Your senses are really something...

Today while I was driving home from school through little Clymer, PA, I smelled a fantastic smell! Someone was burning their wood fire place. I love that smell. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to smell it. Except for today...my brain went down a different path when I smelled that fire place. And well, you know how smells can trigger memories...

For whatever reason, the smell made me start to think about one of the last times I saw my dad. Back story: We were at my mom's and it was a beautiful sunny day sometime this past May. It wasn't the last time I saw him, but probably the time before that. Bobby and I went to the house to go swimming and my Aunt Karen and cousin Nova came to swim with us. We all swam and played in the pool and had lunch. We had brought some snacky things and a salad that I made for work the day before (for Memorial Day). Dad grilled some burgers and hot dogs and then he made some baked beans.
Well...that's what the fireplace smell reminded me of. The baked beans. The stupid, stupid, stupid baked beans. They were the WORST baked beans EVER!

Dad cooked a whole pound of ground beef then added a can of Bush's Maple and Bacon baked beans. If he had left them just like that, they would have been great. But no, Dad always had to "doctor things up." So, he tasted it and thought it needed something else, so he added some chocolate syrup (gross, I know). He still didn't like the way it was tasting so he added more things like ketchup and mustard, and finally he added MORE Maple Syrup. OhhhhhMG they were TERRIBLE! Normally, I don't eat baked beans...but because he worked so hard to make them, I had to try them. I did add some of the chopped onions that were meant for the hot dogs and more mustard..but nothing worked. They were just too sweet. Dad couldn't finish eating his and neither did anyone else...and yes, we all tried them. He took the bowl up to the fire pit and dumped them in an empty box from the cans of Miller Lite we were all drinking while we all laughed. He never burnt the box...he never had a chance.....so yes...the stupid baked beans made me cry today.
A month and a half later, Mom, Ben and I were burning things in the fire pit and there was the stupid box filled with the baked beans. Some of them were eaten, but not many...apparently the animals were pretty disgusted, too! Of course, I cried that day too.

Isn't it weird how certain smells can make you think of crazy things like that?? They trigger memories that get buried in our minds. As soon as the memory of the baked beans came to mind, the song Free Fallin' by Tom Petty came on the radio and that just made it worst. I cried the whole way home.

So today, this Daddy's girl is really missing her daddy.

Breakfast recipe

I just stumbled upon this recipe while looking for something to have with dinner tonight.

Crockpot Breakfast

32 oz frozen hash browns
1 lb cooked ham cubed ( lean )
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 1/2 c shredded cheese ( Regular Cheese )
12 eggs
1 c skim milk
1 t salt
1 t black pepper

Divide potatoes, ham, veggies and cheese so you can create several layers of each in the crock pot. Start with the hash browns, then ham, onions peppers and last cheese. Repeat until you have several layers. Beat eggs, milk salt & pepper pour over layers in the crockpot cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours overnight.

This would be great for Christmas morning. My mother-in-law always makes some sort of breakfast casserole for breakfast on Christmas day, I think this would be something a little easier for her...or maybe I'll make it this year!

Sunday...no fun today :(

I'm still working on yesterday's to-do list. It's no fun doing all this work on my day off. Blah.
There was quite a bit of stuff on the list that I didn't get finished, and I didn't have anything planned for today, so I'm going to try to get it all done!

I put dinner in the Crockpot around noon. It's smelling so good already! The recipe is from that blog I wrote about last weekend A Year of Slow Cooking. Tonight we're having Bacon and Cheese Chicken. The sauce that gets poured over it is a combination of Ranch dressing and Teriyaki sauce. It sounds like such a strange combination, but I tried it when I mixed it up and it's actually pretty good! I didn't have any actual Teriyaki sauce, but I had a teriyaki marinade and it's just about the same thing. It'll be ready around 6:30. I can't wait! I think I'm going to make some white rice with it. I love rice...but Bobby doesn't like it so much. Oh well, we all have to do things we don't want to sometimes, so I'm hoping he'll eat it for me.

Bobby just took down the Christmas lights...in the rain. Silly I know, but it was his idea! I can cross that off my list now, too!

I'm going to bring the totes up for the ornaments and get started with the tree. UGH. The house is going to look so bare without the decorations. At least I'll still have my snowmen :)

Off I go!!

