Thursday, December 30, 2010

Chirsitmas 2010

Actually I have LOTS of pics, but if I posted them all it would take several pages. So here's just a glimpse....
Stockings at Nandy's -


Hattie and one of her monkeys -


Chad and me at Nandy's -


Hunter and Hattie showing some love -


Chad playing showing us one of his presents -


Christmas day at the Isaacs -


Best looking man alive -


This was such an awesome Christmas! I love spending time with family! I am always blown away by everyone's love and generosity. Thank you everyone! I love my family!
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Chicken and Dumplings


My great-grandma, MaMaw, made THE best homemade chicken and dumplings. They were sooooo good. I remember the first time my dad tried to get me to taste them...I really didn't want to. However, he was right and I did like them...a lot. Unfortunately, I'm not as good as she was and I don't make everything from scratch. Here's the recipe for what I made tonight and they turned out pretty good.




Chicken and Dumplings

Put a little OIL in a pot and heat. Add CHICKEN (I used some I had previously cooked and shredded that I had on hand in the freezer) and ONION (I used dry minced onion because if Chad sees any onion he won't eat it. I like the flavor so I try to hide it in things) and sauté. Add 48 oz CHICKEN BROTH, 1/2 c chopped CELERY, 1/2 tsp PEPPER, 1 tbs PARSLEY flakes and bring to a boil. Add Reames Frozen Flat DUMPLINGS (found in the freezer dept by the rolls). Let it heat back up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes and add 1 c chopped CARROTS. Let cook about 5 more min and it's done! Super easy, healthy, and delicious. You can adjust the amounts to suit your taste. You could add peas, but I personally hate peas...ugh.

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Free Chic-fil-a!

Go to www.getspicychicken.com today to get a free spicy chicken biscuit from Chic-fil-a!!


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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

$aving Money

Guess how much I spent today.....


my grand total was...... $3.66!! I would have been excited to just get the toilet paper for that amount. Wahoo! I saved $28.13! I'm getting so excited about saving money. It takes a while to get started...our pantry was pretty bare at the beginning of the month. I can't wait to see what our grocery budget looks like after a few months of focused shopping and coupon clipping.
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Sunday, December 19, 2010

BBQ Roast Beef Sandwiches




This is one of my favorites and it's so easy. I just put some of the shredded roast beef (from last night) in the crockpot with some Head Country seasoning and BBQ sauce. Let it heat up and enjoy. (Head Country is the best in my opinion)

I'm not going to post about the burritos...they ended up tasting pretty gross.


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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Roast Beef




So I cooked a roast beef today. I love how it smells up the entire house as it cooks. I decided not to season it very much so that I could use the leftovers to make bbq sandwiches, roast beef sandwich spread, and burritos. So I just plopped it in my crockpot, poured 1/2 c water over it along with a package of dry onion soup mix, and cooked it on low for 8 hours.
When it was finished I shredded it so that it would be ready to use for future meals. I've gotten better at planning out our meals and I decided to freeze some of the cooked meat so that I'd have it on hand for a quick meal later on. I love that idea. I get really tired of eating the same thing every day.


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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Chocolate Cobbler




Thanks mom! I am so in love with this!

Chocolate Cobbler

Melt 2 sticks of butter and pour into 9 x 13 pan.

Stir together:
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 c milk
Mixture will be thick. Dollop the mixture over the butter in the pan.

Stir together:
1 c sugar
6 T cocoa
Sprinkle mixture over dish.

Pour 1 3/4 c boiling water over the dish.
Bake @ 350 for 40 min.

Its soooo good when it's hot out of the oven! Enjoy!
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Stone's Corner Pharmacy

I'm so proud of Chad and all of his hard work with the pharmacy! He works so hard and does a great job. The pharmacy looks really pretty at night. I love the Christmas lights around the edge of the building. I'm still trying to figure out the settings, these are kinda rough pics. I hope to replace them with some better ones soon.
This is the sign. I took it from the back of the parking lot. It is soooo bright. I love it.


