Friday Favorites 10/20/17

Obviously I am not back to posting on a regular basis just yet, but somehow Friday comes around and gives me that extra boost to at least write something.

Here are a few Friday favorites I'm linking up with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog.

1. We are making steps forward on house planning. Perc test is done. Surveyor is working on three next step for dividing out where the house will sit, and my super talented hubby is working away at finalizing the actual house plans.

2. Fall! Finally days where I've worn long sleeve shirts. Nights in flannel pajamas. But let's be real, I've been known to wear those in July. 😉

3. This one is mixed. Another friend has left work which is really sad for those of us still there. But I'm very excited and happy for her to get to a better place.

4. The sweet furry neighbor greeting me several days this week when I really needed a friendly face at the end if the day. She even saw me off to work this morning.

5. Next week I'm only at work about a day and a half. I am so happy about that fact I can't even tell you. It will be a much needed break.

That's all for now. I'm off to finish scrubbing my bathtub which our spring water has turned green. Ugh!

Happy Friday!

Friday Favorites 10/6/2017

Well, I have taken a much longer than anticipated break from here! I've been meaning to get back but life has just been crazy lately. 

I'm so glad it's Friday so I'm determined to get a little post out today. So, I'm listing a few favorites and linking up with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog.

1. It's Friday! Did I mention that already? Work has been wearing us all down lately. Too much drama. This sums it up about perfectly...



2. The weather is starting to feel at least a little bit like fall. I mean it still gets up close to 90 degrees most days, but the mornings have a nice chill in the air.

3. While it has been a few months filled with lots of challenges and changes. Hence my long absence here. I'm extremely grateful for the reasons behind it, which I hope to share soon. :)

4. Football. It just wouldn't be fall without it.



5. Looking forward to some days off and getting out of town this month. YAY!

Friday Favorites 8/11/17

I've been a little absent from the blogging world lately. Lots of exciting things going on. More on that in the near future. :)

Today I'm happy it's Friday and the weekend is here. Woohoo!

Today I'm listing a few of my favorites along with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog.

1. A low key weekend. I literally have tried to plan absolutely nothing this weekend. I just want to relax and rest. My goal is for this to be me all weekend...



2. A few hours of relaxing on the deck with my furry family members while dog sitting this past weekend.

3. Heading to the beach at the end of next week! Finally an actual vacation trip instead of part work, part fun. It will be short, but at least it will be real free time and just us. This will be my view shortly, YAY!

Happy Friday!

Homemade Date Bars

So I had some dates in the pantry from a Morrocan dish I made recently and I was looking for a way to use them in something else. 

At first I thought I'd probably find bread of some kind but as I started looking through recipes I kept seeing different versions of date bars and they sounded like a winner.

This is my version of them and we thought they turned out really well. It's a little something different from our usual but it was very yummy and I felt it could be classified with some good nutritional value since it had fruit in it! :)

I realized I didn't take any photos of the finished product, but I got a couple of the assembly.

 Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 lb pitted dates, diced

1 cup water

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Then mix in butter until crumbly.

Press half or a little more of the mixture into the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes (until starting to brown around edges).

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the diced dates (I used kitchen scissors to cut them up - much easier than chopping!), water and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.

Stir in almond extract (you can use lemon juice if you prefer or don't have almond extract) and remove from heat.

Spread filling over baked crumb mixture base.

Spreading the date mixture in the middle

Then sprinkle remaining crumb mixture all of the top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until top is lightly toasted. Cool before cutting.

Happy Baking!

What's Up Wednesday 7/26/17

Hard to believe it's the end of July already! What happened?!

I'm joining the What's Up Wednesday link up today with Mix and Match Mama, The Larson Lingo and Sheaffer Told Me To.

1. What we’re eating this week
Trying to eat healthier. Monday I had a meeting where we ordered in so I had a yummy berry salad with chicken.
Tuesday we had baked chicken with couscous and green peas.
The rest of the week will probably include beef and turkey, some guacamole and other random items.