So much to do...

But all I want to do today is sit around! I made a to-do list at school yesterday that was pretty lengthy. I was hoping to get quite a few things done when I got home from school. We had plans to go Cosmic Bowling last night, so I had 6 hours to get everything done.

I got maybe 3 things finished. Ha ha. But, I've been working on it today, and I'm getting somewhere!

Here's the list.
FRIDAY
*Run to the bank to make deposit
*Go to car wash
*Laundry - wash and put away(I only do my clothes, which is about 2 loads per week. Bobby's work clothes are filthy and I refuse to wash them with my clothes)
*Finish loading dishwasher, run and unload
*Wash all other dishes by hand
*Clean out refrigerator
*Clean up the rest of the kitchen
*Put away outdoor Christmas Lights

SATURDAY
*Undecorate Christmas Tree
*Put tree away
*Put away "Christmas" decorations. I'm going to keep my snowmen and greenery out...no more trees or Santas, though.
*Dust and Vacuum
*Move basement refrigerator I did this on my own while Bobby was taking a nap. We went Cosmic Bowling Friday night, and he had to get get up at 7 on Saturday to work. When he came home from work he took a nap and I really wanted to get the basement started, so I moved it myself.
*Hook up basement TV, Wii and DVD player - we need some A/V cords to hook up the DVD player
*Organize basement storage areas...my seasonal decorations are EVERYWHERE! It's driving me crazy!

I guess I better get back to work! We're going to Donatello's for dinner with friends tonight! I can't wait! Have a great day!

A new discovery

This week I found a new blog and I am in love. It's silly to be in love with something like a blog, but this one makes my life easier, so how can I not love it.
May I introduce you to A YEAR OF SLOW COOKING. This woman, Stephanie O'Dea, dedicated 365 days of her life to finding a way to use her crockpot at home. She made something different in it EVERY DAY for a YEAR, deserts, appetizers, dinners, deserts, breakfasts, playdough, crayons, candles...you name it!! And well, she also wrote this book and was on Rachel Ray, too! After I spent about an hour two hours looking through all of her (indexed in alphabetical order) recipes on Friday night (I know, I have a really exciting life), I found one that I had EVERYTHING in my house to make!

I made this deliciousness in a bowl:PIZZA SOUP
I mostly followed Stephanie's recipe when I made it this time, except that instead of baby tomatoes I used the two small tomatoes that I had in the fridge from Taco night, I omitted the mushrooms (because I HATE cooked mushrooms), and added a little bit more of the italian sausage (because I had 3 left, and the recipe only called for 2). Bobby just put the rest of the box of bowties that I had in the pantry...which was probably twice as much as the recipe called for. I didn't have any mozzerella, so I garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese, which was even better!!

Bobby and I really enjoyed it, though I think it had WAY too much pepperoni in it and needed even more pasta. My cousin Rachel, (who came to spend the night and went shopping with me and made me smile) liked it, but thought it was too spicy...must've been all the pepperoni. We all agreed that it was a little too greasy though...again, I think it was the pepperoni.

The next time I make it, I'll change it up just a little bit to make everyone happy. Less pepperoni for sure...the recipe calls for a whole cup, but I'd probably use only half a cup, and lots more pasta. Stephanie suggests 1/3 to 1/2 cup pasta...but I'm pretty sure Bobby said there was about 1 1/2 cups of pasta left in the box. I still think it needed more. Bobby said that adding some chicken to this would be good, too! This is definitely something that will be added to the menu again. It's a great winter soup, and my hubby actually ate vegetables! I'm so proud of him:) Your family and friends will probably enjoy this very much...especially if they like pizza, I suggest trying it! It didn't take very long to do all the prep, just cleaning and cutting the veggies and meats. After all that's done, just throw it in a crockpot and go on with your day!

Happy Cooking!!

Go Me!!

I usually don't toot my own horn, but I'm going to today. I have been doing pretty well with my 2010 goals.

What I've done so far this week:

• One vitamin, every day
• Planned meals for every day
• Cooked dinner twice, so far. (We went out to eat on Tuesday and Wednesday) It was semi-healthy...we had tacos last night with all fresh ingredients and no sour cream!
  
