A Christmas Pup

Six years ago today I received the very best Christmas present ever.... SCARLETT! She was born on November 3rd and was so tiny when we brought her home on Christmas Eve. As I type this she is sleeping on my lap. She is truly the sweetest dog. I am so glad she is mine. I love her so very much.

Here are some pictures of our first day together. We kept her in a baby pool so she would not get crushed. In the pool picture below you can hardly tell Scarlett apart from her toys. She is sleeping on her back all spralled out. And the stocking picture cracks me up because she looks less than thrilled to be stuffed on a stocking. Can you blame her?

Anyway... just felt like remembering.

Merry Christmas!

Because I Like to Share

I pretty much LOVE quiche. If it is on the menu in a restaurant I will probably order it. Tonight I made a zucchini cheese quiche from Our Best Bites. It was crazy good and looked exactly like the picture on their blog. Because I am a generous soul here is the link: Our Best Bites: Zucchini Cheese Quiche. You're welcome.

I currently have truffle tarts with raspberries in the fridge. I think the spelling of raspberry is pretty funny. I think it should be spelled razberry. Anyone??? I can't be alone here. If they turn out awesome I will link you as well.

Happy weekend!

Alive and Well...

Helloooooooo! I'm still alive. When I tell you that things have exploded in our lives I am not exaggerating. I am not quite ready to write about the changes headed our way in the months ahead. I will, just not yet. The Lord has been working in ways that I could have never imagined. But, that is to be expected.

My due date has come and gone. I feel a great sense of relief now that December 9, 2010 is a memory. I have been counting down since our loss and the clock has now officially stopped. I am so glad the constant ticking in my head has been silenced. And... that is all I have to say about that for now.

Were you worried because the last post I wrote was a little crazy and then I disappeared for over a month? I wrote a post about wanting to go to jail (not because I committed a crime, but just for a break) that would confirm your concerns. It is saved in my drafts and will most likely never be published. I just get completely overwhelmed by life and commercials sometimes. I am sure you understand. I think the feeling is universal.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are getting ready for a beautiful Christmas. I know I am really looking forward to it. More to come soon...

Emotional Investments

I really hate (not a strong a word here) that Pop Tart kid. He makes me so mad every time the commercial comes on. Today I googled "stupid pop tart kid" and found out that I am not alone. Here is his picture... I think I may join the support group.

I also hate the Highlander kid. He is such a brat. I think he needs to walk everywhere he goes until he learns the value of money. If I ever have a kid who acts like that I will scratch my eyes out. Were you looking for a little drama today? You're welcome.

That video is not the entire commercial. Have you seen it? It is awful.

Are you concerned that I am so emotionally invested in commercials? Me too...

This post is dedicated to MKP and her desire for a updated blog.

Random October Stuff

So... who is ready for football season to be OVER? Wow, it has been brutal around here. J is having a hard time losing and that seems to be all the Dawgs can do. I finally had to ask him to please stop talking to me about it. I know that sounds a bit rude, but he understood. BRUTAL I tell you...

So... October is here. I LOVE October. Yes, it is the month I was born (and J too actually) and that may have something to do with it, but it seems like as soon as October arrived on my doorstep the weather became absolutely gorgeous. It made me feel like getting outside, but instead I chose to nap. I love a good nap. If you ask me what my favorite thing to do is I will most likely tell you sleep. So, there is no need to ask because now you know. You are welcome for that. Next time you are playing a round of Amanda trivia you are set!

This is random, but is anyone watching Sister Wives in TLC? I swore that I would not waste a second of my time on that show but as soon as it came on I was totally intrigued. Then, the news that they might be arrested got me hook, line, and sinker. I mean really, why would you go on TV and make public a lifestyle that will send you to jail? I just don't get it. Now, the main question tonight is Hoarders or Sister Wives? After The Next Iron Chef of course. Are you thinking Tivo or that Comcast thing that records the shows you want to see but cannot decide between what trash TV to rot your mind with? I don't do that yet. Sad, I know.

