stomach ache

T.R.I.P.E
it's what makes New Year's Day extra special...i'm told.
it's what is currently stinking, um, i mean, cooking up in my kitchen as i type this.
as we enjoyed our last few hours of 2013, my sweet, dear, loving (mexican!) husband decided to run to the store and buy all that one would need to make menudo. (no, not the 80's boy band, the traditional mexican cow stomach soup!) doesn't it look like a dirty dish rag!! i told the kids it was cow intestine...apparently it is actually cow stomach. oh. my bad.

the recipe says it needs to cook for 8 hours! as i type this, it is 8:15pm, and the guy is still cutting tripe!  so, let's be generous and say he gets it to boiling by 9pm...yup, that's right! my worst nightmare! (second only to being covered in ants!) we get to wake up to the smell of simmering cow stomach, people!!!! (bonus: while i was typing this up, the massive pot of cow parts boiled over onto my less-than-awesome glass stovetop range, filling the kitchen with the smell of burning stomach-fat-water-stuff!! sooooo gross!!!

to be fair, i have tried this delicacy before, so i feel justified in my little rant. :)
and, lest i forget how incredibly awesome my guy is, i should add that he promised to make me a stomach-less menudo as well...(he says he will just put chicken in mine! LOL!)

on that happy note...here's my ending to this amazingly full 2013 with more of our thankfuls and some holiday photos... #220 christmas decorations, complete with our very first mantel! :)

#221 making lemonaide from our life's lemons!

#222 making christmas cookies for our neighborhood

 some of us broke and then ate more than we gave away. :)

#223 christmas morning: enjoying fun gifts from thoughtful friends and family;

 and warm chai with gooey monkey bread!

#224 santa's tiny little helpers

#225 (a family first!) watching the next generation take over the christmas cookie making!

emma, selah and elia did a yummy job!

 #226 cousins learning to sew...Gram was the teacher! A precious memory for me!

#227 when my six year old entertains herself for hours while i unpack from a long trip :)

                and these...our last photos of 2013...four priceless faces and four tender hearts!

oursweetmess!