• Worked out using the Wii twice
• Took Melatonin every night, except last night...we stayed up really late for some reason
• Cleaned and Organized the Dining room and bathrooms, currently working on the Livingroom and kitchen (Bedrooms this weekend, hopefully)
• We had dinner with Bobby's family twice this week. Tuesday was his dad's 50th birthday, so we all got together for dinner. Wednesday night we all went to Benjamin's for dinner...I think it's been a year since we've been there, it was delicious as usual :) I also had a piece of Carrot Cake for my daddy. Anytime I would go there with my mom, she would order a piece of Carrot Cake to go and we would take it home for dad, or take it to 911 for him. So, I had a piece of it for him after dinner.
  

What I'm working on for the rest of the week

• I am blogging for the 1st time this week, but I should be able to update again over the weekend :)
• I didn't make any jewelry this week, but I have a couple of pieces that I have to make for friends.
  
• Save money?? I have to make some money before I can save it. Haha.

I'm going to go load the dish washer and change the sheets! Maybe we'll be snowed in for the weekend...I wouldn't mind that!

Have a great weekend!

2 more goals for 2010

***Originally I only had 8 goals, but I thought I'd add 2 and made 10 goals for 2010***

These are both very important, and will help me improve my health, along with the exercising and eating better.

9. Go to Bed at a "Normal" Time Every Night
I've been having major sleeping issues...recently, I've been awake until 3 or 4 a.m. EEK! One night I think I was awake until 5. I don't know why, it's just that I'm never tired. Well, when I stay up late like that, then of course I sleep in too late the next day. It's a vicious cycle. I can't get up and go to work early, unless it's a day that I know I'm subbing and I plan ahead...I go to the office late on the days that I don't sub and that's not really working for me anymore. I should work all day, not from 11 til 5.
Solution: Every night at 9:30, I'm going to take my Melatonin, which helps me get sleepy. I'm going to get ready for bed before the 11 o'clock news starts, then either watch the news in bed or go to bed as soon as it's over. This should help me make sure that I get enough sleep and wake up rested for my day.

10. Take my Multi-Vitamin daily.
I have been really bad at remembering to take my vitamin the past few months. I started taking it again last Monday, and haven't missed a day yet. I know it hasn't been a whole week yet, but I'd say I'm headed in the right direction!
Solution: Keep the vitamin bottle on the bathroom counter so that I can see it and take one after I brush my teeth in the morning.

Okay, that should really do it this time for the goals. It's almost time to take my Melatonin!

Goals for 2010...

I've been seeing a lot of posts with goals for 2010 on other people's blogs. Maybe I should set some goals for myself, but where to start?

1. De-clutter and Organize the House

Our house seems to get cluttered easily. It must be because we come home and relax after work. So, the magazines pile up, the mail sits on the table, things sit on the counter, and we don't do much about it. Well, this is the year that things are going to change!
Solution: I'm going to make sure that we get ourselves into a good habit of putting everything away when we're finished with it, and finding homes for things that don't have one yet. If that means buying more Rubbermaid totes, I will...and maybe I should buy some Rubbermaid stock shares, while I'm at it. I probably keep that company in business!

2. Keep a Clean House
This sort of goes with the first one, but is separate at the same time. I don't dust, vacuum, or clean the rest of the house often enough. I get home from both jobs and I'm absolutely exhausted. Once I sit down, I'm finished for the evening...I don't care if anything gets done. Terrible, I know, but imagine if you worked for 8 hours at one job, then went to another one for 4 or 5 hours, then had to come home and cook dinner, vacuum, dust, wash the dishes, do laundry, and clean the rest of the house after that. Maybe some of you do that already, or maybe you have husbands that actually help with that stuff, but that's not how my life works. I do it all on my own!
Solution: Pick one or two tasks to do a day and do them as soon as I get home.

3. Cook More/Eat Healthier
I don't cook dinner very often. Usually, I forget to put something out the night before, and then it's 6 and I don't know what to do, so I find something in the freezer(premade frozen meatballs) that's easy to cook, pop it in the microwave and make some pasta to go with it. Or, we both just reheat something that we find in the fridge. Half the time, I want something he doesn't, so we just make ourselves dinner...and that's usually at 7:30-8:00 at night. Sad, isn't it?? So, I'm going to start meal planning, whether Bobby likes it or not, and see how it works for me.
Solution: Menu plan for the week ideally on Sunday Night for the whole week. Be sure to include more fruit and veggies in our meals.

