Excuses end here

Okay, I will admit it.

I have not worked out in about 3 months now.

Oh, I could give you tons of excuses

as to why I haven't been working out.

Knees have been hurting too bad.

I am just too tired to get up extra early to workout.

I am just too tired in the evening to workout.

The excuses could go on and on.

However, the excuses need to end and

they need to end NOW!!

The first big step is this:

CLEAN OFF THE TREADMILL!

How many of you have a treadmill like this

in your house?

Oh, I know I am not alone in making my

treadmill a coat rack.

Nobody can see you hold your hand .

So, hold up you hand proudly to show that 

I am not alone in this little fact!

(PS - ignore the messy craft table.)

So tomorrow the treadmill will be cleaned off.

And yes, my lazy behind will be back on there 

tomorrow as well.

Is it going to be hard to get back in the habit?

Of course it will be!

Is it going to be worth it when I start feeling better again?

Of course it will be!

However, it is time for the excuses to end here!

Love to you all!

For the love of Narnia

In 5th grade, I was introduced to a magically place - 

Narnia.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis have

been my all time favorite books since that time.

There is just something magically about those books.

Lewis' writing is absolutely amazing.

You actually feel like you are in Narnia.

My parents bought me the entire set of books

back in 5th grade.  I actually still have all

these wonderful books.

I would love to find some way to preserve

them because they are starting to become fragile.

I realize they are not the original books, but

these are very special to me.

I spent many hours reading these books.

Then when the first movie was about to be released,

my lovely husband bought me this:

It is the complete collection in one book.

However, what I love the most about this book

is that it published in the order Lewis

really wanted them read.

If you have ever read the series, you know

the series begins with "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."

In this compilation, the first book is "The Magician's Nephew."

It really changes the entire series reading them how Lewis

really preferred the books read.

And yes, I have seen all the movies.

I personally like the movies; however, 

they do not compare to the books at all.

And yes, there is the underlying theme of 

Christianity in the books.

I think that is why I love them so much more now

than when I was a child.

When I was a child, I thought of them as a great story.

Now, I see the lessons Lewis put into the books.

If you have never read "The Chronicles of Narnia", 

please read them soon.

You don't have to a child to enjoy these books.

I believe adults have a lot to learn from these beautiful books as well!

So, I would just like to say

"Thank you Mrs. Gwinn!  You gave me

something no one can ever take away from me.

The wonderful world of Narnia."

Have a great night everyone!

Love to you all!

PS - Here is the order, according to HarperCollins, that 

C. S. Lewis preferred the books to be read.

"The Magician Nephew"

"The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"

"The Horse and His Boy"

"Prince Caspian"

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

"The Sliver Chair"

"The Last Battle"

Fur Babies

Honestly, I have never been huge on pets.

However, that all changed in December 2011 and

then again in August 2012.

Two precious beagles came into our house and we 

have never been the same.

First was our precious Copper.

We rescued Copper from the Animal Shelter.

Our friend Beth posted his picture and we immediately feel in love.

So, the next day I was on the phone to the shelter.

December 7, 2011 JJ and I went rescued him.

There have been some ups and downs with Copper.

We believe he was abused by his former owners.

When we first brought him home, he would growl 

and bark at Johnny and JJ.

Thankfully, that has all changed now and he is one

fat and sassy doggy.

Second came our crazy Bear.

 

He was only 7 weeks old when we brought him home.

Boy, it is amazing how something so small can attach so fast

onto your heart.

Bear had a rough time early in his little life.

He ended up with a hook worm infection that almost killed him.

He had to have a blood transfusion and stay at the vet for a while.

Then the poor thing got a worble.

Ended up having to have another surgery to remove that

and another bout with the collar of shame.

Thankfully, he survived all his little trails and is 

a VERY active puppy!!

I could not imagine our life without our 

two precious fur babies.

Yes, they drive us crazy at times.

But they are so sweet when they want to cuddle.

The funniest thing though is the jealousy

that they exhibit.  

Take today.  Bear was on my lap

letting me love on him.

Then Copper had to come over and push

Bear out of the way so that he could get on 

my lap to be loved on.

They are hilarious when they get this way.

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Love to you all!

PS - The Recipe of the Day has been moved.

I have started a new blog devoted just to cooking!

It is called Busy Cookin' WV Momma.

I hope you will go over and give it a follow!

