Friday, September 21, 2012

Some Updates and Such

Hi There, Happy Friday! 

What I have been up to: 

~Started my Fall Deep Cleaning this week. This year I decided to try a new approach. Past years I had a long list of to do's and everyday tried my best to get it all done in a week... by the end of that week I was stressed, burnt out and ready for a vacation! Deep cleaning plus raising a toddler and all my church duties thrown in the mix... it became over whelming! So... this year I planned for my deep cleaning to happen over a three week stretch with each day having a set two or three things to do and if I had one harder job then I put a smaller fast one with it. So far this has worked out fantastic!!! My home is getting clean!! Most of these chores can get done before my little one wakes up, and I end up feeling like I have accomplished so much because my to-do list was all checked off instead of having a mile long cleaning list and only being able to cross of one or two things a day.

~I babysat two days this week. I watch two of my nieces who I don't see very often and this gives me the opportunity to spend time with them and my son gets to have some buddies over to play with. I also like that I can help earn some money while still being a stay at home Mom.

~Football season has started! Go Pats :) For the past two Sundays I have been planning out tailgating style meals to enjoy while watching the game. All the Hubs favorites and he has loved it.

What I am watching:

~I would love to say Downton Abbey since it started it's season in the UK but sadly us fans in America must wait... I LOVE LOVE LOVE that show!


~I started the new show Revolution and wow! It was fantastic! Keeps you intrigued and wanted to see the next episode for sure!


~Finished Big Brother and sad Ian won... I do not think he should have... he was pretty much a floater. Dan didn't play the cleanest but he played AMAZING I think.

~19 kids and counting of course and the United Bates of America... but sadly I think the Bates show has ended... not sure why :(

~Rachel Ray's new season premiered on Monday. I think the new setup and look is GREAT! Much more comfy and cozy looking.

What I have been listening to:

~ The little one and I have been listening to classical Christmas on Pandora. I know, I know it's only September but it's classical so most of the time it doesn't sound very Christmassy just peaceful and calming.

~ Everytime we go somewhere in the car as a family we have been listening to Adventures in Odyssey. Such a great show.

What's been cooking in the kitchen:

~ I have been making cookies like a mad woman. I have the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses cornstarch and if you haven't tried a chocolate chip cookie made with cornstarch then you must... seriously you are missing out man! So soft, so chewy, so so gooooood! I have made milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white. Fun!

~Butternut Squash Pie. Tasted so much like pumpkin and very delicious. Easy to make too!

~ Made homemade BBQ sauce the other day... took minutes to whip up and tasted great!

This coming week I will be making... A special date night dinner for the Hubs and I. ( Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon with Risotto.) Pumpkin Muffins for the Sunday School, Bacon and Potato torte and Chick fIL A style chicken nuggets. yum!





So this is what's been happening here... Kind of a random post but hey I am a random person :)





Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A Walmart Haul

My first haul! yay! So last night while browsing the clearance section I came across A BUNCH of office/school supplies on sale. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE office supplies and back in my school days I always look forward to school supply shopping.
So back to my Walmart clearance stuff
this is what I got... A three pack of nerdy glasses folders... super cute!! 2 different styles of large paper clips in bright colors... fun! A mini clipboard with cute bright dots for my daily to do list and a set of 4 bright colored magnets and word magnets where you can put fun sentences together ( magnets not pictured :( Fail! ) guess how much this all came to.... $3.00!!!!!! I kid you not!! amazing eh?? I adore deals!

Chicken and Rice Soup

I LOVE this recipe. The soup is so flavorful and super easy to make.



Chicken and Rice Soup


4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of water
4 cups of shredded chicken
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 cup or 2 of any veggie you want (I used canned carrots because they would really soften up cause the Hubs isn't a veggie fan)
1 cup of Rice


Throw all ingredients into a big pot and bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hr.


Monday, September 17, 2012

My Fall Deep Cleaning Schedule







It's time... time to get my house in shape for cold weather to arrive, to head into a new season and to prepare for the upcoming holidays... woo! Thanksgiving and Christmas are on their way! :) *Happy Dance* 
My fall deep cleaning this year shouldn't be to hard. I have kept up with it all pretty well. I do have a lot of organizing to do in closets and such and paint touch ups and fix ups. 

This here is my plan, my goals... will I get it all done in the next two weeks? who knows... life happens... but I sure hope so. 

September 17th- 21st

Monday- Master Closet, Sons Closet, Bathroom Closet
Tuesday- Carpet Clean Floors Wash out all trashcans, and wash windows.
Wednesday- Organize cabinet in bathroom, Deep clean bathroom
Thursday- Clean out and organize desk, Clean out my son's toy box.
Friday- Back Stairway to Hubs shop, Clean oven, oil door hinges if needed. Replace Lightbulbs and Nightlight Bulbs, Batteries, Bag up all the Cans and Bottles to bring back.

