Make-up Favorites

FINALLY!!!! I have finally found an eyeliner that did not run, smear, smudge, drip or otherwise disappear during my hectic workday.  If I can only find a mascara as good as my favorite discontinued CG Marathon I will be set.  Liquid is going to require a little more practice to perfect, but the first day people noticed and I noticed.   My luck they will discontinue this, but hopefully not. 

May

Spring has been a busy time for us.  After our allergies have settled down somewhat it seems like there has been a flurry of activities to keep us busy.  Boy Scouts has had many events planned that fill our weekends and I have been finishing my first semester of school  Needless to say the excitement I had in the beginning was beginning to wane in the last week.  I thought of stopping and then decided to take a full load for summer because I am just a glutton for punishment.  Really I know if I stop I probably won't start back since it was such a pain getting started. I will keep trudging along as long as God provides a way.  My son was baptized and it was an awesome blessing.  He listens to his Bible on a ipod type device everynight and follows along with his reading.  He has almost finished the entire Old Testament.  This will serve him well in life and luckily I am taking that as one of my classes for summer so I am sure he will be a big help.  He starts high school next year and I can hardly believe it.  I am longing to get my house caught up and presentable again after many months of neglect and I want to plant some flowers and make a basket.  I did actually start a book this week and I want to spend time enjoying that.  I also started to walk with a friend that I had lost touch with and I know that will boost my mood and spirits more than anything.  I feel like after a terrible March and beginning of April things are finally starting to look normal and doable again.  I feel so much better when the weather changes and things are in order.   I look forward to trying to keep my blog more up to date so I can remember these times.

Italian Chicken Sub Rolls

Recipe and photo from Love of Family and Home blog:

Ingredients:
5-6 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp onion salt
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup water

Directions:
Place all ingredients in the crock pot & cook on high for 5-6 hours. When finished cooking, remove the chicken breast from the crock pot & shred meat with a fork & knife. Place the shredded meat & juices from the crock pot into a pan. Place pan on the stove & boil juices down. Place shredded chicken on hoagie rolls or a loaf of italian bread. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and/or italian cheeses on top of the chicken. Wrap hoagie/italian bread loaf in aluminum foil & bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes to toast bread & melt cheeses.

Cindy Farmer Vegetable Soup

Cindy Farmer is a local television personality and recently I tried her family recipe for vegetable soup. Enjoy.

1 to 1 ½ pounds of stew beef
3 cans beef broth
1 large onion- diced
1 can corn (or fresh corn cut off cob)
1 can green beans (or fresh green beans)
2 cans diced tomatoes
I can carrots (or fresh carrots sliced)
4 to 5 potatoes- diced into bite sized pieces
Bay leaf
Dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot, brown the beef well. Add onion and cook until tender or translucent. Add one can of beef broth and one can of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Turn down the eye of the stove until the soup is just below the boiling point and let cook until all vegetables are tender and the flavors blended. It usually takes about an hour or so. Then serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or cheese bread! Soup is great the next day as a left-over too!!!

January

January has flown by.  It was a cold month with several warms days to make it bearable.  There has been a lot of highs and lows already this year that have caused me to have less time to blog.  I am not going into the details on my blog, but I want to remember some of the trials my family encountered this year.  They say to look at a situation and see if it will matter in five years.  Some things will still matter.  Sin is hard on everybody and not just the person who committed the sin.  Decisions we make affect other people.  I find that the closer I am to God the more challenges I face.  This is true and He said it would be.  I am thankful for the awesome God I serve and I am so undeserving of his love and mercy.  I worry too much.  That has been the sin I seem to be dealing with.  I try to turn everything over to God because I know He has the greatest plan and I do not need to worry, but for some reason at this stage in my life I am a worrier and I have started having anxiety.  I thought that was something in people's head they could control.  I am learning that is it not.  I am generally a very happy and content person, but I have seen so many things that have saddened me lately that I have really struggled with my feelings.  I have been in a funk!  On a happier note, my son celebrated his 14th birthday.   As a mother it is hard to believe your "baby" is no longer a baby anymore and you will never have that sweet smell of baby shampoo and tiny little fingers to wrap up in a blanket.  Where does the time go?   I want to cherish each day and be thankful for what God has planned for me.  Some days it is easier than others.  I didn't start this post with any real topic in mind, and I simply let the words flow so I can remember.  If you read my blog or stumble on this post, pray for me and my family.  I would really appreciate it. 

2012 Year in Review

Well this year is coming to a close and I have found I am using my blog less and less.  This year got away from me and I didn't even get Christmas cards out so I thought I would do a year end post so I can remember some of this year when I look back later.

This year has been another year of us buckling down and trying to pay off debt so we had no major purchases.  I changed jobs mid year to work in critical care to expand my knowledge and skills while also having more time at home.  It has been a very good decision for us on so many levels.  First, it really is helping me to learn and grow every day and bless others in a way I feel led by God to do.  Second, the flexibility of the schedule has made my home life better and somewhat easier to manage.  Third, it showed me that things are not always as they appear.  I realize how glad I am to leave where I was working because it was not the place I thought it was initially.  I miss the people I cared for and worked with, but the company as a whole was not an ideal fit for me. 

The hubby is still working, working, working to help on our debt process too.  He has been active in leading a fine group of boys who are turning into young men and he makes such a difference in their lives and he doesn't even realize the impact he has as a role model.  He does however, realize how much he loves doing this with them and that is great.  We have also gotten back into church more regularly which is helping us to be a better family overall.   We still need to be more involved, but it is progress for us to be regular attenders again.  He did have kidney stones this year and he realized that pain medication can be a very good thing.  We are at that stage in our life when we are feeling daily aches and pains and we try to not take our health for granted at all.  We went to the beach for a few days, but otherwise no real vacation destination to mention.