Please follow "The Wonderful Craziness Called My Life"

if you haven't yet.  We would love to see you all!

SNOW!!!

Yep, it snowed in the great state of WV today.

So, you know what this means?

No milk, bread, or eggs on any supermarket shelves in town.

HA!  HA!  HA!  Sad part, it is so true!

Actually, we did not get much.

Basically enough just to make the roads nasty to drive on.

This was the view from my front door:

It is pretty though.  Especially since I have went

NO WHERE today!  LOL!!

RECIPE OF THE DAY!!

Since, I did not get a chance to post last night,

here is the recipe we tried last night.

It was another crock pot meal.

All I can say is THANK GOODNESS FOR GOOGLE!

I had planned on making another recipe.

However, since I had to change around some of the menus

this week, I did not have all the ingredients.

So, Google to the rescue!

I found this recipe on Cooks.com.

Three ingredients made it even better!

Crock pot round steak

1 to 1.5 lb round steak, cut into bite size pieces

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix

Spray cooker with non stick spray.

Place all ingredients in cooker and mix together.

Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.

Serve over pasta or rice.

Have a great evening everyone!

Love to you all!!

A little trip down memory lane

You know, there is nothing like a song that takes

you back to a certain time.

I also love it when I hear a song that I haven't heard in a long time.

Well, both of those things happened today.

When JJ was about three, he learned his first "real" song.

And I honestly, I was surprised when he just started singing it one day.

It was so cute when I heard him belting out the words to this Travis Tritt classic:

I wish I had had a video camera back then to tape him singing this song.

And the part where Travis sings about "howling at the moon,"

JJ would actually howl.  TOO CUTE!!

Now, for the newest feature:

"RECIPE OF THE DAY"

Tonight's recipe is another crockpot recipe.

Super simple and yet so tasty!

"Pork Chop Supreme"

4 boneless pork chops

1 large onion sliced

4-6 potatoes peeled and sliced

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

Salt and pepper

Spray crockpot with Pam.

Place onion and potato in bottom of slow cooker.

Place pork chops on top of onions/potatoes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour soup over pork chops.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Have a great night everyone!

Love to you all!!

Docs, New Resturant and New Recipe!

Johnny and I went to see the wonderful Dr. Tao today.

Besides the fact that I got yelled at a little by him, it was a pretty 

great visit.  My knees are finally feeling better and

I am not hobbling around like a 90 year old woman.

I ended up getting a cortisone shot into each knee.

Johnny and I decided that I will have the Euflexxa injections

for both of my knees completed.  No, it is not an

absolute cure, but it could mean up to 6 months of no pain.

So, we are starting the process with the insurance and go from there.

I have to say though, I love Dr. Tao.  He is awesome!

He gets right to the point and lets you know exactly what he is thinking.

That is why I got "talked" to today.

But it is also cool when you know your doctor has been named this:

Plus, seeing his pictures with all the athletes he has worked on 

through the years.  I would highly recommend him if you need

an orthopedic doctor for you or someone in the family.

Now, of course they had to do x-rays today.

Therefore, I had to change into a lovely pair of hospital shorts.

So, I of course had to have a picture taking in these lovely

fashion accessories.

If you can't laugh at yourself, then who else is going to do it?

The expression on my face is ridiculously funny.

I also wish Johnny had got my lovely hiking boots in the picture.

I am telling you all, they MADE the outfit!  LOL!!

On the way home, Johnny and I stopped to have lunch.

Johnny took me to Fat Patty's in Teays Valley.

Besides the bad service we started with, this place was amazing.

I had the "Vampire Killer" hamburger.

OMG, it was amazing!  Well, I will say this -

if you don't like garlic, don't order this burger.

Because let me show you how much garlic is on this burger:

See, now you know why it is called the "Vampire Killer"!

It was good though!

Now, for the new addition to the blog!!

As you know, if you have been reading, I have finally

got into meal planning.  It has worked out great though.

Therefore, I have decided to incorporate a new feature 

into my blog dealing with the meal planning.

Each night, I will be including the

"The Recipe of the Night"!

Hopefully, you will like this new feature.
Also, I hope you will find some recipes to add to
your recipe box.

Tonight's recipe was from Pinterest.
Yes, I love Pinterest and have found some wonderful
recipes from there lately!

Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops is super simple!
3 ingredients in your crockpot gives you this:

These pork chops were awesome!
They were fork tender and very tasty.
The recipe says to cook for 4 to 6 hours on low.
I cooked these for 4 1/2 and they were perfectly done.
We paired them with mashed potatoes and green beens
for a tasty, filling meal.

Have a wonderful evening everyone!
Love to you all!!

Pain, Pain Go AWAY

Yes, I am borrowing on an old nursery rhyme.

I am sick of being in pain and I am praying that Dr. Tao

can get me out of pain tomorrow!

I have had trouble with my knees for years.

Last year, my right knee got so bad that I just couldn't take it anymore.

Thankfully, we already had a great orthopedic doctor due to JJ's various

injuries.  So, I finally broke down and made an appointment.

After a couple of appointments, an MRI and a couple of 

cortisone shots (that hurt like I don't know what), 

Dr. Tao determined it was osteoarthritis.

However, I am beginning to wonder if it is not something more serve now.

I am in pain all the time.

I can not walk sometimes because the pain is so bad.

It hurts to sit with my feet propped up.

It hurts to sit with my feet dangling.

If I try to get up after sitting for awhile, I look like I am 90+

years old because of the pain I feel when I try to walk.

I am popping Advil like they are candy and they aren't helping anymore!

And the worst part, the left knee has been also hurting now for the past 3 months.

I give up!!

So, if you pray, could you please say a little one for me tomorrow!

I would greatly appreciate it!

Now, on a happier note!

I finally figured out why I could not upload pictures.

I had to install Google Chrome because our internet explorer 

was not supporting Google applications anymore.

Therefore, here is the pictures of the Satay from Saturday night.

4 ingredients

Turn into this delicious mixture.

Seriously, I could have licked the bowl when done!

That gave me three bags of marinated chicken.

YUMMY!!

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Love to you all!

Planning DOES Work!

I know I have been talking about this for some time now;

however, I finally did it!

I planned our menu for a week and it WORKED!!

We did end up eating out twice.  Once was with my

mother and father-in-law.  The other time was due to

the fact mama came down with a nasty stomach virus.

So, I decided to kick it up a notch this weekend.

I decided to stock up the freezer.

That way I have items to build my menus around,

plus it gives me some easy weeknight cooking.

Let me tell you, though it was a little hard work,

it was a great sense of accomplishment when

I was through yesterday.

A lot of the recipes I have used lately have came from Pinterest!

I love Pinterest and am very thankful to whoever

designed that site!  I owe you a BIG thank you!

Yesterday consisted of three recipes.

First - my spaghetti sauce recipe.

Second - a quesadilla recipe from Pinterest.

Third - freezer marinated chicken recipes from Pinterest.

(I spoke about the third one a little in my post Satay my new love)

Sissy's Spaghetti Sauce:
Brown 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder.
Once browned, drain off the fat.
While meat is draining, saute one onion and about 1 1/2 Tbsp of minced garlic
in extra virgin olive oil.
Once that is sauteed, add back in the hamburger and combine together.
Then add two jars of spaghetti sauce of your choice.  I use
Kroger Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce.  We like it much better than Prego or Ragu.
Then I add two 16 oz cans of tomato sauce and two cans of mushrooms.
Once that is all combined, I add the following spices:
Oregano
Italian seasoning
Basil
Seasoning salt
Garlic powder
Red pepper flakes (if I am feeling spicy -- LOL)
Then, I just let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Yes, I cheat by using the jar spaghetti sauce.
But hey, everyone has to have their help.

Again, like yesterday, I would show pictures if I could get them to load.
For some reason, blogger is not allowing me to upload any pics!

It is starting to drive me bonkers!!

The quesadilla recipe was found through Pinterest.
It actually came from a group of make-a-head casseroles
from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.
She has some really AWESOME recipes and I would recommend
following her blog if you don't already.
The quesadilla recipe can be found on her blog post entitled Top 5 Freezer Meals.

If you decide to start meal planning or stockpiling your freezer,
I wish you the best of luck!  Though it is a little time consuming
looking up recipes and get all the ingredients, the time
it saves overall is completely worth every minute!

Love to you all!!


 

Satay my new love

Oh satay, how I have feel in love with you.

Honestly, this stuff is AMAZING!

What is satay you ask?

Well, according to Wikipedia, it is a peanut sauce.

All I know it is just down right delicious!!

While looking for recipes for my freezer stockpiling weekend,

I remembered a set of recipes I had "pinned" on Pinterest.

