy...nothing fancy, but you probably have everything on hand to do it and it might entertain for a few minutes (my niece Sydney liked doing it...my boys mostly wanted me to do it for them....)



And I bet you are all wondering what I had for breakfast this morning? You are???



I don't know why but these have been sounding exceptionally good to me during this pregnancy. Some other pregnancy cravings I've been having (which is VERY UNUSUAL FOR ME as with my other pregnancies I didn't crave anything in particular (all food was good in my book)):
hard boiled eggs??? (I don't even like eggs!!!)
sweet pickles (I like an occasional pickle now and then, but i've downed a whole jar in 3 days?)

I'm off to go look for my cell phone. It's been MIA for 24 hours. Don't tell Dustin.