2. What I’m reminiscing about

Trips to the beach. Trips anywhere really. I am dreaming about a vacation right now. We're about to be pet sitting for family members going on vacation and I could just about cry because we aren't going too.

3. What I’m loving

Just loving life. Enjoying some swimming and other fun summer activity.

4. What we’ve been up to

We've done a little more work on the land. I have stacked logs with the Bobcat all by myself. This was my first pile.

I was very proud of my amateur self.

We've also been trying to fight bugs off the trees that have been cut, but it's challenging since we don't have a way to mill them right away, or a kiln to dry them in.

You hear the most annoying little sucking and clicking sounds of the bugs just eating away. We really want to be able to save the wood for use down the road but how do you keep the annoying critters from eating all through them after you cut them?

Anyone know? We could use some help!

5. What I’m dreading

Work. Honestly these days it is a dread, even more so than usual. I'm really looking in earnest to find some ways to work from home and be able to replace at least a good portion of the income from my current job so that I can be a little less miserable in life and actually be the home maker I want to be. 

6. What I’m working on
Still working on finding a new, reliable, legitimate source of income that doesn't make me a grumpy person all week long. ;) 

7. What I’m excited about
Lots of things. Too many to share today but sometime soon maybe. ;)

8. What I’m watching/reading
I'm about to start reading the balance of Grace and faith. Reading my Bible as always.

9. What I'm listening to

Lately worship music has been my go to. I need it.

10. What I'm wearing

Shorts and t-shirts when I'm not at work.

11. What I'm doing this weekend.

Pet and house sitting. Maybe some work on the land. House planning.

12. What I'm looking forward to next month
A vacation hopefully!

13. What else is new?
Lots of work related stuff.

Bonus Question: 
What's your favorite thing about summer?
The longer days. Love having more daylight to enjoy the outdoors. Swimming and all kinds of fun activities.

Friday Favorites 7/21/17

Friday is here. YAY!

I'm sharing my Friday favorites with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog.

1. It's the weekend. Need I say more? It's been such a long week and I'm ready for some time to not be at work. Amen.

2. This little cutie found a great home.

I was sad she had to go but very thankful she is going to a loving family.

3. This face occasionally greeting me when I get home from work and all I want to do is crawl under a rock.

It's not a great photo because she doesn't like to pose, but she will literally just about climb in my lap before I can get out of the car because she is happy to see me. And she isn't even my dog, she belongs to the neighbors. 

It does a heart good to have such a happy, loving greeting to come home to from time to time though. :)

4. This dish. I used it to make my homemade chicken pot pie in last week and it just makes me happy.

It's so pretty and feminine and it just makes dinner more fun! I need to make a dessert in it soon. That would definitely be fun. YUM!

Happy Friday!

Easy Homemade Cream Soup Substitute

I am not a fan of the canned cream soups. Never have been.

I always felt when I was growing up like the casseroles and things made with them just had too clumpy and gross of a texture.

I've also become more conscious of what we eat over the years when it comes to processed foods.

So these two facts led me to search for an easy way to substitute for cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup in recipes. There are so many great recipes that use them and I needed an easy go to way to make it from scratch.

I've tried a few different ways I feel like, but this one is super simple, doesn't take long, and I've been very pleased with the result.

I use it in my chicken pot pie and any other recipes that call for cream of chicken or mushroom soup and it works beautifully! 

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/2 cup chicken broth (you could use other broth too)

1/2 cup milk (I use either 2% or whole)

1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
In a small skillet or sauce pan heat the butter until melted over medium heat

Sprinkle the flour over butter 1 tbsp at a time whisking each until smooth

Whisk and cook a couple of minutes until thick, bubbly, and starting to brown

Slowly add the broth and then the milk continuously whisking until smooth

Add salt and pepper and continue cooking until thick and bubbly and desired consistency is reached

Friday Favorites 7/7/17

I am so glad it is Friday! Even though this was technically a short week, it felt so long.