This is of the whole building. I'll take some more sometime when the parking lot isn't full and it isn't freezing outside. :) I left the shutter open for a longer time on this one to let more light in. The problem is...the longer I leave it open, the whiter the sign is. That's why it's a little washed out in this pic. I've still got a lot to learn with my camera, but I LOVE it!



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Monday, December 13, 2010

Danielle's Korean Style Ribs

I found a good deal on some ribs a week or two ago and stuck them in the freezer. My friend Danielle posted this recipe a while back (She has lots of great recipes!) and I really wanted to try it. Chad and I both really liked it. I love how cooking in the crockpot makes the entire house smell so good for hours. Try it sometime if you're looking for a quick easy recipe for ribs...



Danielle's Korean Style Ribs

1 package of ribs (I actually used 2 pkgs of boneless so I'd have leftovers)
1 1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
8 whole jalepenos

Place the ribs and whole jalepenos (don't cut them up) in the crockpot. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and water and pour over the ribs. Cook on low for 8 hours. They were so tender, they literally fell apart (as pictured). YUM!


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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Ducks!

It's a little odd...I never wake up to dogs barking, but occasionally I'll wake up hearing the geese. There's a small pond behind our house and they love to hang out over there.


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Friday, December 10, 2010

My big stinkin bargain!

Chad only drinks DDP...he drinks A LOT of it. In fact, a huge chunk of our grocery budget goes to buying his pop. I'm always excited when I can find it on sale, but I've NEVER found a deal this sweet. I just bought 45 2-liters!!!! I'm hoping it will last a month. Scroll down to see how much I paid (and saved).




I'm wondering if Chad's going to think I'm crazy when he gets home and sees all of this. Haha.


You gotta stock up on the good deals, right?


And no, the pop isn't out of date :)


The grand total.....$12.61!!!!! That's not all, I also got a $5 gift certificate to use next week. If you subtract that, its like I paid $7.61. That's about $0.17 per 2 liter!!! I love saving money!


Normally I wouldn't take so many pictures of pop, but I'm loving my new camera :)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Christmas Tree

I think my parents were pretty thrilled that I finally took my Christmas stuff out of their attic. I love this! Almost every night we've had the tree lit and the fireplace going...now if I could just sleep in, I'd have it made.


Here's my attempt to be creative with my new camera! I'm really hoping to take a photography class this spring so I can learn how to do everything.






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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Grocery Budget

So Chad and I spent a few hours working on our budget a few weeks ago. We are committed to sticking with it and I am sooo excited! After being inspired by my mom and sister-in-law, Keely, I am on track to use only about a third...maybe a fourth of what we budgeted for groceries! I love saving money! I bought all of this for $36! That's a veggie tray, two boxes of pizza pockets, cottage cheese, beans, 3 packages of rolls, 2 packages of deli meat, chili, milk, tortillas, 3 lbs of chicken tenders, 2 types of steak, ribs, and pork chops. Not too bad for my first focused bargain grocery shopping. If you haven't checked out the site: couponcloset.net, do it! It's a local lady that shares all of her coupons, bargains, and tips. I'm jealous of all of you that live in Okc and have a Homeland...they double coupons up to $1. Take advantage of it and match your coupons with the ads! You'll be amazed at how much you'll save in a month. It's so exciting!



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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Nandy's 90th birthday!










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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Red House

For my college friends.... I pass this house every day on my way home from school. For some reason I'm always kinda drawn to it...makes me think of the "ugly green house" in Shawnee that I liked so much. I think I still have the picture you guys took for me. Haha.


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Rice Krispy Treats

Have you ever had peanut butter rice krispy treats? Just add half a cup of peanut butter to the mix. Yum!



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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Random pics with my new camera!

Random pics with my new camera!



















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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups







This is another recipe I tried recently. I love cheesecake and I love pumpkin cheesecake even better! However, I've never tried to make one on my own. I never really wanted to mess with a spring form pan. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius! They were so simple to make and I'm sure I'll make them again sometime.

