My Valentine

       In case you didn't notice, we are a military family. My husband has never been home for Valentine's Day of my birthday since we met. This year, he had duty again on Valentine's Day. (He gets to be home for my birthday this year, which is especially awesome since I will be 30!!)  He was scheduled to come home Friday morning (the day after V-Day), but we go to a homeschool co-op on Fridays. I wasn't expecting to see him until about 2:00. I was in the middle of telling my photography class about the photo assignment we were going to be doing, when they all got a strange look on their face as they were looking out the door. THEN- in walks my husband with a dozen roses and a giant card! To top it all off, he was in full. dress. uniform! ♥♥♥ He had inspection that morning and came straight there after. Needless to say, my face was as red as the flowers in my hands. And, of course, my whole class had their cameras out and ready to go for our assignment!

The flowers were so pretty all wrapped up!

I couldn't let him leave without getting a photo first!! I don't get to see this uniform often! I love it!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

     We recently attended a birthday party where this salsa was served. It reminded me how much I love it and how long it has been since I have eaten it. It also made me want to make some immediately! I have made one version before with avocado in it. I love it, but it makes a lot, and I wanted to have extra to save. Just in case you are unaware- avocados don't save well! I usually make this one for parties where there will be lots of people to eat it.  So- I started looking for other recipes without the avocado. I couldn't find one that seemed to look perfect. Then, I thought- "Why not just wing it?!" So I did. I even got a helper, so we were able to mark it as HomeEc learning time for school! :)
This is what we did:

First we gathered all our ingredients. Also included are a can or corn and a can of black beans, both rinsed and drained.
I will have all the specifics listed below :)

I had my helper scoop out all the inside of the tomato. We used a measuring spoon to get everything out in one scoop! It worked great! (1/2Tbsp size was perfect!)

 

 

We got everything chopped and added to a big bowl! ( I seriously could have just eaten it like this!)
But I didnt....

We juiced one lime over everything and gave it all a good mix. I also added a little bit of salt and pepper. Just a little.
That is all! We had enough for us to snack on, plus two jars for later! J was even excited to get his own photo of his bowl! :)

This is what we used:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 jalapenos, seeded and diced (This was not hot at all, so it could vary)
1 onion, diced
about 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
tortilla chips

Add everything to a bowl and mix well!
We ate some right away, but it is even better if you can refrigerate it for a bit first! (I clearly don't have the willpower for that!)

This makes a great salsa to eat with chips. It can also be used as a topping for chicken, tacos, rice, or anything else you can think to add it to!

Let me know what you think!

Menu Plan Monday

     Oh. My. Gosh. We had such a busy weekend!! At the end of the day yesterday, my husband and I were talking, and both agreed that we felt like such socialites this weekend! We started Friday night with homegroup. Saturday started out as grilling out with one couple we haven't seen in a while, and turned into 3 other couples. Sunday we were invited to a birthday party for a friend at church!  We had such a great time strengthening relationships and building new ones. I loved watching the kids all play together and have fun, too! I am so thankful for this weekend!

     And now...back to work! This week is winter break for the schools here. Since we homeschool, we still get to do school work! :) I decided to give Jake a *little* break, though,so it will be light work all week. We also have a bunch of playdates and such planned this week.

     Here's what's on the menu:

Meatloaf in the crock pot and mashed potatoes (or maybe fries since we bought a bunch over the weekend and didn't eat them!)

Stuffed peppers

Lasagna Roll-ups

 

Pot Roast

 

Pizza - J has been requesting calzones, so this may be the day!

Chicken alfredo & Rice Casserole

                                                                     Enchiladas


What are you eating this week? I would love to hear your menu! You can comment and post it here or over on the Facebook Page! :)

You can also head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more ideas!