Moving!

My blog will be moving soon.  I suppose I should be more specific...this blog will still be here but I'm starting a new one with a new name.  So, stay tuned and I'll give you the link.  See ya soon...

Life Tip

Another Life Tip: Put clean clothes away on the bottom of the stack.  After you've finished your laundry and folded it into neat little piles, put the newly folded clothes on the bottom of the stack.  Then, when you reach for a shirt or pair of pants, take from the top of the stack.  This will guarantee an equal rotation of your clothes and reduce uneven wear and tear.  Of course, if you're very particular about what you wear, this probably won't work for you...I can't help you.  *This works best if you're storing your clothes on a shelf but it can apply to drawers as well (watch for a future Life Tip on the best way to store t-shirts in a drawer). 

Baked Pesto Chicken - Pinterest #4

I forgot to post this Pinterest recipe in April...oops!  We had Baked Pesto Chicken for dinner at the end of April and it was tasty.  It was really simple to make, easier than I expected.  It was pretty soupy so next time I would make rice or pasta to serve with it.  Bill really liked it and I'm sure I'll make it again some day!

Pinterest Version

My Version

 

For the recipe, follow the link above (recipe title) to the website where it was originally posted.

Life Tip

Here's a Life Tip for you: Double the hamburger, onion, and green pepper mixture.  When you're making chili or taco salad (two of our favorites), the first step is to fry the hamburger with the onion and green pepper.  So, when you make one or the other, always fry twice as much!  That way, you can freeze the other half and have it ready to go for the next time you make chili or taco salad.  (I'm sure it could be used for other recipes too, these are just the two we make most.)  Doubling saves time chopping and frying (and washing dishes)!

Grilled Cheese

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day.  I had a grilled cheese sandwich to celebrate.  It was tasty!

Dog Wants Cat

Just a little video clip to make you smile today.  Our dog and cat love to chase each other and wrestle.  The cat, like most cats, also likes to sit in boxes.  The dog wants to get the cat but isn't smart enough to just jump in the box with her.  At least the dog is persistent...and cute.  Have a great day!

Easter Deviled Eggs - Pinterest #3

Here I am again at the end of the month with my Pinterest experiment.  Today is Easter Sunday so I made deviled eggs with all our dyed Easter eggs.  But, I made them special by following the instructions for these Easter Eggs.  They turned out great!  It was a little more work, but I think it was worth it.  What do you think?

Pinterest version

 

 

My version

 

 

 

For the recipe, follow the link above (recipe title) to the website where it was originally posted.

Taco Casserole - Pinterest #2

For my second Pinterest experiment I made another recipe.  This time, I tried Taco Casserole.  It was good and we ate way too much of it.  If I make it again, I think I will add more tomatoes because I thought it was a little bit dry.  But, the flavors were tasty and it seemed easier than making actual tacos.

Pinterest version

 

  

My version

 

For the recipe, follow the link above (recipe title) to the website where it was originally posted.

National Pancake Day!

Happy National Pancake Day!!!  IHOP gave away free short stacks of pancakes today.  It was delicious...and free (except the orange juice)!  I hope you all had a good pancake day!

Spicy Sausage Penne - Pinterest #1

I decided to do a monthly experiment this year and blog about it.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, it's a website that allows you to "pin" pictures, ideas, recipes, etc. on a virtual bulletin board and it lets you browse other peoples boards and vice versa.  It's a fun way to share things on the internet but be careful, because it can be VERY addicting.  It's so easy to stare at fun ideas on Pinterest all day and not actually get anything done.  There is also a funny website called Pinstrosity that shows people's failed attempts to copy what they've pinned.  I'm going to do a Pinterest Experiment each month and see if I succeed or fail!  I will include a link to the original "pin" and the original picture vs. a picture of my version so you can see how well I did!

My first Pinterest Experiment is a recipe (most of them will probably be recipes since I'm not very crafty).  The picture of Spicy Sausage Penne looked so good I wanted to eat it as soon as I saw it.  I finally made it for dinner last week and it was good.  It was spicier than I expected, but I guess with "Spicy" in the title I should have known.  I forgot the green onions, so my picture doesn't look as good but it was pretty tasty.  I think I used a different cheese blend too since mine looks so yellow (or maybe I should blame that on my camera).  My verdict: it was good.  I would give myself a 7 out of 10 since I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  But, at least it wasn't a failure!  So, what do you think?  How did I do?

Pinterest version

 

My version

For the recipe, follow the link above (recipe title) to the website where it was originally posted.

A New Year

Hello and welcome to 2013!!  It's a New Year!  What will this year bring?  No one knows for sure!

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  I don't usually like to because I almost always fail, but sometimes I think of a few things.  Last year I made some resolutions and I didn't do a very good job at keeping them.  This year, rather than specific resolutions, I'm just going to try to do two things.  Ready?  1) Eat less and 2) Spend less.  They are pretty simple and straightforward and I'm really going to try.  Oh, and I want to exercise more...but I know I won't be consistent with that so I won' even list it!