Bryan is mid year in the 8th grade and doing very well.  He is so much like his daddy that he learns something once and he "has" it.  He doesn't have to work very hard at all to make good grades and I keep reminding him how a little bit of effort could make him even better.  I have always said he will reach the bar no matter where it is, but he is not really interested in going past the bar....note to self to alway keep his bar really high.  He is playing trumpet for the third year and made all county band this year.  He has stopped his guitar lessons because he felt he had learned all he needed to play well.  He has taught himself keyboard by watching you tube videos.  Amazing.  After a little incident with a neighbor over the summer he stopped playing video games altogether.  What a blessing!!!  He is now more involved in Lego building and he has really elaborate sets and makes unique things with spare parts like his newly designed pinball machine.  I think he has great talents in building, imagination, tactile skills, etc.  I know he will do great things as an adult.  He is also very involved in youth at church and he received a GoBible audio version of the Bible and he listens to it every single night.  He will be through the entire Bible in no time at all.  I am still lagging behind him.

Meredith has had a very difficult year.  She has worked seven days a week at two jobs and finished her Masters degree in Exercise and Sports Physiology (or something like that...I probably don't have it exactly right).  She loves fitness and training and all that kind of stuff.  She reminds me of me at her age, but obviously I am not still into the fitness thing. haha.  She found out on Christmas Eve that she has a new position that will allow her a normal life again and hopefully now all things will begin to fall into place for her.  She is a strong, determined young woman with impeccable work ethic and she is very independent.  We are so proud of her, but it has been difficult to not be able to ease her burden during this hard year.  She wants a family now and I pray God leads the most perfect person into her life to give her all she dreams of.  She deserves the best and she works really hard.  Did I say I was proud of her??  Words can't describe how proud I am.  She still has Bella who is her canine companion and she is a great little dog.  Bella has had some health issues too and I hope she will be well this coming year.

My Mom has had some health issues this year that have  caused her to be hospitalized and have home health.  I hope she continues to heal and this battle she has been fighting will soon end its course.  We were at the doctor again today and still have a more to accomplish.  I made a calendar for her and my father in law for Christmas with her two grandchildren and she absolutely loves it.  She reads and plays games on her Kindle every single day and still reads constantly.  

As for me, changing jobs was the biggest news of the year.  I was running regularly until May/June and then I took a break that ended up breaking my stride and I haven't run since.  I really need to get back into it.  I have not lost any of the weight I wanted and it just seems to get pushed to the bottom of the to do list.  I wanted to get into school for my BSN but it seems that keeps getting pushed away too.  I was in a Bible study on Wednesday nights and had to give that up when my Mom got sick.  We are needing to get a newer vehicle and get our house in order and that seems to eat up my time.  I want my priorities to be God, Health, Family, etc.  but my life isn't always reflecting that.  This is my goal as I move into 2013.  I have done better in my spiritual health, but I still need to work on keeping my priorities intact and following God's plan for my life. 

P.S.  Note to self-   update blog more often :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe if from my Trisha Yearwood cookbook.  Sounds like a good Halloween meal.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Three 14-ounce cans chicken broth
• 4 cups half-and-half
• One 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup prepared salsa, mild or spicy
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled, drained and shredded
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained
• One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
• One 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• One 1.27-ounce packet fajita seasoning
• One 16-ounce bag tortilla chips
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and the onion and saute until softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir well, cooking for 1 minute more. Add the broth and the half-and-half. Stir in the cream of chicken soup, salsa, chicken, beans, corn, cumin and fajita seasoning. Continue to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Crumble the tortilla chips into individual bowls and top with a ladle of soup. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and add a dollop of sour cream.

It's Fall Y;all

It's finally fall and I am loving it...well except my semi-annual bout of bronchitis/sinusitis.  I have found a little secret for you.  Wallmart Mullled Cider and Pumpkin candles smell absolutely divine and they are a fraction of the cost of Yankee and other popular brands that I normally buy.  You will not regret buying this candle I promise.  I am anxious to start baking and decorating for fall, but I must catch up on a few chores that I haven't kept up with since being sick.  Allergies are such a bummer.  Anyway I am blessed and thankful for what I have so I am off to do more laundry which is a constant reminder that my family has clothes to wear, electricity and a place to live.  Stay tuned, my birthday is coming soon and I have a plan to share.

P. S.  I may not go private yet....still thinking about it.

Privacy

The time has come for me to make my blog private.  If you are a regular reader and want to be included on my list of people allowed, please leave a comment or email me for consideration.  I am not sure when I will make the change but it will be soon.  Thanks!!

Chicken Roll Ups

1 package stuffing mix (like Stove Top)
1 cup water

2 eggs-beaten

6 small chicken breasts, pounded (or just sliced thin) to 1/4 thickness

2 cans (10-3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp. paprika

1.  Combine stuffing mix and 1 cup of water.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in eggs.

2. Evenly spread stuffing mixture over each piece of chicken.

3. Roll up chicken from short end to enclose stuffing.  Place seam sides down in 9x13 inch baking dish.

4.  Mix soup and milk together and pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with paprika.

5.  Bake uncovered at 400℉ for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.

Serve with mashed potatoes if desired and use sauce as gravy.