Blog Challenge - Day 7

Day y - Your zodiac sign and do you think it fits your personality.

Virgo

• Virgo keywords: Discrimination, keenness, aloofness, analysis, shrewdness, skepticism, obsession, meticulous, calculation, courage, loyalty, pride, tidiness, warmth, kindliness,  creativity, introverted, freedom-loving, materialism, workaholism, stability, duality, intelligence, hypochondria, cold, practical.

 

I think I fit so many virgo characteristics.  I tend to keep things inside, am a worrywart, and can sometimes be too critical.  Virgos are generally good at crafts and art projects so that fits really well.  And, one of the highest compatible signs for a life partner is Taurus (which happens to be Hubs' sign).

Blog Challenge - Day 6

Day 6 - 30 Things About Me

 1.  I LOVE to take pictures.
 2.  I love to cook.
 3.  I can watch reruns of Friends, The Nanny, and Roseanne over and over.
 4.  I can spend all day reading. (Hubs and I both read the 7th Harry Potter within 24 hours)
 5.  I dislike judgemental people.
 6.  I love vacationing at the beach.
 7.  My favorite drink is a really cold Diet Mtn Dew.
 8.  I had an imaginary friend named Bosh when I was a child.  He made nails.
 9.  I am addicted to my iphone.
10. I love the color purple.
11. I hate scary movies.
12. My best friend and I own/run a monogramming business. 
13. I try to coupon but I stink at it.
14. When I was 15, I broke my ankle rollerskating.
15. My family is addicted to karaoke.
16. Until I was 7 I thought Elvis was a family member.
17. I still keep up with one of my childhood friends from California.
18. I love the smell of vanilla.
19. My birthstone is saphhire and it is my favorite stone.
20. My dad and I were baptized on the same day.
21. I skipped my 10 yr class reunion.
22. I have taken a cab ride in Mexico.
23. I want to go to Europe - Rome and London.
24. I hate repetitive tasks.
25. A major selling point to my car was the sunroof.
26. I am addicted to sticky notes.
27. I cannot wait to graduate - to actually walk across the stage.
28. I wish I owned a swimming pool.
29. I do not like to shop.
30. I think Valentine's Day is a useless holiday.

Blog Challenge - Day 5

Day 5 - A time when you thought about ending your own life.

I can honestly say that I have never had those thoughts.  I guess my personality has always been "things will get better" or "it will be ok."  I have felt such sadness from time to time but never enough to have life-ending thoughts. 

As a rational thinker, I have such strong opinions on suicide yet I know that when someone is having such dark thoughts, they are not thinking rationally.  It is no doubt a dark, scary, and lonely place to be.

Menu Plan Monday

 

Last week we did an ok job at sticking to our menu plan.  Our sweet old dog passed away early on Tuesday so that threw me in a funk for the rest of the week.  This week I didn't do a great job at planning but there is a rough plan in place...

Friday - Junk food!  Pizza, jalapeno poppers, and potato skins.  Oh the horror!

Saturday - Out with my sweet friend A and her sister.

Sunday - Roasted Chicken (in the crockpot), homemade mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, green beans

Monday - Lasagna (Stouffer's) and Italian bread

Tuesday - Chicken Junk (skillet chicken, squash, and zucchini in marinade over noodles) and Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Calzones

Thursday - Grilled Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce

I have been looking up recipes and menu plan ideas all weekend.  For menu planning resources, check out orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday.

Blog Challenge - Day 4

Day 4 - A DIY tutorial or something you'd like to make

 A while ago, I came across mod podge created crafts and I was addicted.  My first major project using Mod Podge was this cake plate and dessert plates.  You use a fabric of your choice and use the Mod Podge to glue the fabric to a smooth surface.  I used basic glass plates from Wal-Mart.  I finished the cake plate by using Gorilla Glue to add a glass candle holder to the plate.  I think they turned out pretty cute. 

Blog Challenege - Day 3

Day 3 - Your view on drugs and alcohol

Drugs are bad.  Crack is whack.  Say nope to dope. 
Seriously though, I have seen people become addicted to drugs in several forms - both illegal drugs and prescriptions.  It is a sad road and the dependence on drugs of any kind is hard to fight. 

I don't necessarily have a problem with alcohol.  If someone is of age and responsible then it is fine.  Just like with drugs, alcohol can become a problem.  Know your limit and don't turn to alcohol for the wrong reasons.

Blog Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 - Where you would like to be in ten years...

Out of college (this should be realized in 10 months!)
Happy in my career
Have a child
Build-on to our home (or dream - move to the beach!)
Have my photography business be a success

My ideas are simple.  I just want to continue to enjoy life and make memories as we go along.

