Yummy Shrimp Tostadas For Dinner!

Shrimp Tostadas

What's For Dinner?!
I get tired of making the same thing over and over again and I really like quick meals to feed my hungry troops during the week. My husband loves burrito night with beans and meat and sauteed onions, bell peppers and avocado and sour cream and salsa... yum!

But one night I wanted to try a variation.

Yummy Shrimp Tostadas! mmmmmm! I want to eat it again right now! It was so good drizzled with fresh lime juice!

This is how I made them:
I fried my own corn tortillas at medium high heat in canola oil for 1-2 minutes on each side (I filled a large frying pan halfway full of oil and cooked two at a time.) Until they get crsipy. But you can also buy premade crispy tortillas at the store.

I also bout shrimp that had already been cooked. It said to thaw them slowly but I just threw them in a skillet and sauteed them with olive oil, lemon and lime juice and garlic powder until they were warmed up. I took the tails off and they were soooooo good!

I warmed up some refried beans and diced some white onion, bunching onion, cilantro, lettuce and tomatoe, slapped it all together, drissled some fresh lime juice on top and....it was a beautiful moment for my tastebuds. 

So your shopping list might look like this:
Corn Tortillas (and canola oil to cook them in) or Premade Tostada Shells
1 Bag of Precooked Shrimp (or uncooked if you know what you are doing)
1 Can of Refried beans
tomatoes
Bunching onions
1 white onion
Cilantro
lettuce
Lemon and Lime or the Concentrated Juice

This would probably make 6-8. Possibly more. I don't measure... I just do.

 Yum! I need to go make these again right now!
Enjoy your dinner!
xoxo,
Amy

Crafts For Kids! Water Balloon "Slippah" Refashion!

 Water Balloon Flip Flop/Slippah Refashion

Want to fancy up your flip-flops?
Phew! That was so hard to say!!!!
I have never called "slippers" flip flops!
 In Hawaii they are slippers or if you are totally local, "slippahs!"
BeforeI lived in Hawaii, I called them thongs. But the invention of the thong underwear pretty much killed the use of that name in footwear!
So, I called them flip flops for you so you wouldn't think I was talking about house slippers.

I just wanted to show you how cute these slippers are! These kept my big girls busy for hours! They started at a church activity and weren't able to finish, so they came home and continued their work.

It is so easy and perfect for summer. My oldest daughter double knotted hers and my second oldest daughter tied her balloons in a single knot as shown above and below.

Isn't it a cute wearable craft! If you want to keep some little hands busy, the Water Balloon Slipper Refashion might be something for you to try!
XOXO,
Amy

For This Child...

In December I had a little grown up tantrum that took the form of a spray painted front door. It was quite a comical adventure that stemmed from the deep seeded need for change.

I know that lots of people struggle with infertility and my story is nothing compared to theirs. In fact one of my dearest friends, Ashley and her husband are on their journey through adoption. They were able to have one beautiful child without a hitch and have been trying to add to their family for six years with no luck. They started the adoption process earlier this year and are crossing their fingers that a baby will soon be nestled in their arms.  Maybe you can help them grow their family. You can learn about them here.

For me, it was only two years. Only seems a relative term. It was a very long two years and every month was so very, very disappointing. Hence the crazy spray paint incident.

Well, a reader named Maria left me big buckets of baby dust in her comments and I can happily say, that I am 24 weeks pregnant as of yesterday.

When that little stick finally showed positive, I ran to my bedside, burst into tears and offered a prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father.

You see my husband and I decided that this was the last try. We already have a beautiful family and the heartbreak each month was becoming unbearable. We had decided that if we weren't pregnant this month we would cut our losses and be thankful for what we had.

The interesting thing is that four days before that little stick tested positive, another little stick had tested negative. My period had been late and I was sure that this was the time I was pregnant. But then that negative little symbol reared it's ugly head and I knew we were done.

I was sad.

Sad I wasn't pregnant. Sad we were done trying. But we had decided we were done and that was that. Four days later I had still not had my period so I retested.

I have heard that a positive test result can never be wrong. But I have also heard that a negative test result CAN be wrong.

I waited the full minute before I looked at that little stick that seemed to contain so much of my hope. And guess what... I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to keep staring at it. All. Day. Long. Yep. I left it in the bathroom because I had to keep reassuring myself that it was really true.




The little tiny stick showed a little plus sign in it's window.
I was growing a baby.

Pure Joy.

Today at church we were studying about the kind of women that Ruth and Hannah were. A verse of scripture jumped out to me and I gave a silent thank you to my Heavenly Father once again.

The verse read:

Tonight I go to bed with my heart full.
It has been awhile since I have lived in baby land and I am happy to be headed there again.

If  your heart is aching like mine was, I pray that your petition will also be answered.

xoxo,
 Amy