4. Work out more
I think I may have told you this already, but Bobby's parents got us a Wii and a Wii Fit, along with the Biggest Loser game, for Christmas. Well, we have it all set up in the living room, and we've been using it, but not regularly. With Noelle's wedding coming up in 5 months I can't put on any more weight, especially since my dress is already here! It would be great to have to have it taken in! Also, I would love to lose some more weight so that if and when I get pregnant, I'm not GINORMOUS! I don't want to be one of those women who you can't tell if they're pregnant or just plain fat. Hahaha
Solution: Work out a minimum of 3 days a week for 30 minutes using the Wii Fit or Biggest Loser game.

5. Save Money
I'm not too bad at this, really...but sometimes I walk into Michael's and go CRAZY! I'll buy more stuff to make jewelry, or other craft things, and I spend way more than I should. This usually happens when we go to WalMart, too. We go with a list, and then come home with way more than we intended and we spend a ton more than we should, for sure!
Solution: Go to Michael's only when necessary(That is, when I run out of something). Buy only the things we need while grocery shopping, and don't put anything extra in the cart. Oh, and we need to put a little bit of each pay check into our savings accounts. That might be harder for Bobby to do than me, but I'm going to make him!

6. Participate in a Craft Show
I have been selling a lot of jewelry as of lately, and making a lot of it for gifts, too. I would like to continue doing this, and try to get some stuff made so that I can participate in craft show this year. Penns Manor has one in November, and that's quite a long way from now, but I would really like to do it this year. Maybe I can find another one to do before that, so I can get the feel of it.
Solution: Make a couple of pieces of jewelry a month to reserve for a craft show. Get info on the craft show asap and save money to buy a stand. If I can't do the craft show, I'll have to sell them to friends or create an Etsy store.

7. Spend More Time With Family and Friends
This one is easy, but after 2009, I've realized how important this goal really is. I can always use more quality time with the important people in my life :)
Solution: Same as my goal...spend more time with my family and friends. haha.

Annnnd, my last goal:
8. UPDATE MY BLOG MORE OFTEN!
I know I haven't been so consistent with updating this thing...I'm either busy, or my day hasn't been that exciting to share with you.
Solution: Update at least twice a week, whether things have been exciting or not, so I can keep all of my readers (even though I don't think there are too many of them) happy :)

I think those are all realistic goals. Let's see how I do as the year progresses. Wish me luck!

To all of you returning to work and school tomorrow, try not to stress out over it too much, dress warmly, and be careful on those snowy roads! I know I'm not looking forward to it, but we have to do it sometime, right??

Janelle's Star

For Christmas, I made Janelle a Photo-Covered Star. I saw it in an issue of Better Homes and Gardens and I just had to try it! I also saw it on bhg.com in their crafts and gifts section. It wasn't too difficult, I just had to practice a little patience when it came to cutting the pictures and paper.
I've had several people ask me how I made it, so here are the simple directions on how to make it!

Materials you'll need:
1. Tin Star
2. Pictures - Black and White looks best (You'll need 10)
3. Vellum
4. 5 different pieces of Scrap booking paper
5. ModPodge or another decoupage glue. (I bought the Matte finish, but I think the glossy would have looked better)
6. A paint brush of some kind. I would suggest a small sponge brush

1.) Purchase a Tin star. I bought mine at Pat Catan's (discount craft store in Murrysville, PA). Each point was about 9 inches from the center. You can probably find them at a Michael's, JoAnn Fabrics, AC Moore, through LTDcommodities, and I know that the Trader Horn in Indiana sells them in many different sizes. I also found them here, in many different colors.
1.5.) (this is a suggestion, and not really a direction, so that's why it's 1.5) BHG.com suggests painting the star black, but I was smart and bought a black one!

2.) Print pictures! I actually printed about 20 pictures so that I could select the right picture to fit on each section. For my star, I used 4x6 pictures. But you may need to use 5x7, or another size depending on the size of your star! It's better to use pictures that aren't too close up on your subject...especially their face! Having a smaller image will make it fit in the section better. That way, you aren't cutting off someone's face. I took almost all of the pictures of Taryne that I used.

