Chris's dream come true. And I don't mean the birds, which are new. The blue one is Charles, and the green one is not named. I don't actually know the genders, cuz they're still young. Charles may be a Charlotte for all I know.

CHILI CHEESE POTATO TOT CASSEROLE

2 LBS LEAN GROUND BEEF

1 ONION, CHOPPED

2 (15 1/2 OZ) CANS CHILI OR CHILI STARTER

1 (14 1/2 OZ) CAN PETITE DICED TOMATOES

1 (11 OZ) CAN WHOLE KERNEL CORN WITH RED AND GREEN PEPPERS, RINSED AND DRAINED

8 OZ SHREDDED CHEESE

1 (32 OZ) PCK FROZEN POTATO TOTS

COOK GROUND BEEF AND ONION IN A LARGE SKILLET OVER MED-HIGH HEAT, STIRRING UNTIL BEEF CRUMBLES AND IS NO LONGER PINK. DRAIN WELL, AND RETURN TO SKILLET. STIR IN CHILI, TOMATOES, AND CORN. POUR MIXTURE INTO A LIGHTLY GREASED 13 X 9 PAN. SPRINKLE EVENLY WITH CHEESE; TOP EVENLY WITH [GIVE ME YOUR!!!!!!] TOTS. BAKEK AT 350 FOR 1 HOUR OR UNTIL TOTS ARE GOLDEN.

(I rolled my eyes making this. It seemed like such a kid-friendly, easy, non-gourmet, cop-out meal. But I really loved it. Everybody did. The combination really works. It's actually magic.)

Chris and I celebrated 14 years marriage on April 3. I think a long, slow clap would be in order.

Saturday evening, we actually went out and did something fun as a whole family, and even had a neighbor kid in tow. And it was actually in our own town--a Bluegrass concert! It was cheap to get in and was held at a Soldier's Home. The average age of the crowd was probably 75, not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was not exactly a rowdy, foot-stomping affair. We stayed for the group called the Cow Chips, and they were quite good. Their last song, a request, was hilarious. It was called Ghost Chickens in the Sky, modeled after Ghost Riders in the Sky.

William--"I got a haircut from the bathroom with a brush." (He had taken a brush, wet down his hair from back to front in the middle. If you want to save money, you too can get a haircut form the bathroom.)

Another Williamism--"My bike needs gas."

"Where are you going to get some?"

"From the kids' bike store."

I actually made homemade tortillas last night, cuz we ran out and had just been to the store twice, and I was making this recipe for dinner that needed them. They were thick and amazing, and I got some exercise for my arms rolling them out. It was actually a blessing in disguise that my quesadilla monsters ate up all my "real tortillas."