Really Carrie?

A friend of mine has recently gotten me addicted to two very different shows and I have to say I have never watch this much TV in my life!  But they are ohhh so good!

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Vampire Diaries...ever watch it!?!  I am hooked!  In about 4 weeks I watched the whole 1st and 2nd season and am now caught up in the 3rd...ridiculous!  And I forget that it is just a show sometimes and think about it way to often.  For instance, sitting at a restaurant the other day I noticed that one of the wooden shutters was broken and hanging cracked in half...instantly I thought, "I could kill a vampire with that!"...and then I thought, "Really Carrie???"  (fyi-vampires can be killed with a wooden stake, fire or the typical ripping their heads off ha)

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The other show I am loving is Downton Abbey.  I wasn't sold after the 1st episode but by the 3rd I couldn't stop watching it!  I don't know what it is about it...but they are incredible!

So if you have some time, peruse around Netflix until you find these beauties, grab some popcorn and a gal pal and go for it! :)

Tried and True

Well ok...tried once but oh so good!  

As I have mentioned earlier HERE, I am trying to get a good selection of "go-to" recipes that Todd and I love and are easy, cheap and for the most part healthy.  I put all of my favorite recipes in THIS heirloom cookbook.  So here is our menu from the past few meals and I will link you up to the recipes and give you my thoughts...

Tex-Mex Couscous - AMAZING!

Orange Chicken - it was ok, but will probably not make it again. Does anyone have a better recipe???

Spicy Sausage and Peppers - We really liked this with warm French bread.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers - mmmm INCREDIBLE!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup - Perfect for a cold night by the fire!

Chicken Pot Pie - Nothing says YUM like a chicken pot pie!  A friend from church brought this over to us when we had Simon and we practically ate the whole dish in one meal!  Here is the easy recipe:

2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked, cut up chicken
1 15 ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
Pastry for 9-inch 2-crust pie

Rinse frozen peas and carrots to separate and set aside. Heat butter in sauce pan. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Stir in broth and milk and whisk together. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. After mixture thickens, stir in chicken and veggies. Remove from heat. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll 2/3 of pastry into 13 inch square. Place into 9X9 square pan or whatever dish you have. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan. Roll remaining pastry into 11-inch square. Place square over pie filling. Turn edges under and flute. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Well I hope this gives you some "go-to" recipes like it did me!  If you have any recipes to recommend I would LOVE to see them!  Give me a link in my comments!

Happy start of the week! :)

It's that time of year...

It's that time of year again where I have the battle against my ever-so-dry winter skin!  So I had to make more of THIS the other day to fight the battle!

3rd Post Ever

Last night I was labeling my blog posts (phew long task) and I was looking back at some oldies and this post made me laugh.  It was my 3rd post ever and it was 25 random things (I think I was bored while Todd was traveling).  Pretty much all of these are still true...but I have added some updated info (bold).

So here they were/are...

1. I wish adults went to the roller skating rink to hang out.
2. I make up words.
3. I love post-it notes.
4. I will be able to play the violin one day. (I know have one and learned to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars and have now been slacking.  I need to get back on it.)
5. I love to fall asleep on the couch. (I don't just love it, I usually can't help it!)
6. I love that my husband and I are always willing to go where ever God leads us.
7. I would like to own a navy blue bucky beaver Jeep Wagoneer.
8. I have a love/hate relationship with running.
9. I am horrible at keeping in contact with people.
10. I want my husband to get a sleeve (tattoo).
11. I hate cleaning the microwave.
12. I dance in front of the mirror with Mariah and Whitney. (and now workout to Beyonce Pandora station)
13. I like to make a list just to cross it off.
14. I can never remember if it is "labtop" or "laptop". (or pronounced "treadmill" or "treadmeal"...or "Seinfield" or "Sinfeld")
15. I don't know which way is North, South, West, and East. Just tell me left of right.
16. I have a teacher voice and eyes in the back of my head.
17. My favorite magazine in the world is, "The Nest". (I can't remember what this is now...I should revisit it!)
18. I would have liked to live in the hippie-era.
18. I really miss living by my family but I am confident God will make it very obvious where we need to be. (We live closer to family now and it is wonderful!)
19. I love raking the gravel in the backyard so that it is evenly spread out. (We don't have a gravel backyard anymore but I miss it!)
20. I love finding bargains. Can't afford not to...right? :)
21. At night I can't just turn the lamp off once...it is on, off, on, off, on, off, on, off... (I now leave my bedside lamp unplugged so it isn't an option!)
22. I walked down the aisle to the Hawaiian version of, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
23. I used to believe I was born under a rock...you can thank my brothers for that.
24. To this day I won't eat Jello because my brother Brian once told me that is is monkey brains. I know it isn't, but I can't get that thought out of my mind when I see it.
25. Call me a nerd, but I LOVE playing Settlers of Catan. (I wish we played more often!)

Well that was it!  Seems like I typed that post forever ago...and then at the same time it seems like it was just yesterday!

Tex-Mex Couscous

Lately I have been scouring the Internet for not only healthy recipes, but under $5 as well.  I came across this blog called Eat Yourself Skinny.  It has great recipes and they are usually made with things I can find around the house and not have too buy many ingredients for.  Yesterday I tried Tex-Mex Couscous and it is one of Todd and I's new favorites! Todd is a big fan of meals that are all mixed together and can be eaten out of one bowl (rather than entree + sides)...so this satisfied that!  I put a bit of sour cream in mine because it was a tad spicy and Todd loaded his with hot sauce.  You can find the recipe HERE.

photo via Eat Yourself Skinny

I also made Cranberry Oat and Honey Bread for dessert.  I don't have much experience in making breads but this was very simple.  And the best part of it was that I had all the ingredients at home already...so no money spent for me!  I had to cook it a bit longer than it said on the recipe to get the middle to be firm.  We had some for dessert last night and I had a slice with coffee this morning.  Another great recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny!

Out with the...

Out with the old...

I have had this video for about 5 years and let me just say...Gunnar is good, but after 5 years it is getting old!

And in with the new...

I have been doing this workout set for 5 days now and I really like it!  I am sore in all of the right places!  $12 well spent!

Fun Things!

I am pretty excited about...

 ...my new measuring cups!  Each piece is a different size...and they all fit in to one another!  I used them the other day to make some homemade granola bars.  Todd snagged these for me in a gift exchange!  You can find them HERE.

...my new salt and pepper shakers that my sis-in-law found...she remembered my love of Ball jars!

...my first pair of Danskos (remember my post about these babies)!!!!!!!!  I have been admiring these ever since we went to Maine (see our trip posts HERE and HERE).  I went with the Hunter Green version...I love them!

...that I finally finished our old tablet of paper on the fridge and was able to put up a new one.  The last one took us a total of 2 YEARS to go through!  I must admit...it is pretty handy though!  I usually look for cute ones at Michaels for a whopping $1!

Happy Saturday!