Happy Dance!

Mom left Greenville yesterday morning after I had gone to work. On mornings where we're both at the house, we try to leave in shifts so Peanut doesn't get too sad. I left for work around 8:15, so mom left for Greensboro around 10, giving the little nut adequate time to adjust to our absence. However, 15 minutes down the road, mom realized that she had *dun dun dun* left her cell phone! (Gasp, eeeeghad, woe is me, etc.) No, but in all seriousness, this is VERY serious. Mega dire straights. Because unlike leaving your cell at a restaurant or a friend's house where you can just walk back in and claim it, Peanut's house is different. Why, you ask? Because, as I have told you, she CANNOT hear. So here mom is, driving back to the house, PRAYING that when she gets there, she can get back inside. As she relayed this information to me last night, she said, "Katy, I prayed that The Lord would help Peenie hear me trying to get in." Well friends, He did!

Peanut was UPSTAIRS which is the worst possible place in the entire house for her to hear the doorbell, phone, or much less, someone knocking. But guess what? The little nut heard something. She thought she was going crazy, but says The Lord spoke to her and told her that mom was downstairs. So she went downstairs, opened the door, and they both did a little happy dance. Mom, because Peanut heard her and answered the door. And Peanut, because she thought mom was back again! Wish I had been there to take a video, durn it.

I'll leave you with this:

Last night, Peanut and I had leftover chili for dinner! A lot of you have emailed me for the recipe, so I'm going to share it here! Mom and I give full credit of its yumminess to my aunt, Amy Chamblee. Fun fact: it has Hershey's Cocoa in it, which really adds to the richness of flavor! Enjoy! It's sure to make you do a happy dance!

Aunt Amy's Hearty Chili:

3-4 lbs. of good quality stew meat extra lean, cut into bite size chunks

3 lbs. Neese's Country Style sausage

2 lg. onions

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 T. olive oil

2 "big" cans of diced tomatoes 

1 can tomato sauce

6 T chili powder 

3 T cumin 

2 T oregano 

1 can pinto beans, drained 

1 lb. can baked beans, drained

2 cans kidney beans, drained 

2 t. salt

2 T sugar 

1 T cocoa 

1 can diced chilies 

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Brown meat and sausage. Drain well. Add tomatoes with liquid. Add tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, baked beans, salt, sugar and cocoa. Simmer 2 hrs, stirring often. It will have a tendency to burn. Add kidney beans and chilies. Cook another 1/2 hr longer.  Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream. Diced spring onions are also a nice addition.

Also, kudos to mom for taking the time to type it up!