Happy Birthday My Oldest Daughter - Carly

Yep, hard to believe that 21 years can go by in a blip....

She wasn't due for 6 more weeks...but she just HAD

to come busting into the world early.

Her dad and I were 3 weeks into our

 student teaching.....

We were dirt poor student teachers.

Thanks to our mothers, I was able to

be reassured that she was well taken

care of while I went back to student

teaching only 1 1/2 weeks after having her.

If I didn't, I would have had to repeat the entire

semester!

 She was 6.1 lbs and born at 1:20pm.

She was healthy despite being 6 weeks early.

 Our hearts had never known this kind love...it was amazing.

It still is.

Carly has lived her life just like she entered this world....

keeping everyone around her on their toes

because they never know what is going to be next.

Carly,

Your mom and dad love you more than you will

EVER understand.  We are so proud that you

want independence and are working at

getting it together.  As you turn 21, it comes with

blessings and curses.  Recognize them BOTH!

Keep God at the front and you should have no problems.

Put Him at the back, and you will make your path

rougher.  Don't rush your life, take time to smell

the roses and don't believe all that you see in

other people's lives.....  Some look way better than

they actually are.

You have a beautiful life ahead of you!!!

Enjoy being officially a certified ADULT!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mom & Dad

52 NEW Recipes in 2011 (#6)

GREEK CHICKEN & PITA CASSEROLE

(CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE)

I know I am behind on posting recipes.  It doesn't mean that

I haven't cooked any new recipes.

It means that my family is in a busy time of the year

heading to all the stock shows.

 This recipe appealed to me for some reason.

For one, I don't think I've ever had Greek seasoning.

Of course in our small town, finding a seasoning with

GREEK written on it was a NO GO.

Another thing it had was zucchini.

We all like zucchini.

Of course, I couldn't find zucchini...so squash is the next best thing right?

The ingredient I was hesitant about was FETA CHEESE.

I do not care for FETA CHEESE, but decided I would at

least give it a try.

After all, I had just had some on some bruschetta and actually liked it.

When it comes time to cut the Pita Bread, us a pizza cutter....

of course I figured this out AFTER I cut it with a serrated knife...saw, saw, saw.

OK, back to the seasoning.....I couldn't find GREEK SEASONING.

So, I did the next best thing and called my MOMMY.

She wasn't sure, so we did the next best thing behind a mom's experience....

she googled it.

According to the ingredients, the MEDITERRANEAN SEASONING was

really close to the GREEK SEASONING.

It didn't look much different AFTER it cooked.

To me, it smelled good.

Here it is in all it's glory.

Ready for the real test.

Did it pass the manly man test or not?

THUMBS DOWN!

He even said, 2 thumbs down.

Of course he is holding the plate with the other thumb and couldn't point it down.

When I asked if he liked it.....he said, "I like the peas and carrots."

This recipe was a thumbs down by all 3 of us.

I can't pinpoint if it was using a different seasoning and squash or the feta

We did like the toasted pita so all was not lost.

So, please make sure YOU try it and let me know what YOU think.

The dogs liked it......

How to be a FLYLADY ZONEBUSTER Using PURPLE

This is if you happen to like the FLYLADY.NET way of getting organized.  I am posting this here so there can be easy access.


Have you ever felt like a ZONEBIE (aka zombie) when you go to look at the current zone? Here is an easy way to focus on any ZONE - Just think PURPLE. Often, I find myself running around all day cleaning and flying but at the end of the day, I look back and it LOOKS like I've not really done anything when I know I have. By focusing on ONE AREA/ZONE, it DOES look like something was accomplished and not only does it LOOK like it, it is CLEAN.

This works for any job, it gives FOCUS.  It is SIMPLE.  You do it yourself and see accomplishments when you are finished.  It can be done in one 15 minute session or break it into more than one 15 minute session.  It is up to YOU, not anyone else....and believe it or not, you can do it at anytime of the day!

EXAMPLE:  I used it for my Morning Routine (MR):  I "P"rimped, I "U"nloaded the dishwasher, I "R"escued my bathroom, I "P"lanned my dinner, I did some "L"aundry, I "E"liminated some trash.  PURPLE.