Blog Challenge - Day 1

Day 1 - Your Current Relationship

Hubs and I have been married for 7 years.  We met in late August of 2003 and married on August 21, 2004.  He is my best friend.  We are so similar yet different.  We love to travel and are both fairly crafty people.  He is a huge reader and encouraged me to expanding my reading from just cheesy Harlequin novels.  We are very much partners.  I love to cook but he doesn't mind cleaning up after me.  I handle laundry but boy does he love the floors - he is a vaccum and steam cleaner junkie.  Since we got married, we have had dogs, cats, a hamster, a bird, and fish.  Whew.  Currently, we only have one dog, Shelby, after our beloved weinie dog passed away on Tuesday.

I'm glad to have Hubs as my spouse and partner but just as grateful that he is my best friend.

Challenge Me!

30-Day Blog Challenge: Overview
Day 1 - Your current relationship. (If single discuss how single life is.)
Day 2 - Where you'd like to be in 10 years.
Day 3 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 4 - A DIY tutorial or something you'd like to make.
Day 5 - A time you thought about ending your own life.
Day 6 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 7 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Day 8 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
Day 9 - How you hope your future will be like.
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your Ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you'd like to move or visit.
Day 14 - Your earliest memory.
Day 15 - Your favorite Blogger's.
Day 16 - Your hobbies.
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year.
Day 18 - Your hometown.
Day 19 - Why you blog.
Day 20 - How important you think education is.
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows.
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it's about.
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why.
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you.
Day 27 - A problem that you have had.
Day 28 - Something that you miss.
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days.
Day 30 - Your highs and lows of this month.

My Sweet Old Dog

Our sweet old weinie dog, Coby, passed away early Tuesday morning.

I'm heartbroken and I truly miss my sweet buddy but I am so thankful he isn't in pain any longer.  Without going into much detail, he took a turn for the worse on Friday and we watched over him all weekend.  He passed away on his own, and for that, I am so thankful.  Making that decision would have been so hard.  I will cherish that last night when he let me hold him (he didn't want to be held or touched over the weekend) and love on him. 

People without pets don't realize how much they can become a part of your life.  We adopted Coby seven years ago when he was five years old.  He was our constant companion even after cats and birds both came and went.  I'm so glad he came into our lives as our furry child and I will never forget his sweet face.

5 Things About Coby

1.  He LOVED cheese.  He knew what the sound of the bag sounded like and would come running.

2.  He loved rocks.  The bigger the better.

3.  He loved to snuggle and be hidden in blankets.

4.  He hated having a bath but afterwards he would run around like a maniac and dive into the floor.

5.  He was crazy about people. He loved being talked to and held.  He was more social than Hubs and I!

Rest in peace buddy.  Mommy loves you.

Menu Plan Monday

Hubs and I have been dealing with our old dog this weekend.  The seemed fine last week but took a bad turn on Friday.  Thankfully he is doing better today.  He enjoyed some mashed potatoes this afternoon.  I'm hoping he's out of the woods.  

Hubs and I were off on Friday and enjoyed grocery shopping together.  As always, we didn't need much but ended up spending more than usual.  How?!  But, here's our menu for this week..

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - BBQ with the in-laws

Sunday - Fried Chicken, Loaded Potato Casserole, Baked Beans, and Biscuits

Monday - Pancakes and Bacon

Tuesday  - Tilapia and Shrimp (I don't care for fish), Cole Slaw, and Hushpuppies

Wednesday - Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, and Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Thursday - Nachos

'Til Next Week....

Get tons of menu plan ideas from Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday!

The Weekend that Was

What an interesting weekend! 

Saturday, we (Hubs, KC, and my brother Andrew) headed to Huntsville to visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  KC, Andrew, and I had not been since elementary school and Hubs had never been.  Hubs is really into space and astronomy and we thought this would be fun.  We chose this weekend because the new Orion spacecraft was making a stop on its way from White Sands to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The Orion will mark a new area in space travel.  Here is a local article about its visit.  We got to see the Orion up close and sign it.

While we had an enjoyable day, I have to say that the Center was way cooler when I was a pre-teen.  But it was fun.  The Saturn V rocket is housed indoors and that was really cool to see it up close.  We'll definitely take any future children to explore.

Saturday night, Hubs and I made homemade chinese food and borrowed The Help to watch.  I just finished the book and was really interested in seeing the movie.  While I was cooking, I looked down to notice little purple footprints in the kitchen.  To my horror, under my (carpeted) dining room table, our "puppy" had chewed up a purple ink pen.  My cream carpet was LSU purple!  Hubs immediately began cleaning it up with a new carpet stain remover called Folex.  Let me just say...go to Lowe's and buy Folex (less than $5 a bottle).  It is a miracle chemical.  My carpet is now 99% clean.  Still a faint pink hue on one spot that Hubs is still working on. 