Ingredients:






12 whole Halloween Oreos
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
½ cups Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
½ cups Pureed Pumpkin
1 whole Egg
¼ teaspoons Cinnamon
⅛ teaspoons Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
1 pinch Salt

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 Oreo in the bottom of each muffin tin. Set aside.
In large bowl, whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and salt until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and whip mixture until completely smooth. Spoon mixture evenly over Oreos. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheesecakes have set. Remove from oven to cool.
Once cheesecakes are cool enough to handle, remove from muffin tin. Remove paper wrappers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.






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Monday, November 1, 2010

Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti

Last week when I was in Okc I was able to spend some time with my great friends that I miss soooooo much! Danielle made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti and it was so good that I decided to make some Sunday. It's been forever since I've actually cooked something for dinner. Usually I open something from the freezer and throw it in the skillet. I decided if I was going to really make it, I might as well do it all the way...so I bought and boiled a whole chicken...


I followed the rest of the recipe and it turned out so good! Unfortunately my husband doesn't enjoy all of the same foods that I do. I put a tiny bit of chopped up onion in it and that ruined it for him. :\ Anyway, here's the recipe. It's really good! If you haven't checked out the rest of Pioneer Woman's recipes, go look them up! Yum!!!



Ingredients
2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).



Sunday, October 31, 2010

Perfect Saturday

Sometimes I feel like I'm running in circles, that's why I think it's so very important to have a day to relax from time to time. Saturday was my day. I got to sleep in a little and then I headed to the spa for a massage. (I went by the spa when they were having their grand opening and they were doing all sorts of fantastic deals. I managed to book an hour long massage for only $19!!!) After my massage I picked up a cup of chocolate doughnut holes and a cup of pumpkin spice cappuccino, and headed home to relax.


Later that night Chad and I went out to a nice restaurant for dinner, followed by watching the OU game at home.


It was such a great day....too bad I can't live like that every day.


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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Agghhh Crap!

So last week I got to go shopping with my mom and aunt in Okc. While I was there I took a load of clothes to the resale shop and used the money to buy a new pair of jeans. Well, I wore them to school on Friday (jeans day) and was going about my day...until 2nd hour. I was in the middle of giving a quiz when all of the sudden I herd a "pling" and felt my pants loosen...yep...my button popped off. They were all busy working and I don't think any of them noticed the pure panic that was on my face.






Thankfully I was wearing a long shirt and the teacher next door had a safety pin that I could use. I took the jeans back to the Buckle last weekend and they were able to fix them! I made them promise that it wouldn't happen again.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Guest Bathroom

Here's a glimpse of our guest bathroom...


After I took this picture I updated the shower curtain...more pictures to come.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Say cheese!

What I've got my eye on! The Canon T2i...








Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hurry up Halloween




So this wasn't my greatest idea...I bought some Halloween candy a little early this year, so now there's a giant bowl of candy sitting on our sofa table. Bad idea. I think I've eaten a handful every time I've walked by. Hurry up trick-or-treaters!!!!


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Results from Doctor

I FINALLY got the results from all the tests today. They said that all of my levels are in the normal range and they weren't concerned with anything they found on the ultrasounds! Yea! I'm so thankful that it wasn't anything major and they didn't have to remove it. They gave me a script for Provera, which will hopefully get everything back on track. Right now I'm just trying to be patient and trust God.


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Friday, October 8, 2010

Saturday Bargin

Saturday Bargin: All Old Navy Jackets $16! Only this Saturday! Happy shopping. :)


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Thursday, October 7, 2010

Favorite Stencil

So I found this stencil that I really like...
I was going to cover some canvas with different upholstery fabric and put it above the couch in the living room. I've been waiting to do it until I could go to my favorite fabric shops in OKC. In the mean time I've had these canvases just sitting in the living room. I've always wanted to paint on canvas, but I am far from an artist. I'm also extremely indecisive. The canvas would have remained white for a year if I had to paint something by hand. However I found this stencil that I loved and then I had an idea...






Now I just need to decide what to do on the large canvas. Any suggestions? I was thinking a saying or something to do with fall. I'd like to be able to change them for each season.

Here's the same stencil in the bathroom.












More to come...
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