10 on Tuesday

1. Hannah now has an answer for everything. Andy threatened no candy yesterday (lots of halloween candy lying around) if Hannah threw another pointless fit before bed. He specifically stated "No Smarties if you throw a fit." Her reply? "They're all gone daddy." (Which was true of the bowl she had been looking in but in our defense, we still had a ton in the bag).

2. Andy jokingly threatened Hannah the other day "If you run into me with that doll stroller one more time I will throw it in the garbage." Her reply? "It won't fit daddy." Sometimes she leaves us speechless...and trying very hard not to laugh.

3. Another Hannah quote...."daddy don't agitate me"

4. Leah loves to eat. We introduced puffs this week and she can't get enough. Green beans have made the cut and the verdict is still out on pears.

5. Happy belated birthday to Uncle Bil!

6. It is getting colder and it was rainy and grey all day today. Luckily our pellet stove is getting installed on Friday and that should supplement our heating.

7. Knocking on wood...Leah slept all night last night - almost 12 hours!!!

8. We had a lot of fun on Saturday at our Halloween party. We had 21 kids and 21 adults!!!! I think we may make it an annual thing :) The rain held off most of the evening.

9. It is so cute to watch Hannah and Leah play together now. Leah loves watching Hannah jump around and Hannah likes "teaching" Leah to jump in her jumperoo. Hannah also makes kissy noises to Leah in her carseat and gets her laughing out loud.

10. Our Halloween party was a big success and a lot of fun. The chicken chili was a favorite at our Halloween party so I thought I would include the recipe (which I got from my friend Michele). I omitted the aniseed

White Chicken Chili
2 T Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T Cumin
½ t aniseed
1 t crushed red pepper (or more depending on your heat tolerance)
1 lb. chicken
1 large jar of great northern beans, drained (or you can use canned canellini beans)
1 can (11 oz.) corn
½ C milk
1 can chicken broth
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa – I usually use Chi-Chi's medium fiesta salsa
8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 jalapeño, chopped
Cilantro, chopped – I think I usually use about ½ cup
Plus cheese/sour cream/cilantro to serve with the chili
Sauté the onions and garlic with the cumin, aniseed, and crushed red pepper for a couple minutes and then add the chicken. Sauté the chicken for about 10 minutes or so. Then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally (or you can make it in a crock pot after sautéing the chicken, etc. – about 6-8 hours on low works best). Also, I usually add more cumin while the chili is simmering.