I'm sharing my Friday favorites with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog.

My favorites this week:

1. A short work week. Even though it felt long. It was great to spend a little time with our families for the holiday and celebrate our freedom.

2. Our recent trips to the beach. They were a little tiring and not exactly vacation since work was involved, but when you get to enjoy this view and a little bit of beach time I call it a good day.

3. This sweet little thing showed up at my parents house on Monday.

None of us can keep it due to allergies, living arrangements, etc but we are trying to find it a really good home.

I'm enjoying loving on it a little while we look though.

4. This yummy carrot cake.

I need to make another one soon. There has to be a good excuse coming up for something.

5. Clearance sales! On the way home from the beach we stopped at the outlets. I didn't except to buy anything but found a couple of deals and ended up going for it.

My sister has raved about the Vera Bradley travel bags and not only were they 50% off but then another 30% on top of that. So I purchased one with travel compartments. Now I need to plan a trip so I can test it out.

The other purchase was after years of buying cheap purses and replacing them with more cheap purses when they fall apart and I've squeezed every last drop of life it off them and then some. I wandered in the Coach store just for kicks because my sister has talked about them a lot.

The whole store was 50% off with another 50% off coupon they were handing out.

I still didn't expect to find anything, but meandered back to the clearance section and found a nice deal.

I still left the store and only came back after thinking about it, but I decided to give it a try and see if it really is worth it.

I have NEVER been a brand name person so these two purchases were out of my comfort zone, but she swears the quality makes a difference so we will see! And since they were really good deals I feel pretty good about them and I'm hoping they will last a long time!

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day and has a great weekend!

Rose Petal Keepsake

I am a sentimental person. I admit it.

I have a much harder time throwing away something if someone I love gave it to me. 

I love getting flowers but I'd rather not most of the time because then they die and it makes me sad to have to throw them away. My sweet hubby knows this. He tends to not buy me flowers too often but when he does I want to keep something from them.

I have dried flowers before but then I never know exactly what to do with them.

Several years ago I came up with a solution.

I've always taken a photo of the flowers when they are fresh and beautiful, but then I came up with this way of keeping something from them that didn't take up much space and was easy to do.

I take a petal or two from the flowers and dry that. Then I take a small strip of paper with the date and occasion written on it and curl it up.

Then I place the dried petals and the curled paper into this cute little glass heart container I got at a craft store.

It's a cute and sweet display and it doesn't take up much room at all and every time I pass by it I think about the sweet memories those petals represent.

Granny's Carrot Cake

For one of our many recent birthday parties my mom asked me if I would make a carrot cake. One of the birthday people is not eating chocolate right now and they both really like carrot cake so it seemed like the perfect choice.

In my family I am known as the only one who can make my grandmother's carrot cake successfully. My mom and sister have both tried and their cakes have either exploded or imploded. I'm not sure exactly how or why but if someone wants a carrot cake, they ask me to make it.

It's really a simple recipe though so they both want to try it again and you should try it too!

First I greased two 9" round cake pans.

Then I cut wax paper to line the bottom of each one. Greasing the pan first caused it to adhere very easily to the bottom of the pan. 

 Then I greased and floured the bottom (which was now covered in wax paper) and the sides of each pan.  

After that it was time to make the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack in pan. 

Then invert the cake to remove from pan and gently remove the wax paper. Then I turned them right side up again to finish cooling.

After cooling completely I then put my cakes in the freezer for about a half an hour to make frosting them easier and reduce the crumbs. I mixed up the frosting while they were chilling.

Once I was ready to frost I used two pieces of wax paper placed underneath the bottom layer on the cake plate while frosting. Then once you are done, you just gently pull out those pieces and you have a nice clean cake plate!

First frost the top and sides of bottom layer followed by top and sides of top layer. 

