Crockpot Chicken Tacos - YUMMMMMY

This includes an AWESOME recipe for homemade taco seasoning that will totally replace the urge to buy packets- just mix it up once in a batch and keep in an airtight container for up to one year!!

2 1/2 - 3 Tablespoons = one "packet" from the store.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
3 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 T. cumin
2-2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 T. black pepper
Mix it all together!

Now its time for the chicken...

Ingredients:
2 1/2 T. of the taco seasoning mix or 1 packet
15 oz LOW SODIUM chicken broth
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes and liquid
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 avocado
1/2 chopped sweet onion
1/2 chopped or sliced red bell pepper
Sour cream
HOT SAUCE
Soft taco size tortillas or pitas

In a large bowl pour the chicken broth in, and use a fork to whisk in the taco seasoning mixture (add a few dashes of hot sauce if you want!). Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Open the diced tomato can and pour all contents over the bottom of the slow cooker. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the tomatoes and pour the broth/seasoning over that. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours- chicken should fork apart easily. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl and use 2 forks to shred it up. Use the slotted spoon to get all the diced tomatoes out of the slow cooker and add to the shredded chicken. Then grab a large cereal spoon and add about 4-6 spoon fulls of the liquid from the slow cooker to the shredded chicken bowl and stir it all up!

Now its time to make your tacos. Heat up the shells and top with red bell pepper, avocado, onion and sour cream (and, of course, a dash of hot sauce if you want!). We also add shredded cheddar cheese.

This is a great recipe to use for a "taco bar" when you have friends over, have a party, or need a quick easy meal. I use the left over liquid and chicken to make taco soup for lunch the next day. Simply add more chicken stock, a can of white kidney beans, black beans, or rice and top with crushed chips, cheese, and sour cream.

This is a new family favorite!
(thanks to http://www.sweetlifekitchen.com/2008/07/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html )

Makayla's Heart and Inner Beauty

Well it is 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I could be sleeping but no!!! I wake up and my mind is full of thoughts of Makayla and her inner beauty...specifically her relationship with her Great Grandma Hall. It is probably because of some of the things that she did this week (see below). I could not go back to sleep. I have always wanted to keep a journal...maybe that is what this blog may include....especially since I just learned from my good friend Laura that you can have them printed and bound like a book! How cool!

AUGUST 1999 - First time meeting Great Grandma

August 2006 at Holzman Family Rib Roast

Some history....Makayla was Great Grandma Halls favorite. Nothing against the rest of the grandchildren but it was simply true. Grandma went to heaven on January 30, 2008. Since Grandma's funeral we have had many many days of tears because of missing Grandma and wondering how she is doing. It is at these times that I see, hear, and feel the inner beauty of my daughter.

A lot of people talked about their relationship at Grandmas funeral. When we would visit Ohio (Grandma Hall lived with my Mom for the last 3 1/2 years), they would sit and do crossword puzzles together, sit next to each other at every meal, Makayla would sit on her lap when she read the newspaper, Grandma would call Makayla "my girl"... they just gravitated to each other. Sometimes we would wake up in the morning and Makayla would be missing. We would find her in Grams bed snuggled up together. Now understand Grandma Hall was on 100% oxygen the last few years and was getting more frail so Makayla made sure she was very careful. They would sit together for hours.

She still has dreams of doing things with Grandma. The last time we spent with Grandma was at a nursing home. She had been in the hospital for pneumonia and was in transition. What did Makayla do....climbed right in bed with Gram.

On the top of Makayla's Santa wish list this year was to be able to see Grandma Hall one more time. When we pass any cemetery the question is "Mom do you think Grandma is doing ok?" She cried on our way to her new school this week because we turned on the radio and "Amazing Grace" was playing. This song was one of Grams favorites and was played at the funeral. I told her that the reason it was playing was that Grandma was thinking of her and did not want her to be scared or nervous going to a new school. On the way home from school that day, Makayla asked "Do you think Grandma is proud of me because I did good today?" Absolutely I am sure she is!