As far as themes for my blog this year - I have none!  It was tough to keep up last year and I didn't always get my posts done on time (as you know if you're a regular follower).  But, I did finish the year with 4 posts each month according to my themes.  This year I'm just going to post things as they come to me.  That might mean fewer posts, but I'll still be here and I'll try to find entertaining things to share as often as I can.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

December 25 - A Day In My Life

Christmas!!  My favorite holiday and my last blog entry for the year.  I thought it would be fitting to finish with Christmas since I love it so much.  And, doing the ADIML blogs are my favorites...so here you have it.  We had a wonderful Christmas day - my parents came over to open presents at our house and then we ate cinnamon rolls.  Later in the day, we went to my parents house and had a wonderful Christmas dinner.  It was a fun day and a great way to end my 2012 blog posts.  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and look forward to a Happy New Year! 
Who knows what 2013 will hold!!!

When I was little I would wake up VERY early, but now I appreciate sleeping in a bit!  

We opened presents around 9:30!

The cinnamon rolls before the oven.

Our tree with all the presents - remember, we were only 4 people!!!

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and Santa filled them!

Bill's not sure he likes his present.

Just kidding...he loves it!

(He just wasn't ready for the last picture.)

Mom also loves her new lotion.

Bill opening one of the big ones!

Dad got a new knife...good thing since he's always losing it!

The mess after all the opening.

The cinnamon rolls after the oven (and after we ate some!).

Gadget is tired out from all the activity.

My contribution to Christmas Dinner - Cheesy Potato Casserole.

Mom making sweet potatoes.

Delicious ham and potatoes in the oven...it doesn't get any better than this!

The table without the food...

...the table with the food!

Gadget also got a special Christmas dog biscuit.

After dinner resting!

And we watched the Grinch.

Taking pictures of our pies.

Our pies (we had another one in the fridge).

Four pies for four people!

My choice - German Chocolate Pie with Cool Whip!

Our tree at the end of the day.

We had a wonderful Christmas!

I didn't get any pictures of myself...maybe I can get some from my mom's camera.  It was a great day and we are truly blessed!  I wish we could have celebrated with our family and friends around the world, but I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  See you next year!

Luke 2:10-11

Week 52 - Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Christmas Lights

This week, we went to several different Christmas light displays around Portland.  I decided it was finally time to do some Christmas-y activities so we did them all this week!  We started at the Winter Wonderland lights display at the Portland International Raceway.  We got to drive on the racetrack and look at all the lights set up all around.  It was fun!  Next, we went to the Oregon Zoo to see the Zoolights. We rode the train around and saw the animal lights and then walked around and saw some more.  It was very cool!  Lastly, we went down to the river and watched the Christmas Ship Parade.  People decorated their boats and then paraded up and down the river.  It was smaller than I expected, but cool.  I hope you enjoy a few clips from the Christmas lights we enjoyed...and hopefully it helps put you in the Christmas spirit!  (Sorry for the blurry video - my camera doesn't do very well at night and some of the lights were hard to focus on...but you get the idea, so just enjoy it!)

As always, click on the "HD" letters to watch the video on Vimeo's website with better quality.

Habakkuk 3:18

Week 51 - Habakkuk 3:18
...yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

7-Layer Bars

It's time for cookies!  Actually, I can't believe I haven't made any before now.  I've been busy, but I finally decided that I wanted cookies TODAY.  Even though Spritz are my favorite Christmas cookie, they take a little more time to make.  So, I decide to start with a cookie that's a little quicker.  7-Layer Bars are in my Top 5 favorite cookies so I was happy to start with them.  I don't know why they are called 7-Layer Bars because they only have 4-5 layers as far as I can tell (they only have 7 ingredients after all).  But, they are tasty so I don't care what they're called!  They aren't really cookies since they are bars and they are ooey and gooey, but if you like chocolate and coconut, you will love them!

The ingredients.

Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs.

Spread in the bottom of the pan and press into a crust.

Layer the coconut on the crust.

Layer the chocolate chips and nuts on top of the coconut.

Pour on the sweetened condensed milk.

This is what it looks like before it goes in the oven

(I forgot to take a picture of it after!) 

The tasty finished product...so good!

7-Layer Bars

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips (optional) (I never use these because I prefer just chocolate!)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts are also good)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
-Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Spread over the bottom of 9x9-inch pan.  Press into pan to create a crust.
-Layer coconut, chips, and nuts, one at a time, on top of crust.
-Pour sweetened condensed milk over layers.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let cool and cut into bars.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 Dirty Dishes.

7-Layer Bars

Taste: 5 out of 5

Dirty Dishes: 4 out of 5

Time/Effort: 5 out of 5

TOTAL: 14 out of 15