Store in fridge after frosting but pull it out to come to room temperature prior to serving. Or eat it cold if that's your thing!

 Once it was done I decorated it with some store bought candy and candles since it was for a birthday celebration. As you can see one of our honorees was turning 40, but I won't tell which one it was. :)

Oh so yummy!

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil (Granny's recipe specifically says Wesson which makes me smile, I use whatever I have)
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots

For icing:

1 stick butter

8 oz cream cheese, very softened
1 box confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup broken nuts (optional)

Directions
Grease and flour two round 8 or 9" cake pans
Line bottom of pans with wax paper
Grease and flour the now wax paper lined cake pans
Mix first 5 ingredients together
Add oil
Add eggs one at a time
Beat well
Fold in grated carrots, mix well
Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops with spatula if desired
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack

Directions for frosting
Cream together cream cheese and butter

Mix in confectioners sugar a little at a time being careful to not send white poufs of sugar all over your kitchen. Not that I've ever done that or anything

Mix in vanilla

Fold in nuts if desired

Friday Favorites 6/30/17

I am so glad it is Friday and today I'm heading to the beach! Woot woot!

Before I go I'm joining with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals and Grace and Love blog for this Friday favorite link up.

My favorites this week:

1. It's a recurring theme in my recent posts but BEACH! I'm so glad to be getting out of the office for a few days. Even though I'll be working some still, it's on non-profit work and it's not in an office, so I'm very happy about that.

While we're there hopefully we'll get some more fishing in and maybe some tennis. There is definitely fresh seafood in my future though.

2. July 4th is coming up and it's always a fun time to celebrate our freedom and spend time with loved ones. Last year we went to a local place that does reenactments and historical education type things.

Not sure where we'll be this year but I will be taking a few minutes wherever we are to give thanks for this great country and the freedom we enjoy, and especially for all those who sacrificed to make it possible.

3. Finding great deals!

A friend at work had told me about her OTBT shoes and how incredibly comfortable they were. I looked them up online and thought to myself "there is no way I am paying that much for a pair of shoes". I thought about how nice is would be to find some at a good price if they were really good shoes.

This is a great example of how God is so good that He pays attention to even the small things we desire or ask for. Very shortly after this I saw a pair of this brand of shoes in a style and color that I liked listed on a local for sale listing that I never really even look at, but for some reason I was that day. They caught my attention as they were brand new and priced at about 1/3 of the cost brand new!

I messaged the seller and long story short I ended up with a nice pair to give a try for a very reasonable price. Since I'm always a little unsure about this type of thing it's also comforting to know that I can turn around and sell them again if they don't work and from what I'm told they should sell fairly easily. Even the seller suggested that if I didn't end up liking them I just re-post where she had them when I found them because several people messaged her about them too.

4. These chocolate chip muffins.

Mmmmm I make them every now and then and often when we're traveling I make some to take with us for easy snacks and breakfast in the hotel or condo. They are from scratch but super easy to make and very yummy.

5. This bathing suit.

  I found it on sale at JCPenney and literally paid about $1.97 for one piece and either $1.97 or $4.97 for the other. I love finding deals like that!

I wasn't sure if I would like it but it's ended up being a favorite so far. It's fits well and is very comfy and flattering. I'm not posting a photo of me in it because well, who wants to do that, but it is a favorite of recent swimsuits.

I especially like the detailing in the back and the fact that I can wear it with the matching bottoms or with some plain black ones.

The only complaint I have is the top can take a little bit of effort to get on and off, but it is very comfortable and you're able to move around freely once it's on.

Well I'm heading to the beach!

Have a wonderful weekend and July 4th holiday. I hope we all remember the reason behind the holiday too and give thanks for our freedoms and those who died to secure them. Happy Independence Day!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe.

It's from scratch, it's easy, and it's delicious. They make very moist, dense muffins every time.

I wouldn't say they are necessarily low fat but they are a yummy indulgence for every now and then.