P = Purge, Plan, Pick up, Pile, Primp (Choose one and just do it)


U = Under/Up (Look UNDER stuff and clean, Look UP and clean), Unload


R = Rescue, Renew, Replace, Repair, Remind, Repeat, Run (Run the sweeper, mop, etc.),


P = Pick Up and Put Away, or do any from the 1st "P"


L = Love (Show some love in this zone, make it prettier, Shine something...like a window, Dust, etc.) Load, Laundry


E = Etc. or Empty (This is the final letter so do anything you might have not touched in the first 5 letters) Eliminate, Escape, Email,


You could do one letter a day for 15 minutes. This will get your zone work done M - S.
You could also just run though the letters quickly to make sure the zone looks good.
Even if you do a room rescue, PURPLE works.



This idea was thought up by several flybabies working together to help keep a FOCUS. It has made a huge difference for several people and I just wanted as many as possible to benefit from it. Please try it and see if you see a difference.

WHO EVER Said Poodles are PAMPERED POOCHES?

Can you spot JoJo in the snow?

Can you see the little black specks behind him?

Those are Canadian Geese.

 No, we do NOT live in Canada.

Yes, we have some beautiful land that

the geese seem to think is a great hotel to

stop off at on their annual treks north and south.

 Uh Oh!  The poodle sees some movement.

If dogs can have ADHD, this one has it.

 I call him.

He looks.

I swear he stuck out his tongue!

 Here is how deep this stuff is...just to give you some

perspective of the trouble that dog

is about to get himself into....

Wave at my manly man who takes care of the

outside chores!

 There he goes....

dumb dog.

 Also, I am using the SUPER ZOOM lens....

"Things in picture appear much closer than

they really are."

 Even dumber dog.

 Where did he go?

 At this point, I thought he'd freeze to death....

I was preparing myself for the mourning

process.

 Bye-Bye JoJo.

 See?  We got some serious snow!!!

Oh and just in case you have an in ground

redneck fire pit like we do,

you might want to mark it with one of those

bicycle flags....

or you might accidentally find it while

walking through the yard and end

up with snow clear up to your waist.

Don't ask me how I know this.....

So, while JoJo was a million miles away

chasing the geese, I turned around and

look what was right behind our house.

A mallard!!!

Dumb dumb dog.

In case you were wondering.....JoJo DID make it back...

he had giant snowballs attached to his fur......

but he was and is alive.  No dogs, geese, or ducks

were harmed in the making of this blog post.

I promise.

52 NEW Recipes in 2011 (#5)

BOURBON PECAN CHICKEN

(CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE)

Besides the fact that I've never EVER had bourbon and had to go

to the liquor store to get some.....just know that I live in a very small

town with at least 3 liquor stores.  Eyebrows still raise if your

car is seen at one.....

Sooooo, I made sure I advertised on facebook that should

one see my car at the liquor store....I was there to get some bourbon for a recipe.

Then I made sure to ask for input on the best kind of bourbon....I got several

comments.  I am very glad I did this because I would have

bought the GIANT bottle that is on the shelf.

Did you know they are very sly and keep smaller sizes BEHIND the counter.

I thought it was so people would buy the bigger one....but to my bigger

surprise....it is because of THEFT....much easier to slide into a pocket or purse.

HELLLLLLOOOO PEOPLE THIS IS THE BIBLE BELT!!!

If we are going to park 3 parking lots over and sneak to the liquor store, we

certainly aren't going to try to steal it and chance getting BUSTED.

 This recipe is reallllly easy.

It has few ingredients.

Now, either I put way too much breading on it

or the recipe is waaaaaay off.

 It calls for 8 boneless skinless breasts.

 Here is the breading....butter, pecans, bread crumbs.

 I only got THREE breasts coated......

I didn't think they were huge breasts either.

 So, I made up somewhat of another batch....I didn't have

enough bread crumbs.

I managed to squeak out enough for one more breast.

 Here is the bourbon and other stuff cooking....

I know you are thinking it....YES!  I did take a small

swig of the bourbon just to see if I might like it.

The answer is NO!

It tastes like rubbing alcohol to me!

 I poured the sauce over the cooked breasts

and put them in the oven to keep warm.

