my new iMac!!!!!yes, that is where we have been for the last several days due to ice and snow. we have had the craziest winter weather here this year. i'm not sure about you, but when i have lots of time around the house it causes me to clean out, move things around, dream about the potential in our house!! if you are feeling the same way you should check out fifer renovations and fifer furnishings for inspiration. i am lucky to call the owner family (christman is by brother in law) and have several pieces of his furniture in our house...
so this week has been a fun week since it is spring break, but it has also been frustrating at times due to these little creatures...
let me begin with the house. a while ago, i noticed a small hole near our front door on the and then one day while getting the mail i saw a squirrel crawl into that tiny hole. i knew that was not a good sign, but i chose to ignore it. (that is one of my "BEST" qualities- ignore a potentially disastrous situation.) well, fast forward a few months later and i started hearing some strange sounds from above while sitting in the house and then the city drove by and saw the TINY hole and gave us a warning. i was freaked out by the sounds and ANNOYED by the letter from the city. anyway, we finally decide to get the house and holes fixed. while repairing the siding a squirrel nest with 3 babies squirrels was revealed and fell out of the house on top off our repair man!!! gives me the creeps just to think about it again. the repair man assured me that all the openings the squirrels had created are closed and they can no longer get in- thank goodness!! he also was fairly certain there were no other creatures roaming in my attic!! so with the repairs to the house we were going to have paint the repaired places, but our house was in DESPERATE need of being painted, so we decided to just paint the whole thing. what an ordeal, but it is finished. this whole project came with a reasonable (thanks to our fifer renovation connections) but still LARGE price tag, BUMMER!!
just as this house project was finishing up, mark went to start my car and it wouldn't start. we thought maybe it was a dead battery so we tried jumping it with no luck. the next day he had it towed to the dealership where they discovered that "rodents had chewed the wires and the whole electrical system needs to be replaced." are you kidding me!?!?! yep, most likely the squirrels attacked us again and this time at mark's office parking lot. we left the car there over the weekend while we were at the lake so they had 2.5 days to destroy our car!!! the car is still in the shop and should be fixed in a few days.
in all seriousness, things could be a lot worse, but who knew that squirrels could cause so much chaos!!
by the pioneer woman...
and the movie julie & julia...
so with those two inspirations this blog entry was born... a recap of all the pw dishes i have cooked up and my opinions of each.
the pw cookbook is one of the best cookbooks i have ever received. just like on her blog (which is fabulous, if you are one of the last people that don't read it!) she takes pictures throughout the cooking process. so not only do you have a picture of the final product, but what it should look like along the way!! so helpful, at least to me!!
in the last week i have made... (sorry i have no pictures, i never dreamed i would write a blog post about all this cookin')
simple, perfect chili-- i would say the title sums up the dish perfectly. i made it last night since it was cold and we were just bein' lazy watching football. my kids, my husband, and i all gobbled it up! mark and jack liked their with rice, while o and i preferred ours with some crunchy fritos.
twice-baked potatoes-- yummmm! they were so good!! we had these new year's eve at the lake with family and friends. there were no complaints and several people went back for seconds! that's success to me. pw (pioneer woman) says they freeze really well, so i think i might make them again soon and freeze a big ole batch so i can pull them out and have an instant side for our weeknight meals.
cheese grits-- mmm, mmm, good! our good friends, ivy and drew, came to the lake new year's day to hang out. ivy loves to cook and she brought her pw cookbook, so we decided to whip up a few items for dinner. we had so much fun planning and cooking together. the grits were a side dish to our dinner and they were good. mark and ivy had some leftovers for breakfast the next morning and said they got better overnight! :)
steak with whiskey cream sauce-- delish!! i actually made this two nights in a row. the first was new year's eve. followed the recipe, but added some mushrooms. so good. no leftovers!! :) then drew and ivy came and we decided to do steak again, so we HAD to make some more sauce. this time no mushrooms, but just as tasty!! i can't seem to make it as thick as in the book, but it is still tasty!!
homemade ranch-- is ranch ever bad? the correct answer is no, but this ranch was oh so good! we served it over a wedge salad and with the jalapeno poppers. it was also consumed with some tortilla chips because it was that good!
olivia cheese bread-- good if you like olives. honestly, this one has been my least favorite recipe, but it was still good, especially if you like olives.
bbq jalapeno poppers-- perfect!! perfect amount of heat, sweetness, cheese, and salt from the bacon. and absolutely divine when dunked in the homemade ranch. these might take the prize for "best recipe tried so far"! so, so good!!
and the "cookin' pw style" hasn't stopped! on tonight's menu- chicken spaghetti. it is already made up and ready to pop in the oven closer to dinner time. the few tastes i have had are really good. looking forward to dinner tonight.
i absolutely LOVE christmas so instead of actually writing new posts and updating you on olivia's birthday party and our WONDERFUL thanksgiving, i have decided to decorate my blog for my favorite time of the year.