A few examples of pictures that worked:

A picture that didn't work:

3.) Trace one point of the star using vellum or tracing paper. I found vellum to be the easiest to use, because it would hold the shape of the point. I used an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of vellum that I bought at Michael's, and I put it over one of the points. I folded it along the center of the point of the star, then I folded it around the rest of the edges. Once I had the shape, I cut it out so that I had my template.

4.) Go through your pictures and see which ones will fit best on each point. Using your template, trace your pictures and cut them out.

5.) As I cut my pictures, I taped each one down to the place on the star that I wanted it to go. That way, I could keep track of each picture (especially because I would have probably lost them!)

6.) After all pictures are cut out, cut your paper pieces to fit onto the point where you've placed your pictures, and tape those on to make sure they fit. This was the worst part for me...because after I used the template to get the shape, I then had to match the angles of the pictures.

7.) Remove pieces from the star, and lay them out on your table just like they were on the star, for easy gluing.

8.) Going from the top point (mine had a hanging wire on the top, so I knew it was the top), put a thin layer of ModPodge down all over the point, and lay your photos and scrapbook paper down, one piece at a time. As you lay each picture down, put a thin layer of ModPodge on top of it. Continue doing this with the paper and the pictures, until you've covered the star.

9.) After all pictures and paper are glued down, allow the whole star to dry.10.) After the star has dried, put on another thin layer of ModPodge over the entire star. This will help hold everything together and put a nice finishing coat over everything.

11.) Allow it to dry one final time. Once dry, either wrap it up for your friend or family member, or...hang it on the wall!

She LOVED it! I think I even made her cry a little. I also promised her one for the new baby after he or she arrives in April!!

Happy Crafting!!! Hope yours turns out as nicely as mine did!

Peanut Butter Munchies

So back on Nov. 18 I told you that I was going to participate in a cookie exchange with the women at my office. Well, it was a success and my cookies turned out great! The recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

PEANUT BUTTER MUNCHIES
(don't they just look yummy??)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

3. For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

4. On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

6. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. Makes 32 cookies.

To Store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Millions of Things

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Can you believe that it's 2010 already?? My hope is that this is going to be a much better year than 2009. I wish that you are all blessed with a ton of love and happiness this year.

There are a MILLION things that I could tell you about, but...I'm going to make it brief and tell you that we had a very nice Christmas. We ran around like crazy people and had a total of 7 family Christmas celebrations (all but two were on Christmas Day), plus our own, and we visited many friends and celebrated with them!

I'm not going to lie to you and say that the day was easy, because it wasn't. I tried VERY hard not to think about how hard the day was going to be, but there were times when I found myself crying and I couldn't control it. Going to my dad's mom's house was the worst, I think. My grandma and my aunts were crying when we got there, so that made it worse for mom and I. We enjoyed the rest of the day up to that point, especially watching Taryne open her gifts and get excited about everything.

I got lots of great things this year. Bobby's mom bought us a Wii and a Wii Fit/Balance Board, plus the Biggest Loser game, which is fun, but lots of hard work. She got me a few Snowbaby Wizard of Oz things for my collection, pj's, and some clothes. Noelle got me a really cute sweater with green, blue, grey, and red stripes. My mom got me lots of new clothes for school (that I picked out), a new bag to take to school with me, gloves/scarf/hat set, a couple of pieces to go with my willow tree nativity, plus a AAA membership! We got lots of money and gift cards from our grandparents and Ben got us a gift certificate for Tandor. Of course, Bobby got me my camera, which he gave me in October...and he got me some stuff that he put in my stocking. That's about it.

This was a crafty Christmas for me. I made lots of jewelry for people, and did a couple of other crafty things for Janelle and Bobby's cousin Jill. I participated in an ornament exchange and a cookie exchange this year, too! I tried to keep myself busy, thinking it would help with my Christmas spirit! I downloaded about 200 pictures to Facebook tonight...and I thought I should update you all on our crazy life!

I SWEAR that I'm going to post a few of my craft projects this weekend, because I've had several questions on how I made Janelle's gift.

We're off to bed! SOOO glad that there are 2 more days left of our vacation!