Monday, February 27, 2012

Good weekend...

So this weekend was pretty great.  First of all on Friday I got a call from a principal of a school I sub at frequently (also happens to be my old elementary school) asking me if I would like a long-term sub job for the rest of the year!  Of course I said YES!  This job is a bit less traditional-- I'm working one-on-one with a special ed. kid.  Mostly I'm there to keep him on task and if he has a meltdown or whatever then I'm to remove him from the class, and let him cool down, then finish the lesson/work with him alone.  Today was my first day and it went really well (of course- I'm in the "honeymoon phase" and I'm sure not every day will be great) but I'm happy to have the opportunity to have steady work for the rest of the year (plus I'll get my 133 days in which equals another year of experience :))

So after that bit of good news, Saturday my mom and I threw a baby shower for a friend we go to church with.  It was super fun. :)  I'd post pics but I took them all with mom's camera because my memory card is full and I have yet to clear it off!  Then Saturday evening we went to a nearby-to-us town with my brother and his wife to check out a pizza joint, then wrapped up the evening playing Harry Potter Clue with them.  Yes we are THAT cool.

Then Sunday, we started off FaceTiming with my cousins in Europe! :)  It was great to see them again-- and my little God daughter Hannie, is getting braver taking steps! :)  Then we went to Sunday school, and played hooky from church to meet up with my parents-in-law and my nieces to drive about an hour and 45 minutes to Wheeling.  We ate lunch at Cheddar's  (love that place-- they are building one here that should open soon!) then went to Cabela's.  It was fun watching my nieces get excited at all the animal displays and the aquarium there.  After spending all afternoon there-- and toting an underarmor shirt my hubby spent a giftcard on, a fleece zip up I got for $15, and of course- a 1/2 lb of fudge, we left there around 5:30 and headed home.   :)

So Monday came awfully quickly, but I think it's just because the weekend went by so fast cause it was a good one ;)  And Mondays are always better when the weather is sunny and 65 degrees.  (Yes it's FEBRUARY in WEST VIRGINIA and it's that warm out!  Crazy but I will take it!)  Right now I'm enjoying some peace and quiet while the dogs are playing outside.  Going to have to get off here though and put some laundry away and start on dinner! 

Until later! :)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What I'm Loving this Wednesday...



{hubby's job prospects}  sooo if you read in my previous post (or maybe the one before it?)... anyway, Brew had an interview for a railroad position and... good news- he was selected for the hiring pool.  AND his dad did some asking around and found out that he is at the top of the list!!!  They aren't expecting any vacancies to come open until at the EARLIEST April, more likely later in summer but at any rate, when a vacancy does come up, he will hopefully get a job offer!  The only not-so-good thing is that if he gets the job offer before early June then he won't be able to go on our OBX vacation with his family (due to training).  (Though if that happens-- I still plan on going! haha) So, we are still hoping/praying that he does get a job offer but this was really encouraging to hear!

{niece coming soon}  So my sister in law isn't due until March  21, but by the looks/sounds of things she could very well be here early!  She is 36 weeks today, and goes in for an ultrasound tomorrow.  Last time she was already estimated 6lbs 6oz and the tech said she was running out of room when she measured her.  She's also had several real contractions so we will see!  They may induce her anytime after Feb 29.  Last weekend I helped her paint the nursery and get it ready.  So excited to meet her!

 {mini Sunday getaway?}  Brew has been working INSANE hours lately.  We're talking 14hr + days.  Yeah.  They are down to where he's the only driver and he's super overworked.  (I won't get into everything cause this is what I'm LOVING Wednesday lol)  But anyway, one of the RTs is taking his call this weekend so he can have a break!  We are going somewhere Sunday, just to have a day to get out of town and get his mind off of work.  Not sure what we're doing yet, but it's going to be something!  lol.  But I'm looking forward to it.  Not only to get to spend time with him (something hard to come by as of late) but also because I've had  and will have a busy week myself!



Well those are the things that came to mind today-- I'm off to the lenten dinner, handbell choir practice, and Ash Wednesday service at church!

Friday, February 17, 2012

New Recipes!

Hey everyone-- so I thought I'd share with you some of the new recipes I've tried over the last month and half.  Part of my New Years Resolution this year is to try one new recipe a month.  Well thanks to Pinterest, I've far exceeded that!  Here are the new recipes I've tried this month.  Most have links to the recipes, and there are a couple at the end that I sort of made up myself!  I also included any modifications I made to them as well.  Hope you can try them and that you enjoy them too!

Chicken & Cheese Stuffed Croissant Rolls
This is NOT my picture-- came from recipe link!

Things I changed with this recipe-- I actually made this twice.  The first time I followed it exactly, and found that the rolls were a little doughy for my taste and it was hard to roll the shredded cheese into them.  So the second time I made this, I increased both the temperature (to 375) and the cooking time by a couple minutes and they came out much better.  Of course, this could just be a difference in ovens.  I also only mixed the soup with HALF a can of milk instead of a whole can.  I liked it better thicker.  And finally, the second time I used Velveeta cheese sliced into cubes.  I think *real* cheese cubes would be good too, I just happened to have Velveeta instead.