**WARNING: i way over used the "!" in this entry. i apologize, but i wanted everyone to understand my enthusiasm for this product! ha! :)
and i must share it with you...
so about a week ago in my post, "unmotivated" i mentioned sharing a few of my recent opinions and thoughts. so here they are...
WARNING: there are TONS of run on sentences and probably a bunch of misspellings in this post... sorry!!
1. jon and kate and the divorce... so sad!! that is how i feel- heartbroken. so strange since i don't know these people, but i have watched the show from day one and have loved every moment until the BIG moment weeks ago when they announced the sad news- they were splitting. i had heard all the rumors and had read every article in every hollywood gossip magazine, so i knew it was coming, but there was still a small part of me that thought maybe it wasn't going to happen. i wanted so badly for them to defy the odds and make it work, but no! they are getting a divorce. i hate it for them, for their kids, and how it changes everything. i know this is so dumb, but i pray for them often. i pray that their children will be protected from the consequence of divorce. i pray that jon and kate's hearts will heal. i pray that they will make their family the biggest priority and not be distracted by others opinions. all that said, i am still a fan of the show, yet still very sad and disappointed.
2. so you think you can dance... are you watching it?? if you answered no, you are missing out! it is like american idol for dance. the auditions are a wear out, but the finalist that make it on the show are AMAZING!!! i am not a dancer, no nothing about dance other than the multiple dance recitals and drill team shows that i attended for all my dancing friends back in high school, but i can't get enough of this show. each week the dancers are asked to perform a different style of dance and each week they shock me with their talent. they have a short time to learn a dance (usually not in their trained style) and then perform it. no style is off limits- baliwood, russian folk, classical ballet, broadway, jive, ballroom, the list goes on and on. tune in to fox and check it out! i think you will love it!
3. reading... my friend mary inspired me months ago with several different blog post about some great books she was reading. my other friend christine and her husband have given up tv for a year to read more and write- that has inspired me as well. so i am so disappointed that i have not completed even one book yet this summer. i have so many on my list (even purchases them) and if i ever get to the end of one of them i will let you know. every book i read makes me think and shapes me in some way, such is why i love it so much. i am hoping for less distractions and more quite moments to read and enjoy! i'll let you know. wish me luck on finding those quite moments. :) i know the first thing is to watch less tv. i am going to do that, just not jon & kate or SYTYCD. :)
4. a great quote... "God created the world out of nothing, and so as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us." Martin Luther. i am sure i read this on one of my friends blogs, honestly i don't remember but i love it!!! recently the lord has really been challenging me with this thought so expressed by Martin Luther.
well, that's it for now. thanks for reading if you made this far. nothing profound, but just me!
i haven't posted in a few days and i have a few random thoughts on my mind to share with anyone who cares to read...
#1 mystic tanning: yes, i can't really believe i am admitting it, but i recently went to palm beach tan and did the mystic tan (you know, salon quality spray tanning). why? well, mark and i are going to mexico with some friends in few days and that means rest and relaxation, all good and much needed, but it also means bathing suits! yuck! i am totally dreading it and after a few glances in the mirror i decided that tan fat might look just a bit better than white fat, so mystic tanning was my quick solution. yes, it was quick and it looks ok, but the experience was something else. i was standing in a booth, concentrating on all the crazy instructions (turn right, rotate left, arms out, etc.), thinking did i put enough of the blocking lotion on my hands and feet so they don't look orange and streaky, breathing crazy amounts of chemicals, and about to pass out from trying to only breathe when absolutely necessary. all for orangish brown tint that i keep telling myself looks like a tan. did i mention, i am going back form spray down #2 tomorrow. #2 is supposed to even out the "tan". why do i keep lying to myself? my body is still going to look less than disarable in the bathing suit and this "tan" is certain to look fake. oh well maybe when i am on the beach reading a gossip magazine or a book i will forget all about how bad i will look! :)
#2 my niece, abby: i love abby for several reasons as most of you know because i write about her often. this week i have been such a proud aunt once again. sarah (her mom) has done a blog post about her precious artwork. so cute and creative. i love her writing and inventive spelling too! besides her awesome artwork, this week abby had a "p.e. performance" at her school. i didn't want to miss the chance to see her perform, so i cut dinner short and sped down plano road not to be late. i was literally running across the parking lot with jack on my hip and dragging olivia behind me while she was holding my other hand. don't worry we didn't miss a thing. in fact we got to sit through the entire PTA meeting- good times. finally after all the business was complete we moved to the gym for the big show. she was by far the cutest kindergarter in the whole gym. she was adorable, yet so intense never taking her eyes off her coach. the whole performance lasted about 7 minutes, but i am so glad i was there to cheer her on and support her. i just love sbby and i am so proud of the little girl that she is!!
