I've Been Nominated

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Voting is now open for the Homeschool Blog Awards at The Homeschool Post - and my blog has been nominated!!

- Best Homeschool Mom

- Funniest Homeschooling Blog

My homeschooling Blog (Our Homeschool Creations) has also been nominated in the following categories:

- Best New Homeschooling Blog

- Best Super-Homeschooler

If you'd like to vote, just click on the voting graphic above and head on over to the Homeschool Post. Voting is open until November 21. I have no idea what prizes go along with the categories...but I know there are prizes involved. I'll keep you posted!

I'm Escaping...

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Sometime this afternoon I'm heading a few hours away to enjoy a weekend retreat with the ladies from our church.

Staying up late.

Eating a meal without having to cut anyone's food or break up a fight.

Possibly shopping without interruption.

And spending some time with God....and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me.

Dishin' Up Some Comfort

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Hands down this is one of my all-time favorite, must-lick-the-bottom-of-the-casserole-dish recipes. It has all the comfort (and calories) one could possibly want in a meal and is fairly simple to make too.

Loaded BBQ Potato Casserole

Makes: 9x13 dish

Ingredients needed:

• 6-8 slices of bacon, cooked
• 4 oz. (1/2 package) cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups shredded cheddar, divided
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
• 3 cups shredded BBQ pork
• 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
• mashed potatoes to serve 8-10

1. Cook the bacon and cut into small pieces. Prepare mashed potatoes and add in bacon pieces, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, chilies, salt and pepper, softened cream cheese and sour cream. Mix well and spread into bottom of 9x13 pan.

2. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheddar on top of mashed potatoes.

3. Drop pork BBQ onto top of cheese and spread on top of casserole. Drizzle with BBQ sauce.

4. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes - til heated through.

I have several shortcuts that I use for this recipe: instant mashed potatoes (because after you add all the stuff in, you really can't tell they are instant), precooked bacon, and sometimes pork BBQ from the store. If I don't buy the BBQ, I usually put between 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. of frozen pork loin in the crock pot with about half a jar of BBQ sauce and let it cook on low all day (don't even have to thaw the meat). When the pork is cooked I use a fork to pull the meat apart and mix it in with all the juices in the crock pot and use it as the BBQ for the top.

This meal also freezes really well, so plan ahead and make two. I promise you are going to love this one!

Fascinating, yet mildly creepy...

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

I picked up a game at Walmart today since it was on sale (and I've been wanting to get it for awhile, so it was a great excuse!).

The game? 20 Questions. Fits in the palm of your hand and the little computer inside asks you a series of questions. You answer with either "yes, no, sometimes, or unknown" and it whittles down the possibilites to give you an answer that is more often than not correct.

And we've all been having way.too.much.fun with it all day long. Trying to stump it and yet oddly fascinated and mildly creeped out at how ACCURATE this little sucker can be.

I mean seriously. We tried to confuse it. But it figured out: Christmas tree, license plate, peacock, ceiling fan, moose, necklace, and a whole other slew of words.

It's like someone was secretly sitting in right near us and listening in on our conversation.

Granted we did fool it once. It couldn't come up with "baby". Instead it chose "butt." Not really sure how that happened, but we did get a good laugh out of it.

And then played again and again and again.

Cheap entertainment, I tell ya.

Getting a Makeover....

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Because I Think They are Cute

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.