Well after the carpet ordeal, we realized we didn't see Shelby.  She was hiding.  I found her...covered in purple ink.  Her mouth, white furry chest, and legs were all purple. 

She knew it was bad because she went into the bathtub willingly.  The water ran purple for several seconds and it took some major scrubbing but she is all shiny again. 

Oh the joys of parenting...err is that the right word?  She got quiet....I should have known that meant trouble! 

Thankfully we only have one chewer.  Our ancient weinie only cares about real food and doesn't chew on anything.  And it would exert too much energy to chew.  He's too lazy.

Menu Plan Monday

This week I was so well planned and I had an excellent grocery list with coupons and all....and I abandon it due to my schedule and etc.  No excuses.  I salvaged a plan but need to stick to a list and coupons next week.  I was so close to seeing real change at the register.  But, live and learn!  Here is our plan...

Friday - Hot Chicken and Fries

Saturday - Chinese Chicken Salad, Fried Rice, and Egg Rolls

Sunday - Roast with Potatoes and Carrots, Mac n Cheese, Peas, and Rolls

Monday - Class night!  Hubs cooks.  Hot Dogs and Fries

Tuesday - Chili

Wednesday - Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, and Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Thursday - Nachos

I love menu planning!  I spend all weekend reading blogs and organizing.  My favorite resource is Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday.  Check it out!!

I Love Pictures

I love pictures.

I love to take pictures and look at pictures.  Especially old pictures.  Oh the memories these pictures bring!  I recently rearranged my home office and found a ton of random old pictures.  Each one of these pictures brings so many memories flooding into my mind.  

This is Disney Work during 10th grade (so...spring of 1998).  Oh the memories I have of that trip and those girls. 

This was the beginning of my senior year of high school and the weekend before my 17th birthday.  The five of us (and one set of parents) traveled to Atlanta to see 'NSync in concert.  Yes...we were boy banders.  That night, after the concert, these four girls surprised me with an impromptu birthday party and tickets to see The Backstreet boys that following November. 

And back to the band trip of 1998...Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.  I think we rode that log ride about 20 times.  And my brother was so tiny there in front of me.  He turns 24 this year.

I'm going to say this is 1986.  I am the big one in the back.  The little ones are my 2nd cousins on my dad's size.  One now lives in Atlanta with her look-a-like baby boy and the other lives in Knoxville.  Beautiful girls.

San Francisco - 1989.  We were visiting my dad's niece and her family who lived outside of SF at the time.  Her daughter was the blonde in the picture above.  From left to right - My dad's older brother and one of my favorite people, his hilarious wife, my dad, mom, baby brother, and me up front.

My cousin K and I (check out my lace tights).  K is one of my second cousins on my mom's size.  His mom was one of my grandmother's younger sister.

One of my favorite pictures.  Although any picture that includes me with my Pawpaw is a favorite.  This is my cousin Kim and I with our Pawpaw on Christmas Eve (85 or 86).  We love/loved this man and he loved us.

My pawpaw and me. Oh the love.

San Fran. Same visit as above.  My cousins J and B.

My dad with my cousin Kim and I (I'm on the left..his right).

At my grandparents' house - 87?

Me, my cousin Kim, and cousin Melissa.
We were always put together because we were so close in age.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Several years ago, one of my childhood friends offered to make Chinese food.  She made the most amazing salad and we have been addicted since.  We generally make a meal off of this salad and fried rice.  I am happy to share this super easy recipe so you can enjoy it too.  Note - it is not a healthy salad.  hehe

What you will need:
3 cups chopped chicken (cooked.  I boil mine)
3 cups (and sometimes more..I'll explain later) Shredded Cabbage
1 bunch green onions
2 packs Ramen Noodles (chicken flavor) and seasoning packets
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup oil (canola or any salad oil)
1 teaspoon Accent
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
6 tablespoons White Vinegar
4 tablespoons Sugar

 In a large bowl, add shredded cabbage.  I always buy pre-shredded to save time but you can shred your own.

 Next, add chopped onion tops (only the green).  If you aren't a big fan of green onion, you can add less.

 Then add your spices.  But, don't add the white vinegar or oil yet.

 Meanwhile, in a pot melt the butter.  Crush the Ramen noodles and add them to the butter.

 Stir occasionally allowing the noodles to toast a bit.  The noodles add a nice crunch to the salad.

Then, add your cooked chicken and toasted noodles to the bowl.  Add white vinegar and oil. Mix very well.  Generally, I feel like mine is really oily so I had more cabbage (sometimes double what it calls for) but you can add or not just based on how you like it.

All done!  Yum!  Enjoy!!