 Dinner is served!!!!

TWO THUMBS UP!!!

This really easy to make.

It took ONE hour to get it on the table...even with

the fry time.

Yah, I know, he is back in his chair.....

and multi-tasking talking to his buddy, Bobby.

I will make sure I double the ingredients next time.

We are loving the new recipe adventure....so far,

we have liked all the new recipes!!

ENJOY!!

Oklahoma Bizzard 2011

This is looking west from our patio.

Normally, we have a huge open pasture here....and

you can see 1/4 of a mile at least.

It is total white out with winds blowing

40 mph from the north.

This picture gives you idea of how far we can

normally see from our patio.....

GOALS 2011 - January Update

How'd I do in January????

1.  52 NEW RECIPES - I have successfully tried 4 new recipes in January.  (Hoagies, Homemade Pizza, Sauerkraut/Pasta Dish, and Homemade Tortillas with Homemade Queso)  The husband has loved every dish....so they are keepers.

2.  CLEAN OUT THE OLD HOMESTEAD - Not a thing done to it.

3.  TEAR DOWN THE OLD GARAGE - DONE!!  I have a picture somewhere....it still hasn't been hauled off or burned, but will by summer.

4.  RUN A WATER LINE TO THE BARNS - NOPE!

5.  PAINT MASTER BATH - NOPE!

6.  GET VW WINDSHIELD FIXED BY FEB. 1ST - NOPE!  We have had other expenses come up, so this has been put on hold since it isn't a safety issue yet.

7.  TAKE MORE PRIDE IN OUR VEHICLES - YES!  I spent the first Sunday sweeping and sweeping and sweeping out the VW...it took about 2 hours altogether to get the inside of the car cleaned out.  I am proud to say that it only takes less than 10 minutes to sweep it out each Sunday after church.  This was a HUGE light bulb moment for me.  Even if it doesn't LOOK dirty, CLEAN IT!  It will never get gross dirty if you do.  I washed the car once in the month...which is a great accomplishment...as I was lucky to wash it 3 -4 times a YEAR.  Don't judge me!  We live on dirt roads and it is depressing when you wash and by the time you get home, it is covered in dirt.

8.  ORGANIZE THE CURRENT GARAGE - NOPE!  We are still hashing out the details of what we want and need in it.

9.  LEARN SOME NEW THINGS TO DO WITH THE BREAD RECIPE - YES!  I made homemade pizza crust and it is AWESOME!

10.  CONTINUE TO FLY WITH THE FLYLADY - YES!  I did deep clean all 5 zones in January.  I have some buddies who are also trying to focus on the zones and we have come up with a ZONEBUSTER game we play together.  Because I have become more passionate about the zones, I didn't stick too well with the weekly home blessing hour....but I did manage to keep the floor swept and the feather dusting done.

11.  FEED MY SPIRITUAL SOUL - YES!  I am continuing online "classes" through lifechurch.tv.  Our Sunday school class has really stepped up and decided to make a change and be a part of the solution.  I have really stepped up my prayer life as well and am seeing a big bonus in that area.

12.  READ A BOOK A MONTH - EH!  I have a book I need to finish.....fiction is my downfall....seriously, I can start a great fiction book and put it down and not pick it up again!  I am currently snowed in...so, maybe I will finish it.  It is called "A Vintage Affair".  It is realllly good.....I have no idea why I can't sit still and read it.

13.  DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY - YES!  I have had very few days where I didn't get them all in.  Most days, it is more than 8.

14.  PLANT A GARDEN - NOPE!  It isn't time yet...hee hee.

15.  GET CHIMNEY CLEANED - DONE!  We were having problems with back puffing into the house, so we went ahead and had it cleaned in January.  It was NASTY!

16.  FIND A NEW COUCH - NOPE!  I have been looking.

17.  WEIGHT LOSS - YES!  I lost 5 lbs.

18.  BLOG UPDATES ON THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH - DONE!  You are reading this on Feb. 1st.

So far, I am doing pretty good on the goals.  I need to figure out how to list the recipes so they are easy to find.....I know there is a way, just have to figure it out.  I encourage you to try the recipe thing.....it has really helped get us out of a slump of having the samo samo stuff.