The recipes were for marinated freezer chicken.

You can see the recipes here at Diminshing Lucy.

Anyway, one of the recipes for a marinade was for Satay.
I had never really heard of this before but thought,
"Why Not?"

OMG!!  WOW!!
I seriously could have put my whole head into
the bowl and licked it clean - LOL!!
It was amazing and I don't even like peanut butter that much.
Seriously, I am just going to make sure I have the
ingredients on hand all the time for satay.
That way I can make it any time I have chicken!

Want to make some yourself?
You will need:
Peanut butter
Sweet Chili Sauce
Ginger (I used the already ground type)
Soy Sauce

Mix everything together and then if marinating, pour of
the chicken and mix well in a ziploc bag.
But honestly, you could use this immediately as a dipping sauce.

Hopefully, tomorrow I can get the pictures uploaded for you all to see.
Don't know what is going on tonight with Blogger!

Love to you all!!

 



Evil Calendar

Tonight I decided I would work on my calendar and catch everything up for the new year.

Yeah, that turned depressing REALLY quick! This family is busy and I already feel overwhelmed!

Between work, church activities, scouts, ROTC dates, appointments, my AST advisor dates and other things, I am running out of room on some days. Don't get me wrong. I feel blessed that we are able to do these things. That we can allot time to these different activities and we are healthy enough to enjoy those activities. However, when you put it all down on paper, it is overwhelming!!

I also love this calendar for one more reason. I really wanted to try meal planning. I know, I know. I have mentioned meal planning before and I have FAILED miserably!! But I think I was going about it all wrong.

I am not the type of person that likes to have clutter and I want everything in one place. I really did not like my other methods of meal planning because it was a separate binder, folder, etc.

With this calendar though, the week section is big enough that I can divide each day. That way I can write our appts and such on one side and plan our meals on the other side. One central location and no flipping between different items! YEA ME! Maybe, just maybe, this will keep me excited and I won't give up on meal planning again.

Love to you all!!

Can I Go Back to 2012?!?

So, 2013 has definitely not started out like I was hoping it would for me. I have been sick since January 1st.

Finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. I was coughing so badly I had to leave work. I saw the wonderful Ms. Michelle Roach, PA and she gave me some wonderful antibiotics to start combating this gunk. However, in the process, I was put back on blood pressure medicine because my BP was 168/110! GESSH!!

So, Johnny and I get home and I went upstairs to change. Then it hit. I got a pain so severe I thought I was going to pass out! I couldn't walk. I couldn't sit. I wanted to die!

Now, please don't think me a dainty little girl here. I have had a child. And my friends, I would go through child birth again if I never had to have this pain again.

So, we head to the ER and surprisingly, they took us right back. The doctor and nurse were awesome! And the pain meds were wonderful! Basically, though all my tests came back normal, they are pretty sure I had a kidney stone. If that was what it was, I never want another one!! Plus, I am surprised the pain came on so sudden. I was fine one minute and the next wanted to die! Hopefully, that will be the only one ever!

Therefore, I am already tired of 2013!! Can I ask for a redo of the past 4 days??

Love to you all!

Happy 2013!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I pray that this year is one filled with many blessings for you all!

2013 came in very quite around our house.

Johnny and I were asleep by 9:30 last night

because my sweetie had to be at work at 4:30 AM!

I think this is the first New Year's Eve we haven't seen the

ball drop in several years.

So, with the New Year, I guess it is time for resolutions!

Well, guess what?  I am not doing resolutions this year!

No, Nope, Nada!

I looked back to my post from last year (you can read it here)

and realized that I did not keep a SINGLE resolution.

Therefore, this year I am not making any resolutions.

I am going to try to make some suggestions for myself.

Suggestion #1 - Slowly go back into working out.

I am going to start tonight with something my friend Krechella

posted for Christmas.

Yeah, I know it is not Christmas anymore.

But it doesn't have to be the holidays to start something!

I am also going to add the same number crunches and pushups each night too.

 

Suggetion #2 - I am going to try to do a photo a day.

 

Suggestion #3 - I am going to try and finish some of the craft projects

I have been working on for years!

 

Suggestion #4 - Read something that is for more than entertainment each day.

 

There you have it.  No specific resolutions, just some suggestions for the New Year!

I wish you all good luck if you made any resolutions or "suggestions".

 

Here is to a wonderful 2013 for us all!

Love to you all!!