I'm making a double batch tonight at my family's request to take with us on our upcoming weekend trip to the beach. 

I got the original recipe from searching the internet several years ago on a blog called The Curvy Carrot who got it from Taste of Home. (You've got to love a name like that) It might have been via Pinterest, but it's been long enough that I'm not sure.

I make a couple of slight changes, but for the most part kept it the same. You could do some variations by changing the chocolate chips out for something else like peanut butter chips or blueberries or some other fruit, but personally I love a good chocolate chip muffin!

Go make these for yourself and see if you don't like them as much as we do!

Makes 12 muffins: (I made 24 tonight!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking power

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup sour cream

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Line cupcake pan with liners or grease and flour. I use cooking spray sometimes.

In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, combine egg, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract, mixing well. (I often use a glass bowl to melt the butter first and then add the other ingredients. I'm all about less dishes to wash!)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips (or other ingredient of your choice!) until combined.

Pour batter evenly into prepared cupcake pan (make them about 3/4 full each).

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes or until tester in center of muffin comes out clean.

Enjoy!

What's Up Wednesday 6/28/17

It's already time for another What's Up Wednesday with Mix and Match Mama, The Larson Lingo and Sheaffer Told Me To.

This month has been super busy and I can't believe it's gone by so quickly!

1. What we’re eating this week
Monday was a Moroccan inspired meal from one of my many cookbooks. Apricot, date and chicken tangine. (Excuse the fine china ;))

We discovered we liked Moroccan food and Epcot of all places. 😊 It's the first time I've tried to make it at home and it turned out pretty good I think.

Then last night it was ground turkey and spaghetti. 

I'm not sure what we'll be having tonight and tomorrow but come this weekend we're heading back to the beach for another conference, second weekend in a row, so more fresh seafood! YAY!

2. What I’m reminiscing about

My cousin got married this past weekend so I've been reminiscing about our wedding. Sweet memories!

3. What I’m loving

Beach trips and being away from work!

4. What we’ve been up to

Beach conference last week into the weekend and then again this weekend. It's just nice to be away from my real job for a while and get a little bit of time by the ocean.

We've done lots of tree cutting and land clearing this month.

 I (finally) finished my ottoman recovering project.

I learned to operate a Bobcat.

Family wedding but I don't have a single photo in my phone. It was a lot of fun though and I even got the hubby to dance with me a little, which is no small feat!

5. What I’m dreading

Going back to work after this next beach trip, especially since my work buddy left me last week :(

6. What I’m working on
Trying to get some projects done around the house and get some items listed to sell too.

I'm also working on finding some legit work from home and/or part time work options that are not sales related. Sales is really not my thing. I could be a great editor though with my red pen. I am always finding errors in random things!

7. What I’m excited about
The BEACH and Independence Day!

8. What I’m watching/reading
I haven't been watching a lot but we did go see Cars 3. My niece loved it.

We also watched both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup. You won't find us watching hockey or basketball on a regular basis around here, but we got quite invested in these two finals this year for some reason.

Of course the fact that Nashville was in the hockey finals helped since we had to cheer on the Southern team. 

9. What I'm listening to

A little country, a little worship, a little elevator music when we're road tripping with my brother in law.

10. What I'm wearing

Same ole thing to work.

I have some new wedges I'm excited to try out. They're supposed to be really good shoes that a friend at work told me about. So we'll see.

11. What I'm doing this weekend.

BEACH! Working a conference and then an extra day just to relax.

12. What I'm looking forward to next month
More progress being made on clearing the land.

July 4th and hopefully finding some more fun summer adventures to go on.

13. What else is new
I think that pretty much covers it 

Bonus Question: What's your favorite July 4th tradition?
Probably when we used to go to the downtown area of an old neighborhood in our city that has the best views of the fireworks. We always went as kids and even up to a few years ago. The past few years we've tried some different things and they've all been fun too, but I'll always have a soft spot for the area we watched fireworks growing up.