Also, if you are looking for Slow Cooker recipes you should buy the October issue of Southern Living. I have one cooking right now.

Amanda, you are such a drive by blogger. I know. I am working on it. To make it up to you my next post will be a great freezer meal. Unless something awesome happens and I have to share that with you instead.

Just you wait...

Dirty Laundry

Well, not really. If that was dirty laundry all over my bed that would be sick and someone would be in serious trouble. And that my friends, is all I have for today.

The BIG Cook

A friend of mine introduced me to the Once A Month Mom. If I am being honest, I originally thought it had something to do with some lady's monthly visitor. How odd, I thought, that someone would actually blog about that. So, naturally, I clicked over only to find that the site had nothing to do with lady issues and everything to do with power cooking! This lady only cooks once a month and freezes everything. Brilliant! Game on my friends!

Feeding my husband is very hard. You know how growing teenage boys eat? That is exactly how my husband eats. Feeding him is the ultimate challenge of our marriage. So after exploring the OAMM site, I decided that while I do not need to prepare all my meals in advance (I can tackle breakfast and lunch daily) having dinner pre-cooked and ready would really help. Working full time and having a delicious hot meal on the table every night is truly a challenge. I spent some time looking through my recipies and deciding what might work as a power cook meal. I pulled together six dinners that we eat on a regular basis, made a list, went to the store and the cooking marathon began...

This is the fridge before the big cook...

In the end, I was able to prepare, package, and freeze over 26 meals. I have since power cooked a second time. It takes all day but is totally worth it. I never have to cook after work anymore and have so much more free time in the evening. It is all about being organized. Here is the freezer fully stocked...

I freeze all my meals in perfect portions for two. Some meals I freeze in containers and some I freeze in freezer bags. We eat a lot of Mexican food and I find that all the fillings can be made in advance and frozen in freezer bags. All you have to do is decide the night before what you want to eat for dinner the next day and put it in the fridge to thaw. The freezer above has frozen lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken fettuccine alfredo, enchilada filling, taco meat, quesadilla filling, two types of quiche, meatloaf, beef stroganoff, black beans and rice, and plain brown rice. I cook all noodles "live" to go with the frozen sauces but the frozen pre-cooked rice works really well.

Grocery shopping is much eaiser now. All I have to buy is breakfast, lunch, and dinner side items. Making a salad, preparing a fresh vegatable, and/or warming up fresh bread is a snap when the main course is ready and waiting for you.

I also make my cookie dough in advance and freeze the dough preped in packs of twelve. We can now have hot homemade cookies at any given time. No mess!

While I totally realize that this type of "Type A" personality cooking is not for everyone, it has been wonderful for me. I no longer feel like I am coming home from job #1 only to start job #2. One day of hard work is totally worth it when you have the rest of the month off! There are some things that we love to eat that don't freeze well and we eat those things on the weekend or on a random day that I have off of work.

I will post some of the recipies that I use just in case you are inspired. If you have a meal the freezes really well please pass it along. I am aways looking for new ideas.

Missing Dishes

Dear Justin,

Please bring all our bowls and cups home from work. I know that they are sitting in the store filthy and that they really need to be washed. My service for eight is now service for three. I guess that's fine because there are only two of us, but I really like my dishes and this has nothing to do with how many people are using them at any given time. I just want them back. All of them. Now. Pretty please. PLEASE and please.

Love,

Longing for a Complete Set of Dishes

UPDATE: J has returned the missing dishes. He did not return them because he read my blog and felt bad. No sir. J does not read my blog at all. Well, sometimes he reads it over my shoulder while I type and then asks me questions while I am trying to think. Mainly he asks why I am soliciting a stalker. What!?!? Exactly. He has a very creepy understanding of the blog world. Anyway... he did return the dishes and that is great. Sometimes you just have to put it out there in the universe. I just thought you would like to know because I am sure you have been losing sleep over this.

Warning: Cuteness Overload

Are you dying from cuteness? I am. Absolutely dying.

I warned you in the post title.

3 Years Today

Saturday, September 8, 2007 - Big Canoe, Georgia