Valentine's Day

This year for Valentine's Day, I made some new treats to give out to friends---White Chocolate and M&M Popcorn---and it turned out a big hit! I bundled them in clear cellophane bags and found some cute *free* Valentine downloads to tie on.

Here is the recipe to the incredibly yummy popcorn! It is super easy and super quick to make!

White Chocolate and M&M Popcorn

2 bags of light butter popcorn, popped

1 1/2 bag of Nestle white chocolate morsels, melted

1 1/2 cups of M&Ms (holiday kind)

Combine all three ingredients and toss lightly.

Be careful not to stir too hard, you will break the popcorn.

And make sure the M&Ms are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

Enjoy immediately or package to give away!

Let's Rodeo San Antonio!

This last weekend, we took Ben to his first Rodeo. We had a great time. Ben loved seeing all the animals, and knew exactly what was going on during the Rodeo. He kept asking for the "bucking broncos", "cow wrangling", "bull wrestling", and "cowboys". We had a great time together.

Here is a picture of Ben and his friend, Nolan.

Ben looks silly in this photo, but his facial expression is a perfect example of the fun he had!

Ben even had his first taste of cotton candy....

...he LOVED it!!!

I look forward to taking him to his first "country" rodeo---in an outdoor arena. The kind that I went to a lot growing up in Dripping Springs! Those rodeos are still very fun, but a different kind of experience. We'll have to catch a schedule and look for one this spring/summer. :-)

Snow Dust

On February 4th, San Antonio had a "snow day". School was cancelled due to the snow and ice on the ground. (Oh my Colorado friends/family, I hear you laughing at us "Texans"!) But, in our defense, the roads were dangerous, and we are not equipped to drive in such inclement weather! After the boys woke up and had breakfast, they dressed warmly and headed outside for their first taste of "snow". The amount of snow we had was like a "dusting", but the boys had fun, and we shoveled enough together to make snowballs. Ben got his Gran with a good one! :-) Randy and I are looking forward to taking the kid to the mountains to see REAL snow someday. But for now, here are some photo of our "snow dust" day.

Best Buds

Winter Comfort Food

On this dreary, raining day, I made this soup for dinner: Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes. Yummy! It was super easy (I bet you have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator!)---and super delicious. I served the soup with a side of garlic breadsticks. The recipe makes a lot, but even better for left-overs! I promise this recipe will not disappoint!

School Nursing

I have been working as a school nurse now since November 1st----and I really like it. I find that every day is different. The stories that I hear from the students are never the same....and some of them get quite comical. Just ask me about the kid who told me he "electrocution shooting through his body" and then proceded to throw himself on the floor because the "electricity was so strong". (I think I should nominate him for an Oscar winning performance!) I have a great clinic assistant, Jennifer. She has been working at the school for 8 years and as the clinic assistant for 5, and she is more than great. She can triage those kids in and out of the clinic---and she knows them by name, their parents, their family history, etc. She has been a wealth of information coming into this new environment. My job is pleasantly not stressful (most of the time), and the kids really are great (most of them). :-) I have met some great people that work in the school and I am happy to have joined them.

2010: A Year in Review

Here is a glance back at the Hood family highlights from 2010! I can't believe we are embarking on 2011 in a just a few days---times seems to be slipping by so fast. Randy and I are in constant awe that our "babies" are growing up so fast and getting bigger and bigger by the day. We had a lot of great memories from 2010---and we are all looking forward to 2011 to be even better.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

The Hood Family wishes everyone a very

Happy and Safe New Year!

Hey Blogger friends, what has your 2010 looked like? I encourage you to make your own "2010: Year in Review"---so I can see your highlights from this past year!