September 24th- 28th

Monday- Thorough Dusting in all rooms
Tuesday- Wash Walls and dust trim, Wash out light fixtures, Disinfect door knobs and remotes etc.
Wednesday- Sweep Porch, Wash and put away kiddie pool, Clean up Hubs shop
Thursday- Wash Curtains, Wash pillows, Clean fridge coils
Friday/Saturday- Paint Trim, Touch up walls, Fix a couple wall holes, put trim back onto the door, Clean out gutters, clean fans and put away.


October 1st-5th

* Plant Mums and decorate porch with pumpkins and such*

* Bring cold weather coats and shoes out of storage and wash*








Friday, September 14, 2012

My summer in photos


Update time!! So our summer has been...WONDERFUL! Such a fun few months! This year I wanted to focus on being less busy and keeping our calendar pretty open to spend more time enjoying life, enjoying my family and just have fun and rest.



... I love this place
Vacation
My little boy enjoying the grandparents backyard
Walks are a must during the summer
 Love this place... so much fun!
Fresh from the garden veggies...YUM!
CAMPFIRES!!!
Isn't Gods creation magnificent?!
Father and Son bonding haha
Birthday party for my niece and a get together with our youth group
Summer evenings
Our Youth Group haha
Kite flying!
Handsome Fella

Crafts
Family
Playgrounds
Taking time to stop and smell the flowers
Cooling off with some ice cold limeade

Fair time!!
Relaxing pool side haha
Grampys garden
Spending time together

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Caramel Hot Chocolate

OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! What a wonderful delicious way to welcome Fall! I am a coffee drinker and not so much a hot chocolate drinker. But this kind?... this has made me crave hot chocolate
So easy and so stinking yummy in my tummy for real!


Caramel Hot Chocolate



Let's start with these ingredients-

Milk ( I used soy but have used regular too, both are great!)
Caramel Syrup
Spray Whipped Cream
Hot Chocolate powder mix
A big Mug 

(Can you tell where we do our shopping? haha)


Start by putting 1-2 Tablespoons of Caramel into your mug. 1 should be fine but if you want it super sweet then go with 2.


Next up measure out 1 cup of milk and 3 Tablespoons of Hot Chocolate mix and put in a saucer and stir baby stir to mix both ingredients well. You only need to heat to desired temperature. (I like mine cool enough to drink right away)

Once chocolate mixture is hot pour into your caramel covered mug. After that spray on however much whipped cream you would like and drizzle with a little more caramel sauce. And that is it folks! Simple huh?  

ENJOY!!!! 

Butternut Squash Pie that pretended to be a Pumpkin Pie


Butternut Squash Pie

From Southern Foods website




Ingredients:

  • 1 unbaked and chilled 9-inch pie shell
  • 1 large butternut squash, cooked and pureed, about 1 1/2 cups pureed squash
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

To cook squash:
Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove stem and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut side down, on a foil-lined oiled baking pan; add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Let cool completely then peel and mash or puree the squash or put it through a food mill. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the squash and set aside.
Reduce oven to 350° F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the squash with the brown sugar. Add eggs, evaporated milk, spices salt, flour, butter, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Pour the filling into the chilled pie and place on the center oven rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until set. Check after about 35 minutes and loosely set a ring of foil or a pie crust protector over the browned crust so it won't get too dark. When the filling is set, transfer the pie to a rack to cool.


Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are big in this household. My son and myself are huge fans. The Hubs... well, he thinks they are... ok. We have them about 5 mornings in the week. I have made many different kinds but the little one and I agree, that this strawberry and banana one is by far our favorite :)

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie


Frozen Strawberries ( about 1 cup... this will replace the ice called for in most smoothie recipes)
Banana ( 1 large )
Milk ( We use organic soy milk, sometimes original sometimes vanilla... but regular milk works fine too)
Yogurt ( I like to use greek because of the amount of protein and help benefits but all- natural works as well)







Throw into a blender and TA-DA! YUM!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Well, hello there Autumn... oh how I have missed you so...


It's almost that time of year again!! Autumn is just around the corner and summer is coming to an end. I have had a wonderful summer and will be sad to say goodbye... but boy do I LOVE fall! Such a mega fan right here people! :D I am patiently waiting until the weather cools down a bit more and the official first day arrives to really start decorating, baking cool weather dishes and all that...but, that has not stopped me from planning on how I will decorate this year,searching for warm, comforting cool night dishes to make my family and that fun stuff.

So, here are a few ideas from Pinterest I am hoping to try out. 




Elegant! and easy to put together, love it!
I really want to try this!

- Gorgeous!! Simple, would cost little money to make and would add such a cozy feel to a room


-Adorable. We don't normally decorate for Halloween and if we do it's the playful kids part to the holiday never all evil and scary. This looks like a fun project to make with the little one :) and what a wonderful keepsake.
Cute! Easy and again inexpensive!
Great idea for making a Thanksgiving memory! Use every year.
Oh good grief I. LOVE. THIS! nuff said!
Sweet! Would be a wonderful addition to our thanksgiving table
Easy decoration, love it!