Tater Tot Casserole
Again, not my image
 This one I followed exactly without any modifications.  It was pretty good!  This isn't the same recipe as the Duggars tater tot casserole, this one uses ground beef and cheese.  I might try it next time with ground turkey though!  I also think it would be a good breakfast casserole using ground pork sausage instead of beef.  (And maybe sausage gravy instead of cream of mushroom soup???  Ooh the possibilities!)



The last few recipes were ones that I just sort of made up.  And I failed and didn't get a picture of them (sorry-- I'll try to remember for next time!)

Cheese and Avocado Quesadillas
I've been wanting to try and work with avocados more, so I bought a couple at Aldi to experiment.  I used CandidMommy's YouTube video on how to slice them.

This recipe is super easy...
1- Grease a small skillet (I used non-stick cooking spray)
2- Place a taco-size flour tortilla on the skillet, cover with avocado slices, mexican blend shredded cheese, and then I added some Southwestern seasoning that I bought locally at the Bob Evans Farm Festival  (I think a dash of taco seasoning would work well too), then cover with a second tortilla.
3- Once first side is golden brown, flip and toast other side too.
4- Transfer to plate, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter, and enjoy!  I served it with sour cream and salsa!


Avocado Spread
This was kind of a half-attempt at guacamole.  I'm sure if I had it available and added pico de gallo it would've made instant guac, but I was just working with what I had.  I just cut an avocado into slices, added garlic powder and salt to taste, then mashed it into a puree with a fork.  I ate it with tortilla chips and cheese as a snack.  It would also be really good on a turkey sub or something.  It kept well for a few days in the fridge!


Turkey Burgers
I had never made turkey burgers before, but I know ground turkey tends to be more bland than say ground beef or venison so I knew I'd have to season them somehow.  Several recipes online called for using an onion soup mix to season the patties.  Since I didn't have that, I made the patties and seasoned them generously with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  It turned out REALLY well-- even hubby approved and he's not generally a big fan of ground turkey.  I melted some cheddar-jack cheese on top and served them on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  I bet the avocado would be good on it too (going to try that next time!)


And the last recipe was inspired by a Pinterest one, originally calling for marshmallows too, but I left those out and made some...

Chocolate Croissants
All you need for this is a tube of refrigerated Crescent Roll dough and some semi-sweet chocolate chips!
Just roll in about a teaspoon full of chocolate chips up with the crescent roll triangles, and bake according to the directions on the tube!  These are best warm right out of the oven!  I also sprinkled some extra sugar on top before serving.  Seriously the simplest dessert ever-- could also make a good breakfast pastry.  And actually is NOT that calorie-laden.  :)



This next month I'm hoping to try some slow-cooker chicken and dumplings, and a few soup and dessert recipes.  Follow me on Pinterest.  I have a recipe ideas board there and literally all of my ideas have come from there so far!   I'll be sure to continue to share my recipes with you!

Monday, February 6, 2012

It's February...

And I realized I haven't posted in a while... so here's just an update of sorts!

First of all- My new years resolutions have been going well.  I've far exceeded my "try a new recipe a month" because I've averaged about one new one every 1-2 weeks!  Thank you, pinterest!  Sometime soon I'll do a post linking the new ones I've tried so far :)  As far as exercising, I kind of cut back on it a bit.  We are also going to get rid of our Netflix subscription.  So instead I'm switching to walking.  I need to get a harness for Earl (he doesn't quite understand this leash attached to the collar concept and sometimes tries to pull out of his collar) and then I'm going to start walking daily (or as close to daily as weather allows) with both dogs.  This should be interesting lol!  The only one that's not going the greatest is the saving money thing.  Seems like lately we just can't get ahead.  And our spending hasn't been in excess.  I'm just not sure what it is.  Hopefully though we'll get a decent tax refund and can get caught up.  Anyone out there have any easy little "tips" for saving money? 

And speaking of money- I have a prayer request.  Brew applied for a railroad job a while back- and GREAT news, got invited to a "hiring session" on Feb 16 (which consists of watching a video, taking a test, and then getting an interview!)  If he were to get this job it would be a blessing in SO many ways.  First of all, he'd be making more than what we BOTH make together now (so I might have a chance to be a stay-at-home mom one of these days-- or at least will be able to take more time off  when I have a baby!!!)  Not to mention, railroad benefits/retirement are AWESOME, he would be home more than he is now, AND he'd really enjoy this job.  We are really praying that this is the job for him and that he gets this opportunity!  Any prayers you all can send too would be fantastic!

We watched the Super Bowl last night- though we didn't care who won lol  (We aren't big NFL people).  I didn't see ANY commercials that were overly spectacular.  Seems like it's been a while since there were any really funny ones...

Well I need to get off here and get ready & moving.  Got to leave in about a half hour.  I'm working half days (afternoon) today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, then full days Thursday and Friday.