We dried the great-grandmother bouquet from the funeral and have it hanging on a cross. It hangs in my room now but Makayla let us know this week that she thinks it would match better in her room now that her room has been re-painted. It will be hung above her dresser today.

There have been recent times that she keeps saying "I am so disappointed in myself." When I ask why? She said it is because she didn't say one last goodbye to Grandma before they closed the casket. She watched Luke give Grandma one more hug. She just could not do it. She wants one more hug....

My Grandmother never said "Goodbye" she always said "See you soon". We let Makayla know that "goodbyes" are not necessary because Gram will always live in her heart. She will always be with her.

We continue to teach her that Grandma is with God because she very much believed in God and His salvation. We know she is in heaven. That is why she would say "see you soon" she believed in eternal life (John 3:16). Luke is so confident in his faith that when Makayla gets sad he simply reminds her that Grandma is with God and is ok. Bennett & Marissa will comfort Makayla - it is so special. Marissa will sit with Makayla and they will cry together. It is short but so intense.

It is almost a year since Gram left us.....Gram - we all miss you and love you!

Thank you God for Grandma Hall

and for Makayla and her inner beauty.

Happy New Year - 2009

First - if you were waiting for a Christmas card from us - stop running to your mailbox to see if it has arrived. We simply ran out of time and have decided to start a blog in lieu of sending cards! Now you can 'hear' from us more than just once a year. Hopefully, we will be more organized next year with the cards!

So here is what we would have wrote in the famous or not-so-famous Schirmer Christmas Letter....drum roll please......

What we did last year...

During spring break we went to Tennessee and visited the Smoky Mountain National Park, went to the Dixie Stampede, and rented a cabin in Pigeon Forge. It was a great vacation that everyone enjoyed! Our summer included baseball, softball, all-star softball, coaching, working, Holiday World with our cousins from California, trip to Ohio for annual rib-roast, and of course lots of camping. We still have the pop-up - and yes it sleeps 6 people - if the kids would stop growing we would be able to keep it forever. So since that is not going to happen we have a goal to eventually buy a travel trailer with four bunks! Enjoyed visits from Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Ray, Gram & Gramp Holzman, cousins from California and Ohio, and friends from Bloomington, IN. A very fun-filled busy year. Yes - there was much stress, disappointments, and things left undone....we are normal! (but we will of course try to keep this blog upbeat!)

Now on to the person-by-person run-down.....

Mark - still working at FedEx and waiting for that mechanics job. Working nights and working as super Dad during the day. Not getting enough sleep but enjoying the time with the kids. Not enjoying the laundry, especially the socks, gets frustrated with the kids picking on each other, and the witching hour (that hour just before dinner...if you are a parent you know what we are talking about).

Melissa - working at the NCAA and learning more about the nuances of college athletics. She can even quote legislation and bylaw numbers now. Isn't that exciting?!!! Miss being home with the kids but trying to balance work and home life. Excited about the changes with school that are coming up (see Makayla info). Enjoying the opportunity to take Makayla horseback riding at a friends house. 4-H will start this summer with two of our kids. Can't believe how much Bennett & Marissa have grown. Proud of what Mark has done with them during the day. Wish I had more time to organize, love to cook and try new recipes. Ran/walked the mini-marathon in May of 2008 - in 3 hours and 2 minutes. It was an experience to remember!