#3 laundry: i hate it!! i really shouldn't complain because my husband does the laundry. he is amazing i know. he sorts, changes it out, folds, and even puts it away. i know you are all jealous and you should be, but i still hate it. it never ends and the process makes my house a complete mess. there are clothes everywhere. there are piles ready to be put in the washer or there are stacks of clean laundry waiting to be put away. it is just no fun and i don't like it!! there are different theories about how to make laundry more effient-- "do a little each day" or "do it all once a week." both have their pros and cons, but honestly i don't care for either. in my opinion it is by far the WORST household chore around!!
wow, this is really boring! thanks to anyone who actually reads past #1 and cares about my random thoughts.
i'll post all about our fun trip to mexico and all the good times my kids have with nana and gramps when i get back. adios amigos!
NYC trip, santa claus, christmas traditions, and whatever else i am forgetting. i guess the craziness of the holiday season has gotten the best of me and blogging has moved to the bottom of the list. i promise that i will update soon. hope everyone is having a happy december and enjoying the season with friends and family. check back soon!
seems a little cliche, yet totally appropriate to post about what i am thankful for, so here it goes...
i am thankful for...
- trusting, loving, and serving a God that brings peace and joy, teaches how to love, faithfully answers prayers, and demonstrates grace.
- my precious husband. he serves our family so well.
- the opportunity to be a full time mommy! what a joy (well most days) it is to watch my kids grow and change. i love that i get to be there for the tears, the laughter, and all the sweet moments.
- my life being changed by knowing Emily Sha Martin.
- the chance to serve in the children's ministry at my church all because Sweet Hopkins believed in me.
- the unconditional love that i feel from my entire family. how lucky i am to have so many people love me so well.
- my bible study girls.
- my friends, you know the ones that REALLY know me and love me anyway. (you know who you are!)
- a restful holiday weekend at the lake with my bowlin family.
i could go on and on, but those are my thoughts for now. now it is your turn, just think about all that you are thankful for. happy thanksgiving!!
i have had a couple of days lately that have been mostly about me, which has been such a treat. a big thank you to CCDC, a good baby boy, and gram lois. "i crave organization!" a quote from my sweet friend misty, but it totally applies to me. last week i spent hours reorganizing several closets and drawers, rearranging things, and doing things that make me happy.
the result...
pantry #1. everything categorized and sorted onto the correct shelves and in the correct baskets. also, notice the new clear containers i recently purchased for snacks and cereal. i love them because when making my grocery list i can see how much is left of each item. love that!! :)
pantry #2. this is the "catch-all" pantry. it is filled with small kitchen appliances, large storage containers, and extra kitchen stuff that i rarely use. now it is easy to find things because once again everything is sorted and categorized.
spare bedroom closet, turned office. this project began when sarah and i started our calendar business. now that we are taking a short break from that endeavor i have rearrange and reorganized to make it my new office space.
i also rearranged and added a few new decorations to my mantle. i purchased them a while ago in canton, but just got around to making them work in the house. i am finally displaying a family picture that is almost 2 years old!! poor jack is not in it, but he is still represented.
those are just a few of the little projects that i have been up to while having a little "me" time. i did go to the doctor (yuck!) and spend a little time at northpark (fun!) in addition to the house stuff. this week is back to the normal routine. time with my kids is great too (well, most of the time) so the plans to continue to clean out and reorganize are on pause for the moment, but soon enough the rest of the closets will get some more of my attention.
honeycrisp apples!!!
a special thanks to my sweet friend, jen, who introduced me to this healthy deliciousness!!