Makayla - age 9 - this is her double digit year as she has told us numerous times because she will be turning 10 in July. She has a mouthful of braces and even a herbst appliance which is forcing her jaw to grow properly. She has been such a brave little girl through this whole process. She is really really skinny. Yes - we do feed her...even use real butter! It is just the way she is. She changed schools on January 8th and will be attending a Public Charter school! It is a newer concept in Indiana as she will be in a traditional school setting two days a week and working virtually from home 3 days a week. The two days she is at school is the two days Melissa will be working. They provide all books, a computer, printer, etc. It is still a public school so it meets all state standards but is mastery based. This means you move at your own pace and are not held back or pushed forward based on what the rest of the class is doing. She was identified as high ability by her current school in Language Arts and after her placement test with Hoosier Academies she will be taking full 4th grade LA courses. She will remain in 3rd grade Math. She is thrilled with this opportunity. She is our adventure girl and wants to try new things all the time. Check out www.k12.com/ha for more information on her new school. Currently, her heart is set on getting a puppy. We are still trying to talk her out of this. She will be playing basketball the end of January and will finally be taking piano lessons now that we will have more time in our schedule! During our visit to Tennessee this past March, we visited a distant cousin and had tea. Makayla fell in love with the whole concept...whistling tea kettle and all! So she got the kettle, the cups/saucers, and teapot for Christmas. If you are ever around, stop in, she would love to serve you tea with some cookies.

Luke - this is his year! Totally confident and has found his sport. He LOVES soccer...and boy is he fast and aggressive. A major change from previous years. He is a straight "A" student and LOVES his teacher, Mrs. Huber. He will remain at North Salem Elementary at least for the remainder of this year. Luke played basketball and enjoyed it but still wanted to play MORE soccer. A highlight of this year was re-building a go-kart with his Dad. Our neighbor had one for sale-Luke decided he wanted it and approached the neighbor and did chores for him to pay for it. Feeding the neighbors pigs, stacking logs, planting the garden, and yard chores. What a great lesson he learned. He still talks about doing chores to earn money to purchase things that he wants. We are so proud of his dedication and the fact that HE approached the neighbor to work this deal out. Lately, he has expressed an interest in hunting with his Dad. This makes Mark happy and I am sure it will thrill Grandpa - maybe next year he will be at the cabin for the hunting weekends!

Bennett - age 4 - can you believe it? His latest accomplishment? He wrote his name all by himself. Now Mark has worked with him on letters, but he had never just written his name on his own. It was very legible and shocking to us! We were focusing more on reading and phonics. He is a very inquisitive child who loves to learn. In October, he picked up a book and started reading it. Now - it was an early reader - Mat, Pat, Rat, Sam, Sat, etc..The End. But he read it! He sits and sounds things out all the time and spells words too. Drive down the street with him and he sounds out all the signs. Bennett loves hanging out with his big brother and they now share a room - talk about boy toys! Shoot 'em up, dinosaurs, army men, bioncles, traps & tunnels, etc. He is a speed demon on his bike (gave up the training wheels in the summer) and does tricks on his scooter. A total boy...just more daring since he has Luke to keep up with!

Marissa - age 4 - can our babies really be 4 years old? She is quite the cutie with an attitude. She is also reading and writing but has not written her name on her own yet. Probably could do it but why should she do something we want her to? Life is on her time and her time only (that causes many issues). Loves her dolls, puppies, and adores when Aunt Lynn brings her dogs over for us to babysit. It is a fight between the two girls on who gets to sit with which dog on the couch. She loves her friends. She got to go to the movies by herself with one of her friends. That was the highlight of her week recently. Of course, she lets all of us know often that she saw the movie "Bolt" at the movie theatre and none of us got to go. Marissa loves her brother Bennett and is a very concerned sister if he is not around. She likes sharing a room with Makayla but many mornings you will find her cuddled up to big brother Bennett in bed or on the couch. She is our little instigator - especially if the other kids aren't "being fair". Also rides her bike with no training wheels and loves to keep up with the boys. Now if you need to hear some music - just ask Marissa to sing - she sings ALL the time - and makes up some really creative lyrics! Ask her to sing about the bird pooping on her head. She will do anything for a laugh. She is a little hugger and loves to cuddle...a total sweet little girl!

Our extended family includes Snowbird our golden retriever, 7 chickens (love the fresh eggs but the kids hate Ernest the rooster), 2 gerbils Sunshine and Midnight (Luke's), and a calico cat named Combat (Makayla's). Sorry getting a picture of all these pets together would be a deadly scenario!

So that is the quick update - we wish each of you a blessed 2009!

Check back soon ....I think my next post will be a great recipe we used for New Years Eve!